("A Cry in the Dark", Overture)

        Previously, in STAR AND CIRCLE...

        In response to the defeat handed the Interstellar Alliance at system GC 9117-C, a multi-planetary force gathers at Babylon 5, including multiple Earth Alliance destroyers and heavy cruisers, Interstellar Alliance White Stars and strike cruisers, the starship Excalibur... as well as the crew of the Shard of Night. The arrival of Julia and her Rangers is noted by several individuals with varied intentions... while Captain Matthew Gideon of the Excalibur also manages to catch a glimpse of her during the war room planning session that takes place the following day.

        Soon enough, the ships and officers loyal to General Ari Ben Zayn attack the Krindar colonies, and the Rangers are sent out at once to begin a search for the enemy. What no one is aware of, however, is that Ben Zayn and his allies have placed an agent onboard the Shard - a worker caste Minbari named Illithan - and in due course that renegade engineer takes control of the Shard and begins an attempt to send Julia's ship into the waiting arms of her enemies.

        An attempt which seems close to being foiled when Sheynell Keynes, the Shard's telepathic tactical officer, uncovers Illithan's plot and takes the Minbari into custody. In the meantime, Julia's chief engineer Nicholas Dawson begins an attempt to unravel and disable the control codes Illithan has downloaded into the computer systems of Julia’s ship. It is the last of those commands that proves the most deadly, however, as Illithan's masters have ordered Julia's ship disabled past the point of return if it cannot be delivered - an order which results in most of the Shard's systems falling offline, the battlecruiser adrift in hyperspace without power, and life support failing bit by bit...

        While all this is going on, the young Centauri Jaida Tefano is recruited by the Technomages Galen and Vejar to take part in a mission of critical importance - a mission that first leads her from Babylon 5 to the relative safety of the flyers belonging to Galen and his companion mage, and then to the mysterious Soul Hunter vessel named...

        Cathedral.

* * *

And now, the story continues...

* * *

        System GC 11717: Victory Class Destroyer Excalibur - engaged with the enemy. 06:45 hrs, EST - Dec 11th, 2267.

        <<cccrang>>

        "How are we holding up, Lieutenant?"

        "No more than glancing blows so far." Lieutenant John Matheson reported, his eyes flickering over the reports being relayed to the bridge of the Excalibur from the various duty stations throughout the body of the massive Earthforce destroyer. "Everything's going according to plan so far - looks like the Rangers are keeping them enough off balance that they're not getting hard locks on the larger ships in our battlegroup."

        "Well Lieutenant," Matthew Gideon told his first officer, "I think the time has come for us to take advantage of that."

        The Rangers, of course, had been first out the gate at the start of the engagement, taking out the enemy fighters and damaging some of their opponents' weapons batteries... now it was their turn. Without another word Matheson opened a comm channel as the Excalibur and its companion vessels bore down on the enemy. "This is Gideon to Ranger commander - gentlemen, it's time to let the big boys have their fun." "Confirmed." came the reply, as the much smaller and faster Ranger vessels leapt out of the destroyer's path while the Excalibur and the rest of the ISA capital ships entered firing range.

        "And that would be your cue, Lieutenant." Matheson nodded, and a moment later the four powerful secondary batteries on the Excalibur's prow flared to life, which, together with the main guns of the half dozen other Minbari and human capital ships in the battle group, was more than sufficient to get the job done.

        "Enemy ships destroyed." Matheson confirmed a few moments later. "Reports coming in from the rest of the group - no significant damage suffered during the engagement - we're ready to jump, sir."

        Gideon rose to his feet. "Then by all means get us back on course for the rendezvous point - this was only one of their scout groups, the main enemy fleet's still out there somewhere. Oh, and by the way... the bridge is yours - maybe now we've taken care of this 'little detail', I'll actually make it all the way into the mess hall before the next crisis starts."

* * *

        "Captain, let me spell this out for you in terms that even you'll understand..." Max Eilerson ground out, as Gideon toyed with his breakfast, wondering why he'd even bothered getting out of bed this morning. "Ever since Sheridan involved us in yet another of his private little wars, I haven't had a whole lot to do. Hell, wouldn't have been so bad if you'd actually, oh, managed to drop me off someplace until this all blows over, but no, what do I get instead? 'I'm sorry, but we don't have the time to divert to the nearest IPX facilities - you'll just have to be patient and stay out of the way until we've dealt with this crisis...'

        "Tell me something, Max," Gideon interrupted, "Are you coming to a point any time soon, or is this pretty much a carbon copy of yesterday's complaint? Because..." Eilerson frowned then, however, as Gideon suddenly paused in his monologue. "Hold on - what was that you just said, about wanting something to do? Correct if I'm wrong, but haven't you been spending most of this year telling me about all these connections you've got?"

        Eilerson laughed. "Up the yin yang and past the edge of beyond, Captain. So what's your point?"

        "Well, using terms you'll understand - to get you off of this ship requires resources... and I'm not about to divert resources away from the war effort without a damn good reason and the prospect of a return on my investment."

        "And what exactly did you have in mind... Captain?" Eilerson replied, his expression and tone now deadly serious.

        "The identities of our opponents," Gideon said, "Their names, their numbers. Everything else is just icing on the cake."

        "So what's in it for me?"

        "Well, let's see," Gideon mused, "You get off of this ship for a bit, you stop getting on everyone's nerves and thus stay alive a while longer... and you'll be doing the Alliance a favour. How's that for a start?"

        Eilerson sighed dramatically. "I don't suppose this is negotiable, is it?"

        "War is hell - and I guess it's time for you to start pulling your weight."

        "Thanks for the pep talk, Cap... 'no' would have sufficed, though."

* * *

        ISAS Shard of Night - adrift in hyperspace. 08:23 hrs, EST.

        "I can't pretend I like this idea, Nicholas..."

        "Well unless someone's got a better idea," Dawson countered, "This may be our only chance. As our illustrious first officer pointed out a few moments ago, since Illithan's managed to knock out most of our systems with that virus bomb of hers, we don't have a working distress beacon - but what we do have is a telepath. And remember, boys and girls, what happens when you expose a telepath to hyperspace."

        "So you want to go out on the hull and broadcast telepathically into hyperspace?" Sheynell nodded at her captain's confirming query. "Okay... just remember that there aren't a whole lot of telepaths in the various Alliance navies - and the few that are out here have to be at least a hundred light years away."

        "Careful, we must be..." Dasouri agreed. "Telepathic calls may attract foe instead of friend."

        "Well, Dasouri, I think that's a chance we're going to have to take," Sheynell replied, "Because unless and if Nicholas is able to get some of his systems back online, including the distress beacon, I've got to try and contact someone... anyone within range of my gift. I'll agree this plan's only got a slim chance of success... but slim is better than none in my book any day. Agreed?"

        A long moment passed... but finally Julia nodded. "Agreed. Nicholas, do we..."

        "Have working environmental suits? - yeah. That's one of the system groups the virus bomb didn't affect."

        "Good, this is," Klairika added, "Because sooner or later, our life support systems will fail - and when that happens, those suits may be all that will keep us alive."

* * *

        Bureau 13 vessel - enroute to secondary staging area. 08:37 hrs, EST.

        His expression difficult to read, Molyneux glanced through the hatch into the sleeping compartment, and for a moment, his gaze fell upon the figure of the prize he had gambled everything to win - the proof that he and the others needed, the proof that told them the Shadow plague could be defeated. While in their recent encounter with the forces of Ari Ben Zayn, Kaitlyn Hughes had proven, in her own way, that she was another member of what the Eloi'a would term 'The Observer Order' - a group of watchers fated to cast their webs out into the sands of history, and retrieve pearls of great price.

        For now, her face seemed peaceful enough - but as Molyneux had learned the hard way, a peaceful face was so often used as a mask by those one trusted the most. "You helped me, I think, because you had no other choice..." he whispered, "But what I would dearly love to learn, Miss Kaitlyn, is what's really on your mind."

* * *

        At that very moment, Kaitlyn Hughes was dreaming a dream real enough to touch, a dream of forests and mountains and wide open skies - a dream that spoke to her of home. A dream she found frustrating for that very reason - because until she'd finished paying the price for Molyneux and his people curing her of the plague, what would her life be? "Going from place to place, saying the things he wants me to say, probably..." she grumbled.

        "Is that so? Why not hold out hope for something... better?" Kaitlyn shrieked and leapt to her feet as a man stepped out from behind a nearby tree, a man dressed all in black. "Miss Hughes, what do you really want?"

        "Answers." she said, only realizing afterwards what she'd done. "I mean..."

        "Say what you mean, girl," the man replied, his expression severe. "Never second-guess what you believe to be true. So... answers, is it? Answers can be dangerous - but if dealt with in the right way, they can also set you free."

        "Are you making me an offer?" she tried again, privately shocked at her own boldness.

        The man laughed. "Perhaps I am. There may come a time in the very near future when you and I will meet again - and when that moment comes I will ask you another question - the answer you give me will determine the shape of everything that follows. Do you understand?"

        "I... think so."

        "Ah, well - that's a good a beginning as any... and that, I'm afraid, is all the answer you going to get... for now."

        The dream ended - and a moment later, Kaitlyn woke. And then allowed herself a smile.

* * *

        Onboard Cathedral.

        They were, as near as she could tell, alone in what passed for a docking bay in this strangest of starships - but all the same, Jaida still got the feeling that someone was watching her... or maybe it was something? "Your mind is elsewhere." Vejar observed from his position beneath the wing of his flyer. "Perhaps we should delay this practice until another time?"

        "But... if what you and Galen have told me is true, we're running out of time!"

        A faint smile appeared on the mage's face, and he nodded. "Then let us begin."

        Jaida took a deep breath, and let one of her fingers stray onto the palm of her hand - more specifically, onto the black tendril extending from her mage clothing to that position. Now what was it he had told her... 'a great deal of what we do is illusion - the goal is to always distract others while we do what is necessary'. She smiled nervously, and stroked the tendril twice one way, and then once the other...

* * *

        "Your latest pupil - progresses admirably..." the Praetor Questus allowed, as the Soul Hunter stood at Galen's side and looked down upon the moving shadow that Jaida Tefano had become. "I had thought at first to question your reason for bringing her here... but now I understand. She is valuable, and will become more so in the years to come - though not perhaps as valuable to us as the one you watch. The one we name..."

        "Sha'nak'toweire." Galen finished. "From time to time I have often thought to ask you the meaning of that word..."

        The Praetor Questus sighed. "Powers greater than either of us hold that secret close to us, and it is not for me to reveal that meaning, or more of the destiny that weaves us all together than I have already. For now, we are pleased that you have fulfilled your end of the bargain in warning us what takes place in the galaxy beyond - that you have brought word of the crisis at hand. Now, however, you have other places to be and things to do, Galen... as do we. We all must play our part."

        "I see - I trust you will not reveal yourselves until the end, then?"

        "If such a moment arrives, we will be there to do our duty."

        "Let us hope, therefore, that moment never comes." the mage replied, his expression now stern. "For if it does, it will mean that I and the others have failed. And also that everyone in Sheridan's Alliance, not to mention the galaxy beyond...

        Will shortly be following the human race into the abyss."

* * *

        [Cue Dramatic Music]

        KLAIRIKA ALIDIAE
        We are the Watchers...

        [Klairika standing on the bridge of the SHARD OF NIGHT, an image of the EXCALIBUR hanging in the air in front of her.]

        SHEYNELL KEYNES
        We are the Warriors.

        [Images: Sheynell at the tactical station, the battlecruiser firing its main gun and destroying a Drakh capital ship]

        LARIEKEN
        We are the Guardians...

        [Image: Larieken defending his Captain against Z'shailyl attackers, warrior pike in hand]

        VEYSHAHK
        We are the Healers.

        [Image: Veyshahk at his desk in MedSection, an image of the Drakh virus on his computer screen.]

        DASOURI and NICHOLAS DAWSON
        We are the exiles...

        [Image: Nicholas in Engineering, Dasouri at the helm of the SHARD]

        JULIA TIKOPAI
        And I am the Seeker.

        [Image: Julia's face, lit by candles, the stars of the Galaxy beyond]

        KLAIRIKA ALIDIAE
        We are the Rangers of the SHARD OF NIGHT, in this, the Earth Year 2267.

        [Image: The SHARD OF NIGHT enters, from the left...]

        JULIA TIKOPAI
        This is our story.

        [... before engaging darklight mode, and going into hyperspace.]

* * *

STAR AND CIRCLE:
“THE SEEKER’S FIRE”

* * *

‘STAR AND CIRCLE’ created by David Goldingay
<[email protected]>

* * *

Legal Disclaimer:

BABYLON 5, CRUSADE and all characters and situations thereof are the creations and copyrighted property of J. Michael Straczynski and Babylonian Productions, "BUREAU 13" the copyrighted property of Tritac Games (1983). All other characters and situations on this site are the copyrighted property (1997-2000] of David G. Goldingay. These non-profit creations are for the purposes of private entertainment only. Original characters and situations are copyright of the author.

* * *

Return to "The Seeker's Fire" Episode Index

Hosted by www.Geocities.ws