From tag@astral.magic.caSun Mar 17 21:11:58 1996 Date: Fri, 15 Mar 1996 17:49:31 -0500 From: "Trudy A. Goold" Reply to: b5-creative@blob.best.net To: b5-creative@blob.best.net Subject: "To Kill a Spider" Part 0 Well, here it is at last. "To Kill a Spider" is the sequel to "Reminiscence". It takes place at the time of "Hunter, Prey" (or, at least, part of it does). The events of TKaS take place on both Minbar and B5; most parts will contain at least one section in each location. I intend to try my best to post the parts weekly, at least; I give everyone full permission to email me if a part is late (which should help provide me with incentive to get every part out on time ;^>). Dedication: "To Kill a Spider" is dedicated to *everyone* out there who reads it, especially those who take the time to send me comments on it (;^>); and, as always, to the Great Maker, J. Michael Straczynski, without whom this wonderful world would never have existed. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Trudy A. Goold | The Babylon Project was a dream given form... Toronto, Canada | -Commander Sinclair, B5 tag@astral.magic.ca | http://www.magic.ca/~tag/ From tag@astral.magic.caSun Mar 17 21:12:07 1996 Date: Fri, 15 Mar 1996 17:49:35 -0500 From: "Trudy A. Goold" Reply to: b5-creative@blob.best.net To: b5-creative@blob.best.net Subject: "To Kill a Spider" Part 1 [The following text is in the "iso-8859-1" character set] [Your display is set for the "US-ASCII" character set] [Some characters may be displayed incorrectly] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Babylon 5 is copyright © PTN Consortium. No infringement of that copyright is intended by this story. "To Kill a Spider" is copyright © 1996, Trudy A. Goold. This copyright will be surrendered to Babylonian Productions upon request. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "To Kill a Spider" by: Trudy A. Goold Part 1 Jeffrey Sinclair, the Earth Ambassador to Minbar, glared at his desk in frustration. It was *covered* in flimsies and data crystals, half of which he hadn't yet had time to look at. There was no end to it! And he'd thought running Babylon 5 was work... He leaned back in his chair and reached for his cup of tea. It would be easier if he could give some of the paperwork to Avair and have him handle it, but his aide was in the middle of a well-deserved vacation. he thought with a sigh. Then he gave himself a mental shake. He didn't have time to indulge in a fit of self-pity; there were too many other things he had to do. He sat back up, and was reaching for the next set of flimsies when his com beeped. He turned to face the screen. "Yes?" "Ambassador," replied Kozorr, who was screening his calls at the moment, "there is a Gold Channel transmission for you, from Babylon 5." "Who is it?" he asked. "I believe that it is Mr. Garibaldi, Ambassador. Shall I put it through?" "Yes, please, Kozorr," Sinclair replied, wondering as he did so *why* Garibaldi was calling. The screen flickered, and Garibaldi's face replaced Kozorr's. "Hello, Michael," Sinclair said, smiling. "Hi, Jeff," Garibaldi replied. "How've you been?" "Fine," Sinclair said, although underneath his desk, his hand rubbed against his leg for a moment, as a twinge of pain reminded him of the lie. "And what about you? I haven't spoken to you face to face since before I arrived here, so..." "Oh, I'm fine as well," Garibaldi replied. Sinclair leaned back in his chair again. "You didn't use the Gold Channel just to check up and see how I am, Michael. What's wrong?" "Why are you assuming something's wrong?" Garibaldi asked, all innocence. "Because I *know* you," Sinclair replied. "So what's up?" "Okay," Garibaldi said, leaning a bit closer to the screen. "Listen, Jeff, the Narns are really getting pounded by the Centauri, and Captain Sheridan's agreed to give G'Kar all the help he can. The problem is that EarthDome won't let us give them any *official* help--they don't want the EA to get involved at all. So Sheridan and Delenn have come up with a plan to smuggle food and medical shipments to Narn colonies, and smuggle refugees out, using Minbari transports--" "I know," Sinclair replied, glancing for a moment at his desk. One of the data crystals that he *had* had a chance to look at described the plan in its entirety. Garibaldi blinked, and then gave a shrug. "Anyway, I was wondering if you could, well..." Sinclair smiled slightly. "Don't worry, Michael; it's already been taken care of. I don't like what the Centauri are doing any more than you do..." He paused, and studied his friend's face. "What else?" he asked then. "Huh?" Garibaldi said. "What else did you want to talk about?" Garibaldi chuckled, weakly. "There's no hiding things from you, is there, Jeff?" It was Sinclair's turn to shrug. "There *are* a couple of other things I need to tell you, but I'm not sure how much we can talk about right now... And I don't know that it's something that I can just relay through someone..." Sinclair frowned. This was obviously something big, and he had an uncomfortable feeling that he knew what it was about. Considering everything that had happened over the past year and a half... "So what were you thinking of?" "I dunno, Jeff. I mean, it's something that I think you need to know, but I can't think of any way to get it to you..." There was a pause, and then a corner of the screen began to blink. Sinclair glanced at his chrono, and his mouth tightened for a moment. "Listen, Michael, I've got a meeting in a few minutes that I've got to attend. Why not put it on a data crystal, and get it to me through one of our friends? No one else will look at it, I assure you." "It's taking a chance, Jeff... You're the only one who I want to see this, and how can you be sure?" "Believe me, Michael; if you say that it's *only* for me, I will be the only one to see it," Sinclair replied. He glanced at the chrono again. "I'm *really* sorry, Michael, but I've *got* to get going--this meeting is extremely important..." "Okay," Garibaldi said, his tone reluctant. "I'll see what I can come up with. Take care of yourself, Jeff." "Don't worry, I will," Sinclair replied, hiding a grimace as he thought of Kozorr's 'precautions'. "I hope to talk to you again soon." Garibaldi nodded, and the screen turned off. Sinclair turned back to his desk, grabbed one of the piles of flimsies--the plans for Zagros 7--and got up and headed to the door. Drozac was waiting for him, and he didn't want to be too late. * Tony Santelli sat down at a small table and let his eyes flicker over the crowd in the Zocalo. It was busier than usual today, though not by much--the Zocalo was *always* busy. And he looked around, he spotted a pair of Markab traders; a Narn couple, staying as far away as they could from the noisy group of Centauri at a bar down the way; a Minbari warrior, of the Fire Wings clan; and seated just a few feet away, drinking a gin and tonic, was his quarry. The man had led him on quite a long chase, but he'd finally located him, and now was the time to end it. As his quarry turned to order another drink, Tony stood up and walked over to the other's table, taking a seat. The man turned back, and stared at Tony for a moment, surprised. "Wh-- Tony?" he blurted. "Hi Rich," Tony said, grinning. "Long time." "No kidding!" Richard Banks said, shaking his head. "It's been what, ten years?" "Something like that," Tony replied. "Took me a minute to recognize you in that getup," Richard continued, jerking his chin at Tony's business suit. Tony shrugged and continued to unobstrusively scan the Zocalo. "So, what've you been up to?" "Nothing much," Tony answered; not the whole truth--but then, the whole truth was dangerous. "Been doing some mining, a bit of trading; the odd job sort of thing. What about you?" Richard grinned. "Lots," he replied. "I've also been doing some trading--mainly with some of the Non-Aligned worlds. It's a good market; I've been fairly successful." "Really?" Tony asked. He already knew; in fact, he knew pretty well everything that Richard had been up to since the end of the Earth/Minbari war. But that wasn't something he was about to let Richard know. "Yep," Richard said, his grin widening. "I'm even starting to amass a *considerable* amount of money!" Tony chuckled. He knew that as well. "So what are you up to here?" Richard inquired. "I'm here on business," Tony replied. "I've got a couple of things that I need to do here--then I'm off again." "Well, I guess a lit--" Richard broke off abruptly when he noticed that his companion had suddenly stiffened, and was staring over his shoulder. He turned around, wondering what Tony was looking at. All he saw, however, was a crowd. A few people stood out, admittedly; a tall blonde woman, dressed in earth-toned colours--the station's commercial telepath; a Drazi wearing a purple scarf; and a tall man talking with a Minbari. "Tony?" Tony's gaze snapped back to him. "I'm sorry, Rich," he said hurriedly. "I've got some stuff I have to take care of. Talk to you later?" "Sure..." Richard said, his voice trailing off as Tony stood up and hurried away. Tony felt almost as though he'd been hit with a board. He'd been given the man's description; but he'd never expected to actually *see* him. What was he doing here, on Babylon 5? And with that warrior... Kozorr *had* to be told. * Alyt Loseann nodded in satisfaction as the crystal panel was replaced. All was in readiness; Kozorr would be pleased. And as for the ambassador... well, that depended on Kozorr. It was possible that the Star Rider might not even mention this little addition to his quarters. She was turning to leave when Kozorr appeared at the door, his face grim. "Alyt," he said somberly, "there is a problem. I want you to join the ambassador's guard--his meeting with the Drazi representative is almost finished. I must speak with the Chosen One and the Council." Loseann nodded obediently, and strode out. ---------------------- To be continued... -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Trudy A. Goold | The Babylon Project was a dream given form... Toronto, Canada | -Commander Sinclair, B5 tag@astral.magic.ca | http://www.magic.ca/~tag/ From tag@astral.magic.ca Sun Mar 24 19:24:43 1996 Date: Fri, 22 Mar 1996 17:01:21 -0500 From: "Trudy A. Goold" Reply-To: b5-creative@blob.best.net To: b5-creative@blob.best.net Subject: "To Kill a Spider" Part 2 [The following text is in the "iso-8859-1" character set] [Your display is set for the "US-ASCII" character set] [Some characters may be displayed incorrectly] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Babylon 5 is copyright © PTN Consortium. No infringement of that copyright is intended by this story. "To Kill a Spider" is copyright © 1996, Trudy A. Goold. This copyright will be surrendered to Babylonian Productions upon request. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "To Kill a Spider" by: Trudy A. Goold Part 2 Sinclair smiled as Drozac stood up. "I'm glad that we could get this settled," he said, standing up as well. "As am I, Ambassador," Drozac replied. The Drazi representative nodded politely, and then strode out the door, holding the data crystals Sinclair had given him. Sinclair sat back down in his chair, and stared blankly at the crystalline walls for a few minutes. It had been a *long* seven months. The President's death-- whispered a small voice in the back of his mind; his new assignment as Ambassador to Minbar; the revelations of the events on the Line; the trial; the formation of the Rangers; and the assassination attempt on him. It was the last that was occupying his thoughts whenever he got a chance to relax. He was still more than a little confused about exactly what had happened to him; Tesain had said something about a native Minbari poison, but that didn't explain the dreams... His reverie was interrupted when the door opened. He looked up, surprised to see Alyt Loseann standing there. "Is something wrong, Alyt?" he asked, getting up. "The Drazi left fifteen minutes ago, Ambassador," she replied calmly. "We were wondering when you would be coming out." Sinclair hid a grimace. The Star Riders that the Chosen One had assigned as his guards took their duties *very* seriously, and tended to worry about him unnecessarily. It could be *quite* annoying, especially... His thoughts ground to a halt. "What are *you* doing here, Alyt?" he demanded. "I thought you had duties back at the Embassy." Loseann looked reluctant, obviously not wanting to answer. "*Alyt?*" Sinclair repeated, a touch of anger in his tone. He was getting *sick* and *tired* of having things kept hidden from him... "Kozorr just received an urgent report from Babylon 5, Ambassador," Loseann replied finally. "He will tell you about it when you get back to the Embassy." "And that necessitated you coming all the way here just to tell me that?" Sinclair asked in disbelief. Loseann shifted slightly. "Kozorr wished me to fetch you, Ambassador," she replied. "The matter *is* urgent, and he wished you to be informed of it immediately. I was instructed to interrupt the meeting, if necessary." Sinclair blinked in surprise. "It *must* be serious," he muttered, automatically picking up the flimsies still on the table. Loseann nodded, and preceded him out of the room. * Kozorr looked up as Ambassador Sinclair entered the lobby of the Earth Embassy and dismissed his guards firmly. A slight frown crossed the warrior's face, but he knew better than to re-open *that* argument with the ambassador at the moment. The human was too stubborn for his own good... "Well, Kozorr?" Sinclair said, walking over to where he was standing by the fountain. "What's so urgent?" "I think that we should go to your office to discuss this, Ambassador," Kozorr replied. For a moment, it looked as though the ambassador were about to argue, but instead he just nodded, and led the way to the office. Once there, the ambassador sat down on his desk and looked questioningly at Kozorr. "I have just received a report from one of the Rangers on Babylon 5, Ambassador," Kozorr declared. "He saw Eric Arras there." Sinclair absently rubbed one hand along his leg. Kozorr had noticed that he did that whenever the subject of the assassination attempt came up, and reminded himself to ask Tesain and Dr. Saunders whether the ambassador's leg could still be giving him some pain. It *had* been a month, but the ambassador had also been more active than Tesain had thought wise... "And?" Sinclair asked, interrupting the Star Rider's thoughts. "And what, Ambassador?" Kozorr inquired. Sinclair sighed in exasperation. "Kozorr, I've worked with you for the past six months, and I think that I've come to know you fairly well by now. You wouldn't have been so alarmed as to send Alyt Loseann to join my guards if it was just a matter of Mr. Arras being seen on B5. He's human, and has a perfect right to travel through Earth space. What *else* is there?" Kozorr thought to himself. However, Kozorr was rather reluctant to tell the ambassador the rest. Sinclair had been demonstrating, in the past month, a tendency that Delenn had warned him of as soon as she had found out that the Chosen One intended to give him the charge of Ambassador Sinclair's safety; the ambassador forced himself to work well past the point at which any other would have stopped, *and* he willingly risked his health and safety doing so. And yet, he *was* growing very impatient with Kozorr's latest set of precautions; it might be wise to give in on this point. "Well?" Sinclair repeated, impatience creeping into his voice. The warrior took a deep breath, and hoped that the Chosen One and the Council would not be overly upset... "Mr. Arras was seen speaking with one of the Wind Swords," he replied. A definite frown crossed Sinclair's face as he assimilated the information, and realized that this apparent connection was part of what Kozorr and the others had been keeping from him over the past month. But that wasn't the immediate concern; he'd deal with it later. "No Wind Sword is permitted on Babylon 5, Kozorr," he declared. "It's been that way since the assassination attempt on Ambassador Kosh, and I don't think that Captain Sheridan will have changed that." Kozorr kept the feeling of distaste he felt at the mention of Starkiller out of his voice as he replied. "No Wind Swords have been permitted on Minbar since the end of the war, when they were exiled, Ambassador," he replied. "And yet, some appeared here, and managed to help your human assailants arrive undetected. Is it any great surprise, considering the large underground population on Babylon 5, that a Wind Sword was able to gain access to the station?" Sinclair nodded in acknowledgement. "You have a definite point," he replied. "And B5 *is* the one place where most people wouldn't think it unusual to see a human and a Minbari speaking to each other. "The question is, now what?" "This matter is one that you need not concern yourself overmuch with, Ambassador," Kozorr replied firmly. "It is my duty, not yours--" "Nonsense," Sinclair interrupted, his tone equally firm. "Kozorr, I do *not* appreciate having information kept from me. Particularly when it concerns an attempt on my life. Greenway told me before he left that you were going to tell me *everything* when I recovered--well, I've been recovered for two weeks now, and this is the first I've heard of *any* Minbari involvement with it." "Tesain *did* tell you that it was a Minbari poison that was used on you," Kozorr pointed out. Sinclair shrugged. "Sorry--I should have said any *direct* Minbari involvement," he replied. "Now, what are *we* going to do about this?" * Tony sat down on the chair facing his communications screen and tried to relax. Kozorr had gotten his message, and assured him that the information would be passed on, but he was still worried. Secret government agencies and renegade Minbari warriors were *not* a good mix, and the fact that they had tried to assassinate Ambassador Sinclair... Tony could still feel the furious rage that had come on him quite suddenly when he had been informed of the events on Minbar last month. To think that the ambassador had almost *died*... he snapped at himself. He shook his head and, getting up, walked over to the small kitchenette and poured himself a cup of tea. He was expecting a visitor, and it wouldn't do to not have tea ready to offer. With that thought, the doorcom chimed. "Come in," he called, his voice activating the opener. A slender, cloaked figure--with wisps of dark hair escaping from the hood of the cloak--stepped in, letting the door close behind her. As soon as it had done so, she pushed back her hood, revealing her face. "Ambassador," Tony said, bowing in respect. "Would you care for a cup of tea?" "Yes, thank you," Ambassador Delenn replied calmly. Tony obediently poured a second cup and brought it over to her. "It's Ambassador Sinclair's favorite blend," he said, handing her the cup. The Minbari ambassador took a sip and smiled slightly. "Yes," she said. Then her smile faded. "You said that you had something of importance to tell me," she declared. "Yes, Ambassador," Tony replied. He leaned against the counter of the kitchenette. "Are you aware of the attempt to assassinate Ambassador Sinclair?" "The one last month?" Delenn asked. When the Ranger nodded, she replied, "Yes, I am. Kozorr informed me of the details. *All* the details," she added. "Why?" "Because five hours ago, I saw Eric Arras here, speaking with a Wind Sword in the Zocalo," Tony said. Ambassador Delenn stared at him, her face going pale. "A *Wind Sword*?" she repeated. "Here on Babylon 5?" "Yes, Ambassador. I have already informed Kozorr of this, and I decided that it would be wise to speak to you before mentioning certain elements of this to Mr. Garibaldi." Ambassador Delenn took a deep breath. "Thank you for informing me of this," she said slowly. "I will speak to the Council on this matter. "As for Mr. Garibaldi, I do not think it will be necessary to mention the assassination attempt. Merely inform him that there may be Wind Swords on the station." "And what of Eric Arras, Ambasssador?" Delenn took another sip of her tea. "Kozorr's plan was to let him go free, and follow him, take note of his contacts," she replied. "I do not see how that plan has changed. It would be quite possible for Mr. Garibaldi to have been informed of the Wind Sword's presence by another Minbari; there is little sympathy for their excesses among our people. Unless Kozorr or Ambassador Sinclair instruct you otherwise, the original plan will still be followed." Tony bowed in acknowledgement. "As you command, Ambassador," he replied. Delenn bowed back, placed her cup on the table, and pulled her hood up. "Thank you for informing me so promptly, Mr. Santelli," she said, and left. Tony glanced around, and then went out to the Zocalo to place a call to the Chief of Security. ---------------------- To be continued... -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Trudy A. Goold | Keeper of the Ranger Sightings Web Page Toronto, Canada | B5er, Dark Knightie, SF Writer Extraordinaire tag@astral.magic.ca | http://www.magic.ca/~tag/ From tag@astral.magic.ca Tue Apr 2 02:10:10 1996 Date: Mon, 1 Apr 1996 23:49:48 -0500 From: "Trudy A. Goold" To: b5-creative@lists1.best.com Subject: "To Kill a Spider" Part 3 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------= ---- Babylon 5 is copyright (c) PTN Consortium. No infringement of that copyright is intended by this story. "To Kill a Spider" is copyright (c) 1996, Trudy A. Goold. This copyright will be surrendered to Babylonian Productions upon request. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------= ---- "To Kill a Spider" by: Trudy A. Goold Part 3 Sinclair closed the door of his room firmly, and sat down at the foot of his bed. Everything was happening much too quickly, and he was starting to have a great deal of trouble absorbing it all. It *had* been only six months since his life had changed so drastically, and he'd been handling it well until a month ago... He sighed. It always seemed to come back to the assassination attempt, now. What was it Greenway had said? Something to the effect of his death throwing Earth and Minbar into confusion. True enough--but *how* had they known? The Wind Swords might know; that wouldn't surprise him at all, considering that, whether they'd been exiled en masse or not, they were still Minbari; and as such, they probably kept up with what was happening in the mainstream Minbari society. But how had whatever group Arras and Tara Klein belonged to found out? Had the Wind Swords told them? Possibly; but if it hadn't been the Wind Swords, then *who*? Sinclair thought, getting up and walking over to the small counter where a teapot rested. He took a mug out of the cupboard below the counter, and poured himself a cup. Taking a small sip, he opened the door again and wandered into the main area of his suite. His was a suite of two rooms: a bedroom and a main area--much like his quarters on Babylon 5, in fact. Except that he'd never had such a mess of work in his quarters there. Here, the small table in the living area was even more cluttered than the desk in his office. Sinclair sat down in his chair with a sigh, and reached for a data crystal that was resting in the one clear space on the table. He then leaned back, and just studied it, taking another sip of tea. he added to himself. Well, he could always just let Kozorr and the Rangers deal with it--but he hated not knowing what was going on, and Kozorr seemed to feel a need to keep certain information from him. Which was yet another problem that had to be dealt with. Kozorr had been with him since just after the trial; the Chosen One--the Minbari leader--had assigned the Star Rider as Sinclair's guard just before Delenn had left to return to B5. Over the past six months, Kozorr had become a friend--a close friend--and seemed to return that friendship. The warrior reminded Sinclair of Garibaldi, in a number of ways--the most obvious being a stubborn determination to do his duty, no matter what. Sinclair chuckled to himself at the thought, but sobered rapidly. Part of the result of that determination was that Kozorr was *over*-protective of his safety. Sinclair wondered to himself. His thoughts were interrupted by the beeping of his com. * Garibaldi stared at the screen in dismay. It displayed the Babcom logo, but Garibaldi didn't see it; his memory was replaying the conversation--or, rather, the message--that had ended a moment ago. he thought in disbelief. The Ranger's statement had been short and to the point; "There's a Wind Sword warrior on the station," he'd said. "You might want to keep your eyes open." No mention of how the Ranger had known that, of where'd he'd seen the warrior, *or* of why the warrior might be here. Garibaldi rubbed his forehead, finally looking away from the screen. He heard the door open and glanced up to see Zack come in. He nodded absently at his aide, and returned to his own thoughts. "Chief?" Zack said. "Huh?" Garibaldi mumbled, blinking as Zack interrupted his train of thought. "What?" "The Captain wants you. Says the guy from EarthCentral is here." "Right," Garibaldi said, standing up. He'd talk to Delenn when he got the chance--right now, he had this EarthCentral guy and Dr. Everett Jacobs to worry about. * Tony breathed a sigh of relief as he left the public com. The Chief of Security had been told; now let the Wind Sword try to remain unobserved! He, meanwhile, had another job to do. Mr. Garibaldi *hadn't* been told about Eric Arras--that would necessitate telling him about the assassination attempt, and Kozorr had been *quite* firm in saying that he *wasn't* to be told--so that meant that Arras was *his* responsibility. And he also had to talk to Richard. Tony groaned to himself as he wandered back through the Zocalo. he thought. * Carol Kramer looked up curiously as the door to her office opened, and then stood up hurriedly as her boss entered. "Hello sir," she said. Mr. Nevins smiled slightly. "Good morning, Ms. Kramer," he said, nodding in acknowledgement. "I have a special job for you to do." "Of course, sir," Carol declared, wondering what it was. As an agent for TerraCorp, her duties involved making arrangements with alien corporations. "What is it?" "Minbar," Mr. Nevins replied. Carol blinked. Minbar? "I thought that Sean Trevanti was handling that, sir," she said. "He was," her boss said, sitting down on the chair opposite her desk. "Unfortunately, it seems that he was particularly susceptible to a disease known as rafiniche fever, and the Earth Embassy sent him back, saying that if he was susceptible to that, then he was probably vulnerable to other Minbari viruses that could affect humans." Carol frowned. "I'm no xenobiologist, sir, but doesn't that seem a bit improbable--" "That humans are susceptible to Minbari diseases? Yes, it does. However, there are a few other humans who have caught this particular disease, and the Embassy actually has someone there who is studying the matter. "But all this means that we still haven't got someone on Minbar, and we need to make connections with them. And I've selected you to do that." "Okay," Carol replied, wondering what Mr. Nevins was talking about. 'Connections'? She really didn't think that the Minbari were interested in Earth tech, which was what TerraCorp exported--so why did they need to make connections? "Good," Mr. Nevins declared. He took a data crystal out of his pocket and handed it to her. "This contains all the details of your assignment. You'll be going to Minbar via Babylon 5; I've already booked your passage to the station on the -Loki-. You leave tomorrow morning at ten a.m." "Yes, sir," Carol replied. She took the data crystal and slipped it into her purse to look at during the trip, reflecting that it was a good thing she was used to Mr. Nevins' style--all she'd have to do to prepare would be to pack a few suits in the case she kept ready. ---------------------- To be continued... -=3D-=3D-=3D-=3D-=3D-=3D-=3D-=3D-=3D-=3D-=3D-=3D-=3D-=3D-=3D-=3D-=3D-=3D-=3D= -=3D-=3D-=3D-=3D-=3D-=3D-=3D-=3D-=3D-=3D-=3D-=3D-=3D-=3D-=3D- Trudy A. Goold | Keeper of the Ranger Sightings Web Page Toronto, Canada | B5er, Dark Knightie, SF Writer Extraordinaire tag@astral.magic.ca | http://www.magic.ca/~tag/ From tag@astral.magic.ca Fri Apr 5 20:08:59 1996 Date: Fri, 5 Apr 1996 16:55:53 -0500 From: "Trudy A. Goold" To: b5-creative@lists1.best.com Subject: "To Kill a Spider" Part 4 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------= ---- Babylon 5 is copyright =A9 PTN Consortium. No infringement of that copyright is intended by this story. "To Kill a Spider" is copyright =A9 1996, Trudy A. Goold. This copyright wil= l be surrendered to Babylonian Productions upon request. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------= ---- "To Kill a Spider" by: Trudy A. Goold Part 4 ~~He was standing in a corridor--one that he recognized. He'd seen it before, in something that was both more and less than a dream. With him were Garibaldi and a number of security officers, half of them trying to control the crowd running in the opposite direction, half of them with PPG rifles pointed straight at the bulkhead. "They burned through levels seven and eight! Can't stop 'em! They're everywhere!" Garibaldi was shouting. "Garibaldi!" he shouted, trying to make Michael see, trying to make him understand... "Look, I've rigged the fusion reactors, but there's not much time. Get going. I'll hold them as long as I can," Garibaldi called. "No!" he shouted in reply. "Jeff, it's okay! I finally understand! This is the moment I was born for!" Garibaldi replied. Then he felt a bump against his shoulder, and got swept into the crowd, so that they carried him away...~~ "No, Garibaldi..." Sinclair mumbled, tossing and turning in his sweat-soaked sheets. ~~He stood at the center of a circle formed of spotlights--nine of them. He wore the remains of his uniform, now rags from the torture and interrogation he'd undergone. Whispers came from behind him, but he was tied to a triangular frame hanging from the ceiling, and so he couldn't turn around. He strained to hear them; the words floated just at the edge of comprehension. He'd known them once... Then there was a rustling noise, and into each spotlight stepped a figure robed and hooded in grey. One of them stepped forward into the center, facing him, close enough for him to touch; and slowly reached up and pulled back the hood that covered her face. Her calm, impassive, *Minbari* face studied him, and he saw a silver triangle glowing brightly-- he thought, half-delirious--on her forehead. "He has a destiny," the Minbari----said, and this time he understood the words, although they were still in that other language...~~ "Delenn..." ~~They stood together, in the shuttle, all of them anxiously watching the place they fled from; himself, Delenn, and the other... A bright light appeared through the hull of the station, and he felt a terrible pain run through him... a pain so deep, for all those that couldn't get off... The brightness spread, engulfing the station in flame, and he turned away, unable to watch the destruction of the place he'd called home... of the dream...~~ "No!" Sinclair shouted, waking himself up. He glanced around, searching desperately for something upon which to anchor himself, to tell him where he was; and focused on the shape of his desk--visible through the open door of his bedroom--piled high with flimsies and data crystals. he thought, taking a deep breath. He pushed himself up and wiped a shaky hand across his forehead; and wasn't surprised when it came away soaked with sweat. "Lights," he ordered, also unsurprised that his voice was shaking. he added to himself, taking comfort in the familiar shapes of his bedroom as the light level rose. Sinclair glanced out the window, and noticed the soft rose and blue of sunrise just appearing on the horizon. * Kozorr frowned, worried, as he studied the record of the past night. The ambassador had spent the entire time tossing and turning; there was no way in which he could have gotten a proper night's sleep from that. The door slid open and Tesain entered. "You wanted to see me?" she asked calmly. "Yes, Tesain, I did," Kozorr replied. "I require your expertise as a Heal= er." "Ambassador Sinclair," Tesain said. "Exactly," Kozorr agreed with a nod. "There is something that I wish to consult you about." "Oh?" "Please, sit down, Tesain," Kozorr said, gesturing toward the chair on the other side of his desk. "This may take some time." "That sounds very ominous," Tesain declared, taking the seat. "I don't know, either way--that is why I require your aid," the Star Rider replied. He took a deep breath. "I have recently been noticing that the ambassador is favoring his leg somewhat, and whenever the subject of the assassination attempt comes up, however obliquely, he has been rubbing it as though it pains him. I realize that both you and Dr. Saunders feel that it has healed, but I'm wondering if there may have been additional damage that you were unable to detect." Tesain frowned. "I don't think that you have that much to worry about," she replied slowly. "The burn itself *is* healed; if the ambassador if favoring his leg, it is likely because the nerves *aren't* completely healed yet--they take quite a bit longer to heal than does skin. And as for his behaviour when the attempt is mentioned, that is quitely probably psychosomatic: the thought of the attempt focuses his attention on his leg, and it begins to hurt because of that. "On the other hand," she added, her frown deepening, "Ambassador Sinclair *has* been more active than I feel is wise--it may be that that factor has aggravated things somewhat. I'll see about talking to him on the subject." "I wish you the best of luck," Kozorr muttered. "The ambassador is too stubborn for his own good; yesterday, he informed me that he wants to be kept completely up to date on *all* aspects of the surveillance of the assassins." "*All?*" Tesain repeated curiously. "All," Kozorr confirmed, nodding. "*Including* everything to do with the Wind Swords." "And that will increase his workload, which will lead to even more problems," Tesain finished. "Exactly." Kozorr leaned back in his chair. "We *have* to find *some* way to let him relax for a while; the problem is, I have no idea how to go about doing that." Tesain thought for a moment. "Ask Ambassador Delenn," she suggested then. Kozorr blinked. "Delenn?" he repeated. When Tesain's eyes narrowed, he shook his head. "Oh, I don't object to what she has done... I am not Satai Neroon. No, I was just surprised that the thought occurred to you. "But it may be the best thing to do," he added, his tone becoming thoughtful. "Delenn and Ambassador Sinclair are quite good friends... perhaps she *will* know what to do." "Well, I'll leave that matter in your hands, then," Tesain declared. "Meanwhile," she sighed, "I will see about having a long talk with my patient." * Tony Santelli grumbled angrily to himself as he hurried down the corridor. He'd hoped that, with security alerted to the presence of a Wind Sword, they'd be keeping an eye out for him. Instead, security was sweeping the station looking for Dr. Jacobs, the physician to the President. Which left him with *three* jobs, rather than two, since he was the only ranger available here at the moment. he asked himself. As he headed toward the stairs, he absentmindedly noticed Mr. Garibaldi and Captain Sheridan coming down them. He could hear Garibaldi saying something about hating to be on the wrong side of someone; and then he was past them, heading up the stairs toward the Zocalo; he needed to contact Ambassador Delenn to update her on the most recent events. After all, maybe she could convince some of the Minbari on-station to help him keep an eye on the Wind Sword... * "Delenn," Lennier said, as she entered her quarters, "a message came for you from Minbar." "From whom?" Delenn asked, feeling curious. It was obviously not an official communique, or Lennier would have said that first. "The Star Rider Kozorr," Lennier replied, handing her a data crystal. "I believe it concerns Ambassador Sinclair." "Thank you, Lennier," Delenn replied, taking the crystal and looking at it. "Is there anything else?" "No, Ambassador," her aide replied. "Except that Captain Sheridan has cancelled tomorrow's Council meeting--there appears to be something unusual going on. Security is searching the entire station for someone." Delenn frowned. Mr. Garibaldi would not be so obvious in a matter involving the Rangers--she knew him well enough to know that. It had to be something else--and that something might end up interfering in the search for the Wind Sword. "Very well," she said slowly. "See if you can discover who it is they are looking for, please, Lennier." Lennier bowed. "I will do my best," he replied, and left. Delenn strode over to the crystal port, placed the data crystal within, and said, "Play." ------------------ to be continued... -=3D-=3D-=3D-=3D-=3D-=3D-=3D-=3D-=3D-=3D-=3D-=3D-=3D-=3D-=3D-=3D-=3D-=3D-=3D= -=3D-=3D-=3D-=3D-=3D-=3D-=3D-=3D-=3D-=3D-=3D-=3D-=3D-=3D-=3D- Trudy A. Goold | Keeper of the Ranger Sightings Web Page Toronto, Canada | B5er, Dark Knightie, SF Writer Extraordinaire tag@astral.magic.ca | http://www.magic.ca/~tag/