StarDestroyer.Net BBS

Disclaimer

I own none of these characters. Babylon 5, characters and established universe, are creations of JMS. Characters of the Tsuranuanni Empire are very obviously based on the Fantasy works of Raymond E. Feist, and I have no claim on them. The description of the Tsurani is a blatant copy of the Chiss characters introduced in the SW EU (because I am too damn lazy to create my own alien features, sue me), and are a property of Lucasfilm.

I am only using these characters for fun, and make absolutely no profit from doing so. No harm is intended.

Story is loosely based on the books Magician and the Empire series written by Feist and Feist / Wurst respectively.

Back Story

Events take place a few months when ISA moves onto Minbar, consider this an alternate universe kind of deal. I will be running rough shod over some of the books and movies and series (Crusade, Legend of the Rangers, and A call to arms).

Just bear with me.

Teaser

Almaki, Patrol Leader of the house of the Tonmargu, stared absently into the shifting redness of Hyperspace.

It had been close to one and half cycles of Kelewan since the Empress, Aelta 93 times Light of Heaven, had officially withdrawn her war proclamation against the ancient Enemy. Since that time, the Empire of the Tsuranuanni had returned to its old normality. The Imperial Whites, the armed forces of the Empress, had resumed their usual role of patrolling the freeman holdings of the Empire and protecting the travel within it.

And the great Houses of the Empire were allowed to recall their loyal sons and daughters to their service once again.

It was here that Almaki spent his days; in the region of the Sweto province of the Empire, the farthest point away from Kelewan, and the farthest from Kentosani, The Holy City, where the Council, Parliament, and court of the Empress sat. This fact never caused Almaki any concern though, he was Tsurani and the greatest honour was to serve. Serve the Empire, and of course serve his Lord of the Tonmargu.

He was in command of his Lord’s third patrol squadron, and tasked with ensuring that the House of Tonmargu and its interests was kept safe from marauding pirates. While the Empire of Tsuranuanni was the only real power in this region of space, its war with the Enemy had left it overextended, and spiteful races along its boarder had started trying to encroach into Tsurani space.

For the most part, these cowardly and dishonourable vermin had limited themselves to nuisance raids along the boarder, commandeering merchant ships and the like. This would normally fall under the jurisdiction of the Imperial Whites, but they suffered the greatest during the war and while rebuilding had been a priority, the sheer expanse of the Tsuranuanni Empire offered a little more hindrance to their efforts.

Forced, with no other recourse, many wealthy freemen had decided to align themselves with a powerful house, paying tribute to the Lord or Lady of the House, in exchange for military protection. This allowed a competent Lord or Lady to increase their revenues, without placing too much of a strain on their own military, which had also suffered in the war.

Almaki had been travelling with a convoy heading from Sweto province towards Dustar province, another area on the edge of the Empire when his squadron picked up some sensor readings indicating raiders on the edge of their screens.

The raiders, obviously noticing the military escort decided to flee. It was at this time that Almaki had decided to give chase and hunt them down.

It was a risky gamble, for if this had been a feint, then the merchant convoy would be left exposed, however Almaki, like all Tsurani, knew what panic tasted like when he smelt it, and the mysterious raiders practically stank of it. They had obviously been caught unaware, and were now running scared. Almaki had hoped that if he caught them, he might be able to identify the race responsible, and it could be used as leverage for his Lord to use in the Council.

As a member of the War Party, his Lord Tsung of the Tonmargu, was loosing power slowly to the Blue Wheel Party, isolationists, who believed that the Empire should look inward and not outward. A discovery of the culprits responsible for the transgressions against Tsurani honour would provide a target for the War Party to justify their hold on Tsurani politics.

One of his subordinates caught his eye. “What is it?” Almaki asked.

“We lost sight of them for a few moments, due to a gravitational fluctuation in Hyperspace.” The subordinate explained. When Almaki remained silent, the subordinate continued. “After the brief moment it took us to look through the gravitational distortion, we were able to find only one ship in this region of space. It is heading on a course at a strange angle to the suspected vessels we were following, but it is the only thing left on our sensors.”

Almaki felt a brief moment of defeat enter his heart, for a moment he thought he could have ended this charade and finally tracked the identities of the elusive raiders. He was about to order the squadron to head back to the main convey, when a feeling that he got from his subordinate forced him to reconsider. “What else?” He asked.

The subordinate paused for the briefest moment before replying, choosing his words carefully. “We cannot be positively sure unless we use active sensors, but I believe that the ship we have on our sensors right now, is using biological technology.” The last phrase struck Almaki strongly. In the entire history of the Empire of the Tsuranuanni the only two users of biological ships were the Enemy and the Deceivers, both were counted as threats and adversaries to the stability of the Empire, and both were unwelcome anywhere near Imperial space.

But they were gone – weren’t they? Perhaps the Court of the Light of Heaven was wrong, perhaps they weren’t driven away from Tsuranuanni? Or perhaps these ship, is a ship of the Ancient’s familiars – pets, races who blindly followed anyone? Either way, Almaki’s duty was clear, biological ships were branded enemies of the Empire, and they must be eliminated.

He depressed a button on his command chair that activated the call to arms alarm on his ship, and opened the public announcement system. “All hands, prepare for battle. Enemy sighted, all hands man your stations.” Releasing the button, he turned to face his subordinate. “Open comm. Channel and inform the rest of the squadron that we have a mandate to destroy this biological ship.” He instructed. “Then power up all weapons, activate targeting systems, and bring us to maximum thrust on the engines.”

The subordinate rushed to his appointed tasks, Almaki sat backed and watched as his ship the Chandra Fan sprung to life. Typical Tsurani blood lust welled up inside him and his crew.


On board the An’lashok patrol ship, Whitestar 29 Captain Dufal sat in his command chair, filling in an entry to his log. Since In’tel’zha had ordered the An’lashok to act both as the guardians of the Inter Stellar Alliance, and to explore and seek out other races, Dufal had spent the bulk of his time further and further from home. This was their sixth week out on deep range patrol, and the furthest that anyone from the An’lashok had ever ventured.

After two days where they had scouted new races that could be approached for membership, he was on his way home. Suddenly an alarm began buzzing on a crew member’s panel attracted his attention.

“Captain! We are being locked on by an unknown ship. Correction, make that ships sir.” The crew member’s eyes widened in alarm.

“Take evasive action!” Dufal ordered. He braced himself in his chair, as his ship twisted, weaved and dodged with a precision and grace that only a Whitestar could.

“Weapons are firing.” The same crew member announced.


Almaki watched as his quarry danced like a Shatra bird in a vain attempt to disengage his squadron’s weapons lock. It caused him to pause a moment, as none of the Ancient’s ships ever seemed to manoeuvre so quickly and erratically. They usually stayed their course, absorbed weapon fire, and returned fire. Perhaps this wasn’t a biological ship after all?

“Scans confirm Patrol Leader,’ his subordinate began. ‘The ship does indeed posses biological technology.”

That last phrase sealed the unknown ship’s fate, as far as Almaki was concerned. “All ships fire at will.” He watched as his own ship and it’s twin sisters opened their volley of destruction at the ship on their sensors.

I'll be eagerly waiting for the outcome of the fight.

Have a very nice day.
-fgalkin

Crown wrote:In the entire history of the Empire of the Tsuranuanni the only two users of biological ships were the Enemy and the Deceivers, both were counted as threats and adversaries to the stability of the Empire, and both were unwelcome anywhere near Imperial space.

In the original, the Tsurani reaction to the Enemy finding them was to teleport their planet to another solar system.

I know who I'ld bet on in a fight between the Technomages VS the Tsurani Great Ones. And these Tsurani Great Ones would have the benefit of modern science to augument their massive powers, and they play an active roll in politics and they arent uncommon.

And the Enemy wasnt something to be toyed with(Being an insane God and all).

Definitely plan on watching this to see how this story develops.

fgalkin wrote:I'll be eagerly waiting for the outcome of the fight.

Have a very nice day.
-fgalkin

Unfortunately you'll have to wait a bit, you picked to comment on the only story that I haven't already written 5 other chapters for!

ggs wrote:

Crown wrote:In the entire history of the Empire of the Tsuranuanni the only two users of biological ships were the Enemy and the Deceivers, both were counted as threats and adversaries to the stability of the Empire, and both were unwelcome anywhere near Imperial space.

In the original, the Tsurani reaction to the Enemy finding them was to teleport their planet to another solar system.

I am just taking an entire fantasy culture and dropping it right in the middle of B5. The Tsurani are to be considered one of the other middle races that weren't bombed back into the stone age in the last great war.

I know who I'ld bet on in a fight between the Technomages VS the Tsurani Great Ones. And these Tsurani Great Ones would have the benefit of modern science to augument their massive powers, and they play an active roll in politics and they arent uncommon.

Well the Great Ones in this story will be the telepaths, as I said before I am taking the Tsurani and just dropping them into a B5 universe, so I have tried to modify things accordingly.

What the Technomages really have to fear are the Imperial Whites, especially the Imperial Guards, who are molded to technology.

And the Enemy wasnt something to be toyed with(Being an insane God and all).

Spoiler

Definitely plan on watching this to see how this story develops.

Well if you enjoy it, I hope you like it!

Crown wrote:Well the Great Ones in this story will be the telepaths,

Telepaths & telekinetic?

as I said before I am taking the Tsurani and just dropping them into a B5 universe, so I have tried to modify things accordingly.

That makes sense, I like the fanatical hatred of Bio-tech.

What the Technomages really have to fear are the Imperial Whites, especially the Imperial Guards, who are molded to technology.

<spoiler snip/>

Fair enough, either way you dont want either of them to know of your existance.

Chapter - 1 : Council

Hoppara raced up the steps of the Imperial palace with a haste that was born more out of frustration than actual need. He passed the silent and ever present Imperial Whites, their faces hidden behind exquisite masks polished brightly to appear percaline and doll like, a beguiling feature that hid the mask’s true strength from the common eye. Absently he wondered whether they deemed to care about why the First Advisor to the Light of Heaven would be running up stairs, or if they already knew.

On the balance, he chose to ignore their blank stares and their imposing figures. And concentrate on the ancient stairs, whose foundations ran back to antiquity.

While on the whole Hoppara considered himself a cultured man, why no one had chosen to install some kind of powered stairs on the outside of the palace was beyond him. Already past the third landing, and he was becoming short of breath. Silently he cursed Chumaka for no doubt his distress was due to the Spy Master’s manipulations. Well, Hoppara at least took thanks that this was a cool morning, and it wasn’t a formal court day where he would have to be dressed in the traditional ceremonial robes of a first advisor. Sending a quick prayer of thanks to the Gods that granted him this one reprieve, Hoppara had just reached the fourth landing.

More Imperial Whites stared out to infinity beyond him. Taking one deep breath, Hoppara began racing up the last flights of stairs. He cursed Chumaka once more for good measure.

For his part, Chumaka the object of Hoppara’s vehement exclamation sat comfortably behind his desk and pored over intelligence reports streaming across his interface terminal from all the various wing of the Empire’s intelligence and law enforcement agencies. Most dealt in one or another act of espionage by one rival house against another.

“Pause.” He commanded as an interesting discrepancy flashed before him. “Bring up file from High Council public records, mark sitting of the fifteen hundred and third High Council.” Chumaka leaned in closer, and nearly pressed his rather large nose against the screen as his right hand stretched across his desk reaching for the sweet candy lying just out of his reach. Just as his uncoordinated fingers managed to get a hold of his confectionary desire, the door to his office just slid open.

Jumping despite himself, like the proverbial child just caught with his hand in the equal proverbial sweet jar.

“Those things will rot your teeth you know.” Chumaka’s personal assistant, a young and sometime over enthusiastic Sweetian. Like most Tsurani from that province he had deep violet eyes with thick black hair, grown long traditionally and kept in intricate braids. His violet eyes flashed with a silent humour that spoke volumes of his intelligence.

“Good.” Chumaka began. “I am waiting for these things to fall out, so that I don’t have to brush them anymore.”

“Well you might be rid of them sooner than you think.” Ayaki rejoined. “He’s on his way.”

“Hoppora?” Chumaka asked.

“Yes, I just spoke to Strike Leader Terotasi.” Ayaki responded. “Our distinguished First Advisor apparently tried to force himself past an Imperial Guard security check point … it was only the guards automatic detection equipment that stopped his most honoured from ending up in restraints.”

“Well in that case, I need to act in all the dignity of my position as Spy Master to her most Imperial Majesty and find a place to hide.” Chumaka began to rise, and started to guide Ayaki out of his office. They barely made it two steps before a great disturbance in the harmony of the world was made manifest in person by the appearance of Hoppara, First Advisor to the Light of Heaven of all of Tsuranuanni.

“Are you insane?” Hoppara demanded as he stood huffing at the entryway to Chumaka’s office. “Have you completely lost your mind? Has old age finally set in your brain like cement? Are you trying to give me a heart attack?”

Chumaka raised his hands, palms upward in a calming gesture. “I have no idea what you are talking about.”

“You set up spies in the council chamber of the clans!” Hoppara exclaimed. “Or did you think that I wouldn’t notice?”

“Ah that.” Chumaka responded blankly. “Well to be quite honest, I didn’t thing that you’d notice them actually.”

Hoppara stared at his longtime colleague and blinked in brain lock for a second. The fact that Chumaka didn’t even bother denying the accusation – admitting to it no less – put him slightly off guard. But then the memory of him having to run up the 412 steps of the Imperial palace – one for each day – caught up to him and his rage seemed to swell in him like a balloon.

“Well I did noticed it! What makes you believe that they wouldn’t?” He asked incredulously. “More to the point, you must realize that they noticed it too!”

“Yes, I realize that.” Chumaka responded, with a predatory grin spreading across his face. “Now are you going to ask me why I did this, or are you going to rage on self indulgently until you burst like a balloon?”

Hoppara wanted to curse Chumaka even more at this point. The wily old Spy Master had pre-empted him, even though Hoppara’s next question was always going to be ‘why’, Chumaka had managed to make it look like it was his idea and was just being reasonable. Oh, how I would love to kick him right about now Hoppara thought for one brief moment, but decided it somehow lacked proper dignity for his position. And besides, he threw a quick glance to the Imperial White guards that were stationed at the door, he wasn’t sure on the finer points of Imperial Law, in regards to brawls in the court between the two most highly placed advisors to the Light of Heaven, and whom the Imperial Whites would ultimately help.

Swallowing a bit of his pride, and more than a bit of his anger he stared at Chumaka and asked simply. “Why? Why did you place spies inside the council chamber of the clans? Why did you do this when I am sure you would know that it would create friction between the clan leadership and the Court of Heaven? And for the love of Lashima –‘ he finished invoking the Goddess of Wisdom –‘didn’t you just bug the place and be done with it?”

“Because I wanted the clans to know unequivocally that I was listening in on them.” Chumaka replied. “I wanted them to feel uncomfortable and resentful that I would come close to a public insult of mistrust between the Court and Clans. But most of all, I wanted them to think on what the full implications of what they did that precipitated my actions are.”

“And these are?” Hoppara prompted.

“They are lying to Aelta 93 times Light of Heaven, blessings upon her name.” Chumaka intoned the ritual phrase of well wishing. “Not all of them,’ he added hastily by the look of alarm that flashed across Hoppara’s face. “But some of them most definitely. I suspect that those lying to the Light of Heaven, are even now lying to their clan chiefs, because there is politics involved in this, that crosses blood ties. And rather selfishly I want the clan chiefs who are being lied to, to do the weeding out of the details for me – which of course I will verify with my own reconnaissance, just to be prudent.”

Hoppara exercised what he thought was an incredible amount of self control, and suppressed the obvious question from his mind, and took the moment to study his colleague for a moment. Chumaka, truth be told, was a shrewd, ambitious, cunning son of an unknown spawn of hell. But his loyalty to the Light of Heaven was always above reproach.

Well not, loyalty. Not real, selfless, honourable Tsurani loyalty one of duty and service. He served for more self gratifying interests, interests that were entirely his own. Hoppara, knew deep down, that Chumaka served the position of Spy Master as well as he did for the Light of Heaven, out of pride. Not pride of his position, but the selfish pride of his own work. And Hoppara admitted to himself, that damn Chumaka to the lower halls of hell, he was exceedingly good at his job.

“Tell me what this is about.” Hoppara asked simply.





John Sheriden woke up in his apartment on Minbar. The crisp, somewhat salty and wet breeze of early dawn wafted through his apartment. It was strange how having spent the past five years almost exclusively inside a giant space station, the first thing that made his senses tingle again when he was back on a planet was wind. All the air conditioners, climate controllers and fans in the galaxy could never, ever simulate honest to god wind inside a planets atmosphere.

He looked around his apartment for Delen, but wasn’t overly surprised when he found her to be absent. She usually waited by him in bed, watching him sleep until he awoke on most mornings, but the press of duty in the past few months had accumulated dramatically since they had moved to Minbar, and officially opened the Interstellar Alliance offices for business, which of course meant bureaucracy.

Ruefully, Sheriden remembered at one point yelling at someone with some conviction, that if our ancestors knew that one day they would evolve into politicians, then they would never have gotten down from the trees. With a deep sigh or resignation, he pushed himself out of bed and began to get himself ready. Somewhere between showering and shaving, but slightly before he opened his dresser he paused to look at himself before he dressed as the thing that he disliked the most – a bureaucrat, a politician.

He stepped out to the veranda, to enjoy the brilliant vista of a Minbari city, with their tall crystal buildings, light shinning down, around and through the clear glass. Shattering in brilliant displays of dazzling vibrant colours, it certainly wasn’t home, but it certainly could be. And that was what was important, he decided.

Although to be truly and brutally honest, home for him was wherever Delen was.

“What are you thinking about?” A quite, and soulful voice asked him. Sheriden jumped a little out of his skin, and spun around. Delen was leaning up against the door frame leading out of the veranda. Her alabaster skin, painted in all the colours of the rainbow in small and brilliant points, and a gentle smile tugging at the corners of her lips. A smile, he knew, that was reserved for him and only him in the entire galaxy. A smile, that could crush his convictions, rend asunder his priorities and make his heart miss a beat in a second.

“You startled me,” he confessed. “When I didn’t see you next to me in the bed, I thought that you had already gone to take care of some Ranger business.”

“I had gotten up early, to meet with some of the head instructors.” She explained. “About an overdue ship, that was on deep patrol. Just an update on the situation, just to keep me informed. Nothing serious at this point, Ranger ships are being sent further, and further from home these days. Their mission to keep the peace, and seek out other races to join the Interstellar Alliance necessitates this, and sometimes schedules are a little off, a miss timing of Hyperspace routes, a problem with the ship or finding problems with which they can help. You know what a deep space ship patrol is like.” She finished.

She walked over to him and leaned into him, feeling his arm wrap reassuringly around her, pressing her closer. “But you haven’t answered my question,’ she continued. “What were you thinking about?”

“You. Us.” He replied. “This job, and what I feel about it.” She placed one of her hands across his chest, resting on top of his heart. “I never thought of myself as a politician Delen, I never thought of myself in this role. All I ever wanted was my own berth, my own commission. Politics, was never me, but politics is all I do now, all I see.”

“Your father was a politician.” She reminded him softly, hiding for a little the sadness in her eyes. John, she knew, was not meant for a desk job, it broke him a little everyday. And the days, she knew sadly, for John were numbered. Twenty years Lorien told her, twenty years. And that was over two years ago. Not a moment went by, not even when she was busy with her schedule, not a moment went by that she didn’t think on it. On their finite time left together.

“Yes, he was.” Sheriden responded. “But that was different, he had a constituency. A base of people he worked for, answered to, and could talk to. This’ he said waving his free arm in front of them in a wide encompassing gesture. “This is just too much, too detached. I don’t think that any one person should be in charge of this. Not all of it, it is too much, and too little at the same time.”

“I know what you feel John.” She replied. “But you shouldn’t think of it that way. To begin with you aren’t responsible for the entire galaxy, for we don’t have members for the entire galaxy … yet.”

“What a comforting thought.” He interjected.

“And even if we did,’ she continued. “You still aren’t responsible for all of the people. You are the head of an organisation which has a mandate to preserve the peace, and to follow the rule of law. You do not govern them, you do not rule them. They join of their own free will, and can leave at any time. The only thing that is asked of them while being a part of the Alliance, is to follow the law.”

She turned into him, and wrapped her arms around his waist. She tilted her head up to look into his eyes, and so doing rested her chin against his chest. “The most you are responsible for is a small group of petty politicians and bureaucrats, and bullying them to get along.”

“Now that doesn’t help me in the slightest Delen. It just brings us back to me being one of the bureaucrates!” He exclaimed.

“No, not one of them.” She corrected. “You are like the patient teacher at the head of a particularly slow class.” She smiled up him and saw a mischievous grin on his face slowly spreading, mirroring her own. “And let us be honest John, you wouldn’t have it any other way.”