A/N: Sorry I haven't been updating lately, these last two months have been tough with final texts at college, French, Japanese and English classes, as well as other works I write and, to complete the package, I'm passing through a hell of a writer's block. Anyways, enjoy.

To skywanderer:
I'm glad you understood my motivations. The anti-climatic way the war ended will leave a bitter taste on many Human and Minbari mouths and it will be a plot device for future arcs. But don't worry, the Minbari will bleed, just not by Human hands. As I said, while this Humanity is based on Star Trek's Humanity, sharing their thirst for knowledge and exploration, peace-loving nature and utopian society, they are in some aspects as xenophobic as B5's Earth Alliance and as militaristic as ME's Systems Alliance.

To Eaglestorm27:
Yes, the Atlanti are ascended beings and they can possess not only Humans but everyone they want to. However, they don't need to. The Atlanti who possessed Jeffrey Sinclair could have appeared as a shining mass of light, as a turtle, or as a Human dressed as a Starfleet captain and shouting 'Mon Capitain'. He chose to possess Sinclair only for the theatrical effect and because he likes to play with Kaldosh specifically, to his chagrin.
About the Legacies, they are the inheritance the Atlanti left the Humans, who were proclaimed their heirs. Like I said previously, the Atlanti were based on Stargate's Ancients, with some dots of Star Trek's Q and Halo's Forerunners (actually, all of their "megastructure building-culture" was based on the latter). But, no, it has nothing to do with symbiosis. I will reveal the Legacies to the readers, as well as to the in-universe Humanity, soon. But we already know the first legacy, they told the Vorlons, this is the Legacy of Protection, which shields Human minds from mental invasion and manipulation.
Third. Just like the Shadows can be defeated, despite their technological advantage, when facing an overwhelming disadvantage in numbers, so can the Humans. A Human fighter craft is powerful enough to go against a Minbari Sharlin mano-a-mano, but remember that the Humans in Sinzar were caught by surprise. Sinzar had no strategic importance to justify any concern, the Minbari jump point tactic was considered useless since the Humans were already capable of detecting them in hyperspace and just stay out of way, and more than a hundred Minbari warships fought only ten Starfleet vessels (most of them not even dedicated to war). The Minbari were only victorious because the Vorlon null field (undetectable by Humans when in hyperspace, though not in commonspace as the Vorlons and the Minbari learned) allowed them to attack by surprise and destroy many Human ships very quickly. Though some authors such as AlbertG (my favorite) write the Federation in a very Mary Sue-ish way, they make it clear that any technological advantage can be overcome by numbers and surprise. I've learned that one from him.
Fourth. The Vorlons aren't the only ones that know about the Atlanti, all the First Ones including Lórien know about their ascended status and how powerful they are. But, of course, some Atlanti have a particular interest in tormenting the Vorlons specifically. And, yes, we will see them interacting with Humans more openly when Humanity starts to interact with the First Ones on a regular basis. However, the Atlanti will truly interfere only when a great threat comes, but that will take years, yet.

To Mf002:
I notice that the chapter's pace was hurried too. The problem is that I had many tests to study for and my time was rather lacking. About the beta reader, it's somewhat difficult to find one, considering that I am a Brazilian guy who knows very few people that are at the same level of English as myself and even fewer who are in a higher level. And none of them likes sci-fi nor fanfiction like I do (they find it at best eccentric, at worst, weird).

To Guest (who I'm pretty sure won't read it anyway):
I think you misinterpreted my explanation. I hadn't said that the hyperspace traveling method or the jump points themselves aren't based on some different dimensional realm. I'm saying that the tactic of opening a jump point close to a ship to destroy it works by a simple principle. It's not hyperspace itself (the fancy dimensional stuff) that destroys the ship, but the fact that space warps around it when the jump point is opened. It is like opening a door and slamming it on the face of some guy who was behind it, it wasn't the space beyond the door that harmed him, nor (directly) the person who opened the door, but the door itself, a wall that impacted into his face. It is not hyperspace that harms the ship when the Minbari use that tactic, but the impact caused by the vortex.

Chapter 8

"The End of a Cycle"

Year 2518

Orbit of Minbar
Valen'Tha:

She remembered it as if it had been yesterday. Looking around the Council Chambers, Delenn remembered how amazed she was when she entered this place for the first time. Delenn was only an acolyte then, working for Dukhat. She didn't even know that he was training her to hold a place in this same chambers. She could feel the power, the authority, the moral certitude.

Not anymore.

When she first entered, the Minbari were the shining star of the Universe. They were the ones that stood between the candle and the star. They were Grey, the ultimate instrument of Light against Darkness. They were champions, undefeated, unbeaten. They were the most powerful among the younger races.

Not anymore.

When she first entered, the Vorlons were the very incarnation of power, order, and certitude. The very idea of something they couldn't do was unthinkable. They weren't gods, the Minbari no longer actually believed in such superstitions, but they were just as close.

Not anymore.

This angered Delenn, and yet saddened her too. The Humans did this. They inserted uncertainty into the Minbari minds. Now, looking at her fellow Satais around, Delenn could see the same thoughts in their faces. No one of them was hooded, as protocol would require. They needed to see each other.

"It's over," with a whisper that all of them could hear, Helononn was the first to break the silence. He looked up. "It's over. Not the outcome we were expecting, but an outcome anyway."

"You call that an outcome? It's a disaster!" Coplann hissed. "We lost hundreds of ships, the worst loses we endured since the Great War! The Humans lost no more than thirty ships. Even a Vorlon cruiser was lost to them, one-on-one!"

They all looked at him, displeased first by his rude explosion, and then by the truth in his words. They all have seen the recordings. They all have seen the Human ship resisting Vorlon fire and destroying the powerful vessel. It was groundbreaking, to say the least. Terrifying, at worst.

"The defeat at Jericho. The destruction of our flagship, the Drala Fi, and its patrol group at Shengol by a single Human ship. The defeat in Sinzar," Rathenn said. "They are more advanced than us. We can't deny it anymore,"

Coplann opened his mouth to retort but closed it when words were not found.

"What about the fighters?" Morann asked Helononn, who sighed.

"We learned very little about their technology by analyzing the fighters. We know they are made of an unknown alloy, harder than anything we know. They are powered by an antimatter reactor and two fusion reactors that use some particle that is extremely unstable and we don't know how to contain. They have artificial gravity and the pylons on the top indicate that it is capable of achieving their translight speeds. They are protected though. Somehow, their systems just disintegrate when we try to analyze it more deeply. And even when we try not to be invasive, they won't activate no matter what we do. We know nothing about their weapons, translight engines, computer systems, database, nothing."

"So we have nothing!" Coplann complained. "We put all of our hopes in being capable of replicating their technology. To close the gap."

"It doesn't matter anymore," Delenn spoke. "The war is over. We signed a treaty with them."

"Ah, that treaty! Madness!" Coplann exclaimed.

"Not madness," Delenn answered. "Hope. The idea is good. To build a free haven for diplomacy in neutral territory," she paused and sighed. "We had focused so much on defeating the Humans that we haven't given the thought of understanding them. We knew we were fighting them, so we assumed they weren't worthy. This initiative from them was surprising. They had defeated us, they could have made demands, asked for resources and territory, but they haven't. They gave back their prisoners unharmed, people we thought were dead."

All looked down. They remembered the day when the Humans said they had prisoners to give back. They were expecting a handful of people, beaten, tortured, future burdens to Minbari society. That's what they would have done to Human prisoners. What they saw was thousands of well-fed, cared for people. People who came back to their families with stories about how magnanimous, how civilized, about how advanced the Humans were. That was even worse than a bunch of warriors on the edge of death. The latter would at least spread the image of the Humans that the Council has painted, of them as savages touched by Darkness.

"What about Valen?" Rathenn asked.

"His name is Jeffrey Sinclair," Delenn said. "He is not Valen, not anymore, or maybe not yet. I'll take care of him. We must appoint him to command the station the Humans will build. I will be the Minbari ambassador there."

"You can't!" Morann said. "The Council would be crippled. We need you here."

"Valen's soul is in him," Delenn answered. "We all agree that it is the most important thing, for now. Besides, the Vorlons implied that I should take this path."

They all nodded. It was a surprise, but the Vorlons had sent emissaries to sign the treaty too. Soon, the Centauri and the Narn requested to participate. The Humans were gathering the galaxy together, somehow. Even the Vorlons.

"Have you seen the plans to the station that the Humans sent us?" Helononn asked, his worker caste eyes flickering with excitement. "It was enormous, larger than any space station we have ever conceived. It could house millions. It would have cities, parks, streets, gardens!"

"It is impossible," Coplann stated. "The level of engineering required, as well as the resources must be inconceivable. To build something like that would cripple any economy."

"Have you seen their transmat technology? Have you heard from the prisoners sent back, about the replication technology?" Helononn asked. "If it is true, and I will not doubt anything the Humans build anymore, them our very concept of economy would be outdated to them."

"Well, let's see what comes from it," Delenn finally said.

Jericho System
Starfleet One:

"How is that possible?" President Elizabeth Levy asked, looking at the other surprised faces around the conference table and back to Admiral Martin. "Except for the abductions by the Vree in the early 20th century, Humanity has been isolated for pretty much all of its history! So, tell me, how could the Minbari have Human genes mixed with their genetic code?"

"We don't know, Madame President, we were just doing routine medical exams on the prisoners before shipping them back to Minbar when we found out. But we have theories," he paused. "As you all know, we asked the Centauri to give us all the information they had on the Minbari just before this war started. After the Saxony Incident, we asked them more. But not only military information or some cultural traits, we wanted everything."

"A wise move if I may say," Admiral Jakande stated. "I remember reading the reports. There was information about everything, from mythology and history to gastronomy. Everything we needed to understand their culture and tactics."

Admiral Martin nodded.

"Exactly. And the same reports are where our most probable theory comes from," he paused. "You see. The Human genes present in our prisoners are not recent. Our exams indicate that the genes have been introduced into the Minbari population around one thousand and three hundred years ago and we can trace their origins to a single individual."

"But Minbari and Humans can't reproduce, Admiral," the president said. "I am a biologist, I know that."

"You're right, Madame President, but we believe the Human from whom many Minbari may be able to claim ancestry wasn't completely Human when the mixing happened."

"What do you mean, Paul," Admiral Nohara asked.

"It was around one thousand and three hundred years ago that the most important event in Minbari history happened. We only know that an alliance led by the Minbari and, probably, the Vorlons was fighting an unknown enemy. They were loosing and the loss of their command center was just the final blow. The Minbari and their allies were ready to be exterminated. That's when Valen arrived. He was called 'the Minbari not born of Minbar' and he had with him a space station that became their new command center. Valen led the Minbari to victory and reformed their entire society before having children that mixed among the Minbari population. Before disappearing or either dying, Valen left a prophecy, that their enemy would return."

"That is an interesting story, Admiral," President Levy said. "But, while I can see that you think this Valen was somehow Human, I still don't see how."

"He wasn't abducted," Admiral Jakande said looking at nothing. "The most logical explanation behind the Minbari genetics is that this Valen brought Human genes into the Minbari race. However, Humanity was in its Medieval age at the time. Abducted or not, it's doubtful that a Human from 13th century Earth would be capable of coordinating tridimensional space combat, uniting several alien species, and integrating into an alien culture while transforming it completely... Oh," he paused and looked at Admiral Martin, sighing. "Paul, I think I already know what your theory is. Please, tell me it is not what I think it is."

"The only logical explanation is time travel," he answered with an apologetic expression.

Everyone sighed as if the weight of a star had been put on their shoulders. Everyone hated Temporal Mechanics. Worse, everyone hated trans-temporal politics.

"Then, the Temporal Department will take care of this," the president finally said. "I will sign an executive order revoking the ban on temporal historians from investigating Minbari history. We must know more.

"Do you think that Valen's prophecy has validity?" Admiral Hackett finally asked. He had been in silence during all the conference, but the idea of having to face an enemy that is probably at the same level as the Vorlons caught his attention.

"I think so," Admiral Martin said. "If we are right and Valen was really a time-displaced Human, then, we may be not talking about a prophecy made by someone in the past, but a warning by someone who already lived it."

The room remained in silence for a minute before someone spoke again.

"That's not the only thing we discovered," Admiral Martin said, gaining the attention of everyone in the room. "We discovered a degenerative illness that has been plaguing the Minbari population. It makes reproduction extremely difficult. The Minbari population is probably shrinking as we speak. We know that they have a relatively high life expectancy, so we can expect that their population is aging. Their government certainly now about this."

"What does it have to do with us?" the President asked.

"Everything, Madame," Admiral Martin answered. "According to our studies, the poor genetic engineering used to link both Human and Minbari genomes is deteriorating and causing the illness. Certainly, the ones that did this, and I bet it was the Vorlons, weren't concerned about the long-term effects."

"Do you think we can cure it?" Admiral Nohara asked.

"I think so. But it will take time. Though our knowledge of genetic engineering is vast, interspecies reproduction is an area we know close to nothing about."

"We must organize a research project, then," the president said. "If we can find a cure, maybe we can use it as a diplomatic tool with the Minbari when we need it. Anything more?"

"No, madame."

"Good. We all have much to do."

The admirals sitting by the table flickered before their image disappeared as if they were never there, ending the holographic conference.

United Systems Federation
Kingdom of Asgard
Asgard
Asgard City:

Prince Alaric Svendsen, or, as he liked to be called, Ric, looked at the cityscape outside his room's window. The golden city shined as the sunlight of the early morning rose into the sky. His face with pleasure when feeling the cold air that flowed from the snowy peaks around the city. The traffic was already intense, cars flying around, carrying the people to their destinations. The sight from the Royal Palace was breathtaking, and Alaric loved his world like no other.

Yet, he could not wait to leave it.

He sighed. He has always been a free spirit, his mother used to say that. At the time, they hadn't yet realized the full implications of that. As a Royal Prince of Asgard, a member of the core Royal Family, Alaric was expected to remain in Asgard for life. Not the kind of life he sought.

Alaric looked back to his desk. The papers he had to read, the documents he had to sign. That's not what he was born for. He tried, God knows he did, but he couldn't anymore. It was as if there, on a planet, he couldn't breathe. On the other hand, in the vacuum of space, his lungs filled with excitement.

For two months he had tried to fulfill the role his father wanted him to. For two months he was Regent while his father went to Earth to the coronation of the new British monarch. Now he was back. Now was the time.

Alaric entered the Feast Room and sat by the table. He could see his father, as well as his mother and brothers already sat, eating.

"Ric," his mother called. "Glad you joined us."

Alaric just nodded and sat.

"You did a good job while I was out, son," his father complimented him.

"How was Arthur?" his mother asked his father. "Ric used to play with him when they were children. Do you remember, Ric, when Arthur used to spend the holidays here with us?"

Alaric just nodded.

"He is a king now, Helga," his father said. "He doesn't have time to think about the past. He has bigger responsibilities."

The room remained silent for some minutes.

"Now, Alaric," his father called, breaking the silence. "I'm proud of you. You handled your duties very well. You will make a good king when the time comes."

Alaric just looked down. He opened his mouth to answer but closed it.

"What is it, son?" his father asked.

Alaric looked up defiantly. The King of Asgard was a severe man, but Alaric has been handling him since he was born.

"I'm leaving, dad," he finally said.

The whole family looked at him, surprised.

"I thought-"

"No," Alaric interrupted his father. "I stayed here as your regent as a favor. My mind is unchanged."

"A favor?" King Axel asked angrily. "Doing your duty is not a favor! Our family has held the Throne of Asgard since it was a little colony with no more than a thousand people. Our family was chosen, four hundred years ago!"

"Exactly!" Alaric interrupted. "We were chosen, we didn't choose. I didn't choose."

"Don't be selfish!" his father hissed. "I hadn't chosen it too. But here I am."

"On the contrary. You did choose, to stay, to be a king. But I won't follow this path," he sighed. "As you well know, I accepted my promotion. I am now the captain of the Saxony. But that's not all. I volunteered for a ten-year exploration mission, beyond the Relay."

Again the room was silenced, he could see his mother close to crying, and his father red with anger. It didn't matter. He made his mind. He may have been born to be a king, but he chose differently. He chose to be an explorer.

"You can't," his father finally said.

"I actually can," he replied. "Despite your expectations, I am not required by law to follow them. My title does not negate my constitutional freedoms."

"When?" his mother asked.

"Today," he answered. "I already packed, the Saxony will pick me up in an hour. I stayed for the last months because I wanted to be with you before leaving for such a long time."

His mother nodded.

"About the line of succession," he started. "I'm abdicating of my place in the line of succession to the throne. Tristan, you always wanted this. It's up to you now."

His brother nodded.

Alaric looked at his father, who acted as if he wasn't noticing him. Alaric sighed. They finished the dinner and Alaric went to his room to get his luggage. The family was gathered in the main hall, everyone except his father.

They hugged and said goodbye. His mother was crying, but he couldn't back up now. He wouldn't.

When his comm badge beeped, he tapped it and was teleported to the Saxony, which was in orbit. His eyes were watery, but he couldn't ignore the pleasure he felt by being on this ship again.

"Captain Svendsen?" a woman wearing light armor greeted him.

"It's me," he answered. "Excuse me, I don't remember you. Are you new?"

"Yes, I'm your new Chief Security Officer. The last one died in Zafrari, as you know."

Alaric thought of him. Lieutenant Charlotte Morrell was her name. Another good friend he lost in that damned first contact. Well, at least not all of his friends were dead. When he enters the bridge, he'll find familiar faces such as Lucy and Marlon.

"Well, welcome to the Saxony, miss... what is your name, Lieutenant?" Alaric asked looking back at the woman.

"Regina Shepard, sir."

Vorlon System
Vorlon Prime:

For the first time in millennia, the collective minds of the Vorlon Empire were divided. The galaxy had been purged of the Atlanti thousands of years ago, and yet their doing still affected the Vorlons and their experiment.

To the relief of the High Lords of the Vorlon Empire, the Ascended Ones chose to abstain from interfering on this plane of existence, at least that was what they had thought. With the arrival of the Humans, the Vorlons uncovered the truth. They have been deceived. The Atlanti manipulated them to create the circle, to build it on a Human individual. The circle was not only contaminated, the circle was a trap all along! The Humans were an abomination! Such young race shouldn't hold such technology. They saw how dangerous these Humans were when a single Human ship destroyed a Vorlon cruiser in Sinzar.

But the High Lords wanted the mighty Vorlon Empire to play along!

They decided to show themselves, to sign the treaty the Humans proposed!

They decided to send an ambassador to the station the Humans were building!

Madness!

Kaldosh couldn't keep his anger to himself. His fellow Vorlons feeling his temper going wilder. His hatred of the Atlanti was known to all of his people.

"We cannot purge the galaxy of the Humans," one of the Vorlons spoke, his bioluminescent body glowing in the water environment they were in. "The Atlanti will not let us."

"They won't interfere, he said that," Kaldosh said. "You know they believe the Humans can go against us. You are just afraid because they have technology we don't know!"

"The mountain is never afraid of the pebbles," other said.

"We must follow the circle," said another. "We must guarantee our victory against the Shadows. Then, we'll take care of the Humans."

"Agreed. They may even be useful. Let's push them against the Shadows, make the Darkness bleed!"

"We must end the Humans before they end us!" Kaldosh spoke angrily.

The other Vorlon minds laughed.

"You think the younglings could defeat us?" one asked mockingly.

"They were created to destroy us," Kaldosh said. "Why do you think the Atlanti have nurtured them, protected them, given them technology far beyond their station? They are their revenge incarnate."

"It's undeniable that they are powerful, but we have almost a million vessels at our disposal. Powerful or not, they certainly have less them a hundred thousand. Besides, we can't break into the Crescent. In a war, the Humans would have it as a safe haven from our retribution."

"We never actually wanted to break into the Crescent," Kaldosh replied. "Now, we have a reason to."

"Very well, Kaldosh," the High Lord spoke. "We all can sense that many share of your concerns. We will put our scientific minds to find a way of breaking into the Crescent so we can reach the Humans if we need to. Meanwhile, we follow as planned. Kosh?"

Kosh glowed as his cephalopod-like body swam to the center of the circle.

"Kosh," the High Lord called again. "You will be our ambassador on the station the Humans are building. Guide them, they will be important to our final victory against the Shadows."

"Yes," that was all Kosh said.

Year 2525

Interstellar space
Starliner 9771-1, Asgardian Starlines:

Looking out of the window, Stephen Franklin watched as white streams of light passed by in a glowing blue background. This was characteristic of warp travel and passed a feeling of speed that, say, jumpspace travel didn't.

Different from most Humans, Stephen has had the experience of traveling through jumpscace, though it wasn't particularly remarkable. It was during the Dilgar War. He was a member of the medical task force sent to provide medical aid to the League fleets just before the USF entered the war. Not that he would want to experience it again. The war, not the different races. The latter was just the reason he was here now.

The ships he worked in were so different from anything he could imagine as well as from each other. Most had no gravity, making Stephen realize how he missed it. The Gaim ships, if you could call those things ships, were nothing more than drones genetically engineered by the Gaim Queens. They weren't comfortable for a Human to be in, though Stephen is sure the Gaim feel the same. Maybe that's the reason why they dislike leaving their world so much. The Markab ships felt more like temples than starships. There was an altar with candles and offerings in every corner, and the series of religious protocol required was so boringly long that Stephen is surprised their civilization could survive at all. The Abbai ships were flooded, that's all he could say. He had to wear an environmental belt during the entire travel, but at least he could program it to block the smell of fish.

It wasn't that bad, actually. Stephen managed to save many lives and study many life-forms. That has been his dream since he was a child and he heard the first news about aliens. His father, of course, doesn't understand. 'You're an amazing doctor', he said, 'Why spend your talents with those aliens if you can use them to save your own people?'.

But as mighty as General Franklin is, he doesn't understand.

Life is life.

"Chicken pie," he said to the table in front of him, as a holographic screen showing hundreds of varieties of the dish he asked for appeared on it.

He passed some pages with his finger before choosing a delicious-looking one, passing his wrist on the table so it could debit the required energy credits.

As the dish materialized in front of him, Stephen turned the computer screen on

"...Prince Alaric's decision to abdicate his place as heir to the Asgardian throne came as a surprise to many but was predicted by others. All over Asgard, people showed either support or disapproval to his decision. With this announcement, Prince Tristan Svendsen becomes the heir..."

Stephen changed the channel. News. News. Debate. Documentary. Gastronomy. Documentary. Classic cartoons. Horror movie. He sighed. He wasn't actually in the mood for watching anything. Just the thought of his father disapproval was enough to embitter his mood. The movie seemed good though, he would enter the channel to watch it from the beginning later.

When Stephen laid down on the couch, the captain's voice sounded on the speakers. That is it. The streams of light out of the window disappeared as they were replaced by countless stars.

He looked out again, this time he could see a big space station, glowing like a snowglobe in space. His mood increased again, and his father became a distant memory. The station wasn't complete yet, but Stephen could already see entire cities on its radiating arms and rings. Many people were migrating to this new frontier. In the USF, quality of life was basically the same in a distant colony as in a core world, so people are not afraid of moving out to new colonies. This station is no different.

Wrong. This station is different, or, at least, it will be soon. Now, it's being populated by Humans only, the entire system kept from the curious eyes of the other races, but in three years, when the station is completed, that will change. The system will be opened again. This station will be the heart of galactic diplomacy. A great experiment, Humans and aliens living together.

Stephen smiled while looking at the station. That's why he was here.

"Dear passengers," the captain's voice sounded at the speakers. "We arrived at our destination. Local time 2:23 pm. Thank you for flying with the Asgardian Starlines, it's been a pleasure flying with you. We expect you to fly with Astar again. Welcome to Babylon 5."