"You mean trying to blow up Kazomi Seven."
"Yes.... that was part of it. Revenge, you see. Scourge the galaxy. Too many believed that.... if you didn't want to listen to us, you shouldn't be allowed to listen to anyone. It wasn't just Kazomi Seven, you know. Centauri Prime, the Narns.... all over the place. Let the galaxy burn.
"But not any more. You know, I've spent my whole life indulging in diplomacy, working out factions, who they are, what they want, and it still hit me to learn that the Shadows are every bit as factionalised as anyone else I've ever met. The Vorlons will be too, I suppose. Some of them preached revenge, others hoped that we could get one last lesson through to you all before it was too late.
"The revenge faction lost a lot of prestige when Kazomi Seven survived. And Centauri Prime. They had at least one other plot in motion that I don't know about. Something to do with a legacy, but that doesn't matter. The Shadow leaders recalled all ships, all warriors and servitor races here. Ready for one huge battle.
"What you see out here isn't the half of it. We have more of those death clouds. We've got the Z'Shailyl, the Zarqheba, the Drakh magi, not to mention the defence grid. Maybe we could even win this battle, although I doubt it if the Vorlons get involved, but that doesn't matter.... because what would be the point?
"Look at you all. Everyone is stronger now, because of us. The Alliance would never have formed if the Drakh hadn't attacked Kazomi Seven. All of you are different now.... better, stronger. That was all we wanted to do. Make you stronger.
"I think it worked too well. It's been said the greatest joy in any teacher's life is to be surpassed by his pupil. No one on Z'ha'dum is saying that now."
He paused, and looked down. "There was a message from the Shadow leaders, from all those who didn't just want revenge.
"We wanted what was best for you all. We tried to show you the stars, and you rejected us. We tried to give you heaven...."
"And we cast you down," Delenn whispered. "Then, if we will not see heaven, you will show us hell."
He looked surprised. "You know? Then I suppose you already know what we are going to tell you now. We only tried to do what was right for you, and along the way we stumbled and fell.... but still we tried. When we are gone.... when you remember us.... remember the good as well as the bad.
"There. Now, I will go. If you will let me. I want to be on Z'ha'dum when the end comes. It is strange, but I feel more at home there than anywhere else since Earth.... Including Proxima."
"Wait! Dad!" John said. "Are you all just going to fight us then? Your planet killers, and your Drakh and your warships. You're all just going to fight now?"
"Yes."
"And you know you'll lose."
"Probably, we will."
"But you'll go ahead anyway? You'll kill God knows how many of us, and all your own people, and all those servant races who swore to follow you. You'll throw them all away?"
"What else is there? We cannot continue as we were. We can only fight."
"Can the Shadows hear you? Right now?"
"Yes. Their leaders can hear this through a Drakh mage–orb. There is something blocking it, some trick of the Vorlons, but the signal is still there. They would have to be much more powerful to shut down a signal like that completely, here, at Z'ha'dum."
"So their leaders can hear you?"
"Yes."
"Good. Dad.... how about coming for a little walk with Delenn and me? There are some things to show you. All of you."
Images from the End of the Age.
Tirivail of the Minbari - "I came to storm the gates of hell, to stand where the heroes of old stood, to fulfill their legacy, to become a legend and a hero myself. In a thousand years, I want my name remembered, I want there to be people following my stories, emulating my deeds.
"But I wonder.... what is the point? My father is Warleader now, my Clan leader, Satai. My sister served Primarch Sinoval. My brother died with honour. What have I done to match their deeds?
"I do not want to be forgotten. Not by anyone.
"And if I have to storm Z'ha'dum to do that, then so be it."
Kulomani of the Brakiri - "My father made trinkets for sale at market, little jewels, things that spun in the starlight of our world. He made them himself, with time and effort and skill. He taught me how to make them. He wanted me to follow his path, to pursue his dreams and not my own.
"I left, and joined the military. I wanted to see the worlds I had only ever heard of as a child, to see sunlight, and stars, to see Minbar and Narn and Earth and even the dead worlds at the Rim my people spoke of with such fear.
"My father died fifteen years ago, and I never spoke to him after he left. Soon it will be the Day of the Dead. I will return home, and talk to my father then when he returns to me. I will explain my decision, and tell him all the things I have seen, and I will beg his forgiveness.
"And if I die here, then I will return to my son as a shade, and explain to him all the things I have not yet said, all the things I have not said since he left to pursue his own path, far from my own...."
Ta'Lon of the Narn - "What is there to say? I fight because that is what I do. I have met the one I will follow all my life, until I am gone. He asked me to come here, to stand here at the end of his dream and watch the nightmare end, and so here I am. What else is there to say?
"Loyalty is a virtue, or so I was told. But more than that, it is what I am. Take away my loyalty to the Ha'Cormar'ah, and I am nothing. I have lost my eye, my friend, my parents in this war, but I believe these things were justified because he claims it.
"And if I for one single moment doubt that is so, then it all will be for nothing.
"So what is there to say? I will live or die at his word."
Lord–General Carn Mollari of the Centauri - "My father told me something once: that it was better to look to the future than to stare at the past, better to create our own society than live on memories of what used to be. His brother, on the other hand, was too busy dreaming of the golden age of our people ever to amount to anything.
"Now his brother is the Emperor of the Centauri Republic, his son is their Lord–General, and he died through madness and fire. He and I were never close, but I went to his funeral. It was.... expected by our society. I spoke there, which was also expected.
"And I told his spirit he was wrong. You cannot live for the future if you forget the past. Remember the mistakes of old, and make them right in the now. I've fought too many wars. I don't want to fight any more. I want to go home and serve my Republic and my Emperor, but I'll fight if I have to. Not because there is no other choice, although really there isn't, but because if I don't....
"Then who will?"
Daro of the Drazi - "What to say? Drazi attacked by Shadows, by servants of Shadows. Drazi ships destroyed. Drazi worlds destroyed. Drazi say, we fight back.
"Drazi members of Alliance, for now. While that is so, while Alliance fights Shadows, Drazi fight Shadows.
"Blessed Delenn says this will all be over soon, says no more Drazi will have to die.
"What will Drazi do then? When there is no one to fight, what will Drazi do?"
Flight–lieutenant Neeoma Connally of the Human Race - "Hard to believe I've seen all this, lasted this long, and I'm still alive. Sometimes I get dreams, bad dreams. I can feel them, whispering to me, reaching out for me, but they're just dreams. Show me anyone who doesn't have bad dreams at the moment.
"Oh, I can feel that orb you're carrying by the way. It's buzzing at me.