Chapter 25: Break the Chains

Marrago. Supreme Commander of the Terran Imperial Fleet. He was alone. Neroon had died, killed on Centauri Prime. Daro was dead. Kulomani was fighting for his life on some Gods forsaken spite of land against the Hand.

When he had been twenty-nine, he remembered his first victory. It had been a small affair. One Vorcha cruiser against two Narn light cruisers. He remembered the stench of death, the cries of the dying. But, he also remembered the grace of the movements as he flew between the two enemy vessels, blasting them so ferociously that he nearly won the battle with that attack alone.

That had been so long ago. Now, he stood in the Operations Center of Babylon 5. He had risen to such heights, commanding the finest fleet in the galaxy. There were Humans, Drazi, Narn and Centauri working in harmony. Who would have thought the Humans capable of achieving a unified command against the Hand?

Well, co-leading with Kulomani. Now, that was a Brakiri worth his attention. It had been ten or so years ago. The young general had invited him to the Trade-Freehold of the Brakiri. While there, he had participated in the Day of the Dead. It had been...most interesting.

Ten Years Earlier...

"Are you sure this is the right way?" Marrago asked, looking over the shoulder of Kulomani, who was looking at a map of down town Tribri, his home town.

"Of course I'm sure," the Brakiri said, tilting the map slightly. "Definitely this way."

"That's what you said last time," the Centauri grumbled, as he followed him down what looked suspiciously like an alleyway, "And the time before that. And the time before that."

"Oh stop your whining, you big Centauri baby," Kulomani said with a qroan, waving his hand flippantly, "I tell you, we are going the right way."

Almost as if in an Earthling vid, the two paused in-front of a brick wall. "You were saying?" Marrago asked, as Kulomani looked around, and even reached out, patting the wall. Almost as if to see if it was real or not. They had been walking for a good two hours. And still no sign of the house. "You are sure this is your house we are going to?"

Kulomani threw him a dark glare and started muttering to himself. There was no way to get around it, except for going back the way they had come. After a few more poking arounds, the Brakiri pulled out the map again and began again to look for the way back. Marrago angrily grabbed the map and threw it on the ground.

"Obviously you have no idea where we are going," he snarled, "You should have asked the man directions five turns ago!"

Kulomani poked a finger hard into the Centauri's chest. "I don't need directions to get back home," he retorted, "It'll take...just a bit longer. That's all."

"Just a bit longer indeed," Marrago snorted as Kulomani pointed his finger behind Marrago and walked off, holding his chin up in the air. Marrago rolled his eyes and followed him. There was no arguing with Kulomani, who seemed intent that he was going to find his way home. No accounting for the fact that the Brakiri loved updating thier cities, never content with keeping them the same way for long.

"I do hope we get there soon," Kulomani said aloud as they made a turn to what should lead them to the main street, "It's the Day of the Dead, and I wish not to be out and about during this time."

"Ah," Marrago snorted, "You and your superstitions. It's all there to keep you distracted from the truth of life."

"And what is that, oh great Centauri?" the Brakiri asked sarcastically.

"Your leaders keep most of the money to themselves that isn't carted off to Sheridan's regime," Marrago announced as if he were some soothsayer. He reached up his hand and pressed against the fan of hair that stood above his head.

"And who would you meet if you could from the dead?"

"No one," Marrago said, "There's no point to it. The dead are dead and that's..."

"That was always the problem with you Jonah," a voice he had not heard in twenty years said, "You didn't care about the past."

"Like I said," Kulomani said, turning to see a twenty-year dead Centauri officer standing in the street with them. "I'd rather be home for all this dead people stuff."

"Are you ready?" Galen asked, rubbing the top of his head with his hand.

"Do I have a choice?" Gideon asked.

"No." Galen smirked, heading towards the airlock, where his Technomage flier was parked.

"Lovely." Gideon muttered, turning towards the bridge of the Excalibur and walking in measured strides towards it.

Intruder alert. Perimeter has been breached.

The Shadow fleet was swarming around Z'Ha'Dum. How did anyone get past their early warning beacons? Why was a ship that they had confirmed dead flying towards them? And why was their another ship, a technomage one at that, flying towards them. Hadn't they fled the Galaxy to go seek out solitude?

All these thoughts of their surged through Matthew Gideon's mind. His eyes were closed, hands held to either side. His staff hovered a foot in front of his body, dark lightning crackling around it. Gideon maneuvered the ship, his consciousness controlling every aspect of the massive ship. It would have been impossible for even most technomages. But he wasn't just any technomage. He had been trained by Elwin himself. There was no greater teacher then he.

The Shadow fleet closed, weapons charging. Soon, there were ships all around the two intruders. But, at that moment, everything changed.

Matthew and Gideon both opened their eyes. Both of their hands flew together, slamming and gripping their staffs hard. And raising thier staffs in the air, slammed them hard into the floors. A massive wave of green light flashed around them, and the Shadow fleet was thrown into chaos, tumbling through space, shrivling as if they were so many onions and a finger was peeling their layers. And through the gap the ships sped forward.

"Shuttle 15 please report. Shuttle 15, do you copy?"

Sheridan looked up, his eyes burning white light and his body filling the entire shuttle with a cloud of light and shadow. Franklin couldn't move as the light pinned him in place, making him unable even to open his eyes. Yes, the fleet of rebels was surrounding him. Ships, Minbari by the looks of it were going forward to check out what was happening.

And he smiled. This was simply delicious. The lion entering the pen of lambs and the lambs not knowing the lion for what it was. A destroyer.

The Excalibur thundered through the atmosphere, the friction of ship through atmosphere turned the silver metallic hull from cool gray to burning red and yellow. Anyone who was listening would have heard it as thunder roaring above. Weapons systems across a three hundred kilometer radius on the planet activated and began firing heavy missiles that looked like black shards of glass. Missiles would get very close, and then suddenly veer off course, striking the large monoliths of stone that rose from the ground. More missiles were launched, only to do the same. Downwards the ship went, heading for a massive dome of glass.

Shadow fighters rose and rushed forward, but they barely rose from the ground before it felt like massive hands swatted them from the sky. The Excalibur smashed through the glass dome, much like a sword slicing through flesh and muscle and a massive explosion erupted from the city of the Shadows. Fires roared through the city, and Shadow Warriors and Drakh and Shadows themselves rushed about, helping the injured or fighting the fires. Unnoticed, as if they were shadows themselves on the walls, two men in heavy leather cloaks fell through the center of the city, down a massive chasm, and flew around the burning hulk of the crashed ship.

Ten miles, twenty miles, who knew how far they fell. A nameless fear stirred, it's endless watch being interrupted. The head turned, only to be seared by dark fire as two dark stars pretending to be the light fell to the ground. It closed its eyes as massive explosions of white light flashed through the chambers, and in the place of where emptiness and loneliness had reigned were kneeling two men. With heads down and hoods pulled over their heads, they arose and dropping their staffs as if they were spears, advanced through the tunnels.

The nameless fear trembled. It's dominion of the dark was being challenged. It began to throw steel webs down the tunnels, hoping to block them like a spider who wishes its hole to be undisturbed. But the two men advanced side by side, a red fire arching before them and melting the webs before they formed. It could feel the wrath of the approaching figures, and it arose. It would stop these fools. They would not undo its work of countless years.

The two men entered the chamber only to be thrown back by the fear. They slammed into the wall behind them, but focusing all their energy channeled some of the energy away from them, allowing them movement. The fear exerted even more energy, unwilling to allow it's prisoner to be rescued.

But, with divided attention, it was unable to stop the blow from behind. The creature screamed as it's own powers were forced in upon itself, and it exploded in a roar of rage, pain and fury.

"About time," Lorien the Eldest said, rising from his cocoon of captivity and dusting himself as if he had simply gotten his robes dusty. The two technomages bowed to him. "Enough of that," he waved them dismissively, "We got a man to save."

The Minbari ships got closer and closer, and Sheridan raised his hands. He would destroy these fools!

"I don't think so," a voice, older than time itself spoke. Sheridan hesitated and looked back.

"Old fool!" he snarled, "I will destroy you as well. Better you had remained in captivity."

"Tick, tock, tick tock. Goes the old clock. Tick, tock, tick, tock. It's time for you to be free."

Sheridan screamed as he was suddenly thrown into chaos. The dark forces at work inside him suddenly were faced with the light. The true John Sheridan led the assault and backed by Lorien, they assaulted the darkness. But, it would not be gone so easily. It fought to keep him under their control. Sheridan's body collapsed in a heap, screaming as pain racked his body.

"Choose now which side you serve," Lorien said, touching his body, light passing from his hand into Sheridan's body. "The darkness or the light. Choose."

"NOOOO!" Sheridan screamed, his insides burning as the two powers warred inside of him.

A light appeared and a new person stood in the room. "John," a voice said, "Time to come home. Time to wake up."

"Delenn?" Sheridan asked, "Delenn!"

"I'm here John," she said, kneeling and placing her own hand on Sheridan's shoulder, "It's time to come home."

Sheridan screamed and the shuttle shattered.