(disclaimers and associated descriptions in overture)
* * *
<<ACT FOUR>>
#There#
The sounds-of-warning rang throughout Zander Prime's capital city as Dureena strode forth from the landing pad, her pace decisive, her face grim yet composed -- while silently, but deadly in meaning just the same, the emerald and white-green flashes of light from the battle in orbit reflected on every surface of the darkened dome in front of her. A moment later, the Elder who had been waiting for her at the main entrance to that dome stepped forward, and began to speak. "Dureena -- it has been a *long* time since we have seen your face among us."
"Too long." she admitted. "And I wish the visit was under better circumstances, or could be a longer one, but..."
"We understand. A message, you have for us?"
She nodded. "The human who commands the forces of Light asked me to relay this message to you, and it is this: 'while things do not look good at the moment, this action we are taking is a necessary one, and all is not as it seems.
While the forces of the Empire will not be allowed to land upon your world.'"
"We have been watching the battle unfold, Dureena." the Elder reminded her, "And while your Battlemaster has never let us down yet, whatever he is doing up there, he had better do it *soon*."
* * *
The EXCALIBUR.
#crrrangggg#
The Admiral winced, as another glancing blow from one of the advancing Empire destroyers rebounded from the EXCALIBUR's hull. Thankfully enough, the claims of Dreann seemed to be true ones, this time at least -- over 90% of the incoming energy from the Shadow-augmented weapons of their enemies was being reflected by the hull; they could certainly take a few more shots like that one, but not many more. And since Sheridan had now committed his forces to battle, the time had come to begin turning the tables on the enemy. And also, to show them exactly *how* powerful the main gun of this destroyer actually was.
"Damage report!" the Admiral's flag-captain, Matthew Gideon, inquired, his senses sharpened by battle, sensitive to every blow his command was taking.
"20% damage to outer hull, Captain." a crewmember reported. "Nothing significant yet, but if we take several direct strikes from their primary batteries at the same time..."
"So noted." was Gideon's reply, as he focused his hawk's-eye glare on the approaching Empire destroyers and accompanying heavy cruisers, while off to one side, one of the weapons emplacements on their lighter ISA escorts took a series of hits from one of the enemy fighter groups, and exploded with a flare of silent, deadly light. "Are any of those Warlocks in range, yet?"
"Affirmative, sir. Two of them are now approaching kill-zone distance."
"That's exactly what I wanted to hear. Bring us to bear on the first likely enemy target, prepare to fire main gun."
"Target acquired." the weapons officer announced, as the EXCALIBUR's helmsman slowly turned the massive destroyer through space towards one of the approaching Warlock-class warships. "Ready to fire."
"Take them out." Gideon ordered, and everyone on the bridge flinched a moment later, as three brilliant streams of orange-white light sprang off the three weapons nodes above and around the bridge, focused out at the prow, and then sprang off towards the enemy target, striking it head-on. Within seconds, the organic black hull of the enemy vessel glowed first red and then white-hot, and then burst asunder.
"Target destroyed, Captain. Twenty-five seconds to recharge."
The Admiral smiled at that. The Minbari and Human engineers at Sanctuary who had been responsible for designing and building the EXCALIBUR and her sister ships had crammed as much of their micro-fusion technology into the weapons-grid systems as they could manage. And even at that, there was still a forty second pause before the main gun could be fired again.
"Admiral." He turned, then, as the Technomage named Isabelle approached his chair, her expression grave. "Jaenisara has just reported she has finished making the necessary second-circuit modifications to the primary weapons system of this vessel, and since the enemy warship we seek is certainly even now preparing to strike, I for one do not believe there is any more time to waste."
"And just what, exactly, is this 'modification' supposed to do, again?" Gideon inquired, as he turned his chair towards Isabelle.
"The next time you fire your main gun, Captain," Isabelle patiently reminded the EXCALIBUR's captain, "Instead of firing a focused linear beam, the main battery will produce a wave-front of energy which will destructively interact with the particular brand of Shadow technology this stealth vessel possesses."
"Temporarily disabling both the ship and the technology, and making it visible to us?"
"Precisely."
"Captain." the weapons officer announced, "Power recharge concluded; we can fire the main gun again any time you wish."
"Very good -- stand by to fire non-directional burst into the enemy fleet. Admiral?"
He rose to his feet, and grimly smiled. "Send the signal, Captain. I think it's time that Shai Alyt Sinoval crashed this little party."
* * *
Aboard the ENCHANTRESS, the smiles of anticipated victory had soon faded when the main weapons system aboard the enemy flagship had been revealed for the first time, and were soon replaced by tense frowns and great concentration as the crumpled black fragments of the Warlock Class destroyer BASILISK began to rebound off the hulls of its surviving sister ships. Sheridan silently cursed, even as the lead elements of his battleline began to pierce the fighter and White Star screen surrounding the EXCALIBUR. It was now quite clear why no one had ever returned to report on the strength of this new Alliance weapon -- it seemed to be sufficently strong to destroy or badly damage any of the Empire capital ships presently in service.
"Alyt Tikopai! Your status?"
"We are just coming into range now, Sha'var Alyt -- and we are *more* then ready to fire."
"Destroy that ship!" he commanded, his gaze intense. "Destroy it now!"
* * *
The moment had come, the moment she lived for -- the moment that made it all worthwhile. Julia rose to her feet, her smile triumphant, and turned towards her weapons officer, who nodded; they were in range. "Na'shar Riddek!" she commanded, "You may..."
<NO!> came an unexpected shriek, and instictively, Julia shrieked herself then, unable to defend herself against this unexpected attack from within. It felt like her head was exploding, it was...
HER. The 'other' Julia, the visitor from elsewhere -- she had tricked her, she had escaped from her prison! She had...
The astonished bridge crew could only watch then, as the desperate, pain-filled cry of their captain faded away, and she suddenly slumped to the deck, *quite* unconscious.
That was all it took -- and the delay had been a deadly one, as almost simultaneously, two things happened that were destined to turn the tide of battle. The first, an unwanted signal of jump warning, announcing to Pa'trakar Larieken and the rest of his crew that a group of unexpected warships was about to enter the skies of Zander Prime.
And the second? The unexpectedly quick, *certainly* unguided shot from the EXCALIBUR's main gun, a moment after that. The results of that firing were, however, just a little bit different, this time around.
* * *
The flare of light that sprang from the front end of the EXCALIBUR in that dreadful, fateful moment was nothing like the one that had come before it. A shimmery white hemisphere of light, it expanded towards the Imperial battleline at a speed no one on the battlefield could clearly comprehend. While moments after its production, the expanding wavefront of energy found the target its creators were seeking.
Found it and disabled it, as the half-living construct that was the Imperial battlecruiser SHARD OF NIGHT suddenly screamed, and began spinning out of control, its senses blinded, its systems thoroughly, if temporarily, disabled.
Moments after that, the now-dissipating wavefront passed through the rest of the Empire ships, giving the living portions of those larger, cruder vessels only temporary discomfort. But the damage had been done, the confusion sown. And there were many in that moment ready to take advantage of that confusion, as behind the suddenly disorganzized Empire vessels, over twenty more Interstellar Alliance capital ships suddenly sprang into the system, and joined the fray.
* * *
Aboard the VELANN.
"The EXCALIBUR has fired its wavepulse; our gambit would appear to have succeeded, Shai Alyt."
"This is well." Sinoval allowed, as his battlegroup began to open fire on the Empire forces, now trapped between his forces and those of the Admiral's. "Alyt Tirivail, do we have a fix on the Imperial stealth vessel's position?"
"We do." his first officer reported, her smile a smile of triumph. "The workings preformed by our Technomage allies appear to have succeeded in their aim; the vessel has been detected in Battle Quadrant Six, quite near to the EXCALIBUR -- they are spinning out of control, their energy signature much weakened. The assault teams are ready for launch, as you have ordered."
"Then you may proceed with the launch at once." Sinoval grimly replied, as the great warship's communications personnel began passing orders to the other Minbari cruisers in the squadron. "We will surround the enemy, and then board his vessel; it will be up to you, Tirivail, to capture and return to us the enemy commander named Tikopai, as our Great Leader and the Entil'zha have demanded."
"Alive?" Tirivail inquired, with a small, disbelieving frown.
"Yes. Alive."
"It shall be as you command, Shai Alyt." was Tirivail's only reply, as she left the bridge.
"*Now*." Sinoval mused, as the VELANN and several of its sister ships swept through the broken Imperial battleline, spitting blue fire, "Where is Sheridan's command?"
* * *
#Here#
Amaranth -- The Labyrinth of Night. The night of March 9-10, 2267.
"How goes the stuggle?" Veyshahk inquired, as he entered the enclosure.
"The struggle?" Sheynell replied, as she walked over to meet the SHARD's just-returned physician, "The elder of the two Soul Hunters... he's hovered over his instruments for hours now, saying nothing to us, ignoring everyone but the other Soul Hunter -- and Galen, of course. None of us know what they're doing..." Nearly she fell, then, before Veyshahk caught her, his face now full of concern. "What time is it?" she whispered, the exhaustion finally getting to her.
"By the timings of this place, it is now the first hour after local midnight. If you do not mind me saying this -- if I may, as your kind says, 'be frank', you have by my estimates now been awake for far too many of your hours, most of them spent in the chill of this place. I would suggest you echo the actions of the rest of the crew, and return to the warmth of the SHARD OF NIGHT to sleep. There is nothing more you can do here, tonight -- it's simply taking longer to find her that we were all expecting. Even them, apparently."
Briefly, Sheynell turned toward Galen, and after a long moment, the Technomage sighed, and nodded in agreement. "The search is not going well at the moment... the doctor is right, return to your ship. When we have made progress, we will summon you back down to this place."
"And you, Technomage," Veyshahk inquired, "Do you not need rest, as well?"
Galen laughed, an terribly ironic sound. "I have stood vigils far harsher then this one in my time, Doctor. I appreciate your concern, but no... I require no rest for the time being."
"Veyshahk, do you intend to stay down here this whole cold night, alone?"
"I am rested, and have also endured many cold nights as a result of my involvement with the Anla'shok," was Veyshahk's reply, "But no, not alone. Another comes to stand vigil with me this night, one to whom her safety means everything."
"She will not come to harm." a familiar voice declared, and Sheynell turned, and smiled a smile of gratitude, as an all too solemn Larieken entered the enclosure. "Not here... not in the house we have built for her, to protect her from the Darkness."
"Then I go." she whispered, "But I *will* return."
"We will be waiting."
* * *
Shortly thereafter, a conversation began. A conversation that none of the individuals involved wanted the Rangers to be privy to.
"Your Veil of Silence is useful, Technomage." the Praetor Questus allowed. "Let us now discuss what we have learned here."
"As you say. The wedge I have placed in the gate widened it just enough for you to send a probe through, looking for young Miss Tikopai's soul. Did you happen to find it?"
"The thread from her body travels into the heart of a great congregation of souls in conflict. War there is on the other side of the gate... a terrible war. Many are dying, many souls have already been lost.
But yes, we have found her."
"If she dies on the other side, the search we are undertaking will be disrupted. The quest we are on may fail."
The Praetor Questus raised a finger in warning. "More we have learned that may give you pause, Technomage, in your need to return her to this place so soon. We have observed a pattern in the congregation, a great MOVEMENT of souls from one form to another. It is likely that the movement began when the one we seek *arrived* in the -beyond-. You know what this means, do you not?"
Galen sighed "I do, unfortunately, and what you're saying doesn't surprise me in the slightest. I told her once, not so long ago, that she was the pin on which destinies might turn. We must be careful, however, not to let this matter progress too far. The gate, while stable, is also unreliable; if it begins to close, we must bring her back immediately."
"It shall be as you say. If all goes well, your worries will be for naught -- the pattern will be completed, and she may then return safely."
"If all goes well, yes. It is, however, my experience that nothing ever goes *completely* well in situations like this one. In any case, when she has returned, I must make sure this never happens again."
"A precious gift will be lost, but yes, we understand why this must be so."
"Then we are agreed."
"We are agreed."
"Good. Now then, there is another matter we must discuss, almost as critical. The Rangers will not understand our need to keep her there, for now at least. We must, how shall I say it, 'delay' things a little more then we have already, while still making it look like we are making progress."
"As well as involving *them* in the search?"
"We must, and soon."
The Praetor Questus thought about this for a moment, and then he nodded. "Attend then, Technomage. This is what we shall do."
* * *
#There#
The boarding action, when it came, was swift and decisive, and because of the unexpected arrival of the second wave of Alliance ships, there was nothing that the Imperial forces under Sheridan's command could do about it. All of the Imperial vessels had already been forced away from the EXCALIBUR and the still-disabled SHARD OF NIGHT, the only other choice being to suffer what would amount to catastrophic, crippling damage at the hands of the now numerically superior Alliance forces.
Meanwhile, surrounded on all sides by Minbari warships, the disabled, still keening form of the Empire battlecruiser continued its uncontrolled spin through space, as three full hands of boarding craft moved towards their intended destinations.
Latching onto the spinning hull was easy enough, and burning through it was even easier -- the Alliance troops had a lot of experience with this sort of thing, after the years and decades of war with the Empire and other, greater forces such as the Shadows. A small group of pods even managed to latch onto the hangar doors at the rear end of the ship, and using a sequential command their spies had stolen from the Empire, instructed those doors to open, blowing a small number of surprised Imperial soldiers out into space as they did so.
The remainder of the boarding action proceeded apace at that point, even as in the near-distance, a frustrated John Sheridan, facing certain death from behind if he did not leave the field of battle, ordered his damaged squadron to jump out of the battlezone. There was no question in the invaders' minds about what had to be done-- those that fought were to be killed or disabled, while those that surrendered were herded into one strategic location. Meanwhile, the efficient, hard-faced Warriors commanded by Alyt Tirivail silently combed the decks of the enemy ship, looking for the target they sought.
The first place they thought to look was the bridge, and the searchers were quite surprised to find that the captain of their boarded target *wasn't* there, and neither was her first officer... while the Minbari telepath in the boarding party was swift to disconnect the SHARD's 'core' from her organically-spun prison. The telepath knew this woman by name, and silently cursing the Empire for what they had done to a close friend, moved off down the corridor at speed carrying her in his arms, hoping that the recent attack on this ship's organic systems had not permanantly damaged her mind.
The search continued then, and quickly narrowed down to a surprisingly sustained pocket of resistance around the ship's Med-section, a pocket that Tirivail herself soon arrived at, when all other possible alternative hiding places had been exhausted.
"Is she in there?"
The Warrior in command of the unit beseiging the doors of Medsection nodded curtly. "Yes -- and her first officer is, as well. He is the problem; he has managed to kill five of us already with his zei'taku."
Tirivail's hand moved instinctively to her denn'bok at that point, and a moment later, a touch slammed the weapon open, a weapon wielded by her father before her, and his father before him. "I will take care of this *myself*."
"They thought the same as you did." a mocking voice announced from around the corner. "I proved them wrong."
Nearly she screamed out a challenge in the Ancient Way at that point, but restrained herself, just in time. Her father and her sister had died fighting the forces of the Empire, had died in missions that should have succeeded, but hadn't. This was her mission, a mission that the Shai Alyt himself had sent her on, and by Valen, she was not about to let *one* enemy defeat her -- not when they had come this far!
"A challenge is it, then, my enemy?" she sharply replied, as she moved, cat-like, into the Medical section's entryway, noting first the scattered bodies of defeated Warriors on the floor, then the small gaggle of medical personnel beyond the black-cloaked Minbari in front of her, and finally, the outstretched figure of her target on one of the beds beyond.
Her opponent nodded. "It is clear enough that you seek to take my Captain as prisoner -- I cannot allow this to happen."
"That is an unacceptable response." she replied, as they began to advance towards one another, weapons at the ready. "My Shai Alyt has ordered this mission's success, and I will not allow you to disturb such plans. If you will not stand aside, you will be destroyed."
"Enough talk! The time has come to fight!" And with that, the enemy warrior strode forth, and battle was joined. After a moment, Tirivail allowed herself the observation that his skills were actually quite good -- good enough to have defeated those he had faced until her arrival.
But not good enough to defeat her, the last surviving child of Warmaster Takier. It would take time, of course, but eventually he would make a mistake, and when that moment came...
The waiting, terrified medical personnel gasped, then, as Tirivail's pike spun beneath the defender's guard, and bone shattered beneath the impact of her weapon; a moment later, her opponent collapsed. Still breathing deeply, she knelt beside him then, and said the only thing that seemed to matter.
"Remember these words, for when the war is ended -- remember them for when you are finally freed, having paid the price for the crimes you have committed. There is one thing you cannot fight against, and that thing is INEVITABLITY. The tide has turned, and your Empire is dead -- and the day will come, soon enough, when the corpse finally realizes its heart has stopped."
The warrior spat at her then, of course, but she had already risen to her feet and turned away, as she gazed upon the unlined, surprisingly youthful face of the human woman who had killed so many of her kind. The woman who had, until this moment, commanded the warship named SHARD OF NIGHT.
The enemy captain who was now her prisoner. Strangely enough, she seemed to be unconscious for some reason -- had she, perhaps, suffered some sort of injury during the battle just finished? Tirivail did not know, and all things considered, did not care, either. All that mattered was that the mission had been a successful one. This time.
"Alyt Tirivail." her troop-leader said. "Command us."
"Take this one to my boarding craft -- as soon as I arrive, we will proceed towards a rendezvous with the EXCALIBUR, without delay."
* * *
A short time later. Onboard the EXCALIBUR.
"Please!" Julia cried out, as she met the hardened gaze of the Minbari warrior in front of her, and strained against the bonds that held her into the chair she had found herself in upon waking up. "You have to believe me! I'm not who you think I am, I'm not supposed to be here! In Valen's Name, you have to..."
She cried out involuntarily, then, as her captor ruthlessly slapped her face. "Disbeliever, servant of Darkness!" the Minbari ground out, "You do not have the *right* to swear in his name, in the name of the one YOUR kind dares to call 'Betrayer'."
"Please," she began again, "I just want to talk to someone in charge, someone..."
"Who will listen to you?" another voice sharply inquired, a voice she recognized all too well -- and she stiffened, then, as Delenn stepped into the chamber... but Delenn had *never* gazed as harshly at her as *this* Delenn now did. "You, who have commanded the murder of many of my kind, you would *dare* to ask for mercy?"
She shuddered, then; there *had* to be a way out of this, but how? "I'm... I'm not asking for mercy, I'm only asking you to listen to me, if only for a moment. I'm NOT supposed to be here, I'm not who you think I am!"
<It won't work, you know.> the Other caustically told her, from the deep recess that Julia had thrown her into... hours before? <They won't believe you, and they certainly won't spare your life. OUR life, that is.>
<Shut up!> she screamed.
"And who are you, then," another voice critically observed, "If not what I have made of you, in their image?" The owner of the voice stepped into the chamber, and Julia flinched then, as her counterpart cried out in terror, while the new arrival critically gazed down his nose at her.
<Shadowman? NO!... what are you doing here?>
"Yes," a final voice reiterated. "In their image. And while you've done well, Alwyn, I'm afraid that this is a more unique situation then any of us can imagine. And with her help, I'm about to prove this to all to you, in a fashion that none of you will be able to ignore."
It was at that point that she realized she knew who the final speaker was -- knew it in her bones, in her heart... in her soul. The speaker was a man who had helped to teach her so *much* of what she knew as a Ranger... and he was someone she had never thought to see again, in this life.
And, as far as she could tell, the only one who could save her, in *this* here and now.