The area around Babylon 5 was being cleaned up. Maintbots went into the more dangerous and irradiated areas, moving their arms, while shuttles searched through the debris for survivors. Occasionally, the glow of the Federation transporter effect appeared here and there, rescuing survivors or bodies. Five Federation starships stood guard over an Earth Omega-class destroyer and two Hyperion-class cruisers, while three other starships maintained their positions between the space station and Epsilon 3. Damages from the battle at Mars could be seen on them: black scorch marks, a missing warp nacelle and a large gaping hole through a saucer section.
On Babylon 5, in the viewing rotunda, Captain Sulu was studying the scene. Soon, there wouldn't be any sign that a battle occurred here. His eyes drifted to the damaged starships and the warships formerly under control of Clark loyalists. Except for those, of course.
"Excuse me, Captain Sulu."
Sulu turned at the voice. It was the Minbari ambassador. "Ambassador Delenn."
She bowed and said, "A captain from one of our warships has asked for a tour of the station. It seems fair to let them see what they have saved. Fleet Captain Lennan has expressed his interest in meeting you."
For the first time since the ordeal began, Sulu smiled. "I'm glad to see that I'm a tourist attraction. Sure, I'd like to meet him."
Delenn appreciated Sulu's humor as she bowed once more and stepped aside from the entrance. A Minbari dressed in a Religious Caste robe came through the entrance, accompanied by two aides. He bowed and introduced himself. "Shai Alyt Lennan."
The Federation captain executed a bow that his parents would be proud of. "Captain Hikaru Sulu." A thought occurred to him.
"Please pardon my curiosity, but aren't Minbari warships supposed to be commanded by the Warrior Caste?"
Lennan said, "The Warrior Caste is indeed dedicated to the defense of Minbar, but Valen's Covenant requires each caste to control one-third of the military. This is to prevent any one caste from overpowering the others. As a courtesy, all of our warships are commanded by Warriors. Only a courtesy."
Sulu pointedly looked at the religious robes worn by the Minbari captain and his aides. "What changed?"
The Minbari captain's face darkened. "Do not concern yourself with matters that should stay between Minbari."
Delenn hurried to stave off any bad feeling. "It is a Minbari matter. The courtesy has largely fallen out of practice when the Grey Council was…." The ambassador shifted uncomfortably. "…dissolved."
"Dissolved?" Sulu was surprised.
Lennan and Delenn glanced at each other. "It had to be done," she said carefully. "Otherwise, we wouldn't make ourselves available for Babylon 5's defense."
"I…see." The Federation captain frowned worriedly. "So…if the Grey Council has been dissolved, the courtesy has fallen out of practice, as you say…. Wouldn't that mean this 'Valen's Covenant' no longer holds?"
"It still holds," retorted Lennan hurriedly.
An uncomfortable silence reigned in the rotunda. And then:
"I have heard much about you and your ships," said Lennan quietly in a friendly vein, as if the prior conversation never took place. "A visit would be most interesting and enlightening."
Glad to have the discomfort out of the way, Sulu nodded. Mentally, he was kicking himself for stumbling into a potential minefield. If he was to be a good starship captain, he had to polish up his diplomatic skills. "That can be arranged."
"I'm curious." Lennan stepped over to the windows to look up at the damaged starships hanging in the distance. "How did your ships come to be damaged? From all accounts, the Earther military couldn't hope to seriously wound you."
The human glanced at Delenn who nodded slightly. It's all right to talk with Lennan, she was saying. "Well, Shai Alyt, we encountered a ship belonging to what you call the Shadows."
"Shadows!" gasped Lennan. He looked up at the damaged starships with wonder. He whispered, "And you survived…?" His respect for the Federationers raised several notches.
"I wouldn't say we survived." Sulu said with an undercurrent of anger. "Many of us died. The Springfield was destroyed with all hands. Half the crew on the Eagle died when they drilled a hole through it."
The Minbari captain nodded. "But you've managed to live and tell the tale. Very few ever have that luck when meeting the Shadows." His eyes flicked over to Delenn before he continued. "I am now much more interested in a tour of your ships."
A new voice intruded on the gathering. "That will be arranged."
Areel Shaw limped into the Rotunda. She sported a sling holding an arm and a brace around an ankle. "I'm Areel Shaw, a Captain of the Starfleet Judge Advocate General. I'm sorry I can't shake your hand, Captain Lennan."
"I understand. Thank you. I will be eagerly awaiting an invitation to any of your ships." Sensing Areel's need to be alone with Sulu, Lennan said, "Ambassador Delenn, shall we continue the tour of Babylon 5?"
Delenn bowed to the two Federationers. "Sulu. Areel."
Once they were alone, Sulu said, "Are you all right, Captain?"
The blonde woman waved a hand dismissing Sulu's concerns. "Just a side effect of being in the middle of a frightened mob."
"Ah."
"Anyway, I have a message from Starfleet Command. All bridge officers are to report in the Officers' Lounge on the Excelsior."
Captain Sulu became concerned and a little nervous. "Is it any good?"
Giving no hint of her thoughts on her face, Areel said, "You'll find out soon enough."
xxxxxxx
A beeping sound from the Babcom unit woke Citizen G'Kar. Annoyed, he got up and quickly put on his nightgown. "What is it?"
The image of Warleader Vin'Tok came up. "Hello, old friend."
"Vin'Tok!" G'Kar was surprised. It had been a long time since last he heard from the warleader. Then he became concerned. "Is this a secure channel?"
A short chuckle: "This channel is in subspace and it is secure. The only people who can intercept the signal are from the other universe."
G'Kar was delighted. It appeared that the alliance with the Klingons was a very productive one. "What news?"
"Our base at Quinlat has been very useful. The Centauri do not know where it is. There's no mapped hyperspace route to the system. The Klingons claim that the planet is like their homeworld in the other universe. Apparently, the name Quinlat comes from one of their legends."
G'Kar had to appreciate the irony. A Klingon homeworld used against a people who came from a homeworld that's also like the Klingon homeworld. It was a little confusing, but it showed how the universe worked in mysterious ways. Then he saw that Vin'Tok looked worried.
"That's not why you contacted me, is it?"
"No. We have information that the Centauri are sending a ship to Narn. It's carrying the new Centauri viceroy of Narn and some kind of weapon of mass destruction. We don't know exactly, but it certainly won't be beneficial for our people." The warleader took a deep breath. "We're sending ships to intercept them at Narn."
"But Narn is a fortress now! We have very few free Narn ships left!"
"I know. Our plan is to jump in, destroy the ship and then jump out. Killing the viceroy would set the Centauri government of Narn back for a long time. It will send a message to everyone that the Narn people are not defeated. The G'Tok and the Tequera an Fol are on the way. The Klingon ship Ki'tang is with them." Vin'Tok looked straight into G'Kar's eyes. "That weapon…. Rumors of it are very troubling."
"Do we know what it is?"
"I don't know, Citizen G'Kar. I don't know."
Hyperspace
Two Centauri Vorchan attack cruisers escorted a Primus-class battlecruiser and its deadly cargo through the dangerous murkiness of hyperspace.
USS Excelsior
The Officers' Lounge was a crowded with captains and their commanders from the surviving starships of the Operation Retrieve task force. A few were newly promoted to fill out positions left by dead officers. Babylon 5 and the star of Epsilon Eridani could be seen through the panoramic windows. Areel Shaw entered the lounge and stood in front of the gathering. She began with preamble.
"Starfleet Command has received the reports of Operation Retrieve. Its failure at Mars and later interference in Earth Alliance internal affairs has alarmed the admiralty and the Federation Council. It has prompted President Ra-ghoratreii to announce his displeasure at our participation in this universe."
A murmur rose among the officers. It was rare for any Federation president to comment on the conduct of Starfleet in public.
"However, the President agrees that since we are already involved here, we must do the best we can about this universe. The Operation Retrieve task force will stay here."
More murmurs, this time of surprise and curiosity.
"Those ships that are heavily damaged, such as the Eagle and the Ahwahnee, will go to Starbase 10 for repairs. The Endeavour will escort them."
"What about the Archer?" asked the captain of that ship.
"The shield generators are burnt out, aren't they? They can be repaired with the supplies from across the fleet." Areel turned her eyes to Scotty. "Can they?"
"Aye, Ma'am." His jowls trembled as he shook his head proudly. "Do ye nae know we have the finest engineers gathered here?"
"Good."
"Well, it should be! Besides, amn't I here?"
"Not for long," Areel said without any expression.
Not a few officers, including Scotty, appeared warily puzzled.
"Starfleet Command agrees that the task force can stay here." She raised a finger. "Provided that the crew of the Enterprise agrees to be reassigned elsewhere in the Federation. Especially the bridge officers."
"I protest!" cried Scotty.
"What new madness is this!" McCoy added to other voices of discontent.
Areel merely looked at those who voiced their objections. "Objections duly noted. Starfleet has come to the conclusion that the crew of the Enterprise has become too big a target for various hostile parties for the Federation to have a smooth conduct here. I'm sorry. It's a political expediency."
McCoy spluttered, "What about those who've joined Babylon 5 Security?"
"As for them, when they joined, they have effectively resigned from Starfleet. Unless they quit, Starfleet doesn't see them as members of Starfleet." Adding to mollify the new discontented murmurs from the officers, Areel said, "However, they are still Federation citizens with all the rights and privileges."
"Unbelievable!" Scotty's jowls shook again, this time in anger.
"Yes! Something's fishy back home!" piped McCoy.
Montgomery Scott spluttered for a while before saying, "I donnae accept! Kirk was the best of us! We lost him! I'm not leaving without him!" He wrenched the Starfleet badge off of his uniform. "If Starfleet cannae appreciate him and donnae want him back, I donnae want Starfleet!" With that, he threw the gold badge down at Areel's feet. Scotty, formerly of Starfleet, turned and left the lounge.
The gathered officers exchanged glances and expressed their discomfort and surprise.
Areel shook her head with disappointment. "Anyone else?"
Dr. McCoy felt compelled to follow Scotty's example, but he stopped when he felt Spock's fingers on his arm.
"Captain Shaw," said Spock. "Where will we be reassigned?"
"You, Captain Spock, will be promoted to Admiral. You know our concerns."
Spock nodded, knowing that she was referring to the Romulans.
"Doctor McCoy will be assigned to Earth. It's likely he will be head of Starfleet Medical. Commander Uhura will be in Starfleet Intelligence. Commander Cheko—"
"My God!" interrupted McCoy. "It's a bribe!"
Areel ignored the outburst. "Commander Chekov will be assigned to the Excelsior as the executive officer."
Spock nodded slowly. "That is acceptable."
"Spock, you can't be thinking—!"
"Doctor," Spock said calmly. "It is logical. We were supposed to retire upon the Enterprise's return to Earth after the incident at Khitomer. Staying here will only delay our natural course of action. Captain Kirk was a good friend, but we are needed in our universe." In his mind, he heard Lady Morella speaking again. "You are not supposed to be in this universe. You must reunite your people or the stars will be rent in blood and fire." Spock understood the second sentence to be about the Vulcans and Romulans. As yet, he didn't understand the other statements: "You must beware the man who remembers Surak's face. If you would have your friend live, he must die."
"Et tu, Spock?" muttered McCoy.
Areel said, "Captain Spock is right. Besides, if you refuse, it's possible that you will be charged with mutiny. I know that none of us wants a court-martial. If that happens, Starfleet will be forced to withdraw all personnel and material from this universe."
McCoy fumed. But he didn't protest anymore.
The judiciary captain nodded. "It's settled. Meeting's adjourned."
Before the lounge emptied itself of the officers, a woman with a captain's insignias approached the remaining Enterprise bridge officers.
"I guess congratulations are in order."
Spock nodded his thanks while McCoy glared at him. Uhura bit her lower lip and looked like she wanted to wring her hands. Chekov looked away at the windows, avoiding other people's glances. Sulu moved to break the awkward silence.
"Captain Midge Alexander, I have to thank you."
The female captain of African descent looked amused and puzzled. "Why's that?"
"Your ship, the Saratoga, didn't use all of its power against the EarthForce ships during the battle with Clark's forces. You allowed us to spare as many lives as possible."
Midge shrugged. "I can't take all the credit. It was my Efrosian helmsman, Ramus. I'll convey your appreciation to him."
Sulu smiled. He liked this captain. Clearly, she wasn't one of those captains who would gladly accept all credit given, thereby advancing themselves toward the admiralty.
"Look!"
Those who were still in the lounge turned at Chekov's loud voice. He was pointing through the windows at Babylon 5.
Through the windows, they could see burial torpedoes flying forth from Babylon 5's docking ring in a train. A squadron of starfuries flew above the coffins in a V formation, escorting them on their course to the star of Epsilon Eridani. The fighter on the leader's right broke upwards, leaving the squadron in the traditional 'missing man' formation.
Respectfully, the officers stood in silence, watching the funeral convoy vanish into the blazing brightness of Epsilon Eridani.
Sulu noticed that Midge Alexander squared her shoulders and raised her chin at the scene as if she took the funeral's reminder of her crew's mortality as a challenge. He felt like agreeing. This universe seemed to have a very small supply of mercy.
Babylon 5
A Centauri transport entered the newly independent space station's docking bay.
Ambassador Londo Mollari shook his head as he walked down the corridor from the docking bay. Madness! What was Sheridan thinking? What was Earth thinking? Humans shooting at each other and killing each other! Declaring martial law and forcing Sheridan's hand! Now Earth has lost Babylon 5. But without Earth, what could Babylon 5 do to support itself?
To top it all, he had been planning to call in favors to bring Lady Morella to Babylon 5. Now that plan has literally been shot. If the humans were Centauri, they would have tempted Sheridan with a seat in the Centaurum, then moved to eliminate his power base, possibly even his life.
Humans!
By virtue of his identicard, Londo gained entrance into Babylon 5 proper. He stopped suddenly, causing a man to bump into him from behind. The ambassador gaped at what caused him to stop: Lady Morella, flanked by two Royal Guardsmen, conversing with Ambassador Miranda Jones as if they were old friends.
Seeing Londo, Morella excused herself from Miranda and called out for the Centauri ambassador.
"Ambassador Mollari!"
Opening and closing his mouth, Londo shook himself from his surprise and moved quickly to kiss her hand.
"We are pleased to meet you, Ambassador."
"No, Great Lady, the honor is mine. But…what are you doing here?"
Morella looked as if Londo had just suggested she had accidentally walked into a strip joint. "I go where we please. What more can we do?"
Londo became a little nervous. Had something happened to warrant her attention to this station and to himself? "The Earthers are…distracted. I am glad to see that Centauri Prime has seen how beneficial our agreement with Earth is. It will—"
"The Earthers, as you say, are distracted. They have problems of their own. This alliance was never my husband's plan for our people! He came to try and prevent the insanity he knew was coming. Instead…his death became the door through which all this pain has entered!"
Londo stood silently. He knew that she was right. He had chosen to use the Emperor's death, and Morden's associates, to propel the Centauri Republic to the current greatness.
Now Lady Morella looked as if she smelled something bad. "And now Cartagia is being used to further the pain!"
"Ah…. Lady…."
The Centauri lady shook her head, almost showing her disgust. "Did you know, Mollari, that Cartagia recently had a hand in the death of Lord Refa's sister?"
He pressed his lips together, looking down away from Morella's eyes.
"She was taking a bath in one of the palace steamrooms," Morella was saying. "Somehow, Cartagia thought that no one was in it so he locked it and turned up the temperature for self-cleaning. The unfortunate lady was either cooked to death or suffocated in the steam."
All Londo could do was to feel sick.
Morella gazed up at Londo with some sadness. "Those who would use Cartagia will learn the error—either too late or in time. Not much of a choice, but it's a choice."
The two stared at each other. Then, seizing the unexpected opportunity, Londo stepped close to Lady Morella, causing the guardsmen to step closer warningly. The Imperial widow merely stood silently and impassively. He earnestly said, "I need you to see for me."
Lady Morella was surprised.
"I believe I have been touched," Londo said, "that I am meant for something greater. A greater darkness or greater good, I can no longer say. All I have ever wanted is to serve our people! I need to see what is before me, if I should escape it or embrace it, if there is any longer a choice."
"There is always choice. We say there is no choice only to comfort ourselves with a decision we have already made. Now, if you understand that, there is hope! If not—" Morella paused. Her mind had, without her bidding, summoned up the word Genesis. For the briefest of moments, she saw again the Federation ability to totally remake worlds. She shuddered and came to a decision. "I will honor your request, Mollari. Before I leave here, you will have your reading."
xxxxxxx
Scotty shook hands with Dr. McCoy. He was trying to keep himself from gushing with emotion. "I'm sorry it came to this, laddies."
Sulu said, "You sure about this?"
"Sure! Screw Starfleet."
Uhura stifled a sob.
"I cannot say I agree," said Spock. "Emotion is clouding your judgment."
The Scotsman shrugged dismissively. "What can I say? It was real nice of Ambassador Delenn to give me this job. It's a great opportunity!"
Chekov sadly nodded. "I hope it is for you."
"Transport B-4 now boarding. Transport B-4 now boarding."
"Ach, that's my ship. I must go."
Spock was touched by Scotty's loyalty to his friend Jim, if overly emotional. He raised his hand and parted fingers. "Peace and long life."
"Farewell, me friends." With that, Montgomery Scott, formerly of Starfleet, picked up his bag, turned and joined the line of people moving through a terminal gate. The transport would take the former chief engineer to Minbar.
xxxxxxx
Lady Morella waited for the transport tube to arrive. She thought of the vision she got when she touched Vir Cotto at a party in the Royal Palace, and of the vision that came from Spock. Perhaps this was the universe's way of telling her that Creation and Apocalypse were merely two faces of the same coin, that there is no shadow without a light. A reading of Londo would help clarify some things.
The tube door opened. Morella and her guardsmen stepped into the tube. G'Kar was already inside. He grinned sweetly at her.
"Ah! You're Turhan's widow, aren't you?"
Imperiously, she looked over at the former Narn ambassador. "Yes."
"Is it not true that though the power has passed to Cartagia, you speak for Turhan from the other side? And that you are outside the control of the Emperor and his government?"
"Yes…," Morella said impatiently.
"Just one more thing: Turhan wanted to apologize for all the things that your people and his family had done to Narn. I believe he said, 'We were wrong. The hatred between our people can never end until someone is willing to say 'I'm sorry,' and try to find a way to make things right again, to atone for our actions.' Did he truly feel that way?"
Frostily, she said, "He did. Is there any point to this?"
G'Kar's smile turned vicious. "Then why didn't you try and stop your government and the war with my people?" The Narn trembled with anger and hatred. The Centauri guardsmen moved close to Morella protectively. "So many of my people are dead. My world destroyed! Because no one was willing to stand and stop the Centauri! You had the power to use Turhan's spirit to do this and you didn't! You're a coward!"
Lady Morella pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes poisonously. She shook her head with pity. "Is hatred all you have?" With that, she looked away and pretended that G'Kar wasn't there.
xxxxxxx
The doorchime of Delenn's quarters rang. The Minbari ambassador opened the door.
Marcus Cole came though the door without waiting for Delenn's permission. The only way he would be so rude is if he was bearing bad news. She tensed.
"Delenn, a Sharlin is missing. The Warrior Caste is trying to keep it quiet, but we have managed to figure out that unknown aliens have attacked it."
A hand slowly went up to Delenn's throat. No alien race would dare assault the Minbari, not since the Earth-Minbari War. No alien race except the Shadows, that is. With wide anxious eyes, she asked, "Was it…destroyed?"
Marcus shook his head. "It's not the Shadows, if that's what you mean. The ship was captured. Apparently, the aliens used a stolen transport to board it. Ships have been sent to retrieve it."
"Captured…?" Delenn was confused. And a little frightened, she had to admit. "Shadows do not capture ships. They destroy them. Who could have done this and succeeded…?"
For answer, Marcus could only shrug.
Near the Minbari-Centauri border
Two Minbari Tinashi-class frigates were chasing a fleeing Sharlin warcruiser. A neutron beam reached out to cut off the hijacked Sharlin's main rear fin. The blue-emerald beam splashed against an energy shield protecting the larger warcruiser.
In the tactical center of the warcruiser, the hijackers saw this attack only as a bright beam reaching out from one of the Tinashi's directly at them. Two Minbari warriors lay dead on the floor. One of the hijackers looked down at a tricorder which was connected by a cable to an open panel on the floor in the darkness.
"Major, aft shields are down to 64 percent."
The major scowled at the pursuing Minbari ships. "We can't afford losing this ship. It would be a great boon for the Tal'Shiar and the Romulan Empire." She frowned as another beam struck the shields. "Federation technology. They keep harping on the sanctity of their precious Prime Directive and here we have evidence that the Federation is violating their premier law. What's the status of the hyperdrive?"
The Romulan agent consulted his tricorder. "Power's up to 86 percent. Not enough to open a jumppoint."
"Veruul!" swore the Tal'Shiar major. "Turn the ship around; channel all non-essential power into the weapons. Bleed some power off the life support."
On the holodisplay, the stars spun around the warcruiser, slowly at first, then quickly before finally slowing down. The two Romulans had to turn around to see the pursuers. Seeing that the Sharlin had turned about and slowed down, but still moving away from the pursuers under its own momentum, one of the Tinashi's fired with as much power as it could throw.
The Romulans struggled to stand as the warcruiser shuddered under the impact. "Forward shields down to 79 percent," said the tricorder-holding Romulan helpfully.
The major pointed at the offending Tinashi. "Fire!"
Four emerald-blue beams lashed out at it, drilling into its shields, causing it to eventually collapse. An explosion bloomed out of a long side of the Tinashi. The Minbari war frigate slowed down, falling behind.
The other Tinashi threw its revenge at the still-backing Sharlin.
"Forward shields down to 47 percent. They will collapse at another similar shot."
The Tal'Shiar major drew herself up, preparing to meet death with honor.
Space near the two battling ships rippled. A Romulan R'Derex-class warbird decloaked and opened fire with a spread of plasma torpedoes. The second Tinashi became a fireball. More torpedoes sent the other Tinashi up in flames.
The Romulans aboard the Sharlin indulged the luxury of relief. The major spun at the Romulan holding the tricorder. "Signal the Khiem'Ra to beam over reinforcements. The Minbari should be recovering from the stun gas by now."
"Yes, Major."
She smiled with relief and delight. "The Imperial Senate will surely award us for getting this ship. The stealth technology and the polycrystalline armor hold promise for the Star Empire. And…. After over a century of wasting research into the artificial quantum singularity technology, we finally have it in our hands!"
USS Excelsior
Captain Hikaru Sulu gazed at the main viewscreen. It was going to be soon.
There.
The Constitution shape of the USS Endeavour moved to a protection position above and in front of the two damaged starships. The blue glow on the warp nacelles on the Endeavour, Eagle and Ahwahnee grew stronger until they stretched out into the distance and disappeared in warp flashes.
"I'm going to miss them," said Pavel Chekov.
Sulu looked up at his new executive officer. He was referring to Spock, McCoy and Uhura who were on the Endeavour along with some of the Enterprise crewmembers. "Me too."
"Captain?" Janice Rand called out. "The shuttle from Babylon 5 has docked in the shuttle bay."
Captain Sulu stood up from the command chair and went for the turbolift. "Chekov, you have the con."
"Yes, sir."
Lennan was already impressed when his shuttle flew into the Excelsior's shuttlebay. A force field kept the bay's atmosphere from venting out in space, thereby allowing people to stand in it with the door wide open out to the vacuum of space. As far as he knew, no race had the technology. The same was true for the Federation's strange space distortion drive and the teleporter. The Minbari fleet captain had hardly credited the reports of the Federation starships but here was proof of high technology. He was a little troubled by that. Having been civilized longer than most races, the Minbari held their soul to be more elevated, evolved and precious than those around them.
If that was true, what did that say about the members of the Federation?
The Federationers could not be all spiritually advanced. As he had seen with his own eyes on the Excelsior, the Federation is made up of many disparate alien races. The Minbari knew that that there are soul forms, one for each race—the soul form in Minbari differ from those in Drazi, Centauri and humans. The same must be true for the other universe.
That was a question that Lennan, a member of the Religious Caste, would bring to the temples on Minbar. It was a question that possibly could require a general Religious council, something that hasn't been done since Valen left.
At this moment, Shai Alyt Lennan was walking beside Commander Chekov down a corridor. The ship's captain, Lennan knew, was escorting Captain Sheridan and Chief Garibaldi separately. Normally, that would seem insulting to the Minbari but he understood that Sheridan was oddly uncomfortable around Chekov for some reason.
"Here, we have Sickbay," Chekov was saying.
Upon approach, the entrance door slid apart to admit them. Lennan could see that the sickbay was circular, reinforcing Chekov's statement that it followed the contours of the saucer section and was in the exact center of it to preserve as many patients as possible. White uniformed people—medical staff, he assumed, appeared busy. The Minbari fleet captain shivered at the sight of the beds. They were all horizontal. For a facility designed to preserve lives, they were certainly tempting death.
Upon looking at the beds more closely, he found that they weren't quite horizontal. Rather, it was a compromise between the human horizontal and the Minbari 45 degrees slant. Still, it was a compromise that leaned more to the horizontal than the Minbari way.
One of the female medical staff approached Lennan and Chekov, smiling her welcome. "Hello. I heard about you, Captain Lennan."
Chekov introduced the woman. "This is Doctor Christine Chapel, the ship's chief medical officer."
Lennan bowed. "I am pleased to see that the Federation values healers."
Chapel's smile became one of delight. "You are of the Religious Caste, aren't you, Captain?"
"Yes. I'm curious. Do you heal the mind and soul as well as the body?"
She was puzzled at the question. "No. We're purely physicians. If the mind needs healing, we have psychologists and counselors. As for the soul…well, that's a private matter between you and yourself or whatever deity you happen to believe in."
Lennan was slightly alarmed. "So if someone is seriously injured in battle and the injuries have harmed the mind and soul, as often happens, you pay attention only to the body?"
"Yes."
The Minbari looked around at the sickbay, thinking about the implications of Starfleet's medical practices. "Our healers are healers of mind, soul and body," he said quietly. Perhaps the Federation soul form wasn't as evolved as the Minbari soul form. Still, the technology spoke of their spiritual status. It was definitely something he needed to meditate on later.
"We may not be as enlightened as you," Chapel quipped with a disarming smile, "but we certainly know how to specialize tasks." She gestured toward an area partitioned from sickbay with a glass barrier. In that area, there was a table whose cover appeared to be of green gel and a large vidscreen on the wall behind it, showing a staff with two serpents intertwining around the staff. "Would you like a demonstration in the examination room?"
Bowing his head in gratitude, Lennan said, "Please."
The trio moved into the examination room. Doctor Chapel called for a nurse to activate the room's machinery. Pointing at the table with the green gel-like top, she said, "This is the micro-diagnostic table. It's capable of fully analyzing the humanoid body at the sub-cellular level. With it, we can fully understand a patient's status. Would you like to try it out?"
Lennan was queasy at the notion of lying so horizontal. "Umm…."
The doctor had heard of the Minbari belief that sleeping in the horizontal tempted death. She smiled disarmingly again. "You won't be sleeping at all, Captain Lennan."
"Very well."
He got on the table and lay down. Immediately, the vidscreen lit up with a schematic of his body. He was amazed to see that every single part of his body was revealed in the vidscreen's constant scan of him. The Minbari excelled in the healing arts but as far as he knew, they didn't have this level of medical technology.
Chapel looked at the scan closely, her brow furrowing.
"Nurse, focus the scanner here." A finger indicated an area in Lennan's body on the vidscreen.
The Minbari became nervous. "Is there something wrong?"
"No. You're a perfectly healthy Minbari who, judging by this, might live to be 120 years old. I'm just checking something out. It might be a discrepancy in the scan. Machines, as you know, are never perfect."
Lennan nodded. "Even the universe itself is not perfect," he said sagely.
The nurse isolated the area that the doctor indicated. A box appeared onscreen, showing the image of the helix of DNA. He noticed the same thing that Chapel noticed. With another command, the nurse brought up an image of another DNA helix, distinctly different from that of the Minbari.
Once compared, even Chekov saw the implications.
"What is it?" Lennan was becoming a little annoyed.
Dr. Chapel looked down at Lennan. "Captain…. How far did your people explore the galaxy?"
"Only as far as needed to make room for our population growth. And as needed for our wars, of course. Why?"
Chapel treaded carefully. "Did your people ever visit Earth, say, a thousand years ago?"
"Certainly not. The first time we met humans was 10 years ago at the start of our war with Earth."
Chapel looked up at Chekov and the nurse.
"What is it? There's something you're not telling me. Tell me. Now."
The female human doctor waved a hand to dismiss whatever she was thinking. "It must be a glitch in the data scan. It's nothing to worry about. I'll call Engineering to fix the problem."
Lennan saw the nurse look at the doctor with an expression that told him that Chapel was lying. "Tell me."
She took a deep breath. "You have human genes in you."
The fleet captain stared at her dumbfounded.
"The degradation of the human genes indicates that the introduction occurred among your ancestors at least 40 generations ago."
Lennan continued to stare. "Impossible."
It had to be impossible. Their machine had to be wrong. Minbar had absolutely no knowledge of Earth or humanity until Earthers came into Minbari space and murdered Dukhat. These Starfleet people were saying that the Minbari were not genetically pure. The audacity! The impudence! He hastily and angrily got off the table, causing the vidscreen to blink off. "Never! You're trying to confuse me! You're lying!"
Chapel bit her lips, not knowing what to say.
"You're lying!" he accused again. "Chekov! Take me to my shuttle. I'm leaving!"
Looking helplessly at Chapel, Commander Chekov nodded and escorted Shai Alyt Lennan out of Sickbay.
This clearly had the potential to be an interstellar incident.
"What have I done?" whispered Christine Chapel.
xxxxxxx
Captain Sheridan was impressed with the Federation starship. The Excelsior was everything that the Enterprise was, but bigger. It all had the feel of new technologies, a new class of ship. Sulu's ship, more than anything else, told him that the Federation was still a growing and advancing society. The feeling was similar to what he felt when the first Omega-class destroyer rolled off the shipyards at the end of the Earth-Minbari War. He remembered how slightly disoriented and overwhelmed he was when his command was promoted from the Lexington to the Agamemnon.
He glanced at the starship captain walking beside him down the corridor, conversing with Garibaldi. Sulu had told him that he once worked on the Enterprise. He wondered if the Japanese-American felt similarly when he got the command of the Excelsior.
At a turbolift door, Sulu paused and said, "As you know, Starfleet sent several ships following the trail left by the Borg."
Sheridan and Garibaldi tensed at the memory of the Borg.
"Needless to say, Starfleet found the wreckage of battle at Wolf 359. A few survivors were found and rescued. One of them was my security chief Akaar. Another was a civilian from an Earth warship. She said she's an ISN reporter."
Garibaldi was surprised. "The ISN reporter on the Parmenion? I thought the Parmenion was destroyed."
Sulu nodded. "It was. Ms. Tonia Wallace managed to survive in an enclosed pocket of air among the debris."
"And General Lefcourt?" Sheridan asked hopefully.
The Starfleet captain shook his head sadly. "The Borg completely destroyed the Parmenion's bridge. The only reason Tonia was alive was that she was deep inside the ship during the battle." Sulu turned and pressed the doorbell button.
After a moment, the door slid apart to reveal a blonde woman in a suit dress.
"Ms. Wallace?" said Sheridan. "How are you feeling?"
The ISN reporter said, "I'm OK. Still shaken, I guess." Then she quickly went into reporter mode and fired her questions. "What's this I hear about a rebellion on Babylon 5? Were you the ringleader? How did EarthForce fare with the rebel ships here? Why did the Federation get involved? Why—"
Holding up his hands to dam up the flood of questions from Tonia, Sheridan chuckled. "I see you're fully recovered. The questions will have to wait."
Tonia nodded, disappointed. "All right. You owe me, Captains. I'm still confused about everything. Clark, the Borg, the rebellions, alien intervention…there's so much I need to know." She looked over at Sulu. "I gotta say, Captain, that you have a wonderful ship. Are these quarters expensive? They seem a little too swank for my purse."
"No payment, Ms. Wallace."
"Oh?" She was skeptical. "What's the catch? Don't tell me you're doing it out of altruism."
Sulu had to remind himself that the humans in this universe tend to be more cynical than the humans in his own universe. "No catch. Altruism is part of the reason. The Federation doesn't use money."
Tonia was amazed. "That's not possible. How do you distribute your resources, pay for the labor, make sure no one possess too much of something? This ship—it has to cost a hell lot to build!"
"Like Captain Sheridan said," replied Sulu, "The questions can wait. The doctor's orders are for you to take it easy."
"All right, all right. You still owe me, Captain." Tonia Wallace stepped backward, letting the door slide shut.
"What's next?" Sheridan wanted to know.
"The prisoner."
The Earther captain and security chief agreed grimly. Sulu could only be talking about Laurel Takashima.
Babylon 5
Londo Mollari was at the customs area again. He called out to an arriving passenger.
"Ahhh, Vir!"
Vir and Londo laughed as they met. The older ambassador chucked his former aide on the cheek. "It is so good to see you!"
Vir held up a small packet and said, "Oh, look what I got!"
Ambassador Mollari was delighted to see that it was a packet of spaceline peanuts. "Oh, salted!"
"Yes!"
Still laughing, Londo pointed at the jacket that Vir was wearing. It was of Minbari material, a little longer than a human suit jacket, with three-quarter-length sleeves. "But what is this?"
"It's a Minbari ceremonial coat of welcoming. They gave it to me when I arrived to take over the diplomatic mission. I had to have the sleeves shortened." He posed for Londo. "Do you like it?"
"Yes, it's very nice." Immediately, Londo slipped into his role as Vir's boss. "Wear it when you're there, not here! You're a Centauri, remember? All right, come on, I want to hear about everything that happened on your trip. I've never been to Minbar! What's it like?"
"It's very clean! The people are very friendly and warm, except for the warrior caste. I don't think they like foreigners. But the religious caste, very, very friendly!"
"Now…do they speak of me very often?"
Vir took time to think. He could lie, but he couldn't bring himself to do that to Londo. He knew exactly what the Minbari say about him, but he also didn't have the heart to repeat them to Londo. A half-truth would suffice. "Only behind closed doors."
"Oh." Londo quickly erased his disappointment. "But why are you here? I only just got the news that you're coming here!"
The former attaché glanced around at the customs area, looking for someone. Seeing that she wasn't here, Vir said, "Lady Morella asked me to come."
Londo was stunned. "Lady Morella?" he said worriedly. He then quickly became delighted. "Vir! You've surpassed my expectations! You've got yourself noticed by the Royal Court! In no time at all, you might even find yourself getting an appointment in the Royal Court itself!"
"I'd rather not," said Vir truthfully.
The ambassador nodded sagely at Vir's retort. Putting an arm around Vir, he happily said, "Come! We'll have brivari and you'll tell me allll about it!"
USS Excelsior
Before they could enter the ship's brig, Commander Chekov came up to Captains Sheridan and Sulu and Michael Garibaldi. The Russian reported the events concerning Shai Alyt Lennan.
Sheridan's eyebrows rose. "Human genes? How is that possible?"
Chekov shrugged. "I don't know. Engineering is looking at the diagnostic table to be sure there wasn't any glitch in it. But Doctor Chapel is absolutely sure that there are human genes in Lennan."
"This universe just keep throwing surprises in our way," commented Sulu. "If human DNA has been introduced into the Minbari gene pool a thousand years ago, who knows who else have the genes in Minbari society?"
Sheridan kept silent, but his mind was saying 'Delenn.' It couldn't be. Still…it made sense if that strange triluminary device was able to turn Delenn into a Minbari-human hybrid. No. Earth didn't have any contact with aliens until the late 20th century. A thousand years ago, Earth was going through the 13th century, a time of the Mongol conquests, of Crusades, of the Magna Carta, and the High Middle Ages. Hell, the greatest invention of the 13th century was the eyeglasses!
Was it the Vorlons? They've been around for millions of years. They've visited Earth at least once, as indicated by their Inquisitor, Sebastian.
But why would the Vorlons take humans from Earth and introduce their DNA into the Minbari gene pool? It just didn't make any sense.
Sulu appeared to be thinking along similar lines. "No matter. We'll deal with it soon. For now, we have the prisoner, Ms. Takashima."
"Sir? What are your orders? I'm going back to the bridge," queried Chekov.
Garibaldi said, "Captain, I think we should keep Chekov with us." He grinned mischievously. "Ms. Takashima doesn't know about Chekov so he should make her rather…nervous."
The Federationers and Sheridan chuckled at the suggestion. Sulu nodded his agreement. Together, they entered the brig.
Behind an energy barrier, Laurel Takashima looked up at the arrivals. Her eyes widened at the sight of Chekov and she backed away from the energy barrier as far as the brig cell permitted.
"What the hell are you doing here, teep!"
Chekov tried his best to look haughty and looked down his nose at Laurel. "I work here."
She gasped. "Another traitor! Earth's full of traitors! So the President was right! Aliens ARE subverting the Earth Alliance!"
Sheridan stepped forward. "Aliens are subverting the Earth Alliance, yes, but these aliens are not from the Federation."
"How can you say that! Are you blind! That man is Alfred Bester, a PsiCop! I've only seen Bester a few times on Mars, but I'd recognize him anywhere!"
Looking stern, Sulu turned to his executive officer. "Commander, name and rank!"
Snapping to attention, he said, "Pavel Andreievich Chekov. Commander, Starfleet. Serial number 656-5827B, sir."
"Origin?"
"Born to Andrei and Natasha Chekov in Taganrog, Russia in the year 2245…" He glanced at Laurel. "…on Earth, seat of the United Federation of Planets."
Laurel gaped at the Bester-look-alike. Now that she looked more closely, she saw that Chekov didn't look as old as Bester nor was his forehead as wide and heavy as Bester's. She'd heard of the theory that somewhere in other universes, there are counterparts for every person in this universe.
Suddenly, she imagined the Federation replacing key Earth Alliance citizens with its own people piecemeal, masquerading as the original citizens and preparing this part of the galaxy for an invasion from the Federation. Is there someone in the Federation that looked and sounded exactly like Laurel Takashima? Were Sulu and Sheridan going to bring that woman in to replace her in EarthForce? Suddenly, she didn't want to know.
Then something that Sheridan said came back to her. "Wait a minute," she said suspiciously. "You said that aliens are subverting the Earth Alliance. You say they're not the Federationers. Who else could they be?"
Sheridan shared a look with Sulu before responding carefully. "There are aliens influencing the highest levels of EarthGov. We know only one name for them: Shadows."
Laurel said nothing. It was the first time she was hearing of Shadows influencing EarthGov. Sheridan continued.
"Do you remember ISN releasing that footage of the black alien ship found in hyperspace? That's a vessel of the Shadows."
Laurel scoffed. "Conspiracies! I have to wonder why we always have a fascination for conspiracy theories!"
Sheridan nodded at Sulu who then activated a small viewscreen in the guard area. It showed a static-ridden image of William Morgan Clark sitting at a desk. Garibaldi stood by silently, remembering how he once butted heads with Sheridan over keeping Morden in prison without any charges.
Clark said gleefully, "I've wanted Santiago dead for so long! I wasn't sure we could really pull it off! You're sure it's done?"
An unseen voice responded, "EarthForce One will never return from Io. The power is now yours, Clark—Mister President." At that, Clark leaned back in his chair smugly.
The image faded in static.
Laurel looked at the three men with raised eyebrows. "That's it? That's all you have to show for your theory? We've all seen that footage before on the news and it's not conclusive evidence."
"Well," replied Sheridan, "we know who the voice was."
Here, Sulu brought up another image on the viewscreen. It showed a human man sitting in a cell with his arms crossed.
"His name's Morden."
"I still don't see—"
"Watch!"
The scanning frequencies of the image changed, causing it to fuzz out for a moment and then suddenly was in crystal clarity.
Laurel gasped.
Two utterly alien beings stood in front of Morden in a conversational group. They vaguely reminded her of spiders and demons. She knew that if someone told her that the terrifying black ship shown by ISN was owned by beings like those facing Morden, she would believe it.
She shivered. "I…I think I saw one of their ships. You know how after my stint on Babylon 5 Earth Central reassigned me to a ship on the Rim?"
Sheridan nodded.
"Strange things happen at the Rim of Known Space, you know. Anyway, my ship was surveying a system charted by an Explorer some time before. We were just about ready to jump out to the next system when—when I saw something. It was probably a thousand kilometer away, black as space, so black that your eyes slid off it. The only reason I knew it was there was because it blotted out the stars behind it. It was big! When I blinked, it was gone!"
"Well, Ms. Takashima, now you know who are really calling the shots back home. It's certainly not Clark."
"It makes sense," she whispered. 'Ms. Takashima'…so she was no longer recognized as an EarthForce captain. Very well. "The things I've heard when I was stationed on Mars. Rumors of an ancient alien civilization at Syria Planum and Cydonia." She shook her head.
Garibaldi was startled. "Syria Planum!"
Sulu peered at the security chief. "You know something?"
"Yeah, I mean, I was there seven years ago. I was piloting a shuttle on Mars. We went down, two of us had to get back to civilization on our own. I saw what the rumors were talking about. A Shadow ship coming out of the sky and stopping over a dig in Syria Planum. I thought it was destroying something there. It went down into the dig, out of sight. For twenty, twenty-five minutes, nothing happened. Then we heard it! It was a scream that just reaches right into your brain and rips it apart! The ship rose out of the dig and there was a second ship coming up after it! It was buried under the surface of Mars all these time and we never knew until someone found it and called the Shadows about it! When I went back to check it out, it was all gone. Uh, except for…." Garibaldi looked around and said, "…except for a PsiCorps badge, badly burned at the site."
"PsiCorps!" Sheridan shook his head, stunned at the audacity of that organization.
A chill went up Captain Sulu's back as he remembered his encounters with Shadow ships. Seven years! So all this time, the Shadows had been infiltrating the Earth Alliance. He said, "I hope that the Shadows don't think to try and corrupt the Federation. We're going to make sure of that!"
Laurel Takashima looked from man to man, wondering if they were staging this for her benefit. What reason could there be for such a deception? "Uh…. You've given me a lot to think about."
Sheridan gave a curt nod and said somberly, "We'll come back. There are other things we need to discuss. Such as your shooting at my station and endangering the lives of a quarter million humans and aliens!"
"Yes, sir," said Laurel in a small voice.
Babylon 5
A Narn man rushed through the open door of G'Kar's quarters, passing a human businessman. The Narn caught G'Kar gazing at a small bag of white powder in his hand. Startled at the arrival of the Narn man, he quickly put the packet into a desk drawer.
Brusquely, G'Kar said, "What is it?"
"There is news. News from Narn."
G'Kar slowly rose from his seat, tensing up. "Ta'Lon…. Did we stop the Centauri?"
Ta'Lon took a deep breath. "Captain Ka'Shin of the Tequera an Fol led the G'Tok and the Ki'tang to the edge of the Narn System, moved insystem and waited for the Centauri to jump in…."
Narn (renamed to Narnia by the Centauri)
A blue jumppoint opened and a Centauri battlecruiser slipped out of it, escorted by its two Vorchan escorts.
Immediately, space near the convoy rippled. Two Narn G'Quan-class cruisers and a Klingon K'vort-class bird of prey decloaked and fired disruptors and photon torpedoes. Shields saved the Centauri ships from instant destruction, but one of the Vorchans was disabled, spiraling out of control. The Narns launched fighters.
Another torpedo from one of the Narn cruisers shattered the disabled Vorchan. The Klingons quickly moved in close to use their disruptors to knock down the other Vorchan's shields, then decapitated the ship. The remaining Vorchan continued to move under its own momentum, headless and belching small explosions.
Meanwhile, the Primus battlecruiser aimed its cannons and fired. The energy bolts splashed against shields protecting the Narns who were then ganging up on the battlecruiser with the Klingons. Sentri fighters poured out of the Primus.
Space rippled once more. This time, it was two Romulan warbirds decloaking. They raked the rear ends of the Narn and Klingon ships with disruptor and torpedo fire. Caught between the Centauri and Romulans, the Narn ships were soon heavily damaged while the Klingons made strafing runs at both the warbirds and the battlecruiser.
On the command deck of the Tequera an Fol, three officers sat strapped into their stations. One of the officers, a female, reported to the captain strapped in his chair, "Environmental controls hit!"
Captain Ka'Shin knew that the moment the Romulans came, the battle was lost. The Narn Resistance couldn't afford to lose more ships. It was clearly a trap. So the information about a weapon of mass destruction on the battlecruiser must be false. He said, "Do we have enough power to jump?"
"Only if we go right now!"
"Prepare for jump."
A vortex formed in front of the Tequera an Fol. The female officer shouted, "I'm picking up a distress signal! It's the G'Tok! Their jumpengines are down!"
"Shrok! And the Klingons?"
"They've disabled one of the warbirds! But they're taking damages. Their warp core is down!"
"Tell General Moghar to tractor the G'Tok and get it out of here!"
"Yes, captain. Enemy forces closing on their position!"
Several Narn fighters did their best to drive off the attackers. Their best wasn't good enough as they died in Romulan disruptor fire. The captain closed his eyes, resigned to what he must do.
"Keep the jumppoint open as long as you can. And put us between the G'Tok and the enemy."
"Changing course."
The Narn cruiser turned its belly its belly toward the enemy, offering itself up as a shield—and a target. Her shields glowed furiously under Romulan fire as the Klingon bird of prey ran at the G'Tok, activated its tractor beam and hauled it through the jumppoint created by the Tequera an Fol.
Relieved, the female officer reported, "They're away! They're safe!"
Captain Ka'Shin quietly said to the departing Klingons, "Qapla', my friends."
The Primus battlecruiser and the intact Romulan warbird closed on the remaining Narn ship. The officers knew what was coming and simply gripped their armrests. The end was mercifully quick, as the cruiser disappeared in a spectacular fireball.
The Centauri battlecruiser, freed of the threat, then turned its attention to Narn and approached the planet. Its missile tubes opened and canisters shot forth and detonated in the Narn atmosphere.
Babylon 5
"…the Klingons told us that scans of the weapon in the battlecruiser revealed it to be cobalt diselenide. It affects the nervous system in races whose physiology is like the Narns and Cardassians. The amount released will make the planet uninhabitable for everyone except the Centauri and other humanoids for 50 years." Ta'lon paused at the stricken look on G'Kar's face. He knew the feeling, having only recently experienced it. "G'Kar…if Narn is not evacuated within days, all 2 billion of us will die. I…I don't think the Centauri will do this. Our agents report that they're only loading colony ships and sending them to Narn. Inoculations are being offered to Narn collaborators and slaves in Centauri possession."
G'Kar's knees threatened to buckle so he sat down in his chair. His eyes blazed with anger and his teeth gritted as he tried to keep himself from exploding at Ta'lon. Ta'lon was merely the messenger.
"Leave," he said through gritted teeth.
Ta'lon brought his fists up to his chest and bowed before leaving quietly and quickly.
G'Kar, now alone, let loose his rage at the Centauri, at the universe, even at the old gods. All this pain, all this death, was all because of the Centauri. One of them was the prominent and important Ambassador Londo Mollari. He vented his fury by trashing his quarters, crying with rage, "50 YEARS! Mollari! MOLLARII!" In the process, the desk was knocked over and a drawer flew out. Catching sight of the packet of Dust, G'Kar reached for it.
Shai Alyt Lennan's Warcruiser
Shai Alyt Lennan meditated in front of a candle in his sanctum. In spite of the appearance of peace and harmony, he was not at peace inside. He had tried to deny the revelation about human genes inside himself. If the Federationers were telling the truth, then he was not pure.
The thought had occurred to him that if the human DNA was introduced into the Minbari gene pool a thousand years ago, Lennan wouldn't be alone with his impurities. How many impure Minbari? How many in the thousand years since the gene was introduced?
He remembered the temple texts discussing how Valen's children were persecuted and driven from Minbar for not being pure Minbari.
Lennan shied away from that thought. It would lead to uncomfortable thoughts. Very uncomfortable thoughts. Like the one about Minbari not born of Minbari.
He forced his mind away from that path again.
How many impure Minbari were there now?
Damn the Federation for rousing unwanted thoughts in him!
If he were to make the revelation public, every Minbari would have to undergo genetic tests. He knew with total certainty that after those tests, Lennan of the Religious Caste would no longer be a respected Minbari. Instead, an alien named Lennan would be judged harshly. The knowledge that there were impurities in the Minbari gene pool would shake Minbar to the core, maybe even break it apart.
In Valen's Name! Without the Grey Council, the Minbari Federation was now only holding itself together because there was strict equality in number, technology and power between the castes. He remembered Captain Sulu's words when he first met him: "So…if the Grey Council has been dissolved, the courtesy has fallen out of practice, as you say…. Wouldn't that mean this 'Valen's Covenant' no longer holds?"
He was no longer sure that Valen's Covenant would hold.
The galaxy itself might tremble before such a blow.
Lennan scoffed to himself. As if the Shadows were not enough!
Since birth, Minbari were taught there was no greater goal or nobler duty than to serve others. They were raised to be totally self-sacrificing, so it never occurred to many Minbari to do anything other than to serve. One of the lessons of service is that in times of suffering, those that are afflicted should be ministered to and comforted. This applied to all beings, not just the Minbari.
Would that apply to Lennan? Was he even "afflicted"? His eyes went over to a wall in the sanctum. It held a long dagger from the old days. Perhaps he could minister to his own affliction by….
No.
A ritual suicide demands him to explain his reasons, if not to the public, to his second. He didn't have the heart to burden yet another Minbari with his troubling thoughts. Thoughts that could lead to unsettling questions about the entire belief system of Minbar, including Valen.
Delenn?
No. Such a woman was too precious to burden. Besides, many people saw her as 'contaminated' not only by her genetic changes but also by her exposure to alien cultures. He was afraid that because she was once of the Grey Council, she would know the truth. He was afraid of what truth she held about the impurities in the Minbari gene pool.
Besides, if he were to suddenly die so soon after a visit to the Federation starship, it would attract unwanted attention.
To maintain honor, all Minbari must tell the truth or keep silent. However, distortion of the truth was accepted if by doing so the Minbari allowed another being or member of their clan to save face.
Lennan drew himself up straight. Very well. To save the face of the entire Minbari race, he would keep silent. In this way, he would have great honor even though no one would know how honorable he was. But he knew that someday, somehow, he would slip or someone else would find out. He could only hope that Minbari society could survive such a revelation.
He could only hope. He stood up and blew out the candle.
Babylon 5
Londo Mollari was badly beaten up and was now unconscious. G'Kar held his head up as he rummaged through the Centauri ambassador's memories.
In the Royal Palace, a Centauri minister briefed a much younger Londo Mollari.
"Your shuttle leaves for Babylon 5 in two days. I hope that gives you enough time to out your affairs in order? Before you go, you'll be officially given the title of Ambassador. Obviously, we expect you to represent our people as best you can. Any questions?"
"Just one. I would like to know why I was chosen for this honor?"
"No one else wants it! The first four stations were destroyed, or vanished, so it's not a very safe place to live. And safety is much valued. Frankly, it's a mess!"
"In other words, the position is really little more than, what? A joke?"
"Yes. And a bad one, at that. I'm sorry, Londo. If I could have assigned anyone else, I would have. But your name floated to the top. And once Emperor Turhan saw it, well, that was the end of it!"
Londo found himself in a dark place, G'Kar's mocking laughter ringing in his ears. The Narn sat as if on an elevated throne.
"Who would believe it? The great and powerful Londo Mollari got his job because no one else was stupid enough to take it!"
Angrily and fearfully, Londo shouted, "Get out of here! I have nothing to say to you!"
"Ohhhh, but there's so much more to see, Mollari!" taunted G'Kar. Suddenly he was standing behind Londo. The ambassador spun around to face him. "How does it feel to be helpless, to be the victim? Does it help you to understand how we feel? Does it help you understand our pain?" G'Kar reappeared on his throne and spoke fiercely. "Show me your secrets, Londo! Show me your secrets!"
In a garden on Centauri Prime, a Centauri lady appeared out of the colorful foliage, heavy veils hiding her face. Emperor Cartagia smiled at her as the shirt on his chest stirred with anticipation.
The lady approached and whispered, "Cartagia." She repeated the name in a normal, though raspy voice. The third time she said his name was a scream. She was now running at the emperor, the sun glinting off the metal of a dagger in her upraised hand.
A golden flash struck the screaming lady. She gasped in surprise, dropped the dagger and collapsed on the garden path. Londo Mollari stepped through the flowering plants, holding a Royal Guardsman's Tromo blaster. He grimly looked down at the 'lady'. Her veil had fallen away. A look of shocked betrayal was frozen on her Narn face.
It was Na'Toth, G'Kar's missing aide.
G'Kar drew in a long gasp. "You tricked her! You killed her! All just to gain some influence over your mad emperor!" He scowled blackly. "Show me more!"
Londo raised his hands to cover his face in terror and screamed.
Londo was in the Garden of Babylon 5 with Mr. Morden. The Centauri ambassador was agitated.
"What have you done?"
"Only what you asked me to do," retorted Morden. "You had a problem with Quadrant 37—we took care of it for you!"
"Yes, but you killed ten thousand Narns!"
"I didn't know you cared! Ten thousand, a hundred thousand, a million—what's the difference? They're Narns, Ambassador. Your sworn enemy."
Grinning sarcastically, Londo said, "Why don't you eliminate the entire Narn homeworld while you're at it?"
"One thing at a time, Ambassador," said Morden gravely. "One thing at a time!"
In the dark place, G'Kar was stunned. "You. It was you!" He scowled blackly again. "Two billion people are dying at Narn because of you! You were at the center of it all! And the others, the ones you're working with…."
Londo was now afraid. "No! Not any more! It was a mistake! I have nothing more to do with them!"
"Who are they?" G'Kar roared. "Tell me! Tell me or I'll rip it from your mind!"
"No!"
"Then I'll take it from you! Neuron by neuron! All of it, Mollari! All of it!"
In quick flashes, G'Kar saw:
…A great hand reaching out of a sun;
…Londo not seeing an angel rescuing Sheridan;
…Londo watching Shadow ships fly over Imperial City on Centauri Prime;
…Londo crowned as Emperor;
…Londo being toasted by G'Kar even as the war began;
…Londo's announcement of the Narn surrender;
…Londo entering the Centauri throne room;
…The hand;
…Londo preparing to leave on the final assault;
…The Mass Driver planetary bombardment at Narn;
…Londo being escorted to the Babylon 5 Advisory Council to announce the surrender of Narn;
…The expulsion of G'Kar from the Council;
…Londo as a sick old man on the Centauri throne;
…The hand;
…G'Kar as a much-abused old one-eyed man in the throne room;
…The two old men strangling each other, killing each other;
…The hand.
G'Kar sat with his hands hiding his eyes from the sight.
A gentle voice came through the darkness. "It is enough!"
G'Kar looked up. "Who…. Who's there?"
"Just us."
"Who are you?"
"I am who I have always been." The source of the voice turned out to be an older Narn, hanging by his wrists from a tree on Narn.
"Father?" G'Kar was surprised.
"It is too late for me, G'Kar. It is not too late for you. Honor my name. Honor—my name." G'Kar's father died.
G'Kar was crying. "No!" He reached for his father, but now he was alone, back in the darkness.
"We are a dying people, G'Kar. So are the Centauri."
G'Kar turned to see another old Narn. He was surprised to see that it was G'Quan himself.
"Obsessed with each other's death until death is all we can see and death is all we deserve!"
"The Centauri started it!"
"And will you continue until there are no more Narns, and no more Centauri?" G'Quan looked at G'Kar sadly. "If both sides are dead, no one will care which side deserves the blame. It no longer matters who started it, G'Kar. It only matters who is suffering."
"No." G'Kar was crying again. "No, I have an obligation to honor my father's name!"
"And how have you chosen to honor that name? What is there left for Narn if all of Creation falls around us? There is nothing! Even Narn is dead to us now. No hope, no dream, no future, no life—unless we turn from the cycle of death toward something greater. If we are a dying people, let us die with honor by helping the others as no one else can!"
"I don't understand."
"Because you have let them distract you, blind you with hate! You cannot see the battle for what it is! We are fighting to save one another! We must realize we are not alone! We rise and fall together! And some of us must be sacrificed it all are to be saved. Because if we fail in this, then none of us will be saved, and the Narn will be only a memory." G'Quan vanished.
A third voice intruded in the darkness. "You have the opportunity, here and now, to choose—to become something greater, and nobler, and more difficult than you have been before. The universe does not offer such chances often, G'Kar!"
"Why now? Why not earlier? All this time, where have you been?"
"I have always been here."
A rustle of wings and a bright light turned G'Kar around in time to see the angel G'Lan take flight and disappear into the dark heavens.
G'Kar sat hiding his face once more. This time he was outside of any mind, back in Babylon 5. He raised his head and looked around. Mollari lay unconscious beside him. He buried his face in his hands once more and bawled.
Unnoticed, Kosh looked on. Satisfied, the Vorlon turned and took his leave.
USS Excelsior
Laurel Takashima had a lot to think about. Alien influence in the highest levels of Earth government, Shadows roaming the night, Federation might, memories of Mars and the Rim, the way the Clark Administration was handling the Earth Alliance which was at this moment falling apart, and—
The door to the brig opened. It was Captain Sheridan.
"Ms. Takashima, this will take only a moment. I have urgent business back on Babylon 5."
She stood up. "Yes, sir."
"You're aware that you've opened fire on a station full of a quarter million humans and aliens?"
"Sir, I'm just following orders. I was just doing my job!"
John Sheridan gazed at Laurel silently. He looked at his watch and said, "'Just following orders.' 'Just doing my job.' I hear a lot of those when talking about Clark. They're excuses to detach ourselves from the moral obligations we all have. You know, if you look at the guys who ran Treblinka, Bergen-Belsen or Auschwitz, you'll see that that they mostly ordinary-looking people. They look like they could be accountants, repair men, car salesmen, and insurance sellers. They were us. We all know about the big bad guys, the evil empires, the evil leader and all that crap. Too often, the real damage is done not by the evil leader but by the thousands, the millions of people who follow him, the bookkeepers who track the bodies, the trains and the pain by putting the right figures in all the right columns, who make the trains run on time, who run the prisons, who build the new empires that will be made with slave labor. Any of them could say, as many have, 'I was just doing my job.'"
Laurel stared at Sheridan, her eyes smoldering with wounded dignity and denial.
"'Following orders'…that's how the military is run, sure, but we all have the obligation to think about what kind of orders we're getting and to make sure that these orders are right and legal. My God, Laurel! We've come to the point where it's all right for ship captains to follow orders telling them to shoot at unarmed civilians, where it's ok for us to charge people with treason simply just for not agreeing with the government." He held up a compad that Laurel didn't notice before. "Here, let me read you something from during the First World War:
"The President is merely the most important among a large number of public servants. He should be supported or opposed exactly to the degree which is warranted by his good conduct or bad conduct, his efficiency or inefficiency in rendering loyal, able, and disinterested service to the Nation as a whole. Therefore it is absolutely necessary that there should be full liberty to tell the truth about his acts, and this means that it is exactly necessary to blame him when he does wrong as to praise him when he does right. Any other attitude in an American citizen is both base and servile. To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public. Nothing but the truth should be spoken about him or any one else. But it is even more important to tell the truth, pleasant or unpleasant, about him than about any one else."
"Nice speech," sneered Laurel. "I bet it was a radical who said it."
In mock seriousness, Sheridan said, "No, Ms. Takashima. It was former President Theodore Roosevelt."
Laurel looked down and sat quietly. There were many things she had done that she now regretted. Things she did on Mars, on Babylon 5, at the Rim and in the Janos System.
She looked up and said, "I'll join you."
Sheridan was surprised and not a little skeptical and suspicious.
Laurel stood up and got as close to the energy barrier as possible. She could feel the static electricity coming from the barrier. "Really. I've never truly agreed with Clark. I'll join you."
Babylon 5
G'Kar looked up when the door to his cell clanged open. He squinted at the light. The silhouette seemed to be that of a woman in a large dress.
Surprised, he whispered, "Morella?"
The Centauri lady stepped into the cell. Lady Morella looked around the cell with distaste. "Earth prison cells are nothing like Centauri dungeons, but I could hardly call this an improvement."
Calm, but confused, G'Kar asked, "What are you doing here?"
"You were noticeably different at the trial today. Is hatred no longer all you have?"
G'Kar smiled. "No. Not anymore."
She nodded approvingly. "This is what Turhan wanted." Morella studied G'Kar. "I knew you would be coming for Londo."
"Lady, you surprise me again. Why didn't you try to warn him or stop me?"
She said simply, "Londo needed to learn. Just as you needed to learn. Do you think Londo deserves forgiveness?"
G'Kar thought for a moment. "I think I won't be able to forgive him for what he did to my people. There was something I saw in Londo…."
Flashing back to his experience in Londo's mind, he saw the technomage Elric talking to the Centauri ambassador.
"Oh, I'm afraid you're going to have to spend the rest of your life paying for your mistakes. You are touched by darkness, Ambassador. I see it as a blemish that will grow with time. As I look at you, Ambassador Mollari, I see a great hand reaching out of the stars. The hand is your hand. And I hear sounds—the sounds of billions of people calling your name."
"My followers?" asked Londo with hope and wonder.
"Your victims."
Lady Morella nodded as if she knew this. "It has happened. It is happening and will continue to happen if Londo doesn't learn and choose in time. Thank you, Citizen G'Kar." She turned to go.
"For what?"
Morella smiled over her shoulder at the Narn. "For helping us to learn."
xxxxxx
Much later, Lady Morella came out of Londo's quarters. She was satisfied with her day. She had just made her reading for Ambassador Mollari and she hoped that he would be able to catch the signs when they appear. Three opportunities to avoid the fire that awaited him. She sighed sadly. Three opportunities to avoid the fire that would burn Centauri Prime.
She remembered her husband's death dream that had come to pass: seeing a Vorlon, asking how it would all end.
In fire.
It was a tragedy, Morella thought. She pitied the fate that awaited Londo and Vir. Their destiny as Emperor could not be avoided. And now she would return to Centauri Prime and endure the deprecations that the monster Cartagia was now inflicting upon her people and homeworld.
She remembered her son, Beyon. Once, as the Imperial family viewed a freak show at the Royal Palace, Prince Beyon leaned over to speak to Morella under his breath.
"Do you know, Mother, who is the greatest freak and monster of them all?"
Morella had remained silent. Then Beyon offered an answer to his own question that the empress didn't expect: "It is the Emperor. He stands apart from all other people, distant, unique, forever isolated from all honesty and love, from normal feeling of any sort. He is a grotesque thing, an Emperor is. There is no monster so pitiable in the universe as an Emperor, Mother."
Morella sighed. The crown prince had been wise beyond his years. He would have made a good emperor. Too bad he died in that boating 'accident.' Too bad that the current Emperor is a monster of monsters.
She said to one of her Royal guardsmen, "Let's go home."
"Yes, Great Lady."
USS Excelsior
Captain Sheridan was in Captain Sulu's office. They were speaking of the coming wars with the Shadows and the Earth Alliance.
"Will the Federation help us?"
Sulu frowned. "Yes. But it's strange, Captain. Starfleet Command, not to mention the Federation Council, wants nothing more than to leave this universe alone entirely. They wanted the Enterprise crew to go back home, but they've ordered me to stay. They've ordered what's left of my task force to stay." He brightened. "One starship would have been enough help for you. A whole fleet is hell lot more help!"
"Yeah." Sheridan actually appreciated the presence of the remaining six starships at Babylon 5. Add the three Minbari warcruisers and the station was now one of the most protected locations in this part of the galaxy. Babylon 5 was a dream given form, a dream in which the Earth Alliance had the potential to be something more than it has become. The two have parted ways, severing each other off. For now, Babylon 5 would be an independent republic where new dreams could form. Dreams of peace, of victory, of hopes, of a galaxy where all could live and enjoy life. A republic of dreams. He liked that. A thought occurred to him.
"What about the Borg?"
"I don't know. So far, we've heard nothing from them." Sulu now looked worried. "I have a feeling that we haven't heard the last from the Borg."
"I hope not. We do still have the Shadows to contend with."
Sulu nodded his agreement grimly.
Hyperspace, somewhere in Federation space
A Shadow heavy battlecrab cruised through the maelstrom of hyperspace.