Captain-Master:
Their but to Do and Die
Disclaimer: These are not my characters. They are owned, copyrighted and created
by far wiser people than me. I have attempted to bring them back to life for a short time,
attempting to ease that gaping hole in my heart where B5/Crusade once was.
Note: Series is NC-17. m/f, m/m.
Archiving: SW and the WWOMB archive
Matthew Gideon I
We WON? The Minbari on Babylon 5 had surrendered to Jeffrey Sinclair,
who was laughing hysterically. Even now, they were hammering out the Accords of Babylon
5 and Delenn, Sheridan and the Other, which was a creature I knew to be a Vorlon, were
agreeing to almost everything Sinclair wanted. Ed was startled by how even his few choice
comments were quickly agreed upon by the Minbari delegation. Meanwhile Randy was pulling
up records and charts quickly, his soft southern drawl intensifying as he got closer and
closer to the solution for which he was looking. He was shaking his head, and I noticed
that Ed was no longer smiling.
"What is it, Randy?" Ed asked intensely.
"The other Minbari fleet is not withdrawing to Minbari space. They're... increasing
their speed. I've noticed that... they appear to have a schism in their fleet. Some are
returning to Minbar, but the rest are still continuing on to Earth. Several Other ships
have joined the fleet."
Oh shit. In my universe, the Minibari Warrior Caste hadn't been too thrilled with
the Minbari's surrender at the Battle of the Line. Several ships had gone rogue, only to
suddenly appear years later and wreak havoc, like the Trigati.
I suddenly sighed.
"What?" Ed questioned.
"In my universe, the Warrior Caste wasn't in complete agreement with the decision
to surrender. I think that the Warrior Caste is ignoring Delenn's order to step down."
Ryan crisply ordered the fleet to continue to Earth, and he then began questioning Delenn.
"Ambassador Delenn, this is General Ryan. We've noticed that your fleet is still heading
toward our home world. Is this Accord of yours a ruse?"
Delenn shook her head, and Ryan grew angry. "Then kindly explain why the hell the
majority of your fleet is on its way to Earth. Only a few of the ships have turned back,
and we've noticed that a few of the...Oth... Vorlon ships have joined the fleet. The planet
killer is still heading toward Earth. Jeff, I don't trust our new found friends."
Jeff began talking quickly with Delenn, who kept reassuring him that she had informed
the fleet to return to Minbari.
"Why?" Jeff asked her. "Why did that triluminary lighting up cause you
to change your plans?"
She began talking quietly, and then we lost the connection to Babylon 5.
"It appears, Ed, that they did not want us to listen to their reason for surrender,"
Randy commented softly. "Now. We have a battle to fight. Let's discuss tactics."
Soon the three of us were poring over star charts and maps, wanting somehow to stay
alive during the next seventy-two hours. Randy and Ed worked together extremely well, I
noticed, with the Assassin-Executive Officer almost telepathic in knowing the questions
Ryan would ask. The Assassin's usual bantering tone was gone, instead he was now all business.
We discussed our choices, and again, we realized that there were no options. We were
going to be slaughtered.
Dureena
Nafeel I
No Galen, and I needed to make sure that John and the rest were still alive. I was avoiding
Gideon easily, as he was almost always on the bridge, promoting the fiction that everything
was under control. I don't think it was going the way he was hoping, as sometimes I thought
I saw something in his eyes that looked like a man searching for escape.
Carefully, I managed to steal medical supplies from Medbay, including a scanner and
an emergency first aid kit. Then I crawled into the ducts of the good ship Excalibur, and
I tried to get into the only storage room on the Excalibur that Security guarded.
Sarah Chambers
John wasn't willing to drink water anymore, just moaning and shaking his head when I
offered it to him.
"Come on, drink, John. You need to drink."
My voice was getting shaky and John whispered something about how beautiful I was. In
the last few hours, John had gotten quieter and quieter, and the few things he mumbled
were often thoughts that were deeply personal. No doubt, my shy and reticent Telepathic
Executive Officer would be embarrassed to know that he had whispered to me that he had
always wanted a puppy.
It took a little cajoling and finally I got John to drink because I insisted that Matthew
wanted him to drink it.
"Where's Matthew? It's odd... that he hasn't stopped by to see me. He isn't angry
at me? Is he? I've tried so hard to be perfect for him? Please, don't tell me he's angry
with me." These were the moments that broke my heart, as John was so sincere in wanting
to know that Matthew wasn't angry with him.
"No, John. Matthew's very busy right now. He's stopped by to see you, numerous
times, but you were sleeping. He didn't want to wake you. He wants you to listen to me,
and do everything that I tell you."
"Please... wake me next time. Don't listen to him. Listen to your patient. I want
to talk to him. Let him know... how much I appreciated being his XO."
"Appreciated? Appreciate... Why are you using the past tense?"
John gave me a slight smile, and I tried to prevent the tears from spilling from my
eyes.
"Soon. Sarah, dearest, my beautiful Sarah with your dark eyes. It won't be much
longer...will it?"
"Yes." My voice was steady, until John smiled slightly. "Soon you'll
be back to work, and Matthew will be moaning and groaning about you being ill, and how
much paperwork he has piled on his desk."
"That's... not it..." John smiled again. "You know... what I mean...."
Dureena Nafeel
I was in the ducts, and I found the one that went into the storage room where John,
Sarah and Max were. It was booby-trapped, but I patiently and carefully defused every trap.
I got to the vent finally, and I carefully opened it. Deciding that I should warn the
three people that I was dropping in, I called down to them, "Hello? Anyone there?"
Hearing Sarah's voice welcoming me, I carefully dropped into the room.
"Hello. I've missed the three of you, even Max." I laughed slightly. "You
don't need to look so surprised, Max. It's been rather quiet at the staff meetings lately."
Sarah proceeded to grab me and hugged me so tightly that it took me a few minutes to
catch my breath. When I did, I noticed that John was lying in a corner of the room, and
he was covered with blankets. He gave me a weak smile in greeting, and he tried to raise
his shaking hand in a gesture of welcome.
"John?" I asked Sarah softly, surprised by how the sight of an ill John Matheson
affected me.
"Not good. Not good at all. He's rather sick. Sleeper toxicity. We need to get
him out of here. What's going on? Galen?"
"I haven't heard from him, and "Matthew" is taking us closer and closer
to the ends of known space. He's running, from someone, but I don't know who. I brought
medical supplies. As much as I could carry, plus more blankets, and a few things you might
like. I'm sure that Max is missing his salted popcorn, and I know your little food quirks."
Quickly I handed out the supplies I had brought, and I turned to leave. "I've got
to get back. He can't notice that I'm here, else he'll be angry."
Matthew Gideon II
She had betrayed me, helping and succoring my enemies, The Mind Freak and the two Officers
who had always tried so hard to undermine me. Eilerson. CHAMBERS.
DUREENA.
She wasn't my Dureena, but the pain of her betrayal was like a knife in my heart. Morrison
as Guild Head had specifically chosen Dureena for me, in the hopes that my Assassin and
I would develop a rapport similar to the connection that he and Ed had. He had told me
how the Assassin's leash chokes and confines with a Master who didn't understand what the
Guild required from their members, and I had tried my best with her.
All these years, I had sworn that I didn't trust her, but I guess I had.
Why else would her duplicate's betrayal hurt so much?
Had Ed felt this way on those rare moments when Randy had chosen Guild over the bond
the two men shared?
I grabbed my alter's PPG rifle, and I began crawling into the ducts.
She'd learn that she should never betray her Master. I wasn't as nice a guy as Ed was.
Matthew Gideon I
I returned to my Shadow Vessel, and suddenly I felt overwhelmed and alone. Sarah and
Max both greeted me on my arrival, and I wondered if the attempt would be now... or later.
Was this how Ed Ryan felt? He had told me, a lifetime ago on Babylon 5, what it was like,
always judging friends and foes, wondering if now was the time when the attempt would be
made.
No, they just wanted me to sign off on a few requisitions, and I did so quickly. Returning
to my quarters, I found JT lying in my bed, his desire to give me pleasure and enjoyment
painfully obvious.
I shouldn't do this.
I shouldn't let this happen.
It's not right, Matthew.
I shouldn't ... but I did.
I allowed my Avatar to seduce me, repeatedly. He seemed to understand what I needed
most was the opportunity to be held and touched by someone... anyone.
JT
Master returned to his quarters, and he let me fly him. I think he was feeling alone
and lost, and I tried so hard to have him enjoy everything I did to him. My Master was
so good to me, letting me keep Randy-Assassin's gift, and he never hit me. I kissed him,
touched him and massaged him, and I think he enjoyed our flights. I let him fly me repeatedly
and he was so gentle with me, making sure I was comfortable and pain-free.
I loved him and I knew that when he left, I would willingly die rather than face his
alter. Not Ship, not even the puppy, did I love as much as my Master, Matthew.
He was gently stroking my hair, while I lay in his arms, and I softly whispered to him,
"Please... when you go... don't leave me here."
Dureena Nafeel.
He caught me. I don't know how, but he had caught me.
"I trusted you." His voice was soft, and his eyes were devastated. "Randy
gave you to me, and I trusted you. Believed in you. How long have you been plotting with
Eilerson? Chambers? That goddamn Mind Freak. I know what it is, you think that if you go
with them, that the Guild will let you go when I'm dead."
Matthew was feeling the strain of being in a strange universe, as he was acting as though
I were his Dureena.
"They'll put you down, you know that. When Ed's dead, the Guides will put Randy
down. So, if anything happens to me, darling, you're going to be dead before the day's
out. So, crawl back to the vent. You're going to stay with your friends, until you die."
I couldn't bear to look at the disappointment in the eyes of Max and Sarah when they
realized what my return meant.
"He caught me, I'm sorry. They're fusing the vent shut right now, so it's going
to be harder to get out of here now."
Sarah sighed, and I heard John weakly whispering for me. "Dureena? You came back
to visit? I'm so glad."
I looked at Sarah, and she whispered, "He's not completely rational right now.
When you talk to him, remember that. He doesn't realize what's going on, as he thinks that
Matthew's not visiting him as Matt's angry with him. He talks about that a lot and he repeats
it incessantly. John also says a lot of other things, so don't act surprised."
John Matheson
Dureena was back and I gave her a smile.
Dureena was always friendly with me. Most people don't like me because I was a
'Path. People always think that I want to scan them, learn their secrets. Like their codes
to their lockers in high school. Matthew never thought that, I hoped.
But he's mad at me, Dureena. He hasn't stopped by to see me, he just doesn't care
that I'm sick.
Dureena. I'm dying, and he won't come see me.
Sarah won't admit that I am, but I can tell it by how she and Max act around me.
Why won't Matthew stop by? Is he angry with me? Do you know what I did? Will you tell him
I'm sorry?
I must have been talking out loud as Dureena's eyes were filling with tears. She began
stroking my hair and she gently assured me that Matthew wasn't angry with me.
"Come on, you need to drink some water. Sit up, John."
She helped me sit up and I smiled at her. Dureena was supporting me, and my thoughts
were zooming around my head. I would have loved the chance to get to know her better, but
she had turned down my rather hesitant attempt. Too bad, but now I'd never have another
chance.
"Don't say that, John. Don't say that." Dureena's voice was soft, and she
continued to support me. Eilerson would be so jealous if he saw how we were positioned.
I giggled softly at that, and Dureena laughed. "You ask me again, you might get your
chance, John."
I must be hallucinating as Dureena would never say that to me, and I began to laugh
again.
Matthew Gideon I
We were getting closer to Earth, and to the end of the line. Ed and I listened to Delenn's
repeated commands for the Minbari fleet to step down.
"They're not listening to her," Randy commented.
"Should I thank the Guild for providing me with an Assassin who sees the blindingly
obvious?" Ed snapped that at his Assassin, and then he immediately apologized. "My
shoulder's bothering me, Randy. Makes me short-tempered."
"An Assassin who sees the blindingly obvious would have already guessed that from
our long years of association," Randy retorted. "No need to apologize."
I sighed. Ed and his Assassin were having what sounded like a lover's spat, right in
front of me. Their tempers were flaring, and I could see by the reports spread across the
debriefing table, that the two men had been working non-stop for the last two days.
"Delenn refuses to call in her troops to attack their fellow Minbari," commented
the general of the Alexander. "She believes that it would fracture our fragile Accords."
Randy began clearing up the table, but not before I heard him make a comment about 'blindingly
obvious'. Ed glared at the Assassin, who gave his General an innocent look.
"She believes that if we renounce the Guides, that...."
"It didn't work in my universe," I commented.
I was interrupted by both men, who reminded me that I wasn't in my universe.
"That's rather blindingly obvious," I snarled.
"We're going to die. So, the question is, since we're all going to die, what do
we want from our deaths?" Randy asked. "A noble victory, a start for the war
of independence. As the Guild Head, I am willing to break the alliance between Guides and
Guild. I will support Sinclair in this brave new universe. Perhaps it is time for the younger
races to stand on their own."
Ed gave his Assassin a long, measuring look. "I like that idea. Shall we nominate
Jeff Sinclair to be the president of the new universal order, the...Inter Stellar Alliance?"
I didn't say a damn thing as this universe was getting stranger and stranger as some
things became more and more familiar.
Ed Ryan
General. Alexander.
Jeff Sinclair took the news that he was now the President of an upstart rebel organization
pretty well. I suppose after nearly getting killed by a group of marauding Minbari, that
Jeff's Jesuit training was getting quite a workup. What was a little more added to that?
"I'm sending the announcements out to every Ambassador on Babylon 5. So far the
Narns have been the first to sign up."
"I'm not surprised." I began rubbing my chest, wondering about the sudden
pain that had appeared and disappeared, and was now back again.
"Ed. Good luck. Dominus vobiscum."
Jeff was quoting Latin, and it translated to God be with you. I guess it was to be the
closest I got to a funeral. So I decided to answer appropriately.
"Et cum spiritu tuo." And also with you.
I was waiting for the rebellion to start. It was going to happen soon, as I had just
announced that the EF military was now answering to Sinclair, not the Joint Chiefs of Staff,
the majority of who were Keeper Controlled.
The pain came back, stronger and more persistent, and I suddenly realized that I wasn't
going to be assassinated. It was funny, I guess, that in the end, my heart would do me
in. The pain turned into a vise, and I realized that I had to be quick, in order to put
my plan into motion before Galen realized what was happening on the Alexander.
Matthew Gideon I
The Alexander began broadcasting to all the ships in the fleet, and I was surprised.
We still had another hour before 'contact' with the Minbari fleet, and we were maintaining
radio silence.
Ed Ryan appeared on the screen, and he looked like hell.
"This is Ed... Ryan.... I am appointing.... Randolph J. Morrison as the General
in charge of the Combined Fleets of the Interstellar Alliance. May God have mercy on all
... of our souls..."
And then, General Edward Ryan, Hero, died.
Randolph J. Morrison.
Assassin Grand Master.
Guild Head of the Assassin Guild.
General of the Interstellar Alliance.
My Master was dying. I grabbed for him, as he collapsed after he made his announcement.
I wasn't surprised to realize that Lyta was next to me, and we both held our Master while
we placed him on the floor. I supported him, trying to keep him sitting. I called a medical
team to the bridge, but I realized that they wouldn't respond.
"Sorry..." Ed whispered.
He gave me the slightest of smiles, and I placed my hand briefly on his face. He was
ice cold, and diaphoretic.
"You can't leave me, I know nothing of tactics..." I whispered.
I lacked his keen insight in tactics, for my goal was to win at any cost. Not Ed, Ed
always tried to keep somebody alive to celebrate the victory. It was an old joke between
us.
"Learn... quickly...." And then he said no more.
I keened the Assassin mourning cry for one that has fought his last battle, and I was
still keening when the Head of Security and Operations Officer tried to knife me.
Matthew Gideon I
"What the hell is happening on the Alexander?" I asked quickly.
There was an ungodly wailing, and people were beginning to fight. Someone I believed
to be the Security Department head was suddenly airborne, and her neck was twisted in the
oddest angle.
"Change in command," my Executive Officer announced softly. "Ryan's gone,
which means people like you and his Pet Assassin aren't protected."
I turned and fired my PPG gun blindly, knowing that what was happening now, was being
repeated on every damn ship in the fleet.
Mutiny.
I heard Anderson page all the ships, advising that Galen had put HIM in charge of the
fleet and to ignore the Alexander.
Max moved quickly and he fired back at me. I was going to die, but Dureena-Assassin
managed to get between Max and myself. There was a smell of burning flesh, and I realized
that the PPG shot had cauterized her left shoulder, the one with the odd scars, a dry voice
commented in the back of my mind.
There was an ungodly shriek as JT got involved. He bit and clawed, and he attacked Eilerson
wildly, and I couldn't fire again for fear of hitting JT. But that was all right, because
I managed to shoot Sarah Chambers before she knifed Dureena.
Somehow, if I ever get home, I don't think I'll mention to Sarah that I shot her duplicate.
It might cause a few hard feelings.
Randy Morrison.
I fought them off easily, as I had practiced with them enough to know their weaknesses
intimately. Their blood was staining the floor before their comrades could come to their
defense. I grabbed Ed, who was still breathing and I pulled the Avatar to her work-station.
"Initiate Code Violet Theta Omega One Nine Zeta." I called that loudly, and
then the Alexander began shutting down life support on the pre-defined decks.
Yes, General Morrison. I am initiating life support shut downs on the command
deck, decks eighteen through thirty-seven. Please be advised that several Engineers have
attempted to override my Central Processing Unit. I have taken defensive precautions as
ordered by the Code Violet Theta. I am saddened to announce that at this time, seven Engineers
have died. Please be advised that only five minutes of life support remain on those decks
I have previously announced. Shall I initiate additional shut-downs? There appear to be
numerous attempts on various decks to override key functions of the Alexander.
"Alex. Do whatever is necessary to keep yourself safe. We have one final mission
for Ed to complete. You have done a wonderful job, Alex. The Old Man would be proud of
you."
I obey. I serve as commanded.
I pulled the two people into the Avatar's work station then initiated the emergency
shut down procedures and I sealed the station off. There would be emergency environmental
controls for this small area, and Lyta and I could run the ship from here. The three of
us made it a very tight fit, but I was trying to see what I could do for Ed.
He was dying, there was no doubt about it, but I was unwilling to admit it. I began
emergency first aid quickly and efficiently, while I began ordering reports from the various
ships in the fleet. I especially needed to know what was happening on the Victory.
Like hell was I going to let Anderson take my promotion away from me.
Leonard Anderson.
Victory.
I was still demanding that Morrison step down as General when my Assassin knifed me.
I had never liked the bitch, and now I knew why.
"The Guild stands behind Jeffrey Sinclair," my Assassin announced while Galen
executed her.
Darkness was falling, and I suddenly realized that Lt. Randene had pulled a knife from
somewhere, and that she was trying to kill Galen. But Alyxa didn't use the knife on Galen
first. Instead, she was staring at Galen intently, and Galen appeared to be choking. The
Inquisitor was clawing at his throat as though he felt someone's hands around his throat.
The traitor then used her knife as she deliberately plunged it into his spinal cord. He
shrieked and made an ungodly noise, and then he began pumping out an obscene amount of
electricity into the girl who clung to his back. My last thought was that Galen killed
her as easily as a swatting a fly and then everything went dark.
Morrison.
"Alyxa's dead," Lyta whispered. "She injured Galen, and he killed her."
She began whimpering softly, and I ignored her grief. Acknowledging her grief would
cause mine to overwhelm me.
"Help me. I need your help, snap out of it!"
Lyta touched Ed and suddenly I was elsewhere.
Green, peaceful. Standing next to a large green tree, I realized that Lyta looked
years younger. She wore no implants, and I realized for the first time, what a beautiful
child she had been, all those years ago. She looked barely older than the scared child
who Hague had sent to me for more seasoning
How long ago had that been? Years? Decades? That long? So many dead through the
years. And now Ed was dead, as was our daughter. Lyta began to weep, and I felt my grief
overwhelm me.
And the two of us comforted each other under the green trees of the planet Cheron.
Not as Assassin and Avatar, but as a man and a woman.
"Where are we?" Lyta asked.
"Cheron.. This is where Ed lived." Before the Telepaths had destroyed
his family, I had visited with him numerous times during shore leaves. Originally, he had
thought it amusing to bring home an Assassin to meet his fiancée. Amusing, but also
a vivid reminder that his life beyond Cheron would require him a great deal from him. Maggie
had greeted me warmly, seemingly unperturbed by the stranger that wore Black and Scarlet,
but I had known that she was pretending for Ed's sake. Then she had become my Mistress,
hoping that I would be enough to protect Ed from harm.
On one night on Cheron, she had ordered me to protect him at all costs. I had
readily agreed, acknowledging my debt to my host, and she had been reassured.
I began walking up the road that suddenly appeared, and soon the two of us were facing
a gate. Easily, I picked Lyta up and helped her over the gate, and then I climbed over
the gate. Time held no meaning in the green fields of Cheron, but still I felt myself drawn
to a certain area. I began walking quickly and Lyta soon increased her pace also.
He was there, lying asleep in the lap of his wife, who was carefully stroking his hair.
There was a picnic lunch spread underneath the tree that appeared tall enough to reach
the stars. Close by was a sleeping baby, who appeared barely more than a few days old.
Ed looked younger than I remembered him ever being, with his facial scar gone.
I was amused to realize that he had a mustache.
Apparently, she had liked it, after all.
"Welcome." Her voice was low and soft, and she gave me the smile that I remembered
most about her.
"Hello, Maggie-Mistress," I answered. "I have protected him as well as
I was able to, my Mistress."
She nodded. "Thank you."
"Are you... Lyta?" The woman asked which earned a rather shy murmur of agreement
from the Avatar. "Thank you, both of you, for keeping an eye on him, while I was gone."
There was a sound of children playing with two dogs who were barking happily. Both of
the dogs' bark was quite familiar to me, and I suddenly whistled. One of the dogs began
barking in acknowledgement and I looked at Maggie.
"Today's been a very odd day. A dog showed up, a few hours before Ed did. She looked
a little rough around the edges, so Sean and I cleaned her up and fed her. I think she's
a Lakeland terrier, and she's been broken hearted as she seems to have lost her master.
Sean and our dog have been playing with her ever since. It's odd, Shaio doesn't like other
dogs, but this one she accepted right away as though she belonged here."
"Then Ed shows up, and he was exhausted plus he was carrying this little girl.
This little girl with strawberry blonde hair was crying so hard that I could barely understand
her name. I don't have the faintest idea why she's here, and neither did Ed. He said he
was walking down the lane when he heard her sobbing and that she was looking for her parents.
I finally found out that her name is Alyxa, and she's been rather quiet and shy with me.
But she loves playing with the dogs, and with Sean.
"I told Ed to get some sleep, as you know how cranky he can be if he doesn't get
enough sleep, Randy-Assassin. Then you two show up after he's barely asleep for five minutes!"
I was on my knees, whistling for the dog to come to me, and she leapt into my arms,
licking my face. I had missed her all these years, ever since they had taken her from me,
and I heard Ed's son remark sadly that while he was happy for the dog, he would miss her.
Whispering at her what a good dog she was, how much I had missed her and how happy I was
to see her again, I held her tightly.
My dog.
Nobody had ever understood what she had meant to me.
My only friend until Ed.
Alyxa shrieked in happiness, when she saw Lyta and myself, and that woke Ed up. He seemed
startled that we were here, and then he began laughing. Alyxa was by then hugged hard by
Lyta, and Maggie gave me her incredible smile when she realized who Alyxa was in our extended
family.
"Randy. You can stay here, if you like. There's plenty of room here for you. Lyta
also. More than plenty of room for all of us." She flashed Lyta a gentle smile. "And
there's room for Alyxa also. She'll like it here, as she'll have Sean and Kayleigh to play
with. Plus the dogs, she'll be able to play with the dogs. How could I forget mentioning
that?"
"I don't understand," Lyta whispered.
"The living have regrets, but it appears that when you're dead, you're able to
resolve and fix them. You're be happy here, Randy-Assassin, and Lyta-Avatar." Maggie
laughed.
I knew then that I would be happy among the dead, as I had never been among the living.
Later:
I sat with my back next to a tree, with a sleeping Alyxa in my lap, and my dog close
to me. I was completely talked out, as I had been busy answering questions from both Ed
and Maggie. Lyta was stroking our daughter's hair, and she was humming her a soft lullaby.
"No one will take her from you. Not Guild. Not Guide. Not Inquisitor," I had
promised Lyta, and Lyta had tears of joy in her eyes.
Finally Maggie decided that it was time for us to leave, "You need to go back to
the living. You have work there to finish."
"I don't want to go. What if I can't find my way back?" Lyta asked softly
"I lost her once, I can't go through that again."
"Ed will go with you, as it's only fair. You kept an eye on him, and he should
keep an eye on you. Alyxa and Sean will keep an eye on your dog, Randy. Don't you worry.
We'll be here when you come back."
"Thank you," I whispered.
Morrison.
Dizzily, I returned to the present, and I realized that barely a second had gone by
since Lyta had touched Ed. Had that been a hallucination?
Ed was dead, and he looked to be at peace. Gently, I closed his eyes and I kissed his
face.
That's peace? I look like hell! Do you need your eyes examined?
Uh? Ed?
Yes. You need help with tactics. So here's your help with tactics. It ain't going
to do us a lot of good if you win and end up getting everybody killed now will it? Lyta's
afraid of getting lost, and I'm her guide back. Now, let's see what damage you've done
to my ship.
MY ship. You gave her to me.
"ED?" Lyta whispered.
"Yes? Can we cut the happy reunion? We've got a war to win. Somehow. And I still
haven't had my picnic lunch yet. Maggie said I needed to take a nap first and now I'm back
here! You initiated a Code Violet Theta Omega One Nine Zeta? You probably killed half the
crew, Randy!"
"The alternative was me being killed, which meant Earth would die."
"Right."
Matthew Gideon I
Our little rebels were placed in confinement, and I wondered what next?
Morrison appeared on the screen and he began talking to me quickly about what had happened
on the Alexander, and what needed to be done. I tried not to notice that a dead Ed Ryan
was slumped against the wall. As he talked, I noticed something odder than having a corpse
in the background. Randy had two voices. One with his normal southern twang, and the second,
which did not have the drawl.
"So I initiated a Code Violet Theta Omega One Nine Zeta, and most of the crew's
dead. Right now, we're pretty much on autopilot as Alex is running everything. The Avatar
and I are in the command center." That was the voice without the drawl, who appeared
very serious.
"The Assassins have cleared most of Anderson's cronies out, but I'm afraid it looks
like the Victory was destroyed during the mutiny. Do I dare hope that means Galen's dead?"
That was in the southern drawl, which was highly amused.
"I hope so, as it's rather blindingly obvious that he didn't like you." Other
voice again, and then Randy's face flinched.
"Me. He didn't like me, for some unknown reason." Southern drawl.
Then Randy, who I finally decided was channeling Ed Ryan, gave me the new plan. Tactically,
it was a phenomenal piece of work, and Randy hadn't done it. No, there was no way in hell
that graduate level piece of work had come from Randy. Morrison was decent at basic tactics,
but this had a level of subtlety and sophistication that Randy didn't possess.
Which meant that Randy was stark raving nuts.
And he was the General I was following into a no win situation.
{1 And so it Begins} {2
Captain-Master & Executive Officer} {3 Captain-Master
& Assassin} {4 Battle Fatigue} {5
Story of an Avatar} {6 Story of a Captain-Master}
{7 Interlude} {8
General-Master & Assassin} {9 Babylon 5} {10 Lines are Drawn} {11
Alliances are Made} {12 Seeds of Rebellion}
{13 The Storm Breaks} {14
Battle of the Light Brigade} {15 "Theirs
but to Do and Die"} {16 "Valley of Death"} {17
"Jaws of Death"} {18 Finale}
{The
Main Gate} {HomePage}
{Wytches
World} {We
are Family} {A Little
Artistic Licence} {No, we don't
mean "A"riadne}
{Our
Home Is Our Castle}
{The
Witches' Diary} {Witches Familiars}
{The
Gateway} {Webrings}