Chapter 3

ONCE upon a time there was a man with a dream, a simple dream - to explore the stars, to learn from the wonders dead races had left behind, to discover the past and to build a better future. And then there came other men, with other dreams - dreams of money, and power, and riches.
And from these men there came a company called Interplanetary Expeditions, and then there came power, and money. The company grew strong and wealthy, and those who commanded it commanded power and influence elsewhere, even in government.
And then there came a race of aliens called the Minbari. Seeking revenge for a wrong, they erased and destroyed countless dreams, and for a time even those who sought to discover the past in the name of the future found their goals in doubt.
But then there came a saviour, who made them an offer - an offer which seemed so innocuous, which seemed to give so much and ask so little in return. A simple favour, to be paid back at a future date.
This is that future date, and the favour asked for is being repaid.
It is not much, really. One person, just one soul against the countless others balanced out before them.
One person whose life - and death - will change the galaxy.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

Captain John Sheridan could not resist a smile as he looked at the hall of the main spaceport on Kazomi 7. As a sign of the triumph of hope over despair, of construction over destruction, there could hardly be a better symbol.
He remembered arriving here last year, as the colony was only just recovering from the horrors of the Drakh occupation. He remembered the devastation, the pitiful cries of the starving and the dying, the signs of despair and terror.
And now.... Kazomi 7 was the centre of an Alliance - a precarious one, to be sure, but an Alliance of Worlds nonetheless. There was hope in the eyes of those around him, eyes that were gazing at the future as if they had forgotten what it looked like.
"Impressive, isn't it?" he remarked to his companion. Commander Corwin nodded briefly. He had been distracted almost since they had left Babylon 4. Still, he was looking at the numerous customs officials and arrivals here, noting each of them almost abstractly.
A young man in a black robe came towards them, his hands folded into a steeple before him. Sheridan recognised him as the technomage Vejar, and nodded to him briefly. He nodded back. "We bid you welcome, Starkiller," he said, in a precise, immaculate tone, almost like someone who knows how to speak but has never actually tried it before.
"It's a pleasure to be here, Vejar. We have some of the mineral samples your government asked G'Kar for."
"Ah, yes. I am sure Minister Lethke or Minister Churok will be here soon to take delivery of them. I believe they are planning some sort of scientific experiment in our quantium refining plants."
Sheridan nodded. Quantium-40 was a vital element in jump gate construction. Minister Lethke seemed to think he might be able to build a plant here to refine the raw elements into pure quantium-40. If that was true, then it would be a real boost to the Alliance's economy.
Sheridan looked at Vejar closely. The technomage seemed to be studying him. "What?" he asked. "What is it?"
"You have been.... touched. Someone.... is lost in darkness. Someone close to you."
Sheridan started. "What...? What do you mean?"
"You are marked. By the future, and by the past. You are touched somehow, and you have seen things you should not have seen. You have pierced the barrier between times.... Where have you been recently?"
"Recently? Well.... on patrol.... Babylon Four mainly. Why? What is this about?"
Vejar shook his head. "Ah, I fear it is nothing. Merely.... nothing. Has anything strange happened to you? Any.... visions, dreams perhaps?"
"I always dream. Who doesn't these days? Nothing serious though."
"Of course. My.... apologies for bothering you, Captain. I remember now that you have been involved with Vorlons at various times. That could explain a great deal. Good day."
He started to leave, but Sheridan stopped him. "Wait! Do you.... know where Delenn is?"
"She will be here in a moment." He gently pulled himself free of Sheridan's grip and nodded his head, before turning and moving away. Sheridan shook his head, and then turned to look at his companion. Corwin shrugged.
At that point, the figure of Sheridan's beloved appeared at the door.
All thought of the confusing conversation with Vejar left him as he ran towards Delenn, calling out her name. Smiling, she stepped forward and let him engulf her in his arms, lifting her up into the air and kissing her lightly.
"I missed you," he whispered to her, over and over again. "I missed you."
"John," she said, still smiling. "We were only apart a week."
"So? I still missed you." He lowered her back to the ground, but did not let go of her. Nor she of him, he noticed.
"And I you. It seems that.... any time we spend apart now is...." She paused, trying to find a word. Sheridan brushed her hair with his fingers, feeling the beating of her heart against his chest. "Hard," she whispered at last.
"I know. Still, we have some time here at least.... before anything else blows up in our faces. Why don't I try cooking for you tonight? We can...."
"I.... have another idea," she said, smiling. "My people have.... rituals for when a couple become.... close. A courtship among my people can take many years, but the rituals are designed to ensure that the couple are right and true for each other before the relationship is.... consummated."
"I think it's a bit late for that," he whispered, and she blushed.
"No. I know.... we cannot have a full Minbari courtship, and I would not expect it from you, not even if.... we had the time. But still, some rituals we have already passed through.... without knowing. Others.... we cannot perform here. But there are some. I would like us to perform one tonight, just.... as a reminder of how things might have been, and may yet become."
"Hey, you're the boss. You sat through my cooking after all, so I suppose I owe you something in return. I'd love to, Delenn."
"Good." She smiled, and then reached up to him, her lips lightly brushing against his. "Tonight?"
"Mm-hmm."

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

"Greetings, Miss Sakai. I suppose you would like to know what's been happening, hmm?"
To call that an understatement would be an understatement itself, Catherine Sakai thought, and one of galactic proportions. Two people close to her had died tonight, and.... and.... she wasn't sure what she was going to do, but yes, she definitely did want to know what had been happening.
But first, she wanted to know why she was in the company of a man who was supposed to be long dead.
William Edgars smiled and nodded. "Yes, I can see that.... recent events might have been a.... burden, and I would like to apologise for that. Alas, it was necessary, I assure you. Nothing I do is ever without reason."
Something clicked. Catherine was not sure how to react to the insanity of this - the man who seemed to be confessing to ordering the deaths of her lover and her best friend was apologising for doing so! - but her instincts were not dying down. The phrasing, the syntax, the grammar....
"You're the one who questioned me earlier?" she asked. "You.... asked me about the G'Kar File."
"Ah yes, that was me. I apologise for the deception, but it was necessary again. That was too important to entrust to anyone else and I was afraid you might have recognised my voice.... it has been a long time of course, but not that long. So, the distortion was necessary. Unfortunately there are other aspects of speech which cannot be so easily hidden. Ah well...."
"But...." Catherine shook her head. "You're supposed to be dead!"
"Dead? Me? Well, maybe. Again, another deception. I'd made far too many enemies and there was a need to work.... behind the scenes, so to speak. Oh, I'm sorry. What am I thinking of?" He pressed a button on his desk and the restraints around Catherine's wrists slid open. She rose to her feet awkwardly. "Coffee? It's the real stuff, I assure you. Or perhaps orange juice? I do have some left here, you know. I used to love drinking orange juice as a child. Freshly squeezed, without any of the additives, preservatives, and bits and pieces we introduce to make our lives more bearable. No, sometimes I think nature was right in the beginning. Our lives are just too complicated now. Perhaps we should be thanking the Minbari for one thing. Whatever else we think of them, they have brought us back to the basics. Food, drink, shelter, survival.... What more do we truly need?"
"I don't know.... friendship, love, some kind of purpose?"
"Ah.... yes, perhaps. A romantic, then?"
"No. I just.... think there must be more than just survival. There's what we need to live, and there's why we want to live."
He nodded. "A.... wise attitude, and one returning to popularity, I believe. Oh, the coffee?" Catherine shook her head. She couldn't face anything at the moment.
"Now, I'm sure you have a number of questions, and this is.... for your benefit after all, so if you ask the questions, I'll attempt to answer them, to the best of my ability. Then we can sort out why you're here."
Questions. Yes. Answers.... yes, she wanted these too. Or did she?
"Why did you kill Dan?" she whispered. "And Julie? You.... were behind that?"
"Ah.... yes. Indirectly, I suppose. Mr. Randall was a.... complication who needed to be removed. Miss Musante was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. Mr. Morden assures me that her shooting was an unfortunate accident."
"An accident? You killed my best friend by accident?! And Dan, he was.... what? A complication? How can you talk about human lives that way? Don't they mean anything to you?"
"More than you'll ever know. But.... I see we'll have to do this another way. Care for a seat?" Catherine looked at the chair behind her suspiciously. "Oh no, not that one. There's one over here."
"I'd rather stand, thank you."
"As you wish. To begin.... well, at the beginning, I suppose, as a great man once said. Just after the war...."

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

Darkness was falling slowly over Kazomi 7. Valen - Jeffrey Sinclair - both - either - was standing on a balcony of the main building, watching thin tendrils of red light gradually retreating. He sighed, and was suddenly aware of a movement behind him.
"I'm sorry," said a not-unfamiliar voice. "I didn't realise.... I'll go...."
Valen turned, to see a human. It was one of those who had been present at the Rebirth Ceremony, the companion of Captain Sheridan. "No," he said softly. "Stay."
The human shrugged and stepped forward. He looked out over the horizon silently for a few minutes, lost in thought.
Valen studied him, and immediately found thousand-year-old memories rising to the forefront of his mind. This soldier.... Commander.... Corwin, that was it. He reminded him of many who had served under him.... before. Brave soldiers, noble warriors, good people, but.... always frustrated by how little they could serve, annoyed that their talents could only raise them so far. Each had reacted in different ways to this - some had sought to improve their talents and skills so that they could do all they desired; some had sunk into depression, into darkness, content with what they had when they could have had far more; and some.... some had let their own weaknesses twist and corrupt them, until they lost everything of what they had been.... like Marrain.
"I like it here," he said finally. "The city is full of such hope, a rebuilding from chaos and disaster, a look to the future."
"It's a place where millions died," replied Corwin. "I was here after the Drakh left, and there was no hope here then. Just people starving, and bleeding to death, and screaming from nightmares that never ended."
"And look at them now."
He snorted. "They're like children who are glad that their parents have stopped arguing, and afraid they'll start up again any time now. I'm looking, but I can't see.... anything."
"Why so pessimistic? You're sounding like...." He hesitated. Like Parlonn, who had looked out at the world and seen only darkness and despair. No matter how many times light was shown to him, he preferred to believe in the darkness. At the end, he had forgotten why he had ever been fighting.
"We bombed your world. We did. People just like me. We threw rocks from the sky, we poisoned your water and your ground, we brought so much death.... People like me. People who went back to Proxima after the battle, and went to wives and husbands, went to their family. 'And what did you do at work, today, darling?' 'I killed millions of people and destroyed an ancient civilisation. How about you?'" He laughed ironically, but it ended on a false note.
"Evil is within us all."
"I know that! But looking at it isn't easy. We were the good guys. All along we'd been the good guys." He shook his head. "Not any more. I'm wondering if we ever were." He paused, looking down. "I don't even know why I'm telling you this. You're.... one of them. Ever since Mars, there's been hardly anyone I could talk to about stuff like this. Susan's.... gone. The Captain.... has his own problems, and.... well.... there might be someone, but she's a long way away. I'd hoped to see her at Babylon Four, but she.... she wasn't there."
"Do you love her?"
"I.... I don't know. I think so, but then sometimes I think.... I don't know."
"Life is hard. Loving is even harder. There is evil in your soul, just as there is in mine, but that does not matter. You would never do what your people did at Minbar.... never. And you know you would not."
"Yeah.... yeah. I guess so, but...."
"There is one thing you must always remember, one thing the best of us have forgotten at times.... Why are you fighting?"
"Because.... it's.... in a good cause?"
Valen smiled. "Are you asking me, or telling me?"
"Because it's right."
"There you are. Remember that always, and never forget. The people who attacked Minbar.... they forgot."
He nodded. "I guess so." He left then, not saying another word.
Valen looked out over the cityscape. The last hints of sunlight had gone. The night was here. He sighed softly.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

"So.... what is this ritual for, then?"
Delenn smiled and nodded, gesturing towards a small pattern drawn on the floor of her quarters. John looked at it, and cocked his head slightly. "It's.... a circle," he said. "Yup. Definitely a circle."
"Not just a circle," she corrected, with mock firmness.
"Um.... two circles joined together?"
"It represents the cycle of our lives. We are born, we live, each of us in our own circles of life.... At this point here," she pointed to a part of the pattern, "lives intersect and join, becoming one. Then, eventually.... the lives end, and we pass beyond." John looked down. Quickly, painfully, Delenn continued. "But the circle does not end." Her voice was thick. "It continues. We are born again, renewed. We live again. Death.... is not the end."
John nodded. "I.... see. Our.... souls will go on?"
"Yes. There are.... places where no shadows fall, where we can be united in death as we were in life, until our souls find new forms in new bodies."
"Ah.... yes. Do.... all your people believe this?"
"Most do. Not the warriors as such. They have.... different theories and beliefs, but my.... former.... caste, and the workers. Yes."
"So, what do we do in this ritual then?"
"It is quite simple. It is usually performed when.... the couple become so close as to be almost one. It is one of the final rituals before.... our spirits are joined, and become one."
"Right. Got you. I think."
"John." He looked at her. "I chose this ritual for what it symbolises as well as for what it is. I love you, and no matter what happens, we will be together.... afterwards."
He reached for her hand. "I believe you," he whispered.
Blinking away a single tear, she led him to the pattern drawn on the floor. There were three candles on the edge of the pattern - one at the top of one circle, another at the top of the other and the third in the area where they overlapped.
Delenn sat down in the centre of one circle, crossing her legs and resting there. John, following her lead, did the same in his circle. Slowly, she reached out her right arm, holding her hand above the centre candle, palm facing him.
"Do the same," she said. "Touch my hand."
Tentatively, John did so. Her palm was warm and soft against his.
"Now close your eyes," she whispered. Her eyes were already closed.
There was a silence, as thick and heavy as the grave. It touched him, battering at him like a storm front at a marble wall. Not even the sound of her breathing.
"What now?" he said at last, speaking so quietly he wasn't even sure he'd spoken at all.
"You'll know," she said, her words even quieter than his. "We'll both know."
And he did.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

"The war destroyed far more than just our homeworld and our children. It destroyed our dreams as well. It destroyed our hopes and ambitions. We'd all thought we were the dominant force in the galaxy. We were the young bravos, wandering through the skies, righting wrongs, making allies, thinking we were creating a better universe just as we'd deluded ourselves we'd created a better Earth.
"Those dreams weren't just limited to the soldiers, you know. Yes, the Dilgar War had gone well, but all of us dreamed of superiority. Do you remember much about the years of expansion? No? A shame. It was an exciting time, a powerful time. Do you know the definition of a golden age? It is a time when so many things are wonderful and new and vibrant that they're all taken for granted. Well, maybe I'm just an old man, but that time was a golden age.
"You see, all we businessmen.... we all had dreams too. Admittedly ours were more along the lines of becoming fabulously rich rather than saving the galaxy, but there you go. I founded Edgars Industries just before the Dilgar War and soon saw an opportunity to expand it. Before the.... Minbari War we were not as powerful as I would have liked, but we did know what we were doing. We were arrogant and expanding and determined that we'd soon be rich.
"Just like the rest of humanity.
"And then came the war. We'll skip the historical details if you like. I'm sure you know them all. Edgars Industries was based on Mars and we had considerable off Solar System holdings, so we weren't as badly affected as some. IPX of course had even more extensive alien holdings than we did, so they fared even better.
"I remember escaping from Mars that night, watching as the skies above me were lit, not with red light, but with a multitude of falling stars. I could imagine the screams up there. I could only watch as the destiny of the human race was decided, right above my head.
"Ah, well.... Back to the point somewhat. I relocated to my Orion holdings after escaping from Mars. Things were.... tight then, and the Government needed as much revenue as it could get. Foreign trade was considered one of our top priorities. IPX, which by its nature had the largest alien holdings, began snapping up as many other companies as it could. AreTech was one of the biggest, but there were quite a few others. I managed to keep Edgars Industries solvent, thanks to some useful Government contracts for chemical research.... biological weapons and so forth.
"And then.... one night, I was woken from a fitful sleep by a very strange visitor. He made me a simple offer. I would have power, wealth, all the resources I needed, and a part to play in human destiny.
"All it would cost me would be owing this man a little favour.
"He wanted you...."

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

"Uh.... hi."
Valen turned, and smiled warmly as he saw the figure approaching him. "Lyta. Welcome."
"I was just.... that is, just wandering. I heard you were here and...."
"Please, stay with me."
"I will," she whispered.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

And he saw....
Random images, thoughts and feelings, faces....
Some he recognised, some he did not. A Minbari he thought he knew. The one who had been standing next to G'Kar once.... He was kneeling, saying something. The words didn't matter so much as the meaning. Then he rose to his feet and, not saying a word, bowed and left. He knew he would never return.
"What?" John Sheridan whispered. Darkness was engulfing them, but there was a light, just ahead. He made for it.
A face he did not recognise, one he had seen once, but whose name he had forgotten. He was talking, in a scholarly, lecturing tone of voice. His words were.... important, somehow.
John blinked and staggered on. The light seemed further away than ever.
A face he had never seen. Coughing blood, trying to whisper something. Words he could not hear, could not understand. A sudden and shocking feeling of absolute grief, of absolute anger.
The light was there, directly before him. John blinked.
"Be one," said a voice.
Another voice. "I am lost in darkness for you." Her voice.
John started. That.... felt wrong. Very wrong. Out of place. A memory. A dream.
"I am lost in darkness for you."
"There is no darkness here," he said softly. "I love you, Delenn."
"Love is not enough," said the first voice. "To love, you must understand."
"I.... see."
"Be one, and understand."
"I will."

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

"I thought this man was joking, of course. A madman even. He offered me all the power, money, resources, everything I needed. He didn't explain how he could get me these things. He just said he had a number of.... associates he could call on to help.
"And so I asked him what he wanted in return....
"'Just a little favour. I've helped you out, so when we need help in turn, you'll owe us a favour. Simple as that.'
"'Ah.... Mr..... Morden, was it? Mr. Morden, I am an experienced businessman. I know a great deal about the give and take of bargaining. Nobody ever wants nothing for something. You came here for a very definite reason, and if you want to give me all these things you've promised, then it's because you think I can give you something back in return. What is it?'
"'Very perceptive, Mr. Edgars. I.... represent certain interested parties. Allies of humanity, you might say. Now, these associates of mine have a certain skill in foreseeing the future, and they have divined that one day, not too many years from now, a leader will arise. Someone very powerful, capable of changing the political alignment of the galaxy. My associates are waiting until the political climate is right for this leader to emerge, but he must be.... guided, controlled.... advised, even. My associates believe that there is one person uniquely suited to serve as liaison between us and this leader. Currently, she is working for Interplanetary Expeditions in a minor exploratory position. We would like you to guide her and keep her safe until such time as this leader arises. That is all.'
"'Who is this person? And what link does she have with this.... leader you expect?'
"'Her name.... is Catherine Sakai. And she has a greater link with him than you might imagine.'
"I asked for time to think about the matter, and this was granted. I used that time to check out your background and credentials, which were both most favourable. The next time Mr. Morden contacted me, I agreed to his offer.
"The next few months were ones of quite frantic activity. I contacted the executive board of IPX and arranged a takeover of my company. Very few of them knew the exact details of why I wanted that takeover, and only one knew just how much of my company was in fact being taken over. A young and dynamic board member named Orin Zento.
"This done, and with Edgars' Industries now a part of Interplanetary Expeditions, I announced my formal and public retirement. I faded behind the scenes and to all intents and purposes I died, alone in the shadows. This gave me the room to manoeuvre.
"Time passed, the political situation changed. Orion fell, and IPX lost a lot of its resources. With the help of Mr. Morden and his associates however, we survived, and were able to pursue an aggressive marketing strategy, taking over other companies. We became as powerful as I'd always dreamed, and I was there in the shadows, a hand on the tiller so to speak. Mr. Zento then became CEO, with not a little influence from yours truly. He knew a little of the bargain I'd made with Mr. Morden, just enough for him to be suitably helpful.
"During this time you were promoted, and given more and more responsibility. We had you sit in on meetings of the Resistance Government, at the request of Mr. Morden and his associates. We gave you tasks to prove your worth, and you were more than ready.
"Other matters also concerned us at this time. The.... G'Kar incidents. I'm not sure how much you know about his more.... secretive activities, but G'Kar has been building a fairly powerful private army for the past few years. He has allies everywhere, he knows almost everything that is going on in the galaxy. He also has the backing of some of Mr. Morden's associates. I do not know the full details, but I have gathered that some of Morden's friends are split on certain issues. One faction is helping G'Kar. I gather Morden is working for the other, but I am not sure exactly. Regardless, Morden wanted G'Kar helped, so we did so, taking time out of regular missions to supply him with whatever he needed.
"Then.... a month or so before the New Year, Mr. Morden contacted me. The leader they'd been expecting was ready to arise, and it was time to get you ready. I personally had you assigned the task which led to your uncovering the G'Kar File. Morden and I both wanted to see how much you would be able to work out for yourself. We were.... very pleased with your progress.
"Yesterday Morden himself arrived here, after quite a long absence, and I was told it was time. All today's events were orchestrated by Morden and myself, both to test you and to.... erase your past life. You have a new destiny now."
Edgars fell silent, and for a long time Catherine could only stand and stare. "I.... don't believe this," she whispered. "The last few years.... everything has been.... I didn't earn those promotions.... you killed Dan.... Julie.... you.... you.... All for some babble about a leader!"
Edgars smiled. "I realise this must all be difficult to understand, but...."
"Difficult! You.... you.... Whatever this is, I won't do it. I'm.... not jumping through your hoops any more!"
"Ah. I too had doubts at first, but there is something else you should see." Edgars stood up. "You can come in now."
Two figures began coming slowly into view. One was human, the man she had glimpsed briefly in Julie's apartment. That must be the.... Mr..... Morden Edgars had talked about. The other figure....
.... was definitely not human. Catherine had never seen one before, but that did not matter. She knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that the alien next to Mr. Morden was a Vorlon.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

And she saw....
Faces, some she knew, some she did not. Images, randomly chosen, floating through the forefront of their minds, joined as one.
A face she had only seen once, but one she could never forget. The face of a woman dying before her eyes, shot down by the man both of them loved.
Your.... pain, she thought. Oh, John.... how could you endure...?
Another face, one she did know very well, mouthing lies and half-truths and rumours disguised as the truth. The face of the woman who had brought her to a place where she could be tortured, who had broken open her cocoon, the woman who.... who had inadvertently brought her and John together.
I cannot hate you. Whatever you have done, I cannot hate you.
Before her there was a column of light, but it was not strong. What should have been a brilliant beam rising up into the sky was a thin pencil, battered on all sides by the darkness.
Oh, John.
And then a voice, a booming, mocking voice, one she knew all too well.
I am lost in darkness for you.
She started. Her voice. Words she had never spoken to him, but her voice.
Knowing what she had to do, she ran towards the light that was the soul of the man she loved.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

"The Vorlons.... But...."
"'God moves in a mysterious way'," quoted Edgars, an ironic smile on his face. "But He's a cheap con man compared to the Vorlons."
"I don't understand," Catherine whispered. "You've been.... allied with the Vorlons? For all this time?"
"Yes," Edgars said. "Oh, this of course is Mr. Morden, and our good friend here goes by the name Okesh Naranell. The latter word is a sort of title, I believe."
"Charmed, Miss Sakai," Morden said politely. "It's good to see you again. Our last meeting was.... all too brief."
"Last...." Catherine looked down. "You killed Julie."
"An overzealous guard. You have my apologies."
"Apologies." Catherine was speaking slowly, flatly, with no emotion in her voice. It was hard to realise she was feeling any emotion at all. "Apol.... apologies.... I can't take in any of this. It's all.... rubbish, isn't it? Isn't it? Why should I believe any of this? I'm some sort of.... link to a great leader who hasn't arrived yet? Do you have any idea how...?"
She stopped, not from running out of words, but because the air moved. There was the faint hint of an orchestra just out of earshot. The winds rustled through countless unseen chimes which jangled as they were shaken. There was one instant of perfect beauty and clarity.
The Vorlon, in short, was getting ready to say something.
<Jeffrey Sinclair.>
"Wh.... what?"
"Jeffrey Sinclair," repeated Morden. "You.... are familiar with him, I trust?"
"He's dead. Dead long ago. What does he have to...?" Her eyes widened as everything became clear, with a thought that exploded into her mind. "He's this leader of yours? He's.... not.... dead?"
"He was badly wounded at the Battle of the Line," supplied Morden. "He was taken in as a prisoner by the Minbari and, because my associates here have as much clout with them as with everyone else, they took Mr. Sinclair off their hands. He is now quite safe and in the process of becoming a serious cultural icon."
"Where is he? Oh my God.... I thought.... twelve years.... Twelve years!"
"Kazomi Seven," said Morden. "A.... um, what's the phrase.... 'a wretched hive of scum and villainy' for years, now the base of an interstellar United Alliance of Races. A place of hope and.... well, promise for the future."
"I.... hadn't heard anything about an alliance. I...."
"Of course you hadn't," Edgars said. "The Resistance Government controls the vertical, the horizontal and the diagonal. There are a great many things happening out in the galaxy which are not being made public. The events on Kazomi Seven being only one example."
"Jeffrey's there.... and you want me to...." Something else became clear. "Oh, my God. That's why you killed Dan, isn't it? You wanted me.... unencumbered!" She looked at Edgars. "That's why you asked me if I was seeing anyone. You want me to.... start things up again with Jeff.... provide some sort of link to him."
There was silence.
"You bastards," she whispered. "You cold.... I don't care. I'm having nothing to do with this. I'm not going to be controlled by you, or anyone, or...." A rage so intense, so strong, so powerful as to blot out everything else engulfed her. She turned and began half-striding, half-running into the darkness, towards what she presumed was a door.
"We cannot allow that, I'm afraid," Morden said, almost sadly.
The air began to change, and Catherine turned, instinctively.
<Watch, and learn.>
The Vorlon's encounter suit began to open....

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

Their silence had been both comfortable and comforting for a long time, as the two of them watched the city complex at night. But finally, as lights dimmed, and as the darkness grew deeper, Valen began to feel oppressed by the silence.
It was strange, he thought. There had been many times when he had sat alone, not talking, only thinking. Some of his lieutenants had been worried about him, especially Marrain and Parlonn and Rashok. Derannimer had understood, though. She alone had understood him completely.
He spoke at last, a point of insight, a matter of simple observation, and also a hint of an intimate, Vorlon connection, all compelling him to say:
"You are tired."
Lyta started and looked at him. "What did you say?" she whispered.
"You are tired. Of living. You grieve. You go on. You try to endure. But.... you are tired."
Her throat dry, she could only nod. "Yes. Y.... yes."
Softly: "What was his name?"
"Marcus."
"He must have been a good man."
"He was. A very good man."
A pause, a hush in the conversation. He waited for her to speak, knowing she would eventually do so, now that he had shown her he was not afraid to listen.
"He.... died." Another pause. A longer one. "He died saving me." She shook her head. "So.... so pointless. So unnecessary! I'd been walking in.... in shadows all my life and for one moment I knew what it was like to be in the light. Then it went out and I was back in the shadows again."
"Shadows only exist when there is light to form them." He remembered saying that to someone else once, long ago. Someone else in grief and in pain. He wondered if his words could mean as much now.
"If it wasn't for Delenn.... She.... needed me, at one point. She's all right now though. She's.... found her own light. I should be happy for her, why can't I be? All I feel is.... is this nothing. I can't even feel hatred any more. Not for Captain Sheridan - he was the one who.... who put Marcus in a situation where he could get killed. Not even for.... the person who killed him. Nothing."
"Hatred would not erase your grief."
"But at least it would be something! Something to keep me going beyond the voices in my head when I sleep, beyond the dreams, beyond...."
"Voices? The Vorlons."
She nodded. "That's me. Vorlon carrying case."
"I also. But then you know that. You are no more a Vorlon puppet than I, Lyta Alexander. Grief can.... be devastating, but it does not last forever. Remember your Marcus, remember his smile, his voice.... whatever you have. Remember him, and move on. Find a purpose, a place where you belong, and then.... Well, all will not be well, but it will be better."
"Be careful. I might start believing your press releases and think maybe you are Valen."
"I am, torn from the world I know, into one I do not. It has been twelve years since my last human memory. I am more Valen, more prophet than human now. I look before me, and see a row of footsteps in the sand.... my footsteps. And I see a hooded figure waiting with an axe.... and that figure is me. I am walking towards my own destruction, and I know that there is nothing I can do to avoid my fate.
"Soon, maybe tomorrow, maybe in a decade, I will go back in time to live out my rôle then. I will look at Marrain as he first greets me, and I will know of his eventual betrayal. I will meet Parlonn and see his face eaten away by despair and anger. I will bring the Tak'cha into my alliance, knowing of the follies they will absorb from my words. I will know every failure, every wrong decision that I made, and I will be powerless to change any of them, because they have already happened.
"The greatest gift of any sentient race is the capacity for hope, Lyta. A thousand years ago someone came to me for aid, although he did not know it. His son had been killed in combat and he was grieving as you are. I told him what I could to ease his mind, and I will do so again when I am returned there. And yet when I first meet him, I will know of his son's death and be unable to change it.
"But today, for the moment.... I have hope, Lyta. You have hope. I do not know your future. I do not know what effect my words will have on you. But I do know.... that you can hope for the future, and that you have the ability to make things right."
He paused, and looked at her. For a moment her eyes flashed a brilliant, luminous gold, and she smiled. Something older, deeper and.... wiser.... was smiling as well.
"Maybe that's why he wanted you here," she said. "Thank you. I.... I think I'd better get to bed now. Good night."
"Good night, Lyta."
She turned and left, not saying another word. He did not look at her as she did so, staring out instead into the night.
How is it, he thought, that my words can bring such.... comfort to others, and yet none to me?
That was the only question he could not answer.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

Edgars sat back in his chair and steepled his fingers, looking at his companion with a wry expression. "Well, that could have gone worse."
"Indeed," agreed Morden. "I was listening in. Many thanks, by the way, for not revealing the full details of our.... prior working relationship."
"They hardly mattered, and would only have aroused.... even more suspicion in her than there was already. No, what was a little lie really? Do you think she'll do as she's supposed to?"
"She'll have no choice. Forces stronger than my Master or theirs are compelling her."
Edgars raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"
"She loves him."
"Ah. Yes. It's been a while since I experienced that particular emotion. I hadn't expected you to be such a romantic these days."
"Death changes a man, wouldn't you say?"
"I wouldn't know. You're the one who's been there, after all. I was rather surprised at the speed of this, though. I had been assured that Miss Sakai wouldn't need to be used for some months yet. The whole affair was quite rushed."
"Yes. We apologise for that. Things.... got in the way."
"Oh? I thought you had everything under control?"
"Not always. Politics, you know. More precisely, our faction and.... the other one. Oh, we all want the same thing of course - order as opposed to chaos. But there are ways and means. Our faction prefers a more.... controlled form of order. You've seen for yourself how good the other races are at maintaining stability. They need a strong hand, discipline I suppose. But the other faction.... the old guard, shall we say? They're a tad.... liberal for these days."
"And it was this other faction which had control of the.... Sinclair situation?"
"Yes. Our lot brought him back to deal with problems among the Minbari. Things had escalated too far there for us to be without influence."
"The bombing?"
"Not just that, but yes. There was also a warrior named Sinoval who's proven very unco-operative and difficult. We needed a saviour to detract from his popularity. We control Valen, he controls the Minbari and there we are - back on track. Unfortunately the other faction had their own ideas. Something to do with free will, I believe."
Edgars smiled. "Always a bad idea."
"Exactly. Give any ten people a choice and nine of them will instantly pick the wrong one. But still, the old guard insisted we give Valen his free will, for this time zone at least. We agreed, and they now owe us big. Don't worry, we'll win the next one.
"Anyway, things weren't exactly turning out as we'd planned. Valen controlled by us and controlling the Minbari was a good thing. Valen running around free and not controlling anything is just too much of a risk. What if the Enemy manage to kill him, or something goes wrong? The past and the future depend on him just too much. We weren't even going to bring him out this early because of the risk, but....
"We need him controlled. Our deal with the.... other faction prevents us from doing so openly, but through Miss Sakai...."
"Ah, yes. So even the Vorlons don't agree on everything, then? That is a revelation."
Morden shrugged. "Just the minutiae. The end goal is the same. It's just.... the way to get there. Besides, our faction is in the ascendancy now. The old-fashioned attitudes won't trouble us much longer."
"Good. It's always a shame, but some rights just don't apply in desperate times. We all have to do what we'd.... rather not do, in a good cause. Don't you agree?"
Morden, more than used to such weak philosophical thinking from his former employer these days, nodded. "Of course."
"You said you would win the next one. What exactly, if I may ask...?"
"They've got the past, with Valen. We will have the future. Sheridan.... and Delenn. The old guard is an anachronism, and the future.... belongs to us."
"Good. Yes.... very good."

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

John Sheridan opened his eyes and found himself looking directly into the face of the woman he loved. He had no idea how much time had passed, but the candle had burned down quite a lot. He....
He remembered being inside Delenn's soul. He had seen.... everything. Had she seen the same things within him that he had seen within her?
Her eyes were closed, and a soft tear was running down her cheek. "John," she whispered.
"I'm here. I...." He hesitated. He had been going to say, "I'll always be here," but he knew that was not the case.
"Death is not the end," she whispered. "Whatever happens, the circle goes on. It continues into another life, another soul, but it does continue."
"I know. And.... and I'll be waiting for you. I won't start the next journey without you."
She smiled, and opened her beautiful green eyes. They seemed to light up through her sadness. "We shall begin the next journey together, my love."
"Always."
He entwined his fingers around hers, and they remained there as the candles burned down and finally extinguished themselves, leaving the two lovers in darkness.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

There had not been much in the way of interstellar travel from Proxima 3 these last few years. Very few races welcomed humans to their worlds, at least not in any substantial numbers, and the other human colonies had been little better than slave holdings.
Since President Clark had pulled off his diplomatic coup with the Narn Government, however, that had changed. The former human colonies were now freed from the Narns and interstellar travel had started up again. Many alien worlds now welcomed humanity and numerous businesses saw potential for cashing in on the rising economy.
Some worlds were still very much off-limits, but by no means all.
"Destination, please?"
Catherine Sakai looked around her with eyes which seemed far older than the face they were set in.
"A long way away," she whispered. "A long way away."

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

Elsewhere, many light years distant, the suns rose over Kazomi 7, and Valen, the former Jeffrey Sinclair, still standing in the position he had been in all night, looked up, and smiled.
He then turned and began to walk out into the city.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

And elsewhere still, Alfred Bester sent a heavily-encoded message right into the heart of the darkness, his mind working faster than ever before. He knew what to do now. He knew how he had to do it. Playing three factions off against each other was not easy, but neither was it impossible, especially when none of the other factions had his.... advantages.
A face appeared in the viewscreen.
"Ambassador Sheridan," Bester said, smiling. "Is it too early? Did I wake you?"
"I do not sleep, Mr. Bester. What can I do for you?"
"I've been considering your offer since the last time we met. I'd like you to know that I've reached a decision...."