After another lengthy hiatus (five months, ick!) another morsel of story emerges at last! One step closer to a finish I'm slowly starting to see again. A restart inspired both by Gary Boshears and his "Darkness Wakes/Final Edition" writings of recent weeks and by the release of B5 Season I in all its DVD glory.
Those who missed the much shorter Act II can find it on my website, listed below. I finished that part at the end of June, before life re-interfered. And now, there's only eight parts to go... in a story which will, damnit, be finished sometime soon.
Warnings/disclaimers in previously published overture.
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STAR AND CIRCLE: "THE SEEKER'S FIRE
EPISODE 21: "THE END OF THE INNOCENCE"
<<Act Three>>
Interstellar Alliance Rendezvous Point - tactical Briefing onboard Anla'shok strike cruiser Sevaia'naath. 13:21 hrs, EST, December 12th, 2267.
"And that," Tashann concluded, "Would be, as our High Councillor would put it, the 'latest and greatest' news available. Some of it good, some potentially disturbing."
"While it is well and even interesting to learn that the crews of the Excalibur and Shard of Night have joined forces," another senior Ranger observed, "And fascinating that the captains of those vessels have jointly used their charisma to gather a small squadron of Anla'shok around them to investigate this... alleged cure to the plague afflicting the humans of Earth - I feel it prudent that we continue to focus on General Ben Zayn and his fleet of warships at this time.
The enemy has been too quiet of late, Sha'vei - too quiet, given their recent strikes here and there throughout known space. We need to know where they are, where they are going, and what they intend."
"Mesharr's points are all valid ones," another Ranger concurred, this one a human. "Years ago, when I served in Earthforce, some of us had the misfortune to encounter then-Colonel Ben Zayn and his associates in Internal Affairs. None of us looked forward to those investigations and inquiries, and some of us suffered because of them. Ben Zayn started out by being a loose cannon, and now that he's got a taste of the power Shadow technology can give him..."
"He and his current associates must be prevented from attaining their objectives, present and future..." Mesharr countered, his expression stern. "But until that becomes possible..."
The sudden sound of a chime ringing in the strike cruiser's conference chamber cut the former Minbari warrior off in mid-sentence. "Bridge to Sha'vei Tashann - please respond."
"This is he."
"Sir, White Star 79's just dropped into the rendezvous point with its tail on fire - her commander wants to speak to you at once."
"So it would seem." Tashann replied, his tone dry, even as grins appeared on the faces of the human Rangers in the conference chamber at the exec's choice of words. "You will open a line of communication to this chamber at once."
A moment later the face of White Star 79's captain appeared on the screen - and what that Ranger had to say was not amusing in the least - and caused those grins that had previously appeared to settle down into expressions of shock and then stony determination. "This is terrible news," Mesharr confided in his commander, as together the two Minbari Rangers left the conference chamber at speed, the rest of the Rangers scattering to their waiting transports. "What response shall we make to this threat? And more importantly, what will the other military commanders in the fleet do when they learn what Ben Zayn is up to?"
"I know what it is that we will and must do," Tashann replied, as they arrived on the Sevaia'naath's bridge. "I cannot speak for the others with regard to this matter, but we will no doubt confer momentarily, and should honor prevail..."
"I shall leave your side at this time, then." Mesharr said. "If the rest respond as you believe they should, by the time I reach my own command we will be readying to depart from this place."
Tashann nodded, already calculating distances and times as he turned to face his exec, the command to activate the fleet-wide alert frequency coming to his lips. There would be time for them to place themselves between Ben Zayn and his target - barely, and only if the debate soon to take place was a short one. The question was... would their other assets in the field be available when the time for battle came - and could anything be done to slow Ben Zayn down?
* * *
Shadow Technology battlecruiser Morgai- en route in hyperspace. 13:32 hrs, EST.
The periods of retreat from duty afforded the various line commanders of Ari Ben Zayn's fleet had not been long ones even when the moves being made were preliminary and secretive - and in the days since those moves had become blatant, R&R of any kind was becoming all but impossible to come by.
Thus, when the General had wanted someone to take on the task of combing the perimeter of the fleet searching for ISA vessels seeking to spy out their movements, Martin Coraan had been more than willing to volunteer for the job. A task that the Morgai's captain thought could easily be handled by more junior personnel then himself. It was a damn pleasure, after all the hit and run attacks of the last little while, to let off a little steam and put up the legs, away from the General's suspicions...
Behind him, the door opened - and Coraan turned to see two of the curious ally species named Z'Shailyl waiting in the hatchway, one of which was carrying a short version of the fighting weapons they called Zei'tak'u'.
"Vimaish," the captain began, his tone cold, "While I value your assistance at the best of times, you and your... companion should know better then to enter my quarters uninvited. Did I or did I not specifically inform you that I was to remain undisturbed for the duration of the present miss..."
"You will be silent, Coraan." the Z'shailyl suddenly interrupted, its tone one of menace and scorn. "This is not your time to speak, but only to listen."
"How dare you speak to me in that fashion?" Coraan spat, as he rose incredulous from his chair. "I am, am I not, the captain of this vessel?"
"That statement," Vimaish cryptically replied, "Was true until a moment ago. Unfortunate for the members of your race on this vessel it is that you chose not to see what was going on around you - or inquire as to whether or not we truly believed as your Ben Zayn does. There is a battle coming, Coraan - a battle that I and my fellow Z'Shailyl have no wish to take part in on your side..."
It was then that Coraan chose to lunge for the nearby comm board - a lunge that ended in a cry of pain as the other Z'Shailyl moved forward in a blur and sent him crashing to the deckplates with a swift undercutting blow from its staff. "So proud you thought yourself." Vimaish said, as his companion swiftly disarmed Coraan and knelt nearby, awaiting any further moves of rebellion. "Now understand how quickly the proud can be brought low, given the right circumstances. The only thing that remains to be discussed is this - how intelligent you are, and whether or not you are capable of seeing past your pride to make the right decision."
"What has intelligence to do with this?" Coraan managed, even as he saw in the Z'Shaiyl's eyes how easily the command to kill him might come.
"Everything." Vimaish hissed, his eyes bright. "There are members of your human crew who made the mistake of joining in battle with us when they realized what it wasss we were up to - but they swiftly learned what it was to fight members of the Z'Shailyl race aroused into anger - those of us who knew they were doing the right things, for the right reasons, sufficiently far away from those who forced us to serve your kind. It remains to be seen whether or not you are... intelligent enough to realize that further shedding of blood is unnecessary - and that your leader must be stopped before Sheridan's empire can be destroyed.""
"And you believe that you are the ones to stop him, do you?" Coraan laughed bitterly. "Even with the Morgai at your disposal, that will be more difficult then you can possibly realize or understand."
"There is perhaps some truth to what you say." Vimaish tentatively agreed, even as he turned towards the hatchway. "What we have done here is a beginning - and from beginnings, the universe itself can be changed forever. But enough with the preliminaries, human. Now that we have secured control of this vessel, now that I have proven to my... satisfaction how intelligent you are, there is another I would introduce to you at this time. One who has been planning this operation behind the scenes for some time now, waiting for the right time to act. You were fooolisssh enough to give him that chance, Coraan - and at least for that reason, he wishes to share words with you before we deposit you with the others in this vessel's detention facility."
It was then that another Z'Shailyl stepped through the hatch, and Coraan's eyes widened as he took in that being's dress - midnight black scaled armour not unlike in appearance from the hull of the Morgai. "So. Vemaish here would have me believe that you are the mastermind behind this mutiny attempt. Whom do I have the... honor of addressing?"
"Some would think me foolish to tell you even thisss much, human," the Z'shailyl replied, "But you deserve at least to know the name of the one who has bested you so easily. I am called...
Moreil."
* * *
Near secondary base in system GC 39371-D. 17:20 hrs, EST.
The word was a simple one - a word that Sheynell Keynes had come to respond to almost instinctively in the near year she'd spent as the Shard of Night's tactical officer. And yet... in the moment that word was spoken, Sheynell sensed for a moment the doubt and uncertainty lurking beneath the surface of her friend and captain's mind - a doubt easy to erase, if only Nicholas had been telling her the truth...
A pass of one hand, a crystal's song - and the moment of doubt in Julia's mind passed, to be replaced by bitter triumph - a triumph borne of necessity, as the four hooked Vorlontech tines on the battlecruiser's prow once more unleashed the furies of the past, and a brilliant green focused stream of plasma struck the side of the largest Shadowtech vessel picketing the secondary base - a strike that for a wonder didn't completely destroy that ship. Not that it mattered - for a moment after the main gun of the Shard had spoken, the main gun of Matthew Gideon's Excalibur followed suit - disintegrating the enemy warship and as an added bonus the handful of smaller vessels that had come to that cruiser's aid.
That action, she also considered, being another step along the path that Gideon was following to exorcize the ghosts of his fellow officers and crew that had been killed onboard the Earthforce destroyer Cerberus, years before. But in the here and now, there were still other fish to fry, as the shot that Gideon had taken temporarily deprived his ship of power - making it a sitting duck, so to speak. And with every other Ranger ship in the task force engaged closely, the last two enemy warships defending the base decided to play their hand at last, moving into firing range upon the two apparently defenseless ships. "Signal incoming..." Klairika informed Julia at her drollest. "Our opposition apparently wishes to say..."
"Surrender or die!" the voice came over the comm channel.
Julia raised an eyebrow, and Sheynell grinned as her captain turned to face the battlecruiser's exec. "Hmm, tough choice. How about..."
"Done!" The Shard shimmered and all but vanished, and even though Ben Zayn's forces had proven in the past they could detect Julia's command, Klairika's activation of the warship's stealth mode unbalanced the enemy just enough for both the Shard and Excalibur to regain full power - and momentarily thereafter reduce both enemy ships to so much small and scattered rubble.
"Oh, how very anticlimactic." Galen said, clapping his hands slowly as he arrived on the bridge of the Shard, Vejar and Jaida in tow. "Hasn't anyone told you that when everything seems to be going according to plan, that is when random chance..."
"Otherwise known as Murphy's Law, I believe..." Vejar interjected.
"...steps in and ruins what would otherwise be an absolutely wonderful day?"
"So noted, Galen." Julia replied, her expression fierce, "And you may be right. This all seems just a little too easy - even if the forces defending this system were a bit heavier then Mr. Kavanagh was implying. Speaking of which..."
"Incoming signal from the Excalibur, Val'na." Klairika announced. "It would appear that our new ally wishes to speak to you."
"All right, Kavanagh," Julia began, cutting right to the chase, "Now that we've deprived the General's picket force of their favorite new toys, why don't you tell us where the base is?"
"Well..." Kavanagh replied with a wince, "Now that you've pulled that off - and my compliments on your shooting, by the way - about the base. The sixth planet of this system, as you may notice, is surrounded by several rings... and ring shepherds.
The base is inside a rift on the largest of those shepherd moons. A well booby trapped facility, if not that heavily manned. And now that you've destroyed the picket force, the people manning that base will almost certainly have sent out a distress signal. In short, Captain Tikopai, the 'taking over the base' part of your game plan should be put in motion rather soon, if I were you. Though how you're going to pull said invasion off, I'm not quite sure..."
"Sounds like a resounding vote of encouragement to me." Matthew Gideon observed. "But one I thing I've definitely learned this year is that when the going gets tough..."
"The tough use their ace in the hole." Julia finished off, as she turned an appraising eye in Galen's direction. "Any ideas?"
"Oh, one or two." the mage replied, as he glanced back in Jaida's direction. "It would appear that school is now back in session."
* * *
Shadow Technology Flagship Cain - enroute to primary target. 17:45 hrs, EST.
One thing the officers and crewmembers of General Ari Ben Zayn's warship had learned in the long run was that it was never best to get in the way of a fight between the General and his son. Due to his success at the Battle of GC 9117-C, the General had seen fit to elevate him to the rank of Lieutenant Commander within his forces - but the difference in rank between them seemed to mean nothing when the son thought he held the high ground.
"I can't believe you're just sitting here and letting this happen!" Mordechai fumed, as Ari Ben Zayn reclined in his chair of command and glared at his son. "Every intelligence report we have at hand indicates that Kavanagh has rendezvoused with the forces under Gideon and Tikopai's command, and that they are moving on the base where the stockpile is held - the very item that you believe will make Sheridan give you what you want - what we all want. If they succeed in getting past the base's defences and taking the stockpile into custody, all that we've done and plan to do will be for naught!"
"Hmm - let me pause and think about that for a moment... long enough. Mordechai - do you really think that I'm actually that stupid?" The General grinned nastily as he saw a look of consternation appear on Mordechai's face. "For a little while I entertained the notion that Rakheel and his turncoat ally the Drakh might actually accomplish their goal of taking out that damned Ranger and her ship from Hell... but for a moment only. Rahkeel and Palakz are now lost to us, and ultimately, even if they do manage to engage Tikopai in battle, their need for vengeance now overcomes all other reason. They will either fall or fail in achieving all that they have desired.
For a moment longer it seemed that our allies from beyond the Rim might stay with us to the last - but that hope, too, has passed. As we have seen, the Speaker for the Eloi'a has not been so free to use his troops for our cause as he had hoped - internal matters in his star nation have... distracted him, it would seem.
Bargains and compacts cannot be trusted - the only things I have ever trusted are my own plans. And those are proceeding exactly as I had forseen."
"Do you mean to say that..."
"I had intended for Tikopai to acquire the stockpile from the start?" Ben Zayn's glare slowly transmuted into a smile of triumph. "An interesting question that is.
With an even more interesting answer."
* * *
Tuzanor. The Valley of Sorrows. 17:52 hrs, EST.
"Word has come. She lives - and all who follow her live as well."
A smile appeared upon the face of the woman who had been waiting to hear those words. "In harm's way they stand, as we stood in our time. You have no idea how I've been longing to hear those words."
"You will perhaps not long quite so much to hear the ones that follow, however." Durhan cautioned. "Young Julia and her allies walk along the darkest road they have yet to travel... and it is as yet uncertain whether any of them will emerge from this unscathed."
"The same could be claimed for any of us who fought in the Great War, Durhan!" came the retort from Jennifer Westcastle's lips. "She's survived everything they've thrown against her so far..."
"But we may not survive what comes next." a harsh voice intruded, and as one the two Rangers turned to see their High Councillor move into the courtyard at speed, the expression on his face terrible to behold. "Word has come from the Fleet - a short time ago, the commander of White Star 79 informed Tashann of Ben Zayn's destination. A destination he and his fleet will reach in slightly more than a day's time."
And then the Rimstalker told his love what that destination was - and a combined expression of pain and understanding appeared on her face. "We should have seen this coming." Jennifer ground out, as the three Rangers left the courtyard together. "Should have predicted that the enemy would seek to punish them for what they did. Can the fleet make it there in time to make a difference?"
"They can and they will be in the line of fire when Ben Zayn arrives." William confirmed. "The question is..."
* * *
What then?" the Praetor Questus mused, as the image of the Rimstalker and his Observer faded from his crystal sphere. "What then, indeed.
There will be fire, there will be death.
There will be understanding, and regret.
Faith will be tested, and dreams torn asunder.
Are you ready for what will follow?" the Soul Hunter mused, his mind on three possible targets - three possible paths to follow - three possible deaths.
Three possible destinies.
"I wonder."
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To be continued...
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