Chapter 4

ELEVEN Years in the Past.
Lao Tzu.... Aristophanes.... Marilyn Monroe.... Buddy Holly....
Alexander of Macedon, the defence of the three hundred at Thermopylae, the great debt to the few at the Battle of Britain, the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race, the horror shrine at Auschwitz, the grave of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the bridge over the River Kwai, Offa's Dyke, the ruins of Camelot, the Statue of Liberty, the heroic sacrifice of the thirty-three at New Cairo, the place where Reebo met Zooty, Cross Plains, the lonely house on the hill....
Legacies of millions of years, marks of history, of honour, of a determination to survive, to thrive, to prosper, to prevail....
All gone.
Washed away in a matter of hours by spirits from the heavens, who rained fire upon the world, stripping away the atmosphere, boiling away the seas, shattering the mountains and filling the cities with the dead and the cries of the dying.
Far, far above the dying on Earth, there hovered angels, heedless, careless, regardless of that which they were destroying.
Had they known the truth, perhaps they would not have been.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

"It was over in a matter of hours." Delenn's voice trailed hollowly. For a moment, it seemed as though she was about to say something else, but she did not. She only shook her head sadly, and felt the unquestioning warmth of the man next to her.
In a circle around her, her six companions were silent. Next to her, the man she loved, the man she hoped loved her - could still love her after what she had just related. John Sheridan. A good, kind, gentle man, who had been twisted into something else by the actions she herself had helped begin.
And next to him, another close friend, one of the few Delenn had made amongst the humans. Lyta Alexander. She was crying softly. Lyta had been on Mars when her homeworld had gone down in flames. She had always had the consolation of not knowing the full horror. Now she knew.
Next to Lyta was the one who claimed to be both the prophet Valen, and the human Jeffrey Sinclair. He was silent and immobile. There was no trace of emotion on his face. Delenn wondered where his story would continue. She had the sick feeling she already knew, but she did not want to confront that fact. If.... if she was right in her assumption, then let him say it. She could.... not face any more.
Next to him was Commander David Corwin, a friend to John, and one whose attitude towards Delenn had always edged on the uncomfortable and the awkward. He was silent, his head bowed. Delenn was glad she could not see his eyes. He had been on Mars also, and escaped the genocide which had engulfed Earth.
Next to him was Kats, former Satai of the worker caste, and currently in a position of some power in the new Minbar Delenn had unwittingly helped create. Delenn did not know her very well, but there was a sense of deep emotion in her eyes. Delenn had the feeling that Kats was a woman of deep conviction, but greater compassion. Kats had truly had no part in the destruction of Earth, save as silent bystander. That alone was more than enough to condemn her in her own eyes.
Which made her all the more of a contrast with the one next to her, his hand gently on her arm in a gesture which might have been comforting, or might have been to hold her there. Sinoval, leader and creator of the new Minbar and the new Minbari. He had been a captain of the fleet which had destroyed Earth. By some happenstance - and one which he had not yet fully explained - he had not personally fired on the planet. But he would have done, without compunction, without so much as a second thought.
And that was it, unless she counted the two Soul Hunters - Sinoval's 'honour guard' - a blasphemy in this holy place, but Delenn knew that Sinoval had committed worse, and would do so again. Delenn did not look at them. They should not even be here.
The silence was broken at last, by the one who called himself Valen. "We commit their souls to space," he said softly. "We usher them unto your sorrowing rest, so that they may hear your silence." A strange sort of prayer, and one with which Delenn was only passing familiar. Such a funeral oration had not been uttered on Minbar for.... for a thousand years. Since the first time of Valen.
He then lifted up his head, and began to speak again. His voice was sonorous, filled with emotion he could not otherwise express, even in his eyes.
"I hung there, floating, unable to move, unable to do anything but breathe, and watch. My screams were silent in space, unheard.
"That is my last memory."
Delenn nodded. "I think I know what became of you afterwards. When it was over, the nine of us gathered in the Hall to....

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

The Hall of the Grey Council, the Past.
".... take pride in our victory! Truly, with their homeworld lost we have all but accomplished that which we set out to do. Rejoice, fellow Satai, for we are victorious!"
Shakiri, of course. His words made a mockery of the hallowed assemblage. Even Morann and Coplann were quiet.
"There is no victory here," Jenimer said slowly, shaking his head with great sorrow. "No victory at all."
"A necessity," Morann said. "This is over. Now let us return home. We have done what we came for."
"It is not all completed," Shakiri said quickly. "Their colonies still remain. Mere mopping up, yes, but the task must be finished in totality."
"Have you not shed enough blood?" Delenn cried loudly. "When will you be at peace? When will any of us be at peace? This war is over, Satai! Now and forever!"
"There is little need for heated words," Shakiri said, smiling. "You may leave this Hall if you wish to calm yourself, Delenn."
"We should all leave this Hall," Jenimer replied. "A great evil has been done here, and we should all think on our parts in it." His words cut Delenn to the heart, although that was surely not their intent.
"More meditations," spat Shakiri. "Very well. We...."
An image appeared in the column at the centre of the circle. It was Shai Alyt Branmer. His bearing was perfectly poised and composed, his stance giving away none of the emotions which must have been in his mind. His hands were folded precisely before him. His head was bowed just enough for courtesy. All in all, he was the picture of meticulous authority and respect.
"Ah, Shai Alyt Branmer," said Shakiri. "You are to be congratulated. A fine operation."
"Thank you, Satai," Branmer said, with the same flat precision in his bearing. "I live only to serve. I bring other news, however. It concerns Alyt Sinoval."
"What of him?" Delenn asked.
"He is dead."
A stunned silence fell over the Council, broken finally by Jenimer. "He did it, then? He did take his own life. Such a waste."
"A suicide does seem to be the first diagnosis. He was found in his sanctum, both his pike and a ceremonial dagger by his body."
"A tragic loss," Delenn replied. "Who commands the Trigati now?"
"Hor Alyt Kalain. He has reacted less than favourably to the news of Sinoval's death. He claims to hold you responsible."
"Let him blame whomever he wishes," said Jenimer. "The death of Sinoval was a tragedy, and a worthless demise. But it was his own foolhardy honour which compelled him to it. Especially when no order to surrender was given. So stupid."
"We thank you for this report, Shai Alyt," said Delenn. "Remain in high orbit, with sensors ready for any form of counterattack from the remaining human ships. Also.... Sinoval's body.... has he any relatives?"
"None living, Satai."
"Have his body returned to Minbar, to the Shrine of Valen there. Let him serve as a memorial of this war."
"Your will, Satai."
The image vanished, and Jenimer looked around the Council. "I think we need to contemplate this more fully," he announced. "How many more deaths must your crusade bring us, Shakiri?"
"It was your weak hesitation which brought about his death. Not any act of mine."
"It was the stifling code of your caste which...."
"Enough," said Hedronn forcefully. "We will get nowhere with this arguing. Let us all go to our meditation and return here with calmer minds."
The Council then dispersed, leaving their Hall strewn with the memories of failed hopes and doomed dreams, an empty place already marked with the death which would one day consume it.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

"Dead?"
Sinoval shrugged. By his side, Kats had moved back and was looking at him. "You were dead?"
"A simple mistake. The attack merely left me in a deep coma."
"So you weren't dead?" That was Commander Corwin.
"Obviously not. Our biology is not yours. I was simply in a deep coma, mistaken for death. What is important is...."
"Is that it was not a suicide, but an attack." Valen, or Sinclair, or whoever, moved forward to look at Sinoval. "And you know who it was."
Sinoval nodded. "We all have secrets. I have been keeping this one for.... quite a while. I worked out who was responsible some years ago, but kept it to myself. A secret is a tool much like any other, and the art of tools is knowing when to use them."
"So who was it?" Delenn asked.
"Oh, I don't know the identity of the weapon, but the wielder of the weapon.... the Vorlons. One of them any...."
"LIAR!" Lyta shouted, stepping forward. "The Vorlons would never...."
"The Vorlons have done more than you can ever imagine," Sinoval snapped. "There are records from the last Great War, from the Vindrizi and the Soul Hunters. The Vorlons may well be as evil as the Shadows, in their own way."
"You're wrong," Corwin said. "The Vorlons came to help you at the Battle of the Second Line. They fought off the Shadows, remember?"
"They had their own motives. They always do. They are guilty of offences you cannot understand, and attempting to murder me is nothing but the smallest and tiniest of them."
"The Vorlons are our allies," Sheridan said slowly.
"Your allies, perhaps. I will not tolerate them amongst my people."
"You are lying," continued Lyta. "The Vorlons have never...."
"Please, Lyta," said Delenn. "There are.... some things you do not know. After the Grey Council broke up, I went, not to my personal sanctum, but to Dukhat's...."

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

Dukhat's Personal Sanctum, Isil'zha, The Past.
The door closed behind Delenn and she could feel the heaviness of the air around her. They were here. She could feel them.
"I need to talk to you," she said softly. "I need to...." She drew in a deep breath. "You said the truth would point to itself! Where is the truth here?"
The shadow moved and the Vorlon shifted into view. It was the cold Vorlon, whose icy voice chilled her. She straightened. "Where is the truth here?"
<The truth still exists. The future must be re-aligned.>
"How? What must I do?"
<Continue the path you have set. Carry your destiny through.>
"Continue the war? You said the humans were the key. You said...."
<Irrelevant. Continue with your destiny.>
"Why? How much more blood must I shed? Answer me! When will this end?"
<When fire meets darkness. When you are both.>
"I don't understand any of this. I will not kill any more. Not one more. I...."
A blow from nowhere struck Delenn, throwing her against the wall. Her body shook with the impact and she slid to the floor.
<Irrelevant. Obey only. Continue the war.>
"Wh.... why?"
<A forge to create the blade we need. A fashioning of the renewed future.>
"The...." Delenn paused, shaking. "The humans.... they are still the key Dukhat spoke of?"
<They will be. A new time is necessary. They will be created anew.>
"As you say." Delenn hung her head. She had lost after all. They had all lost. The warriors had won. The murderers had won.
She was one of them now.
She rose, and turned to go. Just as she reached the door, however, the Vorlon spoke again. <One soul. He hangs, suspended in darkness. He is ours. Find him, and bring him to us.>
Delenn only nodded. In silence, she left.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

"And so the war continued, because I helped it continue.
"I remember Shakiri's face as I argued for him during the next meeting of the Grey Council. At first he looked disbelieving, wondering perhaps if this was some trick. Then he started laughing. Afterwards, he came to me alone, and he said, 'It is good that you have seen the light, Delenn. Perhaps there is some wisdom in your soul after all.'"
"Shakiri was a fool," Sinoval said.
"A destructive fool," Delenn agreed. "He did not survive to enjoy his victory though. For all his planning and schemes, he lived only another few months. He was crippled at the Battle of Mars, and died back on Minbar from his injuries."
A sly smile spread unnoticed across Sinoval's face.
"Others died at Mars also. Morann and Coplann, and Jenimer was wounded and later retired. Twelve years later, and now I am the last surviving member of Dukhat's Grey Council. The blame therefore falls on me."
"The blame falls on the Vorlons," Sinoval said.
"The blame falls on no one," said Sheridan, speaking for the first time in a long while. "It...." He breathed in deeply. "It was all an accident. Just an accident that's gone too far."
"Thank you," Delenn whispered.
"But an accident that is continuing to spread," spoke Valen softly. "Only now can it end, perhaps."
"Per....haps," Delenn said. "Perhaps. You were the human I gave to the Vorlons, weren't you?"
"Yes. I remember hovering there, trapped in space. That was all, until I appeared at the Temple of Varenni. I knew what I had to do, I remembered that I was Valen, everything that I had done, every word of the prophecies I had written, based upon the knowledge I have now."
"You expect me to believe a human is Valen?" Sinoval said incredulously. "Delenn, that is beyond foolishness and into blasphemy."
She shot him a gaze that could have pierced stone. "It is neither, Sinoval. Since I have been.... away from here, I have discovered many things. Including the mystery that has troubled us all for centuries. We always knew that our souls were fading, disappearing somewhere instead of being reborn in each successive generation as had always been the case.
"After the war.... when I returned here, and after.... Neroon.... left.... I immersed myself in my studies of the prophecies. We had all lost a chance for peace, and salvation. I was determined to ensure we regained that opportunity.
"'We will reunite with the other half of our soul as we walk into fire and darkness.' Do you know those words, Sinoval?" A faint hint of memory flitted across Valen's face.
"Of course I know them. I...." Sinoval's eyes widened. "You knew.... you tried to warn us!"
"Before the Second Line, yes. I tried to warn you, but you were not listening, and I was not strong enough. Humans are the other half of our soul. They are where our souls have been going."
"How.... how do you know this?" Kats asked softly. "How can you be sure?"
"The Triluminary. Before I was captured from here, I was going to test my theory.... on John. I did not get the chance then, but the Triluminary was brought with me, to the Babylon and then to Proxima Three. It was there that I knew I was right."
"But where is the proof, Delenn? Where, exactly?"
"Proof is hardly necessary, Sinoval. Where is your faith?"
"Faith I leave to the religious caste, Delenn. I desire only proof."
"Then I will give you proof." Delenn fished in the pocket of her dress. "There were three Triluminaries, granted us by Valen a thousand years ago. One was taken from me after my.... change. The other two remained with the Grey Council. One, I believe, has been broken since, but this one remains." She pulled out the third Triluminary. "Will this give you the proof you need, Sinoval?" He nodded.
Delenn turned to look at John. He nodded briefly. A soft, pale smile spread across her face as she raised the Triluminary to him.
It glowed softly, piercing the gentle mists around them. Sinoval shrank from the light which to him seemed a brilliant illumination.
"Well, Sinoval?" Delenn whispered.
He nodded again. "So our souls have been passing to humans, and so they are the ones Valen spoke of.... I am willing to grant much of what you tell me, Delenn. But as yet I see nothing to convince me that this.... Valen is the true One. Even should Valen's form be reborn into a.... human.... What is to stop the Vorlons taking any human and recasting him into Valen?"
"History will not tolerate any Valen. Destiny demands that the One be Valen, not anyone. And there is one other matter on which you are incorrect. This is not Valen Reborn, but Valen as he was before he came unto us."
Sinoval laughed. "Of course! You are the Valen before he appeared, Minbari not born of Minbari!"
"I don't understand," Corwin said.
"Everything was there," Sinoval said. "The bearing, the knowledge, the appearance.... just not the experience. Not the age. There was no sign in your eyes, no sign of the suffering or strife Valen had endured. And that was simple.... you have not endured it yet!"
"At some point in our future," Delenn whispered, "you will go back in time, back to become the Valen that was." She and Sheridan shared a very private, personal glance.
"Time travel?" said Corwin incredulously. "That's impossible!"
"No," Delenn said. "Just difficult. We have the power to create very small temporal portals, although it is rarely used. Who knows what others are capable of? Besides, Commander, we know time travel is possible. We have seen it."
"What.... Oh my God. I remember...."
"The Vorlons must have known this, and rescued you to ensure this happened," Delenn said hastily. Sinoval flashed her a curious look, but she said nothing further.
"I think you're putting too kind a sheen on their motives, Delenn," he said. "Yes, they may well have wanted to ensure that this.... Valen.... goes back to protect the past, but I am sure they have more pressing concerns for the future. Don't you see? Valen returns, as he promised he would. His words fire the people, shifting their allegiances. They would switch fealty at a moment, would swear themselves to his side. The Vorlons will then control my people, through him. That will not happen."
"But if he is the real Valen...."
"That does not matter! No Vorlon puppet will control my people, Delenn. He will not, true Valen or no."
"You're forgetting something, Sinoval," Kats said, her voice to his ears as soft as snowfall on grass. "If he was really as controlled by the Vorlons, then why would he come here and give us.... give you the chance to work out all of this?"
"Ah.... Yes.... That I have considered, but have not been able to work out. Some ploy, perhaps. Can you answer that.... Sinclair?"
"No," he said apologetically. "I came here because I was.... driven to. I cannot explain it, do not understand. If I am a.... puppet, then how am I to know who pulls my strings?"
<I know.>
All turned, to see Lyta, her eyes jet black. As they stared, her eyes shifted to a bright gold, dazzling them all. The voice which came from her mouth was not her own.
<A bargain was struck. Not all of us are your enemies, Warrior.>
"That I will believe when it is proved."
<Irrelevant. There was a deal. This is a part. It will be paid for, in fire. Do you understand?>
"Was that a rhetorical question?" Corwin muttered, not that anyone heard him.
"I know you," Delenn whispered. "You are Kosh. Once.... you were a part of me."
"What?" snapped Sinoval. "How...?"
Delenn turned to look at him. "After the discovery of the Shadow ship at Mars, I went back to Dukhat's sanctuary. Only Kosh was there. He told me he could help me, but at a price. He.... entered my mind, becoming a part of me, shaping my thoughts with his own. Now, he is in Lyta."
"Vorlons," Sinoval spat contemptuously.
<He is the past, and the future. He was to be used badly. That must not happen. He is yours now. Use him well.> Lyta's golden eyes shifted to her normal colour and she swayed, almost falling. Valen caught her, and held on to her gently.
"Well," Sinoval said. "Another ploy."
"No," Delenn replied. "A truth. Tell me.... Valen. It seems your destiny is now in our hands. What do you wish for the future?"
"To help," he said simply.
"Stay away from my people," Sinoval warned. "Puppet or not, helpless or not, the destiny of my people rests in my hands, not yours." Kats touched his arm gently.
"Then come with us," Delenn said. "An alliance is being created elsewhere.... on Kazomi Seven. There are some Minbari there.... Some who...." She looked at Sinoval.
"Some who dislike my methods of ruling? You may have them, Delenn. Him also. I wish none who will not follow me, and I will take none to their deaths against their will. This planet will be entirely uninhabitable before long. All who wish it may come with me to other worlds, a few surviving colonies.... other places. Any who wish to go with you, Delenn.... they are welcome."
"You are sure?"
"I will hold none from their desires. I wish only those who will follow me personally."
"The warriors, you mean?"
"Not all," said Kats. "I will follow you, my lord. To fire and darkness."
"I know," he replied simply.
"Well, Sinoval. It appears you have the people you have wished for. Warriors, demons, the damned."
"Demons? Oh, the Soul Hunters. They are far from demons, Delenn. They...." Sinoval stopped. Visions began to arise from the mists around them, visions unbidden and unasked-for.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

The Minbari flyer Norio, the Past.
The attack had come suddenly and without warning. No sooner had the flyer emerged from the Rokugan jump gate for refuelling at the colony than the ships appeared and attacked, swarming around the flyer.
Engines and weapons were disabled in seconds. A frantic distress signal was jammed with ease. The Minbari colony, a mere three hours flight away, might as well have been on the other side of the moon.
With the flyer now floating paralysed in space, the attackers came to board it.
"You will not have him!" barked the captain, as he stood defending the precious relic he would return to Minbar. "You will.... not...." Blood streamed from cuts down his forehead, and still he stood firm.
The Soul Hunter looked at him with an expression that could have shattered rock. Behind the captain lay the body of the Minbari warrior caste's greatest hero. The captain knew little more of the Shagh Toth than legends, but he had a task to fulfill, and he would not let these monstrosities claim the soul of Sinoval.
His pike extended, he lunged forward. With a grace that belied his size, the Soul Hunter ducked, swivelled back and punched the Minbari in the ribs. He fell.
The Soul Hunter strode to Sinoval's body. He laid one hand gently, almost tenderly, on the dead Minbari's forehead. Then he drew a knife from his belt, and took its blade in his hand.
Black blood dripped into Sinoval's eyes and mouth.
The Soul Hunter smiled, nodded, and left.
A few hours later the captain of the Norio recovered, just as ships from Rokugan arrived. He was taken to the Temple on Rokugan to atone for his failure, and only the confirmation of the leading priest there, that Sinoval's soul was long gone before the Soul Hunter had had a chance to take it, calmed his spirit.
Two days later, his body resting in the shrine where Valen had first met the one who would later chronicle his life - Nukenn, of the family Zir - the body of Sinoval, of the Wind Swords, arose.
Medical experts announced that the attack which had 'killed' him had merely shut down some of his vital functions, placing his body in a coma while his secondary systems came into operation. Examples of similar 'returns from the dead' were not unheard-of, although very rare. Legend said that Valen himself had once returned from such a state, during the climactic assault on Z'ha'dum.
Only two Minbari ever knew of the Soul Hunter, and neither could speak of it. Their dreams were tormented by chaos and darkness, and both died in their sleep mere months later.
Sinoval still lived.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

"What?" breathed Sinoval softly. "You mean.... you...."
One of the Soul Hunter guardians bowed gracefully. "Are you the only one with secrets, my Primarch?"
Sinoval only laughed in reply.
"The Ceremony is over," Delenn said solemnly. "I cannot say whether any of us has been reborn, but.... I think this has been a beneficial experience."
"For once, Delenn," Sinoval replied, "I bow to your religious caste wisdom." By his side, Kats smiled broadly.
"According to the strict procedure of the ceremony," she continued, "we must each reveal a secret we have told no one else, and give up something of great value to us." She looked thoughtful.
"I think we've already done that, Delenn," Sheridan said. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close to him. "We've given up the past, and that is one of the most valuable things we possess."
She smiled, and snuggled closer to him. "You are right, John."
"Then what now?" asked Corwin. "I mean.... are we any nearer sorting all this out than we were before?"
"Minbar will be uninhabitable soon," Sinoval said. "The poisons in the atmosphere, the ground, the water.... Those of my people who wish to follow me will be travelling to the few colonies we still control. From there I will rebuild and reforge our people. But.... I can take only those who will fight. This is a war, and I will not place the weak in a position where they may be slaughtered. Not again.
"Those who wish to, Delenn, may follow you. I have no further doubts in placing their destiny in your hands."
"Thank you," she whispered.
"I will go with you also," said Valen. "I am.... not a warrior. Not yet. Maybe in the past.... the future, I will be."
"You will," Sinoval confirmed.
"But for the moment, I will go with you, Delenn, if I may."
Her smile would have brought the sun at midnight. "Of course."
"Then it is decided," Sinoval announced. "I thank you for this, Delenn. It has been a valuable experience. But for now, I must go. We may meet again." He made for the door, bowing in a gesture of respect to Sheridan and Delenn, and giving Valen a look that might have been contempt, or might have been pity.
At the door, he stopped and looked back at all of them. "Remember what I said about the Vorlons. Do not trust them. Not at all."
He left.
Kats made to go after him, but she stopped beside Delenn, smiling gently, and extended her hand to her in a typical gesture of warmth. Delenn smiled in turn. "You could come to Kazomi Seven, if you want to," Delenn said. "There will be a place for you there."
"My place is with him."
"One day, he will kill you," Delenn warned. "He may not wish it, or even order it, but you will die because of him."
"Then I will die. Through fire and darkness, past death and despair, until my soul is reborn. I have sworn, Delenn, and I will follow him. Walk in the light, Delenn."
"And you," she sighed. "Be at peace."
Kats smiled, and laughed.
Delenn slid back into John's embrace, and sighed softly.
It was time to return to work.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

"My lord," Kats said urgently, rushing after Sinoval's long stride. He slowed down to match hers. "My lord.... you...." She paused, unsure of how to frame the thoughts in her mind. "You have secrets, do you not?"
"Oh, many," he said. "Enough to fill a library. Only one needed to be aired today. The others.... they could wait. They will have to endure. Besides, some of the details might.... upset our new friends there."
"Tell me." He glared at her. "I am your conscience, am I not? Share with me, my lord."
"Are you strong enough to bear my burden, my lady?" He looked at her, and shook his head. "Foolishness. Of course you are. Do you wish to bear my burden?"
"Yes, my lord."
He laughed, and touched her very gently on her arm. "Very well. Two things relevant to.... the issues we were discussing today."
"One involved Shakiri?"
"Yes. That one comes later. First.... what Delenn said was true. Before that.... Andrew Denmark, most of the Grey Council had never set eyes on a human. Some of our people had, in hand-to-hand combat, but not we leaders. After him of course.... There was a long break while our illustrious leaders debated the issue of surrender. Some of the humans chose that time to attempt to escape.
"Some managed it, no doubt, but we caught some of the stragglers. Our scouts shot them down and brought the survivors on board. Kalain was dealing with the matter when he informed Shakiri. This was while I was unconscious, bleeding to death on the floor of my inner sanctum." He could not keep the bitterness out of his voice.
"What happened to them?" Kats asked. There was a dawning horror in her eyes, as if she were about to realise the truth.
"Shakiri ordered them given to Jha'dur, of course. The Grey Council never found out, but Jha'dur informed me herself later."
"Valen's Name. And what.... what did she do to them?"
"I do not know.... but it would not have been pleasant. Try not to think about it."
"I won't. I.... I won't. And the other secret?"
He touched her shoulder. "Are you sure?"
"Yes. I am your conscience, as you said, my lord. I am ready for whatever you choose to tell me. It is about Shakiri, isn't it?"
"Yes. He was a fool, and an arrogant one. He would have doomed our caste and our people, all for his own foolish pride. He was wounded at the Battle of Mars and brought back to Minbar for healing. All the signs were that he would recover, but he relapsed and died within days of his return.
"I was awake when Shakiri returned. I watched him. I remembered everything that he had done. I had heard about what had happened on Earth, and on Mars.
"He was a greater threat to us than any I have seen.
"And so I killed him."
Kats gasped. "You....?"
He smiled sadly. "Now you share a part of my burden, my lady. Do you still wish to be at my side, knowing who I am and what I have done?"
"Through fire and darkness, past death and despair, until my soul is reborn. I will follow you, my lord."
"Thank you, my lady. And now.... I believe we have much work to do."

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

The next few weeks saw much frantic activity on Minbar, homeworld and heartland of one of the oldest races in the galaxy. The badly injured either healed, or died. Those who were fit either left, or remained. Some went with Delenn to Kazomi 7, others with Sinoval to the Vindrizi's sanctuary world. Some went elsewhere, embracing a darker destiny.
The skies continued to weep fiery tears. The earth continued to revolt, corrupted by forces alien to all. The rivers remained black and sterile.
Within four weeks, there was no life remaining on Minbar.
Delenn was one of the last to leave. She stood at Turon'val'na lenn-veni - the Place Where Valen Waits - looking out at the ruins of the city where she had been born. The grass beneath her feet was black. The beautiful, shimmering lake before her was filled with sediment and dust.
She remembered a vision from a long time ago, and shivered, recalling the one thing from this sight missing from her view.
A gravestone.
She then turned and left, swearing never to return.
Somehow, though, she knew that she would.
Two weeks or so after the last trace of life departed from Minbar, more life came, from far beyond the stars above. Ships emerged from the heavens, beings came from the sky.
And the relics of old were born again.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

"It is not over," Sonovar said softly, looking around at those he had gathered to his side. Warriors, although not all. Some priestlings, those with hints of strength. No workers though. They were weak and pathetic, one and all.
"It is not over." Kalain was seated in a corner, staring sightlessly at a wall. Whatever had happened to him, his mind had been broken. Sonovar knew that did not matter. Kalain was a figurehead, little more. What Sinoval, what the Earthers, what they had all done to the greatest warrior ever born.... none of that mattered. He was here, in the flesh, and that would have to be enough.
"Our people are enslaved by evil and corrupted by Sinoval's madness," Sonovar continued. Standing just in front him was Forell, a priestling, who was nodding slowly. His face was covered with scars and lesions. He had been captured by the Earthers during the early stages of their renewed war and had escaped, somehow.
"Sinoval has betrayed us all. He has made alliances with demons and has welcomed Earthers into his hall. He abandoned our world to destruction, and he has rejected the return of the true Valen."
Sonovar looked at the newest member of his circle. Ramde Cozon, of the Tak'cha. "We will achieve our salvation, and our forgiveness, and a return to our destiny. All who oppose us, Earther, Sinoval, Shadow.... we will destroy."
Three capital ships had already come to Sonovar's side. There would be more.
"Our destinies await us, through fire.... and through darkness."