"STAR AND CIRCLE: THE SEEKER'S FIRE"
EPISODE TWELVE: "WHAT LIES HIDDEN"

Starring,

PETA WILSON as Lanniel
MICHELLE FORBES as Alidarra
AMANDA TAPPING as Miranda Feist
LEAH REMINI as Jamie Pratchett
JASON BEHR as Kirash
ETHAN HAWKE as Renly Moreau
*and* SHARI BELAFONTE as Dr. Elizabeth Trent

* * *

(disclaimers and associated descriptions in overture)

* * *

        <<ACT ONE>

        They called themselves the Craneori -- they could not remember if they had given themselves that name, or if the Creators had -- but they remembered the Creators, oh yes! -- and they remembered the crime that had been committed. The Craneori were angry -- at life, at the enemies who had put them in this place... and with the Creators for abandoning them. And for a very long time, they had been looking for a way out.

        It was Zha'shanal and his dark circle who had done this to them, of course -- when that battlemaster and his dark minions had discovered what the Creators had done, Zha'shanal had been most displeased... this, the Craneori remembered, as well -- for had they not been created as living weapons to be used in the war of Chaos and Order? They remembered what had come next, as well -- Zha'shanal and his black screaming servants had ambushed the Creators an ambush in which the Craneori had been captured and then imprisoned in the crystals... crystals that had later been connected to the substance of the surrounding building in a way which allowed the Craneori to flow through the walls of the interior... but not those beyond.

        And thus it had been for too long -- for even though the Dark Ones had been defeated in that war, their servants had brought them here afterwards, to the city-shell the Creators had left behind them, when they had gone beyond the Rim.

        Almost they had lost hope -- but now, the long wait was over... for something remarkable had occured. A group of primitives had arrived at the gateway to their prison... and then had begun cutting into it! At first they believed the Dark servants had returned, so similar were these primitives in appearance -- but then the Craneori looked past their rage -- and saw that they had been mistaken. These large-primitives were smooth-skinned... they were different then those who had come before, the creatures that had served the Darkness in that age -- and finally, their curiousity became paramount.

        That these creatures were here, unopposed, suggested that the Dark Ones had finally been defeated -- and if this was the case...

        If this was the case, then perhaps the plan they had made so very long ago could now be put into motion. And even as they thought this, the large-primitives finished their struggle at the portal -- and one half of the door that filled it came crashing down into the interior.

        The Craneori watched this -- and were pleased. The outer wards of their prison had now been broken -- the only thing that now remained was for these primitives to be curious enough to pierce the *inner*. Then would they be able to escape to take control of that which the Creators had left behind them... power systems, weapons and the like -- thus would the primitives be endangered. And then?

        Then, if they were anything like the bright-allies the Creators had aligned themselves with in the times-before, the primitives would summon a ship to aid them -- a ship which, the Craneori concluded...

        Could easily be *possessed* -- if all went well.

* * *

        Spire interior -- Neilgeitha Prime.

        The boom of the door falling inward was the signal that Trent had been waiting for -- and with Moreau at her side, she moved forward eagerly to stand within the portal -- and her eyes widened at the sight in front of her. She was standing on a ledge about ten feet wide and a hundred long -- while a set of stairs descended from this ledge to a wider one no more than about twenty feet below -- a ledge that ran all the way around the interior of this impossibly enormous tower. The tower interior was at least a kilometer across -- while the tip of the enormous hollow interior was more than two kilometers above them -- and a good deal of the top third appeared to be walled in crystal that was *glowing* -- the light, a deep, sullen orange colour.

        A colour shared by the smaller spire in the center of the building's interior -- the core of this structure, perhaps? A core that appeared to be... pulsing.

        "There's your 'power source', 'Liz..." Moreau managed, as the rest of the team broke themselves away from the sight and began eagerly descending to the second ledge below. "And whatever it is, it's strong enough to make all this crystal glow!"

        "Yes..." she whispered, entranced by the sight. Who would've believe it? They'd actually found a working *First Ones* power source, abandoned here for God only knew how long! -- and her team, perhaps the first intelligent beings to visit this place in thousands of years -- was the one that had found it. "We have to find a way to get into that smaller spire, Renly -- for starters, if we can come back with the power source for this place and duplicate it, we'll get our names in the history books for certain -- and if we manage to find some nanotech to help the people of Earth fight off the plague..."

        "Which is, after all, our primary goal here..." Moreau critically replied.

        "...in any case, there's only one way of finding out."

        Moreau sighed, nodded, and shouldered his pack more securely. "Time for a brisk hike."

* * *

        Babylon 5 -- the Ranger Compound. 09:19 hrs, EST.

        The two images floated above the council table, side by side -- and like every other Ranger in the room, Julia could not help but be pleased with what she saw. "The High Council has decided," Lanniel explained, "To pursue a slightly different agenda with the construction of these new vessels than we have before -- they believe it is long since time the Anla'shok possessed several different warship classes instead of just the one -- and their reasoning is, I believe, sound.

        As of this date, as you are all aware, approximately thirty-five triads of White Stars remain in active service -- almost half of the initial force deployed by our Entil'zha during the Shadow War, however, have been destroyed in combat engagements since their construction. As time has passed, the Worker Caste has, from time to time, built replacements to make up for those losses -- but some among them have longed to improve on that design for some time now -- and now, you see the results of their labours."

        Lanniel gestured her hand, and after a moment, the smaller of the two new ship designs expanded in size so that all could see the form of the new ship more clearly -- flatter in profile then the White Stars, the bridge of this vessel was much closer to the prow, while a large gap could be seen in the deep-blue hull beyond amidships. "The smaller of the new designs is intended to be used as a scout-class vessel -- more lightly armed that the original White Stars, but even quicker, its navigational systems more precise, the points generated by its jump engines far smaller... so that if it should be necessary to jump into atmospheres to recover Anla'shok personnel, those emergences will be less disruptive *and* far less noticable.

        The second class, however," and at that the other image expanded, showing a warship perhaps thirty percent larger than the White Stars of present and of similar style to the scoutship, "Is intended to fulfill a role the advanced destroyers would have undertaken -- that of a front line warship to defend the Interstellar Alliance against its more... aggressive foes. This vessel will possess twice as many pulse cannon as the White Stars, and two prow batteries, where our present commands possess only one. The labour involved in the construction of these vessels is more extreme, of course... and as such, their numbers will be smaller then those of the scoutship squadrons. It is, however, the belief of both the Worker Caste and the High Council that their firepower and maneuverability will prove to be a devastating combination, should the need arise."

        "Sha'vei!" one of the White Star captains suddenly exclaimed, "This news is welcome -- but I wonder, perhaps, if the High Council has not gone far enough with this new... construction project. Some years ago, President Sheridan and our Entil'zha came to the conclusion that the White Stars, while heavily armed for their size, were being deployed against capital ship-class vessels far too often -- thus was the Advanced destroyer project born. With this new project, it seems clear that the High Council's intent is, at present, to continue Ranger operations in vessels scarcely bigger, and in many cases *smaller* -- then the warships we use at present. Is this not counterproductive? Why is it that the High Council has not authorized the construction of *larger* warships to put at our disposal in this time of need?"

        Almost Julia laughed at her fellow Captain's question -- almost, but not *quite*.

        "A very... good question that is." Lanniel finally replied, her eyes now twinkling with barely repressed amusement, "And the answer is an interesting one, as you will soon understand. As I recall, Hanson, your crew was on a deep range exploration mission at the time of the Drakh Assault -- and since then, you have spent virtually all your time out on the Rim searching for the cure -- a long deployment this is, without a break for your crew."

        "Too damn long." the human Ranger fervently agreed. "We haven't been this far in for quite a many months -- guess we're not as up to date on recent events as we should be..."

        By this point, well over seven eighths of the Rangers in the Council chamber were openly grinning -- and finally, Hanson figured out that something, as it was said... was *up*. "Does someone want to tell me what I'm missing here?"

        "Val'na Tikopai -- your thoughts on this matter?"

        Renewed muttering began between the captains who weren't aware of exactly what was going on, but Julia bowed in Lanniel's direction -- and moved forward to the edge of the table from her position near the edge of the room. "The answer to your question, Captain Hanson... is that there *is* such a vessel in active service at this time."

        "There *is*?" the astonished Ranger exclaimed -- as the muttering abruptly faded away, to be replaced by astonishment.

        "There is." she insisted. "A vessel developed by the Warrior Caste -- an echo of the White Stars -- a promise of a future yet to be. Its name is the *Shard of Night* -- the first battlecruiser to actively serve the Alliance -- and now, as was intended, every one of you are now aware that we exist."

        "If I may inquire," one of the other deep-patrol captains inquired, his eyes narrow with interest, "Where is this... marvel? I saw no... battlecruiser in orbit as we approached Babylon 5. And who is 'we'?"

        "No... you didn't." Julia agreed. "That's because the *Shard*'s still in hyperspace -- parked just off the Grid Epsilon jump beacon, as a matter of fact. And as for the 'we' part..."

        "The main purpose of their mission," Lanniel explained, "Is to guard the *Excalibur* -- the stealth capabilities of Val'na Tikopai's command are, to put it mildly, to be... admired -- they have already engaged the Drakh fleet on two occasions -- and destroyed many of their capital ship units, while suffering little or no lasting damage in return. And the longer this continues..."

        "The better!" Hanson replied , his eyes now wide with wonder. "Yeah -- now I remember about you. Aren't you the kid the Vorlons sucked into this whole mess, back in the Shadow War?"

        "Guilty as charged." Julia admitted.

        The other Ranger captain laughed. "The one who looks, and acts, older then she really is -- yeah, now I remember it all. In Valen's Name, though -- is your whole crew as young as you... ah, appear?"

        "Pretty much." she agreed. "Just call us 'the best and the brightest'... and the youngest Rangers around."

        "I sure wouldn't want to be in your shoes."

        "These are desparate times..." Lanniel gravely reminded him, "And desperate times call for desparate actions. Now, to continue..."

* * *

        "Hey, Alidarra!" Jamie whispered, her smile broad as she caught sight of a familiar face in the assembly, "With Lanniel gone on to command the flagship, does that make you..."

        "The one chosen to follow in her footsteps, yes." the other Minbari replied, a faint smile touching the corners of her lips. "She has given White Star 6 into my care, Sha'vei...

        And now, all I have to do is live up to her expectations."

        "Woah -- that's a tall order to follow."

        "Indeed it is." Alidarra agreed, her smile fading. "But she said it best, not so long ago...

        You have long stood at my right hand -- now, as Valen wills it, the high season of your career begins at last."

        "Congrats are due, in any case. Say, have you seen Feist around?"

        "She is not here." Alidarra replied, her smile fading. "It is my understanding that they were pursuing a lead deeper in the Rim then any other Ranger crew -- they are returning, but they have yet to arrive..."

* * *

        Elsewhere in the Central Corridor.

        His expression contemplative, Veyshahk walked amongst and through the maze, his mind slowly working its way through the permutations of the maze-pattern. Ah... yes, now he had it. Right, and left, and right again, and around the corner -- and... the doctor smiled, as he arrived at the exit. "A challenge, to be sure..." he allowed, as he stepped forth to move deeper into the Garden -- "But a necessary one, just the same."

        Veyshahk let out a long breath, as he looked behind him and half way around the Central Corridor -- and after a time his eyes found what he was looking for -- the tiny crystalline shimmer that marked the location of the Ranger Compound, high above him, the complex almost blocked from sight by the spine of the core shuttle. He had come far in his wanderings since they had come aboard -- but his captain had been right, as usually she was... he had needed to leave the *Shard* for a time... 'to stretch his legs' as the humans were known to say from time to time. This was only, as a matter of fact, the third time he'd been off the battlecruiser since their deployment had begun -- Veyshahk smiled -- what was it she'd said, that she was afraid he was going to get 'cabin fever'. A curious concept, that...

        The *Shard* was, after all, hardly claustrophobic.

        And then, Veyshahk checked the time -- and his eyes widened -- had it already be that long? "I shall have to return..." he muttered, "And I must begin now. She will be... most displeased if we are late returning to the ship."

        But even as the Ranger physician turned aside from his intended route of travel and began the long trek that would return him to the Ranger compound -- a figure stepped out of the Maze behind him -- another Minbari, whose eyes glittered maliciously as they came to rest on Veyshahk's now-swiftly moving figure -- and a moment later, that Minbari, a member of the Star Riders Clan -- a warrior born, raised a small comm-device to his lips.

        "It is as the watchers had predicted -- he is here."

        "You're sure it's him?" another voice replied -- a voice dripping with venom, and with need.

        "Yes, Kirash -- there can be no doubt. His changeling captain took pity on him, no doubt -- but no matter. You are aware of my location?"

        A pause. "We can trace you in this place, yes."

        "Excellent. The Moon Shield has, even now, begun his return trip to the Anla'shok holding aboard -- if I follow him closely enough..."

        "We will bar his path, yes."

        "Then all will go as you have forseen, Sha'liat." And with that, the warrior stepped out out of the maze, and began his pursuit.

* * *

        Neilgeitha Prime -- the Spire.

        The closer they'd come to the glowing core of this enormous ancient building -- the surer Trent had become that this was the find that would make *all* the difference in the long run. They'd climbed the spiral ramp leading up the side of the core, once in a while pausing to try and take samples of the crystalline surface beside them (and failing) but finally, the moment came when the climb came to a halt on a ledge echoing the one they'd stood upon earlier -- but inverted, as this one ran around the outside of the core. After a quick discussion, Moreau and another of her assistants had headed off in either direction around the ledge -- and a moment later, Moreau's shout indicated that he'd found what she'd been expecting.

        An entrance into the core -- and moments later, the team moved into the obelisk. "Well this is *weird*..." Moreau whispered, as they moved deeper into the structure, "The walls..."

        "Yes." she replied, her smile brilliant. The light in the walls was fading the deeper in they went -- but far ahead, down the corridor, a light, bright by comparison to that they had already seen and *deep* red in colour, filled the chamber that waited there -- a light that pulsed in synchrony with the pulses seen on the core's exterior. It all meant something -- something *important* -- but no matter what, this was the find of a lifetime -- even more so...

        Trent's train of thought came to a crashing halt as she forced herself to confront the memory yet again -- even more so then the artifact... the jumpgate to Thirdspace. This.. this could mean the cure was close at hand -- that the hunt would soon be over.

        And even as she thought this, they arrived in the chamber in the heart of the core -- in the center of the spire -- and all conversation ceased -- for now, it was clear where the glow they'd seen earlier was coming from... no, 'clear' wasn't definite enough, 'blindingly obvious' was more accurate.

        A midnight black cylinder stood in the middle of the chamber -- a cylinder that seemed to absorb all light -- while set firmly into that surface were nine multihedral crystals, each about the size of a baseball -- it was from these that the flame-red light was coming.

        "Jackpot." Moreau said, his grin enormous. "So, 'Liz -- what the Hell do you suppose these things are?"

        "Now that's," she replied, as another of her assistants pulled out a hand-held scanner and began examining the crystals, "The question of the hour, isn't it?"

        "Yeah -- ah well, whatever they are, at least they look benign..."

        That, of course, was what fate had been waiting for -- as all of a sudden, a blinding point of light appeared on the crystal nearest to the archeologist holding the scanner -- and a crackling ribbon of energy sprang out -- a ribbon that impaled that luckless man through the chest, and flung him back against the wall. "Down!" Moreau bellowed, as the ribbon faded, and other points of light began appearing on the crystals, "Everyone down, now!"

        The rest of the team obeyed -- but even as they did, one of the more nervous, reactive members of the team, a man named Jordan Pieke, suddenly whipped out a PPG, and before an astonished Trent could even give outcry, sent a burst of burst of plasma against the crystal that had attacked his colleague.

        A crystal that recoiled from its position on the black cylinder -- rolled across that surface... and fell out into mid-air...

        "Oh Hell, no!..." Moreau exclaimed, as the crystal fell. "No, damnit, it's going to..."

        At which point the crystal hit the floor -- and shattered.

        That was the first mistake -- but it would not be the last.

* * *

        FREE! The Craneori exulted in the primitive's mistake -- and their pleasure was great as they beheld the final failure of the decaying defenses the Dark Enemy had built into their crystal prisons. For so long, they had been trapped in this place -- unable to escape, but knowing just the same that the prisons themselves were becoming increasingly more fragile as time went on -- and that all it would take for their sentence to end was one primitive, acting as this one just had.

        And now, they decided, the primitive who had freed them would have to be... rewarded -- a group of the Craneori were chosen for this task... but as for the rest, they had other objectives to achieve.

* * *

        Fiery streamers of light erupted up from the floor of the chamber, out of the ruins of the shattered crystal, and all the humans, Trent included, flinched as those streamers swam past them -- in some cases *through* them -- and out through the walls.

        And vanished. The crystal core shuddered around them -- and after a moment, Moreau, his expression grim, said it for them all.

        "My God... what have we done?"

        No one, not Trent, not Moreau, not any of their followers, had the answer to that question... yet.

        But the answer *was* coming. What had happened, it was... a beginning.

        Or, as some would later describe the event...

        The beginning of the end.

* * *

        To be continued...

* * *

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