Wow, I have to admit, I never expected this kind of feedback when I started writing this thing. Thanks a lot; it helps motivate me and since I'm not under quite as much stress as I have been before, I'm hoping updates will be a bit faster. Course, I do have school and I'm worried that my last requirement won't be fulfilled because it's cut.
Review replies:
Nyt Yanse: Both the Shadows and the Vorlons will play a role in the story. What that role will be remains to be seen.
YuTG: There are two reasons why I didn't choose Sheridan as the one who pulled off the mission. One is that even in this world, I don't think it's in Sheridan's character to do so. The second is that I don't want one character doing everything in my story. As for Neroon, he'll have a role in this chapter.
The Vorlons are not happy, but they need to organize the Minbari for the next Shadow War. Not an easy task, considering that they have little stomach for a war after the humans.
Shadowsamurai83: Yes, Ivanova is vicious, and can be so even in the series, and the events in my story would make it worse. She lost her brother and father to the Minbari, so she holds no love for them.
X X X X X X X X X X
"A pleasure to meet you, ambassador." Sheridan smiled, extending his hand. Kirani did look much like humans. Their ambassador was slightly more than 5 feet tall and wore a dress very similar to what a human might. The greatest difference was her eyes; one of them was grey, the other blue.
"And a pleasure to meet you, although I do not understand why I am being introduced to a military officer." Kindre asked. She shook his hand and Sheridan was surprised by the strength of his grip.
"I'm just following orders, Madam; glad to see you've learned our language." Sheridan smiled. "English is not an easy one to learn."
"I have been studying it for a couple of years; this is not my first time coming to your planet."
"Well, one of our colonies, anyway. Please, sit down."
"I will stand… what is your rank?"
"Captain, though just Sheridan will do."
"Captain, thank you. I will stand; it is our custom not to be seated when it comes to discussing important business."
"Whatever you prefer." Sheridan stood up, not wanting to offend the new arrivals, even if his leg did hurt when he stood up for extended periods. "So what do you hope to achieve by making official contact with us?"
"Our people have taken an interest in you, and reports from your colonies have been quite positive."
"Yes, I have heard the same reports; my people seem get to get along well with yours. May I ask if you know why?"
"They have not disclosed- is that the right word- the details. It is rather strange that they do not."
"It seems to be, yes. Would you care to take a general tour of the place?"
"Very well, but I will choose where we go. I have little patience for other societies that try to cover up their negative qualities."
"Okay, lead the way." Kindre walked out of the building, accompanied by several guards. All of them were a few inches shorter than Sheridan, their faces covered with helmets. Each of them held a Kirani PPG rifle, a few inches longer than its Earth equivalent. "All due respect, Ambassador, why do you have so many guards with you at all times?"
"I am not someone who takes chances." Kindre responded. "Is it true that there are anti-alien movements in your Alliance?"
"You're referring to the Homeguard. Yes, we have them, but most of their hate is directed towards the Minbari ever since the war."
"I do not intend to have some of their kind decide that I would be a suitable target. The consequences of such an action will be quite severe."
"I don't like threats, Ambassador."
"It is a warning, nothing more. Many have reported positive experiences here, but I wish to see for myself, as I have said before."
"Then why are you bringing your bodyguards along?" Smith asked, speaking up for the first time. "That's the best way to ensure that you will be noticed, and I thought you wanted to truly see what our colony is like."
"If you truly want to see for yourself, have your guards wait here." Sheridan agreed. "They are far more likely to attract attention, and if you truly want to see what Proxima 3 is like, just blend in."
"I will have to consider that at a later time. I do not feel safe just yet."
"As you wish; lead on!" They walked through the major city on Proxima 3. There were a lot of people, but it was not as crowded as a major Earth city would be. Despite the state of the planet, only 5 percent of humans lived on the colonies.
Kindre saw a few people on the street moving their hands around. "Those would be what I like to call scam artists." Sheridan explained. "You give them money and make a guess on whatever game they have. However, they are often rigged and even if you guess correctly, they sometimes refuse to pay."
"Then they should be locked up, or is it not a crime on your planet." Kindre asked.
"It is, but such things are difficult to prove." Sheridan informed. "We believe someone is innocent until proven guilty, or else we face the possibility of throwing someone who has done nothing wrong behind bars."
"Throwing?" Kindre asked. "That seems a rather cruel practice."
"It's a figure of speech; it means putting them behind bars."
"I see." although she was not at all sure she did. These humans were strange and judging from some of the stares she was getting hostile.
"Captain, we seem to be attracting quite a bit of attention." Smith pointed out, which seemed to be a considerable understatement. Many people going about their business had stopped to see the new arrivals. Short as they may have been, the guards were given more than a few nervous stares.
"I know; pretend they don't exist." Sheridan responded. Although this is exactly what I was afraid; does the Earth Alliance have that bad of a reputation?
They continued the tour, along with a question and answer session. It was somewhat slow, since she did not speak their language nearly as fluently as a native speaker would. The group got many curious looks, but no one approached them, although Sheridan could have sworn several women were glaring death at the Kirani delegation. He shrugged it off as they continued.
The tour took a couple of hours, by which time they decided to return. Kindre seemed to be quite interested in humans, something that did not go unnoticed by Sheridan. Perhaps this will work out for us. Sheridan thought to himself. At least it's going better than the last time we attempted contact with another race.
"Well, I see your city seems quite prosperous; is it like this all over the Earth Alliance?" Kindre asked. Although she wasn't going to point it out, she had caught the humans in a lie. Some of the giant constructions near the outskirts of the city were not buildings, but ground-based weaponry.
"Mainly on our major colonies, such as this one." Sheridan explained. "There are several major cities here, along with many smaller towns. Slowly but surely, we are terraforming the planet."
"And Earth?" she asked. The League had warned her not to mention the Minbari to humans, as tensions were still running high. She found it odd, since the League members rarely agreed about anything.
"Well, it's not in great shape, I'm afraid." Smith informed, resisting the urge to go on a tirade about the Minbari. "Many cities are still in ruins and the dust in the atmosphere will not settle for some time."
"I have an unofficial request for you, Ambassdor." Kindre told him through her interpreter. He nodded and asked her to continue. "I am interested in your civilization's history. What can you tell me about it?"
"Would you be willing to tell me some of your history?" Smith asked. "For one thing, how did your planet unite under a single government?"
"After the second Great War, the victorious alliance united the planet. It was difficult, but after around 30 of our years, which I believe is roughly 25 of yours, it was mostly a single government. They managed to hold it together and in time, we reached the stars."
"Well, something similar happened to us, except we fought three world wars, instead of two." Sheridan replied.
"I have heard your people have a vicious history, from what I have managed to learn about your people. It is second only to the Dilgar in terms of violence."
"We have made many mistakes in our past, yes." Sheridan admitted. "Nonetheless, we survived it and became what we are now." From what he did know of history, their past discouraged any alien races from attempting an invasion of Earth and its colonies, even though the Centauri would have had little difficulty in enslaving them at the time. The effect was unintentional, but effective nevertheless.
"What of you?" Smith asked. "I believe your civilization was one of the few who managed to repel the Dilgar invasion."
"It was costly, but we did repel them." Kindre stated. "While we do not launch wars of aggression, we keep a strong fleet in case another sees us as an easy conquest."
"Sensible; the galaxy is full of danger." Sheridan replied. "I do have something that my government would like to know: why send such a large fleet to our colony? That could be considered a threat."
"It is our policy to be cautious when meeting a new race." Kindre told the humans, although that wasn't quite true. There were disturbing rumors about what the humans were becoming after the Earth-Minbari war. They had felt sympathy for the humans, as did nearly every other race, but after the war, they had changed. Her government did not want the Earth Alliance to decide that Kiran was a good prospect for invasion. "How did your third world war begin?"
"It began as a local conflict between Greece and Turkey, two nation-states in 2079. The two had fought many wars, in some form, for around 3,000 Earth Years. Negotiation and treaties failed, and eventually other nations were pulled into the conflict. Others decided to fight their own wars, making things even more difficult. After nearly 5 years, many cities destroyed and nearly 300 million humans dead, the war ended in late 2084 and the Earth Alliance was formed the next year."
"How did you manage to maintain that?" The three of them had almost forgotten what they were originally there to discuss.
"It was not easy and for decades, the conquered nations were treated as subjects, although the alliance did assist in reconstruction. They worked together to form bases on our moon, Mars, and sent manned missions throughout the solar system. In 2150, terrorists used a nuclear weapon to blow up a major city. The opposition was defeated in a couple of months. It was not like the last conflict, where victory was in the balance."
"And during the Third World War, the Balkan states nearly exterminated one another." Smith added. "That was the source of the most brutal, vicious fighting of the war. By the time it ended, nearly 40 percent of them were dead. Thankfully, they seem to have learned to get along since then. How about yours?"
"Both of our global conflicts were caused by militarism and the glorification of war." Kindre explained. "Alliances were formed so that no one would dare attack them. It helped little and when a minor incident occurred, it set off wars that killed millions. Neither one was a decisive victory, although the Hara powers did make gains.
"Both sides developed explosive-metal bombs at around the same time. Dozens of cities were destroyed, and millions were killed. After the second conflict came to an end, both sides eventually decided to live in peace, although they never got along well, but the alternative was destruction."
"How far apart between your conflicts?" Smith asked.
"Around 40 of your years. The second conflict was about 400 of your years ago, and we were at the level of technology you achieved during your late 20th century, although you discovered nuclear power."
"During our second conflict, it ended by dropping two primitive nuclear weapons on major industrial cities." Sheridan explained. "Ever since then, historians have been arguing as to whether or not it was necessary." They continued their discussion for some time, before Kindre decided to end it for the day.
"Would you be willing to explore the city again without your entourage tomorrow?" Smith asked.
"Yes, I believe I will, although you two will accompany me as well." Kindre responded. "I believe you are trustworthy, captain, so I will make a request. Can my people go to your colony while I am present? I believe they need some-what do you humans call it- R and R."
"How many are on your ships?" Sheridan asked.
"Altogether, around 10,000; will they be able to come to your colony? Many are quite eager to do so."
"I will have to clear that with the local governor, but I will see what I can do." Sheridan intended to push her into it, not least of which because he wanted to know why the Kirani seemed to be well-liked on Proxima 3. Kindre and her interpreter left the room, bowing their head slightly in acknowledgement.
The next day, Kindre was much more relaxed. However, there was already talk about the ambassador, but since she was not traveling with an entourage, she was noticed much less often. Sheridan even offered to give her human clothing that would fit, which she ultimately decided to accept. Unless someone looked closely, she was able to pass for human. Sheridan himself attracted some attention, but the residents of New San Diego were used to Earthforce and army personnel, so they were mostly just part of the landscape.
Ultimately, the governor of Proxima 3 decided to grant his permission for them to land, although he warned that any Kirani found breaking the law would be punished accordingly. Sheridan knew they were out there, but did not spot any of them. He kept his hand near his PPG; some of the areas were dangerous, although few would be foolish officer to go after an officer.
She was interested in a building full of flashing light and decided to go in. Sheridan and Smith were less than enthused, but it was their responsibility to look after her. He explained that it was a Casino, where humans came to give their money away and hopefully win. "We have such places on Kiran, but not nearly to the extent you humans do." she explained. "They are strictly controlled by our government; we do not wish any of them to get too powerful."
"For us, it has varied over the centuries." Sheridan informed as they looked around. The appearance, though, had changed little, except most games were now done automatically. "Around here, they give plenty to humanitarian causes, which keeps people happy, but they are immensely profitable. They have considerable influence." He had to speak up because of the noise, which was grating on him.
"Yeah, I remember these places." Smith told them. "Used to go to them once in a while; it wasn't bad."
He saw a few Centauri, humans, and Drazi around a poker table. Some of them laughed, while others threw down their cards in frustration. "Is it really a good idea to have different races in the same place?" Kindre wondered. "Centauri and Drazi hold little love for one another."
"As long as they are old enough, have money, and don't cause too many problems, they're happy to have them here." Smith smirked. "They'll take business wherever they can get it."
"You allow aliens onto your colonies?" Kindre was curious. "What of your fears of… spying, I believe it is called."
"Few come to Earth anymore, but plenty of them visit the colonies, especially Proxima, Durani, and the Orion sector." Sheridan replied. It was annoying having to do half of this through an interpreter, but doable. "The only ones who are not allowed are the Minbari, for obvious reasons. Do you not allow anyone else?"
"We allow ones we are friendly with to visit, but there are some we have had trouble with in the past, and believe they will cause trouble." Kindre replied. "The Drazi are one such race. We have had several skirmishes with them in recent years."
"How long has that been going on?" Sheridan wondered, shoving that information in the back of his head for future use.
"Since soon after we developed interstellar travel, during what was for you the mid 21st century. We improved our technology and expanded into the stars. It is not a good idea to be caught unprepared."
"No, it isn't, and luck favors the prepared." Smith informed. She remembered Earth was in a similar situation when they made first contact with the Centauri. Although they had no interest then in conquering Earth, they could change their mind at a later date. They built on the few technologies that the Centauri were willing to sell them, such as jump gate technology and primitive terraforming.
The Earth Alliance expanded quickly, built a fleet, constantly upgraded it when new technologies were discovered, and went out into the stars. Most of the other races decided to leave them alone, except for a couple of minor powers that took bites out of their territory at the beginning of the 23rd century. The star furies were used to good effect taking back their colonies. She was lost in her thoughts and didn't see the commotion.
Sheridan grabbed a young man by the collar and pulled him back. "You're going to apologize to her immediately." he ordered. "Otherwise, I'm sure this Casino can find new customers." He was around 25, strong build, and didn't look in the least remorseful.
"Okay, okay, I'm sorry." He raised his hands in surrender. "Care to go to my place later?" A growl from Sheridan told him that it was time to get out of here.
"Sorry about that; I cannot stand useless people, particularly ones like him." Sheridan shook his head.
"Quite all right, captain." Kindre shrugged it off. "In my civilization, males generally do not do such things and those who do are looked down on, especially when they are young."
Neither of the humans were having fun in this place, especially since they didn't want to give a bad impression of their civilization. The Kirani, on the other hand, seemed to be enjoying themselves. Neither of them won anything, especially since they did not seem to understand the games.
"Captain Sheridan!" He heard someone call his name. Warily, he turned around and saw two greeting him, one of whom was Londo Mollari. "How many years has it been? Let me introduce you to my old friend and ally, Urza Jaddo."
"On behalf on House Jaddo, I offer the hands of friendship." Urza told Sheridan in accented but understandable English. He extended both his arms.
"On behalf of my people, I accept." Sheridan replied, although he was mainly lukewarm to the Centauri as a result of the war. "What are you doing here, Ambassador?"
"No, I am no longer an Ambassador." Londo smiled, gulping down his drink. "I have a much more important position, and I am here to celebrate! House Mollari and House Jaddo have been allied since the earliest days of the republic. It is good to have some fun now and then, don't you agree, captain?"
"You mean, you have fun while I keep you out of trouble." Jaddo replied, making them both laugh.
"Well, I see you two are enjoying yourselves." Sheridan smiled slightly. "How much money have you lost so far, Londo? You never did have much luck."
"Ah, the point is to have fun." Londo smiled. "I must admit, I did not expect to see you of all people, Sheridan. Have you finally decided to loosen up?"
"Actually, I'm here on official business, as hard as that might be to believe. I'm escorting the Kirani delegation around the city and they decided to see this place."
"Yes, it is difficult to believe, but I suppose they are rather curious people. Ah, I could stay here indefinitely! Let me tell you, captain, if you ever need to- what do you call it- take your mind off things, this is the place to go! Gambling, alcohol, women, ha ha! Oh, what happened with your leg?"
"Just try not to get us kicked out of another casino, Londo." Urza Jaddo joked with his friend. He then turned to Sheridan. "Have you heard the rumors? They say that over 10,000 Kirani are landing on this planet."
"Have you heard what they say about them, captain?" Londo asked, laughing.
"I know we seem to get along well, but people are vague on the details when it comes to an explanation." Sheridan sighed. "I don't like mysteries. When it comes to my leg, I was wounded during the war and they couldn't repair everything."
"Don't worry; you'll find out soon enough!" Londo exclaimed. "A pleasure as always, Captain! Now, Urza, I've managed to get us front row seats to the show they have tonight." Sheridan tuned out the rest of his conversation.
He looked around for the Kirani delegation, but they had wandered off. Sheridan groaned and looked for them, leaning on his cane. Where could they have gone? He wondered. It's not a good idea for them to wander off if they don't know this place. He limped through the crowd, but from a distance, humans and Kirani looked very much alike.
There were hundreds of people inside and he couldn't see them anywhere. "Okay, don't panic." He told himself. "They've got to return sooner or later." He accidentally bumped into a Narn, who accepted his apology.
"Captain, I have been looking for you." Kindre approached him. "I apologize for exploring on my own, but I believe I have an answer to both our questions: why are we so popular on your colonies and why so many of my people wish to go here."
X X X X X X X X X X
"Please tell me this is a joke." Senator Cortez asks Sheridan once he had relayed the information.
"I only wish it was." Sheridan sighed, rubbing his temples. "Apparently among the Kirani, their roles are the opposite of ours."
"So their females essentially act like teenagers when it comes to hormones?" Cortez stated. "This sounds way too much like a fantasy novel to me. I've seen such things written, but it seems like wishful thinking."
"I have difficulty with it myself, senator, but it would explain some things. It would explain why the Kirani are popular on our colonies and at the same time, we are given only vague reasons for their popularity."
"Nonetheless, this is going to cause difficulties. How do you think the public will react when they learn of this? I believe we are going to have connections with the Kirani whether we really want them or not."
"I don't like this, captain. Did she give you any reasons for this?"
"In their culture, it is considered acceptable for their females to act that way, while the males are looked down on if they do so. It is almost a complete reversal of the way things were in the 20th century, even though it started to reverse towards the end of it." For humans, it seemed to change around every 15 years, roughly. New media campaigns, new concerns, the list went on. "Part of the reason could be because females are physically stronger."
"I admit, the reactions are probably going to range from fascination to horror. There are many implications and I do not believe we are going to see the extent of them for some time. It would be interesting to see the parallels to our own history."
"For our conversations, there seem to be quite a few of them, even if that is an oversimplification. What do you propose to do about it, though?"
"We'd better find something and fast. I do not wish to see our colonies transform into sex industries."
"I do not believe there is much we can do. It is our strongest instinct, surpassed only sometimes by survival. There is no reason to assume the Kirani are any different. I think we're going to experience a lot of growth on our colonies. Unless you propose shooting down any Kirani that arrives into our space, I do not see how we can stop this."
"Well, thank you for the information, commander. This is going to spark a major debate among people that has been going for 300 years with the same arguments being used."
"May you live in interesting times."
"I suppose this would qualify. Let me know if you discover anything else, Captain." The screen went blank.
X X X X X X X X X X
October 8, 2260
Minbari Federation
"I know I have heard this before, old friend, but I still have difficulty in believing this." Delenn informed.
"It is true; I was threatened with death for being against our war with the humans." Shal Mayan replied. When she learned what Delenn was trying to do, she was the first to offer her assistance. "I did not feel it right to go on such a crusade without at least attempting a peaceful settlement. I was told that unless I stayed silent, I would have a denn'sha challenge and there would be no way for me to survive that."
"Yes, that was a shameful time for all of us." Delenn agreed. She was never able to tell her friend that she had made the deciding vote. As for the threat her friend had received, even though Minbari did not kill one another, the denn'sha was not considered murder because it was what they considered honorable combat. "Now we have to try and build a better future, learn from the mistakes of the past."
"We attacked and slaughtered a race that could not defend themselves; they were little more than children, far younger than we are. Apart from the First Ones, we are the strongest in the known galaxy."
"With that power comes a terrible price and a terrible responsibility. Any mistakes we make would be far worse than if another did so. Even now, we refuse to take responsibility for it. Our people are not taught the truth and it is denied everywhere on Minbar!" She remembered meeting with Jha'dur, who told her: "You take blind comfort in the belief that we are monsters, that you could never do what we did. Yet you are wiping out ships with no chance of defending themselves, even ones attempting to surrender. You destroy escape pods, and your goal is the destruction of the human race. Beneath your supposed benevolence is little more than savagery."
"I admit, I have been disappointed by the Grey Council. Our isolationism is a foolish task; we cannot simply ignore the galaxy and what is happening."
"No, we cannot, especially with the Shadows on the move again. They are awakening, gathering its forces slowly. Alone we have no hope of withstanding them. The Vorlons will side with us, but who else will? Our names are cursed throughout the galaxy."
"We have a noble goal, but I am not sure what we can do. If we had helped them rebuild, given them some of our terraforming technology to help repair the damage, perhaps that could have done some to mend the wounds."
"I had made that suggestion, but was overruled. Most of the council decided that the more humans that die, the better. They believed their civilization was over, that humanity would destroy itself. Look how wrong we were."
"Will anyone help us?"
"The Vorlons will, despite their unhappiness about recent events. Already we have fused our technologies together in order to create a new ship: the White Star." Delenn knew that was information the council would rather keep to themselves, but Mayan was her trusted friend.
"Have they started making an alliance to fight the Shadows?"
"We have tried, but few have been receptive to banding together with us. The League wants nothing to do with us, and I cannot blame them; look at what we had done to the Abbai. The most peaceful of all of us, and we killed millions for the crime of wanting to help their fellow sentients. No, they will not help us."
"There are others out there, more distant races. We cannot have been abandoned by everyone."
"The Centauri might be willing, but they would extract a great price from us. Their new government is in favor of expansion and tensions are rising in that region. This is similar to how it occurred before, only there are far more races than there were 1,000 years ago. At that time, we were the last to develop hyperspace travel."
"Yet we survived with our society intact, thanks to Valen."
"Yes, the others were destroyed or reduced to a primitive state. Valen united us, ended the fighting between the castes. We have forgotten his lessons. He told us to be wise and prudent when using the power we were given by the Vorlons." Towards the end of the Shadow War, when things were looking bleak, the Vorlons offered them gifts: less refined versions of what was now their war cruisers.
"Despite him being our greatest leader, we know little of Valen. Perhaps he knew this was going to happen and tried to warn us against it."
"One of his writings said that our people would come to a crossroads. There would be two decisions: one easy and one very difficult. The wrong decision would twist and darken a piece of our soul. Bramner told me this shortly before he died."
"What happened to him? The official story suggests that the humans were in some way responsible for his death."
"They were, but they had nothing to do with it."
"I do not understand."
"We were given data crystals after I had given my apology to the humans, but were not told what they held. Bramner and myself watched them and what we saw… killed him."
"What did he see?"
"Don't ask me that!" Mayan was startled and took a step back. "I am sorry, old friend, but the images I saw haunt my nightmares and I will not have you endure it the way I now do." The way I deserve to. She thought, looking down at her hands. There was so much blood on them, far more than could ever be erased. One of those people was her own father. He was already soul sick because of the war. He was informed by another-she did not know who-that she was the deciding vote and whose orders turned it into a war of genocide. Once he learned of this, he committed suicide, something Delenn still blamed herself for.
"I always felt that there was more than what they told us, that not all of it was propaganda."
"It is far worse than you can imagine. I have attempted every ritual that I believed would help even in the slightest way and nothing has helped. You still have some innocence and I cannot bring myself to destroy it."
"As you wish, Delenn. I will not force you to do anything you are uneasy with."
"I was hoping for us to meet and talk about the positive things that have gone on in our lives, but instead I am talking about this."
"No apologies are necessary; you are a troubled soul and I will help you to the best of my ability."
"And I am grateful for your support. Perhaps this seems a fool's quest, but I must try. My apology has done some good, but we need to do more. The Grey Council has refused; they do not believe them. They do not want to. Far easier to believe your enemy is lying than to know that you have made terrible mistakes."
Before Mayan could reply the door open. Neroon walked inside, a fighting pike in his hand, his face expressionless. Delenn placed herself in front of Mayan, not about to let him attack her. "So where is the warm welcome I expected from you, Delenn?" Neroon asked, putting away the fighting pike.
"What do you want, Neroon?" Delenn asked. "I know of the Warrior Caste's plans and what they think of me, so forgive me if I do not show the usual hospitality."
"Your plans are not as secret as you believe." Neroon informed them. "They know what you intend to do and they will stop you. I believe they are willing to break our greatest law to do so."
"And you have come to do just that?" Mayan asked.
"No, I have come to assist you." Neroon replied. "This secret has been hanging over us for far too long. While I believe it would be unwise to give the specifics, the truth must be told. There is no reason to save face when what we have done is well-known and we appear even worse for refusing to acknowledge it."
"Why now, Neroon?" Delenn wondered. "When the war ended, you demanded that we finish it, either by extermination or by forcing unconditional surrender out of them. When the humans began receiving aid from other worlds, you demanded that we put a stop to it."
"I have had little to do and when there is little to preoccupy your time, you begin to think." Neroon explained. "I was forced to see myself and what I saw was unpleasant. I saw a monster, someone who delighted in killing countless innocents. It was… not a pleasant thought, but not one I could escape from, either. It is why I am here: to try and obtain redemption for myself.
"There is one thing you do not realize, Delenn. Our people and humanity will never get along with one another. I have talked with many in the Star Riders clan. Those who committed the atrocities you speak out against hold little remorse. Ones that were not involved knew about it and did little to stop it. Still more are willfully blind and prefer to remain that way. Another thing: the humans were just as vicious to us. Warriors who were captured suffered greatly and few of those who lived were ever whole again. No, there is far too much blood, pain, and suffering between our two peoples to ever cooperate."
"Then why are you doing this?" Mayan asked.
"There is nothing to be gained from hiding the truth any longer." Neroon admitted. "This revelation will startle many and cause considerable disruption, but the longer this is hidden, the worse it will be when it is finally discovered. Such things get out, one way or another."
"So we find ourselves sharing a common goal." Delenn stated. "I am, I admit, still unsure of your sincerity, but for the moment, I will work with you."
"That is your decision, and I cannot hold it against you for your skepticism. However, you need to let go of your idealism, Delenn. You believe everything can be fixed, can be healed. Trying to get us to ever want more than the other in ruins is nothing but futility."
"I must try, Neroon, for all our sakes. We must come together to fight the Shadows."
"Impossible! Have you considered that the humans may be interested in gaining a new ally and will not think very hard about who that is? Have you considered that the Shadows may be interested in them as well?"
Delenn did not consider that. "All the more reason to reach out to them before they do!'
"Who will they listen to? A civilization who murdered around a fourth of their population or a force that can offer them at chance of greatness and vengeance?" Delenn bowed her head, knowing how difficult her task was going to be.
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If you're wondering why I did this with the Kirani, it will be explained in time, in addition to the obvious humor aspect of it. There are science fiction novels where aliens come here to breed with us and that's kind of what I am making fun of. This is mainly going to be a dark, gritty story, but I wanted to add a small amount of humor as well.
How do you think we would react if something like this happened? I doubt there would be much we could do about it, whatever it was. I'm hoping it's going to be amusing and serious at the same time. It was originally going to be a story on its own, but I eventually realized it wouldn't work and decided to add it onto this one.
I have another idea for a Babylon 5 story, although I'm not sure I'm going to write it on not. It's called "Earth Empire" and the plot can be guessed at least somewhat from the title. If anyone's interested, I'll give the basic plot in the next chapter.