"What do you mean?"
"What, does that surprise you?" Sinoval stood before her, his dark eyes staring directly into hers, his terrible, twisted pike raised in his hands. She did not take a single step back. In contrast to the real Sinoval, there was nothing to fear here. "That there might be factions amongst us? Why should there not be? The Minbari are factionalised, the humans, the Narns, don't even ask about the Centauri. Even the Vorlons were divided on some issues. We are chaos personified.... you honestly thought we all had the same goal, the same ambition, the same purpose?"
"You sought to destroy us all. Do your motives really matter?"
"Touch?." President Clark smiled. "But yes, they do. And we never sought to destroy you all. That would not suit our purpose."
"What is your purpose then? There was a reason for this, I am sure. Tell me! Teach me! Maybe this can all still be avoided. Maybe there can be something good from all this."
"No." Lorien's face bore an expression of infinite sadness. "It's too late for that. Too late by far. We are old. Very old. I remember my first footsteps in the heavens. I looked at all those stars, shining in the black sky, and I remember crying out in pleasure until tears poured down my face."
Vizhak paused. "Not actual tears, you understand. We cannot cry."
"All races can cry," Delenn said softly. "In one form or another."
"A beautiful concept," said G'Kar, smiling. "And true, to an extent. Anyway, I saw the stars, and I remember thinking of all the millions of lives that lay out there, across the galaxy, and even beyond the rim. All those lives, all those races we could nurture and help. We could strengthen them, test them, pull them up to their destinies. Few races are as long–lived as we are, and every year we waited, countless billions died.... died before seeing the heavens. Did we really have time to wait?"
"No," Londo said. "There was no time for patience. The strong would see the stars, and in their quest to touch them, the weak would rise alongside. Once something has been done by one man, it becomes so very much easier, doesn't it?"
Sonovar snarled. "But for some of us, there was only revenge. We had been defeated so many times before. Always defeated by the Vorlons, by Valen.... There was nothing left for us. The younger races had rejected us so many times.... why should they benefit from our teachings? Why should we help them to the stars? Burn them all! Let the strong fight for every inch of the journey!"
Neroon looked down, his face full of sorrow. "Isn't that always the way, Delenn? Hatred wins out over love always. Some of us did love you. Loved all of you. We only wanted to show you the stars."
"Then stop this!" she cried. "The war can end now! We can all work together. All of us! You can still show us the stars."
"No," whispered a voice, and she stumbled back. It was John. He looked at her, and his eyes shone with the love she remembered seeing there before. His voice trembled. "It's too late for all that. There are few of us left now. The hatred has ruled us all, and all we can see is our revenge. We have lost, we know that, and this will be the final defeat. There is nothing left, there are no more chances after this.
"We have lost, and so we will leave behind a galaxy of ash and ruin to make it wish we had won."
"It needn't be this way," she whispered.
"What else is there?" John asked. "I only wanted to let you know.... to remember us. We have done so much evil, but some of us have done good as well. Please.... if you can remember us at all.... remember the good and the bad."
"I will never forget you," she said, unsure to whom she was talking. The Shadow.... or the memory of the John she had once loved?
"Oh, one last thing." John was gone, but the voice came from everywhere. "The others of us have sent another message.... one based on revenge. We have left behind a weapon to strike down our greatest enemies. A terrible weapon. The message has not been received yet. If it is.... make sure he knows what you now know as well. We have poisoned the past and the present. Do not let us destroy the future as well."
"Who was this message to?" Delenn whispered, a sinking feeling in her heart.
"I think you know that," came the last faint echoes before the voice was gone, and the light returned.
They bent over her body, looking for some sign of life, but there was nothing.
"She is dead," one of them whispered.
"Yes," another agreed. "But she has been dead before. She will die and live and die and live.... until all is done, until Droshalla welcomes her home."
Delenn's eyes flickered, and opened. "Help is coming," she whispered.
At that moment, jump points opened and blazing sparks of light screamed into view.
Corwin took in everything in an instant. He could see the dark cloud that had consumed so many of the Alliance ships. He could see it moving slowly, inexorably towards the planet itself. He could see Shadow warships at the jump gate, and he could see them moving forward to meet these gatecrashers, those who had dared to arrive without an invitation.
Corwin saw all these things with eyes that were not his, sensed them all with senses that were not his.
"Carolyn, are you there?"
I am here. Someone is trying to reach us, to talk to us.
"Who?"
Power. He is power.
"Can you help us? Can the rest of you help us?"
We will fight. What else are we here for? But.... will the fighting ever be over?
"I hope so. Believe me, I hope so."
David Corwin.
The voice came from nowhere, from everywhere. It subsumed Carolyn's voice and spoke with a power and authority Corwin had rarely heard before.
"Who are you?" he asked. None of his crew reacted to him talking to no one. Peculiar events were commonplace on this ship.
A friend. Not a friend of yours, but just a friend in general. I can help you destroy that thing.
"Whoever you are, help me do that and you can be my friend for life. What do we do?"
Enter it. A warning. This will not be easy.
"Nothing worthwhile ever is."
Why am I still here?
Ambassador Lethke zum Bartrando looked up at the skies. He could see the cloud falling over the planet, a dark cloud that blotted out the suns.
Why am I still here?
He could have fled. Hasty evacuations had been organised. Some of the Ambassadors had chosen to leave, but none of those who had been here from the start. Vizhak and Taan Churok had gone to their ships. G'Kael had done likewise. Delenn was with the fleet.
Lethke was on the surface, waiting for the end.
Why am I still here?
The answer was simple.
Because I believe.
He continued to wait.
Delenn jumped to her feet. She could feel the Dark Stars coming. She could feel the intelligence within the cloud sense this, and reach out. She could feel the hatred, the dark and terrible rejection of all that the younger races were.
We tried to show you the stars, and you rejected us. We tried to give you heaven, and you cast us down. Then, if you will not see heaven, we will show you hell.
"It doesn't have to be this way!" she screamed. There was no answer.