One of the first accepted sightings occurred in February 2262, at the Narn world of Sigma 957….
GOLDINGAY, D. G. (2293) Stalkers on the Rim. Chapter 4 of The Rise and Fall of
the United Alliance, the End of the Second Age and the Beginning of the
Third, vol. 3, 2262: The Missing Year. Ed: S. Barringer, G. Boshears, A. E.
Clements, D. G. Goldingay & M. G. Kerr.
* * *
Captain Jack could be described in many different ways. He himself often used the words 'entrepreneur' or 'wheeler — dealer' or 'a bit o' this, a bit o' that'. Others used the words 'rogue', 'criminal', 'nuisance' and 'a right shifty bastard'. He was, however, definitely a man with an eye on the main chance.
Which had brought him here, to a dead world whose name he could not remember — usually a good thing as far as his employers were concerned — for a rendezvous with a group of Narns even shiftier than he was, on a mission that was both very illegal and very highly paid.
There were numerous political issues involved, which he did not even pretend to understand, it usually being safer that way. Despite having met and — sort of — befriended individuals as powerful as the Blessed Delenn, Emperor Londo Mollari II, Minister Lethke zum Bartrado and General John Sheridan the Shadowkiller, Captain Jack had a profound lack of interest in politics except where it related to his personal solvency.
However, he did understand that some Narns were very unhappy about the Kazomi Treaty that had sealed the peace between them and the Centauri, and wanted to make clear to everyone just how displeased they were. Certain…. artefacts needed shipping to certain Centauri worlds where certain things might be done to make that clear. And for obvious reasons, a non — Narn courier was needed.
Jack preferred not to think of these things as politics because if he didn't, he tended not to think of them as involving real people either. It was a lot easier that way.
And so all this was why he was at Sigma 957, waiting alone in his ship for a Narn ship that was very very late.
That was when he began to pick up the signal.
His communications equipment was specially modified to receive signals across a much wider band than that carried by most ships of his size, but this was nothing he had ever come across before. Muttering to himself, he started trying to tune into it, wondering if the Narns had had to resort to extraordinary measures to get in touch with him.
