Before the ship completely cleared the jump gate every White Star and War Cruiser in orbit went to Red Alert and had weapons hot. Once C&C informed him of the situation, it was all Corwin could do to send out a Fleet wide message to stand down from Red Alert but remain watchful. All of them thought he was suffering from the combined stress of his responsibilities and being so publicly exposed by the Vorlons after being in hiding for so long. Corwin put an end to that in true Minbari fashion. "Understanding is not required, only obedience." They got it. The ship was hailing C&C and he knew they had to be frantically wishing it were possible to back up through the jump gate and get out of there as quick as possible.

"This is Lt. Corwin of Babylon 5 Command and Control."

There was a definite hint of relief in the voice responding, "This is Captain Jessica Yates of the EAS Kitty Hawk. We made contact with Marcus Cole some weeks ago and he informed us that Babylon 5 was safe harbor. I hope that still applies."

He chuckled and it seemed to ease her tension a bit more, "Yes Captain Yates. Sorry if the welcoming committee wasn't so welcoming. The last time Earth Force Destroyers came through the jump gate wasn't a good day."

"Completely understandable."

"Kitty Hawk you are clear to dock at bay 19. Are you in need of repairs?"

"Desperately."

"Well, come on in and I'll see what we can do to help fix you all up."

"Thank you. Kitty Hawk out."

Corwin saw the delicate situation and quickly alerted Murphy and Shaal Mayal. He told Murphy to bring along one of the Watchers in hiding and for the three of them to meet him in bay 19 to greet Captain Yates and her command staff. Shaal Mayal informed Corwin that she was bringing one of the Minbari station Rangers who just happened to be a telepath. When he started to protest she simply cleared her throat and he considered everything else that was going on.

"Fine, but keep it quiet. And you guys hurry up."

Captain Yates and her officers were more than a little surprised to see two Minbari standing with humans waiting to greet them. She did not miss the way Lt. Corwin and Sgt. Murphy were dressed the same as one of the Minbari. None of them were quite sure how to handle that. They also saw the other Minbari in the same uniform as Cole and one other in a station uniform. They had no clue what they'd just walked into and weren't sure if they'd make it out. They'd heard stories about these Rangers, Marcus Cole being the only one they'd ever met personally. But the sight of humans and Minbari standing side by side like that was too much for some of the officers who fought during the war.

"Captain Yates, I am Lt. Corwin. Welcome to Babylon 5."

"Thank you, Lt. Where is Captain Sheridan?"

Without missing a beat and giving nothing away, "He's off station at the moment, Mam. If you'll follow me, we can sit down and talk."

She nodded but still wasn't sure what was going on or why they were all dressed in Minbari clothes. Yates turned to her Chief Tactical Officer but he simply shrugged. He wasn't about to comment on this. He did wonder if everyone had gone Minbari. Then he thought about how crazy Clarke was and the conditions back on Earth and considered that might not be such a bad thing. Too bad he was broadcasting a bit too loudly because Furil picked up on all of that, filed it away and set about trying to determine if there were any hidden agendas among the group without being caught. He knew there weren't any telepaths but, one could never be too sure.

The Narns working station security surprised them but the Warriors scared them. Still, they made no comment as Corwin and company led them to the War Room. He knew it was secure and he knew Shaal Mayal was already loaded down with several recording devices. She'd have that couriered out to Captain Sheridan within 15 minutes of the meeting ending. En route, the others saw business as usual and that surprised them all. They'd heard the stories of alien influence and everything else coming out about Sheridan and those on the station but then they considered the Ministry of Peace and discarded that. It was immediately obvious to all those newly arrived Earth Force officers that they'd just entered a state of the art War Room and they were impressed. They'd also heard something about some war that the entire League of Non Aligned Worlds seemed to join together in. Corwin and Murphy made eye contact. He knew they were concerned about the presence of Minbari in the room. Ask Corwin if he cared.

"Captain Yates, we received a report from Marcus regarding your meeting and were advised that you all might be stopping through. Glad to have you. Is the extent of your repairs such that you all will need quarters during your stay or will your people be staying on board?"

She wasn't entirely sure why he asked. Any other time, 4 or 5 years ago she wouldn't have thought twice. But there was so much different now and she couldn't be sure. She did not know if he really wanted them on board or not.

"We'll need quarters but we aren't a full crew anymore after two years on the run. We've sustained some heavy damage after running into Black Omega a week ago. They are basically on a search and destroy mission when it comes to certain ships."

"I can imagine. One thing you don't have to worry about is Black Omega or any other Earth Force ship pursuing through the jump gate."

"Yes, that is a---large Fleet orbiting the station. I recognize the Minbari War Cruisers and we've seen footage of those beautiful White Stars, which I can't believe are war ships, but those other ships are a complete mystery."

"Those are Vorlon war ships."

At those words, every single one of them stops and stares at him in absolute disbelief. They've heard the stories about Vorlons. They can't believe it. And they have no idea why a specie that powerful and that old would be protecting Babylon 5. [What is going on around here?]

"Vorlons are defending and guarding this station?"

Corwin knew it was coming and tried to be as impassive as possible in his response.

"Yes."

"Why?" She couldn't help it and every single one of her officers was right behind her on that nodding that they wanted to know too.

He took a few seconds to phrase his answer in his head knowing it would simply raise more questions than provide definitive answers but he's gotten very good at misdirection over the last year. Plus, he knew they didn't really understand who and what the Vorlons are.

"Because this is where Captain Sheridan lives."

None of them are quite sure what that means and turn their gaze slightly so that they can take in the other station people and gage their response to that answer that was no real answer. Unfortunately, they're all nodding like he just explained the meaning of life.

"Vorlons are defending this station because of Captain Sheridan?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because this is his station."

It was all Shaal Mayal and Murphy could do at that point to keep it together. Murphy because of Corwin's new twist of circular misdirection. He had to admit he was impressed at Corwin's nerve to actually try it out now. He's wondering if Corwin forgot the meeting was being recorded. [The captain's gonna get a kick out of this.] Shaal Mayal because of the expressions on their faces. She knew this was a sign that she spent entirely too much time with Murphy over the past 6 months.

Yates did not want to tackle that. She studied Lt. Corwin carefully and was assured he was serious in his response. That didn't mean it made any sense!

"Captain Yates, we would appreciate any information on the situation out there that you can provide."

And with those words she was able to find more solid footing and slipped back into discussing something she was more familiar and comfortable with. The briefing took well over 2 hours. They'd been through a lot since meeting up with Marcus and Selene. Then she is compelled to ask one other question. Things happened so quickly before and she was thrown with the Vorlon non answers that she forgot earlier.

"Where is Commander Ivanova? I would have expected her to be in the briefing."

"She is off station at the moment."

"Captain Sheridan and Commander Ivanova are away from the station?"

"Yes."

Corwin hopes she doesn't ask the question because he does not want to slip up and tell her the answer that's on the tip of his tongue. He catches Murphy's laughing eyes and struggles to ignore them.

"When will they be back?"

He is desperate to keep it inside. [When they return.] He hoped doing it that way was enough and started channeling all his military training just in case.

"They haven't confirmed the exact time of their arrival."

Yates is tired and knows she is out of her league at this point. She isn't sure what is going on because Corwin does not appear to be stalling or lying. She can't process and decides that it is the stress of everything they have gone through coupled with the strangeness of all they witnessed on that brief walk from the docking bay to the room. Defeated and utterly confused, she simply nods.

Corwin decides to take this opportunity to end the meeting.

"Captain Yates, I'm sure you and your people would like to get settled in. I'll begin making arraignments for quarters now that I know the exact number of crew you have. Shaal Mayal and Sgt. Murphy will escort you back to your ship. Each of your people will have to clear customs and have their identi cards swiped. Service weapons are not permitted on board the station but we are secure so all of your people will be safe. A survey team will begin inspecting your ship after you all debark to determine the extent of the damage and repairs needed. Corporal Bennings will be assigned to lead that team so feel free to have your contact person meet with her."

Then he turns to his partners in misdirection and mayhem,

"I'm going to assign everyone to...Brown sector. Please insure that everyone has station maps and knows the location of the mess hall and officer's mess. Also, issue Captain Yates and her command staff visitor com links so that they can reach us at anytime."

"Yes sir." Murphy knew full well there wasn't any such thing as a visitor link. That was Corwin's way of wanting to be able to monitor Yates and her officers without them being connected to anyone but the three of them.

"Shaal Mayal, round up some station Rangers to assist with the escort and having them settle in."

"Yes sir."

They got his message loud and clear. 100 Earth Force uniforms was going to be a bit much for many people to take considering what they'd all gone through two years ago. Rangers were the sign that they were welcome. Yates wasn't sure what that was all about or how Rangers fit into things around here. They still weren't clear on an organization of humans and Minbari working together so closely. And, none of them really understood the chain of command around there but they were going to find out!

He turns to Yates,

"If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me. I'm not responsible for the food around here, though. This might be an independent station but the cooks in the mess all got their training from Earth Force. We've found that massive amounts of seasoning helps it go down easier."

That was something that all the Kitty Hawk crew could identify with. For the first time since stepping onto the station they felt a definite connection to the others. It felt good and they all laughed as they stood and headed out.

Two hours later, the three of them met back in the War Room. Corwin was certain of two things, a courier was on their way to Minbar with the recording and there were Watchers and hidden station Rangers crawling all over Brown sector and throughout the station doing nothing but tailing them. He didn't even bother with the preliminaries,

"Where are we?"

At that point Shaal Mayal and Murphy could no longer hold it in. He let them have their fun at his expense.

"Oh, I don't know, I'm just glad Captain Sheridan lives here 'cause that really explains why there are Vorlons orbiting the station."

"Shut up."

"Ok but the captain's gonna love that. And I can pretty much guarantee Ivanova's gonna give you a hard time about that for awhile. But, I have to give you credit for not saying it." Then he cracks up.

Shaal Mayal breaks in at this point, "Yes, I too was impressed with your...restraint. It is a credit to your training and professionalism." Then she joined Murphy laughing.

"Whenever you two are finished. Next time an Earth Force Destroyer pops through the jump gate I'm going to sit back and let the two of you deal with the crew. I know they're confused but its not my fault they haven't spent much time in the right circles to know what's really going on in the rest of the galaxy. This is a good place for them to get an education if they are honestly interested in learning the truth."

Then he narrows his eyes at Murphy, "And you could have been a bit more helpful." That just causes the other two to start laughing again.

"Anyway, Benning is going to keep me updated on the status of their repairs. I'm not sure how long they plan to stay but lets all make sure that they feel welcome. We've been to hell and back in the last 2 years but we knew the truth about Clarke before others. Mostly because the captain and Ivanova were actively searching for the truth and not simply turning a blind eye to things they knew were wrong. While Captain Sheridan did not make the decision to declare independence lightly, he did so without hesitation because it was and still is the right thing to do. I can only imagine what Captain Yates and her crew have been through not knowing if or when they'd be able to pull into port. If they want to stay here indefinitely, that's fine with me. As long as they are genuinely committed to liberating Earth, I have no problems with them."

Then he turns to Shaal Mayal, "What's your opinion on their ability to fit in and accept Minbari? Especially the Warriors?"

"You are asking me as if I am human and can understand their situation. I cannot. I do not think any of them have ever met a Minbari and I am certain that most of them fought during the war. This may be difficult. It has been 12 years but they are not like us in many if not all respects. None of us look to each other and see human or Minbari. We see family and friends. I believe they were also confused about the Narn members of station security. But, if they knew Captain Sheridan the way the rest of us do, that would not be a surprise. He does not support tyranny or oppression in any form. Earth Gov did not want him to give them sanctuary but he was not about to turn them over to the Centauri or any other race to be enslaved.

My sense is that they are confused. They perhaps see things here that are beyond their understanding, training or beliefs. We cannot do anything about that. Rangers understand the full extent of the situation."

Murphy turns to her, "I don't doubt you explained things to them with great care."

"As if you did not to station security."

Murphy just looks at her but knows she's right so he nods then turns back to Corwin who has been quiet, "Any problems with the Fleet?"

"No. Well, not after I went Minbari on them. They thought I was suffering from stress when I told them to stand down at first. They got the message. But, I do need to meet with the Fleet captains later to go over the specifics of dealing with any other Earth Force ships that may drop by. They responded correctly and I want to make sure that they continue to do so. This situation has given me a few ideas that I need to run by Ivanova."

He can see they're about to jump in asking for specifics, "Nope. I said ideas. That's what they are. And, I really do need to speak to her first. Anything else?"

"Not at this time."

That told Corwin several things. Shaal Mayal was about to go into full protective and watchful mode and Murphy was about to do the same. He wouldn't say anything just yet and wasn't too sure how he felt about it but he had the distinct impression that several Minbari telepaths would be roaming the station. She'd definitely be calling a few down from the Fleet.

"Alright people, let's get back to work and we'll convene later to make our reports.

Just about the same time, Captain Yates was meeting with her senior officers in her quarters.

"What do you all think?"

"Mam, I really don't know what to think. That is a huge Fleet out their orbiting the station. And it didn't do my heart much good to look up and find myself staring down the face of a Minbari War Cruiser again. Oh, I mean several Minbari War Cruisers. There must be 30 out there! I'm not even going to comment on the Vorlon ships because I don't get that. Nor do I really get them."

Yates nods her head and turns to her head of security.

"I know you have something to say."

"Yeah, I have no idea what's going on around here but something is really strange."

"Something? You're going to have to do better than that Cooper."

"Fine. Did anyone else get the feeling that those Rangers 'escorting' us had nothing to do with getting us settled in and helping us find our quarters?"

She had her suspicions but wanted to hear from him first, "What are you saying?"

"That it was some kind of parade route on purpose to let others know that we weren't the enemy. Somehow having the stamp of approval from these Rangers---who I still don't get----was for our protection. And, I don't think it was from station personnel or security."

That went further than she'd thought. "How so?"

"I get the feeling that it was for the benefit of the other races here and for ambassadors from the League of Non Aligned Worlds. Something to let them know we aren't a threat to Captain Sheridan."

"Don't you mean Babylon 5?"

"That too but nope. I mean Captain Sheridan. I didn't understand his answer and we've only been here a couple of hours but from what I can tell, it was the truth. Vorlons are here because of him and other races are firmly behind him 100%."

"You got all of that in a few hours?" There's a bit of sarcasm from the others.

"I got most of that in 15 minutes. Put on your civies and take a stroll through that Zocolo. Find someone who isn't human or Minbari then ask them about Captain Sheridan. All I heard was he returned from Z'ha'dum. And, he's not just the leader of the Army of Light."

"Army of Light? Z'ha'dum? What are you talking about?"

"You're starting to sound like the Ministry of Peace and their whole alien influence thing. What are you saying about Captain Sheridan?"

"I'm not saying anything 'cause I don't know. He's on Clarke's hit list just like the rest of us but something tells me if he aims at Sheridan, he's gonna have a hell of a lot of Minbari aiming back at him. And, from the way people---and I'm not just talking about Minbari---look when they speak about him I get the feeling a whole bunch of other races will be standing next to the Minbari too."

"How is that possible? Or why I suppose is a better question. What is this Army of Light?"

"I don't know but one of the venders in the Zocolo was talking about him like he was the second coming or something."

Not wanting them to get off track, Yates tries to pull them back in,

"Ok, we're in unknown territory and things are obviously very different here than we expected. I'm sure most of the changes occurred after Clarke. Let's do some basic research. Let's not draw attention to ourselves or give them a reason to ask us to leave. I'm just as tired as the rest of you all and if we can have some down time where we don't have to worry about dodging weapons fire for a week straight, I'm going to take advantage of that. You all should too. We aren't here investigating Captain Sheridan. He's given us safe quarter. I'd like to keep it that way. Some of this stuff you all are reporting seems like it ought to be public knowledge. Check the station data base. I know I will. And, we know there was some coalition for a war against some specie though that doesn't sound right. See if anyone knows anything about these Rangers. I still don't understand that. Nor do I understand Corwin and Murphy wearing the same uniform as that female Minbari when the other one was dressed like Cole. Its obviously got something to do with the Rangers because of that pin and the patch. I want to know what we've gotten ourselves into but I get the impression that it isn't a bad thing. And, NOTHING here could be as bad as Clarke."

That last point pretty much gets everyone's attention and they all agree with that.

Quiet speculation about the new arrivals runs rampant throughout the night but the next morning its not so quiet. Well, until one of them walks into a room. They were all aware of the suspicious looks they each received when walking into the mess hall for breakfast. It didn't take many of them long to realize that their Earth Force uniforms had to go.

Jessica Yates did not get much sleep the night before. No, she thought she'd take a quick look through the station data base to check on some of these strange terms she kept hearing. Nothing made much more sense to her several hours later. Every time she searched Army of Light she kept getting Minbari history of a war against these Shadows 1,000 years ago. [This does not make any sense!] But she had to admit she was hooked. She read of Valen and that made her understand more. Anla'Shok. It took some time until she realized that Ranger was the English word for Anla'Shok. Now some of the pieces were falling into place. Prophecy of their return. She thought it was folklore or fiction but then considered that they heard the Army of Light just fought a war against the Shadows and defeated them. She had to know more. [Vorlons are Light beings? What is a Light being?] 12 years of Catholic education kept shifting images in her head but the practical military mind said no way. Not possible and she moved on. But she read about Z'ha'dum. That scared her enough that she decided she really wasn't ready for bed anymore. She wondered why all the information was under Minbari history. Then she considered they were the oldest space capable race and the ones who fought on the front lines. She checked and the Narns had record of them as well. The things G'Quon wrote amazed her. Then she realized he and Valen knew each other and were friends. That wasn't a surprise considering the times and the enemy they all seemed to be fighting. Then she found footage from this last war. She saw the White Stars and other ships from the League. But when she saw a Shadow ship she nearly fell off her chair. [It cannot be!]

Cooper contacted her in a near panic telling her to get everyone back into her quarters ASAP because he had a MAJOR report to make. "He definitely needs a vacation. But even here he won't rest." After everyone was assembled ½ hour later she looked to him,

"I suppose this means you have a report of some kind to make?"

"Hold the sarcasm until you've seen this Skipper. You won't believe it and then you will."

She had no idea what that meant but nodded.

"I see most of you found out that Earth Force uniforms aren't in style here. Good. I had a talk with that same vendor from yesterday. Once I explained that I didn't know anything about Shadows, Z'ha'dum or the Army of Light he looked at me like I was crazy and actually asked what rock I was living under my entire life not to know this stuff. Then I said I didn't know anything about Captain Sheridan in some war and he and his wife sat me down for a story you wouldn't believe."

"Well if we wouldn't believe it why are you telling us? Besides who says its true?"

"Let me finish people. Then they gave me some data crystals. Three are vid recordings and one is audio only. Just watch."

With that, Cooper moved to the monitor and inserted the first data crystal of Ivanova's speech to the League. When it was done they all stared at him and at each other.

"She's talking about him like he's some....I don't know. Righteous. Armageddon. What is all this Light and Dark? And he actually blew up a planet? That doesn't sound like John Sheridan. I can't believe he'd kill all those people!"

Yates jumps in,"Harris, I don't think you did any research last night. I haven't been to sleep yet because I couldn't look away. Look up Shadows, Z'ha'dum, Anla'Shok which I figured out is the Minbari word for Rangers and they're over 1,000 years old, Valen and Army of Light. Oh, and the Narns have a history of it too so check someone named G'Quon."

"What do you mean history? The war just ended 3-4 months ago."

"The second war. The first one was 1,000 years ago where Valen--the Minbari's most holy religious figure led the Army of Light in that Shadow war. Seeing a pattern people? He gave prophecy that the Shadows would return in 1,000 years and that there would be a second war."

Then she stopped talking. She still doesn't know what to think but hearing Susan Ivanova of ALL people speaking like that was unnerving. And, apparently she's a Ranger too!

Cooper let Yates's words settle then moved on. "There's more people. Watch this very carefully."

He switched to a copy of the fight between Kosh and the other in the Zocolo and they were all horrified then looked to each other in confusion. They knew what their eyes saw but it could not be.

"What was that?"

"It looked like an angel and some demon."

Cooper didn't answer the question directly, "Watch this and then I think you'll know exactly what one of those beings was."

He then switched to the protest in the Zocolo and when they heard one of the ambassadors saying that the Vorlon died fighting some hideous beast they all turned to one another in awe. By the time they heard all that stuff about Sheridan not returning from Z'ha'dum again they all started to suspect that was why Corwin met them in the docking bay. But once again, Ivanova's words chilled them and Yates demanded that he stop and cue it up so that she could hear those words again. Cooper did and she nodded her thanks. When Sheridan came out even they were amazed to have confirmation that he was alive. But his words! Jessica Yates heard and she saw but she could say nothing. She was so confused she did not know what to do. Her mind went back to that fight between the angel and the demon and her world was pretty much rocked. She said nothing. She was completely silent along with everyone else trying to make sense of what was going on. Cooper saw this as he looked around the room. He waited. He had one more recordings but wasn't sure if they were ready. After a few minutes they all looked up at him one by one and he played Sheridan's Fleet wide address after the Gathering. Then she looked up at him.

"What does this mean?"

"I'm not sure. The things they said about what happened at the Gathering are amazing. I didn't know anything about First Ones but apparently there are or where until Captain Sheridan kicked them out, beings in the universe billions of years old. Of all the younger races, humans are the youngest. Which is one of the reasons they all thought we were stupid to try to make contact with the Minbari. There's a lot of stuff going on that we obviously don't know about and never heard of."

"So that angel in the Zocolo fighting that demon, that is a Vorlon?"

"Yeah. They hide underneath encounter suits. When Ivanova was addressing the League. The one standing next to her was a Vorlon. From what I can tell it stayed hidden for years and none of the other races accept the Minbari and their Rangers knew what it really was. It only revealed itself to save Captain Sheridan."

That caught everyone's attention. "What!"

"A few years ago, the day he was suppose to apologize for destroying that Centauri ship that came here to attack and capture the Narns on a ship he gave sanctuary, someone put a bomb in the transport tube. He fell something like 80 feet and the Vorlon left its encounter suit and floated up there to save him. Everyone on the station saw it and every single one of them was amazed. The second time was to fight that demon. It wasn't a Shadow. No one knows its name but they said it was one of the creatures of Darkness like the one Sheridan battled at the Gathering."

They are numb and trying to take in all of his words. That last part gets them and they all need more information. Cooper gives them the story word for word that he got from one of the Drazi who witnessed the Gathering.

"What does all of this mean? I still don't understand."

"Don't you? Or do you not want to understand?"

"What are you talking about captain? None of this stuff is possible."

She just looked at Ramirez for a few moments, "I debarked the same ship you did at the same time. I just got here. We know what we see with our eyes. Vorlon ships defending a station because this is where John Sheridan lives. Minbari War Cruisers defending this station because this is where John Sheridan lives. White Stars, which after listening to Ivanova I realize are HIS Fleet of war ships. White Star Prime. Like Earth Force One. And we all just sat here and watched the same recordings. I can't believe the Ivanova I've met and heard of spoke like that. But WE all heard him speak twice. You tell me what isn't possible. I don't know. I said I spent the entire night reading through that data base. I don't have all the answers people. I don't have ½ of them I'm certain. But I know what I saw and heard. What I see are humans and Minbari working together, defending this station, and you all saw those Ranger guards he had. There are Minbari Warriors answering to a human in station security working side by side with Narns and other humans. I don't know much of anything that's going on here but I'm not ruling anything out."

Ramirez didn't know what to say about that. Her voice was so distant and contemplative it made him stop and think. They were all quiet for some time. Cooper spent hours with that couple earlier today. Brakiri speaking about John Sheridan that way. He spoke to Drazi, Gaim and Narns as well as some humans visiting and working in shops and they all said the same things. He didn't know what any of it meant specifically. But he now had confirmation of what he suspected yesterday. John Sheridan is one man Clarke has to fear for many reasons. And, he's certain that Sheridan will be mounting some war against Earth. That was the feeling and impression he got from Cole. He just couldn't understand where he was right now.

Yates dismissed everyone and told them to go spread the word to the others but not to make a nuisance of themselves. She got the feeling from Cooper that people were all too willing to talk about John Sheridan so she wasn't too worried. And she was firm that each of them head back to their quarters and start researching the data base as she did the night before. Once they started to leave she caught Cooper's eye and he nodded then held back. She was too quiet so he interrupted her thoughts,

"Skipper?"

"Talk to me Coop."

"Specifically, I don't know but the Earth Minbari war makes a heck of a lot more sense now."

That really got her attention.

"How?"

"The Prometheus fired on the Valen'tha. That's the Grey Council's ship. That's like opening fire on a combination of Earth Dome, the Vatican and Earth Force HQ at the same time. They killed their leader, Dukhat. The couple I spoke with didn't know too much about the inner workings of the Minbari. They keep their secrets and their personal business pretty close. Its also not something to ask a Minbari or a Ranger about. Human or Minbari people don't make a distinction between the Rangers. If you're one, you're not only a Minbari citizen, you are a part of their culture and society. But Dukhat was known as the best of them. The best of ALL Minbari and we killed him in an unprovoked attack." Then he shut up and let her piece it together.

"Then why did they surrender? No matter what others want to believe or what Clarke says, we were dead. They were going to kill us all."

He's not sure about this, about any of this, but takes a shot from what he pieced together.

"In Ivanova's speech she mentioned that Shadow agents tried to kill Captain Sheridan and Entil'Zha Delenn. Entil'Zha is the title of the one who commands the Rangers. In 1,000 years there have only been 3 people to hold that title even though they've had many people in charge."

"Ok, I'm guessing its significant. I read a lot about them. What aren't you saying?"

"All Rangers pledge to live and die for the One. The One is Entil'Zha. Valen was known as Entil'Zha he was the first and for 1,000 years he was the only one to hold that title. The second person was...Jeffery Sinclair."

"What? Commander Sinclair the one who used to be in charge of this station? The ambassador to Minba..."

"Yeah. The one who went missing at the Battle of the Line for 24 hours then all of a sudden Minbari are surrendering, offering huge war reparations and an apology to us then leave."

"And this Delenn?"

"She was the Minbari ambassador here for several years but they also said she was secretly a member of the Grey Council at the same time. After Sinclair left...and no one knows where he went, she was sworn in as Entil'Zha right here on the station. Many people traveled from Minbar to see it. Something else. They say that Ivanova stood up as her second in the ceremony. And, in addition to being a Ranger--though her uniform is different from all of their's even if it is black---they say she's a Fire Wing."

"Ok, what's a Fire Wing."

"One of the clans within the Warrior Caste."

She doesn't speak for a minute and just stares at him. "Excuse me?"

"Yes, she is the only human within the Warrior Caste. Apparently, she was brought into the house--something like being adopted or something--by her mentor. The most powerful and influential Warrior within the Minbari Federation. Reports are sketchy and only Rangers and Minbari know the facts but you know we can't ask them. But apparently, they are very close. He sort of adopted her."

"What does that mean?"

"I don't know but it would explain those Warriors working station security. Or maybe not. But one thing is definitely clear, on this station, humans and Minbari are close whether they're Rangers or not. Something is going on that we really don't know about but I get the feeling Sinclair is the reason they surrendered though it makes no sense. I'm positive that Captain Sheridan is not someone to mess with unless you want to mess with the entire Minbari Federation. And, some of these Narns are members of something called the Kha'Ri."

That made her whip her head around. "Kha'Ri?"

"Yeah, why you know something?"

"Valen was pretty tight with a Narn named G'Quon. They fought the Shadows together. He was said to be a prophet and a holy man and he also commanded a group called the Kha'Ri. See a pattern?"

"Sort of but we're missing all the facts. What about Z'ha'dum?"

"If ½ of what I read about the Shadows is true, I'm glad he blew up the planet. Tell me how he survived that? No one expected him to. And what is all this returning alive from Z'ha'dum? How does a dead person return?"

"Night of the Living Dead?"

"Are you making fun of me?"

"Nope. I've spent hours talking to people. I don't know what to think exactly but I know what I suspect."

"What?"

"We are way out of our league. There's stuff going on that every single race in the galaxy knows about and takes for granted that we don't have a clue about. No wonder they think humans are stupid."

"Not all humans, obviously."

"Nope, not all. I made a copy of these recording for you. I figured you'd want to look them over for yourself. I did learn that the entire War Council is gone."

"War Council?" Then she remembers the War Room.

"Yeah, they took off somewhere a few weeks ago. Sheridan and the others went first. Ivanova stayed for another week or so then left with the rest. Where they are, no one knows. Um, I'd say no one except the Minbari and those Rangers. I get the feeling the Kha'Ri Narns know too but won't talk. What do you think?"

"I think we're in over our heads. I think I'm tired from an all nighter but there's no way I can sleep now. I'm going back to finish reading the Minbari history and religion. The Narns, or at least those of the Kha'Ri and those that follow the teachings of G'Quon believe the same things as the Minbari. And both races acknowledge Valen and G'Quon."

"Yeah, but EVERY race here acknowledges Sheridan. I don't know where Ivanova fits into this. Those recordings are months apart and she was speaking about him like she knew what was going to happen." Then he stops for a minute. "She said she knew he would return and he asked if she saw it and she said yes."

"What, are you saying she's some kind of seer or something?"

"Watch the recording again and tell me how she knew what was happening on a planet light years from here in such detail. Obviously, the two of them are tight but they've known each other a long time."

"I still don't get it. Minbari HATED him for a decade. They tried to kill him when he first took command of the station."

"No, some Warriors who didn't surrender after the war and took off tried to kill him. Everybody else just hated him. Until a few years ago. How he became the leader of the Army of Light I don't know."

"When you heard him speak in those two recordings, what did you hear?"

He takes a deep breath and tries to get his thoughts in order. Honestly, he doesn't know for sure but his gut is telling him something.

"I think that whether he wants to be or not, he is a religious figure. I've never heard anyone speak like that before and I've heard more than my share of tent revival sermons. Ivanova said she felt his presence. I heard it. She said great changes were coming. The man Gathered some mighty powerful beings together and then allowed himself to be tested or challenged in some way on behalf of all the younger races. And that thing with Delenn, I don't know what that was but everyone said those angels came to her and healed her or something."

"Answer the question."

"He's something. I don't know who or what he is, but he's something. And I think we better make sure all our people understand that if we're going to stay on this station. Truth, I'm not tired of resisting Clarke. I'll never get tired of that and there's no way I'll surrender. But, I am tired of being on the run. I definitely think Sheridan's going to go after Clarke. But I get the feeling something else came up and that's why they aren't here preparing for war. Plus, Cole said they were still trying to make contact with other ships. Seems like Sheridan is into building coalitions."

"Which is a heck of a lot better than Clarke and his oppression. Coop, let's keep all of this stuff between us. Especially about Sinclair. I get the feeling that's really something Minbari and Rangers don't want anyone to know about."

He nodded then rose sensing that she needed some time to herself. He also got the definite impression that she knew something else and that was what was bothering her. Something she just figured out after coming onto the station. Cooper decided to go hit the data base and see what he could learn.

After he left, Yates sat on the couch for some time turning over things in her mind before going back to her monitor. She wanted to learn more about Minbari religion and Valen first. Then she would try to understand Shadows and what that really meant.

Corwin knew he'd have to call a meeting because he always got the sense from Zack and Mai'lenn when they were up to something. Murphy and Shaal Mayal were just like them. He wasn't sure who was worse because Murphy learned everything from Zack and Zack learned everything he knew from the Chief. Then he decided that was worse. Ranger training didn't hold a candle to Michael Garibaldi. Once they were all settled in around the table in the War Room Corwin started things off with his patent opening line,

"Where are we?"

Shaal Mayal and Murphy turned to each other and she nodded for him to go ahead.

"Yates' head of security, Lt. Cooper, has been very busy since he arrived and they've already had two meetings in her quarters with command staff."

"Consider this a station briefing and not a Ranger status meeting." Dead panned but they got the point.

"Fine. Cooper walked around talking to lots of people during the past 12 hours or so. Right about the time we were meeting yesterday they were too. That's after he hit the Zocolo. He wanted to know what or who the Shadows were. Basic questions but it proves they knew nothing. Never heard of the Army of Light or anything about the war we just fought. He went back to the Brakiri merchant he met yesterday and he and his wife sat him down and set him wise about everything they knew. Gave him all the data crystals too. After that he raced to Yates' quarters and they were all in there for a couple of hours. Our people said they left pretty dazed and confused and each of them went back to their quarters. Haven't left yet."

"What about Yates? How's she fitting in? She hasn't contacted me for anything."

"She hasn't left her quarters since she entered yesterday."

"Is she ill?" Corwin really doesn't want anything happening to her on his watch.

"Nope. Busy and a bit tired."

"I think we covered the Ranger responses already."

"She was up all night reading through the data base. She used standard phrases, Army of Light, Shadows, Rangers. She spent a long time studying the last war and picked up some footage from this one. Downloaded that last part though, I don't know why."

That got Corwin's attention and the look on his face told the others he knew something.

"What?"

"Not sure. Footage from this war means she saw a Shadow ship. I don't have any proof, but it might mean that she's seen one before."

Mai'lenn Jr and Garibaldi III were primmed to intervene though they weren't sure what that meant.

"Don't get excited folks. And I'm not going to ask how either of you, because I know you both are, are monitoring her searches. What's she working on now?"

They smiled openly at his comment but said nothing. They knew he didn't care.

"She went back and read up on G'Quon and the Kha'Ri after meeting with Cooper privately when the others left. Then she delved into Minbari religion and culture. She seems a bit obsessed with Valen, the Anla'Shok and G'Quon. Those are the things she looks at the most. Then she looked up Dukhat. That's the only time she entered a text search. 'why was he the best of them?' I think she's trying to understand the Minbari's reaction to his death and what caused the war.

One thing that isn't so good or I'm not sure about. She pulled Sinclair's service record but didn't down load it. Then she studied the Battle of the Line and the terms of surrender. After that, she went right back to the Anla'Shok. Someone must have told Cooper about him being Entil'Zha and she's confused. No one else is searching that stuff but her so I think he only told her and she hasn't said anything to anyone else."

Corwin's not sure he likes that. He's pretty sure she couldn't make the connection. None of them did. But he's getting the feeling that she's putting the pieces together or at least trying to about why the Minbari surrendered and figured it has to do with Sinclair.

"She needs closer watching. Both her and Cooper do. I'll stop by and check in with her if she doesn't leave her quarters. I pulled her service record last night but I think I'll go back and look at her personal file as well."

"What are you thinking?"

"I haven't decided yet." That was as good an answer as they were going to get from Corwin and they knew it. He turns to Shaal Mayal,

"Let me have it."

"Most of them are confused and a bit nervous according to....reports. All of them are just happy not to be on the run defending themselves from attack or capture. All of them are relieved not to be somewhere within Clarke's grasp and they all seem to have the impression that Earth Force won't be stopping by anytime soon."

"Don't get carried away. I think that's general enough. We aren't Psi Corp."

"Of course."

Corwin tried not to roll his eyes at that. He knew her. She would keep it up until she felt comfortable. And she wasn't going to feel comfortable anytime soon. He didn't feel like fighting her on that point and let it go. For now.

Jessica Yates didn't know what she knew but she knew she knew something. She watched those recordings until she almost had them memorized. She listened to the comments shouted at Ivanova both times to get some kind of understanding of what the other ambassadors were confused about. She still did not understand returning from Z'ha'dum and not being alive. She did understand how they could all question Sheridan returning after hearing what he did there. No one should have survived that. She abandoned her search of all things Minbari and Narn and decided to look a little closer to home.

She started with the book of Revelations from the Bible, highlighting and searching specific passages then printed out chapter 20 because she had another theory to work through later. Finished with that, she moved from the Bible to the Jubilees and the Book of Enoch. She would have her understanding of these Vorlons and Light beings! Immediately after that she entered a broad search of all Earth religions where 3 was a symbolic, holy or significant number. She knew she was onto something but was not sure what she was onto. Only that she saw a pattern of some kind. Something had to tie Sinclair to the Minbari. Something had to tie humans to the Minbari and she was going to find it. Rebirth. Well, reincarnation was close enough so she went with that. Then she considered the Minbari belief in souls. She amended her search of Earth religions with 3 as a significant number to include souls and reincarnation as well. Goodness knows those nuns at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart told her enough times that her soul would be lost if she didn't straighten up and fly right.

Yates knew she ought to get some sleep but that was out of the question now. She paced her quarters wondering what could make the Minbari abandon a war to avenge the death of the best of them on the eve of certain victory. She went back to her search. 3 castes. She had no proof but thought that all were represented on the Grey Council. That made sense to her. Then she remembered the story of Valen and checked that again. [Yes! He chose 3 from each caste.] She went back to Sinclair. His service record was not enough. She pulled his personal file and read all she could. Then the public record. Then went back to her search on the terms of surrender and the Battle of the Line. Sinclair and then Valen again. She indexed, referenced, saved and highlighted. Valen then back to Sinclair. Then the space station in their greatest hour of need on the eve of their destruction. "Wait a minute. The Minbari surrendered on the eve of our destruction." The missing 24 hours. She was absolutely positive that they captured him. "They had to have learned something about him to make them surrender." She searched the Babylon Project. Finally, she went back to Revelations. CLICK, SNAP, BAM, GOTCHA!

She could not believe it. Then she realized she did believe it. She knew it was the truth. She got the feeling all Minbari didn't know this. Not this much, how could they keep something that big a secret if everybody knew! But what would drive other humans to join the Anla'Shok? To live and die for the One. Even now that Sinclair was gone and a Minbari was in charge. And how did all these humans know about Shadows and Darkness when she and her crew did not? It was not something known on Earth. Something else was going on because it was more to it than just Sinclair. "If there is one, there could be more." Now she understood. The enormity of that was too great but she knew what she saw with her own eyes on this station. She knew what she heard from those recordings. And she knew that was the truth as well.

"Who is Sheridan?" She did not know that. Then she remembered what Cooper said. The thing thought he was a myth or a legend. The Greatest Soul to ever exist. She went back to the Minbari data base and typed in Rebirth. She almost dismissed it when a ceremony popped up but she read it through. "Will you follow me into to fire, storm, darkness and death?" She had no doubt what that darkness was that Valen was talking about. Then she remembered Sheridan's speech in the Zocolo. "He used almost those same words!" There had to be more. She kept reading through the ceremony. "Then do this in testimony to the one who will follow. Who will bring death couched in the promise of new life and renewal disguised as defeat."

She thought about it for a few minutes, "A heck of a lot of Warriors died on that Black Star. And they were defeated." But when she got to the next line she understood much better. From birth through death and renewal. [Oh my God! He did die at Z'ha'dum!!!] They couldn't have known about Sheridan all these years. She's positive about that. She flipped the screen and searched Earth Force for Sheridan's record. She wasn't interested in anything except that one engagement. Then she went back to the Rebirth Ceremony. From there she searched Black Star. Then she checked White Star. Then back to the Rebirth Ceremony. "A myth or a legend. I suppose 1,000 years would do it." She listened to his address to the Fleet after the Gathering. "Oh yes. He IS the One. The Chosen." She was numb and excited at the same time. She couldn't tell her officers. That would make her seem crazy and they wouldn't believe it. "No, let them get their own proof!"

Yates printed that then cleared all those searches and started something else.

She aimed at Clarke. "When did he get on this anti alien kick?" It really didn't make any sense. She searched ISN for Ministry of Peace reports. Then read up on martial law and Mars Dome. She went back to Revelations and then flipped to Genesis. She left the Bible and went to the Torah first and then the Koran. She knew she was all over the place but she could not remember what she thought she should remember. Yates left all of that and decided she should look a little farther East so she read up on Buddhism. There! She found another reference and then skipped to ancient Greek mythology. Something wasn't sitting right so she went back to Minbari history and checked their ancient religion and more than a few things started to make sense to her. She read everything, though there was not much. She thought about Ivanova so she pulled her service record too. Nothing, it did not matter she had her answer.

Then she moved to the language data base and searched ancient Minbari for Betla'Nal. "What did the Stregheria say?" Now everything was falling into place. She went to the Old Testament for confirmation in Daniel. Then she flipped to Valen's prophecies again. Back to the Book of G'Quon—she really liked him just as much as Valen and he said something specific. She could not let that go. Armed with his words, she went back to ISN reports and did more searches on Night Watch and from there, Mars mafia. When she was finished with all of that, she went back to her Light beings and read all she could on the Vorlons and their home world. She did not discount anything. She read the myths, legends, folklore and fairy tales. Then she thought about that beast fighting the angel in the Zocolo and decided that someone knew what that was. She would find them. She went back to Earth and searched many of the ancient pagan religions. Then she read up on the Centauri and searched their ancient past. "Z'al? Blessed and taught by a Light being." She read everything she could find on them. Then back to Clarke again. She read everything he proposed or supervised as Vice President. Everything he participated in. Every committee he sat on. "Oh yes, I am cookin now!!!"

She checked the Babylon 5 Treaty for Mutual Self Defense. Then she looked up the Earth Centauri Non Aggression Pact. Then she stopped and searched Psi Corp. She looked up their charter then went back to the Earth Centauri document. She cleared that and went to Earth Gov. She looked at the Earth Alliance Constitution and Articles of Confederation. She read all the amendments passed under Clarke's new Senate. "Why does that sound familiar?" It took a few minutes then the answer came to her and she searched ancient Egyptian history and more things fell into place. Then she searched Psi Corp again. Their history and powers of operation. Something caught her eye, an article about the assassination of Psi Corp Director Johnson at Ganymede. She searched Santiago's death and the destruction of Earth Force One. She went back to Clarke's record. This time she not only downloaded, she sent it to print. That was going to take some time. Then she went back to Z'ha'dum. "What did Ivanova call them? Shadow agents." She entered a search for Shadow agents and the records popping up were enormous. There were references under every specie. Now she understood exactly how someone could return from Z'ha'dum and not be alive. [No wonder they think humans are stupid. We don't know any of these things. Well, obviously the Anla'Shok do!] Her mind was on auto pilot. She went back to the Bible and searched Mark 5. "Yes, one demon infested man to another."

As far as Yates was concerned Psi Corp and their Black Omega Squad were as dirty as Clarke and they were all in it together. Problem was, she wasn't absolutely certain what 'it' was. But she saw that ship. Then she went back to the Narn data base and checked something that itched in the back of her mind. "How did G'Quon drive the Shadows out if they weren't in space yet?" She reread that many times and finally found what she missed before. "Mindwalkers. Telepaths!" She went to Earth Force and looked up its charter knowing full well there's official and not so official channels. She searched Earth Force for any reference to ships like the one in the footage she downloaded. "Somebody saw something!" Then she went back to Psi Corp again. Then she thought about IPX. They were the galaxy's whores and scavengers always trying to get more technology and sell it to the highest bidder. She searched IPX for any record of Z'ha'dum. [There! A footnote. Alpha Omega 3] Back to Mars. Then Earth Gov for the term Alpha Omega 3. Yes, a reference of alien tech on the planet. It didn't say what kind of alien tech. Psi Corp again, no record of Z'ha'dum or Alpha Omega 3. Earth Force one last time. She entered a search for both names of the planet. When she finished her searching she printed all her results and sat back in her chair.

Jessica Yates had been on Babylon 5 a little over 36 hours and solved a 12 year old and a couple of 1,000 year old mysteries followed by a 2 year old nightmare and one much older. Then she realized that she'd figured out a heck of a lot more than that. After a few minutes she got up, dressed and left her quarters just after 1 am. She had to walk it off. That's when she realized she hadn't stepped outside her door since entering. She knew Harris was handling things. Fine, her ship was in port she needed a break. The station was quiet and she set off in no particular direction not really aware of the fact that she hadn't checked the map and didn't know where she was going. After a couple of hours walking aimlessly she ended up in the garden. And that's when the full weight of everything she knew, thought she knew and suspected hit her. That's when Captain Jessica Yates dropped her head into her hands and cried.

Murphy knew he was going to have to wake them up. Fine, let them share his headache. Once they were all settled in the War Room Corwin, half sleep, looked to Murphy.

"What does she know?" He knew this had to be about Yates and her search of the data base.

"Everything. I think."

That made Shaal Mayal and Corwin perk up and stare at him. "Come again."

Instead of answering he passed out flimsies of her search record. They didn't know what she specifically was looking for or actually read but they could see how long she stayed with each document and exactly what she entered in as search terms or requested. Neither of them looked pleased when they noticed how often she flipped back and forth between Valen and Sinclair when checking history against his record. Shaal Mayal was a bit confused on some of the biblical searches she made but Corwin saw exactly what she was doing and wasn't pleased in the least. He couldn't be certain what she knew but from her search of souls and the Battle of the Line he knew she already knew too much. When they got to the Rebirth Ceremony and her searches of Sheridan's record limited to the Black Star then her checking the White Star they were lost.

"How did she make that connection? She did not know anything about Minbari faith or religious beliefs before she stepped onto this station. Even with those recordings how could she possibly stumble onto that?"

Corwin thought for a few minutes then considered the way she was crafting her search.

"According to her record she spent 12 years in Catholic school. Sinclair was educated by the Jesuits. They think the same. But that's not even what concerns me."

Both of them looked at him like he was crazy. At best she discovered the real reason for surrender and that Sinclair has the soul of Valen which no one is supposed to know outside of the Anla'Shok and Minbari. At worst, she figured out Sinclair IS Valen which no one outside the War Council and Betla'Nal are supposed to know. Though they are all positive that Rathenn, Durhan and Turval know this as well since they came with him. And learning Sheridan's true identity was just plain dangerous.

"Aside from her learning everything she is not supposed to know, please tell me what would concern you."

Corwin ignored the sarcasm in both her statement and her tone.

"Keep reading. Look at the last couple of things she searched."

"Uh oh."

"Exactly. I told you she probably saw a Shadow ship but since she's never heard of them before coming here, she didn't know what she was seeing. She's checking an Earth Centauri connection along with the B5 treaty, why? And all that stuff with Psi Corp, IPX and Earth Force. If she hadn't come here she never would have heard the name Z'ha'dum. She didn't know what was going on."

"But you sense that she does now."

"Don't you two?"

Before anyone could answer both Murphy and Shaal Mayal got an update.

"Where is she?"

"The garden."

"What is she doing?"

"She appears to be crying. She walked the station for a couple of hours then ended up there. I guess whatever she was going through hit her."

"Does every human in distress on this station haunt the garden in the middle of the night?" It was a rhetorical question and she had to stop him from trying to answer before signing off.

Corwin gave them both an 'I told you so' look then leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. Murphy broke the silence.

"What are you going to do?"

"Me?"

"You're in charge around here."

That did make Corwin roll his eyes. "I could walk up to her and say, 'Captain Yates security and head of station Rangers have been covertly monitoring all of your searches over the past day and a half and would like to know what secrets you have uncovered regarding Earth Alliance and its possible connection to Shadows or the Centauri'?"

Then he realized his mistake as both of them were looking at him nodding like that ought to be the plan.

"We continue to watch and we wait. One thing is for sure, she isn't going anywhere anytime soon."

Or so they thought.

Cooper stopped by the next morning and immediately saw she did not look like she got any sleep at all. He brought take out but he had a feeling she wasn't going to want breakfast either.

"Skipper, what's up?"

"Me, too late last night."

He wasn't buying it. He did his research and learned enough to know when to quit researching. Cooper was very interested but really didn't think Babylon 5 public data bases were the way to go about it. Besides, he was more fascinated with Sheridan and Valen and planned to study Valen a lot more later. He decided that it did not matter why the Minbari surrendered since they did and seem to get along well with humans. He also decided that it was obvious Sheridan wasn't suffering from the effects of alien influence. On the contrary, every specie on the station seemed to be under the effects of Sheridan. He couldn't wait to see what the man would come up with for his move against Earth and Lt. Cooper had every intention of being front and center.

"I repeat, what's up?" He's positive she figured out whatever she didn't realize she knew last night.

"Can you keep a secret?"

Her tone clearly meant this was going to be her secret. He thought about it and decided he'd do it for her because he had a feeling this was going to be something really big and something he really wouldn't want her to do but it was obvious she really needed to.

"Yeah, for you."

"This is a recording that I'm leaving with you to give to Harris. Officially, it says I'm taking leave. Six weeks personal time since we're not on the run at the moment. And that I have some private family matters to attend to. He's to report to Corwin that the crew has two weeks leave on the station and then request that they be assigned duties. And if anyone other than our crew wants to know when I'm coming back you guys are to tell them I haven't yet confirmed the time of my arrival." She said that last part with sarcasm.

"Where are you really going? You're still a fugitive from Earth."

She looked at him carefully. He knew she was warring with telling him and it better not be anywhere near EA or he was coming too.

"Minbar."

"Huh? I wasn't expecting that. Why?"

"Because I have to. Please, I can't explain because there's just no way to explain. But, I'm not going to get into any trouble. I just wanted to let you know where I'm going but NO ONE else. If you guys have to take off before I get back, leave a contact point and I'll either catch up with you or I'll stay put on the station until I hear from you all."

"When?"

"There's a Minbari passenger ship leaving in ½ hour. I figure even though its private there's no way Earth Force would try to board anything Minbari to come after me."

"Are you sure Minbar will be safe?"

"Look around. I'll call when I get there and leave where I'm staying but the location is for your eyes only. No matter what happens or who says they need to speak to me you tell NO ONE where I am or even that you know I left the station. I'm not even packing a bag because I don't want anyone noticing that I'm going somewhere."

"This is serious."

"Yeah, for me it is. I'm not sure about everything else."

He had to accept it. Coop knew her for years. She was solid. Plus, she had the bloodhound look in her eye.

"Done. You have my word."

"Thanks."

"What!"

"She just boarded a ship."

"She is a fugitive from Earth. Where could she possibly go where she would not fear captur..." Shaal Mayal narrows her eyes before speaking,

"Which ship did she board and what is the destination?"

"The Taliris. Minbar."

"And you could not stop her?"

"How? There's no reason to hold her. She isn't a prisoner on this station. She is allowed to leave."

Shaal Mayal no longer wishes to speak with Murphy and turns to Corwin.

"You can order that they put a hold on the ship."

Corwin thinks about it for a few seconds.

"No. Its too obvious. Besides, we know she's going to Minbar and we know which ship she's on. Just have some of our people there tail her."

She accepts that grudgingly but really wishes that Murphy could find a reason to detain her. She does not like the idea of her leaving the station with that knowledge let alone going to Minbar.

"What do you suppose she is up to?"

"Gathering information seems to be a specialty both on this station and within the entire Federation."

"You are not being helpful."

Corwin knows that but he still isn't sure how to handle it or how it will play out.

"I'm shuttling up to White Star 7 so I can give Zack and Mai'lenn a heads up. Once she finds out what we suspect Yates knows, she's going to explode."

Murphy decides he does not wish to speak to Shaal Mayal so he turns to Corwin,

"Where on Minbar?"

"Tuzanor."

"You think she's headed to the camp? They'll have a fit."

"Yeah, but I get the sense that something else entirely is playing out here folks. Being watchful does not mean being suspicious."

"What are you saying?" Now she is interested in rejoining the conversation completely after getting over her initial irritation.

"In 36 hours she figured out stuff its taken people over 12 years to learn. She put together at least one 1,000 year old mystery and let's hope not another but I'm open to that possibility."

"I am unsure where to find the positive points in your argument."

"There must be a reason why she did it. Or why she could do it. 36 hours, she doesn't speak Minbari, never had contact with one at all. Knew nothing of the culture, religion or history. But we suspect she figured out ALL of our secrets in 36 hours. From a public data base? Something is going on with her. And, I think she figured out a heck of a lot more than what we think she did. She was researching ancient Minbar then pulled Ivanova's service record. Then she figured us out searching ancient Minbari language. No way she could have gotten that from Cooper or those Brakiri merchants. No way for them to know. Don't ask me guys, I have no clue if this is a good or a bad thing. I'm just making an observation."

Murphy doesn't have anything better and it sounds good for now so he accepts it. He does have one piece of information neither of them will like especially, Shaal Mayal.

"I think we can count it as two 1,000 year old mysteries for certain."

That surprised Corwin. "Why?"

"In this order, the last four things she checked 15 minutes before ending ALL her research on Sinclair 1) the official report of him missing for 24 hours on the Line 2) the story of Valen arriving with a space station 3) Babylon 4's disappearance and 4) a specific Bible verse. It was impossible to see just which verses she was reading before because she'd either call up the entire book, a chapter or the whole Bible then scroll down to where she wanted to go. The last time she entered the exact chapter and verse. I looked it up."

Neither of them looks well or well pleased. They did not know she narrowed her search to Babylon 4. All the Watchers speculated but none of them had any clue how Sinclair got to the past or where Valen got a space station. They were certain they'd never know for sure unless he sent another message via Vorlon because they all knew the War Council nor the Three would admit it let alone answer their questions. Corwin and Shaal Mayal just stand there looking at him so Murphy produces the flimsy he printed and read it.

"And I saw the heavens open up, and behold a white horse: and he that sat upon it was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war against a great enemy when the people had almost fallen. He led an army of the righteous and devoured darkness to preserve the light. His eyes were a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a secret name written that no man knew but he himself."

Corwin and Shaal Mayal just stared at him. Then they stared at each other. It took several minutes for her to regain the power of speech.

"How is that possible!"

"I have no clue. But it looks like she did it." Then Corwin closes his eyes and shakes his head. This was definitely not something he was expecting to deal with. He's trying to figure out what that means and what impact it will have. Murphy interrupts his thoughts.

"Do you want to messenger a copy of her entire search out for them to look at?"

"Yes and no."

"Consider this a station briefing." Murphy's had time to get over his initial shock.

Corwin laughs 'cause he's still reeling from the whole thing but explains, "I don't think we were suppose to see that and I don't think we're supposed to figure out any of the other stuff she learned so I'm telling both of you to dump your copies now and I'll do the same."

"Huh? Who's getting the copy?"

"Captain Sheridan. Don't ask me how I know I don't. I'm not even sure he's supposed to know everything in there so hopefully he'll stop reading when he gets to the stuff he shouldn't see. But I get the definite feeling that he's the only one. The courier gives it to him and no one else. My directive. If he's asleep, they wait. If he's away from the camp, they wait. If he's going to be gone for a week, they stand there and wait but they put it in no one else's hands but his. You've got 20 minutes to write up a detailed report to go with it filling him in on her never having heard of Shadows, G'Quon, Valen or the Army of Light before she stepped onto this station 36 hours ago. Let him know about her not leaving her quarters once since arriving, her actions after completing her search and that she's headed to Tuzanor but we do not know where she's going yet. He'll know we're watching her and ask one of them for updates if he wants to see her. Oh, include a copy of her service record, personal file, anything that's public record and that Bible verse."

"Fine."

This had been one of the craziest weeks of her life and the last two years had been nothing but crazy. The one thing she counted as a plus was being able to stretch out and sleep comfortably during the trip. Well, she admitted that she was so tired standing up would have seemed comfortable. But now that she's reached the orbital docking ring she's more than a bit nervous. She has no idea if they'll turn her away or if they'll understand why she has come. Jessica decides she isn't going to worry too much about that and just go for it. Her introduction to Tuzanor is just like everyone else's. She's awed and so awed by what she sees she does not notice the two people who have been following her since she debarked her ship. The Watchers know she's headed to the camp but can't decide if she's going to the Temple of Valen first or straight to Anla'Shok HQ. Mai'lenn and Zack decided to take no chances. They would keep a close eye on this one themselves. If there was going to be some kind of trouble, they would be ready to intervene.

Surprise does not cover it when they see where she's headed.

"What do you make of that?"

"She might be gathering information."

"How would she know there is information in there to gather?"

"You are asking me? This entire situation is strange."

"We need to find out how long she intends to be in there so that we can be ready to pursue her to the next location."

"Why don't you just go in and see for yourself?"

"I am in uniform."

"Like she'd notice? This is Minbar she'll probably see more people later."

Mai'lenn thinks about it and agrees.

When she comes out 15 minutes later Zack is not prepared for what she had to say.

"We need to assign some others to watch her."

"Is there an emergency? No one contacted me?"

"No, not because we have to leave right now. We have to assign others because she is not leaving anytime soon."

"I can wait a few more hours we're already here."

Mai'lenn shakes her head.

"Zack, she did not come to Tuzanor to visit the camp or anyone there. This was her destination and this is where she intends to stay."

"You're not saying what I think your'e saying?"

"No, but something is going on. It was obvious that they were expecting her."

"She called ahead?"

"No."

Mai'lenn's tone and expression said it all. They were dealing with something and perhaps someone who was much more than they anticipated.

"What do you mean?" Murphy and Shaal Mayal just stare at Corwin while he updates them on the situation.

"I don't know but I told you guys I thought something else was playing out here."

Murphy isn't interested in cryptic or 'I told you so' right now, he just wants details.

"You're gonna have to do better than that."

Shaal Mayal is nodding her full agreement at this point.

"She didn't go to the camp and according to Mai'lenn she never had any intention of going there or trying to see anyone there. She and Zack met her ship and tailed her all the way to the Sisters of Valeria..."

"Sisters of Valeria? What is she doing there?"

"If I can finish my report. Mai'lenn obviously couldn't get full details but she heard and saw enough to know that something is going on with Captain Yates and it's a lot more than we thought. We still don't know what that is though. The sisters were definitely expecting her and even Yates was surprised by that. She tried to introduce herself and explain why she was there when one of the sisters stops her and says they've been waiting for her. Then she tells Yates that her room is ready and took her to settle in."

"I don't get it." And Murphy didn't.

Shaal Mayal goes noticeably quiet, which is always a sign of danger, so Corwin pays close attention to her. After a few moments she turns to Corwin,

"The exact words. Did Mai'lenn tell you the exact words that the sister used?"

Corwin's 'uh oh' meter is going off but he answers, "Yeah she did. And I quote, 'We have been waiting for you'. Why, does that mean something to you?"

She shakes her head because she has no specific knowledge. She has no general knowledge or even a suspicion other than what Corwin said--that something is going on with her.

"No, I have no knowledge or understanding of this. It is curious."

Murphy still hasn't said anything 'cause he still doesn't get it. Now its Corwin's turn to be thoughtful and quiet. They interrupt him.

"What are you thinking?"

"That her actions make sense now. Or some of them do."

Murphy really does not like Corwin's failure to provide him with details and more specific information.

"Please explain that. You aren't making much sense."

"Fine. According to Mai'lenn, Yates didn't even tell them her name before they cut her off. She figured out a hell of a lot of stuff in a day and a half, you both have to admit that. WE knew who he was and still didn't make the Babylon 4 connection but she did, in just a few hours of research. And, she was all over the place. I said it before, there has to be a reason she was able to do that. Or a reason she was supposed to. Whether or not the sisters know that, I haven't a clue. What I do know is that someone expected her to find something that would compel her to risk leaving this station alone and head to Minbar---where she knows no one."

"We do not know why she went there. I confess I was extremely suspicious of her motives and potential future actions. But, you both must admit that she is in possession of a great deal of sensitive information."

Murphy knows that had to hurt her to say it so he isn't going to give her a hard time by rubbing it in.

"True, but there's only a couple of reasons I can think of. She thinks there's more information there to gather or she wants to take vows--which she wouldn't do while leaving her crew hanging here on the station."

"Yes, but that does not explain why THEY were waiting for her." She cannot help it. She is Minbari and if she smells the slightest whiff of some prophecy being revealed she is compelled to investigate thoroughly and then honor it.

Corwin senses exactly where her mind is. [She is just like Mai'lenn!] "I don't want to speculate on this and I don't want either of you to because we're supposed to be forgetting certain things that we know."

"But?"

"Valen."

"Come again? And please add at least one verb, several nouns and a few prepositions to your next response."

Shaal Mayal really can be snippy when she wants to be. Corwin sees that she has definitely spent too much time with Murphy.

"Alright. Sinclair and Yates never met each other and have no ties. But I think Yates and Valen do."

Murphy looks to Shaal Mayal as both of their expressions scream that even though he is their superior, Corwin is dangerously close to suffering bodily harm if he does not give them more extensive information. Then they turn on him with those looks and he gets the point.

"Valen and Yates think alike. Because of her education, she was able to make many connections. It took her less than ½ hour to figure out the captain after finding the Rebirth ceremony a on her first search. And most of that time was spent pulling up the specific Earth Force record she wanted and then looking for specific information on the White Stars. All she had to do was read what Valen wrote and she knew exactly what he meant and exactly who he was referring to. Then she moved to the next thing on her list. I think he saw her and knew what she's supposed to do. I think Jessica Yates is the reason Valen established the Sisters of Valeria and ordered that specific information be preserved there. I think Valen may have written some other things we don't know about that were left there for her because he knew she would understand what she was reading. I think he warned the sisters that she would come to them at a specific time and for them to be ready. That's the only reason I can think of that explains why they were all standing around in a welcoming party for her and already had her room ready and her daily schedule set. Like they already know how long she is going to be there and exactly what she's going to do."

Corwin figured he'd given Shaal Mayal all the nouns, prepositions, verbs and adjectives she could handle for awhile with that one. He was also certain that Murphy wouldn't be hounding him for more information any time soon. So, he just sat back in his chair and let them work it out. He was still trying to work through something else that was going on.

The recording from Corwin's briefing with Yates and the officers from the Kitty Hawk was informative. Not just because of the information they were able to provide but because of what he was able to see with his own eyes. He was absolutely certain that Jamison was a Watcher in hiding. That B5 uniform didn't fool him one bit. Hopefully, it fooled those from the Kitty Hawk. Garibaldi's only comment,

"Is everyone in station security a Ranger?" They all laughed but he was sort of serious.

Susan and Marcus cracked up laughing at Corwin's explanation of why the Vorlons were guarding the station. "I'm never gonna let him hear the end of this."

Delenn was nodding and definitely impressed, "He has found a means of improving upon misdirection. It seems very effective."

They all knew Delenn was taking notes. When they glanced at Fannol and Selene, they seemed to be as well. One thing that Sheridan noticed was Corwin's command of the situation and his people. He was impressed. The captain felt that if his duties to the Watchers weren't going to be infringed on he was definitely looking at the future commanding officer of the station whenever he retired. He didn't even consider Ivanova because something inside told him she would be living on Minbar soon. Then he turned to Michael,

"Since when do we issue visitor links?"

"We don't. That's his way of tracking them. I'm sure Murphy has them set so they can only communicate with each other and the three of them."

Marcus is very impressed with that. They gained a lot of useful information and the captain knew he was going to have to contact Yates soon to assure her that her crew was welcome and that all was relatively well.

This new twist was a major surprise. He looked at the courier waiting for her to hand it over and saw her obvious hesitation.

"Its your eyes only, sir."

That put him on alert. He wondered what Corwin would send him that rose to that level. "Ok. Do you need to wait for a response?"

"No, sir."

Those around him couldn't help but be very curious of whatever was in that packet considering Corwin's instructions but knew not to inquire. Captain Sheridan wondered if Corwin was going to make a habit of sending him stuff the entire time he was on Minbar. This made two deliveries in two days. He didn't know what to expect when he returned from Valen's temple and was informed that a courier waited for him for over 5 hours because Corwin expressly ordered that she place the package in his hands and no one else's. But he knew what to think. [This is not good.] Once he read Murphy's report he had an idea of the nature of what they sent him, or so he thought. He wasn't too sure what she was doing with some of the searches but they all made sense and he couldn't believe she did it in so short a time frame. When he got to the Rebirth ceremony he felt a bit unnerved that she identified him so quickly. Seeing someone else search your service record was weird. But he kept reading and was fascinated by what he saw. She was all over the place but when he thought about it for a few minutes, he realized that she was not. She was actually going in a logical and orderly fashion. He realized that from the way she was moving from Valen and G'Quon to current events that she was uncovering many things. He just didn't know what those things were. Sheridan understood that she saw a pattern even though he did not. But when he saw her searching the B5 treaty along with the Earth Centauri Pact, he was on full alert.

"Why is she checking charters and articles of confederation? Some of those are almost 200 years old." Then he considered that she using things older than that as either the basis of her research or a source of confirmation for her findings. By the time he got to the end of her search he completely understood why she was sitting in the garden crying. Though, he was certain that she knew a hell of a lot more than he did at this point. Her searches of ancient earth religions and the book of Revelations were not lost on him. How she managed to find Z'al was a mystery. Then he noticed that she went directly from that to searching Clarke. He could tell it wasn't a new search or a tangent by the way she methodically picked apart his political record. And, whatever she learned from G'Quon led her straight to Earth Force and Psi Corp. John Sheridan had no clue how much she discovered but he was absolutely certain that he, Sinclair, Susan and Betla'Nal had no secrets from her anymore. [She did that in 36 hours?] Yeah, he understood Corwin's instructions to the courier and he completely understood Corwin's instructions to him when he said it was for his eyes only. Sheridan also got the feeling that Corwin suspected even he shouldn't have access to some of that information. The captain immediately agreed.

"They said she's on her way to Tuzanor. She couldn't possibly have figured out we were here." Then his eyes travel to that Bible verse Murphy included and he decided to retract that thought and remain open to all possibilities. He called down for Zack and Mai'lenn. He knew he didn't have to explain why. They were waiting outside the door once the courier checked in with them that she'd just dropped something off with the captain from Corwin. He didn't waste any time or words.

"Where is she and what's she doing?" He's more curious and intrigued than alarmed. He knows if some of what she's uncovered got out to the wrong people, Jessica Yates would be facing some serious problems from more than a few Minbari.

They were prepared for his question but not for the abruptness though there was no malice or displeasure in his tone at all. He was simply getting down to business. Mai'lenn wasn't too comfortable with the answer she was going to have to give him and he saw it. What surprised her was that he was not surprised. The captain simply sat quietly thinking for a few minutes turning over several things in his head. He thought on all he knew and all he suspected. John Sheridan was not going to get in her way. He wasn't going to let anyone get in her way.

"What else?"

This was the first time Zack or Mai'lenn had given a report to the captain and neither were certain if this was simply how he worked or a result of whatever he learned. They thought for a minute and Mai'lenn turned to Zack to give Corwin's theory on the Yates Valen connection. She was still in the throws of dealing with the possibility that there were many more of Valen's prophecies they did not know and might miss after hearing Entil'Zha and Ivanova's briefing. Mai'lenn never would have considered that at all until learning of the things that her ancestors kept from them. Zack understood what she was feeling and answered for her.

More than Sheridan was expecting. He hadn't gotten around to reading her record yet because he wanted an immediate update on her location. As crazy as it sounds, it made perfect sense. Valen went out of his way to leave them that veiled message about telepaths. Then Sheridan considered their current situation with Minbari rewriting history and leaving out crucial prophecy. Valen couldn't be certain Susan would have dreamed the last war and even she didn't know when this one was coming. He may not have known about Marcus and Selene or that they'd find out what was going on. [How did they find out what was going on???!!!] But the captain senses Zack is leaving something out.

"Zack, I get the feeling that there's something else you aren't telling me."

Yeah, he was stalling 'cause he hadn't shared this little tid bit with Mai'lenn yet. He wasn't sure what it meant and didn't want to cause a panic or get anyone riled up. When he exhaled deeply then looked at Mai'lenn gently, the captain knew he hadn't told her and that it was going to be something big.

"I did a lot more research on her and didn't tell anyone so we're the only people who are going to know this. There's a lot of misdirection going on here. It took a lot of digging through fake documents and made up files but I was finally able to locate her real birth certificate. She wasn't abandoned at birth like her record says. Yates' father died in the shuttle craft accident that caused her mother to go into premature labor. Her mother died about 15 hours after delivering her. But she wasn't an orphan. She was raised in a convent but it wasn't an orphanage or a Catholic school even though that's what their records clearly state. Our Lady of the Sacred Heart is a cloistered convent and has been for the last 1,500 years. Absolutely no one is allowed to visit. No one is even permitted through their gates unless they are about to take vows. Not even the Vatican has authority over them. And hasn't since it was established. The sisters there have had no contact with the outside world in 1,500 years accept once 34 years ago. Its weird and I've never heard of it happening before but when she was a baby she was adopted by the convent. Not by one of the nuns but the actual convent itself. For some reason, the sisters made up the name Yates and changed her first name to Jessica. Her real first name is Valeria."

Mai'lenn did not know what to expect when Zack looked to her. She knew he was working on something but did not pry. Even as he began giving his report she had no idea where he was going with that information. Never would she have expected him to say that. She had no idea what it meant or what she was supposed to do with this information. Was this some sign? Mai'lenn said nothing and barely moved. She was also torn between demanding to see all of the specific information once they were out of the captain's presence and stepping back allowing what is to be. The captain was mirroring her last thought. He wasn't prepared for that last word in Zack's report but once he heard it Sheridan understood exactly what was happening and recognized exactly who she is. In the mean time, they needed directives.

"That's impressive work, Zack. I'm not going to ask how you managed to get around regs on that one. Get rid of all traces of your research and make sure there are no secret files stashed around for anyone to see. I'm sure you did an excellent job erasing your finger prints and making sure that her secret remains a secret. I wouldn't want Corwin and the others to be the only ones forgetting things. Neither of you knows anything about anything about Captain Yates. Update the others so that when she returns to Babylon 5 she isn't watched or monitored by anyone there. I just know Shaal Mayal has Minbari telepaths crawling all over the station. Tell her I said to stop. And, no one is to scan Yates, ever. Finally, I think you can both understand why it is imperative that no one else know that she has knowledge of certain things. She'd never make it off the planet if certain people found out. We stay out of her way and we do not intervene no matter what happens."

Then he stopped for a few moments but they knew he wasn't finished.

"Pull everyone off of her immediately. There are already too many people who know where she is."

They can only stare at him in shock and disbelief. Neither wants to say it. Sheridan gets it.

"You both heard me and there is no room for misrepresentation, misdirection, evasion, or loop holes. I don't want anyone watching her. Yates isn't to be approached by anyone for any reason. She isn't to be detained on Minbar or on the station. If she leaves tonight and decides to pack up her crew and take off to parts unknown, we let her and we don't follow her. Something else is going on that neither of you knows about. I know exactly what she's doing and why. This is going to play out the way it plays out. I won't allow interference in the Universe's plan."