A Universe of Change: BCD

Chapter Fourteen

Laberre: Officer's dining room

Captains Picard, Garrett, Sisko, and Archer were seated at the Captain's table, having dinner. For the moment, none of them spoke, and were simply enjoying the moment's peace from the stress. Dozens of officers, crew, and civilians passed by, nodding respectfully as they continued towards their own destinations. When they did start their conversation, Garrett didn't participate in the small talk. Her mind was elsewhere. The upcoming mission preoccupied her mind.

Captain Sisko's marines needed so many things, both politically and militarily. He and his marines were going to be the political face of the Feds on Minbar. The Grey Council was told of the plan, and it was met with trepidation and rightly so. Ben was a captain, but foremost, fate had made him a marine, and he was her friend. It was her belief that he was first a starship captain, had trained for it. However, fate had a way of interfering with the best of plans.

He and his marines were going to be on the ground, fighting monsters and surrounded by a people that had little love for humans, although that was not to say that relations weren't rapidly improving. All she had to do was to look at Alyt Rannoann, Aalann, and Menroi as examples. Even Shaka was coming around, much to everyone's astonishment. The male was more belligerent than Rannoann, if that was possible. A humiliated Rannoann was now considered a friend. Shaka was screaming for a rematch with her, another challenge of honor. That was mere months earlier. Now he was a steadfast ally, the first father of a freed generation. The title changed him and his wife, who joined him two months later. Fate had mellowed the grouch. They both had an apartment on Babylon Five, a place he originally loathed. His wife, however, needed monitoring since she was the first to undergo the procedure, and Minbar, B5, and the Federation doctors watched her carefully. Secretly, Shaka was happy she was here and not on Minbar, fighting against and running from the Sinhindrea.

Those successes flew in the face of many other Minbari, mostly being the Minbari warrior clans, who disliked, and that was putting it mildly, her people. There were clans who still wanted to challenge her to another 'honorable' duel. That was an embarrassment. They wanted to kill or at least cripple her vessel to soothe their insecurities, not even caring that her ship was now stronger than ever. They knew this fact, which just made them angrier. Those were symptoms of far deeper problems plaguing the Minbari.

The truth about the Vorlon interference with their species came as a blow to them. But they weren't alone. Every race known was genetically manipulated, in one form or another. Minbar also reeled from the Sinhindrea invading their world. The events increased their insecurity and still, the Blood Knives faction had demanded another duel–after Minbar was liberated and the threat of the Sins was removed. The Minbari always considered themselves the first, and the best, and now, their entire worldview was in flux.

Garrett turned the challengers down as had Picard, saying that Federation law, under the current conditions, prohibited them from participating in honorable duels. The fake rule Garrett originally made up had been satisfied according to the Federation (non-existent) rules. Those Minbari were livid, especially when Jean-Luc casually mentioned that even Shakiri agreed that a duel was a bad idea and in bad taste. An imprisoned Shakiri refused to weigh in on the matter, seeming to agree that a duel was wasteful at this critical moment.

It wasn't that Shakiri cared about keeping the peace and improving relations. Far from it. Whether he was under the influence or not, he still abhorred what Starfleet represented and he hated his inability to control it and subjugate the technology and influence they had. They were mere humans and aliens, not fit to clean his shoes. They were the ones whose shadow eclipsed the Minbari, and he hated it.

Earth Alliance's mega corporations were another problem they were going to have to deal with. Many of the corporations were on presidential candidate Well's side, and those corporate entities were frightened and desperate to keep their power and influence over the people of Earth Alliance. It was stunning at how they could separate their profits from their survival. The Sinhindrea made their points most eloquently. They wanted Earth dead. This didn't stop the corporations from doing everything they could to gain control of the new technologies or at least acquire samples for study.

The technologies were a clear and present long-term threat to everything they held dear — in this case, their bottom-line profits. It didn't matter to many of them if the whole world was about to be attacked by creatures intent on destroying everyone and everything, including their precious corporate assets. He and some others claimed that humanity needed to be unified and that included the filthy rich, but very small Starfleet contingent that refused to bend the knee and kiss their cousin's butts. In short, the presidential runner was a pain, and the Feds were concerned about his plans if he won.

Another problem of concern was the Vorlons. The Vorlons left, so Kosh said, and she sincerely believed him. But she couldn't help remembering the aura of pure hatred emanating from those aliens when they left. The promise of revenge filled the whole room. The Shadows weren't much better, but it was their lead Vorlon, Kosh Ura, she was worried about. Guinan told Picard, Sisko, and her that Q had extended the same aura of protection that he had provided Janeway and her people. She called it anti-Vorlon Shadow repellent. Thank God for little favors.

Nevertheless, that protection didn't extend to them coming back in force and trying to kill them all if it served their purpose. The one advantage was that they were running away as fast as possible and would take time for them to return, if ever. But they would return if the Sinhindrea danger was over, or if they couldn't get entry into the Rim, whatever that was. If they were to return, then life would get more interesting than it already was.

"My marines are ready," Sisko said without a hint of emotion. "We've been training with the new equipment from Voyager." Coolly, he stared at the senior captains. "You know there's going to be problems. If the ground force warrior clans are anything like their space brethren, then they won't like off-worlders coming to aid us, whether the Grey Council approves the operation or not."

"That may not necessarily be true," Archer said. "My interactions with the Minbari might be non-existent, but the situation on Minbar is going badly. The fact that Earthforce, the Narn, a few Klingons, and us are going there to help shows how desperate the Grey council is. It's a political decision. It's a mission every single Minbari can get behind because it represents an act of honor, helping not only their entire world but the galaxy. From my talks with some of the Minbari, they remind me of the Klingons at a time I was an interned in one of the prison colonies. I learned a lot from my lawyer, who was jailed with me."

"Klingon justice," muttered Picard.

"Klingon justice," echoed Archer. His tone surprised Picard. "I liked him. He told me that not all Klingons are warriors. Most of them were peaceful, but the warrior clans dominated every part of their culture. What most people saw were the hot-headed warriors. I understand what you went through and what you've lost. What you've said to Captain Drake goes for you, too. You're a senior captain here."

"What are you trying to say, Captain?" asked a very cold and stern-looking Picard.

Jon wasn't intimidated in the least. "I'm saying, deal with it and get over it. Drake is trying. Half of Earth Alliance is trying. It's your turn. Your fight with the klingons is over. The ones here are not your enemies."

Picard was quiet for a long time, trying to control his anger and stubbornness. He was also surprised and embarrassed. He hadn't expected this from Archer and surprisingly, it hurt because what he said was true. The metaphorical slap in front of his fellow officers affected him like few other things had.

Valen'tha

Grey Council

Minbari Territory

In his private quarters, Satai Coplann said in his favorite chair, deep in contemplation. John Sheridan had laid out his plans as promised to him, and he was very uncomfortable with it. He couldn't deny that it wasn't a good plan, however, this plan would have been satisfactory for those not of Minbar. This was Minbar they were discussing, and he was terrified of the possibilities. Things were going badly on his planet. The Minbari star clans were unable to do anything about it because the Sinhindrea had the entire system locked up. Several hundred of their ships were actively prowling the entire home system of Minbar, and his people could not break through to affect a rescue.

On the planet, hundreds of thousands, possibly millions of people were being killed and the Minbari ground defense forces, as they had, did not have any support. All they had was what was available to them on the planet. From what little was known, the war was going badly. Fortunately, resistance was still strong, and that counted for something. The people weren't doing well. Entire cities had been razed to the ground, vaporized by the enemies' plasma weapons, which left nothing in their wake.

The land had been poisoned, and no one knew exactly how, although there were some theories floating around supplied by the Federationists and agreed to by his own people. The nanites had destroyed two large swaths of land, decimating everything in their paths. Plants, animals, buildings, even the soil, were being broken down and in its place a new city, a terrible city, was being built in its place. So far, there was nothing anyone could do about it. The devastation couldn't be studied by scientists without the Sinhindrea swarming and killing them. Something had to be done and quickly or Minbar would fall.

The situation frightened him worse than ever before. If another planet had been threatened by such adversity, he knew his own people wouldn't hesitate to destroy the whole world to keep such an enemy away from his home. But this was minbar!

Sheridan's hint about the Federation's planet killing capability terrified him, as few things had ever done before. He understood why such an action would be taken, but never had he imagined that minbar would be one of the first to suffer such a fate. Those thoughts terrified him.

The others did not know, but he would have to tell them soon and he was positive they would react the same way that he first had. The idea of their home being destroyed to keep an enemy away from the other worlds would be unacceptable. But none of them dared allow this plague to spread any further than it already was. Minbar was the strongest power in the region and if they failed, then others would fall, too. And that was why John Sheridan's plan was so terrifying.

It was also the first line of defense for all of the younger races. If the liberation of his home failed, and Minbar was lost, something he didn't even want to contemplate, but had to, then everything was lost. It always came back to his home.

Coplann had to tell the others, explained to them why he delayed the attack against the Sinhindrea which everyone knew they would lose. Minbari blood was hot and passionate, but they couldn't win against such power, not without help. There were many who didn't want help, foolishly believing that they could handle this on their own, when in their hearts they knew they couldn't. It was pride that was going to be the downfall of the Minbari, unless he could do something about it and follow Delenn's example. If you wanted to be a leader, he would have to be a servant. He never thought of himself as a servant, but for the first time, he felt like one, and it was one of the worst things that he could imagine.

"Lights," he said softly.

Inside his chambers, delights brightened, and he involuntarily gazed at the room that he had lived a large portion of his life. His seem to be accusing him of being a traitor to his people and suddenly, he had the urge, the need to get away from his own chambers as soon as possible. The meeting would be beginning shortly anyway and in some ways, that was a relief. He silently cursed his own chambers, Curse the Vorlons, Cursed the Shadows, and finally he cursed himself for wanting to be a leader in the first place, not understanding the true depths of the responsibility placed on him.

Sighing to himself, he put on his robes and placed the hood over his head. It was tradition to enter the chambers of the Grey Council with his head covered event to stand in the light. With as much majesty as possible, he exited the room and was greeted by his adjutant about graciously. "It is time," he whispered.

His aide merely nodded as they both quietly headed towards the chamber.

Again, honoring tradition, he was last to enter, slowly stepping into the light circle. Quietly, he uttered the words. "We are the grey. We stand between the light and the shadow. Now we stand between life and death," he added, shocking the others in the room.

Seven of the circle of lights were occupied by members of the religious, warriors, and workers castes. Two of the lights remained vacant. Neroon was at the Babylon station. Delenn wasn't there, but at Minbar, rallying the people and representing the Grey Council. No one considered replacing her in her circle. They could feel her presence and, for some of them, it felt strangely comforting.

There were others in the room, standing patiently behind the leadership. Alyt Menroi, of the star Riders clan, as with two members of the warrior clans the Blood Knives sect. other representatives of the various warrior and religious caste clans helped to fill the room. Their presence was unprecedented. The private chamber of the seat of power had never been as crowded.

Coplann removed his hood and to speak to those present. "There are many of you here that questioned my reasons why I have chosen to delay entry into our territory for so long. The delay is not because of fear or concern for our people. It is not because we have abandoned those protectorates that we have left defenseless as we prepare to liberate our home. But it was out of concern for Minbar itself. Their intentions are obvious. They want us to rush to save our world and commit our space forces. If we rush in, our forces will be decimated. We will not liberate our world against these monsters unless we have a plan. I have conferred with John Sheridan, who has developed a plan that will not lead our people to slaughter and will help to liberate our home. At first, I hesitated. We are Minbari. We handle our own troubles. But this is something we cannot handle on our own. It will affect everyone, everywhere. I gave him a little time to present his plan and when he did, I gave them more time to prepare."

For a moment, it was as if the weight of the world was on his shoulders. "Satai Delenn was correct. The Minbari are strong, but there is no dishonor in asking for help from the other, younger races," he added. "After listening to him, I agree with the plan. I do not agree with his plan lightly. But I agree with it because I can see no alternative."

He explained exactly what the plan was and the leadership in the room tensed. What surprised him, however, was that the protests weren't as vehement as he expected them to be, considering the fact that the plan was as radical as anything that they ever heard of. Most of the leadership was remarkably quiet while they contemplated what they'd heard. As expected, there were those in the room who immediately rebuffed the idea.

Hedrann, of the Worker caste, was the first to speak. "Mere weeks ago, mine would have been the first voice to oppose the plan set forth by the Earthers," he slowly announced. It was obvious that this was difficult for him. "We were all there at Babylon Five when the Sinhindrea attacked. Those creatures tracked us from Minbar to Epsilon, with the intent of not only killing us, but everyone in the star system. They view us as a threat, something to be removed, with no more thought or compassion as we would have stepped on an insect. It is true we cannot understand their motives. They do not conform to our ways of thoughts any more than our thoughts would compare to the birds, or animals, or insects. We are simply in the way and therefore we are nothing to them. But we understood enough."

"With all of our might, we all know they would have succeeded." he growled. "With all of our preparations, warnings, and the best we had to offer, they would have destroyed us, if not for Babylon Five and their Starfleet allies. Not one of our ships, other than the Valen'tha, escaped damage, or destruction. I care little for the Earthers, but they defended us with everything they had and suffered for it. Like everyone present, I saw our forces and the Earthers join to defend each other for the first time without reservations. It saw Starkiller in the lead, fighting with everything he had, and I was surprised. Even though the war is over, I did not expect him or any Earther to do what they did for us. I saw White Star One, a blend of Minbari, Vorlon, and Federationists, stand up and be counted against the enemy and I was ashamed. I was ashamed because I was envious of that power, and it was in the Earther's hands and not ours. Our people could have had this power if not for Shakiri, but would we have come to their aid? We are Minbari! We are the leaders of the younger races. But I ask this question to all present. Would we have stepped up to be counted if others had asked us for help?" The elder statesman, with the answer, looked around and the others said nothing. The answer was already known. "Yes, we know the answer. Yes, the Earthers are in danger of extinction. The Shadows hated them. The Drakh didn't simply raid them but tried to destroy them all at the behest of their masters." He suddenly paused for an instant in shock. "I wonder if we tried to do the same in the name of the Vorlons? Was the war with the Earthers part of their plan and we were unaware of it?

Now, everyone in the room looked thoughtful, not liking the plausibility of the answer. Waves of anger filled the room.

"The Sinhindrea destroyed their Mars colony and would have burned Earth if it weren't for the Starfleeter's presence at the first attack. Those same other humans and aliens fought for a world that once despised them and tried to take their technology. When the Destroyers attacked us at B5, Picard and his people stopped them. They also saved the Earth from absolute destruction. They are a people, human and aliens. They are small in numbers, but they have helped us in ways we may not be able to repay. I admit the other governments, including Earth, were jealous of their power. I was among those. But I cannot dismiss their help out of hand. It is a bold plan and frightening as well. But the other choice could doom us all. As terrible as what is happening on Minbar, I admit, I find myself envious that the Sinhindrea feel more threatened by the humans, and by extension, the Starfleeters, than they are of us."

"If the Minbari cannot stand on their own, then we will lose the respect of the others," protested one satai of the religious caste. It wasn't confrontational but said for the sake of argument. "Our people have suffered enough humiliation from the Starfleeters and our own once-allies, the Vorlons," he spat. "Things we knew to be true for a thousand years were found to be lies. The attack by the Drakh on our protectorates and the Minbari colonies frightened us. We almost closed in on ourselves. We were found wanting and now we ask for help from those who helped humiliate us." He shook his head in disgust. "I do not blame them, but they stand tall while we ask for help. I confess it does not feel right. This is not saying that I would oppose the plan if our world were to survive. But this plan will put the Minbari everywhere in disarray."

Satai Cadroni of the Religious caste had remained remarkably quiet, now spoke. "We have invaders on our world, destroying it. Our people are being slaughtered and here we stand, debating what changes might happen to our people. I once said that the universe may have selected humans for extinction. Now, those words haunt me because we might have been the ones selected. We all know the truth. If Minbar falls to the Sinhindrea, then the other races will have no choice but to destroy our world." The words angered and frightened everyone in the room. "We would do the same thing. And we would do it as a first line of defense, not the last. How can the others not be thinking the same thing?"

TBC