Babylon 5 Meets Star Wars

What Would Happen if Star Wars and B5 Met?

Written January 14, 1999 by Alex Legault



Legal Stuff: Babylon 5 Created By: J. Michael Straczynski.
Star Wars Created By: George Lucas.
Grand Admiral Thrawn (and associated characters) Created By: Timothy Zahn.
This story is not intended to infringe on the rights of anyone. I wrote it only for the enjoyment of the author and readers. Please Don't Sue Me.

Timeline: In Star Wars, this takes place 3 months before the events in the book "Heir to the Empire" by Timothy Zahn. In Babylon 5, this story takes place in the fourth season, after the end of the Shadow War but before the Earth Civil War.



ISD Chimaera, Secret Location:

Grand Admiral Thrawn looked out the window on the bridge of the ISD Chimaera. The rift in space was visible to the naked eye now. The device to enlarge the rift had taken over ten years to complete.
It had been started at the Emperor's order long ago. When the rift was first discovered, it was too small for a TIE-Fighter to pass through. It took the Empire's best minds a decade to figure out how to enlarge it. The only reason for such a large effort for something so small was the possibility that the rift would take an object across the universe to another galaxy. The Emperor had thought that this would be a way to expand his empire. After his death, Thrawn had kept the project alive, hoping the rift would lead to another galaxy with technology that he could use to defeat the Rebels and restore Imperial rule to the galaxy.
"Captain Palleon, take us through." he ordered.
"Yes, Admiral." the Captain responded.

C&C, Babylon 5: Commander Ivanova looked out the window at ships coming and departing. This is going to be a long day, she thought. 19 scheduled to dock and 11 to depart. The wounded from the fleet were still being brought onto the station and to Medlab for treatment. The Shadow and Vorlon fleets had done a lot of damage, and the fleet had lost a lot of ships. The ships that were in working order were patrolling the area in case Earth tried to take the station again. This would be the perfect time for Earth to strike. With the fleet badly damaged, the station overrrun with wounded, and the alien governments recovering from the recent war, no-one would go to war with Earth over an attack on the station.
Just when she thought things could not get any worse, the scanners started to beep. Curious, she thought, an increase in radiation from Sector 14 where Babylon 4 disappeared. Then she saw it. She immediately hit her link.
"Captain. We are reading a ship in Sector 14, sir. It is huge, over 3 kilometers long. And heading here." she reported.
"How long 'till it arrives?" the Captain asked.
"3 hours." she said.
The Captain thought for a moment and said, "Call all available ships here. I am on my way to C&C. Sheridan out."
Great, she thought, a huge ship headed here and all we have is a bunch of battle-damaged ships that could not get home without masive repairs.
Well, on the bright side, she thought, we have seven White Star ships that are not damaged. But how effective would they be against the ship in Sector 14, who knows.
Just then, Captain Sheridan arrived in C&C. "How long 'till it arrives?" he said.
"2 hours 45 minutes, Captain." she responded.
"Now we just have to wait." the Captain said.

ISD Chimaera, Sector 14

"Passage complete." Captain Palleon reported.
"Very good," said the Admiral. "Position." Thrawn ordered.
"Scanning," reported the officer at sensors. "Admiral, we have left our galaxy completely and are in an unknown part of space about 1,000,000 light-years from our galaxy." the officer said.
"Scan the area." Thrawn ordered.
"Detecting a space station orbiting a planet about 3 hours from this position," the officer reported. "And there is a device of unknown purpose near the station," he added.
"Is it a ship?" the Captain asked.
"No, sir, it is definitely not a ship. I cannot tell anything else from this distance," the officer said.
"Interesting," the Admiral said. "Helm, set course for that space station." he ordered.
"Why is there not a device on this side of the rift holding it open?" the Captain wondered.
"Unknown, Captain." the Admiral said, but he added, "We will attempt to answer that and other questions soon, Captain."

ISD Chimaera, Three Hours Later:

"Sir, we have reached the station." the Captain reported.
"Any idea what the unknown device is for yet?" the Admiral asked.
"Yes, sir." the officer at sensors said. "It appears to be a gate of some kind. It might be their version of hyper-drive." the officer reported.
"Can we establish communication with the station?" the Captain asked.
The officer at communications responded, "Yes, sir."

C&C, Babylon 5:

"Captain, we are recieving a message from the unknown ship," Ivanova reported.
"Put it on monitor seven," the Captain responded, looking at the screen. The image of a blue-skinned, red-eyed Human appeared on it. "I am Grand Admiral Thrawn of the Imperial Navy," the image said.
"I am Captain John Sheridan of Babylon 5," the Captain responded. "What government do you represent, Admiral?"
"The Galactic Empire." was the response.
"Where is the Empire?" the Captain asked.
"In another galaxy, one million light-years away from here." Thrawn responded. "We found a rift in space on our side years ago, but it was very small, about the size of two men. We created a device that enlarged the rift to allow us to pass through," he added.
"Well, now that you are here, welcome to this part of the universe." the Captain said.
"What government do you represent, Captain?" Thrawn asked.
"No government at the moment, Admiral. We left the Earth Alliance earlier this year, so we do not represent any government right now. Though numerous other governments have ambassadors here." the Captain said.
"I would like to come to your station to speak to you face-to-face, Captain." Thrawn said.
"Very well, Admiral. We will prepare to recieve you. Sheridan out."

ISD Chimaera:

"Captain, what is the armament of that station?" Thrawn asked.
"Numerous laser guns similar to our turbo lasers, launch bays for fighters, and no shields." was the analysis Captain Palleon gave. "We could safely attack the station with a single Star Destroyer, if the dozens of other ships were not here." he added.
"Very good, Captain. What is the armament on the ships?" Thrawn asked.
"The ships have a type of armor-plating on them that would be hard to penetrate, and numerous lasers. A lot of the ships in the area have massive damage, like there was a recent battle. A large one. The small purple ships are VERY fast, maneuverable and quite well-armed for their size." the Captain responded.
"If we are to gather information on this galaxy and its technology, we cannot start a war right after we show up, Captain. We will let that wait for later," the Admiral said with a smile...

Briefing Room, Babylon 5:

Captain Sheridan waited for the rest of his staff to show up. Mr. Garibaldi was still not here, he thought. A few minutes later he showed up.
"Problem in Down Below, nothing big," he reported as he sat down.
"Okay, let/s get this meeting started," Sheridan said. "We have a 3.2-kilometer-long ship sitting outside. What is its armament Commander?"
"Numerous laser cannons, similar to ours, just a lot more of them, from what we can tell, a launch bay for some kind of fighters, and a strange energy shield of some type that would absorb laser blasts." she reported. "With all the Minbari warships and White Stars in the area, we could probably destroy them but they would blow us to pieces first, she added."
"We are having a visit from Admiral Thrawn--Mr. Garibaldi, can you arrange a security escort for his group?" the Captain asked.
"Yes, we can have guards escort his people from the docking bay here and back, though keeping an eye on them around the station is going to be tough if a lot of them come over, Captain. My guys are stretched to the limit as it is, patrolling the rest of the station," the Security Chief responded.
"Just make sure they are safe on the station and not attacked or something, Mr. Garibaldi," the Captain said with a sigh.
"Sure, you got it." Garibaldi responded.
"Delenn, I would like you to call more White Stars into the area in case there is trouble," Sheridan said to the Minbari.
"They will be here," Delenn responded.
"Commander, I want all fighters on alert in case of trouble," the Captain added."
Just before he ended the meeting, a holographic projection of Draal appeared in the room.
"Greetings, Delenn," Draal said, and the two Minbari bowed to each other. Then he turned to the Captain. "Captain Sheridan, the ship called a 'Star Destroyer' came through the rift in Sector 14 from the other side of the universe as you know. But what you do not know is that the device the Imperials made on the other side of the rift is controlling this side too, and there is nothing I can do about it, unless the machine on the other side is destroyed. The destruction of the machine will collapse the rift on the other side permanently. If things get bad, send a ship through to destroy the device. The ship and all its crew will be trapped there, but itis a small sacrifice to ensure the safety of this galaxy." Draal said.
"What are the Imperials' intentions?" the Captain asked.
"I do not know. The Great Machine cannot read minds, but it can read their computers. The Empire is dying, Captain. They have been pushed back again and again by what they call "the Rebellion", and with good reason. They have, and continue to, practice a policy of cruelty and opression on the worlds of the Empire.
"One thing you do not have to worry about is telepaths and being scanned. They had telepaths once they called 'Jedi', but almost all of them were killed as a threat to the Empire. There are none in Imperial service at the moment. Their intentions might be unknown, butconsidering their history, you should be careful with them," Draal stated. Having said what he had to say, Draal vanished.
"Okay people, remember what Draal said and do your jobs. Dismissed." the Captain said, and the meeting broke up.

C&C, Babylon 5

"Shuttle Chimaera 1, this is Babylon Control. You are cleared to dock." Commander Ivanova said to the screen.
"Confirmed, Babylon Control. Shuttle Chimaera 1 out." the screen said and went blank.

Docking Bay, Babylon 5

Grand Admiral Thrawn stepped off the shuttle and looked around. Typical docking bay, he thought. He saw Captain Sheridan waiting for him. Captain Sheridan looked at Thrawn and thought what a strange-looking person he was. He also noticed the six white-armored troops escorting Trhawn and another man.
He stepped forward and said, "Welcome to Babylon 5, I am Captain John Sheridan. I would like you to meet my First Officer, Commander Susan Ivanova, and my head of Security, Michael Garibaldi."
Thrawn said, "I am Grand Admiral Thrawn and this is Captain Palleon, commander of the Chimaera. I am please to meet you."
"This way, Admiral," the Captain said, and led the way to the meeting room that had been set up.

The meeting went surpassingly well. The two sides traded star charts, information, and small pieces of technology, and the Imperials expressed an interest in meeting with the various ambassadors.

Bridge, ISD Chimaera, After the Meeting:

"So, Captain, what have you learned from this meeting?" the Admiral asked.
"We have learned that they are weak and can be easily conquered," the Captain responded with a small smile.
"Beyondthe military analysis, Captain--useful technology, politics--you get the idea," Thrawn asked, slightly annoyed that Palleon could not see farther than the military aspects of an issue.
"Yes, sir. They do not have shields of any kind. They have Jedi of a sort but they can only read mindws--very few of them can move objects. The 'telepaths', as they are called here, are not as skilled as the Jedi were. The Human ones are controlled by a branch of the Earth government called 'Psi Corps', and since the station has left the Earth alliance there are none on the station--"
He was interrupted by Thrawn. "Why did the station leave the Earth Alliance, Captain?"
Palleon thought for a moment and said, "Apparently, the current President had the last one assassinated, then took over and had all opposition execuued or imprisoned. Babylon 5 opposed this and so did several other colonies. Earth military ships took back the colonies, then tried to take back Babylon 5. The only thing that stopped them was a Minbari fleet that came to protect it."
"Interesting. Continue your report, Captain."
Palleon continued, 'They do have one useful technology called 'Jumpgates'. That is what the unknown device outside the station is. It gives access to 'hyperspace', another dimension, which is how they travel long distances, quickly. They do not have hyperdrive. It is about as efficient as hyperdrive; however, sensors cannot detect a ship in hyperspace until it drops out. It could be quite useful to sneak a fleet into Rebel space without being detected. Oh--the ship's sensors have discovered what is controlling the rift on this side--a machine on the planet, which is called Epsilon III. The machine IS the planet. Almost 30% of the planet is the machine which does much more than control the rift. That is my report, sir."
Thrawn thought about this for a while, then said, "We must acquire this jumpgate technology--which can also be mounted on a ship, I believe, so that it does not need a gate--and this 'Great Machine'. Since it is so big we must capture the whole planet. Send a shuttle back through the rift to order the ISD Death's-Head, the ISD Avenger, and the VSD Victory here ASAP, but do not put anything about this into the computer. Who knows--if this Great Machine can read our computers, and if they find out our plans, they might find a way to collapse the rift.
"The war you wanted when you first came here is coming, Captain..."

Briefing Room, Babylon 5:

Sheridan sat down in his chair, waiting for Mr. Garibaldi to show up. He was late again. Just when the Captain was about to call him, he walked into the room and took his seat. So Sheridan started the meeting.
"So what did we learn about the Imperials? Mr. Garibaldi, your report, please."
The head of Security started his report. "We got a look at the fighters that escorted the shuttle here and back. They are called 'TIE Interceptors' and are about the same as our Starfuries, just with two more lasers. Apparently, there are 12 of those on the Star Destroyer, 24 TIE fighters exactly the same as our Starfuries, 12 TIE Advanceds, same as TIE Interceptors but with shields, 12 Assault gun-boats which have two laser guns, 16 bombs, and a device called an 'Ion Cannon', which can disable ships, and 12 TIE bombers, same as Starfuries but with six bombs. The guys in white armor are called 'Storm Troopers' and are the elite troops of the Empire. That is my report."
"Commander, your report."
Ivanova started her report. "The Star Destroyer has over 40 laser guns called 'turbo lasers' on it and a warhead launcher with an almost unlimited supply of warheads. The ship has a crew of 37,085 with 275 gunners and 9,700 troops. More than enough to capture or destroy this station." She sat down, her report complete.
"Delenn, what is the status of the fleet?"
"Twelve White Star ships, 3 Minbari warships, and one Narn heavy cruiser," Delenn said.
"Admiral Thrawn has meetings with several ambassadors tomorrow, so we will have to wait an see what his intentions are. Dismissed."
After Ivanova and Garibaldi left, Delenn turned and said, "John, I am worried about these Imperials. Draal came to see me earlier and told me all about them from what he saw in their computers, and they are quite brutal when they do not get what they want. Once they destroyed a whole planet trying to get a woman to tell them where a Rebel base was. They are conquerors and cannot be trusted."
He responded, "Okay, if you are so worried about them, then go command the White Stars and if they start trouble, destroy them."
The Minbari woman smiled, said, "I will do just that," and left the room.
Sheridan sat down again and wondered why the universe had sent such a huge problem his way.

Centauri Ambassador Londo Mollari's Quarters:

"Ahh, Grand Admiral Thraw, sit," the Centauri said. "I understand you wanted a meeting with me, eh? What is it you want?"
The Admiral sat down and said, "I wanted to establish diplomatic relations with the mighty Centauri Republic."
"Well, the Centauri Republic wants to make relations with you. We would pay a great deal of money for your shield technology," he said.
The Admiral thought for a few moments and said, "We are interested in your jumpgate technology--especially how to make a ship so that it can make its own jump points without a gate. Our enemies do not have jump technology and it would give us a great advantage."
The Centauri thought for a moment and announced, "How about a trade--your shields for our jumpgates, yes? Profitable for both sides."
"Agreed, Ambassador. Where should we go for the trade?"
"Here are the coordinates for a Centauri base your ship can go to for the trade. It is a pleasure doing business with you, Admiral."

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