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"STAR AND CIRCLE: THE SEEKER'S FIRE" |
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EPISODE SIX: "TWILIGHT'S COUNCIL" |
(disclaimers and associated descriptions in overture)
* * *
GUEST STARRING
PETER WINGFIELD as Palakz
NANA VISITOR as Raeznon
NICHOLAS LEA as Rahkeel
GEMA ZAMPROGNA as Tirivail
RUFUS SEWELL as Shai Alyt Kozorr
MICHAEL YORK as Varsak
KARI WUHRER as Illithan
HOLLY MARIE COMBS as Islane Refa
*and* ED WASSER as Aazhvar
<<ACT ONE>>
ISAS SHARD OF NIGHT, office of the Chief Engineer. 10:40 hrs, Apr 7th, 2267.
"Can't... can't you be any more specific then that, Dad?" Nicholas replied after a long, long moment, his composure shattered for the first time in as long as he could remember -- shattered by the news that his eldest sister, Marie, was *dying*... dying because of what the Drakh had done to the people and creatures of Earth, dying because of what, in the end, amounted to an act of spite.
"I wish I could be, son... but as much as I'd like to, that's just not possible, you see. The virus... they know that the virus is capable of concealing itself -- Hell, they don't even know what it looks like, yet!... but what they *do* know is that it's causing outbreaks of viruses no one has seen in generations... including this particular one. It's attacking her nervous system, Nicholas -- and while the effects of *this* disease aren't immediately lethal..."
"They're culmutative." he finished, holding his voice steady by sheer force of will. "The longer it goes on, the worse she'll get."
"I'm afraid so." his father agreed. "At first, the decline will be very gradual, but towards the end... towards the end, it could happen *very* quickly."
"What do you want me to do?" he ground out, not wanting to say the words, but knowing it was necessary.
A sigh. "I wish I could ask you to come home, son... but I know that's impossible. You're the only member of the family who isn't infected with this damn thing -- and as such, the mission you're on has to take priority over family concerns. If you came back, you'd only be infecting yourself -- and I can't allow that, Nicholas. If the mission of that ship... what's it called?..."
"EXCALIBUR."
A nod. "If the mission of the EXCALIBUR fails, you're going to have to carry on for the rest of us, son. That's all there is to it."
Nicholas took a deep breath, unable to believe that this conversation was even taking place... but knowing it had to -- had to because his father had been waiting to say this to him for over three months. "Isn't a bit premature to be making plans like that, Dad? There's still more then four years to go until..."
"I know. I know you didn't want to hear it, but Marie's... condition has brought this matter to the forefront for all of us, Nicholas. It had to be said."
"Of course. I... I understand."
"I know this was a lot to spring on you all at once..." his father concluded, "And I'm sorry it had to be this way. I really am... but I couldn't wait any longer. I tried... but I just couldn't. If you want to talk -- you know where to find me. And if there's any secrets you want me to keep, I'll keep them for you. No one, and I do mean *no one*, will suspect a thing."
He smiled... although it was, in part, forced. "Thanks, Dad. I appreciate that. You'll let me know when she starts to get... a lot worse, right?"
Another nod. "I will, Nicholas. I... I promise."
"Then I guess we're done with this, for the time being."
"I guess so." His father took a deep breath. "Goodbye, Nicholas. I'll see you soon."
And with that, the screen went black.
* * *
Yedor, Minbar. One Hour after local sunrise.
Her hands sure and steady, Tirivail swept her flyer low over the mighty twin waterfalls that were, among other things, named Shien'ziat. One of that place's crystal towers had been shattered during the time of conflict between the castes that had ended with the new Council's ascension, but like so much of the damage incurred during that civil war, the damage to Shien'ziat's crystal ramparts had long since been repaired. *All* the damage in Yedor had been repaired, and as such, there were no visible signs that the war had struck hard at this place, the city that had served as the heart of the Minbari civilization for so many cycles, now.
No visible signs, no. But the memories... remained. The memory of how *she* had faced one of their greatest warriors, Shakiri, and defeated him. Shakiri had been humbled within the Temple of the Starfire Wheel in a fashion that no Minbari could ignore, and in the years that had followed, their former leader had sunk down into darkness... this much was known. Tirivail's mouth tightened, then -- the fate their former Shai Alyt had faced was unknown to her, however. It was only known that he had disappeared, in the end. Had he died? Did he still live? The answer to this could not be given, and was not known. What was, however, known was this -- in the time following Shakiri's downfall, another Warrior had stepped forth to lead her caste and her people. He had not been wholly accepted at first... but in the end, the Warrior councils had made their decision... and the decision had been a good one, in her opinion.
The landing zone beyond Shien'ziat was quiet and empty, this early in the day... and few Minbari walked across the wide stretches of paved stone. Two Warriors stood there, and Tirivail did not have to strain her eyes to determine who those two were, as she gently bought the flyer down besides them. One was slightly taller then the other, but both displayed the predatory grace inherent to her Caste, a grace brought about by long training and hard practice. One wore an expression that combined anger and sullen defiance, while the other's face was calm... even contemplative. And as she stepped out of the flyer and strode across the stones towards them through the chilly morning air, these expressions did not change. The circumstances which produced them, of course, were not hard to deduce, for those close to them... or in the know.
Such as her.
The shorter warrior had, in his time, served as Warlord to his clan, Alyt Di'shiana, in accordance with the conventions of Clan and Caste. He had, in his time, served as commmander of the experimental battlecruiser named *Vi'dalae An'shaka*... and had subquently been stripped of that command by Sheridan and Delenn, and later on humiliated in front of his people by the Storm Dancer elders. The rage induced by those events had not faded, but seemed to have been transmuted by some external influence.
And for the first time in many days, Alyt Rahkeel of the Storm Dancers was smiling. While the other Minbari, the Minbari who had summoned them here... *he* could not be read in the slightest. And that gave Tirivail both reason to hope...
And reason to be afraid. For when Shai Alyt Kozorr's expression was as icy as it was now, *someone*, somewhere, would certainly die. And soon.
"Sha'liat Tirivail." Kozorr began, "So kind of you to join us, this morning of *all mornings."
"Shai Alyt!" she replied, bowing towards her leader, "I live to serve. I am yours to command."
"Are you now?" Kozorr inquired, as a small smile appeared on his face. "But of course you are... and we are wasting valuable time that can better be used... elsewhere. You will follow the Alyt and I to the Tower of Lai'reati -- we have much to discuss. Much that I am sure you will be interested in." And with that said, the Shai Alyt turned away abruptly, and moved away, his stride long, and full of purpose.
"What is this all about, Alyt?" Tirivail inquired with a frown, as she fell in at Rahkeel's side. "He is... rarely this secretive."
"It is for a very good reason, Tirivail." Rahkeel replied, his smile slowly fading away into a narrowed stare of intent as they walked. "What the Shai Alyt intends must not be heard by other ears."
"*Religious* Caste ears?" she suggested.
Rahkeel laughed. "Them and others, yes... but this, I can tell you. A movement of light and shadow is beginning, here -- a movement that will either end in success, or defeat.
An action that may lead to death... even ours, if we are not careful."
"Ah, yes... that." she murmured, watching with no small interest as Rahkeel's eyes narrowed, and his smile vanished. "Death -- but this is the end-story for so many of our kind, is it not? To engage in battle after *glorious* battle, and then be taken down for the most *ridiculous* of reasons."
"If you are coming to a point *anytime* soon, Tirivail, I suggest you make it!"
"As you wish, Alyt." she replied, not quite able to keep the sarcasm out of her voice. "The best laid plans sometimes do lead to death, I will admit -- but if we are careful, and arrange matters just *so*... the chance of this may be lessened..."
"And yet..."
"And yet, if in the end we are fated to die, well, then we shall have to arrange to take our enemies with us when we go."
"Perhaps that can be arranged, yes..."
* * *
Hundreds of light years from Rahkeel and Tirivail, two Drakh walked together in a place of darkness. The location of this place was a closely guarded secret, and for very good reasons this was, in the aftermath of the Council of Return's failed bid to destroy the primeworld of the Humans... for the Drakh Entire had long since concluded that should the Warriors of Earth learn of this place, waves of human warships would come, and no one Drakh, be it soldier, Vaarliht or Sha'drakh, would likely survive that onslaught.
And so, the plans were made, careful and well-thought out plans, to make up for the loss of the fleet at Earth, in addition to the more recent defeat at the human world Sinzar. And *one* of those plans was being discussed by the two Drakh in question, as they strode through the darkness, together. Plans that involved a response to a threat yet unseeen... but very real, just the same.
"You are... distressed, then, with the delays to your operation." the elder of the two, the Sha'drakh named Uneenvaz critically observed, his gaze intent. "Consider this invisible foe a serious threat to the Race, you do?"
"You *know* that this is the case!" the Vekh'shivalht named Palakz exclaimed, his words angry, his expression bitter. "Had not the Council debated endlessly the meaning of this encounter... this strike against us when we attacked the human colony, my force could long ago have departed this place, to seek out this enemy!"
"Ah..." Uneenvaz allowed, "But you must know, Palakz, that while I have supported many of your decisions since the Dark Ones left our side, this decision could not be so easily made. Many of my fellow Councillors consider the Alliance ship named EXCALIBUR to be the greatest threat facing us... and some of those have also suggested that this 'encounter' you had during your battle with the humans could not have been so *critical* as you indicate."
Palakz drew in a deep breath at that point, and clenched his fist tight enough for the nails to puncture the skin on the palm of his left hand, and drw blood. The anger... the anger needed to be controlled, or nothing would be achieved, here -- as nothing has been achieved since his return from the battle with his invisible foe. "I agree, Sha'drakh, that the EXCALIBUR is a target we cannot ignore... but that vessel cannot be the end-focus of all our concerns. Recall that the vessel of war that struck at my Order during that battle possessed *Vorlon* weaponry! THIS alone suggests that we must seek it out, for if we do not, the masters of that vessel will inveitably seek us out in turn!"
Uneenvaz ground his teeth in no small irritation. "This you have told me *repeatedly* since your return to this place, Palakz!... but only now, after the decision has been made, am I allowed to tell you that I have argued long and hard for your benefit! Argued that we should seek out this new enemy, and strike them down, before it is too late. Almost I did not succeed in this aim, but in the end...
I have."
A surge of sudden hope, a surge bright as a flame ignited inside Palakz at these words. "Do you mean to say..."
"I do, yes." the Councillor allowed, as an almost... angry expression appeared on his face. "The Council has allowed itself to be convinced that an operation must be conducted to locate this vessel and destroy it, if possible. And after still *more* discussion, they have also allowed me to appoint you as the commander of this mission, Palakz. It was not easy to arrange, but you have, after all, encountered this vessel once already... and survived to tell your tale. For this, and other reasons, the decision has been made. The decision stands."
The Dark Ones be praised! Palakz bowed, then, his bow lower then was required for a Councillor of Return. "I will not disappoint you, Sha'drakh Uneenvaz, or them, either. We will find this enemy vessel, and we will destroy it. This I swear to you, in the name of the Banished Ones... for the good of the Entire."
Uneenvaz nodded gravely. "No other option will the Council allow, my Vekh'shivalht, not now that decision has been made. They will allow you to recruit those that you require for the mission from the other Orders... but know this -- once you have left this place, you will not be allowed to return until you have either concluded the mission successfully...
Or have, in turn, been destroyed by this new enemy. Do I make myself clear, Palakz?"
"Emminently clear." was Palakz's reply, as he turned away from the Councillor's side, and strode off into the darkness. No more needed to be said, for no more was *required*. Now that the shackles had been removed, there were plans that needed to be made, and forces to be assembled.
Much, there was to be done.
Much.
* * *
The tower of Lai'reati had been one of the few in Yedor not to suffer greatly during the war between the Castes, but this had been for a very good reason, as all Warriors knew. The Tower had been one of the primary gathering places of the Warrior Caste in Yedor for centuries... and as such, the Clans had seen fit to agree that they deserved to be protected against all comers, and all forms of weaponry... and so it had. On this day and in this age, however, it served as the home for the Caste Councils that were from time to time conducted between the leaders of the various clans -- but far more importantly, in the here and now, its walls also did a rather splendid job of keeping secrets that the Caste could not afford to have divulged to... outsiders.
Within these walls, not so many cycles ago, the Shai Alyt and some of his most prominent warriors had agreed to build the experimental engine of war that the humans named SHARD OF NIGHT ... and somehow, they had been betrayed, and the secret had been revealed to Delenn. In the times since then, the layers of secrecy had thickened further still... and pressure from the Worker and Religious majority in the Grey Council had not changed this in the slightest. Even now, there were certain matters that the other Castes did not need to know about.
Some things never changed... and in Tirivail's opinion, this was still a very good thing. The reason the Shai Alyt had summoned her and Rahkeel here, for instance -- it seemed clear that Kozorr had arranged matters so that Delenn and the Religious moderates had been left in the dark in relation to this matter... now what the matter concerned was something else entirely. But now, as the great portals that lead to Kozorr's inner sanctum slid shut behind her... perhaps *now* they would learn the truth of the matter, at last.
"Alyt Rahkeel, Sha'liat Tirivail..." Kozorr began, as he strode onto the crystal-shielded tower balcony to gaze out upon the vista of Yedor beyond, "You will now reveal your thoughts to me... the only thoughts that matter in the here and the now. You will explain to me *your* reasoning for this summoning, and we will see how my perceptions and yours compare."
"As you wish, Shai Alyt." Rahkeel smoothly replied. "Not so long ago, you decided to reveal the outline of your purpose in the presence of myself and my Warmaster, Takier... and yet, you chose not to go so far as to commit yourself to actual details. It is my belief... my *hope* that this limitation has been removed -- and that you are now ready to reveal to us the meaning of your words, and the purpose of the mission to come."
"Perhaps this is so, Alyt," Kozorr allowed, "But perhaps you do not understand this situation nearly as well as you believe you do." Rahkeel's gaze hardened at such words, but the Shai Alyt had already turned his flinty gaze in Tirivail's direction by that point. "And what of you, Tirivail? Why do you believe that I have summoned you to Lai'reati, this day of all days?"
"There is a fine line between revenge and purpose, Shai Alyt..." she replied, her voice steady, "And we must be sure not to cross that line, no matter the temptation. A case in point -- my *sister*, Val'na Lanniel of the Anla'shok, managed to insult family, clan and caste, all within the same period of light and darknesss. Perhaps you believe I wish revenge upon her, for the hurt she has caused us..."
"The thought *had* crossed my mind, yes." Kozorr replied.
"Then fear not, Shai Alyt... while some *small* part of me still wishes for that revenge, the greater part understands the need for refocusing that need into a greater purpose. In the end analysis, my sister is not at fault... the system that remade her *is*, however. While the two 'individuals' who lead the Interstellar Alliance must be made to understand that all the choices they make will stand the test of time -- that sometimes, they can even be wrong."
She smiled, then. "Let us demonstrate to you, then, Shai Alyt, how very wrong they *can* be."
A long, long moment passed, and then, Shai Alyt Kozorr began to laugh, a sound both bitter and satisfied in the same moment. "So. it is as I had hoped -- one ready to avenge the loss of his command to a changeling human, the other, willing to attack the system she serves. It would appear that I have made the right decision in summoning you both here this day -- it would appear that I have found what I and the others have been searching for.
And it is time, at last it is time, to reveal to you both what lies ahead of us all." Kozorr snapped out a short series of commands, then, and obedient to his requests as always, the computers that controlled many of the day-to-day functions within his sanctum swiftly filled the room with shadow. "This, then, is what must be revealed to you... and hidden from nearly everyone else we know. This, then, is the weapon we will fling into the faces of our enemies.
Behold... the STORMWIND." At which point, the holographic projector in the centre of the sanctum came to life, and an image sprang into being. An image of a ship of space. A very... unusual ship of space.
An obviously *deadly* ship of space.
"In Valen's Name!" Rahkeel replied a moment later, his whisper one of awe. "You have not -- you could not possibly have!..."
"He *has*, Rahkeel." Tirivail smoothly interjected. "It is... a beginning, yes?"
* * *
The SHARD OF NIGHT. Quarters of the Chief Engineer.
It had been a long time since he'd indulged... a long time since he'd even touched the stuff. But yes, he'd brought a bottle with him when he'd come aboard -- hadn't told the Minbari about it, of course, because he *knew* about their thoughts on the stuff... but he'd inherited the taste for it from his Dad, and so on back down the line it went. This time he had needed to force his hands to keep steady while he poured it, but Damn it all, if he dropped the bottle, the mission would be over even before it started.
So many times in the past, he had drank to honour others... drank because the occasion demanded it. This time, however, he drank for neither of those reasons. This time, he drank to forget -- and to dull the pain, and to Hell with the consequences... to HELL with what *she* would say to him afterwards.
To Hell with all of them. And above all, to Hell with this damn mission... this damn, *impossible* mission. Nicholas regarded the tumbler of Scotch and ice for a moment longer, and then, the decision made, he downed the glass in one long, continous swallow.
And moved to pour himself another.
* * *
To be continued...
* * *
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