Chapter 41

"A Time to Sow"

The gateway: -Then

It had been there since recorded time; a barely detectable weakness in the fabric of time and space. The Vorlons had always been in search of such spatial phenomena. They were exceedingly rare and even harder to utilize to their full potential. Many of these rifts had been found but all had been rejected, or deemed unacceptable for one reason or another. Many of those rifts led to places that were unfit to sustain life in any form but the Vorlons were undeterred. The search continued and lasted a thousand years before they found one that could be useful to them.

Only this dimensional space-time fracture had been deemed acceptable and the Vorlons applied all of their scientific theory, skills, and technology to explore that one rift. Not even with their advanced and ancient knowledge being utilized as their guide were they then enabled to fully understand the rift for what it was, because it had this annoying tendency of redefining itself seemingly at random. But the Vorlons knew enough to understand that there was some purpose for what they could only describe as a doorway. With their extensive testing and experimentation, lasting for over seven hundred years, they discovered that there was life on the other side. Psychic probes sent into the rift revealed life in such abundance that it exceeded anything that the Vorlons had previously imagined. It was a well-spring of life that literally erupted throughout this strange reality.

They were, of course wrong in their hypothesis of it being the well-spring of life. Beings, even older than they, had discovered the rift much earlier. They were the ones who seduced the Vorlons, and those creature of light had never even been aware if it. The only thing that the Vorlons understood was that this was a doorway into another universe another reality that beckoned them.

But the Vorlons couldn't discover a way to safely enter the rift. They never fully understood that the doorway discovered in the Courtor star system was part of a vast, multi-dimensional network extending through more than two hundred universes. The network was created by ancient races that made those who called themselves First Ones seem to be mere babes in comparison. And the most important thing they failed to discern was that they like thousands of other races before them had been specifically denied access by those same originators. So intent were they in trying to transverse the rift, that the Vorlons were completely ignorant of that little fact.

Failing to find ways to enter the rift safely, the Vorlons changed their approach. After intense scrutiny and debates among the greatest of their scientists and theoreticians, a viable solution to the problem was proposed. The proposal seemed deceptively easy, but it took another thousand years for the scientists and engineers to develop a practical design of the massive structure. Using their extensive understanding of hyperspace physics, they were able to create a hyperspace construct which would bridge hyperspace and this other, thirdspace into a safe conduit that would allow the Vorlons to safely enter and pass through to whatever existed on the other side.

The thirdspace doorway was created connecting the two realities together. However, it was not activated for the first time until the Courtor rift again returned to the state where life had been detected in such abundance. That life-bearing signature appeared twenty-seven standard years later and the doorway was permanently locked onto the coordinates. Now, no matter where the device was positioned it would always remain connected to the Courtor rift. Fearing that others might want to lay claim to their discovery, the Vorlons moved the device to a secluded area deep in their territory.

The life-bearing emanations coming from the device were strong. It sang to them of power and creation. Many of these First Ones believed that whatever was on the first side had to be the wellspring of creation. If they could just touch that, connect with the Creator, then they would become as the Creator was. In doing so, they would become the gods they convinced themselves of being.

The doorway to heaven was opened and the Beings of Light, expecting to touch the wellspring of life, discovered something else entirely.

The gateway: -Now

As of now, the gateway was unstable. Although it was built to last throughout the ages, it wasn't designed to be active for years at a time. Sinhindrea modifications to the gate on the other side had a destabilization effect on the structure and it was only a matter of time before the gate destroyed itself. The Worthy hadn't considered this a problem since their own transition would be a one way trip to the new feeding grounds. But what they couldn't predict was that the fog of war would interfere with their preparations.

That interference came in the form of cloaked, quantum mines, tens of thousands of them, effectively blocking both sides of the gates. Those self-replicating mines had been created by previously undiscovered and very dangerous races. Nothing could enter or exit without being obliterated. They were effectively cut off from the colonists on the other side and every tactic used to remove the mines had so far, failed.

The Clovien Lords on both sides were getting desperate. Clovien mind trackers on the other side of the gate had followed the human-scent of the creatures and had attacked one of their vessels. That vessel was not the primary target but their mind-taste was too similar to the other to be ignored. Both Clovien hunters were lost but valuable intelligence on the creatures had been gained. There was a world of those creatures, technologically primitive, waiting to be consumed. But the primary target survived another attack and now the danger to the colony had increased. If the primitives joined forces with their more technologically advance brethren, then the hated invisible mines would be least of the Worthy's problems.

After the battles with the ones called Shadows, many warships had been lost but at the time that had been of little concern, since many more warships were on their way. The colony had been thought to be safer than at any other time and the younglings were allowed to transit through first. But this new, previously unknown enemy managed to plant mines everywhere and the Sinhindrea could not get any closer than two thousand kilometers to the gate. The gateway had been denied them; however, they could still communicate with their prides on the other side.

USS Voyager:

In the conference room, Admiral Janeway, Captain Garrett, First Officer Tuvok and Captain Sisko sat while two representatives of the Soul Hunter sect nervously watched the people around them.

"Would you like anything, a beverage, something to eat?" Admiral Janeway asked the nervous Soul Hunter. To her, he seemed uncomfortable being seated and surrounded by people on an alien ship.

In fact, he was. All of the races feared and mistrusted his sect, but in contrast, these people didn't show any hint of that fear, just curiosity. And that was disturbing to him. But as uncomfortable as he was, his associate was even more frightened hiding that fear behind a veneer of haughtiness.

The Federation people were a true unknown, an anomaly wrapped within enigma. Some of the members had wanted to take those in question and examine them thoroughly, but others strongly cautioned against it. These people were as dangerous as the Minbari and there were other ways that they could get what they wanted.

"We have no need of sustenance at the moment," the younger Soul Hunter answered. "Thank you for your offer," he added as an afterthought. We would like to proceed so that we will not take up your time. For the technology we have offered we want something in return."

"You've stated that earlier but you didn't go into detail," Janeway said. She was trying to be as reassuring and non-threatening as she could. "Before we continue, do you have a name that we can call you by?"

"You could not pronounce our names. But I do understand the need for them at this time. You can call me 'The Younger' and my fellow, 'The Elder'".

"That's good," she answered. "What do you want?"

Both Soul Hunters shuddered at that question, causing both Janeway and Garrett some confusion.

"The question that you've just asked has always been a dangerous one," The Younger explained. "The beings we call the Shadows have used that question to their advantage and many races have been hurt or destroyed because of it. But to understand what we want, you must know that we are aware of your origins. Members of our sect have been secretly observing Z'ha'dum and the Sinhindrea expansion for some time now and saw this ship and the others when they entered the gateway. At first we thought our operative had made an error, but the evidence pointed to itself. Our sect is –sensitive to certain matters pertaining to what you would call the soul. We have detected that uniqueness in one of your Officers. In fact, this uniqueness has been detected among all of the Federation personnel originating from the three ships. However, only one from your vessel has shown this uniqueness. That person has been identified as Commander Riker."

"But," the Elder continued, "there are two Rikers sharing the same soul, but not sharing. We have determined that they are not twins. One Riker seems split but renewed; the other seems to have only half a soul but repaired. It is most confusing to us and we have never experienced anything like this. We pride ourselves in the understanding of the soul, but this is the first time we have encountered something so unique. We need to understand why these two are so unique. We want both of the Rikers. We wish to examine them."

Captain Garrett leaned forward. "Examine how?"

"There would be no danger to them," the Younger said quickly, before the Elder could say something. In his zeal, the Elder would have guaranteed no such thing and the talks would have ended prematurely. "We NEED to understand."

"We need to understand why they are so different," the Elder said. There was a tone of desperation in his voice. "These two souls go against everything we have ever understood. It gnaws at us. We want those two to increase our knowledge. And Captain Sisko," he added, "is so unlike anything we've ever seen - we must know what he is-why his soul casts such an aura. It calls to us."

"I've done a little background on your sect, Elder," Garrett said. "Apparently you're feared and hated throughout this region of space by everybody. They call you spirit thieves. You take what is not yours and you have forced your way into planets, ships and private properties, to take what you want. Why should we accede to your requests?"

Janeway glared at her counterpart but said nothing. The Captain had been in this space for a lot longer than she. So for now, she would trust Rachel's instincts.

Both of the Soul Hunters seem to deflate and started to leave. "You do not understand. This was not unexpected."

Garrett stopped them short. "This examination that you are requesting, what does it involve?"

"The simplest exam involves not pain," the Younger said. "That will give us the data we need so that we can study this phenomenon in detail. If we are unable to acquire this then we must reluctantly withdraw our offer."

"Gentlebeings," Garrett said. "For the past year and a half we have been examining and working on hyperspace physics and jump mechanics. We already have a functional prototype of a much smaller, much more powerful jump engine. We can give the plans to all of the governments here if we so choose. The reason why we haven't made it generally available is because of this isolationist attitude that's so prevalent among all of the races here. You're a prime example. Here you are, offering your services, at the time of what may be the greatest crisis that you ever faced; but only if it benefits your own personal gain. That is a recipe just begging for disaster. Personally I am sick of this, so, I want to change the conditions of this meeting," she stated. "From what little data I have been able to gather, your sect has been in space for a long, long time. But you're still searching for something. You don't believe in the afterlife, but you preserve souls, whether they want to be preserved or not. Is this correct?"

"Essentially, yes," the Elder admitted. "But you would not understand our holy mission."

"Vulcans do understand," Tuvok answered, surprising the Soul Hunters. "We are aware of the saving of what we call the katra. It can be preserved with the soul of another or it can be contained. It is a tradition among our people."

Now, surprise turned to shock. Both of the Hunters stared at the Vulcan. "Then you know…" No other races had ever been known to preserve soul-ever! Only the Soul Hunters had performed that sacred duty.

"Logic dictates that death is not the end, only a transition to some other plane of existence."

"But you may be wrong," the Elder said. "If we are right and there is nothing after death, then your preservation of your 'katra' serves exactly the same function as our own."

"I disagree," Tuvok responded. "There is direct evidence that non-existence is the not final answer."

"What evidence?" both Soul Hunters said in unison.

"It doesn't matter what evidence we have," Garrett cut in. "What does matter is that we come to an agreement. That cannot happen unless we develop a bit of trust here. Therefore, I want you to give us your technologies, Intel, and service right now, freely, with no conditions. I want you to do this knowing that we can refuse you, give you nothing in return. I want to know if you are willing to risk the death of untold billions in this galaxy on the chance that you might not get what you want."

"We must consult with our fellow members," the Elder said. "If we accept these conditions and receive nothing in return, our people will be most unhappy and the consequences would be most dire for all concerned."

Garrett simply shook her head. "That attitude is exactly why you have to do this of your own fee will. Your choice, your promises, your responsibility. No recriminations, no acts of violence. If you can't agree to this, you will certainly not get the information you want."

"We have no reason to trust you."

"We haven't given you a reason to distrust us," Janeway countered.

"We must consult with the others," the Elder said. "Is there a place where I can speak to my people privately?"

"Yes," Kathryn said. "You can use the smaller conference room over there," she answered, pointing out the direction to him. "There is a communicator available if you wish to use it."

He nodded and headed towards the room. The Younger although still somewhat anxious, seemed to handle the surroundings much better than his associate, a fact not unnoticed by the Starfleet personnel.

"Anything wrong?" Captain Sisko asked.

"It is strange to be invited into the home of an alien," he admitted. "The members of our sect are considered outcasts among the other races. Many times, they try to kill us."

"I wonder why," Sisko said loudly. "I have noticed the way you have watched me and I don't like it. I am not some new toy for your amusement, or to be part of some sort of collection."

The Soul Hunter seemed somewhat embarrassed. "Forgive me. But your aura is stronger than any I've seen other than the Vorlons and your Ambassador. She is another example of the remarkable number of unique souls gathered together. There are several examples of identical auras present not twins, but even closer. It is as if this ship and the others are a treasure beyond price, something that begs to be preserved at all costs."

"It is not your responsibly to protect us by preserving our essences," Ben answered. "It is ours and we are responsible for choosing what we do with them, not your sect. You justify it as preserving but you're stealing and interfering with the natural course of events. The soul needs to go where it should go."

"But what if we are right and there is nothing after death, would you want to continue?"

"Continue?" Ben asked him. "And continue doing what, exactly?"

The Younger stopped. "And doing what-what?"

Ben sighed and tried once more. "If you were to place my essence into a place of protection, a jar, whatever; what would happen then?"

"You would be able to talk to others who are being continued. Occasionally you would talk to us. You would be safe from death, nothing would change. You would continue."

"No," he answered flatly. "Whatever happens to my soul, spirit, essence, or whatever you wish to call it should be allowed to take place. What you offer is nothing less than eternal slavery and imprisonment to many of the spiritual essences that you have acquired. But have you ever thought of freely offering your services? I am sure that there are many individuals that would gladly consider your 'hospitality', if you would only ask."

"There are only a few souls that are truly worthy of our gift. Too many people fear death and would do anything to continue... If we were to offer our services to everyone, then our resources would be stretched to the limit. Quantity would overshadow quality."

"What you are trying explain to me is the nature of balance," Sisko told him. "Nature maintains a balance. It therefore stands to reason that the spiritual realm maintains a balance of its own. That is something that you are upsetting each time you collect an essence. I have seen glimpses what lies beyond what you call death and for all of your knowledge what you have failed to understand is that the soul is even more complicated that you know."

The Younger stared at him for a long moment. "You're speaking the truth!" he proclaimed with supreme certainty. "You know! How are you to be able see past this life?" The Younger seemed as if he were almost about to hyperventilate. "What have you seen?" stammered the Soul Hunter. "This is unprecedented. We must know!"

"Then ask," Sisko said. "We may tell you. You would be surprised at what we have to offer-if you are willing to trust us."

"I might even tell you of my experience with a soul devourer," Janeway added almost as an afterthought.

The Younger had some trouble standing and had to sit down. The Elder, just returning and hearing the last comment was staring daggers at the Admiral.

"Admiral," he asked. "May I?"

"For what?" she asked suspicious of his intentions.

"I carry with me a small device, not unlike a medical scanner," the Elder said. "I would like to scan you. There is no pain. There is no danger. You have my word on this."

Kathryn thought about it for a moment. She then nodded her agreement. "In the spirit of future trust between our two people, I will allow this."

"The Elder smiled the first real smile he had allowed himself. "In the spirit of future trust between your people and mine, I thank you." He quickly pulled out a small globe-shaped object which activated in the palm of his hand. It glowed brightly and he studied the data intently. When he finished, the Elder was quiet for a moment as he interpreted the results. "Admiral," he said softly. "The results are conclusive. Your spiritual essence has been tagged. The signal is weak, but it is there for those who know how to detect it."

"What do you mean tagged," Garrett asked. "As in someone has placed some sort of tracking agent on her soul?"

"Yes, exactly," the Elder said. "This is something new to my experience." He was very excited. "Can you explain what happened to you, how this happened?"

"We can discuss that in detail later – if we can come to an agreement."

Now it was the Elder's turn to sigh. The temptation was too strong, the lure too seductive. "We do not agree to this lightly. We have been isolated for so long. Rarely have we had the opportunity to simply talk to others." He handed Admiral Janeway a data crystal. "This is everything we promised." He stood back and apparently waited for the worst.

Janeway accepted it and place the crystal into once of the EarthForce computers given to them as their system were incompatible. She and the others carefully checked the information. The Admiral turned back to both of the Soul Hunters. "Thank you for your trust. We will reciprocate in full," she told them both.

--

Over the next few hours, the Soul Hunters and the Starfleet representatives sat and talked. During that time the sect was joined by three more of their kind. They talked about their mission concerning V'ger and its Children, the result of a complete blending of machine and Human. When the Soul Hunters saw the images of the Children and the raw power they possessed, their respect for the Starfleeters was notched up considerably. There was a very spirited discussion comparing the purpose of saving Vulcan katras versus the Soul Hunter preservation techniques. There was shock echoing through the Soul Hunters at the history of a Vulcan called Spock and the restoration of his katra into his restored body. The Soul Hunters tried to press for minute details, but the affair was classified and Genesis, the device that had regenerated Spock's radiation-ravaged body and created an entire solar system in the process, was not mentioned.

They were told of the Zetarians, non-corporeal entities who transcended into higher life-forms just as they were about to collectively die out as a race that searched for a living body to live out their lives. For some reason, the Soul Hunters seemed agitated about that information. In fact, after that portion of the talks, several discreet communications were passed between those on Voyager and their companions onboard their shuttles.

The information on the transporters was a revelation that the sect members would analyze and discuss for decades to come. The representatives discussed the events onboard the predecessor of the ship called Enterprise and a particular number of incidents involving a Captain, later Admiral James Kirk. The transporter literally split him into two complete, viable (if somewhat mentally unstable) entities. Those log entries were given to them as well. The data logs of Thomas and William Riker's transporter doubling was made available to them as well as the full relationship and incidents that brought the Enterprise and Ambassador here. Although the Sect was highly interested by the transporter itself, that technology would not be shared or discussed in detail, much to the chagrin of the Hunters.

They spoke of Kirk's encounters the ancient being called Sargon, who saved a few of his people including his wife, by placing their powerful spiritual essences or souls in globes that survived a half million years before they were discovered. That had their complete attention. That information was quietly, but intensely absorbed by the humanoids and they pressed for more information. As much data as was available was given to them. Whether Sargon and his people survived the globes destruction was unknown. There was some speculation that they went into oblivion, but others suspected that they now roamed the universe as freed energy beings.

They were also told about the Organians, the Metrons, the Medusans and a dozen other beings that had to be designated First Ones. They were also told of the Q. Garrett and Sisko seemed interested in those entities as well, especially Q. The Soul Hunters were stunned at the number of interactions by the Federation with First Ones. When asked about that, the response was that those elder species were apparently more active participants than in this universe.

The Soul Hunters were a bit overwhelmed by it all. The vast amounts of information given them were a treasure beyond their wildest expectations. But it was the trust that the Federation had offered them that affected them the most.

"I am curious, Admiral," the Younger asked. "How long has your Federation been in existence?"

"Not quite three hundred years."

"So short a time?" Both of the Hunters were surprised. "But how long has Humanity been able to travel the stars?" he asked.

"About four hundred fifty or so years."

And again the Hunters were shocked. "But, I don't understand. Your technology; your knowledge base; why is it so advanced? Three hundred and fifty years is nothing. The Minbari have been in space for a thousand years and the years are considerably longer for my people. Our tech base and knowledge of our universe is far less in comparison to yours. It's rather perplexing."

"The coming together of different races, each sharing their knowledge with everyone else is the reason why we've prospered. All of the species of the Federation, some of whom you would consider First Ones, have come together, allowing us to continually advance our sciences in all fields, unhindered. It has allowed us to develop at a much faster rate than if we were isolated, individual races."

"With at that rate of growth, you should have destroyed yourselves," the Elder said. "The Vorlons have said this and we have seen evidence of this time and time again. But you haven't."

"And hopefully, we won't," Janeway responded easily. "In this place, the opposite seems to be true. Everyone fends for themselves."

"It is the way of things. And there are forces conspiring to make sure it remains a truth."

"The Vorlons and Shadows must never know your origins," the Elder said. He was sitting now, unusually relaxed in the presence of those not his kind. "They will exact vengeance for what you have done to them, if they can."

"Yes," Janeway answered. "We're aware of that but we also have an ace up our sleeves." The Soul Hunter looked at her, not fully understanding the idiom. "It means," she said, "that we're protected."

The Soul Hunter merely looked at the Human and nodded once. "My people would love to speak with you again if it is permitted. This time with you has been enlightening, as well as somewhat frightening, I'll admit. There is much to think about in the coming days and years. But your openness and acceptance of us has also been – encouraging. We will continue to give intelligence and aid as necessary – of our own free will. We may even consider altering some of our – approaches. But we will also prepare to give you full exchange of cultural data on ourselves and all of the races we have encountered as you have suggested earlier."

"I hope that your people can join the wider community," Janeway said, "without fear from either side."

"Maybe," he answered. "One day. But there is one thing that I can do for you."

He took the small globe out once more and passed it back and forth over Janeway. "The tracer attached to your spiritual essence has been removed. You will not have to worry about those things that come into your dreams again."

"Thank you," was all she managed to say. That weight had been lifted from her and she was grateful not to have that concern in the back of her mind every time she went to sleep.

The Elder nodded. This had turned out to be a truly wonderful day.

Now, if only he could get Captain Sisko to explain why a First One would mate with his father. It was another mystery piled upon the others to consider. There was a lot of work to be done in the future.

Narn Homeworld:

Three days post Yedor

Throughout the known sectors of space, it had been apparent to everyone that the world of Narn had suffered grievously in the last two years. The war with the Centauri, their traditional enemies, had gone badly for them. The Centauri, with clandestine help from the mysterious beings called the Shadows, easily defeated fleet after fleet of ships the Narn sent against them. Their defensive forces battered, the Narn were subjected to bombardment by outlawed weapons of mass destruction. Mass-accelerated projectile weapons were used to bomb Narn back into the stone-age. Millions died and millions more of the survivors starved and then slaved under Centauri rule. But help came from an unexpected source and the Centauri were forced to relinquish control of the Narn home world.

Narn was now free, but the repercussions of the war remained and the threat continued. The Centauri, under a new and seemingly more stable leadership was still greatly despised and distrusted, and no Narn could turn a blind eye to what had been done to them and their world. However there was another, far more dangerous threat on the horizon and the Narn weren't fools. They wanted to survive the coming storm. As their Klingon allies would say, 'only a fool fights in a burning house'. That saying was very apt.

The Earth Alliance and the United Federation groups, the Minbari and just possibly, the Centauri was fast becoming a sort of unofficial, combined Federation. But there was no sense of stability yet. Things were rocky as many of the Minbari warrior caste distrusted the Starfleeters and their advanced technology. There were rumors spreading that some Minbari openly speculated that the Federation could never be as large, or as powerful as they claimed to be. And a few were bold enough to suggest that the Starfleeters, being made up of younger races, should submit to 'supervision' under the auspices of the Minbari warrior clans. But Ambassador, Enterprise, Voyager, Yeager and the Rantoul were there for all to see; and in this case, seeing was believing. 'Blood of Saints' condition put a lie to all of their prejudicial speculating and most of the races summed up the Minbari attitudes as being attributed to envy and jealousy.

Be that as it was; only a relative few of the Minbari were hostile. The worker castes and several of the religious caste sects were openly embracing the change. Those of the worker caste taking classes and in the process of learning entire new fields in medicine, physics and biosciences had no intentions of damaging the peace generated with the Starfleet people.

But as a whole, the Minbari were also shocked and more than a bit unsure of themselves because of the revelations that had been proclaimed to the heavens by way of ISN, BAB-communications network, and a dozen other alien government broadcasts. The Minbari people of all castes were angry at the very idea that they were not considered the greatest of the younger races in all things. They had no great love for Earth, or the Centauri either. But, the Sinhindrea had proven themselves and the Minbari were gradually warming to the idea of associating with others for mutual defense and protection. Of course, no one knew if this 'gathering' would last.

Earth Alliance's situation was as serious as Narn, their world being poisoned by the Drakh under orders from the Shadows. But again, the Humans seemed to have pulled itself from the brink of destruction. The Federation and Earth Alliance medical teams had just announced a breakthrough and were proceeding with final testing before applying the cure to the Shadow plague. Most people knew that it had to have been the Federation medical experience that developed the breakthrough but everyone remained tactfully silent about the details. That breakthrough, everyone knew, had irritated the Shadows to no end and many of the younger, weaker races were quietly distancing themselves from the Humans. The Feds continued on with their work as if they didn't care; or, and this was even more frightening, as if they were daring the Shadows to do something. And with the Vorlons and Shadows working together as such, being around the Feds and the rest didn't seem to be a healthy thing to do right now.

This brought some unique opportunities to the forefront. No one had been expecting it but with the imminent agreement between the Soul Hunters and Federation, things were looking up for races seemingly placed in secondary roles. The Narn had just received plans for a much smaller jump engine in their hands now, courtesy of the much-feared Soul Hunters.

The Narn government was also in serious debate as to whether to join with one of Earth's colonies, Proxima III. That would almost certainly be a provocation to Earth Alliance and quite possibly precipitate a war in the future. But the possible benefits were staggering if they dared to grasp this opportunity with both hands.

And to their stunned surprise, the Drazi had approached them with a deal. The Drazi had smaller gunboats, the very effective Sun Hawks, but they had no jump capable warships. They offered to sell Sun Hawks, considered one of the best gunboats for their size ever developed, to the Narn if the Narn would sell some of the Klingon modified, Narn Th'Nor class light cruisers being built. The Kha'Ri thought about the proposal for almost six hours before saying yes. The advantages were obvious. The Sun Hawk could be modified with the new, smaller jump engines and they were cheap and easily built. Combined with the new polarized plating and Klingon-derived disruptors, they could be turned into a devastating warship. In turn, the Drazi could get what they needed the most; a large proven warship, jump-capable with heavy weapons and real polarized plating. After the initial agreement, negotiations continued and the Drazi sweetened the pot by adding a few of their Sky Serpent fighters. The Narn in turn, offered to modify a few with polarized plating, newer scanners, and short-ranged disruptors as payment for the original fighters. Both sides would get a much needed security boost if they agreed to this deal.

The Brakiri ambassador, quietly listening in on the initial (and supposedly secretive) talks between the Narn and Drazi representatives, jumped into the deal with both feet. The Brakiri were merchants but had little in the ways of defenses to protect their interests or their worlds. They were essentially helpless and they knew it. Therefore, the ambassador introduced a radical proposal and added it to the mix. They, the Brakiri would completely finance the initial investments, if the Narn would produce warships for the Brakiri government. In addition to this, the government would pay for the Narn to patrol and safeguard Brakiri territories and merchant shipping. The reputation of the Narn security on Babylon Five had been carefully noted and had met with approval. If the Narn agreed to this and the Drazi would allow the use of their destroyers in the patrolling of Brakiri interests, then the Brakiri would invest in both Narn and Drazi interests, providing desperately needed funding and resources. After a day of hard negotiations, an agreement was reached.

Each of the three governments was ecstatic by the potentials of what the future held for them all if they survive the next few months. But negotiations hadn't been completed yet.

Not by far.

--

"Can this truly be done?"

First Citizen G'Kar felt his knees buckling. His legs were as weak as a newborn. Yet, at the same time, he felt hope soar throughout his entire body. His toes tingled. What these people were proposing was insane, impossible, and even laughable. But if they could do this-

"It can be done," Captain Kagth announced. "The Federation is not the only one with technology to repair worlds. You have shown honor to my people when you didn't have to. You offered what little you had. You bonded with them. Koral respects you and that is enough."

"But you can clean our atmosphere?" asked G'Kar.

"Yes. We've learned much since the destruction of Praxis. It is a simple matter to clean your atmosphere and help rebuild your planet's environment. But it will take time; perhaps as long as two years to completely remove the contaminants."

The other Narns stared at the Klingons as if they were saviors. And once more Kagth felt like smiling. He didn't of course, but he understood the Narn's dilemma. Their atmosphere was still thick with pollutants from the bombardment by the Centauri a year and a half earlier. They didn't have the technology to repair their environment quickly but the Empire did. They had an agreement with his people who could never come back. So when it would be time for his ship to move on, he would make sure that they had as much of a chance as they could in this new universe.

"What do you propose?" asked Qarli, a member of the newly re-formed Kha'Ri.

"Transporter technology can be used to sweep your planet's atmosphere of contaminates," Commander Yannsi said quickly. "We can program the transporters to identify and remove specifically targeted particles from the air. With the replicators we can convert these particles into the raw materials needed for products to help rebuild your world."

"Replicator technology is one of the technologies that the Starfleeters steadfastly refused to give us," G'Kar said. "The same applies to transporter technology. Why would you do this?"

"The Klingon Empire is not the Federation," Kagth answered flatly. "Their reasons have validity, but the situation has changed. You will become responsible for these gifts. If you choose to abuse what we give you and destroy your world then it will be your fault. What we give you, treat well."

"Oh, we will," G'kar said while the other Narn officials nodded vigorously.

"You have honored the Koral and the Klingon people here. We will do the same. The captured Centauri space station would be a useful platform for the atmospheric cleaners. The disruptors given to you by my people are primitive. We will supply you with upgrades. And I have authorized Koral to supply you with shield generators and gravitic technologies. Take it and learn."

Kagth's smile sent shivers down G'kar 's spine. "Your people may not survive the coming year. But you deserve a chance. You are warriors as are my people, but you are alone. With others at your side, you may have a chance at glorious victory and survival."

To say that the officials of Narn were elated didn't begin to describe what they were feeling. Their planet had just gotten an economic and military boost that would catapult them towards becoming one of the great powers in the region. With capital coming from the Brakiri Syndicracy, strong economic and military ties with the Drazi Freehold, and advanced technology from the Klingons no one would be able to ignore them. Races would flock towards them, increasing their influence and security. They would never have to worry about the Centauri again. Ecstatic were they, however the responsibilities would be enormous and a few were concerned how this rapid influx of wealth would affect them as a people. There would be many questions for them to answer in the weeks and months to come. And how would the rest of the members of the Non-Aligned league respond to this new alliance growing in their midst?

But the surprises weren't over. A day after the unification conference was over G'kar had a long talk with Captain Adams of the United Planet's ship. He had assumed that this was in response to his repeated calls concerning the possibility of buying their robot or failing that trying to acquire the plans to create an approximation of that amazing device. He soon discovered his assumption was in error.

"Do you have any idea what you're asking?" he remembered asking Captain Adams. The robot called Robby stood by his side, not as a protector, although it surely seemed like one. G'Kar had no doubt whatsoever that the machine could rip apart a Centauri Primus without half trying. Someone had tried to steal the robot once but the effort was unsuccessful. Robby had casually ripped the engines out of the kidnapper's ship, presenting them to Captain Sheridan and Commander Ivanova as a souvenir. The captured and embarrassed techno-thieves would remain in prison for a good portion of their lives. That action effectively ended any more bright ideas of trying to steal the robot. But, he could well understand why several corporations and governments had tried to buy the device for such exorbitant fees. And its impeccable manners were simply an added plus, which is why this proposal was so significant. "This has never been done and the ramifications would be profound if this conversation became public. It's truly unprecedented."

Beside him, Na'Toth couldn't decide whether to be elated or terrified at the prospect of a major Human colony abandoning Earth Alliance and joining the fast-growing Narn Régime.

--

TBC more coming up on this section.