From: MR G D WILLIAMS Subject: "The Shadow of Her Pst, The Illusion of His Future" Part 1 of 2 [AT] Date: Fri, 23 May 1997 23:36:40 -0700 (PDT) "It was the dawn of the third age of mankind, as we would later call it. At the time it was unlikely that mankind would ever finish this age, but we had hope, and we had heroes, and one of those heroes was Captain John Sheridan, and some of that hope came from a race called the Shadows..." Commander David Corwin, personal diaries, dated December 2260 ---------- Hi, and here we go. "Babylon Squared" my style. (With no disrespect to the Great Maker intended). This is the latest in my parallel universe B5 saga. It is recommended, but not essential that you first read "A Dark, Distorted Mirror," "Heeding The Warning," "Warrior Souls," and "To Hear The Machine". Most of these should be archived, but anyone who cannot find them, just e-mail me and I'll be happy to send you a copy. The time is May 2258. Feedback is always very welcome, and should be sent (up until the end of June) to: csrcb@csv.warwick.ac.uk. I try to respond to everyone, but apologies if I've missed you. There are no Spoilers as such, but I am drawing upon all elements of the B5 saga and people who are not up to date may be inadvertently Spoiled. This story deals with the Babylon 4 story, and is drawing heavily upon "Babylon Squared" and "War Without End". Legal Disclaimer: B5 and all related characters are owned by JMS and / or Warner Bros. I am making no money out of writing this, and am doing so purely for pleasure. Personal Disclaimer: I am a hopeless romantic. I am however not a very nice hopeless romantic. You have been warned. And on with the show... ---------- The Shadow of Her Past, The Illusion of His Future - Part 1 of 2 [AT] by Gareth Williams, csrcb@csv.warwick.ac.uk The Shadows were coming. He listened as they died, and as they killed. His friends were dying in his name, were fighting a last stand so that he could complete his destiny. He wanted to be there with them, this one last time, but he knew that they were dying for his sake. He could not render their sacrifice worthless. "Are you ready?" said the voice in his mind. He didn't know what to say, but the voice knew. "Good. You are the closed circle returning to the beginning. I cannot be with you then." He gasped as he felt its pain. It was light and beauty and agony all in one. The Vorlon was going to die, and both of them knew it. The sacrifice would be made willingly. Could he do any less? "Are you ready?" said the voice from the commscreen. "Are you...?" "I... think so," he said hesitantly. "I... thank you. For everything." "It was no more than my duty, and no less than my pleasure. Be well, and walk with... oh. Of course." He chuckled. "It is all right. For you, it will always be all right." "Remember me?" More of a question than a request. He smiled, sweetly and sadly. As if there were any other answer. "Always," he whispered, and touched the image on the commscreen gently. It faded and he straightened. It was the time now. After so long, he at last knew his destiny. He was the arrow that springs from the bow. No doubts, no fears. Just certainty. "Are you ready?" said the voice by his side. "Yes," he said simply. "Good, good. Yes, is being very good to being ready. Now is right time to being ready yes. Zathras is being ready for long time, yes. Zathras has grown tired of waiting sometimes, but Zathras is used to it. Zathras is patient. And now you are ready, yes. Good." "What about the Enemy?" " Is being not good. Enemy is being very strong. May get on board before we leave. That is being very not good, but have idea, yes. We get help. That is idea. We get help." "Help? From where?" He was told, and then he smiled. "Ah, of course." And the man who had been called Jeffrey Sinclair, and the alien called Zathras, entered the place called Babylon 4 - named in memory and honour - and they passed into history and legend. But there were some for whom history and legend were present and fact. Two such were watching legend combine with reality, one with an almost beautiful awe, and the other with a pragmatic sense of the possible. Who is to say which one was right in their reaction? ---------- "Blessed Valen!" she gasped. "That's impossible!" he cried. "You recognise it?" she asked. "Yeah," he breathed. "That's Babylon 4." "What... is Babylon 4?" Captain John Sheridan turned at Satai Delenn, and tried to frame an answer. Mere moments before, they had been standing on the observation deck, talking quietly about life and death and everything in between, and simply staring at the stars. And now he was staring at a piece of his past - and his future. Before he could answer, his Link sounded. It was Corwin. "Captain, tachyon emissions are stabilising, but they aren't our only problem. You'd better get up here fast, and bring our guest with you. This is grade A weird." ---------- "It is Babylon 4, then?" "Definitely," Corwin replied. "It matches the plans almost exactly, the location's dead on, and it's, well.... identical to all the plans and specs I ever saw about it. That's Babylon 4, no doubt about it." Sheridan groaned and sat down heavily, burying his head in his hands. "Why can't I ever have a normal day, like normal people?" "You'd be bored stiff, sir. And you know it." "I wouldn't mind a bit of boredom once in a while." "Both of you recognise that?" asked Satai Delenn. Corwin shot her an awkward glance. He was barely comfortable with the idea of a Minbari being on board the ship, least of all her. The Captain seemed to trust her, and therefore Corwin could cope with it, but he always made sure she was closely watched at all times, and her room was guarded. All in the interests of security, he kept telling himself. Whatever the Captain might say, Delenn was still a Minbari, and Corwin had a long memory. Although not even the worst amnesiac in the galaxy could ever forget what the Minbari had done to humanity. Corwin had not been on Earth when the Minbari had destroyed it. No one who had was still alive, but he had been on Mars, and he had seen the Minbari fleets filling the skies. And he had seen the Babylon, tearing through those self same skies, which were full of stars, and each star was one ray of hope in three years of despair. Very few people aboard the Babylon knew of each other's pasts. Some, like the Captain, had been in EarthForce before and during the war. Some, like Lieutenants Franklin and Connally had had other plans and dreams - he to be a doctor, she to be the hope of the downtrodden worker - torn from them. Some, like Corwin, had had no past, none that they would admit to, and none that mattered any more. The past was dead, and there was only the future. But still, Corwin had a long memory, and even having Satai Delenn on this ship grated at him. Having her in the Captain's Ready Room seemed almost sacriligeous. But if the Captain wanted her here... "Yes," Corwin said. "And so do you?" He caught the flicker in her eyes as he said that, and he knew his guess had proved accurate. Quite a few aboard the Babylon knew of the Babylon 4 mission - they had been so incremental in its planning that the station had been named after the ship itself, but how Satai Delenn could know about this would be fascinating to hear. Especially in light of the... ah, unusual circumstances here. "It's called Babylon 4," Sheridan said, raising his head. "It was the fourth in a series of secret missions and agendas called the Babylon Project - named after this ship, of course. "Babylon 4 was to be be a secret base. Proxima 3 was just a little too open. We wanted somewhere quieter and out of the way, somewhere for the Resistance Government to hide, somewhere a little more easily defended than Proxima 3. A space station, packed to the core with the best weaponry systems we could muster. A place of defence, and later, offence. Plans were drawn up, we did extensive scouting missions to find a suitable place, and we found here. Above a deserted planet. Perfect." Corwin could see Delenn alternating her gaze between him and the Captain. He met her eyes with a steely determination and he was quite surprised to see sadness in hers when she recognised this. "But?" she said. "But it was never damn built!" Corwin could see her staring at Sheridan, perhaps surprised by the bitterness in his voice, and why not? Although he doubted the wisdom of telling all this to a Minbari Satai, Corwin decided to continue. "We were all ready to go when we lost Orion 4 and 7 and most of the Belt Alliance. Over half of financial and mineral resources gone in a matter of weeks." Corwin could see the emotion in the Captain's eyes. He had lost more at Orion than just some money or minerals. He had lost his daughter - buried beneath a collapsed building. With Elizabeth, he had also lost his wife. While Anna was still alive in a physical sense, emotionally, she was quite dead. "All our remaining resources had to go on feeding the refugees we managed to get away from Orion," Corwin continued, never taking his eyes off Delenn. "It wasn't enough. Twenty thousand starved that year." "But we can't dwell on the past now, Mr. Corwin," the Captain suddenly spoke up. "Any word on anyone on the station?" "Just this." Corwin went over to a control panel and activated the communications system. "---- eridan and Zha'valen Delenn to come over and meet with us. We repeat. We would like Captain Sheridan and Zha'valen Delenn to come over and meet with us. They must come alone. We repeat ----" "Just that. Over and over again. It's got all the right EarthForce identification codes, but I would be interested to know how they knew the two of you would be here." "Mr. Corwin. A space station that hasn't been built appears from over above a planet that's supposed to be deserted but contains awesomely powerful technological resources, and you're worried about how they knew I'd be here? The codes are genuine?" "One hundred per cent. What do you think? Some kind of Black Ops mission? A secret project? Some sort of cloaking device, perhaps?" "Secret enough for me not to know about it?" "Point, but it's a fair bet that someone knows something about it." Corwin looked at Delenn. "Don't you?" "I... yes," she breathed, looking directly at the Captain. "We must go, Captain. It is very important that we do so." "It could be a trap," Corwin said flatly. "I'd advise taking a Security team along." "It said we should go alone, Mr. Corwin." "What was that title the message gave you?" Corwin asked Delenn. "Zha'valen? Some kind of Minbari rank?" "It... it is nothing. I possess no such title. Please, Captain, we must go. I cannot tell you why, but we must." Corwin caught the Captain's gaze. She was lying - at least partially - and all three of them knew as much. There was an old saying humans had picked up from the Centauri: Minbari never tell anyone the whole truth. "She's right, David. Whatever this is, I have to know. Launch two StarFury squadrons and keep them on constant flyby. We'll take a shuttle over. At the first sign of trouble, blast that thing, and don't worry about me." "captain, I..." Corwin flicked another glance at Delenn. "I don't trust her. I think you should take a Security team along. I can contact Mister Allen, we can..." "It said to go alone, David." Corwin sighed. "Fine, fine, but... be careful, sir." The Captain seemed to consider this advice for a moment and then he chuckled. "That'd be far too easy, Mister Corwin. Far too easy." ---------- She'd made it aboard after all. She and her allies could have easily wiped out their opponents, but that wouldn't have brought them victory if they hadn't stopped this station. Dying was just what her opponents wanted. Dying in their holy cause. How noble of them! No, death was preferrable to the pain of living, but she knew enough to be aware of her responsibility - to the ones who had saved her, and to the one who had loved her. A few of her opponents had survived and managed to escape. A few more had been captured. The others had been killed. She wondered if they had died happy, suspecting their deaths were buying them victory. They had been wrong. There was no victory for the Army of Light today, and there would not even be the memory of one. They would have had no victories for the past thousand years. For she would stop them. Susan Ivanova and her Shadow companions were hitching a lift aboard Babylon 4 to the past. All they had to do was kill the man called Jeffrey Sinclair. And then the war would be over a thousand years before it had ever begun. ---------- "So?" "I am sorry?" Delenn looked at Sheridan carefully. He more than any other human she found difficult to understand, although she had admittedly had little contact with other humans to use as reference. Welles was the result of the wost of the war: a man with great gifts who had become so hard and cold that he could only use those gifts to give pain in the name of duty and anguish in the name of service. Miss Alexander seemed almost subdued, living her life by rote because she lacked the will to do anything else. Commander Corwin and the Security guards she had met - including the two who had beaten her - were either suspicious of her or plain hated her, still fighting a war in which she was the enemy, not knowing or not caring just who they were selling themselves to in the name of victory. And Captain Sheridan? He combined all these traits and many more. He possessed great gifts, and used them to kill. She knew the rage he could manifest, having seen it in horrifying first hand, but she also remembered the act of mercy he had shown her - the only mercy she had ever been shown by a human being. She had even let him watch her as she slept, reminded almost absurdly of both her father, and of the ancient ritual of sleep watching between two who were intended. It felt both absurd and strangely right to her. She wondered how it had felt to him. She was nowhere near an answer, but she suspected that neither was he. He had so much power, so much potential, but where would it fall? He was walking a thin line between Light and Darkness. One simple push could send him either way. She knew that it was her destiny to bring him to the correct path. "So," he said. "What do you know about Babylon 4 and what did that title mean? I know you didn't want to talk about it in front of Corwin, but you are going to have to tell me." She breathed in sharply. What to tell him? Could she even accept this herself, and if she could not, then how could he? Could she even expect him to believe her? "I have... told you before about the Ancient Enemy that we believe is arising," she said hesitantly. Babylon 4 was looming up in front of their shuttle. She looked up at it, and then down again. Sheridan didn't reply, and so she continued. "There was a Great War against the Enemy a thousand years ago. I do... not know how much you have been told about it by your... friend?" "A little," he replied tersely. "Not nearly enough, but a little." "Ah." She continued. "We fought in that war, alongside the Vorlons and a few other races. We drove the Enemy from their homeworld of Z'Ha'Dum and thought we had defeated them. There are a few records remaining of that war. Some of them show this very station, Captain. It was used as a base of operations during the final days of that war.... one thousand years ago." She had expected disbelief, denial, even anger. She received only a terse grunt. She looked at him, but he was still focussed on the controls. "You believe me?" she asked. "Satai, after today, I don't think anything could surprise me." "I... suppose not." "Now what about that title? Sah-vahlan?" "Zha'valen," she said, correcting his pronunciation. "It means... it means..." She sucked in another deep breath of air. "It means outcast. It means that I am... that I am 'a shadow to Valen'." "Not a title you have now?" "I... do not think so, unless it is been given me in my absence." "I see. Well, what's one more mystery. Hopefully when we find the person who sent that message, we'll clear this up. And there's the docking bays. Looks like they made a few modifications to the plans after all. Either that, or my memory's getting faulty." Delenn was silent as Sheridan surrendered the shuttle's controls to the station's docking systems - with considerable reluctance, she noticed - and she instead looked up at the station as it swallowed the shuttle. There was something she had not said. The pieces were starting to fall together in her mind. The space station that had saved her people had been designed and - presumably - built by humans. So what did that make the one who had given it to her people? Did that prove her suspicions? And how could she expect Sheridan to trust her when she did not trust him? "Captain," she said softly. "There is something else, I have not told you." He looked at her. "This station was given to my people and those who were allied to us to fight the Enemy. The one who gave it to us was called Valen." "Are you expecting to find Valen here on Babylon 4?" "I... hope to find... someone." "You mean a human. Well, so do I. I'll think on what you've told me, Satai Delenn. If we do find this Valen then... we'll see." She smiled slightly. She had tried to tell him of her beliefs about human and Minbari souls once before. He had either not believed or not cared to listen. Perhaps he was beginning to listen, and beginning to leave. As they left their docked shuttle, she felt the first surge of hope she had felt since her capture four months ago. ---------- "Should we tell the Captain, sir?" Corwin shot a glance at Security Officer Zack Allan - Chief of Security aboard the Babylon - and then back at the other figure. "We can't," he replied. "Communications are impossible through that tachyon field. I don't know what they're doing to it, but it's getting less and less stable all the time." "Any chance you can get that Narn on the planet to give us a hand, do you think, sir?" Corwin started. G'Kar - greatest hero of the Nrn / Centauri War - had taken custody of Epsilon 3 only a few hours ago, and the massive technological resources with it. Captain Sheridan had given Corwin a run down of most of what had happened, but Corwin hadn't known who else knew. "How did you know about that?" he asked. "Are you kidding, sir? We all saw him just appear in front of us and give his spiel. Weird, it was." "Yeah, what isn't these days?" *Great,* Corwin thought. *The Captain's going to have enough trouble justifying his failure to the Resistance Government without having to tell the truth about it.* "I don't think that would be a good idea," Corwin began, when Zack interrupted him. "It's moving!" The figure before them was indeed moving, and Corwin had joined Zack in drawing his PPG. The figure before them was humanoid, but that was all Corwin could tell immediately. It had been found floating in space just off the station by a mechbot. A quick scan had confirmed that the figure was alive - presumably kept so by its blue space suit - but Zack had suggested caution, and Corwin had agreed. There was no reason to assume it was hostile, but then there was no reason to assume it wasn't either. "Who are you?" Corwin asked. It made no reply. "Do you understand me?" The figure staggered forward, making for Corwin who, out of a feeling he couldn't quite identify, lowered his weapon. Then the figure saw Zack, and lunged towards him. It seemed to reach out - in anger, or in friendship? - and there was a burst of what Corwin could only call lightning and Zack was thrown backwards. The figure turned to Corwin... and vanished. ----------- "Do you, John Sheridan, take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife...?" Sheridan blinked. This was impossible. He looked up and met Anna's eyes. There was laughter in them, a joyful, happy laughter he had not seen in her since Elizabeth had died. "I do," he whispered. "I do," he repeated, louder. Anna had insisted on a traditional wedding, in spite of the lack of appropriate venues. The chapel on the Babylon had seemed the best bet and Reverend Dexter had been dragged up from Proxima 3 to officiate. Anna had insisted on everything being as traditional as she could make it. Her father had died on Earth, so Doctor Chang gave her away. Sheridan had always planned on asking Jack Maynard to be his best man, but he had not survived the brief counterattack over Mars, and so General Hague was performing the honours. There was no expensive ring, and very few guests, but it was the happiest day of both their lives. Even amidst all this death, some love could prevail. "I do," Anna said. She was smiling. There had been no white dress either. The best they could manage was a light blue. The way their lives had gone since then, funereal black would probably have been more appropriate. Sheridan, still in a daze, looked around at the crowd. Half of them were dead now. "Pay attention," Anna hissed. That brought a giggle of laughter from everyone and Sheridan found himself blushing. "You may now kiss the bride," Reverend Dexter said. Sheridan was still trying to focus his attention when she threw her arms around his neck and treated him to the longest, happiest, most perfect kiss he had ever had in his life. Sheridan remembered that day as if it had been yesterday. It had been fact been nine years ago, just after the Resistance Government had been established on Proxima 3. Anna had survived the war, but so many others hadn't, including the one who had introduced the two of them in the first place - John's sister Elizabeth. Her match making had been the subject of a long running joke between the three of them. Sheridan had offered to tithe their first born daughter to Elizabeth in payment. He had had to settle for naming her after his sister instead. Sheridan blinked, and his eyes opened. He reeled, and almost fell against Satai Delenn. She caught him and helped him rest against the wall. "What happened?" she asked. "I... I don't know. I was reliving my wedding. It's like I was there, but it was nine years ago. I don't understand." "It's been happening to all of us," said a new voice. Sheridan started and looked up. "Flashes, forwards or back." The voice from coming from a Minbari, but one who... who seemed more than just a little human. Sheridan looked again, closer this time. He was definitely Minbari, but there was something in his gait, in his stance, that marked him out as human. "Greetings both of you. I welcome you to this place." Sheridan heard Delenn give a soft gasp. "I am called Valen." Sheridan shifted his gaze elsewhere, and he did find something familiar. "Zathras! But... what are you doing here? You stayed on the planet with G'Kar!" "Ah, no, Captain. Zathras is being very sorry, but Zathras last seen you many years ago, yes. Time has passed, yes. Much time. In your years..." "Zathras!" snapped Valen. "Ah yes, Zathras know, Zathras not supposed to talk about time. Zathras not supposed to talk about anything. Zathras supposed to shut up. Zathras is being shutting up. There. Zathras is shut up." "I thank you both for coming," Valen repeated. "We need your help, but first you have to understand. You have to..." Sheridan blinked. "Anna! No!" "John, what are you doing?" She was holding a PPG, as was she. There was a light in her eyes once again, but he didn't remember this. When had this happened? "Anna, what's happening?" What had Valen said? Flashes - forwards or back? His arm jerked upwards, and he fired. He could see the light die in her eyes as her body was thrown backwards and by the time she hit the floor he knew she was quite dead. Behind him, somebody moved and was about to speak. He blinked again, and staggered forward. There was no sign of either Valen or Delenn. He felt so weak... so helpless. *Anna. Oh, God help me, Anna!* He hadn't realised he had spoken aloud, until he heard footsteps and rested himself back against the wall, to look at the person who was before him. "Oh poor Johnny," said a mocking voice. "Your Minbari whore's finally abandoned you, has she?" "Susan," he breathed. And behind her, the very shadows moved. ---------- "We cannot just leave him," Delenn was saying. They were running from the attack. She had no idea how it had happened. Valen had welcomed them, and she had been on the verge of kneeling to him, when Sheridan had staggered, and there had been the sound of PPG fire, and the chattering of Shadows. Valen had grabbed her hand, and they were fleeing. "They won't kill him," he said. "It's me they want - me and you. You have to understand, Delenn. There's a lot I have to show you, and not much time. You told me about this, and now I have to do what you said I did. I have to..." Delenn blinked. It was cold, that was her first sensation. So very cold. She wrapped her black robe tighter around herself, and stared at the small object in front of her. It was a block of grey stone, partially embedded in the ground at her feet. There were letters inscribed on it. She knelt down, and touched it gently, reading what it said. The words were written twice, in English and Adronato, but the meaning was the same. JOHN SHERIDAN RESTING IN A PLACE WHERE NO SHADOWS FALL To Be Continued... (The next part will be out in a few days.) From: Mr G D Williams Subject: The Shadow of Her Past, The Illusion of His Future Part 2 of 2 Date: Fri, 30 May 1997 01:41:46 +0100 (BST) Hi people. This is the latest installment in my parallel universe B5 saga where the Minbari did not surrender at the Battle of the Line and went on to conquer and destroy Earth. It is recommended but not essential that you first read (deep breath) A Dark, Distorted Mirror, Heeding The Warning, Warrior Souls, To Hear The Machine, and the first part of The Shadow of Her Past, The Illusion of Her Future. Most of the above should be archived, but anyone who can't find them, just e-mail me and I'll be happy to send a copy. Feedback is always welcome and should be sent to: csrcb@csv.warwick.ac.uk Please note that this address will only be functional until the end of June. There are no Spoilers as such, but I am drawing upon all elements of the B5 universe in writing this and people who are not up to date may be inadvertently Spoiled. This particular story deals with the Babylon 4 plotlines, particularly from Babylon Squared and War Without End. Legal Disclaimer: B5 and all characters are owned by JMS and / or Warner Bros. I am making no money from writing this and am doing so purely for pleasure. Personal Disclaimer: I am a hopeless romantic. I am however not an especially nice hopeless romantic. You have been warned. ---------- The Shadow of Her Past, the Illusion of His Future - Part 2 of 2 [AT] by Gareth Williams, csrcb@csv.warwick.ac.uk It was cold. Delenn wrapped her black robe even tighter around herself. This seemed impossible. She had been on the space station - the one Captain Sheridan had called Babylon 4, the one that was destined to be used in the last Great war against the Shadows, the one that had been given to the then Army of Light by Valen himself, the one that contained Valen himself, who had once been human - when she suddenly found herself here. She looked at the piece of stone before her again and read the simple words inscribed on it in both English and Adronato. JOHN SHERIDAN RESTING IN A PLACE WHERE NO SHADOWS FALL Slowly she raised her head and looked around. This whole place seemed so familiar, but she could not quite place it. She saw a dull sky, a barren horizon, the hint of mountains not far away... and a city. Or at least what had once been a city. Her eyes widened. "No," she breathed. This was impossible. She knew that city. It was Yedor, capital city of the Minbari Federation. Her home. It was... reduced to rubble, flattened and wrecked and torn. This... this wasteland was Minbari, but that was impossible. Minbar was never like this, never so cold. She pulled the robe evn tighter and stumbled away from the grave. She recognised this spot now. Her father had brought her here as a child. They would eat here and look into the lake just over the ridge, the lake that caught the lights and colours of the crystalline deposits and shone beautifully. The lake that... ...was dull and dirty and clogged with dust and mud. She staggered towards the spot where it lapped against the shore and she knelt down, scooping up a part of the water in her hands. It was ditry and grey. It did not shine any more. Nothing did. And then she caught a hint of her reflection. It was muddy and unclear, but it was her reflection, except that it was not her reflection. "Valen's Name," she breathed, understanding at last. She blinked, and she was back on Babylon 4, in the company of the man in whose name she had sworn. She was resting against the wall of a corridor, and he was beside her. "It was bad, wasn't it?" he said. "I've never sen anyone down for that long." She raised her hands to her forehead and felt carefully around the edges of her bone crest. She was normal. "Was... was that an image of what will happen, or of what might happen?" "We don't know," he replied. "We've all had images of the past, images that were surprisingly accurate. Of the future... none of us can be certain." "I saw... I saw..." "Don't tell me, Delenn. I must not know. It is not for me to know." "You know my name," she suddenly breathed in wonder. "You... know my name." "Of course," he replied smiling. "And you know mine. Or you will. We brought this station from your future, to take it a thousand years into the past. I wrote myself a letter then, telling myself of what will happen. I wrote you a letter as well, although I don't know whether you ever received it. I came here for your help, Delenn - yours and Sheridan's. Now I think I may have come here to help you. Do you know what you have to do?" "Yes," she breathed. "Yes. I saw it... but... will my actions bring about what I have seen?" "I don't know, Delenn. As I told you once my place lies with the future no longer, but the past. That is, of course, if we can ever make it there." "What has happened?" "We were ready to launch this station when the Enemy attacked. It was a hard battle but we managed to get away. I... don't know what happened to my friends who were defending us. Some of the Enemy made it aboard and have been trying to kill me.. If they do, then the past will be doomed and so will all of us. I came here hoping to gain your help, but the Enemy have proven to be too strong for us." "Then it was you who sent the message?" He blinked. "What message? No, we were unable to get to the main control centre." "We received a message asking for myself and Captain Sheridan to come over here, and to come alone. It must have been a trap... They have him!" "Delenn, Sheridan is a... clever man. I am sure he..." "No. I know it. They have him. The Enemy has him!" ---------- "Susan..." Sheridan rasped. He could feel his ribs grating at his lungs. His rigorous fight with Kalain had tired him and now all of this, a stray PPG blast, his two visions of Anna - one of marrying her, the other of killing her - and now he was feeling sick and disorientated and tired. And he was staring at a woman he knew well, or thought he did, but Susan Ivanova had never looked like this. Her right eye was simply a mass of scar tissue, scratched and torn, an old wound by the look of it. There were deep scars riven down the right side of her face, tearing her mouth and twisting it into a permanent sneer. Her hair was cut very short and there were patches on her skull where it was not growing at all. "Susan... what happened to you? She seemed surprised. "You don't... of course you don't. What year is this?" *What year?* Sheridan blinked and tried to rise to his feet. He failed and fell back. Susan merely watched him, the sole emotion on her face one of curiosity. *Year? What year was it?* "Fifty-Eight," he rasped. "2258" "Of course," she breathed. "The Epsilon 3 mission. I don't remember hearing about this, but it looks like your mastery with the vague reports came to the fore again... That means... that means we didn't win, but..." There was a buzzing noise that grated into Sheridan's ears and he threw up his hands to cover them. "No!" Susan snapped. "We will win. It'll be simple enough. We'll use him as bait. all we have to do is kill one man, and then it'll all be over, before it ever began. I know what I'm doing, trust me." Was she talking to Sheridan or to someone else? He tried to listen, but Sheridan couldn't quite hear what she was saying. This didn't make sense. None of this made sense. Anna... His head slumped and he fell into unconsciousness. ---------- "Any news on the others?" Sinclair asked. He was resting against the new wall. His new biology was still causing him problems. He hadn't been a Minbari long enough to adapt properly. Well, he hadn't been a Minbari physically long enough. Spiritually, he'd always been Minbari. "No, no," Zathras replied. "No word. Could be alive, could be dead, could be worse. The Enemy is here." "I wish... I wish..." "If wishes were fishes, there would be no room in the sea for water," Zathras said, and smiled. "That human saying. Zathras learn that saying. Is good saying. There no water on Zathras' home, though. No fishes either, but is still good saying." "We have to help Sheridan." "No," Delenn whispered, and Sinclair looked at her. It was... surprising to see her again, after so long. She had not changed yet, and he had not known her as a full Minbari, but she had been one of his closest allies and deepest friends. He hoped she had survived the attack on Epsilon 3. "It is a trap," she said slowly. "They want to kill you, Holy One. We cannot let that happen." Despite himself, Sinclair chuckled. "Holy One? You've never stood on formality with me before, Delenn. My name is Jeffrey? I'd appreciate it if you could use it." "Jeffrey?" She seemed to find the name difficult, but then she nodded. "Very well... Jeffrey, but it is still a trap." "I know," he said softly. "I know, but as a very wise and beautiful woman once told me, I have a destiny, and I know that my destiny will not allow me to die here." He grinned. "Besides, I have a little... help." And she understood. "Kosh," she whispered. "His name is Kosh." ---------- "Destiny. The Minbari talk about it all the time. Destiny and purpose. So what was my destiny then? I could have stood where you stand now. I could have helped build this place, help run it. I could have worn your uniform, stood in your place, and for what? So that I could die here, like you. So that they could come for me like they did for my mother and my father. "The Psi Corps and the Minbari. Each as bad as the other. The one took my mother, the other my father and brother. My mother was the only person who ever loved me for who I was. Do you know what that was like? My father never cared! My brother... They took her away from me! "And now this. Look at me, John. You don't find me beautiful now, do you? You did once, I remember. But not any more, no not any more. You did this to me. It may not have been your hand that did it, but it was your finger on the trigger and your hand on the dagger. "Why couoldn't you have answered differently? If only... if only you'd said something different. Why couldn't you have wanted money or power like normal people. Then you'd have been worthless to us, and we'd have left you alone, and you'd have died in that prison. But no, you had to answer, didn't you? All that revenge, and all that anger and hatred comes out, and you damned us all. "It was just an accident for me, you see. I crashed on their planet. It was an accident and when they asked me what I wanted, I wasn't thinking. I was hurt, and they promised to help me, and I listened and I answered. but you... they call you a nexus. Everything turns around you, and you lead us to this. Do you think I wanted this? Do you? No. What we've become, and what you've done... you lead us to it all. "But it won't matter, John. You see, this can all be over. They'll come for you. I know they will... because you're important. You're also easy for me to track. I implanted a tracking system inside your body... oh, a long time ago now. And it still works. Say what you like about my... friends... at least they know how to build things that work. "And they'll come for you. They'll have to, and we'll kill him. We'll kill Valen and we'll change history, and we'll win. No Minbari, no Battle of the Line. None of it will ever have happened. We'll be free to build our own destiny again, right from scratch, and this time... this time it'll all be better. "And I'll be free." Sheridan raised his eyes dully. He'd had another two flashes, one of the time when Elizabeth had been born and the other of when she had died. He was tired and hurt and grieving, and barely listening. He looked up. "You can't see it now," Susan said. "But that doesn't matter. They trust me now, even when they aren't around. I have a Keeper, you see. "We all have our Keepers." ---------- (Owing to unforeseen events, I'm having to finish Part 2 here. Part 2B will hopefully be out soon, and I'm sorry about the delay.) From: Mr G D Williams Subject: The Shadow of Her Past, The Illusion of His Future - 2B Date: Wed, 4 Jun 1997 23:52:45 +0100 (BST) Owing to even more unforeseen circumstances, this story really doesn't wnat to go out. Further apologies for any confusion. This definitely comes before The Bester of Both Worlds. Owing to unforeseen circumstances, I wasn't able to get all of Part 2 submitted in one bunch, so I had to break it down into two parts. Here's Part 2B. Apologies for any confusion. And owing to further unfortunate circumstances (the server went down big style) I wasn't able to submit this for several days. Apologies for any stress and / or irritation. All Spoilers and Disclaimers as at Parts 1 and 2 ---------- The Shadow of Her Past, The Illusion of His Future Part 2B by Gareth Williams, csrcb@csv.warwick.ac.uk Commander David Corwin was pacing up and down the docking bays. He was the only person here now. The Security guards had been sent back to their respective places and the medical staff were treating Mister Allen. Any complications or messages from the Captain, and Lieutenant Franklin would link him from the bridge. Corwin doubted there would be any messages from the Captain though. The tachyon emissions that were surrounding Babylon 4 made any form of communication impossible, although the first message had gotten through easily enough... Corwin was not paranoid. Paranoid people only think everyone is out to get them. Corwin knew people were out to get him. Well, he knew people were out to get the Captain, and that more or less amounted to the same thing. His Link activated. It was Doctor Kyle. "Mister Allen is doing fine now, Commander. He's asking to return to the docking bay." "Not necessary, thank you, Doctor. The fewer people here the better." "Commander, I think this is an unwise action and a risk to your health." Corwin could practically see the stern, disapproving anger in Kyle's face. He was, after all, old enough to be Corwin's father by quite a way. "Doctor, trust me, I..." Corwin started. "It's coming back." "Commander, this..." "I know what I'm doing, Doctor. Corwin out." He deactivated the Link and faced the blue space suited figure who appeared out of nowhere in front of him. "It's you, isn't it?" he said. "I thought it was before, but now... it is you." The figure moved forward, but stumbled and fell, almost in slow motion. Corwin rushed to its side, but then hesitated, remembering what had happened to Mister Allen. "You need my help." The figure nodded. "So then, what can I do for you?" The figure slowly removed its helmet and looked at Corwin. Then it told him. ---------- "I know," whispered Susan Ivanova to her eternal guardians. "There's a Vorlon. It's coming here." A Vorlon...? Sheridan tried to rise, but he didn't seem to have the energy to do so. A Vorlon. He'd met a Vorlon before. On Narn. With G'Kar. It had showed him... something. It had whispered something to him. Its name. It had shown him... shown him... what? He couldn't remember. "Wake up, John," Susan said, not coldly, but without a great deal of warmth either. "Your Minbari whore's coming for you, and him as well. He's coming too." "Who... who are you talking about?" he muttered. He tried to rise again, and managed to hook his arm over the fencing and haul himself up. Susan merely watched. She didn't do anything to help him. She simply watched. "I don't suppose she told you, did she? No, truthfulness and honesty are not particularly big Minbari virtues, whatever they like to tell anyone. Minbari do not lie, they say. Maybe not, but they never tell anyone the whole truth, either. "What do you know about Valen?" Sheridan blinked, trying to clear the fog in his mind. He did know that name. Delenn... Delenn had told him... he'd heard the name. "Minbari... not born of Minbari," he muttered. "So, maybe she does tell you something after all? Pillow talk perhaps. Yes, Valen was Minbari not born of Minbari. He was human, in fact, a human from this time who used some machine to change himself into a Minbari, and took this station backwards in time to the last war against my people, where he led the Vorlons and the Minbari and all the other perfect little races to victory. "And imagine our surprise when we discovered all of this. Imagine our surprise when we realised that all we had to do was kill one man and we'd win the war then. The Minbari would be finished, and... think on it, John. If we kill Valen now, then the Minbari will be destroyed. "A thousand years ago! No Minbari, No Battle of the Line, no destruction of Earth. None of this will have happened. You'll still have your Anna, I'll still have my mother. Everything can be so much better. "But no. Don't bother answering. I know you. You're worse now than you will be in the future. I know that you won't help me. At least, willingly. "They're coming for you. Your little Minbari whore and the one who betrayed us all, the entire human race, by becoming one of them. They're going to come for you, and we're going to kill them." "Delenn..." Sheridan rasped. "No..." He stumbled forward and blinked... He was above Mars now, aboard the Babylon. He knew he was. He could practically sense the Minbari all around him. He wasn't thinking. He'd retreated into the dark heart of his mind where the warrior in him lived. He existed only to kill, but his crew didn't mind. They felt the same. He could feel the Minbari flagship before him. There was something... different about this one, something special. He bore the ship down on it. He knew he was covered. Captain Maynard - good old Jack - would be providing cover in his Millennium, and Commander Pierce in the Hyperion was on Sheridan's flank as well. None of them had been able to make it for the Line, and now it was too late. And then, all of a sudden, Sheridan could see the Minbari, a council of nine. They were arguing, each standing in columns of light. One of them turned to face him and she put up her hands. "John, no!" Delenn cried. But it didn't matter, because he fired anyway. He blinked, and could feel Susan nearby. But she didn't seem to notice him. She didn't need to. Valen was here. ---------- Delenn looked on in horror as the Enemy appeared around her. She lost count of how many there were. They were dark and tall and terrifying, but she was not afraid. *I will not allow harm to come to my little ones, not here in my great house.* She was with Valen now, and walking in his light. The title she had been given, presumably by the agents of the Enemy who controlled this station, still rankled at her. Zha'valen. One who is a shadow to Valen. An outcast from the Light. "Come out, Susan!" Valen called. Delenn saw the circled ranks of the Enemy part and a woman stepped forward. She recognised Susan Ivanova, or at least, the woman who had once been Susan Ivanova. She had... changed. And beside her, stumbling and hesitant, his eyes staring and wide, was Captain Sheridan. She gave him a push, and he fell. Delenn could only look at him and wonder. What he had seen. What he had been told. What he had done. She had seen what could only be a vision of the future. Had he? Ivanova and Valen stared at each other for a long time. Delenn read... anticipation and anger in Ivanova's eyes, and only despair and grief in Valen's. "I am sorry," he said. "I'm not. Kill them." The Shadows began to move, but then they stopped. Their buzzing communication hurt Delenn's ears, but she saw that it was hurting Captain Sheridan even more. From the darkness, there came a Vorlon. Delenn recognised him. It was Kosh. He had come to her shortly after the Battle of the Line, and had spoken about one human life, and of how that one life would change the future of her people. She had been doubtful, but then his suit had opened, and she had seen him, and she had seen Valen in him, not Valen as he was now, but Valen as she had seen him in her vision as a child, half a lifetime ago. *I will not allow harm to come to my little ones, not here in my great house.* And so she had done as Kosh asked, and she had saved that one human life, a soldier who had been drifting in space, disorientated and shaken, near to death. She had arranged for him to be recovered and given to the Vorlons. Neroon and Draal had been suspicious, but they had said nothing, out of respect and love for her. And Kosh had given her a gift in return. A piece of himself. That piece had shown her wonders and visions and reminded her of her purpose. It had given her courage throughout her captivity and her interrogation. Until it had been taken from her. She knew where Kosh was now. They were all looking at Kosh now, even Ivanova. Her mouth was half open, as if in wonder, although her scarring made it look like a sneer. Kosh looked to look directly at Delenn. He said one word. "Remember." And his encounter suit opened, and there was a slow, creeping light. Delenn blinked. *Remember.* *I will not allow harm to come to my little ones, not here in my great house. *Captain Sheridan's anger as he struck her, the mercy as he freed her. *A centre for all our hopes and dreams as a people. *More valuable to me. *... souls travel together over many lifetimes, reliving the good relationships and correcting the bad ones. *Zha'valen - a shadow on Valen. *My name is John J. sheridan. Rank: Captain, EarthForce. *I am Grey. I stand between the candle and the star. *Minbari not born of Minbari. *Neroon. Sheridan. Draal. Dukhat. Neroon. Sinoval. Sheridan. Lennann. Ashan. Welles. Dukhat. Miss Alexander. Sheridan. Neroon. Her father. Her mother. Welles. Sinoval.* Face after face, name after name, voice after voice. They all sounded in her mind, before her eyes, in her memories. Her past, her present, her future. JOHN SHERIDAN RESTING IN A PLACE WHERE NO SHADOWS FALL *Minbar in ruins. Dukhat lying in her arms. Dukhat dying in her arms. Neroon saying goodbye. Captain Sheridan hitting her. Captain Sheridan watching her sleep. *Kosh entering her mind. Kosh's true form.* Kosh... The light faded, and Delenn realised she was lying on the floor, shaken. Standing up, she saw Kosh's encounter suit not far away. It was still standing, but as she watched, it sunk down and collapsed. Kosh was gone. (And elsewhere, light-years away, Lyta Alexander woke from her sleep screaming, with no knowledge of why) The Enemy was gone as well, save for Ivanova. She was still on her feet, where everyone else had fallen. Captain Sheridan was hardly breathing, and even Valen was still. Delenn saw Ivanova run forward, extending a Minbari fighting pike. Her Minbari fighting pike. The one that Ivanova had taken from her as she lay unconscious and bleeding in the corridors of her own home. The one that Neroon had given her, the one that Derhan had given him. One of Derhan's fabled nine blades. Derhan would never have imagined it would be wielded by a Shadow agent, least of all against Valen himself. Delenn reacted, remembering Neroon's attempts to teach her combat, remembering her father's training, and Derhan's advice. She had no weapon, but she had her faith, and her memories, and her conviction, restored at last after a long period of doubt. She caught Ivanova in the belly with her elbow, and the Shadow agent stumbled. A punch upwards to the arm loosened Ivanova's grip on the weapon, and a blow to the shoulder knocked the pike from her hands completely. Delenn could see the pain in her opponent's eyes. Kosh's sacrifice had done something to her, affected her somehow. Susan Ivanova had been changed, drastically and completely. For better or for worse, Delenn could not tell. Slowly, Delenn picked up the pike and she held it before her. It felt... wrong. It was not hers any longer. Ivanova had been wielding it in battle for... how long? Years, probably. How many had she killed with this self-same weapon, the one given to her in a gesture of love? Delenn compressed the weapon and stepped back. Ivanova fell, tears raining from her one, good eye. Valen was awake now, but Delenn could feel the station shaking around her. She looked up, and around, half afraid of another vision. There was none, but she did feel Valen take her arm. "You have to go," he said. "The time field is destabilising. You have to get out before you get caught here. Remember this, Delenn, and have faith." "Always," she said. Captain Sheridan was rising, but unsteadily. He was shaking and palsied. She ran to his side and helped support him. With a last look back at Valen, she left the station. And she left with it a piece of her future, and a piece of her past, secure in the knowledge of her present. ---------- "How do you feel?" she asked him softly. Sheridan groaned. "Ill. Sick. Tired. Apart from that, I'm fine." She smiled. Delenn had managed to use her limited knowledge of shuttles to get away from the station and towards the Babylon. The ship's central computer did the rest of the work for the docking. Commander Corwin had been suspicious when Delenn had pulled Captain Sheridan from the shuttle, but he had asked no questions, and she had given him no answers. Largely because she did not know what answers to give. Commander Corwin had even let her stay in MedLab while Doctor Kyle treated Captain Sheridan. His wounds had not been extensive. Largely slight bruising and exhaustion. He had slept and she had watched him, wondering if he would appreciate the symbolism of the gesture. Wondering if she appreciated it herself. He had watched her sleep on at least one occasion, and that was a departure from the traditional ritual. But then this was far from traditional. Behind her, Babylon 4 disappeared, and completed its journey to the past. She silently wished Valen well, and thought about her future. The image she had seen, both of Minbar, and of herself. And when Captain Sheridan had awoken, she had gone to his side. They were not being watched. Commander Corwin had ordered as much. He had clearly seen something as well. Perhaps the unstable effects of the time field had extended even here? "What happened..." Sheridan began. "Was it... real or not? I... saw things." "I did as well," she assured him. "I can only suppose that what happened is what has always happened. Valen took the station a thousand years into the past, where he fought the Enemy, formed the Grey Council and brought hope to Minbar." "And the visions?" "I... do not know," she said carefully. He was clearly uncomfortable with whatever he had seen, and so was she. For the time being, they would leave the matter. Perhaps later... And then Delenn presented him with the pike she had taken from Ivanova, the pike that Ivanova had taken from her. "I would like you to have this," she said. She saw that he recognised it. "It does not feel... right to me any more, and you now have as many enemies, and as dangerous enemies, as do I. I feel you will need it." "I don't know how to use it," he said. "Then I will teach you. But you must be careful. There are now two copies of that pike in this timeline. That one, and the one that was taken from me before, the one that has not get been brought back to this time. Some of the warrior caste members of my people believe that a weapon has the power of its bearer. That weapon has two bearers now." "I see. I... think I've got something for you as well. The doctors put it in that drawer there." Delenn opened the drawer he indicated and pulled out a small metal triangle. She held the Triluminary slowly and smiled. "Thank you," she said. "Well, are you going to test my soul with it then?" "There is no need. I have seen your soul, and mine." "The... things on that station. They were the Enemy, weren't they? The Shadows?" "Yes, they were." "They aren't really trying to help us, are they?" "I doubt it." "I won't do anything to hurt my people, you realise that." "Yes." "And I won't fight them. Just yet. But... I might have to, in the future. Please, tell me about them..." "There is something else I must tell you about first," she whispered, remembering the sight of her own reflection in the muddied waters of Minbar. And she told him of prophecy, and of Valen and of the chrysalis. And he listened. ---------- "I wish he could just tell me what this is about," Corwin moaned to himself, not caring that the only person around to hear him was Marcus, and he was saying nothing. Corwin's complaints were not genuine either. The Captain was the captain, after all, and he didn't have to explain anything. Although Corwin would quite like to know why the Captain was out of MedLab when Doctor Kyle had insisted on another day's full rest. They weren't even back at Proxima yet. The door to the ready room opened, and the Captain walked in. Satai Delenn was with him, and Corwin managed to avoid twisting his face into a gesture of disapproval. What business was it of his what the Captain did? "Thank you for coming here, both of you," the Captain said. "I trust the two of you more than anyone else on this ship. You, David, because... well... you've fought alongside me for so long. I've never had any reason to doubt you, and I'm sure I never will. And you, Marcus, because you've seen some of the same things I have. "What we're going to tell you will have to remain secret for the time being. We may add others to this little conspiracy at a later date, but for now, only the four of us need know. "We're going to tell you exactly what we saw on Babylon 4, and exactly what it was doing there, and where it was going, but first, a little background detail. Delenn?" Satai Delenn shifted in her seat slightly and placed her hands on the table. "There are beings in the universe billions of years older than either of our races," she began. "Vast and timeless, they walked among the stars like giants. The oldest of these were called the Shadows. "We have no other name for them..." Next: The Bester of Both Worlds (And apologies for the corniness of the title - it just seemed to fit.) Ivanova's plottings run into a problem as Sheridan begins his observations against the Shadows, but a new arrival threatens to upset both their plans. (No rewards for guessing who, and there'll be a special cameo by one other person at the end as well.) Coming soon (hopefully)