From ebliss@westmont.eduSun Feb 18 13:35:28 1996 Date: Sat, 3 Feb 1996 18:35:40 -0800 From: "Eric T. Bliss" Reply to: b5-speculation@blob.best.net To: B5-Speculation@blob.best.net Subject: The History of the Universe I was bored, had plenty of time on my hands for the weekend, didn't want to do homework, so I present to you... THE HISTORY OF THE UNIVERSE A really long time ago, plus ten minutes - The universe appears. Don't ask me how it got here, or what it's purpose is. JMS is an athiest, I'm a Christian, You may be Islamic, Jewish, a Zen guru, Hindu, a Foundationalist, etc. Heck, for all I care, be a follower of G'Quon, or anything else you feel like, because the purpose of this is not to determine why we are all here, but just to view B5 history. Five minutes later - The Shadows appear for the first time on Za'ha'dum. Ten minutes after the universe showed up - The Shadows are now a galaxy spanning empire.(And you thought RABBITS were fast breeders!) All of a sudden, a tragic accident occurs, and the rate of increase of both their technology and population suddennly drops to almost nil. Course, with what they do have, it don't matter much! Much Time Passes - The First Ones/Ancients are developing into great races, acquiring jumpgate/point technology, establishing alliances, having a general good time. The First Great War - With the way that the Ancients are expanding and growing, the Shadows feel threatened because of their own slow rate of development after the great catastrophy. They decide to start defending their own teritory vigorously, but in an effort to make ammends, start asking how they can help the First Ones. The First Ones, not in the mood to be nice to dying species, start hacking away at the Shadows. However, because of the great power of ShadowTech, the war fights to a standstill. The First Ones make a space station called PeaceNik 1, and refuse to let the Shadows participate. The single dissenting vote comes from the new Vorlon Empire. Time Passes - More Great Wars are fought The Last Great War - Refusing the Shadow's offers of peace has become a routine occurance by now. The latest station, PeaceNik 12, now only allows the Shadows to come aboard as traders, after millenia of work by the Vorlon Empire. Also, over time a custom has developed, that you are not allowed to receive aid from elder races until your species has determined just who they are. A Shadow government rep, traveling with a trader, and wearing an elaborate stealth device that renders him invisible, visits the Vorlon Ambassador, wishing to thank the Vorlons for their continuous protests on the Shadow's behalf across the ages, and to offer any aid the Vorlons want. The young new Ambassador, Kosh Naranek, asks for immortality. The Shadows agree, warning them, however, that immortality requires for one life to die, for another to continue. Kosh doesn't mind this price, since there are many easily harvestable animals on the Homeworld that can provide for the race's immortality across the ages. When the rest of the First Ones find out about this, they attack the Shadows so viciously that the Shadows are pushed all the way back to Za'ha'dum. All that stops the complete destruction of the Shadows are their elaborate Homeworld defenses. The First Ones, now that the war is over, decide on the fate of the Vorlons. It is decided to create a hyperspace barrier around the galaxy, that can only be penetrated by a special device that is also lethal to the Vorlons. Their pennance shall be to destroy the Shadows completely, before they shall be allowed to leave the galaxy, and roam the universe with the rest of the First Ones. The First Ones shall all leave, only sending back KeyShip scouts, capable of traversing the Lock, to see if the Shadows have been destroyed. Once that happens, the First Ones shall remove the hyperspace lock, and allow the galaxy to join the sentients of the universe. 1000 years ago - As the Shadows begin to move out into the galaxy again, the Vorlons decide that this is their chance to redeem themselves. Grouping together several of the new races, they attack the Shadows before they can become powerful again. One member of the alliance, the Ikarans, are invaded several times from before the alliance, to during the war. As a result, they create the organic warriors to defend their Homeworld, and seceed from the Alliance. Their own warriors then destroy them after fending off the last Shadow attack on their world. Another of the new races, the Minbari, fight well on the side of the Vorlons, becoming a key player in the war, even taking part in the final assault on Za'ha'dum. During the war, the Shadows establish a base on Narn's southern continent. The presence of so powerful a race drives the Narn telepaths mad, and they all die. G'Quon writes of the Shadows in The Book Of G'Quon, but does not notice the telepaths, since they are a very small percentage of the population. While the war is going on, the Shadows are merely trying to find the world on which the First Ones created the Hyperspace Lock. They hope merely to find it, and build their own KeyShip, so they can leave this hostile galaxy. During this war, they search between a third and a fourth of the galaxy for the LockWorld, and fail to find it. Before they can continue, the Vorlons and Minbari push the Shadows all the way back to Za'ha'dum, destroying the Homeworld defense systems in the process. However, they believe they have destroyed the Shadows, since the radiation levels on the surface are higher than a nuclear wessel reactor.(Sorry, but I had to say it) Since the Lock doesn't open, the Vorlons sit back to wait a long time, so the Shadows will show themselves again. Wreckage can be found across the galaxy before scrap hunters take it. One of the Shadow MotherShips crashes on Mars after trying to escape a battle. The Sol System never hosts a battle, so Earth doesn't find out about any of it. The Minbari Federation is formed at this time by Valen and Valeria, better known as Jeff Sinclair and Kosh Naranek. Within the past 1000 years - The Strieb send ships out into the galaxy, to recruit aliens to compete in the Gladiator Games back home. They try to recruit a Minbari. The Minbari Federation pays them a visit, and shows them "The Error Of Their Ways". Better known as "Beating You Half To Death". 30 years ago - The Dilgar War - During this war, DeathWalker stumbles across a lost Shadow outpost. She learns the secret of immortality from them, then sends them on their way. Within the past 10 years - After the Minbari surrender in Earth Orbit, Sinclair is on Mars, as is Garibaldi. They stumble across a Shadow MotherShip digging up another one, with a secret PsiCorps base nearby. Recent History - DeathWalker stops off on B5. She is allowed to live, to go to Earth, and develop the immortality serum. 10 Seconds away from the jumpgate, it turns on. 5 Seconds from the jumpgate, a Vorlon Cruiser comes out, fires one shot, and blows her to bits. It fires a second shot, and does not miss. No one saw what the second shot hit. Kosh tells them "You are not ready for Immortality." Enjoy! Eric Bliss ebliss@westmont.edu "I look forward to meeting a Vorlon. I have heard much about them that is interesting." -Delenn