("The Darkest Road", Act One)

		"STAR AND CIRCLE: THE SEEKER'S FIRE"
		EPISODE ONE: "THE DARKEST ROAD"

GUEST STARRING:

PETER WINGFIELD as Palakh
NANA VISITOR as Raeznon
KIM CATTRALL as Captain Elaine ap Glydden
*and* MICHAEL DORN as Commander Winslow Daele

        <<ACT ONE>>

        "Before humanity went to the stars, great empires rose and fell on the continents north of Earth's equator...and in that age, an age when Vorlons still walked among us, some of the people would look upon the coming of this month with abject dread. Dark January they called it: the killing month.

        The month of ice. The month of death.

        Out in the hinterlands, the people would sometimes have to walk a long and dark road before coming to shelter, and every once in a while, the storms would come without warning, and their loved ones did despair, knowing in their hearts that the road had claimed their fathers and brothers. And they knew, then, that they would never see them again, this side of the Veil.

        The centuries may have passed us by, but the story stays the same. In this, the first month of the Earth Year 2267, we walk a darker road then I could have conceived of, when first I danced with shadows..."

* * *

        Interstellar Alliance Battlecruiser SHARD OF NIGHT. In hyperspace, enroute to Vree border.

        "We all knew that this moment was going to arrive sooner or later..." Julia began, her voice ringing across the silent interior of the conference chamber, as the bloody light of hyperspace danced behind her. "We knew that a time would come when we would be commanded to engage the Drakh. That moment has come sooner then I might have liked."

        At the far end of the table, Nicholas Dawson rose to his feet, an expression of open disbelief on his face. "That, Captain, would appear to be the understatement of the year, in my opinion! We've only just launched, and already, Sheridan wants us to engage the enemy?"

        Without hesitation, Klairika Alidiae, Julia's often taciturn first officer, leapt into the fray. "I will remind you, Mr. Dawson," the Brakiri icily noted, "That this is *part* of our job description. We are Rangers, and if we've been tasked with engaging the Drakh, this we must do, without hesitation or questions!"

        "I agree." Larieken added a moment later, his expression stern. "What we must remember is that the Drakh were once allies of the Shadows, and that they were certainly trained by them for many thousands of years. If we do not begin to deal with them *now*, they will grow ever more bold..."

        "And," Sheynell Keynes, the SHARD's tactical officer, noted, "The time may even come when they will see their defeat at Earth as only a minor setback. Nicholas, we can't allow that to happen; the Drakh must be made to realize that victory cannot come without price. They chose to destroy the only shipyard capable of building destroyers like the EXCALIBUR; they have not, as yet *paid* the price for that victory."

        "And yet," Larieken warned, "Part of what Mr. Dawson says does ring true. This will be our first major engagement as a crew, and we must be careful not to make mistakes that our enemies can take advantage of."

        "Do not believe that this will happen." the SHARD's helmsman, Dasouri, declared. "We who know each other have already worked together, we who have not see what is, and become the same. In the terms of my kind, Val'na Tikopai is our Huntleader. We hunt for the enemy, hunt for destroyers of life, seek out creatures of chaos who would kill us in turn, if they could. We will succeed; I know this to be true."

        "Brave words...!" Nicholas replied, his voice and face somber. "I mean, it's great to be part of a team and all, but the thing you all have to remember is that while the SHARD's one hell of a ship, she's never been invincible and never will be. We're only *one* command in a sea of hostile enemies, and there's a Hell of a lot of Drakh still out there. And sometimes, things can go wrong just by making mistakes."

        "Would you care to be a little more specific, Mr. Dawson?" Julia inquired, her eyes narrowed.

        "A little more then six months before the Drakh attacked Earth," the engineer told the Rangers, "We discovered there's a minor, but *uncorrectable* fault in the ship's systems. Nothing that can't be avoided, of course, once you all know it exists, and this isn't really that much of a surprise, given the prototypical nature of your command..."

        Julia cleared her throat. Pointedly.

        "Ah, getting to the point now, yes I am..." Nicholas muttered. "Anla'shok Keynes...a word to the wise: don't *ever* fire the main and secondary batteries at the same time. Pulse cannons and main gun, no problem...just *not* the secondaries."

        "And...why might that be, Mr. Dawson?"

        "The only time we've ever tried, the energy backlash just about fried all of our weapons control systems. Lesaki and I managed to get everything back under control just before the weapons grid reactor controls fused...but it's not something I want to repeat any time soon, if that's okay with you?"

        "And if such a thing *were* to happen..." Sheynell inquired, her face concerned, "Just how hard would it be for the Minbari to replace the burnt out systems?"

        "Well..." Nicholas mused, "Given the amount of resources that were tied into building the SHARD, and the polite complaining I overheard by the time she was finished..."

        "The message we are looking for," Veyshahk noted, "Is, as the humans say, 'better safe then sorry', which is for the best, in my opinion. As Engineer Dawson just said, we are not invincible, and when we fight...some among us *always* get hurt."

        Silence reigned for a moment, but then Julia sighed, before rising to her feet. "The question of the moment is, will the Drakh give us that much leeway?"

        No one had an answer for that question. The answer would come soon enough, however, and it would not be one that any in the room would like.

* * *

        The Lower Decks...

        In this chamber, darkness reigned, in more ways then one. In the middle of the floor, a single pool of light illuminated the figure knelt there. The man's hands were clenched tightly around the warrior pike he had earned honourably, a weapon he had found cause to use in battle during his service of the past six years. The tension was for a reason, however; when peace could not be found, there were always reasons why that was so.

        Abruptly, the door to the chamber slid open, revealing a shadow against the light beyond. The man turned, saw who the new visitor was, and nodded his head fractionally. He had known that when the SHARD's chief engineer had requested a human contingent for his department before they had left Minbar, that this had always been possible...and there he was. "I thought you would come, once you found out that I was aboard. It's been a long time though, hasn't it?"

        "Long enough; it's good to see you though, too, I will admit. Now, let us come to the reason you've invited me here."

        "As you wish." The Ranger retracted his pike, before rising to his feet. "You would say that there is one among us who should not be doing what he is doing. And while I must stay within my code in this, I understand your, shall we say, 'dislike' of his kind, after what happened to Rakele four years ago..."

        "'Dislike' doesn't even begin to cover it!" the engineer heatedly replied, his eyes flashing an incontravertible challenge. "Rakele saved my life more then once during my youth out in the colonies, and yours as well, when it comes down to it! And then, when things looked like they were getting good, he ended up being in the *wrong* place at the wrong time.

        Then *they* came."

        "What happened?" the Ranger quietly inquired. "By the time the conflict occured, I was already serving as I do now..."

        "He and his trading freighter were at one of the outlier Alliance colonies when a squadron of Drazi warships came out of the jump gate and attacked the whole orbital region, and then the colony itself. Sure, Sheridan told us all later that part of their military got 'out of control', but that doesn't excuse the crime that was committed. They killed our friend, just because he was IN the way...and now, I find one of them here, dressed as you do, and having the audacity to claim he follows the 'ways of peace and the great G'kar?

        I don't believe it!" the engineer heatedly exclaimed. "I can't. And I won't work alongside him on this command. I just...can't."

        "Do not say you plan to kill him..." the Ranger warned. "I will not allow that to happen. Even though he may be Drazi, he is also Anla'shok..."

        "Ah, ah...none of that, my *friend*. You do remember the blood oath we hold together, don't you? The one we share with Rakele?" The Ranger nodded a moment later, a bit resignedly, and the other sighed. "Still...I suppose I'll have to accept the choices you've made in the end...but the Drazi's got to go!"

        "If we sufficiently humiliate him," the Ranger said, trying for a compromise, "If he makes a mistake large enough for the Captain to banish him from her side, will that be enough for you?"

        The engineer's mouth flashed into a nasty grin. "It might. Are you gonna help me?"

        The Ranger scowled. "I hold oaths both to you and to the Anla'shok, and even after all we have been through, my oaths to that organization are the stronger of the two. I cannot help you, but I will say nothing of this to the others, so that you may...implement your plan. And I will hold my silence, as long as your 'solution' is not, I will remind you, a lethal one."

        "That's not good enough!"

        "It will have to do." The Ranger's eyes narrowed, then. "Do not presume to press me on this matter...you have been warned. There are some things even *I* will not do for you, any longer."

        Anger briefly coloured the other's face for a moment, but then faded, and the engineer nodded, if a bit angrily. "So be it. I will remember this, however...and in the end, there may be a reckoning."

        "We shall see." the Ranger noted.

        "We shall indeed!" was the engineer's final, parting comment, as he swept out of the chamber.

* * *

        Elsewhere...

        {What is this that you are saying?} the Sha'drakh demanded, as Palakz gazed irritably up at the larger-then-life image of the Council member most responsible for giving *his* part of the armada guidance. {Rare this is...}; the elder Drakh hissed, {That my Zau Vekh'shivalht shows himself to be doubtful!...and well this is, Palakz, at the same time. For if I had seen this sooner, I would never have chosen you to ascend to your present position in as little time as you have!}

        {And yet!} Palakz replied, as nearby, Raeznon bared her teeth at the tone in her elder-partner's voice, {I see the danger, even if the Entire does not! You say that the shak'vez has made another critical error, and that our pursuit of vengeance must not be abated. I do not disagree with you...all that we are saying is that it cannot be that simple. The information our emissaries and spies have passed to us since first we encountered Sheridan indicates that he is possessed of a devious mind, and should be watched closely. This scattering of his forces cannot be what it seems...}

        {`Ka'vajh!}; At command, Palakz immediately stiffened into a posture of obedience. {I will hear *no* more of this!}; the Sha'drakh announced, his expression stern and forbidding. {The shak'vez has committed himself to a path he cannot escape from, and the Dark Ones be willing, we will now take advantage of this error.

        Sheridan's Ranger allies have scattered themselves far and wide searching for a cure to the Dark One's gift...} At that, the Sha'drakh's mouth twisted into an amused smile. {;And I have even received word that his daggership, EXCALIBUR, is even now being engaged by the forces commanded by one of your fellow Vekh'shivalht.

        The time to act is *now*, Palakz. All of Sheridan's forces are now occupied...there cannot be a better time to continue our assaults then now. You will gather your forces, both seen and unseen, and prepare to attack the human colony named...

        Sinzar}

        Palakz bowed, the inclination exactly what expected between Vekh' shivalht and Sha'drakh...and no more. {It shall be as you say, Most High. The Dark Ones be with us.} The Sha'drakh nodded, his expression one of dismissal, and the image faded.

        "You do not agree with his assessment of this situation." his Vaarliht stated, and Palakz turned, his expression growing noticeably less bitter, as he allowed Raeznon to approach the place-of-command that was his. "I do not blame you for that response, but the Council does not see what we see. The Council only sees the path of Vengeance *that* one laid out before them, when he banished the Dark Ones from our sight."

        Palakz snarled, before whispering the following, so the crew would not hear. "The Call for Vengeance rang loud among our people when the Dark Ones left us." he confided, as his Favored Claw drew near, her eyes bright with interest as she chose to hear his words. "Strong we were, when we moved against Mollari and his people -- when Shiv'kala moved to act in our name. But now, there are some Sha'drakh who walk through mists between the Lying Worlds, their jnn'dan no better then blinded!"

        Raeznon drew back, and quickly drew a sign of protection through the air in between them, as she sensed the rebellious fury in her elder-partner, a fury only just held in check by loyalty to the cause, and to the memory of the Dark Ones; their Masters, now lost to them forever, along with their home. "It is...well, my Vekh'shivalht, that the Entire does not hear you say this."

        "This is not for their ears, not yet, and probably not ever." Palakz spat another curse, before lowering himself into his seat-of-command. "Nevertheless, for now, we will follow the orders of our Sha'drakh. We will attack the human colony, engage their forces, and continue the war of vengeance they have commanded."

        "And if you are right, and he is wrong?"

        To that, Palakz gave no reply, and Raeznon shuddered briefly, before returning to her own duties.

* * *

        Commander's Personal Log, Earthforce Omega Class Destroyer CIRCE.

        To the heart of our souls, they struck, and in a way that none of us were expecting. We were all so focused on the deathcloud and their fleet, intent on what the President was telling us. There was a time, not so long ago, when I followed John Sheridan in a different war, listened to the voice of the woman who stood by his side, a woman who is, even now, someone I have the grace to call friend.

        Followed him I did, right into the heart of the cloud with comrades dying all around us. We followed him and his, the CIRCE right on the heels of the EXCALIBUR, flying into the heart of the storm. We helped to clear the way, but even we could do nothing when it came time to do the impossible.

        I can still see it even now, and can imagine the words that Captain Anderson must have spoke, before the end. I nearly cried, to see such a great ship die...but felt glad at the same time, when the sacrifice that he and his crew made allowed that horrible Shadow weapon to be destroyed.

        Nearly we did not escape, but run before the proverbial hounds of Hell we did, regardless, as the great fist of the Shadow array closed behind us, and vanished in a hail of flame...

        And for a moment, I thought we'd actually won. For a moment, I considered it possible that the Drakh had actually been defeated in their aims.

        And then I learned the truth, and finally I *did* cry, but only when there was no one there to see. And now I, like so many others in Earthforce, like so many of my fellow soldiers who were not on Earth with their loved ones to see that horrid pall descend...now I go in search of the instigators, even as the EXCALIBUR and the forces of the Alliance go in search of the cure.

        I go to punish the Drakh. And by God...I am not alone.

* * *

        Alone against the night, three tiny Drakh scouts pushed their way through the emptiness. Silent they were, and hard to find...

        But not impossible.

        In a moment measured in futility, the Drakh ships turned to run, as a great ripping crackle flared into existence in front of them, and almost instantly thereafter sprang out into a flaring white and blue vortex...one of the enormous wormholes between realspace and hyperspace known to all races in the local galactic region as jump points.

        Out of this vortex sprang half a dozen squadrons of the Earth two-seater fighters known as Thunderbolts, and the pilots of those squadrons set themselves upon the hapless Drakh without pause. Two of those ships died almost immediately, but the third had proven itself just a little quicker then its cousins.

        Not that this saved it, of course. For the Earth-fighters were not alone, as a great ruby thread of radiation sprang out from the a gray hammerhead starship that emerged from the still-open jump point, and nailed the scoutship head-on, destroying it instantly. And the starship was not alone, either, as over two dozen more warships, a combination of heavy destroyers and lighter escorts, followed their flagship out of the point even as a tiny stealthed-black transport maneuvered to rendezvous with the flagship.

        A warship that possessed the name 'CIRCE' emblazoned boldly upon its side...a warship that commanded Alpha Group of the Earthforce Fourth Fleet.

        Orion Command.

* * *

        "Target destroyed, Captain." Commander Winslow Daele reported, his deep voice steady, and ebony face stern. "The fighter screen took care of the rest, as you expected."

        Captain Elaine ap Glydden rose to her feet at that point, her short bob of black hair brushed neatly back above Gaelicly-fair skin and vivid, jade-coloured eyes, and eventually allowed herself to smile. "We jumped out on that trio without giving them a chance to warn their comrades, Commander, which is the third time we've managed to surprise them, but that's not going to last. Eventually, we're going to run into their main force again, however, and when that happens..."

        "We will beat the pants off of them, Captain." Daele assured his CO.

        Captain ap Glydden frowned. "Commander...don't forget that the Drakh were allies of the Shadows. Besides that deathcloud, they're sure to have other examples of Shadowtech lying around to use as weapons of last resort. We have to be careful..."

        "But thorough, at the same time." Daele finished up for her. "Your orders?"

        "Send out the patrols, Commander. The destroyers CHIMAERA and DAEDALUS should be sufficient to distribute them...but tell them to be careful. We want to find out where the Drakh armada is hiding, and getting themselves killed will not help our cause any."

        "Heard and understood, Captain." Commander Daele concluded. As he turned away, Elaine slowly sat back down in her chair, and let out a long sigh. She was, even after their early successes, having a hard time believing that meeting up with the Drakh main force was going to be this easy...pursuit actions never *were*.

        Something was going to go wrong...it always did.

        The question was, would she be ready for that moment when it came? Elaine's eyes hardened; she would have to be, that's all there was to it. No other option was acceptable.

* * *

        Elsewhere...but nearby. AND unseen.

        "A very pretty formation, Captain. Does Captain ap Glydden know what she's getting herself into?"

        "Oh yes, Commander...she knows what she's getting herself into. It's getting *out* that she should be more concerned about, in my opinion."

        "That's where we come in, I suppose." Resignedly said, but with an amused overtone.

        "You have to ask?"

* * *

        The edge of Vree Space.

        "Jump!" Julia commanded, and with a barely-felt shudder, the SHARD OF NIGHT transitioned back into normal space-time. "Engage darklight mode!"

        Behind and above her Val'na, Klairika nodded, and passed one hand above a tall violet and gray crystal near the center of her board. "Enabled."

        Over at the tactical station, Sheynell allowed herself a smile, even as she raised her blocks a tad higher to cut out the increased level of tension in the normal-minds around her. From what Nicholas had told her about the ship, the exterior skin of the battlecruiser had, with Julia's command, faded from its normal dark gray-and-silver to midnight invisibility, emitting nothing and absorbing every wavelength of electromagnetic energy known to Minbari science.

        Now, no one could see them unless they wanted to be seen. And for now, they did *not* want to be seen.

        "There it is." Larieken announced, and Sheynell half-turned, as a hovering image of a wrecked Vree warship suddenly sprang into view in the holographic imager that dominated the bridge behind her. "As you see, the whisker array found this wreck, even when the Vree themselves could not."

        Sheynell shuddered. The Drakh had done this, of course. And all those loyal Vree had been consigned to the abyss. Into the ice of space...

        And then she gasped, as a stab of that self-same ice passed through her mind. She had opened herself up involuntarily, if only for a second, but the sense of ice had not come from outside the ship.

        But inside, instead.

* * *

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