Chasing Shadows

White Star 1

- Eight Hours Later – Orion Sector -

Commander Ivanova was restless. Not generally known for her patience, she felt like they had been searching for "something" for days. She knew that they were vulnerable out here by themselves. There would be no backup if they ran into trouble. She wasn't sure if she wanted anyone to assist them if the Shadows attacked them. To her knowledge, the chances of surviving a Shadow encounter were doubtful. Delenn's information wasn't exactly complete but was enough to tell her that the Shadows were very bad news.

Her mood wasn't helped because Marcus was the only one she could talk to, as she didn't know how to speak or even understand Minbari. 'Well,' she thought, 'I may as well ask for another status report. It's only been,' she paused to look at her watch, '48 minutes since the last report.'

"Marcus, we've been out here for hours. Have you detected anything yet?"

Marcus prided himself on being a patient man. It was a skill that the Rangers most valued. His years spent among the Minbari had changed him in numerous ways. He had always been a loner, trying to find his way. Joining the Rangers had given him a purpose and a sense of belonging. Many Minbari had considered his humanity a liability and told him so repeatedly. However, he realized it was a strength instead of a weakness. A strength that he was going to need when dealing with the Shadows.

Marcus' patience was being thoroughly tested by Ivanova, who was anything but patient. He was very interested in getting to know her better. Being on this expedition with her had given him a chance to see her differently. He hoped the lessons learned here would help him when he asked her for a date.

He resisted the urge to sigh and simply repeated the last report.

"Nothing yet, Susan. This system is rather large to cover with only one ship. We need something to help reduce the search area."

"Yeah. Good point. I'm just a little nervous being out here by ourselves with the threat of a Shadow attack hanging over our heads."

"Believe me, I KNOW," Marcus responded with a little more emphasis than intended.

After another 30 minutes of tedium, their worst fears became a reality.

Marcus reported loudly, "One Shadow ship just appeared from hyperspace. It's firing!"

Susan thought quickly. It was too late to run. Damn! The only thing left to do was fight. "Evasive maneuvers. Move away to 80,000 km distance, and then return fire!"

White Star 1 began to move, using a random course to distance it and the Shadow vessel. They needed space to maneuver and fire. Getting hit by a Shadow beam was not part of the plan.

"Light damage to ventral armor. It's coming around for another pass," reported Marcus.

"Return fire now! Is there any way that we can outrun that ship in normal space?"

"Unknown. Damn! We missed. Shadow vessel is firing again!"

"Evasive! Come to course…..." Ivanova attempted to order before White Star 1 sustained a direct to its port engine.

"Damage report!" demanded Ivanova.

Marcus took a moment to collect himself, then replied. "Direct hit to port side engine. The jump drive is offline. Main power is fluctuating. Maneuverability is down 50% percent."

Susan knew that they wouldn't survive long in their current condition. Plus, she was very concerned that the Shadow vessel might not be alone. "Send out a general distress signal, NOW!"

Marcus considered telling her the obvious, then decided better of it. "Of course. Sending now."

"We scored a hit. Light damage."

The mood lightened briefly and then quickly darkened again when the ship endured another hit. Smoke began to fill the bridge. Several crew members had sustained injuries. Replacement crew and damage control entered the bridge. Everyone was doing whatever they could to keep fighting.

"Continue evasive maneuvers. Fire at will!"

Babylon 5 - Captain's Quarters

John Sheridan sat alone in his quarters as he waited for his dinner companion. He hadn't prepared anything exciting. However, that wasn't the point. Time away from the chaos of their respective responsibilities was always appreciated, even for a short while.

Just as Sheridan sat down on his couch, he heard the door buzz. He walked over to the comm panel to confirm his guest. He opened the door, pleased by who was staring at him.

"Hi, Delenn. It's wonderful to see you," he said as he embraced her.

"Hi, John," she said while she enjoyed his embrace.

They walked over to the table and sat down.

Delenn was always the first to start their conversations. She knew that John didn't want to burden her with his problems. She had told him repeatedly that she was there to support him. But she knew that he still held back.

Delenn opened. "Have you heard anything from Susan?"

"Nothing yet," Sheridan replied, the worry on his face evident. He then continued. "They've only been gone a few hours, and I didn't give her much to go on. That system is a lot to search for a single ship."

"Susan is smart and resourceful. If they find anything, I'm sure she is more than capable of handling it," she offered with a hopeful tone.

"I know, but we haven't had much go our way lately. I'm hoping that she can find something that can help us. Speaking of which, how have your meetings gone today," Sheridan asked her, but in a somewhat guarded tone.

Delenn sighed. "Not well. Everyone is afraid. It was almost exactly like the council meeting. No one wants to commit their forces because they are afraid to leave their systems unprotected. They change the subject when I explain that their forces would be insufficient to defeat the Shadows. I'm sorry, John."

"It's OK. I know you've tried your best. I fear that unless we catch a break, and soon, we won't survive."