From ravensteel@usa.pipeline.com Sun Aug 4 01:08:07 1996 Date: Mon, 1 Jul 1996 23:08:55 GMT From: Les McBride Reply-To: b5-creative@lists.best.com To: b5-creative@lists.best.com Subject: New Story: "Quest" Part 1 (Al & David) Per request, here's the first part of the Al and David story. The end's done, too, but the middle's giving me fits. -------------------- | | | | ~~ | | ~~~~ | | ~~ -------------------- (A box of Kleenex. You'll need it.) ******************** Part One of "Quest" by Leslie C. McBride "What were we talking about yesterday? It seemed so important, but now I can't..." They were en route to Isil'Zha. The memorial service had depressed Susan -- quite understandably. The last thing she needed to do was return to Minbar. Their focus was so much on the past that it would only make matters worse for her. Isil'Zha was the future. Hope. Al nodded. "You were asking about the Satai and the General. Everything that was set before them, they did. Now that that's happened, they won't stay long. They've earned their rest." "And... me?" "You've got stuff still t'do, years worth." "Why me?" "He shrugged. "Who knows? You're only assigned what you can achieve. It might be hard, but it can be done. Dad always said, `If you dissect a Russian, you won't find a backbone...'" She glared at him. "`... You'll find a steel rod'." She laughed. "But... doesn't that mean you *only* die after you've done everything you're s'posed to?" "Hun-uh." He shook his head emphatically. "Too many are killed before they've even made a good start of it. Stephen. David's mother." "What about your dad?" "He only left one thing undone, and gave that to me to finish." He didn't add any details. She shook her head. "How... how do you know all this?" "I've always been able to tell how much a person has left." He shrugged. "It didn't come from Dad, so it must've been from Mom. Bout the only thing." "Your mom? What do you remember of her?" "Nothing. It's always, only been Dad. I don't even know her name. It's the only thing he wouldn't tell me." ***** David Sheridan was waiting for them. He bowed deeply to Susan. "Respects. Welcome to Isil'Zha." "Thank you. I'm glad to see you." He grinned, looking for an instant all too much like his father. "I need to talk with Eldwin for a minute." He dragged his friend off some paces by his sleeve. They started talking to each other in that curious way many of the children of the War had adopted: low voices, hurried words, heads down but always watchful. There were many head-shakings and gestures this time. If she squinted, it was almost like she'd gone back in time. She was glad the boys' fathers had ended their dispute before... Al was coming back, looking thoughtful. "C'mon. David's had a room reserved for you at the hostel until your accommodations are ready." He led her in a particular direction. "He said his dad's happy you came. The last of the Nine ought to be together again, if only for a while." ***** "You mind telling me what's on your mind?" "Huh? What?" He'd been thinking. "Oh, David's being sent on a quest." He sighed heavily. "The General wants to find something of his mother's, so they can be buried together, when his time comes." She made a face. "I heard about that, but never any details." "Me, neither. David's asked me to join him." He was trying not to mention his promise, so he didn't embarrass her. "Great! When do we leave?" "What?" "I think I've needed an adventure like this for a while." He grinned. "Yeah, me too. I hadn't mentioned it, but David wanted to do it like a traditional Minbari quest." "Lemme guess: three, right?" Shaking his head, he made a clicking sound, then roughened his voice. "`All Minbari belief is around three. Three castes -- worker, warrior, religious.'" She burst out laughing, interrupting him. He was a passably good mimic, enough for her to remember who he was imitating. "Like I said, when do we leave?" "We probably ought to start with the crew of her escort ship. David's gone to talk to the Satai -- to David, he's just old Uncle Lennier who he can get anything out of. Which leaves us with..." ***** He shook Al's hand warmly. "Eldwin. It's good to see you back. You haven't been here since you finished your apprenticeship." "It's good to be back, sir, even if it's only for a little while." He turned to her. "Susan." "Hello, Marcus." Strange how their names spoke whole paragraphs. He ushered them to seats in front of a roaring fire. He laughed a little. "A gift from some of my students, to remind me of home." Steepling his fingers in front of him, he asked, "How can I help you?" "We wanted to ask about... Delenn's death." Unconsciously, he traced one scar with a knuckle. "Ah. David's quest. Well.... We were returning from the Orion Colonies. Delenn was in her shuttle with a few other people. Two StarFuries had been detailed as escort. Lennier and I were trailing in an armed courier. For all the good it did her. We were set upon form all sides. I had the rear guns, but I couldn't see a thing. We were in normal space, and away from much light." The two guests looked at each other. That only meant one thing. And this was only fifteen years prior, not fifty. "You're right. We had grown so complacent, that was the last thing we expected. We were hit amidships. All it took was once. Our scanners were blown, and we had no windows. We didn't even find out what happened until we were found, four days later." He shook his head to clear old ghosts, looked at Susan. "You are determined to join this fool's errand?" She set her jaw. "If it will give John peace, I'll do anything." "I thought as much. I wish you luck. Even though I don't believe in it." ***** "The trail's fifteen years cold. What do you expect to find now?" With a wicked gleam in his eye, David grinned. She'd seen that look on his father, but he'd lost it oh, so many years before. "I have no idea. Sometimes the goal is only the quest itself. We won't know until we do it." "So when do we leave?" For a minute he looked almost panicked, then he an Al put their heads together. "What day is today?" Mumbles. "How long is it s'posed to be?" "How should *I* know? You're the one who was raised by Minbari." More mumbles, scratchings on a scrap of paper. "Will this work?" "I think so." "It's appropriate." They looked back up. "Well?" "Three months from today." "Always three, huh?" "It will be Valen's Day." ***** "Susan." He took both her hands and squeezed them tightly. "You can't imagine how happy I was when David told me you were coming here. But then, when he said you'd volunteered to join his quest, well.... Sit." She chuckled a little as she did. "Oh, you know me: I always end up in the thick of it. I've done sneak work for so long. I needed a new challenge." "This will be that." He leaned forward intently. "Tell me everything. I haven't kept in touch like I should've." He sighed noisily. "Even though I wanted to, the job usually prevented it. I didn't even find out about Michael until... until it was too late." "I know," she said gently. "David was so worried..." ***** A few rooms away another meeting was taking place. "I could tell, you are worried about her. Has she been unspirited?" Al was sprawled in the chair across the table. Sometimes it seemed like David almost forgot he was speaking Standard. "Yeah. That's why I brought her here." He sighed, toyed with his water. "Drinking has she...." He exhaled noisily, exasperated at himself. "I mean, has she been drinking?" "Yep." "Father has, too. Not much, but enough to drag him down even farther. I worry." "Yep." David looked thoughtful. "I don't think that is all bothering you. Was it something she said?" "*In vino, veritas*." He nodded once. "Truth. Though that is not all." "Under everything anyone sees, she's afraid -- no, terrified -- that everyone will die, leaving her all alone." He shrugged. "Not terribly surprising, given." "And?" Annoying how perceptive he was, sometimes. "She asked for a promise to never be left alone. I did, but it wasn't me she was seeing. Sometimes... sometimes I almost feel this face was a curse. I wish -- almost, late at night -- that I looked the tiniest bit like Mom." Mom who was only a concept, never a person. When he asked, the only answer he ever got was "Your mother was one in a million, boy. One in a million." Then Dad would get depressed and hardly speak to anyone for days. He'd quit asking. ***** "... The Three that becomes One. You are three, brought together by one quest. Go in peace." "Go with hope." "Go with Light." The Satai, Ranger One, and the General bowed to them. They returned it. As ceremonies went, it hadn't been too bad (read: long). Here, where Minbari and Human were becoming one, customs had been blending. They had spent the three months of preparation well. Susan spent a lot of time with the last of the Nine and other survivors of the War, and talking to Rememberers. David and Al watched and listened. ***** The door splintered, crashed inward. With a yell, he took up the name he had laid aside so long ago, used it as a war cry. One of the things managed to get through, pinned him to the wall. It didn't have hands. It hurt, but not as much as he thought it would have. Still, he had to swallow a few times, and take a deep breath before he could speak. "Couldn't stand it, couldja? That there was someone out there you couldn't break." He swallowed again. It was getting harder. "Thanks to me everyone knew that you weren't perfect, that you were sloppy. Well, it's not gonna work this time either. So you'd better just hurry up and kill me, so you don't screw up again!" One of the others chittered angrily, closed on him. Illogically, he thought of Kosh, then his one moment of perfect beauty. "EEEyeaghhhh!" Al woke up screaming. Gasping, he sat up, eyes darting around. He'd fallen asleep in the pilot's seat. All systems were normal, cruising through hyperspace. He exhaled slowly. Shaking, he cradled his head in his arms on the console and began quietly sobbing. ***** She snorted, shaking her head. "Smartass." "Of course. I was born a smartass, will die a smartass." He shrugged. "Dad was...." He faltered, but tried to recover. "Dad was a smartass, and I'm cloned from him." The two pairs of listening ears didn't miss it. David asked first, furrowing his brow. "Did you have it again?" He rubbed his forehead. "It's the same thing every time. There's never anything I can do. And I still can't see...." He looked at the table, holding the back of his head. Shaking his head, David explained. "Nearly, what, six years ago? We were on Mars... no. Sorry. We were headed outsystem, the first time head had it. What woke me up was actually the top *bunk* almost collapsing on my *head*." They really were almost brothers. Even when being serious, the playful rivalry couldn't be entirely buried. "He took off like a bat outta hell. I wasn't far behind him, but he *still* got there a day before I did." He bit his lip. "Got where?" "Home. Proxima 3." She shook her head, uncomprehending. "He dreamed of his father's murder. When it happened." "My God." Her voice shook. Al dug his fingers into his skull. One had to strain to hear him. "I see it through his eyes. Each time I see a little more, but I can't stop it. This time... this time it was so clear, not like a dream. Before, so much has been too fuzzy to make out. This time...." He leaned back in his chair and talked to the ceiling. "It's the middle of the night. No moon. Dad's roaming downstairs in the restaurant. His mind's running in little circles like it does when you can't sleep. Jimmy'd gone home long before. My dad hired Jimmy years ago to help him, another Italian who'd had to leave his name behind. He's good. I gave him the place after.... He kept replaying the War in his mind, trying to figure out if he could've done more, done something different to prevent what came after. I don't know exactly what it was this time, but I'd seen it before. A lot. He finally sat down to write me a letter. He'd decided to tell me about Mom. I... I could actually see the words this time. He apologized, first, for waiting so long. But when he wrote the name, it was like a fog descended. I couldn't see it. I never do." Closing his eyes, he drew a long, ragged breath. "What happened next I've never really seen before. He heard something outside, something... it wasn't human. He ran for the gun he kept for his office. Then he burned the letter on the stove. If they saw it.... Now there were shouts outside. Home Guard. But that's not what he was worried about, not what broke the door down. It... they.... They'll never forget the name of Garibaldi. He wasn't afraid -- even taunted them. He didn't... much...." He ground his palms into his eyes, trying not to see it all again. David was hugging himself, rocking back and forth, eyes squeezed shut. "But... if... it wasn't Home Guard, what...?" He looked at her directly. "Shadows, Susan. Shadows killed my Dad." A _bleep_ from the nav board interrupted their thoughts. David went to check it, came back with an odd look. "We've reached the coordinates _Tal_ Lennier gave us." His voice stayed somber, but a light appeared in his eyes. "So it begins." -- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Leslie C. McBride ravensteel@usa.pipeline.com ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Because peace is sometimes another word for surrender. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From ravensteel@usa.pipeline.com Sun Aug 4 01:08:51 1996 Date: Wed, 3 Jul 1996 03:26:12 GMT From: Les McBride Reply-To: b5-creative@lists.best.com To: b5-creative@lists.best.com Subject: "Quest", Part 2 (?) Okay, here's the end of "Quest". The middle is, well, AWOL, maybe permanently, but is briefly summarized. That leaves this a little short. _Babylon 5_, the technology, the original setting, and most of the characters belong to J. Michael Strazynski, PTEN, and Warner Brothers (and the Warner sister), and will be surrendered to them upon request. Everything else is MINE. ******************* "Quest", Part 2 by Les McBride For nearly two years they quested ever outward. Delenn had *not* died in the Shadow attack. She and her pilot had survived, managed to make planetfall before he died of his injuries. She tried to get home after that, but all her attempts took her in the wrong direction. They reached the farthest planet anyone had ever colonized and found someone who remembered her. Once again, she'd gone in the wrong direction. Out. They only beings to have gone that way in living memory were the Technomages. For a week they hung in space, beyond the radiopause, waiting. David stayed at the largest port, looking in the direction his mother had gone. Al and Susan tiptoed around him. Finally, he turned away. "It's time to go home." ***** The General looked more old than any of them had thought possible. "Tell me." David did: everything they had seen and done, all the places they'd seen, even Al's dream. "And what did you find?" "Nothing, save her love of our people. And her love of you." He nodded slowly. "It is enough." ***** When they saw him again, he was dying. A few had gathered. The other Conspirators, and the Rememberers for the five who had already passed on. They waited. Forever after, no one could say for certain if what happened next was a vision or a true seeing. Utterly silent, a Fusion entered. She seemed to almost glide across the floor towards *him*. A Fusion, yes, but so old and so careworn it could only be One. Her hair was thin and greyed, her shoulders bowed. Still silent, she approached the General, laid one lined hand on his folded ones. He opened his eyes. She smiled, sadly. He did also, but truly, without the reminder of pain and loss. Years lifted off him in that moment, lines smoothed. Then he closed them again, for the last time. She turned and left. Everyone had become completely still, as if frozen, until she was gone, breaking the spell. ***** After that night, there would be a new Satai also. The sight of her had been too much. ***** Ranger One went to see Al after the mourning period was over to relay a request. "Me? Uh-uh. There's gotta be someone else. I'm not even in the military any more." Silent, Ranger One only looked at him. He didn't abide excuses. "I'm just a soldier. You don't want someone like *me* for *this*." Another excuse. "But... what about David? it should be his." "David is not at all suited for this. And... he will soon have other duties." "But I don't want to end up... I want, in the end, to be like Dad. He was content. This... this'll mean I'll never had that, never know peace." *This* was the heart of the problem. "I never knew you father well. Definitely didn't understand him. But I hold him in the highest regard. He walked a hard road before reaching that peace. Perhaps, in the end, you also will find it." Al spent some minutes in silence. "David very nearly followed his mother." "I know." "I would've gone with him." "We all know that. But, if you returned, the One saw to it that there would be no opposition." Al thought again. His laugh. His strength. Screams in the night. And made his decision. "Because *he* asked it, I will do it. On one condition." ***** At the next Assembly, Al rose to speak, in his father's uniform. Susan thought. He always spoke well, like Michael when he set his mind to it. "Today, two people were Remembered in our hearing for the first time. That is how the past survives, how we prepare for the next War. The Rememberers remind us that much was achieved, and much was sacrificed so that we might be here today. But I am not here only as First Speaker. The Nine, when they started down their long road, sought to free us and keep us free from oppression, from tyranny. From Darkness. Today, the Light has a new challenge. I see a future where those of the War might be honored in public. I see a future where Survivors are not always in fear of being recognized. I see a future where children are not murdered in their beds for no crime other than proudly wearing and ancestor's Name." He paused, scanning the crowd. "Since the War we have rebuilt, and we have grown. A friend once told me that time doesn't heal all wounds, but it does make most of them easier to bear. We needed time to do all this, and it was granted, made possible by those who have gone before us. We are now ready for this challenge. Are you prepared to accept it?" He stood very tall, caught Susan's eye and held it as he spoke he next words in a powerful voice. "I am Alfredo Michael Garibaldi, and I accept the challenge!" The assembly erupted into chaos. The hooded person behind him stood, throwing off his concealments. "I am David Jeffrey Sheridan! I am Satai, and I accept the challenge!" The two of them standing together, tall, defiant... She was given a vision of the future. Ranger One bounded to the podium with the energy of a man half his age. Laying a hand on Al's shoulder, he spoke. "This is he whom the One chose. Do you accept him?" "Yea!" He put his other hand on David's. "This is he whom Satai Lennier chose. Do you accept him?" "Yea!" "Do you accept the challenge placed before you?" "YEA!" Grinning, Al raised a hand, clenched it into a fist. "This day we give notice to the Powers of Darkness and their minions. If you want to see the next War, I suggest you hide!" Another glimpse into the future: ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Leslie C. McBride ravensteel@usa.pipeline.com ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Because peace is sometimes another word for surrender. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------