CHAPTER TWELVE: Shadowing
As the space opens up the space is flooded with Liberators Planet Killers as the fleets open fire it is bright with fire. As Liberator vessels are attacked the total battle is turning bad for the alliance fleet.
As Delenn 2nd considers she calls in the Shadow's and Vorlon's. As the space foils in front of the Alliance Fleet the Liberators are being stopped, as the Shadow's bring out their Shadow Planet Killers the two replica planet killers go at it locking and beginning firing missiles as the Shadow Planet Killer and Liberator Planet killer begin to expand, it would seem that the care takers are playing on a bigger field. When Delenn sees this she calls in the Vorlon Planet Killers, when they jump it seems the whole fleet has stopped moving, the planet killers have turned off all vessels, this was the same thing they did in 2261.
When Morden gets the message that the Shadow Planet Killer has been electronically taken over he asks what are they going to do, the Shadow's repeat one word "Revelations" Revelations . When Mr. Morden thinks to himself it dawns to him what the Shadow's are about to do. Activate their self-destruction mechanism. As missiles begin to launch all around the shock affects the Liberators Planet Killers and the Liberators begin firing at the rouge missiles. Because of the amount of missiles around the fleet, the Liberators unlock their electrified and activate their defense grid. With the electrified down the fleet jumps into hyperspace or foils out of space into Shadowspace and reenter back into Sigma 1257, as the giant cloud flashes like a angry lightning storm heading towards X'ha'dum as the cloud surrounds X'ha'dum the explosions light up the blood red sky to a deep blue nova and the planet explodes through the Shadow and Liberator cloud, as chunks as big as Shadow War vessels hurdles towards the four fleets. The Shadow's, Liberators, Vorlon's, and Alliance fleet runs for their lives. When the explosion destroyed some ships the war was over. There were only about 30 Liberator vessels left compared to the thousand of Shadow vessels.
As the Liberator ships explode in front of the crew the sight is puzzling. Why would they kill themselves—the answer is simple it's a better death then the one the alliance would do to them. As the sun rises over the gasses of X'ha'dum, Delenn and Mr. Morden look at Delenn 3rd, Iris, Jake, and Delenn 2nd, they smile at the victory of war. As the Vorlon and Shadow vessels begin to fade away in the sunlight, Delenn and Mr. Morden, and David fade away with the fleet to be evident that the war is over. As the alliance fleet turns around to go back to Minbar Draal appears in front of the screen in Delenn 3rd's ship. As the vessels stop, Draal tells the other vessels to go to Minbar. As Draal looks at the crew he smiles and laughs. "Well, well, well—you've done it—congratulations!"
"Thank you Draal."
Delenn 3rd is sad sounding. "What's wrong Delenn 3rd?"
Delenn 3rd looks up at the Minbari of the Great Machine, "I never got to see my two children on Earth grow up!"
Draal looks lost in words. "I know all you lost more then gained and I grieve for all you—I am truly sorry, but what if I could let you all go back to 3261?"
Delenn 3rd is not certain her children would even notice her, she not longer looks the same, she is no longer the shadow of Nanette, but now the reincarnation in flesh of a great prophet of Delenn. "I am not sure, what's the price?"
Draal looks at Delenn 3rd and smiles, he likes her, never missing a single detail...a true thinker! "You never even will be noticed because the flesh won't alter—it has no need to."
That is what Delenn 3rd feared would be the case. "So the price is to remain in these forms?"
Draal nods, "Yes—that's the cost I am afraid."
Delenn 3rd looks at the celebrating crew, celebrating their major victory. "Let me ask the crew." Delenn 3rd goes to the com. "This is Delenn 3rd your captain, I need your attention—if you want to go home to 3261 you need to know that you will never be in your old form—that's the cost—if anyone says no call in now!" Silence. "Well then may Valen be with you and Godspeed." Delenn 3rd looks at Draal. "Take us into the fire Draal!"
"As you wish." Draal disappears and the space erupts in thunder and flashes of light as the Docetist plummets into a white hole there is a bright flash and the crew are put asleep.
As Delenn 3rd wakes she looks around and she notices she is not on the Docetist, it is the Invincible, as she looks she see her whole crew on the bridge of the Invincible, but it's only Deltalenn, Casthmatic, Delenn 2nd, Deliris, and Ananette—the whole Minbari prophesy! As she looks at the ship she notices it is not the Docetist, it is the Invincible for real she is on her old ship that she lost on Minbar in 2261, but as she is confused and is walking about a voice calls to her—it's Kosh Nanarke followed by Ulkesh Kosh. As Delenn 3rd stands there in confusion a message comes in and it say this in Shadow text:
"open your screen Captain Nanette Delenn"
Delenn 3rd is shocked to read such text, and then thinks about the name: Nanette Delenn, she likes it. As she opens the screen the view is shocking she sees the Altavice, the Dolshire, the Furrore, the CX Valdi, the Metamorphic, and the Armada as the screen appears with people she sees her old crew and the Captain that died in space, Spurr, Mira, Gram, Casthmatic, Arimira, Hindrick, and Incevi. As Nanette Delenn flips out, she is stunned. "You're all alive!"
Incevi smiles and points at Nanette Delenn. "Like you are Nanette, we never died we were part of a prophecy to push the Children of Valen, the Children of Light, Child of Time, and Prosperity of Light to defeat the Liberators."
Hindrick interrupts Incevi, "The real choice came when Draal came to you and the crew, if you'd went to Minbar we would have all been officially dead, but if you came back to the past we would all be given a second chance to life."
Nanette Delenn thinks to herself. The Captain of the Invincible who died in the vacuum of space looks at Nanette Delenn. "And that is why we are here—because of you. So thank you Nanette Delenn!"
Nanette Delenn is stunned and tries to find her words. "Well I suppose you're welcome—where do we go now?"
Incevi looks at Nanette Delenn. "Home, you have two children who have also made a transition waiting for you."
Nanette Delenn remembers her children, but also her other children, Iris, Spurr, and Delenn 2nd, how was her child, but now she is her child. "Yes my son and daughter!" Nanette Delenn looks at the crew of the Invincible Project. "And what about you?"
Hindrick looks at the crew of the Invincible Project. "Our job is complete we can restart our lives with new goals."
Nanette Delenn nods and smiles. "Then I bid you safe travel" Looking at the crew on the Invincible that are just waking. "We have been waiting along time for this."
Incevi looks at the crew of the prophecy of Minbari, race of light. "Thank you for your help to end the Reign of Shadow's and Chaos."
Copyright: 2003/2004
Reprinted: May 2006
By: David Joseph Bruer
Babylon 5, characters, names and all related indicia are trademarks of Warner Bros, and creator of Babylon 5 J. Michael Straczynski