A warning: some parts of this chapter will be rated M, so if it is not
something you wish to see, simply skip it.
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September 22, 2260
"Satai Delenn, we should be arriving at Earth in approximately 2 standard hours." Lennier informed her.
"Thank you, Lennier; let me know when we have finally arrived." Delenn replied. She had tried many times, but he still referred to her as "Satai". It was flattering, in a way, but reminded her of her fateful decision that cost billions of lives. Hopefully, she could start making up for it today.
"Still nervous about this, aren't you?" Branmer noticed.
"Yes, I am, but this is something that must be done." Delenn told him. "I have to make amends with the human using whatever method I can."
"You do realize they may be tempted to kill you?" Bramner pointed out. "They understandably hold us in low esteem."
"I am awake of the risks, old friend, but it is a risk I deem necessary. We will have our standard security. I would prefer that we show a more benevolent face to them, but things being as they are, that is not possible."
"I should warn you that there may be no way to make up for this. When our war began, I was as enraged as anyone else and wanted nothing but blood. As time went on, and I saw how vicious our people were becoming, my mind began to turn against it. What could be done at that point, however? The war had long since taken a life on its own."
"All of us were enraged at Dukhat's death, Bramner; you were no exception to that." They had this conversation many times before, and each of them knew how it would end. Each of them would put the blame onto themselves, while the other would try to reassure. It brought up painful memories of that time, but their friendship always endured.
"When Lennon died in an attack, I saw it as evidence of human treachery and my rage returned. I threw myself into the war, ordering every human killed, no matter who they were."
"I remember that time; you were nearly unreachable, impossible to help you see reason." At that point, their friendship had nearly broken apart. When she tried to talk with him, to calm him, he screamed at her, calling her dreadful things. He shouted at her his intention to personally squeeze out the life of every human in the galaxy, until one day, he changed, feeling trapped in a war he did not want to fight.
"There is something I should tell you before I die, and it has to do with what happened after I treated you in such fashion."
"What is it? You can tell me."
"It is not easy to admit, and I hope that you can forgive me for it. On the Flynn colony, one of our ground wars, you remember what happened?"
"I know some of the details; that every human on the colony was killed, but our Warriors suffered heavy casualties, much higher than any of our leaders predicted." One of their War Cruisers was torn to bits by ground weaponry, forcing them to make a landing on that colony.
"Yes, and now I will tell you my role in it. Once most of the military forces were destroyed, with only a few groups of fighters still active, I ordered every civilian rounded up. The old, the young, men, women, children, it didn't matter.
"Once they were all together, I ordered all of them executed. There was one, a woman, who attacked one of my warriors, even killing him with a weapon we had missed. She pleaded with me, in their, language, not to kill her family. I…. I just laughed and ordered them dragged to me. She cried, and fought, trying to get out of their grip. I took her weapon and… plunged it into the heart of each one. Her mate and her younglings.
"They were innocents; their only crime was being born human. None of them were combatants, taking shots at our warriors on the colony. Their eyes have haunted my nightmares ever since. After the massacre, I took a good look at myself, what I was doing, what I was becoming. Afterwards, I felt trapped in a war I did not want to fight. I asked the Grey Council to find an end to the war. Even you refused to discuss a way out.
"As our forces closed in, I tried to get the warriors to let them surrender, let them be taken prisoner; they refused and I had no power to stop them. Perhaps the war was right when we did not know of the misunderstanding, but nothing justified our attempt at genocide."
"Each of us carry our own guilt in this conflict. Perhaps now we can take the first step to making amends."
"If only the Grey Council would have allowed the details of the war released. Even now, our people are taught that rumors of our crimes are nothing more than propaganda designed to discredit us in front of the galaxy. There is no need; we have done an excellent job of that ourselves."
"Yes, and now the humans hold great hate for us. Every time our people meet, it ends in violence."
"I was reading what Valen had written during the last Great War. He told of a time where our people would come to a crossroads, finding ourselves at the brink of victory. According to him, the wrong decision would twist and darken a piece of our soul. Did he know of the conflict that was to come?"
"It is possible; none of us knew much about Valen. He was known to be very secretive. Look, we must have the strength to be able to do this. It will not be easy, though."
"Agreed, Delenn." Bramner left his quarters, Delenn following. According to the hyperspace beacons, they were less than one standard hour away from Earth. Every second seemed like a day to both of them, their nervousness tearing them apart inside, but still knowing that this was necessary.
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"I would like to personally thank you for your support, Ambassador G'Kar." General William Hague told him. "Any help you give us is appreciated."
"Of course; we will give you whatever we can." G'kar smiled. "After all, we are allies, and that is our job."
"Well, when the Minbari come, we're going to need all the support we can get." Colonel Jennifer Miller told him. She had always been hesitant about the alliance with the Narns, even though it helped Earth rebuild far more rapidly than they would have managed otherwise. In response to the Minbari delegations, the Narn Regime had sent several heavy cruisers into Earth space, meant as a reminder that if the Minbari intend to fight, they will not stand alone.
"Now if I may make a request, we would like your assistance as well." G'kar told him. "After all, our alliance goes in both directions."
"Very well; what do you want?" Hague asked.
"On behalf of my government, I asked that you send a few of your ships near the Gorash system, where the Centauri are making threatening gestures." G'kar requested. "It is our hope that an Earth presence will deter them from doing anything rash."
"How many are you asking for?" Miller wondered.
"Under ideal circumstances, a dozen." G'kar responded. "The prospect of fighting both of our empires, I believe, will deter him from future aggression."
"Perhaps, but what of their new emperor?" Hague wondered. "He is angry, aggressive, and to put it mildly, not someone we were hoping would take charge after Turhan's death."
"However, with the circumstances being what they are, we would like your assistance. Remember, we were the only ones who were willing to support you in your war with the Minbari. We gave you the prototype weapons that you now use in your battleships."
"We are well aware of this, but we cannot make such a decision immediately." Miller cut in.
"Why not? It didn't take us very long." Na'toth responded, glaring at the humans.
"I cannot promise that we will send everywhere you require, but I will make sure we can at least send something, even if it is only a symbolic gesture." Hague cut in.
"I thank you for your support." G'kar replied, though he was privately disappointed. He, along with most of the Kha'Ri, were growing worried about Emperor Refa. G'Kar never believed that he would actually miss an Centauri emperor, but looking back, at least under Emperor Turhan, they were unlikely to go to war. The previous emperor even conceded a couple of colonies in order to try and placate the expanding Narns.
"Does your government know why the Minbari have suddenly decided to open diplomatic relations with us?" Miller asked.
"No, we do not." Na'Toth admitted. "Our intelligence have tried to find out, but we have not been successful so far."
"Neither have we; there is concern that this is meant to force us to concede our colonies we have retaken over the years." Miller replied. "Already there is a major outcry on Earth. I am sure you understand better than most what our feelings toward the Minbari are." She forced herself to stay strong. During the invasion, everyone she knew were killed, either in the bombardment or by capture. She still remembered what happened to her little sister when she was taken by them. The images never left her mind.
"Yes, we are similar in many ways, which is why we formed an alliance with you in the first place." G'kar smiled. "Neither of us want to experience such a thing again, so it seemed prudent. Rest assured, you have our full support. If something does happen, the Earth Alliance will not stand alone."
"And neither will you if the Centauri decide to launch an attack." Hague promised. "Our sources tell us that most of the Centauri are not willing to fight a war with you, especially with both of us at the same time. However, the nobles that are backing Emperor Refa are dismissive, believing that they will be able to succeed."
"And what chance do you give us if we have to fight the Centauri alone?"
"In open war, none." Miller cut in. "I'm well aware of your patriotism and bravery, but be realistic. Their technology is still superior to yours, and their fleets are greater. Your best hope would be to meet them in a war of attrition, make them pay a high enough price to where they would decide that it is not worth conquering you. They want an easy victory, not a drawn-out fight."
"You underestimate our capabilities." Na'Toth snarled. She had always been against forming an alliance with the humans. True, they could understand one another, but it didn't take them long to prove themselves as a superior partner. Their government generally had to concede to them; they were Narn! They conceded to no one.
"Na'toth, control yourself!" G'kar rebuked. He knew they were likely right, which was why after they had first obtained their freedom, they had seized as many worlds as they possibly could, for resources to fight the Centauri. However, it did seem like they were going to be restricted to their current borders.
"Now neither of us can promise anything, but I hope to convince my government to send support to your Regime, as a token of our alliance." Miller stated. "After all, if you want peace, prepare for war."
"But we recommend that you start moving towards a war economy; the Centauri are growing more aggressive by the day." Hague advised.
"We have noticed this for ourselves." G'kar replied. "It will not be difficult to convince the rest of the Kha'Ri."
"However, I have been ordered to give you a warning: we will not support you if your fleet makes the first strike." Hague informed. "If you launch a war of aggression, you will launch it alone."
The humans and Narns debated for the next hour, mostly going over the same points. They were making little leeway, and eventually decided that they had to respect the humans wishes. Afterwards, they talked about more trivial matters, such as trade agreements.
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The Minbari opened up a jump point approximately 100,000 miles from Earth, the 3 Sharlin cruisers being greeted by over two dozen earth ships and hundreds of fighters. To the right side, Narn cruisers had their weapons locked onto them. It was more effective than the human sensors during the war, but only slightly.
"Ignore them; they know better than to open fire." Bramner ordered. "Continue on course." Inwardly, though, he was worried because it appeared as if they had at least partly broken the stealth every Minbari ship had, regardless of its size.
"I only hope that you are right." Delenn replied. Inwardly, she was worried that a furious human captain would attempt to lock onto their ships and fire. Considering how many there were and the improvements made in the last 10 years, it would be a short fight. "We do not need another major incident."
"Minbari vessel, this is Captain Susan Ivanova of the Sitting Bull." They heard a transmission. "You are ordered to stop your approach at once. I say again, you are ordered to stop your approach at once."
"We are on a peaceful mission to your world." Bramner responded. "There is no reason to be alarmed."
"Sure, tell me another one." Ivanova laughed derisively. "If this is a peaceful mission, as you call it, you can take the reminder of the journey in a shuttle. If you come any closer, we will shoot you down, understood?" Bramner gave the affirmative and turned off communications.
"Do you think it is a good idea to do so?" He asked.
"They are afraid of us, and they hold much resentment." Delenn responded. "It would be wiser not to appear threatening. Both of us will go, as will Lennier. He speaks their language better than either of us."
They walked to the shuttle. Each member of the Warrior Caste along with them asked to come along, just in case the humans attempted an assassination. Reluctantly, Bramner decided to bring a couple of them. The danger was real, this he knew, although he didn't think they would be foolish enough to try anything.
The shuttle detached and flew towards Earth, staying on course. They sensed both Narn and human vessels targeting their ships, including several fighters that were "escorting" them.
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I will not open fire; I will not blow their ships to hell. Ivanova repeated to herself, her fingers on the firing control. It took every bit of self-control she had not to order them to attack, even though the logical part of her knew that it would be nothing but a disaster. She clenched her fists, all the memories coming back
During the war, she had lost everyone that she cared about. Ganya had died in one of their fleet battles, while her father and Rabbi Koslov perished in a Mass Driver assault. St. Petersberg was a stubborn holdout, which was likely why they chose it as a target.
Afterwards, she joined the resistance, despite her young age, and become known as one of the most vicious fighters of the group. The few Warriors that survived her interrogations were never whole again.
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Sinclair flew a squadron of Starfuries between the Minbari ships, looking over their design. They had managed to do so before, but during the war, they never survived long enough to get any real intelligence about them.
Interesting; they have no anti-fighter weapons, and most of their guns are on the front of their ship. Sinclair observed. If we have to face these cruisers in combat again, we can attack from the flank, though it will be difficult because of their fighters.
The squadron flew around the cruisers for several minutes, gathering as much intelligence as they could about weapons, defenses, engines, anything they could. Sinclair had to admit, unlike many people, he did not want another war with the Minbari. He hated them, yes, but felt they had to focus their efforts on rebuilding their home.
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Delenn, Bramner, and their bodyguards walked down to Earth, looking at their surroundings. The surrounding area was badly burned and devastated. Delenn bowed her head, haunted with the knowledge that this was because of her, because of her anger.
Armed humans greeted her party; all of them held guns in their hand and glared at the Minbari furiously. For a short time, she thought they would open fire; she looked at each of their faces in turn. They would gladly shoot all of us down without a second thought; their souls are full of hatred.
It was a tense standoff. The Minbari warriors moved forward, brandishing their pikes and their version of PPG's ready for use at a moment's notice. The humans glared back, not budging an inch, some of them fondling their guns, as if they were hoping for an excuse to use them.
Finally, though, President Alexandria Foreman walked out of the building, a neutral expression on her face, an interpreter at her right side. "Greetings, Minbari delegation." She stated, no emotion in her voice. "What do we owe the… honor of this visit?" At the moment, the diplomatic situation was what some called "Correct": where both sides despise each other, but are too polite to say as much.
"I am Delenn of the Minbari Frederation, and this is Shai Alyt Bramner of the Star riders clan." Delenn greeted, trying to keep her emotions under control. Both bowed slightly in greeting and continued. "I apologize for not informing you earlier, but I thought it was best to keep- what do you humans call it- mum about our visit until now."
"What is this visit about?" Foreman asked. "Earth is not interested in opening diplomatic relations with your people."
"I understand, but there is something I must do." Delenn bowed her head. "Now will you allow us in?" Foreman thought it over for several minutes before reluctantly giving permission. The human soldiers followed, them and the Minbari still glaring death at one another. All of them looked through the building, while Delenn gave a small smile at the portraits in the hallways. It reminded her of some of the scenes on Minbar. They have such talent to be able to create something like that by hand, with no technology. Humans are a complex people, more than I realized.
They continued walking through the corridors until they arrived in what looked like a perfectly ordinary room. "I request one of your visual devices." Delenn asked. "There is a message I need to send to your people; please, this is important! It must be done!" Foreman reluctantly nodded and they went to get one.
"You still haven't told us why you're here." The President asked. She hated the Minbari as much as any human now did, but forced herself to remain polite. "You have not had any contact with us since the end of the war. Why have you decided to change that?"
"I can only do this once, so pleas be patient with me." Delenn replied. If she was not in front of humans, she would perform a calming ritual before giving her presentation. Still, she was not sure even that would help her at the moment.
They stayed silent until one of their devices was brought to her. It was turned on, as she stood in front of it, billions of humans around the Earth Alliance staring at her.
"I am Delenn of the Minbari Federation." she greeted them in accented but understandable English. "I know most of you hold little love for us over the war that began 15 of your years ago. Since then, we have had no diplomatic relations with one another, but I intend to change that today.
"What I must say is difficult, but something that must be done. On behalf on my people, I apologize for launching the war. I am sorry for what my people have done to yours, what our leaders ordered. We can never move past the cycle of hatred that now exists between us until we are willing to apologize and to try and find a way to atone for our actions, to make up, as you say, for what we have done, for the crimes we have committed."
She continued her speech, broadcast all over the Earth Alliance, talking about building a better future for both of their people. She spoke about trying to move on, and about healing their wounds. Finally, with each second dragging by, she walked off the screen, their video camera now turned off.
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"So the Minbari have a conscience after all?" Sinclair mused. "I never would have guessed it. Hmm, suppose I should not judge the entire people for what their leaders did."
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"Do they really think an apology is going to fix this?" Sheridan raged. "They killed billions of us, and now they want us to say 'we forgive you; let's be friends'? Not a chance in hell!"
"John, it is a beginning." Anna tried to reason. "True, they have committed great crimes, but I believe we must find a way to get along, or there will only be more pain and death." Sheridan looked at his wife, unconvinced.
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"The only good Minbari is a dead Minbari." Ivanova snarled to herself. "Every fiber of my being wants to target their ships and open fire, but they'd launch another genocidal war against us." Even so, she knew that it wasn't over; she looked forward to the day where they would come into conflict once again, and that time, Earth was not going to lose.
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Apologize for what? Hydalo wondered; he was one of the warriors Bramner and Delenn brought along. Apologize for launching a righteous war against these vicious, evil savages? They got everything they deserved, except their extermination. She has just shamed our people in front of our most hated enemy!
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I must admit, I did not expect this turn of events. G'kar thought. All the intelligence his people had on the Minbari said that they would never do such a thing, being afraid to lose face. Their war had changed many things, in ways he did not see until now.
To him, it was even more surprising than the Centauri emperor apologizing to the Narns the previous year. They and the humans had much in common, and now it seemed as if they had one more. This will have disturbing implications.
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After Delenn had made her apology, the Minbari were "encouraged" to leave. Everyone in that room knew that her words were going to shake a lot of people, and no one knew for sure just what the results were going to be.
They were handed several data crystals. When the Minbari asked what they were, Foreman simply smiled and said: "Let's just say you'll find the information on these crystals… interesting. We modified them to be compatible with your technology."
They soon arrived back at the war cruiser. The human pilots were sending various tachyon transmissions in their direction. Delenn had only a limited understanding of their language, but based on what she did understand and the tone of their voices, she gathered that it was less than complimentary.
Once Delenn and Bramner were alone in her room, she decided to play the crystals. A massive screen filled the room; it started completely ordinary. They saw several warriors talking, discussing the war and the plans they were making to deal with the stubborn human resistance.
After a few minutes, they dragged a couple of human prisoners into their headquarters. One was a boy of around 10; the other was a middle-aged man who was likely his father. One of the warriors grinned, laughed, and smacked him across the face with his pike, knocking him to the ground.
The others spoke, pinning the child to a table, chaining him down. "We've got a little gift for your people." The warrior stated. "I lost my closest friend to you savages; now I pay him back." He took out a knife and brandished it in his face. The man looked at him with fear, but glared at his captors defiantly.
However, the warrior turned his attention to the child. His screams echoed throughout the whole room as he squirmed. The father struggled in the other's grip, trying to get to him, but even his desperation was not enough to free him from two Minbari. The child screamed even louder as the warriors laughed and joked around him.
After a few minutes, the one in charge turned back to the favor, something on top of his knife. That is a human organ! Delenn gasped in shock. What could possibly justify such cruelty?
He threw it next to the father. "I believe you have two of these, human." He smiled. "It seems as if I will have to cut out the other one." The father fought again, screaming at him, pleading with him to stop, pleading for him to show mercy. He was struck down, and he wept in despair and helplessness.
Stop! Stop! Stop! Stop! Stop! Delenn screamed, screaming mentally at her fellow Minbari, demanding that they cease their actions, warning them about the punishment they will receive. However, she knew she could do nothing but watch in horrified fascination. The Minbari removed the other one, until mercifully, the child lay still, its blood spraying on the clothes of the Warriors.
"This is what we're going to do to all of your kind, for killing our greatest leader, for all the war crimes you have committed in your unprovoked attack and your futile resistance." He growled, slitting the man's throat. He choked and fell to the ground, dead. "Bring in the next one."
The next human was another child, this one a girl around a year younger than their previous victim. Bramner felt sick, like he couldn't watch any more of this, but his eyes were still glued to the projection. In a way, he was going through even more than Delenn was. He knew many of these warriors; they were his fellow warriors, even his friends. He had talked with them, spent time with them, even became close to them, and all this time, they were nothing but monsters.
None of them knew how much time had passed, how many victims they saw being tortured, their own people committing atrocities beyond all description. Bramner felt weak, until everything went dark.
Once the data crystal stopped playing, Delenn collapsed onto the floor of her room, wrapping her arms around herself, closing her eyes, trying to get the images she saw out of her head. My fault, my fault, on my hands. She even looked and saw the blood of innocents pouring down her hands.
Shaken, she got up off the floor and found water and strong soap; she scrubbed as much as she could, trying to get the blood off, screaming to herself. No matter how hard she tried, though, her hands were covered in red; her hands burned, the skin peeling off, but still she kept rubbing, want to get rid of it, no matter what it meant.
She collapsed against the wall and wept, realizing for the first time what her moment of rage had truly cost, knowing that the innocent blood could never be erased. She cried until there were no more tears to give. Delenn walked around her room, in a complete daze, the images flashing through her head. She knew they would stay with her for the rest of her life.
She looked at Branmer, but he was not responding. Delenn put her hand on his shoulder, but he only slumped down. He is dead; he could not endure those images, either. I knew he didn't have long to live, but this is not the way anyone would have chosen for him to die.
"Satai Delenn, are you all right?" Lennier asked with concern, barging into the room. "I humbly apologize for the uninvited intrusion, but I was deeply concerned for you. What happened to you? What happened to Bramner?"
You are still innocent, Lennier; I cannot show such a terrible thing to you right now. Hmmm, I will show this to the Grey Council, all of it, let them show what they are responsible for. It is on my hands as well, but I must find some way to make this right! Some way to heal all the wounds we have suffered!
"Please, Lennier, I cannot talk about it at the present time." Delenn looked at her aide sadly. "Branmer has passed away; I would like to see his final wishes. All I can say is that I now understand why they hate us so." Our crimes are far, far greater than I imagined. How can they forgive us for this? How can we forgive ourselves?
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Yeah, this chapter took a lot longer than I thought. I've been through it a few times, and am still not happy about it, but decided not to keep you waiting forever. This is something close to how I want it to be.
In addition, I do have some personal things going on in my life right now, so my focus is split in many directions. I apologize for the long delay.
As always, please review.