**"I still don't know why he did it, only that it almost turned my world upside down. First he drew me to Babylon 5, then he decided to instruct me on WHY he had summoned me, and finally...he showed me what he was, or, rather, what he wanted everyone to see. I thought myself unusually mature for my age, right up until that point... afterwards, I was a little girl again, at least for an hour or so; and then, I was found by someone who knew him well...
...and thus did I advance. That tells you a little about the abstract way the Vorlons chose to teach their 'children', and also, through the actions of Kosh and Ulkesh, why we finally grew up and threw off our puppet strings."
- Remembrance comment uttered by Julia Tikopai during a Ranger High Council session in the spring of the Earth Year 2297
* * *
May 12th, 2260. Very early morning.
An hour had passed since she had left Kosh's quarters in the alien sector, and there definitely wasn't going to be any sleep this night! In fact, this bordered on the edge of Revelation. While she was sure she hadn't seen all that had happened there, there was a sense of completion about things, and maybe that was what the Vorlon had intended all along.
She looked up, and nodded quietly; her subconscious wanderings had taken her to a place she had found only the day before, a garden of patterned sand on the verge of the Central Garden...a place of contemplation, of silence and, occasionally, of shadows. She sat down, and tried to make sense of it all.
Her mother had never forced her to accept religious beliefs of any kind; in fact, both of them, it seemed, were more focused on the realities of their lives as they were, and didn't wonder about creations, of why, and whom. But it was supremely obvious, from the vision beheld, that the Vorlons had heavily influenced the affairs of humans from the very beginning of recorded history.
"A guardian angel." she whispered forlornly, and shook her head in near despair. Now that she was away from Kosh, not blinded by the adoration she had felt, the beauty of seeing him, she could think logically again. Kosh had shown her what he wanted her to see...what a weakness that was.
Another matter; the red-haired woman who had come to Kosh's quarters...she and the Vorlon had some sort of relationship, something more, she thought, then simply master to aide. Was this her gift coming through with practice? She didn't know, only, that it seemed to make sense.
"Miss Tikopai; if you broadcast any louder, every telepath on the station is liable to hear you...and I'm sure that you don't want that." Julia rose and whirled, to meet the piercing gaze of the woman she had just been thinking about...she cursed to herself. That had definitely been a mistake.
Meeting that gaze felt like facing a human sized hawk, but backing down would be equally bad, at this point, even though she did as she was bade. It was fairly clear that she was a telepath, and probably a really strong one, at that...time to be careful; she reined in her thoughts, however, and the woman nodded. "Better; NOW, do you want to explain to me how you know what you know...and, to put it even more plainly, why you were in Kosh's quarters an hour ago, and what you saw?"
What had happened to Kosh's assurances? Oh dear; subterfuge wasn't a good idea, the truth was probably best. "I...where to start? I was summoned, I guess you can say, by Kosh, through a dream, if you choose to believe that."
"Perhaps...we'll just have to see, now won't we?"
"I think...he wants me to join the fight against those who know tend to call..."
A raising of eyebrows. "I know their name; you're a little young to join that fight, aren't you? Though since you know their names, Kosh and those he works with have probably already made up their minds."
"I guess...that could be why he sent the Sha'vei of Babylon 5's Rangers to rescue me from the Nightwatch."
The woman nodded, and the hawk's gaze softened...a little. "And friends in high places, too, it seems. *Ranger* high places, which makes the situation even more interesting." The telepath sat beside her. "Now; to the more important of my questions..."
"Please forgive me, it was the worst case of bad timing I've ever seen! Kosh had just about given up on me for the day when you arrived. There was no time to escape, and for some reason, It seemed that he didn't want you to know about me. That worked out *so* well, didn't it?"
"No matter; now, when Kosh's encounter suit opened up...*what* did he show you??"
"I'm not sure; light; beauty..." she shook her head. "It's not very clear."
"If that's all...then there isn't a problem, just about the whole Garden saw what you saw, four months ago." The hawk's glare returned, at least briefly. "It will pay for you to be more careful around Kosh in the future, though, Miss Tikopai...too many people have died in this conflict already, I wouldn't you to be the next."
"I understand your warning, and will obey; I Observe the results of my actions and others, and learn from my mistakes."
The telepath's eyebrows rose in inquiry. "'Observing' is what you do?"
"So it would seem, though, for now, I'm only a student of that rare discipline." Julia rose. "This contact is a valuable one, I would be amiss if I didn't think we should continue it; Kosh made it seem like an accident, but in hindsight, I'm not so sure anymore."
"You may be right, but only if it's important...Kosh keeps me very busy most of the time."
"Agreed; good evening, then."
* * *
"That child frightens me; she can't be more then thirteen or fourteen, and yet, she displays the intelligence and standing of someone twice her age. What does it mean, Kosh?? Why did you do it?"
##The Prodigal Daughter will see what must be seen, learn what must be learnt, and find the end to fear. Assist, do not interfere##
A pause. "She's too young for this, Kosh!!"
##Immaterial. She is needed to bridge the gap between the Suspicious and the Knowing.##
"I hope you're right..."
* * *
A short time later, yet another visitor.
##It is time; I can protect you no longer##
"I understand; I am ready."
* * *
"Perhaps this will be enough to break you out of the mood you've been in since the meeting about the Cha'hal'zhamon.." Colvhar commented cryptically, as William stoically worked his way through breakfast. "There is clear evidence for a visit by one or more Shadow agents to Earthspace within the past week, and, as is usual, our opposition has not been up to much that is good."
"You tell me little that I do not already know, Colvhar; make your point."
"In this occasion, I believe the problem to be slightly more serious, Sha'vei. President Clark has ordered the assembly of a fleet of over fifteen destroyers, with an equal number of support vessels. There is evidence that the Shadows, or one of their allies, have learned of the location of the ships that have rebelled against the government, and the President has now moved on that information."
William rose, breakfast forgotten; at last...a new purpose!! "I see; Colvhar, we cannot let those ships be destroyed, they are key to the eventual liberation of Earth from the forces loyal to Clark!"
"Agreed, Sha'vei..the question is, what, as Anla'shok, can we do to stop the rebel fleet from being destroyed outright?"
A brief pause, and then William smiled. "We can act to ensure the rebel commanders are warned of this threat, Colvhar. Shival will have to hold the fort, so to speak; I will take the White Star 2 to the rendezvous point, and take care of this problem."
"Is that wise, Sha'vei? We do not know what the reaction of the rebel captains will be, and the sudden appearance of an advanced warship in their space may provoke an armed response. We must possess a means of ensuring their trust, or our attempt will fail from the start!"
"We have those means, Colvhar; recall, that one of the prime leaders of the rebel group is, as our sources recently revealed, a certain Captain Bethany Tikopai."
A light dawned in Colvhar's eyes. "I see! The presence of her daughter among us, as the Observer's acolyte, will likely be enough to ensure they will listen to us. And as soon as that is made possible..."
"We can do what we must."
* * *
Within the World Unseen.
Flickering flames shone in his mind, and the Other gazed on, enraged to hear the words that he did. "How dare they think to do this to us! Do they not understand that over a QUARTER of our forces have already been destroyed by the Enemy and their allies??"
"I asked, in your benefit, and you see what resulted. The Vorlons are loath to move, they will not assist you, and the Alliance I work for does not possess enough strength to be of any help, yet. I symphathise with your problems, but there isn't anything we can do for you, in a military sense."
"We will die unless something is done."
"Very well; I do not say this lightly, but you must move your forces to places where the Shadows will have problems finding them, you can no longer rely simply on the nature of hyperspace to hide yourselves from their sight!"
A stare, and then a long sigh. "As always, Rimstalker, you speak the truth. There are certain...technologies that can be utilized to aid our cause, technologies that require a prodigious energy output...but if we must hide to survive, then there is no other choice.
However, there is a greater concern; with the damage done to our forces already, it will be very difficult for our warriors to contain themselves, even now, they wish to strike back, and if they do, the Enemy will trace their movements, and destroy us all."
"Tell them this; one of the greatest benefits your race has is its ability to stealth completely, to blend into the fabric of hyperspace itself...but every time you encounter the enemy, your warriors open fire, and doom themselves!! If they move quietly, collect information, and pass it on to the Rangers, sooner, rather then later we will be ready to strike against them."
"It will be difficult...little may come of this."
"Perhaps. But it will keep your kind from dying, will it not??"
A bitter smile was the Other's only response...and then, the vision ended.
* * *
Onboard the White Star 2, enroute. May 14th, 2260.
"So." Brianna mused, as, nearby, a nervous Julia tried to rest on one of the Minbari resting pallets...the girl had much to learn yet if she was going to be a Ranger!"You actually met Lyta Alexander; an interesting byplay on your purpose here, given that Ulkesh has banned me from talking to her. Was she allowed to tell you what you wanted to know??"
"No; of course not. Miss Alexander and Kosh are far closer in their relationship then yours with the...Vorlon you serve. I learned nothing, other then the fact that the Vorlons have manipulated us into adoring them for thousands of years!"
"Adoring is the wrong word; the Vorlons have strived to form their Galaxy into a perfect existence, and it sometimes seems to me that they blame us for our inability to attain that perfection. And so, they manipulate, and affect, and make us see what they want us to see."
"Angels." Julia bitterly replied. "You can't GET more manipulative then that."
"Unfortunately, yes. However, even though Kosh had an effect on you, I'm guessing it wasn't the effect that he has had on others in the recent past."
"I'm not sure what that effect will be, yet..." the girl added, as she hopped up, pretense at resting put aside. "But I am content to leave this matter alone for now, there are far more important matters at hand."
As if to underscore that matter, a faint chime sounded in the room, and the voice of their leader spoke down from above. "Julia, Brianna, we are within five minutes of jumpout...stations, please."
"Acknowledged, Sha'vei." Brianna responded.
"I'm not looking forward to this." Julia muttered, as the two left for the bridge. "It's been nearly three years since Mother and I have spoken to one another first hand. I'm not so sure whether or not she'll be pleased to know that I've sworn myself to the side of an army dedicated to stop a race that would like nothing better then to destroy us all."
"You may be surprised."
* * *
Bethany's finger strayed across the tiny holo of her smiling, dark haired
girl...a picture already four years old. Julia wasn't that girl any longer, in fact, it was long since time that she acknowledged her daughter had become a young woman; that was, even if she still lived.
No word had been possible following the bloody war of secession they had fought the month before, and it was fairly obvious what the Nightwatch would have done... capture, perhaps even imprisonment! Bethany wondered, quite honestly, why Clark hadn't used her as a bargaining tool before now...the bargain being surrender in the name of blackmail, naturally. And with the combination of sneaking around on raids, and the patrols reporting seeing nightmares in hyperspace, the tension in the fleet was at an all time high.
Her link beeped. "Tikopai; go."
"Captain, I think you'd better come to the bridge ASAP." Commander Alwhin reported. "We've just detected a jump surge nearby; something's coming out, but whatever it is, it's too small to be Earthforce...and that implies alien tech."
Instantly alert, she made her decision. "Bring the fleet to combat stations, Commander, deploy fighters from our destroyers into a defensive posture."
"Done." And then, Alwhin's voice took on a note of wonder. "Son of a...how the hell can something that small have a jump engine??"
This sounded interesting. "We're about to find out, Commander...I'm on my way."
* * *
"Do you know what you're going to do?" William inquired, as Jennifer and Brianna looked on from their stations, simply observing her responses.
Julia sighed, and tugged at her collar...it seemed awfully tight at the moment. "What needs to be done, Sha'vei."
"You're growing up fast, Julia." her commander warned. "Be very careful." And then, the Rimstalker became all business...she would LOVE to know how he got that title! "Status."
"The majority of the fleet has assumed a defensive posture." Jennifer reported, her gaze dark, "But just about all the ships have scrambled 'Furies and 'Bolts...and the destroye NIOBE is advancing on our position."
"Mother's ship." she whispered, and nearby, Brianna caught her eye, and nodded.
"Message coming in, sir."
"On screen." the Sha'vei ordered, and Julia flinched, as, once again, the curtain of light descended, revealing the all-business face of her mother. Julia detected a hint of strain in that gaze...and lots of pain. What had she been through, to look like that??
"This is Captain Bethany Tikopai of the Omega Class Destroyer NIOBE to incoming alien craft. Identify your purpose on entering this sector, or prepare to be fired upon."
"Blunt and to the point." The Sha'vei keyed a response, and rose to his feet. "Greetings, Captain; my name is William Westcastle, and I command this vessel. We wish you no harm, and, indeed, we seek only to help you and yours."
Captain Tikopai's eyes narrowed. "Westcastle. The name is familiar, I believe my chief physician has mentioned you from time to time."
Out of the corner of her eye, Julia watched Jennifer go white...and very quickly leave the bridge; what was that all about? In any case, it didn't ruffle HIS feathers...much. "You have a good memory, Captain; can I assume that officer would be Doctor Mariallah Quesotz??"
"That is correct. Some other observations: for a former officer of Earthforce, Mr. Westcastle, I find it very interesting that you should be commanding a vessel of alien manufacture...and given that there are Minbari on your bridge, I will assume that THEY are the race in question?"
"Very observant, Captain, but please let me come to the point; time is short, and growing shorter. I represent a force that you may have heard of from time to time, a force that is striding forward to meet the Darkness falling over the galaxy. We are Rangers, Captain, and we are Minbari, and human, working together to stop what is coming.
"You move as rumour in the night, Ranger...but yes, I may have heard of you. What of it?"
"Your problem is one small part of this, Captain, and the warning is as follows: President Clark's forces have learned of your rendezvous point, and even now, nearly thirty ships move to ambush you; they have a fair grasp of your potential, Captain...and I would advise, quite strongly, that you abandon your current position for one that is safer."
"You tell a fair tale, Ranger, but what assurances can you give us that this is the truth? I'm not going to move my fleet based on what may be pure manipulation on your part, Mr. Westcastle. Prove to us that you tell the truth, and we may listen. Do not, and you shall be ignored."
That was fairly direct, and Julia nodded, when her commander cast a urgent glance in her direction; time to act. She strode into the viewscreen point of view, and the widened eyes and intake of breath said it all. "That would not be prudent of you, Mother; I work with this man, and I assure you, all that he says *is* the truth."
There was a LONG pause, and then, finally, the senior Tikopai regained her composure enough to make a response. "JULIA? What? How??"
"Perhaps your daughter and I should come aboard, Captain." the Sha'vei stated, his grin sneaky...they had won, it seemed, a coup of important proportions. "We have a great deal to discuss."
* * *
"Why did you run out like that, Jennifer?" Brianna asked, as Jennie paced from side to side in the corrior, her gaze pensive. Passing crew gazed oddly on the sight, and were ignored.
"Once again, my past returns to haunt me...damnit, Brianna, I did what I was told at the time, but I never planned on running into Mariallah again, especially not on the rebel side!"
"She worked with you on Nighthawk, did she not?...and when you were forced, over a year ago now, to fake your death at the hands of the Shadows, this is one small part of the result."
"Yes."
"You owe her an explanation, Jennifer...and also, the what of that which you are now, companion to William, and chronicler of the War. The truth cannot hide itself."
"I know...but not NOW; another opportunity will come."
"Perhaps; but do not put this off too long...I will know."
"Fair enough."
"One other thing...the Time is growing near, is it not, for William's promise to be paid?"
Jennifer smiled again, finally. "Yes; now how do I get him to Minbar??"
* * *
The warning clearly heeded, it tood very little time for the rebel fleet to form up. With little in the way of prelude, the formation twisted space in three places, and vanished from space-time, along with the tinier ship that had passed on that warning. Once again, the snowballs of the Flinn Halo rode alone in their orbits...
* * *
The agreement had been made, quite easily, now that Mother believed the truth; the Sha'vei had restrained himself from telling her about the Shadows, this time...but that would come soon enough.
But now, the far harder to endure inquistion had finally arrived.
The door closed behind her, and she took the seat offered.
"Two things I never thought I'd see this quickly." her mother commented. "You on the NIOBE, and in uniform...although not the uniform I had in mind."
"I understand what your wishes were, Mother...but there are higher causes then Earthforce standing before me now. The Rangers have formed to stand against the Darkness that has, among other places, seized the heart of Earth. They offered me a place to learn and serve with one who can help me, and I can't refuse that."
A brief hint of pain. "And so you decided to act; how did you get away?"
"Not easily; the Nightwatch got just about everybody else, my friends included...but they're probably free, now, the 'Watch can't hold anything against them."
"We hope." Her mother sighed. "At least you're safe, Julia...that certainly takes a load off my mind."
"Of course, Mother; as long as Babylon 5 and the Rangers stand against the Darkness, I will be safe; Sha'vei Westcastle promised to keep me away from harm...and who knows? The next time we see one another, I may be commanding a White Star myself!"
"Ah yes, the Rangers and their mysterious, secret ships. Deadly, but pretty at the same time; I will hold your commander to that promise, as he holds me to his."
"Yes, Mother." They embraced briefly, and then the shells came back down...the imperious Earthforce Captain, and the young student. The audience was over, she told herself.
Thank Valen for small miracles...
* * *
Mid May, 2260.
"They were warned, Mr. President; upon our arrival in the Flinn Cometary halo, we discovered evidence that they had been present a short time before...but the rebels themselves are long gone."
"I see. We have a leak. I strongly suggest that you find it...or you will find yourself out of a job, or worse!"
* * *
"They want us to go WHERE, Captain??"
"Narhlak, Commander; Mr. Westcastle, or, should I say, *Sha'vei* Westcastle assures me there are those there who can help us...at least, for the short term."
"I guess we'll see...setting course."
* * *
"That was a job well done."
"We could hardly mess it up, William, what with the fact that the Captain's daughter just happens to be my acolyte!"
He nodded. "I will admit that is useful."
"Fine, then; now where does our destiny take us?"
"Back to Babylon 5, of course...there remains much to do."
An impatient tapping of foot. "Check the date."
"Oh."
"OH?"
"Uh-oh."
"I would have thought you might have learned not to use such phrases by now."
"What I am supposed to do? I have no authority to take this crew to Minbar! Our place is back on Babylon 5, Jennie, until the Entil'zha says otherwise."
A chime sounded. "Yes, Brianna?"
"Pardon, Sha'vei. But the Entil'zha has just contacted us; he wishes to talk to you, personally."
"Very well." A half-caught sigh. "You knew, didn't you?"
"Or he knew, one of the two."
* * *
May 17th, 2260.
Meditating wasn't as easy as it looked...there were just TOO many distractions!
"Message incoming from Val'na Clifford." The computer informed her, and with a groan, she rose to her feet.
"Accept!" <Chime>
"Forgive the late hour, Julia, but I thought you should know. We're diverting to Minbar, on the orders of the Entil'zha. He has summoned the Sha'vei to Tuzanor for a meeting...this gives you an ideal oppurtunity to advance your knowledge, does it not?"
Minbar; Julia gulped.
"No need to be nervous, although since the Entil'zha has expressed interest in meeting you, as well, you might be right to feel just that, I suppose..."
"Was that supposed to make me feel better?" she snapped.
"No; but you may as well get it out of the way while the going's good. He doesn't bite." Jennifer vanished from the screen, smiling her mysterious smile, and Julia shook her head wearily. So much for meditating, she would need all the sleep she could get before they got to Minbar...and these DAMN pallets weren't making that any easier!
"I'm going to be a zombie if this goes on much longer..." she muttered, as around her, the White Star 2 flipped end over end in hyperspace, and headed off in a different, but yet, very familiar direction.
* * *
Next..."A Meeting at the Waterfall" as Jennie holds William to a promise, Ulkesh discovers what Kosh has done to Brianna, and Julia meets the Entil'zha. 'nuff said! Coming soon.