Writer's note -- conversations between the various creatures in hyperspace (Fen and others) are assumed to be translated to 'human-standard' for convenience's sake. While I enjoy writing this opus, I'm not *quite* up to inventing whole languages just yet!

* * *

    "STAR AND CIRCLE: THE SEEKER'S FIRE"
    EPISODE NINE: "THE WOLVES OF THE DEEP"

        
(disclaimers and associated descriptions in overture)


* * *

GUEST STARRING

CHRIS NOTH as ELAI SAKALIA
*and* DANA DELANY as MAERANN

* * *

        <<ACT ONE>>

        White Star 121 -- adrift in hyperspace. June 11th, 2267, 13:55 hrs, E.S.T.

        "Ixeai," Elai Sakalia inquired as he moved slowly through the rubble that still filled the corridors of his White Star even now, several hours after they had been... unexpectedly attacked. "What's the prognosis?"

        "The timing," Physicain Ixeai replied, "Was most unfortunate, Anla'shok Sakalia... most unfortunate indeed." The Minbari sighed, then, before bending down to inspect a patch of blood left behind from the crisis just past... a crisis whose aftermath looked set to continue for some time, however. "A good deal of debris fell directly upon her during the attack -- Val'na Maerann endures the pain of at least seven fractured bones, and it would appear that there is some internal bleeding, as well."

        "What about the rest of the crew?"

        "Approximately two-ninths of your crew also suffered injuries of varying severity during the assault." the Minbari informed him. "Tell me again how this happened -- I would hear your own side of the tale."

        "There's not much to tell, unfortunately," the taller, dark haired human grimly replied. "We were pretty much set for our rendezvous with the EXCALIBUR when we came across this goddamn *flock* of things in hyperspace -- looked for all the world like jellyfishes, but they were huge! Easily more then a mile high... I've never seen the like, and I've done a lot of travelling in hyperspace the past few years."

        "Curious this is," Ixeai observed, "Did not the crew of the EXCALIBUR encounter a similar group of these creatures in this domain, several of your months ago?"

        "Yeah," Sakalia replied, "Now that you mention it, I *do* remember Captain Gideon forwarding the report of that encounter to the Alliance Advisory Council. What did he call them... the Fen?"

        "While... someone among Gideon's crew was heard to refer to them as 'harmless', I believe." Ixeai carefully replied. "Something we should consider -- If these 'Fen' creatures are harmless, then how is it we lie adrift in hyperspace?"

        "They weren't the ones who attacked us." Sakalia replied. "Something came up behind us while we were observing the jellyfish -- it shot right out of the hyperspace mists and latched onto our rear end before we even knew it was there... and a moment later, whatever it was decided to tear a rather sizable chunk of the ship off and wandered away with it."

        <chime> "Anla'shok Sakalia, this is Daeshael." The Minbari sounded... almost excited.

        "Are you going to tell me that *someone's* actually noticed our distress signal, Daeshael? Because that would make me a very happy man."

        "Not just anyone, sir." Daeshael replied, and Sakalia frowned at that -- his voice now seemed to be full of... awe. "May I suggest that you come to the bridge? The captain of the vessel that has discovered us wishes to speak to you."

        A few moments later, he began to realize *why* Daeshael had spoken the way he had... Hell, even *he* was having trouble believing what he was seeing! Less then a kilometer off of their bow, an enormous, pearlish-gray warship hung stationary in hyperspace -- it's White Star ancestry only too obvious to any Ranger that looked. "What," he muttered, as the image of the vessel that had just arrived in front of them was relayed to the still-operational holographic bridge imager, "Is THAT?"

        "Val'na Tikopai will explain." Daeshael allowed.

        "Tikopai?" Sakalia frowned -- he *knew* that name... now where the hell had he... oh boy. *Now* he remembered -- six years before, he had briefly trained beneath Val'na Tharvonn on Babylon 5... and had walked in the same circles as a frantic whirlwind of dark hair and gray and black robes that went by that name. Julia Tikopai... wasn't she the one who looked five years older then she really was? The girl who had swallowed a lucky horseshoe, and ended up walking in Westcastle's shadow for almost three years?

        "All-righty, then." he replied, settling into the now more-or-less righted captain's chair, "Comm link?"

        "Open." Daeshael replied.

        "This is Anla'shok Elai Sakalia of White Star 121 to -- Val'na Tikopai. If you can hear us, please..."

        "We read you loud and clear, Mr. Sakalia." the voice he remembered from six years before replied -- only the timbre of that voice had now settled from girl's into woman's, and his eyes widened as the viewscreen rippled down to reveal the bridge of the ship that had come to his rescue... and the serious, black-and-silver uniformed individual who went with the voice, in the captain's chair of that bridge. "Forgive me if I point out the obvious... but it looks like something tried to *eat* you and your crew in the recent past."

        "Something, yes." he replied. "Ah, if you don't mind me asking..."

        A laugh. "Her name is SHARD OF NIGHT, Mr. Sakalia -- battlecruiser class, Interstellar Alliance... while you and your crew now belong to the select group who actually know we exist."

        "I see. Wellll, let's get down to the nitty-gritty, shall we? My White Star's not in very good shape since whatever-it-was tried to eat us for lunch -- we've lost both main and jump engines and power's down to a bare minumum. I'd greatly appreciate it if we could transfer some of our injured to your vessel."

        "Including your commander?"

        "Maybe... she's not in very good shape, I'm afraid."

        Tikopai nodded. "We'll have to try and do something about that. Are the doors on your hangar bay operational, by any chance?"

        "Barely."

        "Barely is better then not at all. My chief physician Veyshahk and his team, as well as my first officer, will be joining you in short order... while I suspect a 'small' towing job will also be required."

        "Small?" he retorted. "In case you haven't noticed, we not exactly in the Alliance heartworlds, you know!"

        "You may be surprised by how quickly we can get you and yours home, Mr. Sakalia... don't let my command's resemblance to your own fool you -- the SHARD's a lot more powerful then she looks."

        "I don't doubt it. Okay, look, why don't you give me the grand tour *once* I've taken care of my injured?"

        "A fair reqeust -- while the story of your 'encounter' is something I also wish to discuss. Until then, I bid you good day, Mr. Sakalia. SHARD OF NIGHT out."
        

* * *

        <!Our fault!> a youngling Fen complained, as the flock moved through hyperspace away from the site of the recent encounter with the eater. <!The thing that met us attracted their attention -- it tried to eat them!>

        <*Our fault, yes*> a conspirator observed. <*Things were hurt?*>

        <--Blame seek not--> an elder growled. <--Chance encounter allowed escape to occur-->

        <#Escape matters not if there are creatures inside thing... creatures that died because of us!#> another of the troublemakers piped up. <#Sister's flock spoke of this after encounter they had -- tiny little creatures moving around inside long-thing with spikes! Elder, go back we must and see if help we can -- you speak of time when hunters took us out of the homeplace through redholes -- if visitors that eater attacked go back through holes with story of cowardly Fen, visitors may come to hate -- may not hunts then start again#>

        The elder grumbled -- but finally the flock realigned as the rest of the senior members drew close together to discuss the admittedly *serious* point that had just been brought up. After much rumbling and a good deal of heated discussion, a consensus was reached, and the now *deadly* serious elder returned to where the younglings awaited the decision of those who lead them. <--Hasty was I to make judgement so, youngling... your case, accepted we have. We return to site of attack to see if visitors, aid we can.-->

        <*We take them, we take them to exit place, where light shines bright and strange?*>

        <--We do what is best for all -- current coming soon, if visitors still here when current strengthens, help we cannot... all will be taken to place of feeding--> the elder thoughtfully replied. <--Long have we considered that visitors know nothing about currents -- will soon discover if we are hasty in returning to aid as you have suggested. Now quiet be all!... return to attack-site we shall.>

        As one, the flock of Fen realigned their flight sacs and tendrils, and after a moment, swept back the way they had come.

* * *

        Some distance away, a pair of the creatures the Fen named 'eaters' spun lazily through the gravimetric mists. Like the lifeforms they hunted, the eaters were not small... each torpedo-shaped creature was almost a quarter of a human mile long from nose to twitching barbed tail, their razor-lined mouths presently sealed shut against the hostile environment of hyperspace. Like the rest of the creatures that lived in this place, the eaters could, for a time at least, draw sustenence from the wildly variant gravimetric energy storms that filled the hyperspace domain... but they did not care to survive thus for *too* long -- not so long as there was prey to hunt.

        Thoughts passed between the creatures, for they too could not speak as such... and the thoughts were not happy ones. <Mistake!> the smaller one hooted. <Mistake you made!>

        <Mistake?> the larger eater replied, as it turned a fifty-yard wide vacuum-shielded and all-too baleful eye upon its companion, <Thing looked interesting... but bad taste! Long time since we have encountered hollow metal-things, still have taste in mouth!>

        <Last ones to make mistake were killed by black-screamers.> the other eater dubiously replied. <Lucky this time. Which way prey go?>

        <Prey run while distracted... hungriness grows.>

        <Current coming soon. Prey cannot go far if prey also wants to feed. If we wait, they maybe come back?>

        <Maybe.> The eater closed its eyes, then, and its mind as well, and simply drifted on the ripples of its domain. Something interesting would come along soon, this was certain... maybe prey, maybe not. But now it knew what to look for, the eater would *not* make the same mistake again.

* * *

        "Well I'll be..." Sakalia began, as Klairika and Sheynell emerged from the SHARD's flyer, Veyshahk and his people close behind, "You're the first officer?"

        "I am." Klairika coolly replied. "Anla'shok Na'lai Klairika Alidiae, at your service -- while this is Sheynell Keynes, the SHARD's tactical officer, and Veyshahk, our chief physician."

        Sakalia blinked. "Are you trying to tell me that the three most senior positions on that newfangled ship of yours are all..."

        "The answer to your question," Sheynell interrupted, her smile still, for the moment, pleasant, "Is yes, Mr. Sakalia -- the President himself made the choices, if you must know."

        "Now hold on, how'd you do that... ah Hell!" Sakalia shook his head bitterly, as Veyshahk moved past the human trying *very* hard to keep a straight face. "You're a telepath, I suppose?"

        "Yes, I am." Sheynell replied, a sadistic glitter now in her eyes. "A P12, as a matter of fact."

        "P12?" Sakalia choked. "But, but... wouldn't that mean..."

        "It would. Are you *quite* finished realigning you worldview now, Mr. Sakalia? As I recalled from your initial transmission, there's a great deal of work that needs to be done over here before we can be reasonably certain we'll get your ship back to Alliance space in one piece."

        "But before we do," Klairika intruded, as she tried to bring the situation back under control, "I would very much like to have a word with Val'na Maerann, if she is 'up to it', that is."

        Sakalia sighed, before nodding ruefully. "Her condition's not great, but she should be up to talking to you. And while we're enroute, I guess I owe you ladies an apology..."

* * *

        "I do not like this." Larieken muttered, as his station board chimed its way through another analysis of the local region. "There appears to be, for want of a better description, something *wrong* about this area of hyperspace."

        "We're in the Perseus Rift, Larieken." Julia reminded her Minbari friend. "The 'Bermuda Triangle' of hyperspace -- I can think of a great deal of hypothetical 'wrongs' to throw in your direction... can you maybe be a little more specific?"

        "I believe that can be arranged, yes. Although we are technically at rest, there appears to be a large scale *drift* suffusing the entire region..."

        "A drift to where?"

        "The centre of the 'rift', as a matter of fact." Larieken replied. "If one were to open a jump point there, one's vessel would emerge within the stellar association your kind name, the 'Double Cluster'?"

        "Is it constant?"

        "Not... entirely. There are times when I can barely detect it, and others at which the drift is most obvious. For the present, the former condition applies."

        "Okay -- well, unless we're about to get sucked into a hyperspace hurricane, I wouldn't worry about it."

        Larieken inclined his head gravely in Julia's direction. "I will take that under advisement."

        "And now, for something *completely* different... Mr. Dawson, how goes the grappling operation?"

        "Lesaki and his crews are over there making sure we don't lose anything else off the rear end of White Star 121, ma'am." the chief engineer replied a moment later. "Once he give the all-clear, we can grapple her at your convience and be on our way."

        "Tell him to expedite the process." Julia informed her Chief. "If Larieken's right, we don't want to stay here longer then we absolutely have to."

* * *

        Elsewhere.

        "They're late." Matthew Gideon observed, his eyes narrow with thought. "They're *never* late."

        "Guess there's a first time for everything." John Matheson thoughtfully replied.

        "I told you that coming here was going to be a bad idea!" Max Eilerson exclaimed, his expression showing his complete *disgust* at the rendezvous point the Rangers had chosen. "But does anyone listen to me... Hell, no! I'm just the civilian around here, that would be expecting too much, wouldn't it?"

        "Oh *do* calm down, Max." an amused voice from the corner observed... the voice that belonged to the EXCALIBUR's resident Technomage. "For now, Captain, I suggest we hold our position -- if we go tearing off to look for them and the Rangers show up at the rendezvous point, they might be... a trifle upset."

        "You're not going to listen to him again, are you?" Eilerson spat. "Don't you remember what happened the *last* time we listened to him?"

        "What *I* choose to remember is the times he's saved us since we've begun this little odyssey." Gideon replied. "And in case you've forgotten, what I say... goes.

        For now, we hold our position."

        And that... was that.
        

* * *

        "I have heard of you." Maerann whispered, as Klairika and Sheynell bent low over her bed to hear the words. "The rumour of the 'unseen guardians' is beginning to work its way throughout the White Star Fleet -- and while details are scarce, the stories that follow the rumour around are interesting ones, to say the least."

        Maerann paused to cough, then, but even as a worried Ixeai bent low over his commander to ensure she was up to continuing the conversation, White Star 121's mistress did just that. "You will have to forgive my present condition, Na'lai... but we were more careless then we should have been in coming into this area, in investigating its 'anomalies' before our planned rendezvous with the EXCALIBUR."

        "That will be unnecessary." the Brakiri replied, as she knelt to bring herself down to Maerann's level. "In this case, it is perhaps a good thing that the 'rumour', as you call it, also happens to be the truth."

        "So you are guarding the EXCALIBUR, then."

        Klairika sighed, before nodding briskly. "Our travels occasionally take us to areas of concern that are distant from Captain Gideon's command, but our greatest task is the one you have just mentioned... and this is a secret that our enemies cannot learn."

        "Ah," Sakalia intruded, "In that case, you don't mind if I ask you a question, do you?"

        "Ask if you must, Mr. Sakalia."

        "Were you and your crew at the Battle of Sinzar, by any chance?"

        Klairika was about to answer that question, when all of a sudden every standing Ranger in the room suddenly stumbled, as a sharp, reverbarating shock passed through the body of Maerann's White Star. "Sakalia to bridge... Daeshael, what the Hell's going on?"

        "The situation has changed, sir." Daeshael replied, after a momentary hesitation. "I regret to inform you that... *they* have returned."

        "They?" Sheynell said with a frown. "They who?"

        "Oh... no!" Having said that, Sakalia ran out of the room at speed, and as he went, the telepath got a momentary glimpse of a flock of vast, jellyfish-like creatures floating in the red mists of hyperspace.

        "The Fen." Sheynell and Klairika said to one another, as they moved off in pursuit of White Star 121's first officer.

* * *

        "What are they doing?" Julia asked, as Dasouri whirled the SHARD around to bring their batteries to bear upon the approaching group of hyperspace creatures. "Why did they come back?"

        "To your first question, I will simply say they are approaching and surrounding us," Larieken replied. "And as to your second? I do not know... it is a mystery, however."

        "How many of them are out there?"

        "Six nines and two." A shiver passed through her at that moment -- fifty-six mile-high jellyfish were *more* then sufficient to box them in and prevent their escape... if that was their intent, of course. "They continue to close their shell around us, Val'na -- thus far, however, their actions appear to be benign."

        "Remember that when Captain Gideon and his crew encountered them," Julia reminded him, "One of them grabbed the EXCALIBUR."

        "And we are considerably smaller then that." Larieken replied. "Your point is taken -- if they should attempt to capture us, what are your orders?"

        "Stand fast, Larieken," Julia replied, as she reached out with her Observer's talent to try and deduce what the Fen were up to.

        "Let's see what they do before we come to any conclusions."

* * *

        To be continued...

* * *

        Return to "The Seeker's Fire" Episode Index