Chapter 1

IT'S begun.
The initial testing of our new resources a few months ago was only a skirmish. The retaking and pacification of the colony at Beta Durani was just a prelude. The war.... the new war has begun.
Of course, the war officially started fourteen years ago, during the first contact, but that war is not this war. That war was one of carefully planned retreats, futile pleading with allies who did not want to know us, desperate holding actions and suicide missions.... none of which got us anywhere. For over twelve years, the war was like that. We had one single victory - the Black Star - and that was it. We developed great skill in making defeats out to be victories - pleased that we only lost a small number of ships, happy that some of us were still alive.
The Second Line changed that. For the first time, we could win, and win big. Recent events have proved it.
I am a soldier. I joined Earthforce to serve Earth and the Alliance. Both are gone now, but humanity lives, and so I serve my people. I do as I have been ordered to do. I believe what I am told to believe.... but for the first time I believe that what I am told is worth believing.
The Minbari are going to fall. We are going to tear their world, their Federation and everything they hold dear apart. We are going to wipe every trace of them from existence, and then.... then we'll be safe again.
Captain Dexter Smith aboard the EAS Babylon.
Personal log, dated October 31st 2259.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

An infinity of light, reflecting, shining.... it seemed to be speaking to her very soul, shining through to her true being.
Reflected in the centre of the crystal in front of her, she saw everything relayed before her; past, present.... future? Her father, staggering home from work every night, exhausted from having to work eighteen hours a day simply to feed his family. She had watched and had asked him, in the simple way that only children could, why he did so much work. He had not been able to answer her.
She remembered her mother shouting that one day his work would kill him, but none of them had ever expected her to be proven right so accurately.
She remembered watching her mother cry, and swearing that she would prevent anyone else suffering the way her father had. There must be a better way, she had sworn with that same, child-like simplicity. There would have to be a better way. She had vowed to spend her whole life finding it.
Fate.... or the Minbari.... had got in her way, but they had never destroyed her desire to protect those whom no one else considered, or her hatred for those who so casually used and abused people, caring only for money.
The crystal, the one she had taken from a being called Drakh on an alien spaceship months before.... it shone at her, almost appearing to speak to her. In some way she could not comprehend, it was communicating with her, making promises, offering things she wanted....
She supposed she should have turned the crystal over to Captain Sheridan or Commander Corwin. It was, after all, one of the few pieces of evidence about the Drakh that anyone had found. The Drakh were rapidly emerging as a dangerous force in the galaxy and any information on them would be invaluable.
She knew all these things and yet.... and yet.... she could not bring herself to part with it. It.... It was a part of her.
Flight-lieutenant Neeoma Connally looked into the centre of the orb and she thought for a moment that it changed colour, transmuting from sky blue into an almost bloody shade of red.... but only for a moment.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

Satai Kozorr hesitated, dreading the sound of laughter he knew would be coming from the Hall of the Grey Council. Once the place of solemn authority and matchless power among the Grey Council, it was now.... something else. Before the death of Dukhat, rare indeed were the days when less than the full Nine stood there. Now, there were but two. Kalain, from whom insane laughter had poured forth almost ceaselessly for the past three days, and Kats, seemingly imprisoned there as penance for the 'sins' of the worker caste.
Nine. There had always been nine in the Grey Council. Nine and the leader. Where the Nine were now.... Kalain and Kats inside the Hall. Gysiner and Chardhay, the two pathetic priestlings, lurking around Minbar somewhere, intoning their equally pathetic preachings to any who would listen. The other warriors, Kalain's men, somewhere.... Kozorr did not want to think where. Sinoval, their nominal leader, still missing. That left the two of them.... Kozorr himself, and Deeron, both on board this ship, performing the duties Kalain seemed to have forgotten.
Kozorr often wondered how his life had brought him here. He had been content to work in the Anla'Shok, serving as aide and assistant to Neroon, under whom he had served during the war with the Earthers. He had been content there, but with the destruction of the earlier Grey Council and the vacuum which formed at the heart of the warrior caste, he had found himself sucked upwards. Branmer was dead, Neroon and Sinoval both gone, Shakat and Matokh dead.... Kozorr found himself working alongside the generals, and then promoted to the Grey Council itself.
What was the typically pretentious priestling saying? The universe puts us all in places where we may do the most good. Kozorr doubted what good he could do here. There was another saying he had heard somewhere.... perhaps from Neroon. In the kingdom of the blind, the one-eyed man is king.
Kozorr was beginning to believe that he alone of the Grey Council could see. Certainly he alone seemed concerned by the renewed Earther onslaught. Only one other seemed interested in it at all, and she saw the Earthers as little more than animals.
She came into view, looking increasingly uncomfortable at the sound of Kalain's laughter. Kozorr bowed respectfully before her. Although in theory they shared the same rank, Deeron outstripped him by far in terms of experience and seniority.
"You saw him?" she asked briefly.
"Yes...." he replied, resisting the urge to lower his head when speaking to her.
"He did not listen?"
"No."
Deeron raised her head, hearing the laughter. Even here, in the anteroom before the Hall of the Grey Council, it was plainly audible. If it had this effect on the two of them.... both warriors and Satai.... how would it affect the others who must surely hear it, the acolytes and servitors?
"They are changing," Deeron said. "You can see it in their eyes."
"A great many things are changing."
"Yes.... How did he seem to you? When you went to see him?"
"He...." Kozorr did not know quite what to say. He had not seen Kalain clearly. The de facto leader of the Grey Council had taken great care to remain in the darkness between the columns of light and he could not perceive much. His other senses, however, had told him a great deal. Kalain smelled, a stench of decay and putrid flesh. His voice had been hushed and sepulchral.
Kozorr's gaze had slid away from Kalain and on to Kats, the only other person in the Hall. She seemed trapped in her column of light, imprisoned there. Her eyes were.... haunted, despairing. She was silently pleading with Kozorr, but he could do nothing but turn away.
"He.... was as before."
"You are a poor liar, Kozorr," Deeron said slowly. "Come.... we should go to my quarters. I.... I think that might be better."
Kozorr nodded, and briefly turned back to the entrance to the Hall. The laughter seemed louder than before. He could imagine Kats there, almost a statue.
The corridors of the ship were silent and empty, but still he could hear the laughter echoing in his ears. It was a sound alien to him.... alien to this place. Neither the silence nor the laughter fit here.
Even in Deeron's quarters the laughter seemed to echo. Kozorr suppressed a shudder as he looked around. The rooms were.... spartan, austere, almost empty. Deeron turned to her computer. "You have the record." He handed over the data crystal and she implanted it in the computer, then stood back.
Kozorr had seen this before, but he could not take his eyes from the display. Three Minbari warships.... captained by some of the most talented warriors available. All three had served in the Rangers for a brief time, served under Branmer and Sinoval. Three should be enough to deal with almost any threat.
There were two Earther ships, although both were.... a little different from the ships he had opposed in the war. One was the Babylon, albeit with some modifications. From the outside, it looked much the same as before. The other ship.... it was a little smaller than the Babylon, and it did not rotate so much. In fact, some sections did not rotate at all. Perhaps the Earthers had finally discovered the secret of artificial gravity.... but he had only noticed that on the second viewing. The first thing he noticed - that Deeron noticed - was that the ship had a scaly exterior, one which seemed to be alive. It pulsed and vibrated, while the spines that stuck out from it drifted eerily.
"In Valen's Name," he heard Deeron mutter.
The first warship - the Kisada - swooped forward, firing squarely at the second Earther ship. It bore the brunt of a full-scale blast and.... impossibly.... soared through it, forwards. A colossal energy blast tore from its right broadside and ripped the Kisada apart, destroying the warship with the greatest of ease.
The other two warships - the Toturi and the Bayushi - concentrated their fire on the Babylon. He watched silently as they crushed the ship's forward weapons, and then targeted the main engines. Its broadsides blasted out at the Bayushi, causing the ship to shake, but not to deviate.
Kozorr did not feel any hope. He knew what was coming next.
All around them, jump points formed and opened.... out of which surged small, perversely beautiful and delicate-looking ships. They seemed almost flower-like.
"Drakh," whispered Deeron. He knew what she was thinking. They had heard rumours that the Drakh had been involved in the capture of Beta Durani, but there had been no evidence of an alliance between Drakh and Earther. Now there was.
Combining their fire, swooping with deadly precision and sickening beauty, the Drakh fired on the Toturi, raining blast after blast on the elegant ship, staving in the hull, tearing apart the engines, causing the vessel to explode in a slow burst of flame. The last ship remaining, the Bayushi, succumbed to devastating hammer-blows from the second Earther ship.
The record ended. "Did anyone survive?" Deeron asked slowly.
"A few of the pilots in the flyers managed to escape. As for others.... we should pray to Valen that they did not. Rumours about what the Drakh did to our people taken at Beta Durani.... the rumours were not pleasant."
"I believe it.... and did Kalain see this?"
A burst of his insane laughter. "No. He refused to acknowledge it. He still refuses to believe that the Earthers pose any problem."
The two looked at each other slowly, and Kozorr wondered what she was thinking. Deeron had served as second to Kalain aboard the Trigati. What must it be like for her to see what had become of her former captain?
"How much can we do?" he asked.
"Very little. Any form of full-scale mobilisation has to be ratified by a full meeting of the Council, and Kalain will not call one. Even sending out these three ships was an over-extension of our authority. We can.... begin a slow and quiet fortification of our colonies perhaps.... but little more."
"Our warships are clearly outclassed," Kozorr said. "If only we could reform the White Star fleet...."
"The White Star fleet was annihilated at the Second Line, and we cannot reform it without support from elsewhere. Too many of the Alyts remaining are loyal only to Kalain and will do nothing he has not authorised."
"And he will not authorise anything?"
"No." She looked at him sadly. "No, he will not."
And the laughter seemed to get louder.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

Oh God oh God.... what the hell were you thinking of? I mean, how long has it been since you actually honest to God tried cooking something properly? Years. Years and years. I mean.... where's Mr. Garibaldi when you need him? Okay, he's back on Sanctuary, several light years away. Talk about your stupid question.
Not too stressed out, eh John? Hell, I haven't been this bad since.... since before I met Anna. God, this is crazy. Minbari warships, Shadows, Drakh, Bester in a bad mood.... them I can face no problem, but a simple dinner date....
The door chimed and John Sheridan started, panic rising to the surface. "Come in," he said, looking at the Brakiri light-globes he'd got hold of and thinking that candles would probably have been better, if less practical.
He stopped short at the sight of the woman who entered. Delenn looked.... well, gorgeous. She was wearing a long, flowing, red and blue sparkling dress he had not seen before. It wasn't quite Minbari, but it wasn't quite human either, creating a fascinating mix of both cultures, and a bit of something else. A thin link of gold hung across her slender waist, and a faint hint of bright red slippers was visible beneath the dress. Her hair was draped simply behind her head, not in any particular style. It was the only part of her appearance that hinted at the circumstances they found themselves in.
"Delenn...." he began. "You.... look.... Well, you look great."
"Thank you," she said, smiling. "We have been getting a few traders in recently. Not as many as we would like, admittedly, but some, and I thought it.... appropriate to do what little I can to help our growing economy here." She smiled again, and he thought she had actually made a joke. "Lyta helped me chose the dress. You do not think it looks too.... inappropriate?"
"Inapp.... no.... no. You look.... great. Great." John was dressed simply in his formal Earthforce uniform. He didn't have much civilian clothing.
"How is the food?" she asked, obviously unsure about how this was to go. He knew how she felt.
"Um.... nearly ready. I think. My cooking skills aren't what they should be, I'm afraid. I contemplated getting David to lend a hand, but someone's got to run the ship. He insisted I take the night off in fact. He said I've been working too hard lately."
"Vejar and Lethke said the same to me. They keep telling me that I need to rest at times, but I just.... I find it difficult when I know there are people who need my help."
He looked at her and saw the pain in her eyes. He wondered what it must have been like for her.... trapped there alone, with little food, no medicines.... surrounded by the dying and the dead. "How are things going?" he asked. "I don't get to see much from up here."
"Things are improving. Lethke, Vizhak, Taan Churok, Vejar.... a few others.... they are proving quite capable of governing. Lethke in particular. He knows a great deal about how to run what he calls.... an economy. That is not really my area of expertise, so I let him continue with it, and do what I can working with the sick. Things.... are improving there also. I think most of them will live. Those who have survived this long...."
He nodded. "I.... wish we could have got here sooner."
"There was nothing you could have done."
The cooker made a pinging sound and he turned. "Okay, here it is.... but I'm not promising miracles."
"Then I shall not expect any," she said, smiling again.
"And no talking shop over dinner," he said.
"Why would we talk about shops?"
He chuckled. "No.... I mean.... no talking about business. We've both been ordered to take the night off, so we shouldn't spoil it by talking about business.... the war.... other things."
"Ah.... talking.... shop. I understand. Well, then.... we will talk about other things. Not shops."
"Good idea."
"Thank you."

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

"Tell me, Major Krantz, what do the words 'not to be interrupted under any circumstances' mean to you?"
"I know what your instructions were, Commander Corwin, but Mr. Bester was most insistent. He wants to talk to Captain Sheridan, and he wants to do so now."
"This is the first night he hasn't been working in months. We practically had to force him to take the night off. Is there an impending Shadow invasion? Are the Drakh knocking at our door? The Minbari? No.... then surely it can wait until morning!"
"Mr. Bester is not accustomed to being forced to wait until morning."
"Then tell him the Captain's in a coma. Reroute Bester to the porn channel! Anything to get the Captain a few hours rest. Besides, if we interrupt his date, he'll kill us."
"And Mr. Bester won't?"
"Rather him than the Captain. Trust me, Major Krantz. I will deal with this."

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

The food was, surprisingly, not as bad as he had expected. The company was divine. His jokes.... were just as unfunny as they usually were, but she laughed anyway. For a few hours they were no longer the Starkiller or the half-breed exile, no longer warriors in a war neither wanted.... they were simply two people enjoying dinner.
It wasn't to last.
Inevitably, as much as they would have preferred otherwise, the conversation swung round to recent events, to the war, to Beta Durani, to....
"I wish I knew what Bester was up to," John said sorrowfully. "He's got me out here doing patrol duty, keeping off Drakh attacks and Streib incursions and so forth, and Ben Zayn is.... doing something. G'Kar's pulling in as many ships as he can for some big construction job near Epsilon Three. We're just.... bumbling around dealing with the small details while the big problems are still out there."
"Sometimes the smaller details have to be dealt with before the larger ones."
"Yes, I know that, but still.... There's no way Clark is going to stop until he gets to Minbar. Apparently he's churning out warships like there's no tomorrow and marching in a straight line to Minbar, taking out anything and everything along the way. I don't know why he's not meeting much resistance but.... I wish I knew what Bester's plans are. I don't like just sitting back and doing nothing, but...."
"But what?"
"But I still won't fire on my own people. I heard about what they did at Beta Durani, and.... elsewhere, and I still can't stop thinking that sooner or later I'm going to have to go up against them. I.... don't think I'll be able to order any ship I command to open fire on them."
"John.... I know how you feel, but I have seen first hand the sort of thing an invader can do. If they are doing to my people what the Drakh did here, then they will have to be stopped."
"They're not the same as the Drakh, Delenn. Not by a long way. They're scared, and they're angry and they think that by becoming as bad as you then we can make the last fourteen years not happen...."
"As bad as us?"
"I.... I didn't mean that, Delenn, but it's a form of.... purging. They want to do to you what you did to us. The same as the Narns and the Centauri, and look where that's got them."
"We are not the Centauri."
"And we aren't the Narns. No, this is going to be far worse. I.... I understand why they're doing it. I just wish we weren't."
"For what it is worth, I do as well."
"Anyway.... what are you going to be doing now? If the war does reach Minbar.... will you be heading back there?"
"I cannot. Sinoval has removed any hope of my returning home now. I am Zha'valen, and that cannot be undone. My appearance alone would ensure the sort of welcome I would get. For the moment, I am needed here. Later.... I do not know. I was always so sure of my destiny before.... as if each step of my life had been set out for me and all I had to do was follow through the motions. Now.... perhaps my destiny now belongs to someone else. Perhaps my destiny was never as I envisaged it at all."
"I know what you mean. While you were.... gone.... I had a good, long think about my priorities.... about Anna, about you, about what we were doing.... about everything. I don't know where my destiny is leading, and I don't know where I'm going, and I still miss Anna, and always will.... I do know, however.... that wherever my life is going, I want to spend it with you.... if I can."
She smiled, softly and sadly. "And I with you.... but I am not sure of where I am going with my life. I.... need to be sure first, before I can decide. I want to be with you, but.... but I am not.... ready yet. I am not making sense, I suppose."
"No.... I understand. You've been through a lot lately. I...." John muttered something under his breath as his link beeped. He made an apologetic face at Delenn and activated it. "Yes?" he snapped, a bit tersely.
"Captain, I'm sorry." It was David. "I held him off as long as I could. Bester on line one."
"Ah.... hell! I'm sorry, Delenn."
"No.... I understand. I.... should probably go. I.... thank you. The food was lovely."
"Tell me that again once you've tasted some proper cooking."
She made an exaggerated, false smile, and rose, her dress swirling around her legs as she left. Sighing softly, Sheridan went to the communications panel. Bester's face appeared in it.
"Ah, Captain," he said. "May I congratulate you on the fastest coma recovery in medical history. And I must thank you for the introduction to Lurid Litzi's Lurex Love Nest. Most educational."
"What is it, Mr. Bester? I'm not really in the mood for...."
"The Resistance Government is about to launch an attack on the Minbari colony at Rokugan. It is their largest centre of population outside their homeworld itself. If it should fall, then they will be irrevocably shaken. It will be a blow they may not recover from. For whatever reason, they do not seem able to defend Rokugan adequately, so it falls to us to lend whatever.... help we can.
"A major supply centre is at Beta Nine. I would like you to...."
"Mr. Bester, you know that I will not fire on my own people. Can't you send Captain Ben Zayn instead?"
"Captain Sheridan, I was not finished. I know of your.... understandable reluctance, and that is something I have always taken into account. There are no human ships at Beta Nine. There is, however, a substantial number of Drakh ships, possibly ferrying those.... Keepers to Rokugan. Based on earlier Drakh activity, it is not unlikely that they intend to implant the surviving Minbari with Keepers. Destroying their ships will not only prevent this happening, it will buy the Minbari some time to get their defences in some sort of order."
"And Captain Ben Zayn...?"
"Is elsewhere. The Streibs have been attacking isolated Minbari colony worlds, and he is driving them back."
Sheridan sighed. "I'll be leaving in a few hours. I need to recall a few personnel from the surface."
"Of course, Captain. I have every confidence in you and your men. Good luck.... By the way, Lurid Litzi was most entertaining. I would recommend checking her out." The image faded and Sheridan began to mutter vile imprecations under his breath.
Then he began to prepare for the trip to Beta 9.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

Bester sat back and smiled slowly. Beside him, the holographic image of G'Kar shimmered reproachfully.
"He will not be best pleased when he finds out," the Narn warned.
"Of course not, but it's long past time his hand was forced. I perfectly understand his desire not to open fire on his own people, but this is war, and in war, desires like that get in the way of victory.
"Besides, we need to know just how updated the Babylon is these days. I have every confidence in Captain Sheridan not to let us down."

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

At Beta 9, almost a day later, a jump point formed in the stillness of space, and the Parmenion swept forward into view. Orbiting the colony, performing patrol, the EAS Babylon noticed its arrival.