10: Dawning Alliance
by Chaoseternus

apologies for the delay, got stale and had to back away from writing this verse for a bitRankukon alpha: the Aschen is TyrSabares fic, Strange Conclusions
Mikiebee: well, blame the politicians: you have a better tech then everyone else, do you really think the politicians would allow you to give that advantage up? not to mention the effects of having been brought up on a diet of Star Trek and the Prime Directive...
bigstu
pagan twylight
greyangle: would kill for that bank balance right now... in desperate need of a new harddisk...
someone: i can only update SC when tyr remembers to send me the RTFs of the final version of each chapter... tyr knows this
but the update for the site had been built now and is ready to upload as soon as i can get a ftp password issue sorted out
aussie

Thank you to all the reviewers
no thanks to who STILL havent fixed the vanishing formatting issue...

When Enerina is sent to investigate why every gate in an area of space will not establish a wormhole, she finds something totally unexpected...

Twenty-Three

“"It was not meant to happen this way”" Kosh observed, glancing implacably at the scene in front of him.

“"No"” Oma Desala commented, “"you had planned to join us in our purgatory in what the humans call Pegasus, but we were long gone by then. You had planned to persuade us to aid your cause, but we were no longer on that plane, let alone in that place”"

“"They will fight”"

Oma nodded, "“humans always fight for what they believe in, it is a defining characteristic of theirs, one we had too, before our ascension”"

“"You do not entirely agree with our current state?"” Kosh asked, calmly.

"“I... agree with the state, just not the attitude of the majority of our race”"

“"Opinion is always allowed”"

Oma frowned, if such an expression could be applied to a non-corporeal being, “"but action is not, and direct action is often needed”"

Kosh nodded, privately agreeing, but unwilling to voice that thought aloud, if Oma knew he had been turned to her point of view over the centuries, then she would not stop crowing until the thirtieth centenary of her ascension, a good ten thousand odd years from now.

“"We made our deals to keep this plane safe and for all his evil and manipulation, Anubis has not crossed those lines yet. Bent them a bit maybe, but not enough for us to intervene directly”"

“"He needs to go”" Oma replied, resolute.

“"No doubt, but we can only act through our champions, you know this as well as I”"

“"As it stands, they will lose”"

“"Most likely, but we are already being watched, our manipulation of the intergate, both past and present has come to the attention of the others. They worry we will cause the treaties between us and the dark ones we unleashed on the universe to be nullified”"

Oma nodded, that worry was always at the back of her mind too. But, for all the ascendants powers, seeing the future was not one of them. They could predict, no more. And they could predict wrong.

“"They gained a valuable technology and two potential allies”"

Kosh nodded, "“but they also made their play and the Romulans walk the stars here too”"

"“Indeed, but for all their manipulation, the Romulans are not the evil they wanted them to be. Self-serving yes, uncaring of others and those they consider to be inferior certainly but evil? That is open to debate”"

Kosh nodded, "“they could be turned, but it will take time we do not have”"

Oma glanced at Kosh, “"as always, we must operate under the assumption we will have that time”"

Kosh nodded, “"Indeed”"

“"But for now, the Tau'ri and their allies must win”"

“"The dark ones unwitting agents are making their play; chaos will soon rock Earth, for the time of revelation is at hand”"

Oma nodded, "“it is a worry”"

“"Our easiest counter-play walks too close to the barriers and they watch us too close now”"

Oma signed, "“the people are receptive, we have worked well to aid the leaders in that endeavour, they may just have to ride it out”"

"“It will still be a distraction, and a distraction is not what is needed”"

Oma mulled the comment over, “"maybe... Maybe a distraction is exactly what's needed?”"

Kosh glanced at Oma, “"for Anubis? It would have to be something that is already in place”"

Oma grimaced, “"we have nothing”"

“"We rarely do, we try anyway”"

"“Maktenos has forces enough, he will delay Anubis”"

Kosh finished the thought, "“but Anubis has too much of a technological edge. Maktenos looks to the dark too much too, we can not improve his chances for fear of the threat he would be to Earth if he managed to finish Anubis off”"

Oma smiled, tightly, "“there is only one thing we can do”"

Kosh glanced at Oma, waiting for her to continue. If she knew a way out, all the better, for he certainly couldn't see one.

“"For all their advancement his ships and those of his allies can be destroyed by your old allies, the Minbari”"

Kosh nodded, “"but Anubis sees Maktenos as more of a threat and Earth is next. The Alliance races for all their numbers are not so much of a threat; he knows he can finish them later”"

“"The Babylon project would make them more of a threat”"

"“Not fast enough though. Anubis would also see it as a very vulnerable threat; he would destroy the station as soon as he had the opportunity”"

Oma nodded, “"but you know the station must be built, for it already has been built”"

Kosh grimaced, “"Valen”"

“"Indeed”" Oma smiled, knowing that her companion had not liked, but had certainly respected the determined human who had led the war against the Shadows the first time around, “"Maktenos would take advantage of a distraction”"

“"Anubis must see the Minbari as enough of a threat to be distracted… or as a tool… the Minbari are a psychic race and Shadow warships need psychic beings to control them. Therefore, he most likely will move against the Minbari and their allies, attempt to control them. Maktenos must know so that he can take advantage”"

“"And Babylon must be reborn”"

Oma grinned, a malicious look hidden deep within her eyes, for she had no love for the Fallen Ascendants, “"Divide and Conquer”"

“"We must move our pieces fast; we will lose some of our champions”"

Oma sighed, suddenly showing age and pain, “"In war, people die. It has always been that way”"

“"True. I suppose then, we will be reading that horrible book again. What was it called again, One Thousand and One ways to be cryptic?”"

Oma grimaced, “"You know as well as I do Kosh, that being cryptic is part of the deal that keeps the higher deep ones away from this universe. Besides... a smile appeared on her face, “cryptic is what the Champions expect from the Powers That Be”"