Chapter 1: Ghost Stories
Babylon 5, Dark Star
"Tell me Mr. Garibaldi, do you believe in ghosts?" Ambassador Londo Mollari of the Centauri republic asked the man standing behind him at the bar.
"Is that what you called me down here for Londo? What kind of question is that anyway, of course I don't believe in ghosts," Chief of Security Michael Garibaldi said with a hint of annoyance in his voice.
"Make no mistake Mr. Garibaldi; there are ghosts in this universe. I know, because my people encountered them on a planet called Hadria, it was, and probably still is, inhabited by a surprisingly advanced race called Exodites. They appeared at first glance to be agrarian and semi nomadic, less advanced than even the Narns." Londo Mollari said, though he was more than a little drunk at the time.
"Look Londo, I really don't have time for this," Mr. Garibaldi said with a wave of his hand.
"Then you should make some time Mr. Garibaldi, because I can tell you this: those men in Brown Sector that were killed the other day, they were killed by Ghosts, oh yes. Now, I will tell you my story and I'll even buy you a chemically inoffensive drink. But sit down and listen, I don't want to have to tell this story more than once." Londo said with a chuckle.
That got Mr. Garibaldi's attention, Franklin still had no idea what had killed those men, and Commander Sinclair wanted to know anything about it. Rumors had spread like wildfire across the station, and even the Yolu were nervous, and that was not a good sign. Taking a seat next to Londo he said, "Alright then, tell your story, but make it quick. The Ingati is scheduled to arrive soon and Sinclair wants both of us there to be there to pay respect to the Minbari."
"Yes, yes. Now where was I, oh yes the Exodites. If the histories are correct, it was five hundred years ago after all, they domesticated what they called Dragons. Though I believe on your world I believe they were called Dinosaurs." Londo paused to take a drink and seeing the disbelieving look on Garibaldi's face Londo shrugged. "Believe what you will, but they rode giant lizards. We conquered them easily; they didn't really put up a fight. We were arrogant, but that should have been a warning. We, the Great Centauri Republic turned that world into a breadbasket, in order to help feed the ever growing Centauri Republic."
"We ruled that world for barely a year when the raiding began. Patrols on a dozen worlds would vanish, and when they were found they had been killed in the same manner as those men in down below, sliced to ribbons, or torn apart by razor sharp disks, sharpened down to a molecular edge. And shipping convoys would be destroyed, and we never could figure out who was doing it. It was like trying to catch starlight." Londo shook his head and took another drink.
"And then something terrible happened, a group of these ghosts appeared in the Emperor's Throne Room. Five cloaked figures led by a single female ghost wearing a tall helmet and black robes, and she was the most terrifying. They did not walk in Mr. Garibaldi; they simply appeared, out of nowhere. She, the ghost with the helmet, ordered us to leave Hadria, or Centauri Prime would burn. When some of the nobles laughed at her, she waved her hand and they died, their souls torn clean from their bodies. She said we had been warned, and then they were gone, vanished into the ether, never to be seen again. The Emperor ordered us out of Hadria, then and there, and decreed that the Republic would never again set foot on that world. And no Emperor to date has over ruled that decree, and gods willing, no Emperor ever will."
"The raiding did not stop though, it continued for two more years, not a day went by that those ghosts didn't attack us somewhere, and then, just like that, they stopped. We never heard from them again, but for two years they froze the Republic in their icy grip of death. Those they killed were lucky, it was the ones they let live that suffered, though, on that subject the records don't elaborate. Terrible things roam the dark places of the universe, and those ghosts are among them. And if those poor souls in Brown sector are any indication, their eyes are gazing on us now. And if that is true may the gods have mercy on us, because the ghosts won't. " Londo finished off his drink, seemingly unaware that the bar was a lot quieter now then when he began his story. Putting his glass down he tapped on the tapped the counter and said, "Another one."
Mr. Garibaldi shook his head at that, finished off his water, stood and said, "That's some story ambassador, ghosts and dragons. Though I'm not entirely sure how that will help in the investigation, I'll be sure to keep it in mind, Ambassador. Oh, and remember to show up for the arrival of the Minbari Shai Alyt's Memorial tour." Once he finished speaking he gave a polite bow with his head and walked out of the bar.
"Yes, yes. I'll be there, my good friend." Londo said with a laugh as Mr. Garibaldi walked off and Londo returned to his drink. Taking a good sized drink Londo muttered, "They are coming here, eventually, everyone comes here."
Commander Sinclair's office, Babylon 5
Sitting behind the desk in the room was Commander Jeffery Sinclair, commander of Babylon 5, on the other side were three people, his XO, Lt. Commander Susan Ivanova, his chief Medical Officer Steven Franklin, and his Chief of Security Michael Garibaldi. Looking at his senior staff Commander Sinclair said, "The Minbari will be arriving later today, and I need answers. Some kind of alien weapon is used to kill two lurkers, and the rumors spread even faster than usual, Michael, tell me you got something."
Mr. Garibaldi shook his head and said, "Not really, I talked to my contacts in the Alien Sector, and they know next to nothing."
Lt. Commander Ivanova interrupted him at the point, "Next to nothing? So they knew something."
"Well, let's see. The Markab claim that, and I quote, 'agents of a laughing god' did it. Not their laughing god, because I am fairly certain they don't have one." Garibaldi said before being interrupted again, this time by Doctor Franklin.
"Actually, I think that they do."
"Not my point and getting back to the matter at hand, the Yolu. According to them it was clowns, although, I suspect that is probably a translation error. And that brings me to Londo, who said it was ghosts, he told me a nice little story about ghosts and raiders, but he did give me some names I intend to run down. Next on my list are the Minbari and the Vorlons, though I am not expecting much, from either of them." Garibaldi said with a hint of annoyance clear in his voice.
Commander Sinclair nodded and began to speak, saying, "Alright Michael, find out what you can, now as to the Minbari…."
Babylon 5, Zocalo
Alisa Beldon was running through the Zocalo after having stolen some jewelry from one of the shops and was running down the Zocalo, dodging and brushing up against a few people as she attempted to get away from Lt. Commander Ivanova. Though she didn't know it at the time, one of the women she bumped into caused her latent telepathy to activate, and she underwent what appeared to be a mindburst to the telepath Talia Winters. In truth, something else happened.
It was a vast, dark cavernous expanse that Alisa suddenly found herself in. Off in the distance she could see the rolling red storms of hyperspace, but there was something else, a presence staring back at her, a terrible and sadistic presence and it terrified her to the point that she screamed with all her soul. Suddenly she felt a hand on her shoulder and out of the corner of her eye she bore witness to an incredibly pale woman with striking red hair and a strange device around her chin. She spoke, her voice was soothing, yet cold, though what she was saying was oddly reassuring, "Sleep child, you will remember none of this."
As Talia and Susan talked over the child and began to pick her up and take her to medlab she was being watched by a woman under an Arabian style headdress and veil, her eyes narrowed and she immediately turned and walked out of the Zocalo. As she walked away, striking red hair came out from underneath her headdress. If anyone cared to observe her, they would have seen her head to the Alien sector.
Babylon 5, Docking Bay
It had been a tiring couple of days for the crew of the station, but everything seemed to turn out fine in the end, except for the two dead lurkers in down below. Mr. Garibaldi had no intentions of letting that go, though he did discover that the Minbari knew nothing, and Kosh simply didn't talk to him. He was seeing Neroon off now, but someone else was leaving now as well, Alisa Beldon. Talia and Susan were seeing her off and talking with her, though at the entrance of the bay two other figures stood. One was easily recognizable, he was Ambassador Kosh, the other wasn't, and it was a red haired woman wearing dark robes, an Arabian style headdress, and a veil.
"She glimpsed my mind, and She Who Must not be Named noticed her in return." The woman in the headdress said, in a cold, yet almost echoing voice.
"It will… be handled." Was all that came from Kosh's encounter suit.
"Good. Expect me to return when they are ready." With that said the woman in the Arabian style headdress turned and left. She would vanish off the station within the hour, though no records show her ever coming on board or getting off, she came and went like a ghost.
"They are coming," Kosh said with a tilt of his head and a narrowing of his eyepiece. Though this statement was overheard by Susan Ivanova and Talia Winters, leaving them with confused expressions as Kosh turned and walked out of the waiting area.
AN1: To Samael, no it is not H.P. Lovecraft, not exactly anyway. Lovecraft was clearly an influence in the Race and source material I chose to use in this crossover. Those who know the source material well enough will recognize some of the terms I used in this chapter.
AN2: To JovianJeff, yes everything will become clear, maybe with this chapter, maybe the next, but everything becomes clear with time. Also, the battle the Delenn dreamed of wasn't the Battle of the Line, it was a different, unnamed battle that happened a year before the Battle of the Line.