Record keeping time: First as always, I want to thank you all for your reviews and I hope that you will keep them coming (smile).

The herd mentality mentioned in the previous chapter is not written in stone but it is a strong theory that has evidence in my stories. And it's not just mine but several other authors have a similar theme running through them when it comes to Earth Alliance and the B5verse. Notice I am saying theory as opposed to fact. As mentioned the herd mentality is very strong in EA humanity, but it isn't exclusive to them. I suspect that all of the races touched by Vorlons have these same attributes but as we focus on humanity, I will focus on them. The big question that appears to be the theme of B5 humanity is "why can't you give us all of your stuff? After all, we're human and so are you. Therefore, you must share with us. We deserve it and it isn't right for you to share and care for aliens more than you do us. It makes you traitors to humanity!' this theme runs through a huge number of different stories and different authors in most of the B5 crossovers. Now, it could be expressed as greed envy, and a host of other emotions but what I've written above is what it boils down to in so many cases. This is not to say that the herd mentality exists, but it does add credence to this theory. The Vorlon are creatures of order and they genetically manipulated the different species in their local space to one degree or another. Every race that sees the Vorlons se angels of light in their own image. Ha, ha. And one of the things about order is that sticking with the herd maintains a sense of order in and of itself. Now the degree of this herd mentality varies. Some people may not even have it. Some will hate any humanity that tries to be independent or separate themselves from what they think humanity should do.

A good example is the EA obsession of keeping their colonies under their control even if a few thousand have to die for EA weapons fire or starvation. Independence is not allowed. In this story, the very idea of humans being independent and worse joining with aliens to create a new interspecies government is driving many in the EA to have heart attacks. Furthermore, the lack of sharing technologies that should rightfully belong to humanity is making them crazy. Call it jealousy or envy or whatever, They-don't-like-it. it just doesn't seem natural or right.

I realize that I have pushed this a lot (and didn't even realize it) in my stories but I ask the readers of these various stories from various authors, is there evidence that this theory has legs? Please let me know.

Next is the Sinhindrea: They are all telepathic but there are different degrees of telepathy. In canon, the movie Third Space' indicated this, people were affected by the telepathic influence of the third space aliens but recovered completely. The gate was modified to help increase the effects. But we also know that some Vorlons were permanently affected and they were the ones who hid the gate in the first place. I have a theory about them and it will be expressed in later chapters. They are no longer considered Vorlons by their own people.

So working with this, I have created Sinhindrea savants who can track a target anywhere once they get the 'taste'. The vast, vast majority cannot do this, only a select few, called the Clovien. Note that every Sin can influence someone mentally, that's what they do. But the range is limited and the effects disappear completely once the Sin is dead. In Allies in Blood, Shakiri must guard himself forever, but if there are no Sins around then, he is okay. This does not mean he is free from the influence as he believes, far from it. It does mean he is far more susceptible, and can fall at the drop of a hat.

Inquisitor0: You have hit several points that I plan to explore and are in fact already in the rough draft. However no temporal agents or devices other than the computer are present. Some of your ideas have merit and I had forgotten about them. But the particle synthesis system is about to play a huge role for the Feds. Replicator tech is 1930's compared to Synth tech which is 2040's. but it isn't as easy as it sounds. There are a few problems which will be addressed. Temporal agents cannot get to or influence the B5verse. It is not their jurisdiction and certain entities will keep them out. This situation is much too big for their petty interference. More on your comments later.

Skelly78: I will go over some of the previous chapters sometimes. I will find that I have repeated myself or changed something that should not have been changed. For example, General Fontaine's background had to be changed ot otherwise I would have been screwed,

No 'Discovery' ever (I hate that show). No 'Picard' (it is one possible future but not for me or this fic). No Lower Decks' whatsoever. No Star wars ever except in reference to character in the movies once in a while. Guinan did this reference in AIB once.

A couple of marriages are coming up. Also the Galactica will make an appearance and they are escorting a friend or two. Their story will be here but their mission is a stand-alone objective requested by Q and it will be critical to the Sin problem. We do not need for to get things to get worse and believe me it can if this problem isn't resolved.

For those seeing this story for the first time or don't have a clue as to what I am talking about, please start at the beginning. 'A Universe of Change, Those who Stand, Allies in Blood. Then start here. It will save you questions and a grief and confusion. All of them can be found under my name AlbertG. And yes, I have not forgotten ATV and Worldwar either. In the next chapter I will have some recommendations for you in light reading if you are into crossovers. But enough for now.

Please enjoy. AlbertG.

A Universe of Change: By Candlelight-Defiance

Chapter Six

The Minbari Shagotti class Valen'tha

Containment Quarters

Shai Aly Shakiri, member of the family Koft, once-acknowledge leader of the Star Riders clan, respected First of Warriors among the Wind Swords, Blood Knives, Stone Knives, Fire Wings, and other, smaller clans of the warrior casts, smiled for the first time in weeks.

He was free.

Those telepathic tendrils, the ones that poisoned his mind, disappeared. Only when they were no longer present did he even realize they were there. The shai alyt knew exactly when it happened, and the changes in his attitude and his thoughts were noticeable. He felt different from the day the Sinhindrea failed to destroy Earth. Shakiri didn't know why he was free of the creature's influence, but he had his suspicions.

The Grey Council's telepaths, the Three-Who-Were-One, onboard the Valen'tha noticed the change in him almost immediately. When Shakiri's fleet returned from their disastrous battle at Z'ha'dum, three of Minbar's most powerful telepaths hadn't detected Shakiri's alteration and pronounced him clean. Two weeks ago, the three pronounced him cleaned again. But this time was different. The three knew what they were looking for and when they examined Shakiri again, they 'saw' something was missing in his mind. Whatever was missing shouldn't have been there in the first place. The neurological adjustments to the war leader's mind were so subtle that the telepaths hadn't recognized those changes for what they were. It was a dangerous discovery, one that had repercussions for those touched by these Sinhindrea.

In describing the alterations, the three compared it more to an empathic rearrangement of the mind rather than a direct influenced. Sinhindrea telepathic projections followed the lines of least resistance. The Minbari telepaths could identify the changes now that they knew what to look for. The results were dramatic. According to the telepaths, his thoughts were more ordered, less chaotic. He was still ensnared, and in the presence of the Sinhindrea, he was susceptible to their influence. It was likely that the reason he was free was because of the Sinhindrea savants in the sector were all dead or focused elsewhere. It didn't matter. He was free. But the reason he was free infuriated him.

His mind was free but, but that freedom did nothing to change his ambition. He still believed that confining the Grey Council for their incompetence was the correct thing to do. He also still believed that Earth Alliance and the human Federation needed to be placed under protectorate status when the Minbari could protect them and ensure that the Starfleeters were under control. Their technologies were too advanced for their station and only the Minbari could safely manage such advanced tech safely. The human Federation needed to mature before they could safely handle such power. And he still believed that he was the best person to lead the Minbari and younger races to victory and a new age for the glory of the Minbari.

What was different was that he planned to change his approach to the problem. It was time to earn the right to lead. The human Federation was the challenge to the Minbari now. The other races were starting to look to them, not the Minbari, and this had to change. They were an obvious threat to Minbari supremacy. But for now, they were needed, and Minbar would use their vast capabilities to save it.

Shakiri was ashamed of his actions. That, however, didn't extend to Ambassador Guinan, and the greatly despised Captain Rachel Garrett. Those two females humiliate him in front of his fellow warriors. Garrett, the woman who humiliated Shai Alyt Rannoann, and by extension, the entirety of the Minbari people, insulted him continually while he was on that station. And what was worse, he never noticed. He didn't know what was worse, the insults or the fact that they could have wiped out his fleet if his people had attacked Laberre. Even Babylon Five, that human station, could have stopped the Minbari war fleet's attack in their tracks. It was another reason to rein in the Starfleeters before they destroyed everything.

Star Station Laberre

Conference Room One

Will the Minbari accept this? Will Earth Alliance accept this proposal?

Captain Jonathan Archer wasn't sure. It was a radical proposal that neither side would like given their history. The things he'd learned about the Minbari so far didn't inspire him with confidence. Captain Terrell Drake was correct in his analysis of the Minbari. They were a touchy group. Shai Alyt Aalaan was easy to talk to, amiable, and easily engaged in diverse conversation. Shai Alyt didn't necessarily like the Earth Alliance humans, but he got along with them well enough. He got along with Starfleet personnel just fine.

Satai Neroon was initially rather distant but was slowly warming (if 'warming' was the right word) up to him. During his talks with Picard Garret and Sisko, they told him of their history of and the fears the man still held towards the Federation. It came down to a question of status and power. The Minbar were afraid of losing their status among the other races. They were 'top dog' for a thousand years and that pecking order was smashed by Starfleet. Neroon understood but hadn't really accepted it. This represented an unknown path he wasn't sure his people could handle. And with the revelations of truth about the Vorlons and Shadows, he and his people were in psychological chaos. That, of course, paled compared to what was happening now on Minbar.

Shai Alyt Shaka grunted and reminded him of some Klingons he knew but weren't as bad as he could be. Being around Babylon Five had a mollifying effect on him, especially since his pregnant wife was there. From all accounts, he was less belligerent than he was when he first came here.

Several members of the worker caste were friendly, with only a few being stand officious. But the stress upon them all, just below the surface, was more than obvious. They were worried about what was happening in their home world, and he couldn't blame them. And that worry wasn't exclusive to the Minbari. But

This plan was rife with political minefields and Archer wasn't sure if these people were ready to accept such an unprecedented proposal. In his opinion, the warrior castes were going to be a problem. Most of them either actively disliked humans or were at best indifferent. They were a prideful people not used to accepting help. Pride had a way of crippling people and with the Sinhindrea on their home soil, that same pride might hinder them from accepting help. He just wasn't sure what direction they would choose. However, having your home ravaged had a way of changing one's perspective and those at home would likely have a different opinion than the ones fighting in orbit.

The entire situation reminded him so much of home. When he officially informed the captains that he would accept the position of Commander of Starbase Laberre, he expected it to be a huge challenge. He was just realizing just how big an undertaking this was going to be. It was definitely going to be different.

However, his Earth, his pre-Federation, was at the same stage as these people were at now. All of them were coming together, despite their animosity towards each other to fight against a greater threat, and this presented an opportunity for him to witness a critical point in history. This wasn't his native universe, but unlike Picard and to a lesser extent, Garrett, he was actively working to accept it as his own. He was here, and he wanted to see how an alliance was formed–or how it failed. But he was an optimist and hoped, no, he expected things would turn out for the best. But he was also a pragmatist. Birth was messy and loud.

Speaking of which…

Those thoughts were pushed into the background when Captain Garrett and a huge Klingon entered the conference room, followed by a Narn representative.

Worf sat next to Garrett and appeared comfortable sitting next to her. That brought back a lot of old memories, including some concerning a Klingon lawyer he knew. There was a part of him that wished he were here instead of on that penal rock of a prison. He offered Archer a different point of view that enriched his opinion of Klingons. Not all of them were of the warrior castes, not all of them were trying to outdo one another, trying to see who the better fighter and killer was. That experience made him wonder how these klingons lived with the Feds and others. First Officer Worf appeared to be comfortable around others not of his kind. Archer planned to speak to him when he had a chance.

Worf acknowledged Picard's presence with a small, respectful tilt of his head, which Narn Ambassador Ta'Lon copied. Picard respectfully returned the nod. Archer observed the exchange with interest. That small dynamic was interesting considering what he knew of Picard's universe and the Klingon–Federation war, compared to what he knew of the Picard of the other timeline. T'Pol and Trip also noticed the subtle interaction.

Archer met most of the people in the gathered room. Just about every one of the higher-ranking officers was here, including Captains Sisko, Sheridan, Commanders Castillo, Lieutenant Commander Data, and Lieutenant Commander LaForge were present and his chief engineer, Lieutenant P'tvon.

Besides Senator Peterman, representing Earthforce were Generals Franklin and Denisov, EarthGov Secretary of Planetary Relationships (a new post specifically created to establish and maintain positive relations between Earth Alliance, the EA colonies, and newly independent states with Human-based populations) Tanovick Christov was present, as was Earthforce Captains Leonard Anderson, and Charlotte Clark. Former Earth Alliance President Elizabeth Levy was present via video conference and would take part. Her meeting with several ambassadors of the Non-aligned league prevented her from attending directly, but Peterman's presence, acting as her aide in this case, complemented Earth Alliance's representation. Despite the abruptness of the situation, the two were working closely with one another and the relationship was acceptable as their relationship continued building upon itself. President Vincent was present.

Tanovick Christov, a survivor of the Clark regime, sat quietly watching everyone and everything. Picard and Garrett described their relationship with the man as 'tense' but improving. John Sheridan, Commander Ivanova and Security Chief Michael Garibaldi represented the station. Colonel Paul Griffin was not present in person, however. He was also attending the conference via vid comm. Archer's future liaison with Ambassador Cheryl Roman was present at the meeting.

Four Minbari were present, Shai Alyt Shaka and his second-in-command, Alyt Trevall, and a wheelchair bound Draal. All of them looked grim, and their projected demeanor reminded him of many Klingons he had contacted with. Another Minbari commander, Shai Alyt Aalaan, didn't take part, choosing instead to continue to patrol the outer boundaries of a very tense B5 space. His comm was open, however, and he and his staff were listening to every word coming from the conference.,.

There was another alien present, standing near the wall, off to himself as far from the Minbari as possible. The being was bald-headed, having a somewhat larger cranium than human. His clothing looked ragged, with dull coloring suggesting age. The male looked nervous being in the presence of so many people and had politely but firmly refused to take a seat. His eyes darted towards the Minbari and Narn, who in turn glared at him with suspicion and distrust, but not in the pure hatred normally associated towards his people. Clearly, the Minbari and the Narn in the room weren't happy with his presence. But the gifts of the new, very small, and powerful jump engines had soothed some of the outright contempt and fear. Still, neither group was taking any chances.

Captain Archer studied the dynamics as much as he could. It was, and he wondered if this was similar to the beginnings of the alliance that his counterpart experienced.

Their attention focused on Captain Picard as the meeting started.

Captain Picard cleared his throat, a signal that the meeting was about to begin. "Now that everyone is here, we shall begin this meeting discussing the current state of Earthforce's defense capability in the Sol system. Senator Peterman," Picard said, looking that the senator now carrying double responsibilities.

Jonathan's focus shifted towards the Earth Alliance ambassador.

Peterman folded his hands, a subconscious habit, as he prepared to speak.

"There isn't any way to sugarcoat Earth Alliance's status," Archer heard him say. "Between the civil war, Drakh, the Sinhindrea, the Centauri, and the plague, not to mention the political discourses," he added with some embarrassment, "Earth is in shambles." He sighed but managed not to shake his head in obvious dismay. "Our estimated defensive capabilities stand at approximately thirty percent post-civil war numbers. We're protecting our colonies with as many of our resources as we have available. But-" He shrugged/ "There's not much out there protecting them. The situation is so dire that we are considering having the smaller colonies and settlements evacuate either to the Orion Gamma colonies, or Proxima II or III, like the Cooke and Wolf 359 colonists. We've been in talks with President Vincent, and he has agreed to allow several settlements, and some smaller colonies relocate there."

Like President Luchenko, he and many in the government were anxious about the precedent being set. Earth could easily lose most of its colonies to the Proxima II and III colonies, even if they defeated the Sinhindrea. Peterman could easily see many of the colonies, not wanting to return to Earth Alliance authority. Earth would have to start re-colonization all over. It was a heavy price to pay but a necessary sacrifice if EarthDome wanted to protect and keep their people alive. Losing Mars, the local colonies, settlements, civilian and military installations in the Sol system to the Sinhindrea was a brutal lesson and one learned well at the cost of tens of thousands of lives. The admission and acknowledgement were in keeping with Earth Alliance's recent promise to protect the colonies. Revealing this weakness was a source of serious contention by Earth Alliance's military and civilian leadership.

Admitting weakness to one's adversaries, or even one's allies, was a usual recipe for disaster, but Earth decided that there was little choice. Earth desperately needed resources from its allies.

The already splintering Earth Alliance might well fracture completely and might never recover without the use of force. That option was rapidly closing if not closed already and EarthDome had little desire to start another fight, one they couldn't win. It was yet another in a string of lessons Earth Alliance was subjected to in the last three years. "We haven't even calculated the full damage of the attack on Earth. It will take decades to deal with the effects, and there's a more pressing problem we recently discovered. Many of our children near the death zone are showing signs of advancing myelodysplastic anemia. All indications point to some form of radiation poisoning, but we can't identify the specific radiation causing it. We have a treatment for the condition. However, we've asked the Babylon Five, the Federation, and Proxima III for medical help, and we are most grateful for their help. The Alliance realizes that we can't withstand another attack of the caliber that has already taken place. Another enemy force of similar size would mean the destruction of Earth."

Looking at Sheridan and the Federation representatives, he continued. "Babylon Five fared better against the alien attack than Earth and every other place we know of. We acknowledge things are getting worse. Until recently, B5 was almost overwhelmed by the numbers of alien refugees of every kind flooding to the station. Now, that flood is a trickle and we're struggling to determine if this is a relief or something far worse. It is my personal belief that this is a dangerous sign of what is to come. None of us wish to become refugees, fleeing from the Sinhindrea. We all know this is a real possibility. Earth was attacked and mauled. Minbari is being mauled by these monsters. The Non-aligned worlds are afraid that they could be next, and they have reason to be afraid.

"But the powers represented here should be more frightened. The Sinhindrea pattern is to attack the strongest nations first, leaving the rest to be condemned at their leisure. This cannot and will not be allowed. We must come together, not just in word, but in deeds. Earth Alliance signed the treaty, becoming allies in blood with every government in this room. We will give help, but we will not be afraid to ask for it, too. Now that we're officially allies, I formally request your help in developing the same defenses for Earth as you did with Babylon Five. We are willing to discuss any reasonable monetary compensation that you might require."

General Denisov picked up where the senator left off. "Our dock yards weren't hit during the attack, so infrastructure is still intact. Proxima III is allowing us to keep our space docks where they are, and we are ramping up and beginning to build our new designs. The Warlocks are being constructed as fast as possible as are the gunboats. Proxima is helping to supply the necessary parts and specified equipment using their synthesizer device. Build time is significantly faster, but we are just beginning, and we are aware, time is a luxury we don't have.

"The new generation of Olympus-Monsoon gunboats and the Warlock prototypes performed above expectations thanks to the polarized and gravity plating technology. But. It's not sufficient for our defensive needs. Their enemy attack made it abundantly clear that neither of us, not even the Minbari, are strong enough to prevail against the Sinhindrea, when compared to what you or Babylon Five can field. Our GOD system performed adequately against smaller attack ships, but they were useless defending against the larger craft. If the enemy comes again, and they will, we need to be able to hit them back harder than they hit us. We will not lay down and die."

"Earth's been the victim of far too many assaults recently," General Franklin grumbled. The older general shifted in his seat. The tiredness in his face showed just how little sleep he'd gotten in the last week. But beneath the surface lay genuine anger and a sense of helplessness that not only extended to the armed services, but to those he swore to protect. "Several of our most senior officers are dead, our forces gutted, and Earth barely able to support itself without help." Even as everyone listened to him, the bitterness of those words was obvious to Archer, who understood exactly how the man felt, having been in his shoes. "We're promoting young, unseasoned officers into command positions they are not ready for. We need breathing room and the people of Earth and the colonies under our protection need to know that we can defend them."

Now, most of Earth Alliance personnel stared at Sheridan as if he about to pull a rabbit out of his hat. He knew what they were thinking, and he hated being pushed into this position, but he understood the seriousness of the situation perfectly. Sheridan glanced at the Federation representatives. In turn, they glanced back at him, all of them with steel in their eyes.

Oh, yes. They knew what was coming.

Valen'tha:(four days from the home system)

Grey Council member Coplann, representing the warrior caste, listened once more to the arguments of his fellow warriors bickering. Allowing them to argue allowed them to release some of the tension, but it also gave him real insight on the thinking of his people. They were a passionate people and needed to blow off some steam and prepare for the upcoming battle to free their home world. What he hadn't expected was for the arguments to go in the direction it was now headed towards. The different clans should have united themselves towards a common enemy, but instead, they returned to the same old arguments that dominated the Minbari for the last three years.

"Shai Alyt Shakiri is head of the warrior casts," grumbled Yunmay. "He should not be held accountable for his actions while under the psychic influence of the enemy. Everyone has noticed changes in him lately. He is more like himself. Leniency must be considered." Yunmay was leader of the Blood Knives warrior clan, and a rabid supporter of the defrocked Shai Alyt. He was too forgiving of Shakiri's actions, considering the circumstances.

"You mean less, hysterical, more rational, and able to think reasonably?" questioned Shai Alyt Menroi. He cocked his head. "Perhaps, but that doesn't excuse him from his reckless actions at Z'ha'dum. Thousands of our people and Centauri were wasted in useless and an unwinnable conflict against the Sinhindrea. And let's not forget that he planned to imprison the Council before he was compromised." Menroi looked at Yunmay, enraged. "Don't excuse his earlier mistakes and ill-conceived dreams of glory with his current ones," Menroi cautioned. "He was warned over and over, not to go, but his lust for glory and his inability to use common sense weakened bout our nations. The Centauri trusted him, and he failed them. He didn't even bother to send an after-action report of the battle to warn us of the danger, and his failure."

"That's not accurate," snapped a hot-tempered Yunmay. "He was busy reorganizing the fleet and assisting those ships that were damaged."

The Shai Aly paused and reflected for a moment on the words Yunmay said. "I won't disagree with you. But for three months on your return journey, he didn't find the time to inform us of his defeat? Apparently, he had time enough to order the detainment of the Grey Council," Menroi retorted. "He was concerned enough to practically destroy our agreement with Earth and the Starfleet Federation and almost start a war with them, and a civil war with our own people when the true enemy was coming to take us all."

Yunmay began roaring back. "Someone has to take a firm hand and lead the younger races if we were and are to survive. He is that person, the first among warriors. He is Minbari. Who else is can lead us into battle with these First Ones?"

"Perhaps someone who didn't fail so miserably?" Menroi suggested. "I can forgive our glorious war leader for many things, but I cannot dismiss his irresponsibility at not informing us of the dangers he encountered, nor can I dismiss his attempted takeover of our government!"

"Menroi, you forget yourself!" Yummy hissed.

For a moment Coplann thought that a clash between the two was imminent. That was something he wouldn't allow. "Both of you. Stop," he commanded.

"Our people are dying," Menroi retorted. "And we're clinging to a leader who is incompetent and who cares nothing for the people of Minbar unless it benefits himself. He cares nothing about the other races we're supposed to be an example to."

"That's not true! You are misinterpreting the facts!"

The older Shai Aly shook his head in disgust. "I feel ashamed that our information on the greatest enemy of our time has come from the humans, the Federation, and not our own people. We should have information on the types of craft we are going against from Shakari, or even you, Kursan! Everything we know about the Sinhindrea comes from them! Don't you feel ashamed? I know I do."

Yunmay felt like he'd just been slapped was slapped. "The Blood Knives are aware of the creatures we must face, and we will confront them as Minbari have always done."

"And we will die as a people," countered the old Minbari Shai Alyt. "We can't win against them alone. We need allies. The Vorlons are gone!"

Kursan jumped in. "We have nearly three thousand ships ready to wipe these foul creatures from the universe. The warrior clans are united. Nothing can stand against us. The Earthers are weakened and all but useless. The Federation ships would be useful in the upcoming battle, but…"

"But. Your 'but' is the problem," Menroi cut in. "Our people are intimidated by them. One small ship defeated Blood of Saints in honorable challenge, and we can barely breath because of it!"

He smiled, as he knew he hit a very sensitive nerve.

Yunmay rose to the bait. "Rannoann was a fool to allow the human she-captain to defeat him so easily! When I challenge her, I will wipe the stain of our humiliation from Minbari honor."

Menroi did something that infuriated both warriors. He laughed at them as their collective fury increased.

"I know you swathe recordings of Voyager when it was attacked by a shadow battle crab. You weren't there, but I was. Voyager cut the ship in half! The Enterprise defeated two Clovien warships over three times its size. And it sustained damage in the process but survived. That was when I knew we were in danger. The Federation defeated the Drakh, Centauri, and drove off a Shadow battle crab in the early days of their arrival. The Shadows hated them as did the Vorlons." Now he smiled viciously. "Did you see the Earth footage of the Sinhindrea attack?"

"Yes," Kursan answered. "The Earther ships died like carrion insects. But I will give them credit. They fought bravely. It was still pitiful."

"Yes, they fought, and they died," agreed Menroi. "They didn't stand a chance. Not until the Starfleet ships arrived." He turned to stare at a fuming Yunmay. "Those ships, all of them, broke the backs of the Sinhindrea attack fleets, twice. The Ambassador destroyed capital ships and took on a Clovien battleship one on one and defeated it while the Enterprise did the same. The Federation hips are now upgraded to the 'Voyager' standard." He growled viciously and added, "if you didn't know about that, already."

Menroi shook his head in dark bemusement. "Even our top-of-the-line ships couldn't win in an honorable challenge." He laughed some more, further irritating the others. "You waste your time, Yunmay, and you too, Kursan. Captain Garrett wouldn't agree to another challenge. First, the challenge was accepted and won. Any other challenge would only appease your hurt pride. Second, she would never challenge an inferior ship. Third, the Fed rules forbid retaliatory challenges. Fourth, she and the Federation have more important things to do than sooth our pride. Rannoann realized this and that is the reason he accompanied Voyager to their home. He lost, but he was Minbari enough to accept his defeat."

"You lie! He was forced to go with them because he failed and became that woman's servant! She used his honor to force him to go!"

"No," Coplann told them. "He asked to go with them, and I agree with his reasons. The Grey Council was lax in our responsibilities. We said nothing when Blood of saints lost to the Ambassador. The Council was foolish not to speak to the Federation directly, but we believed we were above such things, and we left Delenn to resolve our problems for us. We did not directly participate in the negotiations with the Federation and the Earthers and B5. We were helpless when Shakari confined the Council," and here he glared at Yunmay and Kursan who were part of the conspiracy. "It was foolish of you to even think of attacking the Babylon and Laberre stations. You had no idea of the slaughter that would have occurred, and we of the Grey Council would have not sought retribution for this foolishness. Shakiri's fleet would have died in fire because of him." He was quiet now, allowing the words to sink in. "No. Menroi is right. We need allies and we will approach this carefully, and not attack foolishly, like Shakari. I have promised Sheridan four days from the time we arrive at the system to come up with a plan. If none is forthcoming, then we will attack with everything we have."

"We will take back our home world from these creatures," Yunmay hissed.

Menroi barely heard him. Coplann looked stricken. "In Valens's name, they wouldn't!"

Coplann nodded slowly. "As would we," he whispered.

The others looked confused, not following what was being said.

"Four days," whispered Menroi. "Valen help us all."

TBC

Note: To understand his fear, please read the last chapter of Allies in Blood. he has reason to be afraid.