EPISODE TWO:

THE MORNING AFTER

 

PART ONE

 

 

All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely players: They have their exits and their entrances, And one man in his time plays many parts.

From As You Like It, William Shakespeare, 1599

The rest is silence.

From Hamlet, William Shakespeare, 1600

 

 

 

Vir sat nursing his cup of tea at the bar of the Eclipse Café when Lennier quietly took the seat beside him. The two sat without saying anything for a long while, each lost in their own thoughts, which would have been found to be incredibly parallel to one another had they decided to share them. They were as different in appearance as they were in mannerism but when it came to loyalty, caring, the want to please and the need to always do what was right, they were as alike as twins.

"Sometimes, I wonder if I am thinking on the same level as others, or am I missing some important fact that no one wished to share with me", Lennier commented, his voice as steady and level as if he were simply asking the time of day.

"I know what you mean", Vir replied. "It’s as if there is this big, dark room that we are all crowded into and everyone has a flashlight but me…and they keep shining their lights in my eyes just to throw me that much more off balance".

Lennier nodded. "I try to do what is right, and I offer my suggestions as to what course I feel would be appropriate to follow. But, in the end, my suggestions are ignored and I am left wondering as to my purpose in the first place". Lennier had warned Delenn that he felt the plan she had chosen to pursue was in error. He was only looking out for Delenn’s well being and much of his paranoia stemmed from wanting to protect her and keep her safe. He did not trust the new Ranger, and he did not understand why Delenn was taking such a chance with her. He had heard the rumors and he could not believe that this human was a Ranger to begin with. Her actions on Babylon 5 so far hinted that she had no right being anla’shok.

Vir could not understand what had gotten into Londo lately. It was as if he were a completely different person, someone that Vir did not recognize or even want to know. His latest idea for getting G’Kar out of the way was beyond anything that Vir could have comprehended. And the plain fact that Londo wanted the Narn taken back to Centauri Prime where he could be executed…Well, Vir did not even want to contemplate that. Even though he and G’Kar had never been friends, he still knew G’Kar, and that alone made the thought of his execution intolerable. Vir had never known anyone who was executed before. How was he to live with something like that on his conscience? Sometimes, he just did not understand his people and wondered where he was to fit into the whole scheme of things. He wished the whole Narn thing had never happened, he wished the Centauri would take a more active role in the war against the Shadows, and he wished that Londo had never come into contact with Mr. Morden. For some reason, Vir found himself linking all the current problems back to that one source.

"Some days, I wish I could just go up and slap some sense into everyone around me," Vir commented wistfully, a dreamy smile appearing on his face.

Lennier thought this solution over for a moment, then nodded. "Same time, same place?"

"As usual", Vir replied, swallowing the rest of his tea then getting up and heading off in the opposite direction as Lennier.

"I quite agree with you", said the Duchess, "and the moral of that is --- ‘Be what you would seem to be’; or, if you’d like to put I more simply – ‘Never imagine yourself not to be otherwise than what it might appear to others that what you were or might have been was not otherwise than what you had been would have appeared to them to be otherwise’".

Aelora groaned, tossing the book, Alice in Wonderland, across the room. It made a very satisfying thump as it hit the wall. She did not know why she was torturing herself like this. Ever since she had introduced herself to Michael Garibaldi, wanting to know the man who her father had considered one of his closest friends, he had taken it upon himself to educate her in all things Earth. Her big mistake had come when she had asked what the picture was over his bed. This affront to the cartoon character known as Daffy Duck had been too much for Michael to handle. He had told her then and there that it was time she became a little more human and a little less Centauri.

The more that Aelora read, the more she was not certain that she wanted to be more human. Talking rabbits and mad hatters aside, most of it was very confusing and had little bearing on reality. She found herself agreeing with Londo; any race that came up with something like the Hokey Pokey had to be a more than slightly lacking in mental facilities. Though reading the books that Michael had suggested to her had triggered memories of similar tales told to her by her mother before she had died, Aelora certainly did not remember any of them being quite so bewildering. And the books were nothing compared to some of the Vids he had her watch, especially the ones with his adored Daffy Duck in them. When she had commented that very little of it made sense to her at all, Michael had replied that she had been in the company of aliens for far too long. Aelora found herself feeling extremely grateful for this.

"Incoming message".

Aelora glanced up from her perusal of the tossed book to look curiously at the Babcom unit. She wondered who could be calling her, briefly hoping it was not Michael. She really was not too interested in another lesson on being human today. She stretched, as she stood, then walked over to the unit. "Who’s it from?"

"Ambassador Delenn".

Aelora raised an eyebrow at this, more than a little surprised to hear from Entilzah Delenn. She had not seen her since the night that Marcus had been taken to Medlab, and every time she had asked to set an appointment to speak with her, she had been told that Delenn was busy. She knew that it was too much to hope that Delenn was ready to tell her what had become of Jeffrey Sinclair – not even Michael would disclose that information to her – but she found herself curious none the less.

"Put her through".

When Delenn appeared on the screen, Aelora found herself once more thinking how strange it was to see the crossing of Human and Minbari. She wondered if she would ever become accustomed to the sight. "What can I do for you, Entilzah?"

"I am sorry to disturb you, Aelora, but a mission has come up that I believe you would be perfect for. Can you meet me at my quarters in two Earth hours?"

"Of course, Entilzah Delenn. May I ask what this mission pertains to?"

"Something very important must be smuggled past hostile forces", Delenn replied, and Aelora could have sworn she was holding back a smile. "It is all I may say over an unsecured channel. Will you be here?"

"Yes. Of course. Two hours, your quarters".

Delenn smiled. "Good. I will see you then, Aelora".

The screen went dark.

Aelora stared at the Babcom symbol for a while, worrying her lower lip. She could not help but be curious as to what was ‘very important’ and who the ‘hostile forces’ were. She wondered if it had to do with the Shadow war then found her usual trepidation’s resurface whenever she thought of that particular enemy. There were still too many questions when it came to her subsequent capture and release by them, questions she was not certain she wanted answered, especially in lieu of her involvement in the war against them. Sometimes, when she was in quiet meditation, she thought that the answers were there, hidden far back in the darkest recesses of her mind and if she could only dig far enough, she might reach them. Her recent experience with the Psi Cop’s scan left her wary of ever trying to do so, though. Aelora really was not certain if knowing them would help her to understand, or cause her to question further. She did know though, that she never wanted to experience that high-pitched wailing again.

Gathering up her tunic, she slipped it over her head and belted it around her catsuit, making certain that she was presentable for meeting with the Entilzah. She pulled her curls back in a loose ponytail, not wanting to deal with the hassle that running a brush through the mess usually entailed. Once positive that she looked appropriate, Aelora tucked her denn’bok securely in her belt and left her quarters.

 

Ashlen sat alone in her quarters, staring at the file before her. Bester had sent her everything he had on Aelora Campbell that did not end up amounting to very much. At least she knew the small details though, like whom she was and why the Corps was interested in her. Apparently her mother, Soria Campbell, had been an extremely strong Teek, involved in the Corp’s R&D Division. The Corps had let her escape when she had made the move to do so, knowing that she would willingly kill herself and the child she carried to keep the Corps from taking it from her. In curiosity, they had watched her closely, a telepath always hot on her trail, moving around the galaxy as she did. When she had finally given birth to her daughter, they had watched the child as well, cautiously probing every now and again to see if Aelora harbored any latent abilities. Strangely, they never seemed to find anything. Then, one day, the telepath assigned to watch them had approached the child, talked to her, spent time with her and finally decided to take it upon himself to do a deep scan. Shortly afterwards, he had left, refusing to return to his assignment and running from the Corps to keep them from scanning him. When the Psi Cops had finally caught up to him, the telepath put a PPG to his head and pulled the trigger. To this day, no one in the Corps knew what had so changed the man, and everyone assigned to watch Aelora Campbell had been strictly forbidden to scan her.

Ashlen found herself wondering if the telepath who had scanned her heard what she had. The wail had been terrible but certainly it was not enough to make someone lose their sensibility. So what was it he had seen that she had not? Ashlen found herself in a hurry to get this assignment over with. Even though Bester had told her all that he knew, she believed much of it to be conjecture. Aelora Campbell had been taken in by the Centauri at the age of five, and though the Corps had spies on Centauri Prime to look after her, they did not have the round the clock surveillance they had when she had been with her mother. In that instance, the Corps had made the wrong choice. They then completely lost track of her when she left Centauri Prime and went out on her own, only occasionally catching up with her when she stopped at various outposts and colonies around the galaxy. In fact, Ashlen had had the most contact with her than any other Corps personnel since the death of Soria Campbell.

Now the problem that Ashlen faced was how to get close enough to Aelora to complete her mission. How could she right the harm that had all ready been done so that she could get the girl to trust her, and then find the answers she sought? Currently, there were three obstacles in her way. The first and foremost was the Minbari telepath that seemed to have some sort of vested interest in protecting the girl. The second was Aelora herself. And the third was that strange scream that seemed to be some form of protection from scans. Ashlen knew that if she could get to Aelora, then she could win her trust and convince her to drop her protection barrier long enough for Ashlen to learn what she needed. So that left the one and only obstacle: the Minbari.

Standing to pace around the room, Ashlen went over every idea possible in her mind for ridding herself of the alien telepath. Obviously killing her was not a very feasible option. If there were no other choices left than yes, she would figure out a way to do so that would not immediately implicate her. If anything went wrong she knew that Bester would find a way to help her out of it but murdering the Minbari could also lead to an intergalactic incident and though Ashlen had very little to do with the Earth/Minbari war, she doubted that the aliens would surrender a second time. So that left one of two options: Incapacitating the Minbari until her mission was completed or simply getting her off of the station. Again, incapacitating her would involve Ashlen possibly implicating herself in the deed, and that could make matters worse. Getting her off the station seemed a complete impossibility unless Minbar decided to throw a Minbari-Telepaths-R-Us convention and make Terann its keynote speaker. So what was left to do?

"Computer. Look up all known weaknesses and vices that were known to be had by the Minbari. Be certain to list all ritual and cultural inhibitions as well".

"Stand by. Download complete in five minutes".

Ashlen fixed herself a cup of coffee while she waited. She was pulling two shifts today on security and the time she was given to rest, she was using to find a solution to her problem. She hoped to get started on something concrete during her next shift. Garibaldi had assigned her to patrol the Zocalo with Zack that evening, and she knew it would be easy to distract Lieutenant Allan with little or no suspicion raised. It was not a feat that was easily pulled on the Security Chief. Ashlen doubted she had ever met anyone as paranoid as Michael Garibaldi. It seemed that every time they saw one another, he would begin questioning her about her record and about her past as if to catch her off-guard. She had to admit he kept her on her toes. He would make an excellent trainer for espionage work. Ashlen found herself admiring and respecting the man, something she rarely did with anyone. Garibaldi was different though. There was something about him that caused Ashlen to almost feel guilty for lying to him day after day.

"Download complete".

Ashlen hurried over to her computer terminal and brought up the files that had been downloaded. She scanned the information quickly, at first not seeing anything that appeared promising when a smile slowly began to spread across her face. Oh, it would be a work of sheer genius if she pulled it off, and nothing could be traced back to her. Knowing the strict policies of the station, the Minbar would either be put away for a long time or shipped back to her homeworld, unable to return to Babylon 5. Either way, Terann would be out of the picture and Ashlen could continue with her mission.

 

"Aelora. Please, come in", Delenn welcomed, stepping back from the door as the Ranger entered her quarters.

Aelora nodded a greeting to Lennier who hovered in the background.

"May I offer you some tea?"

"No, thank you, Entilzah Delenn".

Delenn smiled, indicating for Aelora to take a seat. She sat on the couch across from her, wondering how best to approach the mission she had in mind. When she had gone to visit Marcus the day before, he had asked her if she had told Aelora the truth about her father yet. Delenn had answered honestly that she had been avoiding it. She was not too certain of Aelora yet. She had heard disturbing rumors of her treatment of many of the Narns on the station, including G’Kar. Delenn felt that it was time to test where Aelora’s loyalties truly lay – on Centauri Prime, or with the Rangers.

"Aelora, I have asked you here because a very important mission has come up that I feel you would be perfect for".

The Ranger smiled. "I am glad that you have chosen to put such faith in me, Entilzah Delenn. I only wish to be able to serve and help in the war against the Shadows. You need only tell me what I can do".

The Minbari Ambassador stood and wandered around the back of the couch, as if searching for the correct way to say what she needed. "I am glad that you feel this way, Aelora, because this mission may be a bit of a trial for you". She turned to face the girl then, her gaze hard. "One of our key persons in our war against the darkness has decided to venture into hostile territory. As much as we have cautioned him against it, it is something he feels he must do. So, we have decided that you will go along to protect him".

Aelora nodded. "Very well. I shall guard him as if he were you, Entilzah".

Delenn glanced back at Lennier who only steadily regarded the Ranger with a guarded expression. She turned back to Aelora. "I am glad to hear that, for it could be dangerous". She took a deep breath, continued, "For you see, you must smuggle Ambassador G’Kar into the Narn capital city of G’Kamazad, and back out again".

A heavy silence followed this announcement. Silence in which Aelora found herself thinking two things: One, Entilzah Delenn had lost her mind, and two, no way in Hell. She took a deep breath; found that she was feeling slightly restless and jumped up to begin pacing around the room. Delenn and Lennier watched her in silence, waiting for her to say something, curious as to her reaction. Aelora knew what they were expecting from her and she felt like giving it to them. Instead though, she paced until she had been restored to rational thinking.

"Entilzah, I…You are asking me to sneak a wanted criminal past my government for what could only be espionage work".

"I would never ask you to do anything that would put your loyalty to your homeworld in question", Delenn denied heatedly. "G’Kar has assured us that this has nothing directly to do with the Resistance".

Aelora laughed humorlessly. "You expect me to believe the word of a Narn".

"Yes", Delenn answered. "Because I do".

"I – ". Aelora stopped herself before she said anything she might regret. She pushed her bangs back off her forehead in frustration. "Why…why me? Can you answer that? Is this some sort of test or something? Am I being singled out? Are you trying to force me to refuse an assignment?"

Delenn watched her silently for a moment before moving around the couch to sit down once more. "I have chosen you for this particular assignment because you are the most qualified to get Ambassador G’Kar onto his homeworld safely and back out again. Because you have the right connections and you will not be questioned. Also, Marcus believes in you. Therefore, I believe in you".

Aelora clenched her fists at her sides. "With all due respect, Entilzah, by all rights I should turn citizen G’Kar over to Emperor Cartagia the moment he leaves the sanctuary of this station".

Delenn stood. "That is something you will not do". She paused, allowing her last statement to sink in, then continued. "You have every right to refuse this assignment, Aelora. That I am leaving up to you".

"And if I do?"

"Then we shall find work that is more…suited to your preferences".

Spoken plainly: back on Minbar, pushing paper. Aelora felt her teeth grinding together. "I see".

"Aelora, I knew your father quite well. If he believed that the Rangers were your calling, then he had his reasons for it. I should not wish to see his expectations of you shattered because of unwarranted prejudices".

The Minbari were astounding at well-placed blows to the ego. Aelora discovered herself quickly taking offense, ready to defend her honor and strangely enough, that of her father’s as well. "I shall take the assignment, Entilzah, and keep to my original promise of protecting the Narn as if he were you".

Delenn allowed a slight smile. "I would expect no less, Aelora".

"What arrangements have been made?"

"Only the bare minimum", Delenn replied, handing Aelora a data crystal. "I took it upon myself to contact your cousin, Captain Tiro Kyra, on the Ilaws, and informed him that you had a special mission to undertake for the Minbari government and needed transportation. They are to be arriving sometime today. From there, I will let you decide how best to smuggle Ambassador G’Kar on and off the ship. If there was any one specific trait that I could point out about your father, it was his ability to shape events and things around him to suit his purposes and needs. I am curious, Aelora, as to whether or not you possess this ability as well".

Currently Aelora was picturing herself shaping her fist around Delenn’s face. Oh, that is a very anla’shok desire, she chided herself. We live for the one; we die for the one. Never had those words been harder to bear. "Very well, Entilzah. I will not let you down".

At this, Delenn smiled softly, once more catching a glimpse of Jeffrey Sinclair in his daughter. There was determination there, the need to live up to a challenge, the all-too-human desire for adventure. "No, I do not believe you will, Aelora Sinclair".

Aelora nodded, noting the cue to leave and turning to do so, when a sudden thought hit her. She glanced back at Delenn. "You contacted Cousin Tiro, informing him of my mission, knowing all along that I would accept?"

"Yes".

The Ranger shook her head. "Even I didn’t know my answer up until a few moments ago, Entilzah Delenn".

"Your mind simply has difficulty accepting what your heart quickly answers, Aelora. This will change with time, I believe".

Aelora stared at the Minbari Ambassador a moment longer before departing her quarters to begin her assignment.

Lennier moved over to Delenn after Aelora had left. "Are you certain you want to do this? I can still go with her".

"No. We will leave it in her hands now", Delenn replied, feeling deep inside that she had made the right decision. "If any trouble occurs, I have no doubt that G’Kar will be able to handle it. I truly wish he were not insisting on this foolishness to begin with but if he believes he must go to Narn, then we will send him with the one person who the Centauri trust enough to consider one of their own". She turned to Lennier, smiling. "Now, John and I are having dinner with the Earth religious delegation. I must prepare. You will continue to check on Marcus for me?"

"Of course, Delenn". Lennier bowed to her respectfully then took his leave from her quarters.

Sitting alone in her quarters, Terann reflected on the events of the past few days. Had it been her decision, she would be on her way back to Minbar. Unfortunately, life didn't work that way. Since before her birth, her fate was set out for her; A carefully laid path that she was simply told to follow. Knowing what she had to do, Terann put on her cloak and prepared to leave. She felt vulnerable without her denn'bok. She had carried it with her every day since Dukhat had given it to her many years ago. She remembered the day with fondness and it angered her that Neroon had taken it from her.

Aelora was nursing a strong Jovian Sun Spot in the Eclipse Café when Terann passed her on her way through the Zocalo. She still had a few minutes before her meeting so she decided to approach the human and attempt a conversation.

"Greetings, Aelora".

The Ranger glanced up at her, studying her a moment before replying, "Good afternoon, Terann". She turned back to her drink.

Terann considered leaving it at that and continuing on her way when she felt the sudden wave of frustration from the human wash over her. Finding herself uncharacteristically concerned, she took the seat across from Aelora and examined her closely.

Aelora caught her gaze and for a moment the two of them stared at one other as if they had never seen that particular species before. Finally, Aelora found herself beginning to smile. "May I help you with something, Terann?"

The Minbari snapped out of her inspection of the human, sitting up straight in her seat. "No. As a matter of fact, I was wondering if I could help you. You are…troubled over something".

Aelora rolled her eyes. "If only Minbari telepaths knew how not to invade other’s minds".

"I would not do any such thing", Terann denied evenly. "It is only…your emotions are that strong. You seem to broadcast them as if – " She almost said as if "you were telepathic yourself", but she did not believe the human wanted to hear such things. Instead, she said, "You are terribly upset over something".

"You could say that", Aelora replied.

Terann tilted her head in a look of confusion. "I just did".

Aelora chuckled briefly. "No…never mind. It’s just…Entilzah Delenn wants me to smuggle citizen G’Kar onto Narn, under the nose of my government. It’s a little difficult figuring where it is my loyalties should lay".

"But you are human", Terann answered, looking hard at Aelora as if she had missed something. "You are human. I do not understand what that has to do with the Centauri government".

"The people who raised me are Centauri. They raised me, fed me, clothed me, looked after me, treated me as if I were one of their own".

"And you feel that you owe them. That you should repay them".

"Well, yeah", Aelora shrugged. "I do".

"That is foolish", Terann snapped in reply.

"Excuse me?" Aelora pushed her drink aside, leaning over the table. "Do Minbari just not understand the concept of gratitude?"

"Gratitude has little to do with it". Terann shook her head. "This Centauri family chose to take you in, to raise you as if you were their own child. It will be the same when you decide to have offspring of your own. You make the choice to provide for them, they do not make the choice to be for you. Your family took you in knowing that you were different, and in that difference lay different choices, a different path. You can not cling to being Centauri when your heart is human".

Aelora was frowning as the Minbari spoke. She did not like what Terann was saying because too much of it made sense. Still, she felt it was wrong to repay the people who cared for her throughout her childhood by lying to them. She said as much to Terann.

"Then that is something you must deal with", Terann replied, not trying to appear cold, only realistic. "It is obviously a matter which involves your conscience, not your beliefs. You must decide what actions will allow your conscience more peace – and make your choices from there".

"It’s amazing to me how Minbari can make the simplest things sound incredibly confusing", Aelora commented, shaking her head. "Anyway, thanks for the advice. I hope my problem has not distracted you from anything?"

The warrior shook her head, her dark green eyes clouding over as if she were suddenly concerned over something. "No. I am only on my way to a meeting with the Vorlon ambassador".

"Ah. That should be fun. I can’t think of anything I would rather do then have a lengthy conversation with a Vorlon". Aelora pursed her lips in thought. "Except maybe dive into a pool of razor blades or have dinner with a Pak’ma’ra". At Terann’s expression of confusion, Aelora smiled. "Never mind. It’s just that Vorlons tend...to…" Aelora trailed off, her mind whirling with the idea that had suddenly appeared.

Terann watched in fascination as the human’s eyes darkened slightly in color, and seemed to turn inward as if she were alone, not even noticing the Minbari was still there. Aelora muttered something that sounded very much like "It just might work" then, "Maybe there’s a use for Vorlons after all". Terann was about to question her when Aelora jumped up form her seat.

"Hate to chat and run but I have an idea". She grinned as if it were a special little secret that she was dying to share. "Say hi to the ambassador and thank him for me".

Terann stood as Aelora began to hurry off through the crowd. "Why should I thank him?" She asked.

Aelora turned around, moving backwards down the corridor. "For being so damned mysterious!" She shouted back then disappeared around the corner.

Terann mentally shook herself. That was just about the strangest conversation she had had with a human to date.

When the bell chimed in G’Kar’s quarters, he was so engrossed in his writing that it took the second chime before he noticed. He glanced up from his papers, wondering whom it was that had come to call, then figured it must be Delenn with news on his venture back to his homeworld. She had tried with every form of persuasion she had to talk him out of it but G’Kar knew what had to be done. No matter the cost.

"Enter!"

A look of bafflement appeared on G’Kar’s face as a box with two long legs moved in through the doorway. He heard a muffled question that sounded something like "Table?" To which he found himself replying:

"Straight ahead…now turn right, two feet. Right in front of you".

The box was dropped on to the table with a loud clunk and G’Kar discovered himself staring at the most unlikely person to ever enter his quarters.

"Miss Kyra?" He stood, not knowing if it was out of manners or preparation to run in case she was there to assassinate him.

She must have read his mind on the latter thought for she held up her hands, saying, "Don’t panic. I guess Entilzah must have not told you". She set her arms akimbo, her fingers drumming against her well-rounded hips. "As unlikely as it may seem to either of us, I am your ticket into Narn space".

G’Kar sat down heavily. He found himself caught between the emotions of disbelief and astonishment. What was Delenn thinking? He wondered. Did she harbor a secret desire to see him dead? No, wait, G’Kar chided himself. If Delenn chose Aelora Kyra to get him onto Narn, then she obviously had a good reason. "I see", he replied, setting his writing utensil on the desk. "And what is in there?" G’Kar asked, pointing at the box.

"This?" She slapped her hand onto the rim of the box, a clever smile playing on her mouth. "This is your disguise".

G’Kar stood again, peeking over the desk at the boxes contents. His brow furrowed. "A Vorlon encounter suit?"

"Very good. You’re quicker than I thought", Aelora threw in the insult casually, almost as if she did not know she had done it.

"Why should I need to wear this?"

"Because Entilzah took it upon herself to catch us a ride on my cousin’s Warship, and we can’t very well go parading onto a ship full of Centauri with you looking like you, now can we?" Aelora picked up the helmet, studying it. She glanced up at the Narn, cocking an eyebrow. "But then, we always could trade this in for some chains, if you would prefer?"

G’Kar frowned. The remark was a low one, even for her. He decided to ignore it.

She shrugged at his silence. "Anyway, you are going incognito as Ambassador Kosh, who is on some secret hush-hush mission for the Vorlon and Minbari governments. Kosh has been traveling to various worlds and has just so happened to choose Narn for his next venture. Since no one has the nerve to question the Vorlons, this is the perfect ploy. We get you on the ship and hide you in the room until we get to Narn. Then you go do what you are going there to do", at this she glanced at him pointedly, as if hoping he would say something, then returned to her explanation at his continuing silence. "We get you back on the ship and we return to Babylon 5. I successfully complete the mission as Entilzah wishes, I have as little as contact with you as possible throughout and I make certain that you do not leave Narn or the Ilaws with any information that might harm the Centauri government". She smiled, pleased with her little scenario. "Are we quite clear on the forthcoming excursion, citizen G’Kar?"

The Narn nodded, wondering if this entire idea of hers was going to be as easy to pull off as she seemed to think.

Aelora felt a sense of relief over firmly claiming the upper hand in the mission. She wanted the Narn to know that she was in charge and that if she suddenly chose to turn him over to Emperor Cartagia, then she would do so. She glanced around the room, wondering what her family would say if they knew that she was all alone with a Narn in his quarters. She would be ostracized from Centauri society for certain. No, word of this could never get out, anymore than word about sneaking a member of the Kha’Ri onto Narn with the help of a Centauri Warship could. What was the saying Jeffrey Sinclair had once quoted to her? What tangled webs we weave, when we practice to deceive.

G’Kar moved slowly over to the table, picking up the helmet that Aelora had formerly held, examining it curiously. "When are we to depart?"

Aelora glanced down at her watch. "One hour. Hurry up and get into that suit and then we’ll find our way to the docking bay. I have it under good authority that the real Kosh is in a meeting at the moment so we shouldn’t run into any messy situations". She looked up at the Narn, then quickly looked away. It was difficult to look at him and not want to call this whole charade off immediately, to simply turn around and hand him over to the Centauri officials. "I want to make it perfectly clear to you, citizen G’Kar, that if I find out this is a mission to undermine the Centauri control of Narn, I will not hesitate in killing you myself".

G’Kar looked down at the human, noting that she refused to face him, to look at him in any way. What he would not give for her hatred of him to dissolve, for her to accept him as a friend. He had the instinctive feeling that she would be quite an interesting being to know, if only she would allow him the chance to do so. "I promise you, Miss Kyra. What I am going to Narn for will not jeopardize your standings with the Centauri government at all. There are those who might say it could even help you".

Aelora looked sharply at G’Kar but he had all ready turned away with the box, headed for his room. She did not think a comment could get anymore cryptic had a Vorlon said it. Exactly what was she getting herself into?

 

Staring out at the stars, Terann could feel her heart pounding in her chest. The view from the observation deck did little to calm her nerves. She found it odd that she would fear meeting with a Vorlon. Gazing out at the stars she could see several ships scattered outside the station. She identified most of them as transports, mainly human, but what caught her eye was a Centauri Warship. It was not the first of it's kind that she had seen but for some reason her eyes were drawn to it. A hundred reasons ran through her mind then suddenly she that realized Aelora was on the ship. What was it about the Ranger that caused Terann's mind to focus in on her? She had a suspicion that it was more than her being Sinclair's daughter.

Sensing someone behind her she turned slowly. The Vorlon stood, motionless, appearing to analyze her. Suddenly she felt him reach into her mind. Reflexively she attempted to block him. This upset him. "Show me your thoughts," he demanded.

Lowering her defenses she could feel him tear into her mind with a brutality she was unprepared for. Terann knew he could detect the distress he was causing but he seemed not to care. Her breathing becoming laboured she could feel herself begin to black out. Just as suddenly as it began the scan ended.

"You have not done as you were ordered," he accused.

Composing herself she answered. "I was told to speak to you before proceeding,"

"No excuses. You have wasted time here,"

"There were matters that I had to attend to," she began to explain.

"Irrelevant."

She could feel his anger. The ambassador was different from the other Vorlons she had encountered. He seemed dark and mysterious, even for a Vorlon. She dropped her gaze to the floor.

"They have influence here", she muttered, remembering the scream that had awoken her several nights ago.

"Yes", he replied.

"Do you know who?" she pushed.

"Yes."

She could tell he was unwilling to tell her more and she wondered why. "There are things you must find first." He told her, then turned as if to move away.

Terann moved in front of him, preventing him from leaving just yet. "Wait. I do not understand. What things am I supposed to find?"

"Understanding is a --- "

"Three edged sword", Terann finished for him. "Yes. I know".

She looked away from the Vorlon, sighing in frustration. She was not accustomed to feeling this way but ever since the scream of the Shadows had wakened her the other night, she felt as if she were walking through a dark maze without direction. Something was wrong here. She knew it. Somewhere, someone was not telling her the whole truth, and she got the feeling that someone did not want her to find that truth…at all. Terann glanced back at the Vorlon, wishing she had the nerve to try and scan him but she knew that it would be futile. The pain she would suffer would most likely not be worth the fractional amount of information she would learn.

"Very well", she nodded finally, making her decision. "I will continue with what I was sent here to do".

The Vorlon remained silent, like that of a teacher waiting for his pupil to give the correct answer. Terann swallowed her frustration, sought the center of herself where peace and tranquility resided, and allowed her mind to open in order to think more clearly. She stretched out with her feelings, allowing a small piece of herself to travel throughout the station, searching for the answers to the riddles that were handed to her upon her arrival. She soon found a piece to the puzzle, a being that was all darkness and silence and…death. A name seemed to scream out in her mind, much like that of the Shadow’s wail.

"Morden", Terann spoke, looking up at Kosh.

"Yes", he answered.

"Then they are here now".

"Yes".

Terann turned away to stare out the window once more, her eyes again going to the Centauri Warship. A premonition of danger washed over her but she was not certain of the source. It was not a danger to her per se, but more of a warning to the destruction of their well-laid plans. There was much that the Vorlons refused to tell her; much that she was forced to seek out on her own. Now her instincts were telling her that the answers were on this station, and that she could not leave here, could not return to Minbar and salvage her life until she knew the truth. Terann only feared that she would not like the answers that she sought.

"She is dying with them".

Terann turned to look at Kosh as he spoke. "Who is dying with whom?"

"One seeks what the other can not find".

The Vorlon moved past her then, headed for the passageway out. Terann found herself following him, seeking to overcome her trepidation’s that this Kosh was different somehow, darker. She remembered her encounter with Lyta, recalled what it felt like to have him in her mind. She realized she did not trust this Vorlon, did not wish to work closely with him in any capacity. Suddenly, Kosh turned back to her, sending a searing pain through her mind that felt as if her head were threatening to break in two.

"Your opinions are irrelevant," the Vorlon spoke, sharpening the pain until Terann fell back against the wall, pressing her hands to her temples as if she could somehow pull the pain out.

"Please", she cried. "Please stop".

The pain seemed to only increase for a moment, then slowly began to lessen. The Vorlon continued to regard her as she recovered from her distress. Terann slowly stood straight once more, only this time she purposely held herself back from appearing too arrogant or prideful to the being before her. Seeming satisfied, Kosh disappeared out the door.

Terann remained where she was long after the Vorlon had left. She did not want to give in to fear; did not want to worry about things that could very well simply be an overactive imagination. Certainly not a Minbari trait but she had heard the humans use the excuse before and thought, perhaps, she could give it a try as well. The plan did not work. She found herself wishing that she had taken Neroon up on his offer; that she had returned with him to Minbar. Perhaps he and the rest of her caste were right. Maybe they should have no involvement in this war. Let the younger races worry about it while they tended to their own. Let the galaxy fall apart around them; so long as the Minbari remain intact and strong…

Terann shook her head sadly, knowing she could not agree to any such dictate. Even without knowing those things that she knew, she could not stay out of this war simply because of Valen’s teachings. If nothing else, she was Minbari and she would do what was needed to make others see that.

Outside the observation window, the jump gate activated, and Terann watched as the Centauri Warship moved into it on its journey back to Centauri Prime. She found herself wishing the Ranger well, knowing that the next few days would be a trial for her but believing that all would work out in the end. Terann only wished that the weeks ahead for her would come out as well.

It took every ounce of strength for Ashlen to not reach out and strangle Zack. For the last four hours they had walked from one end of the Zocalo to the other with only two minor incidents to speak of. Zack had filled most of the time telling her of their victory against President Clark’s forces in Babylon 5's succession from Earth. He spoke proudly, and this only served to add to the feelings of anger their acts of treason gave her. When he came to tell her how the Minbari, under the command of Ambassador Delenn, had driven off the Earthforce destroyers, Ashlen found herself mindful of her dilemma. She knew what she had to do, but was unsure of how to proceed. With Aelora off station, she knew she had a day or two to organize her scheme. She knew she could not directly do what she was proposing, so she would have to find someone willing to do it. Acting as member of station security, Ashlen was well aware of the number of criminals onboard. She would simply have to find one capable of the task and find some way acceptable to pay him.

".... So anyway, to see them jump to hyperspace.... Running home with their tails between their legs. You should have seen it."

Forcing a smile Ashlen replied "I would have paid good money to see that."

"So what made you decide to join the resistance." Zack inquired.

She had prepared herself for this question, though she had expected Garibaldi to ask it. "I was just tired of the restrictions back home, and with the Psi Corps seeming to be pulling all the strings, I just had to do something." She suppressed a smile. She had added the bit about the Corps to find out exactly how he felt about them.

As she had hoped, Zack did not disappoint. "Yes, we have had our share of problems with the corp. Most importantly, is this Psi Cop Bester, you haven't had the pleasure of meeting him yet, he shows up every few weeks just to stir up trouble. There have been other incidents too, like our second telepath, Talia Winters, she wound up being some sick Psi Corps experiment."

"Really? I will have to look up some old reports sometime." She answered with forced enthusiasm. Had Bester not stressed the importance of this assignment she would be inclined to tell him where he could shove this entire station.

"Lieutenant Allan this is station house...." the voice from Zack's link said.

"Allan here, go".

"Lieutenant, there is a major disturbance at Eight to the Bar, we need every available hand there immediately".

"Lieutenant Ladan and I are on our way." Turning to Ashlen, a serious look crossed his face. "This bar is pretty rough, stay close okay."

"Sure thing, Zack," she replied, trying to control her annoyance, as they ran in the direction of the bar located in the seedy section of the station appropriately named Down Below.

The first thing Ashlen noticed as she stepped off the lift was the smell. The intermingling of liquor and urine caused her stomach to turn. Bester will pay for this she thought to herself. There were several people lining the corridor in various stages of intoxication or mental illness it was difficult to discern which. Her breath caught in her throat, at the squalid conditions surrounding her and she caught Zack turn to look at her out of the corner of her eye.

"It's not something you get used to, Ashlen," Zack said solemnly.

She noted the concern in his voice and once again felt herself feeling a small amount of guilt for her treatment of him. As they made their way toward the bar they could hear shouting. Zack drew his PPG and Ashlen, following his cue, removed hers from its holster. She had fared well in during her weapons training at the academy, but she now found herself fearful. She had never been this deeply involved in a hostile situation and she found herself beginning to doubt her abilities.

Entering the establishment, it appeared they had missed the worst of it. The stations security forces were detaining several patrons but looking toward the back of the bar it appeared that at least 3 civilians and 1 officer were not so lucky. A Med team worker feverishly on the security officer, but their efforts would have been wasted on the others.

Garibaldi approached, a grim look on his face. "Three perps managed to escape. We are searching the area deck by deck, but you know how things work down here. We will be very lucky if we find them. I want the two of you to check level 6. Report back to me in an hour, regardless of what you find."

Zack nodded and they headed back in the direction they had come. They rode the lift in silence and Ashlen found herself wishing for more of Zack's meaningless babble.

Level 6 proved to be just as nauseating as the previous had been. Once again they found people lying on the floor, oblivious to those around them. Those able to stand eyed them with both fear and loathing. Ashlen was able to detect various emotions in those present and she found herself feeling sorry for them. She had been told that those here chose to live like this, and she had never questioned that, until now.

"This way Ashlen." Zack said pointing her in the direction of a corridor to the right. "If it were up to me, we would seal off this area and ship the whole lot of them back home. Let President Clark deal with them. Some days I spend my entire shift down here chasing thieves, dust pushers..."

At the mention of the drug Ashlen cut him off. "Dust? Is there a big problem with that here?"

"A few months ago Bester helped us stop a major shipment of the stuff. The Narn intended to purchase a large quantity from one of our biggest dealers."

"The Narn? What did they want it for." She asked.

"The Narn are one of the few races that don't have naturally occurring telepaths. I think Ambassador G'Kar had hoped to level the playing field. In the end the Chief stopped him but not before G'Kar was able to assault Ambassador Mollari while under the influence of the stuff. Since then there has not been much of it around, just enough of it to be annoying."

Before Ashlen could reply, a rough looking man turned the corner. He looked at them and cursing he ran off in the opposite direction. Without thought Zack and Ashlen took off after him. They pursued him for only a few minutes before they reached another corridor. Looking one way and then the other Zack turned back to Ashlen.

"Well which way do you think?"

She thought for a moment before speaking. "Look Zack, we are going to have to split up..."

"No! I will not be responsible for you getting hurt. You don't know what these people can be like."

"I can take care of myself, Zack," she barked at him.

"Fine." He conceded. "If you need me, call me on your link."

"Okay, I will be fine." She looked at him one last time feeling his concern for her. A feeling of dread washed over her, but if she were to make her plan work she would have to take chances.

Watching Zack head off in the other direction, she took a deep breath and ran down the opposite corridor. After a few short minutes she came to a dead end. As she turned to go back, a voice spoke from the shadows.

"Today must be my lucky day."

Ashlen studied the man before her and recognized him as the one they were searching for. Aiming her PPG squarely at his chest she tried to control her fear. "Look I have an offer to make you."

Licking his lips, he replied. "I could make you an offer too."

Trying to ignore his repulsive sneer Ashlen continued. "I will 'forget' I found you if you do something for me."

"Yah, and who do you want me to bump off?"

Ashlen thought for a minute, questioning whether she should have him simply kill Terann. She shook her head, knowing it was too risky, she would have to proceed as she had planned. "There's this Minbari, I don't want you to kill her, I just...."

His eyes brightened, "A Minbari! If you don't want me to kill her what do you want me to do, exactly?"

Taking a deep breath Ashlen laid out her idea to him.

"It won't be easy, and it's going to cost you," he sneered.

The look in his eye worried her. What exactly would this person want from her? She knew if they could not come to an agreement she would have to kill him. "What do you want from me?"

"Well," he began, looking her over. "Aside from the obvious, I want safe transport off this station. You get me to Proxima, or even better, to Mars and I will do as you ask. But let me warn you. If I get caught, you are going down right along with me."

"Agree," she answered. "I have enough connections that I can guarantee you safe passage to anywhere you want."

After agreeing on a time for her plan to be set in motion, she smiled as he walked away. She, of course, had no intention of following through on her half of the bargain, and would deal with her new "friend" later. Heading back to find Zack she found herself laughing once again at the stupidity of mundanes.

 

Knowing that she must find Delenn, Terann made her way back to red sector. Her head was still throbbing from her encounter with the Vorlon ambassador. As she rode the lift that would take her to the Zocalo she attempted to make sense of what he had said. She was confused by his vagueness. With the shadows having an influence here, why was he not more concerned. She was so lost in thought when she stepped off the lift, that she did not see the being before her until it was too late. As her hand touched his chest she jumped back as if burned. Looking up she knew exactly whom she was facing.

"Sorry about that," Morden spoke looking down at the startled Minbari.

"...That's...okay." she muttered pushing past him, hoping he would not recognize her.

"You should be more careful, Terann," he called after her.

At the sound of her name, Terann turned back to him. She looked squarely into his eyes, sensing the darkness within him. She was aware that they would be with him and she did not want to acknowledge their presence before the time was right. "Why are you here? They are not for you," she told him plainly.

Ignoring her query his eyes darkened and a smile formed on his smug face. "What do you want?"

Anger filled her and she spat back "Never ask that question."

"But there must be something," he said stepping closer to her.

"I live only to serve," she told him not wavering.

"You are dying with them." he said his words echoing the Vorlons. "She will see to that."

A look of confusion crossed her face. "Who is she?"

"All in good time," he said preparing to leave but then stopping at the last minute he faced her once again.

Suddenly her mind was filled with the unmistakable wail of the shadows. Her attempts to block the assault did little to ease the horrible sound. It was then that she saw them. Before she could react one struck her and sent her careening back against a wall. She could feel blood begin to run down her cheek. Summoning all her strength she looked Morden directly in the eye refusing to back down.

He seemed taken aback by her refusal to submit, but his smile quickly returned. "Just a taste of what is to come. Good day, Terann."

With that he entered the lift and disappeared. More determined than before Terann headed for the Zocalo. Wiping her cheek, she realized the wound was merely superficial. She still had an unsettling feeling. Who was the "she" both the Vorlon and Morden had referred to? Terann had detected no other presence of the shadows on Babylon 5 except for Morden. She found her mind spinning too fast to make sense of anything.

Rounding a corner, Terann was overwhelmed by a sense of fear. However the fear was not her own. The terror was being projected on to her. The question was by whom. As she approached the corridor that would lead her back to the Zocalo, she noticed three Narns gathered in a corner. From their laughter it was obvious that they found something quite amusing. It was then that a small voice spoke within her mind begging for help. Looking past the Narn, she was able to make out two small Centauri children huddled together. The older one, a boy, had a red welt on his face from where one of the Narns had struck him. He attempted to stand bravely, obviously not wanting to show his fear to the small girl he was trying to protect.

"They will kill you for doing this to us," the boy said his voice barely audible.

The three laughed and the larger of the group replied. "We have suffered too long to fear death, unlike you who have led a sheltered life. I will teach you what true fear is."

As he raised his hand to strike the boy again Terann spoke. "How brave you must feel, hurting a child who is clearly no threat to you."

He appeared startled by the interruption and turn quickly to face her. "This does not concern you, Minbari."

"I disagree. I will not sit idly by while you attempt to satisfy your sick sense of honor by praying on innocent children."

She could tell her attack on his honor anger him, and refused to step back when the three turned their full attention on her. The one Terann assumed to be the leader stepped toward her. "Now, I suggest you leave before I find it necessary to satisfy my honor by praying on you."

Terann continued to stare into his eye making it clear she was not impressed by his threat. Out of the corner of her eye she could see him move his hand as if reaching for a weapon. Unfortunately for the Narn, Terann's mind worked quicker and there was a clear crunching sound as the bones in his hand were crushed.

The Narn howled in both pain and confusion, as he cradled his now crippled hand in front of him. Terann stepped toward him until she was only inches from his face. "Now, I suggest you leave before the next bones I choose to break are the ones in your neck."

The Narn considered her for a minute but given the ease of which she had injured his hand he stepped back and signaling to the other Narns they turned and hurried in the direction of the Zocalo.

After they disappeared around a corner Terann turned her attention back to the young Centauri. Crouching down to face the boy she looked at the injury he had sustained. Aside from the mark on his face he appeared undamaged.

"Are you okay?" She asked the boy.

"Yes, thank you." With the departure of the Narn his pride and courage quickly returned. "You're a Minbari, aren't you? But how did you..."

"There are some things that one so young should not be concerned with." She smiled at him and turned to the girl who was still grasping him tightly.

Looking into her eyes, Terann saw something familiar. Within the girl, she could see loneliness and fear that she had seen before in the Ranger Aelora. Perhaps it was from years of being raised as a proper Centauri female or perhaps it was something more. She felt the child reach out to her and though Terann had been trained to block out such things she allowed the girl into her mind, if only to ease her fear. As she felt the girl begin to relax she told her "You have a unique gift..."

Interrupting, the boy said "She...my sister, she's shy.... She doesn't say much."

Looking back at him, Terann replied. "Perhaps she does, Terik, you just do not listen to her."

A look of confusion crossed his face. "How did you know my name?"

"The same way I know her name is Anissa. She told me." Terann looked back at the girl and noticed a smile form on her tear-streaked face.

Standing up and straightening her cloak Terann looked down at the children before her. "Now, we must find to whom you belong."

"My father is Lord..."

Terann did not allow him to finish. "Yes Lord Tulluran, and your mother is Lady Tulluran. I also know what they look like and what they are wearing."

Terik looked at her, his confusion growing. "But how?"

"Anissa told me." Turning to lead them to the Zocalo Terann noticed the girl's smile widen.

As they walk through the marketplace, Terik filled her ear with stories of life on Centauri Prime and of their arrival on the station only days before. They had been to visit the Narn homeworld and were now returning home to Centauri Prime. He spoke proudly of the conditions under which the Narn were forced to live. As he spoke, Terann noticed his sister did not seem to share his pride in her people’s conquest. In fact, she appeared sadden by what she had been exposed to. Perhaps there is hope for them yet, Terann thought to herself. "They are filthy, disgusting creatures. They sleep in the dirt and eat the refuse the Centauri leave behind. They deserve everything we do to them."

Terann found it disturbing that a child so young could carry so much hatred inside him. "Perhaps someday your people will realize the wrong you have done to the Narn."

Driven by both arrogance and a need to display his knowledge, Terik interrupted her. "But what of your war with the earther's. Your people did not show them half the mercy we have shown the Narn."

It was evident from the look on his face that he regretted his words as soon as he had spoken them, but to his surprise the Minbari's expression did not change. "We all have darkness in our pasts, things that we must accept and learn from. Our war with the humans was one such thing, and we were lucky to have realized our mistake before it was too late. Let's hope your people are as lucky."

Terik looked as if he were about to rebut her when Anissa's voice stopped him. "Mama..." she screamed as she ran toward a Centauri couple heading toward them.

"Anissa.... Terik..." Lady Tulluran said embracing her children.

Lord Tulluran grabbed Terik by the arm roughly. "Don't you ever do anything like that again. This place is not safe. They allow Narn free reign here and we all know what they are capable of. Not only you, but your sister, could have been injured."

"I am sorry father." The fear that Terann had seen in him before had returned and the once proud, arrogant young man had disappeared to be replaced by a small frightened boy.

"We can discuss it later. What is important is that we have the children back safely." Lady Tulluran told her husband quietly.

He looked at her with annoyance, but conceded. "Very well." He turned to face the Minbari who had helped his children. "Thank you for helping my children."

He wore his arrogance proudly. The Tulluran family was probably in some level of power in the Centauri government. Suddenly Terann had an idea. Aelora had mentioned that a Centauri couple had raised her, and perhaps an influential man such as Lord Tulluran would have some information about her.

"They were no trouble at all. You must be proud of them." She knew that by feeding his ego, he would be more willing to tell her about Aelora.

"Well if there is anything I can do for you..." he trailed off, indicating he had no intention of repaying her for her service.

"Actually there is. I have come to know a young woman, a human, raised on your world. Her name is Aelora Campbell, though I believe her Centauri name was Kyra."

At the mention of Aelora's name Lord and Lady Tulluran looked at each other and giggled. Terann was confused and it must have shown on her face. Lord Tulluran composed himself. "I am sorry. Aelora was a bit of a joke back home. When she first came to Centauri Prime she was very.... human. It took some doing, but eventually she became a proper Centauri girl. That was until she became involved with your rangers. Though rumor has it she has proven to be trouble to them too."

"Do you know anything about what happened to her after she left Centauri Prime and before she joined the Rangers?" Terann was prying and she could tell he was becoming annoyed but she need to find out all she could about the ranger.

"There were stories, rumors really nothing more. I am sorry I can not be of further assistance."

Terann nodded and watched the family begin to walk away. Suddenly Anissa ran back and grabbed Terann's hand. Kneeling down to face the Centauri, she felt the girl in her mind. "Thank you, not for finding maman and papan, but for understanding me. No one has done that before." Terann smiled back at the young girl. Standing, she watched them disappear into the crowd.

Terann stood there for several moments noting the similarities between the small girl and Aelora. They both seem lost in a world that threatened to consume them. Terann only hoped that it was not too late for both to be saved.

 

 

Aelora moved quickly down the gangplank, G’Kar close beside her in full Vorlon encounter suit. Getting past Babylon 5 security had been a hassle. They had been full of questions as to where the Vorlon was headed and why Lyta was not with him. When Aelora had finally had enough and informed them that Ambassador Delenn had been in charge of the entire mission and that she was merely accompanying Ambassador Kosh for protection, they had quieted but still held suspicious looks on their faces. Both had been Narns and Aelora had come severely close to simply shooting them and having done with it. Finally, she told them to contact Captain Sheridan and get the story through him, since he had been involved with the proceedings, although she was certain he was in the middle of a meeting, surely he would not mind being interrupted for something as simple as one of the Ambassador’s leaving the station on government business. The Narns ended their questioning there and wished the Vorlon Ambassador a safe journey. The shuttle flight to the warship had been uneventful and now here they stood, in the docking bay of the Ilaws, preparing for the most difficult part of the charade: meeting with the Captain.

"Lady Kyra!" Captain Tiro Kyra came towards them, his arms outstretched to receive Aelora in a welcoming embrace. "My dear cousin! How splendid it is to see you again. It has been too long. You are no longer the child I remember".

Aelora flashed him a friendly smile. "Is that your polite way of referring to my hair, Cousin?" She laughed at his abashed expression. "Congratulations on your commendation from the Emperor".

"I was only doing my duty for the good of our people," Tiro replied mechanically, his eyes’ saying that he was uncomfortable with the subject. Aelora found herself curious as to what was going on but knew to wait until they had some time alone.

"Captain Kyra, may I introduce you to Ambassador Kosh", she said, indicating the Vorlon who bowed stiffly to the Centauri Captain.

Tiro glanced nervously at the Vorlon and Aelora found herself hiding a smile. Here was exactly the reason the encounter suit was the perfect disguise: everyone was terribly afraid of the Vorlons. He would not be questioned.

"Er…Welcome aboard the Ilaws, Ambassador. We have your accommodations prepared. I am sorry that we were unable to adapt the environment to suit your needs but with so little time – "

"The Ambassador understands, I assure you, Captain", Aelora interrupted, wanting to get G’Kar hidden away as quickly as possible. "If you could just show us to our quarters…"

"Of course", Tiro smiled, indicating that they follow him.

Aelora glanced over at G’Kar, thinking that as long as he stayed in the encounter suit so that she could not see he was a Narn, she might be able to stand him for awhile. That hope was destroyed as soon as they reached their quarters and her cousin left to return to the bridge. G’Kar promptly pulled off the helmet, complaining that he could not see a thing in it.

"Maybe you should stay in that thing the entire trip", Aelora suggested as she moved around the room. There was one large room with a sofa, two chairs, a desk and knick-knacks galore. To the left was a door which led into a bedroom that housed a large canopy bed covered in thick pink satin quilts and draped in matching silk curtains. Aelora found herself smiling at all the gold and crystal that adorned the rooms, the enormous paintings of Centauri gods and goddesses and the thick carpets. Leave it to the Centauri to make even a warship seem like the Imperial Palace. She moved out of the bedroom to find that G’Kar had completely rid himself of the encounter suit and once more looked like the race she despised. She frowned.

"Is there a room where I shall sleep?" he asked.

"Yeah, it’s called one of those two sofas behind you. Take your pick".

G’Kar glanced back, noting that he was much too tall for either of them to accommodate him. It appeared he would have to settle for the floor. "I will admit, your plan seems to have worked. The encounter suit was a brilliant idea".

Aelora turned away from him. "Oh, thank you". Her tone was bitingly sarcastic. "You know, you’re opinion just means so very much to me, that I’ll remember to ask you for it in the future. Then again, maybe not".

G’Kar sighed, resigning himself to the fact that he had best get used to her flippant insults because they had a long trip ahead of them and she was ultimately responsible for helping him to complete this mission. "I see. Then I shall endeavor to offer it as much as possible", he replied, deciding that matching her at her little games was infinitely preferable to quietly taking the hits.

"Save your breath", she muttered, heading toward the door.

"Where are you going?"

Aelora stopped, feeling her temper rise. She turned to face G’Kar, glowering. "Look, you are not my keeper. You are not my friend. You are not even my acquaintance. You certainly aren’t so dumb as to believe that I would spend one minute more in your company than I have to".

"Ah, I see. You would prefer to spend your time in the company of Centauri". G’Kar nodded, taking a seat at the desk. "Well, there is no accounting for taste. I suppose even buffoons such as that Cousin of yours offer some sort of entertainment".

"Tiro is a great man", Aelora snapped at him, her eyes flashing. "Your entire race isn’t fit to lick his boots". Her eyes narrowed, and a particularly cruel expression crossed her face. "If only I could have witnessed your people begging for mercy as my cousin released the first volley of Mass Drivers from this warship onto your world. It must have been a sight to see".

G’Kar found himself standing slowly, an emotion of such incredible rage washing over him that he wondered if he could continue to keep it in check. His first thought was to destroy this ship and everyone in it, including the ruthless human whom stood smiling smugly at him from only a few feet away. His calmer senses quickly returned and he reminded himself that he could not change what was done. It was the future that was important, and this mission had a role in creating that future. He would not ruin that now, because of some flippant remark made by someone who was more confused than hateful.

"I will pretend that you did not just say that", G’Kar replied calmly, once more sitting down.

It was not the reaction that Aelora had expected. A part of her had wanted him to attack her, so that she had an excuse to see this silly charade ended but it did not come out that way. Instead of reacting in the barbaric manner that Aelora had been raised to expect, she had gotten a response that one would generally see out of a Minbari. Even a human would not have allowed such a remark to pass without retribution. She could find no explanation for the Narn’s behavior and found herself categorizing the only way she could understand.

"Well, I see you are a coward as well as a savage".

G’Kar fixed her gaze with his. "You see nothing", he replied softly. "And that is what is sad".

Aelora pulled her eyes away from his, unable to think of a suitable reply. She flashed him one last glare before turning and hurrying out the door.

 

 

Things were relatively slow around the security office, and Ashlen was taking the time to read some old reports. She had heard Bester's accounts of his visits here, but she found it interesting to read an alternate perspective. Bester had made her think of the security staff here as brainless louts and she laughed to find that they perceived him in much the same way.

When she heard her link, she put down the report she was reading and pressed it. "Security...."

"This is Medlab. We have a Narn here who appears to have been attacked. You might want to send someone down for a statement."

"I'll send a team down right away. Security out."

As she pressed her link again Zack Allan walked in. "Zack, I was just about to link in. Wanna take a walk with me to Medlab."

"Sure thing. What's up?" He questioned.

Standing and gathering her jacket up she smiled at him. "I will tell you on the way."

As they made their way toward Medlab, Zack and Ashlen talked about recent events on the station. Zack’s babbling usually bored Ashlen stiff, but today she found herself oddly interested. She was finding it strange how this place and those aboard were beginning to grow on her. To be honest, Zack was a nice guy, and though he was a mundane she found him tolerable. He made it no secret that he found her attractive and she felt flattered by this.

Walking into Medlab, they were immediately met by a nurse. "He is back there. Just follow the howling."

They headed in the direction the nurse had indicated and soon saw what he had been talking about. There were two Narns standing off to the side obviously unwilling to involve themselves. When the doctor noticed Zack and Ashlen she turned to the nurse. "Sedate him and prep him for surgery."

The nurse nodded and set about the task given her. Doctor LaSalle approached them a grim look on her face. Since Babylon 5 had declared it's independence from earth, it's medical staff had become increasingly overworked and it show on the young doctors face.

"So what happened?" Zack asked getting right to the point.

LaSalle took a deep breath. "According to the x-rays it would appear that every bone in his hand has been effectively reduced to dust. He has not been very forthcoming as to how it happened, but it would appear that it was not an accident."

"How do you know?" Ashlen questioned.

"Well, if he had gotten it caught in something there would be damage to the skin tissue. However, he has no bruising or lacerations of any kind. I don't know how it could have happened. Maybe you can get more out of him, but don't take too long he is being prepped for surgery."

"Surgery? Why?" Zack inquired.

"The damage is far too severe. There is absolutely no way for the damage to heal. The hand will have to be amputated."

"Thank you doctor. We will be as brief as possible." Ashlen said walking toward the injured Narn.

It was clear from his demeanor that he had already been sedated. He appeared much calmer though definitely still enraged.

"So, you want to tell us what happened?" Zack asked him bluntly.

"Not really," the Narn spat back.

"Look I don't take kindly to having my time wasted." Zack told him his tone becoming more angered than Ashlen had ever seen.

"I'll tell you what happened."

Ashlen and Zack both turned to look at the Narn behind them who until that point had remained silent. The Narn on the bed cursed violently at him but he took no notice.

"There was this Minbari...a female. She attacked him."

Zack looked at the Narn behind him in disbelief, a smile forming on his face. "A woman did this to you?"

"It was not like that. She did it...I don't know how...all of a sudden his hand made this cracking noise and that was it." It was painfully obvious that the Narn had a hard enough time believing the story himself.

Zack snickered. "So what you are telling me is that a Minbari woman attacked you for no reason and without touching you crushed your hand into paste." Zack found it difficult not to laugh at the absurdity of the Narn's account. "Can you give me a description of the attacker."

The Narn did not like Zack mocking him and his anger was growing. "They all look alike to me."

"Yah, great, thank you for your co-operation." Zack said, ready to call it quits.

Ashlen did not appear as amused, in fact Zack noticed she had become surprisingly silent. At the mention of the possibility that it was Terann who had injured the Narn she attempted to find out for sure. She reached into the Narn's mind. As she saw what had happened, it was clear that it was Terann who had been involved. However, it was how the Minbari had attacked the Narn that concerned her. She had not expected her to have telekinetic abilities. This new twist worried her, but, she would have to deal with it when and if the time came. News of Terann's involvement in the attack, however, did help Ashlen. If she were able to get the Minbari convicted in the assault of the Narn, she would not need to follow through on her plan. It was not that she was not looking forward to it, it was simply far more dangerous. It would be difficult to prove that Terann was acting out of malice, but not impossible. She found it ironic that the Minbari had given her exactly what she wanted.

"You coming Lieutenant." Zack called back to Ashlen.

As she snapped out of her reverie she saw Zack waiting for her. Catching up to him she apologized to him. "Sorry, I was simply thinking about what he said."

"What do you mean? He said nothing that would help us." Zack told her plainly.

As they left Med Lab she explained. "Actually he did. Doctor LaSalle said that there were no marks on his hand and the Narn said that the Minbari did not attack his friend in the conventional meaning of the word."

Zack stopped turning to look at her. "What are you saying, Ashlen?"

"What I am saying is that perhaps we are dealing with more than your average Minbari. I mean psi ability is not solely a human quality. We know the Minbari have telepaths so it is only logical to conclude that they have some with telekinetic abilities."

Zack was silent for several moments as he thought of how to proceed. Finally he got it. "There should be a complete list of all the Minbari telepaths on the station in the security database, what with them helping in the war and all."

Ashlen nodded and they head back to the security office.

 

 

Aelora stared out the viewport at the vast starfield that surrounded the Ilaws. Ever since she had left the quarters she was forced to share with that Narn, a nagging premonition had assailed her. The further they traveled from Babylon 5, the more she began to feel that she was…needed there. Something was wrong, and Aelora’s instincts said it had to do with Terann. Which, of course, was completely ludicrous. Of anyone that might need her, the last person Aelora would list would be the Minbari Warrior --- barring the little incident with Neroon. She shook the feeling off, attributing it to her nerves over the current assignment, and returned her attention to her cousin, who stood at her side, his gaze focused on the view but his mind obviously elsewhere.

"Tiro?" She questioned, touching his arm. "Are you all right?"

He glanced over at her as if surprised to see her there, and offered a small smile. "Just fine, cousin. Just fine".

An uncomfortable silence returned and Aelora found herself wondering what had happened to the posturing, bragging cousin she that used to know. Everyone changed, she knew that, but this seemed much too drastic a change to simply be due to time. She decided to broach a subject that she was certain would brighten his mood.

"Congratulations on your commendation. You must be very proud".

She received a derisive snort in response. "Yah. It took a whole lot of bravery to bomb a civilization from space".

The echoing words of Marcus sent a sickening flutter to work in her stomach. "But…it was a great day for Centauri Prime, Tiro. You helped replace us to the former glory Centauri once held".

"At what price?" He asked.

"I don’t understand", Aelora replied, staring at Tiro as if she had never seen him before. "They’re only Narns".

"Only Narns?" Tiro shook his head with a sad smile. "Only Narns. That’s what I kept telling myself. That’s what we all kept telling ourselves, for four days straight. As Lord Refa pranced and preened around the deck, exclaiming about the grand and glorious cause of the Centauri Republic! They are only Narns, he said. Bomb them into nonexistence". He looked back out the viewport, seeing not the starfield before him, but the devastation of the Narn Homeworld. "And as I watched the fires burning below me, the cities turning to dust, listening to the reports of the dead as they poured in --- the millions of lives that my orders were responsible for --- I continued to tell myself they are only Narns".

"But you --- "

"Have you ever killed someone before, Aelora?" He interrupted, fixing her with a steady gaze. "I have. I’m a soldier. It’s my job. In war, people die. Soldiers go into battle knowing they may not come back. It is the unspoken rule of battle. You fight until you win, or die. They fire at you and you fire at them and one side either has more fire power or a better aim". He laughed humorlessly. "But this…this was not battle. This was the pointless murder of women and children, the old and the infirm, those who had no interest in the war or what happened anywhere but in their own backyards. We slaughtered them, Ae. Slaughtered them by the millions within minutes and I am supposed to feel proud?"

He stepped closer to Aelora, his expression one of such self-hatred she found herself taking a step back from him. "I saw first hand what we had done, what I was responsible for. I saw the charred remains of the children, I heard the cries of those who were unfortunate enough to live, who were left to see what remained of their home, left to carry on without those they loved by their sides. I saw it all, Aelora, and through every moment of my self-inflicted torture, I continued to ask myself: when is our day of reckoning? When will the Great Maker finally look down on Centauri Prime and say ‘It is time to pay for what you have done’. Because we will, Aelora. We will. We can not escape from this path of destruction unscathed. One day, Centauri Prime will burn, and it will be our women and children who will pay the price of blinding hatred".

Aelora stared in muted shock as Tiro gently took her face in his hands. She saw the apology in his eyes, the regret for having said too much, spoken too passionately, frightening and confusing her beyond comprehension.

"Don’t let the fire consume you, Aelora", he whispered, his tone pleading. "Step away before you burn with the rest of us. You still have that choice, cousin. Take it…while you still can".

Tiro stepped away from her then, the Centauri mask once more falling over his face. He was a soldier, it was his duty and Aelora could see, as plainly as day, his job was killing him. Slowly, painfully, from the inside out, Tiro was suffocating, killing himself with his own self-inflicted guilt. He blamed himself for the deaths of millions, and nothing she or anyone else said or did would change that.

"I have rounds to make," he told her, his voice once more steady and commanding. "The…Ambassador is settled?"

Aelora nodded, still unable to find the strength to speak. She watched as he moved away from her, unable to take those first few steps herself. She felt cold inside. Cold, and terribly alone. She found herself not wanting to think of all that Tiro had just said to her, not wanting to remember it. Bury it away, a voice warned urgently in her mind. Bury it, ignore it, put that wall back in place and never let the ranting of a madman cause you to question again!

Finally, the Ranger forced herself to put one foot in front of the other, to move out of her stupor and find an avenue to make it all go away. You need to relax, she told herself. You need to stop worrying about everyone’s problems and just have a good time. But somewhere, hidden in the furthest reaches of her mind, a child’s voice laughed at her. You need to run away, it laughed. You always need to run away.

 

 

Aelora tripped into the room late that night, falling against the door as she closed it behind her, then covered her mouth to suppress that giggle that threatened to spill. G’Kar pushed his writing aside to watch her, surprised to see the usually stoic Ranger so blindly inebriated.

"Good evening," she greeted, trying to imitate the main characters from one of the old vids Michael had had her watch called Dracula. She immediately broke out into giggles once more.

G’Kar leaned back in his chair, folding his arms over his chest. "I take it you had fun this evening?"

At this, Aelora dissolved into uncontrollable laughter. She laughed until she got the hiccups then, upon calming herself, she slowly and cautiously made her way across the room.

"Fun? Fun?" She giggled again. "You stick yourself in a room full of pompous…bragging…Centauri soldiers…and tell me how much fun you have". She shook her head. "All that damn hair…hiccup!"

G’Kar found himself fighting a smile. He wondered just how much of the real Aelora he would see now that alcohol had stripped away all inhibitions and pretenses. "I thought Centauri women found all that hair appealing".

Aelora "hrmphed" at that comment, and dropped into the chair across the table from him. "‘Bout as appealin’ as the dinner menu at a Pak’ma’ra Diner".

This time, G’kar did chuckle.

Aelora laid her head on her hands and looked up at G’Kar from under her long lashes. "What’cha writin’?"

"A book".

"I didn’t know Narns could write – or read for that matter".

"I didn’t know Centauri had manners – and look! I was right!" G’Kar replied, not missing a beat.

Aelora giggled. "Ouch! That was good. Two points for the Narn". She sighed, wiggled her head around on her hands. "I’m not very nice to you, am I?"

G’Kar looked away from her. "No, you are not".

"I’m sorry", she whispered.

The Narn looked back at her. "I wish I could believe that".

Aelora’s lower lip stuck out in a perfect pout. She sighed again, her demeanor switching from giddy to morose. "All my life I’ve said and done the wrong things. First momma left me, then Marcus, then my father…and the Kyra’s – well, I’ve never been able to please them".

"Maybe you should try pleasing yourself for a change", G’Kar suggested, wondering if it were true that coffee helped humans recover from the effects of alcohol and how could he get her some. On the other hand, her drunken induced civility toward him was allowing him an opportunity he would never have otherwise had: to get to know what made Aelora the person she was.

"What would make you happy?" He asked her, curious to know how she would answer both now and when she was sober. "What would it take to make you happy?"

Aelora slumped back in her seat, staring at G’Kar with an expression that said she had never been asked that question before. G’Kar found himself entranced by her eyes, which were a translucent green in color now that she was relaxed and unguarded. They appeared like mirrors to her soul, the most expressive eyes G’Kar had ever seen on any creature.

"What would it take?" She repeated, her tone devoid of the spark or vibrancy that G’Kar had become accustomed to. "Security. To feel completely secure".

"No one is ever secure, Aelora. That is not the way the universe works".

"No…but just to have that feeling, just once…and to know I could carry it with me…" She trailed off, looking away from G’Kar. "And to have someone that cared about me…truly care. Not about the Ranger, or Jeffrey Sinclair’s daughter or the only child of the House of Kyra…just Aelora".

"I care about her", G’Kar replied before he could stop. By G’Quan, why did you say that? He mentally chided himself.

Aelora leaned her head back against the chair, closing her eyes. "You", she replied in a soft whisper. "You…don’t count…"

G’Kar felt the sting of her comment but did not reply, knowing it was useless. She was all ready fast asleep. He watched her silent form, recalling the Minbari ritual of the female watching the male in sleep to see his ‘true face’. Carefully brushing a stray piece of red hair from her cheek he was surprised by the softness of her skin. As he dared to touch her again, Aelora sighed deeply and nestled her head into his hand. A smile crossed his face. Tilting his head to look at her deeply, he began to see the human in her. Gone was the Centauri harshness, instead she appeared almost childlike. If only she could always know peace like this. G'Kar found himself feeling oddly sorry for her. He could not blame her for her hatred of his race. She was a product of her upbringing.

Removing his hand from her cheek, G'Kar lifted her into his arms, cradling her gently against his chest so as not to wake her while he carried her over to the bed. As he leaned over to lay her on the mattress, Aelora’s arms suddenly crept up around his shoulders and he looked down to find her staring up at him. Only there was no hatred in her eyes, no disgust. It was more an expression of…longing? Regret? G’Kar turned away from her, unable to allow himself to consider things that would never be.

"I can’t let you count, G’Kar", she whispered sadly. "I can’t".

"I know", G’Kar answered, still refusing to look back at her.

She reached out to touch his face, tracing her fingertips along his jaw line gently, finally drawing his head around to look at her. "I would let you count, G’Kar…if I could".

G’Kar placed her gently on the mattress, trying to pull away but unable to release her arms from their hold around his shoulders.

"Promise me", she whispered.

"Promise you what?"

"Promise…promise that you will never leave me…no matter what I say or do", she pleaded, her eyes suddenly those of a child who was very lost and alone. "Promise me".

"I will never leave you", G’Kar promised, knowing that he meant it. Even though she would deny that this conversation had ever taken place, he meant to keep his promise to her. "You are lucky that you will not remember any of this in the morning", he smiled sadly. "You would not be able to live with yourself…and you would hate me all the more".

Aelora returned his smile with one of her own. "But you’ll remember for me…and remind me, someday, when I am cruel to you?"

G’Kar nodded solemnly. "Yes, Aelora. I will remind you, someday, when you are cruel to me".

At this, Aelora smiled softly and closed her eyes. G'Kar watched her drift off into sleep. As he moved to stand he found himself stopping. Turning back to Aelora, he found himself with thoughts he knew he should not have. Thoughts of longing and of passion. He liked strong women and the human before him definitely qualified. However, as she lay sleeping, he saw a frailty in her, a vulnerability that he had not noticed before in the young ranger. By G'Quan, what have they done to you he thought to himself. The Narn found himself wondering what she would have been like had her upbringing been different. Would she be so driven, would she have joined the Rangers, would she smile when she looked at him? The thought of her feelings toward him caused a wave of sadness to wash over him. His people had suffered mercilessly at the hands of the Centauri for over a century and he had thought himself immune to their hatred.

Pulling the blanket over her, he caressed her cheek once more. "Perhaps someday...." he muttered under his breath. Getting up he found himself a spot on the floor. Lying down to sleep, he smiled knowing it would please her to find him there when she woke.

 

 

Terann was meditating when the bell to her door chimed. She hesitated a moment, undecided as whether or not to let them know she was there. The bell chimed again and she sighed, knowing that whoever it was, they did not plan to go away soon. She blew out the candle before her, watching for a moment as the flame died away and the smoke billowed upward until it finally disappeared. She pondered as to why this seemed important to her, why the candle seemed to speak to her, whisper her name with it’s dying ember. The bell chimed again and Terann turned to glare at the door, her train of thought effectively cut off. She gathered her skirts into her hands and climbed to her feet.

"Open," she called out, glancing up to see Lieutenant Zack Allan enter. Behind him, a smug smile on her devious face, Ashlen Ladan stepped into the Minbari’s quarters.

Terann immediately raised her defenses, not willing to trust the Psi Cop for even a moment. "I take it you are here because of the Narn," Terann spoke, ignoring any greeting it may have been proper to speak.

Zack glanced over at Ashlen quickly, then turned back to Terann, nodding. "Yes, actually. That is why we are here. We would like to hear from you what happened."

Terann moved over to the couch where she sat, not bothering to offer a seat to the security officers. She was making it extremely clear that she did not appreciate their presence. "Those Narns were harming children. I simply stopped them."

"No offense," Zack commented. "But you basically turned the bones in that Narn’s hand to dust. Isn’t that a little extreme?"

Terann cocked her head to one side, regarding Lieutenant Allan curiously. "I believe the protection of innocents requires extreme measures from time to time, don’t you, Lieutenant?"

"How’d you do it?" Ashlen stepped forward, uninterested in reasons or motives. She eyed the Minbari in mistrust, wondering if it would be worth it to attempt a scan. She decided against it, not wanting to give Zack any cause for suspicion to arise. "I’ve never heard of telepaths being able to do stuff like that."

"And how much do you know about telepaths, Lieutenant Ladan?" Terann asked, testing her.

Ashlen clenched her fists at her sides, though she fought to keep her expression neutral. Zack was watching them both. "Not much, I’m afraid."

"Then you should not be questioning that which you do not understand," came Terann’s smooth reply. The Minbari allowed herself a small smile.

Zack sighed, feeling that this conversation was getting them no where. For some reason beyond his comprehension, the two women seemed prepared to attack one another. "Look, Terann, if you could just tell us, in your words, what happened, we can get past all of this."

Terann nodded. "Very well, Lieutenant. I discovered the group of Narns surrounding two small Centauri children, a boy and a girl. One of the Narns hit the boy and when he went to hit him again, I interceded. I attempted to end it without any injuries but the Narn threatened to attack me as well as the children and refused to listen. So I stopped him the only way I knew how at the time." She shrugged. "I was angry. I do not like to see children harmed. They should not have to suffer for the adult’s foolishness."

"You should have let security deal with it," Ashlen snapped.

"There were none within distance. Had I gone to find someone, the children would have been harmed."

Zack held up his hand to silence Ashlen before she could say anymore. Instead, he asked," Did you, by any chance, get the names of the children?"

"Yes. Of course," Terann replied in a tone that suggested how stupid the question had been. "Terik and Anissa. I returned them to their parents afterwards. Lord and Lady Tulluran."

"Thank you, Terann," Zack said. "I would suggest that the next time something like this occurs, try to get security to handle it. But if you can’t, try something a little less severe, okay?"

"Certainly, Lieutenant." Terann stood to show them out but Ashlen was not finished.

"Just one more thing. What are you doing here?"

Zack looked over at Ashlen curiously, wondering what her question had to do with the investigation.

Terann regarded the human levelly. "I did not know it was procedure to question anyone’s reasons for coming to this space station."

"It isn’t," Zack replied, frowning at Ashlen. "Come on, Lieutenant," he said, trying to push her out the door.

But Ashlen was not going anywhere. "It is when that being is a potential danger to the station’s population. Why are you here?"

"Why are you here?" The Minbari’s eyes narrowed. If the Psi Cop wanted to play games, then she would certainly comply.

Ashlen realized she would get no more information out of the alien. She glared at Terann for a moment then stomped out the door, pushing past Zack and disappearing down the corridor.

Zack looked back at Terann. "I am sorry. She is…a bit overzealous."

"A bit."

"Thank you for your cooperation." Zack nodded at her and hurried off after Ashlen.

Terann stood staring at the door long after it had closed. It was obvious that the situation with the Psi Cop was fast reaching a boiling point. Terann still had no idea what interest Ashlen had in Aelora Sinclair, or why she herself felt it necessary to protect the Ranger. Perhaps it was her dedication to Valen. No matter how confused his child appeared to be about her place in the galaxy, she was still his child. She would understand her purpose when the time was right.

The Minbari soon returned to her meditation, hoping that the right time would come quickly, before she was forced to deal with the Psi Cop in her own way.

 

Aelora found herself emerging through some bushes to come upon a scene right out of an Alice in Wonderland, only the characters were slightly different. She glanced down to discover that she wore a short blue dress with a white apron, her hair held back by a simple black ribbon. She kept wondering why this was all so familiar to her as she approached the scene before her: a table, covered in various dishes and tea sets. Seated at the table were three guests: Londo, wearing a ridiculous enormous top hat and brilliantly colored cravat, and Citizen G’Kar, who wore a checkered vest and bow tie. Between them, being used as a sort of cushion by Londo and G’Kar, since he was fast asleep, was Lennier.

"No room! No room!" Londo and G’Kar cried out as Aelora approached.

She glanced around at all of the empty spots in confusion, then simply chose to ignore their comment as she quietly took a seat. It was oddly discomforting to know that she knew from where this scene came and what was to occur and yet everything was slightly off-kilter from the original.

"Have some hot jhala?" G’Kar asked politely.

"I don’t see any hot jhala", Aelora replied in a perplexed tone as she glanced around the table.

"There isn’t any", G’Kar answered.

Aelora frowned. "You shouldn’t offer something that isn’t there".

"You shouldn’t sit down without being asked", said G’Kar.

Aelora couldn’t argue with that comment. Instead she replied, "I thought perhaps you wouldn’t mind…being that it was set for so many".

"Those are laid out for those who have been and those who will be", Londo commented, with a wide spreading of his arms. He glanced at Aelora. "Your head needs to be shaved".

She grabbed onto a fistful of her hair possessively. "You will not. I am very fond of my hair, thank you".

Londo stared at her for a long moment, then asked, "What do you get when you cross a Minbari with a Vorlon?"

Aelora frowned once more. "That is a good question. What do you get when you cross a Minbari with a Vorlon?"

"I asked you first".

"But I don’t know the answer".

"Then you can’t ask the question".

"But I didn’t. You did".

"I couldn’t have", Londo replied. "I don’t know the answer either".

Aelora began to rub her temples. She felt a headache quickly coming on.

"That is the answer", Lennier answered, talking in his sleep. "The answer is the question".

"It is the same with you, you know", G’Kar said, looking over at Aelora as if she were a particularly interesting insect.

"The same what?" Aelora questioned, watching as Londo poured some hot jhala over Lennier’s nose.

"He’s asleep again", he commented.

Lennier lifted his head for a moment off of the table. "Worker, warrior, religious…" He glanced at Aelora sleepily. "Where do you fit in?"

"Er…"

"She doesn’t, you know", G’Kar answered.

"I want a clean cup!" Londo announced, picking up and moving to the next seat.

Aelora refused to budge, not willing to sit in the chair last occupied by G’Kar. He had upset his cup during the move and hot jhala spilled down the table.

"Let’s have the Minbari tell us a story!" Londo suggested.

He and G’Kar began to poke Lennier in the sides to wake him.

"Oh yes", Aelora agreed. "Do tell us a story please".

Lennier sat up in his seat, took a deep breath and said, "There once was a man from Nantucket…"

Londo clapped his hand over the Minbari’s mouth. Lennier promptly fell back to sleep.

Aelora shook her head. "I don’t understand. Why are you all here?"

"We are having a drink together", G’Kar replied.

"Well, the strange fact of the three of you sitting together aside, I meant, why are you all in my dream?"

"Who said it was your dream?" Londo asked indignantly.

"Well, it couldn’t very well be yours", Aelora retorted back.

"Very presumptuous of her", Lennier mumbled in his sleep.

"It may just as well be mine", G’Kar commented.

"No, no!" Aelora argued. "That is impossible. I am the one having this dream. Only…I don’t understand why it involves all of you…."

"How can the dream be yours if you don’t understand it?" G’Kar asked.

"No dream actually makes sense during the dreaming", Aelora replied, knowing she very rarely ever understood any of her dreams. Her father, her real father, was always very good at doing that for her. She wished he were here now.

"Then why have the dream at all?" Londo questioned, staring down into the bottom of his cup.

"I have no control over that".

"If you have no control, why are you dreaming the dream at all?" G’Kar looked at her for a moment then stood and simply disappeared.

"He’s annoying", Aelora replied after he had left.

Lennier sat up, looked pointedly at her. "You are annoying". Then he too simply disappeared.

"That was very rude", Aelora commented to Londo, who was still staring silently into his cup. "What is it that is so fascinating in there?" she asked.

"Time", came the reply.

"But how could Time fit inside that little cup?"

Londo looked at her, tears brimming at the corners of his eyes. "‘Tis sad, isn’t it? There is so little Time left…". He dropped his head into his hands and began bawling like a baby.

Aelora quickly stood, backing away from the table. She heard a male voice cry out, "Off with their heads!" and knew it was time to wake herself up. She began to pinch herself repeatedly, as cries of outrage and pain rose in the distance. Suddenly, Terann appeared beside her, only she was wearing what appeared to be a Vorlon encounter suit.

"Sad, isn’t it?" Terann said, looking at Aelora with an expression of hopelessness. "Not knowing the answer only leaves one to ask more questions. And there is very little Time left for that. One head, two heads…it doesn’t matter. He’ll take them all before it’s over…and your greatest fear will at last come true…Child of Valen. You will never find your way here…"…

 

Her mind still clouded from both the Bravari and the strange dream, Aelora lay quietly attempting to make sense of her dream. Had her father been here he would have easily interpreted it. Thinking of her father brought back her feelings of abandonment. It angered her that those who should have cared most had given her the least. As she sat up in bed she noticed G'Kar asleep on the floor at the end of her bed. With a laugh she said, "Well, there is always you."

Getting up her head began to spin and her stomach to churn. She hurried to the adjacent bathroom, kicking G'Kar as she passed him.

"Wha…?" G'Kar spoke sitting up. He could hear Aelora retching and he asked, "Are you okay?"

"Do not concern yourself with my well-being." She muttered. Coming back into the bedroom she collapsed on the bed.

"You are more human than you think. I have never seen a Centauri that shade of green before." G'Kar told her with a grin.

"Look Narn," she spat, "everything in me that was human died a long time ago. All that remains is Centauri. Never doubt that."

"Perhaps it is you with doubts. Perhaps..."

She refused to allow him to finish. "Let's get one thing clear. I am not here for you. I am here because Entilzah Delenn felt it necessary to test my loyalty to the Rangers. I will do nothing to risk bringing shame to my family. And if that means turning you over to Cartagia for execution then so be it." With that she got up and returned to the bathroom to wash and dress.

When she came out, G'kar was still sitting on the floor writing. "Do you intend to sit there like that for the remainder of the trip."

"Why, am I bothering you?" He replied suppressing a grin.

She could tell from his expression that he was baiting her, and the fact that he was enjoying himself angered her even more. As she began to run a brush through her hair she could feel him looking at her. "Is there something I can help you with, Citizen G'Kar?"

"No, I was just noticing how un-Centauri your hair is."

Tossing her hair behind her shoulders she looked at him with pure hatred. "I do not feel it necessary to justify my loyalties to you."

"It is not me, to whom, I see you justifying your loyalty," he replied pointedly.

"Do not tempt me to show you how deeply my loyalty to the Centauri lies, G'kar." With that she stomped out of her quarters.

Walking down the corridor, she passed several Centauri officers. They all seemed to step to the side to allow her to pass, as if they could detect her hostility. Approaching the viewport she could see the Narn homeworld in the distance. It was the first time she had laid eyes on it and she was shocked. She had heard stories and seen pictures but this was different. Even from this distance she could see the lifeless red of the planet. She wondered how it was even capable of supporting life. As the planet grew closer she began to notice the craters on the surface, evidence of the bombardment from the Centauri fleet. The view did not make her feel proud, as she thought it would, instead she felt empty.

"I am glad to see I am not the only one bothered by this sight," a voice behind her said.

Snapping out of her reverie Aelora turned to face the speaker, "Cousin, I am not bothered by this. They are only Narns."

Before he could reply she turned and walked away. Yes, they are only Narns she thought trying to reassure herself.

 

Terann left her quarters late the next morning, her exertions from her activities the day before causing her to take extra time to meditate. She had been through much in one day, and every person she had encountered, every event that had taken place, had all seemed to fit together somehow and yet, had left her with more questions regarding her purpose for being on Babylon 5. It had all seemed so clear cut at first and now, what had started out as black and white, had dulled to a hazy grey. Now, if someone were to tell her that day was night and night was day, she would be hard pressed not to take them at their word.

Upon entering Red Sector, Terann decided to get a quick bite to eat at the Eclipse Café. She ordered a small breakfast and a cup of tea, eating more as a means of sustenance than because she was hungry. She found a secluded table close to the wall where she could watch as people approached and also give the signal that she did not wish to be disturbed. Her thoughts were filled with how best to proceed with her mission and she did not want to be distracted by Drazi propositions or a disgruntled human wishing to pick a fight. She nibbled at her food, pushing her drink aside so that she could spread out a copy of Universe Today and read what the Humans considered to be news. Halfway through Eye on Minbar, she sensed a familiar and unwelcome presence. She glanced up from the paper to see the security officer/psi cop/liar extrordinaire, Ashlen Ladan, headed toward her. Terann immediately put up a mental block, in case the telepath decided to try to scan her.

Ashlen approached the Minbari cautiously, not wishing to appear a threat to her and yet determined to learn exactly how she had crushed that Narn’s hand so easily the day before. There were far more important reasons for distracting the Warrior but Ashlen was content to settle for simply learning something about her for now. The rest of her reward would follow soon. She quickly set up a mental block, not trusting the alien not to try and scan her. She could not take any chances with her well-laid plans.

"Is there something I can do for you, Lieutenant Ladan?" Terann asked, deciding to be as polite and unthreatening as possible. Until she knew exactly why this Psi Cop was going to so much trouble to be undercover on Babylon 5, she would have to be careful as to how she handled her. There was a mutual dislike that was clearly evident between them and Terann knew from experience that it was just the sort of thing to be set off by the slightest mistake.

"Actually, I was wondering if you could answer a few questions for me". Ashlen moved around to Terann’s left, leaning up against the wall so that the Minbari was forced to turn in her chair to speak to her.

"I answered all of your questions yesterday, human. This matter has been cleared". Terann moved to turn back and end the conversation when Ashlen replied:

"I wanted to talk telepath to telepath. Share tricks. You know, we are family in a way".

Terann snapped her head around to look at the impostor sharply. "We are not and never shall be ‘family’, human. Never make the mistake of thinking that".

"Okay, okay!" Ashlen forced a friendly laugh, holding up her hands in surrender. "Forget I said that. Look, I was simply curious as to how you crushed that Narn’s hand so completely. I mean, according to him, it happened within seconds. I’ve never heard of any P12 that has been able to do that. So, obviously, I am a little curious as to your abilities…telepath to telepath".

Terann regarded her with a level stare. "You seem to have everything else figured out around here, Lieutenant Ladan. Perhaps you can figure this one out on your own as well. I would warn you not to go looking for answers you might be sorry you found".

Ashlen’s eyes narrowed. "Is that a threat?"

"Minbari do not have need of threats, Lieutenant". Terann returned to her original position, dismissing the Human as if she were not worthy of her time.

For a moment, Ashlen contemplated pulling out her PPG and having done with the Minbari then and there. She quickly calmed herself though, telling herself that her plan was all ready set in motion, watching as the Warrior took a sip of her tea, and then another. Ashlen smiled. Yes, Terann would quickly learn that no one who got in her way would continue to stay there. Minbari or not, Warrior or not, even telepath, Ashlen always came out the winner in the end.

"Until later then". Ashlen nodded to the Warrior, casually strolling by her on her way back to her patrolling route. The clock was ticking. It was only a matter of time.

Terann watched in silence as the telepath moved away, a growing suspicion gnawing at the back of her mind. The entire encounter seemed strange to her and yet she could not understand why. Certainly the Psi Cop would be interested in her abilities, without a doubt she was on her way to report to her superiors everything she knew that Terann could do. They would most likely attempt to contact the Minbari government, asking for a possible trade in information and research on telepathic abilities, believing that the Minbari had somehow created stronger Teeps. Terann took another sip of her tea, thinking for a moment that it tasted stronger than usual for some reason, then casually dismissing the thought, once more contemplating the Psi Cop and her presence on Babylon 5.

Perhaps she knows, a little voice from somewhere in the deepest recesses of Terann’s mind whispered. No, that is impossible, Terann reasoned, setting her empty cup on the table and standing to leave. The room suddenly spun around her, forcing Terann to grab hold of her chair for support. The movement stopped as suddenly as it had started, causing Terann to wonder if she had simply imagined it all. She glanced around, a sneaking suspicion that everyone was watching her overcoming her senses. Perhaps they all know, the little voice whispered again. Terann shook her head, her eyes widening as people moved around her, leering near her, their voices rising in pitch, their thoughts becoming incomprehensible garbage, their eyes watching her, seeing straight into her soul.

Terann stumbled away from the table, pushing through the throng of people around her, recoiling back from them as she came into contact with clothing or skin, her heart racing from the sudden fear that they knew all about her. Her breathing began to grow labored, as her throat seemed to constrict tightly, as if the entire room and everyone in it were trying to suffocate her. A Drazi in front of her was unable to move out of the way in time and she pushed him hard, causing him to fly back against a vendor’s cart, hard enough to knock the stand over and break two of his ribs. I must get out of here, her mind screamed, her vision quickly becoming distorted, the faces around her appearing macabre and horrifying. Everyone seemed to be laughing and shouting at her, hands appeared to reach out for her, eyes mocked her and the entire station suddenly seemed to be closing in around her.

In Valen’s name, what is happening to me?

She looked up to see two security guards headed her way, a Narn and a Human. They approached her cautiously, expressions of concern on their faces. All that Terann saw though was two beings equipped to capture her and imprison or even kill her.

"Do not come near me", she warned in a voice that was deadly soft.

"Are you in need of assistance?" The human asked, slowly taking a step toward her. "You appear ill".

"Stay away from me!" Terann shouted, using her ability to toss the guard back against the wall, slamming his head hard enough that he was instantly knocked unconscious.

The Narn immediately went for his PPG but Terann was too quick for him. By the time he held it in his hands, she had all ready heated the coils within the weapon beyond its capacity. The gun exploded in his grip, instantly disintegrating his hands and catching his clothing on fire. As more security appeared to help the Narn, the Minbari darted for the nearest lift tube, not seeing Ashlen around the corner, watching with a sly smile as Terann’s world slowly disintegrated into an alcohol-induced nightmare.

 

 

 

"Okay, we have confirmed sightings of the perp heading toward Down Below. She was spotted in the Zen Garden not more than fifteen minutes ago". Garibaldi paused in his briefing as Captain Sheridan quietly entered through the door, standing unnoticed in the back of the room. They nodded to one another imperceptibly then the Chief continued, "We do not know if the perp is armed but she is dangerous. Apparently this Minbari happens to not only be of the Warrior class but also displays some very strong telepathic skills. Yesterday she crushed a Narn’s hand so badly that it had to be amputated. And you know what she did to our guys in the Zocalo. I want everyone to take extra caution. Do not try to be heroes. We do not, and I repeat, do not want to harm her if we can help it. If the situation becomes out of hand and lives are in danger then, and only then, is the use of deadly force allowed. Are there any questions?"

"Exactly what sort of abilities does this Teep possess?" Zack asked from where he stood next to Ashlen.

Garibaldi frowned. "Of that we are not certain. No one knows her well enough to answer that for us. Ambassador Delenn told us she was very strong but she had never really seen her use many of her abilities. From what we have seen out of her in the past twenty-four hours, I wouldn’t put anything past her".

"Do we know what has set her off?" Da’Noth questioned, remembering the Minbari from when she had first arrived at the station. She had not seemed very dangerous then, certainly not capable of purposely trying to harm anyone. He wanted to know all of the facts before judging her behavior.

"Could be anything. Dust, some rare fever, some sort of telepathic fit – they have been known to exhibit violent behavior. Good question, Da’Noth. I want everyone to be on the lookout for any clues that might help us in figuring this mystery out and getting this situation quickly under wraps. If there are no more questions, you have your assigned posts. Get to it".

As the security personnel filed out of the room, Sheridan moved over to Garibaldi. "How are things, Chief?"

"Well, they shouldn’t get too out of hand", he replied, replacing the energy cap on his PPG. "She hasn’t exactly been hiding. I have to admit I’m a bit confused. I’ve never seen such behavior out of a Minbari before".

"Well everyone expects violence out of the Warrior caste at some time or another".

"Yeah", Garibaldi nodded. "But not like this. She seems…I don’t know…sick, I guess. I saw her down in the Zocalo just after that PPG exploded in G’Nan’s hands".

"How’s he doing?" The Captain asked, his concern for the security officer outweighing the current situation. Since G’Kar had offered to have the Narn’s on Babylon 5 help with security, Sheridan knew he had rarely seen such dedication and commitment. He hated to see that sort of diligence rewarded in pain.

"Lost both hands, third degree burns over his chest and face", Garibaldi muttered, his anger evident in his tone.

"Damn". Sheridan rubbed his hand over his jaw in frustration. "I was hoping to take care of this situation with as little difficulty as possible. Apparently, Terann has done quite a bit with the Minbari Grey Council. Delenn holds her in very high esteem."

"Well, looks like that is all about to change, doesn’t it?" Garibaldi commented dryly, jamming his PPG into its holster. "And don’t think I don’t see that look in your eyes, Captain. You are not going to be a part of this. Just go back to C&C and I’ll check in with you as things progress."

"I’m sorry, Michael, but I am going to have to pull rank on this one", Sheridan objected, his tone just as stubborn as his Security Chiefs had been. "I promised Delenn that I would make certain nothing went wrong. This entire incident could blow up in our faces if things don’t go completely by the book. Even then, if anything should happen to Terann, we could have the entire Warrior Caste knocking on our docking bay doors and I am really not looking forward to something like that occurring."

Garibaldi’s frown darkened. "In either case, you’re being there isn’t going to help matters. The Warrior Caste all ready has it out for you, being the Starkiller and all".

"True, but if anything should go wrong, I can take the blame, since they will suspect me anyway, and we can keep the station’s involvement out of it all together".

Garibaldi did not agree with the plan but knew by Sheridan’s tone that there was little he could do about it. The only significance that he saw out of the more-than-slightly bad idea was that not only did he have to watch his own back, now he also had to watch the Captains. If this entire incident had not all ready put him into a bad mood, the Captain’s sudden decision to help out certainly did.

"All right", the Security Chief nodded, heading toward the door. "But just keep in mind what I told my crew – no hero stuff! Got it?"

Sheridan grinned like the little boy who had pulled a fast one on his parents, and followed the Chief out the door.

 

 

A heavy silence hung throughout the shuttle that Aelora maneuvered slowly toward the bleak, red-colored planet known as Narn. G’Kar sat beside her in the co-pilot’s seat, though Aelora distinctly remembered instructing him to sit in the back, far away from her. She was beginning to come to the conclusion that he enjoyed baiting her, that he took some perverse pleasure in doing the opposite of everything she said. Though she knew that she would do the same if in a similar situation, it bothered her that the Narn was capable of the same actions. A few days ago she would not have believed that they were intelligent enough to play such mind games. The Ranger fidgeted uncomfortably in her seat. It was bad enough that G’Kar continued to bring up the night before, questioning her as to how much fun she had, and if it had been worth it. Aside from the fact she barely remembered even a few minutes from the night before, what she did remember she fervently hoped was only a nightmare she had experienced, and not what had really transpired.

"You fly very well," G’Kar commented, glancing out of the corner of his eyes to watch the Ranger. She was undeniably tense this morning, and he did not believe it was solely from the effects of last night’s drunken stupor. He wondered if she remembered any of what she had said to him, then dismissed the thought. If she had, he doubted very much that they would both be there.

Aelora sighed at G’Kar’s attempt to make conversation but knew that if she did not respond, he would continue to bother her. Better to simply give in and get it over with. "When I left Centauri Prime, I worked with some freighters and transports for awhile. That’s where I learned piloting…among other skills."

G’Kar chuckled. "I was going to comment that I did not believe this was part of a young girl’s upbringing on Centauri Prime."

Aelora did her best to hide a smile but quickly failed. "As a matter of fact," she teased. "It comes right between setting a proper table and curtseying to the Emperor."

G’Kar laughed outright at this, pleased to see that Aelora joined him. He was surprised to see this teasing, agreeable side of her, and wondered if the seclusion of this trip had perhaps opened a small door between them. He did not want to allow his hopes to rise, and quickly reminded himself that she still considered herself Centauri, and carried the last name of one of the most hated families by the Narn population.

"I am curious about something, citizen G’Kar, and I want you to answer truthfully," Aelora spoke, turning to regard him.

G’Kar nodded. "I should not consider answering any other way."

Aelora’s expression told him how much she believed that. "I want to know why I have risked everything to smuggle you on to your homeworld. I think I have that right."

The Narn nodded. "I would agree with you, Miss Kyra. Very well. I have received some…information…regarding a friend of mine, my ambassadorial aide, in fact, Na’Toth. I have been told she is being held in a cell below the city and I mean to rescue her."

"I do not wish to be part of a jail break," Aelora replied, frowning. "She is a prisoner, the Centauri government most likely feels the need for her to be locked up – "

"Actually, I believe it is more of an elaborate scheme to see me captured," G’Kar commented, watching Aelora’s expression closely.

She snapped around to look at him, her eyes widening in surprise. "What do you mean? Why would you possibly do this if you think it is all a plan to capture you?"

"Because I can not risk the chance that it is true," he answered simply.

Aelora frowned once more, tucking a stray curl behind her ear. Finally, she glanced over at him, her expression thoughtful. "You were lovers?"

At her question, G’Kar found himself thinking two things: One, why had she asked such a thing? and two, why did it please him so that she had? He remained silent for awhile, watching in amusement as her brow continued to furrow, her head cocking to one side as if she thought he might have lowered his voice to speak. Finally, the Narn relieved her from her suspense.

"No, Miss Kyra. We were not ‘involved’ in any such relationship. She was my friend. Nothing more."

Aelora could not have explained why his answer mattered. She only knew that it did. "Must be some friend to risk your life for her."

"I would do the same for any friend," G’Kar replied, as if what he were about to do amounted to no more than loaning someone 5 credit chits.

Aelora shook her head in disbelief. It was not what she had expected to hear from a Narn. She was beginning to very much dislike the ability G’Kar had to throw her off guard.

Another, heavier silence ensued and Aelora discovered herself immensely relieved when she began landing procedures, bringing the shuttle down four kilometers outside of G’Kamazad. After turning off the engines, she turned to regard G’Kar as he headed toward the ramp.

"You certain you don’t need any…help."

"Unnecessary, Miss Kyra," he replied, stopping to look back at her. "This should not be too difficult. If I am not back in six hours, then you know that I have failed."

Aelora frowned. "Yes, well, if you aren’t back in six hours, don’t expect me to come looking for you. I don’t find myself being particularly interested in exploring the streets of Narn…or at least what’s left of them."

"And I would caution you against doing so, Miss Kyra." G’Kar started down the ramp. "Remember, the Kyra name is not welcomed favorably here."

Aelora jumped out of her seat, heading down the ramp after him. "Was that a threat?"

G’Kar simply waved to her and hurried off, soon disappearing into the heavy, rust-colored dust that hung in the air. Aelora took about two breaths before she began coughing uncontrollably and ran back into the shuttle. She wondered how anything could live in such an environment, then sobered for a moment as she remembered where the particulate matter came from. She shook her head, reminding herself that they were only Narns then glanced down at her watch. Perfect.

She opened one of the shuttle compartments to withdraw a uniform of the Centauri Royal Guards, and quickly began to divest of her clothing. The only part of her entire plan she found herself disliking was that of the binding she had to wrap around her breasts in order to hide the fact that she was female. It was not the most comfortable disguise she had ever chosen to wear. Tucking her hair up under the helmet was another difficulty, and took more than a few well-placed hairpins before she could successfully fit the helmet over her curls. Satisfied that she could sufficiently pass for a Centauri guard, at least from a distance, she shuffled through her clothing until she located her denn’bok, tucked it securely in her coat and headed out of the shuttle, careful to take a cloth to breathe through. If G’Kar seriously believed she was simply going to remain in the shuttle for six hours, reading or whatever it was he had expected her to do, he was sorely mistaken. She still did not trust him and his reasons for coming to Narn and she was determined to find out the real reason behind this absurd sojourn.

 

 

They’re coming for you, the voice whispered evilly throughout her mind. They’re all around you.

Terann huddled further back in the dark corner where she had found refuge, a perfect place to hide where she could watch as others approached. In the past half-hour, the images in her mind had grown more horrifying and grotesque. All around her were fabled demons, dark creatures from Minbar’s long forgotten past, that were closing in on her to drag her into their perfect Hell. Out of the corners of her eyes, she could see the shadows moving, creeping up on her, surrounding her and wrapping her in their clawed fingers. Everything within her cried out for survival, a deep-rooted instinct to do anything to stay alive slowly surfacing.

They did not know it but she could hear them as they came, their shrill, high-pitched thoughts screaming at her from around the corners where they hid. They would be sorry they had singled her out, she thought. Sorry that they had even attempted to capture her. She would not submit to their tortures, would not go willingly into their Hell. Terann saw them huddling together, making their preparations, whispering, though it was useless to do so. An innocent, hapless dweller of Down Below rounded the corner, unsuspecting of the hidden danger even as some unseen hand grabbed hold of his heart and squeezed until it ceased to beat.

They have found you.

Terann darted out from her hiding place, hurrying further down the corridor to find new shelter. The grotesque demons were all around her, pulling away as if frightened by her presence but she paid them little mind, determined to escape before the shadows closed in on her. They had discovered the last demon, she knew, and they were uncertain as to what had ended his life, afraid of things that they did not understand.

But they do understand, Terann. They are after you because they understand.

The Minbari ducked through a mass of couplings, pushing her way through wires and belts until she reached a confined space surrounded by enormous tubes and power conduits. She crouched low to the ground, waiting for the next demon to approach, watching for the shadows that moved when they thought she was not looking. More shrill voices, the feeling of fear and uncertainty, thoughts invading her mind like some powerful army out to conquer and destroy. A whispered name invoking thoughts of revenge and pain and sorrow…

Starkiller

Terann’s eyes narrowed as the enemy approached.

Starkiller

Only death can stop the pain, Terann.

Show him, the voice whispered. Show him how the dishonorable must die.

Sheridan rounded the corner cautiously, ignoring Garibaldi’s heated warning not to go off by himself and be a hero. He knew it would be better for him to find the Warrior, better no matter how it turned out. He did not want one of the overzealous officers to move too quickly and without thinking, he felt safer doing it his way. If Garibaldi wanted to yell about it when all was said and done then that was fine, but Sheridan had made a promise to Delenn to make certain that Terann was all right. He meant to keep that promise.

Starkiller

Sheridan came to an abrupt halt as the word whispered softly through his mind, like a gentle breeze on a summer’s night.

Starkiller

He was close, that much was obvious. He glanced around slowly, scouting out areas that the Warrior could be hiding in. "Terann", he called out. "This is Captain Sheridan. We don’t want to hurt you. We just want to make certain you are well".

Starkiller…The voice whispered across his mind once more and suddenly Sheridan discovered himself standing inside a dark room but he was not alone. Around him stood many Minbari Warriors, hurrying about as if they were currently engaged in important activities. One of them, a female, hurried over to him.

"Shai Alyt, we have picked up a distress signal from the earth vessel. They have hidden themselves in the asteroid field. Do we attack?"

Sheridan’s eyes narrowed in confusion even as he heard a voice he did not recognize reply, "Yes. Set coordinates for intercept course. Let us watch the trapped animal attempt to flee".

Around him the walls shimmered, and space, an entire starfield, the asteroid belt, everything outside the ship suddenly replaced the darkness, as if he were floating out among the stars. Sheridan recognized the scene immediately, knew what hid behind the asteroid that the Minbari Battle Cruiser, most assuredly named the Black Star, was currently heading toward.

"Shall we ready weapons, Shai Alyt?"

Sheridan found himself pacing in front of the image of the asteroid, wondering why it was taken so long to reply. Finally, the answer came. "No. The Council wants prisoners. It was a direct order from Satai Delenn herself. Any who do not cooperate we will kill but we will take the others as ordered".

No! That’s not the way it was! Sheridan thought frantically. The Minbari do not take prisoners! You can not get me to believe that! He watched in sickening horror as the Cruiser continued on its course around the asteroid, toward the certain death that awaited it. Stop! Sheridan tried to shout but no words would issue from his mouth. The ship continued toward it’s death, the crew standing around, unsuspecting, unknowing, their faces filled with the certainty that yet another battle was over and victory was once more theirs. That sweet feeling of relief that one would never admit to but always felt when they lived through death’s call and could breathe easily once more with the knowledge that another day lay ahead of them.

But it was not to be.

"Shai Alyt…the earth vessel is moving away", the female reported, her voice slightly unsteady with concern. "They do not appear as badly damaged as they claimed. We ---"

She said little more as the dark skies around them lit up in a brilliant flash of light. Sheridan threw up his arms to shield his eyes in vain as the ship’s hull evaporated around them and the blast of the fire enveloped his body. He did not even have a chance to scream as the heat disintegrated his lungs, the flesh melting away from his bones as his internal organs exploded and sizzled in the ensuing inferno. Sheridan watched and felt it all, the inconceivable pain clouding his mind with nothing but a prayer for death, for the stillness and peace and refuge it promised…

As the pain slowly receded, Sheridan looked up from his position on the floor where he had collapsed, the sweat running in rivulets down his face. He had never known such pain existed, or that he would be able to live through it. Obviously it had all been mental but still…Sheridan glanced down at the blisters that covered his hands. He touched his face gingerly, wincing at the pain as the sores he touched there popped open. He looked up once more, determined to end this without harming the Minbari.

"Terann". It was difficult to speak, his throat burned with the words. "We can help you, Terann".

Help me? Help me?? Terann’s voice rang through his mind. They are everywhere and we can not escape them. You, Starkiller, you will be first. Have you met them, my demonic friends? Welcome to Hell, Starkiller.

The residents of Down Below who had gathered just down the corridor from where the Minbari hid, scattered at the first sounds of Sheridan’s screams. It was like something out of a nightmare, sounds that none of them would ever forget.

 

 

Captain Sheridan was the fourth victim of Terann’s attacks that security discovered. Garibaldi raged and cursed as he, Zack and Ashlen awaited the Med Team. Luckily, Sheridan was a little more fortunate than her other victims; he was actually breathing.

Ashlen examined the Captain as they waited, noting the burns over his face and hands, the expression of sheer agony that apparently wore as he fell into unconsciousness. Did the Warrior do this to him telepathically as well? Ashlen wondered, her brow furrowing in thought. Perhaps Bester had sent her after the wrong person. So far, Ashlen had not seen anything worthy out of the Ranger, but the Minbari was a different story. She had never heard of any Teep possessing such abilities and she was beginning to wonder if the Minbari government had discovered a method of increasing psi power. If that were the case, the aliens could be constructing an entire army set to conquer Earth and her colonies, with Babylon 5 being their first target.

The Psi Cop shook her head. No, that was ridiculous. Leave that type of paranoid thinking to Garibaldi. She had a job to do. She would make mention of Terann’s abilities to Bester but would leave it to him to draw his own conclusions as to how she did what she could do.

"These burns are pretty bad", Ashlen commented, stating the obvious. She noticed how angry Garibaldi was becoming, and continued to push, in order to make certain that Terann’s fate was sealed. "I’m surprised he’s still alive, considering his condition".

Garibaldi stood quickly, his scowl darkening. "Telepaths", he muttered, then cursed again. "The whole galaxy’d be better off without them."

I’d actually prefer to do away with mundanes, Ashlen thought in response, keeping her expression carefully blank.

"I wonder why she didn’t kill him", Zack commented, kneeling next to the Captain’s still form.

"She’s probably hoping that by killing ‘nobodies’, she won’t get into any trouble that her government can’t get her out of. I’m sure she’s smart enough to realize that by killing the Captain, she’d have the whole station, plus Ambassador Delenn, after her", Ashlen supplied, cementing their suspicions ever further, while casting a quick glare at Zack. Leave it to him to look for the good in something.

"Zack, stay with the Captain until the Med Team arrives", Garibaldi instructed. "Ladan, you’re with me".

Ashlen jumped up and hurried down the corridor after the Chief. She could sense his restlessness; his need to get the situation underhand. She reached out with her mind, gently probing his thoughts. A slight smile crossed her face at the direction his thinking currently followed: If Sheridan dies, I will personally tear that Minbari bitch apart piece by piece. Ashlen wanted to be there to see that. She knew Garibaldi did not have a chance but it would be a fight to witness all the same.

They came across another security team huddled together behind a stack of shipping crates. Two had head wounds were it appeared they were struck by sharp objects. Another cradled his right arm gingerly with his left. The radius bone was hanging at an odd angle. Garibaldi frowned.

"What’s the situation?"

"We have the perp trapped, sir", Da’Noth reported, apparently having escaped any of the injuries the rest of his team had suffered. "Only problem is we can’t get to her".

"Ah hell", Garibaldi snapped, pulling out his PPG and moving around from behind the crates. "I’ll take care of this".

"Chief, I wouldn’t – "

Da’Noth’s warning was cut off by the unnerving sound of metal scraping against metal. A six-foot beam, measuring a good eight inches in width and weighing at least three hundred pounds, flew at Garibaldi, slamming into his body and knocking him against the crates. He slid to the floor, stunned by the impact, his mind barely registering as Ashlen and Da’Noth quickly scrambled out from their hiding place to pull him back to safety before another beam, slightly smaller but moving much faster, hit the area where his head had been.

"Chief, you okay?" Ashlen asked, her heartbeat accelerated from the excitement. It was the same feeling she got when hunting down a rogue telepath. At the end, when they know they are trapped and have no where left to go, they become desperate, capable of anything. Ashlen did not doubt that this Minbari could tear the entire station apart if she needed to.

"Yeah...yeah, I’m fine", Garibaldi muttered, sitting up with his own strength. He rubbed his head where he had hit it against the crates. "What are these things made out of anyway?"

"Steel", Da’Noth replied, peeking once more around the corner. "Lucky for us. Had they been anything less, I don’t think we’d be here right now".

"Hell", Garibaldi cursed again, running out of options. "Peters, get down to Med Lab and have that arm looked at. You aren’t doing us any good. Allan’ll be here soon to replace you".

The officer nodded, backing slowly along the ground until he was safely around the corner before standing and hurrying off away from the ‘battleground’. For a moment, the Security Chief found himself wishing he could go with him, then he quickly focused his mind back to the situation at hand. Some way or another, they had to get control of this Minbari before they had anymore casualties on their hands.

 

 

I’d kill for a hot bath, was the thought that was repeatedly running through Aelora’s mind as she trailed G’Kar through the streets of G’Kamazad. The rust-colored air fooled one into believing it was really warm outside, but it was not and Aelora wished more than once that she had a thicker coat on. Besides that, G’Kar moved quickly and the Ranger found herself repeatedly out of breath due to the atmospheric conditions and the fact that most of her air was being filtered through a piece of cloth. She felt extremely dirty, her feet hurt due to the boots that she was wearing were not meant for long distance traveling and she only recently realized she had not yet eaten that day. Join the Rangers! It’s not just a job, it’s a pain in the --

Aelora ducked quickly behind the rubble of what had once been an enormous stone structure, barely being hidden as a patrol of Centauri guards moved by. She had to give her government credit – they were doing their best to prevent any uprisings from occurring. The streets were deserted, and the few Narn that she had glimpsed seemed more than incapable of any sort of resistance. The guards that passed seemed relaxed, as if they did not perceive of any possibility of danger. They continued on their way, taking no notice of Aelora who quickly scrambled out of her hiding place and hurried in the direction she had last seen G’Kar follow.

For the fifth time since she had left the shuttle, Aelora reached into her coat to place her hand against the comforting feel of her denn’bok. Something had been nagging at her all day, a premonition of something going wrong, and she had always held by the belief that the one thing you will need most in any situation, will be the one thing you leave behind. So she continually checked for the pike, panicking more than once with the belief that she had forgotten it.

She kicked at the ground beneath her feet, watching as the lifeless earth floated around in the air before settling over her boots. As she had crossed the four kilometers to reach the capital, Aelora had stopped and bent down to touch the earth, to feel if any life still existed. There had been a little, just enough to feel the nourishment her touch had offered and to reach for it, to drink of it greedily as if it wished to swallow Aelora’s very life. It had hurt to pull away, to deny the starving ground the care it needed but the Ranger knew that she needed all of her strength should anything go wrong. So she had wiped her hands clean of the red dust and continued on her way, refusing to think on the sorrow she had felt from the ravaged earth of Narn.

A few hours into her travels, Aelora discovered herself descending into some underground tunnels. Well, it’s about time, she thought to herself, coming to the conclusion that they had at last reached their destination. She warned herself to begin paying closer attention and slowed her steps, careful to listen around each corner before continuing on. It was not long before she heard G’Kar’s voice ahead and came to a quick halt, flattening herself against the wall. Cautiously, she peeked her head around the corner, examining the scene before her. She counted close to a dozen Narn and found herself asking the question: How many Narn does it take to open a cell door? She then found herself questioning how G’Kar had gathered so many so quickly, unless all of this had been planned ahead of time. Exactly what was going on here? Aelora was about to step out and ask that question when the group headed off, further into the tunnels, G’Kar in the lead. Well, there was nothing to it but to follow them.

As she followed them through a dark maze of twisting tunnels that she found herself wondering how she was going to get out of, she began to amuse herself with jokes. What’s worse than a locked room full of angry Narns? One angry Narn with the keyWhat is gross stupidity? 144 Narns in one roomTwo Narns were strolling down the street when one Narn exclaimed, "How sad... a dead bird." The other Narn looked up and said, "Where?"

Aelora rounded the corner, trying hard to hold back a giggle when she almost missed one of the Narns up ahead glancing back. She darted back behind around the corner, smashing herself against the rock so as not to be seen or cause a shadow. As she waited with baited breath to learn if she had been discovered or not, she amused herself with some more jokes. A Centauri and a Narn were scheduled for back to back executions. On the appointed day, the guard asked each if he had a last request. "Yes, sir," the Narn said. "I'd really like to hear some Narn Opera one last time." "And you?" the guard asked the Centauri. "Please," the Centauri pleaded, "kill me first."… What do you call a basement full of Narns? A whine cellar… Two Narns walked into a bar. You'd think the second one would have seen it. She quickly covered her mouth as a giggle escaped; the thought crossing her mind that perhaps the atmosphere was going to her head. Concentrate, she warned herself. This is not supposed to be fun. She glanced around the corner when she figured it was safe, only to discover that the group she had been trailing had been joined by others – but they were not Narn!

Great Maker! Aelora’s eyes widened as she saw seven Centauri guards appear before G’Kar and the others. Standing before them, his chest thrust out like some ridiculous, strutting bird, was Lord Refa, a self-satisfied sneer on his long face. Aelora found herself frowning, wishing that if it could have been anyone to capture G’Kar, it could have at least been someone other than that two-faced buffoon. The Kyra’s had always been aligned with the House Mollari and Aelora knew that from recent talks with Londo, he and Refa no longer got along. In fact, an entire political war had developed between their two Houses and Aelora found herself hoping that Londo would come out the winner. She had never liked Refa. His eyes were too close together. He reminded her of a rodent.

What to do? She certainly could not let Refa get a hold of such a prize as the last surviving member of the Kha’Ri. It bothered her that G’Kar’s suspicions had been correct. That it had been an elaborate scheme to capture him all along. How was she supposed to explain that to Entil’zah Delenn? Sorry, Entil’zah, but I just didn’t see this one coming! I mean, it was seven to one, not counting Refa who probably would have hid in the corner anyway. The Ranger scratched her head, considering her options, of which there were very few. She wondered why the guards had not yet begun to kill the Narns when G’Kar suddenly held up some small device and out of no where a hologram of Londo appeared.

It was all Aelora could do not to step out of her hiding place then and there. Just what in the galaxy was going on? She leaned forward, hoping to catch some of what was being said but could not make it out, being too far away. She considered trying to move closer, but she would have to cross within their sight to make it to the next wall. So she was stuck with trying to read lips, something which she was not skilled at in any way. Aelora sighed, her frustration mounting. She leaned further around the rock, balancing herself on a ledge, which jutted out from the wall, her hand suddenly slipping out from under her and she fell forward, her jaw slamming into the rock as she let out a muffled ‘mrphm’. She scrambled back to her hiding place, her heart thumping loudly within her chest because she was more than certain G’Kar had turned and looked right at her. Some sneak you are, she berated herself, surprised that she had forgotten the first lesson of eavesdropping: Don’t let your curiosity get the best of you. When the pain had finally receded from her jaw and she was sufficiently certain that no one was coming to pull her out of her hiding spot, she craned her neck back around the corner.

She looked back just in time to catch Londo waving to Refa and the hologram disappearing. Then, as unbelievable as it seemed to Aelora, the seven guards that had stood by Refa’s side turned and walked off into the darkness of the tunnels, leaving Refa standing alone. Refa…and a group of angry, oppressed, vengeful Narns. A sneaking suspicion appeared in Aelora’s mind that Londo had planned this entire thing – to beat Lord Refa at his own game. The Ranger almost found herself feeling sorry for the guy as she watched G’Kar walk up and stuff something into his jacket, then step back as Refa took off at a run, in the hopes of escape. She continued to watch in horrified fascination as more Narns appeared to stop the Centauri until he was finally and inexplicably trapped, falling to the ground beneath the blows of the merciless mob. Aelora was so engrossed in the proceedings before her that she did not notice G’Kar until he had grabbed her arm and was dragging her along the corridor. She slapped angrily at his hand until he let go then jumped in front of him, halting his progress.

"Just what in Valen’s name is going on back there?" She whispered angrily, resigned to the fact that since he had caught her following him, she might as well try for the upper hand.

G’Kar regarded her with a level gaze. "I would suggest we retreat from here as quickly as possible, Miss Kyra. Your foolishness in following not withstanding, if that mob back there discovers that you are of the House of Kyra, not even I can save you."

"This was planned all along, wasn’t it?" Aelora demanded, ignoring his warning.

"That is something you will need to take up with Mollari," G’Kar replied, moving around the Ranger to head off down the corridor once more.

Aelora hurried after him, discovering that she had to trot along beside him to keep up with his quick pace. "I don’t want to take it up with Londo. I want an answer from you! I don’t understand. How can the two of you possibly be working together? And why was I lied to all this time? Did Delenn know this? Have I been the only person kept in the dark this entire time? And I did warn you that if I caught you lying to me – Great Maker!"

Aelora came to a flying halt as she and G’Kar rounded a corner only to come face to face with three Centauri guards. The exclamation was out of her mouth before she could stop it, clearly giving away that she was a female and, therefore, not a guard. Her Ranger instincts quickly kicked in, as did her promise to Delenn "I shall guard him as if he were you, Entil’zah" and she shoved G’Kar down the adjoining corridor, shouting, "Get back to the shuttle!" as she did so. Paying little attention to whether or not G’Kar had listened to her, Aelora whirled around to meet their attackers, counting the odds of three to one to be slightly in her favor. She flashed a smile at them as they approached, reaching into her coat for her denn’bok and –

Wait a minute! Where was it? Aelora felt panic quickly take over the control that had been there only seconds before. She pulled open her jacket, staring in sickened surprise at the empty spot where the pike should have been. She knew she had put it there, she had checked over and over again to make certain. The fall. She must have lost it when she had slipped on the rock. Valen help me! She cursed herself, wondering exactly how word of this would reach Delenn. We’re sorry to inform you, Entil’zah, of the death of Ranger Aelora but she pulled the ultimate in stupidity by going into battle unprepared. She lost her denn’bok, you see, because she was too busy trying to catch the latest Court gossip.

Aelora was snapped out of her reverie by a stinging blow to her jaw, in the same area that the rock had decided to attack her. She stumbled back for a moment, bending down to grab a handful of dirt that she tossed in the guard’s eyes as he came at her again. Okay Kyra, she thought to herself, get with it. The next guard that came at her Aelora met with a roundhouse kick that caught him in the nose with a satisfying crunch. The guard flew back against the rock wall, his head hitting hard enough to knock him unconscious. One down, two to go. While the first guard struggled to clear the dirt from his eyes, the third approached her slowly, a smirk crossing his face. Aelora’s eyes narrowed as she watched him, wondering what he found so funny, then caught the vision in his helmet of a fourth guard coming up behind her. By then, it was too late. She was caught from behind; her arms pinned down at her sides as the third guard came in and gave a well-placed kick to her stomach. As she doubled over from the pain, her breath escaping her, the guard landed another blow to her face, this time catching her across the right cheek. The hold on her tightened when she struggled to pull free and she glanced up to see her assailant now withdrawing his sword. This isn’t going to be pretty, she thought, steeling herself for the coming pain when G’Kar suddenly appeared in front of her, throwing himself between her and the weapon.

His appearance was enough to give Aelora the distraction she needed. She dropped quickly to her knees, her arms sliding out from the guard’s hold then spun around, kicking out with her legs to knock his feet out from under him. Before he had the chance to move, Aelora wrapped her legs around his neck, holding him tightly before giving a quick scissors-like jerk. The snapping of his neck signaled that the fight was over. She jumped to her feet to find G’Kar struggling with the sword-wielding guard, finally snatching the weapon from his hands and driving it into his heart. Aelora turned to the first guard, who had finally cleared his eyes, enough to see, and watched as he hurried off down the tunnel, presumably to alert others.

"I should stop him," she said, starting forward but G’Kar’s voice stopped her.

"No…Aelora. We should get back."

She glanced back to see the Narn leaning heavily against the wall, his right hand covering his abdomen. Aelora frowned.

"Are you all right?"

"It is not bad," he replied, though his voice seemed more strained than usual. "But we should get back."

Aelora nodded. "Okay." She started down the tunnel, casting a glance over her shoulder to see G’Kar following a few meters behind. "Do you need help?" She asked, the frustration evident in her voice. She was tired, hungry and just about every bone in her body was screaming at her to lay down and get some rest. She did not need any more problems.

"I will be fine," the Narn replied. "Do not worry yourself on my account."

"Trust me," Aelora snapped, uncertain of why she felt such a sting at his rejection of her help. "That will never happen."

The Ranger continued on through the tunnels, trusting her memory to guide her out, relying on G’Kar’s whispered directions when it failed her. Once in the city, the increase in security was evident. Aelora did not know if the guards would follow them all the way back to the shuttle, but she was betting they would.

"We’re going to have to move fast."

G’Kar only nodded in reply.

She noticed that he continued to hold his hand over the wound, and that blood had seeped through his fingers. She worried her lower lip, considering asking once more if he was all right, when he began moving off toward the edge of the city. Well, that answered that question, Aelora thought, starting off after him. She only hoped they both had enough strength left to make it back to the ship.

 

 

 

Zack was still with the Captain when Lennier appeared at his side.

"Lieutenant Allan, thank Valen I have found you! I –" He frowned when he noticed the Captain. "What has happened to Captain Sheridan?"

"Your little Minbari Telepath got a hold of him".

"Does Delenn know?" Lennier quickly questioned, wondering if it would be wise to return to her but knowing that he did not have the time to spare.

"I just contacted her", Zack replied. "She’ll meet them at Med Lab One."

Lennier nodded. "Have they found Terann yet?"

"I don’t know but I can promise you that once the Chief gets a hold of her, she’s gonna wish she was back on Minbar."

"That is why I am here", Lennier continued. "Terann must not come to harm. Everything she has done she can not be held accountable for."

Zack frowned. "The hell she can’t. Look, Lennier, the Ambassador’s diplomatic immunity doesn’t extend to every Joe Blow Minbari that comes sailing through here. There are laws that need to be followed and examples need to be made when those laws are broken."

"While I have never met this Minbari, Joe Blow, that you speak of", Lennier replied, completely missing the grin that crossed the security officer’s face. "I can assure you that Ambassador Delenn would never consider him, nor any other Minbari – including herself – above the law."

"Then what – "

"Terann must not suffer for these crimes because they are beyond her control."

"What? Are you trying to get her off on that ‘temporary insanity’ plea, because I think they took that off the books years ago, Lennier".

"In a way, yes. I suppose that one could describe the influence Terann is under as ‘temporary insanity’."

Zack laughed outright. "Yeah. Sure, Lennier. Good try."

"Lieutenant Allan, do you know what happens to a Minbari that consumes alcohol?"

Zack shrugged. "I suppose they’d get drunk like anyone else."

"Unfortunately, such is not the case", Lennier returned, starting down the corridor. "Come, Lieutenant, we must find Terann before someone else does, and hope that enough time has passed."

"Wait! Lennier!" Zack hurried after him. "What are you talking about?"

"I’ll explain on the way. We must hurry!"

They rounded the corner just in time to discover Garibaldi and the others bundling up into riot gear. Zack thought they were perhaps getting a little out of hand and made such a comment to Ashlen as she handed him a helmet.

"You won’t think so where the first beam flies out at your head", she commented back to him as she zipped up her vest.

"Mr. Garibaldi, I must speak with you."

"Not now, Lennier. I think you can see that we’re a bit busy", Garibaldi turned away from the Minbari to gather up his rifle. He tossed one to Da’Noth.

"Yes, that is exactly why I must speak with you. I believe I know why Terann is doing this, and we must give her some time for her to stop".

Garibaldi turned to stare at Lennier incredulously. "Wait, wait, wait! Did I just hear you correctly? You want us to just let her come down off her little killing spree? Are you nuts?"

"I think you oughta hear this, Chief", Zack commented, leaning back against the bulkhead.

Ashlen moved around to the Chief’s side, eyeing the Minbari suspiciously. Did he know? Was he even now ready to impart the news that she was responsible, that she was not quite who she said she was? She touched his mind briefly, relieved to find that he knew no names only that Terann had consumed alcohol. She did catch an image of a young Centauri girl who had obviously alerted Lennier to the fact that alcohol was involved. Apparently, the little girl had seen a man pour something into Terann’s drink when she was not looking. Ashlen felt her rage grow. The damn fool! She should have known better than to trust an amateur. Now she would have to make certain to cover her own tracks, and that meant taking care of Mr. Stupidity.

"Mr. Garibaldi, do you know what happens to a Minbari that consumes alcohol?" Lennier asked, catching the frown on the female security officer’s face out of the corner of his eye. When he turned to regard her, the frown quickly disappeared to be replaced by intent curiosity. For a moment, Lennier wondered if he had imagined it, then quickly dismissed it as being unimportant.

Garibaldi frowned. "Yeah, sure. They get psychotic and…Wait a minute! Are you trying to tell me we have drunk Minbari on our hands? A Minbari who, at the moment, is not only psychotic and paranoid but also one of the scariest damn telepaths I have ever encountered?" By now, the Security Chief had moved closer to Lennier, towering over the Minbari in barely-held-in-check-rage.

Lennier glanced around for a moment, having not been fortunate enough to experience Garibaldi’s anger before. He appeared to those watching as if he were searching for an avenue of escape. "Yes, I believe that is, as you humans say, about the size of it", he finally answered.

"Wonderful!" Garibaldi shouted, tossing his hands up into the air. "Just great! Can this situation become any more complicated?"

"I don’t understand the complications, sir", Ashlen commented, wishing for a moment that she could shove her rifle down the Ambassador’s Aid’s throat. "We still need to stop her. So let’s go in an do it before she hurts or kills anyone else."

The Chief shook his head. "No. It’s not so simple now. Unless she purposely consumed a fifth of whiskey in order to go on a murdering binge – which I highly doubt – we can’t hold her responsible for any of this. We need to clear up this situation as carefully as possible. Babylon 5 could be held responsible for this by the Minbari government should anything happen to her. They can easily claim it was our fault that a Minbari was served alcohol on our station. The entire damn incident has turned political on us." Garibaldi glared at the Minbari. "Thanks, Lennier."

"I am glad to be of service", the Minbari replied, missing the sarcasm behind the Chief’s comment.

"So now what?" Zack asked.

"We wait until the effects of the alcohol wear off", Lennier replied in a tone that implied they all should have known that. "Has there been any noticeable change?"

"No", the Chief shook his head. "She’s just as psychotic as ever."

Ashlen gave a mental sigh, unable to believe that her perfectly executed plans were unraveling before her eyes. Between the Centauri child witness and Lennier’s quick thinking, she was just about ready to scream. The only recourse left was to get the situation in hand and start on Plan B – whatever that was. Ashlen still held on to a thread of hope that the Babylon 5 courts would still see fit to take a hard stand against the Minbari, in order to prevent such an occurrence from happening again. Being that she was so incredibly powerful in her psi ability, they could consider her too dangerous to remain on the station.

"I still don’t get what the gear is for," Zack commented, looking at his helmet as if it were the most useless accessory he had ever been told to wear. "We’ve seen what the girl can do. If she wants us dead, all the armor in the galaxy isn’t going to stop her. She has reduced bones to dust, set G’Nan on fire, broken every vertebrae in a lurker’s back and popped a blood vessel in another lurker’s brain – all without coming closer than ten feet to any of them."

"True", Da’Noth agreed. "But her strategy has changed. She could have killed any one of us in any of those methods you just mentioned while we were trapped behind those crates. But she didn’t. Instead, she was throwing objects at us."

"The alcohol could be wearing off", Lennier offered. "She could be less intent on killing now."

Garibaldi thought this over then shook his head. "No. She was still set on killing me. I usually know when someone wants to kill me, and she came damn close."

"She’s probably tired", Ashlen commented before she could stop herself. When all eyes turned to her, she knew she had made a mistake that she had to cover quickly. "Well…I mean…I studied up on telepaths a few years back, just in case I ever had to – I mean, if the need arose – defend myself against one."

"And?" Garibaldi questioned.

"Well, a telepath is only as strong as his/her endurance," Ashlen explained. "The more difficult the task they attempt, the more endurance they use up. I’m figuring that the difference between crushing bones with a thought and throwing objects is like crawling compared to ice-skating. One takes a little more concentration then the other."

The Chief nodded. "Good thinking, Ladan. All right, so the perp is tired and we have no idea how much longer the effects of the alcohol will last." He glanced over at Lennier for confirmation of this. The Minbari nodded.

"No without knowing how much it was she consumed."

"So we’ll go with the assumption that it was a lot and this could continue for some time. So, any suggestions as to how we end this without camping out here for the next few hours while she rests up and possibly goes back on another rampage?"

"We could always exhaust her endurance, if what Ladan says is true", Zack offered, not completely understanding the scope of his suggestion until he noticed the glare that Ashlen was focusing on him. He was about to take it back when Garibaldi nodded.

"Thank you for volunteering, Zack. Ladan, you’ll work with him, sort of a tag-team effort. One goes in, runs around a little while dodging debris then when they tire, the other takes over. The rest of us will cover you, take out any small objects we can and be prepared if one of us needs to take over."

Ashlen groaned. "I don’t think this is a good idea, Chief."

"And thank you for volunteering to go first, Ladan. I’m sure Zack appreciates it," Garibaldi replied. "Okay people. That’s the plan of action, for now. Until someone comes up with something better. Let’s get to it."

As they filed back into position behind the barricade of crates, Ashlen grabbed Zack by the arm. "I’m gonna get you for this, Allan."

"How was I supposed to know he’d actually go with my idea?" Zack objected in a tone of innocence. "He never has before."

Ashlen rolled her eyes. She was going to have a thing or two to tell Bester in her next report regarding this assignment.

 

 

Terann lay silently in her corner, her face pressed close against the cold floor. It was the only position she could stand to be in without her surroundings seeming distorted and macabre in appearance. A tiny part of her mind registered that something was wrong, that this was not the way of things or the manner in which she should behave but it was drowned out by the larger part which screamed of insanity and paranoia. A voice in the back of her mind continued to mock her, telling her that she was nothing, that she would never live up to the standards of her caste, that she was, and always would be, a freak. It urged her on to prove herself, to hurt those that would deny her the right to be who and what she was. It warned her…

They are coming. They know

Terann clenched her fists tightly, her nails digging into her palms. Whispered voices penetrated her mind…

Probably tired…

…No idea how much longer…

…back on another rampage…

…He never has before

She heard them huddled behind the crates, saw them as if she were crouched there with them, their fingers twitching nervously against their rifles, their faces betraying their fear. Terann felt a smile creep across her face. They were afraid of her! They were actually afraid. The realization made her feel giddy inside, powerful. She fed herself on the feeling, allowing the sensation of invincibility to wash over her like a warm breeze. Let them come, she thought. Let them see what I am capable of.

Terann, this is wrong. Stop it.

The Minbari opened her eyes, blinked for a moment. The voice came from a deep, hidden part of her, a place that had long been silent. It was the part of her that was raised on strength, honor and integrity. It was a Terann that knew who she was and was comfortable with that knowledge, proud of herself and her heritage, unaccustomed to thoughts of inadequacy and uncertainty. Yes, she had been different then but she had not known how different. She had been a Warrior, strong and proud and quick, meant for great things, to serve her people with honor. It was a time when her world had one meaning, one purpose, before everything had changed…That voice spoke to her now, pleaded with her to remember who she was, to remember the faces of her family, her people…

But they have no faces. There is a distortion, a great vortex where my life has slipped away, everything and everyone I was dissolved into a billion molecules and I am left here with nothing and everything. And that is why, this insanity, it makes sense to me

Terann heard their footfalls as they made their first move to approach her. She recognized the presence of one, a presence that screamed out to her of cunning and deceit. The Minbari pushed herself further back into her corner, her dark green eyes narrowing. She glanced upward, her gaze taking in the many wires and cables that criss-crossed along the ceiling like the lifelines of the metal giant in which she and thousands of other lost souls were trapped. They pulsed and stirred with a life of their own, and Terann felt herself feeling sympathetic to their immobile plight. She invited them to dance for her, to create a little chaos in their unexciting existence.

Ashlen did not see the danger until it was too late to get out of the way. The cable sliced downward from above her, tearing open her cheek from temple to jaw with its razor sharp edge. She screeched in pain, diving to the floor to avoid more cables and wires as they suddenly tore loose from their housings above. She glanced back to see that Zack was having similar trouble, narrowly avoiding electrocution from a wire that attempted to wrap itself around him.

"This was a really bad idea!" Ashlen shouted to no one in particular.

"Now you tell me," Zack muttered, pulling himself along the floor to get to her. "Are you all right?"

"Nothing that a good plastic surgeon can’t take care of," she replied, staring at the tiny pool of blood that was forming on the floor below her face. There was something about seeing her own blood that she did not like. It was fine when it was someone else’s but her own…Her stomach churned uncomfortably.

"Okay, I am going to try to draw more of her attention," Zack informed her, preparing to jump to his feet.

Ashlen looked at him with an expression that clearly said he had lost his capacity to think clearly. "Are you nuts? Do you see what’s hanging all around us, ready to slice us in two?"

"I think I can dodge them." He looked down at her. "Stay here."

"Don’t worry," Ashlen muttered as he jumped to his feet and began weaving in and out of the electrified jungle that hung above them. With some well maneuvered twists and turns, including a sliding dive that was worthy of a World Series stolen base, it began to appear that Zack might actually make it to where the Minbari hid. As Garibaldi and the others began to believe this, Ashlen knew otherwise. She had trouble getting a clear focus on Terann, her mind was filled with distorted, nightmarish sounds and images that the Psi Cop did not want to focus on for too long, but she was able to see enough to know that her original belief was incorrect: Terann was not tired. She was playing with them. Like some evil tomcat with a pack of mice that were too dumb to know the danger they were in, the Minbari was waiting for them to do something stupid.

And they had walked right into her trap.

Ashlen began to call out to Zack to warn him when he suddenly came to an abrupt halt. There was a still silence, in which they all seemed to wait with bated breath to see what happened next, and then Zack flew backwards as if hit by an invisible fist, his neck arched back from the power of the blow. He hit the deck with a loud thud but appeared otherwise all right as he quickly began to climb to his feet once more. That was when his body lifted up once again, and sailed through the air like a paper airplane, over the tops of the crates and into the wall behind where the security team huddled. The impact knocked him out instantly.

Garibaldi stared at Zack’s motionless form as Da’Noth hurried over to check his vital signs. He gave a nod to the Chief to let him know that Zack was all right and Garibaldi turned to look out at Lieutenant Ladan who was currently still trapped beneath the live wires, her face in desperate need of medical attention.

"Okay, Jefferson, you’re next. Get in there and get Ladan out."

Ashlen was beginning to consign herself to the fact that she was going to have to risk electrocution when she looked up to see Terann emerge from the darkness. The Minbari walked toward her steadily, unmindful of the wires that snapped and sizzled around her. They seemed to swing away as she moved, careful not to harm their creator. Ashlen glared at the Minbari, her resolve strengthening. No way in Hell is it ending like this, taken out by some damned drunk Minbari psychopath, she thought to herself, gingerly climbing to her feet.

"Lieutenant Ladan?"

Ashlen glanced out of the corner of her eye to see one of her fellow officers, Colin Jefferson, approaching; his PPG trained on the Warrior. "Get back, Colin," she warned. "This isn’t going to be as easy as it seems."

Terann glanced at the human male as if he were an annoying insect that was only getting in her way. She sensed him to be insignificant, unknown to her; definitely unimportant compared to the human female who stood facing her defiantly. One was a danger; the other was…an inconvenience.

At the first popping sound, Ashlen thought perhaps another electrical wire has loosened. When Colin screamed out in pain, Ashlen turned to watch in rapt fascination as he grabbed his right hand, one of the bones clearly sticking out through his palm. At the next snap, he fell, his left knee cracking cleanly in two, his screams echoing throughout the corridor. The snapping continued, the bones breaking at random here and there throughout his body until he lay unmoving on the floor, only the occasional moan giving evidence to the fact that he still lived. Ashlen finally turned to regard his attacker, the first feelings of fear she had ever clearly experienced creeping over her. The Minbari returned her gaze, impassive, distant, as if she had no idea where they were or that they even existed.

"Ladan! Get the Hell out of there!" Garibaldi shouted as the Minbari slowly began to move toward her.

Ashlen could not get her legs to cooperate. She watched in horrified disbelief as the Warrior approached, the need to escape fleeing her mind, as if she were caught in some magical spell. The Psi Cop continued to watch in shock as the telepath came to a sudden halt, a spasm of pain alighting across her face.

"What --?" Terann clutched at her stomach; her face quickly turning a sickly shade of purple and the Minbari promptly passed out, crumbling into a curled up ball at Ashlen’s feet.

 

 

As they approached the shuttle, Aelora could still hear more the soldiers in the distance. By now they must know that a Narn and an unknown human killed two of their own, and Aelora knew they would be out for vengeance. G'Kar was slowing her down and she realized that his injuries were far more severe than he was letting on. She had half a mind to leave him there. It was not that it would take much to explain the occurrence to Delenn. G'Kar had acted illogically and he paid the price for his ignorance. Yet something nagged at her. She found herself grateful for the Narn's sacrifice. If he had not stepped in it would have most assuredly been her that had been stabbed. Why would he have willingly risked his life for me? She thought to herself. She had given him no false pretense about her feelings toward him. In fact, she was forced to admit, that she had been out right cruel to him. He is only a Narn, she reminded herself. Yes, he deserved everything he got.

"Are you coming anytime soon?" She called back to the Narn.

When he failed to respond she turned to look at him. She was shocked to find him on his knees desperately trying to stand. She could hear the soldiers more clearly and it was obvious that they were close. Her mind swirled. If she left him there the soldiers would surely find him and kill him without a thought. If she went back to help him she could suffer the same fate. Damn, she thought as her compassion got the best of her and she turned, running back to help him. She wrapped her arm around him and helped him to his feet.

"Thank you," he managed to say softly.

"Do not thank me, if they catch you they could discover that I helped you. I am only protecting myself and my family," she said, justifying her actions to herself more than she was to him.

When they returned to the shuttle, Aelora knew it was only a matter of minutes before the soldiers were upon them. Once inside she set about firing the engines and getting them off the planet. She paid little regard to G'Kar whom had collapsed on the floor behind her. Setting course for the Centauri ship that awaited them in orbit, she hurried to the back compartment to change out of her Centauri uniform and back into her jumpsuit. On her way back to the pilot’s chair she heard G'Kar moan.

"Look, you better stop moaning and get back into that thing or that injury will be the least of your worries," she told him gesturing to the Vorlon encounter suit.

She watched as he fumbled with it, and as she giggled at him he refused to let it bother him. "You really are pathetic, you know," she told him, getting up to assist him.

"I can manage," he protested, his annoyance with her beginning to show.

"Yes," she told him. "But I don't have all day to let you fight with that thing. We will be back to the Ilaws in only a couple minutes and you cannot go back looking like that."

As she helped him into the encounter suit she was finally able to see the deathly grey of his face. She had not been able to see it on the planet's surface. "Are you sure you’re okay?" The words were out before she could stop them and she looked away, not wanting him to see her concern for him.

"I have suffered far worse, I assure you." She noticed the accusation in his tone but she refused to acknowledge it.

After he was tucked safely back in the disguise, she helped him to the floor to rest for the remainder of the trip. They rode in silence and she began to worry that he was dead. "I didn't come all this way to have you die on me now, G'Kar."

"You wouldn't be that lucky, Miss Kyra," G'Kar replied, bringing a smile to Aelora's face.

After bringing the shuttle to rest in the landing bay of the Ilaws Aelora began to wonder how she was going to get G'Kar past the guards. She could not support him the way she had on the surface without giving anything away. If they discovered a Narn with her, her family would never recover from the shame. Helping G'Kar to his feet she looked at him squarely in what she assumed was his face. "Listen to me.... This is important. The way to our quarters is going to be crawling with Centauri. You need to walk as if there is nothing wrong. If you screw this up I will personally end this charade myself. Do you understand me?"

G'Kar nodded, no longer having the strength to respond. As they exited the shuttle, G'Kar summoned all his strength. He was no longer concerned with his own well being, but he was worried for Aelora. She had risked everything, and had gone against all that she had been raised to believe. Certainly she was doing it as part of her obligation to the Rangers but deep down, G'Kar hoped there was more to it than simply that.

As they made their way through the ship Aelora glanced sideways at the Narn beside her. In Valen's name, how did he have the strength to continue this way? Perhaps the Narn were not as weak as she had been led to believe. Once inside their quarters Aelora guided him to the adjoining washroom. The hard floor would make it easier to remove any blood that fell on it. Lifting the helmet from G'Kar's head she could see he was close to losing consciousness. Without thinking she slapped his face gently. "Don't you do this. We have to get you out of this thing."

Once again G'Kar's will astounded her as he pulled himself up. She quickly set about removing him from the suit and gently helped him back to the floor. She could see the last of his strength leave him as he teetered on the edge of consciousness. She touched his stomach to determine the extent of his injury. She cursed softly as her hand brushed over the wound. Her concentration was broken when she felt his hand on her cheek. For some odd reason she did not find herself recoiling from his touch, instead she looked at him deeply.

"I just want you to know...I...I don't blame you." He grimaced in pain then continued. "It is not your fault...they blinded you to me...I don't blame you."

Aelora stared down at him not believing that even now he did not hate her. After all she had done to him, after all her cruelty, he still did not hate her. A wave of guilt washed over her and she tried, without success, to shake it off. She knew she could not go to the ship's physician for help and the thought of trying to explain why there was a dead Narn in her bathroom was equally impossible.

She reached up and violently shook his head, ensuring that he was not conscious. There was no way to explain what she was considering if he were awake. G'Kar, however, did not move, his head only flopped to one side. Taking a deep breath, Aelora began to concentrate. Once focused, she gently placed her hand on his wound, urging the cells to regenerate. She refused to think of implications of what she was doing knowing that if she did she would immediately stop.

As she worked, she could see the injury begin to heal. Aelora was so deep in concentration that she did not see G'Kar open his eyes until he touched her hand. She immediately withdrew it from his abdomen and jumped back. He closed his eyes briefly and when he opened them again he asked softly, "How?"

A feeling of dread passed over her. How would she explain? She could not trust the Narn not to reveal her. She had risked too much on this mission already and to have this come out now was more than she had bargained for. Breathing a small sigh of relief Aelora watched him slip back into sleep. As she looked around her, she took in the grim scene before her. There was a large quantity of blood on the floor and more was spilling from the discarded encounter suit. She had half the mind to wake G'Kar and force him to clean it up but looking at him she realized that he was still in no condition. She reluctantly started to remove his blood soaked clothing. After his shirt was removed she found herself staring at his muscular chest. She had not noticed before how immense he was. What the hell are you doing, he is a Narn, a voice inside her scolded. She shook her head regaining her senses and gently called his name urging him to stand. Together they slowly made their way over to the bed where she laid him down.

Turning back, she swallowed her pride and set about cleaning up the blood on the floor.

 

 

When she awoke, Terann squinted to block out the bright lights that blared into her eyes. Her head thumped with a pain she was unaccustomed to, and lifting her arm appeared, at first, to be impossible. She cautiously turned her head to the right, realizing suddenly that she was in Med Lab but how or why she was there escaped her. She focused her attention on the movement beyond the windows, saw an enormous gathering of security, Delenn and Lennier as well as Lord and Lady Tulluran. The small child, Anissa, was peeking around her mother’s skirts, staring back at Terann.

Are you well? The child questioned.

I do not know, came Terann’s reply. What has happened?

A bad man tried to harm you.

Suddenly Terann’s mind filled with the image of a human male pouring some sort of liquid into her tea when she was not looking.

They say it made you do bad things, the child told her.

Alcohol? Terann frowned. She had never seen the human male that Anissa had projected to her. Why would he want to do such a thing to her? Again, her gaze drifted to those gathered beyond the window. Security Chief Garibaldi was conversing with Delenn. No, actually he appeared to be yelling. Delenn seemed composed though her brow was furrowed, as if her anger was mounting. She said something to the Chief and he threw his hands up in the air then promptly stomped away, shouting at his officers as he went. Delenn turned and glanced at the window and her gaze locked with Terann’s. There was a long moment that they regarded one another, then Delenn spoke quietly to Lennier and headed toward Terann.

"Entilzah", Terann greeted her, struggling to sit up.

"Relax", Delenn ordered, laying her hand against the Warrior shoulder to keep her back against the bed. "The alcohol has not worn off completely yet. I am certain you are still feeling the effects."

"What…what happened?"

"You do not remember any of it?"

Terann narrowed her eyes in thought. Flashes came to her, but none of them made sense, distorted and confused as they were. A familiar voice echoed through her mind…Together or apart…The Minbari shook her head. Kosh? It was his voice. Not the Kosh who terrified the telepath Lyta and had probed Terann’s mind with a merciless vengeance that had shocked and astounded her but the Kosh she remembered from another time, another place, when her life and everything she was had suddenly and inexplicably changed. She closed her eyes against the memory, shook her head.

"No. There is nothing. What happened?"

Delenn pursed her lips, folded her hands. "You drank alcohol, Terann. According to that young Centauri child – "

"Anissa".

"Yes, Anissa." Delenn nodded. "According to her, she saw a man, possibly a lurker from Down Below, pour something into your glass. Lennier found the glass before it was recycled and had it tested. Apparently the man was able to slip half a glass of something that Mr. Garibaldi referred to as 180 proof alcohol into your tea. Something called ‘Everclear’…Anyway, the alcohol took effect quickly, and…security was unable to get you under control until you fell unconscious from the effects…"

Terann thought this over for a moment. She had never actually seen one of her people under the influence of alcohol but she had heard of its effects. She found herself hesitant to ask what damage she had caused. Delenn seemed to understand this for she continued when Terann was silent.

"Terann…your psi abilities made it extremely difficult to apprehend you. You…there were many casualties."

Terann looked at Delenn. "Tell me."

"Three dead, one paralyzed, half a dozen severely injured and…" She paused.

Terann did not believe it could get any worse. "And?"

"John…Captain Sheridan…"

Terann felt her stomach lurch. She would not for anything wish to hurt Delenn and she knew how she felt about the human. "I am sorry, Delenn. Truly. Is he…?"

Delenn shook her head. "He is all right. Some burns, a headache. What ever you did was…mental. He won’t talk about it." Delenn got control of her emotions, lifted her head to gaze at Terann more intensely. "Terann, you are in a lot of trouble. Even though it was not your fault, that it is obvious this was done to you purposely, the humans consider you dangerous and expect reparations for the damage done. You will most likely be brought to trial, though the Minbari government will, of course, intervene."

Terann nodded, excepting her fate, as it must be. She was still confused as to the ‘why’s’ of how this entire situation had occurred. She did not understand how she did not sense the man and his plans for her. Certainly there could not have been anything that could have distracted her so completely that she missed thoughts distinctly about her? What could have possibly…The Minbari’s brow furrowed in sudden realization. The Psi Cop, Ashlen. She had approached her, talked to her, turned her from the table, focused her attention elsewhere, and forced her to block her thoughts in case the human had tried to scan her. Terann could not prove it. She could not simply come forward and voice her suspicions but she could watch and wait. She considered simply coming forward with what she knew, telling Mr. Garibaldi about Ashlen’s true identity, but she quickly changed her mind. No, she did not need the human’s to take care of her problems. She would see to the Psi Cop, and if she discovered that her suspicions were true, Valen help Ms. Ladan.

Terann pushed herself up to a sitting position, though Delenn advised her against it. "I will accept whatever punishment they decide is appropriate," she informed Delenn quietly.

The Ambassador smiled kindly at her. "I do not believe that will be necessary, Terann. As I have explained, this was not your fault. Security is even now searching for the man, according to Anissa’s description. I’m certain that once they find him and receive a confession…" Delenn trailed off, noticing that Terann did not seem to be paying attention, her gaze focused on the casualties of her rampage that lay in beds beyond the window.

Terann did not want to dash Delenn’s hopes but she truly believed that security would not find the man they were searching for, or at least not find him alive. Ashlen might be many things but Terann did not believe she was stupid.

"I would like to visit with them," Terann commented, indicating the people she injured.

Delenn followed her gaze. "Are you certain that is wise?"

"I must…no matter what I may face…I must offer my apologies, though they may mean little."

"That’s not going to be possible," Michael Garibaldi announced as he entered through the door.

Delenn’s eyes narrowed. "What are you talking about, Mr. Garibaldi?"

"I am sorry, but we are going to have to take you in to custody, Terann," the Chief informed her, watching her closely with a mistrusting gaze.

"What do you mean?" Delenn asked, approaching him. "You have no right. You know she is not responsible – "

"Until her hearing, we need to keep her where we can watch her, Delenn, " Garibaldi replied. "I’m sorry but she is a danger. She killed three people and put more than half a dozen of my people out of commission. Now I don’t care if a poltergeist took control of her body, the very idea that she can do the things we witnessed her do makes her dangerous. We can’t trust her."

"I don’t think – "

"Delenn," Terann interrupted. "It is all right. Do not argue for my sake. I told you that I would accept whatever punishment they deem necessary." Terann slipped off the bed, standing unsteadily on her feet. "I am ready, Mr. Garibaldi."

The Chief nodded, stepping aside for her to walk through the door. As she passed by the Tulluran’s, Anissa hurried over to her, wrapping her arms around the Minbari’s legs.

You are all right?

I am fine; Terann smiled down at the girl, returning the hug. Thank you, my dear friend. Thank you.

Terann pulled away from the Centauri child, and followed security out of Med Lab, uncertain to the future but concerned about the past. What would follow? And why was a soft voice in the back of her mind whispering continually, They know

 

 

Aelora sat slumped in the chair, staring silently at G’Kar, a frown furrowing her brow. Everything about the mission continued to grow more complicated, even after the main objective had been completed. The recent visit by her cousin, Tiro, had just about pushed Aelora over the edge. She really did not know which way was up anymore and was beginning to wish she were back on Centauri Prime, where things seemed so much easier.

The Ranger had just finished getting the room back into order and was ready to stretch out on the floor to get some sleep when there had been a soft knocking at the door. She glanced in panic at G’Kar, who still lay sleeping, recovering from his injury, and had hurried over to pull the curtains closed around the bed. Realizing she could not possibly invite anyone inside, she stripped out of her jumpsuit and wrapped herself in the bed robe, fluffing up her hair to make it appear that she had been asleep. Aelora then took a few deep breaths to calm herself and moved to the door, opening it only a small crack to find Tiro standing in the corridor.

He regarded her disheveled appearance for a moment, then stepped back. "I know you would prefer to speak in the hall but there are ears everywhere, Ae, and I would prefer to say this in your quarters."

Aelora looked at him quizzically, wondering how he could possibly know that she did not want him in there. Her only conclusion was his fear of the Vorlon. She jumped at the excuse. "I’m sorry, Tiro, but the Ambassador, he –"

"Lying does not become you, Aelora," her cousin admonished, smiling kindly. "You can’t do it. You’re eyes give you away."

"I don’t know what you’re talking about, Tiro," she snapped, beginning to grow nervous. "Now if you will excuse me –"

"I know who and what you have in there," Tiro whispered, nodding past her. "And it’s no Vorlon."

Aelora swallowed hard and quickly began to worry her lower lip. "What do you want, Tiro?"

"Just to talk, Ae," he replied. "Let me in."

She looked back, relieved to see that G’Kar had not stirred from the bed. Giving a mental sigh that this was possibly the stupidest thing she had ever done, Aelora stepped back quickly, allowing her cousin entrance. She closed the door immediately behind him, checking once to make certain that no one was in the corridor. She then stepped in front of him, blocking any further progression into the room, folding her arms across her chest defensively.

"Very well, Tiro. Out with it."

"I am not here to cause you trouble, Ae," he assured her, his voice lowered. "Actually, I came to tell you how proud of you I was. I thought that you would be lost with the rest of us but I see now that you’re heart is in the right spot."

Aelora let out a loud sigh. "I still have no idea what you are talking about," she answered, hoping once more to push him off track.

She was not so lucky.

"Look, cousin, I’m not stupid. At first I was a little curious, I mean, the Vorlons have taken about as much interest in the Narn as they have the Centauri, but I was willing to go along with it because the Minbari government requested it and I know that currently our government is too busy cleaning up from the last war to start another. But you have to know, Ae, you two caused quite a stir down there. Two dead, one injured – you’re lucky I was able to throw them off track or you’d both be walking around without your heads right now."

Aelora remembered it crossing her mind that no ships would be allowed to leave the planet after the alarm had been sounded but between G’Kar’s injury and her subsequent healing of it, she had forgotten all about it. Now, it seemed, she owed her cousin for their escape.

"Well…thank you."

Tiro shook his head. "I don’t want your thanks, Ae. I just want to let you know that I am behind you, whatever decisions you make. You must remember, if word of this ever gets out, most of the family will never understand, could never attempt to do so. They are simply too steeped in Centauri teachings of over a century." He placed his hand on her shoulder gently. "But I am here for you, should the need arise."

She was not certain how to reply. He obviously had everything completely turned around and was giving her much more credit than she deserved. Actually, Aelora found herself feeling a little guilty over it. Two different voices pulled at her. One whispered that she was unworthy of such praise, that if her cousin knew her true motivations and feelings that he would be disgusted with her. Another, darker voice insinuated that she should tell someone of Tiro’s perfidy, that he was an abomination to the House of Kyra and must be dealt with. The two sides warred with each other in Aelora’s mind and she felt a headache coming on from the pressure. She convinced herself that all she needed was a little sleep and everything would be clear to her in the morning.

"Tiro…cousin, thank you. Really. But I think if you were able to look inside my heart you would not see anyone so noble as you have attempted to make me."

The Centauri captain smiled at her. "Aelora, I am afraid you give yourself too little credit." He leaned over and placed a kiss on her forehead. "May the gods be with you, cousin. Get some rest. You deserve it."

Aelora was unable to get any rest after her cousin had departed though, and had simply sat in the chair, staring at the Narn who occupied what was supposed to be her bed. What frightened her the most was that she could find no hate anywhere within herself to direct at G’Kar. She wanted to hate him, wanted to find the nerve to simply contact her government and hand him over to the Emperor but there was nothing. The only thing that lurked was the sneaking suspicion that since she had first stepped into that transport on Babylon 5 and G’Kar had spoken to her, her life had suddenly and inexplicably taken a turn. Whether it was for the better or worse she had yet to decide.

G’Kar slowly awakened, the first realization to hit him was that his body felt incredibly tired, as if he had run for days through desert sand. He struggled to sit, briefly wondering how he had gotten onto the bed when he suddenly recalled the events from the day before. He reached a hand to his stomach, touching the tear that was rimmed with blood, where the dagger had entered. When he parted the cloth, there was no more than a faint scar left to indicate that he had been wounded. He ran his finger over the scar in fascination, as if trying to convince himself that what he saw was real. Finally, he looked up to find Aelora regarding him silently, her expression closed, for once, completely unreadable.

"You did this?" He asked softly, his tone full of wonder.

Aelora watched him longer before standing. "I have no idea what you are talking about."

The Narn watched as she moved off into the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind her. He looked back down at his stomach wondering, for a moment, if he had seen incorrectly but no, the scar was there, as was the tear and the blood. He waited until she came back into the room; once more wearing the clothing of a Ranger, her hair neatly pulled back in a ponytail. G’Kar stood, moving around the bed to where she stood pouring a cup of tea.

"I was stabbed yesterday. It was quite deep." He parted the cloth, showing where the weapon had struck. "There is nothing but a scar now. My people are resilient…but I have never heard of any healing so quickly."

Aelora glanced over at him, showing only a fraction of interest. "You’re imagining things."

She turned to walk away when G’Kar grabbed her arm, pulling her back to face him.

"Get your hands off me, Narn!" She spat, her eyes flashing.

G’Kar dropped his hand, surprised for a moment at the vicious tone she had used. He watched as she pulled back from him, realizing that her anger stemmed from a need to protect and defend herself. He tried once more to get her to admit what she had done.

"Can you deny this tear, Aelora?"

She waved her hand in dismissal. "Okay, a guard did come at you with a dagger and you moved out of the way in time for him to simply catch your clothing."

"And the blood?"

Aelora glanced briefly at the spot he indicated. Her eyes narrowed. "What are you trying to say, citizen G’Kar?"

"You did this," he answered softly. "I remember. You’re hand was here," he placed his finger against the scar.

"You remember nothing!" Aelora hissed, turning away from him.

"Aelora –"

"No!" She whirled back to him, her fists clenched at her sides. "The guard slashed your shirt. Nothing more. Whatever else you think may have happened you dreamed." The Ranger moved away from him, pacing around the room. "What you are suggesting is – is insane! Nuts! For someone to have the ability to do such a thing would be – would be –"

"Amazing," G’Kar finished for her, a soft smile appearing. "That person would be very special."

"A freak is more like it," she muttered, grimacing.

G’Kar continued to watch her, believing that he was beginning to understand her a little better. He wondered if she understood herself as well. "I believe a person who could do such things would also be very alone, the type of person who could be in a room full of people yet feel as if they were the only ones there. They would have difficulty in trusting others, have very few close friends and most likely feel a need to prove themselves to be something other than they truly are on a daily basis…But we both know that does not describe you at all."

Aelora cast a fierce glare at him then stomped off toward the door. "We will be reaching Babylon 5 soon," she informed him, changing the subject. "I suggest you get back into your disguise."

"Aelora."

She hesitated at the door.

"I will pretend, for you, that nothing happened for now. But someday, I hope, you will trust in me enough to confide in me."

She turned her head, regarding him quietly. Finally, she whispered, "That is one day that will never come, citizen G’Kar."

With that she disappeared into the corridor.

 

 

As Ashlen quickly made her way through Down Below, she was only remotely aware of the dank conditions of this part of the station as her mind was elsewhere. After Terann had been taken to the holding cell, Security Chief Garibaldi had told her to seek medical attention for her face. Unfortunately, there were far more pressing concerns than her face. She was well aware of the number of security officers that were out looking for the lurker and it was imperative that she find him first.

She gently scanned the various inhabitants that she came across, but unfortunately their minds were clouded with alcohol, drugs, mental illness or a combination of the three. As time passed she started to become concerned. If security had already found him, surely he had told them all about her involvement with the Minbari. Ashlen was convinced she would not be able to talk her way out of the situation. As she rounded a corner, she found herself face to face with one of the hapless residents of this part of the station. Without looking at her he muttered "Sorry."

Ashlen was overcome by a sense of desperation that was emanating from the disheveled man. She grabbed his upper arms and quickly scanned him hoping to find any clues to the lurker’s whereabouts. It was clear that this man had had some dealings with him three levels down only twenty minutes earlier. Releasing his arms she allowed him to pass and quickly headed for the lift.

Once on the appropriate level, Ashlen found herself unsure of which way to go. She realized it was the same level her and Zack had been on the other day, so she felt it wise to return to the spot where she originally met the lurker. As she walked, she pulled her PPG from its holster and checked the energy cap. She could not take any chances. As she retraced her steps, she began to think about what she had seen the Minbari do. She knew there were human telekinetics but their abilities were very limited and most of them were mentally unstable. The abilities that Terann had displayed were beyond anything she had ever witnessed. She doubted that these abilities were naturally occurring and she could only conclude that she was altered in some way. The Psi Corp had spent decades trying to improve telepathic ability but each time they had failed. Their only success was with a P10 named Ironheart who eventually killed the head researcher and went rogue. Bester had been involved in tracking down Ironheart but had not been very forth coming as to the results of his chase. If the Minbari had come up with a way of improving on their telepaths that information would be invaluable to the Corp. The question was how to get the data from the Minbari. She could not very well go to Terann and ask her for it, the Minbari made no secret of her feelings toward her. Ashlen shrugged mentally certain that Bester would know how best to proceed. Her only concern now was in finding the human she had hired to help her dispose of Terann.

She came to the dead end where she had first spoken to him and sensed nothing. She reached out as best she could with her mind but could not detect anyone. As she turned to continue her search elsewhere a voice behind her spoke. "You must be very proud."

She turned to see the lurker she had been looking for. "What do you mean."

"Well, from what I hear that Minbari killed 3 people. I don't think she will be out anytime soon."

Not hiding the repulsion she was feeling she replied. "Let's hope not."

The Lurker got an odd look on his face as he eyed Ashlen carefully. "You're not with security are you?"

Ashlen was shocked at his statement but then figured it did not matter how much he knew about her. "No, I'm not."

He started to grin. "So what, are you with The Nightwatch? Sent here to spy on the traitors? 'Cause if you are I could help you out."

She smiled back faking her interest in his offer. "Thank you but no, I was sent here to do this on my own."

His face quickly darkened and his anger began to show. "Fine, if that is the way you want to be about it." He paused before continuing, "So when does my ship leave?"

Ashlen looked him squarely in the face and pulled out her PPG. "Right now." As she spoke she fired and the lurker collapsed on the floor. She knelt beside him and checked to insure that he was in fact dead. Satisfied with his condition, she quickly made her way back to the lift. Everything was proceeding as she had planned and once Aelora was back on the station she could finish what she had been sent to do and put Babylon 5 far behind her. She smiled to herself and thought yes Ashlen, you always win.

 

 

Aelora was just finished helping G'Kar back into the Vorlon encounter suit when her door chimed. She quickly checked to see that no evidence of the Narn was present before answering it. "Come," she said and the door slid open.

She smiled as Tiro entered. He studied the being disguised before him and then turned back to Aelora. "I thought you would like to know we are ready to jump back to normal space. It is time to get the two of you onboard the shuttle."

Aelora nodded and gathered up her belongings. She felt slightly sad leaving. Here she had felt close to Centauri Prime, and though she had never felt truly Centauri, it was still home. She noticed Tiro stop at the doorway. "What is it Cousin?" She asked him her voice soft.

He quickly smiled and answered, "It's nothing Ae, I just hope..."

She walked over to him and put her hand on his arm. Looking into his eyes warmly she urged him to continue. "Hope what, Tiro?"

He looked into her green eyes desperate to see the real Aelora, the one he remembered from so many years before. Taking a deep breath he continued. "I just hope you realize you don't have to be like them...like the others...don't pretend to be someone you aren't, you will only waste the person that you are."

Aelora began to feel her stomach churn. Tiro knew about the Narn being there, was he purposely doing this to her to force her to show G'Kar her doubts about her upbringing. A feeling of anger washed over her and her voice showed it. "I may have been born human, Tiro, but my heart is Centauri." With that she pushed past him, G'Kar only steps behind her.

As G'Kar passed the Centauri, Tiro muttered in an almost inaudible voice. "I am sorry."

G'Kar was speechless. A thousand thoughts raced through his mind. The foremost of which was how the Centauri had known his true identity and why he had not disclosed it to the others. Perhaps Aelora had something to do with it. He dismissed that as an impossibility. He studied the Centauri, whose face appeared sincere, but it was difficult to accept. This was the monster who was responsible for countless deaths during the assault on his home and now he was expected to accept his apology. G'Kar did not know whether to laugh or to weep. He remained silent, his heart filled with the urge to rip Tiro's head from his shoulders. He hurried as best he could to catch up with Aelora, who was storming off in the direction of the shuttle bay.

Aelora's anger made her oblivious to those around her. Several officers sidestepped to avoid running into her. She wanted nothing more than to return home and put all of this nonsense behind her. How dare Tiro do that to her. She began playing with the idea of uncovering his sympathy to the Narn. The emperor would certainly have him executed, but in the process her entire family could be shamed.

Aelora attempted to clear her mind in order to help her think more rationally, as she settled into the cockpit of the shuttle. Once ensuring G'Kar was onboard she looked at him her eyes clearly showing her anger. "Tiro is a fool."

"I quite agree," G'Kar told her, his voice muffled by his helmet. "But I don't think my reasons are the same as yours."

They spent the trip from the cruiser to the docking bay of the station in silence. Aelora replayed the conversation with her cousin repeatedly. How could he think such things? He had brought so much honor and glory to his family and now he was actually turning his back on his own people. She would not allow him to drag her down with him. She was proud of the Centauri's accomplishments and would not allow Trio to cast doubt on that.

Once the shuttle came to rest in the docking bay she sighed deeply and turned to begin gathering up her things. She noticed the Narn looking at her and it bothered her. "Is there a problem citizen G'Kar?" She asked him not trying to hide her annoyance. She had put up with more than any sane person could be expected to from a Narn and simply knowing he was within sight annoyed her.

"No, not at all. I was simply going to tell you that you need not bother escorting me to my quarters. I can go the rest of the way on my own."

She looked at him as if he had finally lost his mind. "No bloody way am I going to have you wandering around the station like that. I didn't risk everything to simply have you do something stupid now."

G'Kar made an attempt to shrug and said, "As you wish."

Once at customs, Aelora handed over their identi-cards to the Narn security officer. He eyed her suspiciously hesitant to swipe the cards. Aelora huffed in annoyance and asked, "Would you like me to do it for you?"

"Ummmm...no, thank you," he replied quickly scanning the cards and handing them back to her.

"This station is going straight to hell," she muttered pushing past him on her way to green sector. G'Kar remained silent as they made their way to his quarters. He regarded her carefully. He appreciated everything the Ranger had done for him and he knew the risks she had taken. He only hoped that some of it was not based simply on her obligation to the Rangers. How would he ever repay her for what she had done? He knew Aelora would never accept anything from him but he was certain that he would eventually think of some way to thank her.

When they arrived at his quarters, Aelora opened the door, knowing full well that the encounter suit would make it impossible for him to do so. She stepped aside to allow G'Kar to pass and then followed him in. Once inside, Aelora stood silently, fighting the urge to say something. She found it odd that she no longer found his presence intolerable. She no longer regarded him as the enemy. Instead she saw him as a caring person who was desperate to help his people at any cost. He had dignity and honor, and Aelora valued both. But he is a Narn, she reminded herself. Still something inside her nagged at her, daring her to defy what she had been taught.

G'Kar had successfully removed his helmet and turned to regard Aelora. He found himself in awe of her. In the muted lighting of the room her hair seemed even fierier than before and her eyes were an incredible shade of green. A smile formed on his face and he said warmly, "Thank you, Aelora. If I were to live forever I would never be able to repay you for what you have done for me."

She only nodded, unsure of how she should respond. As she turned to leave she heard him struggling to remove the rest of the encounter suit. She looked back at him in time to see him stumble and fall to the floor. A giggle escaped before she could stop it and when G'Kar looked at her she quickly composed herself. He considered her for a moment and then he too began to laugh. A look of relief passed over her and she asked, "Do you want me to help you?"

He nodded graciously, and she moved over to him and putting her arm around his waist she helped him to his feet. Once his arms were free, Aelora offered her hand to him for support while he removed his feet from the disguise. After the suit had been completely removed he continued to hold her hand for a moment. They looked deeply at one another, as if stopped in time.

Suddenly the door chimed and Aelora snapped out of her reverie, dropping his hand as if it were a hot coal. G'Kar looked at her with concern, knowing that she would not want to be seen with a Narn let alone in one's quarters. As if she knew what he was thinking she told him smugly, "Don't worry. It is not as if anyone important would come to see you."

He ignored her comment and called out, "Enter!"

As Ambassador Delenn entered he noticed the Ranger's demeanor change. The arrogance disappeared to be replaced with a look of respect. Aelora bowed her head to the Minbari. "Entil'zah Delenn."

"Hello Aelora, G'Kar. It is good to have you back safely," Delenn said warmly.

G'Kar smiled back at her. "We have Miss Kyra to thank for that, you should be very proud of her."

A sense of relief passed over Delenn. Lennier had expressed his concern with Aelora being assigned to this mission and the Ambassador was grateful to hear that his doubts had been misplaced. "Thank you Aelora, your help has been greatly appreciated." Her look darkened. "Unfortunately, we are in need of your assistance in another matter."

Aelora mentally cringed. After the last assignment she was afraid to hear what Ranger One wanted of her this time. She swallowed her dread and simply said, "Of course Entil'zah, I am honored to serve."

Delenn smiled at Aelora knowing that the current mission may prove helpful to the Ranger. Taking a deep breath the Ambassador explained. "While you were gone we had an...occurrence...involving one of the Minbari on the station."

"Terann." The name was out before Aelora even knew why she said it.

"Yes," Delenn said with a tone of surprise. "Someone put alcohol in her drink yesterday..."

Aelora cut her off, her voice full of dread. 'Alcohol? In Valen's name what happened?"

"Unfortunately, there were three deaths and several injuries before security was able to apprehend her. I will give you a copy of the report to read, it explains everything."

Aelora nodded. "What is it you wish for me to do?"

"The circumstances are a little complicated, given that it was not her fault. Security Chief Garibaldi wants her to stand trial for obvious reasons, unfortunately, the Vorlon and the Minbari governments don't see it that way, so Captain Sheridan and myself have agreed that she should return to Minbar until things calm down or until we need her abilities."

"What do the Vorlons have to do with this? From what I understand they tend not to involve themselves with the affairs of others," Aelora asked with confusion.

Delenn nodded her agreement. "That is usually the case, but for unknown reasons they have gotten involved now. Unfortunately, Terann is unwilling to shed any light on the situation as well."

"So what is it you wish for me to do, Entil'zah?" Aelora asked.

"In light of recent events the Captain is unwilling to trust her to return home unaccompanied. Therefore I felt you to be the perfect candidate to go with her. Given your...opinions...on certain matters, the time there may help you reflect on your position within the anla'shok," Delenn responded.

Aelora could not believe what she was hearing. She had just spent the last few days in the company of a Narn trying to prove her loyalty to the Rangers and Delenn still did not trust her. She had risked everything in the name of the anla'shok and now it appeared that those sacrifices had gone completely unnoticed. The thought of spending anymore than a few moments with a member of the Warrior Caste was enough to make her cringe. Aelora considered telling Delenn where to go and how to get there but she bit her tongue. We live for the one...we die for the one, she reminded herself, but now she found she was doing what she had to, not for Entil'zah Delenn, but for her father, the only one who had accepted her for what she was. The Minbari touched Aelora's arm when she saw the hurt and frustration on the human's face. "It will only be for a short time." She tried to reassure the Ranger. "The war is intensifying and we will need both of you here to help in the conflict."

Aelora inclined her head. "Very well Entil'zah Delenn, I will do as you ask."

The Ambassador smiled with relief. "Good. You're ship will be here in a little under two standard hours. Mr. Garibaldi is insisting on a security escort to the shuttle, so, go there as soon as you are ready."

Aelora nodded and Delenn turned to leave.

G'Kar, who until that moment had been silent, spoke. "Delenn? May I ask if any of the Narn security officers were injured in the attacks."

Delenn sighed, considering her words carefully. She knew that G'Kar had graciously offered the services of the Narn on the station to security and she hated to tell him of the numerous Narn that had been injured. "None were killed." She paused. "Unfortunately, several were injured, some severely. They are in Medlab if you wish to visit them."

"Thank you, Delenn I will do that immediately." He looked at Aelora, surprised that she showed no sign of joy in hearing of the Narn who had been injured. Maybe it was because Delenn was present, or maybe, he hoped, the trip to his home had had some affect on her.

Delenn inclined her head slightly to both of them and left. G'Kar turned back to Aelora and found her gazing at him. When their eyes met Aelora quickly turned her eyes elsewhere. "Well I guess I should let you get to Med Lab."

"Yes, I should be going."

Aelora nodded and headed for the door. G'Kar's voice stopped her, "Perhaps when you get back we could...talk...or have a drink?"

She turned back to face him fully. "Look citizen G'Kar, you know as well as I that that is simply not possible. I mean, its possible I don't despise you as I once did, but you are still a Narn. I can’t forget that. Not now and not ever."

She could see the hurt on his face and she wanted to say something, anything to ease his pain, but she could not allow herself. She mentally chided herself for showing the small amount of kindness to him. What are you doing Aelora? They are no more than animals and they deserve no more respect than that, she reminded herself.

G'Kar was amazed at how quickly Aelora Kyra was able to transform her stance. The woman before him suddenly showed all the pride and arrogance of any Centauri he had seen and he found himself recoiling from her. When she spoke again her tone was cold and harsh. "Good day citizen G'Kar. You have succeeded in wasting more of my time than I should have allowed."

With that she spun on her heel and left, ignoring the pain that G'Kar clearly displayed on his face.

 

 

Terann sat silently in the holding cell where Garibaldi had put her more than two hours earlier. Every few minutes one of the security staff would look at her through the window in the door, yet none of them came to speak to her. She could sense they were waiting for something but she could not tell what.

As she waited she had great apprehension, not for what punishment awaited her but for what she had done. Surprisingly it was not the consequences of her actions that worried her so much as her actions themselves. Of course it bothered her that she had killed and injured so many, but the fact that so many knew of her abilities, after hiding it for so long, worried her more.

"Why is it I am able to do such things?" She asked Dukhat.

"You have a gift, a gift whose importance you will realize soon enough." he told her.

"But I do not understand." She pried with youthful innocence.

He looked at her warmly, trying to remove her doubts. "Someday when the great enemy from long ago returns, you will understand everything.

"Will I be able to go home then?" She looked at him full of hope and wanting.

"I find it odd that you have never come to think of this ship as your home."

She looked away shameful that she had hurt him. He noticed it on her face and putting his hand under her chin he brought her eyes up to meet his. "You must not let anyone know what you can do, Terann?"

A horrible feeling washed over her and a million thoughts raced through her mind. Was she truly a freak? Something to be shunned and cast out? Would she never be able to go home to her family?

Dukhat saw the fear in her and smiled. "When the time comes and your caste leads the war against the ancient enemy you will be there to help and to guide them." His face darkened as he continued, "However, until then they are not ready to accept what you are able to do. They do not believe the prophecy and they would put your gift to poor use."

Terann did not respond, instead she allowed his words to sink in. She realized the potentially destructive nature of her abilities. Conceding this she asked him, "But how will I know--"

He did not allow her to finish, he simply told her, "You will know."

Dukhat's words were as potent then as they had been many years earlier. Back then things had seemed so confused. Now there was clarity and it only served to worsen her concern. It was important that no one know the full extent of her capabilities. Even during her service to the council she did not reveal it. They had simply believed her to be a strong telepath. There had been nothing to fear by showing her ability to Neroon because she was convinced he would never admit to having been beaten by her, and she had not expected the Narn to come forward at risk to their own lives. She had to admit she had been careless, but now thanks to an unknown lurker and, quite possibly, the human telepath that had coerced him, far too many knew.

Terann looked up at the window again to see Security Chief Garibaldi eyeing her curiously. She was desperate to see what they were waiting for. She reached out with her mind and saw nothing. Everything was blank. As she pushed harder and was still unable to penetrate his thoughts, she began to panic and a smile began to form on the human's face.

Turning away from the window, Garibaldi looked at the assembled security team with a smile. "Well, it looks like time's up."

The gathered troops breathed a sigh of relief but came to attention as Captain Sheridan approached. A doctor in Med Lab had treated him, but his hands and face still showed the severity of his attack.

"Status report." Sheridan asked, not attempting to hide the dilemma that was making a difficult situation even more complicated.

"Nothing much to report, Captain. The sleepers just seem to be taking affect now. After seeing what she is capable of doing, I have been hesitant to send any one in with her." Garibaldi explained.

Sheridan nodded. "Well maybe that was wise given the current situation."

"What situation is that?" Garibaldi asked, not convinced he wanted to know the answer.

Sheridan took a deep breath and looked once more at the report he was carrying before handing it to his security chief. As Garibaldi read it, his face changed from one of concern to one of utter disbelief. "Oh, you have got to be kidding?"

Sheridan only raised his brow, confirming what he himself was still trying to accept.

"What is it, Chief?" Zack asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.

Sheridan and Garibaldi eyes each other as if silently debating which of them was going to tell the others.

As the commanding officer the Captain finally broke the silence. "I just received this from the Vorlon Ambassador advising me of his governments official protest of us holding Terann."

It was clear from their expressions that they had not been expecting this. "Did they give a reason?" Da'Noth inquired, asking the same question that was on all their minds.

"No." Sheridan said plainly. "As is usual, the Vorlons have failed to explain themselves."

"So now what?" asked Ashlen who, up until this point, had been silent. Her thoughts had been pre-occupied with other things. It had not taken security long to find the lurker where she had left him. With him out of the way she was a little more at ease, yet she was fearful that she had still left some loose ends.

"Now? We proceed as we have been." The Captain then nodded to the Chief, indicating for him to unlock the door to the Minbari's cell.

"Wait!" a voice behind them said. Sheridan turned and smiled when he saw Ambassador Delenn. "At the request of my government, I have been asked to be present during any questioning."

Sheridan looked at Garibaldi, noting his growing frustration, before nodding toward Delenn. Garibaldi opened the door and, after allowing Sheridan and Delenn to pass, entered the holding cell.

Once inside, the Captain did not waste anytime and slammed the report down on the table in front of Terann. Towering over her, Sheridan said, "It would appear you have some friends in high places."

Terann regarded the human before her with disdain. She paid no regard to the paper he had put in front of her but only looked up at him. She knew of his importance in the Shadow War and what he meant to Delenn, but being this close to him now, she suddenly realized how difficult it was to forget his involvement in the destruction of the Black Star, and later, of the Trigati. She stretched out with her mind, not to see his thoughts but to simply see if she could. When she saw nothing her anger grew.

"What have you done to me?" She asked her voice dangerously low.

"Ah, you must be talking about the sleepers." Garibaldi told her stepping forward.

"Sleepers?" Terann asked, looking at Delenn, her tone noticeably softer.

"It's a drug the humans use to suppress telepathic ability," the Ambassador explained.

Terann's anger erupted and she jumped to her feet. "You have no right!"

"We have three dead bodies in Med Lab that say otherwise." Garibaldi barked back at her.

Captain Sheridan raised his hand to the security chief, indicating that he would handle the situation. "Given what we saw earlier, I think we would all feel better with you being unable to use your...gift."

Delenn stepped over to Terann and put her hand on her arm. Speaking softly in order to reassure the warrior that she would not let anyone harm her she said, "They would feel safer having your abilities suppressed, but only until after the hearing when they have decided what they are going to do with you."

Terann considered the Ambassador's words carefully and finally nodded. "I understand and will cooperate."

Delenn smiled at Terann, who inclined her head slightly out of respect. The Ambassador then stepped back to stand with Sheridan.

Terann lifted her head to regard the human known to her caste as the Star Killer. She saw the marks on his face and felt badly for the pain that she had caused him. He met her gaze, and for a moment they connected, as if they were both equally curious about the other.

Sheridan grabbed a chair, that was up against the wall and turning it around he sat down in it backwards. Terann had noticed several human males do the same thing and she could not discern why.

He sat silently for a few moments, considering how to best approach the situation. Breathing deeply he spoke, "We are aware that there was at least one person involved in putting the alcohol in your drink. For this we do not blame you." He paused. "However, we need to know a few things before deciding what it is that we are going to do with you."

Terann only nodded, refusing to break eye contact with him. She could see it bothered him, and it only served to strengthen her resolve.

Looking down at his hands in thought and then back at Terann he asked, "First of all, we need to know if you have any idea who did this too you and why."

Terann knew she could not tell him of her suspicions about the Psi Cop. She would deal with Ashlen herself. So she simply said, "Yes."

Sheridan waited as if expecting her to continue. When it became evident that she was not going to, Sheridan asked, "Would you like to tell us?"

The Minbari's expression did not change. "No," she told him plainly.

Terann narrowed her eyes defiantly and leaned back in her chair. The Security Chief stepped forward to Sheridan his voice low and his eyes full of mistrust and pointed squarely at Terann. "Just forget it Captain, you aren't going to get anywhere with her.

Sheridan looked down, nodding his head. "I guess you're right." He picked up the report and gave Terann a look, which he hoped clearly displayed what he thought of her and her unwillingness to cooperate. If she understood, she gave no indication. Sheridan nodded to the others and they headed toward the door. Garibaldi opened the door and held it in order to allow the others to pass. When the Captain reached the door he turned back to the Minbari. "Oh one more thing. Why are the Vorlons interested in what we do with you?"

Terann only crossed her arms across her chest a faint smile formed on her face. Her arrogance angered Sheridan but he kept it in check and stormed out. Delenn looked back at Terann briefly before following him.

Once alone again, Terann sighed deeply. She knew her refusal to cooperate had upset Delenn, and it bothered her. But she was Minbari and did not need the humans to deal with Ashlen for her. As for the Vorlons, she was surprised they had risked coming to her aid and she was unwilling to compromise herself or them anymore then they had already been. Time was running out, for all of them. Sheridan would have his answers soon enough. The question remained, whether he would truly want the answers once he had them.

 

 

Ashlen felt uncharacteristically cheerful that morning as she headed toward the security office. With Terann out of the way and Aelora due to return to the station that day, things were finally falling into place and she hoped she would be able to return home in a few short days. She would be grateful to put the station and it's ever-present chaos behind her. Still, she thought, she would miss some of the excitement that this mission had brought her. When she arrived at the office, she found Security Chief Garibaldi hard at work as usual. She plopped herself down on the edge of his desk and smiled down at him. "So, what's up, Chief?"

Without looking away from his work he replied. "Not much, lieutenant." He lifted his head to look at her. He eyed her curiously. "You're in a good mood this morning."

"And why shouldn't I be? Things are quiet around here today."

"After yesterday, I think we deserve to have it quiet for a while." His face became more serious. "Oh by the way, good work yesterday. Things could have gotten ugly but you did good."

She smiled. "Just doing what I came here to do."

"Let's just hope our efforts were not wasted," he told her, his tone thick with frustration.

Her heart sank. "What do you mean? The Captain can't possible let her get away with what she did."

Garibaldi stood and began to pace. "Well, from what we have been able to find, none of it was her fault."

Ashlen could easily sense his anger and it worried her. She had risked far too much to get the Minbari telepath out of the way and now was Sheridan simply going to let her go. "But, given what she is able to do should be enough to get her off the station. She is dangerous, doesn't he realize that."

As she had hoped, Garibaldi was becoming increasingly angry. He may be able to convince the Captain to send Terann back home at least temporarily. If they let her come back, what did she care. By then she would be back home and her mission would be complete. "Yah well, let's hope they see it that way." Garibaldi considered her for a moment. "You want to do something for me?"

His look worried her but her curiosity won out. "Sure, anything."

"She hasn't eaten since we put her in there. She just sits there, staring at the door. Maybe if you went in, she may not find you so threatening." He looked at her hopefully.

Ashlen dreaded the thought of having to see the Minbari again, but she realized that with the sleepers she would not be able to block her if she tried to scan her. Suppressing a smile she said, "No problem. See you in a bit." With that she turned and headed for the holding cell.

As she approached the cell, her excitement almost overwhelmed her. Stopping to look in the window in the door a shudder ran down her spine. Terann stared at her as if she had been expecting her. Taking a deep breath, Ashlen unlocked the door and entered.

Terann's eyes seem to bore into her soul. Does she know? Ashlen thought in horror.

"Get out," Terann told her plainly, her voice almost inaudible.

"Sorry I was sent here," Ashlen told her setting the tray down in front of her.

"You must be very proud of yourself, Ashlen." The Minbari's eyes narrowed and her tone was full of accusation.

She does know. Ashlen thought beginning to panic. But why has she not told them.... "I don't know what you are talking about," she said turning, hoping to make a quick escape from the cell.

Terann could see the fear in the human's eyes. It was obvious that she was worried that she may tell the others of her deception. "You must think me a fool, human. I know what you did and why you did it. It is only a matter of time before they find out about you."

Ashlen's face suddenly turned incredibly smug. If Terann knew all about what she had done she may as well rub her nose in it. "Did you hear they found the lurker that did this to you?" Terann looked at her with interest but refused to respond so Ashlen continued, "Unfortunately, the hole in his chest is making it hard for him to answer any questions."

The Minbari shook her head. She still did not understand how humans could so easily kill one another. How they believed themselves equal to the Minbari, she could not fathom. And Ashlen seemed somewhat worse. She seemed not to care about life; it was evident in her tone. She was proud of what she had done.

"I feel sorry for you, Ashlen, " Terann spoke finally, her voice level. "You do not, and never will, understand the concept of true joy."

"Oh yes I will," Ashlen laughed. "When I finally get to look long into your lifeless eyes…then I will be extremely joyful."

"Why do you bear me such ill will, human? When did I first gain your hatred?"

Ashlen moved toward her, her expression darkening. "When you got in my way. That was your first mistake. No one prevents me from meeting my objectives. No one. Yet you continued to do so. You are a most…inconvenient annoyance. But I will be rid of you soon enough."

Terann raised an eyebrow. "Do not be so proud of yourself too quickly, Ashlen. Things have a way of falling apart when you least expect it. I…am not alone."

"What’s that supposed to mean?"

"Exactly how it sounds." Terann stepped toward the Psi Cop, her dark green eyes staring hard into the humans’. "I will repay you, Ashlen. That, I can promise you."

The human stepped back from her, quickly masking the fear that had briefly flashed in her eyes. She lifted her head defiantly, the smug smile appearing once more. "I’m not afraid of you or any of your ‘friends’. I have the Corps and you should be the one to be wary. Don’t be too sure we won’t decide to focus our efforts on you."

Terann started for the human but Ashlen moved quickly, closing the door behind her before the Minbari could reach her. She waved at the prisoner through the window, her enthusiasm diminishing as Terann only continued to stare at her. Ashlen frowned for a moment then finally moved away. She could not wait until the Minbari would finally be off Babylon 5 and out of her life for good.

 

 

Aelora peeked into the security office to see Michael Garibaldi resting his head on his arms on the desk. He appeared exhausted to her and she did not want to disturb him but she knew that this was not something that could be put off. She moved over to him, tapping him lightly on the shoulder.

"I wasn’t sleeping!" He denied quickly, lifting his head up. He blinked at Aelora a moment before smiling. "Oh, Aelora. It’s only you. So your back from your little adventure, I see. How’d it go?"

Aelora gave a small frown. "Okay, I guess. All the objectives were met and I brought your Narn back in one piece."

Garibaldi gave her quick look of censorship. "Ambassador G’Kar is a very good person and friend of mine, Aelora."

"Yes. Others have said similar things regarding citizen G’Kar, " Aelora replied waving her hand in dismissal. "But I am not here to discuss him. I just spent three days in his company. I assure you I have had quite enough of Narn-socialization. I am here for more important reasons."

"And what would that be?"

Aelora took a deep breath. Why did she have the feeling this would not go over well? "I am in charge of escorting Terann back to Minbar."

"What?!" Garibaldi jumped up from his seat, knocking the chair backwards. "What the hell are you talking about? That Minbari is standing trial, Aelora. I have three dead bodies that say so and a good half dozen injured ones who agree."

"I understand, Michael, " Aelora replied calmly. "But Captain Sheridan also has the Minbari and Vorlon governments saying otherwise. Now, I don’t care if she killed thirty people, EarthGov does not want a war with either of those powers. Certainly you can see that?"

Garibaldi glared at her, stormed across the room to slam his hand into the wall in frustration. "What the hell does the Vorlon government have to do with this anyway?"

The Ranger smiled, sitting on the edge of his desk. "Well, that’s the big mystery question, isn’t it? Always is when the Vorlons are involved. Why?" She shrugged. "The worst part of it is, everyone is too afraid to ask the question. So, their mystery continues."

"You sound like you don’t like the Vorlons," Garibaldi commented, eyeing her closely.

Again, she shrugged. "Maybe it’s the ego. Maybe I don’t like mystery anymore than anyone else. Maybe the Centauri taught me to distrust anyone who walks around in disguise. I don’t know. I really don’t care either way."

"You may need to change that attitude with the coming conflict," he warned.

"Maybe." She stood. "Look, I need to see Terann."

Garibaldi cursed loudly, bringing a smile to Aelora’s lips.

"I’ve never heard that one before. Exactly what is that in reference to?"

"Never mind," he grumbled. "Very well. Have at it. But she hasn’t been very cooperative with anyone."

Aelora nodded, heading for the door. She came to a halt when the security chief added:

"I just sent Lieutenant Ladan in to try and get her to eat something."

"Lieutenant Ladan?" Aelora turned to look at him. "Short? Blonde?"

"Yah. That’s her. You know her?"

She frowned. "Not exactly. Excuse me."

Garibaldi watched quizzically as Aelora hurried from the room. He made a mental note to see G’Kar later and find out how the trip to Narn really went. He still had trouble understanding how a child of Jeffrey Sinclair could have such attitudes regarding another race. Even with her being raised by Centauri, it just did not seem to make sense. And now she appeared to be becoming friends with a dangerous Minbari warrior. It was obvious to him that Aelora needed a father figure in her life, badly. She needed some guidance. And she still had trouble understanding Daffy.

Aelora rounded the corner to the cell just as Ashlen was leaving. They ran directly into one another and both jumped back defensively. There was a strained silence as the two regarded one another warily. Finally, Aelora folded her arms across her chest, cocking one eyebrow.

"Why is it I am not shocked to find you here, where trouble looms?"

Ashlen glared at her. "What are you talking about?"

"I don’t know, Lieutenant. What am I talking about?"

If only I could scan her, Ashlen thought, but the fear of hearing that piercing scream again stopped her. Perhaps, simply a surface scan. There has to be something. Ashlen focused her mind, gently probing the Ranger’s thoughts. This time, instead of finding nothing, she felt an actual block appear. It surprised her but what caught her attention even more was the look of surprise on Aelora’s face. The Ranger cocked her head to the side, her eyes narrowing.

"You…you just tried to scan me. Why?"

Ashlen stepped back, silent.

"I asked you a question," Aelora persisted, following her movements. "I thought we had covered this. It was all a mistake, right?"

The Psi Cop looked around, as if hoping for an escape. Finally, resigned to the trap she had somehow set for herself, she looked at Aelora. "Fine. Whatever. Yah, I tried to scan you. We just had a really scary twenty-four hours and I want to cover all bases."

She’s lying. Aelora was not certain how she knew that, but she did. It was as clear to her as if someone were shouting it. Aelora frowned. What in the galaxy was going on? Suddenly, an idea occurred to Aelora that she never before would have thought to try. After all, her mother had been a telepath; it was not so difficult to believe that she herself might be latent in some way, able to perform low-level scans. Her eyes narrowed and she focused her gaze on Ashlen. How do I do it? She wondered. It must be much like the healing. Then I focus on physical attributes, but now I must simply catch her thoughts.

Aelora was not certain what it was she was expecting but it could not have been what next happened. One moment, Ashlen glanced at Aelora as if she had just noticed something she had never seen before and the next she collapsed against the wall, her head in her hands as if to hold the Ranger out.

Images began flashing before Aelora's eyes. They flew by at such a fast, mind numbing pace that little of it made sense to her. Pull back! Pull back! A voice seemed to scream at her. Aelora drew away from the images, focusing on more concrete thoughts. Why are you here? She found herself asking the Psi Cop. What do you want?

I want you! Ashlen's mind screamed at her.

Why?

Those are my orders. Your mother ran away from us. We want to know what you can do, only she keeps getting in the way.

She. You mean Terann. What has the Minbari got to do with this?

She continues to get in the way, as if she is your protector or something. But not anymore...

What do you mean?

Get out of my head, intruder!

What do you mean?!

Aelora pushed again and once more images flashed before her: Ashlen and some lurker talking, the lurker pouring something into Terann's drink and then, Ashlen shooting the lurker at point blank range. Aelora quickly pulled out of the Psi Cop's mind, staring at her in shock for a long moment before slamming her up against the wall, her arm pressed hard against her throat. The Ranger was a good half-foot taller than Ashlen, and a good deal stronger. No matter how much Ashlen struggled, she could not break free from the hold. Her eyes narrowed dangerously.

"All I have to do is scream and the entire security department will be down here wondering why you're assaulting an officer," Ashlen warned.

"And all I have to do is tell Michael you're a Psi Cop," came the smooth reply. "I've heard he doesn't like them very much."

A brief flicker of fear appeared in Ashlen's eyes. She masked it quickly but not before Aelora saw it. The Psi Cop frowned. "What do you plan to do?"

"I'd like nothing better than to tear your scrawny hide to pieces," Aelora replied in a fierce whisper. "But that would cause too many questions. If you haven't noticed, there are a few things about myself I'd rather keep under wraps. As for what you have done to Terann...I’m certain the Minbari can come up with much more clever ways of dealing with you than I could."

Ashlen fidgeted against the wall, the hold against her neck becoming increasingly uncomfortable.

"You tell your superiors that there is nothing telepathic about me," Aelora instructed her. "You tell them I'm as mundane as any other normal and you tell them to leave me the hell alone." She relaxed her hold briefly. "You do that, and I'll let you live."

"Don't threaten me, bitch," Ashlen hissed.

Aelora let go of her, stepping back for a moment. She turned as if to walk away, then came back around, slamming her fist squarely into Ashlen's nose. She felt a satisfying crunch and moved back, a smile slowly spreading across her face as the Psi Cop reached up to stop the flow of blood that was dripping down her mouth.

"Unlike some," Aelora commented as she once more began her way down the corridor. "I don't require my telepathic abilities to get my point across. Good day, Lieutenant."

Ashlen glared at the Ranger’s back as she moved off, her fingers hovering over her PPG, itching to pull it from it’s holster and blast Aelora Campbell straight to hell. Calm yourself, she mentally took a deep breath. In time. Everything will come in time. You can make them both pay but you must have patience. Killing her will only cause more problems.

The Psi Cop straightened up, decided to say she had walked into a door to explain her nose and headed back to the security office.

Aelora found that a Narn security officer was guarding Terann’s cell. She gave a mental shake of her head, wondering if she would ever be free of them, and approached him.

"I have permission from Garibaldi to see the prisoner," she informed him.

"Yes, Miss…Kyra." Da’Noth hesitated on the name, thinking how many Narn he knew who would gladly kill the young woman who stood before him. None of his family had been sold into slavery by the Kyra’s but many of his friends had, and had evoked the Shon’Kar because of it. He wondered if she knew. "The Chief informed me a few minutes ago. Would you like me to accompany you?"

Aelora flashed him a look that clearly told him how ridiculous the offer was. Then she surprised them both by replying, "No. Thank you."

They both looked at one another in surprise then Aelora looked away, frowning. She shook her head, glanced at the Narn once more then finally approached the door to the cell.

She stepped into the small room to find Terann leaning against the opposite wall, watching the door. They regarded one another silently for a moment before the human finally spoke:

"I am supposed to escort you back to Minbar."

The Minbari did not reply to this. Instead, she asked, "How did your mission for Entil’zah go?"

Aelora frowned, moving over to the bench where she sat down. "I don’t know when we’re supposed to leave," she continued, ignoring the question. "But you’re supposed to stay there until things calm down around here or Entil’zah Delenn needs you."

Terann only continued to regard her silently.

"So." Aelora leaned back, folding her arms over her chest. "Exactly why is the Vorlon government involved in all of this? I’ve never known them to be this interested in the affairs of other races."

Terann cocked her head to one side. "How did your mission go?"

Aelora sighed. "I’d rather not answer that."

"Neither would I."

Stalemate. Aelora dropped her hands to her legs and began drumming her fingers against her knees. She sat in thought for a moment before looking back over at the Minbari.

"So what are you going to do to Ashlen for this whole fiasco?"

That got her attention. Terann actually appeared surprised. "How did you know?"

"I…" Damn! Aelora shrugged. "Just a guess."

The warrior frowned. "That does me no good. I must know for certain."

"Why don’t you scan her?"

Terann glanced away quickly, a momentary flash of pain appearing across her face. "I would but they…they have given me ‘sleepers’. I can not see…feel anything."

"I’m sorry," Aelora replied automatically. She recalled, for a brief moment, the year that her mother had given her the drugs to prevent her from causing the flowers to bloom wherever she went. For a time, Soria’s daughter had been a normal child, safe from harm that others might cause her. But all Aelora remembered was the pain of not hearing the plants ‘speak’ to her, of being unable to use a gift as normal to her as breathing.

Terann turned to look at the human once more. She wondered why Delenn had chosen Aelora to accompany her back to Minbar. Certainly there was a reason other than simple convenience. And how did the Ranger know of Ashlen’s involvement? She was clearly lying; Terann did not need to scan her to know that. It was evident in her eyes. She must remember to tell the human sometime that her eyes showed her thoughts and feelings much too clearly. She wondered briefly if her own face was as expressive. Was Aelora able to read her thoughts as clearly? Was she able to see the fear that Terann felt flowing through her at the loss of her gift? It was a fear she could never admit, but it was there all the same. She felt as if she were trapped in a cold, dark room where there was no air, no chance of escape. She welcomed the chance to return to Minbar. She had need no fear of anyone doing something like this to her there.

The Minbari suddenly found her thoughts focusing on Neroon. She would need to seek him out, to retrieve her denn’bok that he took with him. A part of her that she tried valiantly to ignore was actually looking forward to seeing the warrior. She hoped that the next meeting would not be quite as violent as the last. Perhaps they could talk; perhaps she could feel a part of something again. At least for a little while. Terann’s attention suddenly returned to the human, who had asked her a question.

"I am sorry. I did not hear you."

Aelora sighed and jumped to her feet to begin pacing within the confined space. "Look, we are being forced to be in one another’s presence for the next few days and it’s obvious neither of us are going to be very comfortable with it. I mean, I have never found a reason to trust any of the warrior caste and, frankly, Delenn is the only Minbari I have ever found who actually trusts anyone outside her own race. Have I got this right so far?"

Terann inclined her head slightly, finding herself curious as to what the human would say.

"Okay. Good. So we know where we stand with each other. We also know we have a common enemy who, at this moment will remain anonymous due to the many ears that are, no doubt, currently listening in on this conversation." She glanced wryly at one of the many cameras in the room. "We are also both clever enough to realize that we both have…secrets…we would prefer not to get out. Am I right?"

Again, Terann only inclined her head.

Aelora ceased her pacing, folding her hands behind her back. She worried her lower lip for a moment before continuing, "We might as well try to…oh Great Maker! What I mean to say is that should you need any help, with anything or anyone, I’d be glad to give it."

The Minbari moved away from the wall, taking a seat at the bench that Aelora had recently vacated. She glanced up at the Ranger, her brow furrowed. "Why do you care, human?"

Aelora raised a brow in reply. "Why do you, Minbari?"

Another silence. They both contemplated the question that each had presented to the other. Terann believed in fate, and found herself asking why she and the human seemed…thrown together? It was the only way she could phrase it. Coincidence had little to no bearing on the matter. Terann knew Aelora fascinated her because she was Sinclair’s child but somehow, there was more to it than that. She found herself recalling the times that both Kosh, and the messenger of the Shadows, Morden, had referred to a ‘she’ in their conversations to her. Had they both been speaking of Aelora? And if so, what role did she play in the coming conflict? Did it have to do with her father’s disappearance? Terann found herself oddly comforted by the human’s presence. It was a strange feeling for her. She sensed that Aelora accepted her, would accept her, no matter who or what she was. That was strange, considering the Ranger’s attitude towards certain other races. Again, it appeared as if they shared a common bond, as if they understood one another and the secrets that they harbored. She admitted to herself the strong curiosity she had regarding Aelora’s secrets. She still had trouble remembering the night of her battle with Neroon. She vaguely remembered getting severely wounded but when she had awoken later, she had been fine. Sore, tired but otherwise well. How did she come to be that way if Neroon had truly wounded her?

Aelora crouched down near the far wall, watching the Minbari closely. She thought of her newfound ability to scan others and wondered briefly about scanning Terann. There were so many questions surrounding the warrior, and Aelora found herself eager to learn the answers. She changed her mind quickly though, realizing that for some reason, she knew she had to gain Terann’s trust, and scanning her was not the way to go about doing it. She did find herself curious to know how strong a telepath the Minbari truly was. When she had heard of the scope of damage Terann had caused, she had found herself both terrified and awed at the thought of being in the Minbari’s presence. Aelora had stopped by Med Lab on the way down to see those injured during Terann’s drunken rage. Since she had learned of her ability to heal, she had never been around more than one injured person at a time, and always it had been someone she had known. Only four times had she ever used it. Once on Marcus, when she had first discovered it, then Entil’zah Sinclair when he had forced her to show him, then Terann and G’Kar. Both of those had been out of necessity. But standing in Med Lab, seeing those whose bones had been crushed -- the guard who would never walk again, even the Narn who had lost his hands -- Aelora had wanted to help them all. Her fingers had twitched at her sides, desperately wanting to reach out and ease their pain, mend their wounds. She wondered why her and Terann’s lives seemed so inexplicably bound to one another, why every road brought them back to the beginning.

Both were drawn out of their reveries when the door to the cell opened and Garibaldi entered. "Time to go," he informed them, his tone clearly stating that he was not happy with the situation. "The Cruiser is here to take you both to Minbar."

Aelora raised to her feet as Terann came to hers. They looked toward one another and a sense of what was to come passed between them. Aelora found herself dreading returning to Minbar as much as Terann was looking forward to it. They both knew that, somehow, the coming forced time together would inexplicably change them both.

After Minbar, things would never be the same. For them, and those who knew them.