Author's Note - remember that old jms comment about there being 'wham' and 'non-wham' episodes? Well, this one's a WHAM that's only going to get bigger before the end - there, now you've been warned.
As Ivanova once put it... "The balloon's going up."
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"STAR AND CIRCLE: THE SEEKER'S FIRE"
EPISODE EIGHTEEN: "SOUL SEARCHERS"
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(disclaimers and associated descriptions in overture)
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<<Act Three>>
Interstellar Alliance Headquarters, Tuzanor, Minbar - 22:17 hrs, EST, Dec 4th, 2267.
It had, John Sheridan wearily considered as he wandered down the corridor towards the private quarters he shared with Delenn and David, been another one of *those* days. What with the Drazi trying to insitute economic sanctions against the Brakiri because they believed the recent trade compact they'd signed with the Krona was a bad one, and involved 'hidden agendas' (which, despite the Brakiri ambassador's constant denials, was quite probably the case) to the continued rumours of Shadowtech warships prowling round the fringes of Alliance space, to the ongoing crisis on Earth...
Sheridan massaged his temples. Occasionally he found himself wishing for the sometimes *simpler* life he'd had back in the time he'd been commanding Babylon 5, and this was definitely one of those days...
"Mr. President! - please, Mr. President, I need to speak with you at once!" Sheridan turned in mid-stride and groaned - the insistent voice belonged to his aide, Chiraval of Mir. And while for the most part he was *glad* to have her around, this wasn't one of those moments - right now, all he wanted to do was go to *bed*. "It is well I caught you before you went to your rest, Mr. President. There's a out-system call waiting for you in your office - a call you *need* to take."
"Chiraval," Sheridan implored, "Can't this wait until the morning?"
The Minbari shook her head primly. "No, sir, I don't believe that it can. Captain Tikopai told me that you might say something like this... but also told me that it was imperative she talk to you, and that it could not wait."
Oh, terrific, Sheridan thought - what sort of trouble had the *Shard of Night*'s captain gotten herself into this time? "Well you can tell Anla'shok Tikopai that she can't just go and summon me whenever she feels like it..."
"Please forgive me for the correction, Mr. President," Chiraval hastily interrupted, "But it is not the daughter I am referring to - it is her *mother*, the EARTHFORCE Captain Tikopai who is calling you at this time. There is a situation she must discuss with you..."
Chiraval paused in mid-sentence, and watched bemusedly as the President of the Interstellar Alliance muttered something she couldn't quite catch, and then all but *sprinted* towards his office.
* * *
"Damnit, John - you look like hell. I'm sorry if I woke you up..."
"I wasn't asleep - lets just say that it's been one of *those* days and leave it at that for now, okay?"
Bethany smiled. "I think that can be arranged."
"Now - about people looking like hell - there's something on your mind, Bethany... something that made you make a call halfway across the Alliance in the middle of the night, something that made you make that call even though you *knew* I might be asleep, and to hell with the consequences. Well here I am..." her friend finished, the corners of his eyes crinkling as he smiled. "What's on your mind, apart from the fact I'm sure..."
"I'm not worried about my daughter, if that's what you're thinking - she's proved again and again in the past few years that she can take care of herself when the going gets tough. No, this problem's personal. In short, John - they're trying to promote me."
The President's eyebrows rose. "Well I'll be damned - it looks as if congratulations are in order..." Sheridan stopped then, however, when he saw the expression on her face. "Unless, that is, what they want to give you is something you don't want?"
"Damnit, they've trapped me between a rock and a hard place, here! The only thing I've *ever* wanted is to command a ship out on the deep range - and for the past six years I've had the extreme good luck to command one of the finest crews in the fleet *and* one of the Earth Alliance's few operational Warlock Class Destroyers..."
Sheridan snorted. "Luck, huh? You haven't forgotten that same ship's just about gotten you killed on half a dozen seperate occasions, have you?"
"As a matter of fact, no I haven't - but it's *my* ship, John... MY command. How dare they do this to me - how DARE they try and beach me, try to put me behind a desk?"
Sheridan laughed. "Well, you know what? - I said pretty much the same thing to my XO on the 'Agamemnon' before I took command of Babylon 5... and we both know where that career move took me."
Bethany took a deep breath. "Okay, maybe that was a bad example! - I'm just not sure I want what they want to give me. Sure, there's the power, and being at the centre of things, it's just..."
"You're sure you won't be happy behind a desk - and once the fun's gone, it isn't a career anymore... it's only a job. A job in which everyone around you is waiting to see how long it's going to take you to make the mistake that's going to cost the officers working for you their lives." Bethany nodded. "And at the same time, you're frightened of taking that step - of leaving the only life you've known - am I right?"
She took a deep and shaky breath... and nodded again - damnit, were those *tears* in her eyes? "That's the thing, isn't it? I don't know what to do, and I wish there was something that would help me make up my mind. Tell me something, John - when the moment came for you take off your uniform for the last time, what was it that tipped the scales for you?"
Sheridan pondered that question for a moment, and finally replied, "Well - I guess I just got an offer I couldn't refuse."
"You make it sound so easy."
Sheridan laughed again, the sound wry across the light years between them. "Don't think it was, Beth... because it sure as *Hell* wasn't. And if it hadn't been for Delenn..." All of a sudden the President stopped - and when he met her eyes again a moment later and she saw the delighted and decidedly *wicked* glitter in his, Bethany suddenly realized there was a cliff in front of her she hadn't seen until now - and that in another moment or two the President of the Interstellar Alliance was almost certainly going to try and drag her *off* that cliff. "Delenn - of course!"
"Uh, John..."
"No, wait... hear me out on this one! Delenn's been pressuring me for the last little while to pick a human to oversee our 'observer corps' - volunteers we can send out to mediate border disputes between the member governments. The thing is, it's great to have someone to help deal with the minor squabbles, before they really get out of hand and we have to deal with the problems at Council. And until this instant, I didn't have a clue who to choose as the new commissioner." Sheridan grinned. "I think *that* just changed."
"I..." a dumbfounded Bethany replied, "I..."
"Don't know what to say? I understand - but don't wait too long on telling me yes or no on this... because you know what happens if I delay on giving Delenn what she wants."
"Don't I ever! Tell you what, John - do you think she can wait 'til tomorrow afternoon for an answer?"
"Oh, I think that can be arranged." Sheridan conceded.
"In that case, I've got another call to make. 'De'Molay' out!" Bethany took another deep breath as the face of her friend faded from the screen. "And as long as I've got these resources to play with, may as well use them to the utmost. Bridge, this is the Captain... still there are you, Will?"
"Right here, ma'am. So who am I 'phoning this time?"
"Captain Susan Ivanova - I trust you remember the rest of the destination code, Lieutenant?"
"I do indeed!" a now openly grinning McClelland confirmed. "One commlink coming up."
* * *
System GC 9117-C - Shadow base. 22:41 hrs, EST.
The man who stood in the doorway had possessed another name once, before idealogies and positions had burnt it out of him. And now, so long after those who had entrusted this place into his care had departed forever beyond the Rim, the only name he knew was the name they had given him - Keymaster. The Keymasters (which was a rather simplistic way of translating their own title for the appointed task, but he'd long ago given up on exact translations of their language) were among their most valued servants, guardians at the doorways of their most precious and most secret bases - most of which they'd taken with them when they had left... but not all.
And now, the Keymaster of System 9117-C watch another jump point open onto his domain, and two more ships enter the system. The first and largest was identifiably Narn, while the second....
The Keymaster closed his eyes and shuddered. Even from this distance the hated song of Order clung to this new arrival far worse even then that which hung around the smaller vessels of Alliance that had been the first to reach this place, the vessels the various Alliance races called White Stars. Their larger cousin's arrival, however, warned of the change to come - the moment he had been waiting for, for so long now. "She is here," the Keymaster muttered, "She is here, and now the choice, it *will* be made. And now that the moment has finally arrived..." The Keymaster reached forth and touched one of the liquid black controls at his disposal - a moment passed, and then an image shivered into view, of a young, dark-haired man on a warship bridge similar in colour and texture to his own domain. "Good evening to you - you've been waiting for my call, haven't you?"
The young man bowed in his direction. "Indeed we *have*, Keymaster. I am called Mordechai, and my... associates and superiors have chosen me to negotiate for our side."
"Excellent - those of Light will descend to investigate this place soon enough, now that the last of their... reinforcements have arrived. The confluence must occur at the appointed time - you do *not* want to be late."
Mordechai's expression became sinister. "Oh, you don't have to worry about us being late, Keymaster - we're watching the movements of our opponents quite closely, as a matter of fact - when the moment comes that we're waiting for, we'll act. President Sheridan's servants won't know what's hit them until it's much too late to do anything about it."
"So be it, then." the Keymaster concluded, his face cadaverous in the halflit darkness, "Until our meeting, Mordechai." That task complete, the base's guardian turned away - and a faint smile appeared on his face.
Soon, now...
* * *
Elsewhere, a man whose smile tasted of winter's coldest breath met with several of his associates to discuss a matter of no small importance. "So - what we spoke of earlier, is it the truth? Were you able to recover the *merchandise* I was interested in?"
"Yes, sir," the younger of the two replied, his tone almost reverent, "We were. Unfortunately... unfortunately it has been determined that we cannot *duplicate* the item at this time."
"There's only enough to use on one person... maybe two." the second added. "And then it'll be gone."
The man nodded his head thoughtfully. "So - I have long suspected that THEY had it, but until now I wasn't sure. Now, however... we *must* know how this has been created! - we cannot rest until we have found out their secret."
"There's one more thing, sir - who are you going to use it on?"
"Better that you don't know that." the man told them. "You are dismissed!"
* * *
Asteroid Base - 02:15 hrs, EST.
Even after so many years working in deep space spent away from the blue skies, sunlight and wind he treasured so dearly, the General still made sure he kept his circadian rhythyms attuned to Earth Standard Time - for one never knew when one would return to the planet of one's birth. If all went as planned, that moment would be coming soon enough in any case.
If all went as planned. Unfortunately, such was not always the case, and even the best laid plans occasionally included hiccups of one sort or another. One such was about to rear its ugly head. "What do you mean, a vial of the merchandise has been stolen?" the General barked, his glare overpowering. "You *assured* me that the security around your facility was unbreakable, Commander!"
"In reference to outside attack, that claim was accurate." the General's subordinate replied, his tone icy. "We were, however, instead betrayed from within by one of our own - a reseacher who made the mistake of having divided loyalties."
"I... trust that this researcher has been punished for his lapse of judgement? And that you were able to extract from him the identities of the individuals he serves?"
The younger officer took a deep breath. "Unfortunately - the researcher committed suicide before we could pressure him for those details."
"Damn!" the General snarled, "They're all against us, every last one of them - all fighting over this prize of prizes, all dreaming the dream of kings. I won't have it, Commander, I will *not* have it!"
"The situation could have been worse, sir - the researcher smuggled out a single vial of the merchandise - but not the means by which to *duplicate* it. As long as we continue to possess that, and as long as *they're* too afraid to stand against us directly, our position is safe."
"Pray that you are right, Commander, for *all* our sakes!" the General warned, "Because until our other operatives fulfill their objectives, we are still vulnerable to attack."
"But not for much longer." the commander replied. "Once the Lieutenant and his team have acquired their own prize, we *will* be invincible."
The General's smile became chilly at those words. "That, as well you know, is all a matter of perspective. One of your fellow officers thought the same during the Babylon 5 incident - and payed the ultimate price, eh?"
The underling's expression darkened. "I'll try to keep *that* in mind." a pause, "Sir."
"See that you do. Command, out!"
* * *
Captain's Log, 'Shard of Night' - supplemental. Dec 5th, 2267.
Many years before mankind entered space, some among us held the belief that the universe around us was like a vast clockwork set in motion by God, a mesmerizing pattern of cycles within cycles. In the centuries since then we've learned how wrong they were... and also how right. While the universe obeys the sometimes chaotic rules set out by Einstein, Hawking and Heisenberg, we are at the same time free to listen to the pulsars calling out their millisecond cycles and watch the planets cycle from night to day and back again... marking down the days, hours and months remaining to the peoples and creatures of Earth.
Time, it has been said, waits for no one... not even us. But once again fate has given us an opportunity to shatter Death's hourglass... *if* we are brave enough to take it, that is.
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White Star 101 - main conference room. 07:15 hrs, EST.
"Okay, people..." Feist declared, "Now that our crews have been rested, fed and watered, I think it's time we investigated the source of that signal."
"What you refer to as the 'Shadow' base." G'Kael replied. "The question is, Captain, how best to conduct that investigation. The base, if base it is, is perilously low in the gas giant world's atmosphere - many of our vessels, including the 'Tu'Fahr' and your own White Stars, are not designed to operate at that depth and pressure."
Feist nodded bitterly. "That's something which has severely limited our strategic options on this mission - to one, as a matter of fact. There's only one ship and one group of transports available to us that can operate at that depth - those fielded by Captain Tikopai's *Shard of Night*."
"And even though we *can* go down there, we can't stay for long." Julia warned. "This is going to have to be a quick-strike mission, down and in and then back out again. The Vorlon technology regeneneration systems in our hull can handle the stress for maybe three or four hours at most... and then we're going to have to come back up to a safer depth. While at the same time we are going to be *severely* limited with respects to maneuvering ability and firepower as long as we're down there."
"So be it." G'Kael noted. "Let us agree on a time period for the first excursion of no more than two standard hours, then. If we find anything interesting and useful, we can always return."
"Fair enough." Feist added. "I'll send my first officer and some of our Rangers down on your ship, and G'Kael can send some of his Narns... and we all go in together. Merell and your first officer are to share the away team command duties, while you, Captain, watch over them like a *hawk* from the 'Shard of Night'."
"While I and Captain Feist will guard the orbital approaches." G'Kael concluded. "It is a sound plan - and if there's nothing else to discuss," the Narn concluded, as he and the two Ranger captains rose to their feet, "Let us be about it."
* * *
EAS 'De'Molay' - in orbit around Mars. Captain's quarters. 08:51 hrs, EST.
"Captain? Captain, are you there?"
Bethany jacked open an eyelid. "Commander Piesch - did you finally get a hold of her?"
"Yes, ma'am!" the Warlock's OpsO confirmed. "Captain Ivanova's waiting to talk to you on Channel Four."
"About... damn time!" Bethany muttered, as she rose from her bed and rushed over to the comm terminal. "Where the *Hell* has she been - ah, Susan, thank *God* I've finally gotten hold of you..."
Hundreds of light years away on the far side of the communications link, Susan Ivanova tried to hide a yawn, and then nodded sharply. "I'm... sorry I wasn't able to reply earlier, Bethany, but we've been down on a planet in Sector 1174 for the past three days investigating a promising lead... and we've only *just* got back spaceside above the ionic interference. Now, I've read the message John sent me - I don't suppose you've made up your mind which way to go yet, have you?"
Bethany shook her head. "In that case," Ivanova said, "It's probably time for you to start talking - my time is short, and as you've already noted, yours is now *far* shorter."
Bethany grinned - it had been too long since she'd talked to the woman who once been Babylon 5's XO and slightly later the commander of the *De'Molay*'s sister ship *Saint-Germain*... and already she was regretting not having called sooner. "All right, Susan - it's like this..."
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GC 9117-C - within the gas giant atmosphere. 08:57 hrs, EST.
"All right, Klairika, speak to me... what have you found?"
"The Narns have located what appears to be a standard airlock, *if* composed of Shadow bioarmor." the Brakiri told Julia after a moment's hesitation. "Merell and I are respectfully requesting permission to enter the base at this time."
"You have it - but please be careful, Klairika - we don't have any idea what's in there *or* who, for that matter."
"So noted. We're going in."
* * *
The Shadow Base Interior. 09:11 hrs, EST.
"You do know this is crazy, don't you?" Dawson muttered, as together with the Narns and other Rangers, he folowed Merell and Klairika down the seemingly endless corridor that lead from the airlock into the Shadow base. "This place is black as night - if anything's going to attack us, we won't see it coming until it's far too late."
Klairika sighed, before turning to face her chief engineer. "Mr. Dawson - while I agreed with the Val'na's reasons for choosing you as one of my away team members, could you perhaps keep your outbursts of sarcasm in check for the time being, and focus on the mission, instead?"
The engineer ground his teeth irritably before nodding. "In that case..."
"Na'lai Alidiae," Merell called back from ahead, "Come this way - quickly!" A moment later the rest of the away team congregated around White Star 101's First, and quickly saw the reason he had called out - the end of the corridor had been reached, and what lay beyond was quite a bit... larger.
"Good God!" Dawson burst out, as everyone gazed off the precipice they found themselves standing on into the dimly lit purple space beyond, a space occupied at its heart by a mysterious and painfully bright point of light, "Is this whole place hollow?"
"*That*, Mr. Dawson," a voice cried out, "Would be telling, wouldn't it?" The Rangers whirled, their pikes extending at once, to find a man standing on the walkway behind them, his hair silver and immaculate, his clothing austere... and dark as the night around them. "You do not belong in this place... it is not for you. But since you have come, I must ask you the question *they* required all the doorkeepers to ask visitors - *What do you want*?"
Almost Klairika replied, but to her dismay Dawson got there first. "What do you have?"
"Wrong answer!" The doorkeeper raised a finger to his wrist and tapped out a command of some sort - and many of the away team cried out as what felt like a *vast hand* grabbed them, and flung them against the nearest wall - some sort of vectored gravity field, she surmised. The doorkeeper laughed. "You poor fools - you have no idea what it is you've started, do you? But you will, soon enough," the silver haired man promised, as he tapped out another command on his wrist. "Perhaps the time has finally come to remind you what the Darkness is capable of."
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White Star 101 - in orbit around the Jovian. 09:17 hrs, EST.
"We've got jump points forming all around us!" Feist's temporary first reported, her expression tense. "There's two, no three... *five* ships entering the system!"
"Oh, Hell," Feist cried, "Can you identify them?"
"Confirmed - they're Shadow technology warships similar in nature to those encountered by Captain Tikopai and her crew in Sector 975... but much larger." The younger Ranger's expression became bleak. "Preliminary analysis indicates they possess at least three time the firepower of the ships in the Sector 975 battle."
Feist winced - the only reason the Rangers had come away from that battle with their hides intact had been the timely intervention of Captain Gideon and the *Excalibur* when it had counted the most... this time, however, they were all on their own. "All right - send a warning down to the *Shard of Night* - we have to hold these bastards off until we can get our people off that base. Command to strike group - engage the enemy closely!"
* * *
Onboard the *Shard of Night* - 09:20 hrs, EST.
"Val'na, a single warship has made the translation from hyperspace in close proximity to the Shadow base!"
Julia cursed as she whirled round to face Sheynell. "Can we get a clear shot?"
The telepath shook her head, expression grim. "Not without risking blowing a hole in the side of the base, we can't. The warship's launching a landing craft and fighters - they're heading for the base!"
"Anla'shok Fenric," Julia snapped, "See if you can take out those fighters!"
"I copy that." the *Shard*'s squadron leader replied, as his own small fighter group leapt away from their englobement of their battlecruiser mothership to engage the newly arrived enemy.
* * *
Onboard Shadow technology transport. 09:22 hrs, EST.
"So," the commander asked Mordechai again, as the younger officer's transport made its final approach to the base, "You know what you have to do, then?"
"Hey, everything's under control, and in spec, okay? - it's time to consider this one sealed and delivered. Now, for God's sake *quit* bugging me already - I've got a job to do here, and I can't do it with you watching over my shoulder all the time!"
The commander's eyes narrowed, but then Mordechai made a slicing motion across his neck, and one of his underlings cut the connection. "Docking port to base interior secured, sir." another informed him.
"All right, boys..." Mordechai drawled, "As the old saying goes, let's rock and roll!"
* * *
EAS *De'Molay* - captain's quarters. 09:25 hrs, EST.
"... in short, if you take the promotion, you'll probably just be walking into the lion's den. You don't belong to them, Beth... *don't* give them what they want."
"And what about you?" Bethany asked Ivanova.
The other captain shrugged. "I'm Russian - we enjoy taking on impossible missions."
"So I've noticed." she observed with a smile. "Thanks, Susan... for everything."
"Don't mention it. Now... go do what you have to do - and get the Hell out of there before they can do anything else to you. Ivanova out."
Bethany nodded - that, all by itself, was wise advice. After a moment's thought, she made another, intraship call. "That's it... I'm done stealing your air time. Thanks."
"Don't mention it." Telluride replied. "So - *now* do you know what you're going to do?"
"It took a lot of soul searching on my part," Bethany admitted, "But yeah - I know. And they're not going to like it, Paul...
They're not going to like it one little bit."
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To be continued!
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