* * *

        <<ACT ONE>

        Prison cell aboard Brakiri hunter-vessel *Zal'cior* -- Brakos orbit, docked at Sarathas habitat. July 12th, 2267, human reckoning.

        She had been brave for so very long -- and dutiful, in the life she had lead. A life that had brought her face to face with her dead father on the night the Comet had been brightest. From that moment on, the road she had walked upon had diverged towards a different future; a future that had become the present, upon the bridge of the warship she had come to call home since the hunt for the cure to the Drakh nanoplague had begun.

        That future now seemed to be as ashes, however -- and in a sudden fit of rage, Klairika sprang off of the narrow bed that was all she had in this dark place -- and came to the end of the chains that bound her at neck and feet. So easily she'd been captured!... so easily. And only now, after being brave for so long, did the bitter tears begin to come.

        Which was when the door swung open in front of her, of course, and she fell to her knees as two figures appeared in the light -- both were indistinct in the glare, but she didn't have to see them to know who they were. The taller was the na raen-shahn who had captured her... Mezhik zum Berane, loyal servant of her family since before she'd been born. And the other, of course... was the matriarch-ruler of the medical-technology syndicate that had become one of the strongest Krona'chaal of recent times... the 'Nei-Leidrei', as she was known.

        Her mother.

        Klairika turned her gaze away from the vicious triumph visible in those eyes, and shuddered. This was not going to be pleasant, by the look of things -- and received a slap for her troubles. "You *will* look at me when I talk to you, zei-liena miskaa'. I have not come this far to have my only daughter turn her back on me in the instant of our... reunion."

        "A reunion," she spat, "That should never have happened. How did you do it?" she spat, suddenly whirling to focus her fury upon the icy superiority visible on Mezhik zum Berane's face. "How, in Valen's Name?"

        And for that utterance, received another slap. "Another example of how far she has fallen and been corrupted by these *Anla'shok* she favours..." the Nei-leidrei observed, as Berane inclined his head in agreement. "Understand, you will, miskaa', that I am most pleased with our na raen-shahn Berane -- his success was beyond our wildest expectations. And understand, as well, that the phase of your life involving those black-cloaked murderers of profit is now *over*."

        "What do you mean?" she managed.

        "Now that you have been returned to us," the Nei-leidrei explained, "You will *never* be allowed to leave Brakos again."

        Klairika let out a long breath... and smiled a vicious smile. "I *am* Anla'shok, mother -- and no matter how many times you strike me, this is one thing you cannot take away from me. I am a Ranger, and the Anla'shok takes care of its own. The human I serve, a human you will be meeting soon enough, will come to this place once she learns that I am not dead -- this I know. If you intend me to... stay, then you will have to keep me imprisoned at all times... for otherwise, I shall escape, and return to my duties."

        For a wonder, her mother chose not to strike her at that point... instead, a terrible and strangely *anticipatory* smile appeared on her face. "It is as I had feared, then -- the Anla'shok have programmed you to serve their will, miskaa'... but as you will discover, there is something going on Brakos below that will change your mind soon enough. Bring her, Berane!" the Nei-leidrei ordered, as she turned away in disgust. "Her willfulness sickens me." And with that said, a now confused Klairika watched her mother stalk out of the cell.

        "This fate, you have brought upon yourself," Berane informed her, as a pair of hunters appeared in the door, and moved forward to surround them.

        "What do you mean?" she demanded, as the hunter began unlocking her chains. "What is she talking about?"

        "Soon, you will learn the truth." the reply came, as the other hunters took hold of her, and despite some well-timed struggling on her part, proceeded to carry her out of the cell. "Very soon, indeed."


        White Star 66 -- near the edge of Brakiri territory.

        "So let me see if I've got this straight..." Dechene muttered, as she arrived on the bridge, "Tutored by Councillor Westcastle's wife during the Shadow War, nearly killed by a Shadow agent at one point, assisted in White Star operations duties both during the battle of Corianna VI and also the final battle for Earth..."

        "A normal girl, she wasn't." Talion Quintara admitted, his expression contemplative, as he turned in the captain's chair to face the intelligence Ranger. "And, as you probably also know, I was there to see most of it happen."

        "And what about you?" she retorted, as she sat down beside Quintara. "There's some in the Anla'shok that say both of you gained command rank *because* of your association with the High Councillor and his wife."

        "In some respects, I suppose 'they're' probably right." he replied. "But forgive for saying this, Araella, but you weren't serving under them during the Shadow War, as I did... as she did. We learned a lot from the Westcastles -- learned what it meant to give commands that might send people to their deaths -- and we learned how to win... the hard way.

        I've said it again and again over the years," he continued. "How do you think things would have gone if the High Councillor *hadn't* been there to lead us when times got tough?"

        "A lot of people might not have made it." the other Ranger finally admitted.

        "Damn straight they wouldn't have. I've got an answer for all those people that wonder why *we're* commanding ships of the line -- because we get the job done. It's that simple."

        "So far." Dechene muttered.

        "Sir!" White Star 66's first officer suddenly exclaimed, "There's a jump point disturbance forming, one hundred kilometers to port."

        "Bring us about, Mr. Veranes." Quintara ordered, suddenly all business. "We've all heard a lot about this new ship -- maybe now we'll see if the stories are.... true..." Which, was, of course, when the crew of White Star 66 got their first good look at the almost predatory warship emerging out of that jump point. "Well, I'll be damned... guess they are."

        "Signal coming in." Veranes continued. "The captain of the 'Shard of Night' for you, sir, on primary comm."

        "Julia!" Talion began, rising to his feet as the image of the other ship's bridge shimmered into view in front of him, "William told me you'd gone up in the world, but what can I say? That's a hell of a ship you've got there."

        "We like to think so, yes." the reply came. "Although some of my crew seem to think that it's a lightning rod for trouble, actually!"

        Quintara laughed, conceding the point. "Well... if you're going to follow the 'Excalibur' around, that's something you're going to run into on a regular basis, I'm afraid."

        "And now, down to business."

        Talion nodded. "I'm afraid so. This is Araella Dechene, Julia -- as you probably know, one of our finest intelligence agents. She's been assigned by the High Councillor to help rescue your first officer... if she's still alive, that is."

        "She is -- I know it."

        "Yes, I've heard that about you." Dechene replied, her tone somewhat acid. "That you're one of these so-called 'Observers' -- that you sometimes know when things are going to happen before they do. Well this time, I hope your sixth sense is working in overdrive... Val'na. Because if this mission doesn't go exactly as planned, none of us are going to get out alive."

        "Why don't we continue this discussion in person, Anla'shok Dechene?" At that, Talion shuddered -- whenever Julia got that expression on her face, there was going to be trouble.

        "Sounds *good* to me." At which point, the link with the other ISA warship was terminated. "Well..." Dechene muttered, "Looks like this is going to be fun."

        "You'll get used to the way she does things... eventually."

        "Either that, or we're going to end up killing each other. Do I have your permission to disembark, sir?"

        Talion nodded, while only just managing to keep a straight face. This was one clash of wills he was glad he wouldn't have to witness.


        Brakos -- corporate enclave Heiljamar.

        "Aian-shan -- she is here."

        Aian-shan Bahkmein ground his teeth nervously as he turned away from his work to face the facility entrance. For some time now, he'd been expecting (and dreading) the Nei-leidrei's return to his domain. Maybe *this* time, he'd made enough progress to make her happy...

        The door slid open, and a moment later, *she* stepped into the lab... along with her latest assistant -- a member of the People barely full grown. The muttering amongst his own people began to grow, then... and Bahkmein could understand why -- the nei-leidrei's assistant, her hair was, what did the humans call that colour... ah yes... *blonde*.

        This was a strange new fad the new generation had been embracing as of late -- one that Bahkmein found most disturbing. Why couldn't they be happy with what nature had provided? Blonde, indeed! -- no doubt, they'd been looking at some of the transmissions from the old human archives, again...

        "Aian-shan Bahkmein." the nei-leidrei began, as her assistant moved around the lab looking over the shoulders of his now-nervous assistants. "My analysts have told me that the project is moving forward... as expected. Is this true?"

        "As expected, yes." he allowed, "Although one of the recent tests arranged with the help of the syndicate justice division produced certain... unexpected side effects."

        "Side effects?" the nei-leidrei inquired, her eyes bright.

        "Ah... yes. The criminal in question lost about a quarter of his adult memories during the procedure -- loss of sensory input and subsquent immersion in the virtual environment, in combination with an unexpected reaction to the Verfahrin-B compound, produced this result. We, ah, believe, however, that this individual does not represent the majority of Brakiri society -- all other tests have gone smoothly. The individuals in question can now be classified as model citizens."

        "Aian-shan Bahkmein," the assistant suddenly inquired, "Forgive me for asking the obvious... but I have not had the privelege of visiting this facility until now. Would you care to review the intent of this project for me?"

        "And this is...?" he asked with a frown.

        "Nei-lahl Kariena Alidiae." the nei-leidrei replied. "The latest member of our family to involve herself in syndicate affairs. You will do as she says, Bahkmein."

        "Ah... of course." Bahkmein cleared his throat. "I will try not to be too technical -- but where to begin? This project was begun some time ago... the intent, to discover whether or not we could introduce a method of controlling the criminal population that does not involve imprisonment. Re-education seemed to be the most promising alternative -- but the ratio of success to failure until now has been... discouraging."

        "Until now, you say." It was then the younger Alidiae switched her gaze to the machine in question, a table and helmet combination surrounded by a dense meshwork of metal fibres. "This machine you have been working on has altered the ratio of success to failure, then?"

        "Ah... yes, it has. In combination with a drug recently perfected by another syndicate division -- we have discovered it is possible to isolate subjects in a virtual environment of our choosing -- the... drug inhibits time-sense, which allows us to do a great deal of... re-education... in a very short time span."

        "But?"

        "For various reasons, Verfahrin-B has proven difficult to synthesize." he finally admitted. "This may change in the future, but until it does, we can only afford to pursue this project on a small scale -- while the machine that makes this all possible is, for now, one of a kind -- and very expensive to maintain."

        "We are aware of the expense involved." the nei-leidrei icily replied, "And it *is* considerable. But since you have assured us that progress continues, we may yet be persuaded to continue funding this project -- if you are willing to do something for us, that is."

        "Of course." Bahkmein fervently replied. "What, ah, exactly did you have in mind?"

        "There is... an individual we wish re-educated." he was informed. "You and your team will do this for us, no questions asked. That is our price for continuing this effort."

        "Ah... I see. This... individual you refer to -- an enemy of the syndicate, perhaps?"

        "Not... exactly." At which point, nei-leidrei explained to the astounded, and subsequently horrified scientist who it was she was talking about.


        Almost from the moment that Councillor Westcastle had given her this job, she'd been... what was the best word?... may as well admit it -- *dreading* this meeting. And only after coming aboard the 'Shard of Night' had she figured out why. It had taken her a long time to get to where she was today... while the individual she was about to meet had been groomed for command almost from the start. As Rangers, they weren't supposed to be envious of others and their accomplishments ... but damn it, she was only human -- it was a hard pill to swallow.

        For a moment, Araella paused at the entrance to the captain's ready room, aware of the curious eyes upon her, and then she resolutely strode towards the door -- which slid obligingly aside, revealing the shadowed space beyond. And the single candle, burning next to the dark-haired, dark uniformed woman standing by the ready room portal. Tikopai. Quintara had said 'expect the unexpected' in passing -- and now, it looked she was about to find out exactly what that meant.

        "So... is *this* private enough for you?"

        "It is." she was told, as the door closed behind her. "Whatever you are going to say, Anla'shok Dechene, now would be the time to say it. There is no one else to hear us, in this place -- and if we cannot move past this strife between us, we will never rescue the one who needs us the most."

        "You want to know what I think?" she sharply replied. "I think that he was crazy to give this ship to you -- and I'm not alone. You've been lucky so far... but now, it looks as if that luck's run out."

        "You cannot prove that -- and without proof, the statement is meaningless."

        "No... I guess I can't. But It's sometimes been my job to point out the obvious -- and here's a truth for you. Almost from the beginning, this mission has moved in the shadows -- and it's becoming increasingly clear to a lot of us that you're beginning to make enemies -- Drakh... Minbari, and others. Enemies that may have planted spies among your crew."

        A flare of anger came, then... before calm returned. "I have considered that possibility -- I do not want to believe it, but..."

        "The Brakiri knew *exactly* where Alidiae was," she harshly reminded the younger Ranger. They knew she was in trouble, and they were able to get to her before any of your people could. Now either that's one *hell* of a coincidence -- or they had inside information."

        "There is another option you have not considered. Among my 'enemies', as you put it, are a number of Observers -- if one of them has chosen to aid the Brakiri..."

        "I've never put much stock in mysticism -- and even though I've taken the vows just like you have, I prefer to stay rooted in reality for the most part. Don't suppose it really matters, anyways -- you made a mistake, or someone close to you has betrayed everything we stand for... either way, I'm sure you know what we have to do. It's our duty to get to Brakos without any of your enemies knowing we're there -- the mission, to try and rescue your first officer, and also to find and destroy any information they may have extracted from her. While you are obligated to support me in this... *Val'na* Tikopai -- and in case you've forgotten, we can't let personal feelings get in the way of this mission. I'm sure you understand."

        "I have always obeyed his orders without question. I understand what must be done."

        "Well, then... in that case, maybe this won't be such a bad experience, after all. I'm going to assume you've chosen your support team, already?"

        Tikopai smiled, then... at which point Araella whispered a silent curse -- those sort of smiles almost always meant an unpleasant surprise was waiting just around the corner. "I have. My tactical officer, my fighter squadron commander, myself, yourself... and... one other." At which point she blinked in surprise, as a pair of red eyes opened behind Tikopai's shoulder.

        "What the *Hell*?"

        "Sss-uprised you, I did." the alien observed, as he moved into plain view. "Proof this-sss is, that technology of the ancient masters can sometimes be used for *good*."

        "Who is this?" she asked, her voice full of suspicion. "What is he? And why didn't the High Councillor warn me he was aboard?"

        "His name is Moreil." she was told. "He is a Z'shailyl, an ally we drew to our side early on in the mission. He is an enemy to the Drakh... and a friend to our cause. And as you have just seen, where we are going, he can be very valuable."

        "Z'shailyl? But aren't they..."

        "Not all, no. The Drakh have forced the majority of his people back into servitude -- but Moreil intends, eventually, to free as many from their control as he can. We helped him once... now he helps *us* in return -- from time to time."

        Great... just great. Now, on top of the rest, she was going to have to deal with a former agent of the Shadows that could become invisible on a moment's notice? She was going to regret this... she just knew it. "I see. Just out of curiousity, have you and your crew figured out a way for us to get into the Brakiri system without anyone seeing our jump point?"

        "We have, actually. It goes like this..."


        In the dark belly of Heiljamar enclave, a circle of power came together, and words were exchanged.

        A light flared in the darkness, and was quickly shielded. After a time, the criminal ranks parted, and Cho-nori moved into the dim, radiant circle produced by the lamp. "Bekas," the crime lord inquired. "Tell us what you have learned."

        "The news is not good, Chadi-naal." the reply came -- quick, decisive. "It is as we had feared -- word has come that the Alidiae syndicate has perfected a device capable of... re-educating those who are seen as being... undesirable to the future prosperity of the syndicates and Brakiri society."

        "Their words..." Cho-nori growled, "Not ours."

        "As you say. In any case, the Alidiae nei-leidrei has shared words with the aian-shan most responsible for the construction of this device -- we believe that she has authorized an expansion of the contract... for a price. The lost one, the miskaa' who ran away to become Anla'shok -- the nei-leidrei has commanded that she should become a proper daughter of Brakos. And if the procedure is successful..."

        "This cannot be allowed to continue." another Chadi'naal observed, his baleful stare difficult to meet. "If the syndicates mass-produce this... device, our way of life, it will be threatened!"

        Cho-nori raised his hand then, however... and all fell silent. "I will not have fear walk among us in this fashion." the brotherhoods were warned. "As it has been in the past, so shall it be now. Bekas, we command you to take a team and infiltrate the domain of this aian-shahn, Bahkmein I believe he is called -- if the project is as limited as we believe it is, then will we strike, to elliminate the threat. The syndicates must be made to understand that we will not stand for this -- that we will even go so far to wage war against them rather then submit to this... re-education. Bekas, go now... do what you must, so that we may elliminate this threat."

        "You shall have the information you seek, dread lord." the information merchant promised. "As it has been, so shall it always be."

        "So shall it always be." Cho-nori confirmed, as he turned away from the light, and back into the darkness.


        The last time she had stood in their ancient holdfast, the dawn had just come upon the sharp peaks and icy glacial tongues of Heiljamar -- the sun about to rise, its distant blood-red companion high in the sky. She had slipped away in the between-time, when eyes grew dull and the need for sleep was greatest -- and now, returned she had... but not to the life she had lead before. Her hands went yet again to the manacles around her wrists -- and she fought against the fear that was waiting, ever vigilant, in a corner of her mind. What *was* her mother planning? And why...

        The door sprang open behind her, and Klairika whirled, but not quickly enough, as Berane's men surrounded her. She had not even time to cry out, as a spraygun was quickly, efficiently pressed against her neck -- the trigger pressed.

        A taste of charis blossom.... and into darkness she walked again.


        How many times was this to happen, she wondered -- darkness to light, and light to darkness? They had injected her with charis'lahl, a powerful sedative -- her skin, it was still tingling, it almost felt like...

        Her eyes sprang open, and she moved to sit up... and found she could not. What was this? And where was she?

        A brown tile ceiling, brilliant lights and darkness beyond -- she was laying on what appeared to be... an examination table?... bound at legs and arms and neck -- a helmet of some sort was on her head... while hundreds, perhaps thousands of silver threads dangled all around her -- the itch, no doubt the contact points upon her skin. "What is going on?" she cried out. "What are you *doing* to me?"

        "It is a necessary evil." a voice whispered -- and she winced, as her mother's face shimmered into view -- were her senses still dulled by the charis'lahl?. "The na raen-shahn spoke truly... you have brought this upon yourself, my daughter -- and now, it is time for you to pay the price for your mistakes."

        Then it was that she began to understand what was going on here -- this device, could it be... some sort of experimental re-education device? "No!" she cried out, as she struggled anew, "You cannot do this to me! You have no *right*!"

        "I have *every* right." she was icily informed. "From the beginning, you were willful... and ever since the Day of the Dead, your rebelliousness has hurt our family, our business... our livelihood -- this phase of your life ends, here and now. It is time for you to show our competitors how wrong they were, Klairika-miskaa'. In time, if you do well, I may even accord you your honor-name again... now, the time for talking is done. Bahkmein!"

        "I... await your command, Nei'leidrei." a nervous voice replied from out of her field of view."

        "Begin the treatment."


        To be continued...


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