Babylon5: The Short Stories

by J. Michael Straczynski

  Alisa flicked her robes back from her wrist to uncover a slim crystal bracelet. The mechanism on her arm popped up a deadly little laser sight that displayed a pale green cross-hair on the Narn's pouch. She let the sound of the bracelet's plasma generator build as she kept the cross-hairs over his vitals.

  The Narn flinched. "Yes, Ma'am!" he said, rushing to the cup and picking it up. Alisa heard several Narn obscenities work their way past his mental barriers. He was scared and edgy, but with reason, because his guilt was just under the surface of his slippery, reptilian thoughts.

  Alisa rose from the table. "We need to get out of here now."

  Jerrica pushed back her chair and followed Alisa across the black stone deck of the patio. Beneath them, red rivers of molten magma were passing in blazing streams. The restaurant had recently been built to admire the volcanic scenery.

  "What was that all about?" Jerrica demanded once they were streetside.

  Alisa came to an immediate decision. She would not tell Jerrica about the true nature of the danger she was in. Some clients could handle the facts, this young girl probably could not.

  She replied, "This is your first trip to Narn, isn't I?"

  "Yeah, so?" Jerrica trotted behind.

  "That's what I thought. Narn isn't like a lot of other places. It's dangerous to trust the locals around here."

  "But... these are my people."

  The streets were beginning to fill with caravan shoppers hauling heavy bags or large trunks on their backs. Beyond these pedestrians, large and squat adobe-style structures loomed against the orange eye of the Narn sun. The sun separated the dust-filled sky and streaked it in bands of purple, rose and peach.

  Minbari technology had helped Narn clear most of the particulate matter from its atmosphere since the Centauri Mass Driver bombing of 2259. But enough of the dust particles still survived in the sky overhead to serve as a beautiful sunset reminder of recent atrocities.

  Alisa could feel the wonder and naive pleasure from the Narn behind her as she stared at the simple beauty of her own people.

  How could she know their vicious side when this was her first exposure? Poor kid grew up on Earth. All outwardly Narn, but so intrinsically Human in learned behaviours.

  Alisa touched Jerrica's arm, nudging her onto a side street, while simultaneously projecting a sensation of calm into Jerrica's mind. As minds went, it was Narn; slippery and cold. Not even Jerrica's time on Earth had cured her of the cold-blooded constriction of the Narn mental patterns. "Tell me about your time on Earth."

  "Well, I was fortunate enough to go to the Narn Academy of San Francisco."

  "A prestigious prep school,"Alisa replied while calculating their next move. She was flipping through her mental database of allies who were living on Narn or in this sector of space. It was a very short list.

  "Yes, I am fluent in Narn and familiar with the entire history and cultural heritage of my race," Jerrica said.

  Alisa scratched her head for a moment before she realized that there actually was someone here who would serve Jerrica's interests quite well.

  And, she thought, this one could be trusted somewhat. If Jerrica and Alisa could just make it to the central section of town.

  "I never realized Moxtoke would be so open like this." Jerrica was looking around as the two made their way though crowded merchant streets of Moxtoke, the new capital of Narn.

  "Yes, lots of construction." Alisa indicated different buildings all forming under unique scaffolding. There seemed to be an overpopulation of contractors from every sector of the galaxy here. Drazi, Pak'ma'ra, Narn, Human, Brakiri ... all working on different buildings in different sections of town.

  "They're probably getting in their work before the afternoon rain hits," Jerrica replied.

  "Ah yes, of course." Alisa remembered that not only had the Minbari used wind-cleansing technology but they had also laced the sky with silver nitrate; forming clouds that were starting to dump rain on the barren Narn Homeworld in seasonal patterns. "I'm not sure the Narn really appreciate rainy seasons much."

  "Not with all these open air shops." They walked past open air booths where Narn were selling meat and butchering it on the spot. Jerrica curled her brown lip at the smell.

  The Narn at the booth spotted her and shouted, "All manner of livestock here! Dead! Alive! Almost sentient!"

  Alisa felt Jerrica's stomach flop as she paused, then hurried to catch up. Alisa was heedless of the sights around them, purposefully heading to another, quieter section of Moxtoke.

  They passed an Exfoliation Stand, where a Narn was seated in a barber's chair and getting his head scuffed by something that looked like a huge nail file.

  "What is that?!!" Jerrica was horrified.

  Alisa looked over in that direction, shrugged, and said, "Buffing. Narn buff their spots off and they grow back larger during the next molting period."

  "Ewwwww," Jerrica said. "Why?"

  "I don't know. Same reason Earth women shave their legs.They think it makes them look more attractive."

  They continued on and Jerrica stepped out of the way of another Narn walking her pet down the street. The leash was made out of alligator skin. The pet looked like some hybrid between a pig and a dachshund. There were definitely sights to be had on Narn.

  "Over here," Alisa called as she ducked down another side street. Jerrica, lost on the sight of a Narn woman walking with a parasol that was shaped more like leather batwings than delicate Victorian lace, realized she was standing in the middle of the main road and ran to catch up.

  "Sorry about that. You'd think after all my studies I'd be ready for this." The sky was beginning to darken and Jerrica's eyes adjusted to the level of cloud cover making the world a bit greyer.

  "Well, there's books and then there's the real thing. Not much further now." Alisa was at a tiny crossroads with huge, adobe buildings on either side. A arn woman was lowering a beautiful clay pot down with a rope and calling out to a young Narn standing in the street with a cart full of bottled water.

  "This way," Alisa decided.

  Jerrica followed behind until they came to a clearing and saw a large P'lazzo in front of them. The private dwelling was impressive, with carved features and scenes all over the walls in bas relief. Every ten feet or so, the wall was interrupted by a strewtree, a Narn succulent that grew in aerated, gravel soil. The strewtrees grew up in little impressions in the wall and twisted prettily with glowing purple flowers at the end of their branches.

  A large iron gate, speckled with orange splotches, guarded the entrance. Alisa pressed the intercom switch and a little light ran over her finger.

  "Unknown," the computer said.

  "Alisa Beldon," she replied. "I'm here to see Na'Toth."

  "One moment please," the computer replied. "I will locate her for you."

  "Yeah, I'm here," came the reply from over the intercom. "Who are you?"

  "Alisa Beldon. I am here on behalf of Jerrica Thomas."

  "Who?"

  "I'm working with a finder's program and we need to talk. We met once before, on Babylon 5."

  "All right." Annoyance was a first-rate Narn trait and it sang over the intercom.

  "Come on in, but I'm very busy so make it fast."

  The gate rolled up without a sound. It hung over the doorway with pointed spikes as if the person walking underneath might displease the hostess and the gate would come crashing down upon them, pinning their lifeless body to the ground.

  "Ah, Narn hospitality," Alisa cracked. She winked at Jerrica.

  "Is this the Na'Toth?" Jerrica whispered.

  "Yes, the Na'Toth." They went inside.

  After wandering around the square building, admiring tapestries made from leather, teeth, bones, more leather, and rawhide, the two found themselves at the entrance to the central courtyard. From the adobe walls, there were awnings made from leather and stretching out over little alcoves. The awnings reminded Jerrica of the woman with the leather parasol in the s
treets. They were painted with beautiful geometric shapes in bold colors like black, orange, and yellow. Beneath the awnings were varieties of plant-life that Jerrica had never seen before.

  Under one awning at the far corner of the courtyard, was Na'Toth, squatting down by the wall with a little chisel in her hand. The famous Narn was bent over and squatting with her face just inches from the wall.

  Alisa walked over and waited patiently for Na'Toth to rise. Several minutes passed and when Na'Toth finally turned, she looked up at the two women. She saw the dark-haired Human in Minbari robes and behind her a Narn, if something that small and measly could be called "Narn", peeking over her shoulder.

  "I remember you," Na'Toth said to Alisa and stood,brushing off her leathery hands. She hit her chest once with her fists and bowed briefly.

  Alisa did the same in reply. "Yes, we met on Babylon 5 several years ago, when I was looking to live outside the options of the Psi Corps."

  "Yes." Na'Toth seemed unaffected and she tossed her hand-chisel down on the dusty ground.

  "Do you do all of the Da'Quana yourself?" Jerrica could not contain her amazement and was pointing to the long layers of bas relief sculpture lining all the walls of the estate.

  Na'Toth was clearly impressed with the girl's eye for artwork. "Yes, I do. It's a hobby of mine." The sky rumbled above them. Na'Toth looked up and crossed her arms over her chest. "It's going to rain. Again."

  The other two looked up and Alisa felt a mist droplet hit her in the eye.

  "Let's get inside." It was more of a grouse than a command. Na'Toth led them to an open door that resembled a French door on Earth but the panes were not square, they were octagonal, like a beehive.

  Once inside, Na'Toth shut the doors on the rainy courtyard.

  "It's good to see that Narn is habitable again." Alisa began.

  "Not hardly. Rain! I hate rain. It messes up my day, my plans, my schedule. Rain. This was a great Minbari idea. Let's put large air filters, half a mile high on Narn and then prick their clouds with silver nitrate in order to make rain." Na'Toth shook her head, sighed with exasperation and sat down forcibly on the couch in the small room.

  Alisa didn't wait for an invitation to sit as well. She chose a strange looking chair (if you could call it that — it did have a seat for one) and sat down in it. Jerrica remained standing.

  "I remember you came with Delenn on her visit to Narn about what, 10 years ago?" Na'Toth said. "You were skulking in the back while she presented us with air purifiers in order to reduce particulate matter in our atmosphere."

  "Yes, Delenn and I are good friends now," Alisa replied. "She was delighted to be able to help Narn after the terrible atrocity."

  "Yes, I'm sure she was. It would have been better perhaps if Delenn had warned us about the driver attack before it happened."

  Alisa didn't take the bait. She just shrugged. She was Human and wasn't nearly as prone to getting upset as a Minbari over matters of honor."We did what we had to do, and the same can be said for Entil'Zha Delenn.Its no use crying over spilled milk."

  Na'Toth seemed to ruffle at this, but Alisa kept right on going. "Today, however, I seek your help in averting another catastrophe for your people."

  "Are you bringing trouble into my P'lazzo?" Na'Toth asked.

  "Yes," Alisa replied flatly.

  "All right, then." The Narn grinned and her red eyes flashed a hungry stare over her wide smile. She looked like a predator licking its lips. "Let's get down to business.

  * * * * *

  An hour later, Alisa was walking down the slick streets of Moxtoke. She'd left a terribly reluctant Jerrica to mingle with her own kind. Not just anyone, either. Na'Toth would give Jerrica a thing or two to learn about Narn history and culture. She'd keep the young Narn occupied over the course of the night, and that left Alisa free to do what she did best.

  Intelligence gathering.

  As Alisa slipped down the shadows toward the central government building of Moxtoke, she considered Na'Toth. Na'Toth's mind was the first Narn mind that Alisa had ever touched, back when she was still a teen on Babylon 5.

  Narn minds were no big deal to Alisa now, but the first time that the Narn psyche is truly experienced, Humans can have nightmares for weeks. They're cold, slippery, carnal. But, despite that, there was always something about Na'Toth that Alisa really enjoyed. A sense of "the hunt" that Alisa herself knew well. Above all, Na'Toth was an honest player. She'd take good care of Jerrica and keep her safe.

  Alisa approached the center of Moxtoke and looked up at the shiny new capital building. This was a high security zone, but that didn't intimidate her. Alisa had been to many worlds already, with many security tasks, and she was capable. It was something she kept learning on the side, even on Minbar. Thieving might be bad, but intelligence gathering, now ... that was different.

  Alisa put on her camouflage net and snuck over the side of the wall, pausing as a security laser started to scan the flat surface of the wall a few feet away. Right before it went over her camouflaged body, she held her breath, and the laser passed right over her. It kept going down the wall and Alisa didn't wait for it to double back. She slid over to the side-access door and hooked up her pirated datacrystal pack.

  Two seconds of decode and she was inside. I have Minbari technology, she thought.

  The Minbari were highly advanced compared to any other race still around. They were the leaders, wise and true, who rarely abused their power. While Alisa had trained with them, she was still not "of" them, and she saw other possibilities for Minbari technology. In the right hands, the tech could easily avoid calamities like this one.

  A Minbari would never do something like this, she thought, but I would — and do — all the time. It made her smile as she worked on another inner lock. She had her own world with its own rules. And because she played fairly, even if she did dance on the line, she had been commended for it by the Minbari. A year ago, they had presented her with the medal of honor called the "True Seeker." Her job was to help people — and she used whatever means possible to that end.

  After two more security breaches, she was inside the main vault of the Records Office. Here, to the left, she found crystals lined up on shelves. They contained genetic information on just about every Narn still alive. She scanned the most recent recoveries. Within a few minutes, she had located Jerrica's datacrystal.

  Rolling it between her fingers while her left hand ran over the smooth stainless-steel surface of an encryption desk, she sat down on an oddly formed Narn chair and inspected the data plug.

  Ha! She grinned. This uses pirated Minbari technology! Woo hoo hoo, wouldn't Entil'Zha Delenn be peeved?!! Some things were better left untold to her friend and mentor Delenn. This would be one of them.

  Good thing it'd be a problem for anyone else but me. Alisa slipped in the data-crystal and ran her hands over the faceted jewel control buttons on the silver surface. With a few slips and guesses she had bypassed the Minbari encryption software and went right into Jerrica's Genetic Files.

  Who do you belong to...? she asked. She scrolled down past genetic strings, blood samples, blood type, virtual recreations, until she got to the report matching.

  I know you're first circle, I know it. So whose child are you ...? Alisa hit the bottom of the report and it would scroll down no further. Her eyes widened and she sat straight up in the chair.

  "Holy Sh—!"

  "She must not survive the night! I can't believe the Kha'Ri already knew about this!"

  The voice was not here, it was a mindcast ... about ... two floors down, Alisa guessed, close enough for her to pick up the angry thought patterns and actually "hear" the conversation. If not with her ears, with her mind.

  Alisa bolted out of the chair, with the datacrystal in hand. It shut down the encryption desk once it was removed. She hurried toward the door and stepped out into the hall just seconds before the Narn whose mind and voice she recognized came thundering up the hall with a smaller Narn besi
de him.

  "That's why I came to you, because I know where she is right now!"

  Alisa stood very still against the wall, hoping that they would pass by and she would not have to breathe. The camouflage net was still activated but a breathing wall would look very suspicious. Narn had heightened sense of movement too, much like cat vision, so she remained perfectly still.

  Thank the Maker for meditation classes, she thought as the two Narn walked to the door, just feet away from her, and started to unlock it.

  "I want to see the file for myself."

  "Tra'Kar, you are going to miss this golden opportunity."

  "What opportunity?" He shouted and glared at the little Narn beside him.

  "Na'Toth is my neighbor. I saw this Narn female go into her house with a Human woman, and I knew immediately to contact you." Alisa could feel him trying to soothe the savage beast before him. Little worm, she thought. "We go back, right? I am your friend, no?"

  "Perhaps. Go on." Tra'Kar opened the door and walked into the room. The little Narn followed.

  "She's at Na'Toth's for most of the afternoon, and then, once it gets dark, she follows Na'Toth out."

  They left the house?!!

  Alisa wanted to stomp her foot and shout "Damn!" but she held it in. How could Na'Toth do this? Damn it!

  The Narn continued, "After they left, I followed them to—"

  "Where is the datacrystal?!!" The voice was so loud that it made Alisa wince. It came across like a sharp knife over her mental passageways, cutting them like a razor.

  "I ... I don't know." The little Narn was cowering. The little weasel. "Tra'kar, it's not important."

  "What do you mean it's not important?!!"

  "Listen to me, you can still take care of the little Narn — she's at Red Dust Cavern with Na'Toth!"

  Damn it, Na'Toth!! Alisa was furious. She'd told Na'Toth to stay at home with Jerrica and make sure nothing happened to her. By virtue of the fact that Jerrica had been evacuated from Narn when few others had that opportunity, Na'Toth almost certainly knew that Jerrica was a potential child of one of the inner circle of the Kha'Ri! Of course, none of them knew that she was the child of—