** "Call it what you will, but what we became got its beginnings in us five. That first mission together was our proving ground, and thereafter, word of what we had done began to spread. Of course, it would take the rest of 2259, and most of 2260, before we had what we needed, both in the White Star Fleet and numbers....
...by the end of the war, having survived battles, engagements and missions almost beyond count, William and I became near legends in the Rangers. And after what some refer to as our 'retirement', our fame has only grown...not at *all* on the same level as our Commanders, of course, but as I write this, it seems clear that the Anla'shok will remember us for many, many years to come...whether this is a good thing, or bad, I can no longer tell."**
From: "Storm Crossing: The Shadow War, and Other Responsibilities"
* * *
July 6, 2259. Gvoladsh IV.
On the sullen red sands below, the inhabitants of the small Narn colony in the *almost* temperate regions of Gvoladsh looked to the skies and listened to their comm systems...and despaired. The arrival of a Centauri War Cruiser at this out-of-the-way system on the edge of the War zone was worse then bad luck. No ship of the Regime could *possibly* be close enough to help them!
What had drawn the Centauri here was an interesting question. Gvoladsh produced an ore found only in two other places in the Regime, an ore necessary to the production of the Fleet's cruisers and dreadnaughts...had *that* drawn the Centauri?? Or was it the mysterious small base that a small group of humans had asked for (and received) permission to build, less then three months before? What *was* clear was that the Centauri would soon be landing...and all questions would be answered soon enough.
* * *
Ten hours before.
"Very suspicious..." Na'Van, the Warleader of the V'dal, remarked, as Ko'cha and G'kael stood before him, at ease. "But you have been right too many times, Spymaster, for me to ignore you. So, you say you left an intelligence team at G'voladsh, suspecting Centauri infiltration on our flank, and now the Centauri are on the brink of arrival, and you require our help? Warleader G'Sten approves of you, G'kael...but this!"
"It is slightly less of a concern..." G'kael smoothly replied, "Now that the Ka'Rhi in their infinite wisdom, have provided me with four new N'rothcka class vessels, a 'surprise from the main shipyards' they called it. I will echo you at this point, Na'Van...very suspicious! But I do not argue with fate; three of our original six vessels will accompany the V'dal to Gvoladsh for tactical support. I assure you, Na'Van, we will find the Centauri there already...perhaps not in great numbers, but they must be engaged, and my team recovered...*that* is of paramount importance."
"Very well, G'kael. But this is the *last* time I do this. Our resources grow ever more strained..."
* * *
Gvoladsh High Orbit...
"This doesn't make sense...!" Jennie insisted, as over them, the *Felarious* continued to draw closer, making its threats. "If they'd wanted to destroy us, they could have easily done so already. Tashann's shuttle presents no impediment to that!"
"Agreed." Dreann replied, her eyes cold. "There seems to be more to this situation then we suspected...and yet, has not the Enemy infiltrated the Centauri royal houses? This cruiser's commander might very well be serving the Shadows."
"Do not move!!" the authoritative voice of the Centauri Captain boomed once again. "You will be taken aboard. If you deviate from your present course, you will be destroyed. This will be your final warning!"
"Look!" William barked, and the cadre changed their gaze to the black vacuum beyond the *Felarious*...where the curdled orange flare of a jump point was forming.
"The Narns?"
"One can hope! Dreann?"
"Done." The Minbari Ranger crisply replied, and they all hung on desperately, as she twisted the shuttle into a hard overhand right spin, which Tashann, who had been listening to the conversation on ship-so-ship comm, immediately emulated. The gunners on the *Felarious* had, of course, been ready for just such a move, and great spikes of plasma immediately began to seek the two Ranger ships out...but quite suddenly, their attention was called elsewhere, as behind the war cruiser, a Narn heavy cruiser and three of G'kael's smaller spyships erupted out of the jump point, and immediately fired upon their enemies.
"Great timing..." Jennie breathed out, as a great chunk of superstructure exploded out of the side of the Centauri cruiser, taking the portside horn with it.
"More then that..." William dryly remarked, as the Ranger ships moved towards the *K'vel*, which was even now intercepting them. "I would say instead, that's just G'kael's style striking again...he sure does *like* saving us from ourselves, doesn't he?"
Behind them, Brianna stifled a laugh, and nodded.
"G'kael to Team One...G'kael to Team One." the familiar voice of the Narn crackled. "I apologize for the delay, but as you see, I suspected we would need the extra firepower."
"No apologies." Jennie cut in, as behind them, the already heavily damaged *Felarious* turned to run, opening its jump point with the *V'dal* still in pursuit. "Since it appears your Navy seems to win victories whenever we're around, and you need all the morale you can get."
"Agreed." the reply came. "But I would suggest that you come aboard as soon as possible. The Centauri may be running for now, but they will be back, I assure you...and in *greater* numbers then presently."
The cadre could not disagree, and therefore, scant minutes later, after the two small Ranger craft were brought aboard, G'kael's small fleet turned towards the jump gate, just as William and his companions reached the bridge of the *K'vel*.
"What about the *V'dal*?" Jennie inquired.
"Na'van will keep his command on station during the evacuation of the colony. G'quan watch over him..I only hope they can get out before the Centauri return."
"They will..." Brianna whispered, her gaze far away. "They will."
G'kael and William exchanged one long glance, and then nodded. Of course. "Get us out of here, G'kael." William suggested, settling into a nearby, unmanned station seat. "We should be elsewhere...now."
G'kael curtly nodded, and short minutes later, the tiny fleet jumped into hyperspace, and back towards the Narn homeworld.
* * *
July 11th, 2259. Enroute from the Rim.
Gideon slept the sleep of the damned, and of course, even though he'd made the fateful choice, a choice that was in the end *inveitable*, he found himself divided into two men...a man of the waking world, devious and serving himself and his associates...and a man of the subconscious, the *weak* man he had been, before. Gideon dreamt the dreams of the damned, and in that dream, he found himself facing what he had been.
"It's sad to see..." the other remarked, shaking his head sadly, "Where you've taken us, Walther. Sad indeed, but what the hell, it's your life, isn't it?"
"Don't be a fool!" he snarled, striding forward to shout in the other's face. "Don't you see what our associates are giving us? The other side doesn't have a hope, and they know it; they're little ants running around before the foot comes down. And I assure you, conscience mine, that the Shadows intend to do just that...that is how we will all be made *stronger*, after all."
"But of course...they *would* tell you that." the other cryptically commented. "That was just what you wanted to hear, wasn't it?" The other turned, and began to walk away. "I can see that I will have to go away for a time, there isn't going to be any way of convincing you while their influence is this strong. But I *assure* you, Walther...when the time comes, you will turn one day, and there I will be. You chose your path, but there will come a time when the path will lead not to glory and success or refusal and banishment, but to *life* or *death*. And when that day comes, there will I be."
"Begone!" he yelled, as the figure faded into the mists at the edge of the waking world. "I need you..."
"Not!!" he whispered, coming awake with a start. Damn. That dream *again*.
{He still troubles you} the whisper came. {It will not last}
"Pay it no heed..." he whispered to the air, "No heed at all, my friend. The disturbances of the dream world as as mist to us, and have no effect upon that which we do." Walther rose from his bunk on the transport, and drew on a gray shirt, and a matching dark suit. A long, dagger-shaped talisman of blue crystal now hung at his neck; Morden had suggested that the past could be 'contained' within such a talisman, for right or wrong, and Gideon was not about to ignore such advice.
* * *
Narn. July 15th, 2259.
"Disturbing news." G'kael sighed, "But I feared as much. The V'dal was heavily damaged in an ambush during the final escape from Gvoladsh, and will be out of commission for at least two standard months. I did not wish that upon Na'van, not at all...but that is the way our war is going."
"I wish we could do more for you," Brianna commented, her eyes downcast. "But if we wait any longer, the advance of the Centauri may cast doubts upon our own escape. We must return to free space...to where we can make a difference!"
"I understand!!" the Narn replied, his voice grave. "You must do what you must do...and you can do nothing more here. It is time for you to go."
"And what will you do, G'kael??" Jennie inquired, as she drew her cloak around her, the sign of the Rangers once more safely hidden. "The course of this war's end draws near for the Narn...your leaders are growing desperate, and when leaders get desperate, mistakes are made."
"True, and true. As for me, when the inevitable happens, and the Centauri break through our lines and reach Homeworld, I will not be here...it would be best for me to disappear for a time, especially since the Centauri will, no doubt, have orders to shoot me on sight. No, I will leave, and vanish, for a while."
"What will the Centauri do when they reach here?"
"What do you think they will do, William?? Another reason I must leave before the end: the Centauri hate us enough to possibly use mass drivers on Homeworld, and a great many will die. I cannot prevent it, I can only predict what is to come...and by myself, I can do nothing but disappear...and then reappear, when the time is *right*."
William and Jennie nodded, and stood closer together. "We understand; but we will see you again, G'kael. By Valen's Name, we swear it."
G'kael nodded. "Treasure what you have in one another, my friends, but now you must go. We *will* see one another, G'quan willing, after the war is concluded. But for now, I bid you farewell."
* * *
Chronicles Log, Late July, 2259. Remembrances.
Time marches on, and the memories grow dimmer, but this one was the sharpest I remember from that period. It was difficult to leave our friend, he who had done so much for us since it all began, but G'kael had his path, and we had ours. In less then three months, the Narn Homeworld would find G'kael's prediction coming true, but he was long gone by then. We would not see him again until the Darkness had begun its passing, but the return would be both joyous, and grave.
But I get ahead of myself. Our job as Rangers was mostly long travelling, with the occasional bout of sheer terror. And it took *long* to get from place to place. Our return out of Narn territory was, in fact, a bit of a break after the constant, nerve- wracking events of the previous weeks...a time that Jennie and I used to full extent. Brianna, apparently, could hear Ulkesh even at that distance(somehow), and from all indications, the Vorlon was, at that time, pleased with her actions.
That this would change somewhat in the weeks and months to come was only a result of what had happened on the 'other side of the fence' during our time in Narn territory...a detail we wouldn't know about until we returned to Babylon 5 in early August.
* * *
The Ranger Compound, Tuzanor, late night...July 22, 2259.
"They must mean a great deal to you, the way you talk about them." Catherine commented, her voice heavy with exhaustion...it had been another long day for them both. "The way you smiled when you found out they had succeeded in their mission...it didn't just make your day, it made *mine*, as well. Why don't you tell me something about them?"
Sinclair nodded, and sat down beside her, glass in hand. "Some of what we do is hard work...but some of it seems to be destiny, as well. That comes to me far too often, but I'm not the only one to face this, not by far. This war is going to revolve around certain focus points. I'm one...Delenn's another...and it's *starting* to look like Captain Sheridan might be one, as well. But these two, Clifford and Westcastle, are a focus for OUR forces, instead: small for now, but growing. Westcastle, in particular, may find himself leading Ranger units in battle before too much longer...and what will come of that, I don't know. Jennifer Clifford is, as the Vorlons told us, an Observer born...her reports from Narn told us things we didn't even suspect.
And for a little while, they're coming out of the fire...for a little while, they will be able to find peace, and not think about the Shadows. I can try and give them that, Catherine, but it won't be for long. Soon enough, I must use them again...use them like I use all the others. Because I *must*. I don't want to, but I don't have any other choice...."
Sinclair turned, alerted by the change in Catherine's breathing, and ruefully nodded. She was asleep, and all things considered, he wouldn't be doing wrong by following her example, for now.
And finding a moment of peace amidst the madness.
* * *
July 26th, 2259. Nighthawk Colony Orbit.
Mariallah Quesotz looked about the *new* Nighthawk orbital station, and shivered. A replacement for the one that had been so callously blown apart late the year before...an attack that had killed her friend Jennifer, and exiled William and Walther from the Force. And now, all the faces were alien, and unknown...but fair enough. She had felt like a fish out of water so far, this year...in fact, ever since William had left for Earth...and now a change was coming. She held her orders in her hand, slung her bags more tightly over her shoulder, and looked about. The great looming mass of her new assignment, the Omega Class Destroyer *NIOBE*, hung outside, small shuttles resupplying and vectoring about. Now where was...
"Doctor Quesotz?" a pleasant voice intruded, and she turned, to see a sharp- looking, brunette-haired Earth Force captain approach. "Forgive the delay. I'm Captain Bethany Tikopai of the NIOBE."
At last. Mariallah saluted, and then, with a smile, took the given hand, and shook it. "Pleased to meet you, Captain. A shame about Doctor Wallia, though...I've known him for quite a few years, and losing his family like that would be quite a blow."
"And more then sufficient reason for Earth Force Command to transfer him back home." Captain Tikopai replied, her face somber. "But I'm sure you'll do well as a replacement, Doctor...your record's been nothing but good from the word go...and I *suspect*, from your expression, that you wanted a change anyways."
"Yes, Captain...I *think* you could say that."
"Then, let's go, Doctor. The NIOBE awaits."
Mariallah walked away towards the shuttle, without looking back. Time for a change. Time for something...better?
* * *
July 28th, 2259. Minbar.
Ambassador Ulkesh drifted down the passageway, his thoughts dark, but pleased. Everything, for now, was going as planned. The other side continued the Game as expected, and no rules had been broken, even in the case of the recent attack by the Z'nipc upon The Stalker, The Watcher, and those who, even now, began to follow their destiny. Ulkesh had forbidden the One who Was from telling them what had occurred with the Lost One, to maintain order, but a new test would be coming for *them* soon enough. The Watcher would find out about the Lost One and what he had become, and then...
Then, Ulkesh would *determine* the course of events from there. Deviation from the plan would be unacceptable, even for those controlled by destinies beyond their understanding...
* * *
Next: The summer of 2259 is drawing to a close, and as war and conspiracy spread throughout the galaxy, the cadre discover the fate of Walther Gideon from a fairly surprising source, and the hunt begins. "Revelation's Shore", a three parter, coming soon.