The Shadows, three Jedi, Two Minbari Warrior Caste, and a Wormhole - Part 5

By Sunraven



Obi-Wan tried to swallow his excitement when he saw the craft they were going to be riding in.  It was magnificent with its curving lines and a metal casing that shined in the dim light of the launching bay.  Not to mention that it was bristling with weaponry, too.  They walked on board, and seated themselves in the pilot and copilot seats.

Neroon glanced at the young man, suppressing a smile at his obvious excitement.  How long has it been since I felt that way before a tricky battle?  He asked himself.  Since before I was the killer of fifty thousand of your people, the thought continued.  Then he said, "You will not have much time to learn those firing controls, Jedi Obi-Wan.  I suggest you start studying them now.  Even a second hesitation could ruin the shot."

Obi-Wan studied the panel.  "This is the energy weapon control, isn't it?"  And he pointed at a pinkish crystalline device.

"Yes.  Press it down once briefly, then again press steadily, and it will fire continuously.  Press it down quickly twice, then steady, and it will fire intermittently."

The Ingata hailed them.  "Alyt Neroon, Sorat is with her team, and requests that you launch."

"Pressurize the bay doors, Chakur.  We are ready."  Skillfully he pulled the ship out into the frozen vacuum.

"Alyt Neroon, this is the torpedo launch, isn't it?"

"Yes.  This ship fires twenty implosion torpedoes a minute if you press it once briefly.  Press it steadily for a continuous barrage.  It has an arsenal of three hundred."

"Okay, then, this is what I'll need."  He nodded in satisfaction, then sat back and tightened his safety straps a little more in preparation for the rough ride they might be in for.

"Neroon to Ingata.  Shi-Alyt?  We are approaching Sorat's fleet, and from there will proceed to the target."  The Minbari looked down at the velocimeter.  "We will arrive within skin dancing distance in approximately eight minutes."

"Very good, Neroon.  Valen's luck be with you, son."

"You also, sir."

They were on their way.  Sorat's fleet of fighters took a wedge point around the slower ship, and they made their approach run.



On the Ingata, the Shi-Alyt was watching his two guests surreptitiously.  They had moved out of the way of everyone and had settled themselves on the deck with their backs to the bulkhead.  Then they appeared to go into a meditative state.  Soon Branmer felt an increase of the power he had originally sensed in Yoda, and looked closer.  The two Jedi were almost glowing with power.  Suddenly the Shi-Alyt was overwhelmed with a strong emotion, and he looked inside himself to find the origin of it.  It was envy.  He wanted to feel the Force that Master Yoda spoke so reverently about!  He smiled a self-mocking smile and turned back to the viewscreen.  Neroon was almost close enough to skin dance, yet the fighter team was taking heavy fire.  They'd lost two of the Razak ships, and one was proceeding though badly damaged.


Neroon had the heavy shields of the vessel on maximum power but when they reached skin dancing distance, he would be forced to shut them off.  If they were left on and he came into physical contact with the enemy ship, the backlash of the energy would destroy them.

"It is so evil!"  The Human said as he stared at the ship with distaste.  "It even feels evil."

"Perhaps we seem evil to its pilot as well."

Sorat's voice came on-line.  "Alyt Neroon, we'll be waiting for your return.  Valen be with you."

"With you also, Sorat.  Thank you."

Then he turned the ship into a steep dive, which brought the oily black surface of the enemy surging up to meet them.  At the last minute before impact, Neroon yanked the steering in the direction of the weak zone and skimmed along the surface of the ship almost close enough to touch.  The ship, realizing its danger, shot a red energy beam at them.  The smaller vessel shook as one of the beams almost grazed it, but it managed to remain mobile.  Every time a beam shot, Neroon was already somewhere else as he soared away from the ship again.

This went on for several more minutes until Neroon said to Obi-Wan in a calm voice,  "We are approaching the target, Padawan Obi-Wan.  Turn on your targeting computer."

The Human complied and he watched the target approach.  Neroon avoided two more shots, and the ship reached a point where it was within firing range of the weak zone.  Neroon saw out of the corner of his eye that the targeting computer was shutting down.

"What are you doing, fool!  Get that computer back up.  You can't possibly hit the target by sight!"

"Trust in me, Alyt Neroon, and in the Force."  Murmured the Jedi distantly.  

They were over the target, and the torpedoes were away!  Neroon pulled the ship up, its joints and rivets creaking in complaint of the too-quick move.  Then he turned it away and flew at top speed from the black ship. As the assault ship was heading away, both occupants were momentarily deafened by a rippling scream that tore through their minds like hurricane-force winds.

"What in the Force was that?"  Obi-Wan asked, tentatively removing his hands from covering his ears once the sound stopped.

"I do not know.  It felt as though the ship was screaming."

"Alyt Neroon!  You did it!  The ship has stopped moving, and firing as well!"  Sorat shouted over the link.

"Then do not just hover there doing a celebration run, Sorat.  Let's take it out!"  With a feral grin, he swung the ship around, moved to minimum firing distance, and said, "Fire, Obi-Wan!"

Before he finished the two words, he had to cover his eyes as the evil ship blew into a billion particles.  Obi-Wan had already fired the full arsenal of torpedoes!  All of the enemy fighters that came from that ship suddenly stopped, quivering, dead in space.

Reluctantly Neroon took the ship back to the Ingata.  Both he and Obi-Wan watched enviously as the quicker fighters took out the other black ship.  The ship just sat there, it's odd legs quivering.  Needless to say, it was quickly cut to pieces by their lethal beams.


Later, Neroon was down in the repair bay checking on the progress of the damage control parties.  

"There.  There's Alyt Neroon.  Ask him, and you'll see I'm correct!"  One of the damage control Warrior Caste supervisors, Sront of the Ice Daggers clan, was speaking to Daggel, one of the supervising Worker Caste mechs.

"Is there a problem, Sront, Daggel?"

Sront replied hastily, "No problem, Alyt Neroon.  I ordered this mech and his crew off of the Human's ship repairs to work on our auxiliary environmental units.  They were damaged during the attack.  He is arguing that he wants to finish the outworlder's ship before he starts on the units."

"And he is correct, Sront.  Those outworlders helped save our ship and our lives, and it was the Shi-Alyt who put repairing their ship on the highest priority list.  Do you presume to question our Shi-Alyt?"

Sront stood at attention.  "No, of course not, sir.  My apologies for my bad judgement."

Neroon nodded at him.  "Wishing to repair our ship first is not bad judgement, Sront.  And you both came to a superior officer to make a decision, which was wise.  You did well, both of you."  Then he turned and walked away from two very proud men.

He stopped when he saw Qui-Gon motioning to him.  When the Jedi joined him, he said, "I truly regret that we weren't able to complete our light saber match, Jedi Qui-Gon.  It would have been quite challenging.  However, duty must come first.  By the way, the repairs on your ship are almost completed.  I would say you will be able to return to your own space in about an hour."

"Thank you from all of us for continuing the repairs on it while you had your own ship repairs to do.  I, too, regret that we didn't have a chance to spar."  The tall Jedi looked down and noticed that Neroon still had Obi-Wan's light saber on his belt!  The Padawan must have been too caught up in the aftermath of the battle to notice.

"I see you still have my Padawan's light saber.  I will be happy to return it to him for you."

Neroon looked down at the weapon.  "I didn't even notice it there.  I fits me well, I think."  He smiled, and unhooked it, handing it to Qui-Gon.

Suddenly Qui-Gon's blue eyes glittered.  "I have an idea.  Perhaps we can still have a quick match, Alyt, in this storage room over here.  There seems to be enough room."

Neroon's brown eyes flared up, and he smiled.  "I suppose I could take the few minutes it would take to beat you, Master Qui-Gon."

Qui-Gon smiled.  "Remember, Alyt, this is a Jedi weapon we're fighting with now."

They both looked around furtively, then slipped into the storeroom and closed the door.  Qui-Gon took out his light saber and activated it.  Neroon did the same with Obi-Wan's, the brilliant yellow blade throwing light for many feet around them.

As usual, Neroon took the first move.  He swung the saber up from near the ground, aiming at the Jedi's feet.  Qui-Gon somersaulted over the Minbari and came down swinging.  He swung in a forward arc which Neroon barely stopped in time, and the two blades zzzzzzzed in protest as the contact was prolonged a bit.  Then Neroon swung back and around, his powerful Minbari muscles causing the blade to move very fast.  But Qui-Gon's blade was there to meet it, and he countered by half-swinging it around the warrior's back.

To avoid that, Neroon jumped back into a backwards somersault and came up with his blade up and ready.  He was breathing heavily, and his lips were pulled back over his teeth so that he looked quite fierce.  But Qui-Gon just smiled at him, and came in again, this time with a forward left half-swing into a right half-swing, then pivoted and moved into a full ground swing which would have cut Neroon in two if the Jedi had let it connect.  But he stopped it two inches before it touched Neroon's armor.

Neroon said, "Match!  You would have killed me with that combination of swings, my friend.  It's glad, I am, that you are as skilled as you are."  He looked at his light saber, longingly.  "These certainly aren't pretty toys."

"No.  They are the weapon of a Jedi Knight."  He smiled and held out his hand.  Neroon reluctantly surrendered Obi-Wan's light saber.

"I should probably be continuing my duties.  Thank you for honoring me with that, Master Qui-Gon."  He said Qui-Gon's name with an emphasis on the Master.

"You're quite welcome, Alyt."



The Jedis' ship was ready, and they all three stood in front of the hatchway saying goodbye to their new friends.

Neroon looked down at Obi-Wan, who had briefly been his comrade in arms.  "I am honored to have met you, young Obi-Wan.  You will be a great warrior when you get a little more experience."

"Thank you, Alyt.  You honor me."  He bowed to the Minbari.

Neroon then turned to Qui-Gon and clasped his arm in Star Riders fashion.  "This has been quite interesting, Master Qui-Gon.  I wish your visit could be prolonged.  I would like you to teach me that three strike move you used on me."

"Keep practicing, Alyt, and you'll learn it yourself."  Here, I'd like you to keep this as a reminder of our visit, and of our sparring matches."  Then Qui-Gon handed Neroon his light saber!

Surprise covered the warrior's face.  "But, I can't take this from you.  It is too valuable a gift.  And what will you do for a weapon?"

The Human smiled.  "I made it once.  It won't be hard to make another one.  And it won't go to waste, I don't think.  You would have been a Jedi Knight if you'd been born in our galaxy, Neroon.  Never forget the Force is in you, now and forever."

Neroon's eyes brightened.  "And you, Qui-Gon, you would have been born a Star Rider!  May the Force be with you, along with Valen's luck."

"You, also, my friend."

Finally Neroon kneeled to Master Yoda.  "Master Yoda, thank you for sharing your knowledge and your gifts with us.  We will be the richer for it."

"Richer will we all be, Alyt Neroon.  Remember.  Feel, don't think, when you want to channel the Force.  Be silent, listen to it speaking to you, and never use it to make the first attack!  For that way lies the Dark Side!"

"I will, Master Yoda.  Thank you."

The Shi-Alyt stooped to say goodbye to Master Yoda as well.  "Yoda, you have shared a great deal of your wisdom in the short time you stayed with us.  I am grateful.  Thank you."

"What good is almost nine hundred years, if wisdom accumulated is not shared with all, Shi-Alyt Branmer?  My pleasure, it was.  Fight the Dark side wherever you see it, Branmer.  To do less is to walk the dark path just as well.  Dwell not on what was done in madness, but on what can be done in the Light.  Good bye." 

And the tiny ship took off into the great good night, soon becoming one more speck of light in hyperspace.



The End, and remember, the Force will be with you, always!  (sorry, couldn't resist!)