Title: A UNIVERSE OF CHANGE – By Candlelight Defiance Author: Albert Green Jr.

Associate author RenS (Renato): on this site- please read

Associate author: Ash's Boomstick (Bob Regent): on this site-please read

Contact: g3607273 yahoo-dot-com

Primary Category: Crossover: Star Trek-TNG/ Babylon Five

NOTICE: THIS STORY MAY BE DISTRIBUTED FREE OF CHARGE BUT MUST NOT BE SOLD OR EXCHANGED FOR FINANCIAL RETURN IN ANY FORM.

-COPYRIGHT/DISCLAIMER NOTICE-

"Star Trek", "Star Trek: The Next Generation", "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine", and "Star Trek: Enterprise" and all related Star Trek related material, it's characters and certain technological devices and/or references to such, from the television shows and movies, may be or are registered trademarks of, and may be or are copyrighted by Paramount Studios and whatever Corporation it may or may not be owned by.

"Babylon Five", it's characters, certain technological devices and/or references to such, from the television show, past present of near future, may be or are registered trademarks of, Babylon 5, characters, names, and all related indicia are trademarks of Time Warner Entertainment Co., LP.

"Forbidden Planet", its characters, certain technological devices and/or references to such from the movie, is the property of Metro Golden Mayer.

"Battlestar Galactica", its characters, and certain technological devices and/or references to such, from the television show, past present of near future, may be or are registered trademarks of, and may be or are copyrighted by the Universal Studios Corporation and any new owners in the future. By the way, this is NOT BSG2003. This is old school here. (Also this is only discussed as a reference to other stories of mine mentioned in this series.

"Stargate and Stargate SG-1", its characters, certain technological devices and/or references to such from the movie characters are the property of Stargate (II) Productions, Gekko Productions Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and the SYFYCHANNEL. We're talking 'Stargate' here and not 'Stargate-SG-1 for the most part. If I live long enough to finish this everything will become clear.

None of the Studios are responsible for the content of this story. Other names and additional characters are the creation of the author who is solely responsible for them as such.

Additional characters are the creation of the author who is solely responsible for them as such. Neither Studio is responsible for the content of this story.

THIS STATEMENT MUST ACCOMPANY THE STORY 'A UNIVERSE OF CHANGE' IF DISTRIBUTED. THIS STORY IS FREE OF CHARGE AND MAY NOT BE SOLD OR EXCHANGED FOR FINANCIAL RETURN IN ANY FORM. THIS DEDICATION MUST ACCOMPANY ANY DISTRUBUTION OF THIS STORY.

Dedication:

First of all, to my wife who allowed me to hide in our basement and write in relative peace, despite family loss and illness, I thank her again I thank Andrew Caruthers for his excellent writing style. And I thank Renato and Bob profusely for their contributions to this story and all of their comments and suggestions without whom this story would have never as entertaining as I pray it will be to all who read it. There are a few others to whom I give thanks to and will mention them as the story progresses.

Albert Green Jr. (Skeet)

To everyone who has followed AUOC for all of these years, I thank you and honor all of you for your loyalty and your comment, criticisms, and corrections. What you are about to read is a summation of this series so far. To those who are new and know what's going on, you can skip this section. For those who are coming and reading this for the first time, I encourage you to read this portion or you'll be confused as to what's going on here. I will try to make it as painless as possible but if you are truly interested then I also encourage you to read the entire series before you start here. All of these stories can be found on FF dot net under the author 'AlbertG'.

The progression of this series and the other stories are as follows:

The AUOC series: (1). A Universe of Change. (2). Those Who Stand. (3) Allies in Blood. (4). AUOC-By Candlelight Defiance (working).

Related stories:

The Ruination series The Federation-Cylon war-and I mean old school here not the new BSG: (1). Evolutions: book I, (2) Evolutions-Gleanings past and future, (3) The Ruination Imperative.

I decided to get crazy to explain what was happening and how the crossovers were connected even though they weren't and wrote: 'The Conversation'. This short story connected both series. Next: 'The Ruination war-Search for V'Ger' and this started to crossover into the AUOC series. It's a temp cross and was not meant to last. 'A Thin Veneer: supplements' also crosses over for a brief period of time as well.

Before I continue, I will state that the temporal cold war will play an important in this and the related stories that interlock with this universe I am creating.

This crossover story has its basis in the universe created by the entrance of the Enterprise-C's jump twenty-two years into the future [See: 'Yesterday's Enterprise' episode for details]. When it did that, the entire timeline changed for the crew and galaxy-in-general in which the present day Enterprise-D under command by Jean-Luc Picard, was a part. The Enterprise-D transformed from a ship of peace to a true Federation battleship. The Federation and Klingon Empire were at war, but the question is why? What was going on here? Why did the 'C' jump to the exact place where the one person in the Federation could advise Picard to reverse a timeline no one else recognized as different? Does anyone really believe that a slew of photon torpedoes could cause a rupture in time and space-and if it did what does that say about space in general?

I propose space is not that delicate.

I also propose that the Ambassador-class Enterprise-C and the Soyuz-class starship USS Bozeman, the ship caught in the causality loop with the Enterprise-D (which kept blowing up for seventeen or so days), was part of a similar, but failed experiment. Why? I suggest that both experiments were initiated by other forces to produce the same results that the Enterprise-C ultimately generated. Those powers wanted major war between the Klingons and Federation with the ultimate purpose of negating the effectiveness of both governments in the distant future.

And what does that have to do with anything?

Well-

Say 'temporal cold war' and 'Enterprise-Archer' in the same breath and we all have a clue.

Let's check out some of the altered players of the Star Trek side in this story:

Captain Jean-Luc Picard, Enterprise-D: Commander of a Galaxy class warship several times stronger (and weaker) than its temporal counterpart. And by the way, Kirk is still alive and trapped in a certain energy ribbon called the Nexus. But after consideration and three books, I decided not to add him into the mix but Captain Archer is here now.

Captain Rachel Garrett, Enterprise-C: Commander of a vessel of exploration, Ambassador Class. Of Rachel herself, very little is known other than the short introduction in the TV show. But the fact that a woman is in command of a Federation vessel called Enterprise makes her someone not to contend with.

Commander Benjamin Sisko, third in command of the Enterprise-C. What can I say? He is 'The Sisko', one of the more underused and under-acknowledged Captains of Star Trek fame. We can't even find DS9 on TV, and being semi-polite, I will not speculate on this now. The Prophets miss him and will make that fact known – once more. Their wish is for him to merge with his original counterpart. Due to the change in the timeline, DS9 does not exist and instead he became an Officer specializing in 'ground-pounding', an Assault Commander, dealing with Klingons hand-to-hand as necessary. His wife and child are gone. He is alone, but reflective. He and his people were simply being ferried by the Enterprise-D to the front lines. His life will have a major impact on the lives he touches. He has not been in as much as I like but watch out! He's a major player here.

Guinan: Bartender, Listener, wise woman, and adversary of the legendary Q.

Babylon Five is literally a different universe altogether which is now being touched by those mentioned above. Six minutes (the civil war Earthforce attack on Babylon Five by Clark's people in the first story with the Enterprises interfering) made a pronounced difference in how things will shape up there. But in the end, as Delenn would probably say, 'just because we are in the universe trying to shape it into our image, does not mean that it, in any fashion, chooses to be shaped. It chooses the shape it wants. Pray that it does not notice us.'

One more thing: The Thirdspace aliens (I named them the Yonji Sinhindrea) have ALWAYS been the major antagonists here. Only two people know how I named them his by the way. Everything in 'A Universe of Change, Those Who Stand', 'Allies in Blood' and this Book have reflected this. They are considered ancient FIRST ONES, even older than the Vorlons. Their technology is almost unbelievable and we've only seen their merest touch of what they were capable of. This is what I plan to do, expand on that technology and the viciousness of these aliens who have no equivalent to our understanding of morals, ethic or compassion. It was made clear in the 'Third Space' movie that if they hadn't been stopped at Babylon Five, they would have overrun everything. What attacked B5 was the equivalent of our Coast Guard patrols. The only reason they were stopped was because of the choke point at the gate. If the larger destroyers had gotten through and into normal space they would not have been stopped by the Alliance forces and that galaxy would have burned. I have heard that some readers dislike the so-called 'uber' aliens storyline. Sorry. I've already weakened Fedtech in ATV and here. But I have to follow the canon TS aliens as we saw in the movie.

Now, this story as were the previous ones are mainly told from the ST perspective; although the B5 – and others will not be slighted in any way. POV is important. Have fun.

AG

Summary: When the Enterprise-D decided to enter the temporal distortion along with the Enterprise-C to ensure the restoration of the timeline, that action set forth a chain of events that would propel both ships into a universe they never imagined. Now three years later, Earth Alliance, The Minbari, the Centauri and everyone else are embroiled in a war they never imagined, fighting against extinction.

A Universe of Change

By Candlelight-Defiance

"The future is always changing. We create the future with our words, our deeds, and our beliefs."

—Lady Ladira, Babylon Five: "Signs and Portents"

"Never trust one that poses as a Being of Light to use the third edge. For in their pride, they tend to lie."

—New Minbari saying when speaking of the 'three-edged sword'

"You must never forget that the Sinhindrea are genetically insane. They're built that way. We mean nothing to them except as a source of raw material and food for them. Compared to them, the Borg are the bastion of stability."

—Guinan, Federation ambassador to Babylon Five

"Guinan, exactly who are the Borg?"

—Captain Jean Luc Picard, Federation Battleship Enterprise

The planet Z'Ha'Dum:

The planet called Z'Ha'Dum by some, is the place of darkness. It is an old world, so old that no one knows its true name, save one. It is a planet that has been inhabited by several species in succession for the last million years. It was thought by many of the younger races that the Shadows were the original inhabitants.

But they would have been wrong.

There were many species who loved the darkness of this planet and to them this was a world not to be shunned but it was a place of refuge. The planet was more than just simply a place void of sunlight. There seemed to be a darkness inherent in the very foundation of the creation of this world. It was as if the corruption here was created solely for the purpose of existing on Z'Ha'Dum. What that purpose was no one knew but it called out to those who craved the darkness and they found comfort in its embrace and made it their home. The Usbin lived there for more than a hundred thousand years before they left. The multi-limbed Gurminsu lived there almost three hundred thousand years before they departed. Few people knew who they were; even fewer knew why they left the planet, never to return. What was known was that to live in such a place, even becoming one with the darkness there, one could only wither and die if they remained too long, and so they left.

Then the ones called the Shadows found it and made it their home. They were one of the youngest of the First Ones but still older than the Vorlons. They built their cities there while being became trapped in a philosophical battle with the Vorlons. So it was that their heated debate evolved into a real war with the young ones being used as pawns. Entire species were wiped out in the war between the Vorlons and Shadows that happened a thousand years ago; and in truth, the conflict between the two of them may have been repeated numerous times. None of the younger races could know just how many times the cycle had repeated itself and Vorlons were never a forthcoming species at the best of times.

There were various beliefs about the cause of the war in the most popular name was the war against darkness. But the elders of the galaxy understood the true nature of the conflict and they called it the War of the Two Questions. Lorien called it something else. He named it the War of the Circle and he despaired. The Vorlons wouldn't listen to him, so he waited until they would. Because of his despair he waited in the worst place imaginable; a place of darkness; a place of shadow.

The aliens known as the Shadows hadn't listened and billions died a thousand years ago. The Shadows lost but they never surrendered. Instead, they decided to hibernate, to come back and try again because the question 'what do you want?' was more important than the billions of lives that have been lost before and billions of lives that they planned to extinguish again. And the First of the First ones simply waited for both the Shadows and Vorlons to come to their senses and end this useless conflict.

It was not to be.

Something happened something that no one expected. Strangers from another universe arrived. The gate had been opened, not at its appointed time but before, and everything changed. That which was contained was free again and the souls of this universe screamed in terror.

The Shadows were no more. The Vorlons were no more. They had both fled for the rim, leaving their charges and the rest of the young races to fend for themselves. They believed themselves to be safe there and the consequence of their actions ultimately of little importance to the overall scheme of things. The young races left behind would die and in doing so provide the Vorlons and Shadows valuable time to prepare their defenses. After all, what was a few hundred thousand years to such as them?

It was beliefs such as that that had allowed the Sinhindrea to survive such a long time. Always, the more powerful, elder races would fight against the Sinhindrea and break themselves against the incoming swirl and when they died, the younger ones were too weak to resist. In the other universe, thousands of worlds have been destroyed and thousands more were being destroyed due of the same mistakes being made over and over again.

That was their version of a circle, one of life and death.

'Here will be no different' Doxa'az, the First of Leaders of the race called the Sinhindrea, thought. The Shadows had fled from their adopted home and in their place her people had come.

Although satisfied with what her people were, she understood that there was always a need for improvement. The constant struggles for survival and made that evidently clear to her and all of her kind.

They were a rigorous species able to survive in a variety of environments ranging from oxygen to methane to ammonia-based atmospheres. They could even survive the rigors space for prolonged periods of time. They were a primarily water breeding species that originated in an oxygen-based planet. But they had evolved into cybernetic composites now and all of them were telepathic, which they used as their primary form of communication with one another even though they did exhibit a wide vocal range to be used as necessary. Their armored bodies were bodies covered with chromatophores, light-producing organelles and cells, also used for communication between others of their kind.

Many of the lesser species that had actually seen her kind and lived to tell about it, thought that they were two different species comprising of the Sinhindrea when in fact there was only one. The younger nymphs, the immature of her kind were physically different than the mature forms. It had appendages, three sets of them and a mouth-like structure not unlike the Terran squid. There were two sets of large liquid-gray eyes near the top of its scaled head. The armored skin of the nymph had the ability of blending into its surrounding, giving it an effective form of camouflage, but the young ones emitted a lot of heat.

The matured one such as herself, were by definition much larger and appeared to look more like a heavily armored Terran crab. But they also were eerily similar to a monstrous spider-like tick with incredibly powerful natural and cybernetic appendages. She could understand why so many had assumed that there was more than one species of Sinhindrea when in fact there was only one because of those differences. Only the eyes, the armor-like scales and the presence of chromatophores were the same between the immature and mature forms.

It was also understandable that many of the species that they came across believed that their space-borne ships were organic in nature when in truth they were not. The ships were the remains of living creatures processed for their tough exoskeletons. The animals did possess some organic components, however the internal systems were strictly non-organic as the creatures were grown so that their bodies could be used as space-capable hulls. When matured, the creatures were slaughtered, processed, and used as efficient fighters and larger defenders of the people. The gel-filled cockpit had almost no instrumentation other than a series of 'spiral-like holes' for the pilot's implants. Those 'holes' were interface points for the pilot and only cybernetic implants of the Sinhindrea could be used to pilot the ship.

Sinhindrea dominated – not for the sake of conquest, but for survival against anything that might rise up against them. To them conquest was equated with survival. They were hard-wired to destroy any threat. Her people had an inborn, self-destructive instinct to kill anything not their own. All life other than their own was considered either a potential threat or a food source and as advanced as they were they would never change. By the definition of thousands and thousands of sentient beings, her people were monsters who considered everything else as prey or a threat to be eliminated.

However, the danger that had caused her concern since the time they had arrived in this universe was now manifesting itself. Doxa'az, to her hatred, discovered that she too was afraid. Her people have been cut off from most of their nearly boundless resources, the gate destroyed. That have been a great lost, one that would take time to recover from.

It had been a waste that the Supreme elder, the oldest survivor of them all, a custodian of the First Order, had been lost when the gate was destroyed. She had been chosen to be a guardian to protect the gate from destruction by outside forces, in this case the Vorlons and their puppets. Guardians were designed not to require substance. Their lifespans were altered so that they were able to life extended periods of time. Guardian cybernetics were greatly enhanced. Only the eldest of their species were strong enough to survive the complex and decades-long process. But she had failed in her sacred duty and now the Sinhindrea were trapped in this universe, at least for the time being. Although it was possible to build another doorway it would take too much time, and the critical elements materials needed were not easily available in this region of space according to their scans. The danger that caused so much concern to her people was now manifesting itself. With the gate destroyed, they were alone. But, it was satisfying that two of the more powerful races in that area of space had been removed by death or fear. Some had been killed and the others fled to calmer waters, or so they believed. However the result had been the same as they had left the younger and less capable races to try to defend themselves. It was perfect…

…But nothing was ever perfect.

Those same young races should have fallen to defeat quickly, but they were unacceptably resilient. The forces against them should have prevailed easily but there have been – defeats, unacceptable ones. The Sinhindrea hadn't expected to be crushed upon contact with the lesser ones. Doxa'az had allocated a minimal number of ships to complete the assigned mission and now they had been found wanting. Resources in the area had failed their assignments and extra support was more than five months distant. Now they would be forced to send the heavy ships to finish what her forces had failed, so far, to complete.

Floating lazily in the fluid-filled top spire of the largest of the miles high buildings in the dark city, she recounted those defeats with increasing hostility and anger which was acknowledged and reflected amongst all of her people. All of them were telepathic and what was known to one, all of them knew. Privacy was a barely understood concept among themselves. With a quiet acknowledgment, she understood why the Vorlon creatures had chosen these areas of space to dwell upon and to spread their influence in. Those sectors were literally packed with life. However, when the most interesting fact was that they were not one, but two worlds considered perfect Primes. Those extremely rare worlds represented her people's concept of environmental and ecological perfection for reproduction and colonization, and were also perfect as staging grounds for her species to grow strong the spread out among the stars. Sub-Prime worlds were within easy reach. It was a veritable treasure. They could not ask for a better area to thrive.

Z'Ha'Dum, the world on which they now dwelled upon was barely adequate and too far away from anything of consequence. Some of the life bearing worlds surrounding the one they were presently on has some conveniences but again they were all too far away from where the Sinhindrea needed to be with limited resources they had available. At this distance, the forces engaging the young food races were on their own and resistance to their will had been more fierce than anticipated. Important military assets had been lost in battles against the creatures. Those same forces required re-enforcements in which the closest were six months away and that was the deciding factor that forced the elders to prepare for the great migration of all of their assets to the Prime sector.

Three worlds had been scouted and analyzed.

The Centauri home world was close to perfect for Sinhindrea purposes. But there were a few criteria that the world had not met so had been rejected as a Prime. As a sub-Prime world, it was more than acceptable and it was near the known, but-not-yet-discovered transit point that would allow her people dimensional travel without the use of gates. Therefore it was a critical world that needed to fall into Sinhindrea possession. They needed that doorway, craved it like some hungry animal.

The next world that was acknowledged as a Prime was the planet called Earth, the home of the now much hated Human things. The planet had been rejected immediately as the Shadows had poisoned it with their techno – organic plague designed specifically to destroy her people. That was a waste but that world was designated to be destroyed – and it had not been as of yet. The ships sent against it did not survive to complete the mission, something surprising considering the technological level of the creatures that inhabited the planet. But she also knew that the Human things from her dimension had prevented the world's destruction. That situation would have to be rectified. The threat of the survival of that virus was too much of a threat and the Human things needed to be eliminated before the technology spread and provided a means of exterminating her fledging colony. And that left one planet in that region of space, one that was most desired, the one that they intended to have no matter the consequences. The same planet was situated in the middle of the greatest life bearing sector of that portion of the galaxy. The planet needed to be taken as intact as possible with the resources they had available there. It had to be taken and kept. The securing of that world had already began, and the natives of hat world were being belligerent. Doxa'az and the Lords of Power issued a telepathic call powerful enough to span half the galaxy … abandon all actions and secure the 'prime world'.

Everywhere in that region of space the Sinhindrea abandoned their targets and headed to the Prime world. The assault against Centauri Prime suddenly stopped although, the securing of that world hadn't been completely abandoned by the departing fleet...

It would become the Sinhindrea capital of this galaxy and thousands and thousands of worlds would fear its name. The things living there were already under Sinhindrea dominion.

The things on the planet they called Minbar just didn't know it yet.

Minbar: Rishio-Lan Province:

July 14, 2263

Shai Tahnieu, Commander of the Thyion Land regiment, ordered to protect and secure Rishio-Lan, still felt that he was in some sort of nightmarish dream. Two thousand warriors along with armored and air support were waiting at his command to strike and the sight of all this had done little to sway his heart that none of this was real. Four divisions of armor would start arriving within the hours along with twenty thousand warriors prepared to make a stand.

Like most Minbari, it was almost impossible for him to accept that his home world could possibly fall under attack by invaders from beyond. The Minbari were the ones who stride the stars, nearly invincible in their crystalline warships as compared to the other lesser races, who hid themselves away in respect and yes, fear, when the Minbari ships came their way. It is said that among the Minbari one leads but the rest move as one. They were at their best when they moved together as they were about to do now. His people were united now in a way that even the Minbari War of Retribution against Earth had failed to achieve. But unlike that war, this conflict was being played out on Minbar itself and the Humans weren't the problem this time. Instead, it was a force of demons, 'First Ones' that threatened everyone, everywhere and that realization sent a shiver down his spine.

How did one defeat First Ones, beings that were old before Minbar was young, beings that reeked of power before the Minbari had even understood the concept?

There was a part of him decided that it 'was' a dream, one he dared not ignore; a reality that made itself plain as thousands of men and women, religious and workers, along with children and old ones carrying whatever meager possessions that they had streamed passed by in barely controlled panic. This situation was so unprecedented that many of his people didn't know what to feel. As a species the Minbari were extremely stable and resisted cultural change almost as if it were a plague. The introduction of the Humans and then those Starfleeters had threatened to upheave their entire society – although few knew the true reasons as to why their society was becoming so difficult to understand. The young ones were starting to want to see the outside worlds instead of staying home where they belonged. Due to medical advances at Babylon and Laberra, Minbari pregnancies had increased thirty-fold. Warriors were becoming fathers and mothers and those changes alone were in many ways frightening considering the almost stagnant birthrate seen among his people. All of this started because of the Earther war, he reasoned. It was their fault that everything started to fall into the pit. He didn't want to be a witness to the loss of the good old days but apparently, the universe had other plans.

Three dozen Shriek battle tanks rumbled into position while Falsin and Foltia armored mobile artillery units took up positions all along the fast-forming battle lines stretching four kilometers in both directions. Thousands of warriors stood ready, being heavily re-enforced as more and more air transports landed several kilometers away. Those transports quickly dropped of their supplies and equipment and picked up civilians fleeing the coming battle.

Shortly, the shrine would be in ruins, another Minbari treasure lost. He stared at the sacred temple named Laydao-Ashyne dug into the west crystalline mountains for what he believed would be the very last time. Soon it would be a causality of war and if he had the time, he'd mourn is loss. But right now, the screaming masses desperate to flee the fighting took precedence over everything. Thousands of women and children were streaming by in panic as the first Shriek battle tanks fired their ordinance at a target invisible to most eyes. Still, he couldn't help but to steal one last look at the sacred temple that had stood there as a monument to the great clan conflict between the Warrior Clan Laydao and Clan Ashyne of the crystal plains.

Shai Alyt Nan, First Commander of all land forces studied the two Humans from another reality, if one could believe that, that had helped to save Satai Delenn in the doomed Whitestar, Lieutenant William Ranslow and Ensign Ruth Hendricks, had asked about the significance of the temple and their words had been spoken in such reverence that he felt the need to respond accordingly. They were the first non-Minbari to see the temple and it was only fitting that he told them of its significance. Although the temperature was near freezing to William and Ruth, the cold was invigorating to him, somehow encouraging him as he quickly, but reverently told them of the temple's history, picking up what his Rii Mytarin had begun.

"Ruth and William," he said using their first names, something he believed honored them. "You're the first Humans to see this land. It's been forbidden for any out-worlder to see it." That wasn't strictly true as there were few out-worlders that had set foot on Minbar in the first place. But the Minbari guarded their privacy jealously and this place had been consecrated ground for the last thousand years. "There were two warrior clans that went to war here in these mountains more than a thousand years ago," he had told them. "Warrior Clan Laydao fought to conquer this land. Opposing them were the Ashyne, a smaller clan who claimed the land as long as anyone could remember. The Ashyne were a jealous people and were fierce protectors of their territory. They were great warriors and many other Minbari had requested their help in their own times of need and always they responded to the calls for help. But to our shame, none came to help the Ashyne when they needed it the most. Clan Laydao prevailed after two years of heavy fighting and crushed the Ashyne at the last battle in that fortress over there." He pointed to the sanctuary carved into the mountain. In that fortress every man woman and child was slaughtered.

"A few Ashyne clan members hiding outside the fortress survived the slaughter and they fled, to where, no one knows." The Minbari shook his head. There were rumors that they fled into the plains and hid there. Others said that a great light came and took them to another world, another place never to be seen again. Others said that a great earthquake swallowed the survivors. This 'event' happened more than a thousand years ago; no one knows what really happened. But the aftermath is well known by all every Minbari everywhere. The other clans had been shamed for not helping the Ashyne when it mattered. As one, the Sixteen Clans of the Northern Mountains made war against Clan Laydao. The slaughter was great and none of the Laydao lived after the fighting had stopped. However instead of claiming victory, the clans were ashamed. Too much Minbari blood had been shed during a time that those we would know as the Shadows and their minions had begun the real war. Years after the war we were still changing and with it the fortress of war was changed into a sanctuary of peace where all were welcomed. We remember what was done here. It reminds us that Minbari do not kill Minbari. It hasn't worked perfectly." He smiled wispily in spite to the seriousness of the situation. "We still have lapses and in one of those earlier lapses we rejected Valen and his family, to our everlasting shame. But many live because of what we have remembered. Two great clans fought for supremacy of this beautiful land and now a united Minbar finds itself doing the same thing once more."

"We have a positive lock," the sensors officer said quickly.

Finally, the Shai Alyt Nan thought. He whispered a small prayer for all of the herd animals he was consigning to their deaths. But if anyone were to survive, then he'd do what was necessary to protect his world.

"Fire!"

The first shot of one of the great Minbari conflicts of the land war had begun.

ISN news network – Earth Alliance under siege

July 25, 2263

"This is ISN, Interstellar Network news the galaxy's most important network, bringing you the latest news updates throughout the galaxy as they happen. I'm Terry Lynde. Tonight we have a lot of news to cover including a special report from Cynthia Torqueman. Her special 'Thirty-six Hours' presentation his evening will focus on the immediate aftermath of what is being called the Great Burn. Cynthia?"

"Thank you, Terry. It grim out here and the crew and I are being forced to wear respiratory and protective gear. The scent hit us a half hour before we reached this point. The air in this area…well, I can't describe the smell. It's noxious and I don't think I will ever be able to forget it. It had us scrambling to put our protective masks on. As you already know, much of the North American continent has turned into a deserted wasteland. I'm standing less than twenty kilometers from ground zero here in what used to be Oklahoma. This is the closest that anyone has been able to get since the attack. It's not the radiation that's keeping us away; there is none. But, as you are seeing as the camera pans around me, there is literally nothing here. There's no life, no trees, no mountains, not even hills. It's nothing but a flat, gray, featureless nothing. Other than my voice, there's absolutely no sound. It's so quiet that I can hear the whirling of the fans on my mobile camera as it's floating some few feet from me. Everything as far as the eye can see for hundreds and hundreds of miles is melted, fused into one lump of powdery waste. The ground is still warm after a week and as I said about twenty kilometers from here the ground is still at the temperature of boiling lava. Geological sources have informed us that that area will remain at that temperature for the next couple of months and remains a testament as to how powerful the blast was. Everyone I've spoken to is thankful that much of the energy blast was deflected by the sacrifice of that one ship, or things would have been far, far worse. Animal and plant life, as well as mountains and even rivers and large lakes, was burned away in moments by plasma weapons wielded by an enemy determined to extinguish our world. Less than two hundred survivors have been rescued out of several hundred million scattered across the affected territory. Their stories of survival at the edge will be the focus on tonight's program, 'I survived: Part Three'."

"Grim indeed. Thank you, Cynthia. On the home front, tens of millions of people in the North American, Mexicana, and Greater Canadian regions at the edge of the devastation are still homeless and fighting for survival against starvation and the elements as they head for safe locations that are springing up in those sites. Federal help in the form of the Earth Alliance World Disaster guard units are continuing to do their best against overwhelming odds as diseases such as dysentery are starting to take their toll. Earthforce ships are delivering food, fresh water and medical supplies to those most isolated even as people from all over the world, and our colonies have come together to support us in our time of need. However, we have very good news to report in this time despair. Proxima III and its allies have stepped in to support us with new technologies that allow the syntheses of food, water, medical supplies, and even building materials in a matter of hours. It's similar to the rumored Starfleet device called replicators which are supposedly able to produce finished goods from any forms of waste matter and energy. Already, massive amounts of supplies are being issued to those in need. Despite all of this there is much to be done but our stored supplies and these miracle technological devices developed on Proxima are giving hope to tens of millions of those that would otherwise have little to none in these desperate times. More on this fantastic technology when Robyn demonstrates one of these fantastic devices for all of us to see. Some critics believe them to be too good to be true. Tonight, we'll find out.

In related news, there are reports that several major corporations, including Pro Zeta, Pharasol, and SynthaCorp, are trying to block the Proxima colonists using the synthesizer units from being incorporated on Earth. They are appealing to the Unified World courts, complaining of unfair practices and competition. They are also filing legal injunctions claiming that the technology used hasn't been properly tested and should be banned immediately in favor of their own approved products. "Lawsuits are inevitable," said Alecia Phillips, the CEO of Pro Zeta. "We will not stand by passively and allow Proxima to use untested and untried, alien technology on the people of Earth."

Despite the critical nature of Earth's resources at this time, Pro Zeta and the other mega-corporations plan to sue Proxima III's conglomerates, the Federation and anyone else who uses the new technology. Several senators and government officials have commented negatively on those corporations' crude tactics, and users of the devices from all over the world have clearly stated they have no intentions of giving up their units to please those corporations who are frightened of losing their cash cows. These units would signal the end of the stranglehold on food, water and other resources critical for our colonies' survival. Senator Shanoto Ito was quoted publically saying that this stand of theirs has all of the makings of a political debacle of epic proportions and that they were too greedy and frightened to see the handwriting on the wall. "Why should we remain under their heels when the whole world is changing? They have enough money already; back off." President Luchenko hostilely dismissed corporation overtures, stating that their priorities are skewed towards their bottom line rather than for the heath and survival of the people of Earth. ISN has repeatedly tried to contact Ms. Phillips or any of the CEOs, however so far we have been unable to reach any of them. The question is, can it be called alien technology as Humans on Proxima developed this equipment turning their colony into a virtual resort in a year's time? More on this growing debate and its ramifications later in the broadcast.

In news on the interstellar front, the Centauri is claiming victory against the Sinhindrea attack on their home world of Centauri Prime. The main defense force of the Centauri star fleet was decimated but they were able to prevent the Sinhindrea from taking over their world, forcing the enemy to flee against overwhelming Centauri firepower. The Centauri have not issued any other statements regarding their victory. But tensions remain extremely high as no one knows the whole story of what happened and how they managed to defeat an enemy that almost crippled Earthforce and nearly destroyed Earth. The Centauri have made serious overtures to Earth Alliance in creating a join taskforce to deal with this alien threat. So far, President Luchenko has not commented as talks are still being finalized at Babylon Five. Other races are reportedly very interested in joining with Earth, the Centauri and the Proxima Alliances against this menace that threatens us all.

In other news, the call for a universal draft has not gone unheeded as millions of men and women are signing up to serve in Earth Alliance to make up for the losses that were inflicted in the recent battles. Comments ranging from 'a need for revenge' to, 'we have to protect our home as we did against the Minbari', are the motivations for the majority of them signing up. The people of Earth are coming together in this time of need.

However, there is also a small but growing number of people clamoring for peace talks to be initiated with the Sinhindrea. There are those who believe that Earth Alliance hasn't done enough to forestall further bloodshed. In light of the recent conflicts, the Peace Initiative for Life organization is demanding the resignation of Earth Alliance Chiefs of Staff for starting yet another war.

These and other stories tonight as we move into day six of what is being called 'The Great Burn.' And as a reminder, please note the numbers and locations of service centers offering medical help, social services, and security streaming at the bottom of your screen. We also have dedicated audio channels for everyone using old style radio and audio communications equipment. Contact these numbers and locations if you need assistance. Help is arriving quickly. Someone will come.

Now, we start with the Canadian border regions at the edge of the desolation where stranded survivors are rushing to secure food, water and energy before the arctic cold front sweeping the entire Midwest area hits. Water is especially in short supply as the full impact of the Canadian-North American water conflict threatens to rears its ugly head once more. Proxima synthesizer systems are being rushed to the area to help prevent renewed fighting in the more isolated regions. For the report, we go to Cassandra Roles…

Babylon Five

July 25, 2263

Personal log: Susan Ivanova, Commander, Executive officer Babylon Five: Six days ago, while Earth was being attacked, the Sinhindrea attacked Centauri Prime and the Centauri beat them off somehow. The official report sent to us contains a lot of obvious omissions and I suspect they didn't actually win as much as the Sinhindrea simply left for reasons of their own. Their planet, Centauri Prime has been damaged, that much we know but they're being tight-lipped. I've never seen Ambassador Mollari, I mean Prime Minister Mollari, if we can believe that, so frightened. Earth Alliance, Babylon Five and others will have a conference in two days on La Barre to get everything out in the open and see exactly what our alliance will come up with. The 'grand conference' here at B5 is over and the details are about to be hashed out. I'm sure Earth Alliance is going ask for everything including the kitchen sink, which by the way is pretty good from the Feds but we will see what they actually get. They want energy shields badly and I can't blame them especially after what's happen at home.

No one has officially mentioned how Earth Alliance obtained gravity and polarized plating from the stolen Star fury. It's being politically swept under the rug and the Feds don't seem overly worried about it. Those technologies, along with the tritanium ingots the Alliance is trading for has helped Earth Alliance come a long way but, we're still behind the Minbari and even the Narn when it comes to new technologies. However, everything is about to change…

B5's still standing because of those new systems and the Feds are under tremendous pressure to provide something for Earth Dome. Even the Proximans have some kind of energy shield on their saucers, but their forces are very small in terms of numbers. But with the Narns, Drazi, and Klingons working together with them we'll have a powerful second line of defense, at least that's my expectation. Earth Alliance believes this, too. This is good because we need all the help we can get. The Sinhindrea are probing our defenses right now and eventually we're going to face their full force and we better be ready when they come or there'll be nothing left. What we need is time.

I still which I knew what really happened at Centauri Prime because I believe that it's coming back to bite us somehow…

The story of the Centauri – Sinhindrea war Part I

July 19, 2263 Earth Calendar

Centauri Primus Battle-cruiser Sulem

Hyperspace

Nanrillo studiously avoided watching the shifting and swirling red colors and false shadows of hyperspace in the tiny, very thick windows of the battle cruiser's bridge. He would have preferred to close the shutters on the windows altogether, but the plan devised by the Romulan named Sela, and approved by the Regent, and the Grand Admiral required them to see outside on a moment's notice. He looked behind himself past his executive officer, Rannando, at the back wall.

A banner hung on that wall beneath the purple and gold fan-shaped insignia of the Republic, showing five golden stars arranged in a circle on a field of blue. It was the sigil of his family, House Mareau. Normally, Nanrillo wouldn't display house colors but this was a time of Centauri pride in the defense of Home. Many of the noble houses had sent every ship they could spare to the Royal Navy for Home's defense. The combined fleet was impressive even by his standards. It still wasn't as large as the Grand Fleet but most of the fleet was still on their way towards home and the earliest of the larger squadron elements were still hours and days away. No one was prepared for such an attack so quickly. Once the enemy started to move, they got from the Courtor system to home in three days.

Some of the crew had looked askance when Nanrillo hung his house colors and he understood the reason why. House Mareau lost its seat in the Centaurum because it used a telepath to scan the mind of another Centaurum member. The telepath, Vetrello Motro, was caught and sentenced to death. In pleading for his life, he gave up Mareau as his employer. But because of Mareau's long history of service to the Republic, it was merely asked to leave the Centaurum instead of being stripped of status and lands. Now Nanrillo had a chance to redeem the virtues of House Mareau and at this moment, this chance coincided with the good of the Republic.

The communications officer looked up and said, "I'm getting a report from Centauri Command. The enemy has arrived."

Nanrillo sat in the command chair right under the Mareau banner and the sign of the Centauri Republic. He hadn't needed to be told what he already knew.

It had begun.

Centauri Prime, in orbit

Beyond the orbit of the moon Tenvo, a distortion not unlike an indistinct bubble was forming in normal space. Surrounding the bubble was a halo of bright light as hyperspace collided with normal space. The first ships to come out didn't so much erupt as much as oozed through the bubble distortion. Sinhindrea fighters looking like a fusion of organic hull with huge thrusters attached formed up in attack formation. Thirty of them were followed by an equal number of identical looking ships the size of Minbari designed White Stars. Twenty-five Sinhindrea destroyer class sphere ships, one kilometer long each flanked by fighters and gunships emerged next, followed by two two-kilometer long Bane-of-life battleships exited the distortion. Those warships were nearly identical to the heavy cruisers differing only by the fact that each had dual spheres arranged in an axis in line with the ship's main body at the rear. The last to come out were three transports carrying colonization transformation equipment. With the presence of the transports their objectives were crystallized. Just as with Minbar, they were there to conquer not destroy the world. The ships represented enough defensive capability to take a planet and then keep it. Either way it signaled the death of home.

On board the Centauri flagship Valerius, Jorah Marrago, the Lord-General of the Centauri Grand Military, watched as the Sinhindrea fleet moved forward. To his relief and to his horror, the time had finally arrived when action would be demanded.

The time for action was both good and bad. As of late, he had to deal with odd behavior in the fleet gathered above Centauri Prime. Several crewmen had actually tried to deactivate weapons and engines without explanation as to why they would do such a thing. Several others suffered from unexplained nightmares. The mind-hawks in the fleet, trained telepaths who were members of the Grand Military, had speculated that the odd behavior resulted from telepathic interference by the enemy. It was the same thing that happened at Babylon Five from all of the reports. One man had described it as being similar to encountering a tremor or splashes from the bow of an onrushing watercraft. On a positive note, once the majority of the compromised crew were confronted, sometimes violently, they seemed to regain some measure of control. The mind-hawks believed that the more psi-sensitive a Centauri was, the more effective the alien control appeared and that was disturbing as the mind-hawks were under lots of strain doing their job and not being seduced by the telepathic waves assaulting them all.

"Has it been confirmed?" called out Marrago to several officers manning the scanning stations.

One of them replied, "Yes, sir. There is an apparent resemblance to the drive used on the 'Kiro's Pride'."

Marrago grunted. The new scanners based on what they learned of Federation and Romulan technology were working as advertised, though they still couldn't scan into the Sinhindrea's FTL layer more than one light-minute. Still, as compared to as little as last year, such resolution was a miracle. Unless a ship was within two hundred kilometers beacon range, it had been previously impossible to scan hyperspace. Now there was no such restriction and Centauri scientists had made significant gains in hyperspace sensor technology. One light minute was considered a miracle's worth of advanced warning these days.

When reports of the Sinhindrea vessels and the saucers of C-57D's design produced at Proxima III first came to him, something about their strange FTL systems jogged a memory in him and a few of the older scientists. He had then went into the Royal Navy archives and came upon the first FTL ship ever built by the Centauri, the Kiro's Pride. Its FTL drive was taken from a crashed alien ship that they had found in the mountains north of Imperial City several hundred years earlier. The Shoggren crystal drive suffused a ship with a field of energized momentum, half-submerging the ship into hyperspace while still remaining in normal space but staying out of hyperspace itself. Attempts to replicate the Crystal drive in other ships all resulted in explosions until some brilliant engineer thought to project the massive energies outside the ship. Instead of the energized momentum suffusion, it created a jump point. When it was found that travel in hyperspace took a fraction of the time used by the crystal drive, the Shoggren method of FTL travel was abandoned.

It would seem that the Sinhindrea used a similar method although far more refined than the Centauri were ever able to achieve. Perhaps it'd be wise for the Royal Navy to retrieve the schematics of the Shoggren crystal drive from out of the archives for study once more. However, the ancient drive was much closer to the C-57D's type though. But still, to be free of the jump gate restriction would be a boon to the Centauri. And, they'd have to change the definitions of jump space and hyperspace as they were apparently two different things. As for the present crisis, he seriously doubted they'd find a way to interfere with the Sinhindrea FTL drives with the time they had, if it were even possible. Confirming the two drives' similarity however satisfied only Marrago's curiosity. Perhaps a joint study with the Federationists at Babylon Five could find a way to somehow disrupt the enemy's FTL. There wasn't time for that anymore. For the Centauri people, time had run out.

Elements of the Centauri Grand Fleet, composed of the Prime Fleet joined by squadrons of the Purple and Gold Fleets, greatly outnumbered the Sinhindrea coming to attack them. Prime Fleet had the best ships and most loyal soldiers in the Republic and was tasked with the defense of Centauri Prime itself; Purple Fleet, divided into System Fleets and Castle Formations, was responsible for the defense and patrol of the Republic and its colonies. Gold Fleet, divided into four Groups, was the attacking arm of the Republic. Also joined by elements of fleets of the Noble Houses, the Grand Fleet had at its disposal twenty-eight Primus-class battle cruisers, nine Octurion-class battleships, eight heavily armored Balvarin-class carrier-cruisers, twenty-six Vorchan cruisers and seventy-nine Aquila-class destroyers. Thanks to Romulan technology, the Grand Fleet also included four Advanced Vorchan prototypes sometimes called the Firebirds and sometimes the Vorchier-class cruisers. These ships hadn't been tested in battle as they had been rushed into service, but everyone had high hopes for the design's success.

The House ships did not sport the purple color of the Republic. Instead, they sported the colors and insignias of the Great Houses that were powerful and rich enough to field fleets of their own. There were the pair of crescent moons of House Ardo, the ducat coin profile of House Callo, the predator bird Vorchan silhouette of House Durnado, the four-pointed red star of House Hessius, the pair of crossed swords of House Jaddo, the blooming yellow-and-black rose of House Kodiro, the planet and pair of red eyes of House Lurshan, the red jewel and gold rays of House Mollari, the four white circling birds of House Orestes, the black pennant with flanking red and white lines of House Refa, and the clenched white-gloved fist of House Vga. Minor Houses, such as House Vintari and House Deradi, had also sent what few ships they could afford,

Usually, the noble houses would not commit ships to the Republic's military adventures unless it meant adding planets and fiefs to their own holdings. Yet, this battle would decide the fate of Centauri Prime, which was everyone's home. If it failed, then the colonies and fiefs had no prayer holding against the enemy onslaught.

Marrago was grateful to that type of patriotism, the most important one of all, the one of self-preservation. With a total of one hundred-sixty first line capital vessels at their disposal, the Centauri Grand Fleet outnumbered the eighty-seven Sinhindrea warships, but Marrago knew from reports of action with the forces of the life-destroying aliens that simple numbers would not guarantee victory. These were First Ones, like the Vorlons, and it would be insane to underestimate them in any way.

"Scurata Cassilo, status report."

Cassilo drew himself up to stand at attention, allowing the bridge's lighting to be reflected by his uniform's overtunic designed to approximate the look of the cuirass worn by Royal Guardsmen. However, he did not wear the helmet of guardsmen. He was a mind-hawk, one of the trained telepaths used by the Centauri Grand Military. By necessity, mind-hawks had rigid minds for their work in interrogation and telepathic combat. Officially, mind-hawks possessed no discernible place in the normal command structure of the military, so the highest non-commissioned rank they could hold was scurata, or sergeant as the Earthers called it.

Rarely, a mind-hawk also held the rank of centurion, as Cassilo did. Centurions were the elite troops of the Republic and by Imperial Charter, had the approximate rank and pay grade of a scurata and were expected to be autonomous soldiers capable of handling tasks on their own if needed. Alien military forces would consider them to be a form of Special Forces.

"General, the aliens are still attempting to telepathically interfere with the crew's performance and efficiency."

Confirming what he suspected, Marrago nodded in thoughtful contemplation. As far as he knew, none of the military forces of known space used telepathy in that fashion. Those Starfleeters were said to have powerful telepaths in their ranks and yet even they didn't use them offensively. To his and everyone else's chagrin, the Sinhindrea were teaching them something new. "See that you monitor the crewmen's state of mind and coordinate with the other mind-hawks of the fleet."

The Centauri watched as the Sinhindrea fighters moved into range and immediately fired balls of trailing plasma toward their defensive line. Most of the small energy balls had been intercepted by the blockade mines that the Royal Navy had scattered all around Centauri Prime in anticipation for this battle. Explosions announced the destruction of some of these mines which now began to move toward the alien armada.

The nearest blockade mines fired their twin particle beam arrays at the Sinhindrea while perimeter mines began to gravitate toward the enemy armada.

The battle has begun in earnest.

Royal Palace, Imperial City, Centauri Prime

A battle had also begun in the residence of the Centauri Emperors.

Lady Ladira of House Kiro ran through corridor of the Royal Palace, her dress hitched up to facilitate the running. There was not a servant to be seen and the few guards she saw did nothing to stop her. Her severe face swung as she searched the corridor with her eyes. Finally, she found the door she had been looking for.

She slid to a stop, nearly banging into the closed door. Panting, she brought her breathing back under control as much as possible in the short time she allowed herself. She then pushed down the antiquated door handle and pushed the door open.

In the darkened room beyond, four women dressed entirely in Imperial white, entirely shaved, their heads completely veiled in filmy white cloth stared with wide eyes at the hard-breathing lady who'd intruded upon their privacy. They had 'seen' her coming but never had anyone of them imagined that she would private domicile. Such a thing had never, ever happened.

"Hurry! The enemy's here!" she yelled at their suddenly blank faces.

The women in white silently exchanged looks and stared back at Ladira as if they didn't know what she was talking about. But, they knew and like everyone else on Centauri Prime, they were simply afraid.

"Fire, death, pain, destruction," said Ladira, none of which helped the situation. She rushed over to a wall communication unit, activated the screen and typed in a command given her by Lady Morella. It showed a satellite image of the approaching Sinhindrea. "We must fight, or we all fall."

The Imperial telepaths looked at each other again, then clutched each other tightly. They were afraid and they had no Emperor to attend upon. Being bonded telepaths they fed on one another's fear and thus magnified the emotional turmoil each were experiencing.

Ladira huffed and set her fists upon her hips in exasperation. Morella had warned her that this might happen. The Imperial telepaths were trained from birth to obey and serve the Emperor, as well as staying completely out of court politics. That very training had stunted them, made them more, but also less than they were. Their training had forced them into a single-minded focus – to serve only one master. Only an Emperor could order them to act.

Ladira buckled under the pressure, finally giving in to the futility, the inevitability of all. So be it. It was time to realize part of her prophecy. She took a deep breath and steadied herself, turned to face the tactical-screen showing the Sinhindrea fleet, concentrated and reached out.

Sinhindrea- Command Ship

Lord Idh-yaa, She-Who-Commanded, by designation one of the Clovien hunt lords and an ancient in her own right, had been in hundreds of battles in her universe and beyond against those who would resist against the inevitable. Every battle she had participated in ended in victory for her people, not that she cared for the glory. Victory simply meant that there were fewer enemies that could oppose them. This battle, for her, would be no different. The conflict itself brought neither joy nor sorrow to her or any of her species. It was simply her responsibly to remove any threat and conquer. None of her species knew the fear in battle. It just was. They lived or died at the sufferance of existence. There was nothing before life. There was nothing after deathwards in death; only the continuation of the species mattered and that required the victory against anything else that either challenged them or interfered with their mission.

Yet, she recalled the accumulated memories of the first invasion that her people had launched into this universe. That memory had been stored in the largest neuro lobe that all Sinhindrea had, genetically passed to each generation and was impossible to ignore. It told of a time when the Vorlbp'kU opened the doorway, and her people had seduced a large number of the creatures to become their servants. When they went through the doorway, the first world to fall was the one below the gate itself. As it turned out, it was the original Vorlon home system. The war progressed with the Sinhindrea accumulating just under two hundred star systems before the sVorlbp'kU could fully mobilize their forces and effectively fight back. The enemy aquatics, with reminded Lord Idh-yaa of those creatures once found on her original home world, had brought in other things, telepathic things to fight against them and the People, realizing the magnitude of the threat facing them, responded by destroying entire worlds were those telepaths existed.

The sVorlbp'kU continued to use them regardless of the costs; that was something that the Sinhindrea could understand. The enemy wanted to win and would do anything to do so. Why the sVorlbp'kU had not destroyed the telepathic things after they were discovered in the first place was something that they didn't understand. But, reasons didn't matter. The R'eeian, the Melkotians, the Blind Syngen of Itak Four, all were abducted from their planets by the billions to be thrown against the People while the sVorlbp'kU grew their weapons of war. The mind meat died and still the enemy aquatics fought. Entire telepathic species were extinguished and because of the telepaths and the formidable Vorlon defenses, the Sins had been either wiped out or pushed back through the gate. Thousands of the Sinhindrea adapts had perished in those battles as the telepaths both sides vied for supremacy. The Sinhindrea became less than they were. For that action alone, the sVorlbp'kU were targeted as a greater threat than most other meat in that the dared resist the People so intensely.

– And, they were hated.

The Sinhindrea had been pushed out of this universe but they had never forgotten that defeat and being a patient people, they waited until this particular gate was opened once more.

Things always opened the gates to the other side.

That time, the Sinhindrea were unsuccessful. But before the last of the People were pushed back, they sent a directive to the sVorlbp'kU servants who hid and then modified the gate before the victorious ones could destroy it. There it was lost lying-in-wait for the time when it would be reopened once more. Hidden in the strangeness that was hyperspace it was safe and protected from the Vorlons who searched for it for thousands of years. However long it waited, lost and forgotten, whether it was a hundred thousand years, or a million didn't matter. The Sinhindrea knew it would be opened. It had always happened and always would because the People had made it so.

It was the Sinhindrea who made the First of Gates and with their knowledge and technology, they broke the dimensional barriers and allowed the telepathic savants to broadcast their messages of peace and the possibility of obtaining godhood to those sensitive enough and powerful enough to receive the message. It was only the powerful, technologically advanced things that could build a doorway to the other side. The message was sent though a thousand universes and of that only one percent answered the call and of that only one percent successfully built a gateway, but it was enough. The sVorlbp'kU had succeeded, allowing the People freedom from the waste they had created in their own dwelling places. Thousands and thousands of worlds died in a galaxy where life was considered precious and rare by other, lesser things. It was a way to move to new feeding grounds because despite their advances, the Sinhindrea had not learned to travel the distance between the galaxies so they had devised another method to relocate. Dimensional travel was exceedingly difficult and every single member of the people knew that some external force had continually blocked their endeavors and had limited their abilities to understand the science behind such travel. Even when they discovered others who had acquired the knowledge it was somehow denied them. This of course, confirmed to the People that an external force was responsible. When that force was found, it would be destroyed with great pleasure. No entity or entities had the right to limit the People.

Therefore, with the Sinhindrea's admittance into this universe and the discovery of transit ways, pathways that would allow the People not only able transverse long distances in space but to other universes as well without the use of gate-trap, one of their most sought-after goals, was within fruition. The Courtor system claimed by the sCenp'kU offered undeniable proof that such a pathway did exist. They had sensor evidence pointing to the exact point where the doorway was located. They had seen the enemy ship disappear into that multidimensional doorway. They lusted after their dream, the ability to travel anywhere, so the Sinhindrea did the only thing they could do, the claimed the system for their own. They claimed the whole sector as theirs and it would become the center point for the establishment of their seed and of their authority. They would find a way to open the doorway and control it no matter how long it took. The Sinhindrea were a vicious but patient people. They would commit all of their resources into developing the key that would break into the meats that called themselves the Preserver's doorway.