"It has been said, by some, that all of our lives, all of the universe itself, in all its intricate wonder, beauty and terror, might be a dream in the mind of some unknown being...and Valen forbid that this being, if it exists, should ever wake from its slumber.
And while I, for one, was never one to believe in such things, if such a being existed, and it dreamt of us that fateful day so long ago now, the dream it dreamt would have been a dream of change and sadness..."
* * *
Tuzanor. Ranger Compound Medical Facility. Launch minus Sixty-six hours...
In the instant of her anger, a stab of sudden pain passed along her spine; and she winced, her thoughts in sudden turmoil, between the moments, as she turned away from the others to face the great crystal window of the physician's abode, and the vista of the Ranger Compound beyond.
Had that been *hate*, waiting in the wings of her mind? It had been years since that emotion had emerged as far into the light of day as it had, in the moment just past; years seperating her from the resentful girl she had been, a child forever passed between family friends, and looking to the stars for a mother who had never been there for her, when she had needed one the most.
Wait to spring out, it had, until she had been forced to face something she never had, before...Nicholas Dawson; the only human member of the team that had first designed, and then built her new command...the only department head on the SHARD who wasn't a Ranger...and thus, as far as she could tell, didn't give a damn about the Anla'shok or their code.
Another moment passed; a moment of understanding the warning, another in how many, that *he* had left behind? And then that moment passed, as well... requiring her to deal with this matter, in her own way...the only way she knew how.
And she turned around, to once again meet Nicholas Dawson's openly scornful gaze.
"Yes; as a matter of fact, Mr. Dawson, that's exactly what the President has done; and as for the reason that's so, well, maybe you should have looked into my back history a little, before judging me merely on what you *think* you know!"
"Which was exactly what I was expecting to hear from someone as clearly inexperienced about things as you appear to be, Miss Tikopai!" the engineer sarcastically replied. "Rumour's told me everything I needed to know; that the President had given command of the ship I helped to design to someone who's not even twenty years old..."
"Tell me, Mr. Dawson...do I look my age?"
THAT stopped him in his tracks, if only for a moment...as Dawson's gaze quickly passed across her, and a faint frown appeared, reinforcing her convinction to do this thing...to attack this weak spot before the chance slipped away, never to return. "What difference should that make? The facts don't lie!...even if you *are* one of these Rangers that I've heard about, the Rangers don't normally accept recruits until their Eighteenth year, do they?"
She looked at Veyshahk, and the Minbari nodded his understanding, and moved to secure the door to the room. "Normally, yes, that is the case; but as you will soon learn, my years spent with the Rangers were *far* from normal."
"Which means...what, exactly?"
"You will see. Before I continue with this, however, you must understand that what I am about to say cannot be told to anyone who isn't a Ranger...including the members of your own department. Is this clear?"
"The engineer frowned again, then...more seriously, this time. "Hey, what's this all about, anyways? I came here to resolve this situation to my own satisfaction, and all of a sudden, I find myself being lectured at? What gives?"
"What 'gives'..." Veyshahk noted, his expression patient, knowing...and relieved. "As your kind says, will soon become apparent. This is, however, important, and if you are to serve beneath her, and beside me, you must *understand* as I do. Understand what all those she has touched over the years now understand.”
"An obviously now confused Nicholas Dawson shook his head irritably, and turned as if to go. "I don't need this!..."
"I have a question for you, Mr Dawson..." she began again, stopping him in mid-step. "Where were you during the Shadow War, if you don't mind me asking?"
Which got him to stop, turn around, and glare at her...so far, so good. "On Earth, of course!...where we all were, during President Clark's reign of terror. I stayed low, like all the other smart people, and I was never noticed...until Varsak came to get me, of course. And anyways, that was six years ago; you must've been on Earth at the time as well, right?"
She laughed, adding to his discomfiture. "Not quite, I'm afraid! By my thirteenth birthday, I had already been drawn to the side of the ones who would later teach me much of what I know today. At the time I first met them, they commanded the Rangers of Babylon 5..."
"Are you trying to tell me that Westcastle guy I've seen on the news from time to time in the last little while started to teach you the ways of the Rangers when you were...*thirteen* years old? Geez, he must have been a sucker for sore punishment!"
"The name you are searching for, Mr. Dawson..." she tartly replied, "Is William Westcastle...and you are right, in that almost seven of our years ago, he commanded the Rangers of Babylon 5. But more importantly, he decided at the time that I should train beneath his life partner, Jennifer Westcastle... already, at that time, a master of the Minbari warrior pike. This was a bargain I agreed to wisely, as I later discovered."
"And now..." the engineer muttered, "You're going to tell me you earned the right to use one, too, I suppose..."
With a sudden grin, she withdrew her thousand year old pike from its place of concealment, and almost laughed as Dawson's eyes narrowed; she was getting closer, now..."For many months, she served as my guide in the ways of the Rangers...and during that time, I came beneath the fire of the enemy more then once...and grew both in knowledge, and maturity, as a result."
"Hooh boy..." Dawson muttered. "Here it comes..."
"As you say. By the time the Earth Alliance Civil War had reached its waning stages...when President Sheridan, who was, at the time, in his last days as an officer of Earthforce, moved to topple President Clark's regime, I stood in service on the bridge of High Councillor Westcastle's White Star, when the fleet of Liberation arrived in Earthspace..a day, Mr. Dawson, that I'm *sure* you remember, all too well?"
"Are you trying to tell me..." Dawson disbelievingly replied, "That you were serving *actively* with the Rangers, before your fifteenth birthday?"
She sighed, remembering those times...the pain, the unbearable hope, the sadness...and the final victories, the victories that cost so much to attain. "I was, yes...and part of the *reason* I was, is what I saved until last to tell you; the thing you must, above all else, keep to yourself! I would not tell another this; but of all the senior crew of my new command, you are now the ONLY one who does not have access to this information; this must be corrected, if we are to trust one another. There is a reason I was called into service...a reason I advanced so quickly, so obviously, to that position...and now, this one.
I was forced into adulthood, you see, almost five years ahead of schedule, by a force now banished from the galaxy, along with the Shadows. I was touched by *Vorlons*, Mr. Dawson...and for their own reasons, reasons I both understand and am baffled by, they made me what I am today. At first, I thought it was *all* to do with fighting the Shadows...but as time has passed, now I'm not so sure any longer!"
She paused then, to give the engineer time to think about what he had been told...and then, disbelief appeared on Dawson's face, as she had expected. "I don't believe this!...no way, uh uh. There’s no way that any of this could POSSIBLY be true. You’re pulling my leg, lady."
"Is that what you think, Human?" Veyshahk exclaimed, his voice stentorian. "That time in our history was full of miracles!...why should this not have also come to be? In any case, I choose to back her claims...all that she has told you is the truth, and in matters such as these, as you well know, my kind does not lie."
"So he believes you..." Dawson grumbled. "So what? Still doesn't give me what I need; if you want me to accept any of this cockamanie story, you're going to have to give me *proof*."
"If I showed you a set of records proving these things as the truth, would that sway your opinion?"
"It might..." the engineer allowed, after a moment's consideration.
Fair enough. "Veyshahk?"
"Val'na."
"May I borrow your computer for a moment?"
The Minbari smiled, and bowed slightly. "As this will, in a short while, no longer be my place of work, the request is easily granted."
"Computer..." she addressed the table-top instrument, in the tongue of the Religious Caste, "Process request for restricted files on subject development, Anla'shok equivalent human years 2260 to 2262...identifer, Tikopai, Julia, Val'na." That, of course, got her another look from Dawson...that she spoke all three Minbari tongues fluently was something he would discover in due course.
She turned towards Dawson, and pointed at the screen. "There's your evidence...some of my history among the Rangers, what I've seen, what I've endured, where I’ve walked to reach this place, this time, and this position. Examine them closely...if you dare."
"You're serious about this, aren't you?" Dawson replied, something almost resembling a *bit* of respect now showing on his face.
"We have an important mission to perform, Mr. Dawson...one you will learn about as soon as we rendezvous with the rest aboard the SHARD OF NIGHT...and I cannot have matters as insignificant as this getting in the way!"
"Insignificant, huh?" came the grumbled reply. "Then I guess I should look at these records of yours, shouldn't I?"
"I guess you should, at that.." she retorted, almost sagging in relief as Dawson sat down in front of the terminal. "Computer!"
"*Ready*"
"Play records!"
* * *
Out in the far darkness, two ships had come together for a reason known to the commander of the first...and soon to be known to the second.
"What?" Tashann exclaimed, as his old friend Talion Quintara nodded patiently on the other side of the table in the White Star 4's galley, and ate his meal in silence. "Impossible, Talion...this cannot be true! Lanniel would not do such a thing without speaking to me directly about the matter!"
The Val'na sighed, his well-bearded face grim with knowledge. "I don't believe she could do that *this* time, Tashann...but since I’ve served in her triad for the past eighteen months, perhaps she trusted me just enough to courier this message to you, acting as an intermediary within the Rangers."
Tashann's eyes narrowed. "And the message is?"
"As best as I can determine, from the little she told me before White Star 6 jumped for Minbar, this is both a Caste, and also, more importantly, a Clan matter...the elders of the Storm Dancers Clan have conferred, and a A'veinsha Ne'vrei has been called."
Tashann's breath caught to hear that; the last time any of the Clans or families had enacted such a measure had been during the Civil War, six years before..."I *see*. And was she...allowed...to tell you something about the reason this occurred?"
Talion nodded bluntly. "It concerns a transfer of command between Alit Di'shiania Rahkeel and another known to us both."
"As I suspected..." Tashann bitterly replied, after a moment. "I find it astonishing that Rahkeel was able to convince his Elders this warranted a call of Crisis!... but it is not entirely unsurprising. Lanniel, however...I don’t believe, Talion, that Lanniel will see this matter in the same light that Rahkeel does..."
"Only time will tell on that score, Tashann..."
* * *
Launch window minus sixty-five hours...
Sixty degrees ahead of the outer moon of Minbar, a point of gravitational stability existed; a zone dictated by the more normal laws of physics...an area known to humans as a Lagrange point. Within this zone of equilibrium, a ship orbited the planet below; a ship abandoned, for more then a revolution of that planet, by all but its confused skeleton crew of engineers.
Until now that was, as one of the more *esoteric* if accepted, in this day and age, laws of physics was suddenly called upon...as ten thousand kilometers behind and below the SHARD OF NIGHT, the vacuum crackled and then ripped asunder, as a jump point sprang into being, and the Twenty-seventh command of the White Star Fleet fell back into space-time to rendezvous with a small group of Ranger transports waiting for *just* that arrival.
And after a short time, a similar craft emerged from that warship's hangar bay...
* * *
"You will forgive us for our abruptness, Na'lai..." the holographic image of Montoya informed Klairika, as the White Star 27 abruptly accelerated away from the small squadron of transports that, for now, she found herself in command of. "But our orders are equally clear, I am afraid. Since the EXCALIBUR is already underway looking for the cure to the plague, we have a great deal of catching up to do, in a very short time."
"I understand..." she replied, as Sheynell sat beside her, smiling a faint smile, and Dasouri fidgeted behind her (if Drazi *did* fidget, that was, she wasn't quite sure) "But from what little I know of this situation, don't be surprised if we see one another, out on the Rim, in very short order."
"I look forward to that day." Montoya concluded, and then, the signal cut, as space once again tore in front of the departing ship, and the White Star vanished from sight.
"Now..." Sheynell began, still smiling that annoying smile she had been smiling for several hours now. "Does someone want to tell me where our new command is? Because I *sure* don't see it close at hand."
"From what we’ve learned enroute after receiving our orders, Sheynell, that would appear to be the idea. The SHARD OF NIGHT is a stealth warship, harder to see and find then anything the Alliance has ever built before. And if our mission is to succeed, the Drakh must *not* see us coming..."
"She does, however, have a point, I am afraid." Dasouri pointed out. "If we cannot find our new ship, how can we board?"
"Already taken care of, if you *must* know." Klairika showed the other two a message crystal, before placing it into the transmitter in front of her. "The crew presently onboard is awaiting this signal; once it is received, they will rendezvous with us, and we will come aboard."
"Well...that's convenient, isn't it?" And then, Sheynell whipped her head around, and glared at Dasouri. "I *heard* that!"
"Never said a word." the Drazi replied, with a shrug. "Have no idea what you are talking about."
"Now, you listen here!..."
"Peace, friends!" Klairika entreated. "Please! It's time." And then, she sent the signal...and almost stopped breathing for a moment, as a black shadow suddenly blotted out the stars above them...
...A black shadow that suddenly engaged its engine and superstructure running lights, revealing the almost awe-inspiring shape of the ship itself...so like a White Star, and yet, so *different*, she thought to herself, while admiring the sight. Longer, darker, sharper and meaner; a predator in an ocean of hostile enemies. The skin shimmered, gray and pearl, beneath the stars, while at almost every angle, weapons emplacements could be seen...
"Oh *my*..." Sheynell whispered, her eyes glued to the approaching battlecruiser. "And I thought I'd seen it all..."
"Bigger..." Dasouri noted, his expression now humble. "*Much* bigger then White Star ships; have been told that bigger starships are harder to control. Thing I enjoyed the most about commanding White Star ships is their *grace*...will this be lost, in vessel above? Vessel named SHARD OF NIGHT?"
Grace? Klairika smiled; once again, she was reminded that Dasouri wasn't exactly your 'average' Drazi...but was that so bad? "As I far as I know, Dasouri..." she replied honestly, "All reports seem to indicate this command is just as maneuverable as a White Star, even if it *is* twice as large."
"Will not believe it until we are underway for the first time." Dasouri stated bluntly.
"You'll get that chance soon enough, Dasouri, I think."
"Attention, incoming transport group..." a crisp voice announced over the comm channel...and a moment later, an image sprang into being, of what appeared to be a Worker-Caste Minbari on a rather well laid out bridge. "Ah!...Na'lai Alidiae, there you are. I am Lesaki, Assistant Engineer aboard the Interstellar Alliance battlecruiser SHARD OF NIGHT. If you will come aboard, I am prepared to turn command of the vessel over to you, at this time."
And I, she silently chanted, am going to convince myself I'm ready for this sooner or later, she told herself. Father...was this what you intended, when you told me to join the Anla'shok? "That's all well and good, Lesaki, but...where is, ah, the entrance to the hangar bay?"
The Minbari engineer smiled a secret smile. "Ah yes...now, Na'lai, learn the *first* secret about your new command." With that said, Lesaki turned to someone off to one side, and nodded curtly...while on the shuttle, the astonished Rangers watched as a segment of the hull between and below the aft gravimetric stablizers split along a previously invisible line, and pulled away in four directions, revealing the diamond-shaped hangar bay entrance!
"Very interesting..." Sheynell commented, after another moment's gaping. "Now that’s a neat trick!"
"There are many more surprises awaiting your arrival, Anla'shok Keynes." Lesaki concluded. "Many more...we await your ingress. SHARD OF NIGHT out."
Inside that opening, she realized, the future awaited; her future... their future. And without any further hesitation, almost without volition, even, she found her hand moving to the flight controls...and the shuttle leapt forward, followed by its companions.
It was time, she realized, to step out of the known...
And into the *interesting*!
* * *
Tuzanor primary spaceport; Launch window minus Sixty-four hours...
"Okay..." Dawson entreated behind her, as Veyshahk and Julia cast another long, amused glance at one another, "How many times am I going to have to apologize before you two forget about this? So I was wrong!...I've been wrong before, and I'm bound to be wrong again, sooner or later."
"Until, I believe, your penance is served, Dawson." Veyshahk replied. "Though the way that things are going presently, that will, I would guess, not take as long as I previously believed." And then, the Minbari doctor stopped in his tracks, a frown coming onto his face. "Val'na Tikopai; I believe that there’s someone...waiting for you on the platform."
"Who's that?" Dawson inquired, squinting at the auburn-haired, black-robed figure on the edge of the platform, as a White Star shrieked by overhead. "Someone you know Captain?"
Julia blinked, and then sighed; yes, it *was* her. "Gentlemen; I will join you at the transport shortly. If you will give me a moment alone?"
Nodding, Veyshahk and Dawson moved away towards the craft waiting to take them up to orbit, and beyond...and the time had come for something she had hoped to avoid.
"You didn't...have to do this, you know. It's not like I'm going away...*forever*, after all."
"You say the words, Julia..." Jennifer replied, her long hair whipped by the wind, "But that doesn't make this any easier."
"But why *now*? We won't be launching for at least another two and a half days!"
"William...William has decided that he will say his farewells to you then, Julia...but I couldn’t wait for that moment to say *mine*. At a distance, the meaning is lost, the message fades...as you well know and understand."
And then, for a moment, their austere facades cracked, and the two Observers, young and older, embraced for a moment, before resuming their distance. "I understand your words...and will hold them close to my heart, my former Mistress...my *friend*...and as we both know, this is not goodbye..."
For we will succeed in our quest...and I *will* come this way again."
* * *
"What are they doing?" Nicholas asked Veyshahk, as the he watched the two Ranger women step a little farther away from one another, and raise their left arms, hand upright, for little more then a moment, before his new Captain turned away, and strode towards them, an expression of combined determination and sadness on her face.
The Minbari bowed his head in acceptance of what had occurred. "In time, Nicholas Dawson, you will understand...perhaps. But for now, it would seem that we have places to be, and things to do."
"And just you wait until you and the...Captain learn some more about the place we're going *first*. It's going to knock your socks off!"
"We do not wear socks, as such, Mr. Dawson."
"Are you planning on cutting me some slack ANYTIME soon, Veyshahk?"
"Time will tell on that score, I am afraid...
Time will tell indeed."
"So..." his Captain inquired, as she joined them a moment later. "Did you have an interesting conversation while you were waiting for me?"
"If only you knew, Captain..." he wryly replied. "If *only* you knew."
"It was a beginning, Val'na." Veyshahk finalized, as they entered the transport. "But we all have to begin somewhere, now don't we?"
* * *
<To be continued in Act II: in which Julia *finally* sets foot on her new command for the very FIRST time!>
STAR AND CIRCLE: "AS DARKNESS FALLS"
PART VIII, ACT II
Interstellar Alliance Starship SHARD OF NIGHT; Launch window minus sixty
three Hours...
Klairika walked down the Grand Corridor of the SHARD in what amounted to a daze, so overwhelmed was she by everything she had seen thus far. The others had drifted away, each to explore the ship in their own way, and by their own methods...she had simply allowed herself to walk where the need summoned her, and she had learned a great deal already, as a result.
In human terms, and she would *have* to think in human terms from now on, because so much of her new crew came from that race, the SHARD was almost six hundred metres long from prow to stern, with eleven decks, and a computer system more powerful then anything she had ever encountered before...a system that overpowered even the responsive systems she was used to in the White Star Fleet.
Unbelievably enough, the battlecruiser also had six fusion reactors, all of which were less then a twentieth as large as the admittedly primitive power plants in her race's enormous fleet cruisers...but there was, of course, a reason for that great number...and that was when she had to once again address the issue of the ship's arsenal in her mind.
Unlike her former White Star command, the combined firepower of this ship was, it seemed, equal or greater then that of the Minbari Sharlin-class heavy cruisers...and not only could she go head on head with much larger capital ships, the SHARD also had the capability to repel attacks from behind, when such attacks could not be addressed utilizing the six new-design stealthfighters carried aboard. Lesaki, the SHARD's assistant engineer, had also informed her, shortly after she had come aboard, that it had originally been the designer's intent that this ship be the prototype of a replacement for the heavy-cruiser design; more efficient, smaller, harder to see, harder to kill.
That none of that would come to pass now was equally obvious, she realized...but for now, perhaps this blind wandering had gone on long enough...and she rose out of her contemplation of the situation, to determine where she was...and, more importantly, who else was in the vicinity.
Ahead of her, a small group of mixed human and Minbari Rangers approached, packs of gear on their shoulders, their expressions a combination of surprise and appreciation; they were, no doubt, only newly come aboard. She could not, however, blame them for what they felt; something similar had happened to her when she had come aboard with Sheynell and Dasouri, two hours before.
And then, rather abruptly, she realized that one of the Minbari in that group of Rangers was Julia's close comrade, Larieken!...and a moment later, he noticed her, as well, and after a brief word to the other Rangers in his group, Larieken stood aside, let them pass, and approached her, a small smile on his face.
"Larieken! I have to say, all things considered, that I'm not really all that surprised to see you here."
"Just so, Na'lai Alidiae." the Minbari replied, after a brief bow to address her new rank. "Where my commander and friend walks, I walk in her footsteps, at her call. I have helped to teach her, and now that she ascended to the captaincy of this command, here I will serve as well, as long as I am needed."
"That is a good thing, I will admit." Klairika replied, as the two began to walk along the corridor together. "Although, to be honest with you, Larieken, I’ve never understood the loyalty you hold towards her."
"The President, and our Entil'zha, has commanded that we serve together, that I serve you almost as I would her, and so, I will tell you what you need to hear, what no one, up until now, may have *ever* told you. Six of her years ago, when we thought the President and the High Councillor lost at Z'ha'dum, the Entil'zha called upon me to guard what we thought, at that time, was our last hope...our only chance, if all went perfectly, for the future generations among the Younger Races to know of what happened during the Shadow War."
"I...what, exactly, are we talking about here, Larieken?"
"Ah...then she has not seen fit to tell you, yet...not entirely unsurprising, as the details of what she is are not known to many, or even believed in by some of those who do know. Before I continue, however, perhaps it would be best if I were to carry my belongings to my new quarters. And although it will be some time before those quarters are set up to my satisfaction, it will have to do, for now..."
"I cannot argue with your logic, Larieken."
"Perhaps that *may* be so..." Larieken replied, his calm expression suddenly becoming a little more concerned. "But to inquire: can I assume that the method of quarters assigning is similar to that aboard a White Star?"
"You need to ask?" Almost without volition, she laid a finger atop the barely noticable crystal that had been set into the skin beneath her right ear the day she had become a Ranger. This was something that had been implemented by High Councillor Westcastle and his now-dead equal among the fleet, Sha'vei Vikotal, when the White Star Fleet had still been under construction, and all things considered, it made perfect sense.
While some of her kind would always spend time away from the Fleet, should they ever be called upon to serve aboard a White Star, the computer aboard that ship would instantly be able to recognize them; who they were, where they had been, what they had done, and assign them quarters aboard, if such were available.
She smiled, then; only the Minbari, in her opinion, could have come up with a technology as flawlessly simple as this one was. And while she suspected that other elements of their society might do things just a little differently then this (such as the crews aboard their heavy cruisers, for instance) for the Rangers, this worked....and that was all that mattered.
"Fair enough." And with that comment, Larieken bowed towards her again. "Then we will speak on this matter later on...after all the crew has arrived, including our Val'na, and we have begun to settle into our new duties aboard this vessel." And then he turned to go.
She could see, already, that serving with this one would be a pleasure...in fact, was already being given cause to believe that the SHARD's entire *command crew* would work together better then almost any other she had ever known. That this was how it had been intended to be, she did not doubt. Did not want to doubt...
And then, a complex chime-alert alerted her to one of the other interesting idiosyncrasies of this new design; as a bead of light ran along the wall of the corridor towards her, came to a halt alongside, and a holographic image expanded into being, showing the bridge of the SHARD, and Sheynell in the captain's chair of the battlecruiser, still getting used to the operative capabilities of the new design. Klairika shook her head, and nearly laughed; as Julia's Second, Sheynell had delved into her duties almost immediately upon arrival. In fact, apart from a brief visit to her own quarters to drop off her belongings, the telepath had been on the bridge almost continously since then...
"Ah, Klairika, there you are. Thought I'd give this new crew-tracer gizmo a try to see if it worked as well as I thought it might..."
"You needn't have worried, of course. Varsak, as Lesaki has already pointed out to us both, was quite determined to make this ship one of the most advanced in Alliance history...there will, no doubt, be many marvels such as this to 'test' in the days to come. Now, since you have managed to locate me, what is, as your kind says, up?"
Sheynell grinned, and Klairika realized, suddenly, that her new friend was about to unleash a matter of importance. "A signal arrived a moment ago, from the transport XEVREI."
"And this transport is carrying...who?"
"Oh...just the ship's physician, the chief engineer, and our Val'na."
By the Comet...had that much time passed already? "How close are they to docking?" she snapped, already half in motion.
"Any moment, now, by the looks of it."
Klairika glared at the image. "Anla'shok Keynes, we need to have a *talk*, I believe, about what you consider to be appropriate timing. You know where to find me, I will assume? And, shall we say, in short order?"
Sheynell straightened in the image, still smiling a little impishly. "I understand you commands, noble Na'lai...and will comply. Bridge out!"
This was going to be interesting, she realized, as she made her way over to the nearest corridor wall terminal (not terribly difficult to find; although they were small, they were emplaced quite close together on most of the decks) and accessed the local comm network. "This is the First Officer to Anla'shok Dasouri and Larieken!"
Without pause, two holograms sprang into being. "Na'lai?"
"Gentlemen, I would suggest you make your way to the shuttlebay without delay...Val'na Tikopai and the rest of the command crew are about to come aboard. And, Larieken...?"
"Yes, Na'lai?"
"Assemble everyone among the crew who isn't on active duty. Alidiae out."
* * *
A few minutes later...aboard the transport XEVREI.
Almost, she was afraid to take this first step, knowing all too well that after this step was taken, there would be no going back. She could feel the eyes of the other two boring into her, but she didn't care, really. This was a moment to carefully consider what lay ahead of her, and what lay behind...and what she had seen, upon their approach, had been more then enough to indicate what that entailed.
The image she had seen in the President's office has simply NOT done this ship justice, she now knew. From a tiny mote of light almost lost against the stars, the SHARD OF NIGHT had grown into a gray and silvery creature of hidden purpose and intent, its shape so familiar and at the same time, so alien. So *many* things about this ship were different; Nicholas had as much hinted this during their flight up from Minbar. A few of those things would be obvious, she knew...but it was clear she would have to rely on Nicholas and his crew to reveal all the new and hidden secrets the battlecruiser held; and to aid her Ranger crew until they were familiar with all of them.
And now, this step had to be taken; there was no going back from it. And so, after a moment of final contemplation, she placed her hand upon the airlock toggle in the transport, and commanded it to iris open...
...Revealing the dark gray interior of the SHARD's shuttlebay. The central portion of that enclosure was similar in design to those she was familiar with aboard the White Stars...but off to either side, two annexes stretched off towards the prow...and within them, dimly visible, the fighters housed aboard.
This, Nicholas had made *quite* clear to her, was another of the advances that made her new ship what it was; the SHARD's fighters could launch forward, through two small, equally sealable exits in the curved hull between the outboard engines and the secondary batteries. This gave her a tactical advantage that no White Star had ever had...the ability to deploy fighters directly towards approaching hostiles!
But then, her musings set aside for now, she focused on the scene in front of her, and chuckled. Oh, she would get her for this in the end, but Klairika couldn't be blamed; there were traditions to address, after all.
On either side of the bay exit, two squads of Rangers stood at attention, three-deep, while directly in front of her, Klairika, Sheynell, Larieken and Dasouri waited, also at attention.
She knew what she had to do; what was expected of her. Although no command-rank Ranger had ever captained a ship such as this one before, the precedence was there, among the Minbari Fleet, and *very* explicit.
"I see you..." she stated, as her boots left the interior of the shuttle, and she stood upon the deck of the SHARD for the first time. "Followed by those I have called to my side, in our hour of action, in Earth's hour of need."
Klairika bowed, as did all those in the command crew who stood behind her. "We have waited for your arrival, and now that you have arrived, accompanied by those you have called to your side, we are...complete.
*Vi'dalae An'shaka* is yours, Val'na Tikopai. Command us."
"Thank you for that honour, Klairika..." she replied, striding briskly between the two squads of Rangers, the rest of her newly-assembled command staff falling in behind her. "But now that's out of the way, it's time we got down to business." Arriving at the exit, she turned to the computer terminal waiting there. "Computer; identify and acknowledge."
"Identity confirmed; Anla'shok Val'na Tikopai, Julia Katherine."
"Computer, prepare to update command log."
"Authorization required."
Now *this* was where it came down to the point of no return. With a brief sigh, she withdrew the datacrystal that William had given to her at their last meeting from her tunic, and placed it into the terminal reader. "Computer; update and acknowledge."
"Acknowledged. The office of the President of the Interstellar Alliance, this day, on the eighteenth hour, transfers command of the Interstellar Alliance battlecruiser SHARD OF NIGHT from Alit Di'siania Rahkeel of the Storm Dancer Clan to Anla'shok Val'na Julia Katherine Tikopai. So noted; so logged."
"Well..." she muttered to herself, before reslinging her personal pack of gear on her shoulder, "I suppose that was fairly painless, now wasn't it?" But at the same time, she knew that it meant *so* much...something her mother had faced far more then once in the past twenty years had now just happened to her...
"Larieken, dismiss the crew. The rest of you, please return to your duties or preparations...except you, Klairika. Let's walk."
As the others began to move about their tasks, the Brakiri fell in at Julia's side, her expression one of polite inquiry. "Val'na?"
"Tell me something, Klairika; did all of this...overwhelm you as much as it's overwhelming me, when you first came aboard?" The last, almost plaintively.
An amused nod. "If you must know, I spent much of the past two hours simply wandering from place to place aboard, seeing what I could see, learning what I could learn by simply...looking. Unfortunately, I suspect that this will not be enough; in fact, I do not doubt that when and if we assemble for our first command-level briefing, that a great deal of truly surprising information will find its way into our hands, courtesy of Chief Engineer Dawson and his crew."
"And speaking of *just* that!...it's already getting quite late in the day, so I think we should wait until the morning watch for that meeting. Once we've all had a little bit of rest, and the chance to set up our quarters the way we want them, we’ll be more ready for a meeting like that. How long until all of our belongings and supplies are aboard, by the way?"
"Our contacts on the surface ensure us that all of our initial supplies, and the remainder of our crew, will be aboard no later then sixty-one standard hours from now. We *will* be beginning our mission at the hour the President commanded, Val'na...and not a moment later."
"As it should be, Klairika...as it should be. But for now, I want some dinner, I want to set up my quarters, and my candlestands, and maybe get some sleep. Because the next couple of days are going to be long ones...for all of us."
* * *
Tuzanor...
"So, what do you think?" William asked his wife, as the Minbari designers laid out their creations atop his desk.
There was a moment's pause, and then, Jennifer laughed softly. "In Valen's Name, William!...this is astonishing. How far have you taken this?"
"To her entire crew. The command staff will be wearing these, and ther rest of the crew will be wearing *those*. It's necessary, and it's something I've wanted to act on for some time now; and now that I've managed to convince the rest of the High Council that this was necessary, in Julia's command, we're going to get the chance to try something a little different..."
Jennifer nodded. "For too long, the Ranger uniforms have been cast across the spectrum of Minbari culture, different styles, different makes...it's a bold move, William...a bold one, indeed.
But if I may, let me make a observation or two..."
"Please."
"The command-rank uniforms...by any chance, did you use some sort of *precedence* in their design?"
William nodded, his expression now determined, as he rose from his seat, and made his way over to the window of his chambers, to look up at the sky, and the ship he knew lay beyond that sky. "Seven of our years ago, an Army of Light began to come together at Babylon 5; an Army built by our Entil'zha, and by the President, in the role he then filled as Captain and leader of that place. And in an act of compassion and of belief in what he had done, in breaking away from the Earth Alliance, she gave him and his command staff new uniforms of black and silver, to show what they were, and who they were, and why they were doing what they did.
Almost, those uniforms have passed into history, Jennifer...and so, before they are forgotten, I have decided that another uniform should be created, to honour the memory of that which came before it, a uniform of purpose, a uniform reflecting two purposes..."
William returned to join her, and took up into his hands the black and silver-edged Ranger uniform he had asked the Minbari to make for him, one among six. "Because while Julia and her crew are Rangers, if I have my way, no one they meet will be able to forget that they are also members of the Army of Light, as well...a NEW Army of Light, born from the ashes of the old."
<To be continued...>
STAR AND CIRCLE: "AS DARKNESS FALLS"
PART VIII, ACT III OF III
Interstellar Alliance battlecruiser SHARD OF NIGHT; start of morning watch...captain's quarters.
Launch window minus forty-eight hours.
It had taken a while, but most of the traces that had been left by the former occupant of these quarters were gone, now...as it should be, in situations such as this one. Julia knelt before her most treasured candlestand, the one that William and Jennifer had given her just after the end of the Shadow War, her eyes closed, her breathing slow and steady, thoughts passing in an even, more-or-less ordered tumble thorugh her mind. There were other stands scattered around the room, of course...gifts made by friends both near and far...but for this moment, and this time, she would use no other.
She'd been doing this for years now, of course, finding peace in the most unlikely of situations, but that was the way it had always been, since she had come to the Rangers; come into William's circle, come to serve at Jennifer's right hand. And it was in doing this, that she most often gained access to that part of her inner self that Observed...and the thin, but well bound set of volumes above her new bed was the legacy of *that* discipline.
The newest now sat beside the three candles burning in front of her; she had last written in it just before the President had given her command of this vessel; when the next time would be, she was not sure...
<chime> Gathering her robe about herself, she rose and turned towards the doorway. "Yes?"
A hologram of Larieken, in full battle dress, even, sprang into being by the foyer, one she quickly banished by opening the door, and ushering her friend in. The Minbari entered, deposited a curiously wrapped, rather large package on the table nearest to the entrance, and then looked around with some curiousity. After a moment, apparently unsurprised by what he saw, he replied, "Ah; you were meditating before your candles, as always, at this hour of the day...various forces have pulled on you over the years, but this facet of your personality will, I imagine, forever remain constant, yes?"
She laughed, and turned to take in what she had wrought, once again, before nodding. "You should know better then to ask that, my friend. I have my writing, my candles, my chimes, and my patterns of light and shadow to Observe, and record. I have this ship to command, and a place to seek for peace, when the stresses of command become too much, as I have no doubt they will, in the months, and possibly years, that still lie ahead of us in this mission.
This is that place of peace; my place of rest, as well. That is all this place is to me, for now; isn't that enough?"
After a moment, Larieken smiled, and nodded his understanding. "Of course. Do not, however, forget this; we will all be changed by what we are attempting, even you...and as you change, your place of peace will change along with you."
"We'll just have to see about that...but anyways, I'm sure you didn't come here just to check out my quarters?"
"Indeed not. While your tasks aboard are not strenous for the time being, since our mission has yet to fully begin, care must be taken, as always, in observing the schedule."
"That's part of your job description, is it not?" she noted quizzically. "Keeping a handle on the minituae of ship's operations, details that Klairika, Sheynell and I shouldn't have to worry about?"
"As you say. And as *I* was saying, Na'lai Alidiae and Anla'shok Keynes would like to see you on the bridge at the Eleventh hour...thereafter, the Na'lai has, with your expected approval, scheduled the first gathering of the command staff. Chief Engineer Dawson would also like to speak to you about certain...matters pertaining to this vessel; secrets that you may, as he says, share with us as you chooose, or not. You are our Val'na...our captain. Such matters must be decided by you, and you alone.
The rest of the day is yours, to use as you see fit."
And then, almost as an afterthought, Larieken added, "And less then an hour ago, a rather *large* shipment from Tuzanor arrived aboard. There was a package for each member of our crew in the shipment, labelled by name. I have taken the liberty of delivering yours to you in person. If you will excuse me, I will allow you to examine the contents of the package...privately. And when next we see one another, certain matters will have *changed*, as you will soon discover." And with that curious comment, Larieken bowed briefly, turned away, and left her quarters.
Leaving her with this violet-tinged package, sitting on the table, only just out of reach. She sighed, and, after moment, moved to unseal the latch on the package, and immediately discovered a message crystal, and a note, in William's by-now familiar handwriting. It read:
'Play this, and hear my words, then open what is, and accept what you find, as given.'
-W.
Now throughly mystified, she took up the crystal, walked slowly over to her nightstand, activated the computer terminal set into the stand, and played the message...
* * *
Bridge level; conference room.
Unable to wait any longer, and needing to learn what the words the High Councillor had spoken in the message meant, Sheynell briefly moved out of the hubbub of Rangers and technicians presently filling the bridge, sat down, and with the faint pearly glow of the stars behind her, opened her package, and folded the cloth aside...
And simply gaped, when she saw what lay within. He couldn't have...he shouldn't have!...but he had. NOW, it began to make sense!...she *had* given up something that had meant a great deal to her, before the dream had gone sour...the Corps. Another ritual she would have to learn the reasoning behind; the Minbari seemed to have so *many* of them...
But finally, she did understand; and left the bridge at a run; almost as a child would run, having been given a remarkable new toy to play with...
* * *
"On the cusp between yesterday and tomorrow..." William spoke to her, out of the hologram, "I greet you, Julia. This will not, I hope, be the last time I speak to you before you stride forth, but this is an important matter; and needed to be dealt with, before the moment of our parting arrives.
All throughout your time with us, you have gone through stages of what Tashann's people term the ceremony of Rebirth. From the young, bold teenager that you were, the first time I met you on Babylon 5, into the woman you have become...an Observer, a Ranger, and above all, a friend, as I have been a friend and also, a teacher to you.
But now, that has come to an end with the dawning of your present task; the time of instruction is concluded. Tashann would say that your Rebirth is done with...and since this is so, two things are required, to make the ceremony complete.
First, to accept the following. In choosing to follow us when you did, you lost something that might have been precious, something forever denied to you, now. In following us in our quest against the Darknesss, and later, when you became a Ranger yourself, you gave up the chance to have what might be considered a normal life...although I suppose, there are also good sides to that thought...if you *had* gone the other way, you would probably have been on Earth right at this moment, suffering the fate of all her people..."
The High Councillor smiled bitterly, then. "You were lucky enough, however, not to face *that* particular Darkness personally...although I cannot say whether or not the path you now follow will be any easier to endure. It will not be a simple task to protect the EXCALIBUR and search for the cure, but it is a necessary one.
Finally, as you may know, the other side of the ceremony requires that I, speaking in my role as High Councillor of the Anla'shok, lay a gift of passage upon you and your crew. This I have done, and after this message has concluded, you will find another, detailing the background and *code* of that gift of passage. In acceptance of this gift, you and your followers will be setting a precedence that all the Rangers may soon follow. Time will tell, I suppose, whether or not what we do here today is the right thing, or not."
A final, broader smile. "And now, it’s up to you to open your gift from Jennifer and I, and accept what it is, and the reason it was made. And if you wish to talk about the matter before your departure, you know where to reach me." And that was it.
With trembling hand, she reached out then, and took a hold of the package, and slowly began to open it. In only a moment more, she revealed what lay within...and then she stopped for a moment ...the shock and amazement she felt at seeing what this priceless gift was giving her pause, to read the other message...to take it in, and what it meant...
To *understand*.
She took up the contents, and after a moment, walked over to the crystal-paned closet set into one corner of her quarters, and drew the doors open, revealing the uniforms hanging within. Setting the package down for a moment, she detached the signs of her order and her calling from the uniform she had worn for more then four years now, the uniform she had earned in her passage through the Fire...and began to dress anew, making herself ready for the new day.
First, she put on what the Minbari termed 'Ae'ishareith' the cowled shirt, trousers, and ankle length boots that had been part of the Ranger regimentals for more then a thousand years, now...briefly pausing, to hook her warrior pike in its by-now familiar place at her side. There were, however, distinct diffeences to this set; on one shoulder of the shirt was sewn a small Ranger symbol, and on the other, a tiny notched diamond of black in a setting of silver and gold...
This she now knew as the SHARD's crest, itself. A far *larger* edition of the crest had been etched into the doors leading into the bridge, of course.
Then, she took another good look at the new tunic that William had arranged to have made for her (and, she imagined, from Larieken's earlier comments, the rest of her senior staff). Tighter, shorter and *far* less bulky then most Ranger battle-dress, the tunic was midnight black in colour with five silver buckles down the front...while all along the major seams in the tunic, silvery Zirka thread had been sewn.
She took another moment, then, to attach the signs of duty and position...and finally, she put the tunic on, closing the clasp on the shoulder-belt that ran across and down the front of the tunic...and finally turned around to look in the mirror.
And almost burst out laughing...but admire the view, she did. In Valen's Name!...even *she* had to admit that it looked *damn* good on a person!
Now the question was, she mused, as she finally left her quarters, had the rest of the crew responded to this surprise the same way she had?
As she walked through the corridors, she saw that many of the crew now seemed to be wearing a black-and-gray uniform similar in style to her own (minus the Zirka thread, of course) and the raised eyebrows and impressed looks she got, seemed to confirm the suspicion that had been growing on her since she had put the uniform on, only a few moments before.
This looked like it was going to be one *Hell* of a morale booster. She smiled, and turned aside, heading for the transport tube. Time to find out if the breakfasts on her new command were as good as the dinner had been, the previous night...
* * *
The bridge of the SHARD. Three hours later.
Forty-five hours to launch window.
"The Fit is perfect!..." Dasouri exclaimed, as he turned away from the flight control station to meet the gaze of his first officer. "Not that I am surprised, but High Council obviously plots to take member of Drazi race where Drazi have never walked before. It is curious...reminds me somewhat of uniform I saw Security man on Babylon 5 wear, when walk there, I did...not so long before I came to become a Ranger."
"That, Dasouri..." Klairika replied, "Was entirely his intent, I'm sure. In fact, from the way I understand it, I wouldn't be surprised if he thinks of us as members of the Army of Light reborn, striding forth to take on the Darkness beyond our borders."
"While I don't know him as well as our commander does..." Sheynell wryly noted, as she turned away from conferring with the more junior weapons officers at Tactical, "I'm sure you're right on that score. And to my great surprise, it looks as if we'll actually be able to go one on one with the Drakh...the weapons compliment on this ship; it's unbelievable, given its size!"
On the ramp up and behind the executive and tactical stations, Nicholas chuckled, and nodded in agreement, while behind him, Veyshahk sighed, his face showing concern...for sooner rather then later, some of the crew might have to visit his department, even given the fact the SHARD was packing some *very* significant firepower.
"That was Varsak's intent, Miss Keynes, when he designed and built this ship, even though I'm quite certain he didn't have the Drakh in mind. While she’s only six hundred and ten metres long, I will remind you that this ship has capital-class weapons batteries more then capable of taking on a destroyer-class starship..."
"And possibly destroying said opponent, I will note..." Sheynell replied, as she passed her hands rapidly across several crystalline controls on her board, once again, it seemed, analyzing the capabilities of the weapons under her command.
"Exactly." the engineer replied. "And as you will soon learn, that’s only the merest beginning, compared to the rest that this ship is capable of."
At that point, a faint triple chime sounded, and Klairika rose to her feet, turning towards the main bridge entrance, beyond the presently deactivated holographic imager behind her. "Speaking of just that, Mr. Dawson, will soon be your greatest concern..."
* * *
The doors slid aside, and for the first time in her life, the first of hundreds of moments like this in the years to come, Julia stepped onto the bridge of the SHARD...and paused for a moment. The handful of Rangers and engineering personnel at the stations around the rear hemisphere turned towards her and come to attention, their faces showing nothing but respect. "Relax, gentlemen..." she murmured, as she strode by, towards the center of the bridge. "Please!"
"Relax?" her First inquired, as the remainder of the command staff, now all in their new black-and-silver uniforms, fell in behind them, and followed her into the conference chamber. "How are we to maintain the sharpness of our command if you are telling them to 'relax' all the time?"
Julia gave Klairika a look. "We're not running a drill squad here, as you well realize. And while the mission is a serious one, we're going to start tearing ourselves apart out there in the darkness if we get all worked up about discipline. It shouldn't be necessary, in any case; most of us are Rangers...we know why we’re here, and what needs to be done!"
"Perhaps..." the Brakiri grudgedly admitted, as they all took a seat. "We will have to see, on that regard, however. But for now...I believe, as you say, that the 'chair' is yours...Val’na."
"That would seem to be the case, now wouldn’t it?." Without further pause, she met the gazes of everyone around the table, then...and sighed. Most of her senior staff were nearly as young as she *appeared* to be, and that was both frightening and daunting...they were the brightest of a new generation of Rangers, ready to take on their foes...but that didn’t make the task ahead of them any easier to bear. "Ladies and gentlemen; I'm not going to beat around the bushes on this one; what we’re about to attempt is a more difficult task then any of us have ever faced before...and a more critical one then even some of the situations that we faced during the final fires of the Shadow War.
The President has tasked us with a mission more difficult then even I realized, at first; our primary objective, as most of you now, is to protect the EXCALIBUR during her mission to find the cure for the plague besetting the people and creatures of Earth...a dark shadow of death cast upon them by the Drakh. The reason for this is an understandable one...it is President Sheridan’s belief that once the Drakh learn of what Captain Gideon and his crew are attempting, they will try and destroy his command.
We cannot allow this to happen; and as such, in a little less then two days from now, we will walk forth on our own personal crusade. But before that happens, we must learn all we can about this vessel, the SHARD OF NIGHT, so that there are no surprises when we do walk into battle. At this point, I would like to turn control of this meeting over to our chief engineer, Nicholas Dawson. Mr. Dawson is one of the members of the team that designed this ship...I believe that there very little about her that he does not know...and I also believe that he can help us in solving our *little* problem.
Mr. Dawson, the floor is yours.”
Nicholas nodded firmly at that point, and rose to his feet, briefly pausing to lower the lights in the room, and bring a representation of the SHARD into being over the table. "Captain...fellow members of our senior crew...I won't pretend to understand the nature of what you are, as Anla'shok, until I come to know you better. But after an extended discussion with Captain Tikopai, I've decided to accept the situation as it is...for now. Right now, however, as the Captain suggested, my key concern is ensuring that you know everything you need to about this ship, its technology, and its secrets.
To begin...while some of you have already seen the obvious similarities to the ships of the White Star Class in terms of operation, response and general appearance, there are many advances built into this warship that have never been seen before in a ship of the Interstellar Alliance. Firstly...the stealth characteristics of the SHARD, once fully enabled, will allow us to become nearly invisible relative to just about any Alliance and non-aligned scanning technology I know of...and, we can hope, the technologies of the Drakh and their allies, as well.
Secondly, and far more importantly, as Ranger Keynes has already discovered, when we must engage the Enemy, the capital and secondary batteries aboard this vessel allow us the freedom to explore multiple offensive and defensive positions, as required. This, together with the squadron of new-design fighters we can deploy, gives us a formidable edge, in undertaking our mission.
But finally, and most importantly, in my opinion, we have at our beck and call a technology so far ahead of its time that even I was surprised by it, at first. Varsak managed to incorporate a system of remote probes into this design...an advance that will allow us to detect and pinpoint enemy ship movements on a volume of space bigger then any scanning system designed to date!"
"Remote probes?" Klarika inquired, a smile on her face. "Exactly *how* remote are we talking here, Mr. Dawson?"
Dawson smiled grimly, in return. "The system can deploy across fifty million kilometers in realspace, giving us scanning access to an area of space larger then most *solar* systems. Additionally, segments of the probe network are designed to remain in hyperspace when the chance arises, passing messages to us via back-door bounces off of most any system gates we'll find between here and the Rim."
"Fascinating..." Larieken commented, echoing the human's grim smile. "And *very* useful, Mr. Dawson...very useful indeed. I will assume that this network incorporates elements of an inferometric nature?"
"That’s correct. The probe units on the outer edge of the envelope can communicate both to us and to one another; and while there *might* be some cee-limitations when we use the system in such a fashion, we can still pinpoint ship movements, and identify who's who, over an extremely large region, as I mentioned a moment ago."
"So..." Sheynell mused calculatingly, "We could be as much as half a light year away from the EXCALIBUR, if you will let me use that example, and still be able to see what's up, and who's who..."
"Or maybe even more then that..." Nicholas replied. "Even *I* still don't know for sure the limitations of the system...Varsak never let us push it too far when he was Chief Engineer. From now on however, in my opinion, the sky's the limit. And if anyone has any questions or concerns during our learning curve, please feel free to ask. I helped to build this sucker, after all...and again, as the Captain suggested, there’s not much I don't know about her!"
"Thank you, Mr. Dawson." Julia finalized, as the engineer nodded briskly to all, before resuming his seat. "Now...would everyone care to let me know how things are going with your individual departments and concerns?"
"Medical section is nearly ready to go, as I promised you, Val'na." Veyshahk clinically noted. "My primary assistants, Anla'shok Jharais and Nividia, arrived aboard earlier today, and I forsee no problems that will delay our readiness for departure."
"Flight control roster is nearly complete." Dasouri gruffly noted. "All are Rangers that I am familiar with...good pilots, all. High Councillor is to be thanked for his choice in this."
"Ship's batteries are *more* then ready for action." Sheynell briefly commented. "Although your Weapons Officer still fears to see what discharging the main gun will be like!"
A small laugh passed around the table, and Julia nodded. "Like a storm, upon the darkness, Sheynell, I'm sure."
"I’ve no doubt you're right about that...no doubt at all!"
"Operations?"
"As expected..." Larieken replied, "The majority of our crew are now aboard, and settling in. As Anla'shok Dasouri just noted, duty rosters are currently being assembled; Fehteadi, my second, assures me that the rosters will be complete by the end of this day. The remainder of our supplies will be aboard by the beginning of tomorrow’s evening watch...along with the last of our crew, currently inbound from the Rim on White Star 124.
I have *no* doubt whatsoever that we will be ready to depart at the given hour, and in the ordered fashion."
"Like thieves..." Klairika commented, "We slip into the darkness, unseen.
...and pray we will not be caught. Thank you all for coming with such promptness...for now, you may return to your duties...and your preparations. And while things seem to be going well thus far, we must be certain not to miss something which, while it may appear trivial at the moment, may become critical to our aims at a later date.
You are dismissed."
"So..." Julia confided in her first officer, as the rest rose and left the conference room. "What do you think?"
"I think..." Klairika replied, after a moment, "That if we can fight as well as we can talk and get along with one another...that we *may* have a chance of succeeding in this mission."
"*MAY*?"
"May, yes. Do not, for a moment, assume that since you have assembled a force of nature beneath your command, my comrade, that this will make the task ahead of us any easier.
If anything, there will no doubt come a time when we become too smart for our own good." And with that final, cryptic comment, Klairika rose herself, bowed, an ironic smile on her face, and began to leave the room.
"And *that* was supposed to make me feel better?" she exclaimed.
"No..." came the final, fading reply. "It was, as your kind says, supposed to give you a 'reality check'...is that the correct term?"
Julia nodded glumly, once again feeling the weight of the task ahead upon her. "Bang on, I'm afraid."
* * *
Later...
Julia sat on the corner of her Chief Engineer's desk, while Dawson reclined in his seat, pipe in mouth, the wreath of smoke coming from it instantly wisked away by the ship's systems. "Okay, Nicholas...now we're alone, what's this all about?"
"There's a few things that you should know, that maybe the others aren't ready to hear, just yet."
"Such as?"
"As you know, since I told you part of the story on the way up here, yesterday... the SHARD has a hull partly based on Vorlon-type organic principles...an outgrowth of the technology developed for the White Star Class."
"Yes, yes...and?"
"Impatience might get us all killed, Captain..." the engineer gently chided her.
"I don't need a lecture right now, Nicholas...I'm just not in the mood. If you have a point to make, *make* it.”
"Okayyy, fine...it all comes down to this, in the end; even *I* don't know how far some of Varsak's team went with this Vorlon-tech incorporation into the ship's systems. Varsak seemed to leave it purposefully open-ended when we parted ways, almost as if it would be a pleasant surprise when I actually found out by myself."
"Pleasant? Did I just hear you just say ‘pleasant’, Mr. Dawson?"
"That you did, Captain...that you did; you have to remember, that's just the way he was. But the critical aspect we're going to have to remember, and maybe even plan for, is this: now I've come to understand some of what happened during the Shadow War, the following may be true. The Drakh were once Shadow allies, and they're almost certainly not done pulling Shadowtech out of their bag of tricks, just yet. And since that's true, there's a greater then average chance..."
"That the ship's systems could detect and respond to such technology, because of its nature?"
"You're quick, Captain...that's one thing I'm not afraid of admitting. Yeah...you hit that bang on; that's *exactly* what might happen, and if so, it should give us an advantage of sorts."
"Any advantage we can grasp, Mr. Dawson, is one we should take. We've got a long road to walk on before this is done...and the longer the Drakh, and whoever else we come across out there that chooses to take on the EXCALIBUR and her crew, don't know about us and our advantages...the better.
Because, you see, I *do* want to come out of this alive, with all of my body parts still firmly attached. How about you?"
Dawson saw fit not to argue with her, on that score.
* * *
To be continued...
* * *
<Next...while the final preparations for the SHARD's departure conclude, all is not well on Minbar, as Alit Di'siania Rahkeel begins to plot against those who have taken over HIS ship...>