How to understand this book...The Reign Of Shadow's & Chaos is the NINTH BOOK in my Babylon 5 stories. The Reign of Shadow's & Chaos is a journal form book and writen with the understanding that the reader knows all Babylon 5 characters, and have read the other books to my series.

If you have not, don't worry, the plot is easy to follow in this book and holds many answers to the next book: Reign Of Rulers.

HOW TO READ THIS SERIES: Begin with either " Book 5 Untold Stories, The Aqua Ancients" or " Book 6 Eclipse Of Time ". Next, advance to the Drakh wars under the story title called " Book 7 Deadly Contact". After "Deadly Contact", the story flows dirrectly into " Book 8 Final Fall Series" which covers the fall of the Shadow's and Vorlon's and the beginning of the Hybrid Project. After reading "Final Fall", your ready for " Book 9 Reign Of Shadow's & Chaos". The last book deals with the end times, called " Book 10 Reign of Rulers". To get a better understanding of this universe, you may want to check out the other characters at my Medical Stories called "Cystic Fibrosis Book 1 Cystic Fibrosis, Book 2 Cystic Fibrosis #2, Book 3 Cystic Fibrosis TR & Book 4 Cystic Fibrosis TR #2)".

ENJOY...AND PLEASE BE KIND AND REVIEW...YOUR INPUT IS IMPORTANT!

REIGN OF SHADOW'S AND CHAOS

BOOK 9

Table on Contents

Chapter One Shadow's of X'ha'dum

Chapter Two The Shadow's Of X'ha'dum Part 2

Chapter Three Shadow's Of Sigma 957

Chapter Four Shadow's Of Thirdspace

Chapter Five Shadow's Of Distance Stars

Chapter Six Shadow's Of A Distant Past

Chapter Seven Shadow's Liberated In The Past

Chapter Eight Shadow's Of Epsilon 3

Chapter Nine Shadow's Against Light

Chapter Ten Shadow's Of The Abyssal

Chapter Eleven The Fall Of The Shadow's

Chapter Twelve Shadowing

CHAPTER ONE: Shadows of X'ha'dum

In the years to come many forces created chaos in the known universe because of stupid reasons like the Dilgar who wanted to be immortal, the Shadow's and Vorlon's that were afraid of being alone. The Drakh, who wanted to be masters like the Shadow's. The Hand who thought no one else deserved to live, but a force would rise that was more divine to beat a race older then the Shadow's, the have no name like the their children and have no home world in known space. They would arise from the ashes and begin their deadly rage like they did in the first Great War in 1261. This is their story…

Aboard the Invincible, the Captain of the ship checks over his instruments. As Nanette, the first officer of the Invincible looks at the Captain, she awaits confirmation to jump back into regular space. "Captain?"

"Yes Nanette?"

"We are ready to jump back into regular space."

The Captain looks at the window, jumping in and out of hyperspace always makes him cautious. "All right, tell navigation to jump."

Nanette nods her head. "Yes captain." The first officer tells navigation to jump into regular space. "We have jumped, we will be docking at Altavice in two hours, as first officer I prescribe sleep, you need to be alert when we arrive at Altavice."

The Captain looks at Nanette, who he admires as a strong will individual. "Nanette!"

"I mean it, if we are shipped out again you'll wish you'd had taken my warning, now get some sleep I will wake you in ten minutes before docking!"

The Captain looks at the crew, but finds no support, no one likes to go against Nanette. "Well—all right."

The captain gets up and leaves the bridge; Nanette leaves two minutes after the captain to go to her room to convey her message. Nanette enters her dark room and the sound of rushing air passes her. As she stands in the middle of her room waiting, the shadows move and two figures glide into the twilight, they are creatures that have passes beyond the rim but have returned to guide the nine, the first one is brown with wing like projectiles on its back. Its eyepiece is green and it wears an assortment of robes that cascade to the floor from its head, its headpiece is triangular and is surrounded by tubes that must support its oxygen intake. The others are blue with a red eye. It to has robes flowing from its head but its main color is purple. It has two major spikes on its back. As Nanette watches then more movement caught her attention, two unknown creatures stand before her now, the first one looks aquatic and it is hard if the appearance is an encounter suit.

Nanette has seen pictures of the legionary Vorlon's, like Kosh Nanarke, and Ulkesh Kosh, but as she kept her focus on the aquatic creature she could she it better, it was about six feet tall with a bluish green scale looking cloth covering the encounter suit to its head. The head had a scales running down the sides of its neck to the back and front forming a shield in scales. There were what appeared to be also fins. The other creature looked more purplish black that shifted with light, it was quieter then the aqua creature, but inside Nanette's brain she could hear these high pitch screeches or what sounded like screeches was truly a sound never heard and never wanted to ever be heard! As Nanette searched the creature and found it hard to watch a figure that shifts with the darkness leaving shadows of its formal figure to tease the inner mind.

Its body or what seemed to be its body is covered with spikes and purplish black armor, unlike the aquatic creature, this shadowy creature had two arms with the length of about two feet. The arms were covered with the same armor and spikes on the elbows and wrist and forearms, almost in the same area as with the first creature's fins, but more frightening. The creature had spikes around the neck, spikes on the headpiece, and on its legs. There was no mouth and the sections of eyes were 3 by 10. It was the eyes that scared Nanette the most, even the fingers were non-human, the creature had five digits and they even had a razor blade look. Then Nanette remembered a old vid on a data crystal, a photo of a Shadow, but this was no Shadow, it was much different at closer sight, a Shadow is a six legged insect creature that feeds off chaos, hatred, and violence, but this creature does not have six legs, only two. Humanoid, but not. The last ideal remark is the large spikes on the sides of the base of the neck. Other than that the two creatures stood quietly, standing waiting—waiting for something? But most of all these creatures stood waiting for an apocalypse. As Nanette approached the two creatures carefully, they tell her to keep her distance. "Who—who are you?"

The creature looks at Nanette. "The future."

Nanette is unsure of what they mean. "The future, I don't understand?" Waiting for a reply but none is given. "What do you want of me?" Again no reply. "I can't help if I don't know what you want, service, trust, or a simple pat on the back and everything will be fine?" The two creatures look at one another then look back at Nanette. "Well if you wont talk to me then I will talk to you, my name is first officer Nanette of the research vessel Invincible, we are on mission to station Altavice, we are preparing to give a final battle against the Hand. We were hoping for greater allies, but our search has come up negative."

One of the creatures blurts out the ships name, the sound is fluidly. "Invincible?"

"The ship—yes—even though it is an ironic name for this ship, this ship has lost five crews and has never won a single battle."

The creature answers back, "Ironic—yes."

Nanette looks at the talkative creature. "I did not name this ship, it was built to be the strongest battleship of all, but was turned into a research vessel, but anyway—what's your names?"

The aquatic creature only speaks; the shadowy creature does not speak. "Gram."

Nanette nods, "Gram, and you?" Pointing at the creepy looking creature.

The shadowy creature does not speak, Gram mentions why. "He doesn't speak much, it is custom he was brought up to remain quiet."

Nanette looks at the shadowy creature, but her attention goes back to Gram. "Well then it's an honor to meet you Gram, but now I need to know what you want."

"The future." Says Gram.

"The future, the future of what?"

Gram replies. "Well we're not going to get anywhere with this, well if you're here for the future then what is the future you seek?"

The shadow speaks in a faint whisper. "You."

Nanette shakes her head in self-rejection. "Me, I'm the future? That is not possible, what power do I pose, I am only a first commander—what can I do?" No reply. "All right, so what do you want me to do about it? I need an answer."

Nanette becomes distressed and begins for the door. The shadowy creature replies to Nanette's distress. "Be here to learn by the hour of judgment!"

Nanette nods, "By the hour, I'll be here!"

Nanette exits the door, as the two creatures stand with the Vorlon's in a room empty and dark. "Nanette."

Nanette turns, shocked, it's the Captain. "Captain?"

The Captain seem upset! "You forgot to wake me!"

Nanette looks at her watch. "I forgot, I'm sorry captain."

He smiles, and pats Nanette on the shoulder. "It's all right, whatever you've been doing must been more important then to awaken me."

Nanette nods, "I have been busy."

They begin to walk back to the bridge. "You've must been."

Back in Nanette's room, where the two creatures still remain. "The key?" Says the shadowy creature.

The aquatic creature, Gram, nods, "Yes, the future."

The shadowy creature replies. "We tried to explain."

The helmet head begins to lift upward to expose the creature inside. As Nanette had guessed the whole outfit was an encounter suit. When the light began to dim the creature is then easily seen, it is a female with a humanoid face, but the outward view seems more fish like, almost like the Anterians—a world engulfed in water. She seems to survive without water but is covered with very viscous mucus that holds in the moisture against the flesh and scales. The facial looks appear with human hair, but the skin bulges outward across the eyebrow to the nasal cavity to the ears, scales that run down the sides of the neck to the chest that formed a shield of scales shield this skin. The hands and arms were covered with scales and had pectoral fins on the wrist and elbows. She had a clean complexion and held herself strongly. As she looked towards the shadow the shadow took off its encounter suit that sort of melted into the metal braces on his legs. The male had the same looks as the other—scales on the face, but not many on the arms—not even fins, but the legs were like her arms, scaly and mucus covered, but no fins. The only fins were on his wrist. As the two creatures looked towards one another the aquatic creature spoke. "So how is home?"

Gram, who appears as the shadowy creature replies. "It's fine, the crops in the tundra are having a hard time growing, space is just too cold for them, and how about you?"

The other nods. "Doing fine—we are almost ready to finish our new complex since the Hand destroyed the other one." Digressing off the subject. "I am glad Nanette left when she did, it is so uncomfortable to wear these encounter suits, it is so heavy and my wrist fins and the mucus makes the inside very lubricant and very sticky."

Gram agrees, "Yes I agree to a fashion, but we can't expose ourselves till time is right."

"And when will the time be right?"

Gram looks at the pictures in Nanette's room. "As soon as Nanette agrees to serve only the truth."

"She's not even part of the nine!"

Gram nods, "Yes, but we need her to take us to the enemies homeworlds, she's the only one who can get there!"

"Then should we be open to her?"

Gram looks back at his friend. "In time when she will work with us." The aquatic one places a tube into her mouth, which is hooked into her encounter suit. "I suppose it is my turn to talk, try not to talk much while going through your therapy." The aquatic headpiece closes with her inside the encounter suit; the Shadow rematerializes the suit and fades into thin air. As for the aquatic one, the only thing she does is stand there alone in the dark—surrounded by shadows.

With the final arrival to Altavice, the research vessel Invincible docks in landing bay two, for a prisoner ship was in docking bay one. The life of a convict is short now these days, if you commit any crime greater than treason you are left in Shadow space to suck on the vacuum. The most worst capitol punishment of its kind. When the ships air locks were connected with the station of Altavice, the captain and officers got off except Nanette, excited to learn what was in her room she goes back to her room. When she enters her room the room is empty—nothing except shadows of objects being reflected due to the lights of the Altavice.

As Nanette looks around there is nothing there so Nanette exits her room thinking that she had a dream with a nightmare at the same time. As for the two creatures they haven't left they were in the food court of the Invincible knowing that no one was aboard. The shadow and aqua creature completely removed their encounter suits and sat down at a table but remained invisible to any species just incase if someone entered the food court. As they ate some men entered the ship, they are very foul looking and speak rudely to one another. One man who became the dictator was very harsh and had weapons with him. When the two species finally learned what was happening, the shadow told the aquatic to find Nanette and get help. The shadow was going to go back to Nanette's room to commutate with the Vorlon's. As the aquatic creature finally found Nanette with her friends she could not appear to her in her aquatic form so the aquatic creature touched her and sent a telepathic message to Nanette. As Nanette's thoughts intertwine with the aquatic's thoughts Nanette felt cold and felt as if she was in a liquid environment. As she tried to fight the trance a voice spoke to her of danger aboard the Invincible. Nanette at first did not understand, but then remembered the encounter in her room—the judgment—so Nanette called to the captain to walk with her. "What's wrong Nanette?"

Nanette looks at her Captain, "There is something wrong on the Invincible, I don't know what, but there is!"

The Captain jokes, "Maybe you're the one who needs some rest."

They board the Invincible and as they near the internal air lock doors, the outer doors behind them slam shut, so Nanette and the captain run before the inner airlock doors shut. Nanette is running with the captain behind her an the doors begin to unlock the safety latches so the captain picks up Nanette and throws her into the vessel as the doors behind Nanette close. As Nanette rushes to open the doors, the air lock outer doors open flushing out the captain into space. The captain is treading space and choking on the vacuum that is bursting his lungs, as the captain dies his eyes remain frozen open glaring at Nanette as the doors close. Nanette is wondering why the doors were opened; as she looked through the porthole she sees bodies of security officers floating in outer space with a few convicts. That is when she knew there was danger aboard, but Nanette knew she was over powered. As she walked quietly to her room she feels the ship rotate. When she gets into her room she can see Altavice, as the Invincible fires at the station the station is badly crippled. Now Nanette is very upset and wants revenge, as she rushes to the door the door does not open, she feels the door but the door still wont open. As Nanette tries to open the door for the third time she hears sounds behind her. "You again, why did you not help?"

Gram looks at the angry Nanette, "Could not."

Nanette points at the door. "These people aboard are over powering us, we are now the weak ones and good chance I will be dead."

Gram nods, "Maybe."

Nanette looks at Gram. "That is very vague, why do you act so harsh? I mean why don't you help me, my captain is dead and my crew are also dead on the grave called Altavice. These men I bet are from the prisoner ship that docked on Altavice…my god these people were given no mercy as they will give us no mercy, they were sent to die, they will have a pleasure in killing us!"

Gram looks at his friend, "It can be avoided."

Nanette's anger becomes confusion. "How? How can it be avoided, were trapped in this room on this ship."

Nanette with all her rage just stares at the species with the look of up tightness. As Nanette Waited to hear the species talk; she had to wait longer till it was clear that they were not going to say anything. So Nanette went to her bed and sat down putting her head in her hands looking at the floor for some guidance. As Nanette meditated on the silence the two species moved quietly towards Nanette. When Nanette looked upward she was startled to see them so close. Nanette did not say a word or move a slight bit—afraid of startling them. Just as Nanette was about to speak the species interrupted her. "So you want to learn?" Says Gram.

Nanette nods, "Yes, as much as I can, I would be willing to give up anything!"

Gram looks at the Shadowy creature. "Anything?"

Nanette reconsiders her words. "Anything, well almost anything except my soul, that's the only thing I can say I truly own. What do you want of me?"

The shadowy creature finally speaks, "Learn!" Then the shadow hits Nanette with a ray of light, as Nanette looks around she notices she's no longer in her room and apparently no longer in her own body. With this occurrence Nanette panics but before she can fall from order to chaos the two species grab her. "You almost fell into chaos."

Nanette is relived of her fate, but is startled by the outward appearance of the two species. "Your almost Human like!"

Gram nods, "Yes almost."

Nanette looks around. "Where am I?"

Gram replies, "With us, this is like a storage bank for memories."

Nanette nods, "I see, so this is a dream?"

The shadowy creature replies. "Yes and no. It only determines your state of mind."

Nanette looks at the strangely formed species. "What is your species name?"

Gram replies, "Asmaraqua.":

Nanette smirks, "Asmaraqua, it has a nice sound to it."

The shadowy creature replies. "Thank you, but not all of us are full Asmaraqua; Gram is a hybrid of Human and Asmaraqua. He is the key, and we like you to also fit in the fall of the enemy."

Nanette looks at the unnamed creature, "Why, tell me?"

The Shadow hybrid walks forward to talk. "If not, your race will die, and we can't do anything about it!"

"Why not?"

Gram replies, "My race and Mira's race will not intervene because you're not important—yet."

Nanette not noticing that she now has the name of the other, still wrapped up in the whole concept of the end of the world. "So let me get this straight, you want me to transform to spare my race?"

Mira nods, "Yes."

"Well what do I get out of this?"

The two Asmaraqua's look at one another. Mira replies, "Nothing."

Nanette does not like her options. "Well that is a lost, but let me get this straight, if I transform my race will be saved and if not my race will burn with the others?"

Mira nods, "Yes."

"Well I really don't like the bad-bad situations, but what can I say—for starters what will be my percentage of making it alive off this ship?"

"80." Says Gram.

"80 percent, not bad, I can work with that. How long does it last?"

Mira is not sure of Nanette's question, "What?"

"The process of transforming myself?"

Mira replies, looking at Gram for confirmation. "About two days."

Nanette thinks, "Two days, does it hurt?"

Gram nods, "Yes."

"Will I be also issued one of those encounter suits?" Pointing to the devices around Mira's legs.

Gram looks at Mira for guidance. "No."

"Well I like to live long enough to see my children on Earth so if this will save my people, I will go through it."

Gram turns around and goes into a different section of room. Mira walks to Nanette and pulls out some plastic vials with some type of chemical. "This will hurt."

"What will happen?"

Gram opens the plastic veils. "This liquid will be placed at the base of the neck. Once air mixes with the chemical it will soak into the blood stream and in five minutes the chemical will have its affects to the facial features and will spread to the hands, chest, legs, and so on till you have completed transformation."

Nanette unbuttons her collar to expose the base of her neck. "Well let's begin before I decide otherwise!"

Gram agrees, "All right then."

Nanette lies down as Mira dumps a whitish blue liquid, the liquid strangely absorbs into the flesh and Nanette falls asleep. As the time goes on the flesh in certain parts begins to shift shape and is covered with scales. The face is also distorted by scales and a uplifted bone that covers the upper ear to the upper eyebrow down on the nasal cavity and mirrors on the other side. When scales have finished covering the up lifted skin, it begun down Nanette's chest to Nanette's legs. As the liquid began subsiding the transformation was completed. As the ship drifted in space the escaped convicts began for Sigma 957.

As the ship head for Sigma 957 the convicts are reading the ship guides to learn it secrets. Gram and Mira watch over Nanette's transformation without their encounter suits. Nanette's transformation was successful; the species Asmaraqua and Human have intertwined so perfectly to create a beautiful hybrid. Gram and Mira walk into a different room. "Today is a great day Gram."

Gram smiles, "Yes it is, the last chain has been completed; now we are ready for the Hand!"

Mira agrees, "Yes, I have sent for Delenn 3 and Z'ha'dum 2."

Gram looks confused, "The Minbari, Human hybrid, and the Shadow, Vorlon hybrid?"

Mira nods, "Yes Mirra, and Arimira."

Nanette begins to awaken and does not notice the changes, as she props herself up the mucus leaves draglines connected to her body to the floor. But Nanette does not notice the sticky fluid, as Nanette tries to stand up she stagers around but gets her bearings. As she walks around the room she stagers in front of a mirror, she stops suddenly and looks at the scales on her face which covered with mucus, touching lightly the mucus does not break off easily, instead the mucus remains in shape. As Nanette looks at her arms and hands she feels her new wrist fin and the scales that are coated in mucus. As Nanette is about to break down into tears she can't, the glands are blocked by mucus. While Nanette looks at herself, Gram and Mira look at Nanette and tell her that this new form is to protect her from the Hand. Nanette looks at Gram and Mira and ask who is the Hand to them? They tell Nanette to close her eyes as Gram touches her below the eye. As Nanette keeps her eyes closed she sees Gram. "Where are we?"

Gram replies, "We are in between time; you want to know who the Hand is to us?"

"Yes."

Gram looks off in the distance trying to recall the vision. "They're a race that walked among the stars and ripped those stars apart." The blackness shifts and Nanette and Gram are in space, vessels small and large rudely interrupt the space, as the ships roar through space the ships begin to slow down. "These were our own information."

Nanette looks at Gram, she does not clearly understand, "Why your own?"

Gram points to a ship that projects out a star of fire and it hit with a blinding light, as Nanette looks back she then looks to Gram saying, "oh".

"As I was saying, there is a race highly annoying and unknown in we don't know where they live. But at least we can now defeat them, which is what the hieroglyphics tell us in the City of Light, it would take the balance of light and darkness."

Nanette is lost once again. "I don't understand still Gram, what part do I play in this?"

Gram walks to Nanette left side and raises his hand and a world appears. It is very dark and the nearest planet is almost one light year away. The only bright source of light is a blood reddish orange nebula behind the dead looking planet. As Nanette looks at the planet, the planet sends cold chills up her spine, the feeling as if someone or something was watching her. As she stares at the shadowy planet, Gram startles her when he tells her of a force of darkness and chaos. "For two thousand years we—the younger races feared the civilization that made their home here."

Nanette looks at the planet, she has traveled the stars, but never seen this place before. "It looks like hell!"

Gram looks at Nanette and then back at the hellish planet. "You're absolutely correct Nanette, it is hell, and this planet if you went to you never come back from—alive. It is the home world of the Shadow's, the world is called Z'ha'dum—meaning broken enemy in Minbari. They are 1000 years older then the fourth oldest race, the Vorlon's. They are even 200 years older then the Hand. The Shadow's came out every thousand years and destroyed weak races; I suppose you could say they had no respect for the weak genetic aliens. In 2258 a ship called the Icarus went to Z'ha'dum on a secret planetary exploration to look for the creatures that planted those spidery vessels on Mars. The Shadow's must have been cranky for when the crew of the Icarus found the Shadow's, and the Shadow's destroyed all their personalities, a few were used a emissaries like Mr. Morden who latter got his head chopped off on Centauri Prime. Another named Justin who was killed by nuclear fall out, and Ana Sheridan who was killed by a direct nuclear blast, but the Shadow's did not stop there, no way, they instead tore up the galaxy with a cat and mouse game with the Vorlon's. And by 2261 the Shadow's and Vorlon's decided that they overstayed their welcome so they went away with the other first ones, but they left their influences. The Shadow's destroyed Z'ha'dum, their homeworld."

Nanette looks confused, "Wait a minute; I thought you said that was Z'ha'dum?"

Pointing to the dead looking planet. "No, that is Drakh's fore doing; they dragged this planet from within the boarder of the rim. The Drakh only call this planet X'ha'dum."

Nanette being sarcastic, "What happen to Y'ha'dum?" of K'ha'dum?"

"There has never been an Y'ha'dum in my time, it was destroyed. And K'ha'dum belongs not to the Shadow's."

"I see, well continue."

"Well as I was saying Z'ha'dum plays an important part to our ability to defeat the Hand."

Nanette interrupts Gram. "May I ask a question?"

"Sure, go ahead!" Gram says annoyed.

"If you had to either battle a Shadow or a Hand, which one?"

Gram looks unsure of the question at first, but answers. "Neither, but if I had no choice I would choose the Hand."

"Why the Hand?"

Gram looks to Nanette's illiteracy as an opportunity to humor himself. "Have you ever seen what a Shadow can do?"

"No I did not even know they existed!"

Gram closes his fingers and Z'ha'dum is crushed as the fingers open up again the picture of red rocks with Shadow's lurking in the midst. As the picture seems to get closer to the red rock wall, there is a strange noise that no object can make. The picture stops and near the palm of Grams hand a figure moves then rises. As the creature appears out of the darkness it is beginning to become visible, it has an pyramid triangle like head covered in spikes, it has a elongated look to its neck with two long spears pointing away from the creatures head, its neck was aligned with a shield of spikes, but when seen over all it looks like a giant spider. "This is a Shadow, we don't know there culture, arts, or even their average life span, all we know is that they are an violent culture, I mean you can even see it in their encounter suit and there ships and mostly their homeworld."

Nanette finally is not sure what Z'ha'dum has to do with her, why is it so important if it does not even exist! "So what does Z'ha'dum have to do with me?"

"Not you, but it also influenced you. There were Technomages on Altavice, weren't there?"

Nanette thinks back, "Yes, they are great with repairs."

Gram smiles, humored by his encounter with a technomage. "I hope so, that what they were designed to do, fix and serve the Shadow vessels. There will be someone meeting us in a few hours, she just like you, a hybrid, but of Shadow and Vorlon, when she arrives show respect, she is only 500 years old, but three-forth of the time she slept in an cryonic chamber."

"For 500 years, why such time?"

Gram walks slowly towards Nanette. "Well Nanette it's hard to say what the Shadow's or the Vorlon's have in plan, you see Nanette; the Shadow's and the Vorlon's don't follow our time, they are so old that they make their own time."

"Does the Shadow hybrid have a name?"

Gram nods, "Arimira, she is—well—different in sight, but I believe she is very nice to get along with. The other person who will be joining us comes from Minbar, the Minbari don't want him to leave Minbar for they are worried for his safety, see you have to understand that the prophesy of Delenn was the one who sent the Shadow's beyond the rim. His name is Delenn 3 Mirra Mir."

Nanette looks at Mira, "Isn't Delenn a female name?"

"Yes, but there is a reason why he is named that, on Minbar he is called Delenn 3, but we call him Mirra."

Nanette nods preferring that name better. "That sounds more common."

Gram is uncertain, he has never paid any mind to Mirra's name. "I suppose, Mirra is a very wordy child, raised to listen to every word and to terminate any confusion, you have to remember he was formed by Vorlon influence and technology."

Nanette has heard of the Vorlon's and sees how much these Asmaraqua's know of Vorlon. "Have you ever seen the Vorlon's or their homeworld?"

Gram thinks back, "In real life, once; but the homeworld no."

Nanette looks at the Asmaraqua's, "Would you like to see?"

Gram thinks of the question. "Yes, if you don't mind?" Gram conceals energy to show a picture of the Vorlon home world. "These photos of the Vorlon Empire were captured by the Shadow's almost 500 thousand years ago; we don't have any pictures of their homeworld because any ship that goes near the planet is captured, its crew are experimented on and put in tubes, but that is only speculation."

Nanette thinks of the reply Gram has just given, "I see, just a consideration, when the other hybrids arrive they wont even be able to approach us, the prisoners will see them and fire at them."

Mira smiles, almost wanting to laugh. "Don't worry, they use a type of stealth technology and if I were the prisoner I wouldn't even dare try to open fire on a vessel that looks more provoking then I do."

"Well there not you, they're death row prisoners whose only jurisdiction is to blaze down any approaching vessel, death no more frightens them any more."

Mira knows of the pending doom approaching them. "Apparently not, if they have the will to exterminate a station with no defense, then they might as well be hostile."

Nanette is still skeptical about the new transformation, "But this transformation will increase my survival chance?"

Mira nods, "Yes, somewhat, the scales act like a shield and covers the most vital parts of the body, and the blade of a knife can't cut the flesh underneath."

Nanette thinking of the situation, "Well I suppose it is a good advancement."

On the bridge of the Invincible the prisoners await the final approach to Sigma 957. as the Invincible approaches Sigma 957 the prisoners cannot see the danger ahead, the only reason why they were going to Sigma 957 was because it was the only place no one will go to. About two hours till they jump into regular space the Minbari hybrid and Shadow hybrid vessels docked and burned their way into the Invincible, as the hybrids walked out of their vessels they went in search of Gram and Mira, and were excited to finally meet the new addition—Nanette. Both Mirra and Arimira finally found Gram and Gram welcomed them and warned them of the existing danger the vessel Invincible prepossess. When Mirra and Arimira entered Nanette's room but cloaked while Gram enters uncloaked because he lacks the cloaking ability without his encounter suit. As Gram just stood there the blackness shifted behind him and two figures appeared. "This is Arimira and Mirra, Arimira and Mirra this is Nanette and Mira and I am called Gram, thank you for coming in short notice."

Arimira looks at Nanette, amazed at the art work, "It has been done?"

Gram is uncertain on Arimira's question. "Excuse me?" Arimira tilts her head forward as if to say something. "Oh yes it has been done; Nanette is the final result in our preparation against the Hand."

Mirra finally speaks, which is very rare considering his trauma. "Nanette?"

Gram is surprised to hear Mirra speak aloud, his voice is somewhat shaky, but he holds a firm grip on his tone with the accompaniment of wheezing to begin his sentence, but Mirra's talk remain vague and short—to the point. "'Yes Mirra, this is Nanette, she has aloud to become transformed to save all life as we know it, Nanette is a cross breed of half Human and half Asmaraqua."

Arimira smiles, "An interesting combination."

Mirra speaks for the second time in less then 30 seconds. "Yes I agree."

Arimira looks at Gram, "What rank does she hold?"

Gram replies, "Nanette is a first officer, but right now she is no longer in command, as we speak the vessel is under control by death row prisoners."

Nanette walks forward, still trying to get a grip on her newly formed legs. "What position of power do you two hold?"

Gram is shocked and worried that Arimira may take the question wrong. "Nanette, I don't believe you should."

Arimira looks at Gram, "Silence" Looking at Nanette newfound. "I am just an ambassador for a world long dead."

Nanette looks at Mirra, "And you"

Mirra looks at Nanette, "Prophesy."

Nanette smiles, "Wow what a title to hold."

Mirra agrees, "Yes."

Nanette looks at Gram. "So Gram, now that everyone is here can someone tell me who these Hands are and why it takes all of us to defeat them?"

Gram walks forward as Arimira walks backwards into the Shadow's. Mirra and Mira are standing side-by-side as Gram begins to speak. "Well Nanette now that your speaking more freely I suppose we can usher you into the second stage of your transformation. You see, the Hand are known to be the Hand of God, you can't destroy them, you can't out run them, you can only serve them or be grounded to dust before them. That is what they did almost 500 thousand years ago, but was defeated by the Shadow's, Vorlon's, other first ones and the Race of Light, but the first ones could not destroy their ship not even touch them, I suppose you could say they are indestructible. The Hand are an race of pure darkness almost like an black hole—all light goes in and nothing comes out, crushed by darkness. We are not even finished with the prophesy, we still have to search for the prophesy of Delenn 2nd, because the Hand will find her and destroy her, so she transformed her image in to a male to fool the Hand to survive longer. So if the Hand succeeds with their mission what will happen is that Delenn will never transform the Shadow's will win the war, John Sheridan will never married Delenn, and the Hand will be sent away into eternal darkness, it's a way we don't want the universe to go, but the Hand are willing to wait a few billion years to destroy the force of light. If this was to occur now we would be normal and the third Shadow War would replace the Hand war, as it says in the Holy Scriptures on Minbar."

Nanette looks at Mirra, "Can we look at those files?"

Mirra says nothing, Gram replies, "Yes, do we have a computer that gets stellar com?"

Nanette nods, "Only the bridge."

Mirra looks at Gram. "Gram I have one file from early Minbar gathered by my family, it may have something of interest?"

Places the data crystal in the machine. Cala, Sher'shok Dum Tedum. In'a fie be'tri ele'dar'ardmin Valen de'hakanai. A'se min'entil de'Minbar. Ner Z'ha'dum. Dum Translations: Careful, ancient enemy asleep. I have with defense by triluminary for chrysalis. I am ambassador for Minbar. Fear Broken End END . Nanette looks at Mirra, "What did she say?"

Mirra comes forward. "I believe I can translate; I was listening to the message, as the message is an old one, as old as the dawn of Human's when the Minbari hid the Triluminaries."

Nanette looks at Mirra, "Why?"

"Because of the Shadow's, the message stated that you need to be careful, ancient enemy is asleep. I have been defended by Triluminary. For chrysalis. I am ambassador for Minbar. Fear Broken End."

Nanette looks at Gram, "Broken end?"

Gram replies one cold word. "Z'ha'dum."

The word sends shivers up Nanette's spine. "I see. Well what do we do now?"

Gram replies strongly, "Liberate this ship!"

Nanette looks at Gram, hope has fell with her. "How?"

"I don't know—rampage?" Gram looks at Mirra. "Mirra do you have any weapons?"

Mirra looks at Gram, "Weapons, yes."

Gram waits for the third reply, it does not come. "Well?"

Mirra takes out some rings. "Pressure rings, and my Minbari fighting pike and a triluminary device."

Gram replies, "Could you issue us pressure rings?"

Mirra shakes his head, No, they're DNA coded to my own DNA to prevent misuse by others."

Gram looks at Arimira, "I understand, well then Arimira, do you have any weapons for lease?"

Arimira shakes her head. "No, to dangerous, can lease Shadow technology, to dangerous, it would control you!"

Gram is feeling hopeless. "Well that leaves us with basics, well you will cover us. "

As the five species moved throughout the ship they tried to avoid the ruthless prisoners, but with cloaking devices it made the passage safer. Nanette was very nervous about going against the prisoners, but she also felt very powerful, she had no worries she was transformed, evolved, revised to be protected, but what could she do, what new advancements did she gain? It was too early to say and Nanette was nervous of her newly formed abilities that thrived in her. The prisoners were very tired, they have almost been wide awake for 24 hours, they are becoming hostile against one another, already one prisoner has shot another and by the hour one more drops who was going insane. As Nanette reached the security room she opened the door to enter, as she opens the door she sees a figure run into a closet, Nanette signals for Mirra to move forward and quietly shows him that that there is someone in the room, so the other three people enter and close the door to signal and search and hopefully not find a person inside the closet. As Mirra closes in on the suspected area, Mirra uses a pressure ring to paralyze whatever was in the closet for no more than one minute. When Mirra tells it's safe, Nanette opens the closet door and finds the security guard, still alive. "What did you do to him?"

Mirra looks at the guard, "He has been paralyzed for 1 minute, but it is now only 15 seconds."

Nanette looks at the guard, but still cloaked knowing that the guard will protect himself. She uncloaks herself to expose that she is now captain of this ship. As the guard looks at Nanette he is relieved to see a friendly face, but then he noticed that Nanette has changed a little, and he tried to avoid eye-to-eye contact. "Please don't be afraid of me, I have not changed my heart and I need your loyal service to me, as we have had since arriving to Altavice."

The guard nods, "Yes Captain Nanette, I'm sorry I disturbed you Nanette, I was very nervous of your appearance, now I clearly see."

Nanette looks at the guards wimpy expressions. "Thank you."

The guard looks at Nanette, "So what do you want me to do Nanette?"

Nanette looks at the guard, "We need your skills to deactivate the ships main computer to this mainframe."

The guard nods, "All right Nanette."

"Guard may I ask of your name?"

The guard seems shy, but speaks quietly. "My name is Incevi; I was assigned to the ship Invincible about two months ago. I like to remain unnoticed; I believe that's why the prisoners do not know that I am here."

Nanette nods, "That's a good possibility."

Incevi looks at the other hybrids, "So who are your comrades Nanette?"

"Well let me first introduce to you Arimira, she is a Shadow hybrid of half Shadow half Vorlon, but we others sometimes refer her as Z'ha'dum 2. This here is Delenn 3 Mirra Mir, he is a Minbari hybrid of half Human half Minbari and we refer him as Mirra. Over there is Gram, he is an Anterian hybrid, the race is as young as the Drakh, but on a genetic scale he is half Asmaraqua half Shadow. The last one is Mira; she is an Asmaraqua hybrid of half Human half Asmaraqua."

Incevi nods, "I see, I suppose you all are hybrids?"

Mira comes forward. "Yes, except you, but don't feel threaten Incevi, transformation is not needed for you, and I have all ready finished my job."

Everyone except Mira is wondering whom she is talking about. "What job?" Asks Incevi.

"Oh yes, well it goes like this, has anyone here ever heard of a race called the Hand?"

Arimira, Nanette, Mirra, and Gram are confused at what Mira is saying, but Incevi shows a dark complexion over his face that tells Mira that he knows something. "Incevi do you know anything of the Hand?"

"Ah—no—nothing!"

Mirra now notices that Incevi is lying. "Your lying Incevi, tell the truth it matters!"

Incevi extorts again, "I told you, I have no current files of the Hand!"

Arimira is now suspicious. "What about memories?"

Nanette and Gram are watching Incevi facial expressions; Incevi remains quiet for the time being. Mirra comes closer to Incevi. "Incevi, we are getting closer to Sigma 957; we believe the prisoners don't know where they're going."

Mira stresses. "Incevi, we believe the Hand's jump gate is there, and the Hand will destroy the Invincible and we will all die, but if you have seen them you could give us information that may save our lives!"

Incevi keeps staring at the ground hoping that the order will go away, but the pressure of the hybrids is overwhelming. "All right, I thought you would not hurt me!"

Mira looks back to the other four hybrids. "Sorry Incevi, I upset you; I am use to getting answers to my problems."

Incevi replies sharply, "I know!"

Mira agrees. "I know you know Incevi, I am truly sorry."

Incevi looks at Nanette, the only one who has not grilled him for information. "I do know the information you seek, I was there when they took the jump gate out of hyperspace for the second time, it was believed to be the jump gate to the gods, and instead it was the jump gate to hell. When we opened the gate we could not shut it down, but to make matters worse the gate sent out a telepathic signal that took control of the minds that could be touched by chaos, it made you insane, and you killed one another."

Mira listens carefully, "You said, 'That could be touched', what do you mean?"

Incevi was hoping that this would be the end of questions. "Some were not touched by the signal, mostly those who were touched by either the Vorlon's or Shadow's."

Mira keeps the question going. "And you did not get touched because?"

Incevi continues, "I fought against the Drakh, just before they left my world in the Sector 45 they experimented with the children with Shadow technology so the world would never be safe for your children's next generation, they believed the Shadow's would return and take us as their first host for their ships. When I was on the vessel most of the crew in star furies was not touched because they—the children were the pilots, we were expendable."

Mira, looks at Incevi for Shadow mutation, but sees none. Mira looks at Arimira, "I see, and does this signal have an affect against hybrids?"

Arimira shrugs her shoulders, "Not what I know, Delenn was never touched by the signal in the first emergence."

Incevi interrupts Arimira, "Then that may give us a ledge."

Gram interrupts. "Okay tell me if I am right, this jump gate uses a telepathic signal to make you mindless zombies then you kill one another?"

Incevi nods, "Correct, that's what happens."

Gram continues, "And this only happens when the gate is open?"

"No—it began before the gate was open, trying to make people open it with a large battery."

Gram pictures this giant energizer battery floating in space. "All right, now that is clear, when we are in telepathic range what will happen with the prisoners?"

Incevi replies to the best of his knowledge. "They will wreck any object in sight and once in contact with other organic species they will fight till one die's."

Gram looks at Mira, "Ouch, but a question haunts me, you said it was powered by a large double D battery?"

Incevi takes in a deep breath, not much prone to humor. "Well you could say that, it was enough to open the gate and that is when all hell broke loose!"

Gram continues, "What type of hell did you encounter?"

"Well it's hard to explain, a lot of weird anomalies happened in Sigma 957, but I can say this, whatever was coming through that jump gate got bad to worse and beyond that level, now a starfury can do a lot of damage to a vessel much smaller then our ship, but those small drone vessels shot out what appears to be flaming balls of fire that can destroy an entire White Star with one blast! And those ships were cloaked strangely with shields so even if we did fire it was deflected. And when the jump gate shifted in spectrum something much worse came out beyond comprehension! We got to stage three, and that when we turned around and fled, but from the first encounter that gate was shut down due to a nuclear blast."

Gram interrupts Incevi's story. "Wait a minute you can get into the gate?"

Incevi nods, "Oh yes, only if you're insane! You see being in the gate you have the Hand to worry about. Sheridan said that the creature was 10 times his size and the creature was not like no other alien he has seen before, it can materialize any weapon it desires and use it against you, Sheridan barely got away with his life an only because he was lucky to backtrack, but Sheridan did noted that the vessels that were coming were the size of two Minbari War vessels. Consider what we've been fighting is only the beginning."

Gram looks at Mira then Nanette, Nanette does not like the idea, Gram looks at Incevi. "I see, thank you Incevi for the information, you good chance have saved our lives, if it was not for you we would be doomed!"

Incevi looks at the window. "Once inside the telepathic range we will be doomed, but this would be out best time to move against the prisoners and finally make our take over plan."

Arimira looks towards Nanette. "Well I did not want to live forever any way!"

Nanette looks at Arimira. "Well I do."

Incevi now worried. "Quiet—both of you—this is no time to argue!"

Arimira and Nanette look towards Incevi with a discussed look on their faces. "We were not fighting, just—ah—improvising, that's right improvising!" Says Arimira.

Incevi shakes his head, he can't believe that the universe would spare these idiots. "Well it does not matter at all Nanette and Arimira, we have a job to do, and we have no time to waste."

Mirra now interrupts briefly. "I agree, we need to be more organized and less patronizing, order over chaos!"

Arimira, Nanette, Gram, Mira, and Incevi look at one another in shear confusion. But Incevi's attention is altered when he sees hostile vessels are on approach. "Oh great, we've been spotted."

Nanette looks at Incevi. "Do we have external cameras in here?"

Incevi nods. "Yes, I have been downloading the files from the mainframe and by pushing this button and wa-la presto!" A screen smaller then the screen window in C&C Bridge shows three distorted brownish vessel approaching fast and ballistic! Nanette hurries to the new weapons control to arm weapons, but Incevi has different plans. "Nanette, those are the same vessels that shot out balls of fire! We cannot destroy them; it took nine White Stars just to injure the darn thing!"

Nanette looks at the vessel. "This is a Hand vessel?"

"Well that is what the alliance calls them; they really don't have any other official name, one alien refers them as the "Hand of God", the Hand that plucks out stars in their wake." Incevi looks towards Mirra. "It's like your little wars with the Shadow's that were not their name right?"

Mirra looks very grey. "When we found the Shadow's over two thousand years ago, they were like Shadow's against the vial, they moved fast and seem to filter within the stars, when my people attacked the Shadow's homeworld there was no name for the species homeworld so we called it Z'ha'dum, or Minbari for broken enemy."

Incevi says dryly. "Interesting!"

Mira keeps watching the monitors, watching the Hand vessels approaching—fast. Mira now knows it is time to interrupt Incevi's and Mirra's conversation. "It is nice that you two are getting along, but we have a war outside and lives are endangered."

Incevi and Mirra look at Mira with apathy. "Yes, we do have a problem, how is the prisoner hold?"

Incevi looks at the monitor and sees a shocking sight. "They're all—dead!"

Nanette looks at the monitor. "What?"

Incevi replies sharply. "You heard me correct!"

Incevi, Mira, Gram, Mirra, Nanette, and Arimira look at the monitor only to see the prisoners dead on the floor, some had mettle pipes in their chest others were choked or with snapped necks. The scene was daunting. "Well—one problem is finished; now lets go take back our ship." Says Nanette.

Incevi remains in the security room channeling controls back to the bridge, Nanette gives orders to the others and sees what they can do. "We have to have crew in parts of this ship, it requires a crew to run the Invincible so I need to know your skills so your placed where you can do good."

Arimira walks forward. "I have been programmed with Shadow and Vorlon weapons skills, I could run weapons as if they were either a Shadow or Vorlon vessel."

Nanette nods, "Good, I need an expert on weapons, having Shadow and Vorlon knowledge may very well apply to the system."

Mirra comes forward as Arimira heads towards C&C. "My skills are of no use to you, I am only an ambassador for Minbar, also I have been in battles with the Drakh and Hand, the Grey Council has supplied me with data to break codes, learn languages, and investigate battle plans."

Nanette all ready knows where she needs Mirra placed. "Good, you can be the ships special intelligence, you are also the ships navigator, go to C&C there you will have to your use are video, translator devices, and thousands of codes."

Mirra looks towards Nanette, and turns to leave. Next to come is Gram. "Nanette my specialty is in engineering, all ready I can equip my knowledge to the basics of Shadow technology, I can promise you that you wont have engine problems, but don't disturb me please, interfacing Shadow technology into this ship is very hard, but can be done."

Nanette looks at Gram, "What will it give us?"

"Better self-defense, and the ability to cloak into Shadow hyperspace—only used by Shadow vessels."

Nanette nods and smiles. "All right, do what you have to do Gram."

Gram walks to the engine room, as Mira walks forward. "My skills are in medical, Nanette."

"Okay Mira, go to Med bay and get familiar with the equipment."

Mira goes to the Med Bay. Last is Incevi. "Well Nanette you know what I do, I work with security, I will be here if you need me."

"Thank you Incevi for your loyalty to the Invincible and me."

Nanette begins to leave, but Incevi stops her. "Nanette," Nanette turns around to face Incevi, "please do understand, even with your transformation I still respect you as an officer and more as a friend."

Nanette feels honored. "Thank you Incevi, thank you very much!"

Incevi leaves Nanette and Nanette begins for C&C, but her name is called out again. "NANETTE."

Nanette turns around to see Kosh Nanarke and Ulkesh Kosh. "Kosh?"

"WE WILL ALWAYS BE HERE."

The Vorlon's leave. As Nanette thrives on the surprise she enters C&C to see the dead bodies piled side by side near the door. "Mirra?"

Mirra looks at Nanette, he is disgusted by the sight. "I am here."

Nanette look at the piled bodies. "Did you move these bodies?"

"Yes Nanette, so we can work without obstacles."

Nanette looks at the bodies. "What a way to die."

Mirra nods, "Yes."

Nanette goes to the captain chair an just stares at it thinking of the time when she was first officer that she wanted to sit on this chair so bad—to have her own command, and now she does, but for all the wrong reasons. As Nanette sits the screen comes down, there is nine Hand vessels approaching. Nanette has a finger on the weapons control as they approach. Mirra senses that something is dead wrong with this picture. "Nanette."

Nanette looks at Mirra, but keeps one eye on the vessels. "Yes Mirra?"

"What would you do if you thought the crew of an enemy vessel was dead and you were superior?"

Nanette thinks, "I would not fire a pond them and let the ship go by to aloud no proof of my arrival."

Mirra looks at the creepy vessels. "Well do you think this is what the Hand is doing?"

"Yes," Sensing Mirra's discomfort. "well no, but no one can be sure."

"Nanette—you wanted a special intelligence officer well you've got one, now Nanette I would not say anything if I was not sure, there was no signal, it is as if they're waiting for us to make a move, to see if any of the dead prisoners are alive!"

Nanette thinks, it's a offensive procedure. "That's a possibility Mirra."

As the ships come closer the Invincible drifts dead like against the enemy. as the enemy comes into firing range Nanette sits nervously with her finger on the weapons control. "Don't fire Nanette, if we get in trouble we can jump into Shadow space."

Nanette says almost in whispers. "But Gram says it takes a lot of energy to create the field!"

"Yes, but we have two Shadow hybrids that can help one another."

The ships fly on by and keep on going showing no interest. Nanette looks revived. "Well you were correct they are survey ships. Mirra tell Gram to prepare for a Shadow jump and set in these numbers: Sigma 1257/KX19."

Mirra is just about to enter the numbers when he looks at Nanette—shocked. "What is Sigma 1257/KX19?"

Nanette is really unsure. "An area where we wait to repair the ship. This ship was heading to Sigma 1257 and I don't want to be here if the Hand get bored!"

Mirra chuckles, "All right Nanette." Mirra types into the computer console and signals Gram to prepare the jump engines. "Gram and Arimira are ready for the jump!"

Nanette nods, "All right—jump!"

The entire vessel foils in space and totally disappears. "We've jumped captain."

Nanette looks outside the window to see space as black as pitch of night and no source of light. "Shadow hyperspace?"

Mirra looks at the void. "Correct, during the Shadow War the Shadow battle crabs would easily foil in and out of space hitting us unexspectly, we called it Shadowism."

There is a beeping sound. "What is that?"

Mirra is also caught off guard. "Can't be a ship, were the only one with Shadow technology."

Nanette looks at Mirra. "Then what is it?"

Mirra looks at the console, but sees nothing then there is a glitch on the console, the glitch is a bright flash of yellow in the black. Mirra looks at Nanette with fear in his eyes. "Apparently were not alone Nanette; whatever is outside should be at the window."

Nanette and Mirra watch the blackness seeing nothing, then something is blacker then space around it. Nanette tells Mirra to go over to the object to check it out. As the Invincible comes into contact with the vessel you can't even see the shape of the vessel it is enormous.

"What in blue blazing is that, it is not a battle crab!"

Mirra looks at it. "No it is a planet killer, we called it the Shadow Cloud; it is a gigantic organic vessel--I Valen's name...it is the legendary Shadow vessel Xha'dum!"

"Xha'dum, Organic?"

"Correct, it is just indestructible."

Nanette looks at the instruments. "If it is an organic ship and we are using Shadow technology can this cause problem?"

Mirra is thinking very deep. "Good chance."

Nanette runs to her chair as Mira runs back to navigation. "Get us away."

"Yes, all ready done so."

The Invincible pulls away and goes back on track. As Nanette and Mirra sit quietly they are interrupted by the intercom. "Nanette?"

"Here!"

"This is Incevi, what was that gigantic ship I couldn't even see it!"

Nanette looks at Mirra, how did he know about the ship? "Mirra says it is a Shadow Cloud."

"A Shadow Cloud, I thought that all blew up with Z'ha'dum?"

Nanette, looks around the bridge to see where Incevi is watching them. "So did I, but it is logical to think that the Shadow's may leave vessels in decommission."

"But why?"

Mirra interrupts. "The Shadow's believe they would be back from beyond the rim to retake their power."

Incevi replies. "So that must be why their here?"

Nanette agrees. "Good chance."

As the Invincible goes pass the Shadow fleet the sheer size is overwhelming! Hundred of thousands of ships sitting they're waiting for battle that will never come. As Mirra and Nanette sit quietly the beeper goes off again. "Now what?"

Mirra looks towards his console. "We have reached Sigma 1257KX19, ready to jump Captain Nanette!"

Nanette nods, "All right, jump."

The Invincible twist and turns as the new organic ship emerges out of Shadow space. As the cloaking is removed Sigma 1257KX19 is a starless sigma with only one black planet and one giant orange red nebula behind the planet that looks like a giant fire storm. As Mirra looks outside he looks a pond a planet so black that it is so well camouflaged with its surroundings. Mirra looks at Nanette. "Does the planet have an identification name?"

Nanette looks at her console. "A name, yes."

Mirra looks at Nanette, hoping for the best. "What is it then?"

"It is known only by a few of Earth force, I am surprised the Grey Council does not know of this place!"

Mirra looks at Nanette, she is aware of nothing truly. "The Grey Council only knows the furthest planet on the rim in sector 1257."

Nanette looks at Mirra, but she still is looking for the hidden camera. "And that place was?"

"The homeworld of the Shadow's, Z'ha'dum, but now Sigma 957 was the only furthest known planet from the rim, also inhabited of the Shadow's. So once again I ask does Sigma 1257KX19's planet have a name?"

Nanette looks at Mirra, knowing he is not going to like what he is about to hear. "Yes, it is called X'ha'dum."

"X'ha'dum, sounds like Z'ha'dum, is there an Y'ha'dum?"

Nanette chuckles, she said the same. "No Mirra, no Y'ha'dum."

Mirra looks at the floor. "Oh what a let down, so tell me this, how do you know of this place?"

Nanette looks at the planet. "In stories, this is believed to be allied of the Drakh, and the returning spot of the Shadow's."

Mirra looks at the world. "Well this place can fit the purpose!"

Nanette nods, "Yes it does."

The beeper goes off and a vessel much smaller than the Invincible engines jumps out of hyperspace. The light of hyperspace is so bright in this place of eternal darkness that the walls of blackness seem to shudder. As the jump point closes X'ha'dum begins to show strange sparks of light—glowing very dimly—shades of light orange, yellow and red. Then the planet is finally lit up and strange lines of light criss-cross the planet and shapes begin to take motion. As Nanette and Mirra watch the planet, the planets surface shots out a beam of fire towards the unknown vessel. Just before the fire hits, a shuttle is shot off just as the ship blows up. The explosion was so great that it sent fragments into the Invincible and temporarily shutting down the energy giving a black out. With the disaster the Invincible moved in to pick up the shuttle. "Nanette!"

Nanette looks at Mirra, "Yes Mirra?"

"The descriptions of the shuttle are CX Valdi. Dispatched from a research base."

Nanette looks at the vessel. "A research base, what is it doing here?"

Mirra shakes his head. "I don't know?"

Nanette looks at the active planet once thought dead. "Second, what just happened from X'ha'dum?"

Once again Mirra shook his head. "I don't know?"

Nanette looks at the debris of the ship. "I thought the planet was dead?"

Mirra looks at the dark planet. "Apparently not!"

Nanette looks at Mirra. "All right Mirra, move into life pod CX Valdi, let take on life forms."

Mirra nods, "Yes Nanette, should I alert Incevi?"

Nanette looks at the burning wreck. "Yes, he is our security officer." As the Invincible moves into intercept CX Valdi, the vessel has a cross section on the side to confirm to Mirra's statement that it's a research vessel on life forms. Nanette is wondering why the CX Valdi did not fight back? With more questions, Nanette just become more restless! Mirra also was feeling sick about this place, Sigma 1257KX19 and the planet X'ha'dum is ghastly! As Nanette and Mirra are ready to head to the docking bay X'ha'dum fires once again, but it is not a fire, it is a grappling device. As Mirra and Nanette rush to there stations nearly falling over the consoles they notice that the energy band is pulling the Invincible to X'ha'dum. As the Invincible gets closer to X'ha'dum, Mirra calls throughout the ship to go to quarters for he is shutting down the airlocks.

As the Invincible finally breaks through the atmosphere of volcanic gas, the surface is almost visible; the planets surface is orange-red, the most of the view is blocked by a towering mountain range, and the Invincible is heading towards these mountains. As the surface comes into view there is no sign of life, just a rocky surface with giant monoliths. Some of the monoliths tower at least 500 to 2000 feet high, and the energy seems to be channeled between the two rows of giant monoliths. As the currents carry the Invincible up the sides of the mountain monoliths, which now tower at least 3000 feet this tells Nanette that this channel is made to carry bigger vessels then the Invincible. As the Invincible is about to peak the mountains crest a new dole light fills the red sky. The light is a dim orange with streaks of yellow that seems to dance in X'ha'dum's skies, but the amazing part still remained unseen. As the mountain dropped about 30,000 feet down a rush of steam rocks the Invincible hard and as Nanette and Mirra look out their window their eyes widen, in front of them lays a giant column of erupting volcanic ash just boiling out of the fissure—never stopping. It finally dawns on Nanette that the planets atmosphere is composed of sulfuric acid, carbon monoxide, and sulfur—the compounds of a volcanic landscape, but the density of the cloud cover makes since why the scanners could not detect any disturbances, the volcanic ash messes up scanners, but as Mirra and Nanette saw it, the worse was yet to come, all around them the ground was boiling of hot rock, some were in shape of fountains, others just splattered and with the proper light Nanette could tell that they were inside a volcano's caldera. The caldera was at least 100 miles wide, about 70 miles of this caldera was highly explosive. The sides of the caldera erupted fountains of lava and it would appear that the only non-erupting area is where they came through. As the Invincible neared towards the second column they entered a high-pressure zone of ash and falling lava rocks, the entire area is covered in particles of fire and molten plasma. As the cloud erupts violently around them Mirra is afraid that the ship will break, but with the sudden stopping of the erupting and shaking it is evident that the ship has passed through the cloud.

When Nanette and Mirra look out the windows the sight is more startling, there is a huge city just below them, it looks like this: it is a black city with buildings of shifting black flesh that gives off reflections of black energy. Those buildings have spiny spikes all over the buildings. The major part of the city is almost 30,000 feet down and as the Invincible moves through the city most of the buildings rocket over the Invincible for nearly 20,000 feet. As the Invincible reaches the center of the city the main tower is so close that you could touch it. It looked like it was built of glass—black tinted, and the look-a-like glass changes its flesh. As Nanette and Mirra watch the tower, the gasses part and a fiery light appears, it is about twice the size of the Invincible, it rapid movement does not disturbed the air and the fire like ball does not look down, then as the Eye is out of sight, the sound of something of evil fills the inner ear drums of the inner mind. The Eye cascades downward and it stops the Invincible and looks at the ship. When the Eye appears in front of them Mirra tells Nanette not to look at it, for the Eye will control the weak mind, but it is too late it is superior to them and they view it, the Eye looks like 24 little eyes that is surrounded by fire or what looks like fire. As Mirra turned to Nanette, Mirra is now worried why the Eye has not attacked. The Eye fluxes and leaves and the Invincible begins moving. Nanette looks at Mirra with concern. "Why did they not attack?"

Mirra states his favorite line again, "I do not know?"

Arimira enters. "The Eye was here?"

Nanette looks at Arimira, "You know the Eye?"

Arimira looks at the city. "Only my programmed memory. The Eye will not aloud any other species to enter its city."

Nanette looks at the city. " So why did we get through?"

Arimira looks at the consoles. "When the Eye was watching us I programmed everyone on this ship to look as 100 percent Liberator."

Mirra interrupts Nanette with the most fear any Minbari can muster up. "Liberator?"

Arimira nods, "Shadow, to others except us, we now look like Shadow's."

Mirra looks at Nanette. "Will this hurt us for I am made by Vorlon technology?" Arimira seems confused for a while, and then she remembers the history of Shadowism and of X'ha'dum and she laughs beneath her breath. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing Mirra, a file from Z'ha'dum."

Nanette looks interested. "Go on Arimira."

"Well file 19, the Shadow's talk about the allied world X'ha'dum is Sigma 1257—Sector 19, the ones who lived here embraced life."

Mirra replies. "So why did they destroy the CX Valdi?"

Arimira answers in an instance. "The warning was broken, they pierced the cocoon of protection, and the Shadow's aren't stupid!"

Nanette looks at the screen that projects the view of the massive Liberator city. "So that must be why the Liberators Eye did not touch us as the one of Z'ha'dum touched the ones of the Babylon 5 era."

Arimira thinks for a second. "That's a good possibility."

The Invincible begins to descend towards the ground, Arimira, Mirra, and Nanette watched as the ground comes up to meet them, then Nanette lowered landing gears to land safely on the surface of X'ha'dum. As the grips of the tracking beam fades away the ship is released from the grip and now lays untouched. As Mirra, Nanette, and Arimira watch the movement outside they are joined by Gram, Mira, and Incevi who they first see the surface of this ancient planet and it's people. As for Arimira and Gram they can feel the presences of the Liberators and see them fading in and out only because of the Shadow DNA in themselves. As they all watch the bustling activity outside a message appears on the comcast: "Welcome, state your business here, reply in two standard Earth minutes".

As Mirra reads the message out loud Nanette is shocked by the friendly approach made by the Shadow's. Nanette types back: "Business is of research origin, but current fights by Hand threw us off course".

After the reply there was a waiting moment then another reply: "Ideal, Hand? Explain"

When Nanette heard the cold message, she types back: "Ancient race locked away in eternal darkness".

There is another waiting process: "Ancient darkness? Do you come from Z'ha'dum"?

The message is now typed slower to give idea of choice of words: "Z'ha'dum does not exist, it was destroyed in the last great that was almost 1000 years ago, Lorien had taken all known first ones beyond the rim".

The waiting process is a very long one, maybe it was because the Shadow's knew now they were alone, but whatever it was, the silence ended with another welcoming gesture: "Welcome, you may come out of your vessel please bring your own respiratory life support".

And with that the message was cut. Nanette looks at the small crew and has the decision of a lifetime. "All right, we have been welcomed, but we need to check on the crew members of the CX Valdi, Mira go back to Med Lab and bring supplies, Arimira stay here just incase if they want to talk again, Gram prepare the breather suits, Mirra and Incevi come with me."

Mirra looks at Nanette, "Coming." Incevi just follows.

Mirra and Incevi walk fast towards the docking bay. As they pass the transport tube, it opens and they are joined with Mira who has her medical equipment. As the enter the docking bay the shuttle of the once CX Valdi is laying steaming every steady, the gasses alert Nanette of a harmful gas, but it turns out to only be water vapor from the thrust off the CX Valdi. As Mirra, Incevi, and Mira look for an opening the material on the vessel is a shifting greenish blue organic flesh like the blackish purple organic flesh applied by Arimira and Gram. As Incevi looks at the vessel he is amazed to see such craftsmanship on just a shuttle. With his curiosity he approaches the vessel and touches the ship, the ship shifts shape so fast that the average eye would miss it and the focus of the organic material begins to consume him. As Incevi tries to pull his hand away the greenish blue organic flesh spreads further up his arm to the base of his neck and more he struggles the further he is pulled in. When Arimira and Gram see this they call Mira and Nanette to help as Incevi cries out for help. As Arimira and Gram approach, greenish blue plasma fires out and throws Arimira and Gram about ten feet plastering them in a pinkish-white silk-like cocoon leaving them paralyzed. When Nanette sees this she runs over to them to break apart the chrysalis, as for Mira, she runs towards Incevi and grabs his hand that is not consumed by the organic flesh and begins to pull him out of the organic fluid, but the organic fluid pulls back and the thrust has Mira in contact with the ship that is now consuming her. As for Arimira and Gram the chrysalis stills remains, as Nanette is almost successful on her mission to free them. As Nanette breaks the last strand she turns to the rescue of Incevi and can't see him, and only sees the scaly hand of Mira subducting into the ship. As Nanette watched, Arimira and Gram joined her. "What happened?" Said Gram.

Nanette looks carefully at the CX Valdi. "We lost Mira and Incevi to the CX Valdi; something tells me that the CX Valdi is not of any race we know."

Arimira picks off some of the chrysalis matter off her face and realizes what this is. "Nanette!"

Nanette turns to look at the chrysalis covered Arimira. "Yes Arimira?"

Arimira looks at the organic shell. "I believe I know who built this ship."

"By whom?" Says Nanette impatiently.

Arimira says coldly. "The Vorlon Empire, that is why it acted so harsh towards Gram and I, we both have Shadow technology in us, we are half Shadow, and the Shadow's were the Vorlon's worse enemy."

Nanette nods agreeing with Arimira's statement. "That may be a fact! But you also have Vorlon in you, so why did it not accept you?"

Arimira looks at the CX Valdi, "I believe that is why it did not kill Gram and I, a Vorlon won't hesitate to pull the trigger against a Shadow, and to them we are like parasites!"

Nanette remembering that a Shadow looks like a giant spider. "How true! But I need to know Arimira will the plasma kill them?"

Arimira remains looking at the Vorlon vessel. "The Vorlon order does not believe in wasting life, only altering it to higher playing fields."

Nanette looks at the CX Valdi, but her fear is not reassured. "Well that is assuring!" Nanette looks at the vessel, but keeps clear. "Well help me find a way to get into there."

Arimira nods, "I will do so Nanette."

Nanette goes to C&C, while Gram finishes up on those breather suits. Arimira begins to make scans and tries to make contact with a ship that its people have been dead for over 1000 years. As for Incevi and Mira they lay in plasma like environment with tubes and wires and organic compounds on their bodies and in their mouths. The sleep is produced by the ship as it sings to them, but as they lay untouched, they're also not alone, they are being watched by two Humans, but like Incevi and Mira they too have secrets, secrets from the Vorlon homeworld the secrets of the end of all life! As the two children watch the Human and hybrid they tell the ship to wake them and the ship retracts the tubes and the two cough out the fluid that was placed in their mouths. When they awaken it is very well lit up. As Mira and Incevi look around they find two people watching them, they appear to be Human, but their ship does not, Mira tries to make contact. "Hello, my name is Mira; this is Incevi, what are your names?"

The two children look at one another and the female does the majority of the talking. "My name is Casthmatic and this is Jake, where are you from?"

Mira looks at Incevi, turning her head in this ship is like trying to move after a thirty mile hike. "Well I am from Anterian, and Incevi is from an Earth colony…where are you from?"

Casthmatic looks at Jake…Jake nods his head. "Jake and I are from Earth, but when we turned nine years old we were abducted by a race called Vorlon's, we were experimented on, implanted with devices and then more alterations to aloud us to live in a liquid environment."

Incevi is flabbergasted, "How was it done?"

Casthmatic holds up tubes that were in Incevi and Mira. "By tubes, a tube is placed in the mouth and wires of organic compounds reshape the respiratory track to breathe gas, oxygen, and water, the only thing we can't breathe is vacuum. The only side affect to having an advanced respiratory system is the over abundance of slimy liquid called sputum, mostly when we wake."

Mira looks at Incevi, they both remember coughing up sputum. "Ah—personal question, were we just adjusted?"

Casthmatic smiles, "Well you're in plasma filled environment, so either you are dead, or your breathing has been enhanced.

Incevi is most disturbed, "You mean we now can breathe underwater?"

Casthmatic nods, "Yes, to a factor."

Mira looks at Mira, concern why she said to a factor, "A factor, what do you mean Casthmatic?"

Casthmatic is about to speak but Jake interrupts her. "You can't breathe in distilled water, no oxygen no life it is the laws of physics."

Incevi nods, "Physics, horrible—cruel reality. To a fashion, sometimes physics can be a lifesaver." Incevi feels something is not right with his neck.

Mira looks at Incevi who is touching his neck expecting to find gills but does not; Mira thinks that this is a humorist thing. Incevi sees this and puts his hands in his lap, "What's so funny Mira?"

Mira chuckles, "Nothing, I was just recalling the fact that my people can all ready breathe in water, but I could not; so I joined the Minbari-Earth alliance."

Casthmatic looks at Mira concern why. "Why?"

Mira's chuckles stop and she stares at Casthmatic. "Why I joined the alliance?"

Casthmatic shakes her head. "No, why can't you breathe liquid in the past if your people can?"

Mira shows her hair, not really common among Anterian's and shows her sealed gill slits at the base of her neck. "I am a hybrid, half Human half Asmaraqua; I suppose I have more Human genes till now, so I should thank you!"

Casthmatic looks confused. "Thank me; we were only acting to save your lives, by now you would have died of drowning."

Casthmatic and Jake look at one another in the form of did-we-say-to-much? Mira and Incevi see Casthmatic and Jake's fear so they figure to quiet down on questions. As for Incevi himself, well he is worried what else they may have done to him while he was not awake. As for Mira, she is excited to go home to her father on Anterian and to travel to the depths of some of the great cities about 30 to 40 thousand feet and deeper. For Jake, he is worried about the Shadow's that tried to board the CX Valdi. Casthmatic, like Jake hasn't seen a living creature except Vorlon's for over 500 years and she was more interested in the species aboard this ship and about her own new abilities and the interest to acquire these newly formed abilities that have been slowly put in her for over 500 years. As for Gram, Mirra, Nanette, and Arimira…well they don't know if they should mourn-wait-or go to the Liberators, but whatever the considerations are they all have hope that Incevi and Mira were pulled into help with medical and last but less—the citizens of X'ha'dum are wondering why they have not come out of the Invincible? The Liberators are becoming restless. Back on the CX Valdi the four are becoming more trusting. Casthmatic and Jake figured to explain what is happening to them and they would let Mira and Incevi tell them about them. "It is such a pleasure to talk to one like us, not a first one." Says Jake.

Incevi looks at Casthmatic and Jake, "Talking about first ones Casthmatic and Jake, no one has ever seen the Vorlon homeworld, could you give us information, stories, or sights of the planet?"

Jake looks at Casthmatic, Casthmatic smiles. "Why tell you when we could show you." Casthmatic and Jake stand up and help Mira and Incevi to take their first steps in plasma filled environment. "It is hard to walk in a plasma environment, but you will get better at it."

Mira looks at Casthmatic, "Where are we going?"

Casthmatic looks back at Mira. "To the navigation room, that is where the files are."

Mira nods lightly. "Okay."

As Casthmatic, Jake, Mira, and Incevi walk through an environment uncommon to any young species, to describe the feeling of the plasma it is sort of like moving through jello that has set for about one hour in the refrigerator, but the plasma was not cold, or hot, it was comfortable and as Casthmatic had said it would become easy to live in. when they finally got to the navigation room Casthmatic waited outside gesturing to go inside, so Jake, Mira, Incevi then Casthmatic entered as Casthmatic closed the door and dimmed the lights. "You request information on Vorlon, we like all information on Z'ha'dum, do we have a deal?" Says Jake.

Incevi nods, "Yes, but we can only tell you so much, the main information lay outside."

Jake looks at Casthmatic. "Outside, I do not understand?"

Incevi replies. "Your ship nailed them."

Jake remembers that the ship went into self defense against the darkness. "Oh the two Shadow's, why are they on this vessel?"

Incevi looks at Mira, Mira does not look at Incevi she is amazed at the design of the vessel. "Well I will tell you so much I know. Were at war with the Hand."

Jake is confused. "Hand?"

Incevi nods, "The new, but old race of darkness."

Jake looks at Casthmatic. "I see, the arising darkness, maybe that is why we were awaken, the Vorlon's told us that we would be there to help the nine go into Thirdspace."

Mira interrupts Incevi, "The nine?"

Jake nods and looks at Mira, "Yes, you must be two of the nine, and you say there is four outside and we make two, so that is eight…were shy one."

Casthmatic presses the button and a planet comes up, there are two stars and the novas far off to the sides that make the planet bluish white and very cloudy with ice rings. As the picture comes through the methane clouds there is a mushroom city that is lit up and the picture fades, as the city comes in view the picture enters one of the many buildings. As the blinding light stings the eyes of the four the inner part of the building is visible and there are hundred of thousand of glass tubes with bodies in them, mostly adults of all species, but the picture does not stop there, it enters another room with more glass tubes but with children. As the picture slows down the tubes are all shut down. "Pause—this is when the Vorlon's left the universe, but that was not it, some computers were left on to maintain three supports, defense of the planet, life support for the others, and waking—we were awaken—resume."

The picture shows two tubes being lifted up and taken away. "What's happening?" Says Incevi.

Casthmatic looks at the screen. "There time is up."

Incevi looks at the bodies. "They're going to be destroyed?"

Casthmatic looks at Incevi, "No, just watch."

As the tubes are placed in the ship they are separated to aloud the liquid and bodies fall out, after that the tubes are removed and the ship comes alive and plasma fills the inner of the vessel. After that the vessel launches off smoothly and the plasma moves the bodies away into a strange room that looks like the area that Mira and Incevi were in. "Wait-a-minute, this is you?" Says Incevi excitedly.

Casthmatic nods, "Yes, it is the only film we have, it is a record of our lives." The film stops and a list of information appears. "This is what we need done, we need some one able to read Vorlon, and we can't."

Mira looks at the text, "Well we have a Shadow Vorlon hybrid outside, if we make prints of those words we may be able to tell you both what it says."

Casthmatic looks at Mira and smiles. "If you can do that, that would be great!"

Jake looks at Incevi, "Now your turn, do you have any information on the Shadow's, the ship has missed the wars and we have only heard of Shadow's through whispers."

Mira looks at Incevi, but Incevi shakes his head, he wishes not to speak about these creatures. "Well the Shadow's are Minbari description of their ability to cloak in and out, Z'ha'dum is Minbari for broken enemy. Their last war was almost 1,000 years ago with all the remaining first ones and the younger races, the war turned to the Shadow's favor when they surrounded the entire fleet in three Shadow Clouds."

Jake is asked by the ship to question this cloud. "Shadow Clouds, explain?"

Mira thinks at a vid. of a Shadow Cloud. "They're a way to destroy entire planets and they're almost impossible to destroy, but anyway these clouds had consumed the entire fleet and one by one ships were being picked off, but more threaten than Shadow's was there emissary like Mr. Morden."

The ship makes Jake interrupt Mira again as it records all the conversation. "Mr. Morden, who is he if you don't mind me asking?"

Mira shrugs, "No, it's all right, Mr. Morden was part of the crew of the Icarus that was sent to Z'ha'dum to find any species living there, they found what was living there and most were killed when placed in Shadow vessels as central components. We latter learned that all the Shadow's ever wanted were not to be alone. We also found that to be the same case for the Vorlon's, even to this day they asked two of the most restricted questions, the Shadow's would say, "What do you want", the Vorlon's would ask "Who are you" and then came then came the Drakh—dark servants of the Shadow's and they always asked "Who do you serve", but it has been near 1,000 years since there last reign of terror, but we suspect of an alive race of Shadow's."

Casthmatic is just curious, not under control of the ship, but the question is taken in account by the ship as an interest. "Shadow's, where?"

Mira and Incevi look at one another with worry. "Ah—we are on the planet, a Liberator defense weapon destroyed your ship, so we picked up your life pod even though this is larger than the average life pod, but as we began to move we were captured by a tracking beam and settled on the surface of X'ha'dum."

Casthmatic is nervous, she has heard of horror stories of the ancient homeworld of the race of darkness. "We are on X'ha'dum?"

Mira nods, "Yes the Liberators here also seem friendly, but we learned that the Shadow's do use trickery to get there way, a good example is Mr. Morden whom I talked a little about and John Sheridan's wife, Ana Sheridan who was believed to be dead, so of course we will use extreme caution."

Mira and Incevi look at one another and plan they need to help Casthmatic and Jake for there might be more trouble for them if they leave the protection of the Vorlon vessel. So they tell them that they are going to decode the message so they can see if Casthmatic or Jake can survive outside their ship. As Mira and Incevi touch the walls of the ship they just walk through the wall and out of the ship. As they walk across the wall they force the plasma out of their lungs and proceed towards the C&C deck to find out what is on the Vorlon's mind, and in their language. They enter C&C. "Hello Captain Nanette, Mirra." Says Incevi.

Nanette turns and looks at the mucus covered individuals, she notices that their necks are swollen, but surprised to see them alive, but does not touch them, the light blue ooze could contain an chemical that can cause harm. "Incevi, Mira your alive, thank god we thought we had loss you!"

Mira shakes her head lightly, but is enough to loosen up the ooze to begin to drip off her. "No we were fine, we also got to meet two new members of our crew, their names are Jake and Casthmatic of the CX Valdi, their ship was based partly on Vorlon technology, we were taken into a rather harsh environment filled with plasma."

As Nanette looks at the plasma, she has an idea of how they survived, but she wanted to hear their side of their survival tactics. "Plasma, how did you two survive, it's been nearly two hours since we've lost you two."

Mira looks at Incevi she can't answer right off the bat, the aliens never really told them what advancements they had undergone, only that they now possess one of the most advanced respiratory systems. "I am not sure; we've hoped to get answers from these files," Showing a data crystal. "We had hoped to get it on paper, but the Vorlon's do not have any materials that resemble paper."

Mirra agrees with Mira's reasons of no Vorlon paper. "Yes, Vorlon has three stars that superheats the planet, no foliage can survive on Vorlon."

Nanette looks at Mirra, "Three stars, I thought there were only two stars?"

Mirra reassures, "No the Vorlon Empire has three stars."

Nanette looks back at the grossly wet Asmaraqua and Human. "Then they must be from a different planet."

Incevi plugs in the data crystal, plasma sticks to the console and he tries to break it off but it just spreads all over the console." This is where they're from, a universe of white a that planet is Vorlon" As the methane clouds break the city emerges."

Mira looks at Incevi, "Fast forward to the labs."

The tubes of liquid and bodies line for as long as the eye can see, as Nanette and Mirra watch they are flabbergasted. "In Valen's name, an entire genetic lab on younger races." Say Mirra in disbelief. The scene skips to the Vorlon writing. Arimira who has been watching off in the distance comes closer to look at the text which is Vorlon.

As Mira looks at Arimira she looks at the text, "This is where I need your help Arimira…can you read this?"

Subject 10-19 of Valdi, human origin recovered in 1940 in Stalingrad, Russia and F Frankfort, Germany, identification is Human code 10 taken to Vorlon Empire on secret route to not attract the eye. Been adjusted to breathe most atmospheres and to resuscitate others with artificial organic apparatus. Names are irrelevant test shown that species can survive good on methane, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, hydrogen, oxygen, and plasma water . Removal of organs to replace with organs suitable to handle other environments which includes, pancreas, lungs, and heart all proven to be infected. Skin treatment finished, two layers of epidermis removed and xeric acid cover to destroy tissue below to stop reproduction of skin cells, implanted cells of Asmaraqua to create a shield against the outside elements. If they die they have a chemical they can release in the form of nerve gas. And if come in contact with other species they take half of the species and give half of there own.

Arimira reads some of the writing. "Some of it, but it does not make since."

Mirra looks at Arimira, interested in what the text says. "Can you at lease try?"

"Well, what I can read it states: Subject 10-19 of Valdi, Human origin recovered in 1940 in Stalingrad, Russia and Frankfort, Germany, identification is Human code 10 taken to Vorlon Empire on secret route to not attract the Eye. Been adjusted to breathe most atmospheres and to resuscitate others with artificial organic apparatus. Names are irrelevant, test shown that species can survive good on methane, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, hydrogen, oxygen, and plasma water . Removal of organs to replace with organs suitable to handle other environments which includes, pancreas, lungs, and heart all proven to be infected. Skin treatment finished, two layers of epidermis removed and xeric acid cover to destroy tissue below to stop reproduction of skin cells, implanted cells of Asmaraqua to create a shield against the outside elements. If they die they have a chemical they can release in the form of nerve gas. And if come in contact with other species they take half of the species and give half of there own."

Nanette responds. "My god people, they are terraformers, is there a way to stop their transformations?"

Nanette looks at Arimira hopping for at least some good news, Arimira delivers. "Yes, only one word "White"."

Incevi looks confused. "White, what is white?"

Mirra first gives an idea. "Well the Vorlon Empire is."

Arimira interrupts, "No, I don't think so."

Nanette thinks, "Ah—what about Thirdspace?"

They all look at one another dumb founded. Mirra looks at the Vorlon text, "They are the key!"

Nanette nods, "That makes eight of us; we still need to find the last."

Mirra looks at Nanette. "Prophecy will serve its course."

Arimira wraps up the conversation. "Well as long as they don't touch us, we will be fine, so you want us to get them?"

Nanette thinks, they need a delicate environment. "Well they're guest and maybe we can get artificial breathing."

Arimira looks at the request from Nanette awkward. "Why?"

Nanette looks at X'ha'dum. "We are on X'ha'dum, the home world of the Liberators, the most dangerous species of all." Nanette thinks and tells Mira and Incevi to go get them. Mira and Incevi reenters the Vorlon vessel. "Mira and Incevi please go get Jake and Casthmatic."

Mira and Incevi nod and leaves Nanette. As Mira and Incevi walk down the corridor, nervous to reenter, the feeling is weird, the CX Valdi worries Incevi, but as soon as Incevi looks up he gazes upon the CX Valdi, as Mira and Incevi enter the ship, the are still awake and find themselves in the same room they awoke in, as they look around, Incevi want to hurry up, find them and get away as quickly as possible from this vessel. "Jake, Casthmatic, where are you?" Jake comes out to meet Mira and Incevi. "We've have decoded the message, but there is a warning on it," Casthmatic enters. "The transformation on you two was totally life changing…let me explain…when we reviewed the files you were taken by mistake in the Earth year 1940, you Casthmatic came from Stalingrad, Russia and you Jake are from Frankfort, Germany. I find it ironic that you two would be friends even though your countries were at war."

Mira seeming concerned. "Who was winning the war?"

Casthmatic speaks. "The Germans were, the last thing I remembered was that Russia pasted a non-aggression treaty with Germany to prevent the Germany Empire from advancing onto the Motherland." Casthmatic is silent in thoughts and turns to Jake. "Perhaps you might want to answer this one, Jake—as a German who was winning?"

Jake seems nervous, worried he may alter the others thought about him. "Remember the war was years ago, by the way what is this year?"

Mira replies, "The year is 3261."

Jake and Casthmatic look at one another they can't believe they slept that long, but Jake continues. "All right, so it had been—what 1300 years?"

Incevi nods, he's very good with numbers, "Close very close try 1321 years of sleep."

Jake looks at Incevi and then at Casthmatic, "All right, I will then file this under strange, but considering the blunt facts to your question, Germany waged war in 1939 because of Furor Adoft Hitler believed he could make a difference for our country and beside we were a resentful people. When I was born in 1932 as same with Casthmatic; we were in a European depression. Now I came from a proud family line, but after our defeat in World War One my family was begging for food and drinkable water! It was not fair, but off of personal agendas I was drafted to Hitler's Youth at age eight to serve on the might army of all, but I envied my brother who served at age 15 in Hitler's Youth for the mighty ship Bismarck, I never seen the ship sail, but maybe you have, could one of you tell me—what happened to my brother and the Bismarck, did he make it to the Atlantic?"

Mira does not know the answer but Incevi does, and sees fit to let the boy know. "I learned of the mighty Bismarck in school, to be correct—history."

Everyone is looking at Incevi, Incevi is holding back the answer, but Jake presses on. "So what happened?"

Incevi looks up from the ground, Casthmatic, Mira, and Jake already have a bad feeling. "The Bismarck found the Hood of the British fleet!"

Jake presses Incevi to continue, the story eats at him like a fungus on a tree. "And?"

Incevi looks at Jake, there is pity written all over Incevi's face. "The Bismarck fired off eight shots over 15 miles away and struck the ship and sunk it, but with the British mad they all hunted down the Bismarck and fired upon it, the entire ship was a floating blood bath and the smell of fire, flesh, and metal burned the nose. The ship remained afloat and would not sink so the Germans sunk there own ship over 113 survived out of 2,000 men."

Jake looks down, grief-stricken, "I see, and who won the war?"

Incevi answers with no pause. "No one really, all sides lost badly! Japan attacked America, America attacked Germany and Japan, Russia was bombed back to the Stonehenge by Germany in a fight that almost destroyed Russia, it was the year 1945 and the battle was at Stalingrad."

Casthmatic looks up from the ground, surprised to hear her cities name. "Stalingrad, my hometown, what became of it?"

Incevi's face twist, "Rubble, the German's made as you might say—hell with it."

Casthmatic, in her mind pictures Germany filled with swastikas and riches. "And Germany?"

"Russia, Britain, and France set most of the cities aflame, it wasn't till 1945 when the war came to a stand still and things spread out. After World War Two, it wasn't till 2010 when the Third World War happened; some call it the War of Terrorism."

Jake nods, still grief-stricken, "I see, well a thank you should be in proper order, now what is the warning you were about to tell us?"

Incevi informs them, "Well as I had said, the Shadow-Vorlon hybrid decoded the message, it states that you two were programmed to be a weapon against the Shadow's or Hand, you have the capability to contract and at the same time release DNA, we believe it may be caused by mutation over thousand of Earth standard years." Jake is now very worried, as for Casthmatic she only wanted to find a way to cure herself, Mira and Incevi are trying to find a better way to explain the problem. "But there is good news there is a way to end the constant mutation, it is said to go to a place of white, do you know any place of white?"

Casthmatic shakes her head. "No, but there is Vorlon, why can't we just go there?"

Mira replies. "They have a planetary defense system protecting the Vorlon home world, but now you know we need your help, as you may know we are on the Liberators home world X'ha'dum, there atmosphere will kill us if there is an accident, the captain of the Invincible wants you to do what you did to us. You can breathe almost all atmospheres except space itself; we need a back up source if things go wrong."

Jake and Casthmatic look at one another and agree. Jake walks up to Mira. "All right we both agreed to the adjustment, when the hour is up we will tell the ship to adjust all of you, then we will find a way off X'ha'dum."

Incevi turns for a second, but then looks at Jake. "Actually we were welcomed to the city."

Casthmatic looks at them, "And are you going?"

Mira nods, "Yes, if we don't find allies were all dead anyway and geometries tells me that we are in some strange rock bubble with erupting volcanoes gasses and lava, the city is dark, hell I sort of like the place!"

Jake looks at Casthmatic, Mira and Incevi exit the ship, Mira goes to her room to get some rest as Incevi goes to Nanette to tell her what they discussed in the Vorlon ship, Nanette tells Incevi to get some rest and Nanette goes to Arimira, Mirra, and Gram to tell them the news. Once done Nanette goes to the computer console to tell the Liberators they will be out in a few hours, they need some time.