BABYLON 5: THE VIRTUAL SIXTH SEASON
"THE PRICE OF FREEDOM"
Episode 2
SPECTRE OF THE FIRE
Starlight reflected in a pair of eyes. And the smile that went with that pair of eyes was all too genuine.
Lieutenant David Corwin gazed out on the panorama before him, the ever wheeling stars of Grid Epsilon. This was a view he would never tire of, as long as he lived...and where he walked, few others had dared to tread; and those few others had now either become famous, or infamous, depending on who you talked to, and knew.
But he had been patient, and in the end, his patience had been rewarded. The year before, he had taken on a position that only two officers before him had held, and while the fate of the first would perhaps never be known (at least by him) the accomplishments of the second would, in his opinion, never be forgotten.
Susan Ivanova...now Captain of one of the first Warlock Class destroyers. And the position, of course, was First Officer of a station that would probably go down in the history books as the one to upset the status quo more then any other Earth installation ever built.
Babylon 5. All too briefly, Corwin's eyes strayed down towards the techs in the pit below him; there had been a time, not that many years before, when he had worked down there, serving the needs of those in command. And then a time, farther along, when he had decided, against all expectations, to stand with Captain Sheridan, when the station broke away from Earth.
At that, his smile faded; all things considered, between all the attacks the station had survived over the last six years, and the admittedly skin-of-the-teeth escape they had made from the Vorlons and the Shadows, two years before, it was a wonder that he and the rest had made it out alive to do what they were doing, now...a wonder indeed.
But he was not about to argue with providence on that score; asking too many questions, as he had learnt, usually got you in more trouble then you would ever want, or need...he had learnt that the hard way.
Especially given the fact that for now, things seemed to be all too quiet.
Corwin sighed; the way things went around here, that usually meant that trouble was waiting just around the corner...
"...Sir...SIR."
Abruptly, he came back to the here and now; something was up. What a surprise..."Report."
"There's a message just come in on standard frequencies from Earthspace for you, sir. Do you want to take it at the main station, or elsewhere?"
Corwin frowned. A message from Earthspace this soon after his Christmas check-in on Mom and Dad stood a good chance of being bad news...which was strange, given that things back home had seemed to be fine the last time he and they had talked...
But in any case, he couldn't leave C&C for a little while, yet, since there was no one else on duty to speak of..."No, I think I'll take the message up at the Captain's station." What was the harm in that?...the Captain wasn't due in yet, after all.
"Understood, sir; rerouting now."
A few seconds later, he was seated at the station, pondering the nature of what possible crisis could have struck his parents, when he suddenly realized the crisis he was expecting was not the crisis he had. This realization came as a grinning, bearded face sprang onto the screen...a face he had not seen since before he had been posted out here. And, all things considered, almost a face he hadn't wanted to see again.
"Adam; to what do I owe this...pleasure?"
"Hey, bro!...how are things?"
"I've been a little busy out here, for the past five years, Adam; you might have noticed...?"
"Yeah, you sure haven't changed, David...always have to be the straight arrow of the family. But then again, should I have expected you to change?...naah, forget I asked that question. Look, I'm willing to let bygones be bygones; we said some things in the past to one another that we shouldn't have, but that's then, and this is now..."
"It's not quite that simple, Adam, and you know it."
"Well, Mom and Dad said I should try, okay?" the other Corwin retorted. "To start with, maybe I can bring you up to speed on what the 'black sheep' of the family has been up to since you were posted to the back end of beyond...that's if you don't mind? You may be pleased to hear that I finally got out of college with that space technology degree..."
"Ah; well, I suppose that congratulations are in order, then."
"Congratulations, he says...it gets better then that, though. I managed to choose the perfect time to graduate, what with the government desperate to replace the defence grid that Sheridan and that fleet of his took out, a year or so back. The near-Earth contractors have been busy as Hell since then, rebuilding the satellites; we've had overtime pay like I've never seen before...
But let me come to the point; what with all this money I've come into, after working my butt off helping to build those satellites, I thought it might be nice for me to visit my brother, way out there on Babylon 5, and clear up some of the rumours I've been hearing about your station, now that I can finally afford to make the trip. After all, the broadcasts and panels I've watched on ISN over the last few years have painted very different pictures of the place, bro..."
"There...was a reason for that, Adam, if you'd been paying attention..."
"Yeah, well, that's where you come in, I'm afraid! You see, I'm not sure what to believe, and I sure don't believe some of the more outlandish things I've heard about Babylon 5...like, wars with god-like powers and races older then humanity? Give me a break! You know, I'm just looking forward to hearing the truth about Babylon 5...and try not to make it too complicated, okay?"
Great. Just...great. "And...ah, how close are you to Babylon 5, right now?"
The other Corwin shrugged. "That's the thing, I suppose; space is a hell of a lot bigger than I was expecting. It's going to take a little more then a day, yet, to reach you...but then again, that should give you plenty of time to prepare for my arrival, shouldn't it?"
"You could put it that way, yes."
"Without a doubt! I'll see you when I see you, then." And then, with that ominous portent, the signal ended.
Corwin grimaced, and looked skyward. Why had he tried to tempt fate? If it was one thing you learnt, working out here, the easier things seemed, the harder they usually ended up being. And then, the door to C&C opened, and Corwin rose to his feet, as his commanding officer appeared.
"Lieutenant..." Captain Lochley began, one eyebrow raised in inquiry, "You're at my station; is there a problem?"
"Oh, I think you could say that, Captain, let me explain..."
It only took him a short time to run through the tale of woe, and then Captain Lochley thought about the situation for a moment before replying.
"Damn, Lieutenant; I wouldn't want to be in your shoes, right now...that's a tough assignment, all things considered."
"Well, Captain, one thing you learn once you worked out here long enough is sometimes you win the tosses, and sometimes...you lose them. But still... what am I going to tell him? I still have a hard time believing in some of the things we've been through, out here, in the last five years!"
"Now that's a more interesting question then you might suspect, Lieutenant. If you tell him the truth as you know it and I know it, he'll probably never believe you...and I wouldn't blame him, all things considered. It took a while for the President and Delenn to convince me it was all true, when I first came here; but they did, in the end, and in a way that surprised the Hell out of me."
"Captain?"
Lochley smiled a little. "They let Babylon 5, and its people, tell the story for them."
****************
The Babylon 5 Anla'shok Council chamber
10:15 EST
"Thank you all for coming on such short notice..." Shival declared, as he and the rest of the Council took their seats. "The matter we must discuss is of critical importance, and while the preparatory work has been ongoing for some time now, it was not until now that I could reveal the intent of the High Council to you all."
At that, Shival rose, and slowly began to pace around the table, meeting the gaze of each Ranger at that table in turn, his bearded face showing both grim determination and regret. "When Jeffrey Sinclair began the work of pulling together the Anla'shok, it was for a specific purpose...to fight the coming darkness of the Shadows. And for all intents and purposes, we survived that crisis unbowed, through the grace of possessing great leaders when they were needed the most. But now that the Great War has ended, and the Centauri conflict has also concluded, we must accept the truth as it stands...
That the Rangers are now facing what amounts to a time of apparent peace in the galaxy.
As such, the High Council has been forced to make several critical decisions, and while not all of these will be implemented immediately, the first already has been. With the departure of the President and our Entil'zha to Minbar, it has been decided that the size of the Ranger contingent on Babylon 5 should be downgraded somewhat..."
"Sha'vei, is this wise?" Shival turned in mid-step to meet the fiery gaze of Miriam Dorval, a human Ranger he had served with in this place since before the start of the Shadow War; a long time comrade, and for a human, a wise thinker, as the rest around the table raised their voices in protest.
"The need for our vigilance against the Darkness is undiminished! As we all know, the servants of the Shadows, the Drakh, are still out there, and other threats also demand our attention. From this place, we can reach a crisis zone within an acceptable time frame; travel from most other Ranger bases takes far longer!"
Shival nodded. "All of your points are apt ones, Val'na Dorval; nevertheless, the decision has already been made. It is the choice of the High Council that the strongest center of our power should return to Minbar, as once it was. And since is so, I expect that I shall be recalled to Minbar in no more then six standard months..."
The storm that arose, then, was understandable, but Shival let the voices fall silent, before he continued. "Attend! With the change in status of this command, the need for a Sha'vei in this place is not as strong as once it was..."
"That you know of the recall order implies that you will be replaced by another..." another long-time member of his Council, Colvhar Vendim, declared. "I would be very interested to learn who that Ranger might be."
"In that, my master spy, your wait will be a short one!" Shival replied, a small, wry smile now touching the corner of his mouth. "Before I leave this place, I have been tasked with the duty of training my replacement, and making her ready for the duty of commanding the Rangers of Babylon 5."
Behind Shival, the doors to the Council chamber began to grate open. "And if my suspicions are correct, she is about to join us, now..."
******** Several minutes before... ********
The Rangers of Babylon 5 had seen many of their kind come and go over the years, and as such, new faces were rarely noted closely. But this day was not quite like any other day that had come before it...and eventually, the Rangers, both Minbari and Human, who noted this particular new face, would come to understand the significance of why and what had drawn their attention.
This Ranger wore her uniform no differently then any other...perhaps in darker shades then were now normally accepted (this form of Ranger uniform was now thought of as 'battle' dress, but the wearer in question did not think of it as that, at all). Perhaps the thing that drew attention more then anything else, was her sheer presence. It was almost as if a message was being given to those who had earned the Sign since the Shadow War...
'See in me what once we were, and if necessary, can be again. We did things that no one believed we could do, and we did them for the right reasons. And if, occasionally, we broke the rules, that was also for the right reasons.'
Some, she knew, who looked at her, who saw this black-haired reminder of the past with a challenging grin would be affronted, but she didn't give a damn. So many of them had never fought for their lives, didn't know what it meant to fight the Darkness, as she had, with the rest...those who had died, and those who had lived on. Jamie placed one black-booted foot on the verge of the skybridge, and smiled anew, at that thought. It was time to remind them...what it meant to live, what it meant to enjoy that living, and how.
"Val'na Pratchett." Jamie turned, to see a young, just graduated, by the look of him, Minbari Ranger approach. "The Council awaits your presence; you are... expected."
She laughed at that, to the younger Ranger's apparent discomfort. "Well, we'll just have to see about that, now, won't we?"
***************** ACT ONE *****************
Interstellar Alliance Space Station Babylon 5
Anla'shok Council Chambers
10:27 EST
As one, the council all rose with Shival, as the doors to the Council chamber finished opening, revealing a human woman in Ranger battle dress, her long, dark hair tied back in an unusual triple-woven braid of some kind. Colvhar Vendim inclined one eyebrow as he saw the curious expression on this Ranger's face, and decided, right then and there, that while their superiors back on Minbar probably knew what they were doing (he hoped) trouble was going to come looking for this Ranger...and sooner, rather then later, if one was to go by that expression, which was, as far as he could tell, a mix of anticipation and amusement.
"Welcome to Babylon 5." Shival began. "I am..."
"Sha'vei Shival, yes!" Jamie began, allowing a grin to light up her face...best to be as friendly as possible about this, but if she didn't get straight to the point, then the ceremony of welcome that Shival would try and start would ruin whatever chance she had at making a good first impression. And for that, one needed to head things off at the pass...
"The High Councillor was fairly explicit about who I should be expecting, and you, sir, were the first person on that list! But while I'm sure he told you my name, I'm equally certain the rest of your council doesn't have a clue who I am...am I right?
"Well, ah..."
"I'll take that as a no, then. Fellow councilmembers, Anla'shok all...let me introduce myself. My name is Jamie Pratchett, Val'na of the Anla'shok; and apparently, I'm lucky enough to share something important with you all...Jeffrey Sinclair was the one who invited to join the Rangers, and I've never regretted the choice I made by accepting his invitation. I've been to a lot of places in the four years since then...seen a lot of things that no one should have had to see. I've commanded a White Star, and flown in the largest battles of the Great War...and when the President has called upon us, I've been there for him, as a Ranger should."
At that point, Jamie began to slowly walk around the table, meeting the gaze of each council-member in turn. "I have no doubt in my mind that while the good Sha'vei here has probably managed things admirably over the last few years, there's always room for improvement. And if, along the way, there's also a chance to improve the teamwork around here, then well, I'll take it! And finally, if we can make this command a more interesting place, as a result, then maybe my coming here will have been worth it, in the end."
This said, Jamie turned back towards a slightly perplexed Shival. "Sorry to jump right in like that, Sha'vei, but it seemed to be the best way to get the message across. You were saying?"
****************
"What do you make of our new arrival?" Armand Natahl, another member of the council, inquired of Colvhar, as the two sat closely together, now that their Sha'vei had dissolved the full Council meeting, the morning's business having been essentially concluded.
"Exceedingly competent at what she does, courageous, and disciplined when she has to be. But at the same time, Val'na Pratchett also seems to have somewhat of an impudent streak to her..."
"In short, for the first little while, Shival and our new arrival are liable to get on one another's nerves, then."
"That is quite likely, yes."
"What is she trying to do, now?" Armand inquired politely.
Colvhar looked across to the other side of the room, where Jamie seemed to be trying to explain something to the Minbari councilmembers. "I believe that she is trying to tell them...a joke."
"To Minbari?" Armand replied disbelievingly. "That doesn't usually work, does it?"
Colvhar merely smiled.
****************
On the other side of the room, two of the Minbari councilmembers, Tharvonn and Viridal, sat by themselves, blinking their eyes, as Jamie wandered away, shaking her head. "These humans and their stories..." Viridal rumbled, before sighing. "There are some days when I just don't understand them at all."
"I know what you mean..." Tharvonn replied. "Give me a task to do that I understand; give me an enemy to prepare Trainees against!...these things I understand! But human humour?...this is another thing, entirely."
"'Are those denn'bok's in your pockets, or you all just really happy to see me.'" Viridal thought about the sentence for a moment, and then shook his head, and sighed. "No, I'm afraid that it isn't any more humourous now then the first time."
"Humans."
"Says it all, doesn't it?"
The deliberations were broken off, however, as the two became aware that Shival had joined them. "Ah..." Tharvonn stated by welcome, "So, then, Sha'vei. Is our new arrival, perhaps, been sent as a challenge for you, in your declining years?"
Shival's expression shifted over into a dark scowl. "A challenge, you say? Well now, Tharvonn, as the humans say, once I return to Minbar, the good High Councillor and I will be having some words on the matter..."
At that juncture, the side entrance to the Chamber opened, and a Ranger moved through the door, at speed. "Is that not one of your couriers, Sha'vei?"
"Yes..." Shival ground out, moving away. "And from the expression on his face, I doubt that this will be good news."
******** 10:52 EST ********
As Jamie watched on expectantly, their Sha'vei and the new arrival briefly conferred, and then, the courier departed at speed. Shival seemed to think about matters for a moment, and then called all in the room to attention.
"We have grave news, I am afraid. Contact has been lost with the White Star assigned to convey the Gaim Ambassador to Minbar back to Alliance headquarters. The Gaim have been able to confirm that pickup did occur...therefore, whatever has beset them happened on the return trip.
As the nearest major Ranger command to the area of puported disappearance, we have been assigned the task of locating the White Star, or its remains, and determining the nature of the situation that caused the crisis. It is not an easy task, but we are Rangers, and to us, as we have noted in the past, tasks such as this one so often fall."
She sighed expectantly...she could see this one coming from a light year away. She knew who the Sha'vei would pick to run this mission, since for darn sure, he wouldn't be doing it. Pick on the new girl in town...
"Val'na Pratchett."
"Sir?"
Shival smiled. "What was it you said, Val'na? Ah, yes...to paraphrase, 'may we live in interesting times.' Tell us, is a Ranger command under sore trial, and possible encounters with hostile forces, challenge enough, for the present? I suspect that you will be finding out the answer to this question, soon enough."
******** January 28th, 2263: 08:17 EST ********
"This... cannot be happening to me."
But it was. And to make things worse, once Jamie had learned which White Star had been lost, sleep had been impossible to come by. According to Shival, there were, of course, other things she could deal with, while waiting for the nearest White Star to arrive off of its long range patrol pattern... but these things were far from pleasant.
It was clear, absolutely clear, that Shival cared as little for paperwork as she did. But since he ran Babylon 5's Ranger operations, and since it seemed equally clear that he had never had an executive officer to speak of in his years here, that now meant that the good Sha'vei had apparently decided that anything he didn't wish to deal with could now be deposited on HER desk.
A pair of eyes surfaced above the general wrack deposited by a pair of the station Rangers, just over an hour before. 'Paperwork that the Sha'vei needs to have taken care of, prior to your departure on the search' was the way they had put it. The pair of eyes was soon joined by a fierce scowl...she had no doubt in her mind that his desk had been cleaned off completely, but the problems had NOT gone away, oh no. Now, all of a sudden, this was supposed to be her responsibility?
Yeah, right. "An executive position, he said..." Jamie grumbled, sweeping the whole mess off into a corner. "Something interesting and challenging, he said!...and silly me, I equated 'interesting' with 'fun'." She sighed, and then bounced a crumpled document off the nearest wall.
"Note to self. HE is going to pay for this; he won't know when it's coming, or from where, which is always the point, with his sort. Takes himself far too seriously, but what should we expect, with living legends. High Councillor he may be, and the other thing as well, but that does not make him immune to the sort of thing I'm thinking of doing to him." She snorted. "Of course, it's all part of the image...but it's still a silly title, in my opinion."
In fact, someone would have to do a great deal of convincing to make her believe that any of this was worth it. Working out on the Rim, against an enemy older then time and darker then pitch, that she could understand. Commanding the loyalty of a crew on a White Star was another...but this? What had the High Councillor been on to suggest that this command would be anything remotely resembling interesting?
"What am I missing, here?" she muttered, still frowning. Maybe this place crept up on you, somehow...
What she wasn't missing, for now, however, was the more important matter of the search; while she was stuck here, tidying up loose ends for her commander, someone she considered a close friend had gone missing, out there...the commander of White Star 103, Val'na Sheylaht!
Jamie gritted her teeth; she understood that if anyone could handle themselves capably, out there, in the far reaches, it was Sheylaht. They'd gone through training together, years before, fought their long way through the Shadow War, together, and for a time, they had flown in the White Star Fleet, together. Which was why the disappearance of her and her White Star didn't seem to make a whole lot of sense!
"Why am I bothering with this nonsense!..." she exclaimed, rising to her feet, one hand falling to her well-earned warrior pike. "There's work to be done, and it's NOT this...this..."
"Ah! Val'na... there you are." Jamie looked up out of her dark musings, to see a tall, blonde-haired Ranger with a well kept moustache standing in front of her desk. "I see that you've finally given up battling the battle that should never have been started, in the first place..."
Allowing herself to smile, Jamie gestured the other Ranger to follow her, as they left the office. "You have a more astute picture of the situation then the Sha'vei does...?"
The other Ranger smiled in return. "We met at the Council meeting, if you will recall. My name is Colvhar Vendim."
"Of course! Colvhar, you'll have to forgive my lapse, I didn't get very much sleep last night, and now..."
"Quite understandable, given the relationship betweeen yourself and Val'na Sheylaht. You two go a long way back together in the Rangers, don't you?"
Jamie nodded somberly. "Back to the beginnning...back to Entil'zha Sinclair."
"As I suspected...I am another 'veteran' like you, so in that, I understand. But let me tell you the real reason I came to see you...the Sha'vei has decided to let me help you in this search, since there are things I know about the White Star Fleet that no one outside the design team knows. I can help you in this matter, I assure you."
"And how, exactly, did you develop such sleuthish skills?"
"Well..." Colvhar replied, "Over time, because of my skills, various senior members of the Rangers have come to call me their 'master spy'..."
"Oh! So you're the 'master spy' that the High Councillor was going on about! Now I finally understand another of the somewhat cryptic comments he left me with, upon my departure from Minbar."
Colvhar snorted in apparent understanding, but then switched to a new tangent. "Why yes! Do I look like one?"
"Not really...but then you wouldn't, would you?"
She could really see the gears turning in his head, now. "Hmm...but perhaps I should attempt to be the least likely suspect by appearing to be the most likely suspect..."
"Uh...did you forget your encounter suit somewhere, or what?"
Colvhar laughed. "Perhaps. But come!...we have done enough verbal sparring for the time being, I think, Jamie Pratchett. I also may tell you that White Star 113, the command assigned to the search, has just arrived on point, outside the station...we may depart, any time you wish."
"Then let's going, Colvhar..." she earnestly replied. "Maybe then I can forget about the pile of paper on the corner of my new desk."
"You can try, I suppose.."
****************
Arrivals lounge
10:17 EST
Corwin had decided to dress in his best off-duty clothes to meet his brother, not that he knew whether or not it would make any difference. The last time he had seen his brother face-to-face, Adam had been affecting just about the grungiest style he could imagine, and as far as he could tell, Adam had been doing it on purpose, both to hurt their parents and to annoy his brother. Which, of course, had worked; he had come to Babylon 5 believing that this meeting would never happen; that the yelling match that Adam and he had had with one another was the straw that had finally broke the camel's back.
And then this happened. Corwin shook his head disbelievingly; you just never knew, did you...
"You lookin' for someone, Lieutenant?" Corwin turned, to see the station Security Chief, Zack Allan, standing expectantly behind him.
"Yes, Chief, as a matter of fact, I am. I was supposed to meet my brother down here, off of the early morning run from Earth, but traffic on the way over here was a little stiffer then I was anticipating. You wouldn't have happened to have passed a swarthier, bearded, shorter version of myself through customs in the last ten minutes, would you?"
Zack scratched his chin thoughtfully. "Well, now that you mention it, yeah, I did pass a Corwin through Customs not even five minutes ago, but he sure didn't hang around waiting for you to arrive..."
Oh Hell. He couldn't have...he wouldn't have! ...would he? "Got to go, Chief, and thanks for the tip!"
"Any time..." Zack replied, with a perplexed look on his face, as he watched the Lieutenant rush off into the crowd. "Man, talk about stressed out..." Zack chuckled, shook his head, and went back to work. Corwin was going to have a heart attack before he was forty, the way he was going...
Corwin rushed around the corner, and yes, there he was, leaning up against the wall outside the entrance to his quarters, smoking one of those evil cigars he could remember from six years back.
"David..." Adam drawled, "I was wondering where the Hell you could've got to, since I couldn't see you when you arrived. Least you've got a friendly set of computers around here...it didn't take me too long to track down the location for your quarters, although I have to say this station of yours is a little bit bigger then I was anticipating..."
"You do these things on purpose, don't you?"
"Who, me?" Adam wisecracked. But then, the younger Corwin's expression suddenly sobered. "Naah, forget I said that. Look, I know that in the past, I've managed to just about always rub you the wrong way, and Hell, I don't blame you for feeling that way, I was an idiot most of the time, come to think of it..."
Corwin began to walk, and Adam fell in at his side. "That's quite something to admit, for you, isn't it?"
"Yeah, but hey, there comes a time when you've gotta take off the blinders and see things for what they are, you know. It's just so easy for some sorta alien fleet to come blasting out of hyperspace, and turn everyone back on Earth into little charcoal bits, isn't it? But you've spent the past five years up here, trying to prevent just that, I guess."
Corwin allowed himself to smile as they reached the transport tube...maybe this wouldn't be so bad, after all. "You could say that, yes, although strictly speaking, that's somewhat of a simplification..."
"Destination?" the transport tube inquired.
"The Central Garden; Green Two." Corwin replied.
"Stand by."
"Ah..." Adam mused, his brow furrowed in thought, "How so?"
"Later. First though, since I convinced the Captain to let me have the day off, and I haven't had any breakfast yet, why don't we go get a bite to eat.?"
"I suppose..."
"And since you made out in your call that you had become independently wealthy, why don't you take your brother to breakfast, and I'll start to tell you what you want to know?"
Adam looked at his brother through narrowed eyes, and then laughed a little sheepishly. "Hell, there I go again; yeah, I guess I can afford that. What exactly did you have in mind?"
"You'll see..."
****************
The Garden; 'Fresh Air' Restaurant
13:07 EST
"Quite a view, I suppose..." Adam mused, as he looked up and across at the buildings on the other side of the Core, and then up towards the core shuttle, even then passing overhead. "And a decent meal too...though a little steeper then I was anticipating."
"Well..." Corwin replied, "When you're this far out in the middle of nowhere, good food costs, and compared to what I usually eat...well, in any case, Adam, it was certainly worth the wait. And I'm sure you'll get over it; there'll always be more contracts waiting for you, now that you've proven yourself building the new defense grid, won't there?"
"Yeah, you could be right about that, you could be right about that indeed. But now that we've finished with the preliminaries, maybe it's time we started in on the real reason I came here."
Corwin winced a little, and then shrugged...here it came. "Sure, why not. Where would you like me to start?"
"Oh, I don't know...how about this: what do you most remember about the past five years, out here on the frontier, in one sentence?"
"One sentence, huh?...okay, try this on for size." Corwin took a deep breath. "Wars, miracles, deaths, defeats, second comings, conspiracies, triumphs, tragedies and loves. That's five years in a nutshell, Adam...five years of Babylon 5 from the inside out...five years I survived, first under a Commander I never knew very well, and then under President Sheridan and Captain Ivanova..."
"Oh yeah...THOSE two."
"Now hold on a moment, there!...I'll have you know that I respect those two more just about anyone who isn't family, Adam. The things they've done for the Alliance...for the galaxy, for that matter!...we'll never be able to repay them for the things they've done for us. They, and all the others who followed them, made the station what it is today. Sure, they're gone now, but they'll never be forgotten."
"I see..." Adam drawled, and Corwin winced again...he knew that tone, and in the past, it had always meant trouble. "Well, I hate to break it to you, David, but back home, there's a lot of people that don't think of the President in quite that fashion. Maybe you got blinded by his fast talking, bro. "
"Oh, I see; I suppose you would be talking about the news commentators and analysts, wouldn't you? Come on, Adam!...you're not going to tell me that you believe in all the things they say, are you? When Clark was in charge, ISN got into the record books for the sheer amount of lying they could do in one broadcast!"
"Well, okay..." Adam mused, "There may have been some exaggerations in that time period, yeah...but they didn't have any choice, Clark and his goons had the guns to their heads! But now?...come on! Isn't it supposed to be their job to tell us what we need to know?...and now that most everyone upstairs working for President Luchenko seems to be playing fair, shouldn't that be the truth? Plus, most of the really bad apples are gone from the Networks now that Clark and his boys are out of there, they made a really big deal about that, back at the end of '61..."
Corwin slowly lowered his head to the table, and then shook it. "Me and my big mouth..." he muttered to himself. This was looking like it was going to be the impossible task of all impossible tasks. It seemed that Adam, the brother that no one in the universe should have to put up with, had fallen under the spell of the ISN propaganda wars. What was it that Captain Ivanova has said to him once, after ISN had aired the program that reporter, Dan Randall, had put together?
"If you must learn one thing, Lieutenant, learn not to trust the media. They are always looking for a story that will benefit them, and if, in that telling, they succeed in hurting another, or twisting the truth to suit themselves and their masters, well, that's just another job well done for them, isn't it?"
"Are you feeling okay?" Adam inquired, a puzzled frown on his face. "You look a little white. But then again..." the younger Corwin mused, "It's been my experience that you almost always look that way, in any case..."
Captain Lochley had been right, as usual, but when it came down to it, right now, he didn't even want to be in his own shoes. While Adam's claim that he had changed seemed to be true, Corwin's younger brother had changed for the worse, if that were possible...and that made his job quite a bit more difficult. But was he about to give up?...Corwin pictured what Captain Ivanova would have had to say about that, ALSO, and that was more then enough to make up his mind. "Adam...what you say if I was to tell you there's a way to prove everything I've said is true?"
"I'd say, go for it!" Adam replied, a smug smile now on his face. "If you feel you can pull it off, that is. Although, I bet you're going to have to work pretty damn hard, though...it's going to take a hard arguer to change my opinion of Sheridan and a few other things..."
"You'll get your proof before you leave Babylon 5, Adam...of that, you can be sure. There are a few 'hard arguers' around here that I know of..."
"And the challenge is set, ladies and gentlemen! Okay, David, so where and when is it going to be, then?"
"Well, now...how long did you say you were going to be here?"
"Supposed to be a little less than four days, I think...why?"
"Okay; fair enough, then. I have to do a little bit of preparing, first...why don't we say, dinner in my quarters, 19:00 hours, day after tomorrow?"
Adam chuckled. "You're really going to go through with this, aren't you?"
"Absolutely. Are you up to it?"
Adam stuck out his hand, and the two brothers Corwin shook...a deal it was. "This, I'm not going to miss for anything." And then, the younger Corwin looked at his chronometer, and jumped. "Holy!...would you look at the time! Look, I'd like to stay and chat some more, but since we've got this bet going, I think I'm gonna wander around the place, and see what interesting places I can find. So I'll catch you later, okay?" And with that final sarcastic jibe, Adam rose from the table, and made his way to the exit.
Corwin sat a moment more, and then nodded calmly, before muttering, "Oh, you could say that, yes. But if I have my way, Adam, you'll get a lot more then you've bargained for.
A whole lot more."
***************** ACT TWO *****************
Hyperspace; near the Gaim Homeworld
White Star 113
January 28th, 2263; 21:05 EST
After slightly more then a half day of travelling at full burn, Jamie and her, for now, borrowed command had arrived at the last known location for White Star 103, and it was time to see if her assistant's 'skills' were going to be as useful to her as he had claimed. "Colvhar; back on Babylon 5, when you said you could help me, I took you at your word...
Now, as they say, it's time for you to 'do your thing.'"
"It shall be as you say..." Colvhar muttered, making several modifications to the sensor controls, as the remainder of the bridge crew, Minbari for the most part, waited on the orders of their two superiors. "Now, the question of the moment is, will this work like I suspect it should?"
Jamie half turned in the captain's chair; she knew that Colvhar would be able to see the worry eating her up, inside, due to Sheylaht's disappearance... but there was a part of her that didn't care about that. What if they were already too late, what if the worst had already occurred?
"Colvhar!...for Valen's sake, this has to work...you have to make it work!"
Colvhar looked up, and seeing her expression, quickly moved to remedy his comments. "You must have patience...Jamie...and let me try what must be tried. Intelligence operatives such as myself must, occasionally, know things that others do not, and should not know...and this is one of those times. But since you have been placed in charge of this search...and because we share our vows as Anla'shok, I will tell you what it is I believe to be true."
"You can trust me to keep your...secrets, if that's what this is about."
The other Ranger paused for a moment, as he continued to make his adjustments, and then briskly nodded. "And for that, I thank you. Now, we approach the matter at hand; it is commonly accepted, amongst the Rangers, is it not, that White Stars are difficult, if not impossible, to trace in hyperspace?"
"As far as I know...yes. That is, after all, one of their strongest traits...since if the enemy can't trace our ships, that enemy usually can't tell which direction we're going to attack them from."
"Indeed. It is my belief, however, that this should only apply when one is using normal search methods. White Stars, because of their advanced systemics, do not leave traces, as other ships do..."
"I feel a 'but' coming on, here..."
Colvhar nodded, his grin slowly growing wider. "But, after studying the matter, I have concluded that the only vessels capable of such a feat, after this much time has passed, are OTHER White Stars, and this is true because of the Vorlon derived systems built into each and EVERY White Star in the Fleet."
"Well, I'll be damned..." she whispered, now smiling, herself. "Of course..."
"We are, after all, the wards of the 'most advanced fleet of ships in existence' as our Entil'zha has been known to say, from time to time...and it is, shall we say, interesting that such a saying can hide a piece of information so critical to our need, is it not?" It was then that Colvhar's station chimed urgently at him, and he looked up, his expression triumphant. "And once in a while, even hunches pay off..."
"Show me!" Jamie commanded, and as she rose from her chair, the viewscreen rolled down into place, showing the familiar, stormy wrack of hyperspace...and superimposed upon that chaos, a faint, green trail. "Well, well; it works, just as you said it would! Seems that I owe you an apology for my earlier outburst, Colvhar."
"Unnecessary. The thing to remember is, if we had been any tardier then we were, there is every chance that we would not have found the trail at all." Colvhar's expression darknened, then. "And we must also accept that there is a very real possibility this trail may fade to invisibility, somewhere along the path we must walk."
"We'll just have to take that chance..." Jamie replied staunchly. "I won't break off from this hunt until I've found out what happened to Sheylaht, and her crew..."
"Additionally, we must also recognize," Colvhar cautioned, "That there is a chance her command may have been seized by forces outside the Interstellar Alliance's control. Every White Star commander is ingrained with the need to recognize what must be done, in such a case..."
Jamie nodded at that, her expression now bleak. "The High Council's order is absolutely explicit, as you say...
Even if I don't have to like it."
Jamie turned away, then, not wanting Colvhar to see, on her face, how disturbed she was by this possible outcome. The time had not yet come in which one Ranger command had destroyed another, to prevent the secrets inherent in the White Stars from being stolen by outside forces. And Valen willing...she would not be the one to upset so perfect a statistic.
"And if we cannot save the crew...or the Gaim Ambassador, if this is necessary?" Colvhar inquired.
"One problem at a time, Colvhar...one problem at a time."
It was then, naturally, that a proximity chime alerted the two Rangers that something was up. "Someone's coming..." she muttered. "Wonder who?"
"Interesting..." Colvhar replied. It would seem there is another White Star on an intercept course to meet ours...we are being hailed."
"On screen." And then Jamie's eyes widened, as the incoming message arrived, revealing the bridge of the other ship.
"This is White Star 61 to White Star 113...do you receive?"
Jamie shook her head in amazement...how had he known? "Alain Vedrou, you old rogue! And I'm supposed to believe it's a coincidence you just happen to be out here?"
"Hello, Jamie..." her former first officer replied, his expression nonchalant. "Yes, you can believe that, if it makes you feel any better...but you see, the crew and I learned that, beyond all expectations, the Sha'vei of Babylon 5 had sent you on a hunt for a mutual friend; I and your former crew decided that you might appreciate some help in your time of need."
"Uh-huh." Jamie turned to Colvhar. "So...do you think we should accept his kind offer?"
Colvhar smiled. "Two are, after all, better then one...and if we happen to run into trouble, out there..."
Jamie turned back to meet the slightly amused gaze of White Star 61's present Master; if this was a coincidence, then the salesman that had tried to sell her a piece of Z'ha'dum the day before had been telling the truth. But still...was she going to argue, at a time like this? "So be it, Alain...looks like you're going to get to join our merry little hunting party, after all. And courtesy of Anla'shok Vendim and his...ah, profession, we also seem to have a trail to follow."
"You don't say..." Alain Vedrou replied, with interest. "That doesn't happen every day, now does it?"
"Not usually, no." Then, Jamie returned to her seat...the time for talking was finished...the time for acting had come. "Let's get going, gentlemen; we have a White Star to find."
And, of course, a friend or two, if all went well...
****************
Babylon 5
The Quarters of Ambassador Vir Cotto.
21:30 EST
"So what do you say, Ambassador?" Corwin inquired, his smile pointedly bright. "I sure could use your help on this one."
Vir closed his eyes, and restrained himself from saying the thing that came most quickly to mind, while also making sure, at the same time, he didn't move around too terribly much...there were still many twinges of pain along his right side, from the incident that had happened, three weeks before...and the headaches, well now, it best not to think about the headaches, it usually made them worse...the Great Maker, as far as he could tell, had a really nasty sense of humour, most of the time.
Now, about this matter... denying the Lieutenant's request would be the easy way out...but it wouldn't be the right thing to do...for many different reasons. To begin with; it didn't sound as if the event that Lieutenant Corwin was describing would involve much beyond sitting, eating and talking; a nice, more or less pleasant dinner seemed to be in the offing. Although, Vir considered carefully, he'd never really been sure about Human cooking. Apart from the meal that Mr. Garibaldi had cooked for him, that one time, back before the Shadow War, to cheer him up, after an unusually bad day dealing with Londo.
Now that meal had both been tasty, and also, an adventure, as well!
But back to Corwin's request; it wasn't as if the station's tall, usually quiet First Officer had ever asked him for help of this sort, before...and all things considered, it did seem like it would be an interesting challenge. And for the first time in a very long time, maybe he might even survive the meal without someone blaming him for something...that almost made the attempt worth it, all by itself!
"This seems to be a simple enough request, Lieutenant; somewhat of a family matter, but to be honest, I've often wondered what the rest of your family was like; none of them have ever visited you out here before, have they?"
"No...not until now, that is." Corwin ruefully replied. "But lucky me, it had to be my brother. He's always been a little bit of a loose cannon; and more often then not, the barrage ends up going in my direction."
"Ah, yes...quite understandable, in fact, I experienced something quite similar to this before I came to Babylon 5..."
"Oh?"
"Yes; I always tried to be the quiet one in the family, it was safer that way. But some of my cousins, well, now!...there was one or two that were forever getting in trouble. Sometimes, it seemed to happen without them even trying to make it happen; the worst of them, Riatta was his name, as I recall, managed to get himself into a duel while seeking after the affections of a noble daughter...now what was her name?..."
Corwin laughed. "Yeah, well, we may be the quiet ones, Ambassador, but that doesn't always keep us safe, now does it?"
"You've noticed that, too?...ah well, only to be expected, I suppose. But please, before I run off on another tangent of some sort, and get tangled into the complexities of family history, why don't you explain to me how I can help you with your...problem?"
"Well..." Corwin pondered, "The Captain told me I should try and get the people of Babylon 5 to tell the story for me, and I can't think of many who haven't seen more of that history then you, Ambassador. You worked for Emperor Mollari for almost five years...and while I saw a huge chunk of the Shadow War, and all the rest, from my post in C&C, that was nothing compared to what you saw and experienced, both here, and on Centauri Prime, in the course of your duties."
At that point, Corwin began to look a little alarmed, and Vir, knowing what he knew about the Lieutenant, already thought he knew what the problem might be..."Not that, of course, I'm TRYING to bring back any painful memories for you, in the telling...but out of all the successes, the failures, the things we did wrong, and could've done better, is there something you can tell him, something that will make him believe in the truth, as we know it?"
While Corwin had been running on, of course, Vir has been busy, thinking of a response; because, of course, sometimes the quiet ones were also the ones who thought the hardest. "I certainly see no reason why not, Lieutenant, no reason at all. And while you are correct in the assumption that there are parts of the last five years I don't really want to look at too closely, I'm sure I can help in reviewing the better parts of those years, for your brother's benefit. But that is a lesser reason to help...there is a greater, as well."
"Go on..." Corwin replied, his interest keen. "I'm listening."
"Not so long ago, someone I know, now gone from this place, told me that your race's greatest accomplishment is that you draw everyone together...you build communities. This station, as you may understand, is perhaps one of the greatest of those communities we will ever live to see. You, and Ivanova, and Sheridan, helped us all to see this, when we needed it the most. But we all have to remember, all the races that you helped to save, Lieutenant...that the bargain goes both ways. From time to time, it will be you who need our help. And this, Lieutenant, is why I will help you to teach your brother the truth he needs to know."
"Thank you, Ambassador..." an all-too sincere and also, it seemed, surprised Corwin replied, after a moment. "I'm...honored that you think that; for now, though, since it's already quite late, I really should be going. There are two other people on the station I still have to contact, and it may not be quite so easy to persuade them to help out on this."
"Of course; good evening, then, Lieutenant...and good luck."
"I'll probably need it..." was Corwin's parting reply, as he left Vir's quarters.
After a moment, Vir sat down, now deep in thought. It was interesting how things like this seemed to happen. After trying for so long to turn Londo away from the path he had chosen, a path that had inevitably thrust him into a position he had not wanted (that this position also was waiting for him, if one was to believe Lady Morella's prophecy, was another thing that Vir tended not to think too closely about) a chance had arisen, to turn another from what might be a different path down into the Darkness.
Vir smiled; if only for that reason, and ignoring all the rest, he had to try and help the Corwins....both of them.
****************
"One down, two to go..." Corwin muttered to himself, as he strode rapidly down the corridor. After a moment of thought, he raised his link. "Chief Allan; this is Lieutenant Corwin...are you busy, right now?"
"Are you kidding?..." the Chief's voice rasped out of the link. "At this time of night, and with things as quiet as they are? What can I do for you, Lieutenant?"
"Where can we meet? I think I should explain this...in person."
****************
Mezzanine bridge overlooking the Zocalo
22:05 EST
"Lemme see if I've got this thing straight..." Zack muttered, shaking his head. "You want me to help you convince your brother that everything that's happened to us out here over the last few years actually did happen?"
"Essentially, yes..." Corwin replied. "You've hit my problem right on the head, Chief. And since we're related, he's treating this sort of like it's a joke, or a bet, that there's no possible way I can convince him that the things he doesn't believe in really did happen...and that the President, and all the rest, did the things they really did..."
Zack snorted. "Well, you shouldn't be really all that surprised, Lieutenant...although you'll have to forgive me, if I say something, right now, that you might not want to hear. Seems to me like your brother left his brain out to wash once too often, while President Clark and his goon squad were running the show, back home."
"No apologies necessary, Chief..." he replied, now a little grimly. "Because what you're saying is probably as close to the truth as we can get. And no matter how much I don't want to hear it, my brother certainly sucked up a little too much propaganda for his own good, while Earth was under Martial Law, and ISN served only as a mouthpiece for Clark's government and policies."
"A little, huh?" Zack's eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "Well, we'll just have to see if we can't knock a little of that out of him, when the time comes. Don't you worry, Lieutenant!...I have an idea or two that might work, lemme see if I can't come up with a few more over the next day or so. Just remember to leave me a message with the place and the time, cause for damn sure, just 'cause I'm standing here talking to you, someone's just about to..."
At which point, the Chief's link beeped, and Zack looked skyward for a moment, before returning his gaze to Corwin. "You see? Never fails, does it?"
"Not that I've noticed, no..." Corwin muttered, as the Chief listened to the message coming from his link, and then left at a run. Still...so far, so good. Two down, and one to go.
And this one would be the toughie, in his opinion.
****************
Personal Log of Doctor Lilian Hobbs, Chief of Medical Staff.
23:45 hrs, Jan 28th, 2263.
Can't get away from thinking about this, so I suppose that before I do anything else, including sleeping, writing it all out will let me think it over some more. Not that this will probably make believing what I've agreed to any easier, though.
To begin...here we have what's probably another of Stephen's legacies, something else I have to live up to...fulfilling one of my duties as a doctor, in helping and advising whichever way I can, wherever and whenever that help or advice is needed. Sounds pretty general, doesn't it?...but in practice, it's never that simple; and additionally, some of the requests I receive can be pretty strange ones.
But then again, this is Babylon 5, where the strange becomes commonplace at a moment's notice, isn't it?
And while we're on the subject of strange requests, this one tops the list, so far this year. No more then about half a hour ago, Lieutenant David Corwin cornered me in Medlab Two, just as I was coming up to the tail end of my shift, and asked for some help with a problem he had. Turns out that his younger brother's on station, only there seems to be a certain problem with belief, in this case, or rather, should I say, 'dis'-belief, in reference to Babylon 5 and its history, in general. And in response to this, the Lieutenant's decided, in that straight-forward fashion of his, to attack the problem head on...and could I help, as well?
To start with, I wasn't sure exactly what I could do; while this is the sort of thing that Stephen would probably have jumped at, I wasn't sure what I could do...but, then, as the Lieutenant continued on, the focus of his worries began to become a little more clear, where I was involved.
Now that he'd convinced his big guns, Vir and Zack Allan, to climb onto the bandwagon, what he really needed was a little bit of backup help in case things got rough...maybe a few perspectives from the Medlab side of things during the Shadow War, that sort of thing...and also, if I really didn't mind, would I, could I please help him out with the meal?
Turns out that the good Lieutenant has all the cooking sense of a typical bachelor...and if he's going to try and get his brother to believe the truth about Babylon 5, the job will probably, I suspect, be easier if the younger Corwin doesn't have to choke down the food his brother is serving.
Undoubtedly, this whole mad plot will sound better once I've had a good night's sleep.
I hope. And on the subject of hopes, I've learned that the Rangers are conducting a search for a White Star that seems to have gone missing. I hope they're having more luck in taking care of their problems then I am going to have, taking care of the good Lieutenant's... worries.
****************
Elsewhere...the bridge of White Star 103
"Be very sure of your answer when I ask you this question, Rucharht. Are there any signs of enemy presence in this system?"
"Not that we can determine...Val'na. But the Drakh!..."
"Are the reason we are here..." Sheylaht of the Minbari replied, her face stern. "And if we are correct in what we believe, Rucharht, perhaps we will learn enough, here, to offset what the High Council will do to us if we do not succeed in this attempt..."
****************
Drakh Shivalht Scout, in high Orbit around Darok VII.
01:15 hrs, January 29th, 2263.
"What is this?" the Drakh Vekh'shivalht demanded of his First, as he arrived on the bridge of his small, but well equipped command. This duty, and this position, would not last, of course, he knew...there were greater things coming in the very near future, and since he had helped in what had occurred on the now-cursed world named Centauri Prime, he and his crew would eventually be given a new name and title.
And maybe, what he did in this place would cause him to ascend closer to the Most High who plotted against their enemies..."So. The Enemy dares to defile this place, the place that belonged to our Masters?"
"Vekh'shivalht!...that would appear to be the case, yesss...it is with...dedicated interest that we see the arrival of a ship of the enemy in low orbit; one of the White Star Fleet vessels, are they not the pawns of the Human named...Sheridan?"
"So I have heard..." the Vekh'shivalht mused calculatingly, his smile cunning. "But since this is so, WHY is this White Star here, all by itself? Our contacts did not tell us of this...visit, therefore what is the purpose?"
"Perhaps they are looking for something, some clue as to our whereabouts..." the First replied, a glint of malice in his eyes. "If that is so, they may come upon the traps we and our masters left behind."
"Perhaps. But for now, however, we must watch and learn. Only in this fashion can we learn of the Enemy, and their movements, and their reasons for coming here, at this time." The Vekh'Shivalht assumed his seat, and leant forward. "Take us into full stealth mode, my First!...and also into a lower orbit...
Because the Enemy may give us an opportunity to strike, sooner then we may expect..."
***************** ACT THREE *****************
Enroute in hyperspace.
White Star 113
Jan 29th, 2263; 09:15 EST
"Good morning." Colvhar greeted Jamie, as she stalked onto the bridge. She knew that her expression would tell him exactly how she felt, but she didn't much care, at the moment, so worried was she about the situation. "And how, may I ask, did you sleep?"
"Badly, Colvhar; I will...CONTINUE...to sleep badly as long as we're following this trail, and until we find its end; that is, if there is an end to find...if it doesn't fade to invisibility somewhere along the road we're walking."
"That has not happened yet." Colvhar noted, his expression neutral. "If anything, the trail appears to have increased in strength."
"Where are we?" Jamie inquired, as she lowered herself into the captain's chair. "Since we've been following this trail at maximum speed for almost half a day, we must be getting closer to our objective...right?"
"See for yourself."
Jamie paused for a moment to check on their location, and whistled. "Well I'll be..Colvhar, this cannot be a coincidence."
"I knew that you would see this immediately, also. Less then an hour ago, we crossed over into the territories formerly controlled by the Shadows, before they went beyond the Rim, with the First One, Lorien. I have no doubt that when we reach the end of this trail, we will find ourselves at one of their former places of power."
"Any guesses as to which?"
Colvhar nodded. "After much deliberation, I believe that it will either be Azhkoka IV, Theta 742, or...
Darok VII."
Jamie blinked...Darok VII. Now why did that name ring a bell? "That last one, Colvhar..."
"Is a name you remember..." Colvhar muttered, his eyes showing he was thinking of matters far away, and long ago. "And remember, you should, Jamie. In the last stages of the Shadow War, the crew of White Star 14 sacrificed themselves so that the Shadows would be in the right place, at the right time, for President Sheridan and our Entil'zha to do what they did."
Of course. "Not a coincidence..." she muttered to herself. "This cannot be a coincidence!" After a moment's decision, she made up her mind. Colvhar... stand by to abandon the trail!"
"Did I hear you correctly?"
"You did." she replied, her gaze bright. "Make ready to set course for Darok VII, Colvhar...I'm betting that's where they are, captured or otherwise!"
"And if not captured?"
"Then Sheylaht will have a great deal of explaining to do." After a moment, she realized they just couldn't change course, without telling White Star 61's captain what was going on. "Get me Val'na Vedrou, Colvhar."
"Online."
"Alain..." she quickly began, as the image rippled down, "Thought we'd let you know...there's been a slight change of plans. Colvhar has discovered something that drew my attention, the instant he mentioned it...we're changing our course to make a direct approach to Darok VII."
Alain's holographic raised his eyebrows in surprise. "I know the way you think, Jamie, and I also know of Anla'shok Vendim's reputation for finding answers that are needed. However, you may be interested to note that we were just about to contact you, regarding the VERY same thing!"
Oh really? "You don't say..."
Vedrou nodded. "I do. Congratulations go to your assistant, however, for getting there first."
Jamie turned to Colvhar, and smiled for the first time in what seemed like an eternity. "Well, it was a good guess, wasn't it?"
"So it would seem." Colvhar mused, as he began to change their heading. "Though to be honest, I will not say that I enjoy the thought of visiting Darok VII..."
"Neither do I, Colvhar..." she muttered, as her White Star, and its escort, fell off the trail and began to head directly for a world of dark repute and darker memories. "But since we seem to have a chance of stopping history from repeating itself, is there any other choice?"
Colvhar did not argue with this, and Jamie nodded, feeling more hope then she had felt in several days. And in less then a day, they would find out whether they were right about this.
And now that they had left the trail...they had to be right.
****************
Babylon 5, Brown Sector.
Mid-evening, Jan 29th, 2263.
Deep in thought, and already slightly buzzed from the drinks he'd had in his travels around this place that David had called 'Downbelow', Adam slowly wandered through the corridors, not paying much attention to those around him. After all, now that he'd spent the better part of the last day and a half exploring what his brother had referred to as 'the better half of Babylon 5' when he had talked to him the previous evening, he'd decided that tonight would be the night to walk on the wild side...
And this part of the station certainly seemed to fit that description. Badly lit, with the occasional group of humans and aliens passing by, about their own, possibly dark, maybe even illegal business. Adam grinned at that thought; it was entirely possible, out here on the frontier, that he was finally seeing the side of life that Mom and Dad hadn't wanted him to see.
He scowled, then; damn it all!...they never seemed to accept that he wasn't his brother...always gave him Hell about this, that and the other thing. Even once he'd proved he could make good money contracting in orbit, they hadn't let up the complaining. In fact, before he had left to come here, Dad had given him Hell again about not following in David's footsteps, into Earthforce.
Well, he wasn't on Earth anymore... and then, Adam caught a glimpse of something interesting out of the corner of his eye, and wandered through a group of...ah, what were they called? [Drazi; that was it] to take a closer look.
All right! It was another bar, dark, smoky, and possibly dangerous, similar to others he'd been in, during the times he'd gotten out of curfew. This place looked like it was going to be interesting enough to check out...he looked up...yeah, Dark Star, yeah, this was the place, all right! As he wandered in, he felt eyes measuring his worth, but he didn't care, really. This was the sort of thing he'd become used to, too, over the past few years.
And if trouble came his way, well, so be it. Every fight he'd ever been in, he's won, and escaped before Security came knocking on the door...this place wouldn't be any different, Adam mused, as he began to wander towards the bar.
And then, he realized an alien had stepped into his path, dark haired and tattooed, his eyes gleaming with malice...Adam frowned; now what the Hell was this? "You're not from around here, Human, are you?"
Adam blinked, and took the cigar out of his mouth. "No...guess that would be true, wouldn't it?" he replied nonchalantly. "But look, I came in here 'cause I thought it would be an interesting place to visit...that maybe I'd have a drink or two, hear some stories, watch the lovely dancer on your stage over there..."
"I think not." the alien replied, a grin widening on his face. "You have entered a place you do not know, Human...and from your clothes, let me make an educated guess: you're from Earth, aren't you? Looking for trouble, perhaps, were you? Something more dangerous then you are used to? You have found it, my friend..."
"You don't say?" Damn it all, he mused, I just walk into the place, and already, someone's planning to rough me up. Never fails...
"I do. Unfortunately, because this is so, and because you have entered a place in which you do not belong, I fear that before we are done, before I and my companions let you leave..."
Okay. It was pretty obvious what was going to happen, and Adam decided he had had enough of the preliminaries, already. With the swing he had patented in college, he decked the alien across the jaw, sending him crashing to the floor, and casting a sudden wave of silence across the interior of the club. "I don't think so, mister; I don't have to take this, especially from aliens like you. I've heard about you, on the news, back home...and if it's a fight you want, well, then I guess I'm going to have to give you one."
From his position on the floor, the alien grinned, and wiped a small trickle of blood away from the corner of his mouth, before turning to his companions, who had already risen to their feet, smiling at the coming challenge. "There...you see? I told you that he was another like the one who came before...blind and biased, a pawn of their dead President's war of words. He should not have left Earth, and now, we will teach him why."
And as the real fight finally began, Adam could hear the woman at the bar screaming at them at the top of her lungs, but let her scream; for now, he had more *important* things to take care of...
****************
Elsewhere...
"You're kidding, Chief..." Sergeant Glenn Satamba muttered into his link. "Right?"
"Wish I was." the Chief replied, his voice sounding strained. "We just got a report there's one hell of a fight going on in the Dark Star. Take a squad down there and break it up."
"Okay..." Satamba broke the connection, and moved off towards the transport tube, shaking his head in disbelief, as his men fell in behind him. "Five times in one month..." he grumbled. "Does that place breed trouble, or something?"
****************
Meanwhile, back in the Dark Star, things were not going terribly bad for the human on one side of the fight, but not terribly good either. Already, Adam taken a number of serious hits from his opponents, and one side of his lip was oozing blood...but all the same, one of the aliens, Brakiri, he guessed they were, was already out cold on the floor. And as he moved around through the wrack of overturned tables and broken glass, maneuvering to meet the next enraged target, he knew, as always, that he would win in the end. He always did, after all.
Although he sure wished the woman manning the bar would shut up, already.
And then, he heard her switch tactics; wonder what that was all about?...something about 'not again'? And then, he jumped, as a large hand clamped down on his shoulder...and slowly turned, to meet the glare of a large, dark-complexioned man in a spotless Security uniform. "All right...that's enough of that, I think. Why don't you come with us?"
Aw, Hell. Adam stopped cold; he couldn't believe it! But even as the Security man's assistants moved inside to clamp down on the Brakiri, it seemed there was no way to argue with what had just happened; he's been so deep into the fight, he'd let himself be caught! "I don't believe it..." he muttered. "Can't be!"
"Looks like your number's come up." the Security man told him, a broad grin on his face. "Was bound to happen, eventually. Now what's your name, son?"
"Corwin." he muttered. "Adam Corwin."
"Corwin?" the Security man replied incredulously. "Tell me you're not related to..."
"That's right."
The Security man began to laugh, as he yanked Adam out of the bar, and then raised his link to his mouth. "Lieutenant Corwin, this is Sergeant Satamba..."
"This is Corwin, go ahead." the reply came.
"Lieutenant, I regret to report that I've just taken your brother into custody...I thought you should be the first to know."
A muffled curse came throught the link. "What did he do, Sergeant?"
"Well, when we arrived at the Dark Star, Lieutenant, it was to find your brother in close combat with a group of Brakiri..."
"I see." came the chilly response. "Fair enough; I'll meet you down in Security Central, keep him there until I arrive." Adam winced to hear that; he knew exactly what he was in for now, something both his parents and his brother had perfected, over the years, when it came to what they thought of as his 'escapades'.
A lecture.
"Will do, Lieutenant." was Sergeant Satamba's reply, and then, his captor broke the connection, and fixed him with another of those 'you're probably in a lot of trouble' looks. "Okay, let's go."
****************
Security Central, a short time later.
"Why?" Corwin demanded, as Adam sat sullenly on the other side of the cell from him. "Why did you do it? I mean, of all the places you could have gone...why did you have to go there?"
"I was holding my own against those aliens, David. I would have finished the fight...and I would have won, in the end."
"You're missing the point, as usual. You didn't come to Babylon 5 to pick a fight with aliens, Adam!...as I recall you saying, the other day, you came here to learn the truth about the station, her history, and her people. Well, it's pretty difficult for you to learn about Babylon 5 if you get yourself killed somewhere in Downbelow, now isn't it?"
"It wouldn't have come to that."
"Wouldn't it?" Corwin began to pace. "And I suppose you've been drinking again, too, haven't you?"
"And what if I have?"
And that was where Corwin lost his patience. "Okay, if this is the way you want it, Adam, then this is the way it's going to have to be. I'm going to tell you this once, and once only. As First Officer of Babylon 5, it's my job to know everything about this station, and one of the things I learned all too quickly is that you don't go wandering around Downbelow, looking for trouble, because there's a lot of people down there who are all too willing to kill, just for the sake of killing."
"Yeah, whatever."
Corwin stopped pacing at that comment, and glared at his brother. "Well, I guess I'm only going to say one more thing, then, before Security packs you off to bed, since it's clear you don't want to listen to a single thing I'm saying. If you'd been killed, down there tonight, do you know who would have had to tell Mom and Dad their younger son had died, out here on Babylon 5, because he's gone looking for trouble in all the wrong places?"
He could see Adam's alcohol induced bravado come crashing down, then. "You?"
"That's right. I would have done it, because it would've been my duty...something you obviously don't seem to understand." And he stopped then, knew he had to stop, because if he got any angrier, he would end up saying something he would regret. "Sleep this off, Adam...and I hope you've learned your lesson, this time around, if that's even possible."
Corwin turned to the cell door. "Open."
"Wait a minute!...David!..."
Corwin walked out of the cell, and the door closed, shutting off his brother's cries. He kept on walking, right out of Security Central, and didn't stop until he's entered the nearest transport tube, where he could be alone.
"This isn't going to work..." he muttered, shaking his head. He's tried, but it was now clear that Adam hadn't come here to learn a damn thing he didn't know already. And barring a minor miracle, it seemed certain that tomorrow night's dinner would likely be one of the worst experiences of his life, to date.
****************
Approach to Darok VII high orbit.
Jan 30th, 2263; 06:45 hrs.
"We're coming into range of the system jump beacon..." Colvhar tersely reported, as White Star 113 and her companion ship quickly closed on Darok system. "Do we use the gate?"
"No..." Jamie replied, after a moment's thought. Amazingly enough, she had finally had a few hours of sleep the previous night; that this had happened after her decision to come straight here could not be ignored. "Activate jump engines, bring us in over the equator, Colvhar."
"Stand by...activating jump engines...now!"
They had been a long time in hyperspace, this time around, and she smiled, as the hyperspace realm crackled and tore, and then sprang open into the welcome oval of a jump point, through which the two White Stars passed...
"Are they here?" Jamie ground out, almost, but not quite, coming out of her seat, so wired was she with the need to be right about this.
"Stand by...." Colvhar looked up, then, his expression now forbidding; even he understood the rules that Sheylaht had broken, in coming to this place. "They are."
"Bring us alongside, Colvhar...prepare a flyer, and get me White Star 103.
NOW."
****************
The Bridge of White Star 103.
06:48 EST
"Report." Sheylaht demanded. "Is it them?"
Rucharht Heers, her first officer, nodded darkly. "Yes. This is something I was expecting, however. If anyone had a chance of finding us, after the convoluted course we followed in coming to this place, it was going to be other Rangers, and other White Stars." Heers paused for a moment, and then grimaced. "We are being hailed, Val'na."
"Accept message." Sheylaht replied, settling into her chair. But then, the Minbari stiffened, to see who had lead the pursuing force. "Jamie?"
Heers sighed. Of all the Rangers on this side of the galactic core, why did it have to be her? "Sheylaht. Let me come straight to the point, if I may. After a good deal of deduction on our part, we traced you to this place, this world of dark omens...and as far I can tell, since you haven't been anywhere else since then, you must still have the Gaim Ambassador with you, right?"
Sheylaht nodded, all too calmly. "That is correct."
"Thought as much. All right, Sheylaht, I'm coming aboard; after I try and calm the Gaim Ambassador down a bit, you're going to explain to me why in Valen's Name you've done this. And once you're done explaining to me, we're going to go back to Minbar and you can do the same to the High Council...and I doubt, very much, that they are going to be as lenient as I will be."
"I was willing to take that risk..." Sheylaht replied. "And the reason why, I and my crew did what we did, is a critical one indeed..."
****************
The Quarters of the Gaim Ambassador
...about half an hour later.
" Jamie sighed, and waved away the cloud of noxious gas that was trying to sneak past her breather. "Hey, it's not such a bad room...nice atmosphere, full sound system..."
"Have you humans not a saying?" the irritated Gaim replied. "'A gilded cage is still a cage?'"
"Don't knock cages until you've been a canary, looking out at a cat."
" At that, Jamie looked pointedly at Sheylaht, and the Minbari nodded
gravely. "My apologies, Ambassador, for the lack of communication during this...period of distress, but having learned what we did from certain...contacts of ours, there was no time to tell you, only time to act. We come to this place, this world named, by some, Darok VII, because there is a chance we may learn of the present whereabouts of the Drakh. And also, if all goes well, the location of their new homeworld."
The Gaim Ambassador straightened, and also seemed, somehow, to become more cold and distant. " Sheylaht bowed. "It will be soon, Ambassador. My teams on the planet below have nearly finished their evaluation of the Drakh base and its contents."
"Must be soon." the Gaim concluded. "Will not tolerate many more
delays...remember this, Captain, and well; your Council will hear of this matter...by the Queens, we swear it."
"Just what are you trying to prove, Sheylaht?" Jamie demanded, a moment later, as she and Sheylaht left the Ambassador's quarters.
"You know all too well what this is about." Sheylaht replied, her
expression bleak. "The Shadows killed my brother, and now that they have been banished beyond the Rim by Sheridan, the only option remaining is for me to track down their servants, and make them pay for the depth of their Master's mistake. Our contacts indicated that this place would give the greatest chance for finding their current location, and because I
believed...and because my crew follow their orders, as they have always done, we will leave, once we HAVE that location...and then only."
It was then, of course, that all Hell proceeded to break loose. "Val'na Sheylaht, Val'na Pratchett..." Heers announced, his voice grim. "I need you both on the bridge...now. Our ground teams have encountered...a problem."
Moments later, the two Rangers burst onto the bridge of White Star 103, and Jamie blinked, as equal parts astonishment and horror welled up within her at the image displayed in the bridge's display...an image of the past, a past she had thought long since banished. "Is that...what I think it is?"
Heers nodded bleakly. "Yes."
What else needed to be said? Enhanced and enlarged through three hundred kilometers of space and air...a multi-armed black octopus shape had wrenched itself into being within the Drakh base, its intended purpose only too obvious, from the frenzied comments being relayed from the ground teams. A ground-to-ground and ground-to-air defence unit...of Shadow design.
"Can they get out of there?" Sheylaht demanded, her face gone pale.
"Negative." Heers replied, as the Shadowtech construct continued to pin their people down with a constant, shrieking, barrage of energy...purple, deadly, and so, so familiar, from memory. "Their shuttles have been destroyed by that...thing, and we cannot send more down to recover them; for the Shadow weapon is certain to destroy any and all that make the attempt."
Jamie rubbed her temples, then, and fought off the pounding headache that had begun, just a moment before, while beside her, Sheylaht stood aloof and bleak, as still as a statue.
Could this possibly get any worse?
***************** ACT FOUR ***************** "You have, I expect, decided on a plan?" Colvhar inquired, as Jamie burst onto the bridge at a run. "The weapon down there doesn't seem to be as strong in either offensive or defensive capabilities as any of the Shadow vessels the Rangers encountered in the Shadow War!..."
"Well, Colvhar, we're about to find out..." she replied, as off to their port side, White Star's 61 and 103 began to break out of orbit, and fall towards the planet below. "We're going to get that thing, and then, Sheylaht's going to go and get her people, and then, we're all going to be on our way out of here." Even if I have to drag her, kicking and screaming, into hyperspace, she mentally added.
"And the details are what, exactly?"
"Alain and Sheylaht are going to bring their commands down through the planetary atmosphere, and approach the Shadow weapon from two separate directions, making strafing passes. Once the weapon's completely occupied, we're going to bring our White Star out of hyperspace just above and beyond the weapon emplacement, and take it out."
"A jump out, within the atmosphere..." the spy replied, a small smile now on his face, "In principle...that should work. But one thing we, as
Rangers, have learned over time...is that there are almost always complications to be dealt with, in implementing what appears, at first, to be an ideal plan..."
"One thing at a time, Colvhar..." Jamie replied, her thoughts on the
upcoming engagement. "One thing at a time. For right now, we've got work to do, and room to maneuver in...status of the other White Stars?"
Colvhar quickly checked. "They are already thirty kilometers into the upper atmosphere...and descending."
"Right on schedule; stand by to activate jump engines, Colvhar...soon enough, they're going to need us, and I do not intend to disappoint them."
"Understood. Jump engines coming on line; we jump...
"NOW."
**************** While it was now morning, there was very little that was good about it, Adam decided, as he wandered slowly down the corridor, his mood sour and dejected. The previous evening, he had once again let the darker side of his nature take control...the side that the rest of his family seemed to bring out so very often. It was part of what he was; even he didn't know why he sometimes did and said the things he did, but the end result was always the same...and it always got him in trouble.
This time, however, had been the worst yet. The previous evening, David had told him, point blank, that he could...no, should have been killed, down in that bar...and all things considered, he was probably right, this time...he should have been. And now, in an ironic counterpoint, his conscience was giving him the guilt trip from Hell...and this time, maybe, just maybe, was the time to finally listen...
In the past, these attacks of conscience never lasted more then a hour or two...but this time seemed...different, somehow. Adam shook his head, and sighed, as his wanderings brought him into sight of a opening in the corridor wall, which he walked into, almost absent-mindedly. Maybe it was this place...it seemed to sink into you, somehow; almost as if once you set foot on Babylon 5, it wasn't possible to leave without being changed?
And then, he stopped...and looked up. He had come out into a wide, tree-lined enclosure, the only things within it, a path, a bench, and a garden of sand, around a single, isolated rock. Adam bent down at the path's edge with a frown; the sand was cast in ripples around the rock, almost as if it had fallen from the axis, above...
"So..." a voice announced behind him, and he jumped and whirled, to find a Minbari standing behind him, a small and mysterious smile on her face. "Interesting, that you should be drawn to this place...Adam Corwin."
What the Hell? "How do you know my name?" he exclaimed.
The smile faded into what seemed, to him, to be an expression saying
'these things happen'. "We are taught, by our elders, to listen; I listened, when the time was right...and learned of why you came to this place, and how. You wish to learn the truth about this place, and what keeps your brother here?...why he has remained here, so loyally? Do you wish to hear, for what might be the first time in your life, Adam Corwin?"
Adam paused, for a long, long moment. He simply could not believe this was happening...and yet, this Minbari seemed sincere enough; had David spoken to her? If so, maybe listening to her would help things...heck, maybe if David heard that he was actually trying to listen, it might start to help make up for the sheer idiocy of what he had done the previous night! He smiled, and nodded. "Guess I'd better, huh?"
"Then I will tell you some things that you might want to hear..." the Minbari replied. "Two things for you to take back to your world. The story of Babylon 5, as I have learned it, for I am, myself, only newly come to this place, is the story of people doing the right things, in the right places, for the right reasons...and also, the story of life. Your kind, lead by those I just mentioned, came here and built this place, and because they did, and because of what they accomplished here, my kind, the dreamers and the shapers, are alive, to simply appreciate living...
Do you understand what I am telling you?"
He frowned for a moment, and sighed. "I'd be lying if I said I did, right now...but I promise that I'll think about it, okay? Probably be a good idea, anyways...the Lieutenant is supposed to be hosting me for a few more lessons like yours, later on today...this might help me get in the right frame of mind for that, huh?"
The Minbari nodded, her small smile now back in place. "It just might, at that."
"Now, uh, you'll have to excuse me...uh, ma'am...I've got some stuff to do, before tonight." Adam rose to his feet, and ran off.
****************
Sherann paused for a moment more, to let the human get out of range, and then laughed softly. "The good Ambassador from the Centauri Republic..." she murmured to herself, "loses this bet."
**************** Anla'shok Triveik crouched in the shambled ruins left at the south
entrance to former Drakh enclosures, and sighed bitterly. It was cold down here!...a cold that overpowered even the heating systems in their clothes...and the only other source of heat, their flyers, had been destroyed, a short time before. Colder, even, then the icy winds that blew off the polar glaciers, back home...
Of course, crouching in this shadowed spot didn't make things any
easier...but what choice was there? The reason for the concealment even now shrieked its mastery of the local area to the winds...the hundred-span high, black as night tentacled monstrosity that had emerged from the ground, slightly more then half a standard hour before, to wreak its havoc on the Rangers that had followed him here...
"Look!" one of his team cried out, and Triveik sighed in relief, as he heard the sound, and understood its meaning; the distant, high shriek was one that was known to him, and even as he listened, the shrieking sound doubled... the sound of descending thunder.
The thunder known, to most sentients in local space...
As the clarion call of the White Star Fleet.
Rather abruptly, the Shadow construct reared taller, shrieked its apparent defiance, and let loose with four dazzling purple lines of death. The two
approaching starships weaved around these deathbeams with ease, and returned fire themselves.
"Is it true, that they are only distracting it?" one of his men inquired disbelievingly, and Triveik nodded, as one of the White Stars flashed by overhead.
"Yes; the commander of White Star 113 needed the exact location of that weapon for a reason! They should be arriving any time now, now the other
two have engaged the enemy!"
The other nodded understandingly, and then, his eyes widened, and another sound came to Triveik, a twisted, muffled howl...
"They come!"
****************
A moment of indecision...a moment of surprise was all it took, as a
half-mile wide chunk of Darok VII's atmosphere suddenly irised open into a jump point. For the few moments the point was open, a wind to infinity howled over the base, and the Shadowtech construct shuddered in confusion, surprised by the new arrival. A moment of surprise...that was all that was necessary, to seal its fate...
A dazzlingly bright beam of yellow fire sprang out of White Star 113's prow, and the other two commands had been waiting for just that moment, as well, as they opened up on the construct with their own main and secondary weapons. And while the weapon replied with equal force, eventually, die, it did. The Rangers on the ground watched in relieved appreciation as the Shadow weapon glowed red, and then white hot, and finally burst
asunder. They had been saved...and the crisis, it seemed, was now over...
Or so it seemed...
****************
Beneath the ground, They plotted revenge on those who had killed. One of their kind had risen to the surface to remove the trespassers, and had been
destroyed...this, they were intelligent enough to know...they had felt their brother's passing.
For this act of slaughter, there would be a reckoning. Their new Masters had promised this, for those who had stayed behind, when their simpler, if deadlier cousins had followed the old Masters beyond the Rim. For the time being, they would remain here, but eventually...eventually, they believed, the call to rise up would come.
It was...inevitable. They had waited a long time for new Masters...what was a few more months or years, as measured against the lifetime they had
already lived?
**************** "It's time for us to go, Sheylaht..." Jamie reminded her friend, as the Minbari stood amidst the ruins of the past, her expression nearly unreadable. "Now that Val'na Vedrou and his command have left for Minbar with the Gaim Ambassador, we have to return to Babylon 5."
"I understand your words..." Sheylaht replied, after a moment. "And I will, as you know, comply with the orders from Sha'vei Shival and the High Council...in due course."
Jamie gritted her teeth, and began again. "I know you're not looking
forward to this, but after what you put your crew through, in coming to this place...you have to answer for what you did. As things turned out, it wasn't nearly as bad as it could have been; if you'd brought your White Star down to the surface, that weapon could have destroyed it, as well...and more then likely, would then have killed you all."
"Your words are true ones, Jamie...but it hurts, to come so close, only to find that what you believe may have been a lie, all along!"
Jamie nodded darkly. "Thanks for reminding me about that little matter. You said, earlier on today, that your 'contacts' had given you the information on this place...exactly what 'contacts' were you talking about?"
Sheylaht sighed. "A simple answer, and yet, perhaps not, as we have
discovered. During the the early days of the Shadow War, before our great Fleet was constructed, we walked out along the dark fringes, you and I, and hundreds of others, gathering information, walking on the dark paths that others feared to tread. During this period, I sometimes found it necessary to come into contact with races so far out on the edge of our territories, they had never even joined the League of Non-Aligned Worlds, before its
collapse...races that stood alone, powerless to affect the outcome of the War. And as you know, some of these races were destroyed with their worlds towards the end of the War...
but some remain; and of those who remain, many will still speak to us. Of late, the Drakh have been much on their minds, for some reason. They suspect that while they are quiet now, these servants of Darkness will eventually dare to follow in their Master's footsteps, and they worry about the future...and search for clues as to their whereabouts."
"And the name of this world..." Jamie replied, coming to a conclusion she didn't like, "Was one you heard several times, from different contacts, in
different races..."
Sheylaht nodded. "As long as the Drakh are still out there, Jamie, these cultures understand the Darkness may eventually return...the Drakh must be found, and their plans defeated, before it is too late, before they move..."
"That may be so; but what you were looking for...it obviously wasn't here. At best, what you've done has only gotten you into trouble with the High
Council...at worst, there's even a chance the Drakh might have set this all up as a trap, or a test, to see how we would react, when presented with something unexpected..."
"That is not something I wish to examine too closely...but there is that chance, yes. For now, however, as your kind says, it is time for me to 'face the music'...time for us to leave this place of dark memories behind us."
Jamie nodded somberly, as the two turned away from the base, and began to make their way towards the transport waiting for them on the level ground,
outside the base perimeter. "I'm afraid so."
**************** Corwin stuck his head over the pots steaming on the cooking surface; the smells coming out of them were better then he had smelled in a long, long time. "Doc, you've got no idea how much I appreciate you helping me out with this..."
On the other side of Corwin's small kitchen, Dr. Hobbs raised one eyebrow. "Let me put it to you plainly, Lieutenant...you really should pay
attention to your kitchen a little more...and learning to cook proper meals would let you get away from the mess hall more often, now wouldn't it?"
Corwin smiled sheepishly, and nodded. "Yeah, I guess it would, at that...but still, I did help you a little..."
Hobbs gave him a 'oh really?' look, before tasting her creation. "There is very little you can do to ruin a salad."
"I, ah...take your point!...but I just hope he shows up. Every time he gets into trouble, Adam usually gets all depressed for a while afterwards, because my parents have a habit of tearing a strip off of him when they find out what he's been up to."
Hobbs nodded seriously. "And last night, it was your turn, instead, to act in that role; I can see that you didn't enjoy it."
"That's for sure." Corwin sat down, a little depressed himself. "Just about the only thing in the galaxy that can make me that angry is my brother...and since he gets obstinate when he's drunk, I finally lost my patience, and went to bed..."
"Well..." Zack interjected at that point, "I wouldn't give up on him
*just* yet, Lieutenant. The Sarge told me this morning that your brother seemed awfully down in the dumps about the whole situation when they left him at his quarters, last night...you tellin' him he might've been killed down in DownBelow looks like it may have shocked him, some."
Corwin snorted. "I'll believe that when I see it."
At which point, Vir got himself involved in the matter. "Ah...about this matter, there's something you should know...something that might have a bearing on the question of whether or not your brother will actually join us here, tonight..."
"Ho boy..." Zack muttered. "This oughta be good..."
"Ambassador..."
"Please! Now that you are First Officer of Babylon 5, and since you've been kind enough to invite me to dinner, and give me this wonderful, if
admittedly small glass of brivare to drink...'Vir' is sufficient, when we're not acting in our, ah, 'official' capacities."
Corwin smiled, and nodded his understanding...why not? "Vir...now what's this all about?"
"Last evening, the new Ambassador to Minbar came to my quarters to inquire on how my recovery was progressing, and during our discussion, the matter of your brother came up, and the reason for his visit. Don't ask me how, these things just seem to happen..."
"Vir..." Dr. Hobbs politely inquired, "Would you please get to the point, before we all fall asleep?"
"Sorry! I may have mentioned how I wondered how anything might change your brother's opinions on Babylon 5, and also my concerns about this event's success. Ambassador Sherann said that she would 'think' on the matter, and get back to me on the subject. WELL, this morning, she and I passed one another in the corridor, and she said one thing to me, and one thing, only...
'You now owe me a favour, Ambassador.'"
"Oh boy, is right..." Corwin muttered to himself. If Ambassador Sherann had involved herself in his brother's 'education', anything might have resulted...
And then, the door chime sounded, and as one, everyone in the room turned towards the door. "David..." Adam's seemingly *hesitant* voice inquired, a moment later. "I'm here, on time, just like you asked. May I come in?"
"Give him a chance..." Hobbs entreated, while off in a corner, Vir looked on, glass in hand, and simply nodded, a knowing expression on his face.
"Open." he commanded...and promptly received one of the biggest shocks of his life, to date, as Adam entered the room...a cleanly shaven Adam, with
what was probably the *shortest* hairstyle he could ever remember him having...
"Well, I'll be damned..." he whispered.
"Ambassador." Adam began, reaching out to shake Vir's hand, and then doing the same with the other guests, in turn. "Chief. Doctor...thank you all for coming. I...well, I almost expected, after what I did last night, that this event wasn't going to go ahead...wasn't sure if I even wanted to go through with it, still...but this morning, I met up with a Minbari who told me a few things I needed to hear..."
Corwin quickly caught Vir's gaze, and the Centauri nodded. After this finished, he would have to find the time to go thank Ambassador Sherann, in person.
"...and as for you, David...I owe you an apology. When I came onto your station, I was expecting only the worst, because all I knew of Babylon 5 was what I had learned from ISN, and the other networks, so I guess I was being a bit of a jerk. And then, being away from Earth for the first time ever, I decided to have a good time." Adam stopped for a moment, to collect his thoughts. "Well, as some of you already know, having a good
time almost got me killed...which means I still seem to have a lot to learn...but then again, that's why I came here, tonight, isn't it?
So..." Adam finalized. "What do you say, David? It's your call, after all..."
Rather abruptly, Corwin realized everyone in the room was looking at
him...and the decision, when it came, was still easy to make, even though that was so...
**************** To begin with, it was one Hell of a good meal, I will admit that freely. And I've decided that before mid-summer, I'm going to get good enough at cooking to host Dr. Hobbs for dinner, with me doing the cooking, instead. Lots of time to practice, between now and then...
Greatest shock of the evening: all during dinner, Adam was polite, far politer then I've ever known him to be. He told everyone some of the background to what had brought him here, the work he'd done on the new defence grid, and in return, some of my guests asked him things, in return. But realistically, what Adam most needed to hear didn't start until after I had cleared away the dishes...
When Vir, Zack and the Doctor began their work...
****************
"You now wish to listen, Adam Corwin?" Vir began, as the rest waited on attentively; the Centauri Ambassador had volunteered to be the first to speak, now the rest would have to follow on his example. "This, in my opinion, is a very good thing."
"Absolutely, Ambassador. As a matter of fact..."
Vir raised a finger, and the younger Corwin fell silent. "For now, less talking, and more listening would be appropriate, I think. To learn about Babylon 5, and what it has done for us all, is to understand a singular truth...that the story of this place, is a story of service..."
****************
...While I thought back to an earlier age...an age in which legends walked these halls, legends who served their people, in ways both accepted and scorned. People who gave up so much, and received so little in return. People like Londo Mollari, G'kar, Michael Garibaldi, Susan Ivanova, and John Sheridan. And along the way, Vir told some of their stories from his perspective...and it's one thing I've learned, over the years, is
that Vir's just about as honest about things as you can get, from a Centauri.
And Adam saw this, too.
****************
"The hardest thing I have to say to you, Adam..." Hobbs began, "And the thing I learned, first hand, from working in Medlab over the last five years, is that the story of Babylon 5 has always been the story of pain, and of struggle. Some were lost, along that road, and some wandered away from the path, but came back, before it was too late for them..."
****************
The road's been rocky, that's for sure. And for everyone that survived, there's plenty that didn't...like Lieutenant Warren Keffer, Ranger Marcus
Cole, and the original Ambassador Kosh...and those who might have died, but
didn't, who were saved or managed to save themselves, before it was too
late.
Like Doctor Franklin.
****************
"And what about you, Chief?" an already shaken Adam asked Zack, who had, for the most part, kept out of Vir's and Hobbs' way while they had been speaking. "What I've heard, already...it's almost unbelievable, how far off I was from understanding the truth about this place."
Zack nodded. "Well, kid, that's the thing about the truth, now isn't it? Most of the time, the truth ends up being what you least expect, or want
to hear...and sometimes, Hell, MOST times, the truth hurts; I learned that the hard way, a few years back."
"How?"
"Let's just say this, Adam...while it's okay to believe in doing the right thing for our people and for Earth, sometimes, you can't believe everything that people tell you...like, it's real easy to say 'we have to sacrifice a few for the sake of everyone else', when you're not one of the few gettin' sacrificed!"
"But...since you're still here, Chief...that would mean that you're one of 'those few', right?""
Zack nodded. "That's right, Adam...I am. But a lot of people who believed, people who gave their lives for Babylon 5, and the cause, because
they believed in it...
Aren't."
****************
And now the after-dinner mess is tidied up, and the guests have all gone their seperate ways. And despite my own doubts beforehand, the Captain's idea succeeded better then I could possibly have foreseen. The more Adam listened, the more he seemed to realize that all the things he believed in weren't entirely true...and that the news agencies don't paint an accurate picture of the world. We'll speak again, before he leaves to go back to Earth tomorrow...but I'm pretty sure this change might actually be permanent.
And as a side effect, along the way, as I listened to Vir, Dr. Hobbs and the Chief spin out their tales of truth, I've begun to think about why I've stayed here for five years, when I almost certainly could have left for home, back as long ago as when we broke away from Earth.
And the realization has been an interesting one...
***************** ENVOI ***************** What they had been called upon to do, was something that could not be ignored, Jamie realized, as she sat for the first time at Shival's right hand, that morning of dark portent. One of her comrades amidst the Anla'shok had been drawn astray by rumour, and the need to seek out those who had served the Shadows, in their time...and because of this need, the inevitable had resulted.
The Spectre of the Fire had reached out and snared her friend in its
grasp...and when she had stood in the ruins of the Shadow base, she had almost believed she could hear it, as well...and the whispery voices of their enemies, waiting just out of sight...
And then, rather abruptly, she came back to the here and now, as Shival rose to his feet, his expression stern and forbidding, while Sheylaht stood at parade rest in front of the Council table, her face solemn. "Val'na Sheylaht! You have been summoned here, at this time, to hear the verdict of the Anla'shok High Council...and while our greatest leaders could not be here, this day, to pass judgement, I have been called upon to act in their
name, and that, I shall do.
It is the judgement of the High Council, Val'na, that you be relieved of your command, and demoted out of the ranks of the Val'nae, for a period not
to be shorter then two standard years. Do you understand the reasoning behind this action?"
"I do, Sha'vei." the younger Ranger replied. "I exceeded my authority, in doing the things I did, in taking my crew where we should not have gone, and also placing the Gaim Ambassador in grave danger...the punishment is, thus, an apt one. If I may inquire, what penance am I to serve, during this period?"
"It has been decided..." Shival continued, "For now...that you will serve as Operations Officer on board White Star 71. Her commander has been instructed to test your prowess, Anla'shok Sheylaht!...and if all goes well, and you perform your duties to the best of your abilities...
Then, there may come a time when you will be raised, once more. But that is for the future...not for now. You are dismissed from our presence...and our business here today is, therefore...
Concluded."
As the Council dissolved, and Jamie made to rise from her seat, she
realized that Shival had turned towards her, and rather abruptly decided to sit down, again..."You have something to say to me, sir?"
Shival nodded, a small smile on his face. "I wasn't sure about you when you first came here...but now, I wonder no longer, as you were able to resolve this matter admirably, without loss of life or much loss of property. The High Councillor made a good choice in sending you to us, Jamie Pratchett...a good choice, indeed."
"Thank you, sir." Shival nodded, at that, and rose to depart...but Jamie stayed put, for a moment longer, deep in thought. Sheylaht had been right about one thing...the Drakh were still out there, and sooner or later, the Alliance, and the Rangers, would have to deal with them...
And then, all of a sudden, she remembered what was waiting for her, in her office, and groaned. "I joined the Rangers..." she muttered, "Because I hated paperwork...because I hated the bureaucracy, and I thought it couldn't protect its way out of a paper bag. Now..."
"You think that you are now a member of that self-same bureaucracy?"
Jamie just about jumped out of her skin...and raised her eyes to see Shival standing in the portal, still smiling that smile. "If you think that, then perhaps there are things you still need to learn about yourself." And with that, the Sha'vei vanished through the door...a position filled, a moment later, by an openly grinning Colvhar.
"Is he always like this?" she asked, as the two left the Council chambers, together.
"Sometimes."
"And that means, what, exactly?"
"Oh, you'll find out...eventually."
"And that's supposed to make me relax? No, don't answer that question, Colvhar...here's one you CAN answer, however. Do you think you can maybe
show me around this place, a little? I've hardly seen *any* of it, yet..."
"Of course. Now where shall we start?"
**************** The Drakh ship moved through space, and its Captain, the Vekh'shivalht, sat in his chair of command, and was content. What they had learned at Darok VII had been an important lesson about the Enemy; it now seemed clear that even these Rangers could be touched by Darkness and by hate, and also, by the need for revenge. These were things that he and his kind were all too familiar with...and if all went well, his people would be the puppet masters to pull those strings...
**************** "So..." Corwin asked his brother, as the two made their way towards the Departures area, "Was it worth it, coming all the way out here, to the frontier, to visit the straighter side of the family tree?"
"If you'd asked me that question even two weeks ago..." Adam ruefully replied, "The answer would have been no. All things considered, the decision I made in coming here was partly because our parents pushed me into it...but you know what? I haven't got a clue how it's possible, but this place, and all the people you introduced me to during my stay, seems to somehow grab you by the collar, and shake you until some of the idiotic bits fall out.
I know you probably don't believe me, David...but it was worth it, coming out here. I do appreciate what you tried to do, and who knows?...I might even be able to keep my darker, wisecracking self more under control, from now on..."
Corwin smiled. "I'm sure you'll do just fine. And what's this I heard about you getting a call from Earth about some more work?"
"Well, it's like this..."
****************
From the other side of the Departures area, Zack and Glenn Satamba leant up against the wall, and observed the final parting of the two Corwins, the one they knew, and the one they hoped they wouldn't have to see again, for some time to come...
"They sure seem to have reconciled their differences, Chief."
"That they have...that they have."
"Put the fear of God into him, did you?"
Zack paused for a moment...and then did one thing, and one thing, only...
He grinned.
****************
Was it actually over, Corwin asked himself? And the answer appeared to be yes, amazingly enough, as he made his way out of Customs. Back to business, as usual...
"Lieutenant." Corwin turned in mid-step, to see his CO emerge out of the nearby transport tube. "So...how'd it go?"
"Beyond my brother trying to get himself killed, you mean?"
Lochley raised one eyebrow in inquiry. "Well...beyond that, yes."
Corwin raised an eyebrow in reply, and smiled...a little. "Well, Captain, it was like this..."
****************
COMING SOON...
EPISODE 3 of VIRTUAL SEASON SIX: "DUTIES TO THE REPUBLIC", by Gareth
Williams...
In which aid is sought from a fairly unexpected quarter, someone from Vir's past arrives on Babylon 5, and various other assorted forces lurk in the shadows, watching and waiting...
Back To VS6 Episodes All material not otherwise owned ©1999 David G. Goldingay
Darok VII orbit.
White Star 113
January 30th, 2263, 07:30 EST
Babylon 5
Vicinity of the Zen Garden.
07:45 EST
The surface of Darok VII
The old Drakh/Shadow base.
08:05 EST
Several hours later...
Babylon 5
The quarters of Lieutenant Corwin.
18:55 EST
Personal Log of Lieutenant David Corwin
First Officer of Interstellar Alliance Space Station Babylon 5
January 31st, 2263
Babylon 5
Ranger Council Chambers.
Mid-morning, Jan 31st, 2263.
Elsewhere...
In Customs...