(disclaimers and associated descriptions in overture)
* * *
<<ACT THREE>>
March 9th, 2267; Amaranth -- The Labyrinth of Night.
#Here#
A moment before, the air had seemed cold, but that cold was nothing compared to the icy pain Klairika now felt as she listened to the words spoken by the just-arrived technomage, Galen. And the worst thing of all was this -- they were, of course, true ones. Several times already since the mission had begun, her Captain and Val'na had gotten herself into situations that could have quite easily killed her -- the battle at Talangahta IV, for instance.
And then, she had let her come down to Amaranth, and look what had resulted! She could not meet the accusation visible in his eyes, and turned away; almost, she began to leave the new arrivals, when Galen suddenly spoke again.
"You know what it is you have done: would you now walk away from us, and admit your failure openly to all those you serve with? Would you display your guilt to all those who consider you honourable, a leader to be respected? Would you turn your back on the only hope your captain has?"
She whipped angrily around, at that barb. "Make yourself plain, Technomage! Are you here to help me, or shame me? Why do you remind me yet again of the wrongs I have done, of the actions that have resulted in this tragedy?"
Galen smiled an ironic smile, and shrugged. "It is a necessary evil. The mistake, once made, should not have been repeated."
"That's easy for *you* to say. Do you have any idea..."
"How hard it is to say 'no' to her? Hmm... must be difficult indeed to fight against one so charismatic as your captain." the Technomage admitted. "She is so used to having her own way all the time, isn't she?"
"Yes." What else needed to be said?
"Did you know that attitude nearly killed her once, long before your first met her? And while she isn't in mortal danger at the moment, this could change at any time. I make a bargain with you, Brakiri..." Galen continued, his gaze now intent. "When we have saved her, when we have retrieved her from beyond the gate, you will be more diligent about protecting her from her worst enemy."
"Herself?"
Galen nodded. "Precisely... herself. You will teach her the meaning of the word 'no', Klairika Alidiae; you will draw the line she cannot be allowed to cross. Because unless this occurs, she will kill herself before your first year aboard the SHARD OF NIGHT is concluded. I have seen this; it will come to pass, *unless* you act."
"You have my word." she promised. At that point, a new thought came to her, and Klairika's eyes narrowed. "Your first words to me..."
"Were said for their shock value, yes." Galen admitted, with a small laugh. "But now that I have your solemn vow, there is indeed a task I would like you to perform for me; a very important task, when the moment comes. Someone will have to step into the gate to meet her halfway, when she returns to us. To hold out a 'lifeline', if you will, to drag her out of the place she now finds herself trapped in."
"You want me to go into that thing alone?"
"No." Galen replied. "Not alone. I will be there to aid you, in your time of trial."
"And we, as well." the older of the two Soul Hunters added. "We will begin what must be begun, if you will finish the task. That is the way of things."
"What are we about to attempt," she asked, as they drew near to the enclosure that was protecting Julia's body from the elements, "Will it be dangerous?"
"Life is dangerous." Galen replied. "Some parts of life, however, are more dangerous then others.
This will be one such occasion, I am afraid."
* * *
#There#
Onboard ISAS EXCALIBUR, flagship of the Interstellar Alliance.
The man that some named Admiral casually reclined in the chair at the end of the EXCALIBUR's conference table, and watched his comrades and fellow warriors enter the chamber. They were worried, of course, but if only they knew what he knew, perhaps they would not have been so concerned. But that could not be allowed -- he gift of foresight provided to him by assorted, somewhat *unusual* means could not be passed on to others. Yet. The letters, of course, stayed close to him at all times, hidden in the inside pocket of his dark brown and black tunic. If the others knew what the letters had told him...
Well. Some of them would not believe, and none of them would understand.
"I hope you know what you're doing, sir." William Westcastle began. With a combination of frank interest and sadness, the Admiral observed how the gray in his battle leader's hair had spread in the last several years. Years of constant warfare, they had been; Hell, all of them had been aged during the struggle against the Darkness. And the struggle wasn't over yet.
"William," Marcus Cole chided his friend, "Do you think the Entil'zha would leave the greatest warship and leaders of the Interstellar Alliance open to Imperial attack for the Hell of it? No, he's got a plan, and that's the reason he's summoned us all here, to tell us what we have to do, and why."
The Admiral sighed at that point. 'Entil'zha' had been the first title he had received, long before he had earned the present one... a naming presided over by Delenn, the leader of the 'Light' Minbari. The Rangers had answered to him for nine years, now; there were some days, however, when he wasn't sure whether he appreciated that or not.
"Always so sure of yourself, Marcus, aren't you?" Warmaster G'kael noted. "We know that Sheridan is coming this way with many Empire warships; we know that our flagship is to be left lightly defended on *purpose* to draw the enemy in, and it is certain that when battle is finally joined, many on both sides will die. But I *trust* the Admiral, Marcus -- he has managed to pull of too many last-minute victories in the last few years for us not to trust him by now."
"You speak bravely, Warmaster..." Lord Vir Cotto replied to his Narn colleague, "But there have been some days in the past century when the fleets of the Tyrant of Minbar have nearly overrun my people. Time presses on, and their technology continues to improve!"
"So does ours, my Lord." Westcastle shot back. "The destroyer-class starships that have begun to follow the EXCALIBUR off of our assembly lines are more then equal in firepower to the ships of the enemy. And when you factor in the new enhanced armour..."
"Which has *yet* to be tested in battle against their Warlock Class Destroyers, I might add!"
"The armour will be more then sufficient to repel the weapons of the Empire, I assure you." came a cool voice from the corner of the table, and all present turned that way to hear the words of Alyt Dreann, the chosen representative of Delenn and her warrior leader, Shai Alyt Sinoval, at this meeting. "The forces of Darkness are slowly being pushed away from our worlds on all fronts, and the day will come, soon enough, when we will stand upon the surfaces of Earth and Minbar. The day the Tyrant and his Council breath their last breaths."
"And how many more of my people must die before that day comes?" exclaimed Lethke Kullenbrok, the Alliance ambassador for Brakir. "Thousands? Millions?"
The meeting was spinning out of control; there was a time and a place for everything, and now was the time to call an end to the madness. The Admiral stood. "Enough." Instantly, the entire room fell silent. "We haven't come to this place to argue; we've come here looking for resolution, for a way to find the end to a conflict that has torn this galaxy apart for generations. It must end, and today, I will reveal to you the means to that end. We have located the key -- now we must capture that key out of the hands of the enemy."
"If you don't mind me asking, Entil'zha," Marcus inquired, "Exactly *what* key are we talking about, here?"
"This key." he replied, as the image of a young human woman in Imperial black sprang into being on the conference chamber viewscreen behind him, a woman whose cruel smile told everyone around the table what they needed to know. This woman, though barely more then then a teen, had been named 'The Darkness Born' for a *very* good reason.
Instant consternation followed that revelation, of course. The Admiral waited patiently, a small smile on his face, as the outburst of denials, shouting and oaths reached its height, and then faded away. "The Murderer of Kalain!" Dreann exclaimed, her eyes full of anger. "Admiral, do not presume to tell me that that human is the key to the peace we have all been seeking. It CANNOT be so."
"It IS so. When the truth reveals itself, you cannot argue."
"And who, exactly, revealed this 'truth' to you, sir?" Marcus inquired.
"They did." As one, everyone around the table whirled towards the door at that point, and beheld two women who hadn't been there before. Women who wore matching, close-fitting black and grey tunics and even darker hooded capes. Women who carried short, but deadly looking silver-and-ebony staffs.
"They're not... who I think they are, are they?"
The Admiral smiled, and nodded. "Ladies, why don't you introduce yourselves?"
"It shall be as you wish, Admiral." one of the new arrivals replied, as she cast back her hood to reveal long, pale hair beneath. "My name is Isabelle, and this is my companion, Jaenisara.
We are Technomages."
* * *
The bridge of the SHARD OF NIGHT. Several Hours later.
With no small measure of irritation, Julia ran a lacquered black fingernail across the armrest of her chair-of-command. Something was wrong about this whole situation; something she couldn't quite put a finger on. The 'other' Julia, the visitor from a reality peaceful enough to almost make her sick, had been far too silent as of late, for starters. <What are you doing?> she shouted at the shimmery, only half-seen mirror-place in her mind that marked the location of her unwanted 'guest'. <Why are you being so quiet?>
<Quiet?> came the disbelieving echo. <Let me see if I can remember what you said; 'interfere with me and mine, and pay for your mistake', I believe it was. I don't know how long I'm going to be stuck here in this body with you, reflection mine, and I don't know how to get home... but I'm not stupid. I'll stay out of your way, if you stay out of mine.>
<WHAT?> she exclaimed. <This is my mind, my body, do not presume to tell me what I can and cannot do to you!> Her anger hot enough to incinerate, she cast out a burning thought towards her echo, only to *feel* the shimmer of the other mind move, and fade away. It was at that point that she clenched her left fist tightly enough to draw blood with the nails, so angry had she become.
"Alyt. Are you well?" It was her Pa'trakar, of course; with a blink, she forced herself back into the here-and-now. It would not do to show weakness before him and the rest of the crew. Of *any* kind.
"You need to ask?"
Larieken nodded. "You appeared, how shall I say it?... preoccupied. May I ask what with?"
"That would be *none* of your concern."
The Minbari stiffened at that point, and bowed coldly in her direction. "As you say. Alyt. In any case, a priority-Alpha transmission from Earth has just arrived aboard... your eyes only."
"Then the bridge is yours. For now." With that parting remark, she made her away out of the command-bridge proper, and into her inner sanctum. "Computer!" she exclaimed, "This is Alyt Thas'sele Tikopai; accept and decode private message, in the name of the Empire!"
She quailed then, however, as she beheld who it was that was in the image... a dark-cloaked, dark-hooded man, his mouth grim; the man most responsible for bringing her to her present station within the forces of the Empire. Without hesitation, she went down on one knee before his image, and bowed her head. "Shadowman. It has been... long since you have last spoken to me!"
"Has she joined you?"
"Yes." Julia admitted. "My 'companion' has been with me for almost a standard day, now. She is a weakling, produced by a weakling shadow of our own reality. If you had not warned me she was to come into my mind, I would not have believed it the truth..."
"Be wary of her," the dark-cloaked man warned. "She is stronger then you suspect. She may even attempt to take over your shared body, if given the opportunity."
"I assure you," she haughtily replied, "I do not intend to give her that chance. I have, in my own way, broken her already; I do not anticipate any further problems in this regard."
"We shall see."
"If I may ask... how much longer must I *endure* this?"
"As long as is necessary."
"What is the purpose of it?" she shouted.
The Shadowman smiled. "You will learn the answer to that question soon enough, my Darkness Born. Be assured of that!" And with that proclamation, the contact ended.
* * *
#Here#
As the day had progressed, the sun slowly emerged out from behind the stormwrack, and the snow had faded away to scattered flakes of ice blowing on the wind. This did not, of course, disturb those working within the thermal enclosure that protected the body of the captain of the warship SHARD OF NIGHT. They had more pressing concerns then the weather to worry about, at least for the time being.
"The gate, you said," Sheynell noted, as the seniormost Soul Hunter, who had earlier identified himself as a 'Praetor Questus' slowly approached the wall of the obelisk with a small and pointy silverish instrument in one hand. "I just don't *see* how this black monstrosity could be a gate!"
The Soul Hunter sighed. "Gate it is, telepath, disbeliever. A gate of the Soul. Your Captain has fallen through the gate and into the beyond... the place of fear. We must send a probe through the gate to try and find her, before progressing further."
"It doesn't *look* like a gate!" she protested.
"And what is a gate?" Galen asked her. "A doorway to somewhere else? A partition between here and there? A portal into someone else's mind, perhaps?" The Technomage stopped, then, as the disbelieving frown on Sheynell's face grew deeper. "Oh, very well. I suppose we'll just have to show you, then."
"If we must." the Praetor Questus muttered, as he cast a baleful glance in Sheynell's direction, before turning towards the other Soul Hunter, who nodded in understanding. "Show them, then, what cannot be seen."
"A waste of time, this is..." the younger Hunter replied. "And energy. But he has requested it, so reveal the gate we shall." And with that, the Soul Hunter drew a small globe out of his robes, and raised it high above his head. The globe promptly began to glow.
"Do not look at it!" Galen entreated, as the glow became a painful flame. "You would become blind before too long. Look at the WALL, instead." They did, and as one, all the Rangers present drew in a long, shocked breath.
"In Valen's Name..." Sheynell whispered, as she beheld the long, slowly moving light-and-dark streaks crawling across the face of the obelisk towards Julia's hand. "I find that I must apologize to you all!"
"There is," Galen cryptically noted, "A first time for everything. Now then," the Technomage continued, as the Praetor Questus placed his instrument against the wall of the obelisk very close to where the streaks converged at Julia's hand, "The time for talking is past. The time for action... has come."
"Begin, we must." the Praetor Questus agreed, as he closed his eyes, and opened his senses to the gate. "The search for her soul...
Begins now."
* * *
#There#
"Delenn." the Admiral began. "Thank you for coming."
The Minbari leader, who had often wore frowns of late, smiled up at the tall, gray haired man in front of her. "We both know how much this means and what will come of it, even though *I* still have many doubts as to the way you are progressing with this matter."
"I had doubts too, once... but not any more. The fleet of warships commanded by Sha'var Alyt John Sheridan, a fleet answering to the Tyrant of Minbar's call, will be jumping into the skies around Zander Prime any time now, drawn here by a lure they cannot hope to ignore."
"And this fabrication we have woven, of the defenseless flagship of the Interstellar Alliance protected only by a scant handful of escort vessels, you believe that they have accepted this as the truth?"
"They have, yes. Their forces have suffered enough defeats in the last eighteen months that they begin to fear for their lives. Sheridan, especially, believes that his master will replace him before too long unless a remarkable and dramatic victory is arrived at."
"While this human female we seek, the human servant who killed Kalain and his crew -- she is coming at Sheridan's side?"
"Our sources say so, yes."
"And our sources are always right?"
"Not always." the Admiral admitted, "But let's be honest, Delenn; they're desperate for a victory, any kind of victory. And if that victory involves a sneak attack against the flagship of their enemy, then so be it."
"I have heard word of this dark echo of our White Stars." Delenn replied, her eyes glinting dangerously. "This *obscenity* that the Empire has ordered built. We will not allow its intended mission to succeed."
The Admiral was about to reply, when a movement at the corner of his eye alerted him that the moment they had been waiting for was finally coming to pass. "Captain. Your report?"
"Admiral. Intelligence White Star 175 has just entered the system. Ranger Quintara is waiting on the link to speak to you." At that point, the Admiral wasted no time getting to the bridge; Talion Quintara and his Drazi accomplice were among his finest Rangers; that they had survived as many missions as they had was no small testament to their mastery of the arts of skulking around behind the scenes. "Val'na Quintara." he gravely began, his flag captain close behind and beside him. "Your report?"
"Entil'zha. I beg leave to report that an Imperial battle Squadron consisting of nine Warlock Class Destroyers and almost as many Minbari warships is less the five minutes away from jumping into the system... and the Drakh have come along for the ride, as well."
"And so it begins." the Admiral muttered.
* * *
White Star Prime. Moments later.
"They're coming." Catherine Sakai stated as a matter of fact, as Marcus Cole burst onto the bridge of his command at a run. "Aren't they?"
Marcus tersely nodded as he settled into the captain's chair of the warship that had been his for almost eight years, now, and his first officer assumed the secondary station beside it. "Talion and his crew jumped into the system only just ahead of them; the question is not 'is', it is now 'when', Catherine."
"And this stealth ship they've got," Sakai inquired, "Are you sure we're going to be able to see it when the time comes?"
"The Admiral," he replied, "Assures me that our recently arrived 'allies' will take care of that for us. Apparently they've got a quite unusual reception planned for it..."
* * *
The FURIOUS.
"Fighterwings away, sir." Zhailxi Alidiae reported, as William arrived on the bridge of his command. "The DAUNTLESS and her battlegroup have formed up on the other side of the EXCALIBUR, while the forces loyal to G'kael and Enzorr of Brakir flank us above and below."
"And the White Stars?"
"Sha'vei Cole and the First and Third Fleet elemenmts have formed a perimeter just inside the fighter screen.. We would appear to be as ready for this engagement as we're ever going to be. Sir."
"Now," William muttered, "The question is, will Sheridan commit to battle, once he realizes some of what he believes is true, isn't? And will he advance far enough into the system to make closing the trap a worthwhile action?"
"I believe, sir, there is a point you have forgotten..."
* * *
Hyperspace.
Silent and waiting, the shoal of ISA Minbari and Narn warships were far enough off the Zander Prime transfer beacon that it could be hoped the Imperial technologies, new or otherwise, would not detect them. Sinoval detested the waiting, but Delenn had explained to him, at some length, what would occur if he jumped in too soon, and scared away the target of this mission.
The experience, his leader had informed him, would not be a pleasant one. And so, he waited patiently for his enemy to enter the system; waited on the bridge of his great warship, the VELANN, for the moment to come.
The wait would be over soon. The moment of trial he sought was close at hand.
Then, and only then, would battle *truly* begin.
* * *
Elsewhere, a dark-robed figure observed the developing situation, and smiled a grim smile. His love and her comrade had arrived onboard the EXCALIBUR as planned, while his other associate had pulled the necessary strings to bring the *other* matter the Order had been concerned about to a necessary conclusion. It had been a long and harrowing ordeal for his friend, but a necessary one.
All too necessary.
"And soon," the man noted, "The guest will make her move."
* * *
"Jump!" Sheridan ordered, and without question, without pause, the Vaar'la fighterwings peeled away from their motherships and fled down the maws of the just-opened jump points. The ENCHANTRESS, accompanied by its flanking Warlock escorts ATLANTES, AKHENATON and BASILISK, emerged into normal space shortly thereafter, the remainder of the battlegroup close behind. While the SHARD OF NIGHT rode between the black hulls of the larger Imperial destroyers, invisible for now. Invisible until the moment came for it to open fire on its intended target...
"Are they here?" Sheridan demanded.
"Our intelligence," his partner and flag captain replied a moment later, "Would appear to have been accurate, this time around. The EXCALIBUR and a small number of Alliance warships are riding in high orbit around Zander Prime, with a minimal screen of fighters and White Stars in attendance."
"Excellent!" Sheridan declared, as he straightened and focused on the enemy ships, now that battle was close at hand. "Our flanking attacks into Alliance space appear to have drawn away the supporting forces, as our analysts believed they would. Prepare to..."
"Hold. Signal coming in from the EXCALIBUR."
"I can never understand why he keeps doing this, but what the Hell, since he's going to be dead soon anyways, we may as well let him have his say. On screen!" Sheridan allowed his gaze to become hostile then, as the image of his opposite appeared. "This is Sha'var Alyt John Sheridan of the IAS ENCHANTRESS to commander, Alliance starship EXCALIBUR: you are outnumbered and outgunned; surrender, or be destroyed."
"Did you really believe for a moment that we'd comply with that order, Sha'var Alyt?" the reply came, a reply that Sheridan had been expecting, of course. "You may have surprised us here, but don't believe for a minute that we'll lay down arms and surrender to you just because you've got more ships then we do. Many battles have been fought between our forces in the last few years; have you ever known us to surrender?"
"So be it. Admiral. You, your entire crew, and all your precious guests have just signed their death warrants. ENCHANTRESS out!" At that point, he gave the inevitable order, an order given by dozens of Imperial commanders before him. "This is Fleet Command to all vessels -- acquire enemy targets.
Fire at will."
* * *
The moment was coming soon, she knew it. Now that her opposite's commander had committed his forces to a full engagement with the small group of Alliance warships protecting the EXCALIBUR, the time was coming for her to strike -- to make her move. The moment when her and the Other would switch places, for as long as it took to find a way out of this mess.
And as for why, well that was an easy question to answer. Julia had sworn to her own reality's John Sheridan that she would protect the EXCALIBUR from harm.
It was an easy step to take, all things considered, to go from that to protecting *all* possible EXCALIBUR's from harm. And even though that action might mean her death in this harsher, more brutal reality, so be it. She would die, knowing that she had done the right thing.
And in this here-and-now, that was all that really mattered.
* * *
"Begin." the dark-cloaked figure ordered.
* * *
"*SEE*." Isabelle the Technomage entreated, as she stood on the bridge of the EXCALIBUR, and prepared to make the only move that mattered.
* * *
"Prepare to learn the meaning of what is, and what will be." the individual that one woman named Shadowman declared -- a man at peace with the universe for the first time in a decade, now that his final acting job had been performed. "And surprise even *yourself*."
* * *
While in a dimly lit set of quarters aboard the EXCALIBUR, a familiar, if unexpected figure toothily grinned, and began to laugh. "See? Told you, we did! It has happened, just as we said it would." The figure shook its head, and tutted reprovingly. "It is destiny. It is unavoidable... told you, we did.