Writer's note: In this part, I am taking up the challenge offered a whiles back by Anne Clements (of INFINITE REGRESS fame) in using one of her characters, and interacting that character with one of mine. Read on below, and see if you figure out which one. Why not, I thought...we're all writing in the same, semi-friendly universe!
RIMSTALKER: THE RIDERS ON THE STORM; PART 5
"ERICCSON'S RIDE"
**"It was a sight I will never forget, not for as long as I live. Parked in their countless dozens and hundreds, the starships littered the heavens around Babylon 5, and filled every Langrange point that Epsilon III possessed. Minbari, Brakiri, Vree, Drazi...the list went on and ON, and the skies of Epsilon system were torn asunder by jump points for days and days, as the fleet gathered.
From time to time, White Stars would come near enough to the Sanctuary for me to see inot the tiny windows incised into their semi-organic hulls, and the faint movements of crew members upon their bridges. And then, one morning, a small squadron of the Fleet gathered to spinward, and made ready to depart: one Drazi Sunhawk, one Vree saucer... AND two White Stars. I wouldn't know the reason for their gathering and subsequent departure for years to come, but shortly after that, the mighty fleet assumed its stance, and vanished from the station's skies..."**
- From "Holding the Line."
* * *
The Garden...farewells.
The practices were, for now, complete; Jennifer regretfully retracted her pike, as Julia slid her staff out of sight into the closed loop within her tunic and cloak. Once again, she shook her head; so LIKE her own, that uniform was, and yet, so different. One finger reached up to touch the tiny Circle and Star on her collar, and then, she nodded; it was time.
"I'm afraid, Julia, that this is, for now, where we must cease our practices; we've had eight days together, more then two hours at a stretch each day, and you've progressed much farther then I would have believed possible prior to...my departure to Z'ha'dum. But now, the time is coming when we will be tested to the utmost. The Fleet gathers outside, and there's every chance, now that the Shadows have unleashed their Fleet, and their planetkiller as well, that none of us will survive what is to come.
You must also understand the following: if I had my way, you would either stay under my wing, or, travel to some place where the Shadows and Vorlons could not touch you...Epsilon III, for instance."
"You cannot ask that of me, Jennifer." the younger Observer replied, her brown eyes flashing a direct, incontravertible challenge. "What I've become cannot be unmade, and as I've sworn to follow the Anla'shok in all things, I will follow them in this, as well. For is it not true the Shadows have already attempted my death? There are certain people who I'm sure would not approve...but Mother is not here, and the Entil'zha swore me to a strong oath while you were missing; she is my commander now, and I will not ignore her orders.
The way of things is this; when I am not learning, I am to serve beneath Val'na Tashann on his White Star, as he so decrees. He will keep me safe, when we do not fight; and when we do, I will perform duties as he commands. And if we are destined to die, then I will stand and die beside you, Jennifer, under William's command, as a serving member of the White Star Fleet. I will have it no other way; you must understand this?"
She sighed, and nodded. "I do; and so it is, for now, that I bid you farewell; we must each be about those tasks preordained for us. If we can find a way out of this, we will...and in due course, see one another again. If not, then we will meet each other, as Valen wills it, beyond the Veil."
Julia nodded. "As you say. Where now are you summoned to, by our Sha'vei?"
"William's instructed me to re-assume command of the White Star Four, and await his coming." she replied, as they began to walk together. "Talion will be joining us once again, and soon enough, we will be called upon to act. William is, even now, with Captain Sheridan...something's up, I don't know what, only that it's important..."
* * *
"Sir."
Captain Sheridan turned, his expression grave. "William; thank you for coming on such short notice. Not long ago, you asked me whether or not commanding the White Star Fleet to observe the actions of the Vorlons would be enough duty to keep you busy." Sheridan sighed, and shook his head. "You were right; I now require of you a duty I cannot ask any other to perform, a duty of necessity, a duty that *must* succeed, if we are to have any hope of ending this."
Sheridan paused for a moment to gather his thoughts, and then continued. "We have, quite recently, been in contact with the commander of White Star 14, on the edge of Shadow territory..."
"Yes, sir; that would be Ericsson. He's a good man, one of our finest, and that was why I placed him so close to Shadow space. I knew that he could be discreet and thorough in his work, and as it is, he discovered and revealed the nature of the Shadow planetkiller for us."
Sheridan nodded somberly. "An enviable success, yes...but let me come straight to the point. I will soon be requiring of Ericsson a great sacrifice, William; we've discovered that the Vorlons are massing to attack Corianna VI; we cannot allow them to kill the six billion innocents living on that world, and we WILL be there to face them when they arrive.
But if the plan I'm putting together has any hope of succeeding, the Shadows must be there at the same time as the Vorlons. A message must reach them, a message that they will believe in, a message that will describe the existence of a base in the Corianna system, a base to be activated a little more then three days from now. This must be made to be something the Shadows will not be able to ignore."
He nodded, his expression serious. "The plan is sound, sir; to bring the Vorlons and the Shadows into direct conflict, with us to find the truth and end this between them, may be the only way out of this. But to ensure that they believe this ruse of a base, I must assume that Ericcson will be required to engage the Shadows in combat?"
"Exactly; and that's where you come in, William. I want you to take a detachment of warships to meet White Star 14...four should be enough, but small and maneuverable enough to get in, assist him, and get the Hell out again, without getting yourselves into trouble. That means no big guns, only the Drazi, the Vree, and the White Stars are maneuverable enough to get this done the right way. Finally, I'm going to have to ask you to protect the League ships under your command, and not to get yourself into this too deeply; we're going to need you at Corianna VI, William..but this *has* to come first!"
"I understand, sir; we'll the job done."
"I know you will." Sheridan shook his head somberly. "I only wish that there was another way to do this."
"There isn't, sir; but the Rangers understand; we have, from the beginning, understood that in the end, we might be required to sacrifice our lives in the service of the One. The Entil'zha is our commander, but now you, sir, share that same responsibility with respect to the White Star Fleet...and as well, to all those who stand outside, waiting. We *will* do what must be done, and then join you when the task is complete.
There is no other way, sir; may I have your leave to depart?"
Sheridan nodded, and he did so, his steps quick and decisive. But just outside the office, he found himself intercepted by Brianna, once more in her Ranger black and grey, most signs of her trials under the Vorlons erased. "William; I've heard that you're about to leave, on the orders of the Captain. But as of yet, you haven't told me what my tasks shall be among the Anla'shok, beneath you. Command me *now*, or not at all!"
It was time, then, to also deal with this matter...William nodded. So be it. "I will trust that you have fully recovered, Brianna??"
She nodded cooly. "Of course."
"Very well, then; word has come to me from one of my most trusted commanders, Val'na Lanniel, that her command, White Star Six, requires a secondary operations officer to replace one that has fallen seriously ill, and to his embarrassment, is unable to perform his duties. It isn't something you have done overmuch, but White Star Four already has Jennifer and Talion to serve on her beneath me. Lanniel NEEDS your help now, Brianna; will you do this for me?"
Brianna bowed, a small smile on her face. "It shall be as you say, William; I will see you on the other side, then."
* * *
On White Star Four, a short time later.
He saw it in all the gazes of those who served him; the Minbari who had dedicated their lives to first building these ships, and now served in them, as pilots, technicians, engineers. He saw it in their eyes; before, they had respected him for what he did in the name of the Anla'shok...NOW, it seemed that they respected him, also, for what he *represented*, if in secret, to all Minbari; the *other* human to go to Z'ha'dum, and return.
"I didn't ask to be an icon." he muttered to himself, as he and Talion approached the bridge.
"No..." Talion replied, his gaze frank, and voice calm, "You didn't, sir. But what you are is what you have done, and where you have been, as well. They cannot ignore what is, and was, and this has made you legend; now, perhaps, they will do anything for you, as I will."
"Terrific." he added, as the bridge doors slid aside.
"This is what is, sir; you must accept it as fact."
With a smile, Jennifer arose from the captain's chair, and moved to the secondary station beside his, as he took his place, and likewise, Talion assumed his standard operations position, towards the rear. "Val'na; status?"
"White Star 27 is standing by on our departure, sir." Jennifer replied, her voice level, her face calm.
He smiled. "Good; I'm glad we've got Montoya with us on this one; Indego was a bit of a loose cannon when we were going through training, but command's settled him down remarkably. And the rest?"
"The Vree warship XATXAU! and the Drazi Sunhawk VIRAK await your command, sir."
He turned in his seat, and raised one eyebrow. "My command??"
"Captain Sheridan made it fairly clear to them, it seems, that you were to be the commander of this assault group...sir. I chose not to argue with his decision."
He laughed, and nodded. "Understood; open channel to group vessels."
"Done."
"This is Anla'shok Westcastle, commander of White Star Four, to assault group vessels. By now, you will have received copies of our orders, and I will hope you understand them?"
"Signals coming in from all three vessels." Talion reported.
"Accept." He rose to his feet, as the visage of the Vree and Drazi commanders, as well as the familiar, level visage of Indego Montoya appeared in the holographic screen before him. "Good day, gentlemen! How are you all?"
Montoya nodded at him, all business, but with a hint of a smile thrown in, for good measure. "I found my heart to be glad when we learned you were alive, William; a small lantern of brightness amidst all the darkness. We stand ready, on your command."
"Likewise, do we." the Drazi captain bruesquely added, his slight bow of respect noticable. "I am called Shevak, and we have heard of you, Ranger Westcastle, and most of what we hear is good. Our generals lead us here to follow Sheridan, and now Sheridan commands us to follow you; it shall be as he says."
*Likewise, will we, Klotau, also* the grey skinned, black eyed Vree commander added. *Famousness rides with you, we will add our fires to your own*
"I thank you all." he replied. "Then let us do so." The screen faded away, and he resumed his seat. "Operations."
"Sha'vei?"
"Engines ahead full; standby on transfer to hyperspace."
"Understood." With a smooth crystalline howl, that sound he had missed for so long, the White Star Four leapt away from Babylon 5, its three companions close behind. All around them, the ordered strength of the Army of Light stretched away for thousands of kilometers, but soon enough, the squadron had left them behind...it was time.
"We are free of the Fleet, Sha'vei; jump engines on standby."
Set course for the rendezvous point, then, Mister Quintara!"
"Course set."
He nodded. "You may jump, at your discretion."
* * *
With a small tear in her eye, Julia watched, as in the distance, space twisted into the familiar blue oval, four small forms silouetted in front...forms which soon vanished from sight. They were gone...would she see them again, after losing them for so long?
The next three days would give the answer to that question, one way or another; for now though, she had a shuttle to catch, and duties to perform. She turned, and saw Tashann standing behind her, his gaze calm, but manner clear.
"It's time, Julia; time for us to prepare ourselves."
She nodded curtly. "I understand, sir; let us go, then, with all speed."
* * *
White Star Six.
With more or less firm step, Brianna disembarked from the small transport that had come over to the station to retrieve her, and was less then surprised to find a tall, pale, almost-but-not-quite grim-faced Minbari waiting for her in the hangar bay, in perfect Ranger blacks. This was, no doubt, Captain Lanniel; and while most Minbari were fair, Brianna had been gone from the Rangers for some time, due to Ulkesh's fixations...she would, no doubt, have to reaffirm her loyalties to the Anla'shok, in Lanniel's eyes.
She bowed. "Val'na Lanniel; I am Anla'shok Tolmanes, recently returned to the fold of the Rangers from...other concerns, beyond my control. Sha'vei Westcastle informed me that while he could not, for the moment, find me a place amongst his command staff on White Star Four, I was needed here. As such, I have come; command me."
Lanniel nodded. "Follow; we will talk on this." With step slightly shaky, she fell in beside and behind the captain, as was proper with junior Anla'shok respecting their commander. "I have heard of you, Brianna Tolmanes of Earth; I understand that you are a rarity among the Anla'shok, in that you are a telepath; I also understand, given that I was present at your reinvestment by the Sha'vei, that for a time, your existence was dominated by the Vorlons, and you were forced to set aside your duties for a time, or lose all sanity.
This I accept...it is the past, it cannot be changed; but the present is NOW, Anla'shok Tolmanes, and you must, I am afraid, prove to ME to that your dedication to your vow as a Ranger still holds true. We are at war, and soon enough, Captain Sheridan will summon us into battle; I expect your focus, at all times, to remain on your tasks while you are under my command, and since we shall, no doubt, encounter Vorlon vessels in this conflict, you will not, AT ANY time, allow yourself to be affected in your duties by Vorlon influences.
Do I make myself *very* clear?"
Brianna gulped, and nodded; this reintroduction was, it seemed, going to be a harsh one...but should she have expected any less? "You do, Val'na."
Lanniel smiled slightly. "This is well; come now, I will introduce you to those you will be working with, as a matter of course, and we will continue our practices and drill, beneath Sha'vei Vikotal, for such time as remains to us."
* * *
White Star Fourteen; the wait ends...
With face grim, Ericsson reclined in his seat, and continued to wait; eleven hours had now passed since he had spoken to Captain Sheridan, and any time now, he suspected, those who were slated to join them would appear, and they would then depart to Darok VII, to complete the mission; the mission that would be the LAST one he would ever perform.
"Val'na!" his First, Havrann, reported, gaze tense, "Jump point forming!"
He rose, all musings forgotten. "What ships?"
Havrann tensed for a moment, then relaxed slightly, and nodded. "A Vree and a Drazi warship...and two White Stars, Twenty-Seven...
and FOUR."
Ericcson sighed, and smiled, slightly; honour was his, this day, to have the only Ranger to go to Z'ha'dum, and return, alive, aid him. "As it should be."
"Message coming in."
"Accept." The curtain rippled down, and Ericcson nodded, as the black haired (but silver streaked), clean shaven visage of his Sha'vei came into being. "Sha'vei Westcastle; you do us honour by joining us in this."
"No, Ericcson; the honour is yours, we are merely here to ensure that the Shadows BELIEVE what is given."
"Of course; shall we depart, then?"
"With all speed; there is NO time to lose."
* * *
Darok VII; Shadow Base.
[What is this?] the Drakh demanded of its disbelieving servants.
[It is true, Most High; five ships of the Enemy have arrived, and have begun bombarding our Masters’ ships. They arise, even now, to do battle with the foes.]
The Drakh waved its hand dismissively. [This is of no concern; signal the primary Gathering point; our Masters will send sufficient strength to crush this incursion, fully and completely.]
The servant nodded, its acceptance clear. [It shall be as you say, Most High.]
* * *
White Star Eleven...outside Babylon 5.
With Dreann beside her at Operations, Julia stood her ground, while trying to control her amazement at what she had seen on the ride over; all across the heavens, THOUSANDS of ships had been scattered, shoals of Minbari cruisers, Brakiri warships, Drazi, Gaim, Vree...and the rest, swimming in Epsilon's rays like the fish of the deep; but these fish had teeth!
But would those teeth be sharp enough, when the time came?
"Operations!" Tashann demanded of her and Dreann. "What is our status?"
Beside her, Dreann nodded calmly, and she stood straighter, and spoke. "All systems stand ready, Val'na."
"Very good; flight control, bring us into the squadron, and stand by for departure." Tashann smiled. "We go into the fire, *now*, or not at all."
* * *
"Bloody *Hell*." Jennie whispered, as behind her, even Talion began to look just a little concerned, and the strident thunder of their White Star's weapons increased in frequency, shattering two more Shadow fighters to dissolution. "I think, William...that we now have their attention."
He nodded; Sheridan had been all too right; minutes after their arrival at Darok VII, five Shadow cruisers, accompanied by dozens of fighters, had arrived to combat them; now, it was time to play the final hand; they were ALL taking hits, now; time to end what had to be ended, they had done what they had come here to do.
"Target destroyed." Ericcson tersely reported from his command, as his White Star took out another Shadow fighter, but continued to take many hits of its own. "Shadow vessels STILL coming after us...engines damaged, weapons systems at thirty percent." The next comment was *clearly* directed at him. "Get out while you still can, we'll cover you!"
"Open jump point!" he commanded, and with a single pass of his hand, Talion did so. "Shevak, Klotau, get your commands out of here, we'll cover your retreat!" Without asking twice, the Vree and Drazi warships vanished into hyperspace, then it was their turn.
"What we do..." Montoya commented, his voice sad, gaze frank in the holographic curtain, "Is for the best, William."
He nodded, as beneath them, the Shadows closed in on the hapless White Star Fourteen, weapons blazing. "It still hurts; but it is long past time for us to be gone from here; the true battle awaits."
Before the Shadows could get any nearer, the two White Stars whirled in space, and vanished down the dark hole of the jump point, which just as quickly faded from sight.
* * *
White Star Fourteen. The End.
Ericcson wiped a streak of blood from his mouth, as his command shuddered, groaned, and then spun violently, as a violet line of ruin cut the drive section away, behind them. "The're coming in!"
William and his command had gotten away cleanly, which clearly would frustrate the Shadows...but that was also, he guessed the point. "Ericcson to rest of White Star Fleet!....can you receive? We *need* help! Is ANYONE there?" He rose, to watch, with a calm not reflecting his inner desperation, as the cordon of Shadow warships drew near. "We can't let them take us alive!" Burning rubble began to fall around him, and Ericcson knew, with convinction, that this was the last sight he would ever see. "Isil'zha veni! In Valen's Name!..."
The nearest Shadow Warship fired again; and Ericcson threw up his hands, as the world vanished in a flare of deathly violet...
* * *
With probes harsh and methods harsher, the Drakh ordered its followers to drag the remains of the Enemy ship back to its base, and there, they set about examining the ship, another of those the cursed Minbari had built, another of those like the one that killed so many of its Masters, back at Z'ha'dum. They examined it, and then the files on its primary computers...
It was then, that the servants found something the Drakh did not like; something it found necessary to pass up to its Masters. The Younger Races were foolishly about to establish a base in the Corianna System, a system the Drakh's Masters had, from time to time, used for purposes of their own. This was intolerable!!...and the Drakh did not doubt that its Masters would feel the same about such an intrusion.
Did not doubt that they would send a strike force *more* then large enough to deal with this threat, before this BASE was activated.
* * *
What the Drakh did not, of course, know, was that this action would create a situation so beyond its belief that when the inevitable happened, it would disbelieve for days afterwards. But that time was not yet, that fall from pride still unhappened; the Second Age of the Younger Races, while in its dying phase, was not yet over, and the change to come, a paradigm shift to make all previous shifts seem miniscule, by comparison, had yet to happen.
It would later seek revenge for the injustice, in a place far from here, in space and in time, and would get, in part, what it wanted from that place.
That time, however, was not now. For now, the Drakh sat in its place of power, smiled, and knew the inevitability of Chaos’ triumph in what was.
That it could be so completely and totally WRONG was not even considered, for of course, while the Drakh had heard of one John Sheridan, he had never met that human. Later on, he would wish there had been a way to destroy Sheridan, to wipe away the shame.
Later, of course, was far too late.
Too late for anything...
But wishes.
And dreams of revenge unbidden.
* * *
To be continued...
Next: It is the Beginning. It is the End. It is "The Three Edged Sword", the sixth part of "The Riders on the Storm." And who will survive the battle of the Millenium, the battle that ends the Second Age of Mankind?