StarDestroyer.Net BBS

In the Beginning...

As you lay at rest in your niche, your thoughts are clouded and focused on your race's impending challenges. The stars are open to conquest, exploration and enlightenment, whatever your people so desire to bring to them. Your underlings leave you alone, and as you turn you feel a vision coming and a calling that cannot be ignored.

It is there, The First of the First Ones, and it looks at you.

Who are you?

You either answer or you do not, and the next question,

What do you want?

And the next question,

Why are you here?

And the next question,

Where are you going?

And the next question,

Who do you serve?

And the next question,

Who do you trust?

After the final question goes answered or unanswered, it disappeared as if it had never been there, without a trace or a shimmer.

The galaxy awaits.

Brian

Night falls swiftly across the clear skies of Minbar, leaving the form of Nimune Starrider silouetted atop a crystaline tower of the Capital City of Yedor. She wraps her robe closer, eyes up to watch the stars with a smile. Soon, she would be amongst them. Free in the void.

"Dreaming still, young one?" intoned a familiar, masculine voice behind her. "The hour is late, Nimune."

"Satai Dukhat!" her head turns over her shoulder, gasping. "I thought you were with the Council... I thought Valen'tha had already left." she smiles, walking over to him. They softly bowed towards each other, nearly touching heads in a traditional Minbari way.

"No, young one. We have been delayed briefly to debate once again. The council still refuses to listen to reason." he sighs, touching her shoulder. "Have you prepared for what task lies ahead?"

Nimune turns away briefly. "Yes... I have thought of it. But is a great honor you've bestowed upon me, Satai. If it is allowed for me to ask.. why must we deploy the fleet out towards the space of the younger races? In a thousand years, we've never meddled in their affairs and they have left us to our own... why now must we meet them?" she asks, azure eyes sparkling in the starlight.

He smiles. "You will learn in time. The old ways must change should we face the returning darkness once again, child. The council refuses to see this. For that reason, I have entrusted a detatchment of the Anla'Shok to you... now go. Your ship must be waiting." he says.

Nimune looks back, bowing again. "Entil'Zha Valen, Satai..." As she turned to leave for her flyer, steps carrying her away, Nimune's head curls over a shoulder to smile as Dukhat spoke to his latest assistant, standing by him with a head bowed low in the night.

"Please, Delenn. If you will not look up to me, you'll forever be bumping into things..."

Londo Mollari looked out upon Centauri Prime, the dark landscape dotted with lights in the night.

His world, the heart of his empire.

His greatest ambition was realized, he was Emperor of the Centauri Republic.

And it brought him no joy, no happiness, no good cheer. He did not think he would ever feel those emotions again.

Adira was dead. The brighest light in his universe had been needlessly snuffed out. At first he had suspected Lord Reefa of the deed. They had not been getting along well recently; they had very different opinions on what direction the Republic should take and Londo would not consider it above Reefa to be so cruel.

But it seemed not to be so. The investigation into her death seemed to do nothing but exonerate Reefa. The Centauri nobleman couldn't have committed the heinous crime nearly a dozen times over due to one thing or another. Alibi after alibi, test after test, search after search did naught but further prove Reefa's innocence. Finally, Londo was convinced that Reefa had not done it, and it left him with no target for his rage and hate.

Londo felt empty. The love of his life was gone and he did not know who to direct his vengeful energies toward.

He looked across the dark landscape once more and felt a fire ignite within him. His Republic and his work leading it was all that was left to him now. And lead it he would. Much of the galaxy seemed only to eager for the Centauri Republic to die, so that they might dance on its grave. Londo would not allow that to happen while he was Emperor.

He would extend the Republic's territory and influence and restore it to its former glory. No one would stop them. Not the humans, not the Narn, not the boneheads, not even the remaining First Ones would stand in his way. He would play diplomacy only as was needed to restore the Republic's might. No matter what he had to do, no matter what price he had to pay, the Lion of the Galaxy would dominate the stars once more. He swore it would be so.

He looked up to the heavens above. "This will be my tribute to you, my Adira," he whispered, his face wet with tears.

The victory applause still ringing fresh in his ears, Wilhelm Alshain, newly-elected President of the Earth Alliance, looked out the window of his new office in Geneva.

He had won the voters with an impassioned call to the stars, promising the greatest economic growth in the history of man, and rapidly eclipsing his opponents to become the first-ever third-party Earth Alliance President. His opponents were short-sighted people, too short-sighted to fully realize the best way to appeal to the public. Yes, the voters were concerned about planetary security. Yes, the "folks back home" demanded strong social services.

But beneath all of that had to lie the foundation of a strong economy, built on expansion through trade and colonization. And, well... when push came to shove, the average citizen didn't really give a damn about galactic policy, so long as their vid-screens were big and their bellies were full.

Wilhelm was not the average citizen. Humanity had a part to play in the galaxy, and it was time to meet his fellow cast members... and to secure a leading role.

Who are you?

We are all Kosh.

What do you want?

NEVER ask that.

Why are you here?

Order above all.

Where are you going?

I have always been here.

Who do you serve?

...

Who do you trust?

...

The Vorlon is silent for a moment, then glances about through it's various host's eyes. It looks over each of it's children identically, unemotionally. It looks to the darkness...and the hosts face contorts to a frown. Turning to leave, pleased with the state of things, the vorlon makes a last comment.

"And so it begins..."

Captain Marxis, former Earth Alliance Lieutenant, father of three and lover of model trains stared with determination out his Starfury viewport. His hands were relaxed on the joystick and ready to move at the right signal. If he were home in his Cadalliac, his hands would be at ten-two, but his stare would be the same, utter concentration muted by the potency of honed instinct and rapid reflexes.

The monitor beeped. Immediately Marxis put his Starfury into a dive under the asteroid. Customized vector thrust control propelled the Starfury mere meters away from the asteroid's surface reducing radar cross section to a minimal. On his scope were green dots signifying the mercenaries and few friends Marxis had brought along, each one following Marxis in single file.

Marxis and his squadron emerged from behind the asteroid. The small sensor planted on the asteroid's opposite side had done its job well--in front of them was a massive freighter vessel. Marxis squinted. That was no freighter vessel. The outline, so familiar, its rotating sections and heavy gun turrets outlining the distant sun.

An Earth Alliance Omega Class Destroyer.

"Keptin, it's a trap!" said Vera, his Russian mistress and right-hand. The mercenaries around him scattered heading for the jump gate. Marxis looked at the readout. Something was wrong. No warning hail, no order to surrender and no starfuries launching. "I'm taking a closer look," said Marxis as he cruised towards the ominous bulk. As the warship grew Marxis was able to make out more and more characteristics until he was practically on top of the hull and inspecting it from a hundred meters away. He pivoted the starfury and flew along its belly, his hands ready to jerk if the monster rose from its slumber. It would do no good to be swallowed by the wake of the beast. But, there was nothing. No sign of life, no power, no movement. The airlocks were opened and Marxis brought his starfury up to one of them inspecting the interior. The spacesuits were gone. Marxis brought his starfury to the bow of the ship. He could see into the bridge, or what was left of it. The escape pods had launched, and Marxis thought he saw a body still strapped into a chair. The captain, obviously. Marxis moved the starfury to the destroyer's torso. The rotating sections were stalled and the hull was charred and breached in a dozen spots. Its markings read "EAS Olympia". Marxis smiled.

"We've hit the jackpot," said Marxis. "Get the mothership over here, tell Sammy and his boys to suit up, they've got a lot of work to do."

Brian

It was the old game of consolidation vs. expansion. Spend too many resources on expansion and he'd overreach and become a target. Spend too many resources on consolidation and his realm would be too small to provide all the supplies and industrial capacity that was needed.

The Centaurum had given him a free hand to make these important decisions, at least, but that didn't make choosing any easier. Londo knew that new colonies were little more than a burden, and he didn't want to overtax the home worlds.

There were three worlds with oxygen atmospheres in the Yonog system, he noticed. With a little work, they could become not just productive, but industrial powerhouses. At least compared to what worlds with unbreathable atmospheres could become, which was little more than storage and resource extration facilities. He made a note to work on the oxygen worlds' development once they were colonized.

The door to Londo's office suddenly burst open and Lord Reefa barged in. Londo frowned. Just because he hadn't been able to blame Reefa for Adira's death didn't mean he liked the man.

"My Emperor," Reefa said. "An urgent report from the planetary sensors! A Shadow scout ship has jumped into the Valusha system from the galactic east!"

Londo stiffened. He had not expected contact with anyone so soon. "So the Shadows have returned," he said quietly. "It's been eons since the last Shadow War. I wonder what brought them back."

"I don't know, Your Excellency," Lord Reefa said, sounding much more composed. "But they are in our space. What do you plan to do?"

Londo considered. "This could be very, very bad. But there is a chance that it's just the break we've been waiting for," he mused aloud, silently recalling his vow to restore the Republic's power no matter what he had to do.

"I had similar thoughts, Excellency," Reefa confessed.

Londo wasn't surprised, but he supposed he had no grounds to critisize Reefa. "For now," he said. "We will quietly build up some defenses should they decide to attack. Some fighters will be the best we can do on such short notice. We won't make any attempt to contact them just yet; I have a feeling that they'd like to get the first word."

"Very good, sire," Reefa said. "What of the Centaurum? And the people?"

"I see no reason that they need to be informed yet," Londo replied.

As the wise Satai Dukhat had commanded, Nimune Starrider had spread her fleet out, with support from the Religious and Worker castes following in their ships. Fel'shan transports carried millions to their new homes along the neglected frontier of Minbari space.

She now stood aboard her flagship, a violet cape draped behind her tightly buttoned black tunic, it's tips barely touching the ground. Alone in the command room, she watches as a magnificent representation of their actions spread out across her view. Two of the Non-aligned races have been contacted, content to stay in their systems and ignorant of the coming doom. No matter. They were not what she sought.

She shifted her glance again, to the image of a small scoutship in a region of uninhabited space at the edges of the Minbari border. The dart-like vessel made of blue crystaline materials sped along, a jump vortex opening besides it. Emerging was a golden ship, with petal-like sails cast, and long prongs facing forward.

Nimune smiled softly to herself. "So Dukhat was right. The Vorlons have returned..."

G'Quon wrote, "There is a greater darkness than the one we fight. It is the darkness of the soul that has lost its way. The war we fight is not against powers and principalities, it is against chaos and despair. Greater than the death of flesh is the death of hope, the death of dreams. Against this peril we can never surrender." The future is all around us, waiting, in moments of transition, to be born in moments of revelation. No one knows the shape of that future or where it will take us. We know only that it is always born...in pain.


Somehow it felt all...wrong. The search for the answer to Narn telepathy was a passion for G'Kar. So what was he doing sitting around in the central worlds of a new Narn colony?

He remembered Lyta. Something about Lyta. And Kosh. Yes, inside him. But it was evasive in his mind, eluding him.

All he knew was that the future of the Narn people was in his hands, and he had to see things through to make things right.

It was time to begin the new work.

Valusha System
Centauri Space

The small Shadow ship emerged from hyperspace. Unlike the larger 'battle crabs', the scout design was small and resembled a squid, the many tendrils of the advanced sensor suite subtly shifting position.

It scanned the planets of the system in turn. The inhabitant's posture was unmistakeable.

Expansion.

It coasted on a cool jet of bioplasma into a stellar storm. The storm, and its own jamming suite, should hide it from civilian observation.

The Centauri military would have detected the scout's emergence from hyperspace, but they should know better than to act.

The scout ships' mission complete for now, it settled down to watch.

Londo was worried. There had been no tranmission from the Shadow ship, nor from whatever part of space the Shadows currently resided in. The small (but certainly dangerous) scout ship had simply flown into a stellar storm that was next to the jump gate and was currently a less-than-mysterious blip on the Centauri's sensors.

If Londo hadn't known better, he would've thought that the scout was afraid of them and trying to hide.

But that was absurd, and he knew it.

It appeared that he would have to make the first move. He composed a message, carefully selecting his words, and sent it to the scout.
Just as he'd finished sending the message, an aide entered his office. Bowing the aid said, "Your Excellency, the colony ship that was sent to the Jodan system found it already occupied by a nation called the Markab Theocracy. Also," he added, "There was a Narn ship in that system, but it's left now."

Londo leaned back in his chair, digesting the information. This could get very interesting, very quickly.

"Send an offer of a trade alliance to the Markab," he ordered.

"And the Narn, sire?" the aide asked.

"Let the brutes eat static."

"Two Earth Alliance ships."

Marxis stroked his chin. His corporate empire had been built on privateering and salvaging, but prosecutors had never amassed enough evidence to arrest him. "Hopefully, the ships are here on a reconnsiance mission to find their derelict ship," said the retired Earthforce Captain. "If they're here to start a shooting war... well, we'll give them more than they bargained for!" His crew cheered.

Inside, Marxis was worried. The planetary shipyards were undefended and unprepared. Given a month he could order the launch of mines or fighters, but he had not expected Earthforce to respond so quickly. There was only one thing to do--hope that Earthforce still abided by interstellar law and didn't begin a shooting war.

He wasn't going to prison though. Not with a wife and kids. Marxis had three rules... no women and children, no unnecessary killing, and no hostages. Hopefully the Earth Alliance President would realize that he was someone he could work with rather than a brigand. True, they had raided ships during the Shadow wars, but civilians had been unharmed and captured military personnel treated with dignity and returned to their governments unlike other raider groups. Marxis hoped that his humanity in the past would pay off now.

Brian

"Excellency! A Vorlon scout ship has jumped into the Yonog system from the gate to the galatic northwest!"

Londo blinked in surprise. First the Shadows and now the Vorlons, too? Something huge must be on the horizon to have brought both of them back to the galactic stage.

He shooed the messenger away and began to think. The Shadow scout was still camping in the storm in the Valusha system, and now here was a Vorlon in the system just north of that. If there was one place it wasn't wise to be, it was between the Shadows and the Vorlons, Londo knew.

And yet, he couldn't help feel that opportunity might be knocking on his door. So long as he kept the two powers ignorant of the fact that he had contact with the other, he might just be able to play both sides of the fence.

It was a dangerous game he was considering playing, but the immense risk was offset by the tremendous potential gains. He quickly composed a message to the Vorlons.

"Jump gate activated! Something's coming through!"
"Identify!" Nothing of ours is scheduled to be coming back through that gate for months! It's got to be an alien ship... must have slipped past us in the Gorash system...
"...it's a Minbari scout, sir!"
Minbari?! But they keep to themselves... what's going on here? "Open a comm channel. Let's be gracious hosts."

---

President Alshain nervously fiddled with his beard for the umpteenth time as he composed the first message that would be transmitted to the Minbari Federation. This was what he had pushed for for so many years. This moment and every other like it was what his campaign had said would be the definition of his career, of his Presidency, of the very policy of the Earth Alliance while he stood in office.

Taking a deep breath, Wilhelm finished what he hoped would be the beginning of a prosperous and peaceful relationship with the first of many alien races.

To those representing the Minbari Federation and it's many fine citizens,

On behalf of the Earth Alliance, I, President Wilhelm Alshain, welcome your visiting starship to Earth Alliance territory. It is our great hope that your mission is a peaceful one, and that we can begin to build a relationship between our two peoples. I propose that we begin by establishing a Trade Alliance, under which the fruits of our labors will give rise to prosperity for us all.

I eagerly await your reply.

Wilhelm Alshain, President
Earth Alliance

The ship was wreathed by exotic sensor-disruptive technology, silently cruising through the Sol system, also known Zendamor to many alien races that passed by it long ago, finding little of value and mostly harmless ape-creatures.

The sleek shape of the Sus'te scout stood before the jumpgate, cruising on without any sign of recieving the message. A large human colony ship approached, and the ship pulls along side of it, opening the gunport to it's primary neutron beam cannon.

Aboard the tiny ship, Aimun Windsword watched the strange ship pull along side with curiosity. "So, the race called Human that Dukhat spoke of has achieved spaceflight and colonized this region of space. Approach to their vessel and open our gunports. When their language is decyphered, send the following message."

Tr'Ess'Na System
Shadow Space


The Bin'Tak had uncovered something it should not have.

First of its line, the scout ship had jumped into a new, unexplored system, and begun scanning the system for signs of life.

The hyperspace distortion caused by its arrival awoke things best left dormant.

From one of the planets, a great black swarm arose. Primal screams echoed through space upon psychic waves, a cacophany of hate, outrage, and bloodlust.

The Narn crew on the Bin'Tak were about to experience a glimpse of Shadow.

"No word from Earthforce about the colonization permit," said Vera. Marxis sat with Vera alone reading the construction reports. "It's unlike the military to be anything but punctual," said Marxis. "I wonder what's going on that has them distracted."

"Maybe our message got lost in the traffic."

"Send it again," said Marxis as he flipped through a report. "This is interesting. Our gravemetric drives are coming online. How long do you think it'll be before we're ready to test the new prototype ships?"

"Not too long," said Vera as she scratched some figures in with a pencil. "I think, we can have our first bona fide fleet together in a few months. As long as Earthforce doesn't hassle us with any more taxes, we'll be okay. After that, we can move on the target."

Marxis nodded grimly. "Earthforce won't like us invading a League world, but they won't do anything about it as long as we stay out of their way and keep sending them taxes. Make sure you pay all the bribes, don't forget a single one. And double the bribes to our diplomatic contacts. We're too far away and too difficult for Earthforce to invade, but if we give them any reason they'll swat us like flies."

"Our engines are becoming rather powerful," said Vera. "But weapons development has fallen behind and R&D doesn't think that their new Starfury carrier can be ready in any less than a year."

"We'll just have to stay under the radar until then," said Marxis as he looked at a photo of his wife and children.

Brian

Narn Space
Mellitra System


Mr. Defel strode into the office of Chairman G'Kar. He had made an appointment a few weeks ago with no more than the usual diplomatic hassle.

It was clear G'Kar had no intention of giving him the time he had arranged. As soon as Mr. Defel asked G'Kar what he wanted, G'Kar realised to whom he was speaking to.

"Mr. Defel, I do not want anything from you. My people have had enough of chaos and despair, the limit of what you and your associates seem able to provide."

Defel glanced down upon G'Kar's desk to the book of G'Quan.

"My apologies, Chairman G'Kar, for taking up your time. Also, please accept my condolences for the recent, tragic loss of the Bin'Tak."

He nodded politely and walked from G'Kar's office without explanation. G'Kar looked at his aides, but none of them had heard of any such loss...

Once out of the building, Defel paused to brush some of the harsh red dust from his business suit. This miserable world seemed to be trying to cling to him like some sort of disease.

To his associates, he said but two words. "Kill it."

"Fleet Commander, a human ship approaches Minbar. Our ships are moving to intercept."

Nimune turned, her cloak swaying as she turns to the doorway of her command chambers, her hands moving to remove her hood. "Hail them. Warn them that they are trespassing on our space. We extend the hand of friendship, but such does not permit them from entering this region." she says.

"Tell them... that nothing out here would directly affect them. We mean no harm, but our people take offense at such intrusion into our home. Have a ship politely escort them back to the jumpgate."

"...and finally, our deep-range scouts have located the Minbari homeworld."
"How? Were they able to pick up on radio traffic?"
"No, they jumped right into the Minbari home system."

President Alshain swallowed hard. The linguistics analysts were still working out the Minbari language, but rough drafts all indicated that EA ships were not to venture beyond the Gorash hyperspace route.

"Recall the scout ships in that area."
"Sir, may I point out that our scouts could almost surely outrun any Minbari combat vessel? We could press on ahead and map a dozen new sectors. All indications point to the Minbari not even being aware of the other scout... we could send that one ahead and the Minbari might never know about it."
"Recall those ships immediately. I want the orders transmitted within ten minutes, double crash priority."
"Yes, sir."

Holy shit, thought Alshain, I only hope they'll forgive me for this blunder. Once the Minbari message was fully interpreted, he'd draft an immediate apology.

In typical Vorlon fashion, there was no video or audio, only a simple signal. The recipients read the message in their own languages, and the wise understood.

'Vorlon space in not for you. Do not enter.'

G'Kar scanned over the sensor logs from the recently destroyed scout ship. There could be no doubt about it. That and the recent visit from Mr. Defel did not bode very well at all.

He needed allies.

Anfra System
Llort Space

Three Shadow attack ships emerged from hyperspace in orbit of the Llort homeworld.

Each was positioned equidistant around the globe, as if preparing for extermination through orbital bombardment.

Each fired its main weapon, and drilled a word into the planet's surface. The attacks were precise, and the words were bare meters in length.

The words were Llort for "Prove yourselves."

With that, the Shadow ships disappeared.

"A message from Geneva, delivered by courier," said Vera giving Marxis a sealed envelope. Marxis took the envelope and ripped it open. He skimmed it and handed it to Vera.

The letterhead bore the seal of the Office of the President of the Earth Alliance. Vera ran her hands across the seal as if to verify its authenticity then read the letter aloud.
"Surprising isn't it," said Marxis. "Santiago would never have given up an entire planet to private ownership. Earthforce must be stretched thin. I wonder what's keeping them busy. This whole situation is making me uneasy. Just a couple of Omegas parked in orbit around our space stations and they could have their way with us."

"Maybe Alshain looked into you and thought you were someone he could deal with," said Vera. Marxis grunted. "I guess saving all those women and children paid off after all," he said sarcastically.

"Earthforce is already aware of the Nocalo aliens," said Vera. "Think Earthforce knows what we have planned for the aliens?"

"The important question's will they care enough to tell us to stop," said Marxis. "Starfury development is still going too slowly. What's keeping those gearheads?"

"There's a lot of parts to be smuggled from the black market. You can't just buy military grade equipment. It has to be bribed, stolen and blackmailed," said Vera. "Sammy's figured out how to bolt on additional compartments on our freighters. Should give us extra hull space."

Marxis nodded. Things were going too slowly for his liking, but building a private army wasn't easy.

Brian

Londo sighed as he read the short message from G'Kar. A simple request to join the Narn and whomever else opposed the Shadows. A part of him was tempted to accept. As much contempt as he generally had for the Narns as a whole, he had a grudging respect and perhaps even a liking for G'Kar. But he wrote a message telling G'Kar that the time was not yet right for the Centauri to join them, instead, though he doubted that he and G'Kar would be on the same side any time soon.

He had already told Mr. Defel what he wanted.

Londo had a feeling that a covenant with the Shadows was not easily broken.

"Ach, I hope I do not regret answering Defel."