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alexs_storybook) wrote2014-04-04 09:21 am
alexs_storybook) wrote2014-04-04 09:21 am
Entry tags:
FIC:Lingering Shadows, Chapters 14-19, B5/Crusade, PG
Title: Lingering Shadows
Author: alexcat
Fandom: Crusade
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: I do not own nor profit from the use of these characters.
Notes: I'd like to thank Larry for beta reading this one for me. I have wanted to tell this tale for a long time and decided that this is the time. It is based on an old story I wrote and very loosely on the canon set forth by JMS as canon for the remainder of the series. I stuck to canon as much as possible as well. Those of you who are fan of the short lived series will see many references to the series itself in little ways, especially Alwyn's golden dragons!
Archive: OEAM< Alex's Story Book, Ao3
Spoilers: Yes
Summary: Did you ever wonder what happened in the series Crusade? Well, here are my answers to all the burning questions.
~~~
Chapter Fourteen – The Technomage
As soon as Matheson and Dureena were gone, Matthew turned to Galen.
“Tell me what the hell is going on! You knew all this time?”
Galen looked around. “I thought we were getting a record of all this?”
“We’ve got plenty of time. I’m the damned captain. They ain’t gonna leave me. Now you need to tell me what is going on.”
Galen took a calming breath and let it out. “How much do you want to know?”
“All of it.”
“Then we need to find a comfortable place to sit. The story is long.”
Matthew pointed to one of the lab chairs and sat down in another. Galen sat and looked at him.
“Are you familiar with the fact that the Vorlons did something to many races to make telepaths among them? Even humans.”
Matthew nodded.
“Well, Technomages were made by the Shadows as servants as well. We were taught that Chaos is the answer to everything and that by creating Chaos, we serve those who made us. But my people decided they did not want to serve evil so they developed their own order and made up rules to govern the behavior of Technomages.
“Over many years, the knowledge of where we came from and our true purpose came to be hidden. Only the highest in the order knew where our tech came from. It was shrouded in mysticism and mystery.
“But the truth came out when some of our order joined with the Shadows in order to gain power or so they thought. Isabelle and I were sent to stop them but Isabelle was killed, murdered. I was furious and lost control for a bit.”
Galen stopped, lost in thought. He could almost hear her whisper to him.
“This was about the time that your President Clark plotted to kill then President Santiago. A secret group in EarthGov was working to develop Shadow hybrids on planets remote enough that no one bothered to look for them. However, John Sheridan found the one on Ganymede… and the war began.
“My people decided to go into seclusion. I did not agree but we were on the way to do that when by some strange quirk of fate, your ship happened to be in the exact place that a Shadow hybrid was and saw it. The secret group felt the only thing they could do was destroy you all to make sure no one said anything.
“It would have worked too if you had not been outside, if I had not been passing by with the others of my kind. I could not leave you. I picked you up and took you to Omega VII. The rest you know.”
“So my own government killed my shipmates?” Gideon was nearly as incredulous as he felt like he should have been.
“I believe so.”
“Were they using human telepaths?”
“Yes, they were. So were the Shadows. This is why Bester hates them so much. The woman on the list Matheson found was indeed Bester’s lover and she was sent out here to be used on a Shadow ship but many of the rogues were sent here to pilot secret Earth ships.”
“And you? What are you then?”
Galen took a deep breath and removed his coat then unbuttoned his shirt. He dropped them both to the floor and stood, turning around so Matthew could see the rows of black Shadow technology than ran the length of his back.
“God damn,” Gideon whispered. He stood and moved closer to Galen. “May I touch it?”
Galen nodded as Matthew touched the small, living stones that were wired into Galen.
“Do they hurt?”
“Only when they join with you. Then they become part of who you are. I am a cyborg, Matthew. I am part man, part living machine. My power is not illusionary magic. My power is very real.”
Gideon stepped back and looked at him.
“I don’t know what to say or what to think. I’m furious that you’ve known this but I understand that it was not something you could tell me. So what do we do now?”
“Let’s get some evidence for Sheridan and get off this planet. I think there is little danger but we might wake something ugly here and I’d really rather not do that right now.”
They recorded as much as they could, the ship, the files, the base…
And they left the surface, going back to the Excalibur in Galen’s little ship.
*
Gideon did not explain any of what Galen told him to the rest of the crew, not even John. He needed some time to absorb it. He was still angry with Galen but grateful as well that he finally knew the truth and that Galen was able to fill in all the blanks.
He went to his quarters with no intention of talking to the Box but as soon as he sat down, it called to him.
“Don’t trust him,” it whispered, more clearly his voice now.
“Not that again.”
“He lied.”
“He’s not lying now.”
“How do you know that?” It mocked him in his own voice this time. “Blow up the base and tell no one.”
Gideon sighed and pushed the Box back into the closet. He tried to tell himself that it lied but sometimes he believed it no matter what it said. He often worried that he’d let the Box steer him into a wrong choice but so far, so good. He’d had good hunting in the places the Box sent him. He certainly couldn’t say that much with the Rangers or Earthgov.
*
Galen knew that Matthew was talking to the Box again. It was as if the Box knew he was listening in too. It seemed to want him to know it was there, whispering to Gideon about things he knew nothing about.
He hoped the thing knew that if it posed too much a threat to the captain or the crew of this ship, he’d make sure it never attached to anyone else. He knew the Shadows had been selfish and unbending but this Box was worse, much worse. He could sense nothing in it but malevolence, pure, dark evil.
It was not Chaos the Box was after but destruction. And it didn’t seem to care much what was destroyed.
~~~
Chapter Fifteen – Robert Black
Gideon sent a message to Elizabeth Lochley on Babylon 5 with the bare bones of his story about the secret base they’d found. He was prepared to go to Babylon 5 to talk to her about it.
Sarah came into his office. “Captain, I’ve heard from Dr. Franklin and he tested his findings on himself and, so far, the nanites have become inactive. The nanites he treated in the lab are still inactive as well. We believe this is a cure though we can’t guarantee the long term outcome, we believe that the body can be purged of them if they’re inactive for a long period of time, just like sloughing off skin cells.”
Gideon stared for a moment before saying anything. “A cure? Where do we go from here?”
“Well, we need a test population.”
“We promised several worlds we’d return if we found a cure.”
“Yes, we did but only one has humans,” Sarah reminded him.
“Theta 49.”
“Since we left them no way to communicate, we must go there to them.”
“Can we treat Dureena’s people as well?” Gideon asked.
“If they will allow it. I think that perhaps we only take a very limited number down to the surface since our supply of viral shielding is not infinite.”
Gideon rose and took Sarah’s hand, then pulled her to him for a very uncharacteristic hug. “I knew you were the best.”
“The credit goes Dr. Franklin. He developed the cure from my program. I’m just the tester.”
“I know that he only was able to do so with your knowledge and input as well.”
Gideon headed for the bridge.
“Set a course for Theta 49. We may have the cure for the Drakh plague and we’re going to ask Robert Black if he’s interested in becoming a guinea pig.”
Matheson smiled. Finally some really good news! “Aye, Captain!”
Dureena was in Medbay when Sarah got back from Gideon’s office.
“Am I going to be allowed to go to the planet?” She asked.
“Of course. I don’t think your people will deal with me without you. I don’t think Robert Black will either so you’re the liaison between the ship and the inhabitants.”
Dureena smiled, one of the rarest sights on the ship and they’d seen some very rare things in their travels.
Sarah looked at her a moment then asked a question that she’d had on her mind ever since she’d found out that Dureena had been sold into slavery by her own father.
“Why do you even want to be with people of your race after what your own family did to you?”
Dureena said nothing for a long while. “I think every person longs to be where they belong, where they are like everyone else. That may not be an ideal situation but sometimes it’s better than always being on the outside looking in. I feel that way here, like I’m only tolerated for what I can bring to the group.”
Sarah nodded. “Many years ago on Earth, my people were enslaved as well because of the color of our skin. I had thought that the people of the galaxy would have advanced past that but it still exists out there.”
*
In the several days it took to get to Theta 49, Sarah spent her time preparing the nanites that would reprogram the Drakh virus and stop the plague. They actually dropped out of hyperspace several times so she could send a message to Dr. Franklin and await his answer.
When they finally did arrive at the planet, Sarah and Dureena prepared to visit. First, they would visit Robert Black then the settlement of the Zander Prime natives.
The only people who went down to the planet were the doctor, Dureena and their pilot. They found Black’s camp quickly.
Dureena was almost embarrassed that her heart rate sped up when she caught sight of the giant human. He was sitting by a rolling stream, fishing pole in the water and his attention all on his pleasurable chore.
“Mr. Black?”
He reached for his weapon even before he turned his head.
“Dureena? What are you do—did you find a cure?”
“Dr. Chambers and Dr. Franklin believe so. We came here to ask if you want to test it.”
Black put his fishing pole down and approached the woman. He’d thought about her a lot since he’d met her. She was quite beautiful and she had the spirit of a warrior inside her tiny frame. He’d hoped she’d come back someday.
Robert Black did something he thought he’d never do after he lost Emma; he picked up Dureena and kissed her full on the lips before she had a chance to get away. To his utter surprise, she kissed him back if only for a few seconds before she pushed at him and said, “Put me down this instant!”
He did as she bade him.
“What was that about?” She didn’t sound nearly as indignant as she meant to.
“I missed you. I—forgive me?”
“Maybe,” she grudgingly agreed but Black was not fooled. He felt her arms tighten when he kissed, felt her melt against him even if for only a second.
“You need to have Dr. Chambers meet with the rest of my people, to explain and then we vote. We still do most things by vote here.”
*
Sarah Chambers just finished explaining how the cure would work to the enhanced humans who had escaped from Earth just in time, but who had been poisoned purposely by the very men who made them with plague introduced through their food packets.
“How can we trust you?” Tim was always the skeptic.
“What do you have to lose?” Dureena asked.
“Our lives.”
“You’re going to die anyway in less than five years so again, what do you have to lose?”
The others spoke out in agreement with Dureena.
Black stood up and held up a hand. “We will vote. The vote does not have to be unanimous. Majority wins. Period.”
He turned to Sarah and Dureena. “May we have some time to discuss this and to vote?”
“We’re going to find Dureena’s people, to ask them if they will let us help them as well,” Sarah said. “We’ll return as soon as we can. Good luck.”
~~~
Chapter Sixteen – The Vote
The village was much as it had been when they’d visited before. Dureena’s people greeted her as if they’d known her forever. The head woman and village shaman, Kareela, smiled and embraced her.
“My child, you are back among us! Have you good news?”
Dureena bowed to the rest of the tribe and gestured to Dr. Chambers. “Remember that Dr. Chambers promised to rid you all of the germs from the Drakh? She and her friend, Dr. Franklin, have found that cure. We have come to offer it to you and to the humans here as well. We are sure that it works but it has only been tested on Dr. Franklin, who was infected on Earth along with all the people on the planet.”
“But we are not yet sick,” the woman said.
“My planet died from this plague… and they were not sick at first but once one person became sick, the planet was a wasteland in a few months. I wish you to survive. I wish to live among you for many years,” Dureena said, surprising the head woman with her passion.
“We will cast the stones tonight as the moon rises,” the woman announced, accompanied by agreeing murmurs from the people surrounding them. “May we get a favorable answer from the gods.”
Dureena bowed to her. “I will stay no matter what the stones predict.”
*
Robert Black knew how he would vote. He never planned on going back to Earth no matter the outcome but he would like a life long enough to offer it to the alien woman. He had liked her before, liked her enough to think of her often. Now that she was back, he wanted to know her. And to know her for many years to come.
“So what do we do?” He posed the question to the rest of his companions.
“How do we know they are not lying to us?” Tim asked.
“We don’t but they saved us before. Why would they kill us now?”
“That’s true and they did that even after I’d taken the doctor hostage,” Tim conceded.
“I vote we take the vaccine. The worst that can happen is we might die sooner. We’ve been living on borrowed time since we got here anyway.”
After a rather small amount of debate, they all agreed that they’d take it.
Things did not go as smoothly in the village. At moonrise, Dureena was invited to watch as the stones were thrown to determine their future but the stones advised them not to take the cure.
“You do realize that you are condemning the others, the humans to die as well?” Dureena asked.
“Perhaps they will not catch it again.”
“They will catch it again and one by one they will die just like you will. Are you going to let a god who saw you sold into slavery tell you all to die?” Dureena was furious, her eyes flashing like a cat’s in the light of the fire.
“It is our way, child.”
“Then maybe it is why you are the last survivors of a whole planet!”
“We only know the old ways.”
Dureena looked at the faces around the fire. “Do you all want to die? To watch your children die?”
One by one, they began to shake their heads no.
“Perhaps you should throw the stones again? Maybe you read them wrong.”
Kareela looked at Dureena and then all her people. “Tomorrow we will fast and pray and tomorrow at midnight, we shall read the stones again and perhaps this time, we will get a better answer.”
Everyone agreed, voicing their approval loudly.
Dureena just hoped the woman found a way to interpret the next night’s session better than this one had been.
*
Back on Earth, Stephen Franklin woke in the middle of the night in a cold sweat. His heart was pounding and he felt sick, feverish.
Surely he hadn’t actually activated the plague by trying to kill it!
He rushed to his lab and drew blood, then hooked up several monitors. His respiration and blood pressure were high though he had no fever. He made himself a cup of tea and waited for his bloodwork results to be ready.
He also agonized over telling Sarah it was all right to begin testing the cure on the people of Theta 49. What if he had doomed them all to a quick death? Damn!
The indicator dinged that the results were back. He dreaded looking at the results. He steeled himself to look and took a deep breath and let it out.
Nothing. The nanites were still inactive and he had no indication of any disease or illness at all.
He let out a long breath and sat back in his chair. He’d been a victim of worry and anxiety over the nature and scope of what he was doing. His and Sarah Chambers’ work could save or doom an entire planet! It was no wonder that he became panicked now and again.
He decided to record a message to Sarah since he knew he wouldn’t be able to go back to sleep for a long while.
Sarah,
Tonight I woke in a cold sweat and feared the plague had indeed come back but it had not. I was merely panicked over the gravity of the work we are doing. I wonder what you are doing right now. I expect you are planetside with Dureena Nafeel and I am praying to any god who will listen that all goes well.
My best,
Stephen
*
Dr. Chambers and Dureena were on pins and needles all day the next day. Their protection against the virus should last long enough for them to stay until the vote but if not, their ship was on standby to rush them to the Excalibur and bring them back to begin the process of curing the Drakh plague.
They busied themselves with different things.
Dr. Chambers checked the children of the village for proper development and childhood diseases. They were all very healthy except for the plague they all carried. She did remove a few splinters and sewed up a cut or two. One young man had a broken leg but the shaman had done a perfect job of binding it so it would heal straight.
Dureena met with Kareela then headed to the human village to spend her day with Robert Black, helping him chop wood and even going fishing with him. It was one of the best days she remembered.
As it got dark, she made her way back to the village to await their fate with them.
~~~
Chapter Seventeen – The Stones Speak
Dureena was surprised when Robert Black sat down beside her. She knew that he often consulted with the leader of the village. It made her like him more that he came for this, whether it was in support of his own people or her.
She was even more surprised when his large hand covered hers. He smiled when she looked over into his face. She was surprised even more to feel her face smile back at him.
The headwoman brought out the traditional stones and after some ceremony, she threw the stones. The entire village was gathered around but there was not a sound from anyone, not even the smallest baby.
“The stones have spoken. The people of this village are free to decide by vote. If we do not agree, then we are cursed. So be it. The stones have spoken!”
Murmurs were heard but no one spoke aloud, to agree or even to disagree.
“We will vote by stone. Tomorrow morning, all houses will vote, including the house of the Earth warriors. Go now, discuss and decide.”
They all did just that until there were only three people around the fire: Dureena, the headwoman and Robert Black.
“Did the stones really say that?” Dureena asked when she was sure all the rest were out of earshot.
“Yes, my child. The stones always tell us the right thing to do.”
“They changed their mind?”
Kareela smiled. “The stones always tell us the right thing. You must learn this if you are to be the headwoman someday.”
Dureena nodded. So did Robert Black.
She left the fireside with her hand still held by Robert Black.
*
Everyone onboard the Excalibur was on pins and needles. No one had heard much from Sarah or Dureena since they’d gone planetside. Galen wanted to go down but he wasn’t sure how he’d be received by either the humans or by Dureena’s people.
Besides, he needed to be here right now in case the Box decided to drag Gideon in a different direction. He felt the Box would move soon to influence Gideon to do something, something disastrous if history were any indicator.
*
The move came earlier than anyone thought.
Gideon had been holed up in his quarters all morning. When he came out, he had an odd look on his face, like there was no one home. Matheson saw it but said nothing. He knew about the Box as well but not the particulars. He didn’t like it any more than Galen did but Matthew was his superior so he said nothing.
“Matheson, I think we need to cut off all communication with the outside as of right now. Also, set a course back to the Shadow moon. It’s time we dealt with that.”
“But sir, what about Dr. Chambers and Dureena?”
“We don’t need them for this mission.”
“We can’t—”
“We can do whatever I say we can. Anyone who wants to argue with me can report to the brig.”
Matheson nodded. “Yes. Sir.”
Galen heard the exchange but he never stepped into the room. He hurried to his ship and left the Excalibur before Gideon thought to close the doors to him.
He contacted Dr. Chambers and told her what had happened.
“What are we going to do?” She sounded both scared and very angry.
“Give the people the cure if they want it. How much longer do you have until you catch it?”
“Not long enough but they’ve not even decided to take it yet.”
“Well, you can cure yourself if need be.”
“Can you contact Dr. Franklin?”
“Yes, I will send a message to Earth. And Dr. Chambers?”
“Yes?”
“Good luck!”
And he was gone, the tiny black ship slipping away in the black sky.
*
Dr. Chambers let Dureena know what was happening.
“Did you know about this box?” the doctor asked.
“I may have seen it once or twice.”
“Do you know what it is?” Sarah knew that the captain acted a bit odd now and again but not having known him long, she didn’t know if he was behaving differently than his usual self.
“I asked some old friends from my thieving days and one or two of them could identify it. They called it a Doomsday Box or an Apocalypse Box.”
“What is it?”
“That they didn’t know but death and destruction follow it.”
“Where did he get it?”
“A card game. Where else?” Dureena shrugged. He couldn’t beat her at cards but she cheated. He did too but she’d not quite figured out how yet.
“Anyway, we’re on our own, either way. If our immunization runs out, we’ll be infected as well.”
“Then we’d better pray the cure really is a cure, hadn’t we?”
“I’ve been doing that all along,” Sarah said.
*
Galen contacted Franklin and left him a message with the barest of details. No need to alarm the government of Earth yet. They had a tendency to make rash and stupid decisions now and again.
He did contact John Sheridan on Minbar, sending as many details as possible. Sheridan could be a hothead but he would do what was right in the end.
He chased Gideon back to the world Bester handed to them, still wondering how the telepath had found it. He’d put nothing past Bester. The little telepath might have even worked with the shadowy government group that had built the base.
The base itself certainly did remind him of the one at Z’ha’dum. He shivered at the thought of that place with all its poor victims, people who were used solely to grow the tech he carried in and on his body. Or the poor creatures like Morden or Anna Sheridan, who’d had their own personalities stripped away and replaced with insane devotees of the Shadows and their doctrine of Chaos, like his own people had begun.
He knew that he must destroy the Box. What Gideon and his Box had come back for, he did not know yet.
~~~
Chapter Eighteen – The Players Move into Place
General Thompson was in his office on Ceti Gamma 2 when a message came in to him. Thompson was the same man who’d ordered Black’s people to be infected with the plague.
“What the hell do you mean? That Matthew Gideon is being a pain in the ass again?”
The person on the line said something brief.
“Well, shoot the damn thing down. He nor anyone else has any business near that base. Protect the base and make sure no one is left to talk about it.”
He rung off and sat behind his desk, fuming. Didn’t these damned fools know that he did what he did for the good of everyone on Earth?
At Thompson’s order, several destroyers were deployed to S Base, as the secret Shadow base was referred to, their mission was to intercept and destroy the Excalibur.
*
A message came into John Sheridan’s office on Minbar. He just happened to be there to take it. It was normally a time that he would be having dinner with Delenn and getting ready to help put little David to bed. Something had made him hesitate to leave, made him hang around a little longer.
“You have one call waiting, ” his comm system told him.
“Put it through.”
“The Excalibur has found a secret base that was apparently used to make Shadow hybrid ships. General Thompson on Ceti Gamma 2 has dispatched a fleet to intercept them and destroy them.” The caller was using a device to change his voice but Sheridan was sure he knew whoever it was or why else use the disguise?
He called Delenn and asked her to come out to his office as well. She said she’d put David to bed and be there as soon as possible.
“What is it?” Delenn said as she rushed into the room. John filled her in.
“What should we do?” John asked her.
“We can send the Whitestars.”
“The caller didn’t tell me where the base is.”
His computer spoke again. “Incoming coordinates from last caller.”
“Can you tell me where the last call originated from?” Sheridan asked.
“That information is not available.”
He looked at the coordinates on a star map when he got them downloaded.
“Galen, the Technomage on the Excalibur sent a message earlier as well. I wasn’t sure what to make of it but it seems Matthew Gideon is on some wild chase back to this station.”
“We can send the Whitestars now.”
“I think we will wait for a bit to go ourselves but a fleet of ships ought to get someone’s attention, either Gideon or Thompson,” he told her.
So the Whitestars were dispatched.
*
On Mars, Michael Garibaldi removed the voice changer from his communication device. All this and that damned Bester had slipped through his hands again. He’d get the little bastard if it took all his life to do so.
Right now he was late for dinner with Lise and that simply would not do.
*
The Excalibur was heading as fast as they could travel to the S Base. Galen was still trailing behind them. He had not heard back from Sheridan but was sure that the president of the ISA would act to stop the destruction of the Excalibur, if nothing else. Galen believed that the Shadow base needed to go as much as his crazed captain but had no desire to see Gideon or any of his crew die simply because of that infernal Box.
*
Space travel is fast but not instantaneous and all the ships were a matter of days out. The situation on Theta 49 was critical. Dureena and Sarah would soon be exposed to the Drakh Plague as their barrier would wear off at the 48 hour mark.
It was also time for the villagers to decide which path they’d choose: to take the cure or to live as they had been until the virus killed them.
Dureena was on pins and needles. She wanted these people to choose life! She wanted to be with them, to be among her own once again.
Kareela gathered them all at dawn and they voted by placing a white stone for yes and a black one for no into a large clay container. Children over the age of six were allowed to vote as well as all the adults. The voting was a quick and solemn process as each person picked a stone and dropped it into the jar.
Dureena had tried to count them for awhile but it was simply too hard as there were lines on either side of the jar. She sat back and watched until the lines were finally ending.
Kareela approached her. “You must come and cast your vote as well, my child.”
“I’m not a member of your village though.”
“You are a member of our race and we consider you one of our own.”
Dureena approached the jar and chose a white stone. She dropped it into the jar and peeped in while she did. There were many white stones but a fair number of black ones as well.
“Now, I would ask Robert Black to cast the vote for his people and ask that Dr. Chambers count the stones and inform us of our decision.”
After Robert Black voted, Sarah rose to her feet, bowed to the headwoman and began the task of counting. She sat down and began to count, first the black ones then the white.
A young girl brought them tea and bowed as she set the cups on the table.
It took about half an hour to sort the stones then count them but when she was done, Sarah recounted quickly then nodded to Dureena and Kareela.
“What did we choose, Dr. Chambers?” Kareela asked.
“There were twice as many white stones as black so your people have chosen the cure. Congratulations.”
Cheering rose even among those who’d voted no. Sarah had brought all the vaccine to the planet on their ship. Black’s people helped unload it and they set up a small clinic in Black’s settlement to make sure that all got the cure. Robert Black and Kareela were the first to receive it.
Everyone else followed. They were careful to count and make sure all were given the nanites then Sarah gave a shot to Dureena and the medical officer from Black’s crew gave Dr. Chambers her shot.
Then they celebrated life.
~~~
Chapter 19 – Fire in the Mountain
The Excalibur arrived at S base first. Gideon took his Box and headed down to the moon all by himself. No one tried to stop him. Galen came onboard the ship as soon as Matthew was away.
“I have let Sheridan know what happened. Is everyone all right?”
“We’re fine but I think we are in over our heads here.” Matheson answered.
“I’ll go down to the moon. Keep in touch if you can.”
Galen flew down to the planet and landed right beside Gideon’s shuttle. He got out and saw Gideon heading for the bunker.
“Matthew! What are you doing here?”
“Doing what we should have done when we were here before.”
“Is that your mission? Do you realize you left Dureena and Dr. Chambers to catch the plague on Theta 49? You could be court marshaled for this.”
“I don’t care about that. I’m doing what—”
“What the Apocalypse Box told you to do?”
“How do you know about that?”
“I heard you talk to it. I’m a Technomage; very little gets by me.”
“Just what is a Technomage?”
“I am an agent of Chaos. One who has repented his sins and seeks atonement.”
“Then your finding me wasn’t an accident?”
Galen had answered the question before and didn’t plan on a detailed answer now any more than he had given one then.
“Yes and no. We were leaving so we could not be used for evil and because we did not want to be involved in your wars. I saw you and couldn’t let you die.”
They heard ships far up above them.
“It would seem we have company.”
*
The captain of the Whitestar Flagship hailed the Excalibur. “We have come to offer assistance.”
Matheson reported to him. “Our captain is on the moon but no one else is—”
Several Destroyers came in through jump points all around the planet and they began to fire on the Excalibur. The Whitestars went after them, lighting the sky around the moon.
Down on the moon, Galen and Gideon watched the white burst of fire from the ships and heard the sound of their mighty weapons.
The Whitestars made rather short work of General Thompson’s fleet though they disabled rather destroyed the ships. Boarding parties took each ship into custody and contacted Sheridan back on Minbar for further orders.
Gideon turned his attention back to the hangar and he headed toward the opening. Galen followed.
“Leave this place, Galen. You don’t need to get involved now.”
“I have been involved since I picked a certain Ensign out of the sky.”
They went down into the bunker. Gideon began to pull small explosives out of his pockets. They were quite powerful despite their size.
“Why are you doing this?”
“The Box. It says I should finish here. I should have died with the crew of the Cerberus all those years ago and now I plan to join them.”
“The Box just wants you to die. It kills – that’s what it does. It feeds off of death and destruction. It wanted you to doom Dureena and Sarah. It wants you to die so some poor fool can find it in these ruins and give it a new home and more death to wallow in.”
“How do you know?”
“That’s what it does. On your Earth, Genghis Khan had one, so did Hitler. It was reluctant to leave men like that but space offers even more opportunities for death on a massive scale. The Shadows were not the only enemies out there.”
“Blowing up this place is a good thing.”
“Maybe so but your dying isn’t a good thing.”
“I’ve been living on borrowed time all along,” Gideon said as he headed into the mountain base. Galen rushed him and took the Box. He ran into the hangar and closed the door, barring it to Gideon.
“Go back to the ship,” he shouted through the thick doors.
Gideon felt lightheaded and something else. Free. The Box was no longer his. He ran to his shuttle and lifted off in it, heading back to his ship. He had some explaining to do.
*
The Box talked to Galen, telling him that he was doomed and that it alone could save him. It told him that everyone was against him and he only had the Box left to depend on.
Its spell didn’t work on Galen as he took it into the large hangar with the hybrid Shadow ship. Galen placed the Box beneath the ship then he walked to the front of the ship itself and put his hands on it.
He could feel life humming in the organic metal. His own tech crackled in answer to it but that was not his purpose. He was going to do to this base what he and the Whitestar explosion had done to Z’ha’dum.
He began to conjure the destruction spell, drawing his power into a shape that he could send to the Box, to the ship. He knew that he could make the explosion big enough to take down the mountain and maybe even the moon itself. The size of his spell was almost limitless.
He relaxed and let his power grow; he thought of Isabelle and his love for her. He thought of his parents, Elric… all the ones who had gone before. He thought of Matthew Gideon, the soul survivor who’d felt horrible guilt every day of his life because he had not died with his shipmates.
The floor began to tremble as his tech sought and found power sources, explosives, anything he could use to fuel his fire, his revenge. The air began to crackle with lightning inside the building. He pulled in more power, more, more until he thought he would combust too.
He could feel the ship begin to break apart, felt the metal scream with rage, pain as he moved out of its way, moved toward the doors. He saw the Box blow apart as he opened the door and hurried out into the open, running for his little ship, which was waiting and ready to lift as soon as he was aboard.
As he rose into the sky, the whole mountain shook and then the top of it opened and fire exploded out of it, collapsing it onto itself in a great ball of flames.
He flew up to the Excalibur and did not look back.
~~~
Epilogue
The Drakh Plague was cured. By the time the Excalibur came back to Earth, they were a legend already. They were met with parades and interviews and the star treatment. Sarah never took any credit in any of the interviews; she always gave it all to Dr. Franklin.
Sheridan had General Thompson drummed out of the service and arrested for smuggling, black marketing and most importantly, treason, which sent him to a penal colony in Botany Bay, Australia. He would spend the rest of his life there.
*
Sarah had arrived with Gideon at Babylon 5 just hours ago. He’d disappeared with Captain Lochley. Sarah thought it was funny that they both were sure no one knew about their ‘friendship’.
She wandered through the restaurants in the Zocalo.
“Sarah?”
She turned to see the smiling face of Stephen Franklin. She started to shake his hand but found herself hugging him instead.
“I’m so glad we could finally meet this way. I’m ready for that spoo! Are you?” He was all smiles and he looked so good to her.
She nodded and let him lead her to the little restaurant she remembered from another trip to Babylon 5 a few years before.
In the years to come, seldom did one see one without the other as they traveled the galaxy together.
*
Max Eilerson was back home on Mars. He visited Cynthia and Mr. Kitty first thing. Cynthia had been glad to see him, so glad in fact that she asked him to move back home. He was considering it.
He had tendered his resignation to IPX and decided to go to work as an archaeologist for Mars University. The position was very prestigious and the pay was adequate as well.
“So you’re not rich anymore?” Cynthia asked him when he told her.
“Oh, yes, I’m still quite wealthy. We won’t have to worry about cat food for a few years.” He smiled his most annoying smile and pulled her into his arms.
*
Dureena Nafeel had a bit of a hard time getting used to furniture that was so high. She liked it all near to the ground but since she moved into Robert Black’s small house, everything was tall to accommodate his size.
She was surprised when Black came in with a new table for their house, one with short legs and cushions to sit on.
“What’s all this?”
Black grinned at her. “I can sit on the floor as well as the next guy. If it makes you happy, then I am happy too. Don’t think I’ll give up my big feather bed though.”
Dureena moved closer to him, close enough to rub against him. “I wouldn’t dream of giving up your bed either.”
He lifted her into his arms and carried her to his big feather bed, where he showed her how much he liked both the bed and her.
*
The ISA Explorer class ship Beagle was not nearly as grand or as big as the Excalibur but John Matheson didn’t care one bit. He was the Captain, the first telepath Captain of a ship and he’d been given the promotion and commission by President Sheridan himself.
“Set a course for Deep Space Beacon 7,” he commanded his first officer.
“Aye, Captain,” the female telepath answered as she did just that.
“I’ll be in my office if you need me, Fiona.”
*
“So are you going to join the rest in hiding?” Alwyn asked Galen as they drank beer in some out of the way pub on some out of the way planet somewhere near Narn.
“No. I think I shall wander about for awhile. I’d like to see some more of the sites of this universe while I can.”
“Would you like a rowdy old companion then?”
“Only if he promises to create those lovely little demons if we’re pestered by anyone.”
“I think he’d agree to that.”
“Well, let’s be off then, shall we?”
And they took off to parts unknown though there were rumors of a pair of meddling wizards far and wide for many years to come.
*
Matthew Gideon had bought himself a car. It was a few hundred years old and it had been converted from its ancient internal combustion engine to a modern efficient one but it still looked and even sounded like a 1966 Ford Mustang, a Shelby Mustang at that. He’d paid as much as he made in a year in EarthForce for it but money wasn’t a problem anymore.
Not since they’d returned to Earth with the cure. Everybody wanted to give him things, buy him things and he’d resisted for awhile, sure that he’d never let fame change him but finally he’d given in.
He’d granted several interviews, smiled and shook lots of hands as ‘this week’s hero’ then he’d bought his car and set out to disappear into the American continent and find Matthew Gideon again, whoever Matthew Gideon turned out to be.
For the first time in many years, he was looking forward it.
The End
Author: alexcat
Fandom: Crusade
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: I do not own nor profit from the use of these characters.
Notes: I'd like to thank Larry for beta reading this one for me. I have wanted to tell this tale for a long time and decided that this is the time. It is based on an old story I wrote and very loosely on the canon set forth by JMS as canon for the remainder of the series. I stuck to canon as much as possible as well. Those of you who are fan of the short lived series will see many references to the series itself in little ways, especially Alwyn's golden dragons!
Archive: OEAM< Alex's Story Book, Ao3
Spoilers: Yes
Summary: Did you ever wonder what happened in the series Crusade? Well, here are my answers to all the burning questions.
~~~
Chapter Fourteen – The Technomage
As soon as Matheson and Dureena were gone, Matthew turned to Galen.
“Tell me what the hell is going on! You knew all this time?”
Galen looked around. “I thought we were getting a record of all this?”
“We’ve got plenty of time. I’m the damned captain. They ain’t gonna leave me. Now you need to tell me what is going on.”
Galen took a calming breath and let it out. “How much do you want to know?”
“All of it.”
“Then we need to find a comfortable place to sit. The story is long.”
Matthew pointed to one of the lab chairs and sat down in another. Galen sat and looked at him.
“Are you familiar with the fact that the Vorlons did something to many races to make telepaths among them? Even humans.”
Matthew nodded.
“Well, Technomages were made by the Shadows as servants as well. We were taught that Chaos is the answer to everything and that by creating Chaos, we serve those who made us. But my people decided they did not want to serve evil so they developed their own order and made up rules to govern the behavior of Technomages.
“Over many years, the knowledge of where we came from and our true purpose came to be hidden. Only the highest in the order knew where our tech came from. It was shrouded in mysticism and mystery.
“But the truth came out when some of our order joined with the Shadows in order to gain power or so they thought. Isabelle and I were sent to stop them but Isabelle was killed, murdered. I was furious and lost control for a bit.”
Galen stopped, lost in thought. He could almost hear her whisper to him.
“This was about the time that your President Clark plotted to kill then President Santiago. A secret group in EarthGov was working to develop Shadow hybrids on planets remote enough that no one bothered to look for them. However, John Sheridan found the one on Ganymede… and the war began.
“My people decided to go into seclusion. I did not agree but we were on the way to do that when by some strange quirk of fate, your ship happened to be in the exact place that a Shadow hybrid was and saw it. The secret group felt the only thing they could do was destroy you all to make sure no one said anything.
“It would have worked too if you had not been outside, if I had not been passing by with the others of my kind. I could not leave you. I picked you up and took you to Omega VII. The rest you know.”
“So my own government killed my shipmates?” Gideon was nearly as incredulous as he felt like he should have been.
“I believe so.”
“Were they using human telepaths?”
“Yes, they were. So were the Shadows. This is why Bester hates them so much. The woman on the list Matheson found was indeed Bester’s lover and she was sent out here to be used on a Shadow ship but many of the rogues were sent here to pilot secret Earth ships.”
“And you? What are you then?”
Galen took a deep breath and removed his coat then unbuttoned his shirt. He dropped them both to the floor and stood, turning around so Matthew could see the rows of black Shadow technology than ran the length of his back.
“God damn,” Gideon whispered. He stood and moved closer to Galen. “May I touch it?”
Galen nodded as Matthew touched the small, living stones that were wired into Galen.
“Do they hurt?”
“Only when they join with you. Then they become part of who you are. I am a cyborg, Matthew. I am part man, part living machine. My power is not illusionary magic. My power is very real.”
Gideon stepped back and looked at him.
“I don’t know what to say or what to think. I’m furious that you’ve known this but I understand that it was not something you could tell me. So what do we do now?”
“Let’s get some evidence for Sheridan and get off this planet. I think there is little danger but we might wake something ugly here and I’d really rather not do that right now.”
They recorded as much as they could, the ship, the files, the base…
And they left the surface, going back to the Excalibur in Galen’s little ship.
*
Gideon did not explain any of what Galen told him to the rest of the crew, not even John. He needed some time to absorb it. He was still angry with Galen but grateful as well that he finally knew the truth and that Galen was able to fill in all the blanks.
He went to his quarters with no intention of talking to the Box but as soon as he sat down, it called to him.
“Don’t trust him,” it whispered, more clearly his voice now.
“Not that again.”
“He lied.”
“He’s not lying now.”
“How do you know that?” It mocked him in his own voice this time. “Blow up the base and tell no one.”
Gideon sighed and pushed the Box back into the closet. He tried to tell himself that it lied but sometimes he believed it no matter what it said. He often worried that he’d let the Box steer him into a wrong choice but so far, so good. He’d had good hunting in the places the Box sent him. He certainly couldn’t say that much with the Rangers or Earthgov.
*
Galen knew that Matthew was talking to the Box again. It was as if the Box knew he was listening in too. It seemed to want him to know it was there, whispering to Gideon about things he knew nothing about.
He hoped the thing knew that if it posed too much a threat to the captain or the crew of this ship, he’d make sure it never attached to anyone else. He knew the Shadows had been selfish and unbending but this Box was worse, much worse. He could sense nothing in it but malevolence, pure, dark evil.
It was not Chaos the Box was after but destruction. And it didn’t seem to care much what was destroyed.
~~~
Chapter Fifteen – Robert Black
Gideon sent a message to Elizabeth Lochley on Babylon 5 with the bare bones of his story about the secret base they’d found. He was prepared to go to Babylon 5 to talk to her about it.
Sarah came into his office. “Captain, I’ve heard from Dr. Franklin and he tested his findings on himself and, so far, the nanites have become inactive. The nanites he treated in the lab are still inactive as well. We believe this is a cure though we can’t guarantee the long term outcome, we believe that the body can be purged of them if they’re inactive for a long period of time, just like sloughing off skin cells.”
Gideon stared for a moment before saying anything. “A cure? Where do we go from here?”
“Well, we need a test population.”
“We promised several worlds we’d return if we found a cure.”
“Yes, we did but only one has humans,” Sarah reminded him.
“Theta 49.”
“Since we left them no way to communicate, we must go there to them.”
“Can we treat Dureena’s people as well?” Gideon asked.
“If they will allow it. I think that perhaps we only take a very limited number down to the surface since our supply of viral shielding is not infinite.”
Gideon rose and took Sarah’s hand, then pulled her to him for a very uncharacteristic hug. “I knew you were the best.”
“The credit goes Dr. Franklin. He developed the cure from my program. I’m just the tester.”
“I know that he only was able to do so with your knowledge and input as well.”
Gideon headed for the bridge.
“Set a course for Theta 49. We may have the cure for the Drakh plague and we’re going to ask Robert Black if he’s interested in becoming a guinea pig.”
Matheson smiled. Finally some really good news! “Aye, Captain!”
Dureena was in Medbay when Sarah got back from Gideon’s office.
“Am I going to be allowed to go to the planet?” She asked.
“Of course. I don’t think your people will deal with me without you. I don’t think Robert Black will either so you’re the liaison between the ship and the inhabitants.”
Dureena smiled, one of the rarest sights on the ship and they’d seen some very rare things in their travels.
Sarah looked at her a moment then asked a question that she’d had on her mind ever since she’d found out that Dureena had been sold into slavery by her own father.
“Why do you even want to be with people of your race after what your own family did to you?”
Dureena said nothing for a long while. “I think every person longs to be where they belong, where they are like everyone else. That may not be an ideal situation but sometimes it’s better than always being on the outside looking in. I feel that way here, like I’m only tolerated for what I can bring to the group.”
Sarah nodded. “Many years ago on Earth, my people were enslaved as well because of the color of our skin. I had thought that the people of the galaxy would have advanced past that but it still exists out there.”
*
In the several days it took to get to Theta 49, Sarah spent her time preparing the nanites that would reprogram the Drakh virus and stop the plague. They actually dropped out of hyperspace several times so she could send a message to Dr. Franklin and await his answer.
When they finally did arrive at the planet, Sarah and Dureena prepared to visit. First, they would visit Robert Black then the settlement of the Zander Prime natives.
The only people who went down to the planet were the doctor, Dureena and their pilot. They found Black’s camp quickly.
Dureena was almost embarrassed that her heart rate sped up when she caught sight of the giant human. He was sitting by a rolling stream, fishing pole in the water and his attention all on his pleasurable chore.
“Mr. Black?”
He reached for his weapon even before he turned his head.
“Dureena? What are you do—did you find a cure?”
“Dr. Chambers and Dr. Franklin believe so. We came here to ask if you want to test it.”
Black put his fishing pole down and approached the woman. He’d thought about her a lot since he’d met her. She was quite beautiful and she had the spirit of a warrior inside her tiny frame. He’d hoped she’d come back someday.
Robert Black did something he thought he’d never do after he lost Emma; he picked up Dureena and kissed her full on the lips before she had a chance to get away. To his utter surprise, she kissed him back if only for a few seconds before she pushed at him and said, “Put me down this instant!”
He did as she bade him.
“What was that about?” She didn’t sound nearly as indignant as she meant to.
“I missed you. I—forgive me?”
“Maybe,” she grudgingly agreed but Black was not fooled. He felt her arms tighten when he kissed, felt her melt against him even if for only a second.
“You need to have Dr. Chambers meet with the rest of my people, to explain and then we vote. We still do most things by vote here.”
*
Sarah Chambers just finished explaining how the cure would work to the enhanced humans who had escaped from Earth just in time, but who had been poisoned purposely by the very men who made them with plague introduced through their food packets.
“How can we trust you?” Tim was always the skeptic.
“What do you have to lose?” Dureena asked.
“Our lives.”
“You’re going to die anyway in less than five years so again, what do you have to lose?”
The others spoke out in agreement with Dureena.
Black stood up and held up a hand. “We will vote. The vote does not have to be unanimous. Majority wins. Period.”
He turned to Sarah and Dureena. “May we have some time to discuss this and to vote?”
“We’re going to find Dureena’s people, to ask them if they will let us help them as well,” Sarah said. “We’ll return as soon as we can. Good luck.”
~~~
Chapter Sixteen – The Vote
The village was much as it had been when they’d visited before. Dureena’s people greeted her as if they’d known her forever. The head woman and village shaman, Kareela, smiled and embraced her.
“My child, you are back among us! Have you good news?”
Dureena bowed to the rest of the tribe and gestured to Dr. Chambers. “Remember that Dr. Chambers promised to rid you all of the germs from the Drakh? She and her friend, Dr. Franklin, have found that cure. We have come to offer it to you and to the humans here as well. We are sure that it works but it has only been tested on Dr. Franklin, who was infected on Earth along with all the people on the planet.”
“But we are not yet sick,” the woman said.
“My planet died from this plague… and they were not sick at first but once one person became sick, the planet was a wasteland in a few months. I wish you to survive. I wish to live among you for many years,” Dureena said, surprising the head woman with her passion.
“We will cast the stones tonight as the moon rises,” the woman announced, accompanied by agreeing murmurs from the people surrounding them. “May we get a favorable answer from the gods.”
Dureena bowed to her. “I will stay no matter what the stones predict.”
*
Robert Black knew how he would vote. He never planned on going back to Earth no matter the outcome but he would like a life long enough to offer it to the alien woman. He had liked her before, liked her enough to think of her often. Now that she was back, he wanted to know her. And to know her for many years to come.
“So what do we do?” He posed the question to the rest of his companions.
“How do we know they are not lying to us?” Tim asked.
“We don’t but they saved us before. Why would they kill us now?”
“That’s true and they did that even after I’d taken the doctor hostage,” Tim conceded.
“I vote we take the vaccine. The worst that can happen is we might die sooner. We’ve been living on borrowed time since we got here anyway.”
After a rather small amount of debate, they all agreed that they’d take it.
Things did not go as smoothly in the village. At moonrise, Dureena was invited to watch as the stones were thrown to determine their future but the stones advised them not to take the cure.
“You do realize that you are condemning the others, the humans to die as well?” Dureena asked.
“Perhaps they will not catch it again.”
“They will catch it again and one by one they will die just like you will. Are you going to let a god who saw you sold into slavery tell you all to die?” Dureena was furious, her eyes flashing like a cat’s in the light of the fire.
“It is our way, child.”
“Then maybe it is why you are the last survivors of a whole planet!”
“We only know the old ways.”
Dureena looked at the faces around the fire. “Do you all want to die? To watch your children die?”
One by one, they began to shake their heads no.
“Perhaps you should throw the stones again? Maybe you read them wrong.”
Kareela looked at Dureena and then all her people. “Tomorrow we will fast and pray and tomorrow at midnight, we shall read the stones again and perhaps this time, we will get a better answer.”
Everyone agreed, voicing their approval loudly.
Dureena just hoped the woman found a way to interpret the next night’s session better than this one had been.
*
Back on Earth, Stephen Franklin woke in the middle of the night in a cold sweat. His heart was pounding and he felt sick, feverish.
Surely he hadn’t actually activated the plague by trying to kill it!
He rushed to his lab and drew blood, then hooked up several monitors. His respiration and blood pressure were high though he had no fever. He made himself a cup of tea and waited for his bloodwork results to be ready.
He also agonized over telling Sarah it was all right to begin testing the cure on the people of Theta 49. What if he had doomed them all to a quick death? Damn!
The indicator dinged that the results were back. He dreaded looking at the results. He steeled himself to look and took a deep breath and let it out.
Nothing. The nanites were still inactive and he had no indication of any disease or illness at all.
He let out a long breath and sat back in his chair. He’d been a victim of worry and anxiety over the nature and scope of what he was doing. His and Sarah Chambers’ work could save or doom an entire planet! It was no wonder that he became panicked now and again.
He decided to record a message to Sarah since he knew he wouldn’t be able to go back to sleep for a long while.
Sarah,
Tonight I woke in a cold sweat and feared the plague had indeed come back but it had not. I was merely panicked over the gravity of the work we are doing. I wonder what you are doing right now. I expect you are planetside with Dureena Nafeel and I am praying to any god who will listen that all goes well.
My best,
Stephen
*
Dr. Chambers and Dureena were on pins and needles all day the next day. Their protection against the virus should last long enough for them to stay until the vote but if not, their ship was on standby to rush them to the Excalibur and bring them back to begin the process of curing the Drakh plague.
They busied themselves with different things.
Dr. Chambers checked the children of the village for proper development and childhood diseases. They were all very healthy except for the plague they all carried. She did remove a few splinters and sewed up a cut or two. One young man had a broken leg but the shaman had done a perfect job of binding it so it would heal straight.
Dureena met with Kareela then headed to the human village to spend her day with Robert Black, helping him chop wood and even going fishing with him. It was one of the best days she remembered.
As it got dark, she made her way back to the village to await their fate with them.
~~~
Chapter Seventeen – The Stones Speak
Dureena was surprised when Robert Black sat down beside her. She knew that he often consulted with the leader of the village. It made her like him more that he came for this, whether it was in support of his own people or her.
She was even more surprised when his large hand covered hers. He smiled when she looked over into his face. She was surprised even more to feel her face smile back at him.
The headwoman brought out the traditional stones and after some ceremony, she threw the stones. The entire village was gathered around but there was not a sound from anyone, not even the smallest baby.
“The stones have spoken. The people of this village are free to decide by vote. If we do not agree, then we are cursed. So be it. The stones have spoken!”
Murmurs were heard but no one spoke aloud, to agree or even to disagree.
“We will vote by stone. Tomorrow morning, all houses will vote, including the house of the Earth warriors. Go now, discuss and decide.”
They all did just that until there were only three people around the fire: Dureena, the headwoman and Robert Black.
“Did the stones really say that?” Dureena asked when she was sure all the rest were out of earshot.
“Yes, my child. The stones always tell us the right thing to do.”
“They changed their mind?”
Kareela smiled. “The stones always tell us the right thing. You must learn this if you are to be the headwoman someday.”
Dureena nodded. So did Robert Black.
She left the fireside with her hand still held by Robert Black.
*
Everyone onboard the Excalibur was on pins and needles. No one had heard much from Sarah or Dureena since they’d gone planetside. Galen wanted to go down but he wasn’t sure how he’d be received by either the humans or by Dureena’s people.
Besides, he needed to be here right now in case the Box decided to drag Gideon in a different direction. He felt the Box would move soon to influence Gideon to do something, something disastrous if history were any indicator.
*
The move came earlier than anyone thought.
Gideon had been holed up in his quarters all morning. When he came out, he had an odd look on his face, like there was no one home. Matheson saw it but said nothing. He knew about the Box as well but not the particulars. He didn’t like it any more than Galen did but Matthew was his superior so he said nothing.
“Matheson, I think we need to cut off all communication with the outside as of right now. Also, set a course back to the Shadow moon. It’s time we dealt with that.”
“But sir, what about Dr. Chambers and Dureena?”
“We don’t need them for this mission.”
“We can’t—”
“We can do whatever I say we can. Anyone who wants to argue with me can report to the brig.”
Matheson nodded. “Yes. Sir.”
Galen heard the exchange but he never stepped into the room. He hurried to his ship and left the Excalibur before Gideon thought to close the doors to him.
He contacted Dr. Chambers and told her what had happened.
“What are we going to do?” She sounded both scared and very angry.
“Give the people the cure if they want it. How much longer do you have until you catch it?”
“Not long enough but they’ve not even decided to take it yet.”
“Well, you can cure yourself if need be.”
“Can you contact Dr. Franklin?”
“Yes, I will send a message to Earth. And Dr. Chambers?”
“Yes?”
“Good luck!”
And he was gone, the tiny black ship slipping away in the black sky.
*
Dr. Chambers let Dureena know what was happening.
“Did you know about this box?” the doctor asked.
“I may have seen it once or twice.”
“Do you know what it is?” Sarah knew that the captain acted a bit odd now and again but not having known him long, she didn’t know if he was behaving differently than his usual self.
“I asked some old friends from my thieving days and one or two of them could identify it. They called it a Doomsday Box or an Apocalypse Box.”
“What is it?”
“That they didn’t know but death and destruction follow it.”
“Where did he get it?”
“A card game. Where else?” Dureena shrugged. He couldn’t beat her at cards but she cheated. He did too but she’d not quite figured out how yet.
“Anyway, we’re on our own, either way. If our immunization runs out, we’ll be infected as well.”
“Then we’d better pray the cure really is a cure, hadn’t we?”
“I’ve been doing that all along,” Sarah said.
*
Galen contacted Franklin and left him a message with the barest of details. No need to alarm the government of Earth yet. They had a tendency to make rash and stupid decisions now and again.
He did contact John Sheridan on Minbar, sending as many details as possible. Sheridan could be a hothead but he would do what was right in the end.
He chased Gideon back to the world Bester handed to them, still wondering how the telepath had found it. He’d put nothing past Bester. The little telepath might have even worked with the shadowy government group that had built the base.
The base itself certainly did remind him of the one at Z’ha’dum. He shivered at the thought of that place with all its poor victims, people who were used solely to grow the tech he carried in and on his body. Or the poor creatures like Morden or Anna Sheridan, who’d had their own personalities stripped away and replaced with insane devotees of the Shadows and their doctrine of Chaos, like his own people had begun.
He knew that he must destroy the Box. What Gideon and his Box had come back for, he did not know yet.
~~~
Chapter Eighteen – The Players Move into Place
General Thompson was in his office on Ceti Gamma 2 when a message came in to him. Thompson was the same man who’d ordered Black’s people to be infected with the plague.
“What the hell do you mean? That Matthew Gideon is being a pain in the ass again?”
The person on the line said something brief.
“Well, shoot the damn thing down. He nor anyone else has any business near that base. Protect the base and make sure no one is left to talk about it.”
He rung off and sat behind his desk, fuming. Didn’t these damned fools know that he did what he did for the good of everyone on Earth?
At Thompson’s order, several destroyers were deployed to S Base, as the secret Shadow base was referred to, their mission was to intercept and destroy the Excalibur.
*
A message came into John Sheridan’s office on Minbar. He just happened to be there to take it. It was normally a time that he would be having dinner with Delenn and getting ready to help put little David to bed. Something had made him hesitate to leave, made him hang around a little longer.
“You have one call waiting, ” his comm system told him.
“Put it through.”
“The Excalibur has found a secret base that was apparently used to make Shadow hybrid ships. General Thompson on Ceti Gamma 2 has dispatched a fleet to intercept them and destroy them.” The caller was using a device to change his voice but Sheridan was sure he knew whoever it was or why else use the disguise?
He called Delenn and asked her to come out to his office as well. She said she’d put David to bed and be there as soon as possible.
“What is it?” Delenn said as she rushed into the room. John filled her in.
“What should we do?” John asked her.
“We can send the Whitestars.”
“The caller didn’t tell me where the base is.”
His computer spoke again. “Incoming coordinates from last caller.”
“Can you tell me where the last call originated from?” Sheridan asked.
“That information is not available.”
He looked at the coordinates on a star map when he got them downloaded.
“Galen, the Technomage on the Excalibur sent a message earlier as well. I wasn’t sure what to make of it but it seems Matthew Gideon is on some wild chase back to this station.”
“We can send the Whitestars now.”
“I think we will wait for a bit to go ourselves but a fleet of ships ought to get someone’s attention, either Gideon or Thompson,” he told her.
So the Whitestars were dispatched.
*
On Mars, Michael Garibaldi removed the voice changer from his communication device. All this and that damned Bester had slipped through his hands again. He’d get the little bastard if it took all his life to do so.
Right now he was late for dinner with Lise and that simply would not do.
*
The Excalibur was heading as fast as they could travel to the S Base. Galen was still trailing behind them. He had not heard back from Sheridan but was sure that the president of the ISA would act to stop the destruction of the Excalibur, if nothing else. Galen believed that the Shadow base needed to go as much as his crazed captain but had no desire to see Gideon or any of his crew die simply because of that infernal Box.
*
Space travel is fast but not instantaneous and all the ships were a matter of days out. The situation on Theta 49 was critical. Dureena and Sarah would soon be exposed to the Drakh Plague as their barrier would wear off at the 48 hour mark.
It was also time for the villagers to decide which path they’d choose: to take the cure or to live as they had been until the virus killed them.
Dureena was on pins and needles. She wanted these people to choose life! She wanted to be with them, to be among her own once again.
Kareela gathered them all at dawn and they voted by placing a white stone for yes and a black one for no into a large clay container. Children over the age of six were allowed to vote as well as all the adults. The voting was a quick and solemn process as each person picked a stone and dropped it into the jar.
Dureena had tried to count them for awhile but it was simply too hard as there were lines on either side of the jar. She sat back and watched until the lines were finally ending.
Kareela approached her. “You must come and cast your vote as well, my child.”
“I’m not a member of your village though.”
“You are a member of our race and we consider you one of our own.”
Dureena approached the jar and chose a white stone. She dropped it into the jar and peeped in while she did. There were many white stones but a fair number of black ones as well.
“Now, I would ask Robert Black to cast the vote for his people and ask that Dr. Chambers count the stones and inform us of our decision.”
After Robert Black voted, Sarah rose to her feet, bowed to the headwoman and began the task of counting. She sat down and began to count, first the black ones then the white.
A young girl brought them tea and bowed as she set the cups on the table.
It took about half an hour to sort the stones then count them but when she was done, Sarah recounted quickly then nodded to Dureena and Kareela.
“What did we choose, Dr. Chambers?” Kareela asked.
“There were twice as many white stones as black so your people have chosen the cure. Congratulations.”
Cheering rose even among those who’d voted no. Sarah had brought all the vaccine to the planet on their ship. Black’s people helped unload it and they set up a small clinic in Black’s settlement to make sure that all got the cure. Robert Black and Kareela were the first to receive it.
Everyone else followed. They were careful to count and make sure all were given the nanites then Sarah gave a shot to Dureena and the medical officer from Black’s crew gave Dr. Chambers her shot.
Then they celebrated life.
~~~
Chapter 19 – Fire in the Mountain
The Excalibur arrived at S base first. Gideon took his Box and headed down to the moon all by himself. No one tried to stop him. Galen came onboard the ship as soon as Matthew was away.
“I have let Sheridan know what happened. Is everyone all right?”
“We’re fine but I think we are in over our heads here.” Matheson answered.
“I’ll go down to the moon. Keep in touch if you can.”
Galen flew down to the planet and landed right beside Gideon’s shuttle. He got out and saw Gideon heading for the bunker.
“Matthew! What are you doing here?”
“Doing what we should have done when we were here before.”
“Is that your mission? Do you realize you left Dureena and Dr. Chambers to catch the plague on Theta 49? You could be court marshaled for this.”
“I don’t care about that. I’m doing what—”
“What the Apocalypse Box told you to do?”
“How do you know about that?”
“I heard you talk to it. I’m a Technomage; very little gets by me.”
“Just what is a Technomage?”
“I am an agent of Chaos. One who has repented his sins and seeks atonement.”
“Then your finding me wasn’t an accident?”
Galen had answered the question before and didn’t plan on a detailed answer now any more than he had given one then.
“Yes and no. We were leaving so we could not be used for evil and because we did not want to be involved in your wars. I saw you and couldn’t let you die.”
They heard ships far up above them.
“It would seem we have company.”
*
The captain of the Whitestar Flagship hailed the Excalibur. “We have come to offer assistance.”
Matheson reported to him. “Our captain is on the moon but no one else is—”
Several Destroyers came in through jump points all around the planet and they began to fire on the Excalibur. The Whitestars went after them, lighting the sky around the moon.
Down on the moon, Galen and Gideon watched the white burst of fire from the ships and heard the sound of their mighty weapons.
The Whitestars made rather short work of General Thompson’s fleet though they disabled rather destroyed the ships. Boarding parties took each ship into custody and contacted Sheridan back on Minbar for further orders.
Gideon turned his attention back to the hangar and he headed toward the opening. Galen followed.
“Leave this place, Galen. You don’t need to get involved now.”
“I have been involved since I picked a certain Ensign out of the sky.”
They went down into the bunker. Gideon began to pull small explosives out of his pockets. They were quite powerful despite their size.
“Why are you doing this?”
“The Box. It says I should finish here. I should have died with the crew of the Cerberus all those years ago and now I plan to join them.”
“The Box just wants you to die. It kills – that’s what it does. It feeds off of death and destruction. It wanted you to doom Dureena and Sarah. It wants you to die so some poor fool can find it in these ruins and give it a new home and more death to wallow in.”
“How do you know?”
“That’s what it does. On your Earth, Genghis Khan had one, so did Hitler. It was reluctant to leave men like that but space offers even more opportunities for death on a massive scale. The Shadows were not the only enemies out there.”
“Blowing up this place is a good thing.”
“Maybe so but your dying isn’t a good thing.”
“I’ve been living on borrowed time all along,” Gideon said as he headed into the mountain base. Galen rushed him and took the Box. He ran into the hangar and closed the door, barring it to Gideon.
“Go back to the ship,” he shouted through the thick doors.
Gideon felt lightheaded and something else. Free. The Box was no longer his. He ran to his shuttle and lifted off in it, heading back to his ship. He had some explaining to do.
*
The Box talked to Galen, telling him that he was doomed and that it alone could save him. It told him that everyone was against him and he only had the Box left to depend on.
Its spell didn’t work on Galen as he took it into the large hangar with the hybrid Shadow ship. Galen placed the Box beneath the ship then he walked to the front of the ship itself and put his hands on it.
He could feel life humming in the organic metal. His own tech crackled in answer to it but that was not his purpose. He was going to do to this base what he and the Whitestar explosion had done to Z’ha’dum.
He began to conjure the destruction spell, drawing his power into a shape that he could send to the Box, to the ship. He knew that he could make the explosion big enough to take down the mountain and maybe even the moon itself. The size of his spell was almost limitless.
He relaxed and let his power grow; he thought of Isabelle and his love for her. He thought of his parents, Elric… all the ones who had gone before. He thought of Matthew Gideon, the soul survivor who’d felt horrible guilt every day of his life because he had not died with his shipmates.
The floor began to tremble as his tech sought and found power sources, explosives, anything he could use to fuel his fire, his revenge. The air began to crackle with lightning inside the building. He pulled in more power, more, more until he thought he would combust too.
He could feel the ship begin to break apart, felt the metal scream with rage, pain as he moved out of its way, moved toward the doors. He saw the Box blow apart as he opened the door and hurried out into the open, running for his little ship, which was waiting and ready to lift as soon as he was aboard.
As he rose into the sky, the whole mountain shook and then the top of it opened and fire exploded out of it, collapsing it onto itself in a great ball of flames.
He flew up to the Excalibur and did not look back.
~~~
Epilogue
The Drakh Plague was cured. By the time the Excalibur came back to Earth, they were a legend already. They were met with parades and interviews and the star treatment. Sarah never took any credit in any of the interviews; she always gave it all to Dr. Franklin.
Sheridan had General Thompson drummed out of the service and arrested for smuggling, black marketing and most importantly, treason, which sent him to a penal colony in Botany Bay, Australia. He would spend the rest of his life there.
*
Sarah had arrived with Gideon at Babylon 5 just hours ago. He’d disappeared with Captain Lochley. Sarah thought it was funny that they both were sure no one knew about their ‘friendship’.
She wandered through the restaurants in the Zocalo.
“Sarah?”
She turned to see the smiling face of Stephen Franklin. She started to shake his hand but found herself hugging him instead.
“I’m so glad we could finally meet this way. I’m ready for that spoo! Are you?” He was all smiles and he looked so good to her.
She nodded and let him lead her to the little restaurant she remembered from another trip to Babylon 5 a few years before.
In the years to come, seldom did one see one without the other as they traveled the galaxy together.
*
Max Eilerson was back home on Mars. He visited Cynthia and Mr. Kitty first thing. Cynthia had been glad to see him, so glad in fact that she asked him to move back home. He was considering it.
He had tendered his resignation to IPX and decided to go to work as an archaeologist for Mars University. The position was very prestigious and the pay was adequate as well.
“So you’re not rich anymore?” Cynthia asked him when he told her.
“Oh, yes, I’m still quite wealthy. We won’t have to worry about cat food for a few years.” He smiled his most annoying smile and pulled her into his arms.
*
Dureena Nafeel had a bit of a hard time getting used to furniture that was so high. She liked it all near to the ground but since she moved into Robert Black’s small house, everything was tall to accommodate his size.
She was surprised when Black came in with a new table for their house, one with short legs and cushions to sit on.
“What’s all this?”
Black grinned at her. “I can sit on the floor as well as the next guy. If it makes you happy, then I am happy too. Don’t think I’ll give up my big feather bed though.”
Dureena moved closer to him, close enough to rub against him. “I wouldn’t dream of giving up your bed either.”
He lifted her into his arms and carried her to his big feather bed, where he showed her how much he liked both the bed and her.
*
The ISA Explorer class ship Beagle was not nearly as grand or as big as the Excalibur but John Matheson didn’t care one bit. He was the Captain, the first telepath Captain of a ship and he’d been given the promotion and commission by President Sheridan himself.
“Set a course for Deep Space Beacon 7,” he commanded his first officer.
“Aye, Captain,” the female telepath answered as she did just that.
“I’ll be in my office if you need me, Fiona.”
*
“So are you going to join the rest in hiding?” Alwyn asked Galen as they drank beer in some out of the way pub on some out of the way planet somewhere near Narn.
“No. I think I shall wander about for awhile. I’d like to see some more of the sites of this universe while I can.”
“Would you like a rowdy old companion then?”
“Only if he promises to create those lovely little demons if we’re pestered by anyone.”
“I think he’d agree to that.”
“Well, let’s be off then, shall we?”
And they took off to parts unknown though there were rumors of a pair of meddling wizards far and wide for many years to come.
*
Matthew Gideon had bought himself a car. It was a few hundred years old and it had been converted from its ancient internal combustion engine to a modern efficient one but it still looked and even sounded like a 1966 Ford Mustang, a Shelby Mustang at that. He’d paid as much as he made in a year in EarthForce for it but money wasn’t a problem anymore.
Not since they’d returned to Earth with the cure. Everybody wanted to give him things, buy him things and he’d resisted for awhile, sure that he’d never let fame change him but finally he’d given in.
He’d granted several interviews, smiled and shook lots of hands as ‘this week’s hero’ then he’d bought his car and set out to disappear into the American continent and find Matthew Gideon again, whoever Matthew Gideon turned out to be.
For the first time in many years, he was looking forward it.
The End