- Commander Susan Ivanova, declaring her intentions to the commander of the Advanced destroyer group, October 2261
* * *
October, 2261.
What we are has always been a result of the actions taken, and what we have done, has always been in response to the forces set against us. What we believed in has drawn us into the darkness once again, and farther even then we might have believed, a month ago. But vows once sworn cannot be broken, and so, we persuade, and when persuasion does not work, we fight...on and on, from colony to colony, on towards Earth; back towards our homeworld.
It has now been over a month since the battles at Proxima III and Flinn Colony; a month in which the fleet units lead by Captain's Sheridan and Tikopai have grown considerably in size. Added to that is the might of the White Star Fleet, directed by William from his position as commander of the Fleet in action, beneath John Sheridan...and, as all now know, the *sole* Sha'vei of the Rangers in the field, since Vikotal's death at Proxima.
It's not getting any easier; on the contrary, as I Observe, it is clear that things are getting worse. Amidst all of the courage, I can now see a skein of desperation, both on our side, and the other. Neither side seems to be sure they can win...but as time goes on, and the voices of our leaders ring out through space, more and more destroyers from the other side are defecting...who would have *believed* the numbers? Between both commands in the Fleet, Captain Sheridan now holds the loyalty of twelve destroyers and numerous lighter vessels. Eventually, of course, the time will come when we will have to leave most of the more vulnerable heavy cruisers behind us, guarding the colonies, and make the final push.
But that time isn't yet; one of the classic doctrines of military strategy is that until you've removed the enemy behind you, you can't go on to the next target. And so, after the surprise strikes at Flinn and Proxima, we backed off a little to secure all the worlds out on the fringe; all the along the way, each battle has been harder then the last, as President Clark moves ever more of his destroyer groups into battle.
We're finding that out of each group, one or two of the Loyalist ships will usually mutiny, but even with that to aid us, the President still has the tactical advantage in numbers. When we finally do reach Earth, there's going to be one hell of a battle, any way you look at it; *unless* the Captain can pull another surprise out of his hat.
But that worry is for later; for now, I write and observe on what is; on the flares of light from dying fighters...of the shudder of William's command, as we perform another daring maneuver...of gargantuan ash grey starships, fighting in the night of space, the only colours the yellow flash and ruddy lance of war, as we fight our way into the battleground of the Mid-range Colonies...
* * *
October 7th, 2261. Ten minutes off the primary Orion Colonies jump beacon.
"This is going to be the hardest one, yet." Alwhin commented, his expression pensive, as Bethany made a final visual once round of her bridge crew, spreading the gaze that 'did' its job, letting everyone know, as always, that what they were about to do, they were doing together. "You do realize that, don't you?"
She nodded, restraining a sigh. "Yes, of course. Outside of Proxima, Orion VII is almost the next biggest civilian colony the Alliance has, *and*, more importantly, one of the most critical mining and processing installations is here, as well. The President and his Chiefs of Staff have committed at least three carrier groups to the defense of the system, and we don't know if any more have arrived, since the last White Star recon of the area."
Alwhin returned the nod somberly. Ever since Orion VII had fallen to the President's forces, late the year before, at least six destroyers, with a smaller number of escort ships, had been placed on station; for now, there were seven destroyers on station.
The escort cruisers, however, were gone now; the Joint Chiefs had long ago revealed their strategy in that regard, as the Liberation Fleet had, as far as they could tell, already encountered all of the cruisers known to remain in the Loyalist camp. Some had stood down and transferred their loyalties after a little persuading.
But some had needed to be disabled, and, in some cases, boarded. There was *always* some ships, in every battle, that had faced those fates.
Regardless, the odds in this encounter were good, and had been getting better for some time now. Her command now consisted of six destroyers and an equal number of escort dreadnoughts and cruisers, as well as the nearly thirty White Stars under the command of their Val'na, the mysterious Brianna Tolmanes (that number had almost doubled since William Westcastle, the now familiar Ranger leader beneath Sheridan, had committed more of his reserves for combat use). Bethany shook her head in wonder; a telepathic Ranger. That was one for the record books...
"Captain; we're coming on our jump-out timing; your orders?"
She straightened in her chair; the time for musing was now long past. The time for decisive actions had come again. "Activate comm systems."
A pause, and then Alwhin nodded. "Online."
"This is Fleet command to White Star tactical squadron; please respond."
A slight flicker, and then a White Star bridge appeared on the screen. "Captain Tikopai." Ranger Tolmanes replied, her face deadly serious. "White Star Tactical Prime responds. I will assume the plan has not changed?"
"That is correct; probings into the system have determined the exact locations of the seven defending commands. You and your squadron will precede us into the system thorugh your own jump points. We will follow thereafter, launching fighters as we come. The commands in Orion system will be given a chance to stand down...any who do, will be ignored. The rest we will engage at close range, until they capitulate."
"And if they don't?"
She gritted her teeth; she hated to do this, but it had long since been proven necessary. "As always...we will ensure that they can no longer carry the fight against us."
What *that* meant was now clear, and Tolmanes would act on the order. The White Stars were more then capable, due to their extreme speed and firepower, of disabling the larger destroyers...to the point of abandonment, if need be. "Then we stand ready, Captain, on your order to jump."
The signal tone sounded, then, and Alwhin nodded down at her. It was time.
"Proceed, White Star Tactical Prime. Commander, activate jump engines, we're going in right in behind them!"
As always, she was able to note the slight change in pitch in her command's main drive, as the jump engines came online to rip their hole between continuums. Around the glowing holes of their own jump points, the White Stars were already peeling away from the formation and vanishing...then, it was their turn, as the NIOBE plunged down the hole of the point. As always, she fought the vertigo that induced, as the speckled blackness of space appeared, as if at the end of a tunnel, and then sprang out all around them.
Ahead of them, at a distance of less then a hundred thousand kilometers, hung the brown and blue ball of Orion VII, surrounded by its moons; and even as she watched, the tactical display revealed the deadly shapes of the enemy destroyers, well out of the planetary gravity well.
"Report tactical status, Commander."
Alwhin nodded. "The White Stars have formed up into their triad attack groups, and are moving ahead on point, range to target, ten thousand kilometers and closing. All squadrons are presently launching, they are all in space as of...now. Interceptor batteries are hot, main fusion batteries and secondary reactors are on standby."
"And the enemy?"
"The enemy is aware of us, Captain; both destroyer groups are forming up for intercept."
"Excellent; stand by on comm systems; as always, Commander, it's time to lay down..."
Alwhin winced. "I'm afraid that the Loyalists have beaten you to the punch this time, Captain; message coming in..."
She sighed. "Let's hear it, then."
"This is Captain Elaine ap Glydden of the Earth Alliance destroyer ARCHIMEDES to incoming enemy group."
Bethany's eyes widened; Elaine? Oh no, it *couldn't* be...
"Well now!" Elaine declared, as Bethany reclined proudly in the seat across from her newest, and, in many respects, dearest friend in the Force. "Look at you; a Lieutenant Commander!...does this mean what I think it does?"
She nodded, a trifle regretfully. "I'm afraid so; Earthforce Command has assigned me as Exec aboard the heavy cruiser SARATOGA; post effective, two days from now, which is when the SARATOGA will be leaving orbit, of course."
"And you have to leave Julia behind, again." her friend commented wryly, taking a deep sip from her wine glass. "What sort of childhood do you suppose she's going to have, with her mother continously away in deep space, the only family she's got?"
"There isn't a single day I don't think about that, Elaine...you're lucky you don't have any kids yet; but it's taken care of...this time." She sighed. "I don't really want to think about it too hard; if I did, I probably wouldn't be able to go through with my orders."
Elaine nodded somberly. "Of course; the worst part of the whole thing from my point of view is that *he* hasn't given you the time of day since the birth."
"Precisely. But enough about my problems, how are you doing?"
Elaine smiled. "Nothing changes, I'm afraid; I'm set to follow in your footsteps. I'm up for the promotion you just got in another six months; and the position I landed as operations officer on the ALEXANDER doesn't hurt, either."
"Hey, now! That's one of the new Omega's, isn't it?"
Elaine's eyes sparkled. "Indeed it is, Bethany; indeed it *is*. Mark my words! There's one of those marvels in your future, as well..."
<back>
* * *
"...do not force us to engage your commands. Be warned; if the alien assault fleet accompanying you engages us, we will respond in kind, not only towards them, but towards *you*, as well. Orion VII is a loyal member of the Earth Alliance; we will not allow you to compromise that loyalty."
The silence on the bridge was immense; Bethany was very aware that all of her crew were looking at her, Alwhin most keenly. "Those bastards." she whispered, her tone hurt and angry. "Damn those *bastards*, and damn Clark most of all, for forcing this on me!"
"They almost certainly did this on purpose, you know..." her exec reminded her. "Earthforce Command must be aware of the relationship between yourself and Captain ap Glydden; they are now equally aware that where Sheridan is not, there, your fleet will usually be found. It's mind warfare, of the worst possible kind...there's even a good chance that she doesn't know you're commanding this assault group."
"That's about to change, I'm afraid." She brought her finger resoundingly down on the comm toggle. "This is Captain Bethany Tikopai of the Earth Alliance destroyer NIOBE to EAS ARCHIMEDES. Hello, Elaine; it's been a long time, hasn't it?"
* * *
White Star Four.
With slow, measured movement, William gently drew the covers around his sleeping wife, and moved across the chamber to the stand that waited against one wall. There, they kept the few belongings they had accumulated over their years, together (few indeed) but included in those belongings was the few gifts they had received during the course of their Union. With care, he drew out a small but heavy box; heavy for a very specific reason.
Months before, Hak'rah, the leader of a group of aliens who had survived the destruction of their world, had given Jennifer and him a gift of unknown powers and dubious price; what the V'cha'richae had called a 'singing' crystal. Slowly, he opened the box, to reveal the faintly glowing crystal that lay within. The silence was total; if he touched it, and it sang, would the sound alert Jennifer to what he was doing? Would it wake her from her slumber?
He could not know...but the need to act was certain. In the image displayed against one wall, the black and red background of hyperspace silouetted the engines of war that had joined them; Earthforce destroyers, cruisers, fighters and other White Stars in the Fleet. The closer they got to Earth, the more concerned he became; it seemed, to him, that the Captain was pushing too hard. Each battle was producing more damage to the Fleet; more injuries, and even some deaths. The opportunity presented itself; he could not ignore what had been given...and now was the ideal time to test the matter.
Singing or not. With decisive hand, he reached out and touched the crystal, and the glow suddenly intensified, to fill his world.
And his mind. For the singing *wasn't* audible...
< >
<flash>
An Omega Class Destroyer plunges towards the Earth's surface, its front end ablaze...
<flash>
A dark-haired woman in Ranger black kneels before a set of candles. He cannot see her face, but he can tell that she is weeping. For what has happened or what is yet to come, he cannot tell.
<flash>
In a brilliant blue sky, jump points open, and cries of fear ring through the streets...
<flash>
In the depths of space, a black ship moves, its purpose unknown; he tries to see the shape, but it is masked. Echoes of Shadows past, echoes of pain yet to come?
<flash>
A hand struggles against a steel manacle; the hand is balled into a desperate fist...
<flash-blink>
And a cry, desperate...high. Understandable.
< >
He opened his eyes, and took his hand away, and shook his head. How much time had passed, he could not tell, but Jennie still slept. The images he had seen...the crystal *had* sung to him; it had shown him glimpses and sounds...of the future? Their usefulness had been debatable. He sighed, and touched the crystal again; couldn't the images come any clearer then that?
Nothing happened, of course. Which left him with the song he had received.
A song of fire, and of sorrow. And last of all...
The cry of a child; in the darkness, all alone. Or maybe, more then one.
William sighed. He should have known better then to wonder; better then to make things worse, through worrying what it might all mean. Prophecies of any kind were only suitable, it seemed, for adding more silver to his now notorious streak.
In any case, the fleet would soon be coming to its next target; and the harsh game of persausion and battle was about to begin anew. And sooner or later, he suspected, the things he had seen would come to pass.
What the crystal's warnings had meant, however, would have to wait on the days and months still to come...
* * *
Babylon 5. The Ranger Compound.
"They're *gone*??" Julia disbelievingly replied, as Larieken stoically nodded from the other side of the skybridge. "I don't understand; I thought that I was to continue working with Tashann on his White Star?"
"That was then, Julia, this is now. Val'na Tashann and his command were sent on to the front when you were asleep, to join the Captain and the rest of the White Star Fleet. Tashann is needed there; ever since Vikotal has been killed, Sha'vei Westcastle has needed his wisdom and courage in the battle that is."
"And now that war's broken out with Earth, I'm in the way again, I suppose; too young, *too* inexperienced, is that it?"
Larieken sighed. "Perhaps so; but at the same time, I expect that what you humans call a 'grace' period has now run out with respect to the matter of your, shall we say, *secret* movements while we were on Minbar."
"Of course." Julia sat down on the edge of the skybridge, her face troubled. "I didn't want to; I thought..." And then, she frowned, as a strange feeling suddenly swept over her; what was...
And then, all of a sudden, the pain came; a stabbing pain, through her bones, and all along her spinal cord. Involuntarily, she cried out, and Larieken immediately moved to her side, his face deeply concerned, as she sank to the bridge deck, her face twisted in agony. "Julia! What ails you?"
"I don't *know*...what's wrong with me? It HURTS!"
Desperation plain on his face, Larieken turned towards a pair of Rangers even then approaching across the skybridge, who had just begun to run towards them to see what the matter was. "Rangers; you will assist me in moving Lakotal Tikopai to a place of comfort; you will do it *now*!"
The other Rangers nodded their understanding; which was, unfortunately, the last thing Julia remembered, as the pain took over her world, and sucked her into a black void of nothingness.
To be continued...
* * *
Next time: Between pain and the reasons for it, through secrets revealed and allowances made, in battles fought, friends betrayed, and deaths uncalled for, it seems that things aren't going well at all for Westcastle and his comrades, near and far. But the run to Earth is almost over, and the final battle is drawing near at hand, as "Stolen Darkness, Hidden Pain" concludes. Coming soon.
RIMSTALKER: THE RIDERS ON THE STORM; PART 16
"STOLEN DARKNESS, HIDDEN PAIN" ACT II OF II
**"Growing pains?...don't speak to me of growing pains until you *truly* understand what those two words can mean."**
- Julia Tikopai, in a conversation with a troubled young Ranger Trainee, circa Earth Year 2275
* * *
Orion VII. EAS ARCHIMEDES.
The moment the transmission came, the moment after the image sprang onto her bridge screen, Captain Elaine ap Glydden's eyes went wide with shock. This *wasn't* the way it was supposed to be!...this wasn't the truth she had learned...the truth she had taken to heart. And if this wasn't true, then what about the rest?
"Captain Tikopai..." she breathed out, and met the eyes of her exec, Ben Stoddard, and witnessed her shock mirrored in his eyes. Before the ARCHIMEDES had left Earth to reinforce and take command of the destroyer group at Orion VII, they had been told that Captain Sheridan had fallen under the thrall of the Minbari, and more importantly, their 'repulsive' (not her words) hybrid ambassador to Babylon 5, Delenn!
Indeed, members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, with the help of their aides from the Ministry of Peace, had shown her dramatic and shocking images taken on the bridge of an enemy cruiser disabled and captured out near Sinzar; the image had shown that bridge crewed by warrior Caste Minbari. But now, there Bethany Tikopai stood, her figure framed by the all too familiar figures of *EARTHFORCE* command staff!
So; it came down to the fact, once again, that the fears of the past were not easy to banish, for some; but she had been *stupid* enough to believe in those fears, too...now, she knew better. It had been too easy to believe that the cruisers and destroyers that had fallen in with Sheridan had been recrewed by aliens. *Too* easy; she should have known.
"In the flesh." her old friend replied, her piercing gaze vivid. "Elaine, I don't know what they've been telling you, but none of it's true! President Clark's propaganda machine is only interested in protecting itself; they don't care about you, any of you! They'd rather waste whole destroyer groups on their lies then bow to the fact that what they're doing is wrong! Captain John Sheridan, my commander in this effort, has shown us all what to believe in...the *truth*. You've been my friend for a long time, Captain Elaine ap Glydden; don't let Clark's lies twist what we've had together. Believe in the truth, for only it can set you *free*."
"Your thoughts, Commander?"
"You know," Commander Stoddard replied, his gaze speculative, "Captain, I suspected that sooner or later, it was going to come down to this. Sooner or later, the lies generated by our present government were going to come out into the open. The rest of the crew wanted to follow me in this...but you're our Captain; and until you could find out the truth, we couldn't act."
She smiled...the glow of Stoddard's belief in her was almost too much to accept...but now she knew what to do. "And if President Clark and his government are lying to us..." With a single stab of her finger, she made her decision. "This is Captain ap Glydden to assault fleet; halt your advance, and prepare to stand down; all fighters, return to your commands..."
"Negative on that order, *Captain*." a sarcastic, familiar voice returned, and Elaine winced. That had been Captain Elou Saidman of the destroyer NIMROD...the former commander of the forces here. "You've just managed to show to us exactly how weak you are. This was to be a test of your loyalty to the Regime, and I'm afraid that you've just failed that test. Once we've removed the enemy from our sights, we'll be back, to place you under arrest for treason against the government. Until that happens, enjoy the time that remains to you, traitor. All fighters, break and attack."
She was forced then, to watch what followed; the amazing futility of it. Out of the six destroyers remaining in the Fleet, only one other, Captain Nei Hei Chang's HELENA, had followed her example, and stood down. The other five had moved in to engage Captain Tikopai's fleet; never *mind* that Tikopai's force was the vastly superior of the two...and the battle had begun. In short succession, two of Saidman's commands had been disabled by the tiny but powerful forces of Captain Sheridan's alien allies in the 'White Star' forces, while the NIMROD itself had moved in on Captain Tikopai's own destroyer group, and within minutes, had shared their fate, its hull glowing from multiple fusion laser and fighter strikes.
Understanding the obvious, the remaining commands, already damaged from the fight, had stood down, and Elaine nodded grimly. The lies the President had begun when he had seized control of the Alliance were now coming full circle. Captain Sheridan, and her friend, had seized the moment; realized the necessity of revealing the truth to all.
"The NIOBE's hailing us, Captain." Stoddard informed her.
"On screen."
"I'm sorry you had to see that." Bethany informed her, her expression resigned. "But it's something we had to do. As long as Clark remains, as long as portions of Earthforce serve him, we have to keep on fighting in aid of the truth. But it's moments like this, moments when captains like you and Captain Chang decide that the orders you've been given are unlawful, and should not be followed, that my hope rises; that I can believe we might actually make it all the way to Earth, and boot Clark off his pedestal.
Will you follow me to Earth, Captain ap Glydden?" Elaine smiled; Bethany had imposed a *great* deal of respect to her title when she'd said that.
She smiled, and met Stoddard's answering nod, and slight grin. "We will."
* * *
NIOBE.
"Well now..." Alwhin mused, as around them, the stress level on the bridge began to drop a little, after the moment of victory. "That went a little bit easier then it might have; Orion VII and its citizens once more stand free, to their surprise. The former colonial administator is sending his regards, now that military rule has been, shall we say, 'suspended'."
Bethany nodded, a little wearily. "I remember Mister Keynes' warning to us all too well from the last time we were here, Commander...his regards are well taken, and well earned. And after the few times we've had to retreat from colonies we couldn't liberate, this victory is all too welcome." With that, she rose from her seat, and made to depart.
"Your orders, Captain?"
"Hold the fleet in high orbit, until civil law is fully restored; the colonials may need our help in that, if the worst comes to pass. I'm going over to the ARCHIMEDES; an old friend and I need to have a talk."
* * *
Babylon 5; Medlab Two; October 8th, 2261; morning.
"Dr. Hobbs; if you will pardon the intrusion, there is something I must know."
Dr. Hobbs looked up, and sighed; ever since Dr. Franklin had become more and more involved with the Captain's effort to liberate Earth from President Clark's dictatorship, it had, once again, fallen to her to deal with the day to day medical problems of the station; and once in a while, that also involved dealing with the 'high and mighty'... "Ambassador Delenn; of course...what is your concern?"
"There is a young human female currently in your charge, Julia Tikopai is her name. My Rangers informed me, late last night, that she had collapsed, apparently due to extreme pain, and had been brought here. Since she is in training to become one of my most promising future Rangers, her well being is, shall we say, important to me. Can, you possibly tell me what caused this collapse?"
Dr. Hobbs sighed, and nodded her head slightly. "Even though they're gone, Ambassador, we'll be dealing with the legacy of the Vorlons for a long time to come; and as both Dr. Franklin and your White Star Commander, William Westcastle, were kind enough to tell me some months ago, Julia had her genetic heritage altered by the Vorlons in her youth. As a result, or so I have been given to understand, she is growing towards adulthood much faster then she would have otherwise.
You must understand, also, that among humans, it is common for adolescents to encounter what we call 'growing pains', periods in which the bodies of the young grow quickly enough to cause the individual pain."
"And she is, because of what the Vorlons did, suffering an attack of these 'growing pains' you speak of?"
"Precisely; in fact, I'm surprised the condition has waited this long to strike. It's been, oh, eight months since we last saw her in the Medlab, Ambassador, and in that time, she's aged what appears to be about another four months or so more then that. A dangerous pattern; I only hope it slows down soon, for her sake...at the rate she's growing now, she's going to become, medically speaking, an adult by her sixteenth birthday, at the very latest."
The Ambassador nodded, her understanding plain. "Were you able to give her something to control the pain, and if so, may I see her?"
Dr. Hobbs nodded. "Yes, we were...and of course you may, Ambassador. She's right through there..."
* * *
The pain, while it was still there, was fading now, both a combination of the drugs Dr. Hobbs and her staff had given her, and her own body's response to correct the problem. She moved to wipe away the tear that had trickled down her cheek; He hadn't forseen this, quite obviously, and if he had, maybe he hadn't cared.
Or, *maybe*, this had been a test of some sort; Rangers were supposed to be honest with themselves, and those they served with...and those they served. What if Kosh had been strict enough in his ways to see the need to insert this warning into what he had done to her, so long ago? She nodded sadly; that had to be it, and if so, she had to move to correct the problem, and as soon as possible.
A movement alerted her, and she turned over, and nodded; it was as she had thought. "Entil'zha; I have been...expecting your arrival, for some time now."
A slight nod. "I had heard that you had fallen ill; I decided to visit you myself to, shall we say, inquire on your health. I would not readily accept losing you to so simple a thing as illness."
She smiled. "Dr. Hobbs told you, I will assume, what the problem was."
"Yes; that young humans sometimes encounter what are called 'growing' pains, and that due to what Kosh did to you, so long ago, yours might be worse then most."
"Worse is an understatement; I felt more pain in that moment then I have *ever* felt before; it was..unbearable. And for a while, I was forced to run away from that pain; but at the same time, it...may have been a lesson to me, a lesson I didn't learn easily enough for...HIS liking."
"Revealing the truth to those you both fear and honour the most sometimes hurts, yes."
She nearly gasped at those words, and met her Entil'zha's frank gaze almost fearfully now. "Then, you know?"
"That something happened while you were on Minbar, awaiting my coming, yes. Certain members of the Anla'shok that are close to you noticed the matter, and as a matter of course, it came to my attention. Now, I will ask you plainly; and if you wish to follow the call and be Anla'shok, Julia Tikopai, Observer, you must respond truthfully to this question. What happened beneath Gajn'Darahl, that night? What did you find?"
She paused...and then sighed. "Your question I will answer, Entil'zha, and plainly; forgive my delays, it was an error of youth; I should have known better. But before I tell you the answer, I must tell you something else. Many months ago, after the departure of your predecessor, Jeffrey Sinclair, I received a letter...a letter that astonished me, beyond all else I had encountered in my life; a letter that, somehow, had been waiting for me to come, waited for a thousand years, waiting for that night. A letter...from Valen."
The Entil'zha nodded, a slight smile on her face. "I suspected as much; continue..."
"This letter told me the *truth* of what was; and as I later discovered, through great trials and greater faith in what we are...it was a truth that few other knew. Entil'zha Sinclair saw in me...something special, something unrealized, and moved to assist what might yet be. When Draal first came to see me, projected out of the Great Machine, he saw the same...and so did Zathras, his assistant in the Work that Is. He called me 'The Promise of the Future', Entil'zha!...and then; *then*, I touched the Great Machine for a moment, and saw a vision; a vision recorded, somehow, into the Great Machine when it was built, so many years ago.
A vision waiting for me!" With slow movement, she got off the bed, and onto her feet, and moved over to where her uniform had been stored. "And this, Entil'zha, is what the vision showed me; what drew me into the catacombs beneath Gajn'Darahl. Something I needed to find; something that had waiting for me to find it, waiting for a thousand years."
With slow, deliberate movement, she opened the hidden pocket, and drew out what was secured inside; as always, it seemed barely to be there, so light it was, and well built. She turned, and with slow, measured grace, descended into a bow, and presented it to her leader "And now, as I must, I give it over into your care; I kept its existence from you, and the others dear to me among the Anla'shok; this was wrong. As such, I no longer deserve what was given. It must go to another more deserving; there can be no other choice."
With expression now stern, the Entil'zha accepted the pike into her hands, and then, turned sharply aside. "Shival; enter. I would hear your words. Now."
Now she *did* gasp, as Shival entered the Medlab, his expression equally stern. "It shall be as you command, Entil'zha."
"The judgement we pass here is key, Shival; you have indicated to me that the human before us, Julia Tikopai, trained as Observer by she who was First in that station among us, has risen to the point where further training would do her little good; is this so?"
Shival nodded somberly. "And yet, Entil'zha, while the Vorlons moved as they would, and in the manner necessary, Anla'shok Shi'vek Tikopai is still young, and while she is intelligent for a human, she is also inexperienced in the ways of Honour and Duty. The knowledge of the gift she found beneath Gajn'darahl was kept from us; while not a lie, the truth of this matter was also avoided. And yet, we decided to wait, until either the matter weighed on her enough that she would make the decision freely; *or*, some other force decided the matter. As we have seen, the second was the more correct of the two."
"And what, then, should we do with this gift, this warrior pike sent down to her, by Valen's command, across a thousand years? Should we deny her its use, becasue of what she did?"
Shival paused; and then, to Julia's astonishment, shook his head. "No, Entil'zha; the destiny of this weapon is clear...and she has earned the use of it plainly, having been trained in the art by her former mistress, and master of that weapon, Val'na Jennifer Westcastle. This does not, however, mean that Anla'shok Shi'vek Tikopai should not serve penance for her error."
Anla'shok Shi'vek...again she heard those words. No longer 'Lakotal'...no longer, Trainee. Something more then that, but less then a true Ranger; a journeyman Ranger? Was that what those words implied?
"And what penance should that be?"
"As you command, Entil'zha." Shival replied. "There is no other who can make that decision for her." With that said, the senior Ranger turned, and left the chamber.
Left her to her astonishment.
"Do you understand why he decided as he did?" the Entil'zha asked her, a moment later.
She paused for a moment, and then nodded. "I do; I shall serve you as I must, and perform the penance, as you command."
"A wise response; wiser, *still*, then that one you made to me, so many of your months ago. Very well; this shall be your penance; to serve me as I command, to act as my voice among the stars; to serve honorably as I direct; to fight, and guard as Anla'shok would, until the time of your Ceremony comes upon you. And, lastly, to continue your Observations, and write of what was, the War that can *never* be allowed to come again.
This you will do, and if wisely you serve, then this will remain yours, until the end of your days." And with that, the Entil'zha placed the denn'bok firmly back into her slightly shaking grasp. "Do you understand?"
Nearly, she wept then; at the fine justice...the *wiseness* of the choice. "I..do."
Then, the Entil'zha smiled openly. "Then we need say no more on the matter. For now, however, it is your task to return to health, to set aside your pain...for sooner, rather then later, we will be called upon to join Captain Sheridan in his liberation of Earth; and when we are, it may be that you will, at the last, be reunited with your friends among the Anla'shok, as we move, once again, against the Darkness."
"I look forward to that day." she whispered, her smile genuine.
"As do I. But that is for later; until you are well, I will await your coming." And with that said, the Entil'zha was gone.
* * *
So much pain, so much sadness we have endured, in this March that Captain Sheridan ordered. So many battles, so many wrongs to right. And even as we found a way to disable the enemy without destroying him, the worst came to pass. Michael Garibaldi, controlled by the Psi Cop, Bester, betrayed the trust that Captain Sheridan had in him, and drew him to Mars, with the aid of his former crew onboard the destroyer AGAMEMNON.
And there...there, the forces of President Clark revealed their intentions to the Captain, and their plan was all too plain. ISN didn't wait an iota to trumpet the fact of his capture, of course, and among the Rangers, I watched the desperation grow. The Captains of Earthforce that had been persuaded to follow the Captain's cause were, in many respects, no different. This I had Observed, for it was true; and as William swore to avenge that loss, to track down *her* when we reached Earth, and punish her for her mistakes in acting as a voice for Clark's regime, I knew better. For while my Rimstalker was angry at what had happened, sooner or later, reason would reassert itself.
And this it did, as Commander Susan Ivanova, Sheridan's executive officer on Babylon 5, arrived to take command of our White Star squadron, in his place, and the advance continued. I will admit, that while William and I had not had much contact with the Commander during the long months of the battle against the Shadows, now we did, by need, set that history aside and work with her closely. And we were able to observe that in some things, Ivanova was even more set in her work then her commander. She pursued the task ahead of her efficiently, and almost with vengeance, at some times.
Time passed; the battles continued; the advance continued...and finally, the time came I really never want to remember; a time of near betrayal, a deadly trap barely avoided. If not for the warning of an Earthforce officer, we would never have known what was waiting for us, and many loyal sons and daughters of Earth would have died; but that fate was avoided, but oh Valen, what a price we paid...
* * *
Late Oct, 2261; White Star Four. The end of the battle with Darkness.
Face ashen, William watched, under the flickering lights, as one of his Minbari crew carefully sealed the long bloody gash in Jennifer's forehead, while beyond his love, the wall of the bridge shimmered as it repaired itself. The battle had been horrific; so very *many* of them had died here, fighting those monstrous ships that Clark had ordered built; stolen darkness made, hidden pain caused...a deep pain that he would have to endure for the rest of his days.
Behind and beside them, White Star 9 flew in formation, its skin blackened by weapons fire. Most of the others hadn't been so lucky; the Advanced destroyer group, black against night, spiky with stolen evil and shimmery with the same, had nearly destroyed them all...but Susan Ivanova, their leader, had shown them the path; a path that he had believed he would never have to follow, until now.
A path of vengenace, and destruction. But what choice had they had? It was either kill or be killed, and kill they had, with lines of yellowish-green fire that had flared across the darkness, biting into the hulls of their enemy, scoring and tearing, and rending those ships asunder.
However, it not gone easily, for one by one, White Stars had perished, torn apart by the guns of those nightmare ships...Rangers he had trained, torn from life in an instant. But fight on, they had; and one by one, the enemy had died, but at the last, the enemy had struck his command a glancing blow; a flare of light against the wall, and Jennifer had screamed...
He had *sworn* to himself, long ago, that he would not allow that scream to be heard...but at the same time, more recently, he had also sworn to her, that she would be allowed to stand by his side in all things.
Even this.
Then, her eyelids flickered, and he moved to hold her hands. "Jennifer..."
"William; what happened?"
"The last destroyer hit us before we got it...we barely survived. But we won the battle; we stopped them, Jennie, exactly as the Commander wanted us to do."
"But at *what* price?" Jennifer's eyes sprang open. "How many of us died to ensure that victory, William?"
He sighed, and looked around the smoke filled bridge; at the repair crews, hard at work. "Too many. Soon enough, White Star 4 will be back in fighting shape again... but there's too many of us that didn't make it."
"The Commander?"
He nodded somberly. "White Star 2 was destroyed in a collision with a piece of the destroyer they were attacking. It was unbelievable; I watched it, out of the corner of my eye, and still I couldn't believe it. She was like an avenging angel, unstoppable..."
"Until something clipped her wings. Did they..."
He nodded. "Marcus was able to get her out of the ship before it exploded...we just picked up their lifepod in the last few minutes. The Commander's not doing so well."
"I see." Jennifer fixed him with a steady gaze. "What aren't you telling me, William?"
He sighed...deeply. "You know me too well; I don't know whether I should count that as an asset, or a burden. White Star 11 was also destroyed."
Silence; and then, ever so slowly, a tear ran out of her left eye. "No!...oh Valen, please no! Don't tell me they're dead!...please, don't!" The last, spoken in terms of almost deathly grief.
"I must tell you, what I must." He moved to hold her tightly, but could not move to halt her tears...could barely act to halt his own.
"Were there...any survivors?"
"Yes; Tashann is alive...wounded badly, but he will live."
"And Dreann?"
He said nothing, and that was not the answer she had been looking for, not even close. She buried her face against his chest, then, and wept openly. The pain was a harsher wound then either them could easily bear...but for him, the time of tears had come and gone; restrained. All the way through the Shadow War she had lived...to come to this end. So wrong. So...
Wrong.
Someone would have to pay for this wrong.
Someone would have to pay. In Valen's Name, he would not rest until the one who had commanded this to be, had been brought to justice. Only then, would her death have meaning.
Only then, could they move on, in peace.
* * *
Tashann returned to us, as a miracle of the Universe; but a part of us was gone, lost forever. One we would never see again, on this side of the Veil...a Minbari I had the grace to call *friend*. She lost her life fighting an evil that would have destroyed as many of the Fleet as it could, wiped whole destroyer groups from existence, if we hadn't stopped it. But stop it we did...but what a price we paid!
After a time, we moved on; ripped our hole in the continuum, and left the carnage behind. The legacy of what we did will remain for longer then we all shall live; the wreckage of the battle strewn across the kilometers...the bodies of the lost, the Loyalist, the Rangers...our friends and comrades. Move on through hyperspace we did; until it was time.
His face dark and grim, William ordered the point to be opened, and we sprang out to see a better view then we could possibly have hoped for. Across the space that held the rendezvous point, dozens of ships moved. Centauri. Narn. Brakiri. Vree. And, of course, Minbari War cruisers, accompanied by over two dozen Omega Class Destroyers.
In the end, we had all come together, diminished by our loss, strengthened in our resolve to continue in what still lay ahead. And soon enough, Captain Sheridan, who had passed through easily as hard a trial as we had, returned to the fleet, his face darkened by beard and aged by the trial. He saw what had come to pass, and like us, he grieved for what would soon pass from the world. Like us, he blamed the darkness at the heart of the Alliance that had caused this, and like us, he would not stop until that darkness was removed.
And so, we made ourselves ready; we came together, the survivors among the Rangers, made stronger by that survival. Brianna saw it in our eyes; she, the Ranger who had followed Bethany Tikopai across a hundred light years, and understood.
And another, who we had not expected to see, joined us there, as well.
* * *
Oct 28th, 2261; the final Fleet rendezvous point.
All around them, the fleet waited in its multitude, and William could clearly see what had happened. A short time before, a shuttle had moved from the Entil'zha's command vessel, and over to the AGAMEMMNON. Shortly after that, that ship had slowly moved its way to the fleet van. He nodded grimly; this was the ending game; the last move in a match that had lasted three years now. His commander, the man he served, with loyalty beyond words, had made his choice. And they would follow him to Earth, and do what HAD to be done, to remove the President that had caused all this pain to be.
Behind him, the bridge doors slid aside, and he heard Jennifer gasp, and turned around, and paused in astonishment. "*Julia*?"
"Sha'vei." He saw, clearly enough, that in the time since last they had seen one another, she had gone through yet another change. The slowly growing dark curls of her hair were now tied firmly back, and her gaze was absolutely steady. She was *easily* three inches taller then the last time he had seen her, and there were more, harder to see, changes, apart from the fact she now appeared at least three years older then her true age.
But by far the easiest change to see was that she was now wearing the COMPLETE, dead black uniform of the Rangers...still, however, minus the all important sigil. But in its place, the Circle and the Star of her calling, no longer on her collar, now stood. The meaning was obvious.
"Permission to serve, sir, as your operations officer in this, our last battle against the darkness that remains."
He thought for a moment. "Is this the Entil'zha's wish?"
"No, sir; it is mine. But the Entil'zha...allowed it to be."
He nearly laughed out loud at those words. Even after so much pain and loss, there was still hope; for Delenn had allowed one close to him to return to his side. He nodded, and her gratitude plain, Julia moved to the operations console, behind him, and he reached out to grasp Jennifer's hand in his. It was time.
"Sir." Julia reported behind him. "Captain Sheridan sends his command; the fleet is to jump; our destination...Mars."
He nodded. "Proceed." And even as space twisted away in a dozen places, and the ships of the fleet, great and small, leapt away, he nodded again. It was time.
One last time they went. To walk into the dark places no others could enter. To stand on the bridge between the darkness and the light, and block the way to those who would do them harm. To live for the One. To fight for the One. And to walk in the Fire...
One last time.
* * *
To be continued!
* * *
Next time: It is the end for President Clark and his regime, as the now implacable Captain Sheridan descends on the heart of the Earth Alliance. But on that day, the day everything changed, the Rimstalker and his comrades, near and far, still had a part to play..."The Fires of Twilight", the 17th part of "The Riders on the Storm" coming soon!