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| A Dark, Distorted Mirror | Synopsis |
THE aftermath of the bloody Battle of the Second Line left many in a state of flux and chaos. The Minbari, their war fleets devastated, their leaders killed and the one man who could have united them - Sinoval - gone, fell into bloody genocide. Video evidence of the massacre of the Grey Council, disseminated by Ambassador Refa as part of some unknown bargain with Jha'dur, Deathwalker, confirmed rumours that the worker caste - through Hedronn - were responsible for this defeat. All across Minbar, members of the warrior caste hunted down and killed workers wherever they could. Only the city of Tuzanor - City of Sorrows - remained inviolate, and it was there that many of the worker caste - including Hedronn - fled. Elsewhere on Minbar and on colony worlds, however, the worker caste was being murdered. Sinoval himself was gone, leaving Kalain in charge of his people. The defeat at the Second Line had shaken Sinoval's belief in his own destiny and he had embarked on a pilgrimage to discover the truth. In giving Kalain command, he had made one of the worst mistakes of his life.
Ambassador Refa himself had left Minbar. With all who had opposed him in the Royal Court dead - or presumed dead, like Londo - Refa returned to his homeworld, determined to claim at last the position he believed to be his. With him was his downtrodden aide, Vir Cotto, a secret agent of G'Kar's.
The Second Line had been a fortunate turn of events for others, however. Using the ruined Minbari ships still in orbit around Proxima 3, the Resistance Government of Humanity was able to make great strides in understanding Minbari technology. The anti- targeting stealth system had already been deciphered, and there were to be more and greater discoveries ahead. Selling the technology to the Narns would provide much-needed revenue, and prepare the way for greater things. As herald of the new wave of human expansion, the new Shadow Ambassador arrived - David Sheridan, thought to have died on Earth. He was the replacement for the comatose Susan Ivanova, trapped on life-support after her brutal confrontation with Lyta Alexander and Marcus Cole.
Elsewhere, among the Army of Light prepared against the Shadows, Delenn still remained desperately ill, her essence split between human and Minbari DNA, a struggle that would inevitably tear her body apart. Captain John Sheridan, unsure of his true feelings for her, threw himself back into his work, much to the concern of his second, Commander Corwin.
Londo Mollari, meanwhile, in exile from his home and his people, found himself drawn into a mysterious contract with the enigmatic Mr. Morden.
And on a dead world at the edge of space, the former Ranger Neroon was tortured by unseen hands, his body and soul warped to the will of the alien Shadows....
Delenn managed to recover from her immediate illness, but her long- term prognosis was not encouraging. Her twin genetic strands were not cohabiting and one of her systems would eventually collapse, sooner rather than later. The Army of Light did not have the technology to cure her, and the Vorlons could - or would - not do so. The only hope lay with the technomages gathering on a Drazi colony world called Kazomi 7. G'Kar's previous attempts at diplomacy with them had failed, and he only hoped that Delenn's desperate need would cause them to rethink. As she left Sanctuary her feelings for Sheridan were still uncertain. She took with her two companions, on whom her future rested - Londo Mollari, and Lennier.
Captain Sheridan himself had other concerns. The Tuchanq, a race once conquered by the Narns but now free, were being pressured by raiders - parasites seeking to use the coming chaos for their own ends. He and the Parmenion were sent out to Tuchanq to meet these raiders - the Streibs. Sheridan's stay on Tuchanq was difficult, a problem heightened by the inhabitants' suspicion of a Narn-sent mission. The Tuchanq refused an alliance with G'Kar, but welcomed Sheridan's help.... except for one who attacked him. Sheridan survived, but the cost of that survival has yet to be seen, and may be greater than anyone can suspect.
Meanwhile, Sinoval's personal quest drew him to seek out the soul of Valen, whom he hoped could confirm whether his destiny was as he believed. He came eventually to a world where histories claimed Valen had once crash-landed after a fierce battle. He had remained there, hunted by the Enemy, for many months, until he was rescued, and then defeated them, 'bringing light to the darkness'. Sinoval found a light of his own there - his former tutor, Sech Durhan, who had gone into self-imposed exile some years before. Durhan lived there with a strange group of aliens named the Vindrizi. They were living repositories of knowledge, and had asked Durhan for aid and protection against those who would try to harness that knowledge.
Delenn's quest encountered more problems than even G'Kar had anticipated. She was frequently racked with fever and prone to periods of collapse. Lennier refused to help her at these times, holding true to the edict of the Grey Council, that she was Zha'valen - outcast - but he was developing a tenuous friendship with Londo.
Upon arrival at Kazomi 7, though various minor adventures, they managed to find the legendary technomages. Their spokesman, Elric, after consultation with their leader - The One Above All - agreed to help Delenn, in exchange for help in turn. Once, the technomages and the Vindrizi had shared a common purpose. They had drifted apart in recent centuries, and before the technomages could embark on their flight from this planet, they would need to be reunited with a Vindrizi. Delenn, Londo and Lennier had to find one and bring him back.
Sheridan's campaign against the Streibs was also not going exactly as planned. They had captured his second, Commander Corwin, alongside Flight-lieutenant Neeoma Connally. While Corwin was being tortured and tested by the Streibs, Connally was privy to a most mysterious encounter between a Streib, a being called a Drakh, and a mysterious human who called himself Sir Gaheris. A treaty of sorts was being hammered out; a treaty interrupted by Connally herself. Killing or disarming the Streib and the Drakh, she managed to rescue Corwin, along with a captive Narn, G'Dan. She had acquired a memento of her experience, however - a blue orb taken from the fallen Drakh and a voice which whispered possessively within her mind.
Sheridan and the Parmenion arrived soon afterwards and destroyed the raiding Streib ships, saving the Tuchanq from outside threats at least.
With help from an itinerant human named Captain Jack, Delenn, Londo and Lennier managed to reach the Vindrizi's world, only to find themselves the victims of a subtle betrayal. Londo had contacted his associate, Mr. Morden, for information, and had unwittingly let slip Delenn's condition. Morden, in the process of negotiations with the mysterious order called the Soul Hunters, had then provided details of Delenn's health to them as a bribe for the deal. Two Soul Hunters arrived on the Vindrizi's sanctuary world at the same time as Delenn.
Fortunately Delenn's party had help of a most unexpected kind. Sinoval was finding little to enlighten him among the Vindrizi, although Durhan did inform him of a particular line from Valen's prophecies. "One shall fall, and one shall die, and one shall save them all." Durhan was convinced the line referred to Sinoval, Neroon and Tryfan, who had died at the Second Line. Sinoval was pondering the meaning of this prophecy when he became aware of the arrival of the Soul Hunters, seeking Delenn's soul.
In the resulting combat he killed them both, but as the last Soul Hunter died, it spoke of Valen's soul as being in their possession. Seeing a mark of Valen's blessing upon Delenn, Sinoval raged at the heavens, crying out for his destiny.
Londo meanwhile managed to negotiate with Durhan and the Vindrizi, and one of them agreed to return to Kazomi 7 with him. Time was running short for all of them, however. Delenn was growing more and more ill, and a Drakh fleet had arrived on Kazomi 7....
After the successful completion of the Streib mission, Sheridan and the crew of the Parmenion had little to do but carry out routine patrols and adjust to life on Sanctuary. As Corwin became romantically involved with Dr. Mary Kirkish and friendly with Bester's aide, Michael Garibaldi and his wife Lianna, Sheridan was brooding on the past and on his future. Over the course of one night, Lianna gave birth to a son - Frank Alfredo - and Sheridan symbolically buried the past and said goodbye to Anna, choosing Delenn and the future.
The return of Delenn, Londo, Lennier and the Vindrizi to Kazomi 7 was not an easy or a glorious one. The colony was now occupied by the Drakh, who were systematically killing or capturing the inhabitants. Vindrizi revealed that many Drakh had once been technomages and the two groups had much in common. The Drakh were undoubtedly intent on the massacre of the technomages.
After a long and terrifying flight through the streets of Kazomi 7, Delenn, Londo and the Vindrizi were brought to the technomages' base, which the Drakh had not yet violated. Lennier however had been captured. Although he was later rescued by a technomage, it was too late, and he had already been implanted with a Keeper.
As the technomages worked on curing Delenn - re-moulding her entire genetic structure into the human / Minbari bridge she had always been intended to be - the Vorlon inside Lyta Alexander, with whom Delenn shared an empathic link, drove Lyta to Sheridan's quarters. A telepathic bond was then created between Sheridan and Delenn, many light years apart.
In their mindscape, Delenn and Sheridan witnessed both the past - the destruction of Earth - and the future, as seen by Delenn, of a ravaged and destroyed Minbar, where Sheridan was buried. Before Elric, Delenn accepted her place in history and her feelings for Sheridan, and the technomages then cured her, changing and stabilising her genetic matrix.
The technomages then had a further gift and a warning for each of Londo, Lennier and Delenn.
Londo was told that there was one who had the power to save his people from the chaos of their deadly political games: former Prime Minister Malachi still lived. He was also warned that his own death must occur as he had foreseen.
Lennier was given the power to exert control over his Keeper, rather than have it control him. This would come at great cost, however, what cost he would learn in the future.
Delenn had already received her gift, but her warning.... one day in the future countless billions of lives would depend solely on her, and one wrong decision could doom the universe....
On Proxima 3 the Resistance Government was at last ready to begin their counterattack on the Minbari. With help from the Streibs and Drakh, and using their knowledge of Minbari technology recovered after the Battle of the Second Line, they had re-designed the famous Babylon - which had been Sheridan's ship for so long. Under the command of Captain Dexter Smith, the Babylon engaged a Minbari vessel - the Togashi - in open combat, and triumphed, the first such victory without resorting to trickery.
After this victory progress began apace on more ships, and plans were afoot for the taking back of lost colonies. The Resistance Government was sorely affected by dissension between Welles, Chief Security Officer, and Ambassador Sheridan, but President Clark kept this under control as much as he could.
On Minbar, the massacre of the worker caste was finally dying down, and Kalain had created a new Grey Council, disproportionately warrior caste in composition. One of its number, Kozorr, was disturbed by much of what had been happening. He had been present when Kalain murdered Hedronn on the slopes near Tuzanor and sworn that the city would be destroyed. Kalain himself was arousing suspicion. He had become a shadow of his former self, limping heavily, and burned by the lights within the Hall of the Grey Council. Kozorr was also concerned over the disappearance of the Togashi, but he could confide in no one. Many in his own caste were loyal to Kalain, the power of the religious caste had been broken with Delenn's exile, and the two religious Satai - Gysiner and Chardhay - were ineffectual sycophants. As for the one worker present on the Council - Satai Kats - she was forced into a grotesque mockery of 'atonement' for her 'crimes' and was brutally tortured by Kalain. Finally, Kozorr shared his fears with Satai Deeron. She urged caution, even as Kalain preached of Valen's impending return at Sinoval's side as he tortured Kats with fanatical sadism.
The one man who could prevent this - Sinoval - still continued his search for Valen's soul. Following the last remark of the dying Soul Hunter on the Vindrizi's sanctuary world, he was seeking their home. Finding a Soul Hunter about to take the soul of a dying human 'true seeker', Sinoval forced the Shagh Toth to take him to their base - a massive spaceship of ancient design, called Cathedral. There Sinoval met the leader of the Soul Hunters - the Primarch Majestus et Conclavus. Sinoval's offer to him was simple: he would lead them for the duration of his life and they would have his soul when he died. The Primarch, fascinated by the chance of acquiring a rare Minbari soul, agreed.
Sinoval's first command was to show him Valen's soul, and he was disappointed to learn it was not there. The Primarch did possess one soul that had been close to Valen however - that of Marrain. In life he has been Valen's closest ally and friend, until he was corrupted by the Shadows and betrayed him. Sinoval, who had always been fascinated by Marrain's history, spoke to the doomed soul. In a terrifying mindscape of fire and madness, he learned much which was cryptic, but he did learn one thing which was clear. The destiny he had always dreamed of was not that of leader, but of servant. It was his destiny - or that of Neroon or Tryfan - to save the One. The One who was Delenn. Realising that his dreams of destiny might have doomed his people, he lapsed into a deep depression.
Another in a similar depression was Susan Ivanova on Proxima 3. Recovered from her coma, she was still barely able to walk and was plagued by headaches, fevers and disfiguring wounds. Ambassador Sheridan neglected her, except to chastise her for perceived 'failures' in her handling of President Clark. Only her burgeoning friendship with retired General Laurel Takashima held any hope for her.
The progress of the human economy and military might had moved at great speed. With the Narns sorely pressed by the Centauri in their current war, President Clark offered assistance, in exchange for many conditions - including the freedom of all Narn-held human colonies. The old master-servant relationship had changed drastically. Another human capital ship had been built - the Morningstar - under General Ryan, and with the Babylon and a Drakh fleet, the humans assaulted Beta Durani - one of their colonies taken by the Minbari. The frantic calls of Administrator Forell for aid were unanswered and he was forced to surrender. He soon learned the price of surrender, however, as he was put into the hands of the Drakh and implanted with a Keeper.
The one brief spark of light in the galaxy came, ironically enough, from Kazomi 7. The technomages had all left, by mystic means, some unknown signal having been given. Only one remained, a young human called Vejar. He gave little explanation for remaining behind, but he soon proved invaluable. With the technomages gone, so were the Drakh, but they had left Kazomi 7 a ruined wasteland. Delenn managed to forge a rough coalition with various others of the surviving groups - Lethke, of the Brakiri Trading Guild; Taan Churok, a former barman; Vizhak, a Drazi administrator; and Captain Jack. Primary concerns were of course food and medicine - some of which Captain Jack provided - but another concern manifested itself. Some of the survivors had been implanted with Keepers by the Drakh. Vejar was able to detect and destroy many of them, but the need was still great.
Help arrived, however. Sent by G'Kar, Sheridan arrived with appropriate resources. He and Lyta were reunited with Delenn. Slowly, and unsurely, the foundations for an Alliance were laid. Londo, now that there was transport again, left to return to his homeworld, where he hoped he might be of more use. Lennier, uncomfortable around both Delenn and Sheridan, accompanied him.
The humans pressed their assault on the Minbari, and were surprisingly successful, taking various Minbari colonies. Only the Babylon disappointed, being a much older ship than the others, but its symbolic value was clear. Among the Minbari, only Kozorr and Deeron seemed concerned. Kalain arrogantly discounted the humans and concentrated instead on torturing Kats and ranting in the silence of the Hall. Kozorr knew he could only hope to delay the attackers and he was also painfully unable to do anything to help Kats, whose dignity and plight were weighing heavily on him.
Others were taking notice, however, Bester and G'Kar among them. Bester interrupted a romantic meal between Sheridan and Delenn to dispatch the Parmenion on what he described as a routine mission - the destruction of a supply centre, to delay the human advance. In fact, as Bester well knew, the Babylon was there, and the mission was to determine whether Sheridan could fire on his own ship if necessary. The battle was tight and fierce, and the Babylon was aided by Drakh ships. The Drakh were driven away, largely by Neeoma Connally, who was experiencing a sinister influence from the Drakh orb she still possessed. Sheridan however, refused to destroy the Babylon when given the opportunity.
For Captain Smith on the Babylon the battle was a kind of cathartic release. Having proven himself against his ship's former commander he was now more confident as to the future. He was also growing intrigued about a member of his crew - a Lieutenant Talia Stoner - whom he was convinced was a telepath.
Meanwhile, Ivanova's friendship with Takashima was deepening into something else entirely, and Londo and Lennier were nearing an important stop on their journey. Londo was at last able to renew his conversation with Morden and was reminded of something he had forgotten long ago - a prophecy made by Lady Morella just before she was murdered. The prophecy was confusing, but spoke of the one way to save the Centauri from the blackness which threatened to engulf them.
On Kazomi 7, the fledgling United Alliance was being built carefully, but surely. A Government had been formed and they lacked only a leader. Many wished it to be Delenn, but she was content to be working in her hospital, healing both herself and others. She was afraid to embrace the power she felt she had abused once before. Her relationship with Sheridan was deepening however, although both were reluctant to reveal their true feelings.
Their relatively peaceful interlude on Kazomi 7 was interrupted both by the darkness outside and by the coming of darkness there. A Vorlon emissary - Kosh - arrived with an Inquisitor, a human named Charles Dexter. Ostensibly, Sheridan and Delenn were to be 'tested' to see if they were worthy of their rôles in the coming war. In fact there were deeper concerns at work, most of which were not understood even by the Inquisitor himself. Sheridan and Delenn eventually defied his authority and refused to submit to him, and he left . All were confused by this turn of events, but Kosh at least was pleased.
The inquisition did have one notable effect however, in addition to stabilising Sheridan and Delenn's relationship. Delenn accepted the rôle of leader of the United Alliance, no longer afraid to face the responsibilities of power.
Elsewhere, one who had been afraid to face power was learning to handle it again. Still amongst the Soul Hunters, Sinoval was startled by the arrival of an emissary. It was Morden, sent, as Sinoval soon learned, by the Vorlons to ascertain what was happening amongst the Shagh Toth. Sinoval imprisoned and questioned Morden and even defied a Vorlon ship to keep him there. His old instincts had re-emerged and his unexplained dislike and distrust of the Vorlons propelled him back towards the destiny of his own people.
The human fleet - now bolstered by another capital ship, the Corinthian - was at last making for Minbar, determined to end the cycle which had begun so many years ago. The planet was hopelessly undefended and unready, but Kalain would not listen to Kozorr or Deeron. His physical degradation was worse than before, and it seemed to be bringing madness with it. Finally, in desperation, Kozorr plotted to kill him. He attempted this, but was deflected by an effort to save Kats. Kalain was on the verge of killing Kozorr, when Sinoval himself returned. He was accompanied by the Soul Hunters and he had a new pike - forged at Durhan's anvil and named Stormbringer. Kalain's religious rantings proved futile, however, when Sinoval broke and dismissed the Grey Council, asserting his own authority. He then talked to each of the Satai and received differing opinions. Deeron would not talk to him, Gysiner and Chardhay thought him a heretic and blasphemer and Kalain was clearly insane. Only Kozorr - recovering from hideous injuries sustained at Kalain's hands - and Kats would swear fealty to him. Sinoval then announced that Minbar was to be evacuated. He could not save it.
As the human fleet neared Minbar, unexpected problems caused it to be delayed. The Babylon was sabotaged and had to return to Proxima for repair. Captain Smith was not pleased to learn that the saboteur was Talia Stoner. The Resistance Government was happy with events however. Bester had arrived on Proxima, ostensibly to witness the end of the war. In actual fact he had a deeper purpose. Takashima had a programmed 'sleeper' personality, one which he planned to exploit. His original plan, worked out with G'Kar, had been for her to kill President Clark and thereby save Minbar, but he now had other intentions. He was convinced that Clark should die, but he had no aversion to waiting a little. What was the fate of Minbar to him? He waited a little too long, however, and was blackmailed by Welles, who knew more about Bester's deal with G'Kar and about G'Kar's doings than he should have done. Welles also knew that Donne - a Psi-Cop and Bester's representative on Proxima - was a sadistic murderer. Welles, however, wanted peace and an alliance with G'Kar. He was suspicious of the Shadows and their motives.
In actual fact, the assassination attempt on President Clark failed as Clark proved himself to be more resourceful than anyone had thought, killing Takashima. He kept the details of the attack quiet however. It was not the first such attempt, and he had survived them all. He knew he had many enemies and had plans to defeat and destroy them all.
Londo meanwhile had stopped at a conquered Narn base in Quadrant 37 to meet an old friend, Lord-General Marrago, whom he hoped would help him in his plan to find Malachi and restore order to Centauri Prime. Marrago was wary of certain problems back home, but neither of them had time to plan much, as a sudden Narn counterattack retook the base. Marrago was convinced this was the intention of certain factions at court, but he had little time to prove it as both he and Londo were captured. Fortunately the Narn leader was G'Sten, G'Kar's uncle, and Lennier was able to convince him that there were deeper concerns at work. Londo and Marrago were released, and returned to Centauri Prime.
When they arrived there, all was not as they expected however. Londo first met up with his wife Timov, who informed him that she knew Malachi was alive. In fact he had announced his return in the Centarum. Londo, ecstatic, rushed to the Court, only to find that Malachi had used his influence to make Refa emperor. Refa's reign was not to last long, however, as he was murdered that night, on Malachi's order. Londo discovered to his horror that Malachi had been behind much of what had plagued Centauri Prime these past few years, and that he himself was now blamed for Refa's death. He fled from the capital with his few allies, more perplexed than ever.
The evacuation of Minbar was far from complete when the human fleet arrived, accompanied by the Drakh and several mass drivers. Sinoval fought a last defence and then fled, knowing there was little else he could do. He was surprised however by the sudden arrival of two unexpected allies. The first was a fleet from the United Alliance, come both to aid Delenn's homeworld and to strike back at the Drakh who had devastated their own worlds. The second was Sheridan himself, who believed he had a way to disable the Drakh - Connally's Drakh orb. The Primarch confirmed this, and the disparate fleet launched a stand at Minbar.
Ultimately the human fleet was driven away and the Drakh fleet destroyed by the use and destruction of the Drakh orb. However the damage had been done. Minbar was in ruins, assaulted both by asteroids thrown at the planet from orbit and by more subtle poisons worked into the mass driver system by the Streibs. The waters were now deadly, the ground ruined and the rain acid. Few buildings had survived, but one of them was the Temple of Varenni in Yedor, which housed the legendary Starfire Wheel. It was rumoured that the presence of Vorlon Ambassador Ulkesh Naranek had helped there. Tuzanor itself was demolished, as Kalain had prophesied.
Delenn's vision of the future of Minbar had now come true, save for one detail - that of Sheridan's grave....
Repairing the carnage was no easy task, although Sinoval, Delenn and representatives from the United Alliance worked hard. There were many problems however. Acceptance of the Soul Hunters was limited and the castes were fragmenting more than ever before. The arrival of Kats did much to bring the worker caste round to Sinoval's cause, but the religious caste were against him and the warriors were split - some followed him, others Kalain's protégé Sonovar.
Sinoval had another, more painful duty to Delenn and Sheridan. He had found fragments of Deathwalker's files and had discovered the truth about the virus she had infected Sheridan with almost a year before. It was a more advanced version of the one which now plagued Kalain. It would be fatal and, in the later stages, contagious. The only cure was in the hands of the Shadows.
Delenn and Sheridan reflected on this, and were able at last to admit to each other their true feelings. Their relationship was consummated in a rare moment of peace.
Others however had no peace. Deeron had had doubts of her own about Sinoval's leadership - particularly his antagonism towards, and even assault on the Vorlons. Prompted by Gysiner, she saw Ulkesh's true form and agreed to assassinate Sinoval. She failed and was killed in the process, but a sublime madness swept over Sinoval. He was on the verge of having Gysiner executed and his soul taken when Kats interceded, and in a very real sense saved Sinoval's own soul. He recognised her wisdom but his madness did not fade. It merely transferred elsewhere. He went to the Temple of Varenni to confront and kill Ulkesh, only to learn he had been drawn into a trap. In view of many witnesses, Kalain, now totally mad, challenged Sinoval to the Starfire Wheel, exactly as Marrain had once done to Valen.
And yet, exactly as Marrain had done before, Kalain fell away in agony, blinded by the light. Sinoval remained and was somehow not destroyed by the Wheel. Instead, as Valen had done, he walked free.
But at that moment Ulkesh revealed his deeper plan. At the instant of Sinoval's triumph he returned, appearing as a Minbari angel, and bringing with him one who announced himself as Valen.
Meanwhile G'Kar unveiled his latest project, complete at last. A base of operations from which to conduct the Shadow War. A space station in orbit around Epsilon 3. He named it Babylon 4....
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