The Pelethim - Part Two By Chinhook6 Hanett awoke back in sickbay, her head pounding. Ebedd sat next to her bed, watching her. His face brightened into a smile when he saw her stirring. "You've lost too much blood to keep on trying to attack people like that." His voice was gently teasing. Hanett knew better than to try to sit up, but she put all the anger in her voice that she could muster. "If I've been taken prisoner, it's my duty to escape. You might as well put me in a fighter and let me go back to the Sherati." "We can't. This White Star has no fighters. It's one of the prototype models." The pilot turned her head to look at the Ranger. "Ebedd, you do realize that when Alyt Melek catches up to this ship, he'll destroy it. He'll disassemble it piece by piece if that's what it takes to get me back." Ebedd grinned. "He'll have to catch us first." Hanett smiled and shut her eyes. She couldn't help but like him. In any normal situation, it would be inconceivable that she would even be carrying on a conversation with a worker, much less enjoying it. When she woke up again, she smelled soup. Ebedd was finishing off the bowl, sopping up the last of the soup with a piece of bread. He stopped when he noticed she was awake. "It was getting cold, so I decided to take care of it. You looked like you could use the sleep, anyway." At the look on Hanett's face, he decided to confess. "Actually, I had them bring in dinner for both of us. I got hungry and ate mine first." She glared at him half-heartedly, then carefully sat up so she could eat. The soup was excellent, and improved her mood dramatically. "And just why am I being held prisoner, again? You don't need me for the information. You can take the coordinates from my onboard computer. For that matter, if you know the Shadows are going to attack one of your secret facilities, why don't you just evacuate all of them?" Ebedd shook his head grimly. "It's not that easy, Hanett. We don't have the capability to evacuate them all. And if we did, it would basically bring production to a halt. But even so -- we can't afford to evacuate them all because it would tip off the Shadows that we know of their plans. That would compromise our source." Hanett watched as the Ranger pulled his knife from his belt and began to cut and peel a piece of fruit. He handed her half, then continued, earnestly: "Don't you see, Hanett? We're taking these scientists off the site just before the Shadows show up to destroy it. If we do this right, they'll never know they hit an empty target." The pilot looked intently at the worker. He wasn't like any other worker she had ever met -- he seemed more like a warrior in many respects. He was more relaxed than most warriors, true, but there were advantages to that. She set her bowl back down on the tray and began to eat the proffered fruit. "What happened to your hand, Ebedd?" "There was an accident, and my brother fell into a piece of farming equipment. I pulled him out." He spoke quietly, but matter-of-factly. He flexed his damaged hand as if to reassure her. "Everything still works." "Your brother?" "He is fine now. He's still on the farm, helping my father." Hanett cocked her head, curious. "Why were the surgeons unable to repair your hand? It seems like a simple enough procedure." Ebedd smiled, and said softly, "I chose to keep the scars. They remind me that doing the right thing sometimes involves sacrifice." Silently, she regarded him. Finally, she spoke. "You still haven't answered my question. Why am I being held here?" "As Entil'Zha Sinclair said: we need the Sherati in order to evacuate the scientists." He shrugged. "You've seen most of the White Star already -- there's not much room available." "And you need me so the Sherati will follow..." Her patience snapped. She growled, "I'm not a prisoner -- I'm a *hostage*!" Her hands clenched helplessly into fists at her side. Ebedd winced at the harshness of her tone. "Hanett, please help us. The Shadows are moving. In order for us to meet and destroy them, we must complete our fleet. These scientists and engineers are producing improved hybrid Vorlon-Minbari weaponry and propulsion systems the new ships will need." He touched one of her bandages, then pulled back his hand at her reaction. "You've seen their power, Hanett. You've got to help us stop them. We've got to get those people out of that facility without the Shadows knowing." She gave a cynical sigh and relaxed her fists. "So you want me to convince Alyt Melek that helping Sinclair is the right thing to do, knowing full well that it will likely end his career if the Shai Alyt of the Warrior Caste finds out about it. Just go renegade -- is that it?" She laughed at him. The Ranger looked away for a moment. "No, actually that's only part of it. We also need you to give us the coordinates. Your fighter's computer was destroyed, and there's no way for us to retrieve the data." Hanett thought for a while, then met his gaze. His familiar smile was gone, replaced by a rare graveness. Her voice softened slightly. "Well, at least it's good to know I'm not a hostage, then. I'm back to prisoner status if I have information you need." She smiled and reached out tentatively toward Ebedd, lightly catching his fingers in her hand. "I'm getting tired now, and think I'll get some sleep. Thank you, Ebedd. You've been very kind to me." Surprised, Ebedd allowed her to draw him close. He really hadn't intended to kiss her, but somehow he was holding her, and then somehow their lips met. Gently, he disentangled himself, stammering his goodnight, then quietly collected the tray and turned off the light. When he got to the door, he turned back to look at her, but she was already asleep. Once she was sure he was gone, Hanett opened her eyes and glanced down at Ebedd's knife. He'd never even noticed when she took it. Workers were never meant to be Anla'shok -- they were too trusting. She considered her options. If the onboard computer were down, her fighter would be inoperable. And, given the size of the White Star, she tended to believe Ebedd's assertion that there were no other fighters available to steal. That meant she couldn't slip off the ship to rejoin the Sherati -- she'd have to slow the White Star down enough to allow Alyt Melek to pick her up. She refused to allow this Human to dictate to her Alyt -- and she refused to be the cause of Melek's dismissal. Shai Alyt Shakiri had made it very clear to the entire caste that no warrior would have dealings with Sinclair and the Rangers. To disobey him was to risk being declared outcaste. Sinclair's only hold on Melek was Hanett. Once Hanett was back on the Sherati, Alyt Melek would be free to discuss the evacuation without having a hostage situation to think about. Who knows, maybe he could divert a passenger ship to go help out with the evacuation. She would give Sinclair the coded information she had memorized from the data crystal in exchange for her release from the ship. And if he refused -- she was prepared for more extreme measures. She tested the blade, and found it sharp enough. The medication was making it hard for her to concentrate. She had to move quickly, before someone came in to give her another dose. The human Ranger at her door was easily distracted. Hanett dragged his unconscious body into her room and slipped out of sickbay undetected. She made her way down the hallway to the bridge, pausing once to catch her breath and stop her head from spinning. So far, things were going smoothly. Hanett kept the knife hidden as she walked onto the bridge, hoping her smile wouldn't look forced. At her entrance, all of the Rangers snapped their heads around in surprise and suspicion. Carefully circumnavigating Krieger, Hanett made her way over to a religious caste Ranger. "I have considered the situation, and have decided it is in our mutual best interests to cooperate." The tension on the bridge relaxed noticeably, and Ebedd's warm eyes met hers from across the bridge. She felt a twinge of guilt. He honestly didn't have a clue. Sinclair rose, smiling. "Good. I'm glad to hear that, Hanett. Your cooperation could end up saving millions of lives." It was a nice smile, Hanett decided. She blanched. The medication must be affecting her worse than she thought. She steadied herself against the console. "Please come here. I will give the information only to you." Against Krieger's muttered protest, Sinclair joined Hanett at the console. She took his arm as if for support, drawing him close, then placed the knifepoint between his ribs. Wisely, Sinclair didn't make a sound. He continued to smile, looking down at the warrior's face. As neutrally as he could, he said, "I'm ready." Hanett opened her mouth to make her demand, but was interrupted by Alyt Melek's voice hailing the White Star. The viewscreen came up immediately. "Sinclair, I have no time to continue this chase. It appears we're being followed. We've picked up readings on our long-range scanners that match the strange readings at the other site. I'm going in after them." Melek cut the transmission before Sinclair had the chance to respond. Ignoring Hanett and the knife she held at his ribs, Sinclair ordered the helm to come about. "Top speed back to the Sherati!" The Ranger at the helm obeyed immediately. Krieger wasn't so malleable. Slamming his fist into the railing, he glared at his commander. "Jeff, we don't have time for this! We've got to get the information off of that data crystal and get to the right facility." He glared venomously at Hanett. There was something wrong about the way she was standing so close to Entil'Zha, but he couldn't quite put a finger on it. Sinclair snapped, "Alyt Melek needs our help as badly as we need his. He has no idea what he's going up against. I can't just leave him to fight the Shadows alone. Besides," he continued in a calmer voice. "Even if we knew which site to go to, we couldn't evacuate it without the warcruiser. We're stuck, Ernst." He looked back down at Hanett. His voice held an edge to it, challenging her. "You were interrupted. What were you going to say?" She looked at Krieger's eyes for a moment, then at Sinclair's. Then, she turned to look at one of the Minbari Rangers. She was hallucinating, she decided. Sinclair not only sounded like a Minbari, but had the eyes of one. She withdrew the blade from his ribs and slipped it back under her cloak, then quietly recited the memorized coordinates to Sinclair. He entered the code into the console and called up the key. As the computer began decryption, Sinclair turned to Hanett. "Thank you. You should probably get some rest now." He held out his hand, low enough so that the console blocked it from the view of the other Rangers, then bent over to speak directly into her ear, his words deadly cold. "And if you ever try anything like that again on my ship, I'll pitch you out the airlock myself. Is that clear?" The warrior smiled, then nodded and passed the knife to him. He palmed it and secreted it somewhere under his cloak, then called Ebedd to escort her back to sickbay. As Hanett turned to go, Sinclair stopped her. "You gave me the information we needed to identify the targeted site, but you never asked me to do anything in return." She thought for a moment. "I want to be on the bridge when you engage the Shadows." Suddenly, Krieger called out, "Jeff, Sickbay just called in. They found a Ranger she attacked. His weapons are missing." Sinclair's eyes narrowed, but did not move from Hanett's face. "Is he all right?" "Yes. She knocked him unconscious." Sinclair's eyes bored into the warrior's. "Is he the only one?" She nodded smugly. "I suppose you want his weapons?" Without waiting for his response, Hanett reached into her belt and produced the guard's denn'bok, then retrieved his knife from her boot. "I will not tolerate any more violence on this ship. Do you understand, Hanett?" There was no mistaking the tone of his voice. She did not blink. "I understand. And my request?" "Granted," Sinclair growled. Krieger started to protest, but Sinclair cut him off and pointed to the door. Smirking, the warrior gave a shallow bow, then strode off the bridge with as much panache as she could muster, given the pain. * * * * Alyt Melek had the Sherati's sensors tuned for the strange energy signature that marked the Shadows, tracking his pursuers' moves. He had deployed his scouts immediately upon discovering his tail. It would be at least an hour, maybe more before they made contact. For now, there was nothing to do but monitor the sensors and wait. The wait ended sooner than he expected. Bizarre, distorted shapes flashed on the screen as the vids from the scouts came in, unlike anything Melek had ever seen. He leaned forward, trying to put the pieces together from the seemingly random shapes on the raw footage. Then, in a sudden flare, video went out on cameras one and three. Terror was apparent in the voices of his scouts -- but Melek couldn't make sense of any of it. Their transmissions surged and crackled, then suddenly went dead. Only scout camera two kept transmitting: a slow, looping pan of the debris. A piece of twisted metal floated past, then seemed to snag on something, blocking the camera lens. Moments later, the vid disintegrated into lines of static. Livid, Melek watched the viewscreen slowly go dark. "Download everything the scouts just sent us and put it on a beacon buoy, then launch it, " he growled. He considered the unfortunate impact it might have on his family if he followed proper procedure and sent the coordinates of the buoy to Shai Alyt Shakiri, the leader of the warrior caste. Instead, he sent them to a member of the Grey Council. Neroon was of the Star Rider clan, like himself, and would protect Melek and his crew from Shakiri. At least, Melek hoped he would, because what he was planning to do was beginning to look a lot like mutiny. The crew watched as the beacon glided smoothly away from the Sherati. That tiny sphere contained information the scouts had died to get -- and if the Sherati failed to stop the Shadow ships, the beacon might be the only record Minbar would have of this newfound danger. "Sir, we're picking up enemy vessels now." "Launch the fighters and ready the guns." There were not many things in the known universe that could stand up to a Minbari warcruiser. Those things that destroyed his scouts would not pass with impunity. From the sensor readings, the Shadow vessels should have been right on top of them; yet they were nowhere to be seen. Suddenly, with a blood-curdling scream, the alien ships appeared out of nowhere -- three of them, shimmering like living things. They sliced through the first wave of Minbari fighters before any of them had a chance to react. Melek diverted most of his power to his guns, but couldn't hold off all three of them. The fighters danced close to the enemy, picking away at them, desperately nagging and distracting the Shadows until Sherati's big guns could take a clear shot. It was a war of attrition, though, and with every blow the Sherati struck, the Shadows struck two more. With grim determination, Melek called in continuous fire on the closest vessel, willing it to die if he had to ram it himself. The fighters swarmed the other two ships, holding them off and diverting their fire. Finally, in hideous slow motion, the black ship crumpled like a spider in a flame. But the cost was great -- three more Minbari fighters. The Sherati came about, its shields straining, and prepared for another run. Without warning, a jump point opened, and an unfamiliar ship barreled forth, firing all guns. The Shadow vessels turned to meet their new adversary, both firing at once on the agile little craft. Melek responded with a broadside volley that clipped several spines from one of the Shadow ships. It turned on him, and he could hear it scream in rage -- but that was impossible. The force of the double hit knocked Sinclair from his chair, and reduced the navigation console to a twisted, smoking lump. The Minbari Rangers on either side of the console were dead, and the White Star left rudderless. Up in the bow, the port gunnery cockpit was empty; and the Minbari who had manned it lay motionless on the deck. Quickly, the Vorlon organic technology made self-repairs to the shields, but there wasn't enough left of the burnt console to regenerate. Sinclair looked across the bridge and made a snap decision. "Shift port guns to the starboard cockpit -- and transfer navigational control to the port cockpit." Krieger's voice rang out. "Jeff, those cockpits aren't made for humans!" Another Shadow shot flared toward them. The White Star rocked as the shields shifted, deflecting most of the impact away from the ship. The fighters around them were not having the same luck. "I've got damage reports coming in from all over the ship!" Krieger swept debris from his console to get a clearer reading. "Part of the main corridor has collapsed -- whatever bridge replacements we had are on the other side of the blockage." Someone reached out a hand and pulled Sinclair to his feet. He stood and looked into Hanett's piercing gaze. Forgetting his earlier promise to her, he roared out, "What are you doing on my bridge?" "You invited me. I got separated from my escort when the ceiling caved in." Ebedd was at her side in an instant. "Entil'Zha, she's the best qualified Minbari pilot we've got left on the bridge." "Transfer complete, Entil'Zha." All sets of eyes were on him. "Can you handle it?" It was more of a challenge than a question. Hanett almost laughed. "We shall see." The ship lurched again under another enemy barrage, sending the warrior heavily to her knees. Ebedd tried to help her up, but she shook him off, coughing, and moved forward to the port cockpit on her own. It took her only a few moments to reconfigure the controls to fit her. She lowered the eyeshield and linked in, then promptly spun the White Star in a tight spiral, avoiding an incoming shot, and bringing the ship back up around, ready to fire. Caught between the guns of the White Star and the Sherati, the two Shadow ships began to shimmer. Sinclair was determined not to let them get away. He poured everything he had into his forward guns, keeping a concentrated burst on the closest vessel. Melek did the same with the other, and watched with cold satisfaction as the black ship writhed in apparent agony, firing wild, unaimed shots in all directions. The remaining fighters dodged and rolled, targeting the Shadow spines and hoping to sever something vital. The Shadow screams were deafening -- then suddenly, they were gone. The black, spidery shapes crumbled into dust, leaving no residue large enough to retrieve and analyze. As one, the survivors took a breath. * * * * Alyt Melek's face appeared on the viewscreen. His usual sneer was gone, and a tone of urgency was in his voice as he spoke. "Sinclair, it appears that it is in the best interest of the Minbari Federation for your mission to succeed. Where is Hanett?" Sinclair extended his hand and the viewscreen broadened to show Hanett manning the makeshift navigation cockpit. "My navigator was killed during the battle. Hanett saw the need and filled it. She's an excellent pilot, Melek. We wouldn't have made it without her." Melek merely looked smug. "Hanett, give the coordinates from the data crystal to Sinclair." The Alyt returned his gaze to the human. "Once you decrypt it, send us the location. We will accompany you." He showed a faint but genuine smile. "You fought beside us. That showed honor." Without missing a beat, he continued. "Do you have another navigator?" Sinclair smiled and shook his head. A trace of embarrassment slipped into his voice. "Unfortunately, no. We've taken some heavy damage. I don't have enough Minbari on the bridge at the moment and we haven't yet developed the technology to allow human Rangers to interface with the cockpit controls. Can you spare her until end of mission?" The warrior commander grunted, then curtly nodded his assent. "It looks like we have no choice, do we?" Sinclair chose that moment to look dramatically over to his left, as if a Ranger were talking to him out of viewing range. No sense in letting Melek know that Hanett had given the information already. He nodded firmly, then turned back to face Melek. "We have decrypted the coordinates, Alyt Melek. The targeted site is on the southern edge of the largest land mass on Gravix IV." Melek nodded. " I am familiar with the planet. We will follow you there." He smirked. "And perhaps those scientists and engineers we'll be bringing onboard can tweak our engines to keep up with yours." The race was on.