The Death of
Flesh, the Death
of Dreams
by Gareth Williams
The Babylon Five Parallel Universe
The year is 2259. For over ten years the human race has been running scared, their home planet destroyed by the Minbari, their people scattered and enslaved. But now everything has changed. Offered the assistance of the Shadows, mankind has taken it, and has begun the strike back. Demoralised by their defeat at the Battle of the Second Line, the Minbari are in retreat....
Prologue - And What is Yet to Come
Civil was is breaking out on Minbar. In the Heart of the Great Machine, G'Kar probes the mystery of Babylon 4. On Sanctuary, Captain Sheridan maintains his uneasy alliance with Alfred Bester. Ripped half-transformed from her chrysalis, Delenn is dying....
Part I - The Cost of Alliances
Delenn, Londo and Lennier go off in search of the mysterious technomages, hoping that their power will both save Delenn's life and help defeat the Shadows, but their aid comes at a price. Sheridan meanwhile is thrust into a battle to save an innocent people, both from the marauding Streibs, and from one of their own number.
Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4
Part II - A Moment of Joy in a Lifetime of Sorrow
Sheridan cannot run from his past any longer. With Anna's death, his exile and his feelings for Delenn all unresolved, he will have to reach some sort of closure, or it may end up costing him his life. Or his soul. And while he is descending into the depths of despair, others are finding that there is joy to be found, although that does depend on where you look for it....
Part III - Singers, Shapers, Dreamers, Makers
Londo and Lennier return to the technomages with the price of their aid, only to find the Drakh have arrived there first. While they run the gauntlet through an occupied Kazomi 7, Delenn is literally dying in their arms. Even if she can survive long enough to reach the technomages, will they cure or kill her, and can she come to terms with what she will have to face before she can be cured? Plus Lyta learns more about the Vorlons and their rôle in the war, and Sheridan discovers the depth of his bond with Delenn.
Part IV - The Long Fight
Humanity begins its long-planned counterstrike against the Minbari, but this time they are far from alone. As Kalain builds a new Grey Council, he finds that his concerns for his people are very different from those of his predecessor, who in turn is finding that his quest for Valen is leading him to some very strange places. This time, Sinoval makes for the Soul Hunters, to make them a proposition they cannot refuse. And on Kazomi 7 Delenn forges her own little haven of Light, which is threatened to be swamped by a tide of Darkness....
Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4
Part V - The Good Ship Babylon
As the war between human and Minbari heats up, Bester's machinations place Sheridan somewhere he would far rather not be, but will his mixed desires spell doom for himself and his crew? Political intrigue threatens to spiral out of control on both Proxima and Minbar and Londo is reminded of something he'd forgotten a long time ago....
Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3
Part VI - Reflection, Surprise, Terror - for the Future
Kazomi 7 is greeted by the arrival of another alien ship, but this is no repeat of the Drakh invasion. This is worse. A Vorlon has arrived, bringing with him an Inquisitor. Will the love of John and Delenn enable them to endure their worst nightmares, and will they survive to face the next great test, as the galaxy is engulfed by flames...? And elsewhere, Sinoval's bleak sojourn on Cathedral is interrupted by a most strange guest, but what use does a human have for the Soul Hunters, and just who are Mr. Morden's 'associates'?
Part VII - The Death of Flesh, the Death of Dreams
The karmic wheel spins as the human fleets near Minbar, but are they intent on ending the cycle of pain and destruction, or on continuing it? As the Grey Council falls apart, it seems that not even Sinoval can save his planet from destruction. He will be fortunate if he can save the Grey Council from destruction, should that be his intent. As the skies above Minbar rain fire, a desperate coalition is formed to save the planet, and the hopes and dreams of billions. Meanwhile Londo returns to Centauri Prime, set on restoring order, only to run into a fair number of pitfalls along the way, and Bester's arrival on Proxima 3 results in the destruction of a fair few dreams itself.
Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6
Part VIII - Between the Candle and the Star
Minbar is in ruins, devastated by forces it thought it could defeat. As Sinoval tries to forge a new world and a new people from the ashes, his dream is assaulted from all sides. Delenn has returned to her home for the first time in two years and she must come to terms with her feelings about Minbar's new destiny. Still lurking in the shadows is Ulkesh, with his own plans for the future. Plus: the answers to two of the galaxy's greatest mysteries are revealed.
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