From t.fretwell2@genie.geis.comThu Jun 1 12:01:06 1995 Date: Mon, 29 May 95 15:04:00 UTC From: t.fretwell2@genie.geis.com To: babylon5-creative@netcom.com Subject: 'Circle' - Part 1/4 Okay, this is a story I started but I have run into a snag.,,,which I'll explain at the end of the fourth segment 'course I'm kinda hoping for help. Anyway, I welcome any comments, critiques, suggestions, etc, etc... The title of the story comes from the song, THE DARK IS RISING by Julia Ecklar. CIRCLES ------- Talia Winters glanced around the Zocalo. Something unseen was bothering her...something just slightly off-kilter but she just couldn't place it. She frowned as she looked around, trying to pin down the feeling. What she spotted was Garibaldi standing near the bazaar's entrance. Ahhhhh, just the person to help her. If anyone could help her locate what was bothering her, he could. She started toward him. The security chief was looking around, studying the crowded bazaar. His eyes slid over her then back. The frown he was wearing deepened then he ducked back into the corridor. Talia paused in surprise. Usually every time Garibaldi saw her, he was more then happy to get close, sometimes much to her discomfort. This time he was obviously avoiding her. Puzzled, she moved after him, finally spotting him waiting impatiently at the elevator "Michael..." She paused as he half-turned, paused as she met his eyes for the first time and realized....oh, God, this wasn't Michael Garibaldi!! Looked like him, yes, yet wasn't... Frightened, Talia stepped back, half-turning to run but a strong hand clamped over her mouth and another grabbed her arm. He jerked her back and into the just-opening elevator, spinning her so she was trapped against the wall with him between her and the doorway. Her eyes darted around the elevator, which was, much to her sharp disappointment, empty save for them. Of course, this one time she really wanted people near.... Talia grew uncomfortably aware of the stranger's closeness to her. If the doors were to open and someone look in, they might not even see her. Or, if they did, think they were seeing a furtive liaison. Fear stabbed into her and she whimpered against the big hand still covering her month, struggling feebly. "Saa saa." The man murmured, his eyes...less brown and more green then Garibaldi's...darting nervously toward the door. "Easy...I won't hurt you. Saa..." Talia forced herself to relax, forced her psi-abilities back under control. For the first time, she realized that this stranger possessed a mind-shield, one she couldn't bypass. But she could still touch his surface- thoughts and they echoed what he was saying. He wouldn't hurt her. This realization steadied her and she studied this man more closely. Except for the slight difference in eye color, he was virtually identical to the security chief. He even wore...she noticed with sick alarm...Garibaldi's uniform, including the link and PPG. He must have noticed where she was looking and guessed at the direction of her thoughts. "He's all right. Not very comfortable but all right. Now, just stay calm and walk with me. Got it?" She hesitated then nodded. The man glanced at the door as the computer's voice announced that they had reached the level where...Talia suddenly realized...Garibaldi had his quarters. As the door opened, he removed his hand from her mouth and straightened, glancing hurriedly around the empty corridor. As he stepped away from her, she moved in an age-old move, slamming her knee into his groin with considerable force. The man made a choking noise, doubling over, his face paling but the hand he had clamped on her arm didn't loosen. Desperately, Talia clawed at it but then his other hand clamped onto her throat. Her eyes widened as the strong fingers tightened, cutting off her air. Oddly enough, his mind still told her he would not harm her then blackness edged into her sight and she passed out. ********* From t.fretwell2@genie.geis.comThu Jun 1 12:01:17 1995 Date: Mon, 29 May 95 15:04:00 UTC From: t.fretwell2@genie.geis.com To: babylon5-creative@netcom.com Subject: 'Circles' - Part 2/4 Michael Garibaldi lay face-down on his bed, wrists bound behind his back and ankles tied together, a truly uncomfortable position made even worse by the fact that he'd been tied for a good seven hours...which lead to certain physical discomforts. He twisted his head around to glare at the other occupant of his quarters. "Hey!! Hey, you! Munchikin!" That about described his keeper. He, or her, as the case may be but Mike was leaning more toward male, was leaning against a nearby wall. Of course, that opinion was based mainly on the deepness of the being's voice and with aliens...well, you could never be sure. "Listen...could you untie me...just for a couple minutes?" He tried to sound harmless but he suspected it wasn't working. The diminutive creature stepped closer. Swathed from head to foot in a dark-blue robe, it couldn't stand taller then three feet, if that. "You're joking, right?" His English was perfect, tainted only by the faintest of accents...an accent Garibaldi couldn't identify. "Look, I really need to use the head." Garibaldi wasn't faking the desperation in his voice. "Well, you jes' hang on a while longer. We'll be out of her...." The door lifted open and his guard spun smoothly, his arm lifting to level the odd weapon on the back of his hand at the person entering then just as quickly lowering it. Automatically, Garibaldi noted that the revealed arm was grey-furred and the hand clawed "What the deities happened?" The little creature said sharply. "She got close enough to scan me. Now move, Remy!" Garibaldi twisted far enough to see his look alike walk...or rather limp...in. His heart almost stopped as he realized that the limp burden in his arms was Talia Winters. Garibaldi struggled with difficulty to a sitting position. "Damn you!" He half-snarled. "If you've hurt her...!" "Calm down. She'll be fine." The man set Talia gently into a chair then sat gingerly on the arm, one hand clutching at his groin. "I, on the other hand, may never have another kid." "Scanning isn't all she managed to do, eh?" Remy sounded amused, ignoring the nasty look his companion threw at him. "This isn't working, bossman. How about we blow this joint and maybe try something else?" The last bit was said in plaintive tones. Garibaldi watched as his double straightened, looking down at the unconscious woman with a frown. "I hate to admit it, Remy but you're right." "I'm always right." Remy said smugly. Unable to hold himself in a sitting position any longer, Garibaldi let himself fall, landing on his left side. In this position, he could still see Remy and, with difficulty, his look alike. The latter had retreated to a corner of his room, half-hidden from the security chief's sight but he could see enough to realize that the man was changing clothes. The security uniform the man had appropriated for his use was tossed carelessly on a chair, the communication link and PPG onto a table. Garibaldi caught a glimpse of something glinting white then his double was pulling on dark clothing, covering them with an equally dark cloak. "Ready?" Remy was practically hopping from foot to foot...if he had feet. "Yeahyeahyeah." Tugging on an odd pair of gloves, the man started toward the door, pausing with a concerned frown over Talia. "Keep away from her!" Garibaldi spat, twisting in his bonds. The man looked up, startled, identical pairs of eyes meeting then Talia groaned and the stranger jumped back from her. Remy yelped something Garibaldi couldn't make out and the man spun and darted out the door after him. ********* From t.fretwell2@genie.geis.comThu Jun 1 12:01:10 1995 Date: Mon, 29 May 95 15:05:00 UTC From: t.fretwell2@genie.geis.com To: babylon5-creative@netcom.com Subject: 'Circles' - Part 3/4 Talia groaned then flinched at the ache in her throat. Dimly, she heard something in the background, someone yelling her name. Opening her eyes, she looked around, trying to place where she is. It looked familiar...then memory hit her and she sat and turned, half-suspecting what she would see. Garibaldi was laying on his side, arms tied behind his back and ankles bound together. "Come on, Talia! I need your help!" Talia scrambled to her feet, clutching the back of the chair as a wave of dizziness swept over her. "You okay?" Garibaldi called, concerned. "I'll live." She swallowed, raising a hand to her throat as she walked over to the bed. "Roll over. I'll untie your hands." Garibaldi shook his head then jerked it toward the nightstand next to the bed. "There's a knife in that drawer. Use it." Talia obeyed, cutting the binds on his wrists but before she could start on the ones binding his ankles, he rolled over and sat up, taking the knife from her with clumsy, blood-starved hands. "Get me my link. Over there." He nodded toward a table. By the time she returned with the link, Garibaldi had managed to saw through the remaining ties. Dropping the knife on his bed, Garibaldi took the link, just barely managing to work the controls. "Garibaldi to Allen." "Allen here." "Zack, listen carefully. This might be confusing. I want an alert put out for a man, looks pretty much like me. Wearing dark trousers and a dark cloak that's probably covering most of his face and traveling with a companion. Little fellow maybe two-and-a-half or three feet high, also totally cloaked. No idea what he looks like. Consider both to be armed. Get that alert out then I want you to come to my quarters. Garibaldi out." He didn't wait for Zack's reply, just affixed the link to the back of his hand and climbed jerkily to his feet. Talia moved to help him but he waved her away. "I'm okay. Right now, I really need is the head." By the time Garibaldi returned, there was someone at his door. No...two someones. Captain Sheridan was the first through the door, Zack at his heels. "Garibaldi!! What the hell happened?!" Sheridan took in his security chief's disheveled appearance with a concerned glance. Garibaldi gave him an unusually grim look. "You mean besides the fact that someone has been impersonating me for that past seven-plus hours?" "What!?" Sheridan came to a dead halt, his expression shocked. "Got me when I walked in the door. One a short little fella I never saw clearly, the other looked just like me...." "Except for his eyes." Talia interrupted almost absently then paused, flustered, as three pairs of eyes turned toward her. "They were a little more green then Mike's." "How'd you get involved, Ms. Winters?" Sheridan asked as Garibaldi picked up his PPG. "I got too close to him and picked up on his thoughts." Talia paused, hand raising to her throat. Garibaldi looked at her in concern, bending his head to peer at her throat. "You've a lovely set of bruises." "What!?" Sheridan followed Garibaldi's gaze. "Sleeper choke. Zack." Garibaldi motioned the security officer forward. "Take Ms. Winters to Medlab." "I'm all ri..." Talia started then fell silent as Garibaldi's link beeped for attention. He raised the link to his mouth, keying it automatically. "Garibaldi...talk to me." "Welch here...I think I've seen the people you're looking for...heading Downbelow." "Downbelow? You sure?" Garibaldi frowned. "I thought for sure they'd head for the docks." "Two cloaked figures, one roughly your size, the other maybe three-foot tall. We're following them right now." Welch said. "Good. Tell me where you are and I'll be there as soon as I can." Welch told him and Garibaldi keyed the link off. "Zack..." He nodded at Talia. "Yes, sir. Ms. Winters..." Zack gestured toward the door. Talia started toward it then paused, turning back to Garibaldi. "Michael.....when I scanned that man's mind...he has a mind-shield, a very strong one. He might be a telepath." "Just what we need." Garibaldi muttered as the woman and her escort left. "Yeah..." Sheridan glanced at Garibaldi uncertainly. The man looked shaky but determined. "I'll stick with you, Garibaldi. Keep your own people from arresting you." Garibaldi hesitated then nodded. ********* From t.fretwell2@genie.geis.comThu Jun 1 12:01:58 1995 Date: Mon, 29 May 95 15:05:00 UTC From: t.fretwell2@genie.geis.com To: babylon5-creative@netcom.com Subject: 'Circles' - Part 4/4 By the time they reached the location Welch had given them, the duo had already moved on but Ivonava was tracking Welch's link and they followed her crisp directions through Grey Seven from where it left an informal bazaar and turned into rundown living quarters for the Lurkers that dwelled there. Several of these Lurkers flinched back at this unexpected invasion but Garibaldi ignored them as he lead the way to Welch's latest location. He spotted the security officer and his partner, Torque, just approaching a corner. Garibaldi hurried to the man's side, joining him in peering around the corner. His quarry was midway down the corridor and the security chief grinned in satisfaction. The next second he was frowning, eyes darting around the corridor. "Where's his little friend?" He asked. Welch shook his head. "He was there when they went around the corner." "Damn it!" Garibaldi gave the corridor another hard look. Lurkers were curled against the wall, some, he knew, were hiding in the curtained off areas of unfinished walls but there were no one directly between him and his double, who was rapidly approaching another corner. "Keep an eye peeled for the little fella." He said as he drew his PPG and stepped around the corner. Welch and Sheridan followed but before any of them could take a step, the intruder spun suddenly, dropping to one knee and raising a hand in a gesture Garibaldi recognized from his ex-guard. "Down!" Garibaldi shouted, dropping as he spoke. He raised his own weapon and fired. Hot plasma flared against the stranger's shoulder and he stumbled back before turning to dart around the corner. "Welch's hit!" Sheridan's voice. "Torque, get Medlab and stay with him!" Garibaldi bolted after the man. He could hear another pair of footsteps behind him and knew Sheridan was right behind him. Moving too fast to stop at the corner, he skidded around it, bouncing off the wall. Sheridan's turn was more controlled so he took the lead in the chase, Garibaldi on his heels. Both men could see their quarry. He had ditched the dark cloak and was running down the corridor as fast as he could. Garibaldi drew alongside his commanding officer. "The Triangle!" He gasped and Sheridan started then nodded. "I'll cut him off..." Then Garibaldi ducked into a side corridor, following his memory of a short-cut to the area known as the B5 Triangle. His gut told him that that was where his double was heading...why, he had no idea. But there it was...and there he was, running toward a blanket-covered wall. Maybe he hoped to hide. Well, too bad... Garibaldi forced a burst of speed and threw himself forward, tackling the runner around the waist. Together they tumbled against the wall...into the blanket...and through both. They landed with a thump, Garibaldi on the bottom. His breath jolted out of him and darkness edged into his sight. Something cold pressed against his throat and by pure force of will, he pushed back the darkness, blinking in the sudden blaze of...sunlight? No, not sunlight. It was lighting similar to that in the hydroponic center...fake sunlight. That would explain the leafy branches above him and the feeling that a rock was pressing into his back. But that was impossible! The Garden and those sections were corridors from this area. Then he refocused his eyes and found himself looking at himself...no, his look alike...crouched above him. The coldness against his throat was the barrel of that odd weapon on the back of his left glove. Wisely, Garibaldi froze. He felt a tug at his belt and risked a look to one side, blinking in shock at the tiny creature now holding his holstered PPG. Maybe three feet in height, it was furred and clawed and fanged and...and....a cat. A little humanoid cat with seal-point Siamese markings and wearing a red loincloth, what appeared to be a white ivory helmet through which pert brown ears jutted and a cuirass made of ivory scale, along with smaller version of the gloves his double wore. "Be careful with that Tia. We don't need you blowing a hole through something." His double slowly straightened, stepping away from Garibaldi, keeping his weapon leveled on him. Slowly, cautiously, Garibaldi sat up, taking a better look at where he was. To his left were a number more of the cat-creatures, all armed with the same type of glove-weapons and mounted on...Garibaldi blinked...wolves. Maybe a dozen of the weapons were trained on him, the rest were pointing over him and to his right. He turned his head to look to see Sheridan and two of his security officers standing on the other side of a...a portal rimmed with bubbling blue, blank-faced with surprise. A half-dozen more of the cat-creatures were between him and the hole, tugging the blanket that had covered the wall through the opening, which, Garibaldi was surprised to realize, was set in the side of a huge rock. Perched on top of the rock was even more cat-creatures. "No higher then grade-three blue." His double's voice came from his right and Garibaldi turned back to see him stripping off the dark tunic he wore. Underneath, he wore an ivory-scaled shirt similar to those the cats wore. All around him, approximately a third of the tiny beings raised the weapons they had been leveling, replacing the cartridge already in them with ones they pulled from the bandoliers they wore criss-crossing tiny chests. "Ki....." His double moved away, a second seal-point Siamese...bigger then the first... nudging his wolf-mount after him. They spoke for a moment in low tone, both gesturing toward him once or twice then the man was jogging away, down a path leading away from the clearing. Ki and his mount turned back and rejoined the others, saying something to them in a language he could not understand. Immediately the weapons covering him rose to cover the growing group on the other side of blue-rimmed hole and the cats backed up, forming a well-armed half-circle around the opening. Slowly, Garibaldi stood, watching the cats warily. They, on the other hand, seemed to be ignoring him. He frowned then sidled backwards, toward the opening. The guards continued to ignore him and he stepped back with more confidence, realizing that they were not going to stop him from leaving. "Ahem." The sound came from roughly knee-high and Garibaldi jumped, gritting his teeth to keep from yelling. He glanced down to see the tiny Siamese, the one clutching his PPG, standing next to him. "Mind the step." It said politely and Garibaldi glanced behind to see that the opening behind him did indeed have a step. Not a tall one but tall enough to trip over and rimmed with that oddly-bubbling blue. He started to step over it then jerked again as the Siamese cleared its throat again. This time, it was holding out his weapon, securely holstered. Also, this time, the cat was unmistakably grinning in amusement. "Tia...." Ki said in scolding tones. "But he jumps so neatly!" Laughter came from the clustered cat-guards and Garibaldi flushed. Reaching down, he snatched the PPG from the Siamese and spun, stepping through the portal and to his commanding officer's side. ********* ============================================================================= Okay, that's the end of the fourth segment. My problem here is that I don't have a viable reason that for these two universe to cross. Oh, I have some ideas but nothing that really jumps out. So I decided to send these parts along and see if anyone out there has any suggestions. Garibaldi's look alike came to Babylon 5 for a reason...but what is it? Comments, critisisms, suggestions, etc, etc welcome. From t.fretwell2@genie.geis.comMon Jun 26 15:10:09 1995 Date: Sun, 25 Jun 95 16:38:00 UTC From: t.fretwell2@genie.geis.com Reply to: b5-creative@best.com To: b5-creative@best.com Subject: _Circles_ part 5 Here is part 5 of _Circles_. Part 5a will be up either tonight or tomorrow. All comments, suggestions, etc are welcome. CIRCLES ------- Part 5 Garibaldi had half-expected the mysterious portal to vanish once he was safely through but when he returned ten minutes later, it was still there with its half-circle of cat-guards and wolf-mounts standing shoulder- to-shoulder. There was an addition though, a horse that appeared to be wearing armor very similair to what the cats wore, pacing idely behind them. Automatically, the security chief looked over his own half-circle of people, each clad, as he was, in black combat armor. Every third officer held a rifle, all the others a shock stick set on the lowest setting. Sheridan, similarly outfitted, stood between the security officers and the portal. To Garibaldi's surprise, Stephen Franklin stood next to him. But then, it could be because of Franklin's knowledge and intense interest in aliens. But first things first. "How's Welch?" Garibaldi asked. "He should be fine." Franklin tore his eyes away from his fascinated study of the cats long enough to meet Garibaldi's eyes. "The dart held some kind of sleep drug. He'll be out for awhile but he should be okay." Garibaldi grunted then glanced at Sheridan, jerking his head at the portal. "When'd the horse come in?" "Just a couple minutes ago." "And it's not a horse." Franklin looked at the other two men with a slight smile. "Did you notice that the ivory is growing from that animal?" "Excuse me?" Sheriden stepped closer to the portal, blinking at the creature in question. Several of the wolves shifted in responce but no weapon was raised. The horse paused in it's pacing to look back at them with inquisitive brown eyes and the duo realized that the ivory was indeed a part of the animal, curving into exquisitely carved armor. Under the armor was a red coat, impeccably groomed, and a mane and tail of a darker red, just as well-groomed. "That's like no horse I've ever seen." The animal in question chose that moment to yawn. No flat herbivorous teeth here. Each tooth was wolf-fang sharp and a hell of alot longer. "Definetely not like any horse I've seen." Garibaldi's voice squeaked slightly. "Damn! Remind me never to get that thing mad at me." "You and me both." Sheridan's voice was none too steady either. He cleared his throat then, as the animal yawned again, added. "I think we're boring it." "Good." "I've never seen or heard of anything like that." Franklin commented. "I wonder what it is?" The question was rhetorical, the answer that issued from knee-level was not. "A rathorn." The three men looked down to see a cat standing just on the other side of the portal. It was one of the siamese...the one called Ki...a little taller then three-feet with seal-point markings. For the first time, Garibaldi realized that, unlike the others, this cat wore a blue loincloth. He'd appearently left his wolf-mount elsewhere and was now leaning against a black staff taller then he was. "And a rathorn is...?" Franklin gestured encouragingly. "Indigenious to the Min'bari homeworld." The cat gave them a drop- jaw grin. "Looks something like a horse, doesn't she?" "Ahhhh, yeah, she does." Franklin glanced at the once-again pacing hor....rathorn then returned a intensely-curious eye to the diminitive speaker. "And you are a....?" "Catling, scribe division. Ki Ming, at your service." The catling saluted them with a flip of a hand. "Scribe division?" Sheridan looked over the half-circle of catlings. "Yep. Blue." Ki gestured toward the loincloth. "Red's security division." All the catlings behind him wore red. "But you're armed." Garibaldi gestured at the weapon secured on the back the gloves the catling wore. "Oh, sure. I'm a catling." Ki seemed to think that explained everything and the three men blinked at each other. "Look, that guy shot one of my people with..." The security chief gestured at the weapon on the back of the catling's hand. "Spetsdod." The catling supplied, raising his hand so the back faced them. Garibaldi gave the slender tube set there a hard look. "Spetsdod and he's out. Will he be okay?" "Oh, sure. Mick went over with grade-5 blue so I'd say...human, is he?" "Who, Lou? Yeah, yeah, he's human." "He'll be out seven, maybe eight hours." The catling ran a hand over his bandolier, finally plucking a vial from its holder. He tossed it at Garibaldi. "Here. This'll bring him out of it sooner. Half-hour probably. Just be careful or he'll wake up with a killer hangover- headache." *************** DISCLAIMER _Babylon 5_, its characters and situations, is copyright 1995 PTN Consortium. This publication is not meant to infringe on any rights held by Babylonian Productions, Prime Time Entertainment Network or Warner Bros Television Distribution. "Circles" is copyright 1995 Tracy Fretwell. This publication is free to distribute as long as its contents and this notice are intact. ================================================================ * Rayhne * 'Ways of Olde to Guide and Guard * * rayhne@aol.com * Paths to Bring and Send * * t.fretwell2@ * Circles both in Light and Dark * * genie.com * From Starting until End...' * ================================================================ From t.fretwell2@genie.geis.comTue Jul 11 18:01:07 1995 Date: Sat, 8 Jul 95 02:39:00 UTC From: t.fretwell2@genie.geis.com Reply to: b5-creative@best.com To: b5-creative@best.com Subject: _Circles_ Part 5a I was all set to send this segment when I reread and realized that it was just too rambling so I decided to rewrite it and then my work schedule got really screwy for a week. Ah, well. Hopefully I will get the next segment out by Sunday. All comments, sugestions, etc are very welcome... Circles ------- Part 5a Garibaldi handed the vial to Franklin, not paying much attention as the man took it and turned to head for the Medlab. Absently hitching on his pant legs, he hunkered down to the catling's level to stare at him intently. The catling blinked then braced both hands on his staff and stared right back. The security chief suspected this was one staring contest he would never win. "So what exactly was that guy..." "Mick." The cat said unblinkingly. "Mick doing here?" The catling didn't say anything, just stared wide-eyed at the security chief. Garibaldi stared back, trying very hard not blink. Just as he reached the point where his eyeballs were starting to itch, the catling spoke up. "Wanna see something knee-knocking?" Then Ki spun and darted away so swiftly that Garibaldi was thrown literally off-balance, barely managing to catch himself with an outflung hand. He blinked after the catling then straightened, stretching his legs to work the cramps out. "Knee-knocking?" Sheridan murmured as they watched Ki return with another three catlings from somewhere. These catlings wore mottled green loinclothes and were bigger and broader than the slender wolf-riders. The captain began to suspected that there were several dozen more of the catlings scattered in the forest behind the guardian half-circle. Slipping back through the guards, Ki paused, peering around intently. Gariabldi shrugged in reply to Sheridan's implied question, watching as Ki found what he wanted, a rock about a foot across. He used his staff and some strategic digging to lever it from the ground. It proved to be over a foot thick and the catlings heaved it closer to the portal. Garibaldi couldn't gauge how heavy the stone was but it took all three of the catlings to wrestle it to where Ki wanted it. Ki grinned across the portal and winked before waving at the rathorn with his staff. "Horse! Come here!" The rathorn peered at the catling then stepped gingerly around and through the half-circle of guard-catlings until she stood before the rock. She raised her head to eye the men on the other side of the portal suspiciously. This time when she opened her mouth, it wasn't to yawn. Garibaldi stared at that expanse of very sharp teeth and briefly considered counting them but figured he wouldn't have time. Unless, of course, the rathorn was willing to keep her mouth open for five minutes or so. And even then it would be a close thing. "Horse!" Ki said sharply, rapping the rock with his staff. The rathorn lowered her head to nose it inquiringly. Once those teeth were back out of sight, the two men could see that the rathorn wasn't as big as they thought...more of a pony then a horse. It was the armor that made her seem bigger. And those teeth. "What's going on?" Sheridan murmured. "I think this is what's known as changing the subject." Garibaldi said. "Actually," Ki this time. "It's what's known as stalling for time." Behind him, the rathorn abruptly raised her head and than her right leg. The hoof was tipped with the same ivory that created her intricate armor, the rock as solid as any rock could be then the hoof was flashing down. The rock shattered into shrapnel that, luckily, didn't strike anyone. Ki's grin broadened at the looks on the two men's faces. "We don't let her out into the station common very often." He confided. "Station common?" Garibaldi said in a slightly dazed tone. Sheridan frowned thoughtfully, a speculative look in his eye. "What station?" "Why, I thought you'd have it figured out already." The jovial glint in Ki's eye belied his words. "Babylon Station, of course." "Babyl...?" "Parallel universe, dammit." Sheridan burst out. He glowered at the catling. "It sounds like a bad episode of a science fiction series." "It does, doesn't it? Mirror, mirror, on the wall...'" Ki sing- songed. "And as for the parallel part, I'd say it's more like six of one, half-dozen of the other." "Wait a minute! Wait a minute...." Garibaldi held up a hand. "Parallel universe? You mean, like, that's some sorta....aaaaaaa...you mean that guy was...." He stopped, paling as the full implication of what was being said hit him. "You? Technically, yes. The name's the same and so's the job and, I'm willing to bet, your histories are probably pretty much the same. Physically, it's another story." "The eyes." Sheridan said. "Droptacs didn't work too well, eh? Yeah, his eyes are green, not hazel." The catling paused, looking up at the rathorn as her ears pricked up and she turned to look over her shoulder. She snorted and made a mock nip at Ki's shoulder. "Well, if ya gotta go, ya gotta go. Get along now." The rathorn bugled then spun, leaping over the catlings on her way out of the clearing. Ki turned back. "Now, where was I? Oh, right, physical. From a distance and the way he's looking now, no problem but scrub him up and put you two next to each other and folks'll wonder how they could ever mistake one for the other." The catling grinned in sudden amusement. "But if it's a parallel universe..." Sheridan frowned, too caught up in the idea to be alarmed. "Parallel, yes. Identical, not even close." "Wait a minute." Garibaldi waved a hand to stop the flow of speculation. "All this is really interesting but back to my former question. What was this...this Mick doing here?" He gestured, taking in the station. "That you will have to discuss with him. He's the security chief. Me, I'm just the scribe assigned to this station." Garibaldi caught the glint in the catling's eye and gave it his own interpitation on it. "Which means you know everything that happens on the station." "Just about. But just because I know it doesn't mean I'm going to tell it." And Garibaldi knew that nothing he said was going to change the catling's stance. "Do you do this often?" Sheridan gestured at the portal. "Deities bless it, no! Jauntways like this one are notoriously unstable, dangerious and, to cut to the chase, hazardious to one's health if not set up properly and tended to right. Sheer good fortune we had a dakeera on board when we had to o...." Ki's ears flipped back and he threw the men an unreadable look. Garibaldi got the sudden feeling the catling had said something he shouldn't have. "Open this one." He finished, stepping closer to the jauntway. "So this wasn't a natural phenomenon." Not that he had really thought it was. "Don't give me that. You didn't think it was to begin with!" Ki snapped and Garibaldi jumped at hearing his thoughts said outloud. Belately, he remembered something Talia had said about his double bring a telepath. Could these catlings be telepathic as well? DISCLAIMER _Babylon 5_, its characters and situations, is copyright 1995 PTN Consortium. This publication is not meant to infringe on any rights held by Babylonian Productions, Prime Time Entertainment Network or Warner Bros Television Distribution. "Circles" is copyright 1995 Tracy Fretwell. This publication is free to distribute as long as its contents and this notice are intact. ================================================================ * Rayhne * 'Ways of Olde to Guide and Guard * * rayhne@aol.com * Paths to Bring and Send * * t.fretwell2@ * Circles both in Light and Dark * * genie.com * From Starting until End...' * ================================================================