~~
Lieutenant John Matheson was on duty on the bridge of the Excalibur.
Captain Matthew Gideon sat in his Captains chair.
Everything was right with the ship. They were on their way to the Babylon Five space station.
Brother John, said a voice in the telepath's head.
Matheson smiled at the sound of Techno-mage Acate's voice in his head. She had been off the Excalibur for almost two weeks.
Acate, thought the Lieutenant
Where is the ship located at?
We are on our way to Babylon Five.
All right, I will meet you there. Please tell the Captain, that for me.
Sure, thought John. "Captain, I have a message from Acate."
The communications officers were all checking their equipment. 'How could the XO get a radio message in without it going through them?'
"She said she will meet with us on B5," said John to the Captain.
"Thank you Lieutenant Matheson. Please tell her I will be looking forward to her report."
"Aye, sir," said Matheson. Acate, the Captain acknowledges the message and is looking forward to your report.
You must realize that you are making the communication people crazy since we aren't going through them, thought Acate to the Lieutenant
Must be, because they look like they are freaking out, thought the telepath to the techno-mage.
I will see you at B5. See what we can do to make Brother Max a little more crazy, thought the techno-mage.
"Aye Acate, see you at B5," said the Matheson aloud.
Max had come to the bridge to give Captain Gideon a data crystal of his reports. He had to move closer to Matheson to say something about Acate calling the ship and talking to her boyfriend. "Aren't you just the lucky one? You got a phone call from your girlfriend? That should make you a very happy boy!" said the Zeno Archaeologist.
Captain Gideon looked over at the two men. He had heard what Max had said to Matheson. "Max, you have something for me?"
"Yes sir," said Max as he walked over to the Captain to give him the data crystal.
The Captain took the crystal from Max. He slipped the data crystal into his pocket.
Max moved off the bridge, but he kept transpose eye on the XO.
~~
Excalibur put into a standard orbit around the Babylon Five space station.
Galen, Matthew Gideon and John Matheson were on the first shuttle going to B5. At the moment Galen didn't have his goatee on. It had been popping it on and off since Valentine's Day. Matheson still hadn't given the mage the disk that Acate had given him. It seemed to amuse the XO a lot. He also wouldn't admit that Acate had given it to him. Which hadn't amused Galen much. The mage hadn't been able to counter act the spell either. So Galen would go for a time with a goatee on his face and then it would be gone. Everyone on the ship was still having a good laugh over it.
Captain Elizabeth Lockley was waiting at the gate for Matthew. She was excited to have him back on her station.
Matthew was the first one through the gate. He gave Lockley a quick hug.
Galen and John were the next ones through the gate.
Galen looked around for Acate. He finally saw her coming through the crowds. They all seemed to move out of the way of the techno-mage.
Acate walked up to the gate with a staff in her hand. She sent Galen files of what she had been doing in the last two weeks.
Acate, messaged Galen, What have you done?
I have done whatever I've had to do, messaged the woman back to Galen.
You are dealing with too many outsiders. This was suppose to stay within a small group of Excalibur.
Why do you care how I get the job done?
Because you are putting all of us in danger!
"Tu vo Galen," said Acate out loud.
"Zo con tu go toe!" yelled Galen at the woman.
Acate slammed the staff on the space station floor. The station shook and alarms went off.
"Acate," yelled Galen. The station shook once more.
Acate spoke two words, "Galen Ata!" She disappeared from the gate area.
"Galen, what the hell just happened?" yelled Gideon over the alarms.
Lockley was on the comlink talking to C and C. "Send out the repair crews to check out the station," said Lockley to comlink. "All right what the hell just happened here?"
"Galen, what just happened with you and Acate?" Captain Gideon asked again.
"Captains," said Lieutenant Matheson, "I am going to go looking for Acate." The telepath moved off as quickly as he could move. He had to find her before Babylon Five security teams did.
Acate, thought John. Where are you? Nothing came back to the telepath.
Galen stood there like there was no alarm going off. He heard nothing, saw nothing. He was lost in his own little world. He was so surprised at how angry Acate became at him. He was just trying to make her see that she shouldn't have contacted all those people. She has been talking to too many people about all of it. Galen saw in her files all that she had been doing in the last two weeks. Some of those people should not know of her work.
"I am sending security out to find her. That staff is a lethal weapon!" said Lockley to the comlink and to Gideon.
"No, Elizabeth, it's not a weapon," said Gideon. "I promise this wasn't done on purpose. The Techno-mages are a hot-tempered bunch. She used the staff to direct her anger somewhere."
"Matt, it doesn't matter. She is a danger and I want her in the brig or I want her off my station," said Lockley.
"Elizabeth," said Matthew.
"Captain Lockley," said Galen. "This is partially my fault. I was chastising Acate for her actions. If you are to punish her because of what I started, then I should be in your brig also."
Lockley looked at Galen. She could tell Galen was serious. She also knew how important Galen was to John Sheridan. 'What am I going to do with the mages? She thought. 'If she locked up one, the others would throw a fit? If she didn't do something then others would try to push her or her station around.'
"Galen, I am going to throw both of you out an airlock if we don't find her soon. Now I want to know where she would have gone?"
"I don't know Captain Lockley. I haven't been with her in the last two weeks," said Galen as he turned away from all the Earthforce people.
~~
It had been hours since John had gone looking for Acate. He had been crawling around Babylon Five for what seemed like years. He was in the brown section of the station, he had his PPG out. He had already been challenged by some of the Lurkers down here. No wonder they called this 'Down Below'. If someone needed a way to see hell, this place was it.
Over the comlink, Matheson heard Captain Lockley calling for him. He wasn't going to answer the female Captain yet.
The Lieutenant had been sticking his head into all the business down here, there where a few more places to look in. The next was a bar called 'Uncle Martin's'. Pushing on the door, John started to go in when a voice yelled at him, "This is a private party! Go a way!"
Just as he was backing out, John saw a staff leaning against a table. The Lieutenant entered the room.
"Hey! I told you this is a private party," yelled the bartender.
Out from the back of the bar, Acate came into the room. She smiled at John, "Brother John, it's good to see you." She walked over tot he table next to where her staff was. There were four empty glasses at the table.
Covering the space between them, Matheson stood there looking at the mage. "Are you all right?"
"Depends, am I happy that I lost my temper at Galen? No, I am not. How he can get me to react that way is beyond me. I am very happy to see you, though," Said Acate as she sat down in a chair.
"You know this Earthforce officer?" yelled out the bartender.
"Yes, I do. Why don't you bring over two more drinks? I sure could use another one," said Acate.
"OK, two drinks," said the bartender.
"Acate, I don't think it's wise to be drinking right about now," said John.
The bartender came over with two glasses of brown liquid. "Here are your waters."
"Thanks, and here is your money." Acate gave the man a credit card.
"Thanks, you can have a private party any time you want to here at 'Uncle Martins'." The man went back to the bar and ran the card and brought it back to Acate.
"Thanks," said Acate as she reached into her cloak. When her hand came out she had a small black box. She put it on the table and opened it up. Inside were two different colored pills, blue ones and red ones. She took out two blue pills. Dropping them into the glasses of water, they begin to boil. When that stopped, she dropped in two red pills. The water started to churn, and very slowly change color. Going from brown to clear. "It's safe to drink now."
Acate took a glass and began to drink. She drank about half of it when she put the glass down. "So how much is my life is not worth on the topside of this place?"
"I've been listening to the comlink chatter and they're tearing this place apart looking for you. Galen turned himself into the brig awhile ago. Something about if you were going there, he was too. He put himself there," said Matheson. He was watching her as he spoke. He knew she was listening to him, but what she was going to do from this point, he wasn't sure of.
"Will you call them and tell them where I am, Brother John?" asked Acate.
"Sure, if you want me to do it," said John.
"Yes, let's get this over with. I've had enough time to enjoy this life," answered Acate.
"Lieutenant Matheson to Captain Gideon or Lockley, please come in." He waited for someone to answer. He knew it wouldn't take long.
"Lockley here."
"I am in the Brown Section at a bar called 'Uncle Martins'. I've found Acate."
"Copy that. I'll have security come down there. Don't let her get away. Lockley out."
"Well, they are on their way down here. They might come in here with PPG's pulled. They are working on the theory that you are dangerous."
"I can be, but it isn't in the game plan for now. I will give up peacefully. Don't worry, there won't be any shooting. So, until they come and drag me away, what have you been doing, Brother John?" asked Acate as she sat up straight in her chair.
"Oh you know, work, eat, sleep and then repeated it all. Was your two weeks better then mine?" asked John.
"I found someone who sold me some unrefined Azeal. I should tell you that Brother Max will be getting a lot of...stuff from IPX," said the Techno-mage.
"What have you done?" said Matheson with a smile.
"Oh, just ordered equipment and other things in Max's name," said Acate.
"You know Max isn't going to know what is going on," commented John.
Acate smiled and moved closer to the telepath, "Yeah, I know. By the time he figures it out, the money will be out of his accounts. I am a bad mage!" The mage looked at John, "So Brother Galen had himself thrown into the brig because of me. Now that is a strange thing for him to do. It's not like he is my best friend."
"Galen does things in his own way and time. We will have to talk to him when we get to the brig," said Matheson. He finally picked up his glass of water and had a drink.
"What do you mean 'we get to the brig'? You aren't going to the brig with me. It's not open for discussion," said Acate.
Matheson almost chocked on his water. "What do you mean 'not open for discussion?' I don't think that is very fair. If I want to go with you to the brig, that is my business. You can't tell me what I can do on my time. If I want to dance a tango, then I will." John sounded a little angry.
Acate shoved an empty chair with her feet at John. The man pushed it back with his feet. Acate stop it by putting her feet on the chair. John put his feet on the chair, too. They pushed against each other.
"You realize I can make you see my point a view, Brother John?" said Acate.
"Can't use any magic on me," said John with a smile.
"Who said a thing about using magic?" said Acate as she took her feet off the chair and sat up straight. She moved her chair closer to John's chair. "I have been reading about Earth women and..."
The Babylon Five security team came through the door. Their PPG's were drawn. Captain Lockley and Gideon were the next through the door. Gideon was the only one who didn't have his PPG drawn. One of the men had grabbed the staff and moved it far beyond Acate's reach.
"Now that we have you, I am having you moved to the brig. Then I shall figure out what to do with you," said Captain Lockley.
"Liz, you really don't need to do this," Said Captain Gideon. "Acate will go back to the Excalibur and stay there. If she ever comes back to the station, she won't bring her staff with her."
Acate had gotten to her feet and two security men moved to either side of her. They took her out of the bar and up to the brig.
When they reached the brig, Acate was put in with Galen. The mages looked at each other. Acate smiled at Galen, he had his goatee back. Security had moved to a corner into watch them.
Acate, messaged Galen. Forgive me pushing you earlier. I believed that you were talking to too many people about things. I'm sorry. You have to do what ever it takes.
Galen sometimes I get ahead of myself with my passions, messaged Acate. It's like shards of the window of life. You never know which shard you are going to end up with.
The door opened and John came in. He grabbed a chair and sat down.
"I am so going to hurt you, Brother John. Earthlings can be such a pain, Galen. I wonder why I am putting forth such an effort to save them," said Acate.
"They have a habit of getting under your skin. You either love them or you hate them. So if you are going to stay around them, get use to it," said Galen. "So, which are you, loving them or hating them?"
"At this point I am on the fence. I could love them, but I do want to beat the stuffing out of one!" said Acate as she stared at John Matheson.
"You know Techno-mages can be the same way," commented John.
"Yeah, but we are the ones with all the power behind the words, Brother John. I could do oh so many things to you from this chair that would turn your hair white," said Acate. She had a devilish smile on her face.
"Is she serious?" asked Matheson.
"Yes, she is," said Galen.
John smiled at the two mages, "well, something you two have to keep in mind, you have to love us Earthling."
"Why?" chorused both mages.
Now, is he serious? Galen messaged to Acate.
I am afraid so, Acate messaged back.
"Because we are the only game in town. Or in ship in this case," said the Lieutenant with a smile.
"Do you want me to hold him while you go look for the closest airlock, Galen?" asked Acate.
"We had better stop playing around. I believe we are making the security men a little nervous," relied Galen. The others turned to look at the security men. They did look a nervous.
The three sat quietly for awhile.
The door opened and Captain Lockley and Gideon came into the room.
"All right, Acate," said Lockley. "This is what is going to happen. You are forbidden to bring your staff here ever again. You are to learn to control your temper, and maybe in a year I will let you back on the station."
"I am thankful that you aren't kicking me out of an airlock, Sister Captain. I shall remove myself from the station." said Acate as she stood up.
"Yeah, well, thank Gideon. He went to bat for you. Now get your ship and yourself off my station. I will give you 20 minutes to do so. After that I will put the ship, and you, out an airlock," said Lockley.
"It is done, Sister Captain," said Acate as she raised a hand. Her staff popped out of nowhere and Acate took it in her hand and she was gone.
"Does she do that a lot?" asked Lockley.
"No, she doesn't," said Gideon. "Since she has been with us, she has only done it twice."
"Three times, Matthew," said Galen. "She did it when she first meet us. The second time was today at the gate, and this was the third time."
"Galen, can you do that?" asked Matheson as they all walked out of the cell.
"Yes, but I don't try to be so flashy. I shall join Acate back on Excalibur," said Galen as he walked away from the rest.
~~
Galen returned to Excalibur on the next shuttle going. He had time to think something over. Now he had to put his thoughts in to action. Going down to the flight deck, Galen went straight to his ship. He started the pre-flight checklist. He was ready to go when he got a message from Acate.
Be careful Brother Galen. I saw a lot of movement of the Leggets.
Thanks you Acate, I shall be watchful of them. Galen's ship took off.
John had missed the last shuttle back to the Excalibur, so he had to wait around for a bit to get back to his ship. He wasn't back on duty until tomorrow, but it was better to be on the ship in case there was some kind of trouble. He was the first officer, who had no life. Well, until recently. He was really beginning to like hanging around with Acate. She was interesting. Sometimes Matheson got the feeling that Acate wanted something more from him, but she wasn't going to try anything because she couldn't touch him. He took a seat in the waiting area and stared off into space. There was nothing else to do.
"Excuse me," said a man to John Matheson. "I was told that you are the first officer of the Excalibur."
"Yes, I am," said the XO.
"I have something for Acate, the Techno-mage. She was suppose to pick it up about an hour ago, but she didn't make it. I just heard that she was kicked off the station by Captain Lockley. I have her unrefined Azeal. Can I give it to you to give to her?" said the man.
"Yes, you can. I had forgotten that she said she was getting that today. I will take it to her for you. Thank you so much for getting it to me,"said Matheson.
The man walked away from Matheson. He picked up a box that was sitting on a chair on the other side of the waiting area. He brought it over to where John was. "Please tell Acate that when she needs more, we will be glad to sell her more."
"Thank you very much," said the telepath as he took the box and put it in the seat next to him.
~~
When Matheson got off the shuttle from B5 he took Acate's box of unrefined Azeal to Acate's ship.
Acate, thought John. He noticed that there where boxes piled up with Max's name on them on the docking bay. They had started to appear. He couldn't wait to see Max's face when he saw all of it.
Brother John, thought Acate. Are you back from Babylon Five already?
Yes, thought the telepath. I have your Azeal with me. They came looking for you when you didn't pick it up. Someone directed him to me. So I brought it over for you. I am just outside your ship.
Brother John, I am up in medlab with Sister Doctor. Would you bring it up to us?
Sure I will be up there in a few minutes.
Thank you very much Brother John.
Matheson took the box and went up to medlab. Acate and the Doctor were standing over something on one of the tables. Matheson brought the box over to them.
Acate had laid the container that she had brought with her from the hiding place on the table in the Medlab. All the data crystals and the plants. They were talking about which ones they should try with the Azeal.
"You know I have gone over all your work. We could start anywhere you want with the Azeal," said Dr. Chambers.
"I do think we should refine some of the Azeal, but keep most of it unrefined. That way we can go either way with it," said Acate.
"OK, Acate," said the Dr, "where do we start at?"
"Dinner," said the mage. "I think I will take you to out to dinner, and then we can bore poor Brother John with all our medical talk."
"Sounds good to me," said Sarah.
"Sounds good to me too, except the boring me part," said Matheson.
"Don't worry, I will send you pictures to your mind and that will entertain you." said Acate. Matheson knew she was joking, but sometime or another someone wasn't going to know she was.
The three left together for the mess hall.
~~
As the three left the mess hall, they could hear Max yelling at someone. Acate looked at John. The XO was trying to keep from laughing. Max came storming down the corridor with stacks of com-pads in his hands.
"I don't care, I didn't order two hundred pins for Butterfly mountings. I don't order cheese and I sure as hell didn't order 5000 tongue depressors."
John looked at Acate, 5000 tongue depressors? Why those?
Well, it sounded funny to me. What would you use a tongue depressor for now? Why would anyone still make them? thought back Acate.
You are evil, Acate, thought John.
Why, thank you, Brother John. I love that you are enjoying it.
What happens if Max finds out it's us? thought the telepath.
He has to catch us first! Thought Acate back.
Sarah had been standing there watching Max throw his fit. She was loving every second of it.
"Who do you think was brave enough to do that to Max?" asked the Doctor after Max had walked away.
John looked at Acate, who looked back him.
"I couldn't say, Doctor," said Matheson.
"I think it is the mastermind of a crime wave," said Acate.
Sarah looked at the two of them. She didn't believe either one of them. It had to be those two, and they just didn't want to admit it and have it get back to Max. "Yes, I just bet you don't know anything about it. Just let me know if you need any kind of help."
"I had better get back down to my ship and get the reports ready to give to Brother Captain," said Acate. "I am sure he will want to have a long talk with me." The mage smiled at the humans and then moved and toward the bullet car.
