Chapter Fifteen

Valen'tha

It took everything for Coplann not to sway in front of the others. He should have known that the others would discern the truth without him saying a word. He didn't even try to deny it, but that was frightening in and of itself.

"I want our people to survive. We are Minbari. If they failed to contain this threat, then it would fall on us to do so," he whispered. "But can we trust them not to act irrationally? I know what the Federationists did for Earth, but would they do the same for us, or would they destroy pur world before it is necessary?"

He then bowed, allowing the other non-council participants to speak.

Alyt Yumay of the Blood Knives clan, and a devoted follower of Shakiri, once leader of the Star Riders and the leader of the Warrior caste, was the first one who spoke. "With respect, Satai Coplann, you have seen the evidence for yourself. The Federationists and the Klingons are dangerous. They are powerful, but they have no respect for their superiors. They are a young race, and you want us to trust them with the lives of Minbar? dare we trust them with weapons of such magnitude?" he asked. "I say we must not trust younger races with such power to interfere with our affairs. Yes, we need their help, but they must understand who is in charge and who is the head of the younger races. Shakiri was correct. They need to be controlled so that their technology can be handled by those who have the maturity and understand the responsibility to safely wield such power, not alien Earthers who continually humiliate us."

"Have a care, Yumay," Menroi growled. "You know nothing of Starfleet or their people, except what you choose to imagine. Shakiri wanted power for himself. He imprisoned the Grey Council and planned to do so long before the Sinhindrea invaded Minbar. You and alyt Kursan were complicit with that traitor to the Minbari people!"

"You dare to call him a traitor?" Yumay roared. "What he did, we did for the protection and glory of the Minbari people! You are clan Star Riders. But you are unworthy to speak the name! He had the vision we needed, before the Sinhindrea changed him."

Menroi actually laughed. "You may dress up your lies in any way you so desire, but we know the truth. The Grey council knows the truth! Your clan seeks glory in battle, and Shakiri promised you that. It is well known that you would be the first to challenge Captain Garett to another honorable duel, no matter the price." Now the Minbari's eyes narrowed in anger. "And you would lose!" he laughed. "But you don't listen, and that foolishness has depleted your clan and your sister clan the Stone Knives. You defied orders and two hundred of your ships attacked the enemy and they died to a warrior. Two hundred ships of the line, wasted because of your short-sightedness. Your pride and impatience caused your downfall. You didn't listen and paid the price. Your clans were small before. How much smaller are they now?"

Yumay's eyes turned into slits as he prepared to attack the Star Rider in the council chambers.

"Stop," Coplann yelled. "There will be no fighting here in the chamber. Yumay, we are aware of your actions along with Shakiri and you will be held accountable. Do not make your situation worse." He turned away from a visibly fuming Yumay who was struggling to rein in his temper. "Menroi, what is your opinion of the Federationists and this plan?"

"I have been around them, spoken to them on many occasions, had dinners with them, and I know them well enough that I trust them to do what is right and honorable, as do Neroon, Delenn, Aalaan, and Shaka. Rannoann trusted them enough to travel with them to their home. He was against them more than anyone else. But he changed. He learned. What I am ashamed of is that the Gray council chose not to speak to them directly during the initial negotiations. Delenn and Neroon offered many insights, but you should have talked to them personally instead of having others do it for you. You had the opportunity to speak to them when you traveled to Z'ha'dum. But you chose to remain aloft, clinging to ways that have not changed for a thousand years." The council members glared at him, but he paid no attention. "This is a new age, and your isolation allowed Shakiri to imprison you and no one knew, except Shakiri's followers!"

"You wish my opinion about the Federationists and their Earther relatives, and the Klingons? Then listen well. I will be honored to tell you what I have learned. My reports reflect my opinions which you have read and listened to. Our first encounter at Babylon five almost led to conflict. The Federation members believed we were there to take advantage of the situation. We believed that they were there under orders from the Earth Alliance government. We all were aware of President Clark's attitude concerning aliens. We also know our beliefs. We were the eldest of the young races and those unknowns dared to stand against us. Conflict seemed inevitable. It was Sheridan that stopped both sides from shooting at one another." He shivered at the thought. Not only would many have died, but the implications for the future would have been disastrous.

"Conflict was avoided. It was my curiosity that made me accept the invitation by Captain Picard to tour his ship and initiate a face-to-face conversation. I did this to evaluate what we were facing and to evaluate their threat potential. When I arrived, I found that these people were not what I expected them to be. I assumed that tensions would be high at best. I was wrong. There were humans on the ships, but other races were present. We talked and listened. Their foods from different planets was acceptable. The Vulcans were practical, and although suppressing their emotions, were relaxing to be around. The Andorians, the Vulcans' traditional enemies, were there and freely associated with humans, Vulcans and the other races on the ship. It was disconcerting but oddly optimistic. I discovered that both Andorians and Vulcans had been in space as long if not longer than we were, and I was intrigued. The Federation is made up of younger races, but also elder races as well. Shakiri and our people think of the Federation as younger. The truth is, they have been in space for as long or longer than we. We question their maturity. Together, I believe they are as mature as we. All we have to do is look below the surface. Humans were the junior members, having only been in space about four hundred fifty years. Both younger and older are wielded together, but what surprised me most was that they were comfortable around one another, which suggested generations of contact. And the humans had no idea about the Minbari war of retribution. Other than it being a point of interest to them, they had no real connection with Earth Alliance. That surprised myself and my crew. The visit was most enjoyable."

"I speak of this in order to help you understand. In my experience and opinions. Yes, they are dangerous. Yes, they are more than honorable. Yes, they have technology that surpasses ours in some ways. And yes, the Grey council should have talked to them personally instead of just having Satai Delenn and Neroon act as intermediaries. This contact was too important for you to remain aloft. Times have changed. The Grey council has changed. Our government cannot remain isolated and aloft from the people. We have seen the results of that," he growled, staring at Yumay, whose hostile glare burned into his eyes.

"No one knew that Shakiri held the seat of government hostage! We almost lost our freedom. In the middle of a war that threatens everyone's survival. "And, here we are," he roared, "debating whether we should accept help from those who are in the position to do something about it because of our pride and our isolationist tendencies. Members of our warrior caste are still upset because we lost an honorable challenge! To some, our pride is more important than the lives of our people. Therefore, for this and other reasons, it was and is my opinion that we open full talks with each other and build respect and trust we assumed but obviously haven't earned."

"

"You propose that we change our entire governmental structure," said a member of the religious cast. "The council was already broken once. Another would fracture the entirety of the Minbari people."

"With respect, I am unworthy of telling the Council what they should do. I only offer my observations. But I do know we must change. If we do nothing, we will remain stagnant as the Vorlons intended," he hissed. "And understand me, the Vorlons helped to make us what we are, a race becoming slowly extinct. Of course," he added, "the Federation helped in that regard the same people you are afraid of."

"We should be more advanced than we are, not content to remain the same for the last thousand years."

"We cannot change the past," another one of the satai's of the worker caste said.

"But we can change the now. Our reproductive issue is solved. We now have to live long enough to take advantage of it. Rannoann understood this truth so completely that he went with them on a voyage of discovery. He did what I should have thought of and did first."

"Change is difficult, even during these times," admitted Coplann.

"Then shall we allow our pride to doom us all?" asked Menroi. "or shall we embrace this new future with our eyes opened, fighting to survive now and bracing for the future?" he asked. Then he added, "if any."

"We will consider your words," said a deeply affected Coplann. With the exception of two others, the other members of the council looked worried, trapped within their own thoughts.

"Please consider quickly. Time is running out."

Behind the elder Minbari shai alyt, he could feel the emanations of pure hatred coming from Yumay and his caste, who considered him a traitor to Shakiri and the warrior caste.

Laberre

"I believe not all of the Minbari will be hostile, not under the current conditions," Rachel said. "We will be there to make a difference, even a small one. I'm betting that those seeds will improve our relationship over time."

"Of course, that's not counting those who want to destroy the Ambassador out of spite, just to regain their lost honor."

"By the time this war is over, everyone would have had a chance to regain their honor," Jon announced. "If not, then I will openly challenge the Blood Knives clan and their sisters, the Stone Knives. I'll challenge them with the Regent. I know it's not ready yet, but if we survive and if they still want it, we'll give it to them using a smaller ship."

The first of two Intrepid class ships were still being built, but from everything he'd seen and been told, they were going to be powerhouses. Several new and untested technologies (curtesy of Wesley and the Great Machine), with the ship conforming to Voyager III standards, were being incorporated. The building was proceeding quickly with help from Minbari workers, Babylon Five, and a very happy group of Earth Alliance IPX specialists. As with the Defiants, they were more than eager to help. The money and benefits were plentiful and more than satisfactory. Some (most) were spies, but they did their jobs and, with the amount of credits and prestige they were getting, were more than happy to do so.

The first ship was powered by the latest antimatter warp engines. The second one would use the first generation zero-point warp core identical to the Colin Powell-class starship Voyager.

"If you win, it will just make them more upset," cautioned Sisko.

"I wonder. I do think that it will encourage them to work harder. They seem to have a thing about being number one."

"That they do."

"I think, I hope," Jon corrected, "that we can establish a solid relationship with them. In time, we may be able to establish a real alliance with them. I hope we will find areas of true agreement like we did with the Tellerites, the Andorians and Vulcans. Believe me, being in that conference room with all of them sitting glaring at each other…" he shook his head at the memory. "I was afraid that we would have to stun them all. It turned out better than I thought and look what was created," he said, looking at all of his fellow officers.

A sober Picard smiled wistfully. "And that is why we wanted you to be in command of Laberre. Your attitude will be of immense help and, as I mentioned before, you do not have the excess baggage we came with when we arrived here."

"With that attitude, President Clark would have instantly hated you," Garrett told him.

The others smirked in agreement.

"Then I guess I've joined the club."

"Now, changing the subject, how long will Mister Crusher be hooked to the machine?" asked Rachel.

"He should be released in two days," Picard said. "The transmitter will be finished and Draal can resume his control of the Great Machine. He will still require his wheelchair for another couple of weeks, but his body will no longer be a captive of the machine, and Mister Crusher will no longer be a slave to it, for which his mother will be eternally grateful."

"Well, I guess this will be the last time we will be able to meet like this for some time," Benjamin said. "Let's enjoy the moment." He picked up his glass of white wine. "To friends, both absent and present. May we all be remembered. May we all make a difference."

The sound of clicking glasses filled the room.

Minbar

Rishio-lan

In the first days of the battle, the first of 6000 warriors began the first face-to-face conflict against the Sinhindrea. The frontline swelled from a mere three to two hundred thirty kilometers, beginning from the edge of the Valley of Rishio-lan, and extended to the edge of the Sona Valley. Week and a half, Minbari warriors flooded the area along the front, fighting against the monster's fury of aliens who had established a foothold on the planet. The ground forces were wise enough not to congregate their warriors in large formations to attack the enemy. That was done once, and it was found to be a disastrous error.

Bombardment from the Sinhindrea in orbit had obliterated the formation, killing more than sixty thousand warriors, another fifteen thousand civilians fleeing the area. Orbital bombardment was one of the greatest fears that the Minbari had, but it was becoming clear that the Sinhindrea were choosing not to damage the planet as much as they could have. They wanted the world intact, not destroyed.

In the Fyndra polar regions, the aliens had overrun the meager, unprepared forces. A huge population mainly comprising the worker castes, was caught and slaughtered. Drones over flying the area transmitted horrific video of the dead and dying, with the survivors fleeing and being run down by the multi-legged, armored alien beasts. The Minbari commanders could do nothing but watch as thousands of survivors were captured, with many of them being consumed alive. Those horrific images produced waves the fear among the leadership and those who witnessed it, but it also produced a stubbornness and anger that turned into a defiance that the Sinhindrea had not fully understood.

The Sinhindrea were unconcerned with the feelings of their prey as long as they died.

Shai Alyt Na Muyvnn commander on Minbar in this area fought back with a fury that surprised even him. In him, like the others, the fear that the enemy telepaths used to disconcert their enemies evaporated in the wake of battle, once the Minbari understood what was happening to them. The enemy discovered this to their sorrow when they first attacked his forces. The crustacean-like ticks were practically on top of his forces before he understood what was happening. The chromatophores in their armored skin acted as camouflage, allowing them to blend in with the surroundings. What gave them away were the local animals separating in a most unnatural way, fleeing from the incoming enemy. It took a few moments, but those Minbari recognized what was happening and fired on them with everything that they had available at the time.

Hundreds of minbars natural fauna were killed, but the sacrifice wasn't in vain. It allowed the Minbari to lock on and destroy those first elements that came after them.

Those first few hours of furious fighting gave the Minbari valuable intelligence. The Sinhindrea relied more on their natural armor than they did the energy shields. The young of the Sinhindrea did not have shields, although the armor was very tough. Minbari weapons could eventually penetrate to kill them. But the larger adults were another matter. They had personal energy shields protecting them as well as the natural armor. It required four direct hits from armor piercing weapons in order to penetrate and break the shields, and another two to kill them. The Minbari also discovered head shots were virtually useless because the enemy could still attack and kill long after the heads were destroyed. Minbari warriors adjusted their tactics accordingly.

The bio-energy weapons were greatly feared by all of the Minbari, but the worst were the armored units supporting the ground units. Their energy shield protected them from virtually all anti-assault weaponry and required a sub-nuclear detonation to stop them. Those shells were in short supply and rarely used if the enemy were danger close, The transport landing craft acted as small fortresses, and their shields were impenetrable to anything less than a dedicated orbital strike. Such strikes were impossible, as the Sinhindrea dominated Minbar's orbit.

The Shai Alyt Na praised the universe for the survivors of White star Three. Two of the subspace communication devices had been saved and with those, they could contact Laberre via subspace. In turn, the station relayed the information to the Valen'tha and the Grey council, who were able to relay the information to the Minbari fleet. It was cumbersome, but it was effective as all other communication was jammed by the Sinhindrea.

Two armored divisions of Minbari heavy armor were wiped out by the last warrior two days earlier. Scores of Crystalis infantry fighting vehicles supported by hundreds of Star rider assault transport tanks and tens of thousands of troops struck the Na'fla region in Rishio-lan and were now in a blood-feud with no mercy being offered on either side.

"We cannot hold this position much longer," Alyt Ulann yelled over the den. Two dozen flyers had just dropped their payloads and were paying the price as the Sins shot half of them out of the sky. "We cannot resupply our troops. Neutron weapons are most effective against them, but PPG ordinance is useless unless used in large numbers."

The commander already knew this. Resupply was becoming a critical issue. This was a mistake, bitterly learned. Military equipment and supplies were manufactured off world in order to safeguard the planet was now biting them. Several military bases were hit with plasma weapons, but thank Valen, not all of them. But it was only a matter of time. Their star brethren were in just as bad a shape as they were, and he feared for the outcome. Here, he was being forced to kill his own who were hit by the bone-destroying weapons. It was a mercy he never wanted to order again when this was over.

A second group of flyers quietly passed overhead, preparing to drop their ordinance. Already, energy pulses and beams were targeting his forces. The flyers were evading. "All weapons fire! We must support them as much as we can," the commander roared.

The sounds of heavy weapons fire dominated the air. In the distance, they could hear the creatures shrieking their collective defiance as they rushed forward for another attack.

TBC