Changed Circle
by Warringer
Chapter Twenty Five
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"Shadows?" Lennon asked, his voice shaking," How do you know that?"
Rommel sighed and seemed to look through him for a moment.
"About ten years ago, a private expedition, funded by the Smithsonian Institute went to a planet called Za'Ha'Dum by most of the races to take a look at possible remains of the civilization that was said to have lived there."
Za'Ha'Dum. As Rommel mentioned that name Lennon meant that his heard had stopped and he stared at Rommel.
"Za'ha'Dum is the home of the Shadows," Lennon whispered.
"We know that now too," Rommel said with a sigh and continued," Anyway, about two month later the expedition came back home, telling everyone that they found nothing. In reality all members of the expedition were brainwashed or something like that and turned into Shadow agents. Back than they started to manipulate us. Some of these manipulations were actually good for us, others weren't."
"Shadows manipulations were good?"
Lennon couldn't believe his ears. How could the manipulations of the Shadows be good?
"The were good in a way because all ships of the New Generation, Lexington included, were designed after Senator Mordan Clarke, one of the Shadow agents, made a proposal to have them build. The same is true for several new weapons systems."
Lennon swallowed.
"I doubt we would do so good in this war if it hadn't happened."
"How were you able to find them out?"
Sheridan chuckled dryly.
"Morphs got a few very good instincts," he said and than looked at Rommel," Show him the vid from the Oval Office."
Lennon blinked a few times. He knew that the 'Oval Office' was the office of the President of the Terran Union, but he failed to see the connection between it and the finding of the Shadows.
A holographic projection appeared above the table, showing President Ryan, one of the Morphs, talking to a normal human.
Suddenly Ryan moved, pulling a huge hang gun from underneath the office table, aiming it somewhere. The gun barked once and hit something invisible. The invisible target turned visible and Lennon felt his stomach cramp.
Another creature shimmered into view, slicing through the air and the fabric of his suit. Ryan turned around and the gun barked again, reducing the head of the other creature to a shower of black gore.
Than Ryan turned to face the other human, who looked shocked, aiming the gun at his head.
"Please give me an excuse," Ryan said finally with a coldness in his voice that could have frozen helium.
With that the vid stopped and the holo collapsed.
Lennon stared at the spot where the holo had been for several minutes in stunned silence. Than his mind began to race, trying to wrap itself around the pictures he had just seen. Next to him G'Kar tried to do the same.
The images they had seen, had just proved everything they believed in as being true. Be it the Book of G'Quann or the reports from the last Shadow War.
The room remained silent for several more minutes and Rommel looked at Sheridan.
"You know," Rommel said," I think we broke their brains."
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Like in all those week and month before, Delenn was sitting next to the bed of Dukhat, just being there for him, trying her best to bring him back. Everything she had tried had failed.
She sighed. She really hoped that the talks between Lennon and the Terrans worked and that peace would finally come. She knew that they couldn't win this war. The Warriors had tried to call upon the help of the Vorlons to fight against 'an enemy backed by the Darkness'. Nut they had failed. All ships send to the Vorlons had never returned home.
She shook her head at the thought. The humans weren't backed by the Shadows. Deep within herself she knew it. But neither she nor he second remaining Satai of the Religious Caste had been able to talk sense into the Warriors. They had managed to calm down the Workers, but they now chose to remain neutral in all this. The losses during the bombing run on Minbari by the Terran Union had made sure that they wouldn't talk for the humans.
And to the Warriors, this whole war was the fight to destroy an enemy that had shown how easily the Minbari could be beaten. The Minbari may have the edge technology wise, but the Terran proved to be the ones who had the greater numbers and the better tactics.
Delenn sighed and stood up from her seat, grabbing the walking stick she needed these days. The knee of her left leg hadn't healed properly and she had problems to walk now, but with the walking stick she could walk without many problems.
"Please wake up, Dukhat," she whispered and looked at the large window front of the room," We need you."
"I'm awake," Dukhat finally answered her call, very silent, but still audible.
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"You want what?" Lennon had finally gotten himself together to finally talk about peace.
"The Senate wants the Minbari responsible for the destruction of our colonies," Rommel said, glad that he was an AI at the moment and could be a really good diplomat," They are going to be put before a court to face charges for genocide."
"Genocide?" Lennon echoed and G'Kar blinked next to him.
"The attacks and the complete destruction of our colonies have killed more than five million civilians. Five million."
Lennon shuddered. He had never imagined that the Warriors had killed than many people. It was insane. Why had the Terran Union that many people on a few new colonies? How had they managed to get that many people there in less than twenty years.
He paused in his thoughts. They had managed to rescue more than a billion Dilgar in less than five years before their sun went nova. They had the capabilities to transport much more people.
He closed his eyes, forcing down his feelings. Five million dead, just for the damage on a single ship, done by a faulty computer program, manipulated by the Shadows.
"I need to talk to my government before I can say anything.