I don't own Babylon 5.
Please let me know what you think, as always.
The Beginning of the Age of Raiders.
President Levy sighed as she looked over the members of her inner circle, which included a few high ranking members from Earthforce, and a few members of IPX while everyone sat in a prefabricated dwelling although there were plans to build a more permanent settlement using the local materials of the planet. In front of her was a pile of paperwork and computer padds, all of them detailing the things that needed to be done quickly in order to make the colonisation of these worlds work although she knew it was a mirage.
"Now ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the new Earth Dome," she held her hands out in a humourless flourish; none of them were even remotely pleased they had been forced off their own world, but there was nothing they could do, "and right now we're going to need all of your to help keep everything going. Now we have been here for two weeks, what is there to discuss?"
Everyone in the prefabricated room glanced at each other, waiting for someone to speak before Senator Crosby spoke. Levy had always liked the other woman for her dedication to duty, to Earth, and to the Alliance. But now there were lines of strain about the woman's eyes which Levy detected instantly.
"The colonies in the outer systems are suffering from food shortages while the planets are being explored steadily; tests are being made of the planets' flora and fauna for viable food shortages, but a lot of it is toxic for human consumption," she began, "hydroponic gardens have been set up, but they're a long way from producing the huge amounts of food required to feed the refugees."
Levy rubbed her eyes. All of the settlements taken by the human race now to serve as temporary colonies had this problem. Hydroponic gardens had been set up along with the prefabricated dwellings on the planets, but despite the time between the worlds had been surveyed to ensure they could support human life without anything hostile there to attack them and when they were actually settled, there were dozens of problems.
To begin with the colonies had been hurriedly set up. There had been insufficient time for the experts to calculate the long-term consequences of settling on them even if they hoped it would be a temporary arrangement. The Underspace and the destruction of so many hyperspace beacons, to say nothing of the enormous storm they had created had made many question the necessity of even leaving system Sol at all, and Levy had been one of them.
But it had been argued the Minbari's capacity for hyperspace travel was vastly superior to those of humans. If the Minbari gathered accurate starcharts of the Earth Alliance territory, then they could find a way to discover Earth. It was the same with any other race, but the hyperspace distortions made it hard for the Minbari or the other races from doing it any time soon. To make the decision to evacuate hadn't been too difficult; the Minbari fleet might have been bled for every ten light-years they conquered, but they had been gaining ground, closer to Earth.
All the humans were doing now was laying low, moving from one system to another after a certain amount of time in the hope of rebuilding before they returned to Earth.
Another problem was because the colonies had been established so rapidly without proper checks, and although many were satisfied there were no harmful elements in the atmosphere did not mean there wasn't some kind of bug which wouldn't inflict some kind of super malaria, some pollen in the air which wouldn't cause hallucinations, water supplies which didn't contain something toxic for human consumption. For that reason hydroponic gardens were rapidly set up. Power was another issue, with it being supplied by bulky fusion generators.
But one of the biggest headaches on the planets was the fact they were overcrowded. There had been dozens of settlements using all the prefabricated dwellings they could use and spare to build the buildings. But that didn't mean everyone wanted to live with others. The reasons varied; some didn't want to live among people for something as petty and stupid as religion, part affiliation and ridiculous political alliances that meant nothing at this point with them still on the cusp of extinction if anything went wrong. And it could go wrong. There was a chance one of the Minbari cruisers had somehow managed to get to this part of the galaxy and was struggling to find its way back, and if they stumbled across the human refugee camps then that would be it.
Why couldn't people see there were bigger issues than some petty bigotry that meant nothing in this day and age? Sadly Levy knew that was only the tip of the fucking iceberg. Racism between humans was still in effect, but it was more down to ignorance and ideology. Ideas were hard to get rid of, and it wasn't unknown for some families to pass their poison on to the next generation. It sickened Levy innocent children would be filled with such loathing for humans who had different coloured skin, had their own religion. It was madness. They had more important things to worry about, like whether they would be found, or if their worlds would be attacked. And everyone was more concerned about the colour of their neighbours' skin. It was frustrating.
The remaining Earthforce ships had their hands full. Not only did they need to patrol the sector quietly, using the Underspace to travel between the systems the humans had colonised in a hurry, but many of the ships were kept close to the planets for protection. They were also needed to escort the remaining cargo ships to the colonies to share resources before the colonies were self sufficient enough to make it unnecessary. The colonists were not ready to provide their own foods or supplies.
Other ships were needed to explore the Underspace network, but because of the losses inflicted by the Minbari and then later the Centauri and the Narns, the number of ships they had available were in short supply.
"I thought the Underspace network allowed for ease of transport of vital foodstuffs?" She questioned although she already knew it, mentally filing away the problem.
"They do," Senator Jackson confirmed. "But IPX and Earthforce are commandeering the ships we have for exploring and patrolling the network. While knowledge of the network is vital and we all know our stay on these worlds is temporary, we need to keep ourselves fed."
Levy was torn about what they needed to do. The Underspace network had given them a huge boon; while it had been too late in the war for them to really use its clear military potential to launch a number of all-out attacks in Minbari territory, although it would likely not work out no matter how hard they fought against their enemies, they still represented a massive advantage. But their knowledge of the network and how large it was was limited. Exploring the network was top priority, especially in a galaxy now full of enemies.
On top of that there were the cries from the people to rescue those being held by the Narn and the Centauri; god only knew how they were doing, if they were still alive. There was a horrible chance the Centauri and the Narn, frustrated by the hyperspace distortions created the overwhelming numbers of nuclear bombs being detonated deep in hyperspace in levels no sane sentient would even want to reach, had taken their ire out on the human slaves intelligence knew had been taken. If that had happened…
When Earth made first contact with the Centauri, who had pleasantly given them some small pieces of advanced technology like access to hyperspace and jump gates until Earth developed their own to venture out into the stars, the Centauri had lied to them. They had claimed to be the masters of a massive empire, but that hadn't been true in decades. Their empire was, in fact, much smaller than the one they had described. But when they had told them about this empire, it had worried many in Earth Dome that the Centauri would be planning to conquer them, especially when they learnt about the conquest of Narn.
The Centauri had also spun a lie about how they and humanity were distantly related, and Earth was a long-forgotten Centauri colony, but it hadn't taken long for them to discover the truth. Centauri and human were completely different species, despite one or two physical differences. But it didn't take long for them to discover the kind of things the Centauri did to their prisoners and slaves, which had further worried those in Earth Dome and other parts of the Alliance who had to deal with the Centauri, and were frightened they would one day encounter an alien race who would conquer them.
If any of their people had been killed by either race, Levy herself would be more than happy to write and approve the order saying they should pay. But for now that would have to wait.
"How much of the Underspace has been mapped in the last few weeks?" Levy turned her attention to the Earthforce and IPX representatives.
General Lefcourt turned to the IPX professor sitting near him, wondering if he was going to speak first, but when nothing came he sighed and answered the question. "The furthest we have gone out, in uncharted space - both normal and under - is at least three hundred light-years away, no-where near the outer systems of the main powers of the League."
Levy frowned when she noticed how the IPX professor called Leisner next to Lefcourt didn't speak up at first, something she did not hesitate to point out, but there was a more immediate situation to question. "Any habitable planets, or worlds with resources that would make it worthwhile?"
The IPX professor spoke up. "We've found several garden worlds which shows clear signs they'd once been home to civilisations, but they were destroyed many centuries ago; nearby there were a number of asteroids rich in minerals, so we can definitely colonise them. There should be no problem venturing to them, and setting up settlements there. But we need to continue sending more ships out into space; I understand the fact there's a shortage, and there's food problems, but we also need to make Underspace exploration a priority."
Levy frowned when she heard a few senators muttering to themselves, knowing the Underspace could not be explored without everyone being fed. She shared their viewpoint, but still… "Is there any other way of mapping the network without ships?" She asked.
Leisner nodded. "Yes, we can use probes, but manned exploration missions are needed in order to determine if worlds are habitable or not."
"But we don't have too many ships to meet the demand," Senator Luchenko argued.
"I might be able to help there."
Everyone turned and they found a tall woman wearing an IPX jacket standing there. She had short-cropped dark hair and light brown skin. She carried with her a self confident facade although it was marred with melancholy. In her eyes she carried a lot of pain. It was clear she had lost a lot to the war, but she had thrown herself into the fray in order to find some kind of purpose.
"Who are you?" Levy asked before anyone could demand an explanation for her intrusion.
"I'm Miranda Furlan, IPX, although I'm a freelance explorer and surveyor," Furlan walked towards the table while she ignored the guards. "I usually get hired for jobs on various worlds, but most times I go out into the galaxy by myself, or with a few assistants and we explore distant worlds which are unaffiliated with other powers."
Levy knew enough about Interplanetary Expeditions to know their structure wasn't as rigid and disciplined as Earthforce, due to their non-military nature. There was a lot of leeway for them to despatch freelance surveyors and explorers to various worlds who could then send word to IPX to send in a more properly equipped expedition after they had done the groundwork.
Despite her not being a xeno-archaeologist and a politician, rather than an explorer, Levy could see that people like this Furlan had thrived in the last few months with the discovery of the Underspace network; not only did they have an uncharted and uncontested territory to explore, they could reach worlds without spending days trapped inside a tin can with ion thrusters, they had whole systems opened up to them which would have taken a long time to reach otherwise.
And that kind of exploration was not without terrible risks like getting lost due to the faults in hyperspace beacons which hadn't been properly maintained for centuries by different cultures.
"How can you help?" Levy said quickly.
Furlan smiled and she unzipped the breast pocket of her jacket and drew out a few data crystals. The IPX scientist stepped forwards with them clutched in her hand before she hesitated at the last minute near the hologram player mounted on the table. "May I?" She asked.
When the IPX scientist received permission she needed, she placed one of the crystals into the player. Once it was inserted properly she pressed the player before she removed a holograph wand from her pocket.
A holographic map showing the galaxy was projected from the crystal. It showed a number of spider-web like lines which everyone knew was the Underspace network, although this map was showing corridor lines extending to other parts of the galaxy that was unlike what others knew.
The IPX professor gasped while everyone muttered in surprise. "You've mapped out more, but how?" Leisner asked.
"By going out there, Professor Leisner, by going out there; I sent out a number of probes to map out distant systems, and I'm not the only one doing so either. Some of the freelancers have become tired of the bureaucracy holding us back," Furlan argued.
"Hold on, are you suggesting IPX has been holding out on exploring the Underspace?" Senator Quantrell demanded.
"No," Furlan answered immediately, "what I mean is IPX is torn between expending resources on expeditions to explore the Underspace because of how limited they are at the moment."
Leisner looked pained to admit this himself. "The exploration of the Underspace is one of the biggest projects we have ever undertaken before, and there is still so much about it we don't understand. The mapping itself is relatively simple; the tunnels don't seem to collapse on themselves and they seem stable enough, but we don't know just how far they extend. But to explore them properly, we need a whole fleet of ships to explore the network, sending out probes daily to go much further. Unfortunately we don't have those resources. There are some in IPX who want to just give up everything we're doing right now; supplying and moving the colonies, and going out in one great big mass and explore the network. But the ships can't be spared. That's why so many freelancers are going out on their own, travelling out as far as they can, and bringing back their findings so future expeditions can be made. Its something that's becoming very popular right now."
"I guess that makes sense; if a large number of IPX ships can't be spared to go out, some would go out on their own," Senator Jackson commented.
"How far have you gone?"
"See for yourself," Furlan nodded at the hologram. "This was recorded six months ago-."
"Hold on, six months? Why didn't you help with the evacuation?" Levy turned at the sound of Foreman's voice. The senator who was part of the British delegation was annoyed but curious at the same time.
Furlan had her reply already prepared, and she gave the senate both barrels. "The Underspace is the key to our survival, much like space was responsible for the survival of our species. I knew with the evacuation of the Alliance because of the attacks, we would need the Underspace to survive. The only way for it to work for us would be if we had a complete knowledge of the network. At the moment there are only a few maps of it, but take a look at what the last few months have been like for me."
Using her wand, Furlan highlighted more spider-web lines showing the Underspace corridors; some of them were quite large while others were tiny in comparison, but what surprised them the most was a long thick line with a number of branches lopping through the galaxy like a vein or artery found on a human body. None of them had known it had existed, it had never crossed their paths once during the discovery and the early exploration of the network, but since they knew so little about the corridors that wasn't a surprise. The corridor looped through the Outer Arm, zigzagging straight through the Perseus arm before going straight through the Scutum-Centaurus Arm of the galaxy. From the map it was clear Miranda Furlan had spent some of her time exploring this massive arm, which encountered a few more just like it, and she had explored quite a few systems along the way but there was a large chunk of the Underspace she hadn't yet visited or surveyed.
It seemed the moment she discovered this large corridor's existence, Furlan had made it her mission to see where it went while being aware she likely didn't have the resources to perform a proper survey. It didn't make any difference, however, as Furlan silently clicked the wand in her hand, and more and more Underspace corridors were revealed like a super spy unveiling a document written in invisible ink. But despite that there was still a large amount of the network which hadn't yet been fully explored and surveyed. But it was still an impressive amount of new territory for them to explore and document, if they had the time to do it.
"How did you explore it so fast?" Lefcourt asked curiously, an edge to his voice which Levy recognised as a military man already working out the potential benefits.
"I carried a number of probes on board my ship; I launched a fair few of them during my exploration, and I left a few beacon markers to help me map them out; don't worry," she added quickly when she saw a few of them start nervously, "the Minbari didn't detect it. We would have known if they had by now. But it wasn't planned out; I just went in one direction and then another, and then I went to see where they took me. It might sound a bit haphazard, but I never liked just going one direction and seeing what happened and where it all led without knowing what else was there."
Levy chuckled. She was starting to like Furlan and her attitude. But then she remembered something Furlan had said originally. "You said you could help us a few minutes ago, how?"
Furlan answered by shutting down the projector and taking her data-crystal out - everyone noticed how she put it back in her pocket, but they hoped and assumed she was doing it for safekeeping - and she slotted in a new crystal. She turned on the projector and an image appeared.
Instead of an Underspace map, the image showed a basic solar system; a typical yellow star, a few planets with a few asteroids, but there was nothing there that would have attracted much attention from other races. There were a few signs the asteroids had been mined and stripped of their resources, but it had happened a long time in the past.
"Where is that?" Quantrell asked.
"Its a solar system located less than four light-years away from where Omelos was."
"Omelos, the Dilgar homeworld? Why would you go there?"
"I didn't plan on heading that way; I was just going in a specific direction in the network and seeing where it took me. I was as surprised as you when I found out where I was in real space, and even more surprised I was in a part of Dilgar territory which had been abandoned. There were parts of Dilgar space which they never really used except for stripping them of everything of value; this was one of them, and considering what I found in this solar system, I would not be surprised if the Dilgar used them for something big," Furlan commented, touching the button on her holo-wand. The projection changed again, this time showing the dark rocky interior which could only be found underground or inside the cavern of an asteroid.
Inside it were a number of recognisable ships used by various races; there was a Centauri Vorchan-class ship, a Narn heavy cruiser, two Vree saucers; a Xill class cruiser and a battle saucer, an Abbai gunship, a Markab cruiser, a small number of Drazi sun hawk cruisers, and several other ships used by the League of Non-Aligned worlds as well as other races who didn't have membership with that organisation. All of the ships were held in organised cradles with boarding tubes connecting to them. To their surprise, there were a few old Earth Alliance ships also in the dockyard. But the ships which really caught the eye of everyone in the room were the seven blue ships which reminded them of fish.
Minbari vessels.
There was one of their transport ships and five of their fighters.
"The Dilgar captured all of the League's ships as well as those not members?" Jackson whispered in surprise.
Lefcourt meanwhile was looking at the ships as if he'd just been told one of the biggest military secrets in existence. "Of course, it makes sense," he whispered.
"What does, General?" Foreman asked quizzically.
"In the Dilgar invasion of the League, many of the League ships were incapable of fighting the Dilgar; a few were the exception, and the Dilgar would go away and then a few weeks later, their ships returned and were able to fight them," Lefcourt explained, unable to take his eyes completely off of the hologram. "Earthforce intelligence suspected the Dilgar had captured a few ships for examination to better understand how their enemies' technology worked, but no matter how hard they looked, no matter how many spies were lost, they were never able to tell for sure. It made perfect sense. The Dilgar were a powerful, clever race, but they shouldn't have been able to develop strategies against their enemies and understand their technologies so quickly. They had a technology similar to the Centauri, but it always seemed to become more advanced as time went on."
"So, this asteroid was used to house alien ships and their scientists and engineers would go in and study them to give their people an edge in battle?" Quantrell glanced at the hologram, remembering the atrocities of the Dilgar war.
"It certainly explains why the Dilgar's technology always seemed to be advancing more than any other races during a war," Lefcourt pointed out.
"It was," Furlan clarified. "When I found the base, I found a number of laboratories containing alien hardware. There were quite a few asteroids in that system, and I visited them all. Some of them were empty, but there were others which were quietly hidden. They contained a number of failsafes designed to block off all but the most sophisticated sensor sweeps."
"Were they booby-trapped?"
"No. I think the work the Dilgar were working on was so delicate, if a bomb went off then they would lose all of their advantages. But that was in the asteroids. When I told you I could help, there was more to it than this," Furlan flicked the holo wand, and the hologram changed.
"Oh my god!" The oath was muttered by dozens of the senate.
The hologram's background was similar; dark, lit up by artificial lighting, and it was clearly underground, and it was full of ships but that was as far as it went. The chamber was a vast hanger containing Dilgar ships from their top of the line capital war cruisers to the most bulkiest of their troop carriers and war freighters which the Dilgar Imperium used to supply their front lines in their genocidal rampage through the galaxy when their home systems' star was on the cusp of going nova. There were small raiding fighters which dominated the entire room, all of them bristling with weapon lenses of various types.
"Where did you take this?" Lefcourt demanded, already seeing the possibilities of capturing Dilgar technology. The Dilgar had been highly advanced, right up to the Centauri in terms of development. If they could seize the ships, they could relieve the strain on the fleet remnants, and at the same time leap forward a century or two, so if they ever fought against someone they would have a better chance of survival.
"Actually these views are a collage of photographs taken over several of the planets in this solar system. I didn't count the exact number of ships, but this solar system's planets contain carved hangers that seem to extend onwards for miles. The Dilgar were stockpiling a fleet of ships; I dunno why they weren't used during the final days of the war. If they had then there is a chance the Dilgar would have won the war," Furlan said.
"You said there were hundreds of these ships in this solar system?" Santiago demanded.
"Yes."
Levy had heard enough. "I recommend we pause our exploration of the Underspace for now, and send an expedition to this solar system and study these ships to make sure they can we used safely. If they can then we'll bring back as many of them as we can. Also, we need to find out if there are any more Dilgar industrial facilities the other powers have not touched; I know that will be hard, the League plundered many of the Dilgar's holdings in this part of the galaxy, but this system has been untouched, so there's a chance. At the same time, we will despatch scientists to study the alien technologies. The question is can we spare them?"
The senators glanced at each other for a moment while they mustered their thoughts.
"I think we can split them up; send a half of them to this Dilgar solar system while keeping the second half here, but we can divide that half to fulfil specific tasks like protection duties and cargo escort," Santiago commented thoughtfully while he worked through the logistics of it all in his head.
"It would certainly allow us to protect and feed our people," Luchenko put in as she nodded.
"Yes, but what worries me is if we send off a large chunk of the remainder of our fleet off, we are potentially putting ourselves at risk; what if some of the other races discover where we are and mount an attack?" Senator Quantrell demanded.
"We need these ships, Ronald," Senator Hidoshi pointed out grimly, "we're a long way from being able to make our own, and we can't exactly build a small fleet if we're on the move."
"Yeah, but at the same time, we can't really dedicate any space to studying alien technology," Quantrell shot back.
"We could study the alien technology on the spot. The ships and hardware is stored in laboratories anyway; why bother moving them in the first place?" Furlan interrupted, uncaring about the rudeness in interrupting members of her own government. She was just finding it hard to believe these senators weren't bothering to think this whole thing through logically.
"We didn't ask for your opinion-."
"I know, but you're getting it anyway," Furlan countered as gently as she could. "We have fewer resources as it is, but we can make use of the resources of this system."
Leisner spoke up in defence of his IPX colleague. "She has a point, Senators. We don't have the facilities to study one shuttlecraft, never mind a capital ship. In any case, we can use these ships, if they're safe, to augment our fleet."
"They're right; fighting against the Minbari was bad enough, but we suffered major losses when we had to fight off the Narns and the Centauri. With those two, we managed to win a few skirmishes, but we might be able to spare half of the fleet in order to travel to this solar system," Lefcourt spoke up at that point. The general had been listening to the argument for the last few minutes and he had been going through everything he had known in his mind.
He wasn't exaggerating. The fight against the Minbari had been terrible for the fleet; for every Minbari ship that was crippled or destroyed in normal ships, six or seven Nova class warships were destroyed in the process while their weapons sliced through their ships' hulls like blowtorches through butter. Earthforce reserves had already been weakened by the time the Centauri and the Narns declared war on Earth, and many had died in the process, but with those two races their technologies were more or less even; Centauri technology was greatly more advanced than their own, of course, but they weren't the Minbari.
But they had still lost a lot of ships. While Lefcourt was pleased they had found this booty, and on one of the Dilgar worlds no less, he didn't want to just send off all of the fleet there to get them. Now all they needed was to find a decent way of reaching those ships and bringing a number of them back.
"Senators, Madam President," Lefcourt began to attract the attention of everyone else in the room, and he waited until the senators were staring at him, waiting for what it was he had to say before he carried on, "I think we should instead send a few ships to this system; the fewer ships we send the better in case there are any booby-traps in that part of the galaxy. The ships should ferry scientists and engineers as well as linguists and computer programmers who understand Dilgar language and technology, as well as pilots to bring some of the ships back. If the ships are spaceworthy and will work with us, then we can bring them back here, to the planets we've colonised. If we need more, then we can simply send in more people."
"That's a good solution," Senator Hidoshi commented.
"It sounds like a good start," Levy observed.
X
On the planet Vorlon, the Emperor's council were currently in session after the Emperor himself had ordered a complete gathering of all of the facts available before he'd ordered them to be presented before the court and the council. To the rest of the galaxy at large, the Vorlon empire was one of complete mystery which wasn't helped by how the Vorlons refused to give knowledge of their culture to the rest of the galaxy. Every ship entering Vorlon territory never returned especially those whose missions were strictly peaceful since very few races in their right minds would want to declare war on the Vorlon Empire, sparking off rumours about the power of the Vorlons. As a result, nobody knew how the Vorlon government worked.
The government consisted of the Emperor's court and the High Command.
At the head of government was the Emperor, the almighty ruler of the Vorlon Empire. He had been ruling the Empire for millions of years and he had never been deposed and nobody had even thought to get rid of him. Such a decision and such an act would never have occurred to the Vorlons.
Beneath him were the Prime Minister and High Lord, the leaders and administrators to the Command. Underneath them were the Emperor's Court, a council composed of the eldest Vorlons within the empire. The High Command dealt with matters of war and interstellar diplomacy. While the Vorlons liked to present the impression they represented obedience and discipline, that did not mean they came to the same thought when it came to solving a problem.
The Emperor's bioluminescent, almost squid-like body floated in the Court Assembly with the others, his body glowing a plethora of colours. All around him, counsellors, advisors, and other elder Vorlons of both the High Command and the Court floated around, their telepathic thoughts and views being broadcasted to everyone. At the moment, the Vorlons, like so many others in the Milky Way galaxy were debating on the matter of the humans.
It was not going well. The Vorlons stood for order above anything else; no passion, no dreams, just discipline and obedience, but despite following that philosophy and sticking to it for aeons, the Vorlons were as individualistic as every one else with their own views. The Emperor would listen to the opinions of everyone and come up with a plan of action, and it had worked for the Vorlons for millions of years.
The humans have travelled to the Outer Rim of the galaxy. Our probes in that part of the galaxy have detected a few scattered settlements out there.
The Emperor was unsurprised by this news. Where else could a race now hated and vilified for the way they'd destroyed the hyperspace beacons flee to? We had anticipated that factor. How did they get there?
Preliminary findings indicate the humans used the space tunnel network.
The Emperor felt the telepathic waves of surprise and annoyance to the reply from all of the Vorlons presently around him. The tunnel network was a vast network of corridors crisscrossing throughout the galaxy, even beyond and although the Vorlons were old enough and experienced enough to be aware of their existence, they had never used the corridors because their existence brought change, and because of their single-minded nature, the Vorlons lacked the drive to explore something new.
To the Vorlons, hyperspace was normal, every other form of interstellar travel was not. Other First Ones had discovered the network and had proven themselves to be more openminded towards their existence.
But the younger races…
To the Vorlons, the younger races were their own playthings to guide in order to prove to all that the way of order and obedience against the chaotic warfare of the Shadows; for them to achieve that ability, they needed to travel down the technological path all of the First Ones had journeyed down, the path which led to data crystals, gravimetric field generation, hyperspace. Nothing more, nothing less.
Ordinarily, the Emperor would not have any hesitance to issue an order and warrant to destroy the ones who'd discovered the network as it went against the true path, but at this moment….
The Humans were too important; as Kosh had informed the Minbari woman and member of the Grey Council, Delenn, the humans were the key to the next war, the next part of the Circle and they were so critical to the outcome and the beginning of the Circle their loss would prove to be disastrous. In many ways the humans were similar to the Minbari had been, a thousand years before. But they were different; the humans showed the same potential as the Minbari, but that potential could be shifted in ways unthinkable to other societies.
We cannot and will not do anything about the humans; there is still the possibility the Circle will be completed, albeit differently from the manner we had earlier anticipated. We cannot do anything about that now, all we can do is work out for ourselves how much of the circle we had predicted has been discarded, and how much of it is still salvageable and what we need to do next, the Emperor came to his decision quickly. He knew the decision would not be popular, but he could not risk losing the humans. The next stage of the war was nearly upon the galaxy, and while by First One standards it would be easy to survive, other races would not survive. And there would be no time for them to find another species who shared some of humanity's qualities which had made them so attractive in the first place.
What of the preparations for the next war? The Emperor asked.
The rest of the galaxy is grounded by the humans' bombs and the destruction of many of the hyperspace beacons -, a member of the High Command and fleet reported.
Yes, we are aware of that, the Emperor interrupted harshly, how soon before they begin to subside?
The storms will likely subside in another two years' time, but we cannot be certain, a different member of the Vorlon space fleet and member of the High Command replied.
That means we can issue orders for new dreadnoughts to be constructed, and we can stockpile fleets of fighters.
But what of the Younger Races? The Shadows are not due to be awakening for some time, although their Council of Eight is likely to have awoken by now and they are already giving their servants orders so they could take advantage of this series of events, a different Vorlon councillor demanded, and the Emperor and everyone else felt the same disgust as the councillor did when they heard her spitting out the name for the Shadows' government.
There is nothing to fear there; while I would have preferred something different for this stage of the Circle, the Shadows will need time to come up with their own plans, the Emperor said firmly but reassuringly. But he knew the female Vorlon was correct. The Shadows always tended to awake in a small group consisting of their Council of Eight, a small group of strategists who would analyse the events within the galaxy, and the pilots of a small number of their disgusting abominable spaceships.
If the Council were awake now, they were almost certainly going to be aware of what the humans had done. It was likely, even probable they would seek out an opportunity to contact the humans and get them on their side. That was intolerable, and must not be allowed to occur. At the same time, the Emperor had other things to consider.
Kosh? Ulkesh?
If a human were to witness the event, they might compare what was happening was some kind of dance in the animal kingdom. The rest of the Vorlons within the court chamber gracefully glided out of the way of the two Vorlons, who floated near to the Emperor to directly receive their instructions or to answer his questions.
What of the Minbari?
The question was very simple, but both Vorlons were ancient enough to know the question was extremely complex as well and allowed a great deal of interpretation.
The Minbari are continuing their plans for hunting the humans, but only the most reckless of their warrior caste are even trying to enter hyperspace.
Are they foolish? One of the other councillors demanded.
It would not surprise me. It is their pride, and our own indulgence of them which has led them to continue on this path, Kosh replied.
What do you mean, our indulgence of them has led them to recklessly enter hyperspace when the storms would tear them off their courses, and make them lost? The Prime Minister asked.
Kosh's cephalopod-like form glowed as he turned his golden eyes to face the speaker. Ever since we gave the Minbari more advanced technology and taught their Workers on how to use and copy it, and promised them they were going to become First Ones as well, they have begun seeing the universe as something they alone are in command of.
We needed to provide them with motivation in order to see our way was the correct path, Kosh. But I do see and understand your arguments, the Emperor replied, mentally considering the possibility the next major cycle of the Circle the Vorlons would carefully choose which race they uplifted, and then they would ensure they were kept humble. What of your opinion, Ulkesh? Do you believe the same as Kosh?
Kosh stilled as he wondered what the other Vorlon would say; he and Ulkesh were not friends, but they did respect each other, although Kosh sometimes wondered what would happen if his own presence was not there to ensure Ulkesh did not go over the line.
The Minbari are the best we have ever had. They instinctively understand the philosophies of order, discipline, obedience… and yet they are arrogant. They throw away many resources, all for the sake of their pride. Dukhat's death was a vital part of the Circle, to bring human and Minbari together, and yet there were so many ways things could have changed. We never expected the humans to discover the space tunnels, but the Minbari have launched bioweapons created by that disgusting Dilgar, Jha'Dur against the humans, and the one known as Sinclair has not been discovered as being the holder of Valen's soul. I recommend, when the humans show themselves again, and the Minbari learn of their whereabouts, we interfere.
Instantly his opinion was protested.
We cannot break the Laws of Engagement or involvement directly.
The Shadows are already showing signs of awakening, Ulkesh; if we involve ourselves in the affairs of others, then they will do the same. You know as well as we do the Council of Eight will have woken up by now, and if they discover we are interfering openly, they will respond accordingly and nobody will be prepared.
Kosh knew he was not the only Vorlon to sense the rage emanating from Ulkesh, but the younger Vorlon was able to control it with great care. Losing one's temper in the Emperor's presence came with a truly strong punishment. The rage stemmed from the suggestions, which were logical enough, being shot down before Ulkesh had even made it clear why such actions were necessary.
He decided to get involved. Let Ulkesh speak, he advised gently, already sensing the surprise coming from Ulkesh, and also a faint sense of gratitude.
Ulkesh, speak, the Emperor's will silenced everyone.
I believe we should ensure the Minbari do not kill the humans. We must ensure the human carrying Valen's soul is found and discovered; without that discovery, the humans and the Minbari will never become one, Ulkesh said, mastering his temper while he proudly ignored the gratitude he felt, deep inside his own soul, for Kosh's brief support.
And how do we do that? We could probably locate the humans' new location, but we are also at risk from the hyperspace storms, the Prime Minister pointed out sharply. And we would have no way of taking the human to the Minbari; as soon as he arrived, he would likely be shot down even if we escorted him.
Very well. Ulkesh, your suggestion has been noted by all. We will provide the problem to the Strategic Guild, and tell them we need to have a fast answer before the Minbari re-start their pursuit of the humans. In the meantime, you and Kosh will return to the Minbari. And while you are there, I want you to reign them in; it is long past the time the species understood we are the ones in command of them.
What of the Shadows, Emperor?
The Emperor would have closed his eyes in thought for a moment if he had the ability. But he didn't so he hovered flanked around by his councillors.
We will be travelling to potential allies soon; we can easily pretend to do the same thing they are.
X
Z'ha'dum was an ancient world, long since dead; it had been leeched of its energy over the aeons, bombarded by numerous attacks as the enemies of the Shadows ventured into the home system, bypassing the powerful and deadly ancient defence mechanisms. The defences of the planet were so strong, only a First One race would be able to survive them. But the planet was a still useful base for the Shadows; on the outer rim, in such a remote location near a jump gate where anyone foolish enough to venture to the planet where they would be taken and used as CPU's for their ships, the planet was excellent.
At the same time, the world was revered by the Vorlons and the Shadows, and the rest of the First Ones alike because of the presence of Lorien, the first of the Ancient ones. Lorien had uplifted and nourished all of the First Ones, and they had provided great gifts for all the First Ones. Lorien had taken refuge on the planet, deep within the crust of the dead world, and the Shadows returned to the planet every time they were driven off out of respect.
In the capital city of the Shadows, a roughly hewn organic hall, the Council of Eight was in session.
The Council had a particular task. Like the Vorlons, they had given the cycles of warfare a name; where the Vorlons referred to them as the Circle, the Shadows were more adventurous and referred to the wars as Games. But unlike the Vorlons, the Shadows put themselves into hibernation in order to leapfrog through time, despite their longevity and immortality in order to observe how the galaxy had changed since the last Game. The Shadows, unlike the Vorlons, never bothered to formulate projections for any of the wars they organised, and the outcomes. They had also provided standing orders for their servant and vassal races to subtly induce war, so when the Shadows emerged they found small acts of chaos rippling throughout the galaxy.
The Council of Eight woke up twenty or thirty years before the rest of their species woke up; they were tasked with formulating strategies and plans as the events within the galaxy occurred around them. It had been the Council of Eight who had ordered to the Drakh to manipulate the Dilgar and provide them with the technology they had needed. The Dilgar, more aggressive than the Centauri, were the perfect recruits; they were warlike, aggressive. The Shadows had been aware of the Dilgar's capacity for violence and bloodshed just as they were aware of the same traits in the human race. Both species could have been great under the Shadows, but while the Dilgar were gone, the humans still existed.
The humans were seen as the key to the solution off the Game by both the Shadows and the humans, but there was hope by both races the humans would fight on their side.
The Grand Queen was the counterpart of the Emperor of the Vorlon Empire, however, unlike her counterpart, her role was not fixed. Politics within the Shadows' hierarchy was extremely competitive under a survival of the fittest and kill or be killed mindset. No member of the Council of Eight, nor indeed of the larger Grand Council of the Shadows was permanent; all of the members had reached their positions because their predecessors had become weak, and they had been wiped out by their successors. The Great Queen herself had been lucky so far, given how she had led the Council of Eight for the previous three games, and there was the chance for her to lead the new one. But she knew her position was delicate. The only reason she had survived and lasted for this length of time was not down to her complacency, but down to her alertness. But she knew one day, another would get lucky.
Like the Vorlons, the Council were in session.
We have tracked the humans down to the Outer Rim; they used the Maze to reach the Outer Rim, the third councillor said, the we being the Drahkh.
The other councillors chittered excitedly. The Maze, as they referred to the Underspace, had existed forever. The Shadows themselves had never made use of the corridors, at least not fully. They had only become aware of the centuries after they had evolved, but while they still used hyperspace via dimensional phasing which was more efficient than jump points opening and closing, they had mapped out the network as a secondary method of interstellar travel.
The Great One whop was reigning at the time had ordered its survey, stating it would be more chaotic for their armies and warships to strike without the Vorlons even being aware of how the attacks were taking place. But the Shadows still made use of hyperspace, and more than once over the centuries, they had secretly provided alien races moving into the stars for the first time with knowledge of how to enter and map the network in the hopes of gaining an ally who would provide a great asset to the next Game.
But….unfortunately, the Vorlons were too rigid. They not only believed their ideology was the only way a race would be able to evolve, but they also believed any species who did not make use of hyperspace, mastering gravimetric technology, data crystals, and eventually reached the level of the First Ones were deviant. And the Vorlon Empire had only one answer to that. Genocide.
The Great One was also chittering with excitement at the thought of this Game not going the Vorlons' way. Order a continuous watch on them. The humans must be watched. What of the state of hyperspace?
It is still wracked with storms, Great One, the sixth councillor chittered while speaking telepathically; the Great One sensed the other's underlying aggression and envy. The Great One instantly made a mental note to keep watch over this councillor as she did with the others, but she understood the danger of watching all of them at once; one of them could effortlessly find a way beneath her defences, and strike where she was most vulnerable.
We shall have to make use of the Maze; order the Drakh and the Streib to make use of it as well, the Great One instructed, knowing it was against the Shadows' way to ignore the orders of the Great One of the Council of Eight for the sake of political ambition. Have the humans yet realised they've been infected with deadly pathogens, yet?
The Council of Eight had been busy recently with the plans for this new Game, and the Great One wanted it to be the most complex and chaotic game they had played for centuries. The order to infect the humans by subtly ordering the Drakh to telepathically suggest to certain elements within the Minbari Grey Council to launch the plagues had been undertaken with great care since it was known the Grey Council had the means of detecting the Shadows, and those under their command. But the plan had gone through. They had known with the humans making use of the Maze, they needed some way of completely shattering the Vorlons' schemes for the humans.
It was just another of a set of plans the Great One had come up with, including the aggressive stance of the Narn Regime's government who'd ordered the military to launch and spearhead an invasion of human space. At the same time, they had organised the assassination of Emperor Turhan, a weak-willed ruler of the Centauri Republic, ushering in Refa who was truly ambitious and wanted his people to recapture their place in the galaxy.
With the Narn and the Centauri becoming aggressive, there was the advantage of the so-called side of Light having it hard to win this time, and now with the plagues threatening the humans, they would either have to fight to win. Or they would die. That was the law of evolution. There was no other way.
The humans had been driven out of their worlds, forced to fight two former allies, and now they had to fight plagues. In the meantime, the chaos of the galaxy was beyond glorious. All of the alien species were grounded in their solar systems or their territories, so they could not move. If the humans did try to rebuild their connections and former alliances, which the Great One doubted very much they would do since the humans had been monitored by the battleships planted in Sol system, and had monitored their history. The humans were not forgiving when you crossed a certain line.
Not yet.
What do we do when the humans realise the truth?
Nothing. We let them deal with it on their own; either they find a cure, or they find ways of mitigating it. Once they have found a way, we will appear to them and provide them with aid.
What if the humans become suspicious? The seventh councillor asked while none of the Shadows raised the same concern as the Vorlons had in the Empire of the Rules of Engagement; while the rules were agreed and honoured by the Shadows because Lorien had drafted them, they only followed them to mock the Vorlons. It was ironic really; the Vorlons liked giving a facade of following the rules and forcing their charges and client races to do the same, but they hypocritically ignored them. Frequently. The Shadows didn't really care for the rules, but the mockery was something they wanted to maintain for a long time.
Then they become suspicious. It means they are not as gullible as others.