**The off-hand comment that Jennifer made about the likelihood of Shadow Observers existing was paid off in full, far sooner then we would have believed possible. However, she was wrong about the number..there only turned out to be one of them, and he was working, or so I understood later, under a great deal of duress. When the Shadows captured him, forced him into what amounted to a prison on Z'ha'dum, and then expected him to serve them to the utmost, it was no great surprise that Alkanion Verah later on took the very first oppurtunity he could to depart from that soon-to-be doomed place.
Unfortunately, and though it was not his fault in the slightest, through this action, Mr. Verah gave the Army of Light a certain number of headaches before the end of the War, and mine were among the largest..."**
-From the Chronicles Log of William Westcastle
* * *
Now that you know who I am, I am free to continue with my tale without interruption or sidenotes. When last you read this manifest, the being that called itself TAALDON had rescued me from my admittedly comfortable prison on the homeworld of the Shadows, that place called Z'ha'dum, and shortly thereafter, Taaldon explained to me, if not directly, that Observers, a society I either have the honour or damnation of belonging to, could not perform their duties accurately while imprisoned, and thus, the 'One' it served had commanded it to free me, and thus allow my full gift to come forth, separate from the dark influence of my masters.
We shall see whether or not this shall be the case in due course.
For now, I find myself in another place of wonder and apparent deception. Once again, it is clear that what I see is not all that is, but at least there is more freedom in this place to move around and observe, to write and make notes on what was and is, and guess at what may be; firstly, however, I shall review the way in which I came to this place.
The wait had been long, and I had already slept several times, when Taaldon made himself known to me once again, and announced that the escape run he had made with me was nearly over, and it was all but time for us to part ways. Very well, then, I said..so if you can, show me this place we come to, this haven you describe. As you wish, he replied, perhaps half mockingly..and before I could do more then gasp, the chamber around me faded from sight, and all around, I could see the shimmering black and red nothingness of hyperspace.
Ahead of us, however, hung something far larger then I had ever seen before; a snowflake rotated in three dimensions, or so it seemed...difficult to see, for again and anon a deep shimmer would pass across it, and the construct would briefly fade from sight.
Why was this, I asked Taaldon.
"Those that built this are known as the Cha'hal'zhamon" he replied. "And they and the Shadows are on different sides of this conflict. The Shadows will do anything to ensure their complete destruction, while the Cha'hal'zhamon have realized they cannot rely simply on the nature of this place to protect them any longer. And thus, though it requires great amounts of power, their bases are now hidden from the viewpoint of the searchers."
Do they need help, I asked.
"They do not believe so, but yes, they do."
Who will give it to them, I asked.
"The same who will help you, in due course; the same who makes the most difference in this war, save for the One who Will be, he who will lead the battles that make *all* the difference. He will be contacted, and as such, he will come for you. The Cha'hal'zhamon and he have a bargain of mutual trust, and as such, you may know safety...soon."
That was the last thing he said, even as we slipped into the heart of the Cha'hal'zhamon fortress, this hidden place on the edge of Hell. Even as he said his farewells, I felt myself slipping into the Dreamworld. I next awoke, once again in a closed chamber, this time with the colour of death, and the texture of ice...my present location. Once again, I am well fed, and kept warm and comfortable; however, the Ancients of our galaxy guard their secrets jealously, but you cannot blame them...
They were here first; but who will force who to pass the torch, I wondered?
I was the first to wonder that, but certainly not the last.
* * *
Among the Cha'hal'zhamon, the arrival of the Shadow Observer was anything but welcomed, but the alliance between them and the now near extinct V'zag was old and respected, and thus, Taaldon's wishes were reluctantly obeyed, on one condition, that the Observer be removed, as soon as was possible.
There is one that will help you, Taaldon reminded them. One who has advised you on the ways of Firstspace, on the manner in which the Younger Races are preparing to stand against the Foe we now share.
What is this, the Others asked? It was our understanding that the V'zag have, forever, been middle parties, serving both sides and neither.
That pact is now shattered, Taaldon replied reasonably. I have removed their Observer from Z'ha'dum, I have moved to aid the side of Light in the destruction of one of their most valued agents...no, the Enemy will kill me and my companion on sight, if we are so seen...but we will not be. Do what you must, call he that is Stalker and Bringer of Change, and the Observer will be removed from your sight...it is that simple.
It is agreed, then.
It is so agreed.
* * *
Diary of the Prodigal Daughter?...June 17th, 2260.
Prodigal Daughter? Scratch that, what can I call myself? The Rimstalker and the Observer are those I serve, I guess, then, that would make me...the Follower.
Yes..that works!
I would so *love* to give Kosh a kick in his encounter-suited butt for saddling me with the first title, but we all know how smart that would be, yes?? Julia Dear would end up flat on her back, and would have to listen to a longish Zen lecture from our all-time favorite Vorlon on being nice. Yes, I'm being frivolant, but of late, it's getting harder and harder to get through to him, but then again, that's true with just about everyone around here just lately.
Ever since we got back to Babylon 5 from Minbar, the wait for the Shadows to move is making everyone jumpy. William and Jennifer have been busy finishing with the details of how Shival and Tharvonn will take over the Council under Delenn and Sheridan, but it's easy to see that l the waiting game is getting to them, as well. Something has to give, and I'm afraid, deathly afraid, that the killing will begin sooner then anyone wants.
William, of course, is worried that the Shadows will move before the White Star Fleet is ready, which won't be for a few more months yet. And if they decide to attack all-out, we could all be in trouble, for there's no guarentee that the Vorlons will help. And so, the irritability among the Rangers spreads and deepens; when the War finally begins, I guess the resolve will come, but for now, I'm finding it difficult to spend as much time with them, as I should.
There is, however, some escape from that routine. Several days ago, I managed, through complete happenstance, to encounter the aide of Ambassador Delenn in the Garden, meditating. Afraid that I had disturbed him, I moved to apologize...but Lennier quickly assured me that there was no need for such, and that he had, indeed, heard of me, and would be pleased, in fact, to talk!
As a result, I now know things about the Minbari I wouldn't have believed possible a year ago, and am better for it, as a result. Jennifer, when she found out, suggested that I consider the 'discussions' to be part of my training for becoming a Ranger, since Rangers have to learn the Minbari languages...and so, I asked...
It will take a while, but Lennier is extraordinarily patient!
....a brief pause, there, but something has happened. William just rushed off, his face quite determined, and Jennifer isn't happy, as is usual when her other half must shoulder his duty. A mystery, and a hope, as well...something is wrong, and yet right at the same time, and there is a hint of danger in the air.
I suppose he's all happy about that, but you never can tell.
...the news has spread with remarkable speed. It appears that another like *US* has been found, an Observer, another one!! Jennifer and I can scarcely credit the news, but William assured her that the message is genuine. How he could have received a message, I'm not sure, since he was asleep before he rushed off..
I hate mysteries. But my new life now seems to be full of those, too!
In any case, William has arranged to meet up with this Observer at a secret rendezvous point, and will return with him to a place of safety, probably here, I suppose.
This ought to make him forget aboutt the Shadows, for at least a little while...
* * *
Deep in the belly of the warship that was carrying them, Walther leaned into the surface of the midnight black bubble-surface, and listened to the screamed messages around him. The Nexus in this cruiser was a telepath, and as such, the ship could send messages to those it carried, and the message was anything but bad. The First One who had stolen Verah had left a dim track in hyperspace that those from Z'ha'dum could follow, and it was clear, very clear, that the path lead far down the gravitational incline.
Across from him, his partner, Amilia Croyt, beautiful and yet cold at the same time, opened her eyes, and looked straight at him. She was a telepath, as well, one of the few dark enough of heart to WANT to join with one of their associate's warships, and centered enough to return with part of her mind intact...and, even, EXULT in the experience. Her ship had been key in helping to destroy the Narns the previous year, and now, with the approval of their associates, she had joined him on the Hunt.
The scars on her face and neck were quite visible, she had done nothing to hide them. Normal, she was not; *twisted*, yes, but not normal. But normal was not wanted here..normal had long since walked out both of their back doors.
"*They* can still sense the trail, Walther. It falls down the incline in a remarkably straight path. How the V'zag could believe this would work is beyond me; we should have no problem reclaiming Verah...and, if we should happen to destroy a Cha'hal'zhamon base or two along the way..."
"They are a hindrance to our associate's plans, and as such, will be removed, bit by bit. They can do nothing but hide, but as long as others move to reveal them, they will be diminished."
"The Weak will perish." Amilia declared, drawing out one long, white arm to touch his. "The Strong will grow stronger; it is the way, it is the of LIFE, it is our very existence. There is no other."
He smiled. "Your values have merit; I can see that we will work well together."
Amilia laughed, and they both closed their eyes, to check on the status of the small squadron serving with them. "We will make black magic, and the Light will suffer!"
The squadron screamed in agreement, and then, carried on.
* * *
Time was passing, and the Cha'hal'zhamon were growing increasingly concerned.
**Did you contact him??** the Eldest inquired of he who had volunteered, since the beginning, to deal with the human called the Rimstalker.
**Yes. He assured, me, Master, that he would come, with all speed, and with as few crew as was possible, to meet us here.**
**The Foe draws near, he must come SOON, or we will need to move this place to a safer location!**
**I will attempt to warn him, but it will be nigh impossible if he is awake.**
**Try!**
* * *
In a different part of hyperspace, a completely different scenario was about to unfold. The transport of Ambassador Ulkesh moved thorugh hyperspace, and its master was anything but amused. His servant on Babylon 5, the human that called itself Brianna Tolmanes, had learned that the Other Side had gained control over one of those called OBSERVERS. Ulkesh had, before now, believed that only two existed, and now, three were revealed to his sight!
Most importantly of all, this Third had observed the Other Side in detail. As such, Ulkesh had passed on word of this to the Many, and a consensus had been quickly arrived at.
Out of the dimness ahead of the transport, dozems of moving forms appeared...and then, hundreds more. The transport soon became miniscule in comparison to the force that was, even now, moving with a quite definite purpose, thorugh hyperspace, and down the Incline.
The Vorlons were on the march.
That this meant no good was, of course, unclear to all *but* the Vorlons..
* * *
I am Alkanion Verah, and this may be my final entry.
A short time ago, a tiny, but highly visible spacecraft appeared out of the dimness of hyperspace. The contact I have in this strange place informed me, with great difficulty, that this craft was known as the 'White Star 2' and that the commander on board had come to take me away to a place where my own kind awaited me. I smiled, and thanked him for his comments, and made ready to depart.
That was when the unthinkable happened. Out of the roiling darkness, there came familiar shapes...*so* familiar, so deadly, so...
Expected.
Was Taaldon wrong?? I have to accept that possiblility, for even as these Cha'hal'zhamon, as they call themselves, wheel and die for my purpose in battle against the Shadows, even as that tiny ship of hope called the White Star stands close in for protection's sake, I have to concede that they may recapture me, that all that has happened may be for nought.
I do not believe, if that occurs, that any who have helped me shall survive. And it is equally likely, I am afraid, that my former Masters will show their displeasure with me.