Getting help

"Approaching craft, please identify before docking", Suveni asked the Nial fighter that was in line with the Tiris' docking bay. They were lying outside Solta Gan, finally on break.

There was no more but a skeleton crew aboard. Most of them had gone down to the planet to greet their family and friends, but the main command had stayed behind. Naroon still had some things to arrange for the post-inspection process, so would go down tomorrow, while Fara's family lived on Tavalan. She could go down to meet old friends, but the urge did not draw her there.
The rest was there as part of the last emergency crew before the ship was handed over to the Worker Caste for maintenance.

As they were in orbit of home, Suveni was more pressed to follow proper protocol regarding docking ships. What if there were a Master docking? Or another Shai Alyt?
He would never hear the end of it if the proper welcoming wasn't assembled.

"This is Renati. I need to see the Shai Alyt", she replied as neutral as she could mother.
"Renati?", the old man shot forward to his crystals, urging them to bring up visual confirmation of that.
"Weren't you in Vorlon-"
"Are my whereabouts relevant to my request?", she quickly tagged.
"N-no, of course not", he hesitated and opened the bay for her.

Incredible! There she was, back from the dead as if nothing had happened. Months of wondering, pondering and contemplating on her. But now she was on his scanners, in the flesh.

She hadn't changed, not one bit. He wasn't sure if that was good or bad. One thing was certain: someone's going to be thrilled…

"Is there a reason you have called me in the middle of the night out of my training session Suveni? We are in orbit, what could possibly be wrong that you cannot handle yourself?", Fara grunted.
"We have a visitor"
The Alyt let her shoulders drop. "Great. Do I need to assemble an honour guard?"
"Depends, entirely your choice actually", Suveni replied mysteriously.

The twinkle in his eye could not hide his mischief.
"What are you up to? Who is our guest?", she demanded and walked up to the panel.
"Anla'Shok Renati", he said quickly before she could discover it herself and deny him the pleasure of surprise.

"Renati? That Religious Caste? Ridiculous, she's in Vorlon space", Fara scoffed.
"Not anymore"
The Warrior squinted her eyes at her confrere only to realise he wasn't kidding. She was actually here – on this ship. She was back.

Her veins grew warm with anger, her eyes shot poison.
"Did she say why she was here?"
"She wants to see the Shai Alyt"
"Of course she does", Fara rolled her eyes, but then grinned. "As Alyt, I decide this matter is not important enough to wake up the commander. She can wait until morning"
Fulfilled with malicious delight, she smirked her way back to the training grounds, off for a long night of secluded practice.

He's not even coming to greet me? Not even sending Kujar or Moran? By Valen, I would've accepted Fara as a better sign than this!

Renati swallowed at the realisation of her welcomeness on the Tiris. She had blown it with them, badly.
Nevertheless, she needed his help. There was no one else she could go to.

Determined to get what she wanted, she marched to his quarters. Not without limping slightly from her injury, but that was the last of her concern.
Every step she took the rage of being discarded grew stronger. It mixed with her frustrations of old – his giving of the order, his not coming for her, their loss of contact.
How could he do that to her? How could he forget about her?

Yes, she should have told him sooner, but there is nothing that can be done about that now. In the end, he knew. He could have forgiven her and moved on, but no.

When Renati approached the door she waved her hand as to activate the crystals, but instead of warning the inhabitant of a visitor, the door opened. She didn't give it much thought and walked right in.

Where is he?

The room was all dark, no signs of life. In all her manic Renati had lost track of time and did not realise she was storming into the Shai Alyt's quarters in the middle of the night.

Hearing the ruckus from a soul moving around his quarters, a sleepy-eyed pyjama-dressed Naroon appeared from the bedroom.
"What in Valen's name-", but his voice froze when he switched on the lights.
Renati turned around, hesitated for a moment, but then spontaneously spat out her feelings.

"I can understand that as Anla'Shok I am not important enough for anyone to greet, but as my own person I thought you would at least sent someone to receive me"
She had to fight the tremble in her voice from taking over. She was both furious and scared. Furious for all of now and all that went before, but dead-scared for his reaction – to the whole.

Naroon forcefully blinked his eyes several times, then grabbed the glass with the crystal liquid that was on the table and sniffed it.

Hmm water…

"Renati?", he hesitated when the female in front of him had stopped talking.
He was not sure what to say. He didn't even know if she was real. Perhaps this was just another dream…

"When did you get onboard?", he tried analysing the situation.
"Three minutes ago"
"Then who let you in?", he wondered.
"No one, the door was unlocked"
"My door is never unlocked", he assured her.

Whether or not it was, they both knew that was not the issue. Why was she here?
What should he do?

For months he had been anticipating the event, even giving up hope for it ever happening, but now that it had come he didn't know what to think of it – or what to do.

Was he to hold her? Show her how relieved he is that she's unharmed?
Or should he give her a good beating for what she had done to him? Let her feel some pain for a change?

Renati could no longer stand the awkwardness and interrupted. "I have a problem"
Again her voice shook, but this time it required more effort to hold it together.
"It's Anla'Shok Na, they killed him"
"Who killed him?", Naroon asked, still letting the statement sink in. The whirlwind of emotions suddenly had to make place for business. Naroon had to become Shai Alyt.
"That's the problem. They-", but she reconsidered her words.

"I tell you this in confidence, Shai Alyt", she decided not to test her luck and go for the formal approach, "I understand your reluctance but I have no one else to go to. The Anla'Shok would perish if they were to face them"
"What enemy is powerful enough to assassinate Anla'Shok Na and eradicate the Anla'Shok itself?", Naroon did not like where this was going.
"They look like us, but they are not us-"

Renati was interrupted by a raised hand of Naroon's. He paced around her, locked the door and opened a shelf in the wall. He took out a device which he placed on the table between them

"You have encountered the Shadowsouled", a voice carrying doom brought her the facts while checking if his jammer was working alright.
"Shadow-souled?"
Naroon closed his eyes, clearly uncomfortable with the situation. How did she find out about them? Had she actually caught one of them? Had she fought one?
No, she wouldn't have survived a fight.

"Did they harm you?", worry overcame him.
"Yes, but the hela'mers fixed the wounds", she stretched the truth, "I got all of the black out"
Relief was in his eyes when she spoke. At least there's that.

"Who are they? And why did they come for Anla'Shok Na? More so, why do they look like us?", she demanded to know, but Naroon would only tell her as much as she needed to know.
"They are a secret order of warriors who have been waging a silent war with our people for the past thousand years. Every so often they resurface and strike in an attempt to weaken our spirit before the final attack"
"The final attack?"
"They are… a special type of enemy", Naroon hesitated. He was already telling her more then he wanted.

"How so?"
"Their armouring and weaponry is… experimental", he explained.
"Experimental, from what?"

Again, Naroon hesitated. He waged the pros for the contras before telling her more, hoping for the least of consequences.
"How is your history?"
"My history? I consider my knowledge to be moderate", she replied puzzled to the awkward question.
"Do you remember the story of the Dark Knives Clan?"
"Yes, they were exterminated during the last war with the Ancient Enemy", she recalled.
"Indeed. But do you know who destroyed them?"

Renati remained quiet. Her initial response would be the Shadows of course, but Naroon's secrecy hinted that was not the case.
"We did", he answered his own question.
"We did?", Renati replied in disbelief.
"It is not something the Warrior Caste is proud of, hence the shrouds. The Dark Knives were a Clan, just like the Star Riders, the Fire Wings, and the rest of us, but during the war the Clan came into a.. difference of opinion with the other clans", he considered his words, "They believed we had to join in with the enemy and pick at the winning side of the battle.
For their insolence, the Clan was outcast, but… it backfired – put lightly"

Naroon swallowed before he continued: "After their banishment they became even more determined to pursue their point of view and joined forces with the enemy"
"They were Minbari?", Renati muttered and gasped for air. "I-I killed a Minbari?"
"You most certainly did not. They are no longer Minbari, have not been many centuries!
They joined in with the enemy to a level so insanely loyal, that they allowed for their alien technology to modify their bodies, down to the core cells. They became an evil kind of Minbari-Shadow-technological hybrid.

Their weapons are deadly, their armour impenetrable and their wounds heal. They are the worst enemy you can meet in battle", he spoke sorely.
"So you do believe in the Ancient Enemy", Renati spoke, somewhat relieved.
"I do not believe, I know. There's a difference", he explained his silence from before.

Naroon was part of the secret organization that worked to keep these monsters in check – the Shadow banes. They ensured none of this got to the public's ear, aside from the select few that needed to be aware of it. Not even every member of the grey council knows about them.
As Renati had been in contact with one of them, even seen one, she needed to be informed. His words had been justified.

"Renati", he spoke softly while approaching her. "You should abandon your quest for this enemy and leave it to the ones who hunt them. We will take care of it for you"
She was touched by his care, relieved in a fact that not all that was between them was shattered, but could not overcome her anger. They had murdered her leader, her Master.
"I will face them myself, it is your decision on how well of a chance I stand to fend them off"

Again, she put him in a difficult position, what an annoying habit of hers. The pursuit of these creatures was not the issue, but Renati accompanying them would be a problem.
"Where would you go looking for them?", he attempted to discourage her.
"There is a moon", she commenced and noticed the surprise on the Moon Shield's face, "Its surface is so dark one would fly into it were it not for our scanners redirecting the ship. I believe their main base of operations is there"
"How do you know this?"
"I have… seen it", she answered uncomfortably.

Naroon simply averted his eyes, but continued listening.
"I have seen them gather in some underground complex on that moon"
"Even if you can give us the location, we still need to assault the base. It will take time to plan and find the proper ship for the assault", he explained.
"I have just the thing"

Ninety-six Warriors stood in the docking bay, gawking at the ship they had never seen before. Its design was extraordinary, its hull unseen, even its weapons appeared impressive.

The Enan'Fi lay docked safely in the Mal'ier's docking bay 4 as the pride of the Shai Alyt. When she looked at the impressive troops standing in front of them she smiled inwardly. Naroon, Branmer, Linte, Feisal, Sedain, Vimor, Terez,… All of them had gathered to the request of her apprentice.

From the mass of Warriors, one stepped forward to meet Akel and bowed respectfully.
"Is this the vessel that will take us in?", the imposing figure asked.
"Yes, Satai Shakat. Along with the support vessels of course. However, there is one condition", she replied. Although rank did not matter amongst the Banes, Shakat 'lead' the Shadow banes nonetheless on occasions such as these because he is the oldest surviving member.

Shakat's first encounter with a Shadowsouled aged back to the very young lifespan of 24 years. Fortunately, he had fought and lived due to the intervention of one of the Banes. From that moment on, he got absorbed into the community and never let go of it. He was by far the most commemorable and experienced, but surprisingly enough quite timid amongst his own. Perhaps the Banes were the occasional release from his viewing as Satai he desperately craved.

Another enigma that struck the people confronted with him. Why was he Satai? Sure, he makes a fine leader, but there were many things about him – his ideas and philosophies mainly – that directly countered the habits and beliefs of most Satai.
Shakat had indeed not chosen to be in the Council, he had been asked – by Dukhat. One does not refuse the offering of a leader such as the Great Dukhat. If Dukhat felt his voice was needed in the council, than that is where he would remain, even if he would prefer the unobtrusive life of a title-less Warrior.

The Satai did not appreciate his subordinate's implication of condition, however allowed her the luxury of it.
"These two Anla'Shok will accompany us. They are a valuable asset to this mission and they are also the ones who encountered the Shadowsouled"

Shakat's nose lifted over Akel's shoulders, pinning the two Minbari behind her.
"They are bound by secrecy over the existence of the creatures", he insisted.
"As the Banes are bound by the knowledge of existence of this ship", she quickly covered her tracks.

Shakat nodded. For Akel, she was being reasonable. Not that he couldn't handle her, he just preferred not to deal with her too often. Special requests like these which attracted a lot of attention were never in his favour, nevertheless this one was inevitable.

"It is agreed, we shall depart", he spoke with a cold voice and led the 95 other Shadow Banes into the vessels.
A difficult task lay ahead of him: commanding an army smallest of size, but greatest of cause.

Next Chapter: Shadowsouled bloodshed