The Long, Twilight Struggle
Captain’s Personal Log
John J. Sheridan
December 1, 2259
Today ranks about a 9.0 on my Weird Shit-o-Meter. It’s not every day I get out of the shower to find a holographic Minbari in my quarters. But then - that seems to be the way of things on Babylon 5, and Draal seems harmless enough.
Mostly. I’m reasonably certain he could crush this station like a bug if he wanted to.
He’s invited me down to Epsilon 3 for “a visit” and I don’t intend to say no - mostly out of curiosity, but partly because of the aforementioned bug-crushing ability. And he says that I can bring one other.
Mr. Garibaldi will go right up the flue when I suggest that Delenn and I go down alone, but I think that’s how it has to be.
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NARN HOMEWORLD (Universal Press) - Centauri military forces began an all-out assault on the Narn Homeworld today at approximately 0500 Earth Standard Time. This attack comes after six months of warfare between the Narn and Centauri.
The opening for the Centauri attack came as nearly all Narn military vessels left their defensive positions around their home planet in favor of taking an offensive position at the Centauri colony Gorash 7, the supply world for the Centauri military. Those Narn forces appear to have met with an unknown enemy, and have been destroyed.
It is unknown whether the Centauri were aware or involved with this third party, and no one within the Centaurum was available for comment.
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Captain’s Personal Log, Supplemental - continued entry, December 1, 2259
Password Protected entry - accessible by recognized voice command only
I am both terrified and mystified by three specific events today.
The technology on Epsilon 3 is beyond all imagination. Draal has been watching me, and he knows about the cell group. To what extent, I don’t know, but it sounds as though he intends to keep my secret. For that much, I am thankful. But how does he know? I expect I could live a thousand years and still never know the answer to that.
Delenn has been “studying” my use of language. She cursed. It was… I don’t know what it was. Endearing? What else has she been learning from me? More importantly… what else can I teach her?
The Centauri have begun a full-frontal assault on the Narn homeworld using mass drivers. I suppose it was only a matter of time, but… I wish there was something more I could do. I’m a soldier, trained to fight, to die if necessary, for a just cause, and yet here I sit behind a desk, powerless to help the Narn or to stop the Centauri.
Earth will not get involved. I’ve tried and failed on that front. Surprise, surprise.
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NARN HOMEWORLD (UP) - The death toll from the Centauri bombing of the Narn Homeworld reaches into the hundreds of thousands, the Kha’Ri reported this morning as bombing entered its fourth day. Reports leaking out of Narn indicate the Centauri are using mass drivers against the civilian population, violating all standing rules relating to civilized warfare. In response to sanctions placed against the Centauri by Minbar, Earth and Vorlon, Lord Refa, a representative of the Centaurum, declared that the bombings will continue until the Narn government issues an unconditional surrender.
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BABYLON 5 (UP) - Millions of Narn civilians are reported dead, and thousands wounded or missing following five days of heavy bombardment of the Narn Homeworld by Centauri forces. This latest attack followed six months of fighting between the Narn and Centauri that began with the declaration of war by the Narn, which came as a response to a Centauri attack on a Narn colony in Quadrant 14. That declaration was issued from Babylon 5 - regarded since its inception as our “last, best hope for peace.”
Today the space station stood by its slogan but wavered on its neutrality as the Narn issued an unconditional surrender to the Centauri, ending the war and making Narn and all its colonies protectorates of the Centauri Republic.
Ambassador Londo Mollari read the surrender treaty aloud to a full meeting of the Babylon 5 Advisory Council and the League of Non-Aligned Worlds. Terms of the Narn surrender state that the Kha’Ri will be disbanded and its members brought to trial.
“Earth requests the right to send observers to these hearings,” stated station commander Captain John J. Sheridan (Earthforce, Silver Star for Valor in the Minbari War.) This request was denied.
Earth President Morgan Clark was not immediately available for comment as to whether Sheridan had the authority to make such a statement, or whether any aid will be sent by Earth to the Narn Homeworld.
As further condition of the Narn surrender, Ambassador G’Kar, a member of the Kha’Ri, was removed from the Babylon 5 Advisory Council. However he will not be returned to Narn for trial - a noted exception to the first condition of the treaty.
“Prior to this meeting, G’Kar came to me and asked for sanctuary,” said Sheridan. “As it is within my providence to make such decisions, I agreed.”
The Babylon 5 Treaty explicitly grants the station’s military governor several legal powers, including the right to grant sanctuary to anyone not currently engaged in hostilities against Earth.
Sheridan’s decision was supported by Minbari Ambassador Delenn. “The neutrality of this station applies even to the wishes of the Centauri,” she said. “Citizen G’Kar may remain here for as long as he chooses.”
Babylon 5 was established as a joint Earth-Minbari project at the end of the Minbari war. While the station is a protectorate of the Earth Alliance, Minbar remains a co-sponsor and prominent source of funding.
The Centaurum also established that it will set up a provisional government on Narn and set forth protection for the presence of its own people on Narn and elsewhere.
“The murder of any Centauri by any Narn will result in the execution of 500 Narns, including the perpetrator’s own family,” Mollari stated.
The welfare of survivors on the Narn homeworld is not known. At press time, all communications to the planet were cut off.
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Questions to make you thinky think:
When Refa tells Londo his plan to bomb Narn, Londo’s attitude would suggest he does not support this plan. He objects several times, but in the end he does as he is asked and sends the Shadows to Gorash 7. By the time he delivers the terms of the Narn surrender in Council Chambers, any hesitation has faded. What might his train of thought have been at key points of this episode? Did he really object to Refa’splan because it was against all rules of civilized warfare, or because he was afraid for Centauri loss of life?
At the end of Season 5 when Londo takes up the mantel of emperor, he says that it used to be he had no power, and all the choices he could want; now he has all the power he could ask for, and no choices at all. How do his actions, and the choices he makes in this episode, play into that?
“No dictator, no invader can hold an imprisoned population by force of arms forever. There is no greater power in the universe than the need for freedom. Against that power, governments and tyrants and armies cannot stand. The Centauri learned this lesson once. We will teach it to them again. Though it take a thousand years, we will be free.” Comments?
Sheridan is introduced to the Anla’shok in this episode, and agrees to share command of them with Delenn. But the go-ahead to do so didn’t come from Ranger One (Sinclair); it came from Draal. Why? And who really made the decision to bring Sheridan into the fold? Why was Kosh at this meeting?
Sheridan announces that “from this place we will deliver a message to the parliaments of conquerors that a line has been drawn against the darkness, and we will hold that line, no matter the cost.” Do you think he really understands what that cost might be at this point in time, or - as he has done before - is he simply making a grand speech without really knowing what he’s setting himself up for?