By Elizabeth Ann Lewis

Part 2

"You've done this before, right, so this isn't exactly new. Mike here, camera here, interviewer there." A dark-haired woman stood with her hands on her hips in front of two chairs poised before the camera. A starfield revolved lazily behind them, underscoring the setting for the interview.

Mingala managed to dredge up a smile for the abrupt, direct producer who was pointing out the equipment -- the interviewer being definitely the least important of the necessities. "I remember. Anything I should know?"

Margo Channing chewed her lip for a moment, thinking. "No. Pretty much standard, boring interview."

Sophie Tenatta coughed and cleared her throat, then smiled brilliantly when the two other women looked her way. "Horrible dry air in this station. Plays havoc with my voice."

"I hadn't noticed," Mingala said distantly. She closed her eyes and steeled herself for the interview. Gideon was right. From the moment she had set foot on the debating stage as a twenty-year-old student, she'd never been the least afraid of an audience. She'd been cursed and reviled by more than one disgruntled reader of her books, or follower of an opponent that she had cut to pieces in debate, and none of them had bothered her. But tonight she was terrified.

"Ready? OK, in five, four, three..." Margo mimed the last two numbers of the countdown and pointed at Sophie.

On cue, Sophie turned on the spotlight grin that made her such a popular face for people to watch. "Welcome to ISN's Eye on Babylon5: Interviews with the People in the News! I'm Sophie Tenatta, reporting from EarthForce station Babylon 5. Tonight, our guest is Mingala Chang. Author, political commentator, and financial negotiator for TerraFirma Corporation, Ms. Chang, has kindly agreed to speak with us tonight. Thanks for joining us tonight, Ms. Chang."

"I'm always happy to speak my thoughts," Mingala said calmly. The lights were on, the stage was set, she knew her lines. But the role was slipping away from her.

"Well," Sophie said briskly, "we know how busy your schedule here is, and we're glad you could join us. Why don't you tell us a little about your background on Earth? I'm sure our audience would like to know where you grew up, and what drew you into this arena."

"I was born and raised in the Xanhlai province of China. My parents believed that a simple life was best. You might not believe it, but my feet did not leave Earth soil until after the war was over and I went to school in America." That was her standard answer, slipping over the first nineteen years of her life with three sentences. "One of my professors, Gideon Hampton, read a paper of mine and encouraged me to continue. From there, my career... spiraled."

"Interesting. I understand that this trip is your first one into space, and your very first to Babylon 5."

"Yes. I've never even been to the Moon." She smiled, inviting the viewers into her amusement with her deprived state.

"It's fascinating that you've managed to make such an impression on the public with your views, when you've never experienced off-world cultures before." Sophie's smile was beginning to show sharp teeth. Mingala blinked at the knife hidden in the comment, but before she could speak, Sophie continued. "What is your current impression of Babylon 5, after a few days here?"

"Chaos, mostly. The sort of chaos that fuels the universe. There's a sort of energy here... it's as if life on the edge makes everything sharper, richer." Mingala closed her mouth abruptly. She'd had no idea what she was going to say until she heard the words -- which was a careless way to conduct an interview.

Sophie's smile wasn't anything more than professionally polite; Mingala decided she'd imagined the avidness in it. "What's made the most profound impact on you since your arrival?"

For a moment, Mingala completely floundered. She couldn't say what she was thinking. She couldn't admit that her opponent was the first thing to spring to mind. Followed by the Drazi who had attacked her the night before. Followed by the faces of all of those who she had met in the past week... there was her answer. "The people. Even the ones who, by rights, should disapprove of what I'm doing here. I've been treated with every courtesy."

"Does that surprise you?"

"Shouldn't it surprise me? I'm trying to take away their jobs." Laughing, Mingala waved one hand as though to brush aside the thought.

"Let's address that, now that you've brought it up."

Mingala nodded, wanting to get this asked and over. "All right."

"How does the TerraFirma Corporation plan to cope with the approximately 90,000 workers employed by the station? Will they relocate the civilians who make their homes here at their own expense?"

Mingala had been aware of the numbers -- in a distant, casual way when she had been preparing her research. Faced with them again, she flinched inwardly. Outwardly, she gave another standard line. "I'm afraid that I cannot speak for TFC policy at this time. I've only been employed for these negotiations. What happens afterwards is up to them. I'm sure that they will do everything humanly possible to aid those who are inconvenienced by the closing of the station."

"Why did TFC chose you to conduct these negotiations, when you are not, in fact, one of their full-time negotiators?"

Back on more solid footing, Mingala relaxed back in her chair slightly. "None of their regular negotiators were available. My advisor suggested me for the position. On the basis of my research and debate experience, I was accepted."

Sophie nodded encouragingly. "So, it was at the urgings of Professor Hampton that you accepted this assignment. What do you hope to accomplish during these negotiations, and why did you wish to be a part of them?"

"I hoped that this would be a way of returning Earth's focus to Earth, to keep the resources -- both monetary and personnel -- at home. And I wanted to help my people. Nothing more, nothing less."

"How do you respond to critics who state that the loss of Babylon 5 will not only impact the diplomatic and cultural ties which Earth has made with other cultures, but adversely effect the tactical stance which EarthForce has attempted to take in this sector?"

"Why should we want diplomatic and cultural ties?" That had always before been what baffled Mingala. Those "ties" had led to a quarter of a million EarthForce deaths and the constant fear of another invasion. "What does it matter what tactical advances we've made in a place so far from home?"

Sophie tittered out a small laugh, just condescending enough to make Mingala's spine snap straight. "Surely, Ms. Chang, you don't believe that simply retreating from other races will mean that they will leave us alone? This station was built after the Minbari-Earth war, as a way of avoiding future conflict. The Minbari found *us* across 75 light years." Sophie looked pleased with herself. Then she glanced for a split-second at Margo off-camera, allowed her forehead to furrow for a moment, and then smoothed her face out.

"The Minbari found us in space, not when we were safely on our own planet," Mingala pointed out as she had in a hundred debates. "They did not attack our planet without provocation." Mingala stopped and considered what she'd just said. It was true -- in a way she'd never considered before.

"Are you saying that if we provoke no one, that we will be able to avoid all future conflict?"

Was the woman hopelessly dense, or did she just enjoy hammering a point into the ground? "Any people -- or peoples -- who co-exist in any way will eventually have strife. It is the fifth law of sentient being." Mingala closed her eyes, unable to believe what she'd just said.

"I'm not familiar with that. The fifth law of--?" She left it delicately dangling, eyebrows arched in question.

"Sorry. Someone... told me that."

Sophie paused. "I see," she said blandly.

Mingala forced her brain back to the present. "We can't defend ourselves against attack perfectly. Why should we leave ourselves unnecessarily open?"

"Bringing us back to the focus of this interview--the effects of TFC's purchase of Babylon 5--"

"I've told you I don't know what will happen then," Mingala snapped, rattled.

"But surely you must have *some* idea. Without Babylon 5 as a central meeting place to mediate conflicts, one could assume that disagreements could escalate faster, and further, than they would without it."

"There are no perfect solutions," Mingala cut in.

"No, there aren't," Sophie agreed evenly. "There are, however, fairly predictable outcomes to certain actions."

"If we have no contact with other races then we will not have to fight them. It seems to me that's a fairly predictable outcome."

"I'd argue your logic, since it seems to me that zero contact is an unrealizable dream."

"It was not impossible for thousands of years of Earth history. Why is it impossible now?"

"Well, the proverbial cat is out of the bag. We're known among the stars. What happens when someone comes visiting?"

Mingala sighed. "Then... I don't know."

Sophie glanced quickly up and off-camera, then turned back to Mingala. "If TFC buys the Minbari shares, it is assumed that they will move on to buy out the other alien shareholders as well."

"I have been empowered to negotiate with other races for their shares," Mingala said evenly.

"TFC has gone to the trouble and expense of buying up the Minbari shares, painstakingly arranging the negotiations which you are now engaged in, announced plans to close the station, and 'you don't know' what will happen next?" The satisfied smile of a kitty in cream wreathed Sophie's face. "Ms. Chang, I think you're being more cagey than the situation warrants."

~This isn't cageyness, this is desperation.~ Mingala breathed deeply, fighting to calm herself. She'd answered these questions a hundred times before. Why were all the answers gone now? Why did she suddenly *understand* what this woman was getting at? *Why didn't she know anymore?*

"What happens next is that we erase the past one hundred years." Without thought, without volition, she looked into the camera and spoke the truth. "That we pretend that the Centauri never found us. That we pretend that everyone who has been affected by the reality of space and other species and the vast *wonder* of it all -- never experienced it, never saw it, never believed it. *That's* what happens," she ended bitterly, seeing with distant triumph that her nemesis was looking shocked, bewildered -- and more than a little surprised at being upstaged.

"And this is a good thing?" Sophie shook her head.

"It's better than war and death." The words were hollow.

Sophie paused for a second and glanced off-camera, then seemed to turn a mental page. "Tell me, Ms. Chang, can you just *pretend* that you were not attacked by Drazi protesters last night, in response to your attempts to quell HomeGuard actions on the station? And that someone *else* on station--- *not* EarthForce personnel --- came to your assistance?"

Mingala was conscious of one moment of icy shock. "I filed no complaint. How did you find that out?" she demanded.

"So you confirm that an attack took place?" Sophie pounced.

~Stupid!~ Mingala chided herself wildly. Recovering as best she could, she answered with credible calm, "Yes. It was quickly over, however. A... Good Samaritan stepped and dispersed my attackers."

"A Good Samaritan." Sophie paused, tilted her head in inquiry. "Weren't the Samaritans enemies of the Jews?" Mingala did not respond. "To answer your question, Ms. Chang, some of the Drazi involved sought treatment at a medical facility in the Brown Sector. A medical facility, incidentally, run by *human* personnel."

Absurdly, Mingala felt like laughing. Ximenn must have done more damage than she had realized. "I... wasn't aware of that."

"Clearly." Smug satisfaction lit Sophie's smile now. "One last question, and then we'll wrap this up."

"All right," Mingala said, taking a deep breath and trying not to look too relieved.

"Given all you've experienced here, and the many uncertainties facing the future of the station, can you honestly say that closing down Babylon 5 is the best solution for all concerned --- Human and alien? Is it possible that more people benefit from its existence than are harmed by it?"

"Opinion polls on Earth show a drop in support for the station," Mingala recited by rote. "More and more people back home don't think this is a useful expenditure of time and energy."

"I wasn't asking about them, Ms. Chang. I was asking about you."

"I think...." Mingala faltered for a moment, for the first time since the interview began noticing the woman behind the camera. Margo was watching the proceedings intently, and there was more light and fire in her eyes than in Sophie's crystalline smile. Mingala realized that Sophie was just the mouthpiece. The questions were Margo's.

Sophie prodded, "Go on..."

"I think that we will lose something if this station closes. Perhaps it's worth the risk. But... I don't know anymore." Mingala bend her head to look at the hands clenched tightly in her lap.

"*Fascinating.* Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us tonight, Ms. Chang." Without missing a beat, Sophie went from barracuda to peacock, turning back to smile into the camera. "ISN thanks you for joining us here tonight for "Eye on Babylon 5". I'm Sophie Tenatta. Good night, and remember to tune in to ISN, the Galaxy's only interplanetary network!"

"And we're clear," Margo reported. She shut off the camera with a quick, practiced gesture. "Thanks for joining us, Ms. Chang," she said, the words obviously automatic and meaningless. Then she took a quick glance at the still, silent woman in the chair. "Are you all right?" she asked, her eyebrows drawing together with concern.

With distant amusement, Mingala wondered just how bad she looked that the woman behind the questions that had just hammered her to pieces sounded worried. "I'll be fine," she said hearing the lack of life and vitality in her own voice.

"Well... good." Discomforted, Margo shoved her hands into her pockets, then pulled them out to run through her hair. "I'm glad to hear it."

"You hate what I'm doing here, don't you?" Mingala asked abruptly.

Startled, Margo blinked at her. Then she recovered a bit, thinking. "Hate? That's a strong word." She paused for a moment to consider it, her hands cradling her beloved camera. "No. I think you're wrong, and I think it's a mistake," she said bluntly. "A mistake that will cost us--money, defenses, and friendships. And I don't have a high opinion of TFC. But maybe this was inevitable; maybe it's something that has to be honestly explored, in order for Earth to realize how much Babylon 5 *could* mean to us." Cutting herself off abruptly, Margo bent her head over her camera, embarrassed by her outburst.

"Great, wonderful, fine," Sophie grumbled. "Personally, I think it's just too stupid to be discussed. We have to be out *here*, where the action is, in order to make a difference."

"Thank you, Sophie," Margo said dryly. "Now, if we all just listened to *you*, the universe would run perfectly."

"Nothing runs perfectly," Mingala said, half to herself.. "Imperfect solutions in an imperfect world... universe."

Sophie looked bored and impatient. "Well, I'm out of here. I have an interview with the Markab Performing Arts Group to get to." With a huff, she gathered her notes and sailed off.

Mingala looked up to meet Margo's gaze. The other woman was staring at her as though... as though she had expected one thing and been given another. "I'm almost sorry the interview is over," Margo said thoughtfully. "It sounds like you have a lot more to say." She started to carefully pack her equipment away.

Mingala laughed, a bit ruefully, and rose. "Too much, I think. I might be out of a job when this airs." Odd that she didn't feel terribly upset about the prospect. Eleven years of work to get where she was now... and she couldn't feel anything at the thought that it might all be worthless. All she felt was numb.

Margo smiled slightly and nodded. "Maybe. Maybe someone will find you a new job."

"What would I do?" Mingala shrugged. "The only thing I'm good at is talking." She laughed lightly, trying to pretend she wasn't serious, trying to pretend that her world wasn't crumbling under her feet.

Margo paused in her packing. "Well..."

Mingala raised her eyebrows. "Well?"

Margo turned back to face Mingala. "Look. You convinced a lot of people of the validity of your views by talking." Her voice dropped. Whether in an attempt to make sure they weren't overheard by whoever might be hiding under the interview chairs, or to make the harshness of what she was saying less painful, Mingala wasn't sure.

"I... know." Mingala's tone was quiet as well.

"If you've changed your views--you should let them know it. And why. I mean, I became a reporter to get at the truth; or at least the facts. If you've got new facts to share... oh, forget it, I don't know what I'm saying." Ducking her burning face, Margo went back to fastening straps and pushing buttons.

Mingala barely noticed Margo's embarrassment, too stunned by the idea the other woman had presented. "I thought I *was* sharing the truth. That was presumptuous of me. Maybe sharing the facts will... balance the scales."

"Maybe." Margo shrugged, relieved that Mingala hadn't jumped all over her for her words. She smiled, for real that time. "Here's a thought: why not see more of the station, before you decide? Have you even visited DownBelow yet?"

"Down... where?" Mingala asked blankly. "I've already been warned not to leave Green and Red sections."

Margo nearly choked, then gave up and giggled aloud. "Ohhhh, Ms. Chang. Have you got an education in store for *you*!" The giggles turned into evil cackles. "Are you up for it?" The glare she shot Mingala's way was challenging. "You can't learn everything from a travelogue..."

Mingala considered several things. Garibaldi had expressly warned her against leaving the "safe" area of the station, and he looked like the kind of person who wasn't fond of his warnings being ignored. Both he and Ximenn would be having kittens at the thought. Well, Garibaldi would be having kittens, Ximenn would be having goglings or something...

Mingala collapsed back in the chair, laughing so hard that she couldn't catch her breath. Margo looked at her as though she was insane as Mingala wiped tears laughter had caused from her eyes. She probably *had* officially gone insane, but it felt better than anything she could remember. "Lay on, MacDuff. But if your intention is to humiliate me, you might as well call me Mingala."

Margo grinned and shouldered her gear. "Let me get this stowed. I have to edit and send the interview. You're staying in Green Sector, right? I'll get you from your quarters at 18:00. And then..."