Date: Fri, 31 Mar 1995 14:00:12 -0600 (CST) From: Richard Hazlewood To: Creative Babylon5 Subject: STORY: The Only One 2/4 Hi All, Here is part 2. YES IT IS A CROSSOVER STORY! ================================================================== DISCLAIMER: This story is copyrighted (1995) by Richard Hazlewood. All rights reserved. Electronic transfer and storage is permitted. Just don't make any money off of it (yeah right). NOTICE: This story takes place early in the THIRD season of Babylon 5. (I know, quite a risk with half of the second season still to be aired...) ============================================================== The Only One By Richard Hazlewood Introduction (Voice of Ambassador G'Kar) The Babylon project was a dream given form. 250,000 beings in a station five miles long located in Neutral Space. It was the Third Age of Mankind. The Great War was spreading across the galaxy. This is the story of the last of the Babylon stations. A shining beacon in space, all alone in the night. Conceived in peace, it had become our only refuge. It was our last, best hope of peace. It is the Earth year 2260. The name of the place is Babylon 5. ACT II On the Zocalo, the Tall Man watched the security people head towards the woman's room. What the security guards had failed to notice however, was the man, dressed in black, who had emerged from the woman's room just moments before the first guards arrived. As the man in black made his way slowly and unobtrusively through the Zocalo, he stopped suddenly and began looking around. His eyes eventually fell on the Tall Man sitting at the bar. Straightening himself, the dark man sauntered over to the tall man and, with a slight smile on his handsome face, sat down at the table. They stared at each other for several minutes, neither moving. Finally, the dark man, Morden, spoke first, "McCloud. So, you have finally come. I have been expecting you." "I see you have been keeping busy." Came the quick reply. "Jolinda Melleard was not worthy of the Prize. She was weak." "And you are not." "NO! I am not! When I claim the prize, my allies and I will be able to rule the entire galaxy. It is our destiny." "And you are so sure that the prize is yours for the taking are you?" "There are only four of us left. Shin Qo is a pacifist and Sinclair does not even know what he is. Neither will not be an obstacle. You are tired and soft. It would be better for you to just surrendered now and made things easy on yourself." "I think that I still have a little life left in me. And don't take Sinclair lightly. He may not understand what he truly is, but he will not die easily. Many before you have underestimated him. He is still around, they are not." "I mean to take him. Don't get in my way old man." Without another word, Morden stood and left the Zocalo. McCloud finished his drink, got up and headed out through one of the many corridors. "The whole truth?" Sinclair asked, "Or another half truth that the Grey Council is so good at?" "I am no longer a member of the Council. You must understand all that you are. Time grows short. "When you were still commander of this station, I asked you to come to my quarters before I became what I am now. Do you remember?" After a nod from Sinclair, Delenn continued, "You did not arrive in time. I was not able to delay the transformation any longer. Had you come, I would have explained everything then. The Grey Council chose to tell you only part of your story at the Line. I would have told you everything. "Once you were on Minbar, I could not tell you the truth without others finding out what I had done. You would have given yourself away. You realize that you are constantly monitored while on our world? Any unexplained change in your behavior would have been detected. That was something that I could not risk at the time. "But now, the time has arrived. You must know the truth or the entire galaxy may fall into unspeakable darkness." Sinclair did not know what to say. Even though he had seen Delenn several times since she had emerged from the chrysalis, she had never mentioned the meeting that had not taken place. Now it seemed, he was to learn the truth. Delenn continued, "You know that we believe that Minbari souls have been leaving us and going into humans. What you do not know is HOW we know this. But to explain, I must start with history. Both yours and ours. "Thousands of your years ago, Minbari discovered that there were some among them who were special. They were immortal. The only way that they could be killed was by decapitation. "These immortals were revealed to us by the last of their kind. Or at least she thought she was the last. We learned that they had been irresistibly drawn to a place where they contested for the Prize. When there was only one of them left, she gained incredible powers. Powers over physical objects, powers over other's minds. In the wrong hands, these powers would bring about untold suffering. After that time, other immortals appeared, it seemed that there was more than one Prize. "Through the next five thousand years, there were seven more Gatherings, each heralding a new Age for the Minbari people.. Each Gathering occurred when our people were at some great crisis. Most of the Prizes were won by someone who used there powers for the benefit of others; but twice, the winner was evil and there was much suffering until another immortal appeared who could kill them. We learned that of all the races in the galaxy, only we Minbari had these Immortals. "A thousand years ago, there was a great War. Far worse than anything we have seen in this one. The gathering of the immortals of our world took place. One finally emerged, beginning what may be the Last Age of the Minbari. His name was Valen. Using his powers, Valen forged the Minbari into a united people. He formed the Grey Council. He drove the darkness out. "Valen also prophesied. His prophecy is what drove me to become what I am today." Delenn paused for a moment and looked down at herself, if taking stalk of her own change. Slowly, she continued, "Valen told us that the darkness would return. That in order to defeat it the next time, another One must be found. He said that the One would not be Minbari. That another race would have to lead the fight, but that only by uniting our two peoples could the darkness be driven away forever. In the last thousand years, there has not been another immortal amongst our people. Sinclair sat very still. The idea of immortals was even harder to believe than the Minbari belief in souls. And yet...what about Deathwalker and her immortality drug? Delenn continued, "You were told that when we captured your ship at the Battle of the Line, that you were tortured and scanned. That we found that you had a Minbari soul and that we then surrendered rather than kill our own souls. This was partially correct. When we captured you, you were tortured, but you died during that torture. Died and returned to life. We killed you four times before all on the Council was convinced that you were one of the legendary immortals. You are the One." Sinclair was stunned. He wasn't sure if he believed that Minbari souls were migrating to humans. But this! How could HE be immortal? Delenn did not allow Sinclair the luxury of time, "You must believe me. The time of the Gathering has arrived, Babylon 5 is the chosen place. Already the others have started fighting for the Prize. There is not much time. If you wish to live, you must learn to fight." "If what you are saying is true," Sinclair said slowly, "Then why don't I feel any different? Why haven't I changed?" "You have changed," came the reply, "You are not as you once were. You have no scars anywhere on your body. You have not been sick since that day on the Line. Jeff, you must believe me, you are immortal. And there are those on this station right now who would kill you to obtain the Prize." Any further discussions were stopped when Sinclair's door chimed. McCloud stood in the doorway. Seeing Delenn, he placed his hands over his chest and bowed solemnly. Delenn, felt the presence of the Miwlerr. On her forehead, a triangle shape appeared and began glowing. Delenn reacted almost immediately. Taking a defensive stance, her hands poised before her, her body centered, ready to move in any direction. "Go away! You have no right to him!" The words came out almost as a hiss. "Ez'Satai, it is good to see you. I have no intentions of killing Ambassador Sinclair. But we must talk, all three of us. Time grows short. The Gathering has begun. There is very little time. We must act now or Morden will win everything." "Who are you?" Sinclair's question emerged almost as a hiss. Straightening himself up to his full height, the tall man said, "I am Connor McCloud of the Clan McCloud. I was born in the highlands of Scotland in 1518, in the village of Glen Finnan, on the shores of Loch Shea. I am 741 years old. I was the winner of the last Prize." =================================================================== Virtually Yours, Richard Hazlewood RHAZLWD@KUHUB.CC.UKANS.EDU Do not assume malice when stupidity will suffice. -Flame War Comment =========================================================================