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"STAR AND CIRCLE: THE SEEKER'S FIRE" |
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EPISODE FOUR: OBJECTIVE PERSPECTIVES |
(disclaimers and associated descriptions in overture)
* * *
GUEST STARRING
The entire BABYLON 5 and CRUSADE casts and more besides!
<<ACT ONE>>
March 8th, 2267; onboard the SHARD OF NIGHT.
#There#
It was a disconcerting feeling, to say the least, to watch her fingers lift and braid her hair, and know those fingers were not controlled by her, but by the *other*. To look into the mirror, and see that Other smile a smile of purpose, a smile she would never willingly choose to wear, a smile of cruelty and control. It was like standing in a doorway, a doorway walled over by invisible crystal. She could see, touch, hear and feel.
But not act. It was terrifying, it was...
It was then that she realized what had happened, of course. In a moment of carelessness, she'd allowed her hand to touch the obelisk on Amaranth, and somehow, she'd fallen through this door and into... what? An alternate reality? An alternate body?
The Other laughed, as she closed the clasps on her studded, midnight- black uniform, a uniform of purpose, a variant of the uniform the Minbari Warrior Caste wore in her own reality. <You would think it such, now wouldn't you? This is my world; I catch glimpses of your so-treasured reality in your mind, and shudder. A world where my people and those of my Pa'trakar stood at the forefront of the battle against our banished Masters? A world where my beloved commander fought against the Dark Ones, and helped to destroy them? Unthinkable!>
The Dark Ones, the Other had said; did she mean the Shadows? Had Mankind somehow become a servant race to the Shadows in this timeline? But How had this happened? How could such a twisted version of the universe she knew have come to be? What had happend to...
She cried out, then, as the Other sent a spike of devastating pain in her direction. <And of course, you would be a servant of the Lost One, the one who cannot be named, yes? Do not bother to answer that question, you have given me the answer already. Zak'rath give me strength to put up with your presence here, but the Shadowman has told me that I must... that there is a purpose to this duality, this visit from my weaker, honour bound self. And because he has commanded it, I *will* endure your presence here, but as long as I control this body, I will not have you speak the word of Heretics in my presence.
Do. You. Understand me?> the Other demanded, each of her words punctuated by a stab of blinding pain.
<I... I do.>
<This is well. Now, you will be silent, and you will keep your thoughts to yourself. I now have to deal with my crew, my purpose and my duty, and I will not have you interfere in that!>
The contact ended then, leaving Julia one option, and one only; to watch, through the Other's eyes, as she left her quarters and made her way through the corridors of this reality's SHARD OF NIGHT, a darker shade of the vessel she knew. The Shadowman, she had said, but who was the Shadowman? Had he been the one responsible for drawing her to this place, and if so, how?
Soon enough, though, she had other concerns and other sorrows to deal with, as some of those she cared for, served with and knew as friends began to appear...
* * *
The new telepath's integration, Pa'trakar Larieken dispassionately noted, seemed to be proceeding without too much difficulty. The previous telepath to fill that position, one Harriman Grey, had been too strong willed, and the current of dark purpose that gave this ship its strength had broken him utterly.
They would not make the same mistake again, of course. The Z'shailyl and the others had made quite sure that the new candidate was ready for the task before they had placed her into the interface. With some interest, Larieken noted the dozens of black organic strands that twisted out of the wall to interface with the implants on the telepath's face and beneath the long blonde strands of her hair. Their liason aboard, a Z'shailyl named Moreil, checked the connections with its instrument, and hissed its approval. All was proceeding as planned.
Behind him, the door shimmered and then rippled aside, and Larieken turned away from his comtemplation of the SHARD OF NIGHT's newest 'core' to meet the icy gaze of the human woman the Drakh, and the Dark Ones before them, had commanded him to protect. He knew the story of course, how the Drakh had discovered Julia Tikopai on Earth eleven years before, and *altered* her to serve their own purposes. How she had rapidly risen through the ranks to become squadron leader of one of the most feared Vaar'la units in the Empire, a squadron that had been responsible for destroying the warship of the traitor Kalain, the Minbari who had been one of the Army's greatest commanders during the most recent War of Chaos and Order. And how, when this ship had been finished, the Sha'drakh had picked her to command it, in their name.
He bowed. "Alyt Tha'ssele Tikopai. The Watch is yours."
His commander inclined her head slightly in his direction as she assumed her seat-of-command, while he assumed his own station behind and beside her, and then she smiled. "And I accept it, knife-brother. You will forgive my earlier lapse, Pa'trakar; the dream you woke me out of was a... rather disturbing one."
"There is nothing to forgive, Alyt." he replied. "The matter is forgotten; it never happened."
"No... you're right, it didn't. Your report?"
"The integration of our latest telepath prisoner, a Sheynell Keynes, is proceeding well, Alyt. Moreil wishes me to inform you that unlike the previous core, this one will not give us nearly as much trouble. The Nak'laht have perfected their methods of altering human mental pathways; he assures me that her communion with the Master's 'Machine' will soon be a complete one."
"And she is a P12, is she not?"
"Yes."
"A remarkable catch. The next time I encounter Lasek'vah Ivanova, I shall have to complement her and her team of operatives on their interception and neutralization of the enemy's latest operative. For now, however, Pa'trakar, I believe it is time for the rendezvous, is it not?"
"Affirmative." And as if to confirm this statement, a moment later, Larieken's command-board warned him that two jump points had begun to form ahead and below of them, and all then heard the welcoming cry the SHARD cast across space to its larger, more primitive brothers, a cry that was responded to in full. "Nine human Warlock-class warships have just emerged out of hyperspace, accompanied by six Minbari Zhevri-class warcruisers, and a number of smaller attendant Drakh vessels. We are being hailed by the task group flagship, the ENCHANTRESS."
"Open comm channel at once." was his Alyt's next command, and then, even Larieken stiffened, as the face of the silver-bearded Earth-sect supreme commander appeared, his expression terrible to behold.
"Sha'var Alyt," his Captain began, one of her eyebrows raised with interest, "We were not expecting to see you again quite so soon. May I inquire..."
"No, Alyt Tikopai," Sha'var Alyt John Sheridan informed Larieken's captain, "You may not. There is a time and a place to discuss such matters, and this is not that time, or that place. You and your Pa'trakar are to come aboard the ENCHANTRESS immediately; we have a great deal to discuss, and a great deal to do.
And time is running out."
* * *
Amaranth; the Labyrinth of Night.
#Here#
"What do you mean," Klairika exclaimed, "That it 'is as if her hand is fused to the surface'"
Veyshahk sighed, before turning to face his first officer, while Taylene Nividia and the other members of Veyshahk's staff slowly laid out Julia's body on the well-padded, but feather-light stretcher they had brought down from the SHARD OF NIGHT within moments of learning what had happened on Amaranth's surface. "Perhaps I should be more specific. Her hand is not fused to the surface, the surface and the hand appear to be woven through each other at a cellular level. Also, there is a substance in her bloodstream that I do not recognize..."
"Doctor," Sheynell cut in, her expression terrible to behold, as nearby, Nividia deftly inserted an intravenous needle into her captain's arm, "You do not mean nanotechnology, do you?"
The Minbari physician's mouth tightened. "I have had the unpleasant duty of dealing with shadow biotech on several occasions in the last several years, when Anla'shok have drawn too close to the enemy, and suffered from the... attentions of their colleagues. I assure you, I am able to recognize the signs of nanotech, and no such signs are visible here. There are no nanites in her blood, Anla'shok Keynes; I do not know what the substance is, but it does not appear to be harming her..."
"Yet." Sheynell darkly concluded.
"And as a matter of fact..."
"When I was a member of the Corps, I..."
"Enough!" Klairika exclaimed, and after a moment, Sheynell subsided, but not before casting a *very* resentful look in her direction. "Doctor, you were saying?"
"As a matter of fact, if I did not know any better, the substance appears to be sustaining her body. A difficult proposition at best, for as near as I can tell, this obelisk has placed her into a very deep coma. Her brainwave activity is minimal, and she is barely breathing."
"What do you suggest?"
"Until we are able to determine what has happened here," Veyshahk replied, "And come up with a possible solution, it is my judgement that we must erect a shelter around the Val'na to protect her from the elements. This place is not a warm one, and I for one would not like to be exposed to the conditions here after nightfall."
"Your suggestion has merit, Doctor." At that point, Klairika beckoned in the direction of her tactical officer, and the still-angry and resentful Sheynell followed her to a discreet distance. "Sheynell, I require you to return to Larieken's side on the SHARD OF NIGHT; it will not do to have too many of our senior crew on the surface, as long as this crisis continues."
"But...!"
"Do not presume to make the mistake that this is a discussion." Klairika coldly informed her. "As long as our Val'na is incapacitated, I command in her place. There is a clear and present danger here, and the need to defend the SHARD against all comers is greater then ever. Do you understand me?"
"I do. Na'lai." Sheynell coldly bowed in her direction then before turning away. A moment later, Klairika allowed herself a sigh. When this was all over, when Julia had been rescued, she feared that she would have to do a great deal of apologizing to her new comrade. But that was the future; for now, the cold sun of this place was already starting to descend towards the horizon.
And night would soon be falling.
* * *
#There#
"As sword-sister, I greet you." Julia began, as the heel of her left boot came to rest upon the shimmery, midnight-black deckplates of the ENCHANTRESS. "Do I have your permission to come aboard?"
"You do." the captain of the ENCHANTRESS replied, and without pause, she strode foward, her pa'trakar behind and beside her; his left hand, as always, upon the bluish-gray steel of his zei'tak'u. "He has told me a great deal about you... are the stories true? Did our allies find you, and bind you to the Great purpose? Did you face the same trials as the Sha'var Alyt and I, when we were your age?"
She nodded briskly, as they walked. "A great honour it was to be chosen by them, I will tell you. Out of all the Bound Houses, only one Ring is allowed to enter the Fortress of Zsheil each cycle, and they told me that I was the greatest they had seen in generations. They say, 'if the war is to be won, that I may even go on to greater heights then he, in the years to come'."
"*If* the war is won." was Alyt Tha'ssele Elizabeth Sheridan's bitter reply. "Even with all the aid we possess, our ships powered and protected by the Dark One's ancient ways, time passes, lives are lost, and the battlelines draw ever nearer to our worlds."
"This will not last forever, I assure you." she replied. Julia briefly winced then, however, as a particularly forlorn cry of pain and despair emerged from the Other inside her; damn the Shadowman for putting her through this, but she had to endure it, that was the way of things... that was what he had told her. That the ancient Ch'akra themselves had predicted this moment; that a visitor would come through an unexpected door, and a great trial would have to be endured.
"My command is the first of many to come, a ship borne of the alchemy between Earth, the Drakh and the masters that the Enemy banished from our side. Shi'mael Dawson, my worker of miracles, assures me our primary battery will be capable of destroying any ship in the Army of Light's arsenal, even up to and including the new fleet of Vorlon-tech warships we have heard rumour of."
"That's quite a bold claim," was Elizabeth Sheridan's reply. "But if my husband is correct, you and your new set of Knives will be put to the test soon enough."
"Exactly." Both women whirled, then, as John Sheridan slowly moved into view behind them, two of his warrior guards close behind. "That is the reason the Council of Ascension sent us out here; and the reason I summoned you and your most-favoured protector to the halls of my flagship. We are at war, Alyt Tikopai, and that war may be won or lost dependent on the actions we take in the next twenty-four hours."
"Do you wish to be more specific, Sha'var Alyt?"
"I do, yes." was Sheridan's reply. "Attend to me, my Captains!
We have a council to conduct."
* * *
#Here#
"What's going on?" Sheynell burst out, as she burst onto the bridge at a run. All the way from the transport, the chime-warning had been calling her...
"The ancient-tech jumpgate in this system is coming online." Larieken icily replied, "Not that this is a surprise, for our whiskers have been following the approach of the two ships about to pass through it for the better part of the last half hour. They are not attempting to conceal themselves."
"They?" she exclaimed. "They who?"
"See for yourself." the Minbari replied with no small measure of venom, and the image rippled down, to reveal two tiny whorled and spiky ships in hyperspace. "It is an ominous sign."
"I... *know* I should recognize those ships," Sheynell carefully enunciated, "But why don't you help me out, just this once, okay?"
"They are Soul Hunters." Larieken spat, as if he had tasted something foul beyond words. "They came for our great leader Dukhat when the war with your people began, more then twenty of your years ago. They only appear when the great, the precious and the unique are about to pass beyond the Veil. I invite you, Anla'shok Keynes, to *examine* the possibilities for their presence here."
Oh, Valen, no. "You don't mean...?"
"It is the obvious choice." Larieken ground out, "They would not be here for another reason. It is not their way to be here for another reason. She lies close to death, Sheynell; they can sense such things."
"When are they due to jump out?"
"NOW."
"Dasouri!" Sheynell commanded, "Bring us into close proximity with their vessels. Mr. Holm, bring primary and secondary battery to bear. Larieken, open a channel with those... Soul Hunters. Let's see if they've noticed there's a focused-beam Vorlontech strike cannon pointing in their direction yet."
"Ready." Larieken replied, even as the SHARD surged forward towards the approaching Soul Hunter vessels.
"This is Anla'shok Sheynell Keynes of the Interstellar Alliance Battlecruiser SHARD OF NIGHT to intruder vessels!" she began. "You will cease your approach to the world behind us immediately, and you will declare your intentions to me at once!"
"We are being hailed." Larieken began. "Do you wish...?"
Sheynell curtly nodded. "Let's see what they've got to say for themselves, *before* we decide to cut them in half."
An image sprang into being, then, of a bald-headed humanoid figure with a well-trimmed black-and-silver beard, a figure that possessed what appeared to be a *third* eye to go with the other two. "Rangers." the Soul Hunter began, shaking its head sadly. "You walk in places you should not have entered. SHE is close to death, apart from her body, apart from this place and this time. Occasionally able to sense such things, we are."
"Tell me truthfully, Hunter," she replied, very slowly, *very* carefully. "Do you seek her soul? Answer carefully, for if the word you say is yes, know that I shall cut you down where you stand."
"Difficult question to answer, Ranger named Sheynell Keynes," the Soul Hunter mused. "Seek her we do, but not to capture, NOT to collect. Orders we have; she is young, her greatness not yet attained. Cut down she has been by great mistake made; door has been opened. The door must be closed; your captain must be saved. Much yet to do, this we know."
"Are you trying to tell us," Larieken incredulously exclaimed, "That you want to try and help us *save* her?"
The Soul Hunter laughed. "Minbari. Always suspicious, always fearful, and always for the wrong reasons. Yes!... believe me or do not, but my brother and I are here to aid you, to help your captain, to free her from the trap she has entered."
"Why would you do this thing?"
"The door must be closed." the Soul Hunter insisted. "Souls are lost forever, lost through the door. It must be stopped."
"When can you begin?"
"Soon." was the reply. "Very soon."
"Why not now?"
"All involved in this matter have not yet arrived. Another will soon join us, one your captain knows, one who knows you. ALL of you. We will wait until his arrival to act."
"While you delay," Larieken angrily burst out, "She could be dying!"
"Die?" the Soul Hunter scornfully replied. "We would know if the Link had been shattered. It has not. For now, she is safe, the Machine keeps her safe for its own reasons, reasons the *Other* will describe to you soon enough."
"And if you save her... what then?"
"Price to pay, there will be."
"Price?"
"It is the way of things." was the Soul Hunter's final, biting comment, as the image began to fade to black. "Now say no more, we will, until the Other comes to this place.
Be ready for his arrival."
* * *
#There#
Aboard the ENCHANTRESS. Council chambers.
"All across our domain, at this moment," John Sheridan told the circle of attendant captains and lesser officers around him, "Battlegroups like this one are coming together. The Interstellar Alliance has made a crucial error, and it is time for us to press that advantage to the fullest.
It has been brought to our attention that a conference of their greatest generals and leaders will shortly be taking place aboard their flagship. This vessel, protected by a battlegroup of similar size and nature to our own, will shortly be coming into orbit around Zander Prime. They believe this meeting to be a secret one; they believe that we do not know what is they are planning."
Sheridan smiled a smile of purpose. "They are wrong about this, on all counts. Our operatives, after much infiltration and collection of information, have been able to pin down the location and timing of this meeting to an enviable extent. As such, my fellow Sha'var Alyt in the Imperial Third, Seventh and Ninth Orders will shortly be undertaking major flanking attacks into Alliance space. It is our belief that this will draw away whatever forces the enemy may be able to draw upon when our attack against their flagship begins. And it is the belief of the Council of Ascension that if this attack succeeds, the governments and navies of the Alliane will be sufficiently disorganized for us to press the issue. Not only should we be able to retake territories lost over the past three years, we should also be able to press deeply into their central domain, as well.
Do you have any questions at this time?"
"Not a question as such, no." Sheridan turned, then, to meet the icy, almost *amused* gaze of the SHARD OF NIGHT's commander. "I will assume that we are to play an important role in this attack of yours, then?"
He nodded. "Your command's stealth characteristics and sheer offensive firepower are key to the success of this mission, Alyt. While the larger, more visible human and Minbari capital ships engage the flanking vessels at Zander Prime, it will be your task to move upon the Alliance flagship without warning anyone of your presence. And it will be your duty to open fire on that warship with all the weapons at your disposal...
And destroy it completely."
* * *
"No!" Julia cried out, as she beat her 'hands' against the wall of her prison. "I won't let you do this! What you're planning, it's murder, murder of the worst possible ki..."
Flames rose around her, and she screamed. The flames faded away, just as quickly as they had appeared, and she raised one shaking hand in front of her, to find herself unharmed.
<That was a warning.> the Other hissed. <The next time you attempt to interfere, the experience will not be so pleasant.>
A maelstrom of despair whirled through her, then, as she slumped against the portal, one hand against the surface, the other balled into a fist. This place she had fallen into, it was horrifying; to see Sheynell, helpless and bound, surrounded by shadows... and to see this reality's version of President Sheridan, gloating over an opportunity to conduct a sneak attack, was almost too much to bear!
<President?> the Other's mocking voice whispered in the distance. <Oh, DO tell!>
"No!" she cried out angrily, "I will show you nothing more!" And before she even knew what she was doing, she hammered her balled fist into the invisible, but seemingly impermeable wall in front of her.
And was suitably astonished when a faint, glowing crack appeared in that surface.
* * *
Elsewhere.
Two figures met, one tall and grey-haired, the other slightly shorter, with a dark hood over his head that hid every feature on his face. "How do matters proceed?" the First inquired.
"Reasonably well. The plan that my Master made with you before he passed beyond the Veil is proceeding apace."
"The link between here and there? Is it fully operational?"
"Yes, and will continue to *be* fully operational, as long as circumstances warrant, and as long as the Gatekeeper is able to maintain control. This will not last forever, of course; even now, forces may be marshalling on the far side of the Doorway, seeking to reclaim the poor lost soul of the Child who would be Captain. A child *just* inquisitive enough to make this Linkage possible."
An eyebrow raised. "You're not telling me that the one he contacted is *also* commander of the SHARD OF NIGHT, are you?"
The second man sighed. "He observed the Child's soul carefully during the transition, and while the circumstances of the command in that other place are not the same, the answer to your question is yes."
"I see. Now, the question is, can she take control, when it matters the most?"
"We will learn the answer to that question soon enough, I think."
The first man nodded, and turned away, fading into the shadows. The second paused for a moment, and then added one more comment.
"Which may surprise everyone involved before this is finally over."
* * *
To be continued...
* * *
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