Chapter 6

The Torlig Star system-hyperspace:

In Second-in-command Lyanwe's eyes, the smoke-filled bridge of Valen's Remembrance was little more than rubble. The loss of engineering had almost destroyed the bridge in the process. The life support backup system was on the brink of collapse and the several decks had already seen a number of causalities not directly related to the attacks they were suffering. However, that paled in comparison to what was happening to Shakiri.

"Shai Alyt, come back!" Lyanwe demanded. The far away gaze in Shakiri's eyes was something that the second-in-command had seen all too often and understood all to well. His wife was a telepath and she sometimes had that same look in her eyes when she was in telepathic communicated with their young daughter, another telepath. The look on Shakiri's face indicated that he didn't quite know where he was. Lyanwe shook his commander violently. That action seemed to do the trick and inwardly, Lyanwe rejoiced. "The enemy is within your mind. You must fight it!"

Shakiri stared at his friend for an instant, not quite recognizing who he was. "They are friendly," he muttered. "We must…we must…" His eyes cleared. "By Valen's holy name!" he roared this time. "They were trying to make me surrender to them!" He was supremely angry and it was apparent that he wanted to continue in his anger. "The creature almost possessed me." He was breathing heavily as he continued the struggle against the alien influence still preying on his mind. "My anger is the only thing that's keeping me here." With his breath becoming more ragged with each passing second, he issued another order. "Destroy the ship, kill them while we can. It's the only way. They want information and the data. Destroy this ship. Destroy it now."

His eyes glazed over once more and all traces of his personality were lost. "There is no need to destroy the ship, yet," he said, in complete contradiction to what he had ordered a moment earlier. "We can prevail if we stay and fight."

Lyanwe was no longer listening to his Commander as he ordered his bridge crew to prepare to abandon and destroy the ship. Three warriors secured Shakiri and forced him towards an escape vehicle.

"I am authorizing any warrior combating the aliens to use extreme methods to contain or destroy the enemy," the new Commander ordered. "Use all means necessary."

"Sir, that will destroy the ship's infrastructure," one of the engineers stated. He was in full agreement with the order but it was still his responsibility to point that little observation out. "Many of our people will be trapped."

"Understood. The ship is forfeit and if necessary our people as well," he stated officially for all to hear. "Let the record show that I have authorized the destruction of the Valen's Remembrance to keep it from being captured by enemy forces."

This entire mission had been a disaster from start to finish. It had been foolish in the extreme for his people to try to do battle these creatures. Like the Vorlons and Shadows, these were First Ones; unbeatable and irresistible to such as the Minbari. "Abandon ship! Relay this message to the Kordran and Eophana. I want them to pick up survivors and use their weapons to destroy this ship and everything that remains on it.

-+-

The Sinhindrea hunters stopped, ignoring the furious, but ineffectual attacks by the Minbari as they conferred among themselves. The mental attack on the leader of this ship was futile as another one of their kind had ordered the vessels' destruction. For the time being, they would have to abandon their quest for more information on the Minbari. However, as long as Shakiri continued to live, the telepathic bond would remain until either he or the Clovien Lord died. That bond would allow the Clovien to track him anywhere. That the Minbaristain would willing to destroy their own ship was somewhat of a surprise but given what little it could glean from their leader, these were proud, stubborn creatures.

The order was given. As one, the Cloviens turned and raced back to their ships. Several of them grabbed a few Minbari and Centauri corpses as they proceeded to escape the on coming destruction. A few of the boneless bodies were still had some sparks of life left within them, but the remains mercifully expired before the Sinhindrea made it to their vessels. The assault vessels lifted off a few moments before the two Tinashis proceeded to dissect the Minbaristain command vessel. The First of firsts gave the order to retreat from the Minbari. but it wasn't over yet. The ancient male Clovien would track the bonded Minbaristain, break it and feed on it at the time of his leisure.

Three days later-Babylon Five:

"Jump gate activated-again," Lieutenant Rosenberg announced. "Uh-oh."

Lieutenant Commander Corwin winced. That was the twenty-first opening in the last six hours. Space was getting extremely crowded around B5, the orbit of Epsilon Eridani and the rapidly expanding Federation station on the opposite of the planet. Aliens, nearly all of them refugees never before seen, were jumping into the system.

The reason why was simple. Word was spreading that there was this place, they were told, called Babylon Five, an alien space station run by creatures called Humans, Minbari, Narns and Centauri, who were offering sanctuary from the 'Eaters of the Living'. There was food and safety there. The forces arrayed at that place could and would withstand the horde that was approaching, or so it was believed. No one knew where these rumors had originated from, but the station was there; therefore there had to be some truth there as well. So they came.

Draal, with his typically dry humor rapidly approaching flash point, was loudly complaining to anyone would listen, that he wasn't running a hotel down on the planet. However his complaints hadn't stopped him from creating a small city – far away from the Human telepaths and the Great Machine core systems – to house the myriad of aliens and their specific needs. In truth, Delenn believed he was having the time of his life, despite his ramblings.

However, what came through the gate this time was something different.

"Corwin to Commander Sheridan."

"Sheridan, go." His voice sounded tired…no surprise there.

"A Vorlon ship just came through the jump gate."

"What's it doing here? Open communications. I want to talk to it, now."

"Patching you through, Sir," Corwin said. "Communications established."

"Vorlon vessel, please identify yourself and state the purpose of your visit."

One word.

"Kosh."

"Of course," muttered Corwin as Sheridan's sigh echoed through CnC.

"CnC, place the Vorlon in the docket. Have the ship parked next to Kosh's, our Kosh."

"Yes, Sir. Vorlon vessel, coordinates will be provided. Please enter the holding pattern and we will get you in as soon as possible."

-+-

The Vorlon Barkesh felt insulted. How dare a child of the lesser races keep her waiting in line behind these other lesser creatures? She needed to talk to Kosh and then leave this place as soon as possible. And while she was at it she intended to impress upon him her displeasure by which she was treated by the younglings.

But she was Vorlon and would control herself in front of the lesser creatures. And she was curious to see what creatures would dare face down both her people and the Shadows. She ordered her survey vessel's scans on full. And began a standard sweep of the entire system. The great machine was active; the Minbari named Draal was an effective curator. She frowned as the scans of Babylon Five were fed to her. The technology there was above what it should be. Several ships, specifically the Narn vessels, some of the Drazi, and a few of the Human ships, were too advanced for the species' maturity. She had been told of this earlier however the experience was unsettling. Something would have to be done about that.

Ninety one different races were detected. Many of those races were not scheduled to meet for another two hundred years, but circumstances had accelerated somewhat, she admitted. She was pulled out of her gentle musings by her ship. Its scans were being reflected by an object in orbit, another station surrounded by several vessels of interests. Swiftly the living ship went through its data banks and found what it was looking for. Its master glared at the information. It was them, the Federation of unaltered Humans and aliens. Their presence had changed order into unknown chaos and her people had allowed them continued existence. The living ship connected itself to Kosh's vessel and received more data.

Barkesh was astonished not by the wealth of information but by what the information contained. These young ones had destroyed a Shadow vessel unaided. They also went against the Sinhindrea and survived.

"Barkesh."

The Vorlon nearly jumped. The intruding presence in her mind had come at an unexpected moment. "Kosh."

"When your ship docks, we will speak. Your turn has come."

"I should have been there a half hour ago. Why have they made me wait?"

"There were others before you."

"I am above the others."

"No."

"They are nothing."

"Pride; the first of all sins," Kosh told her. "Arrogance; blood-brother to the first."

"Why haven't you taught them concept of humility?" Bakresh asked him.

-+-

She didn't have a clue. The female had completely missed his point. "We will talk when you arrive here," he said.

How could his people be so hard-headed?

Next to and just behind him, stood Guinan and he glared at her, daring her to say something; but there was nothing for her to say. She just smiled that enigmatic smile that conveyed so much and so little at the same time.

"I will speak to her first," Kosh coolly said. The words weren't said as a rebuke, but simply as a matter of protocol. In fact, he wanted Guinan there, which as he thought about it had been a revelation. Did he value this 'so-called' middle race's opinion that much? The answer was yes.

He was angered and bemused by the thought. He was becoming a liberal.

-+-

Docking bay twelve had once again become the exclusive property of the Vorlons. The reclusive Vorlons had never allowed any Human or other alien to go near their transports and none of them wanted to do so. The ships were alive and somewhat sentient and their mere presence disturbed the dock workers who couldn't be paid enough to get close to the things. That didn't mean that the ships hadn't been observed carefully by those workers who had to do basic maintenance

within the bay. Their caution was well founded. The ship had a tendency to sing to them, or the hull patterns changed, sometimes to include Vorlon writings. The writing was considered a warning to stay away. But the singing terrified almost everyone as it reached into the very soul to those who listened to it.

Bakresh's ship entered and landed next to Kosh's vessel. Before it even landed the ships were 'singing' to one another, and it was clear that they were pleased to be in one another's company. As long as they shared data, the female Vorlon wasn't interested at what the ships were doing, that was their business for the time being. As expected, the bay was devoid of lesser life forms, however she could feel the presence of her fellow Vorlon nearby. She checked her encounter suit once more to make sure that it reflected her presence correctly and then she exited the ship. Her suit was in many ways similar to Kosh's but lighter in color with dark blue streaks complimenting the gold color of her headpiece, which was more tapered and characteristic of the females of her race. She glided to the bay door and it opened revealing Kosh standing serenely in front of her. They both bowed in traditional greetings.

That would be the last pleasant exchange they would have for some time.

"Why have you remained with these lesser beings?" Bakresh demanded. "You should have left with the others."

"I have always been here," he told here as they proceeded to his quarters. "Sheridan has allowed you to bypass regular port-of-call entry."

"As it should be," she responded. Her mind was filled with questions demanding to be answered. "I have not been told the full story of what has transpired. And there is the stench of Shadows here."

"Yes. There has been an agreement between our people. They have both left."

She of course, knew this. Her link to the Vorlon consciousness had told her as much. But hearing it from a fellow Vorlon was no less shocking. "Is it true that the lesser ones rebelled against us?"

"They have chosen to follow their own path."

"Arrogance," she sniffed.

"Growth," he countered.

Barkesh fumed at that answer but said nothing more until they reached Kosh's quarters. It was classically bare but to her surprise, the atmosphere she expected to find wasn't there. Instead, the atmosphere of Home filled the suite. "Why," she demanded to know. The poisoned atmosphere kept the lesser races from being disrespectful and it limited their mobility in Vorlon quarters.

"There is no need for such stringent separation anymore," Kosh answered as he removed his encounter suit.

The temptation was strong enough for her to remove hers as well. She didn't like the suits and wore them only in the presence of lesser races. Being cooped up inside her ship for such a long time had allowed for little comfort and the suite's allure beckoned. Stretching lazily, she smiled. The female had forgotten what it was like to be able to fully extend herself.

"Would you like something to eat?" asked Kosh.

"What do you have?"

"All of our dishes are available," he told her.

"Do you have jye?"

"Yes."

"It is surprising that you are so well stocked. Enjoy it as you can. There will be no more."

"I will not starve for food from home," said the male. He turned and walked-floated to where his own personal replicator sat.

-+-

The device was a gift from Guinan and Admiral Janeway. He and Guinan programmed it with Vorlon delicacies and a few other dishes that Guinan believed that he would find acceptable. Like Sheridan and a few others, he had become spoiled with the device. The Vorlons could have developed something similar to the replicator but hadn't. There were so many things they could have developed but hadn't and because they hadn't the lesser races shouldn't have either. That particular pattern of thought had become a vicious circle for his people and the Shadows. Guinan had called both his people and the Shadows narrow-minded Q wannabees. She had never explained what that meant and he made another mental note to ask her to clarify her meaning. "Jye." he spoke and to Barkesh's astonishment, the pale yellow food appeared inside the alcove.

The female Vorlon glared at the food as she tried to identify the technology behind it. The principle was easy enough to understand, but this didn't utilize dimensional slip teleporter technology. It was literally a disintegrator integrator, matter-energy reconfiguration matrix system that could produce matter from energy in whatever form desired. Astonishing! "Where did you get this device?"

"From those who call themselves the Federation."

"Those creatures out there? The Humans?"

"Yes. They are a group including Humans who have come together for mutual protection and economic security."

"And they created this device?" she asked.

"Yes."

"But this device is far too advanced for their station."

"They have made some significant leaps in their understanding of science," he admitted. He kept himself from smiling at her reaction, one that he had mimicked so long ago.

Cautiously she tasted some of the brownish meat. While she chewed, using her connection to her ship, she analyzed the product. "They have reproduced the matter on the molecular level," she said. Pass that there were tiny errors that her ship detected in the duplicated food. "At the quantum level there are too many errors. But it is not bad for a younger race," she sniffed.

"They are aware of this and improvements are being made. Their replicators will be able to accurately duplicate material in the quantum range within fifteen of their years."

The female Vorlon was shaken to the core of her being. By rights they should not be able to do that for another thousand years. No. They should not have been able to do what they had in another five thousand years! "And are these the same younger ones that have upset the order of things that we have established in the galaxy?"

Kosh almost laughed at her comment. The Vorlons had tried to establish a form of order, but he knew it was all an illusion. The Vorlons themselves had never been ordered and by that very fact they could never achieve what they desired. The Shadows were the same. But he couldn't tell her that because she would not understand. "Yes."

Her mind racing, she recalled everything she knew about these younglings and swiftly came upon a conclusion. "They should be destroyed. Wherever they go, chaos follows."

"We had a chance," he said. "But the others stopped us and I believe it is for the best."

"Others?" she asked perplexed. "What others?"

"I don't know."

"You speak in riddles."

"It is the Vorlon way."

There was a knock on the door, something that surprised Barkesh. Her senses hadn't noticed anyone in the area. And it wasn't detecting anyone – no wait. There was someone there. Instantly, she began putting on her containment suit.

However Kosh simply said, 'Enter." He didn't bother with his suit. Barkesh thought him mad. No one was permitted to see them as they were!

A Human woman entered carrying a tray. Dark-skinned with outlandish clothing that Barkesh instantly hated, she moved into the suite with a familiarity that unnerved the female Vorlon.

"I thought you might like something to drink," the Human said without preamble. Smiling, she sat the tray down and stood looking at Barkesh.

"Leave, now," the Vorlon demanded. Allowing a small bit of power to emanate from her to add to her threat level and hasten the Human out of the suite, she was stunned to see that it had no effect on the alien at all. "Stepping towards the Human, she repeated her order. "Leave. Now."

"No."

'No? No!' How dare it say 'no' to a Vorlon seeker! And Kosh was doing nothing to dissuade this creature from acting in such a foolish way. Kosh' pet or not, it deserved punishment for its impudence and if Kosh couldn't do it, she most certainly could. Its death would be an example to the others. Some Vorlons were still here and commanded respect!

"Punishment," Barkesh said. And she prepared to slam the Human into the bulkhead. There was nothing like breaking a couple dozen bones to put someone in their place. She half-expected Kosh to come to his servant's defense, but he did nothing which was the appropriate response. The pitiful creature raised her hands in defense. She knew what was coming.

"Barkesh," Guinan announced. "Brute force is not always the answer. Sometimes, you should just listen and watch."

It was the female Vorlon that was smashed into a bulkhead powerfully enough to shake portions of the station. This Human had power! Is that why her people had left, because of this creature or others like her? She was Vorlon! She would not cower towards from this creature!

Angered, but also frightened, the Vorlon prepared to unleash power against this unknown adversary when she suddenly stopped cold. Something lese had entered the room.

There was the sound of clapping. "Finally," a voice said. "At least one of you had the sense to express yourself. These Vorlons make Picard seem like the ultimate partygoer."

"You!" Guinan hissed.

"Moi," confirmed Q. An instant later, he appeared in an EarthForce General's uniform. "I come here to collect Kate, and low and behold I see you going one-on-one with the local stiffs. I should be proud. They've done something I tried and failed to do."

"I should have known..."

"Please," Q huffed. "It's not my fault; well not entirely. I know Janeway explained things to you so I won't waste my time repeating myself to a copy. The other Guinan is bad enough."

"Q, you have the power to stop this war."

He smiled and both of the Vorlons backed away. To them, he was the definition of unimagined power and neither of them wanted to irritate such a creature in any way. Now Kosh had some idea of Guinan's Q comments and he didn't like what he saw.

Barkesh couldn't believe that something could posses such power as this creature was displaying and yet, it took the form of a lowly Human! What were those other Humans that this creature would possibly care for them?

"Of course I do," Q announced. "But you know as well as I that I won't. What you don't know is that this war should have started much sooner and ended much quicker. Now it will be a bloody mess. The only good thing is that this time the Vorlons and their friends the Shadows won't go around slaughtering entire planetary populations because they go tired of their little pissing contest. How so very immature of them. I should pass the word. I am sure everybody would love to hear all about it."

Guinan turned towards Kosh, now backed into a corner looking suitably embarrassed. Barkesh simply glared at the alien for daring to expose the truth to anyone, especially to that thing posing as a Human. In truth, she was frightened, almost paralyzed with fear. She had felt as though she was completely out of her depth since she'd gotten to this primitive excuse for a habitation. Now things had just gotten worse with the arrival of this powerful being who reminded her so much of the Carudrua. But those ancients never interfered with the affairs of anyone.

"Yes," smirked Q. "My counterparts are the Carudra, as you know them. But unlike them, I enjoy being Q. Be happy I don't have the time to fully enjoy myself."

The creature had read her mind as if it were an open book! "Who are you?" she asked, entirely afraid of the answer.

"This is the universe?" he questioned. "You're Vorlon; and I'm god. Any more questions?"

"Q, stop this foolishness."

"I'm glad I only have to deal with only one of you." Q smiled viciously. "Be glad that I saved your life, although if I had thought about it I might have changed my mind."

"But you can't send us back," Guinan said. "You know what would happen."

"Yes. Maybe. But some part of me couldn't do it. Maybe it was Quinn's idea. It would have been a better fate simply to let you die. But I'm not here for you. The others are needed."

"Their war," Guinan asked. "How goes it?"

"If you weren't so stubborn about not using your powers, you'd know," Q snapped. "But wait." The frown turned into a ingratiating smirk. "You have been using them, more and more from what I can see. Well, I can understand that, being here in this dreadful place," he conceded with satisfaction and more than a bit of glee. "Strange as it may seem I approve," the Q admitted. "Although it would be infinitely more satisfying if your counterpart were the one who had succumbed. But as loath as I am to admit it, you are needed here. Do what you can. I'm gone to talk to Kate and the clan. Time for them to come home. And you Vorlons; be good or I will be back and it won't be pretty."

"Q, wait!"

He winked. There was a characteristic flash of light and he was gone.

Next: Finally the secret of Courtor and a certain Transitway everybody seems so interested in!