From: dgolding@connect.ab.ca Subject: STAR AND CIRCLE: "THE SEEKER'S FIRE", EPISODE II: OVERTURE Date: Tue, 22 Jun 1999 23:46:19 [Cue Dramatic Music] KLAIRIKA ALIDIAE We are the Watchers... [Klairika standing on the bridge of the SHARD OF NIGHT, an image of the EXCALIBUR hanging in the air in front of her.] SHEYNELL KEYNES We are the Warriors... [Images: Sheynell at the tactical station, the battlecruiser firing its main gun and destroying a Drakh capital ship] LARIEKEN We are the Guardians... [Image: Larieken defending his Captain against Z'shailyl attackers, warrior pike in hand] VEYSHAHK We are the Healers... [Image: Veyshahk at his desk in MedSection, an image of the Drakh virus on his computer screen.] DASOURI and NICHOLAS DAWSON We are the exiles... [Image: Nicholas in Engineering, Dasouri at the helm of the SHARD] JULIA TIKOPAI And I am the Seeker. [Image: Julia's face, lit by candles, the stars of the Galaxy beyond] KLAIRIKA ALIDIAE We are the Rangers of the SHARD OF NIGHT, in this, the Earth Year 2267. [Image: The SHARD OF NIGHT enters, from the left...] JULIA TIKOPAI This is our story. [... before engaging darklight mode, and going into hyperspace.] S T A R A N D C I R C L E "T H E S E E K E R' S F I R E" * * * STAR AND CIRCLE created by David Goldingay * * * Legal Disclaimer: BABYLON 5, CRUSADE and all characters and situations thereof are the creations and copyrighted property of J. Michael Straczynski and Babylonian Productions. This series is a non-profit creation for the purposes of private entertainment only. Original characters and situations are copyright of the author, 1997-99. * * * <> System GC 17881; status: uninhabited. 30 light years to galactic spinward of Sinzar colony. Earth Alliance Warlock Class Destroyer DE'MOLAY. Two words, was how it began. Two words spoken by someone both familiar, and unexpected. "Hello, Mother." This was a voice that Bethany knew... the voice of her only child. But how was this possible? How could Julia be on a alien starship that had just been responsible for destroying three Drakh carriers at Sinzar, damaging another, as well as swatting dozens of their smaller light cruisers from existence? "We need to talk." She let out a long breath, as the larger-then-life image displayed on the bridge's primary viewscreen confirmed her initial assessment. There Julia was, her dark hair long and intricately braided, her eyes flashing their usual incontravertible challenge. And yet...once again she'd changed, but was this a surprise, given the time that always seemed to pass between their meetings? Briefly, she touched on the memory of the girl that Julia had been before all of this had began; a time before her captaincy of the now-destroyed NIOBE...an age before secrets, before Shadowtech Earth destroyers, before the series of events that had started with the DE'MOLAY's departure from Jovian orbit in the middle of winter, five years before. And she thought of all the pain, the joy and the successes that had lead to this moment... "Well I will be *damned!*." her executive officer, Paul Telluride, muttered, a moment later, breaking her chain of thought. "Would you look at that!" Even after all the sights she'd seen, this one made her eyes widen too, as a grayish-pearl starship materialized seemingly straight out of nowhere several hundred kilometers in front of the DE'MOLAY. The new arrival was racing towards them in a manner that all but screamed 'artifical gravity on board', which its shape had already implied. Streamlined and rapier-thin, the Ranger warship (to go by her daughter's by-now familiar uniform, and the crew visible in the image) was lithe and dangerous looking, but in a fashion completely at odds with the immensity of her own command. "Specs coming up now." Malcolm Piesch, the DE'MOLAY's OpO, casually noted...but his indifference soon faded, as Piesch got a good look at the stats the destroyer's sensors were downloading into his station. "What we can make out with our sensors, that is...some of the stuff aboard that ship is stealthed up the wazoo, even when it isn't cloaked! I'll echo the Commander at this point, Captain; that's one... Hell of a design, and from what little I can deduce, it's got as much firepower for its size as we do. If not more." "I'll tell you what it looks like..." her chief helmsman, Lt (j.g) William McLelland added a moment later. "It looks like the offspring of a White Star and a Shadow cruiser." "Lieutenant!" Commander Telluride barked. "Well it does!" McLelland exclaimed. "A three-engined White Star that can disappear and appear when it likes, AND blow up Drakh carriers with one shot? If not Shadowtech, then Vorlontech, maybe?" "Which," Piesch muttered, "Might be more likely, given how we were able to track that ship down." "You have a great deal of explaining to do..." Bethany frostily informed her daughter, a tone she regretted a moment later, as she received a dose of the Tikopai 'glacial glare' she'd patented at Julia's age; a glare which, if it had been launched at close range, looked like it might have frozen her from head to toe. "You can begin by..." "This vessel is named, in the tongue of our ancestors, SHARD OF NIGHT. I am her captain." Bethany blinked. "Would you... like to run that by me again?" "I know you heard me, Mother, so don't try and play that game with me, I'm really not in the mood right now. For the moment, please understand that I can't say more on an open channel; we'll discuss the *entire* matter when I come aboard your command in a few minutes time." "But why the secrecy?" she asked, and shivered, as Julia smiled a smile at her that spoke *volumes*. "Why the stealth?" "The stars have ears, Mother. Some more sensitive then others, as well you should know, after all you've gone through with your present command in the last few years. SHARD OF NIGHT out." "Wow..." McLelland mused. "Captain, if you don't mind me asking, how exactly did you manage to survive her adolescent years?" "That, Lieutenant," she replied, "Is a far more complicated question that you might suspect. To cut a long story short, the Shadow War was doing a *great* job of interference, at the time, as I recall." "Uhhh...she was born, when?" "The week we nearly all died as a race, Mr. McClelland." she replied, her thoughts suddenly far away. "The week the Line was drawn." "I... see." the bemused helmsman noted. "A little...mature for her age, isn't she?" "A *little*, yes." she wryly replied. "For right now though, I think it's time we began to figure out exactly *how* we managed to detect my daughter's... command." At which point, Bethany accessed the intra-ship comm network, and put in a call to the woman who was in charge of the brilliant (if sometimes crazy) imps who kept the DE'MOLAY running smoothly. "Lt. Commander Mithrush, this is Captain Tikopai." "This is Engineering, go ahead." her Chief Engineer replied, a moment later. "What's up, Captain?" "Commander, a ship's just arrived off of our port quarter that you might be interested in taking a look at..." There was a brief pause, and then, an quickly muffled cry of disbelief came through the link, to the amusement of the bridge crew, who were, by this point, used to their Chief Engineer's... eccentricities. "Where'd *that* come from?" "A very good question, Commander," Bethany finalized. "I hope to have some answers for you in due course, if you can't figure them out yourself. But to start with, there's a few things you should know..." * * * The SHARD OF NIGHT. Enroute to rendezvous. "Okay, Lesaki." Nicholas began, "What's so important that you had to drag me all the way over from the other end of the section? Why didn't you just holocast it to me?" "I did not believe that would be prudent." Lesaki replied, as he and several other Minbari peered both at, and within the secondary operations board that was creating all the interest. "This only happened just a little while ago, and by Valen, I do not understand how it did, without us seeing it." Nicholas peered over Lesaki's shoulder at the offending console, and then, he frowned, too. The control systemics on the board, like all the others on the SHARD, were laid out in the White Star style, which meant a combination of touch-sensitive controls pads and gesture-sensitive crystalline matrices. Unfortunately, the pattern on this one, a pattern he was familiar with from having helped install the damn things... Had changed somehow. The crystal matrix at the heart of the board had shifted its form, and now, it was quite obvious what was intended, though who the intended victim was, was another question entirely. Because laid into the surface of the crystal, was the form of a human hand, right down to the ridged whorls of the fingertips. "This," Nicholas muttered, "Has just *got* to be some sort of joke." "If so," Lesaki noted, "I would very much like to meet the instigator of the... prank, do you say?... and have them explain it to me." "Yeah, you're probably right; so much for assumption A. Okay, what about assumption B, then?" Nicholas turned aside, then. "Engineering to MedSection... you there, Veyshahk?" "Unfortunately." the reply came, as the hologram of the doctor sprang into view, in between Nicholas and Lesaki. "Although I must say, Mr. Dawson, that I find your call a bit of a surprise, given we're not in battle at the present time, and about to come alongside an Earthforce Warlock Class destroyer. Did someone try and stick their hand into a fusion reactor, perhaps?" "Yeah, doc, I guess you do have a point, there..." Nicholas mused. "Anyone with a half a grain of sense wouldn't want to come within a thousand light years of *this* pairing... and while this does has something to do with hands, it's not... quite like that, I'm afraid." "Are you going to come to the point before we all evolve onto the next plane of existence, Mr. Dawson?" "Hey, no need to be snappy, Doc!... yeah, as a matter of fact, I am. Look, something weird's happened down here, something that we could use your help with." "Such as?" "Computer!" Nicholas snapped. "Capture and enhance view of SecOp7, trasmit to MedSection Primary 1!" A moment later, Veyshahk leaned forward, his amused indifference replaced by perplexed curiousity. "I believe I now understand your concerns, Mr. Dawson. I will be there shortly." * * * Ordinarily, Lt. Commander Jaiena Mithrush's entire focus was on her work, her duties, and most *especially*, on the smoothly humming innards of the DE'MOLAY's primary fusion reactor, among other things. Like so many others, she'd been with the Warlock Project from the word 'go', grabbed straight out of the Academy and thrown into a very large room with lots of other eager young engineers and a LOT of Shadowtech, and eventually, into an adventure that none of them, least of all her, had been able to predict in advance. That however, had been then, while this was now. Jaiena briefly glanced around the DE'MOLAY's mammoth, catwalked engine chamber, touching on the familiar figures of her people amongst the maze, before her eyes fastened, yet again, on the monitor at her station. For the first time in a *very* long time, she'd encountered something more interesting then the innards of a Warlock Class Destroyer...it was an unusual feeling, to say the least. But then again, as a few of her fellow officers had only just mentioned on the bridge a moment before, the ship they'd just encountered was unlike anything she'd ever seen before. And while it shared *certain* design characteristics with the Interstellar Alliance White Stars, the similarities began and ended with that general design. After a moment, she grabbed her portable pad, and began making somewhat cryptic notes for later referral. Three engines, instead of two, enough firepower to take on anything in the Alliance arsenal, sealable hull, given the egress of the small Ranger shuttle even now on its way over, more then twice the size of a White Star, and check out the *main gun* on the prow. Geez, no wonder the Drakh at Sinzar had been all torn up like they had! But most importantly, the Ranger ship had what looked like an organic hull. And while it probably did the same job for the SHARD OF NIGHT (damn interesting name) as the Shadowtech meshwork in the DE'MOLAY's hull, it clearly wasn't Shadow technology at all... the look was completely different. "The scuttlebutt going around," a familiar voice began, "Is that we've encountered something that even gives you pause, Commander." Jaiena turned her head and smiled, as her tall, iron-haired CPO, Kenneth Weibe, came around behind her and glanced closely at the image on the screen before whistling. "And now, I think I'm beginning to understand *why*." "This," Jaiena began again, "Is one of the most interesting scenarios I've ever come across. This ship we've encountered, the SHARD OF NIGHT, has what appears to be an semi-organic or even *completely* organic hull, and who knows what other interior organic components. The XO, interestingly enough, was able to trace their course out of the battle at Sinzar with the sensors..." "Which, of course," Weibe dryly noted, "As we both know, were partially hooked into the Shadowtech in our hull as an *experiment*, before we left Jupiter, five years ago." "If I didn't know any better," she concluded, her eyes bright, "I'd have to guess that ship's got as much *Vorlontech* in it as we've got Shadow, probably even more. All right!" she declared, rising to her feet, as an amused Weibe, by now used to his Chief's volatile moods, got rapidly out of the way. "That settles it; I've just *got* to get a closer look at that ship!" * * * Elsewhere... Hyperspace flared with the colours of death, as a quintet of tiny spacecraft pursued a larger one of similar style through the gravitationally bound murk, their energy weapons lancing through the reddish vacuum. The individual at the controls of the pursued vessel checked on his pursuit, and hissed softly, before shaking his dark, wedge shaped head in irritation, and increasing the thrust of his ship, briefly leaving his pursuers behind. This, Moreil considered, had happened far sooner then he had imagined it would. The Drakh, having forced the majority of his race back into servitude, had sent hunters after him; hunters that had, no doubt, been instructed to return him to the Drakh for interrogation if not outright termination. Briefly, Moreil's mouth twisted into what was, for a Z'shailyl, a smile. The Drakh were right to fear him, of course; he was, as near as he could tell, the only member of his race to refuse the Call of Darkness and of Service, but the reasons were apt in his opinion. The Drakh, while they had served the Dark Ones (like he had, so long ago now, it seemed) were *not* the Dark Ones. And so, some time before, he had broken away from the other elders, and set out to walk the long road, the path that would either lead to his freeing the Z'shailyl from their servitude... Or to death. Death, unfortunately, seemed the likelier of the two outcomes at present, as the hunters once again drew near. Who would help him? Moreil knew not the answer to this question, but unless help came soon, matters would shortly become unpleasant. And for a Z'shailyl, that was saying a *great* deal indeed. * * * To be continued in Act I of "Her Mother's Daughter". Coming soon, same place, same channel! * * * Home Page: http://www.connect.ab.ca/~dgolding/index.htm From: dgolding@connect.ab.ca Subject: STAR AND CIRCLE: "THE SEEKER'S FIRE"; EPISODE II, ACT Ia Date: Thu, 24 Jun 1999 23:26:22 (Disclaimers and associated descriptions in overture, BUT, thanks must go, yet again, to Stephen Barringer for developing the concept of the Warlock Class as 'seen' both in WANDERING STAR's SAINT-GERMAIN, and here, in her sister ship, the DE'MOLAY. They're fun to play with, to put it mildly!) * * * "STAR AND CIRCLE: THE SEEKER'S FIRE" EPISODE TWO "HER MOTHER'S DAUGHTER" <> System GC 17881. EAS DE'MOLAY. "Captain!" the call came, as Bethany entered her ready room. "Lieutenant Commander Mithrush." she replied, a trifle resignedly. "Whatever it is, you'd better make it quick. My daughter's just come aboard, and is already on her way up here as we speak." "Very quick, Captain. May I have your permission to take a transport over to the Ranger vessel for a quick visit? I've just spoken with their Chief Engineer, a Nicholas Dawson... he's invited me over, of all things!" Bethany tried not to laugh, but it was *hard*. That had been quick! "And how many 'please's' was there in that conversation?" Jaiena Mithrush cleared her throat, a trifle nervously. "Not *too* many." "You may proceed then, Commander; have a nice time, and try not to pry loose too many souvenirs while you're over there, okay?" "Thank you, Captain...I won't!" "Now," Bethany muttered, as the face of her Chief Engineer vanished from the comm screen, "Have I actually taken care of all the requests, for the time being?" * * * From the moment she'd stepped onto the DE'MOLAY, the looks she'd received had told her everything she needed to know... the frowns, the puzzlement, and the curiousity. How different was she from her mother, they were wondering? Their Captain, they knew; her moods, ranging from even diplomacy to cold ruthlessness and everything in between, so familiar, from the occasional visits of her childhood. Now, however, she'd arrived in their midst, a dark-eyed mystery from a ship that couldn't be seen, except when it *wanted* to be... a cypher that needed to be solved. Julia smiled. That would be harder then most of them thought *or* believed. But it looked like at least one of her mother's officers had already decided to try and figure her out... Lt. Will McClelland, the DE'MOLAY's helmsman, the officer who'd met her when she'd come aboard. Fair enough, she could play this game with the best of them. Plus another one, a game that the demands of the past seven years had forced her to set on the wayside for *far* too long. * * * When the Captain had asked for 'volunteers' to escort her daughter to the Captain's ready room, Will McClelland had immediately decided there was only one person aboard the DE'MOLAY who could do the job perfectly. That person was him, of course. Piesch and a few others had tried to muscle their way in, but surprising even himself, he'd argued, quite reasonably, that he was closer to 'her' age then any other officer aboard, and did they really want to intimidate their Captain's only daughter and child? The Captain had smiled at that remark. A strange smile, it had been, but she'd agreed with his arguments, and sent him on his way. Without delay, he'd then made his way down into the zero-grav region at the destroyer's prow to meet with the Ranger who commanded the rather...unique ship they'd recently rendezvoused with. At which point, he began to realize *why* the Captain's smile had seemed so strange, because for someone who'd been born just after the Battle of the Line, someone who had only just passed her nineteenth birthday, the Captain's daughter seemed quite a bit older then that... in fact, if he hadn't been told the facts, he would have guessed her age to be closer to his own twenty-six years, not seven years younger! Will glanced over at her yet again, and grimaced; on top of that, Julia Tikopai seemed to carry a weight of authority on her slim shoulders that should have crushed her into the deck, a sad wiseness in her gaze that suggested, well, other things...and, of course, even with the severe black-and-silver uniform she had on, she possessed a beauty that had given him pause, the instant her image had first appeared on the bridge monitor a short time before. He jumped, then, as the young woman in Ranger blacks on the other side of the transport car laughed softly, and cast an *all*-too frank look in his direction. "Lieutenant Will McClelland...whose hand guides my mother's command on its varied duties and actions! You want to know, I can tell you want to know. All you have to do is *ask*!" "But..." "The ways we do things are very different, you and I. You're an Earthforce officer, the primary helmsman of one of the most powerful warships in the Fleet, while I'm a Ranger: a soldier sworn, in Valen's name, to hold the line against the Darkness. But what we seek is the same thing... the cure to the plague afflicting our people! For that reason alone, we should be allies, shouldn't we? And allies should talk to one another, so they can get to know each other. So let's talk." she suggested, as they stepped out of the transport tube. "Uh... sure!" he replied, making an admirable recovery, but still not quite sure where to begin, "There's been something I've been wondering about, ever since we detected you ship at the Battle of Sinzar..." "And what would that be?" The last said just a *little* too innocently for his peace of mind. He cleared his throat. "From what little we observed of your actions at the Battle of Sinzar, it seemed absolutely clear that you didn't want to be seen *or* found, until we figured out our sensors could follow your trail..." The look she gave him then, clearly said, 'that's the best you can come up with'? "The decision I made to reveal ourselves to your Captain and fellow crew was not an easy one, but at the time, it seemed like the right thing to do. And since she's my mother..." "Whatever secrets you want her to keep are passed down to the rest of us to keep, as well." he finished for her, at which point he received a brilliant smile for his trouble, a smile that sent a *long* shiver down his spine. "Exactly. From what little she's told me of your adventures together over the past five years, it looks like you've all got your fair share of secrets to keep, in any case, after all you've been through. What's one more?" "That," he replied, as they left the transport tube and made their way along one of the destroyer's shadow-and-light corridors, "Is over-simplyfying things a bit, as you know! Like, for instance, what happened when we first ran into Captain Ivanova and her crew..." A brief shake of head and flash of eyes was all that was required, and McClelland abruptly snapped his mouth shut. Oops... yep, she was a Tikopai, all right. "There are some matters, Mr. McClelland, that should never be discussed openly. That, I suspect, is one such... as you and I both know." His companion abruptly came to a halt, and he realized, somewhat bemusedly, that they'd reached their destination. "Well, well; that didn't take as long as I thought it would, given how large this ship looked from the outside." "Journeys never do," he replied. "Especially when you're... talking. It tends to, well, *pass the time*, or so I've noticed." "Quite true." At that point, Captain Tikopai-the-younger turned towards him, still wearing that damnable smile, and stuck out a hand, which he eventually decided to shake. "But for right now, I want to thank you, Mr. McClelland, for escorting me all the way up here from the fighter bays. I do appreciate it, and I won't forget it, either." "No... problem." he managed, a trifle lamely. "The Captain's waiting for you in there, you know." "Of *course* she is." came the reply, as his companion favored him with another one of *those* smiles. "Until our next meeting then... Will." . He heaved a sigh of relief when she'd gone through the door, and out of plain view, and began to turn away, when he suddenly realized that she'd addressed him by his *first* name at the end, there. At which point, he began to wonder exactly *who* was the player, and who was the pawn, in this little game of chance he'd started with the woman who was mistress of the warship named SHARD OF NIGHT. * * * The SHARD OF NIGHT. Engineering department. Nicholas had his head all the way inside the offending console examining the organic threads contaminating the crystal matrix in front of him when Lesaki rather abruptly cleared his throat. "Sir. I believe it prudent that you, how shall I say it?... extract yourself from your present surroundings. We have a visitor." "A visitor?" he shot back, deep in analyzing his findings. "Like who?" "Like the lady who got herself invited over here half an hour ago by... you?" a throaty, pleasant voice intruded, at which point Nicholas slammed his head into the matrix, and swore, before hastily extracting himself from the console and shooting to his feet. Beside Lesaki, a dark-haired, pointy-chinned woman in Earthforce blues was leaning against the wall, a jaunty grin on her face as she looked around the interior of his department, while the Rangers that had, he supposed, been assigned to escort her here waited in the background, their faces impassive. "This is quite a ship you've got here, Nicholas Dawson. It's almost as impressive as mine!" "Almost?" he burst out, rising to her bait. "I'll have you know, Lieutenant Commander Mithrush, that there isn't another one like her anywhere in known space!" "That's quite a claim..." Mithrush replied, her eyebrows raised. "Would you care to prove it?" "I helped to design her, I should know!" At that point, Veyshahk, who was looking at his scanner results and shaking his head perplexedly, also cleared his throat. "Mr. Dawson... Lieutenant Commander. Can the, as you humans have been known to say, 'chest-beating' wait for later?" "They're both Chief Engineers, Doctor." Lesaki wryly noted. "And *human* Chief engineers, at that. From personal observation, it appears as if this behaviour is common to their kind... they simply cannot help it." "Now, just you wait a minute!..." Jaiena Mithrush heatedly began. "Peace!" Nicholas cried out. "They're right, though; we're facing a problem right now that's a little more critical then figuring out whose ship is the better one." "Oh, okay!" their visitor replied, abruptly switching tracks. "What's up?" "Do we tell her, sir?" Lesaki asked him. Nicholas shrugged. "Since our Captains are apparently in the process of forging some sort of temporary alliance, I don't see any reason why not." "Very well, then. A short time before we encountered one another, Lieutenant Commander, I discovered that this secondary operations console had somehow...reconfigured itself while we weren't using it, and drew Mr. Dawson's attention to the matter. That this happened very quickly is also a given..." "Reconfigured itself is right!" Mithrush whispered, as she leant down to take a close look. "Is that the imprint of a *hand* I see on that crystal surface?" "Indeed it is. And what is equally interesting is that a rather *considerable* number of organic computer fibres have connected themselves into the console's crystalline matrix... infiltrated it, if you will. This on top of the semi-organic translator line already in place." "Mr. Dawson." Mithrush inquired, fixing him with a stare, "Just out of curiousity, if you don't me asking, that is... just exactly how much Vorlontech *is* there in this ship?" "A lot." he admitted. "A great deal of the hull, parts of the computer system, the main gun, those are the biggies. Beyond that, I'm not sure... the chief designer, Varsak, never did tell me all of her secrets before he left." "Well, let me make an educated guess, then." Mithrush said. "Perhaps Vorlontech, like the Shadowtech that was built into the ships of the Warlock Class, sometimes has a mind of its own?" "If that is true," Veyshahk noted, "I would very much like to know what it is *thinking*, Lieutenant Commander, because I have just identified the hand print on that console. The template may effectively be a connection between the computer and the intended... well, perhaps 'victim' is too harsh, and yet, ther term is..." "Maybe accurate?" Dawson inquired. "Okay, spill the beans, doc. Whose is it?" "Val'na Tikopai's." "WHAT?" he exclaimed, as the eyes of the others in the vicinity also widened at Veyshahk's revelation. "What could the ship possibly have to say to *her*?" "She *is* the captain, sir." Lesaki noted. "'Possibly' a great deal. The question we must ask, however, is why has this happened?" "And also," the Minbari concluded, "Whose idea was it?" * * * The DE'MOLAY. Captain's ready room. "Julia." Bethany began, as her daughter came in the door, a study in pale skin and blackness, but then she paused, and without further words, the two came together in a tight embrace. "What *has* your Entil'zha, Delenn, done to you this time? After all the months of silence, the times I thought that I might never hear from you again, all of a sudden here you are, blowing Drakh out of the water with the best of them! Why? And perhaps more importantly, how?" "It's a long story," her daughter began, as they sat down together, hands still clasped, "But to cut a long story short, when the Drakh attacked Earth, my former commander, Sha'vei Tashann, was trapped on Minbar, and William sent me with the crew of White Star 4 to aid in the defence of Earth..." "One of these days," she replied, "Your grand and mighty High Councillor and I are going to have to sit down together, and when that happens, I'm going to start shouting at him, and that might go on for some time!" "That better have been a joke, Mother." Julia replied, as a dangerous, but also slightly amused glitter appeared in her eyes, if only for a moment. "William and Jennifer began guiding me in a very specific direction almost from the word go... I told you, the last time we met, that I would probably end up commanding an Alliance ship-of-the-line eventually. It just happened a little... more quickly then I was anticipating." "Quickly?" she burst out, and then, her frown deepened. "Oh... I get it. This was *John's* idea, wasn't it?" "The... President," her daughter carefully replied, "Knew what he was doing when he picked me for this job. He gave me license to choose my own command crew, and added to them the very best of my generation in the Anla'shok. The job we have to do is a very important one, Mother, and it was their assessment that there wasn't anyone else who could do that task better then I could." "But you're..." "Mature enough to do what I have to." Julia interrupted. "Don't say it, Mother! We've already proven our worth during the battle to protect Sinzar; we drove back the Drakh, and in going to battle for the first time, proved the SHARD's designer right. We really *can* take on destroyer-class vessels safely." "So what else can this marvel of a ship you've inherited do?" Bethany inquired, as she switched to a less-troublesome topic. "I don't remember hearing about the Alliance authorizing the construction of the SHARD OF NIGHT!" "No, you didn't, which is why I ordered my First to bring the SHARD out of darklight mode once I learned you were following us. As I know from experience, a Tikopai left in the dark is more dangerous then one who has all the facts close at hand." At that point, Julia leant down close to her, her gaze intent. "I can't have you following me to the ends of the universe, though. And I was afraid that you were going to do just that when you jumped in, and so, here I am!" "You know me too well." she wryly admitted. "Sometimes I'm not sure whether that's a liability or not, but anyways... so, your esteemed President, and my friend, gave you command of a warship that can cloak itself to most any sensor, possesses enough weaponry to even give me pause, and looks like it's got a White Star as an ancestor. Which makes it... what, exactly?" "One of a kind, *and* battlecruiser-class, believe it or not. And while, like the rest of the Rangers, we're trying to find a cure for the plague, the very nature of the SHARD's technology makes our primary mission possible." "Which is?" Here it came... Julia's gaze hardened, then. "To ensure that the starship EXCALIBUR is not torn to shreds by the enemies it faces, or will be facing, in the times to come." "And, does Captain Gideon and his crew know you're out here, protecting them?" "*No*." With that word, her daughter lanced her with a very specific, and penetrating look. "Which is the way it must stay, until their mission is completed." "But that could take... years!" "Yes. It could. Now do you understand the other reason why I wanted this meeting to be face-to-face? And why, after we part ways, you and your crew *cannot* say a word about this encounter, to anyone?" "That's a tall order, Julia." "I took a *big* gamble in trusting you and your people with this secret; can you and your crew keep it?" Bethany thought about that one for a moment, and finally, she nodded. "They're a tempremental bunch at times, but there's few other crews in the Fleet that have been through as much as we have, or have as many secrets to keep. And yet...while I've managed to keep most of the crew out of the loop about the importance of this encounter, they all know something, and some more then others. What if any of them are ever captured by the enemy, and interrogated? Your secret might come out!" "I'm way ahead of you on that one." Julia told her, a rather sneaky smile coming onto her face. "Since I just *happen* to have a high-end P12 telepath as my Tactical Officer..." A short discussion followed, and finally, she admitted that yes, that should do the trick, even though, Julia admitted, Sheynell would be probably be quite annoyed at her by the end of it all. "But that should work. For now, though, since we've solved the end of the problem, it's probably safe for us to travel together for a time, and catch up on old news. The Drakh have retreated back to their own sphere of inflence for the time being, after all!" "Exactly. You could even call it a bit of a holiday from the 'routine', if you wanted to. Plus, from what little I could tell prior to your arrival, my chief engineer, Lt. Commander Mithrush, seemed hell-bent on getting together with *your* engineer, and talking 'tech'. She's probably already over there, as a matter of fact." "Uh-oh." Julia mused. "You've told me about her! Mr. Dawson and her are liable to be talking right through the night, if I know him..." "Captain Tikopai?" "Yes, Commander?" "I don't mean to intrude on the conversation you're having with your daughter, but we've just intercepted a transmission I think you're going to find interesting. Ah... make that *very* interesting." * * * The SHARD OF NIGHT. "What have we got?" Klairika inquired, as she came onto the bridge at a full run. "Drakh?" "Not quite." Sheynell informed her, as she vacated the conn. "The transmission is broad-band, but very limited in range, and what we received off of the ancient-tech gate in this system is also a bit degraded, shall we say..." "What language?" "In Interlac, only." "Show me." The image rippled down, then, and revealed the static-filled image of an alien, his wedge-shaped head dark, and red eyes vivid against that shade. "To... any vessel within range of this transmission. Moreil, am I; pursued by hunters unjustly, I am. Will be captured if not killed soon. Need help..." At which point, the image broke down into snow. "Na'lai." Larieken reported, "We have a signal coming through from the DE'MOLAY. It is Val'na Tikopai, she wishes to speak to you." "Put it through." She straightened, then, as the image rippled down, showing her captain standing next to the DE'MOLAY's own commander in the DE'MOLAY's ready room. Klairika found the iamge of the two Tikopais' standing together somewhat amusing, but she quickly got down to business. "Captain's Tikopai; how may I serve?" "We've decided to send out a rescue party to help this 'Moreil', Klairika. The captain of the DE'MOLAY has graciously suggested that we send a group of Rangers combined with some of her own pilots to scare his pursuers off." "I have no problem with this. The suggestion even makes sense, given our new spirit of cooperation." "Exactly what I was thinking; make it so." And even as Julia's image faded from sight, she made the call. "Anla'shok Fenric!" "Captain." her squadron leader's steady reply came, as his image sprang into being. "May I assume we're finally being allowed to launch, now?" "Yes, though not quite for the reason we originally discussed. Here are your new instructions..." * * * There were some days, Arietta Gage thought, as she piloted her Thunderbolt out of the DE'MOLAY's fighter bays, the other fighters of Alpha Squadron behind her, when it seemed like she'd got the universe all figured out. And then, things like this happened... things like the top-secret Interstellar Alliance battlecruiser hanging off their port quarter, deceptively doing nothing for the time being, and the tiny group of fightercraft that had emerged from it. "This is Alpha One to Ranger commander." she began. "Do you copy?" "Affirmative." a dry, laconic voice began, and Arietta looked up and to the side, and watched the handful of sharp-edged, graceful Ranger fighters fall into the formation around her. "Good day, Lieutenant Commander... this is Anla'shok Fenric, at your service." "Well met, Mr. Fenric!" she replied, as the combined fighter group moved out into the darkness away from their respective motherships. "I'm sure you know why we're all here, today..." A spattering of laughter passed through the darkness, and some of those doing the laughing were Rangers, before all grew serious again. "Indeed," Fenric replied. "A cry for help has been heard, and it is our duty, as Anla'shok and as loyal warriors of Earth, to aid this individual. Let us begin to do so." * * * From: dgolding@connect.ab.ca Subject: STAR AND CIRCLE: "THE SEEKER'S FIRE"; EPISODE II, ACT Ib Date: Thu, 24 Jun 1999 23:28:28 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" "STAR AND CIRCLE: THE SEEKER'S FIRE" EPISODE TWO "HER MOTHER'S DAUGHTER" <> There were times, Moreil observed, as he slowly piloted his craft towards the two capital ships waiting ahead, when the universe actually *did* listen for a change, remarkably enough. And since one could not ask the Dark Ones for help any longer, one had to trust in other, larger voices to listen. And sometimes, the answers were very interesting ones. Those who had come to help him, for instance. The combination had been an intriguing one, and also, a force that had been more then sufficient to destroy two of his pursuers, and drive off the rest: a squadron of Earth heavy fighters, combined with a smaller unit of fighters he did not recognize. It was then that he decided to focus his gaze on the motherships of these two fighter squadrons more closely...and Moreil began to realize that something remarkable and perhaps unusual was going on. One of the ships, the larger, was a human Warlock Class destroyer... one of the few classes in their arsenal that gave the Drakh pause, and rightly they should, in his opinion, for to his senses, it softly sang the song of the Dark One's Machine. A dangerous game that had been for the humans to play, and perhaps the movement wasn't over quite yet. While the other... The other, likely the origin for the fighters alongside the human ones, also seemed to possess organic technology... but *Vorlon*, instead. Moreil's eyes narrowed in thought, as he moved his craft in to dock with the human destroyer. Interesting... had this been the ship responsible for interrupting the Drakh plans for the human world named Sinzar? Oh yes, he *had* detected the furious transmissions of the Drakh Vekh'shivalht, and had deceiphered their meaning. Perhaps he was now about to meet the individuals responsible for their defeat at that place! Ah, yes... he would enjoy that, a *great* deal. * * * A short time later. "Who are you?" Bethany demanded of the alien that had just stepped onto her ship. The alien had a narrow, triangular head and large, elongated red eyes, and wore loose, if form-fitting, dark robes. "Why were the others hunting you?" The alien bowed slightly towards her. "I... am, in your tongue, named... Moreil. My people are named Z'sssshailyl. The others were huntersss sent to capture me, and if I wass to prove troublessome, to destroy me... for I am renegade to them now." "We have heard rumours of your kind, Z'shailyl!" Julia ground out, her expression close to anger. "Is it not true you once served those we know as *Shadows*, and that your people are now servants of the Drakh?" "Yesss," Moreil replied, his eyes seemingly radiating... anger? "The rumourss are true, Ranger, cannot deny them; thiss is part of reason I am here. The People have been wrongly forc-ss-ed to serve those who sserved the Dark Ones in their time. Thossse you know as Drakh, both master, warrior... And thossse you have yet to meet." "What are you talking about?" "Cannot tell, can only ssshow and aid you when the time comesss." the Z'shailyl replied. "Here is sspecial gathering of human warriorsss and Rangers, also. Very ssspecial. I will help you, as you helped me." "What did you make of that?" Bethany asked her daughter, as Commander Telluride gestured sharply, and a pair of security showed the Z'shailyl to its quarters. "Should we believe him?" "If he's telling the truth," Julia replied, a faint smouldering anger still in her eyes. "Moreil, if that really is his name, should not be trusted. His kind have moved as rumour in the night for some time now... the Rangers have, from time to time, heard of them... but until now, we've never actually met one face to face." "But what of his claim that the others have cast him out, that the Drakh have set 'hunters' to find him, that he has been named renegade?" "His kind served the Shadows for thousands of years! Before I believe his claims, I want proof!" At that point, a tall, grim-faced Ranger appeared around the corner, and Julia moved away for a time to converse with him. "What's going on?" she inquired, when her Ranger daughter returned to her side, a moment later. "I must leave your side for a time. Something's going on over on the SHARD that requires my attention." "Can I... help in any way?" Julia raised both eyebrows at that remark, and Bethany sighed, as her daughter turned away. "Never mind." * * * A short time later. "I'm trying *very* hard to believe everything you're telling me," Julia began again. "And just about failing. The *ship* wants to talk to me?" "That's what it looks like, yes. Lt. Commander Mithrush, before she went back to the DE'MOLAY, compared it to some of the 'situations' your mother's crew has had to deal with because of the Shadowtech aboard her ship. Sometimes, in her words, 'it get's a mind of its own.' "Did you say something?" she exclaimed, looking around. "No." Nicholas replied, a frown coming onto his face. "I didn't." Julia stood, then, her expression frozen. It couldn't be... could it? "I know that voice." she murmured. "But how is it possible?" "Uh, Captain..." Nicholas nervously interrupted, "Are you okay?" "Fine!" she continued, as she left the engineer's office and approached the offending console in question. "Just fine." "Kosh... where are you?" she muttered. "She didn't just say 'Kosh', did she?" Nicholas asked Lesaki, who had been hovering in the background the whole time. "Yes. I'm afraid that she did." the Minbari observed. "Captain..." Nicholas insisted. "This just isn't a good idea!" "I agree." Klairika's voice intruded, and everyone turned to look, as the Brakiri arrived, her face *anything* but peaceful. "I have been bought up to speed on what has happened, here. I do not recommend that you touch that template, Val'na." "This is *his* doing..." she replied. "It has to be. But how?" Julia sighed. The Vorlon's question... but even now, after all she'd done, all she'd become, could she actually answer it? "I don't know." she answered honestly, as she leant over the console. "Will this tell me?" Silence. "Only one way of finding out, I guess..." she muttered, extending her left hand. "Captain!" "Val'na!" And very quickly, before they could stop her, Julia set her hand down on the template. * * * Home Page: http://www.connect.ab.ca/~dgolding/index.htm From: dgolding@connect.ab.ca Subject: STAR AND CIRCLE: "THE SEEKER'S FIRE"; EPISODE II, ACT IIa Date: Sat, 26 Jun 1999 22:56:30 Author's note: there are a few *large* revelations and fireworks in this chunk of the tale. Don't say I haven't warned you... * * * "STAR AND CIRCLE: THE SEEKER'S FIRE" EPISODE TWO "HER MOTHER'S DAUGHTER" <> (disclaimers and associated descriptions in Overture) * * * "A lot can happen in a minute..." - John Sheridan, aboard the destroyer EXCALIBUR, early in 2267 * * * In the instant after she'd touched the crystal template, Julia felt a sudden, vibrant shock pass through her, and involuntarily closed her eyes and cried out, a cry that only she heard. When she opened them again, the figures of her friends and colleagues, and the surroundings of Engineering Section, had vanished... and all was as darkness. What had happened? Where was she? "*You touch our memory. Good*" She whirled, to see a familiar and not wholly unexpected form emerge from the darkness... the encounter suit of the former Vorlon Ambassador to Babylon 5, Kosh. He had been killed in that place by his enemies, over six years before, and had what was left of him, the part of him that had hidden inside President Sheridan, had then sacrificed itself to destroy the *other* Vorlon, Ulkesh, some months afterwards. So what, in Valen's Name, was going on here? "Kosh? But you're..." "*Yes." "How is this possible, then? How can you be talking to me, here, and now? Is this from beyond the grave?" The 'Vorlon' shook the head of its encounter suit, and glided towards her. "*I have always been here. You have never gone away.*" "Why must you *always* speak in riddles?" she exclaimed. "Observer, we named you, in our time. Observe.*" The last, with emphasis, and Julia jumped, as the darkness before her gave way to an image; an image of the girl she'd been, after William had rescued her from the Nightwatch at Proxima III, just before Babylon 5 had seceded from the Earth Alliance. Of the moment she'd stood witness when the telepath named Lyta Alexander had come to Kosh's quarters in the Alien Sector, and part of his essence had transferred into her. A moment when Julia had stood in a corner of that room, hidden by Vorlon arts... a moment she had spent entranced by the beauty the Vorlon had chosen to show her. Or so Kosh had claimed at the time. Later that night, Lyta Alexander had tracked her down, however, and explained a few things to her; how it was dangerous to be too close to Kosh... how strange things could happen because of that closeness. Well strange things *had* happened, afterwards; she'd begun to mature at an accelerated rate, the time had come when she appeared more then five years older then her true age. She'd always suspected the Vorlon had been responsible for that, but she'd never had proof. Until now, that was. "*Observe.*" Kosh said again, and observe, she did, as a flare of Vorlon essence deviated from the path the rest followed between Kosh's encounter suit and his servant Lyta Alexander... And entered the entranced eyes of her younger self. "Then you're..." "*A memory of what was. We have passed from this place, and what remains is not the whole; that can never be reclaimed. Now the memory is passing, as well; there is little time left." "You've been inside me for the last *six* years?" she managed, her voice quiet... her breath taken away by the revelation. A fraction of a fraction of what he had been; a memory that had remained, while the rest of him had passed on. Had this 'fragment' of Kosh been responsible for guiding her sudden rush to maturity? It was all beginning to make so much sense, now. "And now, the last part of you is dying?" "*Yes*." "And you reached out to the SHARD's organic matrix?" she asked, as the image of the past faded away. Kosh conceded the point. "*The time has come to complete the pattern of your soul, but help was required*" "And my ship could help you, because it's partly based on your technology." "*A connection was needed, both to the past, and also to the *future*." "You have more to show me, then. Before the end." Another nod. "*You are the Seeker and the Gatherer. You must understand*." The image came then, and Julia became one with that image... the girl she'd been, before this had all begun. And then, a doorway opened, a doorway into memories only the Vorlon seemed to have access to. * * * The southern Okanagan Valley near Okanagan Falls. British Columbia, Canada, Earth Alliance. Mid-August 2255. "Julia..." Katherine Ariadne Tikopai critically observed, as her ever-resentful, dark-eyed granddaughter met her gaze for gaze, "I know the things the other children said to you were spiteful, but you shouldn't have done what you did!" Yet again, Katherine had been forced to apologize to her neighbors... 'a girl who fought like that should be disciplined', they had said... and they were probably right. But they didn't have to meet her gaze like she did, every day and every waking hour, now did they? She sighed; they did not see the sadness and *fury* that continually lurked in Julia's eyes, most days. "And *why* not!" the girl cried out, tears in her eyes. "They all say that Mom's going to die, that the aliens are going to kill her, that she'll never come back!" Katherine shook her head regretfully. Again and again, it seemed to come down to this. "Child, you have to remember that she's out there protecting us from those who would do us harm. The Minbari, they nearly killed us all before they surrendered, some of us have to work to make sure that never happens again. Some of us have to be out on the far reaches, and your mother is one of us that has sworn to do just that." "But why does it have to be *her*?" came the shouted reply. "She's never been here for me. Never! No one cares!" "You know that's not true, Julia. I care about you, and Auntie Maitrie..." "You're not my mother, and neither is she! And I *don't* want to talk about this any more!" With that, her charge whirled away, and ran out the door, and into the pine forests beyond. Almost, she'd moved to prevent that dash, but really, what was the point? No matter what she tried, she hadn't been able to break the pattern. Julia didn't have many friends... she'd always been a bit of a loner, and if only the family had been *larger*. But it wasn't...there was only her, her sister Maitrie and her small clan, her daughter...and Julia. And that child had been passed between them for *far* too long. If only Bethany hadn't chosen the career she had. If *only* Julia's father hadn't gone and gotten himself killed after the seperation, three years ago. If only. In any case, she knew where Julia was going, and in that respect, she would be safe. The mountain was nothing if not safe for the children that called it home. * * * "Why did you bring that memory back?" Julia demanded of the Vorlon, a tear trickling down her cheek. "My father..." "*It was... necessary*." "I ran into the forest..." she remembered, abruptly finding herself on another tangent. "I just wanted to be alone. And then..." Julia snapped her eyes back to meet the iris of Kosh's encounter suit. "I woke up in my bed." In Valen's Name! She'd completely forgotten about that day, that period of missing time, a fissure in her life with no memories to fill it. "I don't remember what happened!" Yet another nod. "*Learn, then, Seeker of Truths.*" * * * To the northeast, the bulk of Mount Christie hid the distant, muted glow of Penticton from sight, as Julia finally arrived at the firepit the Family Association had built in the shadow of their mountain's summit. There had been a time, her grandmother had told her the year before, when the City's light had filled the heavens, but over time, as the Valley Environmental Ordinances had become ever more strict, the light pollution had faded, and the night had returned to the valley of the Okanagan. To the south, the vast blot of a thunderstorm filled the skies, the distant thunder and the hiss of wind the only sounds she could hear... the flash of lightning almost the only illumination in the night around her, the flashes dancing through the trees. From time to time, Grandmama Kathie had tried to stop her coming up here at night, but it was impossible to resist. Julia cast a gaze up to the skies above, to the river of fire that marched down towards the southwest horizon, and she sighed. Mother was up there, somewhere... would the time come when she would go to find her? * * * "I'd forgotten." Julia told her companion. "Why?" "*We needed you to forget.*" Kosh told her. "*You were not yet ready.*" "What came next?" "*Learn.*" * * * It was then that she saw the light, up above the thunderstorm. Down it dropped towards her, growing imposssibly closer. What was it? The light faded as the object arrived overhead, and then, all she could see was the shape against the stars... long and tapered, a handful of long spikes on front, the rest an impossibly complicated series of curves, briefly silouetted against the Milky Way. So alien. Julia watched, and for a moment, a brief moment, tried to figure out why she wasn't afraid of the impossible *thing* that had emerged out of the storm, had flown down from the Night above to meet her here. It meant her no harm, but how did she know that? A stab of light sprang down from the darkness, and found her. Found her, and she was...flying? Flying towards it. She frowned as she ascended, and finally, she figured out why she wasn't afraid. It was singing to her...and then, something passed in front of her eyes. And now, she was floating. In water? The song filled her ears, and a palpable darkness surrounded her...and a beautiful light as well, a light that flowed around her, and through her... * * * "You took me into your ship." Julia whispered. "You flew right into the heart of the Earth Alliance to find me, and no one saw you?" "*They could not see what they could not understand. It was not the first time, or the last.*" "What did you *do* to me?" she demanded. "*We aided what was to be. What you have become. Observer*. And SEEKER*." "Why do you call me that?" "*It is what you are, and what you will be. There have been others we have seen, others that have fallen, and others that have joined us, beyond what was and is. You seek... completion, and redemption. You seek to save your Kind. You seek the rest.*" "The rest. Who are the rest?" "*The rest... are. Sacrifice all that is, and all that was, to find what will be. You must seek Order, and completion. You must touch your Hidden self, you must find the One who will show you where it is hiding.*" It was all coming... too quickly. "What do you mean?" "*I have told you all I can.*" Kosh informed her. "*The memory grows dim; the time is near. I must join the Rest.*" "Don't go!" she cried out, as his form grew dim, and the Darkness drew close. "I don't... ...understand!" Julia gasped, and raised her hand from the crystal. A crystal that had, a moment before, glowed beneath her touch. She looked down; the handprint was gone. She let out a long, ragged breath, and looked around. They were all still there; Nicholas and Klairika paused in mid-step, their expressions angry, Lesaki ready to aid them. "What happened?" Klairika demanded. "Understand what?" "I..." Suddenly a loss for words, she turned away from her new friends, and ran from the chamber. * * * The bridge of the SHARD. A short time later. "She wouldn't tell me what it was all about." Bethany Tikopai stated, as Klairika looked at the image of Julia's mother resignedly. The Captain had made the call from her private quarters aboard the DE'MOLAY... it appeared as if she was currently off duty. "May I assume, from your expression, that the matter actually *was* important?" "Yes. And now that 'it' has happened, I see no reason to hold back this information from you. Shortly after we met, a crystal template formed on one of the consoles in our Engineering department, a template holding the print of my captain's left hand. Shortly after she returned to us from your ship, Val'na Tikopai came down to see this, and then began to speak to someone we could not see... someone who is dead, as near as I can tell. And since she is human, and cannot speak to the dead as my kind occasionally can, when she actually named the individual in question... I found the matter hard to believe." "Let me guess..." the elder Tikopai mused. "Kosh, right?" Klairika blinked. "I now see," she carefully said, "Where some of her analytical gifts come from. Yes, you are correct, Captain. And then, despite our protestations, she touched the template, if only for a moment. The template flared brilliantly, and then all was before." "And what did my daughter do then?" "She has retreated to her quarters, Captain, and will speak to no one." A sigh. "It's been a long time since she's done this, Anla'shok Alidiae. I thought, after she came to Babylon 5 and started her training to become a Ranger, that she might have actually put *those* particular mood swings behind her. I guess I was wrong. In any case, this was not the reason I hailed your ship, and since my daughter is unavailable, I had best discuss this matter with you." "What matter?" "Our *guest* has decided, for want of a better word, the necessity of proving he can aid us, and also, that he truly has been named renegade by the rest of his kind. Moreil has given us the coordinates for the world on which his race hid from the Drakh after Z'ha'dum was destroyed... a world named Talangahta IV, I believe." "Is there something there that can help us?" she asked. "He seems to think so, yes. Before they exiled him, Moreil spent a great deal of time producing a secret and comprehensive copy of his race's most important historical files, and placed them in a hidden place of his own choosing before he left his people's side. He tells us that this cache may contain information that will aid us in finding a cure for the Drakh plague, and also, that he does not believe his fellow Z'shailyl had found it, when they left that place to rejoin the Drakh." "If this is true.. and since it appears, for now, that the EXCALIBUR is presently in no danger, I would suggest that we proceed to this world without delay, and attempt to recover this hidden store of information the Z'shailyl wishes to give to us." "Then we are agreed. We might even, as a matter of fact, learn something about our enemies, the Drakh, as a side benefit of this 'recovery mission'. All right!" Captain Tikopai finalized, "It's decided, then. As soon as we break contact, I'll be ordering the Commander to jump for this world named Talangahta IV. May I assume you will be following us?" Klairika nodded. "For now, Captain, we are allied, your crew and mine. And until my Val'na regains her composure enough to rescind or alter that order, it stands. We will follow your command to the planet of the Z'shailyl." "I'm glad to hear that. DE'MOLAY out." A few short minutes later, the mighty main drive of the DE'MOLAY engaged, and space flashed and flickered in front of the Warlock destroyer's hammerhead prow, before springing open into a jump point. "Hold that vortex open, and follow them in." Klairika told Dasouri, as the DE'MOLAY entered the point, and sprang away into hyperspace. "Establish standard flanking escort formation, and hold on their course until we reach the target." "I understand." the Drazi promptly replied, as the SHARD OF NIGHT moved into the point to follow. "Will not be difficult to do so. Easy, even, for pilot of my caliber." "Of course. Larieken." "Yes, Na'lai?" "Stand by to establish stealth countermeasures after we've entered hyperspace. The Z'shailyl hunting Moreil may still be out there." "May I assume," the Minbari inquired, "That you are now going to follow Anla'shok Keynes's example, and try to get our commander to open her door?" "Getting her to speak to us is, I think, the more critical matter for now." she replied, as she rose from the captain's chair. "The bridge is yours." * * * Shortly thereafter, a call was made, and an answer was given. "Que'zhail, it is as we suspected. The renegade seems to have given his new Earther allies the coordinates for the former home of our brethren." A hiss of frustration. "Many things are hidden there, things that the Earthers should not be privy to. You have done well, I and the rest of the hunters will be joining you shortly. We will then pursue the Earth ship to Talangahta IV, and *prevent* them from gaining clues which will lead them to the cure they seek for their people." "Ah... a good plan. There is," the hunter cautioned, "However, one small *problem*." "Which is?" "The Earthers were not alone in answering Moreil's call. Other fighters of unknown configuration joined them in attacking us. And while we cannot draw close to the Earther ship, it appears that they are not alone... another ship follows their course, a ship we can *barely* detect." "Ah. This, so soon after the Vekh'shivalht was attacked at the human world Sinzar! Perhaps the Earthers are allied with this new and unknown force. Perhaps we can learn more about our new enemy; it is enough. Hold at your present location until we arrive. We will then pursue the foe." * * * The DE'MOLAY. Enroute in hyperspace, shortly thereafter. "Dinner?" Bethany exclaimed. "Yes." Jaiena Mithrush replied, somewhat bemusedly. "In his words, 'It's going to be about a day until we reach our destination, and why don't you come on over, and we can talk about things.'" "It sounds to me," she observed, "Like your counterpart might be feeling a little lonely." "And who can blame him?" her Chief Engineer shot back. "He told me, before I came on back, that until the Rangers took command of the SHARD after the Drakh attacked Earth, he'd been the only human on that ship in a crew of Minbari. And then, his family was on Earth, when the Drakh attacked..." "Oh my God. Kenneth said he'd handle things while you were gone, I assume?" "Of course. So I can go?" "I *suppose* even you need a little time off. Yes, yes, Lieutenant Commander, you can go... again." "*Thank you*, Captain!" The signal cut, and Bethany began to count down, slowly, from thirty. She would bet anything that her helmsman had been in on this little plan too, and if he had... "Captain?" "Yes, Mister McClelland?" "A little bird just told me that Commander Mithrush is going over to the SHARD OF NIGHT..." * * * She was trembling again, and the candles seemed to cast no warmth, this time. There wasn't anyone she could talk to about this, not even her mother. No one would understand... "Go away!" she shouted. "I don't care who it is, I don't want to talk to you!" Rather abruptly thereafter, her visitor cleared his throat. "Well, okay! If that's what you want..." Julia sprang to her feet, and ran for the door faster then she *ever* had before. "Open!" she cried, which the door obediently did, revealing the tall, somewhat bemused-looking figure of Will McClelland just beyond. "What are you doing here?" she exclaimed. "Well," he admitted, "Your Chief Engineer invited *our* Chief Engineer over here for dinner, of all things, and given the rather open-ended way we ended our last conversation, I thought I might tag along and say hi. And when I *did* get over here, I ran into one of your Rangers, a blonde-haired lady who didn't look terribly happy for some reason. Me, I was stupid enough to ask her why; she told me why. And right after that, I got directions, and came here. Sounds like you need some cheering up... and it *definitely* sounds like you need someone to talk to. "She said that, did she?" Sheynell, she thought, the next time we meet, I'm either going to kill you *or* thank you profusely for doing this, and as of this moment, I haven't figured out which.. "Yeah, she did." McClelland sat down, then, still gazing levelly in her direction. "Nice place you've got here, Cap..." "Julia." she offered, surprising even herself, and him, as well, apparently. "...Julia! Though I hope you don't mind me asking you another question." She smiled. "Better then the last one, I hope?" "Oh, definitely. Do you... like candles, or something?" "A good question..." she replied, sitting down beside him. "The answer is a little more complicated then you might think, however, Lieu..." McClelland grinned. "Tit for tat. *Will*, please." * * * Dawson's quarters. "He did what?" Nicholas exclaimed. "He wanted," Jaiena Mithrush carefully replied, "To come over and visit her again. Apparently, she ended their last conversation somewhat... open- endedly. The way he decribed it on our way over, your captain apparently made it sound like an invitation of some sort." Nicholas laughed. "Well that *is* interesting. That's one iceberg I never thought I'd see melt." "You're not saying what I *think* you're saying, are you?" Mithrush replied, her eyes narrowed in thought, though it did look like a twinkle of amusement was mixed in there, as well. "Well, you know how it goes!" he replied, and all things considered, he really should have thought his reply through a little more carefully. "'Strangers passing in the night' and all that." "I do? Why don't you paint me a pretty picture to go with the words?" "Wha..." * * * From: dgolding@connect.ab.ca Subject: STAR AND CIRCLE: "THE SEEKER'S FIRE", EPISODE II, ACT IIb Date: Sat, 26 Jun 1999 23:00:50 "STAR AND CIRCLE: THE SEEKER'S FIRE" EPISODE TWO "HER MOTHER'S DAUGHTER" <> Julia's quarters. Later that night. All things considered, it hadn't taken much convincing for her to start talking... and then, it was almost as if the proverbial floodgates had opened, at least, Will McClelland thought, that was the closest he could come to explaining the rush of words and thoughts that had erupted out of his Captain's daughter shortly after he'd arrived at her quarters. Damn it all, but if it was true, Julia Tikopai had, in her nineteen and a bit years, already experienced more excitement *and* fear then most people experienced in a lifetime, and she'd told him everything... *more*, apparently, then she'd told anyone before this moment. How she'd been abducted by a Vorlon at age 7, recruited by the Rangers at 13, and how she'd been in most of the biggest battles of the Shadow War, and *then* had served as William Westcastle's operations officer during the final battle for Earth at the end of the Civil War. Since then, the pattern has become set in stone. First officer to the commander of the White Star Fleet by her 17th birthday (by which point she'd appeared more like 23, of course) and now, commander of this marvel named SHARD OF NIGHT. The tale had been astonishing *and* improbable, and yet, from the beginning, he's sensed the sincerity in her gaze and voice, and knew that everything she'd told him, however impossible it sounded, was true. He'd sat and listened to her, and she'd talked. He'd suggested they stop for dinner, and she had, but once the food was ready, she'd started talking again, and had continued while they ate, and after. Hours had passed, unbelievable hours... but now, it seemd as if she was finally done telling him her tale. The thing he'd been able to figure out almost immediately from listening to her was that it was possible no one had ever listened to her like he had. First, the kids of her youth has almost ostracized her, and then, after her family had pulled some favours with their friends and sent her to Proxima III with the help of Earth Resistance, she'd gone through seven years of destiny and Hell serving the Rangers. Admittedly, she did have Ranger friends, but equally apparently, no friends outside that circle of duty and honour. "Well?" she asked him, her dark eyes shining above the candles beside them. "What do you think? Crazy life, huh?" "Crazy? Well, after all I've experienced, I'm not sure I'm qualified to give a judgement on what is and what isn't crazy about the lives we lead. But it sounds to me, from I've heard and what I've read, and added to what you've told me here tonight, that everything that Vorlon Kosh did was for a reason. That last little bit of him that talked to you today... he called you a 'Seeker', and years ago, he also named you 'Observer', the same title he gave to your Ranger friend Jennifer, who taught you some of what you were back on Babylon 5, during the Shadow War..." "But what does it all mean?" she muttered, sliding closer to him. "I just don't know what to think, sometimes." Will blinked. Even for *him*, this was going a little too fast. "You, uh..." "I want to show you something." "Like... what?" "Computer!" she called out. *Sie'veirra aloun' veisha*" He jumped, then, as the room blanked out around them, and hyperspace replaced it. "What the Hell?" He rose to his feet, and took in the vista... the flickering red of hyperspace, and just over there, the familiar form of the DE'MOLAY. "How is this..." "Possible? Remember that the Minbari have been masters of holographic technology for longer then we've been in space. For them, anything is possible when you're talking about *that* technology, and in this ship, the possible can become real. If only for a little while." "No kidding. By the way: what was... that you said? Was that Minbari?" She nodded. "Religious Caste... it doesn't translate well. The closest I can come is 'show us all that is, and hide all that is." "Isn't that a contradiction, though?" he asked, as he stood to take in the vista. "Life sometimes is a contradiction." she reminded him. "Yeah, you could be right about that, I guess. So how did you come to learn their language?" "Languages." she corrected. "I asked a question one day, and got an answer." It was then that almost the most surprising thing of the night happened. As Will watched, Julia's smile became... coy. "Never been kissed." she said. "I... beg your pardon?" "That's the answer. You've been wanting to ask the question almost from the moment we met." "Are you sure you're not a telepath?" he asked her, as her hand slipped into his. Yep, this was going *way* too damn fast... but at this point, he wasn't sure he wanted to argue with fate. "Absolutely sure." she whispered. "Never been kissed, huh?" he muttered. "Likely story." "After hearing the story of my life, you're surprised?" she asked him. "And don't you want to correct this problem?" He smiled, and thought about it for a second or so. "Yeah," he admitted, "I guess we'll have to fix that, won't we?" At which point, he kissed her. And was pleasantly surprised, a moment later, when she kissed him back. * * * http://www.connect.ab.ca/~dgolding/index.htm From: dgolding@connect.ab.ca Subject: STAR AND CIRCLE: "THE SEEKER'S FIRE", EPISODE II, Act IIIa Date: Mon, 28 Jun 1999 22:59:55 "STAR AND CIRCLE: THE SEEKER'S FIRE" EPISODE TWO "HER MOTHER'S DAUGHTER" (disclaimers and associated descriptions in overture) * * * <> The SHARD OF NIGHT. Julia's quarters. "Julia," Will managed some time later, after she finally let him come up for air. "Do you consider yourself sufficiently 'kissed' now?" "I'm not sure." she breathed out, as she attempted to sort her way through the unfamiliar and thoroughly *satisfying* emotions she was feeling at the moment. Perhaps, the analytical part of her mind mused for a moment, this was somewhat of a backlash response to her conversation with 'Kosh' earlier in the day. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that Will McClelland been the first person to listen to her... to eat dinner with her, in a very long time, who hadn't been a Ranger. Who knew? Right now, the rest of her, the part that was enjoying itself, really didn't seem to give a damn about why, though. "Not having a whole lot of experience with this sort of thing," she told him, "I'm not sure, exactly, how 'sufficient' should be defined. Are you?" "I'm not going to regret this, am I?" "That..." she said, as she darted in for another, very brief kiss, "Is certainly up for debate. Although the great G'kar, in his book," she added, as she drifted away from him, "Has noted, in his time, that 'life consists of Moments of Transition, and moments of Revelation.' This whole day's been a 'revelation' of sorts for me... why stop now?" "That," Will admitted, "Just about covers it, I guess, yeah." "Look." she entreated. "I... I just really don't want to be alone tonight, not after what's happened! You listened to me when it counted, Will, and now, I want you to stay. Please tell me you will." "The Captain's going to kill me," McClelland replied, as he *slowly* began to follow her. "When she finds out about this, you know." "The Captain..." Julia replied, "Will get over it. That is, of course, if we tell her, which at the moment, I have no intention of doing." "Yep. I'm *definitely* going to regret this." "That's not a 'no', is it?" * * * Klairika's quarters, a short time later. "He went *where*?" "To her quarters." Sheynell replied, as both Klairika and the telepath brushed out their hair in their respective quarters... but courtesy of the holosystem, seemingly side by side. "To be honest, I didn't think she'd let him in, but she did." She laughed. "And he's still in there?" Sheynell nodded, a wicked glitter now in her eyes. "Very *interesting* indeed. And could a certain departed Vorlon have been responsible for this latest... mood swing of hers, do you think?" "Only time will tell, I suppose. And what about Mr. Dawson's visitor, the DE'MOLAY's chief engineer, now what was her name?" "Jaiena Mithrush..." "Na'lai Alidiae." Klairika and Sheynell quickly glanced at one another. "Later?" "Oh, *definitely* later." She turned aside from her new friend's fading holoimage, then, to take in the, as usual, serious countenance of Anla'shok Teleide, the Minbari Ranger that was, for the time being, in command of the bridge nightwatch. "Yes, Teleide?" "We have just received a signal routed from the Brakiri homeworld via Minbar, Na'lai. One of our contacts on your homeworld wishes to speak to you. Shall I put the message through to your quarters?" "Immediately." Teleide nodded, and soon thereafter, his image was replaced by another; a Brakiri she knew well. "Akaesh! To what do I owe *this* unexpected pleasure?" Her friend bowed. "*Xheialia tullnori*, Klairika. It has been long since we have spoken, and longer still since we have met face to face. You have, if word is to believed, ascended far since the Day of the Dead, following your chosen path." "All is as it should be." she fatalistically replied. "Although I do not believe I have, as yet, done everything I am supposed to." Akaesh smiled. "The Comet favours you, in any case." The smile faded, then, however. "For now. As you requested me to, I have investigated these rumours surrounding your family, and the news is not good, I am afraid. Sionayia, your mother, has not as yet recovered from what she considers to be your 'betrayal of your family', Klairika. I trust you understand these are not my words, but hers?" "I understand this, yes. You will tell me of this matter." "So be it. She has consulted the Heige of Convergences, and after receiving their guidance, your mother then sent groups of hunters off world to find you, I do not know how many. I believe she intends to bring you back to Brakir against your will. And once she has you, it is her intent to try and break your spirit, returning you to what she considers 'proper' behaviour, for the first-daughter of a Krona-liaat." "I see." Klairika turned away from the image for a moment, so Akaesh could not see the expression on her face. "I am Anla'shok now, Akaesh, and I have been set upon a path no daughter of my people has ever followed. She hunts me, does she? I will be more difficult to find then she can possibly imagine." Akaesh nodded at that. "While we stand apart in our duties as commanded by the Dead, I thought that might have been the case. This warning has been useful to you, then?" "Akaesh of the Family Triuun!... you who are closer to me then any other Brakiri; there have been days when I have wished you had been my true-brother, instead of just my closest friend. The warning *is* valued." The other Brakiri bowed again, this time in finality. "So be it, then. *Xheiall axari*, Klairika. Until next we speak." Hunters, he had said, Klairika thought to herself, as the image faded away, and darkness surrounded her. Hunt her, would she? For a moment, her expression darkned, but only for a moment. Sionaya, her mother, would soon discover she was no easy prey. And even if the unthinkable did happen, and the hunters somehow managed to find her, either aboard the SHARD or elsewhere... well then, she suspected her captain and Val'na would not rest until she had been rescued. Even if they had to pursue all the way back to Brakir to do so. * * * The beginning of the daywatch. "Wha?" "Where's the 'larm?" Will muttered groggily. "WHAT?" Julia finally cried out, as she forced her head off of the pillow, which also finally yanked the equally lethargic Mr. McClelland towards full consciousness. "Val'na..." Larieken began, his image, in the main portion of her quarters, distant enough he could not (thankfully) see her... and yet, near enough that she could hear him clearly, and he, her. "Are you well?" "Hold on, hold on!" she muttered, as she sprang out of bed to grab her long robe, and swept her hair back into a semblance of normality, enroute. "I'm coming!" she cried out, which, of course, drew a immediate chuckle from her 'guest', who was apparently taking the opportunity to dart in the opposite direction and make himself presentable. "Ah. Val'na, *there* you are." Larieken began again, as she arrived in the main room. "I trust that you've... recovered from your experience?" "Recovered? Um, yes, why do you ask?" And, she told himself, the 'experience' he was referring to had *better* be the Vorlon one, or heads would roll! "Do remember," Larieken reminded her, "that the Entil'zha has charged me with ensuring your well-being at all times. I was, shall we say, a little *concerned* when Na'lai Alidiae informed me of what you had done, and what your response had been thereafter." "I'm better now." she insisted. "Okay?" "And well that is," Klairika abruptly declared, as the Brakiri entered the holo-field of view. "Captain Tikopai arrived on the bridge of the DE'MOLAY a short time ago, and wishes to discuss the plan of attack for our recovery mission at the Z'shailyl planet, among other things. That is," she added, "If you *have* fully recovered?" "Didn't you hear me the *first* time?" she exclaimed. "We just wanted to be sure, that's all." the Brakiri replied, a little *too* innocently, she thought. "Additionally, the Captain is wondering when she can expect her Helmsman and Chief Engineer 'returned' to her?" Julia cleared her throat, perhaps a little guiltily. "Tell her... tell her that once they've made themselves presentable, they'll be right on over, okay?" "Hmm. I suppose that *will* suffice, for the time being. So, when can we expect you on the bridge, Val'na?" "I'll be up there in twenty minutes. Surely you can handle things until then?" Klairika bowed in her direction. "As you say." "I do. Tikopai out!" "That was," McClelland observed, as he emerged from the bedroom already dressed, though still minus his tunic, "A trifle blunt, wasn't it?" "A little, yes." she said with a sigh, "But I can already see the pattern developing, as we speak. Every one of them are sharp as tacks, and the rumours about *this* night will be circulating for weeks, if I'm not mistaken." McClelland grinned. "Not just on your ship, trust me on that one. Especially since I wasn't the only one to come over here." At that, she smiled involuntarily. "I'd forgotten about that! What do you think happened between your Chief and mine, last night?" McClelland raised one eyebrow. "She doesn't get out very much, does that tell you anything?" "You're not saying what I *think* you're saying, are you?" A shrug. "Put two and two together, and you get..." "A moment of revelation?" "'Guess so. Hey, look," he noted, "I'm slowing you down here, and your first officer will probably get on your case if you're even a *little* bit late... I know the type. I should probably go, and if I know the Lt. Commander, she'll be getting down to the transport right around the same time as me, that's if she's not there already." McClelland paused then, as he saw her expression. "Hey, are you going to be okay?" "Eventually." she whispered in response. "I want to thank you, Will, for... everything. For staying. For being here when I needed you to be." "Well, you know what they say: 'seize the moment when it comes, because it may never come again'. Who *knows* when our two ships will come together again after this mission, if ever!" "No regrets?" she asked him, as they slipped past one another, and the fingers of their left and right hands briefly clasped together. McClelland thought about that for a moment, and then grinned. "You know, I don't get nearly enough 'moments of revelation' in my life, nowadays. No regrets. See you 'round, Julia." * * * Fifteen minutes later. "So," McClelland asked his superior officer, as Jaiena Mithrush piloted their small transport out of the SHARD's hangar and off towards the DE'MOLAY. "How did *your* visit go, Commander?" Mithrush raised her eyebrows, and sighed. "It went... great! And yours?" "The Captain's daughter and I had a, um, good talk." Mithrush smirked. "I *bet* you did." "And what's that supposed to mean?" he demanded. "Oh, nothing." * * * The SHARD's captain's ready room. Five minutes after that. "So what exactly *did* happen yesterday?" Bethany asked her daughter, as Julia resignedly sat down at the desk in her ready room, thermal mug of tea in hand. "Your first officer told me you came back to your ship and touched a crystal template in your Engineering department, and then, if not before, Kosh the Vorlon spoke to you... only he's been dead for what, six or seven years now, if what John was telling me is true?" "When it's Vorlons we're talking about," she replied, as she took a deep sip of the burning-hot liquid in front of her, and not for the first time, thanked her High Councillor for arranging to load a small stock of it aboard before they'd left Minbar. "Seems as if even *that's* up for debate. In any case, before he passed beyond the Veil, Kosh placed a very small fragment of himself into me, apparently to set in motion something he'd begun the previous time I met him." "Previous time?" She nodded. "He brought his ship down into the Okanagan Valley in the summer of 2255; that was the first time we met. I think it was then that he pushed me onto my present path... a path I only share with two other humans that I know of." "But why wait until now to speak to you?" "That's a very good question, Mother... a question I don't have the answers for right now. Regardless of why, he showed me what he did, and when... and before the fragment left me, he also named me something he hadn't, before. Seeker." "Seeker? Seeker of what?" She frowned, and drank some more tea. "There was something about the 'rest'. And no, I don't know what that means, either." "Absolutely typical. Even now, years after their departure, years after his 'death', the Vorlons are still pulling our strings." "Not ours." she corrected. "Only mine, now." "And may I assume you told my helmsman, Mr. McClelland, all of this?" "And more. I want to thank you for letting him come over when he did; he came at just the right moment, as it turned out." "So it seems." At that point, to Julia's relief, her mother switched topics, having left a great deal unsaid. And for the time being at least, the matter was dropped. "For right now, there are other concerns we should think about addressing. Moreil seems convinced that the hunters we saved him from have now met up with reinforcements, and that they may be following us to Talangahta IV. He says we should hurry." "That, at least, may be true." she admitted. "The hunters, if Z'shailyl they are, may have already deduced our destination, and could be waiting for us when we arrive; we could even be walking into a trap. And forgive me for my suspicions, but *he* could still be leading us into that trap!" "Which is why I'm going to make a suggestion at this point. What I think we should do is the following. The DE'MOLAY will lead the jump into the system, while your ship comes in behind, completely in... what do you call it?" "Darklight mode." "Right. Prior to that arrival, a group of your people will come over to the DE'MOLAY, and then, together with some of my own, they'll go down with Moreil, while you send down several of your fighters, also stealthed. If Moreil means us harm, whatever forces may be down there will reveal themselves sooner or later..." "At which point," she concluded, "Mr. Fenric or one of his pilots can come along and strafe them for us." "They'd better be fast on the uptake, though. If the Z'shailyl are as fast as Moreil is suggesting, they could be in close quarters with us very quickly... at which point, aerial support isn't going to help us at all." "If that happens," she replied, "We are quite capable of defending both ourselves and your people, if need be. While Moreil will pay the price for his betrayal, if betrayer he is." "We?" her mother sharply replied. "Julia, you're not thinking of actually going down there with him, are you?" "This is a joint operation, Mother. In my opinion, one of us should be on the ground during it, and the other in space. My First, Na'lai Alidiae, is more then capable of commanding the SHARD during my absence, while my Operations Officer, Larieken, is sworn to protect me from harm; he will accompany me to the surface." "As will my XO, and his team. Agreed?" "Agreed." "Good. Unless there's anything else to discuss, I think that should just about cover it. DE'MOLAY out." Julia paused for a moment, then, to gather her thoughts, and then rose, and re-entered the main bridge. "Klairika, how long until we reach our destination?" "We are now a little less then eleven standard hours from arrival in Talangahta orbit." The Brakiri informed her. "We could, however, reach the world of the Z'shailyl ahead of the DE'MOLAY, of course, if you so commanded it." "No, I don't think so. We're a team, and we can't abandon the other team member... for any reason. And now the Captain and I have formulated a general plan, it's time we got down to discussing the specifics." * * * Elsewhere in hyperpace, dozens of forms moved through the ruddy darkness together, ships guided by hands of purpose. The pilots of those vessels knew exactly where they were going, of course. There had been a time, not so long ago, when the great shadow of the last Fist of Darkness had filled the skies over that place, a shadow that had forced the hands of their race. They had come with their new Masters, then, to the fourth world of the star named Talangahta. He remembered. He had been there, after all. Even now, there were many of the Hunters who felt shame that this thing had happened, that so many Clans had moved aside when the Holy World of the Dark Ones had been destroyed. Admittedly, the leaders of the Exiled Ones (Ez'zhata was the generally accepted term, these days) had been punished for their crimes when the Drakh had found them. The Ez'zhata had, it was to be believed, learned the depth of their mistake. The Masters, the Nak'laht and the rest, he had watched them instruct the Fallen, watched them explain what it was they had done wrong. The Masters, of course, were very good at teaching. They were also very good at giving pain. In time, the Fallen would, he supposed, earn back the name they had lost. The name that so few of his people could now claim the use of. It had not happened yet, but it would eventually... he knew it would. It was only a matter of time until the People were reunited under the only name that mattered. Z'shailyl. The Z'shailyl named Aazhvar gazed out of the crystal bubble on the front end of his warship's bridge, and dark thoughts aside, what he saw was good. The hunter-squadron advanced through hyperspace in an ordered fashion, and there were enough of them now that the Earthers currently on their way to Talangahta would have difficulties dealing with them when the time came. The squadron, of course, not only contained horn-shaped fighters like the group which had tracked their quarry down the first time, but larger warships like his own, as well. Que'zhail, the Sha'drakh had named him... Battleleader. Master of the Hunt. He only wished that this hunt had not been necessary; that the one they hunted had not done what he had. Aazhvar and *that* one been once closer then comrades; they had worked together from a very young age. He and Moreil had stood and watched in awe when the Dark Ones had returned to their great place of power, had been honoured to walk in those footsteps during the War of Darkness... the *last* War of Darkness, as it tuned out. Had followed the commands of the Dark Ones without question... Until the end, that was; until it had all begun to go wrong. Aazhvar's mouth twisted at the memory of what had come, then. How Moreil, grown in stature to become a councillor of his people, had stood with the Fallen when they had turned away from the Holy World's funeral pyre. How he, Aazhvar, in the end had been among the last to escape from that dying world. And what price had been paid afterwards. Involuntarily, Aazhvar's left hand tightened; even now, he had not completely escaped from the anger he felt at the injustice of it all. Would not be able to escape from that anger until his former brother-in-chaos had been captured. "Que'zhail!" Aazhvar turned aside from the view, and his thoughts, to meet the gaze of his Favored Claw, a term that the new Masters allowed the Loyal Ones to use. "Viknahz. Your report?" "The humans draw near to their target, Que'zhail... there is very little time left. Your orders?" "The *altered* human ship that attacked our Masters at the human colony, you are certain it is the one we pursue?" "Yes." the other Z'shailyl confirmed. "The outstretched claws have sensed the song of the Machine from that vessel, abomination that it is. It is the same, or one very like it. And the Masters have told us the human vessels named *Warlock* are rare... it must, therefore, be the same one." Aazhvar nodded. "I agree, and will echo you, Viknahz. That the humans have stolen the Machine to use for their own purposes is a blasphemy against the memory of the Dark Ones! While a team descends to deal with Moreil, we shall attempt to destroy it." "That will not be easy," Viknahz warned. "Others have attempted this before, the Masters included, and all have failed." "Nevertheless, we will make the attempt. And if we succeed," Aazhvar reminded his First, "Our status will rise yet further, in the eyes of the Masters." Viknahz chose not to argue with his commander on that. It was, he had learned the hard way, safer to keep one's silence when the Que'zhail was in *that* mood. * * * From: dgolding@connect.ab.ca Subject: STAR AND CIRCLE: "THE SEEKER'S FIRE", Episode II, Act IIIb Date: Mon, 28 Jun 1999 23:01:48 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" "STAR AND CIRCLE: THE SEEKER'S FIRE" EPISODE TWO "HER MOTHER'S DAUGHTER" (disclaimers and associated descriptions in overture) * * * <> The DE'MOLAY. Thirty minutes from jump-out at Talangahta. "Captain Tikopai." Paul Telluride formally addressed the just-arrived commander of their escort, "The Captain told me you were leading the Ranger contigent that's going down to Talangahta IV, and while common sense tells me I should argue with you on that score, the hard-earned experience I've gained serving under your mother for the better part of the last decade tells me that one never crosses a Tikopai, especially one that's already made up her mind about something important." "Although," his Captain's daughter replied, as she and the rest of the Rangers moved their way into the staging area, the other Rangers standing together with the ensign Telluride had sent to meet them, upon their arrival, "I suspect that if I try and do this too much, *my* first officer will eventually get obstinate enough to keep me aboard while, as she put it recently, 'I stand in harm's way for you.'" "That is," Telluride noted, "One of the biggies when it comes to XO duties, you know. Just out of curiousity, why *are* you so set on going down to the planet with us?" "Our guest is the reason." came her sharp reply. "I do not trust him, Commander, and until he openly shows us that he *can* be trusted, I wish to keep his leash short. Speaking of which, where is he?" Telluride sighed. "He *requested* that he be allowed to return to his ship; there was something that he wanted to get. He said something about 'defense and honour' before he went..." It was at that point that Moreil appeared, accompanied by his guards, the dark robes he had previously worn abandoned for more useful, tighter fitting garb. What caught everyone's attention, however, was what the Z'shailyl was carrying: a midnight-black staff with crystal tips that was almost as tall as he was. All over the chamber, he could hear the sound of Rangers moving hands to their fighting pikes, ready for trouble. Their commander, of course, had also done so, had actually detached her pike from its place at her side, so ready was she to act. "Do you," Telluride pointedly inquired, "Want to tell me what *that* is?" The Z'shailyl seemed to grin, a toothy, dangerous one, if a grin it was. "Yess, Commander. 'Zei'tak'u', this is, honoured weapon of family for fifteen of your generationss. Ancestors fought with forcess of Light long before your birth or mine, and when las-st owner departed beyond the Dark Ones call, inherited it, I did. Others come, also bring their own zei'taku; the One who leads them is a former brother-in-battle; he will seek me out, and we will fight. I know thisss to be true." "Wonderful. And we can trust you not to start stabbing that thing into our backs when we're not looking?" The Z'shailyl managed to look affronted. "This isss weapon of *honour*, human! Cannot use this in ssuch a fashion, and will not. Weapon is even older then weapons these Rangerss bear..." "I'm afraid," Telluride heard Julia Tikopai declare, 'That this not entirely true, Z'shailyl. While *most* of my Anla'shok bear fighting pikes of recent vintage, there is one among us that does not. One among us who bears a weapon older and more hallowed then yours." "Proof, I must have of thisss claim," a clearly skeptical Moreil replied, "Before belief, I will ssshow." "As you wish." Rangers and Earthforce alike moved aside, as he watched the younger Tikopai open her pike and move to stance, at which point the now openly curious Moreil moved to inspect it. "How old do you think this weapon is, Z'shailyl?" Moreil moved to inspect it more closely, and after a moment, he hissed, and gestured a sign of what seemed to be protection. "The signs are clear, sssigns that *we* have been trained to recognize! Ancient weapon of *Minbari*, thisss is! How did you come by this weapon, human?" "All of us have secrets, Moreil." was her reply. "This is *one* of mine." "Ssso be it." was the Z'shailyl's final comment, as he moved away from his allies. "You will be tested in battle with it ssssoon enough, human. Prepare, we mussst, for what lies ahead." * * * "Jump!" Bethany Tikopai commanded, and without pause, Will McClelland activated the DE'MOLAY's jump engines, and with only a slight shudder, the massive Warlock Class destroyer fell back into normal space. Off to one side, he noted the glyph of their escort vessel fade from the tactical sensors, as the IA battlecruiser engaged its mysterious 'darklight' mode, while a moment later, his Captain ordered the launch of their entire complement of Thunderbolts. The SHARD's first officer, of course, had already launched her own squadron of stealthfighters, all in accordance with plan worked out before their arrival.. "So, Mac..." Malcolm Piesch whispered, as he leaned over towards him, "Are you going to tell what she's like, or what?" McClelland thought about that one for a moment, and then made the only reply that seemed to fit. "Well, I suppose I *could* tell you... But then I'd have to kill you." "Oh c'mon!" Piesch protested. "You've *gotta* be kidding!" "I'm really sorry, Malcolm, but there's this whole 'vow of secrecy' thing, involved..." "Mr. Piesch!" Piesch abruptly straightened, as he noted the *annoyance* in his captain's tone. "Captain Tikopai, yes, ma'am?" "Mr. Piesch, what can you tell me about our target?" The DE'MOLAY's OpO immediately addressed his captain's concerns, all other distractions for the moment, at least, forgotten, as Will piloted the destroyer into high orbit around the fourth planet of the Talangahta system. "The Commander and his Ranger... counterpart have left the forward bays, and are on their way down to the planet with our guest, Captain. Lt. Commander Gage has established an outer perimeter, while our allies are, of course, nowhere to be seen." "As it should be, Mr. Piesch. The only time we *should* see them is if trouble in the persona of Moreil's hunter 'friends' arrive. And I'm hoping we'll be done with this place and out of here before that happens. What can you tell me about the planet?" "Looks like an interesting place; a little smaller and lighter then Earth, sizable seas, lots of mountain ranges, and no visible surface habitations, although there's *tons* of sub-surface reflection." "Which makes sense, given the doctor's opinion that these Z'shailyl are most comfortable in long-wavelength environments, meaning, I suppose, they like to be underground most of the time, and if this world has lots of caves..." "Exactly. As for the local region, we're only seven-tenths of an AU from a orange dwarf star; sensors are showing three tiny airless balls closer to the star then us, and two giants beyond... and an ancient-tech jumpgate at the Lagrange point ahead of IV's secondary satellite." "Very good, Mr. Piesch. Keep an eye out for the other Z'shailyl; as soon as they start to jump in, I want to know, if not sooner. Mr. McClelland?" "Captain?" "When that happens, you know what to do?" "Sure do, Captain." * * * Following Moreil's instructions, they had long since passed through the outer atmosphere, and were now winging their way over a wide, bluish-gray plain of 'grass' towards a tall, snow-capped range of mountains, the ice slightly orange-tinted under the glow of Talangahta star. Julia huddled deeper inside the waist-length thermal field jacket that went over the rest of her uniform, and even though the inside of the EA atmospheric shuttle that had ferried her down from the DE'MOLAY was quite warm, she looked upon that ice, and the bleak plains below, and involuntarily shivered. "If you do not mind me inquiring," Larieken asked Moreil, who was sitting pensively nearby, "What drew you to come to this place, after Z'ha'dum was destroyed? It appears to be a, how shall I say it, *unpleasant* place." The Z'shailyl shrugged. "Hidden from prying eyes, thisss place was. We sssought to move aside from the patterns of chaos that guided our brethren, once we learned the Dark Oness had been banished by the one named... Sssheridan. Those who would be Masterss, those who tried to destroy your world, thought otherwise, and eventually, though we hoped it would not happen, they found usss here." "If you were level in techonology with them beneath the Shadows," she asked him, "What hold could they possibly have over you?" Moreil's eyes narrowed at that. "Fissst of Darkness, they brought," he declared. "Told us that if we did not join the Loyal Oness, they would wipe us from this place with darkness and fire." "The planet killer." Larieken mused. "Yess. You call them such; all gone now." "Loyal Ones, you said. Are those the hunters that pursue you?" "Yess. And others you have not yet met." Moreil rose, then, and to the pilot's discomfort, gazed over his shoulder, and pointed a long-nailed finger along the shuttle's path of flight. "There, you sssee? Great arch there is in face of mountains; go that way, we must." The pilot cast a gaze over toward his XO at that point, and Commander Telluride curtly nodded. Now that they were drawing nearer, even Julia could see the 'arch' that Moreil referred to. Some time in the recent geologic past, the great river that ran out of the mountains and into the dreary plain they had just crossed had carved a path through a mighty limestone buttress on the edge of the peak-line. It was to that place their companion pointed. "Above, you will find place of landing... once down, into our recent home we musst go, to the hidden place, and reclaim knowledge both recent... and ancient, as well. This I promis-sed you, as a show of trust, yess?" "Take us down," Telluride ordered. "Let's see whether or not this trip has been worth it, or not." * * * The SHARD OF NIGHT, moments later. "Na'lai." Sheynell began, the glow of her station's crystals reflecting in her eyes, "The whiskers we've left on point in hyperspace confirm the Z'shailyl's earlier warning. They're coming." "Show me." Klairika commanded, and she shook her head regretfully as the image shimmered down in front of her, revealing dozens of horned and spiky forms moving through hyperspace, scant minutes from jump-out. "So be it. Dasouri, bring us into the expected jump-out zone, Sheynell, make ready to engage the foe... and get me the DE'MOLAY." "Communication established." "Captain." she reported, as the Z'shailyl fleet shimmered, and was replaced by an image of an Earthforce bridge readying itself for battle. "The hunters..." "Are coming. Yes, we know, Mr. Piesch just told me that a moment ago." "Our landing team has only just reached the target. We must buy them some more time, if they are to succeed in recovering this 'cache' of information the Z'shailyl told us about." "Won't be the first time we've had to do this, and I don't think it'll be the last, either. Just another day on the job, so to speak. There is, however, one thing to note before we engage... as near as I can tell, this might be the first time in recent Galactic *history* that two warships based on Shadow and Vorlon technologies have fought together for a common goal." By the Comet. But that was true, wasn't it? "You make an interesting point, Captain!" she allowed. "We can only hope that it will not be the last time this will occur." "Hope is sometimes all we have. DE'MOLAY out." In front of her, Dasouri turned around, and abruptly smiled at her. "Is *clear* to see Captain of Warlock destroyer is related to someone we know, Na'lai." "Trust me, Dasouri," Sheynell muttered, "That's a good thing." It was then, of course, that a sharp warning chime sang through the air, and the SHARD's tactical officer turned back to her board, and nodded briskly. "Four jump points forming. Here they come." * * * http://www.connect.ab.ca/~dgolding/index.htm From: dgolding@connect.ab.ca Subject: STAR AND CIRCLE: "THE SEEKER'S FIRE", EPISODE II, ACT IV Date: Fri, 02 Jul 1999 22:58:14 "STAR AND CIRCLE: THE SEEKER'S FIRE" EPISODE TWO "HER MOTHER'S DAUGHTER" (disclaimers and associated descriptions in overture) * * * <> Talangahta IV. Former Z'shailyl refuge. "I have to admit," Telluride informed their erstwhile ally, as he gazed around the enormous landing cave with appreciation, "That I *do* like your landing pad, Moreil." He'd been surprised at first when the Z'shailyl had pointed out the relatively tiny entry hole in the top of the massive limestone buttress, but surprise had turned to awe when the massive cavern inside that hole had been revealed. There was enough space for a dozen atmospheric transports like the two he'd brought down from the DE'MOLAY, it was softly backlit by dozens and dozens of phosphorescent outcrops, as well as the light that came through the entrance and out of several side galleries possessing chimneys leading back to the surface, above. "Better it wass," Moreil had replied, "When the Dark Oness secretss helped to hide thiss place from prying eyess. Was all taken from uss when those you call Drakh came to thiss place. We could not hide from them." "Was that when you left?" came an inquiry from behind, and Telluride turned, as Moreil turned on one heel to meet Julia's piercing gaze, her eyes dark and knowing in the cavern's gloom. "Wass not given a choice." was the Z'shailyl's reply. "Choice wass to leave or to *serve*. Chose not to serve, chose to fight, instead." "Okay," he muttered, turning back to the primary objective, "We're wasting time, here. Raphael!" "Sir!" came a familiar bellow, as First Lieutenant Vicenz Raphael, the commander of the DE'MOLAY's Infantry Platoon for the past five years, arrived at a run. "Form a perimeter, and let's shed some light on the proceedings, if you don't mind? The Z'shailyl hunters that are chasing Moreil are probably going to be down here any time now, and when they do arrive, it probably *won't* be through the entrance we came in through." Raphael issued a curt command, and almost immediately, the floodlights on both shuttles intensified, filling the cavern with their glare. "Is he right?" the soldier asked Moreil, fixing the red-eyed alien with a glare. "*Is* there another way into this place that our enemies can use to get at us?" "Yess, your leader is correct, sssoldier. Hunters will not come upon uss in expected way, leader of Huntersss does not wish this mission to succeed. He will attempt to sstop the retrieval by intercepting usss, more then likely in cave network. Leader of Hunterss may also wish to confront and defeat me. Perssonally." "Does this 'Hunter' have a name?" Telluride asked. "Most likely, is named Aa-zzhvar." the reply came, as several of Lt. Rapheal's infantry squads moved out into the cave to establish a perimeter. "Once we sserved the Dark Oness, together..." "This is all very interesting, Aazhvar," Julia commented, "But can you tell us the story later? For now, we have an operation to conduct, and you have something to give us, yes?" Moreil paused, and then nodded. "Indeed. Forgive me. We go... Now." * * * Z'shailyl flagship; arrival at Talangahta IV. "Jump out complete." Viknahz reported. "The human commander has launched his fighter squadrons, and they have formed a perimeter around the human destroyer. Do we begin the assault?" "Send several small groups of fighters on ahead to test their defences," Aazhvar instructed, as he strode to the viewport to gaze upon the distant black shadow the human ship cast against the blue and gray surface of the planet below; his first and last opportunity to see this enemy, before the battle began. "But hold the rest back from battle for now; a decision must be made." "Que'zhail?" "We must not lose sight of our primary objective, Viknahz," he reminded his First. "That objective now stands on the surface of Talangahta, together with his new *human* allies. Get me Zarounon." "As you wish, Que'zhail." Viknahz replied; Aazhvar smiled at the questioning tone in his voice. It was, he surmised, Viknahz's notion that he himself should handle the assault against the human vessel as their Huntleader, while a group of lesser Hunters were sent below to confront Moreil. The notion made sense, except... except, it could not be borne! Ending Moreil's rebellion had now ceased to be a duty, becoming instead a matter of honour. It had come to the point now where he did not *trust* another to tell him Moreil had been caught and vanquished. He would not believe that had happened until he saw it with his *own* eyes. Yes... there was no other way. Zarounon was more then capable of handling the battle with the human thieves and their abomination of a warship... and if the mysterious 'enemy' the Vekh'shivalht Palakz had faced at the human colony was also present, more then capable of a test engagement with the new opponent before retreating. He desired to destroy the human 'Warlock' vessel, but not at the expense of losing his entire command. For now, though, Aazhvar needed someone to distract the humans, so he and a select team could descend to Talangahta. "Contact established." Viknahz reported, and Aazhvar turned aside, as the image of his Third appeared on the nearby command-screen. "Que'zhail. Your orders?" "Xarounon..." he curtly began, as the lead elements of the Z'shailyl force began to exchange fire with the heavier but lesser numbered contingent of human fighters. "I have decided to assign you the task of assaulting the human vessel. I and my contigent of hunters will descend to the planet below to deal with Moreil." Zarounon nodded. "This is no great surprise, Que'zhail. I accept this task willingly." "Be cautious in your use of resources, however, Zarounon," Aazhvar warned the other Z'shailyl. "The strike mission we pursue to the surface will succeed in quick order, or it will not at all. My First will hold this warship in mid-atmosphere as long as possible, so the enemy will not be able to strike at it easily. When you see it begin to rise, however, disengage at once, or sooner, if things go badly." "But what of your wish to destroy the human vessel?" "We will pursue this, but not at the expense of unnecessary loss of life!" he replied, raising a finger in warning. "Do you understand me, Zarounon?" "Yes, Que'zhail!" "Viknahz," he commanded, turning aside as the image faded, "Take us down into the atmosphere, and prepare the dropship." * * * Above the planet, the battle abruptly began to intensify as the DE'MOLAY, now under combat acceleration at its Captain's orders, forged forth into the enemy squadron, its anti-fighter weaponry dealing out death where and when it could, its fighters aiding as well, though some were now damaged and two had been destroyed, their pilots forced to eject and wait the rest of the battle out. Meanwhile, Azhahk Fenric's tiny squadron whirled through the vacuum as well, unseen and yet, they hoped, valued. The tiny horn-shaped enemy vessels were far more maneuverable then the Drakh cruisers and motherships both crews had faced in the recent past. And while some of the enemy died, some also survived to strike back. Luckily, all but a tiny percentage of the energy strikes were either absorbed by the Shadowtech meshwork in the DE'MOLAY's hull, or taken out by the Interceptors. Nevertheless, it now appeared that a greater crisis was about to come upon the embattled crew of the DE'MOLAY. The Rangers of the SHARD OF NIGHT, who earlier on had briefly tried to catch the Z'shailyl ship that had descended into the atmosphere, now found a clear and present threat they *could* respond to. "Na'lai!" Sheynell warned, "Four medium Z'shailyl capital ships approaching on the DE'MOLAY's port side." "I see what they're trying to do." Klairika replied. "If all of their capital batteries strike at the DE'MOLAY's habitat section simultaneously..." "A Warlock Class Destroyer might not be invulnerable to a strike like that." Nicholas noted, from his position down in Engineering. "But we *should* be, because of our more advanced Vorlontech hull." "Precisely, Mr. Dawson. Dasouri, bring us in between the Z'shailyl and the DE'MOLAY, and prepare to shield!" A moment later, all four Z'shailyl vessels opened fire, their gunnery crews instructed, as Klairika had suspected, to hit the same target. But just as they did, the astonished Z'shailyl captains, Zarounon included, watched a darker shadow suddenly shimmer across their target... a shadow that flared bright green for a moment, as the SHARD's semi-organic hull absorbed the strikes meant for the larger destroyer behind them. "Damage report!" "35% damage to hull at strikepoints." Sheynell reported. "Autorepair systems in effect... the hull will be back to normal operating capacity in less then forty seconds." "Another successful test." Klairika mused, before her gaze hardened. "Dasouri!" "Now about to find out exactly *how* maneuverable this vessel is," the Drazi tersely replied, as his capable hands brought the SHARD to a sudden dead stop in space, and spun it through all three axes to bring them to bear on the still approaching Z'shailyl force. "Showoff." "Tactical..." Klairika ground out, "Keep your attention on the task at hand!" "I hear you." Sheynell replied, her gaze sharpening as she focused on the approaching targets... this was, of course, the first time she'd ever done this. "Target acquired, and firing!" * * * The DE'MOLAY. "Their timing," Piesch began, "Was s...superb." "Can we track their location?" his Captain asked. "I'll try." he replied. "They're moving pretty damn fast, though..." It was then, of course, that a massive white spear of light appeared on the port side, and blazed out to strike against the side of one of the Z'shailyl attackers, which prompty, and messily, exploded. "The SHARD just fired its main gun, Captain. Got 'em!" "Bring portside secondary batteries to bear on the enemy, and *fire*!" Shortly thereafter, with two of their capital ships damaged and the others destroyed, the enemy chose that moment to begin the retreat, and Bethany Tikopai then turned her attention to the ship in the atmosphere. "Lt. Commander Gage." "This is Gage, go ahead." "Send a flight of Thunderbolts down to harass that ship." * * * "How much work did your people do on this cave network?" Julia asked Moreil, as the team of Rangers and Earthforce personnel descended deeper into the buttress. "You were here for how long?" "Over five of your yearsss, Ranger. Many of my people lived in thiss place, it wass, how shall I sssay it, ideal. Not only were we hidden from above both by nature and by design, we could also take food from the river that passses below." Moreil paused as the group came to a three way intersection. "Thisss way." Abruptly, they emerged into a larger chamber filled with glows and also illuminated by a shaft of light descended through a chimney from above, but by the greatest setting piece was a great shattered piece of black rock in the center of the chamber. It was at that point that a hiss of obvious *anger* emerged from their companion. "Moreil; was this... your council table?" "Yesss. There was a time I was not outcast, a time when I sat at thisss table to determine the course of our future." Moreil bent for a moment, picked up a fragment of the table in his hand and crushed it asunder, before driving the tip of his zei'taku into the remnants, further shattering the rubble. "The Drakh it was that did thisss to them, broke the table when they forced my people to leave thisss place." "Why?" she asked him, even though she already knew the answer. "I sussspect as example to the rest. I also believe my fellow councilmembers were punissshed by the Drakh for turning aside, after the destruction of the world you call Z'ha'dum. The Drakh mussst be made to answer for all that they have done to us." "So that's why you're helping us?" A nod. "If defeat Drakh you do, then you may be able to forc-sse them to release my people." "That may not be easy." she reminded him. "No just caussse ever is easy. But you will try?" At that moment, she made a decision that would have great ramifications in the months and years to come. "I will try." Moreil merely nodded, and then, turning to the rest, gestured them to follow. It was then that a message came in from orbit, and Telluride moved close to Julia and Moreil. "Z'shailyl," he roughly interrupted, "Whatever you're going to do, it'd better be soon. One of the Hunter vessels descended to the stratosphere and released a dropship of some kind before our respective crews drove it off." "And *none* of our fighter pilots were able to catch it?" Julia inquired, a little disbelievingly. Telluride shook his head grimly. "It was faster then a bat out of Hell, apparently; it got down to the surface before our fighter pilots could even get close to it. And while their ships have retreated into hyperspace for the time being, we're still going to have visitors, soon. We *have* to hurry." "Yesss. Thiss way." * * * Elsewhere in the cave network. "We must be careful." one of Aazhvar's hunters commented. "The human soldiers are patrolling the caverns looking for us. And now that our squadron has been driven away by the Earther ship and its ally, we will have to wait until a return is allowed." Aazhvar gestured dismissively. "That will not take as long as you believe, and the human senses are not as *tuned* as ours." "Then we may yet come upon them unawares," another commented, "Before retreating into the darkness and the depths, until Viknahz returns." "Indeed. Do you not sense them?" Aazhvar asked his comrades, his eyes glowing faintly in the darkness of the cave. "Here, where they do not belong? The humans will be made to pay for coming to this place of sorrow." "And Moreil?" Aazhvar bared his teeth. "I will take care of *him*, myself." * * * Long before the river appeared, Julia could hear it, thundering through the darkness of the Z'shailyl's stygian underworld. Over a mile it ran through the buttress, and long ago, had drowned an entire network of the cave system. Alongside that stygian marvel, Moreil moved as if he has stood here only yesterday, until finally, the combined party of Earthforce and Ranger personnel emerged into a subsidiary cavern just off of the main rivercourse, a cavern whose bottom was full of water. Moreil immediately strode over to the river-facing side of that underground lagoon and out onto the very end of the ledge, where an outcrop of white crystal emerged from the wall. Julia nodded, and allowed herself to smile; so *that* was where he'd hid his secret cache of data! Others, however, weren't *quite* so quick on the uptake as she had been. "All right, now see here!" Telluride bellowed over the nearby rumble of the river, "You've been leading us all over this maze for the better part of the last hour; when, exactly, are you going to give us the information we came here for?" "Watch and *learn*, human. Information is here, if one knows where to look for it." With that said, Moreil then reached out to the surface of the crystal outcrop, and withdrew a long white crystal from the wall. "Well I'll be *damned*." Telluride whispered. "We do not do thingsss as you would, human. When one servess the Dark Onesss for as many cyclesss as we did, one learnss to become as devious as they." "But why did you do it?" she asked him. "The Z'shailyl who came here with you, weren't they like you? They ran from the Drakh, why didn't you trust them?" "Trussted them I did, but was afraid that thisss would happen." Moreil replied, as the memory crystal vanished out of sight inside his dark robes. "Set aside sssecret information, information *I* can use to begin the fight to free my people. Information *you* can use to begin the search for the cure that affects yours." "I do not think sso, Moreil." a new and darker voice announced, and everyone whirled (while Julia sighed resignedly) as over a dozen more Z'shailyl entered the cavern, cutting off their only means of escape. Why did it *always* have to come down to a fight? "Aazhvar." Moreil hissed. "Ssso; they *did* send you after me." "You should not have brought them to thiss place, Moreil. Now you must pay the price for your mistake, and they mussst die!" "I do not believe you will find that easy, Z'shailyl." she declared, stepping forward. "See us for who we are." Aazhvar's eyes widened. "Anla'ssshok? Here, with Earthforsse?" He gestured sharply, and two of his Hunters stepped forward, zei'taku in hand. "Take them down!" Telluride barked, and two of the soldiers that had accompanied their XO down into the depths rushed forward on point, and immediately opened fire on the approaching Z'shailyl. It seemed a fine idea, until their dark-skinned opponents ducked beneath those plasma blasts and came upon the startled soldiers quicker then any had thought possible, their dark weapons in hand. It was then that Julia finally saw the purpose of the crystal tips on the Z'shailyl weapons, as each Hunter openly struck his opponent, the crystal tips on their weapons flaring briefly. A moment later, the unconscious soldiers sank beneath the cavern's murky waters, and she met Larieken's gaze and nodded, before unclipping her denn'bok from her belt, and opening it. All along the ledge, she could hear the rest of her Rangers doing the same. It was time to *end* this, the only way they could. * * * A very great distance away from the battle now in progress between the Z'shailyl and their human and Minbari foes, a watcher sat before her crystal, and gazed deep into its fiery heart. The watcher was thinking about the future, and what path she would soon be following. A path that none of her kind had ever followed before... but there would soon be no choice, for the voice had been heard. A voice, crying out in the dark. A voice louder now then ever before. A voice that had to be answered, before it was too late. Before *others* became involved. * * * The battle was over, and the Hunters had departed, those of them who could still stand; those who had not been flung into the dark waters of the cavern by the blade of a Ranger-wielded pike. And yet, at the same time, things had not gone all their way, not at all, Julia mused darkly, as she knelt next to Larieken and helped to bind the arm of one of her crew. Three of her people had been injured, one severely; *she* would have to be carefully carried out very carefully, and transferred back to orbit as soon as possible. And as for Moreil... Moreil had decided to confront Aazhvar personally, and for a time, the two Z'shailyl had fought each other to a standstill. But then, at the last, Moreil had made a split-second error, and Aazhvar had struck beneath his guard and shattered several of her new ally's ribs. Larieken had driven Aazhvar off at that point, but the damage had been done. Not only had their enemy's weapon broken ribs, it had shattered the precious memory crystal as well. Moreil, before he had fallen unconscious, had *insisted* that some information might still be retrievable from the crystal, that all was not lost. She sighed, and briefly met the eyes of the DE'MOLAY's now-bitter executive officer. Paul Telluride did not believe Moreil; believed, instead, that this had all been a waste of time... that their Z'shailyl opponents had stolen away another chance to cure the people of Earth. That they'd wasted time here they could not afford to waste. She bowed her head. The path they walked was a path of sorrows...and who knew how and where it would end? There was only one thing she knew with certainty... they could not give up. *She* could not give up. Not ever. * * * http://www.connect.ab.ca/~dgolding/index.htm From: dgolding@connect.ab.ca Subject: STAR AND CIRCLE: "THE SEEKER'S FIRE"; EPISODE II, Envoi Date: Sat, 03 Jul 1999 19:10:19 "STAR AND CIRCLE: THE SEEKER'S FIRE" EPISODE TWO "HER MOTHER'S DAUGHTER" (disclaimers and associated descriptions in overture) * * * <> The SHARD OF NIGHT; high orbit around Talangahta IV, several hours after the ground battle. "Your prognosis, Doctor?" Julia inquired, as she entered the SHARD's medical section. Veyshahk turned aside from the conversation he had been having with his assistants, and approached her, his face grim, and yet composed. "I will thank you for not wasting time in getting back up here, Val'na, and must apologize for not speaking to you sooner. Anla'shok Terrien, while she suffered many broken bones and no few internal injuries during your encounter with the Z'shailyl hunters, had been operated on and is out of danger, although I do not believe she will be up to normal duties for some time to come. The other two have had their broken bones set, and will be able to return to their duties in due course." At that point, the doctor fixed his captain with a critical gaze. "If you do not mind me being blunt, may I make a suggestion?" Julia lowered her eyes, and nodded; they'd all made mistakes during the mission, and she'd been expecting this... if not from him, then from another of her senior staff. "While I understand your need to help find a cure for your people, Val'na, you must at the same time remember that the safety of your crew *must* come first. And also, that trusting the word of one who once served the Great Enemy may have lead you into this situation." "And what of the Z'shailyl?" she inquired, perhaps a little too sharply. "Have you healed his wounds, as well?" Veyshahk nodded. "I have. I believe he wishes to speak to you." The doctor turned away, and gestured her to follow. A moment later, Moreil was revealed, sitting on the edge of one of the Section's beds. The Z'shailyl began to rise to his feet as she appeared, but then hissed in pain. "Not bessst choice, at moment to rise." he muttered. "Glad I am, that you have come, Julia Tikopai... I have much to sssay to you." "And I to you." she replied. "When first we met, Moreil, I was overly critical and suspicious of your motives in joining us... perhaps too suspicious." "Cannot blame you for thiss response; too many memoriess of the Dark Oness, your kind hass." "The actions of the present," she continued, "May allow us to forget the shadows of the past, Moreil. When Aazhvar, our mutual enemy, acted to injure one of my Rangers, you put yourself in harm's way to protect her from further harm... this was an honorable act, Z'shailyl, and one I will not soon forget." "Then, equesst to make, I have." "I'm listening." The Z'shailyl sighed. "Now have no home, have nowhere else to go, and battle to free my people is just beginning. And with crystal destroyed, and most of the information I gathered lost, the road to that freedom will be a long one. For now, I offer my servicesss as a guide to you and yoursss... if you will take me, that isss." "Many of the others do not trust you." she reminded him. "Would you make the attempt to earn their trust, as you have earned mine?" Moreil shrugged. "Have no other choice, if quessst is to succeed." "Then you may remain aboard this vessel... for the time being, that is." "You will not regret thisss." Moreil promised her. "I will even ssswear by your Valen, if you believe it necessary." "You have not yet earned that right." she coldly informed him. "And even though we may now be allies, I do not believe you ever will." "We shall have to sssee, will we not?" was the Z'shailyl's last word, as Julia turned away, and left the room. There was, after all, a call she had to make... * * * "So." Jaiena Mithrush muttered, as Nicholas levelly gazed at her image, "I suppose this is goodbye, then?" "Yeah, sure looks like it, doesn't it? It's a big universe, and now the mission's finished..." "We might not ever see each other again. Ever." "Ever." he freely admitted. "Except..." "Except?" "If we do find the cure, there's bound to be a hell of a celebration back home; and everyone who helped to find is probably going to be invited." "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" "January 1st, 2272." he slowly began, as an idea began to form. "There's this little cafe in Geneva, right outside Earthdome..." * * * Below. The labyrinth. "How is it that Rangers were working alongside Earthforce?" one of the surviving Z'shailyl Hunters exclaimed. "I do not know," Aazhvar replied, his eyes glittering darkly. "I have no answers to your question, and certainly no proof..." "But you have suspicions." "Yes. Many suspicions." Aazhvar turned aside, and thought on the matter some more. Yet again, the ship that could not be seen had appeared, and attacked his forces, and the appearance of the Rangers could *not* have been by chance. A pattern was beginning to form... a pattern he did not like in the slightest. But perhaps something could be done. As soon as Viknahz returned to pick them up, there was one he would have to speak to about this. One who might be *very* interested in hearing of this matter. * * * "I don't suppose I can make you change your mind, can I?" Julia's mother inquired, as she idly reclined in the captain's seat of her command. "Mother, if we stay too close to one another for an extended period of time, we'll probably drive each other nuts!" Bethany Tikopai laughed, before nodding ruefully. "I wasn't going to say it... I'm kind of glad you did, though. And as much as I don't want to agree with you, you *are* right." "Then this is farewell, at least for the time being. But remember..." "Your secret is safe with us, Julia. Although, even in a perfect world, it won't last forever." "I know, and both the Drakh *and* the Z'shailyl will be on the lookout for us, now. But the longer the secret is kept, the more good we can do, and the longer the EXCALIBUR will stay safe. We have different roads to follow, now, is all." The captain of the DE'MOLAY nodded, somewhat sadly. "'And sorry I could not travel both.' I understand; we'll see on the other side, then. DE'MOLAY out." "That..." Klairika observed, as the Warlock Class Destroyer began to turn away, its jump point already forming, "Sounded like a quote of some kind." Julia turned towards her first officer, and conceded the point. "A long time ago, there was a human who wrote a poem that described our situation quite well. That was one line from the poem, and this was how it ended. 'I shall be telling this with a sigh," she quoted from memory, "'Somewhere ages and ages hence. Two roads diverged in a wood, and I -- I took the one less traveled by. And that has made all the difference.'" "We," the Brakiri observed, "Shall have to see about that one; the road we are following has only just begun." "And we can't go back, now can we?" Julia straightened in her chair. "Stand by to activate jump engines; it's time we got going. We have a destroyer to guard, and a cure to find." "And the Rim..." Larieken dryly observed, "Awaits." * * * <> http://www.connect.ab.ca/~dgolding/index.htm