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								Voices


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								   _Contents:_ [6]Back Cover - [7]Synopsis - [8]Questions - [9]Analysis -

								   [10]Notes - [11]Author


								     _________________________________________________________________


								   _Written by John Vornholt_

								   Released: February 13, 1995

								   ISBN: 0-440-22057-2

								   Setting: Early 2259, between [12]"Points of Departure" and [13]"A Race

								   Through Dark Places"


								     Talia is caught up in a deadly conspiracy to assassinate hundreds

								     of top Psi Corps officers.


								   In the UK, "Voices" is published by Boxtree; its ISBN there is

								   0-7522-0644-3.


								     _________________________________________________________________


								Back Cover


								   Telepaths to the left of them. Telepaths to the right of them. And

								   danger is all around Commander Susan Ivanova and Security Chief

								   Michael Garibaldi when a Psi Corps convention is held on Babylon 5.

								   Someone will turn this meeting of mind readers into a real blast ...

								   as a bomb makes Babylon 5 a death trap.


								   The prime suspect is resident telepath Talia Winters. With Talia's old

								   foes, thought-cops Bester and Gray, calling for her head, Ivanova and

								   Garibaldi can't openly help her. Now she's running for her life

								   through a perilous universe, and her psychic talent is her only weapon

								   when her path is blocked by staggering intergalactic horrors: psi cops

								   closing in ... and a killer waiting.


								Synopsis


								   Harriman Gray ([14]"Eyes") arrives on Mars for a meeting with Mr.

								   Bester ([15]"Mind War," [16]Eyes," [17]"A Race Through Dark Places")

								   to help choose a location for a telepaths' conference. Bester suggests

								   that he is strongly considering Gray as his new aide (recall Kelsey's

								   ignominious end in [18]"Mind War") and that this is a test of sorts

								   for him, even though Gray is not a Psi Cop.


								   As Gray arrives on Mars and hands his identicard to the Earthforce

								   personnel, he feels his mind being scanned and sees Bester step out of

								   the shadows. Gray is staggered by the sudden scan, but he knows Bester

								   has special latitude to conduct operations, including scanning people

								   without their permission. (Also mentioned in [19]"A Race Through Dark

								   Places.")


								   As the two ride a monorail to the hotel chosen for the conference, an

								   explosion rips the building to shreds. Bester rescues the shuttle from

								   the explosion's intense heat by activating a manual mode; he later

								   tells Gray he felt 26 people die in the blast. Getting back to

								   business, Gray suggests Babylon 5 as an alternate site for the

								   conference -- mainly due to his desire to see Commander Susan Ivanova

								   again. Bester agrees, saying he will make sure Sheridan can't refuse.


								   Senator Hidoshi convinces Sheridan to allow the conference to be held

								   on Babylon 5; the Captain ignores the opinions of Garibaldi and

								   Ivanova, who think the conference is bad news. He orders Ivanova to

								   remain in her quarters except when on duty to prevent incidents.


								   Meanwhile, Kosh is up to his old game of hiring Talia Winters for

								   bizarre assignments (cf. [20]"Deathwalker.") She clearly is frustrated

								   by the assignments, but also has started to come to understand some of

								   his terminology such as "Hour of Scampering." This time Kosh asks her

								   to scan an empty chair next to him for "Invisible Isabel," as he calls

								   her. To her surprise, Talia hears a voice there momentarily. Kosh also

								   understands French, based on a brief exchange of pleasantries after

								   the scan is concluded.


								   Gray contacts Ivanova as soon as possible upon landing; when Bester

								   tries to scan Gray, Ivanova stands up to Bester. They talk more and at

								   least agree to be on a first name basis -- in private. Nothing more

								   comes of a personal relationship between them in this book; however,

								   Ivanova's opinion of him is clearly softened.


								   Talia and Garibaldi make preparations for the conference and as the

								   delegates arrive, things get interesting. Talia meets Arthur Malten,

								   head of the Mix, the association of commercial telepaths. Malten's

								   assistant Emily Crane is peculiar for her shyness. Talia convinces

								   Garibaldi to give the three of them a tour of various parts of the

								   station, including Down Below. Garibaldi has arranged with Na'Toth,

								   aide to Ambassador G'Kar, to give the group a little scare which he

								   hopes will help keep the other delegates to the conference out of Down

								   Below. (Their telepathic attacks don't work on non-humans.)


								   Malten begins taking a serious interest in Talia, and eventually

								   convinces her to attend the conference on behalf of the Mix. Crane

								   seems jealous but provides a data crystal with information about

								   budgets inside Psi Corps and the split of money between Psi Cops, the

								   military telepaths and the Mix. She also later takes back the crystal,

								   claiming she needs to put more information on it.


								   Meanwhile, Deuce, (cf. [21]"Grail") arrives back on Babylon 5 with a

								   special item in hand. During the first day of the conference, Talia

								   and Malten are to attend the budget meeting, which includes Bester.

								   Crane returns the data crystal to Talia after carrying it through a

								   security search. Talia proceeds to the meeting and sits next to

								   Bester.


								   During the meeting, Talia develops a headache and walks out. As she

								   leaves, a bomb detonates in the conference room; it takes a serious

								   chunk out of Bester, but doesn't kill him. Talia is immediately

								   detained and awakens in her quarters with Ivanova alongside. After a

								   short exchange, she decides she would rather be tried on Babylon 5

								   than on Earth, and asks Ivanova to be her lawyer. Ivanova agrees -- at

								   least until someone better can be found. Talia is taken to the brig,

								   and Garibaldi starts to search for clues and information to clear her

								   name.


								   Ambassador Kosh pays Talia a visit in the brig, and they have a

								   bizarre conversation which she thinks means he will break her out of

								   the cell in about 20 minutes. Using the telekinetic powers she

								   received in [22]"Mind War," she opens the lock to the internal door

								   and then finds Kosh has returned and knocked out the guards with a

								   gas.


								   Talia dons a Minbari robe and proceeds with Kosh to the docking bays,

								   where he tells her to enter a cargo container. When she tries to open

								   the box after launch, she realizes that she is not alone in the

								   container and that her traveling companion is Deuce, also escaping the

								   station. Against his better judgment and with many threats to kill

								   her, Deuce decides to help Talia. When they arrive on Earth, he helps

								   her get a false identicard from a tribe of hi-tech would-be Indians

								   who live in the desert.


								   Gray and Garibaldi are assigned to search for Talia and quickly board

								   the first Earth-bound shuttle in search of Crane, whom they have come

								   to believe has vital information on the bombing. (The Mix's

								   headquarters is on Earth.) Bester has Talia declared a rogue telepath,

								   and her image begins to be plastered on television sets around Earth.

								   Gray and Garibaldi also learn that the Military telepaths expected

								   something bad to happen to Bester.


								   Deuce's desert hideout becomes unsafe as shuttles begin to scour

								   overhead looking for Talia. At his friends' strong request, he and

								   Talia depart. The two play possum to get a Psi Cop shuttle to land,

								   and capture the two Psi Cops. Talia convinces Deuce not to kill the

								   Psi Cops, and they steal the craft.


								   Deuce agrees to give Talia a one-carat diamond and drop her off out of

								   the way so he can proceed on his own way. They part ways in Phoenix.

								   Talia sells the diamond, using the money to get to Boston and

								   eventually to Mars.


								   Meanwhile, Gray and Garibaldi have been busy in Boston, paying a visit

								   to Crane at Mix Headquarters. Although she is extremely unhelpful

								   during the meeting, Garibaldi notices a confidential Senate memo on a

								   self-destructing transparency on her desk. Through an old friend of

								   Gray's they track down the contents of the memo. They discover that

								   Psi Corps blackmails and bribes government officials, making lots of

								   enemies. The bill would completely privatize the corps, taking it out

								   of the military, which no longer controls it anyway. The Mix would

								   take over control of Psi Corps.


								   Garibaldi tries to make another attempt to talk to Crane and ends up

								   captured. Gray and Bester come to the rescue but are forced to kill

								   Crane and some telepathic accomplices on the street. Bester tries to

								   wind the whole thing up but refuses to acknowledge Talia's innocence.

								   Gray finally finds a voice and stands up to him, resulting in Bester

								   agreeing to leave them in Miami. Bester also warns them off Mars,

								   where he believes Malten is located presently.


								   All paths begin to converge here as Garibaldi, Gray and Talia end up

								   on the same shuttle to Mars by coincidence. Garibaldi recognizes her

								   from her buttocks, causing Gray to vow that he will pay more attention

								   to women's posteriors in the future. They decide to wait until after

								   landing to make contact.


								   After landin,g Talia's Uncle Ted contacts her through a telepath (it

								   may have been Ted himself) and assures her that all is safe as an

								   explosion rips the terminal building (actually it is just a smoke bomb

								   to cause a distraction.) Garibaldi and Uncle Ted eventually recognize

								   each other and he and Gray agree to follow Talia and Uncle Ted. The

								   two of them convince Talia and Uncle Ted that discrediting Malten is

								   of prime importance to clear Talia's name and discredit the false Mars

								   terrorist group Malten has created.


								   Bester arrives after Gray contacts him. He meets Garibaldi and Gray

								   with a shuttle, and explains that his true fear is that people will

								   think Psi Corps can't protect itself from attacks from within. He

								   still refuses to budge on the issue of Talia Winters.


								   Garibaldi offers to visit the bunker where they have located Malten;

								   after receiving assurances from Bester that he won't be abandoned, he

								   goes down to investigate. Bester enters as well once they position

								   with the hatch. Inside, Malten is strapped to a chair wired with bombs

								   and a note saying "Compliments of the real revolutionaries." They have

								   to abandon him after receiving a message that they have only 30

								   seconds to get out.


								   After the explosion and a narrow escape, Bester informs Garibaldi that

								   he is still going after Talia and Uncle Ted. Garibaldi pulls a file

								   that Ambassador Mollari made of Psi Cops gambling with him. When

								   Bester tries to scan Garibaldi, Gray inserts himself and promises to

								   protect Garibaldi from the scan. Bester relents and radios in a report

								   clearing Talia Winters and restoring her to her position within the

								   Corps.


								   Gray asks Garibaldi to tell Susan that he did something brave and

								   worthwhile, and the two go their separate ways. The story ends with

								   Talia visiting her family for a while before returning "home" to

								   Babylon 5.


								Unanswered Questions


								     * How powerful is Bester? He was the only Psi Cop representative to

								       survive the budget meeting, and was feared by both the military

								       and commercial telepaths. Clearly he calls a lot of shots in the

								       movement of Psi Corps, but is there anyone behind him/against him?

								     * How does Kosh know so much about Talia's powers?

								     * Did Kosh leave Talia in Deuce's care for money, or was Deuce's

								       appearance coincidental?

								     * Where does Talia stand after all this? Especially in light of the

								       events of [23]"A Race Through Dark Places"? In all of these

								       incidents she has narrowly avoided Bester's wrath, but for how

								       long can she avoid it, especially if she makes any moves against

								       the Corps?

								     * Why weren't the two Psi Cops that Deuce and Talia attacked able to

								       use their powers to take out Talia and/or Deuce?

								     * Does Bester control the new head of the commercial telepaths?

								     * Did Uncle Ted or his group kill Malten?

								     * Where does Gray's career stand? It seems unlikely that Bester

								       would take him as an aide now; on the other hand, Bester can be

								       almost as hard as Kosh to figure out.

								     * Have Talia's feelings about Garibaldi changed at all?

								     * Where do the military telepaths stand after this incident? They

								       clearly are not fans of Bester, but they seem less willing to

								       oppose him. In light of Malten's demise, will they make a move for

								       power?


								Analysis


								     * Talia's gift (cf. [24]"Mind War") is clearly much more than it

								       seemed at the end of that episode. Her telekinetic prowess is

								       high, and she is no longer transparently readable by Bester and

								       other telepaths. This is supported further by [25]"A Race Through

								       Dark Places."

								     * Kosh is much more aware of the events taking place both on Babylon

								       5 and elsewhere based on this episode and others. It almost seems

								       as if some of his assignments for Talia are attempts to improve

								       her telepathic and telekinetic prowess.

								     * Bester's power among Psi Corps and Psi Cops is nearly absolute and

								       certainly has been consolidated by the deaths and removals of some

								       of the more powerful enemies. The blackmail and bribery of

								       government officials means Bester may be running a sort of shadow

								       government.

								     * Talia clearly trusts Ivanova very strongly, based on her decision

								       to have her as a lawyer in this novel and their conversation at

								       the end of [26]"A Race Through Dark Places."

								     * In light of the events in this novel as well as [27]"A Race

								       Through Dark Places," why wasn't Talia included with the senior B5

								       officers in the secret meeting that ended [28]"All Alone in the

								       Night." Does this suggest that Sheridan's feels Talia is not

								       trustworthy enough yet? Or was he specifically told not to include

								       her?


								Notes


								     * Since the novel features Garibaldi on the job, it takes place

								       after [29]"The Geometry of Shadows." The front cover blurb is

								       therefore wrong, since the story takes place in 2259, not 2258.


								The Author Speaks


								     * Chris, I did mention that I apparently substituted Kelvin

								       temperature for Celsius. It could get a bit hot on Mars during the

								       day, but that would be from thin atmosphere. It'd be damn cold

								       there at night. This isn't something has any bearing on the story.

								     * Tony, the way this works is -- I work for Dell Books. They have a

								       deal with whoever to have the license to publish B5 novels. Dell

								       Books hired me, and Lois Tilton, who wrote the next novel. JMS is

								       doing approvals for the time being, although I'm sure there's

								       somebody at Warner Bros. who could do it if he didn't want to.

								       I had lots of free rein with VOICES but no information about the

								       big arc.

								     * Thanks for bringing up the fact that I wrote this book last July.

								       I am extremely happy that it fits into the second season as well

								       as it does. This is the first book, our editor quit halfway

								       through it, and we had some other bumps -- but I think we did all

								       right.

								     * You can't write books set in other people's universes (that are so

								       well known) unless you have a thick skin. I don't mind being

								       called on the carpet for a factual mistake, but I worked pretty

								       hard to get the characters right. Nevertheless, they are my

								       interpretation of the characters, not someone else's. We had some

								       bumps in the road on this first one, but I think things will get

								       smoother as we go.


								     _________________________________________________________________


								   Written by Erik Oliver <oliver@dolphin.upenn.edu>. Edited by Julie

								   Prince (jprince@peak.org) and Steven Grimm (koreth@midwinter.com)


								      Last update: March 24, 1997


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