The Long Trial, Part Three
Chapter Seventeen: Family Ties
by R. Bernstein

The results of the genetic tests confirmed what Neroon already knew. Havah was his daughter. He took the results and retreated to his quarters and sat trying to meditate. The attempt was unsuccessful, and he brooded instead. He was an intense man, and while extremely self-disciplined, could still feel nothing for a few hours but incoherent rage and indignation at what had been done to him. How dare they! He had been violated, used, turned into an abomination, and his was not the only life they had destroyed! They had killed an innocent woman. Even his emotions were played with and used by them! And they had createdŠthatŠthing! He didn't even know what to feel about her. He despised Havah, for being what she was, a product of what had been robbed of him and who had robbed him. On top of being a crime against him, she was the death of the woman he lovedŠAnd she was his child, his flesh, a part of him, a part of the woman he would never see again. After years of total control, the world suddenly made no sense. He stepped into the practice area and cycled through denn bok exercises with as much power and speed as he could, which was considerable. Every block, every thrust, every strike gave him back a little more control over his life and his body. No matter what else happened out there, the forms of denn bok combat were always there, always his, and using them he could control his opponent. There was always practice, constant learning, constant newness and discovery of greater skill. The exercise changed the chemistry of his brain, clarifying the world, stabilizing it.

He returned to his quarters and reflected successfully this time. She is my child. Whether I wanted it or not, whether I like her or not, I cannot deny her existence. Clan is through the mother, unless the mother is not present, and Fatima is dead. The Star Riders would not have to claim her if there were someone else of her mother's clan to do so. But there is not. In any case, if she is shamed, this can still fall upon the father's side. She knows too little of our ways. She must be instructed in order to comport herself appropriately, if she is to avoid shaming this clan.

* * * * * * * *

Neroon went before the assembled Council of Caste Elders. This was a matter for them, being of a personal, caste and clan nature, not a matter of state. An elderly warrior spoke. "We have been informed of the events that transpired during your capture on the enemy vessel, and the results of the test revealing your genetic relation to Anlashok Lassee. And we feel, due to the nature of this incident, that this event should be kept among this council for now."

An elderly religious caste member continued. "It was agreed among all of the caste elders that no shame will be brought upon you or your clan or your caste, since the event was not voluntary, and in fact occurred in the line of your duty to Minbari security. In addition, compensation for your injury will be given to your clan."

Neroon bowed and saluted, and surprised everyone in chambers with his reverent contradiction. "I thank you for your kindness, and for your wisdom, Elders. However a thought is still upon me concerning Havah Lassee."

They looked at one another and waited.

He continued. "Whether it is secret or not, it cannot be denied that Anlashok Lassee is my child. That means that she is part Minbari, and of the Star Riders clan on my side. Her mother is dead, and no one in her mother's clan appears to know or claim her. According to our ways, our clan can still be responsible, or at least affected if she were to be shamed or bring dishonor upon herself. Yet she was not raised as a Minbari and certainly not as a Star Rider, so she will be too ignorant in the proper mode of behavior to avoid such things. She should be given instruction in our history and our ways, to protect the Star Riders. I ask this as a leader of my clan, in order to avoid scandal."

"But she was taught much of our ways in joining the Anla Shok."

He scowled. "Yes. I understand. But with all due respect, her instruction should be more thorough than I believe the Human Sinclair can provide." He heard muttering. "I do not question the skills or wisdom of the Minbari Anla Shok instructors, however, there are things that only the Star Riders can teach her. And since we may be, in part, responsible for herŠand I amŠher father, honor demands that I see to this task myself."

They discussed amongst themselves and then reconvened. "It is a good argument. We will leave this instruction to your discretion."

He bowed. "Thank you."

Felshenn was looking at him in amazement as they left, trying to respectfully avert his eyes if Neroon should return his gaze. But Neroon did not bother and kept his eyes ahead of him. He said instead. "You have a question."

"Not a question, Na, I was only thinking that it was an honorable thing for you to take such a task upon yourself."

He did not know what to respond to that. His emotions were still disturbingly pulling him in two different directions, so he continued to walk in silence.

* * * * * * * *

Neroon stalked into Sinclair's office, prepared for whatever argument he might get. The ambassador looked up, masking quickly a brief look of dismay with a broad smile. "Satai, is there‹"

"I must speak with Anlashok Lassee at once."

"She's not on Minbar. She's been on a mission for several weeks. It'll be some time before she's back yet."

He suppressed a surge of irritation. "Then she must be recalled."

Now it was Sinclair's turn to be annoyed. This man was a soldier, he ought to know better! "I'm sorry, Satai, but that's not possible. She‹"

"What do you mean it is not possible! This is a matter of extreme importance!"

"And so is the mission she's on! Recalling her right now could not only jeopardize the mission, but her life! How much good will she be to you dead?!"

Neroon huffed and turned away, but he knew Sinclair was right, as painful as that was. It was a few moments before he spoke again. "And what mission is this?"

"I can't divulge that kind of information at this time, Satai. You know that!"

"As a member of the Grey Council‹"

"As a member of the Grey Council, you know that the Anla Shok operate with a certain degree of independence, which is necessary due to the nature of their tasks! Satai, I am not trying to undermine your authority, but I am required by my post to protect the confidentiality of my people, even from the Grey Council. It is for Miss Lassee's own safety."

This was not going at all the way Neroon planned. In a matter of a few days, how had he lost so much control?! He peered at the infuriating man, and contemplating backhanding him into the wall and giving him an etiquette lesson. But despite the impudence towards a member of the Council, he could at least be certain that his daughter's safety was being watched, and that this Human would not betray her. As ambivalent as he felt about her, it was some small comfort, he supposed.

The Human spoke. "If you want to give her a message, I can get it to her as soon as the opportunity presents itself."

Neroon sneered, but pondered the idea. He chose his words carefully. "You will inform her that her father will provide necessary education as soon as she returns."

"I'll do that, Satai. And if possible, I'll wait to have her return to Earth until you've completed her training."

Neroon's eyes widened. Sinclair knew!

At the warrior's startled gaze, Sinclair continued. "Havah told me some time ago. And she told me how it happened. I told her I wouldn't tell anyone and I haven't. It's up to her to tell whom she wishes. But you already know. She wasn't sure how you would take it. She didn't tell anyone else either. I think that she wasn't sure how other Humans would react to her, and she wasn't sure how other Minbari would react to you if they knew. She wanted to protect you until she was more familiar with your ways. You have my word of silence."

He was shocked into a brief silence himself. How many people had she told and 'sworn to silence'?! He was uniquely uncomfortable with the thought of this Human knowing. However, the man had demonstrated his discretion. He nodded his satisfaction and turned to leave, with a warning. "The ship that committed these crimes was destroyed. After the attack and their initial escape they were foolish enough to try again with others of my people. They failed and paid with their lives. I led that mission myself. They avoid the Minbari now."

"Yes. I certainly would too." Sinclair said. "Hopefully, they will avoid Humans, as well. Did you learn much about them?"

"Aside from information on how to kill them, there is very little to learn, They are a blight on the galaxy." He fixed Sinclair with a baleful stare and left.

Sinclair shook his head. Her father's reaction to her could have been worse, but he still didn't see her responding to Neroon's demands very well at all. In fact, he could almost envision the family shouting-match that was inevitably going to ensue upon her return. The two of them were more alike than either one of them would ever admit, both as stubborn as rams in rutting season. Neroon had always grated on him. Being around the man was exhausting. Without uttering a single word, he constantly bombarded everyone around him with waves of antipathy and tension. At least he didn't seem to want to kill Havah anymore. But there was no doubt that the road towards any kind of positive relationship would be as long as the road spanning the Land of Oz. He sighed and began organizing a message.

* * * * * * * *

The wind-sighing spires of Yedor somehow revived the regret that gnawed at Havah's bones when she thought about Earth Alliance 'the way it used to be'. It was clear now that the system was broken, and it was going to be some time before it was fixed. Can anybody get Clark impeached at least? For what? She thought. For not acting surprised enough? There's no proof there. Clearly there's collusion with some high level persons in the military, but there's no tangible link to Clark, only circumstantial evidence. Oh well, three more years to go before election time. Maybe he won't get re-elected. How much damage can he do in the next three years? Havah's hackles answered that question as she reminded herself that a race had met extinction under his administration, and that something that no one could see was whispering poison into his ears.

The air drew Halloween breaths through her hair even here on Minbar, a hundred thousand light years from the tombs of Earth, as she strode through the trees and rock to the Anla Shok compound. Sinclair looked up with gleeful surprise as she came in and closed the door, and pulled her into a hug before she could salute him.

"I'm glad to see you're alright. The reports that I'm getting from Earth, Mars and the other colonies seem to indicate that the noose is tightening back home."

"I'm alright." She handed him the data crystal with the information from Markab, and the reports she had compiled for Sinclair, and the data crystal given to her from the Lieutenant Commander. There didn't seem to be much to say until he had seen them. At her somber expression, he slid the crystal into the port and read everything, and watched the Clark transmission. And then he just sat there, hawk-like face twisted between revulsion and sadness.

He pulled the last crystal from the port as if it were the weight of a planet and placed it on the desk. "So. There it is. The emperor's new clothes."

Havah just waited. She didn't feel much like talking, as happy as she was to see him.

"Excellent jobŠI'd like to know more about this technology proposal for the Shadows and how Psi Corps will be involvedŠDamnŠ" His head drooped. "I just reminded myselfŠyour father stopped by. He knows, Havah. I don't know how he found out, but he knows, and has requested that you be trained in your clan history."

Havah was stunned and just let her jaw hang. He wanted to train her rather than shoot her, tie rocks to her feet, and secretly dump her in the river?! Well, that's a relief. "UhŠwhen?"

"As soon as possible. How long is your leave from Jensen?"

"Not that long, a couple weeks. Enough to come here, give you the information and get back, basically."

"That's what I suspected. Well, I need your help in organizing implementation for the new training camps. Zagros Seven has been on line a few weeks now. I'll let Satai Neroon know, and you can set up a time for lessons with him when you see him. When do you think you can get back?"

"Well, maybe in December. There is a conference on Babylon 5, interplanetary infection control practitioners. I might be able to wiggle in and get Jensen to send me, in the interest of integrating bioterrorism/emergency management and infection control. There's no guarantee though, provided I'm even there still."

Sinclair nodded. "Good. I guess you can cross that bridge when you come to it. Let me know."

"Yes sir. Sorry the information I bring isn't more cheerful."

"It was expected. Here." He pushed a crystal her way.

She put the crystal in the port. There were accounts of strange sightings and attacks. There had been an attack on a Narn outpost in Quadrant 37. All ships had been completely obliterated, but it was suspected by Ambassador G'Kar that their old enemy had returned. There were no records however, only a picture in the Book of G'Quon. No ship had managed to capture any images and survive. "Whew. What did Delenn say? How'd G'Kar react?"

Sinclair sighed. "She didn't say anything. The Grey Council and Kosh both feel that it would be too much of a risk to tell him. If this really was an attack by the Shadows then it may be too dangerous to risk confronting them in the open yet. Remember, they destroyed every single person, and destroyed every bit of evidence that could lead to them. They don't want to be seen."

"So they might knock off anyone that they think knows about them."

"Right."

"Ooooooh. That's rough. G'Kar's not going to be happy if he ever finds out. You know he will eventually."

Sinclair tilted his head ruefully in assent. "Well, let's hope that telling G'kar is the worst of our problems. But if these beings are the ones fought by the Narns and the Minbari a thousand years ago, then it's looking more and more like war will be inevitable."

"Fabulous." Havah gazed at him.

He looked older, there was more silver now, which just made him look more distinguished. "You should go get something to eat and rest now. Don't leave your father hanging for too long, or he'll come to me. And I don't want to have that conversation with him again." He smiled.

"Sir, I'm sorry. Was he really terrible?"

"No, he was fine. Satai Neroon is used to authority, and he's just being a father."

Havah snorted. "I'm still reeling at that idea."

"I think he is too. Be patient with him, Havah. He's a lot older, and he's lived in a different world his whole life."

"Everyone keeps telling me that, be patient. I know. But it takes two."

"I know, I know. Well, everyone is telling you rather than him because you are more flexible."

Havah sighed. "Yes sir. It would be cool to get to know him better, but I don't want to get my hopes up."

* * * * * * * *

Neroon stood near the alabaster stairs leading from one of the main government complex buildings, dappled sunlight bleaching his head-bone, highlighting his brow ridge. Djinn, Havah thought as she saw him. Skin-Stealer, Neroon thought as he saw her. Neither of them moved for an eternity. Havah swallowed, hard. "Father."

He inclined his head stiffly. "Daughter." Then he nodded to his gangly attaché who found something else to do for a while. In unison they headed for a secluded grove off the main marbled path. "I notified Sinclair that you were to be sent to me for training as soon as you returned. I assume that you are here for this reason."

"Well, sort of. I mean, I can't do it right now, I only had enough leave time to come here, give Entilzah‹"

"I have no interest in your affairs on Earth. I was told that you would remain here for training."

"No. He said that I should come when I got the chance, but that I should let you know so we can arrange a time. You may have no interest in the affairs on Earth but they are part of my duty‹"

"And what of duty to your clan!‹"

Oh, don't do this! "That I never knew about until half a year ago?"

"This is precisely what I was concerned about. You have no concept of loyalty to clan or caste, and this is not acceptable for someone who was born into the Star Riders‹"

"Is that what you're concerned about? Yeah? A year ago you wanted to kill me, now you want to train me and I was stupid enough to think that you actually took an interest, but that's not it, is it?! Just like you said, you're biggest concern is that I don't toss a monkey wrench in your political career by coming too far out of the Minbari closet! You're so convinced that I'm going to shame you simply by being too Human, so you think that by 'training me' in the ways of the clan, you can somehow over-ride some of my Human programming. Well, you know what? It doesn't work that way! If you don't like me the way I am then you don't have to be a part of my life. It doesn't seem like an idea you really relish anyway." Great idea, patience. And I'm doing so well at it.

"The Minbari do not 'work that way', child! Since you are half Minbari, you have a clan. And your clan is responsible for your actions, whether you like it or not, which means that you cannot go galivanting anywhere in the galaxy you wish, doing anything you wish! You must conform to Minbari customs regarding our clan!"

A laugh escaped Havah before she could stop it, and she knew as it was escaping that it had been a slip of epic proportions. But after an adolescence of green-haired, tattooed rebelliousness, the demand for conformity rolled her funny-bone.

Neroon's face grew almost apoplectic as his voice rose. "This amuses you?! This only demonstrates how little regard you have for your family and how sorely in need of discipline you really are! I had hoped‹"

"What? You had hoped that I would be a perfect Minbari after finding out I was related to you?"

"Impudence!" He moved to strike her, but she dodged and kept talking.

"First of all, I'm not a child anymore. You missed that! I was raised to be a decent Human being by a perfectly good family, and while I was originally flattered that you seemed to want to include me in yours, you do so by insulting them, implying that their upbringing was useless! Second," And she slowed down and sadness crept into her voice. "Maybe we should accept now that I am never going to be the daughter that you wanted. I am sorry for what happened to you and to my mother, but I can't change the fact that I'm here, or that my mother was Human. If you want to try to train that out of me, we will both be wasting time because I can't just shuck it off like a coat. I want to learn whatever you have to teach because I am interested, and because I do believe that it is important to know where I come from. But I don't want to learn based on the premise that I am deficient for being Human, because then nothing I do will ever please you."

Amazingly, he stopped in his tracks and was listening.

"Look. I may be able to make it back to Minbar during December. If so, I'll come see you then. If not, it may have to wait until after this mission."

She looks a great deal like her mother when she is being defiant. Neroon thought morosely for a moment.

Havah continued, sensing that she was gaining some ground. "Look. I'm not trying to defy you or be disrespectful or anything, I swear. And I know how important this is to you, and I know I have a lot to learn about the Star Riders, and I do welcome the opportunity to learn. It's just that this assignment demands my immediate attention or a lot of opportunity to gain vital information for Earth and Minbar will be lost. You wouldn't want me to abandon my duty to Minbar, would you?"

Very nice touch. It appears that she is as clever as her mother was. He thought, trying to avoid a smirk of amusement that threatened to ruin his demeanor. He re-composed his thoughts and glowered at her. "Of course not."

"I promise that I'll come back and learn about the clan, as soon as I can. And I won't do anything to shame the Star Riders in the meantime. It wouldn't even be possible really, I'll be on Earth. No one there knows about the Star Riders."

Neroon paused. Strategically, she made sense. "I suppose that will be acceptable. You will contact me as soon as you are able to return."

"Absolutely." Sweat beaded at her brow. This exchange had taken more energy than running a marathon. Marathon arguing, she supposed.

"Very well." He swept past her, walked out of the grove and disappeared in the oceanic twilight. She peered out after him onto the glimmering path, but he was gone, not even his silhouette darkening the shrubbery. How does he do that? I wonder if he can teach me that when I learn about the Star Riders? A rustle behind her jangled her already frayed nerves and she spun to find his assistant, Felshenn, facing her. Apparently, he possessed that talent as well. He looked as cordial as he had the last time they met.

His lip curled in a sneer. "Causing strife already, little Changeling?"

"Bugger off."

"And as genteel as always."

"Then don't talk to me! Who's asking you?!"

"I am looking after the interests of my master, and making sure that you can harm no one but yourself should you err. I told you I would be watching you."

"You can 'watch' me until your eyeballs dry out and shrivel up for all I care." She resisted the urge to turn around and moon him. Watch this! "And in case you hadn't noticed, 'your master' is an Alyt, and a member of the Grey Council. He can manage his own affairs just fine, without you surgically attaching your lips to his bum!"

The affront flared in his eyes like smoldering coals, and he moved towards her. She countered him and stood toe to toe, looking up into his eyes, midnight ice to his molten sienna. "You wanna hit me? Do it! Get it over with!"

The fire flickered and then subdued into a colder meaner light. "Your discipline is your father's responsibility for now, although with every breath you prove his fears correct. I would only remind you of your station. I witnessed your conception. You are nothing more than the result of an alien infection, the unfortunate effluvia of a biogenetic disease. Any time you have doubt of your position, limitations, or worth, remember that."

Havah almost choked. She had expected hostility, and unbridled sarcasm, but somehow the raw disgust that had spilled from him like sewage had caught her by surprise.

He regretted the words almost as soon as they left his mouth. There had been no hiding the pain in her face that went deeper than he expected. Why that mattered to him, he couldn't imagine, but it did. She said nothing further, only brushed past him and left him standing in the grove, suddenly emptier than he had thought it could be.

* * * * * * * *

Havah sat in a faceted cave near Tuzanor and held her hand out of the cavern-mouth into the rain. It ran in rivulets through her hand, and she watched the play of light through the droplets. Trel and Birin were off-world on a mission, and she could not tell Katani and Sorail what she had learned of Earth. And since these matters fully occupied her thoughts, she sought no one except the echoes of water against the walls. For now, silence and isolation were the coin of her realm, her penance for choosing the Anla Shok. An entire species of sentients were extinct. Earth was no longer Earth. A dull acceptance had settled in. That was the worst. This terrible calamity had happened and she simply assimilated it into the galaxy as it was now. And this bone-headed prick! He was looking for a fight and she had far too little energy left to give him one, and far too much pride to give him the satisfaction of predictability. The singing trickle lulled her to sleep with her back against a cool rock.

The war was over, and they were still here. Some of them. Trelann was dead. He died for Minbar, she kept telling herself. But all she could think about was his dear face, the color of his eyes, every movement of every muscle in his face when he concentrated on something he was thinking about, when he smiled. She could see every contour of his head-bone in stark relief, as though he were here or would appear at any moment. And the nights were the worst, the cold neat space beside her, the absence of snoring, the silence. She had been used to long absences, he had been the commander on another ship. So she was no stranger to spending nights alone, but there was always the knowledge that the silence was temporary, desirable even, as there were some nights when his drilling nostrils kept her awake. But thisŠwhatever was Beyond the Veil, things would never again be between them as they were, if there was a Beyond. No matter how she had been raised, perhaps only the Religious Caste had the luxury of blind faith. She had begun to wonder. I do not know if I want to spend the rest of this incarnation without him. There was Kuraal though. The only part of him she had left. The baby needed her, and was waiting for her back on Homeworld. Her cousin had looked after the little girl, while she and Trelann had been deployed. But she was eager to hold her baby again. And she was needed by others as well, by her crew, although she would probably be replaced as a captain, now that she had the duties of the Provisional Council to see to. Valen needed her now, and her world through him. More was expected of her, and she could not let grief take her, especially now. There was a matter of grave importance to be dealt with before they even reached home-world. So much had to be cemented: what to do with the Anla Shok, the process of rebuilding the destroyed colonies, the organization of codifed statutes concerning the new government and the egalitarian placement of the castes and clans within it. It was the beginning of a paradigm shift, one that could be very positive for Minbar if they structured it correctly. Despite all of our losses, it could be an exciting time to be alive, and a great task to partake in, she thought as the nine members of the provisional government prepared to meet one of the vessels of their mysterious Vorlon allies. These inscrutable aliens had appeared early on in the War, offering aid and guidance and asking nothing in return. Many in the military had been suspicious of their aid, but as time wore on and the war claimed unprecedented livesŠ

The walls of the ship closed in around them, singing, molding to their bodies like cocoons, but allowing them to see the trajectory of its path. As they flew, her mind wandered to the start of the project.

She had approached Valen in his quarters, not exactly respectful, but what she had to say was important, and she had never been particularly good at decorum. He had stood, in his bed robes, waiting for her to speak, curious more than annoyed. "Shai Alyt Valen, I do not mean to question your capabilities in mentioning this, but I believe that caution and planning are always prudent. If the war goes any more badly for us, I believe that it would be wise for the Minbari to have a place to retreat to, away from Home-world."

"A fall-back shelter? Yes, I understand." He nodded his head. But there was something about his eyes, a prescient look he often got, as though he were watching events that had already happened, playing a pre-scripted role. "What do you have in mind?"

"Well, perhaps a planet or moon no one else would look at. We could terra-form it to suit our needs."

"The Shadows will look there someday. It would need to be hidden, even if it seems to you that it would be of no interest to them."

"What about our cloaking technology, although we do not have anything big enough for a planet. I could talk to the engineers."

"That would take a great deal of energy."

"What about a moon?"

"That may work. If we decide to do this, we may be able to garner help from the Vorlons. It will need to be done quickly."

"So you'll help?"

"Yes, as long as it does not take you or anyone else away from their duties for too long. We cannot afford absences now."

"Yes, Na."

"I will speak with our allies to see if they can assist us, and let you know."

Weeks later, he had garnered assistance not just from the Vorlons, but from eight other Minbari officials: an architect/civil engineer, aerospace engineer and an agriculturalist from the Worker Caste, a biologist, a social philosopher, and a physician from the Religious Caste, a surveillance specialist, and a logistics specialist from the Warrior Caste. And then they had begun the planning meetings for the project. It had been rough at first. The one Vorlon representative had rarely spoken, if ever, while the nine of them argued and hammered out the specifications. Valen, always present as well, had mediated the disputes that had lasted hours. But, finally, after a few more weeks, they had reached consensus on the shelter project plans. There was a moon in the Kohnari sector in a solar system with a yellow sun that would suit their needs. It had supported life, but the Shadows had hit it, and gone. There had been a small population of aliens, a marginal space-flight society that had seemingly defied them, and had no appropriate technology with which to defend themselves. The world was now deserted but for a few simple life forms.

The biologist had cataloged the flora and fauna necessary to colonize a subterranean part of the moon to their needs. The civil architect, aerospace engineer and social scientist had scanned the planet, found a suitable place and plotted the structure of the haven. And the military planner had helped to determine what would be necessary in terms of security. The aerospace engineer had designed a graviton wave generator large enough to hide the distortion in space-time made by the moon, and a thermonuclear reactor powerful enough to fuel it. But it would require more. The engineer hypothesized that ancient space-faring races like these Shadows had developed a method for detecting the miniscule exchanges of quantum particles between space and hyperspace that riddled space-time, coupling matter or energy in both states of existence. It was the only way possible to phase into real space without the use of a jump-gate as accurately as these bogeys appeared to do. If so, the quantum signature of the moon could still be detected in hyperspace, and would have to be hidden, and that was beyond her knowledge or even the knowledge of anyone in her guild.

Almost simultaneously, the nine had all looked at the Vorlon. He/she/it had given almost no input in these meetings so far, and it was now time to act as an ally or agree to forgo the meetings, although from a security stand-point, if the Vorlon decided to back out, it was far too late now, since the representative had seen and heard all of their plans. Fortunately, 'We will hide you from darkness' was all the cryptic encounter-suited being had said, offering no clue as to how the Vorlons would accomplish this. No one in the room had any doubt, at this point in the war, that they could. The beings had a taboo against outsiders seeing their form, so no Minbari ever had.

And, at the culmination of what would be the last battle, just in time for salvage and recovery if they had lost the war, the project was complete, and their allies had provided a transport to take them there, more quickly and discreetly than any of their battered ships could do currently, without using more resources than they could spare to limp home. She continued to muse as the ship crooned.

The project team and Valen had convened on the long trip home, and it was then that he had asked them to serve Minbar in a provisional capacity as governors. Turanni had stared at her mentor as if he had lost his senses, just as she had when he had asked her months ago to be his executive officer instead of the series of officers more favored byŠwell, everyone else. "Master?"

"I've spoken with the Council of Caste Elders, and they have approved not only the idea of the provisional centralized government, but the request for the nine of you in these positions, should you choose to accept the nomination."

The civil engineer, a particularly outspoken young man remarked, "AndŠhow many flasks of hal'chi did that take, Shai Alyt?!"

Valen burst into a deep laugh. "Not as many as you might think. They are weary of this war. The rebuilding will be a long slow process, and they will be responsible for much of it otherwise. I explained in detail how the nine of you came up with and executed this plan for the shelter, and they were quite impressed with your initiative and care. It is exactly the kind of thing that I believe they would like to have done, if they had not been so bogged down in clan and caste matters. So, they agreed to the terms of a provisional governorship under the following conditions: The provisional government will be responsible for civil matters concerning planetary and federal matters only. The Caste Elders will maintain control over all matters of Caste and Clan. We will work out the details of these divisions of law when we reach Homeworld. So if you accept, we should begin discussion as soon as possible."

Turanni spoke again, still dumbstruck. "ButŠwhyŠ?"

Even though she hadn't finished the sentence, Valen had gotten used to her self-disparagement and knew she meant to question his choosing of her. She would get used to acceptance, given time and authority. "Why you? Because you have already worked together, successfully. Because you were not afraid to try something new, and because you have never in the past been afraid to speak up when your opinions were not favored. Yet despite your perceived 'rebelliousness', I have reviewed all of your work records, and yes, some of your personal records as well, and you have shown a great capacity for reason, consideration, and inter-caste collaboration. That is what we need right now."

He looked at Turanni and a flash of sad recognition came across his face as though he had only just recognized her. "After you came to me with this idea, Havah, my selection of candidates to approach about assisting on this team was not random. I chose people who I believed would most efficiently get the job done, and so it is with this fledgling governorship. You know that you can work together, and what you have built must remain confidential anyway, a last resort, as was indicated by our allies. Who better to manage that contingency plan than those who built it."

They all looked at one another.

"What is 'havah', master?" Turanni asked tentatively, she had never heard the term before.

He looked startled, and then sighed, shaking his head. "I apologize, Turanni. I called you by the name of an old friend I used to know. You remind me of her at times." And then to all of them, "Give it some thought, and have your answer by our next meeting in two days, at the Kohnari jump point."

They had all accepted the appointment, and so here they were, ready to view the fruit of their surreptitious labor of months. They docked in a deep cavern. The ship melted away and lay dormant behind them and in front of them was the Vorlon representative, Kosh Naranek. He turned without a word and glided towards the portal to the labyrinth. Turanni would never know exactly what happened next, whether Kosh's telepathy slipped for just a moment, or whether he chose for some reason as mysterious as all encounters with the Vorlons had been, to let her see his true form in her mind. But her mind's eye saw, for a moment that could have been an instant or an eternity, a great torus of energy rise and unfurl into a snaking swath of light above her, a Dragon King like a Watcher of Dol' An, left behind after her absence to guide those left on Minbar. This was the race that had been their allies during the Great War. They were still guarding the Minbari. But there was something else in that powerful mind that she could feel regarding her now. An implacability, a sense of many minds all considering her through Kosh. The feeling became terrifying, and she receded. As she did so, a faint feeling of melancholy crept in that came not from her, not from the many-minds-in Kosh, but from one of them, perhaps Kosh himself. Turanni hung on and followed the thread and it opened into the deepest loneliness and isolation she had ever experienced. The Vorlon collective mind warded off the void, but beyond that lay malaise, emptiness, and frustration. Hundreds of thousands of billions of souls in the galaxy, and they could communicate with no one truly. The rest were too young to understand. Except for the Others, and the Others were not listening any more. So many had gone on beyond the Rim, but they had stayed, they had stayedŠ

Turanni was jerked back into herself again, and the Vorlon glided on as if nothing had happened. They passed through great open areas of lush verdure, moist from trickling streams, and came to the innermost chamber. Kosh stood aside as Tihal, the biologist, touched the door-seal, marked by nine stars.

Havah jerked awake at the thunderclap and pouring deluge just beyond the cave-mouth, as spray blanketed her face. Damn! Damn, damn, damn! What is behind that door?! She sat up. And then the content of the entire dream began working into her consciousness. Valen had been prominent in this dream, and he looked oddly like Jeffrey Sinclair, and he had called her Havah at one point. Typical dream-logic. But it wasn't, was it? Kosh had been there too, she could still feel a paralytic loneliness, and it hadn't seemed anything like a dream, more like a memory. Whoever she had been, Turanni was inside her.