From PJurado@aol.com Wed May 8 18:16:01 1996 Date: Wed, 24 Apr 1996 00:27:59 -0400 From: PJurado@aol.com Reply-To: b5-creative@lists1.best.com To: b5-creative@lists1.best.com Subject: Re: Digest b5-creative.v001.n022 Here's chapter 1 of my first B5 story. Deal With A Devil by Philip Jurado The Year: 2260 The Place: Z'ha'dum The fiery sky of Z'ha'dum rolled and flashed as thunder shook the blasted landscape. Tall, rocky spines of stone thrust high into the air, like grasping fingers searching for life to nourish them. Within a mountainous fence of rock stood the dark fortress of Morgul Keep, the home and strategic center of the Shadows. Within the dimly lit War Room, the nine Warlords of the Army of Night stood in a broad circle and regarded each other with suspicion and wariness. They communicated with each other in high-pitched squeels, discussing plans for creating chaos and hate within the galaxy to herald their war of dominion. The Nine turned to regard the Human who entered the room and bowed respectfully before them. The Shadows spoke briefly to their servant, Morden, and he quickly replied, "Yes, all is prepared for the operation. Have you decided who will return with me?" The Shadows responded, and one of the smaller members moved delicately on its six legs to stand before the Human. Morden bowed to the Shadow, then addressed the remaining Warlords, "I will return to the target immediately. When the Mistress has chosen her host, I will return to do your bidding." The Warlords nodded in agreement, then watched as Morden led the Shadow out of the War Room to an unsuspecting galaxy. ************************************************** Rapton Assembly Sargasso System 2260 The Orcish Emperor, Londrak, brooded in his bone chair as blazing torches lit the opulant Throne Room. A loud knock sounded on the iron doors, then one of them opened to admit a Human dressed in a grey suit. The visitor walked up to the foot of the dais where Londrak sat, then bowed at the waist briefly. "Emperor, I trust you are well?" asked Morden cheerfully. "As well as can be expected as my empire faces destruction by those thrice-damned Elves and their fleet!" proclaimed Londrak as he thumped his fist against the arm of his chair. "Then perhaps my associates can be of some small assistance," offered Morden calmly. "What can one Human do for me or the empire?" asked the Orc crossly. "I may be Human, but my associates are quite powerful. I can assure you that if we reach an agreement, the Elvish fleet will be destroyed within a day," replied Morden. "The entire Fleet? Destroyed? What is the price of this miracle?" inquired Londrak incrediously. "Not much. Your empire is close to the Centauri Republic, and if they become difficult, we may need your help to keep them in line. That shouldn't be too hard; with the Elves enslaved to you, you'll have the resources to build a truly impressive fleet. Sound good to you?" asked Morden with a grin. "Attack the Centauri? Hmm, that has possibilities. Alright, I agree to your terms," replied Londrak with a feral smile. "Excellent, I'll inform my associates immediately. You won't regret this, my lord," said Morden as his eyes glinted with anticipation. *********************************************************** Mezzana System 2260 The Elvish Fleet hung like a cloud of snowflakes frozen in amber as they awaited the arrival of the remaining warships that escorted the Flagship, Loriel. The Elven ships were huge, yet graceful wedge-shaped vessels propelled by three azure engine ports. Agile destroyers and powerful, heavy cruisers sailed in formation as sky-blue jumppoints opened and the remaining ships of the Fleet emerged from hyperspace. The Loriel was the last to enter Normalspace, and Admiral Ulysar watched the viewscreen with pride as the hundreds of ships under his command floated before him. "Is the Fleet ready to jump into Rapton space?" asked Ulysar as he reclined in his command chair. "Affirmative, all ships signal ready," replied the blonde-haired Elf girl at the Comm console. "Then send this message to all ships: Prepare to jump..." "Sir! Unidentified ships emerging from Hyperspace! There's ten, no, twenty! No, I'm reading over fifty vessels, sir!" exclaimed a frightened tactical officer. "Arm all laser batteries and load missile racks!" ordered the Admiral as several violet energy beams flashed across Elvish ships and sliced them like warm bread. "Ulysar to all ships! Engage and destroy unknown vessels!" The Elvish Admiral gazed at the viewscreen in horror as black, spidery warships spat out violet beams of death and slashed through his fleet with ease. The sweating Elf clenched the arms of his chair tightly just as a Shadow vessel appeared on the screen and fired its beam. To be continued... ************************************************* "Deal With A Devil" is my property, but copies can be made if proper credit to author is given. From PJurado@aol.com Thu, 9 May 1996 14:19:04 -0400 Date: Thu, 9 May 1996 14:19:04 -0400 From: PJurado@aol.com To: akosut@ace.nueva.pvt.k12.ca.us Subject: Babylon 5 fiction "Backstage Maneuvers" by Philip Jurado Sargasso System The Year: 2260 A sky-blue jumppoint burst into existance, and a sleek Hyperion-class cruiser emerged from hyperspace to begin its advance towards Sargasso, the Orc homeworld. Two huge Orc warships moved to flank the Earth Alliance cruiser and escort it safely to its destination. Two hours later, a representative of Earthdome entered the torch-lit throne room of Emperor Londrak and bowed towards him. "Greetings from the Earth Alliance, my lord. President Clark wishes me to extend his congratulations on your recent victory over the Elvish Fleet. He believes that our two governments can do business with each other," said the suited man smoothly. "Perhaps," replied Londrak slowly. "The Earth Alliance message you sent me said something about selling my empire warships?" "Yes, my lord. With our recent 'difficulties' in the Outer Colonies and Babylon 5, the Earth Alliance is in need of greater financial resources in order to upgrade security. We desire to sell off some of our older destroyers and heavy cruisers, at a bargain price," said the man with an oily smile. "Would they have full armament?" asked Londrak. "Unfortunately, no. The vessels for sale have fewer laser turrets and no heavy plasma cannons. I do understand, however, that there is a prospering black market in the League of Non-Aligned Worlds, where you should be able to acquire any heavy weapons you may need," replied the EA representative. "I'll have to think about it," said the Orcish Emperor. "Don't take too long. I'm sure other worlds in the League would love to purchase Earth Alliance starships. Also, I believe that the warship production capability of your Rapton Assembly is minimal at best. If you want to press your advantage against the Sunfire Alliance, you'll want more ships quickly. It's your decision, of course," replied the man smugly. Emperor Londrak eyed the Human coldly for several minutes, then said, "Very well, how much do you require for the initial shipment?" *********************************************************************** Chancellor Eloren rubbed the bridge of his sharp nose as Admiral Ulysar and the rest of the military advisers brought him up to date on the declining military situation. With the Fleet destroyed, the Orcs had come pouring across the border and attacked several worlds of the Sunfire Alliance. "Mezzana fell almost immediately to the Orcish Army. The Orc fleet has attacked both New Hope and Kilarne, and we estimate that their planetary defenses will fall by the end of the week," reported Ulysar sorrowfully. "Is there nothing we can do to aid them?" asked the Chancellor desperately. "Nothing, sir. We could draft civilian transports to ferry troops to the colonies, but they would be destroyed immediately by the Orcish warships insystem," replied an advisor. "What about the shipyards? When can they bring new ships online?" asked Eloren. "It will take time, sir," said Ulysar. "Even by shifting production from battleships to smaller destroyers, the engineers tell me it will be at least four months before new warships will be ready for deployment." "In four months, the Orcs will be within shooting distance of Homeworld," replied Garoth, the Elvish head of Intelligence. "Do you have anything constructive to say?" barked the Chancellor. "Only that some of my operatives from Sargasso say that the Earth Alliance is going to sell the Orcs warships, both heavy cruisers and destroyers," said Garoth. "That's all we need," muttered Admiral Ulysar. "Contact the other major governments, let them know about our situation and try to get their support. If the Minbari or even the Centauri will help us, we may be able to save the Alliance," declared the Chancellor. "The Centauri? Are you sure about that? They may see this as an opportunity to attack with their own forces and add to their 'buffer zone'," said Garoth. "We don't have a choice. We have to go with the lesser of two evils. The Centauri haven't been our blood enemies for four centuries like the Orcs have been, we may be able to cut a deal," replied Eloren bleakly. "As you wish," intoned all of the Elves present. ********************************************************** Londo Mollari sat comfortably in the cushioned chair and sipped from a glass of wine as Lord Refa entered the large room and sat in a chair opposite. Londo nodded his head slightly to acknowledge Refa as the grim Centauri opened his briefcase and organized his report. "Anything of interest, Lord Refa?" asked Londo nonchalantly. "You ordered me to keep you informed of any major policies," replied Refa coldly as he stared daggers at the Ambassador. "Yes, I did," responded Londo cheerfully. "The Sunfire Alliance has asked us for military aid against their ancient enemies, the Orcs of the Rapton Assembly. Somehow, the Orcs acquired some new allies that destroyed the Elvish Fleet. Now the Orcs are sweeping into Alliance space and taking worlds hand over fist, sound familiar?" asked Refa. "Indeed, too familiar," replied Londo. "Give them what they need. Start off with just a few heavy cruisers and some squadrons of fighters. If the Elves can't repel the Orcs with limited aid, we'll increase the shipments." "No direct intervention?" inquired Refa. "No. I want the Fleet guarding the Republic and Centauri Prime. If the Orc/Elf conflict starts to expand, then we'll take direct action, not before," said Londo coldly. ************************************************** This story belongs to me. Copies can be made if proper credit to author is given. From PJurado@aol.com Sat May 18 15:48:47 1996 Date: Wed, 15 May 1996 20:53:37 -0400 From: PJurado@aol.com Reply-To: b5-creative@lists1.best.com To: b5-creative@lists1.best.com Subject: Shard of Shadow 3 Shard of Shadow 3 by Philip Jurado Urjala Lady Krysta giggled with a high shrill as a young Elvish noble whispered a bawdy joke in her ear. The beautiful, raven-haired young woman drained her crystal glass of wine, then quickly snatched another from a passing servant. The slim Elf girl walked gracefully among the nobility attending the latest party of the Minister of Finance. While the old Elf was stuffy and had no sense of humor, he did spend huge amounts of money on his public affairs. Nobles with any standing at Court were obligated to attend these functions, but Krysta didn't mind if there was free liquor. Sipping daintily on her third glass of wine, the lovely Elf walked through a set of large, glass doors and stood near a carved, stone balcony railing. The cool night air caressed her long, black tresses as she watched the stars twinkle in the clear sky. "Beautiful, aren't they?" remarked a strong male voice behind Krysta. The Elf girl turned around to see a darkly handsome Man walk next to her. "The stars look like priceless gems that you would gather in your hands and drop in a pocket if you could." "Yes, that's true," agreed the young woman as she sipped from her glass. The Man smiled at her, then produced a decanter of red wine to refill her crystal. "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Morden," said the Man softly. "I am Krysta, of the Fourth Noble Caste," replied the Elf before she burped lightly. The couple laughed at her indiscretion, then toasted each other before drinking again. "I understand that your father is quite influential in military circles. He oversees research and development of new power sources and weapons, correct?" inquired Morden. "Yes, he does some work for the military, but I don't know the details. Daddy doesn't like talking about his job in front of mother and me," replied Krysta as she swayed slightly in intoxication. "Perhaps you would like to sit down in the study. We could talk about your life as a noble, and maybe you could tell me some things about your family," suggested Morden with gleaming eyes. "All right," agreed Krysta numbly as she leaned on Morden for support, then allowed herself to be led away from the balcony towards the mansion's interior. The couple eased their way past laughing and gossiping nobles, then left the inhabited rooms of the manor for the dark, empty passages of the cellar. "I don't think that this is the way to the study," mumbled Krysta as she swayed from the strong wine. "I do believe that you are correct," said Morden as he pushed her roughly to the cold, stone floor. "Hey!" shouted the Elf girl as she hit the floor on her hands and knees, then turned to glare at the grinning Man. Suddenly, a high-pitched chittering noise filled the dark hallway, and a large, black, insect-shaped creature appeared from thin air. Krysta screamed in terror as the monster grabbed her by the wrists, then forced her head back by pulling her hair. The spider-like creature peered closely into the frightened girl's wide blue eyes, then blew a powerful, greenish mist into the Elf's open mouth. Krysta gagged on the vapor, then began to convulse as the Shadow's essence invaded her body. The spider-creature's corporeal form dissolved into mist, then travelled quickly into its new host. Krysta fell limply to the ground, then curled into a fetal ball as her flesh was corrupted by the Shadow's will and enslaved. Morden leaned against the wall to wait, a cold smile upon his face. Minutes later, the lovely Elf girl rose to her feet and smiled with satisfaction at Morden. "The transfer is a success. Now we find the Shard," said Krysta huskily. ****************************************************** Gehenna Tores examined the sample closely with her electron microscope. The material of the artifact defied all known scientific laws, which made it very difficult to study. Sighing with frustration, the red-haired Elf woman sat down in a nearby chair and gazed at the "artifact" pulsing in a nearby containment room. The segment was pure black, and it glistened with some unknown substance. It generated intense cold, and the one Elf unfortunate to touch it had died instantly. Small pieces could be severed from it, however, which possessed the same properties as the mother object. Gehenna had spent months working on the artifact, attempting to identify its composition and its point of origin, so far with no success. The one thing she knew for certain was that the artifact was old, really old. It had been found during a mining operation on Valloire, one of the few Elvish colonies along the Rim. The Elvish woman picked up a mug and sipped lukewarm coffee in order to keep awake. Groaning with exhaustion, Gehenna transferred the sample to a high-energy scanner and began to write notes based on the readings. ************************************************** From PJurado@aol.com Sat May 18 15:49:45 1996 Date: Thu, 16 May 1996 15:44:12 -0400 From: PJurado@aol.com Reply-To: b5-creative@lists1.best.com To: b5-creative@lists1.best.com Subject: Shard of Shadow 4 Shard of Shadow 4 by Philip Jurado Two weeks later, Gehenna Tores summoned Admiral Ulysar to her lab. The Elvish officer sat heavily in a nearby chair, his eyes surrounded by wrinkles caused by stress. The scientist felt sympathy for the harried admiral, but quickly resumed her professional stance and coughed lightly. "Thank you for answering my summons, Admiral," began Gehenna politely. "Thanks are not necessary. I need any weapon I can get to fight the thrice-damned Orcs and their Mannish warships," answered Ulysar gruffly. "Well, my research with the artifact has generated some interesting results. By placing a small sample in an electro-magnetic field, then stimulating it with small electrical bursts, the shard does this," said Gehenna as she initiated the electric charger. The night-black sample began to roil and move like a living thing, then it emitted a violet beam that leapt forth to pierce a nearby reinforced wall. Although the barrier was constructed of multi-layered ferrocrete, the beam had sliced through it like wet paper. "Astonishing," muttered Ulysar as he gazed at the wall with wide-eyed amazement. "I've also found that an electrically excited sample can power an entire hover transport for at least a week. We're still testing the upper threshold of the sample's power," reported Gehenna proudly. "Can you replicate this artifact?" asked Ulysar eagerly. "Unfortunately, no, at least for right now. Hopefully with further testing and study, I may be able to duplicate the material. The research will take more time, though, and greater resources," hinted the red-haired Elf woman. "Could you power starships with these samples?" asked the Admiral as he gazed at the pulsing artifact avariciously. "I believe that we can, sir," replied Gehenna as she moved to stand next to him. "Then begin upgrades to our new Centauri ships immediately," ordered the Admiral as he began walking towards the exit. "Uh, sir? I'd like to conduct more studies on the artifact before utilizing it in any large-scale capacity," said the Elf scientist urgently. "We don't have the time for lengthy trials, Doctor," replied Ulysar as he opened the door, then turned to face Gehenna. "The Orcs are plucking Alliance worlds like flowers in a meadow, and if we don't stop them now, there won't be anything left to protect." "Yes, sir," agreed the Elf woman with resignation. "Good, now get those samples to the shipyards immediately," commanded Ulysar before he exited the lab. "I hope that we both don't live to regret this," whispered Gehenna as she sat at her desk and opened a com channel to Fleet Command. ************************************************************* Kilarne System Thunderbolt starfighters raced past stationary defense drones, firing their laser cannons in quick salvos before the drone computers could lock weapons onto them. Explosions dotted around the Planet Kilarne III as the Orc attack squadron attempted to destroy the Elvish colony's defenses. Planetary defense batteries fired heavy plasma bolts at any fighter that flew within their range. Several squadrons of fighters had already been lost to the drones and plasma batteries, but the Orcs were persistant, and it was only a matter of time before the attacker's superior numbers overwhelmed the Elves' defenses. Two EA destroyers hung back from the battle, refuelling and rearming Thunderbolts when necessary to continue the assault. Captain Bloodfang sat tensely in his command chair, watching the battle unfold on the main viewscreen. "How many drones have the fighters shot down?" asked the Captain tartly. "Thirty-percent of the drone system has been eliminated," replied an Orc tactical officer. "Can't we use this ship's laser batteries and heavy plasma cannon to destroy the drones faster?" inquired Bloodfang. "Not without taking heavy damage ourselves, sir," replied another tac. officer. "A ship this big would be a prime target for massed fire by the drones. Even the planetary batteries could hit us at long-range. The fighters may be slower, but they make harder targets for the defense system." "Fine. So we wait," said Bloodfang with a loud sigh before an alarm sounded. "Sir! Four jumppoints have opened near the planet's primary moon," reported an Orc excitedly. "On screen!" shouted Bloodfang before the image shifted to four growing swirls of blue light. Two huge Centauri battlecruisers emerged into normal space, followed by two Centauri heavy cruisers. As Bloodfang gaped in surprise, the Centauri ships began disgorging squadrons of crescent-shaped fighters to engage the Thunderbolts encircling the planet. "Bloodfang to all ships, engage the Centauri immediately!" ordered the Captain through the comm system as the enemy cruisers began to advance on the Orc ships. "Sir! Although those are Centauri ships, I'm picking up Elvish IFF signals and Elvish comm traffic," reported the Comm Officer. "The Elves?!" exclaimed Bloodfang just before the bridge rocked from a laser hit. Both Elvish battlecruisers fired massive barrages of laser fire at the lead Orc destroyer, smashing holes along its hull and scoring deep furrows in the rotating mid-section. The destroyer returned fire with its laser turrets and a powerful blast of its plasma cannon. The cannon cut a deep slash along a battlecruiser's port side, severing its "wing" to spin out into space. Elvish and Orc fighters flew in tight circles, gaining momentary advantages in position from which to fire their weapons. The Orcish Thunderbolts gained a quick lead on the older Elvish fighters, but renewed fire from the planetary batteries and the drones soon shifted the battle to the Elves' favor. The second Orcish destroyer exploded in a brilliant flower of flame from the combined fire of the two Elvish heavy cruisers. Captain Bloodfang's ship was faring little better, with numerous hull breachs and fires on several decks. On the bridge, smoke filled the death-choked air, with Orcish bodies lying limply at their ruined stations. Bloodfang clasped the arms of his chair in a vice-like grip as reports of massive internal damage filtered into his ears from the static-filled comm system. The destroyer fired its plasma cannon one more time, finishing off the crippled Elvish battleship before its companion fired a laser salvo in retaliation. The bridge shook violently, and distant explosions and screams could be heard through the bulkhead. "Captain Bloodfang to Assembly High Command, Elves employing Centauri battleships and fighters have destroyed my squadron, the offensive in the Kilarne System is a loss," said the Orc coldly before a missile salvo from the Elvish battlecruiser slammed into the bridge and turned the room into an inferno. **********************************************