The Babylon 5 Drabble Files

by badly_knitted

Summary:

A collection of Babylon 5 Drabbles, written for various challenges. I don't know how often this collection will be updated, but I'll try for at least once a month. Various characters, various episodes, various genres.

Notes:

Chapter 1: Franklin and Marcus have gone to Mars to meet with the resistance. If they can find them, that is.

Written for Challenge 4: Underground at drabblesoup.

Setting: Racing Mars.

Chapter 1: Meeting Resistance

The Martian underground was literally that, inhabiting the network of caves and tunnels deep beneath Mars’ inhospitable surface. Humans could only survive here by building their cities inside sealed and pressurised domes where a breathable atmosphere was maintained by machinery, much of which was housed in these very same tunnels. It meant the resistance had to move around a lot, which was no bad thing; they were far harder for the authorities to find that way.

Unfortunately, it also meant Steven and Marcus were having trouble tracking them down to relay Sheridan’s proposal. They could get lost down here forever.

The End

Chapter 2: Haven

Summary:

Commander Sinclair knows the importance of having a quiet refuge from the bustle of station life.

Notes:

Written for Challenge 5: In The Garden at drabblesoup.

Setting: The Gathering.

Double drabble.

Space was at a premium on Babylon 5; the station was five miles long, each section made up of many levels, but with a resident population of around a quarter of a million people, both humans and most of the known alien races, every inch of the place had to be utilised as efficiently and effectively as possible.

Still, Jeffrey Sinclair had set aside a small area as a Japanese Zen garden, where plants, rocks, and sand raked into calming patterns created a haven, a place conducive to quiet contemplation. He didn’t see it as a waste of valuable space that could be better utilised for something more important; rather it was a necessity, helping to ensure the smooth running of the station.

As Commander, he needed a refuge where he could calm his mind and regain his equilibrium when the stresses of his job weighed on him. How could he be expected to keep the peace among dozens of races who didn’t necessarily get along with each other if his own mind was in turmoil? People looked to him to be the calm voice of reason, and that was no easy task. In times of chaos, here was order.

The End

Chapter 3: Hope For Peace

Summary:

Space is vast, but Babylon 5 hopes to unite its various races.

Notes:

Written for Challenge 18: Sea Of Stars at drabblesoup.

Setting: The Gathering.

100 words first try!

Standing on Babylon 5’s observation deck, staring out at a sea of stars breathtaking in its immensity, was an awe-inspiring experience but also oddly humbling. Massive though it was, the space station was no more than a tiny, insignificant speck in the emptiness of space, refuge for a quarter of a million living beings, shielding them from the vacuum outside in which none of them could survive.

Out there, orbiting the stars, were countless planets, races, cultures, but here they could come together on neutral ground, get to know and understand each other, and hopefully learn to live in peace.

The End

Chapter 4: For Freedom

Summary:

One war ends only for another to begin.

Notes:

Written for Challenge 7: War at drabblesoup.

Spoilers: No Surrender, No Retreat.

The Shadow War should have been the end of the fighting and the beginning of something greater. Chase the First Ones out of the galaxy and put an end to their interference, ushering in a new era in which the various races could learn to live alongside one another if not in complete harmony then at least in mutual tolerance.

Babylon Five had been built as the last, best hope for peace, but President Clarke’s fear and distrust of aliens now meant the people who served there must take up arms against their own kind in the cause of freedom.

The End

Chapter 5: The Line

Summary:

Sinclair was there during the Battle of the Line, but he still doesn’t remember what happened.

Notes:

Written for my Bittiest Bingo square Challenge 14: Line In The Sand at drabblesoup.

Spoilers/Setting: And The Sky Full Of Stars.

The war was going badly for earth; the Minbari were unstoppable, their weapons and technology vastly superior to anything Earthforce had available.

They fought back with everything they had, but the best they could manage was to slow the Minbari fleet’s approach. It was never going to be enough; the ships kept coming, picking off earth’s defence forces, driving them back.

In a last-ditch attempt, every ship still able to fly formed a cordon around the planet. No one gets through, no matter what.

Outnumbered, outgunned, defeat was inevitable, and yet…

The Minbari surrendered.

And Sinclair still doesn’t know why.

 

The End

Chapter 6: Enlightenment

Notes:

Written for my Bittiest Bingo square Challenge 27: Heaven Or Hell at drabblesoup.

Spoilers/Setting: There All Honour Lies, In The Shadow Of Z’ha’dum.

“I will teach you,” Kosh told Sheridan.

Not about the Vorlons, God forbid they’d ever give away any of their secrets to a lesser race. No, apparently Sheridan was to be taught about himself. The lessons were certainly proving interesting.

In the depths of the station, he’d been gifted with one moment of perfect beauty, a song in the darkness that might have put all of heaven’s angels to shame.

Now, he learned terror; creatures that must surely have been spawned in the depths of hell moved unseen among them. Never again would Sheridan look at shadows the same way.

 

The End

Chapter 7: Betrothed

Summary:

Vir’s bride-to-be has arrived on Babylon 5. Apparently he’s to be married

Notes:

Written for my Bittiest Bingo square Challenge 39: A Feast For Kings at drabblesoup.

Spoilers/Setting: Sic Transit Vir.

A wife? He’s to be married? This is… unexpected. Arranged marriages are standard among the Centauri, uniting noble houses, but Vir would hardly describe himself as ‘noble’. His bride to be, however…

Lyndisty… her name is like music, and her face, such loveliness is beyond anything he has ever dreamed of. Added to the rest of her and Vir’s betrothed is a feast for the senses. She deserves to be the bride of a king, an emperor, a mighty hero of the Centauri republic, not a lowly Ambassador’s Aide.

Deep in his soul, Vir knows there must be some mistake.

 

The End

Chapter 8: Shadow

Summary:

Earth cannot be allowed to get their hands on a Shadow ship.

Notes:

Written for my Bittiest Bingo square Challenge 28: Under The Moon at drabblesoup.

Spoilers/Setting: Messages From Earth.

They found it buried beneath the surface of Io. It wasn’t the first seen in the solar system; that had been found under Mars, but another of its kind had come, dug it out, then gone. This one…

Earth had no intention of losing it. They wanted to study it, make it work for them. A Shadow ship in the hands of earth scientists could not be permitted, it was too dangerous; it had to be destroyed.

There was only one chance. Sheridan lured it into Jupiter’s atmosphere.

It worked; perhaps the first victory in the war against the Shadows.

 

The End

Chapter 9: Unfixed Future

Summary:

The distress call is from a future that can still be prevented, if certain people do what must be done.

Notes:

Written for Challenge 75: Save Our Souls at drabblesoup.

Setting: War Without End.

The distress call had been riddled with static, but even so one thing had come through clearly.

“They’re killing us! Can anyone hear me? They’re killing us!” It couldn’t be Ivanova’s voice, yet it was.

A desperate message for assistance from a future that, gods willing, might never come to pass.

Those now gathered aboard the White Star were Babylon 5’s only hope; if they failed to do what had already been done in the past, their present and everything leading up to it would be altered; the war just beginning would be a thousand times worse.

They must prevail.

 

The End

Chapter 10: To Wait In Hope

Summary:

John has gone to Z’ha’dum, and all Delenn can do is wait in hope that he’ll return.

Notes:

Written for Challenge 346: Waiting at fan_flashworks.

Spoilers: The Hour of the Wolf.

Double drabble.

Waiting, and not knowing, is hard, something to be endured, as long as the slimmest hope remains.

John went to Z’ha’dum to find out the truth about the Shadows, perhaps learn how to defeat them. He went even after he was told he would die, because he felt it was his duty, but as the days stretch out, one bleeding into the next with no apparent change, the question of what exactly has happened to him remains unanswered.

Delenn cannot grieve when there is no certainty that he is dead, and yet there is no proof that he still lives. Hoping is to balance precariously on a knife edge, not allowing oneself to tilt either way, towards certainty or despair. It’s exhausting, but when hope is all one has, the struggle to maintain one’s balance provides a sense of purpose. It is something to do while waiting.

Hope cannot completely banish the doubts, however. John is strong, brave, and determined, but is that enough? Z’ha’dum is the Shadows’ domain; what chance would any one person have entering there unarmed and vastly outnumbered?

There is no way of knowing, and so Delenn waits, and fasts, and hopes he’ll return to her.

 

The End

Chapter 11: Baffled

Summary:

Delenn discovers earth humor can be hard to fathom.

Notes:

Written For: Challenge 21: Laughter at drabblesoup.

Spoilers/Setting: Midnight on the Firing Line.

Everybody needs a good laugh now and then; there’s a reason laughter is referred to as the best medicine. Perhaps more than any other race the Minbari understand the importance of humor. They study it, learn to appreciate it in all its forms, because they do nothing half-heartedly.

Yet for all her years of study, Delenn is baffled. She does not understand this and wishes she did because Garibaldi’s laughter is full and rich, and she would share his amusement the way he is sharing his second favourite thing in the universe with her.

She simply doesn’t get Duck Dodgers.

 

The End

Chapter 12: It Is Time

Summary:

Delenn has waited as long as she can.

Notes:

Written for Challenge 68: Metamorphosis at drabblesoup.

Spoilers/Setting: Chrysalis.

Hours have passed; despite promising to come to her quarters, there has been no word from Sinclair. Delenn can wait no longer; all is in readiness, and she must begin now. If her friend comes soon there might still be time to talk, to say what must be said, but little time remains.

Reverently, she sets the Triluminary in its place on the device she has constructed so painstakingly; then all she can do is wait as the process begins, and hope she has made the correct choice.

The time of her metamorphosis has begun; nothing can stop it now.

 

The End

Chapter 13: Vengeance

Summary:

G’kar realises that the time for revenge is not yet come.

Notes:

Written for Challenge 333: Amnesty at fan_flashworks, using Challenge 107: Burn.

Spoilers: The Coming of Shadows.

Double drabble and a half, 250 words.

Vengeance is a living thing. It burns inside my heart as it burns in the hearts of all my people. For so long we labored beneath the yoke of our oppressors, finally breaking free, and we yearned to make the Centauri pay for what they had done to our world, stripping away its resources, turning what was once an abundance of natural beauty into a desolate wasteland. We longed to make them feel our boot on their necks, treat them as we’d been treated, but we needed to look to our own, to begin the long and painful process of rebuilding what the Centauri had destroyed.

We waited too long. Perhaps we should have pressed the advantage when we had it. Driving them out was not enough, we should have obliterated them when we had the chance.

The wheel turns. We believed out hard-won freedom a victory when it was no more than a brief respite. Now they’re doing it to us again! It cannot be allowed!

Vengeance demands that I strike back, and yet Sheridan is right. Revenge would be sweet for a moment, but my people would pay the price. Their lives matter more than my desire to tear Mollari apart for his betrayal. I offered the hand of friendship, and he repaid me with this, an unprovoked attack, our outpost destroyed!

The Centauri won’t stop there, that isn’t their way; this is only the beginning. But for the sake of my people, vengeance will have to wait.

 

The End

Chapter 14: Failed

Summary:

Garibaldi awakens from his coma.

Notes:

Written for Challenge 73: Awakening at drabblesoup.

Spoilers/Setting: Revelations.

Garibaldi has no sense of the passage of time, doesn’t know he’s been in a coma for weeks. The last thing he remembers is desperately trying to pass on what he’d learned about the assassination plot against the President to Sinclair, praying he’s in time to prevent it. So when he finally regains consciousness, it’s the first thing on his mind.

“Did you stop them? They’re gonna kill the President!”

It’s a punch to the gut knowing he’s failed, that despite everything, President Santiago is dead, and Sinclair is no longer in command.

He wishes he hadn’t woken at all.

 

The End

Chapter 15: Green Vs Purple

Summary:

The Drazi are waging war against each other, and Susan is ordered to deal with the problem.

Notes:

Written for Challenge 417: Amnesty 69 at fan_flashworks, using Challenge 83: Fight.

Spoilers/Setting: The Geometry Of Shadows.

Quadruple drabble.

All over the station, Drazi were fighting each other, all because of bits of cloth. It was insane, and in his wisdom, the captain had ordered newly promoted Commander Susan Ivanova to restore peace and sanity.

Thanks for that.

Susan scowled at the combatants; there had to be some sensible way of settling their differences, except that the only difference between the two factions was that half had green cloths tied around their necks, and the rest had purple. She’d thought the earth method of voting for nominees was getting a bit dated, but the Drazi method was practically prehistoric.

It hadn’t been so bad at the start, but the altercations were becoming increasingly violent, and news from the Drazi homeworld was that the two sides had started killing each other. The last thing Babylon 5 needed was aliens waging war against each other in the corridors and public areas. There was no telling how many innocent bystanders might get injured or even killed.

But the Drazi couldn’t be reasoned with. The green faction had even gone so far as to kidnap her while setting into motion a plan to space every member of the purple faction, having gathered them together in one place. If it hadn’t been for Garibald’s timely rescue, it would have been wholesale slaughter.

The Drazi weren’t the brightest people in the universe, but even so, if this was their idea of a fair and honest election, it was a miracle they hadn’t wiped themselves out centuries ago.

In the end, Ivanova solved the problem completely by accident, berating the green leader and snatching the cloth from around his neck. Apparently, that made her the green leader and every Drazi wearing green now had to do whatever she ordered.

It wasn’t the outcome she’d been expecting, or even hoping for, she’d been mulling over possible peaceful contests which might determine a winner without any further loss of life, but under the circumstances she wasn’t going to abandon the advantage while she had it.

All she needed now was purple dye, lots and lots of purple dye, enough to turn every strip of green cloth aboard the station an appealing shade of purple. Once all the Drazi were wearing the same colour, there’d be no more fighting.

When that was done, she was going back to her quarters and rest. She couldn’t believe they broke her foot!

 

The End

Chapter 16: Tarnished

Summary:

Susan had been thrilled to see Malcolm again, but her happiness doesn’t last.

Notes:

Written for Challenge 417: Amnesty 69 at fan_flashworks, using Challenge 156: Rose.

Spoilers/Setting: The War Prayer.

Double drabble and a half, 250 words.

The rose is such a sweet, romantic gesture, and Ivanova is surprised at the way it makes her heart flutter, skipping a beat. After so many years apart, she hadn’t expected to feel this way, like a giddy young girl daydreaming about her first crush.

But Malcolm remains as charming as he was eight years ago, and although she wants to take things slowly now that they’ve been reunited, a part of her can’t help but hope they have a chance to rekindle what they had back then. So many nights after she left him, she cried herself to sleep, wondering if she’d make a mistake, prioritising her career over their relationship.

Then the rug gets pulled out from under her and she wonders if she ever knew Malcolm Biggs at all. Could he have changed so much in less than a decade, or had he always been like this, a xenophobic, anti-alien, pro-earth apologist without a single shred of human decency?

It’s chilling to realise what a hate-filled monster he is. The rose he gave her, which only days ago she’d cherished as a token of love and a promise for the future, is now a symbol of everything she despises, and she consigns it to the trash, not wanting to look at it again.

All she wants now is to help Commander Sinclair bring Malcolm and his friends down, then get him the hell off Babylon 5. She’ll never let herself be taken in by a man again.

 

The End

Chapter 17: Left Behind

Summary:

Sheridan wishes he could go with Captain Maynard, but he has a job to do.

Notes:

Written for Challenge 417: Amnesty 69 at fan_flashworks, using Challenge 95: Exploration.

Spoilers/Setting: A Distant Star.

Triple drabble.

Sheridan knows he shouldn’t be envious or dissatisfied with his lot in life. The posting to Babylon 5 is flattering, even if he’s not entirely sure he’s up to the task. There’s so much paperwork and diplomacy involved, but he’d thought he was doing alright, up until his old friend Captain Jack Maynard arrived at the station for a re-supply.

As a starship captain, the Cortez is the kind of ship Sheridan had always hoped to someday be granted command of. Exploring the edges of the known universe was what he’d trained for, what he’d dreamed of for years. Now here he is, tied to a desk, watching Stinky fly that big, beautiful Explorer class ship away, heading out where no earth ship has yet been, discovering new worlds, maybe even encountering new races…

It stings. He wants to be the one going into the unknown, experiencing all that adventure and wonder, but instead he’s being left behind. He was never a politician, doesn’t want to be one now, and he knows many of the Minbari don’t want him here, but the Earth Alliance President does, and President Clark’s not someone Sheridan can say no to. He doesn’t have that luxury.

So Babylon 5 is his to command, for better or worse, and all he can do is obey his Commander in Chief and make the best of it. Sheridan looks at his desk, practically buried under the minutiae of his job, and reluctantly lets go of his long-held dream of exploration. This is where he’s needed right now, so this is where he’ll stay.

There’s no point moping about missed opportunities; he has a job to do, and it’s about time he got on with it. First order of business is to clear his desk. After that… who knows?

 

The End

Chapter 18: A Lavish Affair

Summary:

Commander Sinclair considers the Centauri as he and the command staff take part in one of their traditional religious celebrations.

Notes:

Written for Challenge 39: A Feast For Kings at drabblesoup.

Spoilers/Setting: The Parliament of Dreams.

The array of food and drink is impressively lavish, a veritable feast fit for a king, or an emperor, although the guests of honour are ambassadors and the station’s command staff. Nevertheless, it’s typical of the Centauri’s flair for grandeur and opulence. They’re a proud people, much given to displays of wealth and power.

The Centauri Empire may not be what it once was, but no one could accuse them of modesty or understatement. They throw themselves into their celebrations with gusto, but it would be a mistake not to take them seriously. They could be formidable enemies if crossed.

 

The End

Chapter 19: A Matter Of Honor

Summary:

Delenn knows exactly what has become of Branmer’s body.

Notes:

Written for Challenge 417: Amnesty 69 at fan_flashworks, using Challenge 196: Thief.

Spoilers/Setting: Legacies.

Double drabble and a half, 250 words.

It is unbecoming for a Minbari, most especially someone of her exalted status, to resort to theft, and yet Delenn feels there is no other option. Branmer was of the religious caste, and yet Alit Neroon has the presumption to parade his body from world to world, going against everything that Branmer himself would have wanted. He is not honouring a fallen warrior, rather he is desecrating the memory of a great leader who fought because he had to, but valued peace above all else.

It is not difficult to slip into the chamber where Branmer’s body lies in state, to spirit him away, and cremate him. It is, however unsavoury, the right thing to do. Although it is regrettable that her act causes problems at a diplomatic level for Commander Sinclair, she is certain any ruffled feathers can be smoothed, and whatever explanation she chooses to promote concerning the disappearance will in time be accepted by Neroon and his followers.

Unfortunately, when a young, untrained human telepath accidentally exposes the truth, Neroon proves more difficult to placate than Delenn had hoped, her standing as a member of the Grey Council being all that persuades him to follow her orders.

Neroon will not forget. It is possible that at some time in the future they might clash again, but that is a problem for another time. For the moment, all that matters is that she has done as the Shai Alit would have wished. It was not theft, but liberation.

 

The End

Chapter 20: The Message

Summary:

Jeff can’t leave without saying goodbye to his friend.

Notes:

Written for Challenge 423: Amnesty 70 at fan_flashworks, using Challenge 19: Old Friends.

Spoilers/Setting: War Without End.

Double drabble.

Sinclair hates doing things this way, he knows it’s not fair on Garibaldi, but it’s for the best. They’re old friends, and they’ve been through so much together, but Michael can’t be a part of this. He’d want to go along, and that’s out of the question because where Jeff is going, Michael can’t follow.

Sinclair knows he won’t be coming back, this is a one-way trip into the past, and when he gets there, he won’t be the person he is now, won’t even be human. He’ll be a Minbari, in every way that matters. He’ll be accepted and listened to the way he never would be if he remained human.

For the present to exist, he must do what he’s already done in the past, and that means leaving this life, and all that matters to him, behind. It means saying goodbye to an old and dear friend, but not in person. There’d be too many questions, and he doesn’t have the answers, not the ones Michael, with his ever-suspicious mind, would want.

So this is the way it has to be, a recorded message, a final greeting, and a farewell. It’ll have to do.

“Hello, old friend.”

 

The End

Chapter 21: Change Of Heart

Summary:

The Centauri Emperor’s message to G’Kar gives the Narn ambassador unexpected hope.

Notes:

Written for Challenge 400: Amnesty 40 at drabble_zone, using Challenge 73: Laying The Blame.

Spoilers/Setting: The Coming Of Shadows.

Double drabble.

Shame was not something G’Kar was used to feeling, and yet today he did. He’d been wrong about the Centauri Emperor, too busy laying the blame for his father’s, grandfather’s, and great grandfather’s atrocities at his feet to be willing to listen to him. He’d wanted to kill the man as revenge for what the Emperor’s forbears had done to G’Kar’s people, and that would have been a grave mistake.

Fortuitously, perhaps, the Emperor had taken it upon himself to die before G’Kar had the chance to murder him. He’d also had the foresight to pass on a message for G’Kar, not through one of his own people but through a third party, a human, someone who was not personally involved.

The message was simple, and completely unexpected: an apology for all that the Centauri had done to the Narn, and an admission that they had been in the wrong.

Those words turned everything G’kar had believed upside down. Perhaps it was time to leave blame in the past, where it belonged. The Centauri Emperor had sacrificed his life to extend the hand of friendship to one who had been his enemy, and to take the first step towards peace.

 

The End

Chapter 22: Intolerable

Summary:

The Centauri Emperor is coming to Babylon 5, and G’Kar is not happy.

Notes:

Written For: Challenge 400: Amnesty 40 at drabble_weekly drabble_zone, using Written for Challenge 400: Amnesty 40 at drabble_zone, using Challenge 4: An Unreasonable Expectation.

Spoilers/Setting: The Coming Of Shadows.

Double drabble.

I meant to post this drabble and the previous one the other way around, but I managed to get them mixed up. Oops. Sorry.

The Centauri Emperor is coming to Babylon 5 on a state visit, and everyone seems to expect G’Kar to be fine with that, but how can he be? It’s intolerable, he absolutely will not stand for it! The man’s family, his father, and his grandfather were responsible for the worst atrocities visited upon G’Kar’s people. They laid waste his world, slaughtered or enslaved thousands of innocent Narn citizens, stripped the entire planet of its resources, and yet Sheridan expects him to simply accept the presence of this… murderer without protest!

And to add to that insult, Sheridan considers HIM the unreasonable one, suggesting that G’Kar should meet with the Emperor, open a dialogue, perhaps start mending fences, as the humans say. Madness!

Oh, G’Kar will meet with his enemy, but it won’t be to talk. Words are useless against the Centauri; G’Kar might as well shout his rage and pain into the vacuum of space, the result would be the same. But a blade, oh yes, that might get his point across very handily. Perhaps it will prove to the Centauri that the Narn are not yet beaten down, their teeth and claws remain sharp, and eager for Centauri blood.

The End

Chapter 23: Pestilence, Famine, Or Death

Summary:

Londo needs to whittle his three wives down to one, but how is he to choose which of them to keep?

Notes:

Written For: Challenge 400: Amnesty 40 at drabble_zone, using Challenge 11: Tough Choices.

Spoilers/Setting: Soul Mates.

Double drabble.

Arranged marriages were an important part of Centauri culture and tradition. Centauri citizens were expected to marry in order to forge alliances between the various great houses; it was about money, power, and position, not love. If one was romantic enough to desire love within a relationship, well, a man in Londo’s prestigious position could afford to indulge his passions outside of the marriage bed. It was expected, and in his case, essential.

He had done his duty, wed who he was told to, but in his opinion, three wives was three too many. Now, as a gift for the thirtieth anniversary of his Ascension Day, the Emperor himself had granted Londo permission to divorce two of the three. He would have to remain married to one of his wives, to accompany him at important events, but which one? How was he to choose between the three banes of his existence?

Dutiful, social climbing Daggair, whose chief interests were gossip, politics and spending his money.

Beautiful, passionate Mariel, drawn to men of power like a moth to a flame, although she burned them.

Abrasive, impatient, sharp-tongued Timov, the least pleasant of the three.

Londo had never faced a tougher decision.

 

The End

Chapter 24: Never Tell

Summary:

Timov may not love her husband, but she’s not going to let him die.

Notes:

Written For: Challenge 400: Amnesty 40 at drabble_zone, using Challenge 82: Do The Right Thing.

Spoilers/Setting: Soul Mates

Double drabble.

Timov doesn’t love Londo, and never will, but for better or worse, mostly for worse, she IS married to him. She’s under no illusion that he cares any more for her than she does for him. Familiarity, such as it is, or was in the past, has bred more than contempt between them, but it hardly matters; she seldom sees her husband, or his other two wives. She despises them as much as she does Londo, but she comforts herself with the fact that Londo despises them too. It is, perhaps, the only thing they might agree on.

And now, after summoning all three of his wives to Babylon 5 and announcing he intends to divorce two of them, Londo lays in Medlab, poisoned, unconscious, and in critical condition. He may well die, and while Timov would have no reason to mourn him if he did, winning the battle between them in such a way would be a shallow victory.

She offers her blood for a transfusion, the only thing that might save his life, on the understanding that Londo should never be told who the donor was. However she feels about her husband, it’s the right thing to do.

 

The End

Chapter 25: Backsliding

Summary:

Framed for something he didn’t do, Garibaldi falls off the wagon.

Notes:

Written for Challenge 447: Amnesty 74 at fan_flashworks, using Challenge 58: Backward.

Spoilers/Setting: Survivors.

Double drabble.

Garibaldi knew he was backsliding, and worse, doing exactly what Lianna expected him to do, but he couldn’t bring himself to care. Or perhaps he cared too much and just wanted to block everything out, even if only for a few hours, until he sobered up again. Maybe the reason didn’t matter. He was weak, he knew it, had always known it, but seeing Lianna again had brought back too many memories, and the coldness in her eyes cut him to the bone.

She’d been such a sweet kid, once upon a time, and he’d loved being her Uncle Mike, but after her dad died… It shouldn’t have happened, it had been Garibaldi’s fault, and he blamed himself as much as Lianna blamed him. But it had been seventeen years, and no matter how much he might wish he could, he couldn’t change the past, undo the mistakes he’d made and give Lianna her father back.

So here he was, crawling right back into the bottle the way he’d done so many times before. Lianna was right, he hadn’t changed. He’d destroyed her life back then, so if she needed him to suffer, he’d pay whatever price would satisfy her.

 

The End

Chapter 26: In Between Life And Death

Summary:

Sheridan went to Z’ha’dum, and he died, but is that to be the end of him?

Notes:

Written for Challenge 339: Amnesty at fan_flashworks, using Challenge 76: Question.

Spoilers: The Hour of the Wolf.

Quadruple drabble.

He fell, such a long, long way, and perhaps he’s still falling. Perhaps this is no more than a dream, a hallucination, or the last firing of neurons in his dying brain. He doesn’t know, can’t even remember reaching the bottom of the pit. The last thing he recalls with any clarity is jumping from the balcony and beginning his seemingly endless descent into the abyss.

But Sheridan is here, wherever that is, on solid ground, in a cavern of some kind. There’s light from a flame, and enough dry wood and other debris to build a small fire for warmth. Does it make him feel any warmer? Was he even cold to begin with? More questions he has no answer to, so he pushes them to the back of his mind. The answers aren’t important; what matters is that the fire is a comfort of sorts, perhaps not for its probable warmth or the light it gives out, since the flame he lit it from still exists, but for the fact that it is there and he kindled it himself, with his own hands. Keeping it going gives him a purpose, something to fill the time when he’s not sleeping.

When the strange alien being joins him, the company is welcome. It’s good to know he’s not alone. Sheridan has some hope at first of getting answers, but his new comrade talks in riddles. He’s frustrating, almost maddening, answering questions with questions, never offering his name. When Sheridan starts walking, looking for some way out of the caverns, the alien goes with him. They walk for what seems like miles, and yet they wind up back where they started, by the ashes of the fire he’d built… was it yesterday, or longer ago?

The alien, who eventually gives the name Lorien, tells Sheridan he’s dead, and Sheridan doesn’t want to believe him, doesn’t want to accept that his life is over because there’s so much still to be done, and what of Delenn? But when he checks himself for a pulse, there isn’t one. He’s caught in the limbo between seconds, and there seems no way out, but Lorien…

He claims to be not one of the First Ones, but the one who came before all the others. Whether Sheridan believes him or not, Lorien is his only hope.

“Do you have anything worth living for?”

He does.

“Delenn!”

 

The End

Chapter 27: Exploring Options

Summary:

Alisa needs someone to advocate for her.

Notes:

Written for Challenge 441: Amnesty 73 at fan_flashworks, using Challenge 100: Choices.

Spoilers/Setting: Legacies.

Triple drabble.

Ivanova’s never had much to do with kids, not since she was one herself; childcare is not a required skill in Earthforce. Dealing with a child, even one on the verge of puberty, is way out of her comfort zone, but learning that Alisa Belden is a telepath, just coming into her powers, has triggered a protective instinct Susan didn’t know she had.

Perhaps it’s nothing more than a convenient outlet for her hatred and resentment of Psi Corps and all that it stands for, or perhaps it’s because Alisa, despite her criminal tendencies, is so young and doesn’t deserve to have her freedom stripped away, one way or another. Whatever the motivation, Susan is determined that Psi Corps isn’t simply going to waltz in and take her. Alisa has choices, she deserves to know what they are, and then she can make up her own mind.

If, even after everything has been spelled out to her, she still chooses Psi Corps, well, at least she’ll be going into it with her eyes open, not blinded by propaganda and false promises.

Perhaps Alisa reminds her a little of herself when she was a girl, stubborn and proud, determined to do things her way. She’s too young to be alone like this though, with no adult to offer her guidance and advice, and having Ms Winters treating her like she’s already Psi Corps property offends Ivanova’s sensibilities.

So she’ll appoint herself as the girl’s advocate, investigate all possible options, and present them to Alisa in as unbiased a manner as she can manage, even if those options are somewhat limited: Psi Corps, the Sleeper drugs, or… what? Perhaps one or more of the ambassadors, Londo, G’Kar, or Delenn might be able to offer an alternative. It’s something she can look into.

 

The End

Chapter 28: Z’ha’dum

Summary:

Something is stirring at Z’ha’dum.

Notes:

Written for Challenge 417: Amnesty 69 at fan_flashworks, using Challenge 66: Z.

Spoilers/Setting: Early Season 2.

Triple drabble.

Z’ha’dum. Even the name of that dark world, far out on the Rim, is ominous. It fills G’kar with a nameless dread, but even so, he knows that it’s important to find out what, if anything, is happening there. So, he despatches a ship to investigate, a single, powerful Narn heavy cruiser. It is destroyed the moment it exits hyperspace, and while most people on his homeworld assume an unfortunate mishap with the hyperdrive engines, G’Kar knows otherwise.

Shadows are stirring out on the Rim, shadows that call the remote world known as Z’ha’dum home, and that represents grave peril to all the known worlds.

He calls a meeting, speaks out, tries to warn the others, but soon realises more information will be needed to convince everyone of the approaching danger.

The Book of G’Quan tells of a great war, a thousand years ago, that tore the universe apart. The enemy was defeated on that occasion, but not destroyed. Perhaps they merely retreated to the darkest places they could find, biding their time, rebuilding their forces, readying themselves…

There is another great war coming; that, G’Kar feels, is certain. There remains time to prepare, but all preparations must be made with care, and as quietly, as unobtrusively, as possible. The forces gathering on Z’ha’dum must not be alerted more than they already have been. They must be allowed to believe that no one has yet noticed anything untoward, or at least that no one has any proof.

G’kar finds himself in an unenviable position. The burden of what he knows weighs heavy on him, but for now he must carry it alone, at least until he can determine who among the other races can be trusted.

He must trust that when the time comes to act, all will be ready.

 

The End

Chapter 29: Hidden

Summary:

The Vorlons are a mystery Sheridan is determined to solve.

Notes:

Written for Challenge 417: Amnesty 69 at fan_flashworks, using Challenge 34: Masks.

Setting: Mid-Season 2.

Double drabble.

No one knows what a Vorlon looks like inside its encounter suit; no one’s ever seen one, except for Benjamin Kyle, and he’s never told anyone what he learned while saving Kosh’s life. Lyta Alexander only touched the Vorlon’s mind, so what, if anything, she really ‘saw’ is anyone’s guess.

The Vorlons are secretive, more than any other race earth has ever met, using their encounter suits like a mask to hide everything about themselves from the rest of the universe. Their appearance, their physiology, what and how they eat, it’s all a matter of endless speculation. They must have their reasons, but no one knows what those reasons might be.

Truthfully, the Vorlons seem more alien, and more unfathomable, than all the other races put together, and perhaps that’s why Sheridan is so determined to learn everything he can about them. He knows it won’t be easy, Kosh’s inscrutability makes it near impossible to understand him even when the ambassador does deign to speak to him. But Sheridan loves a good mystery, and he’s stubborn enough to keep trying, even though it’s like trying to prise rivets from the station’s hull with his teeth.

Somehow, he'll get his answers.

 

The End

Chapter 30: All Alone

Summary:

It was supposed to be a quick survey run to look into a possible problem, but now Sheridan is in big trouble.

Notes:

Written for Challenge 400: Amnesty 40 at drabble_zone, using Challenge 96: Space.

Spoilers/Setting: All Alone In The Night.

Double drabble.

It had felt good to be flying again after what had felt like forever stuck behind a desk on an immobile space station. Being in charge of Babylon 5 was a prestigious assignment, but John Sheridan wasn’t used to staying in one place, which was why he’d jumped at the chance to take a Starfury out on a survey run. Well, that and wanting to still be eligible for flight pay. He needed to keep his hand in; he was a pilot, dammit! What use was an Earth Force captain who couldn’t fly?

So there he’d been, out in the blackness of space, along with his fighter escort, just about to head for home, when a ship of unknown configuration blasted out of hyperspace practically on top of them, immediately opening fire. They were like fish in a barrel, no escape route available…

Okay, the mysterious appearances and disappearances of the unknown ship were the reason Sheridan was out here in the first place, looking into it, and now he could say for sure that it was hostile; he just couldn’t warn anyone. He’d had to eject when his Starfury was hit.

This wasn’t a good situation to be in.

 

The End

Chapter 31: Too Great A Risk

Summary:

Thomas Jordan can’t help feeling responsible for the loss of the first four Babylon stations.

Notes:

Written for Challenge 441: Amnesty 73 at fan_flashworks, using Challenge 170: Station.

Spoilers/Setting: Grail.

Quadruple drabble.

Newcomers to Babylon 5 often find the space station daunting. It’s so vast, five miles long, home away from home for a quarter of a million humans and aliens. People hear that and they can’t wrap their heads around the sheer size of the place.

For Thomas Jordan, better known as Jinxo, it’s different. He helped build it. Hell, he helped build all five of the Babylon stations. That’s why he’s still here, years after the rest of the construction crew went back to earth or moved on to other projects. He can’t leave, because every time he did in the past, something terrible happened.

The first station was sabotaged during construction; the moment Thomas went on leave, it just… collapsed.

Something similar happened with the second station, again when he went on leave. Sabotaged, destroyed, and once again construction had to start over.

Then the third station blew up, and that was when everyone started calling him Jinxo. He’d had nothing to do with the sabotage, he’d taken pride in his work, had felt honored to be working on such a momentous project. Standards had been necessarily high because of what the stations were to be used for, and space construction was a highly skilled profession anyway. As far as Thomas knew, no one had given less than their best.

Still, with three stations destroyed before they could be completed, he’d been determined to see the job through. He hadn’t taken leave, not once, had remained aboard the entire time, only leaving when Babylon 4 had been completed, ready to go into operation. But as he’d left aboard the shuttle, he’d looked back, seen some sort of weird distortion wrap around the station, and then it simply… vanished.

He can’t take the chance of anything happening to this one though. It’s the last, and the biggest, and once again he remained onboard throughout construction, but this time, when it was completed, he stayed. There’s no work here for someone trained in space construction; he takes odd jobs when he can get them, just to afford food, but it’s okay because as long as he’s here, Babylon 5 will be safe, and that’s all he cares about.

He won’t be responsible for the deaths of all the people who live here, and if that means spending the rest of his life here, then he will. Leaving’s too great a risk.

 

The End

Chapter 32: An Unexpected Pleasure

Summary:

Having hair can be quite enjoyable.

Notes:

Written for Challenge 447: Amnesty 74 at fan_flashworks, using Challenge 418: Hair.

Setting: Mid-Season Two.

Double drabble.

Now that she’s learned the art of taming it, Delenn has discovered she rather enjoys having hair. There are so many ways to style it in order to suit circumstances, or simply to suit her mood. Braiding is an art form she has yet to master, but she finds brushing her hair strangely soothing, while washing it in water proves remarkably refreshing, even though hair is somewhat heavy when wet. Curlers might look odd, but they somehow manage to reduce the pull of wet hair on her scalp, and result in appealing waves in the long strands once it dries.

What amuses her about hair the most, however, is the way it lends itself to quiet refection. With increasing frequency, she finds herself winding her hair around her fingers when deep in thought. Its smooth, silky texture invites touch, even encourages it, so that her hands are drawn to it as she contemplates matters of importance. It is, she thinks, remarkably meditative. She almost regrets that the rest of her people will never get to experience the benefits of having hair.

The only problem she’s encountered is that it sometimes has a mind of its own. Tangles are most annoying.

 

The End

Chapter 33: A Simple Question

Summary:

Morden has a curiously important question to ask.

Notes:

Written for Challenge 441: Amnesty 73 at fan_flashworks, using Challenge 76: Question.

Spoilers/Setting: Signs & Portents.

Triple drabble.

“What do you want?” Morden asks with a pleasant smile. It’s a simple enough question, and yet it seems to confound the people he asks.

Ambassador G’Kar is dismissive, impatient, trying to pin down exactly what Morden means by his question, but at last admits to wanting payback for everything the Centauri did to his people. He wants to destroy their world, bring them to their knees, which sounds promising, but falls short of what Morden is looking for. Mostly, G’kar just wants the safety of his homeworld and his people guaranteed, and that’s a promise Morden and his friends cannot make.

Ambassador Mollari, however…

At first, Mollari is as impatient as G’kar, and somewhat annoyed, claiming he only wants to be left alone, but when pressed, his words are music to Morden and his constant companions.

Londo wants everything. For his people to regain all the glory, power, and prestige they’ve lost, for the Centauri Empire to rise again, crushing their enemies beneath them. He wants personal power too, although he doesn’t say that in so many words. He doesn’t need to; it’s right there in his face and in his voice, in the passion of his words. Londo Mollari is an ambitious man, and ambition is something Morden can work with.

It hardly matters that Ambassador Delenn proves less than welcoming. She is insignificant, along with whatever she knows or suspects. There is nothing the Minbari can do to interfere with what is to come. They lack the power, and besides, they’re currently too busy with their own concerns.

Morden doesn’t make an appointment with Ambassador Kosh; the Vorlons are the only race that could get in the way, as a chance encounter proves.

No matter. Morden already has what he needs. Things are about to get… interesting.

 

The End

Chapter 34: Starting Over

Summary:

Amis’ life has been on hold since his unit was slaughtered by an unknown being. Now he’s finally free.

Notes:

Written using the dw100 prompt ‘Haunted’.

Spoilers/Setting: The Long Dark.

Double drabble.

For the first time since before the war, Amis can sleep peacefully, safe. It’s a strange feeling, almost unnatural after so long haunted by an unseen but keenly felt presence. The nightmares aren’t entirely gone, and probably never will be, his subconscious still remembers, and yet, they don’t have as much power over him, awake or asleep, now that the creature, whatever it was, is gone.

A part of him had been lodged deep inside it since the first encounter back on that moon, a tether connecting them, so it could find him, feed from him… but not any longer. He’s whole, physically, if not mentally; some wounds never heal completely, and most leave scars of some kind, but maybe one day his mind will recover too. He can afford to hope, just a little.

What next? He thinks he might return to earth, now that he won’t be taking an unwelcome passenger with him. That’s what’s kept him out here for the last however many years; he’d been waiting for that thing to come for him, knowing that eventually it would, but it’s over now, the burden lifted from him. He’s free.

Perhaps now he can start living again.

 

The End

Chapter 35: Drowning Sorrows

Summary:

Vir gets some bad news from the Centauri homeworld and turns to drink in an attempt to cope with it.

Notes:

Written for Challenge 447: Amnesty 74 at fan_flashworks, using Challenge 380: Position.

Spoilers/Setting: There All The Honor Lies.

Triple drabble.

Vir was unaccustomed to drinking alcohol to any great extent, preferring to keep a clear head, something of a necessity when acting as Ambassador Mollari’s assistant. But it seemed that would be changing shortly, so alcohol seemed if not a sensible choice, at least an appropriate one.

Londo would probably approve, having a very close personal relationship with all manner of alcoholic beverages himself. Somehow, that thought only served to force Vir even deeper into the pit of gloom that seemed intent on swallowing him whole. It was becoming difficult for him to remember why that should be a bad thing, he just vaguely understood that it was. Nevertheless, he took another sip of his drink. Drowning his sorrows, or something.

Why should he even feel sorrow? When he’d been sent to Babylon 5, the position of assistant to the Centauri Ambassador had been considered a joke! Nobody on the homeworld had wanted it. But then, nobody had much wanted Vir either, so that had made for a perfect match. And the job had hardly been glamorous even before Mister Morden had come along, and Londo had become caught up in plots to replace the Emperor with someone more easily manipulated, and wage war against the Narn Regime.

If Vir had any sense left, which was doubtful since his family never thought he had any to begin with, he’d be relieved the homeworld had decided to replace him with someone more suitable. But he wasn’t, because while he was here, aboard Babylon 5, there was still a chance he might persuade Londo to distance himself from Mister Morden. At the very least, he could perhaps…

Vir lost the thread of his thoughts somewhere in his drink, but it hardly mattered. He was being replaced, and he didn’t want to go.

 

The End

Chapter 36: What The Heart Wants

Summary:

Delenn had not expected to fall in love with a human.

Notes:

Written using the dw100 prompt ‘Love’.

Spoilers/Setting: Season 3.

Double drabble.

Delenn had never planned to fall in love with someone not of her own race; she was sure the same was true of John. Their races had, after all, fought a bitter and bloody war hardly more than a decade ago, and John Sheridan had scored earth’s only real victory against the Minbari, destroying the Black Star by trickery. That was a cause of resentment among Delenn’s people.

Nevertheless, she had entered the chrysalis of her own free will, committed to trying to build a greater understanding between their two races, so that what had happened before, through a simple misunderstanding between two cultures, could never happen again. It had seemed a noble, even selfless, thing to attempt; if Minbari souls were truly being reborn into human bodies, perhaps the two races were not so different from each other as they believed.

She had not, however, taken into account how much the process would change her, not merely in appearance, but in more fundamental ways. She had found herself drawn to John more profoundly than she had ever experienced with a member of her own race.

Was it a mistake? Perhaps, but for good or ill, her heart had chosen.

 

The End

Chapter 37: Welcome Sight

Summary:

Delenn arrives just in time to save Babylon 5.

Notes:

Written for Challenge 465: Amnesty 77 at fan_flashworks, using Challenge 353: Welcome.

Spoilers/Setting: Severed Dreams.

Double drabble and a half, 250 words.

John Sheridan had seen many amazing, even awe-inspiring sights in his life, from the breathtaking scenic beauty that still existed on earth to extraordinary and unfathomable alien races, and even inexplicable wonders existing in the depths of the space station under his command. But never had any sight affected him more deeply than the one he now witnessed.

Babylon 5 was outnumbered, outgunned, in a hopeless position, with only two choices: to surrender, or to be destroyed, and right when all had seemed lost, she’d arrived. Delenn, riding to the rescue like a Valkyrie from Norse mythology, leading a fleet of three Minbari WarCruisers.

They came out of hyperspace practically on top of the station, the magnificent, deadly vessels ready to defend the station and everyone on board, regardless of race, and just like that, the tide of battle turned.

The captains of the Earth Force Destroyers, realising they were no match for the Minbari ships, followed Delenn’s advice to be somewhere else, turning with surprising grace and entering hyperspace. Sheridan stood for a moment, exhausted, before ordering all ships back to base.

His heart still pounded; from adrenaline or sheer exaltation, he wasn’t sure. All he knew was that the sight of Delenn’s face on the screens, focussed and implacable as she issued her ultimatum, had been the single most beautiful, not to mention welcome, sight he had ever seen. He would never forget the way his spirits had soared, knowing all was not yet lost. They would survive.

 

The End

Chapter 38: Outward Appearances

Summary:

G’Kar considers recent events aboard Babylon 5.

Notes:

Written for Challenge 465: Amnesty 77 at fan_flashworks, using Challenge 34:
Masks.

Spoilers/Setting: The Parliament Of Dreams, Mind War, The War Prayer.

Triple drabble and a half, 350 words.

G’Kar meant it when he told the Commander’s woman that no one aboard Babylon 5 was entirely what they appeared. They all had their secrets, their pretences. The side of themselves that they showed to others was often an act, sometimes what others expected of them, sometimes what they themselves wished to be, as if they could, given enough time and effort, make the act become the reality.

Outward appearances, he had long ago learned, were in most cases not to be trusted. The safest thing anyone could do was to hold a healthy distrust of all those around him. There was less chance of disappointment that way. Less chance of betrayal.

Unfortunately, G’kar had not always followed his own advice, and it had cost him dearly on several occasions. Diplomatic Courier Tu’Pari, for instance. Despite outward appearances, G’Kar had not yet completely recovered from the Thenta Makur operative’s use of the pain-givers, or, for that matter, Na’Toth’s innovative but painful method of disabling them.

Nevertheless, it would not do to show any outward sign of weakness as he made his way through the corridors of the space station, especially in light of the recent attacks on some of the alien residents.

Then again, it would take a fool, or even a gang of fools, to target a Narn, even one not at full fitness. Part of him hoped someone would try, if only so that he could prove to himself that he was not an easy victim. The other, more sensible, part of him hoped only to be left alone, still too sore to have any desire to fight.

He did not trust the humans to deal effectively with the situation, and yet Babylon 5 was theirs; the Narn presence aboard was by invitation, which could just as easily be revoked, and then what chance would his people have to gain allies against the Centauri threat?

As much as it galled him, there was nothing he or his people could do but wait and hope that the humans would fulfil their obligation to protect the non-humans aboard their station.

 

The End

Chapter 39: Rodent Problem

Summary:

If the traps don’t work Garibaldi will just have to deal with the problem some other way.

Notes:

Written for Challenge 74: Building A Better Mousetrap at drabblesoup.

Setting: Probably season 2.

“You’d think by now someone somewhere would’a come up with a better way of getting rid of mice,” Garibaldi muttered, shaking the gnawed packet of pasta.

“Technically they’re not mice,” Stephen pointed out. “They’re not even from earth, they’re…”

“You know what? I don’t care what they are, or where they’re from, I just want them anywhere but here! You know how hard it is getting luxury items from earth, and since when is pasta a luxury? I’m not sharing with a bunch of goddamn alien rodents!” He pulled out his PPG. “They picked the wrong person to mess with.”

 

The End

Chapter 40: A Noble Victory

Summary:

G’Kar teams up with the man calling himself King Arthur to teach some miscreants the error of their ways.

Notes:

Written for Challenge 465: Amnesty 77 at fan_flashworks, using Challenge 83: Fight.

Spoilers/Setting: A Late Delivery from Avalon.

Double drabble and a half, 250 words.

It had been some time since G’Kar had last enjoyed the opportunity for a good, old-fashioned fight, where there were no doubts and no moral ambiguities. He and his new friend with the sword, whoever he might be, were the good guys, and their opponents were the bad guys; it was that simple, and it proved most satisfying.

Everything else in G’Kar’s life was so complicated, trying to do what was best for his people without crossing the line and landing himself in trouble with security, and most especially with Mister Garibaldi, who was not a man to be crossed. One misstep, and Garibaldi could have made things very difficult for G’Kar instead of offering some unofficial assistance via an acquaintance of his, and G’Kar was being careful not to draw the wrong kind of attention.

But getting something back that had been stolen from a defenceless old woman… That wasn’t complicated at all. The thump as the bad guys hit the deck… That was something G’Kar wouldn’t soon forget. The fighting had made him feel more alive than he had in… well, far too long, even if the heavy drinking afterwards was perhaps a trifle unwise.

Well, he’d worry about that later. For the moment, good had triumphed, and G’Kar was enjoying the companionship of this human, Arthur, a man of wisdom, courage, nobility, and a wealth of fascinating ideas and stories to tell. He would have made an excellent Narn.

Altogether, it had been a most enjoyable interlude.

 

The End

Chapter 41: One Final Kindness

Summary:

There is only one thing G’Kar can do now for Londo.

Notes:

Written for Challenge 465: Amnesty 77 at fan_flashworks, using Challenge 19: Old Friends.

Spoilers/Setting: War Without End.

Double drabble.

It was curious the way the universe worked. No doubt it made sense to someone, perhaps to Delenn, or the Vorlons, or… Well, it hardly mattered. Call it fate, destiny, or something else entirely, he had been steered to this point with a certain inevitability.

Still, it was strange. They had been enemies, he and Londo, the Centauri bent on completely subjugating G’Kar’s people, destroying their homeworld, enslaving them, slaughtering millions. Back then, G’Kar would have said with confidence that there could never be anything besides bitter hatred between them, and yet…

When had he first begun to consider Londo a… friend? They had both endured so much over the years that an unexpected bond had developed between them, and now, G’Kar was the only person Londo could turn to, and rely on, in his hour of greatest need, not merely for his own sake, but perhaps for everyone’s.

Sheridan and Delenn must escape, not merely from the emperor’s palace but from Centauri Prime. The spaceship waiting for them will be of no use whatsoever if Londo’s Keeper awakens too soon and raises the alarm. And so G’kar must do his old friend one final kindness, by ending his suffering.

 

The End

Chapter 42: Confession

Summary:

Delenn has a confession to make to G’Kar.

Notes:

Written for Challenge 465: Amnesty 77 at fan_flashworks, using Challenge 31: Apology.

Spoilers/Setting: Ship of Tears.

Triple drabble and a half, 350 words.

How does one apologise for withholding information, even when knowing that by telling what one knew, nothing would have been served but to make a terrible situation even worse? Yes, Delenn had known the Centauri were in league with the shadows, and yes, G’Kar, as the Narn ambassador, had surely had the right to that information, but…

If he had known, and tried to act on that knowledge, the Shadows would have been forewarned. They would have begun to move openly, before any preparations could have been made to oppose them. There would have been wholesale slaughter and the Narn, instead of being decimated, would likely have been wiped out, billions dead instead of merely millions.

As things stood, the Narn could rebuild, eventually. They were defeated, for the present, but not destroyed. When the war against the Shadows was over, they might be able to rebuild their civilisation. They would at least have a chance. But still, the pain of knowing such information had been deliberately withheld, condemning his people, must cut G’Kar to the depths of his soul.

Delenn could see the anger and the anguish on the Narn ambassador’s face, the impotent rage bubbling below the surface, because as much as it pained him, G’Kar was wise enough to know that what Delenn said was true. Telling him, would not have saved the lives that were lost, would instead only have added to them.

Someday, perhaps, G’kar would find it in him to forgive her, but Delenn knew that time was not now. G’kar must be allowed the time and space to process his rage and his grief. There was nothing more Delenn could do for him.

I am sorry. Those words would have been wholly inadequate, and so Delenn did not speak them aloud. They would not have helped G’Kar, and they would not have lessened her own guilt in the slightest. But she spoke them within her heart, hoping that someday, in some manner, she might make amends for the harm she had done one race for the greater good of the universe they shared.

 

The End

Chapter 43: Revelation

Summary:

Sheridan considers the revelation of seeing Kosh outside of his encounter suit.

Notes:

Written for Challenge 465: Amnesty 77 at fan_flashworks, using Challenge 20: Mythology.

Spoilers/Setting: The Fall of Night.

Quadruple drabble.

It seems that every sentient race in the universe must have their own mythology involving angels, or angelic beings, by whatever name or names they are referred to. In retrospect, the fact that the Vorlons have never been seen outside of their encounter suits makes perfect sense, because if they showed themselves, as Kosh recently did, they would be instantly recognised by everyone.

Thankfully, at least so far, no one who was present in the garden that day has realised that what they saw was the Vorlon. All they’re sure of is that a shining, winged being, whom each one of them saw as a member of their own race, appeared from nowhere and saved my life.

Sheridan set his pen aside, looking over what he’d written so far, a record of events that would never be seen by anyone else, but a record he nonetheless felt impelled to write, if only for himself. He didn’t want to forget the sense of wonder and awe he felt as Kosh soared up towards him on wings of light, saving him from certain death. He doubted it would be possible to ever forget, and yet he knew that the human brain couldn’t be trusted to hold on to every detail, even of something that felt as if it had been seared into his memory.

Kosh hadn’t spoken, had responded to his name with nothing more than a slow nod, his expression serene and untroubled. It had been the most surreal experience in Sheridan’s life, and one of the most profound, and it had generated more questions than answers.

How old was the Vorlon race? How long had they been watching over humanity, and all the other sentient races? Had they been merely observers, or had they been guiding the various races in their development? In either case, why? There was no point in asking Kosh, he never gave a straight answer anyway. Vorlons liked to be mysterious, keep people guessing… It was damned annoying, but it was their nature.

Just like everything else to do with Babylon 5, the more Sheridan learned, the less he seemed to know, and he didn’t expect that to change anytime soon. All the races had their own agendas, and the Vorlons were no exception. The only thing Sheridan could say for certain was that they were among the oldest of the races, and the most powerful.

 

The End

Chapter 44: An End To Waiting

Summary:

Sinclair finally knows what he’s meant to do.

Notes:

Written for Challenge 465: Amnesty 77 at fan_flashworks, using Challenge 346: Waiting.

Spoilers/Setting: War Without End.

Triple drabble.

Throughout his life, Jeffrey Sinclair had been trying and failing to find where he fit in, always restless, uncertain, unsatisfied. Coming to Minbar as earth’s ambassador had helped, he’d felt more at peace there than he ever had on earth, or even Mars, his homeworld.

But now a message had arrived, a message from nine-hundred years ago, a message written, unaccountably, in his own handwriting, by his own hand. He knew it was no forgery, because when he read it, all his doubts and confusion melted away. At last he knew why he was here, and the course he must now take.

It wouldn’t be easy, it meant saying goodbye to people he cared about, old friends who had stood by him through difficult times, and newer acquaintances. As he’d expected, some of them tried to talk him out of what he intended to do, even wanting to trade places with him, but he stood firm. He was the only one who could do this, and he would do it because he already had. To NOT go through with it would be to change the past, which in turn would alter the present, and not in a good way.

Besides, this was what he’d been waiting for his entire life, even though he hadn’t known it until recently. He had no more doubts, only a calm and sure sense of purpose. He would travel back in time, along with Babylon 4, undergo a transformation similar to the one Delenn experienced, and help the Minbari and their allies defeat the shadows. But he wouldn’t be doing it as Jeffrey Sinclair, human, ex-Commander of Babylon 5. He’d be doing it as Valen, a Minbari not born of Minbari, fulfilling both prophecy and destiny.

It wasn’t the end for him, just the beginning.

 

The End

Chapter 45: Enough Is Enough

Summary:

Sheridan isn’t going to wait any longer…

Notes:

Written for Challenge 449: Ready at drabble_zone.

Spoilers/Setting: No surrender, No Retreat.

They weren’t ready, not by a long shot. Sheridan had hoped they’d have more time to grow their forces, more time for Ivanova’s Voice of the Resistance to refute the rumours and lies Clark was spreading about Babylon 5 and his people, but there was no time left. Not when Clark had his ships firing on unarmed transports, filled with refugees just trying to escape the killing zone. Ten thousand civilians! Ten thousand lives lost that he should have prevented…

Perhaps the truth was that he simply hadn’t wanted to be faced with firing on Earth Force vessels, killing his own people, but wasn’t that exactly what Clark’s forces were doing? They weren’t trying to take Mars and Proxima 3 back from terrorists, they were trying to shut down all resistance to Clark’s rule, and they were willing to shoot down anyone who opposed them, anyone who happened to be in the way.

Well, Sheridan wouldn’t have it, enough was enough. The curfews and the martial law back on earth were bad enough, but this…

So, they might not be as ready as he would have liked, but the time for waiting was over. They’d take the battle to Clark.

 

The End

Chapter 46: Necessary

Summary:

This wasn’t meant to be Vir’s responsibility.

Notes:

Written for Challenge 451: Up To You at drabble_zone.

Spoilers/Setting: The Long Night.

Double drabble.

It was Londo’s idea, Londo’s plan, Londo who was supposed to do the deed, even though Vir had been the one to procure the means by which to do it. That was always his role, to get whatever Londo needed, to fetch and carry, to run errands, to be indispensable while appearing almost invisible. People never paid attention to him, because he was no one important, just an aide, a minor functionary…

Only now, he wasn’t so minor, was he? Because Londo had told the Emperor to be quiet, and Cartagia hadn’t liked that, his temper breaking loose as he struck out, causing the assassin’s tool to fall from Londo’s hand.

And what was Vir to do? Because Cartagia was quite, quite mad, he couldn’t be allowed to live, not when he intended to turn the Centauri homeworld into a pyre, expecting to be elevated to godhood. It was all up to Vir now, and it was easy, he barely had to do anything but hold the tool as Cartagia whirled towards him, and then it was over, the poison administered, death imminent. But although it had been necessary, to save his people, something inside Vir shattered. He’d committed murder.

 

The End

Chapter 47: Hollow

Summary:

There’s a hole inside Lyta where she used to sometimes carry part of Kosh.

Notes:

Written for Challenge 477: Amnesty 79 at fan_flashworks, using Challenge 413: Negative Space.

Spoilers/Setting: Walkabout.

Triple drabble.

It hurts, and Lyta isn’t even sure why. She didn’t carry a piece of Kosh with her all the time, he wasn’t with her on her last mission, but now that he’s dead, there’s a hollow space inside her that just feels wrong. It aches, but it isn’t a physical pain, perhaps it’s wrong to call it pain at all, it’s simply a space within her where she constantly feels something ought to be, only it’s not there anymore.

It had felt strange at first, carrying part of the Vorlon ambassador around inside her, on those occasions when he required it, but over time it had come to feel… natural, even comfortable. Now though, knowing she will never feel his presence again, never see him again… The pain, she supposes, is a sort of heartache. She misses Kosh, he was… not a friend, but her employer, her mentor perhaps, something of the sort anyway, and now she feels lost, rudderless.

The new Ambassador Kosh isn’t like the Kosh she knew. There’s something cold about him, something harsh, not exactly cruel, but indifferent to her feelings, indifferent even to her presence. He scares her in ways her Kosh never did, but she has to serve him, the way she served the first Kosh, has to keep up appearances, act like nothing has changed. No one can tell one Vorlon from another, nothing is visible thanks to the encounter suit they all wear in public, and that helps, because for reasons known only to the Vorlons themselves, they’ve ordered that no one, outside of a very select few, must find out that Kosh died.

Lyta will do her part, treat this Kosh as if he is the same Vorlon, even carry part of him inside her, if necessary, but it feels… wrong.

 

The End

Chapter 48: White Star

Summary:

Sheridan has a new ship to command.

Notes:

Written for Challenge 465: Amnesty 77 at fan_flashworks, using Challenge 235: Ship.

Spoilers/Setting: Matters of Honor.

Triple drabble.

The White Star was like nothing Sheridan had ever seen, nothing ANYONE had seen before. A combination of Minbari and Vorlon technology, she was sleek and beautiful, as well as deadly, despite her relatively small size.

Sheridan had been the captain of an Earth Force vessel, the Agamemnon, but command of the two ships couldn’t have been more different. It wasn’t only that the Agamemnon had a much larger crew, entirely made up of humans, while the White Star’s crew were all Minbari of the religious caste. The Agamemnon was huge and unwieldy compared to the White Star. The new ship had far greater manoeuvrability, an impressive turn of speed, and unlike most ships her size, was capable of opening her own jump point. The fact that she was his was quite frankly incredible.

With a whole fleet of such ships, which Delenn promised were under construction, maybe they would have a chance against the Shadows after all. For now, all that mattered was that she’d hopefully be powerful enough to break the blockade at Zagros 7, enabling the Rangers at the training facility there to make their escape.

It was an important mission, the Rangers were vital for gathering information, and they would have a major role to play in fighting the Shadows. Losing the training facility would be bad enough, but to lose even one group of Rangers before the war could even begin would be devastating. It had to be prevented at all costs, and if that meant Sheridan would get a chance to test his new ship’s capabilities, that could only benefit them all.

As captain, he needed to know what his ship and crew could handle, so that in battle there’d be no unpleasant surprises. Sheridan settled into the captain’s chair. Now to find out.

 

The End

Chapter 49: No Choice

Summary:

Sheridan has been warned about what will happen if he goes to Z’ha’dum, but he goes anyway.

Notes:

Written for Challenge 477: Amnesty 79 at fan_flashworks, using Challenge 274: It's A Trap.

Spoilers/Setting: Z’ha’dum.

Double drabble.

Even knowing what it will likely mean, Sheridan has no real choice in the matter. Kosh told him if he went to Z’ha’dum he would die, and in his flashforward, Delenn warned him not to go, but somehow that only makes him feel more certain that he must, whatever the cost. The answers to a lot of questions might be found there: who the Shadows are, what they want, what this is all about, and maybe if he can learn the truth, he’ll see a way forward. The only downside is that if he dies, he won’t be able to tell anyone, but it’s a chance he’ll have to take.

So he agrees to go with Anna, the woman who is in some way both the wife he lost five years ago, and someone he can barely recognise. As much as she looks like Anna, at least outwardly, there’s something subtly wrong about her, enough that he knows he can’t trust her. Nevertheless, she won’t tell him all she knows, not here, so Z’ha’dum it is.

But he won’t go unarmed, and he won’t go unprepared. He has a backup plan; if he dies, he’ll take them down with him.

The End

Chapter 50: Denial

Summary:

Stephen attempts to prove that he isn’t addicted to stims.

Notes:

Written for Challenge 465: Amnesty 77 at fan_flashworks, using Challenge 84: Drugs.

Spoilers/Setting: Interludes and Examinations.

Quadruple drabble.

Garibaldi’s suspicions, his insinuations, infuriated Stephen. He’d thought he and the chief of security were friends, but now it seemed that all along Garibaldi had been looking for an excuse to stab him in the back. So he’d lost his temper, so what? Everyone was strung a little tight at present. Just because he was the chief of medicine didn’t make him somehow immune!

He was stressed, overworked, and doing the best that he could with insufficient personnel and resources. That was enough to make anyone snap occasionally, but when Garibaldi looked at him, Stephen could see the suspicion in the other man’s eyes, like he WANTED to find a problem with the way Stephen was doing his job.

The rest of his medical team were no better, not listening to him, countermanding his orders, making mistakes, and then trying to blame their errors on him, saying he told them nine psi when he knew he’d said thirteen, dammit! If they’d been paying proper attention, they wouldn’t have almost lost the patient. They needed their hearing checked if they couldn’t even differentiate between the words nine and thirteen!

And now, now Garibaldi was fishing for access to Stephen’s blood test results for the last few months, looking for proof of his inability to carry out his job! Well, he wasn’t going to find it. In fact, Stephen was so sure of that, he’d just check the test results himself. Then he could rub Garibaldi’s nose in the fact that he was completely wrong! Ex-addicts saw other addicts everywhere they looked, wanting other people to be just as weak and fallible as they were, so they could convince themselves their own weaknesses were acceptable.

Well, he wasn’t addicted to stims, and his blood test results would prove that. Maybe then he could get Garibaldi off his back. He shouldn’t have to prove anything, he already had more than enough on his plate, but if this was what it took to set the record straight…

Only it didn’t.

Looking at the results, Stephen wanted to deny what he was seeing, but he couldn’t. It was all there, clear as day: proof of his addiction. The level of stims in his blood was well above what was considered safe, and the worst part was, Stephen had no idea how it had happened. When had he become so dependent on drugs? Garibaldi was right.

 

The End

Chapter 51: Walkabout

Summary:

He doesn’t know who he is anymore, and maybe he never did, but it’s time he found out.

Notes:

Written for Challenge 477: Amnesty 79 at fan_flashworks, using Challenge 84: Drugs.

Spoilers/Setting: Walkabout.

Quadruple drabble.

It was an uncomfortable feeling, frightening even, made all the more so by the fact that Stephen couldn’t even be sure when it had happened. Was it before or after he started relying on the stims to get through each day? Were they the cause or a symptom? Or perhaps they were an attempt at self-medication, a palliative so that he didn’t have to face the truth about himself, whatever that might be. As a doctor, he should have known better. He DID know better, but he’d taken the drugs anyway, just a bit at first, then more and more as his had body adjusted to them, become dependent on them. He hadn’t even realised he was addicted until he’d tried to prove to Garibaldi that he wasn’t. The irony of that wasn’t lost on him.

But the drugs hadn’t helped, they’d barely even papered over the cracks, and now… he had no idea who he was anymore, wasn’t sure he’d ever known. Perhaps Stephen Franklin, Doctor of Medicine, had only ever been a figment of his own imagination, or maybe it was Stephen Franklin the man who was the illusion, and the doctor who was real. Maybe Doctor Franklin was all he’d ever been, and in walking away from his job he was committing a kind of suicide.

Except this wasn’t about wanting to die, it was about finding a way to live, really live, instead of merely existing from one dose of drugs to the next. So here he was, walking the length of the station, hoping to find and meet himself, discover the real person behind the name.

He didn’t know if he could do it, didn’t know if he even wanted to know the truth, but maybe that was the stim withdrawal talking. He’d been fine to start with, feeling freer than he had in a long while, but that was before the drugs had started working their way out of his system. Now the withdrawal symptoms were kicking in with a vengeance, and he was starting to wonder whether it would have been better if he’d weaned himself off them gradually instead of just quitting. But no, cutting off his supply and walking away was the only way he could be sure he’d go through with it. He couldn’t afford to coddle himself.

He'd made his choice; all he had to do was keep walking.

 

The End

Chapter 52: Cut Off

Summary:

Garibaldi decides Londo has had enough to drink.

Notes:

Written for Challenge 441: Amnesty 73 at fan_flashworks, using Challenge 216: Drinking Alone.

Setting: Early Season 1.

Triple drabble and a half, 350 words.

“Time to call it a night, Londo.” Garibaldi waved the bartender away, focusing his attention on the Centauri Ambassador. “You’re drunk.”

“Yes,” Londo agreed. “Yes I am, and I feel so much better for it. Alcohol can be most beneficial. You should try it sometime; you might even find you like it.”

“Been there, done that, never going back there again. I don’t like who I become when I’m drinking. I tend to mess up spectacularly when I’ve had a few.”

“Really? How strange. I like myself much better after a few drinks. I’m altogether more pleasant to be around. A little of this, a little of that, and before I know it, all the problems and petty annoyances I have to deal with every day just seem to melt away, and life in this benighted tin can becomes positively delightful instead of merely tolerable.”

“To each his own.” Garibaldi stood his ground. “I’m still cutting you off, before you start regaling the customers with tales of the Empire’s glory days.” He leaned a little closer, trying not to breathe the miasma of alcohol fumes surrounding Londo. “There are Narns present, and I don’t want to be dealing with another diplomatic incident, if you get my drift.”

“Ah, Mister Garibaldi, my good and dear friend, has anyone ever told you that you have a bad habit of sucking all the joy out of a room?”

“It’s in the job description. Now, do you need an escort back to your quarters, or do you think you can make it on your own?”

“I’m drunk, Mister Garibaldi, a state I’m quite familiar with, and one which I find a considerable improvement over cold sobriety. I have no doubt I can find my own way.”

“Alright then, goodnight, sleep tight, and don’t let the bedbugs bite.”

Londo turned to go, then turned back, shaking his head. “Bah, earth humor. Perhaps, Mister Garibaldi, you should take your own advice. I suspect the absence of those pesky bedbug bites might leave you in a sweeter mood.”

“I wouldn’t bet on it if I were you.”

 

The End

Chapter 53: The Third Option

Summary:

The Shadow War is over, and despite the losses, there is cause for hope.

Notes:

Written for Challenge 477: Amnesty 79 at fan_flashworks, using Challenge 462: Rival.

Spoilers/Setting: Into the Fire.

Triple drabble.

The Shadow War, when it finally happened, was over far faster than anyone could have anticipated, the two warring factions brought face to face and forced to accept that the younger races were not going to pick sides, that they no longer needed or wanted outside help.

Nevertheless, the cost was great, devastatingly so. The Vorlons, determined to win at any cost, had wiped out whole planets that had, in their eyes, been contaminated by the Shadows’ influence. The Shadows had struck at Vorlon bases, destroying them with extreme prejudice, along with the planets that housed them.

During the final battle, many of the ships of the combined fleet were also obliterated, some of them deliberately placing themselves between the enemy, and the White Star from which Sheridan and Delenn were directing their forces. Billions died, civilians in greater numbers than the warriors who had opted to join the battle, but in the end, more would be saved, not merely now, but in the millennia to come.

Perhaps, if the universe was willing, no races in times to come would ever gain such power as the Vorlons and Shadows had wielded in their endless contest to prove themselves right and their rivals wrong.

The ancient rivalry was finally over, the last of the Old Ones, Shadows and Vorlons included, were leaving, going beyond the Rim to find… whatever was out there. And perhaps in a thousand years, instead of another war between light and dark, between two opposing viewpoints, there would instead be peace, the races that existed now, and those that might develop space flight in the coming years, learning to live together in harmony and cooperation, for the greater good.

This, the alliance that had been built, uniting many races in a common cause, was only the beginning.

 

The End