B5 Ficlet: The Corps Is…
Title: The Corps Is…
Fandom: Babylon 5
Author: badly_knitted
Characters: Susan Ivanova, Talia Winters.
Rating: PG
Spoilers: Seasons one and two.
Summary: Susan doesn’t hate telepaths, just the Psi Corps.
Word Count: 507
Written For: fhionnuisce’s prompt ‘Babylon 5, Susan Ivanova, telepaths’ at fic_promptly.
Disclaimer: I don’t own Babylon 5, or the characters. They belong to J. Michael Straczynski.
It wasn’t telepaths Susan hated. After all her mother had been one, and she herself had inherited the gift to a small degree, although in her it remained latent, only allowing her to sense others touching her mind and giving her the ability to block them.
What she hated was the Psi Corps and all it represented. It had destroyed her mother, killing her slowly, inch by inch over the years, until she’d finally taken her own life. Susan would never forgive them for that, and would always seek to keep unregistered telepaths out of their grasp whenever she had the opportunity. It was the least she could do, a small revenge, perhaps even petty, but better than none.
When Talia arrived on the station, Susan had taken pains to avoid her as much as possible. Raised by the Corps from early childhood, Ms Winters had no problem with the way it conducted its business, controlling the lives of all telepaths, and stripping the ability away from those who refused to join and give up their freedom. That Talia nevertheless became a trusted friend over time was unexpected. That she eventually became something much more than a friend was harder to fathom. Almost without realising it was happening, Susan had opened herself up to the station’s resident telepath more than she had with anyone for… a very long time.
That was what made Talia’s betrayal hurt so badly. Susan had finally found someone she believed she could trust implicitly, had even been about to bring her in at the highest level on everything she and the rest of the command staff were involved in. It was fortunate for all of them that Lyta Alexander had exposed Talia as a sleeper agent before that could happen or they might all have found themselves facing a firing squad.
She couldn’t even hate Talia in the end. Fear her, yes, because she still knew things that could destroy Susan’s career, but not hate her. Talia hadn’t known about the secondary personality buried deep in her subconscious, and now because of that secondary personality, although her body still walked and talked just as before, the personality that guided it was no longer the woman she’d come to care for. The Psi Corps had killed that Talia just as surely as they’d killed Susan’s mother, and with as little compunction; just one more crime against humanity that Susan could lay at their door, but which they’d never answer for. It was sickening.
The Talia Susan had known was gone, as if she’d never existed, leaving this arrogant, condescending, hateful stranger in her place, and Susan couldn’t even mourn the loss of the closest friend she’d had aboard Babylon 5.
She’d proved one thing though; the Psi Corps couldn’t be trusted, not ever. They would as willingly use and destroy those telepaths who were loyal to them as those who refused to join their ranks. Susan must never lose sight of that again. This was the last time the Corps would hurt her.
The End
Fandom: Babylon 5
Author: badly_knitted
Characters: Susan Ivanova, Talia Winters.
Rating: PG
Spoilers: Seasons one and two.
Summary: Susan doesn’t hate telepaths, just the Psi Corps.
Word Count: 507
Written For: fhionnuisce’s prompt ‘Babylon 5, Susan Ivanova, telepaths’ at fic_promptly.
Disclaimer: I don’t own Babylon 5, or the characters. They belong to J. Michael Straczynski.
It wasn’t telepaths Susan hated. After all her mother had been one, and she herself had inherited the gift to a small degree, although in her it remained latent, only allowing her to sense others touching her mind and giving her the ability to block them.
What she hated was the Psi Corps and all it represented. It had destroyed her mother, killing her slowly, inch by inch over the years, until she’d finally taken her own life. Susan would never forgive them for that, and would always seek to keep unregistered telepaths out of their grasp whenever she had the opportunity. It was the least she could do, a small revenge, perhaps even petty, but better than none.
When Talia arrived on the station, Susan had taken pains to avoid her as much as possible. Raised by the Corps from early childhood, Ms Winters had no problem with the way it conducted its business, controlling the lives of all telepaths, and stripping the ability away from those who refused to join and give up their freedom. That Talia nevertheless became a trusted friend over time was unexpected. That she eventually became something much more than a friend was harder to fathom. Almost without realising it was happening, Susan had opened herself up to the station’s resident telepath more than she had with anyone for… a very long time.
That was what made Talia’s betrayal hurt so badly. Susan had finally found someone she believed she could trust implicitly, had even been about to bring her in at the highest level on everything she and the rest of the command staff were involved in. It was fortunate for all of them that Lyta Alexander had exposed Talia as a sleeper agent before that could happen or they might all have found themselves facing a firing squad.
She couldn’t even hate Talia in the end. Fear her, yes, because she still knew things that could destroy Susan’s career, but not hate her. Talia hadn’t known about the secondary personality buried deep in her subconscious, and now because of that secondary personality, although her body still walked and talked just as before, the personality that guided it was no longer the woman she’d come to care for. The Psi Corps had killed that Talia just as surely as they’d killed Susan’s mother, and with as little compunction; just one more crime against humanity that Susan could lay at their door, but which they’d never answer for. It was sickening.
The Talia Susan had known was gone, as if she’d never existed, leaving this arrogant, condescending, hateful stranger in her place, and Susan couldn’t even mourn the loss of the closest friend she’d had aboard Babylon 5.
She’d proved one thing though; the Psi Corps couldn’t be trusted, not ever. They would as willingly use and destroy those telepaths who were loyal to them as those who refused to join their ranks. Susan must never lose sight of that again. This was the last time the Corps would hurt her.
The End