Date: Thu, 03 Aug 2000
++++++++
title: Hypocracy Now. part 1/?
author: Rodlox.
Babylon Five and all associated species and characters belong to JMS. any original characters are my own.
let me know if you’re going to archive it, okay? Gok, you want it?
(Gok: Yeah, it's up already! :) grin!)
notes: Something bugged me about Sheridan’s trip to Zha’ha’dum: his
accusation towards Anna......while ignoring the fact that the same was true
of another woman in his life.
Another reason for this fanfiction was the image they showed in the ep
before Anna visited: Sheridan and Delenn in front of a starfield full of
Shadow vessels!
Finally, before you say this is far too unlikely, remember Sheridan's emotional state both before and after he left with Anna.
key: “are spoken” in the present....... ‘are spoken’ in the past {memories}.
---------------
“But once you’ve been inside one of their ships,” Justin was telling John Sheridan, “you’re never quite whole again. But you -”
“WAIT!” Anna commanded, silencing Justin’s self-destructive outburst; the man was sadly prone to them if he kept talking, she knew that. To her husband John, she said, “You’re right, John: I have changed. I can’t help that. I’m not entirely sure I’d want to revert to what I was before.
“But you’re forgetting someone else who’s changed just as much as me, if not more.”
“And that someone would be who exactly?” John asked, curiousity getting the better of him, caution keeping his hand near his calf.
Anna - or the woman who had been Anna - dropped into what John’d always termed ‘scholar mode,’ reciting information without accent or intonation. “Minbari are what the xenobiologists class as Pseudomammalians. Now, before you try saying that that was just for the early xenos at the Centauri first contact, remember that it holds true for all humanoids.”
Dropping out of scholar mode, Anna went on. “But, near as we can tell, Delenn is a full member of Class Mammalia, John. She didn’t used to be like you know her -- or did you forget to check the station records on Babylon Five?”
“Alright, alright, I’ll grant that,” for now, at least. “But you can’t deny that the Shadows have been killing innocent civilians in -”
“Are the Vorlons really so much better?” Anna asked him. “Their servants, what about them?”
‘Who are you? What about right? What about wrong?’ each time, a flash of remembered pain at the hands of Jack The Ripper. And another time, the Vorlon ship, shooting down an Earth transport -- just to kill one person.
“I don’t know,” Sheridan said, stalling for time, parts of his mind warring. “That’s certainly no excuse though!”
“You’re absolutely right, you know,” Justin admitted frankly, with an answering “vshirr” somewhere in the air. “But they’ve -- we’ve all found that, with how the Vorlons have no qualms about fighting dirty, so sometimes craftiness among our side is needed.”
“One would think that’d be something you would understand, Captain,” Morden seconded. “In this war, the Vorlons have a subtle tactical advantage over us, just like the Minbari did against you. But you prevailed,” leaving unsaid the _you were stronger, smarter_ implicit in there.
“What sort of tactical advantage are we talking about?”
Justin “tsk”ed. “Just like them, not telling you -- even with how much they leaned on you.” Justin looked John Sheridan in the eyes, sad eyes, deep eyes. “Planet-killers, John. And they’ve used them before, and likely as not won’t hesitate to use them again.”
John sighed - one part genuine, one part a cover. “Let’s assume that I agree to what you’re saying, just for a moment, and disband the League. You’re saying that I’d have to become a Shadow agent?”
Anna smiled, and it pulled at his heart just how much she reminded him of the old Anna. “Oh John, no wonder; this explains a lot.”
Justin explained for her. “We suspected that the Vorlons were using the old ‘my side or their side’ argument, but didn’t really have any proof -- untill now. And no, you don’t have to work for our side.” The old man’s eyes looked off somewhere, seeing something that wasn’t in the room - a memory, likely. “There’s so many worlds out there. Say the word, and they’ll let you retire there, as much luxury as you like.”
“Alone?” Sheridan asked.
“I’d go with you,” Anna volunteered, heartfelt and honest. Seeing his face, “What I told you on Babylon Five, that was only true for there. I just couldn’t live there, John; don’t ask why, please.”
“I don’t know....” John Sheridan hesitated.
Morden filled that space with “Take your time, Captain.” A pause. “Of course, the longer we wait for your answer, the more likely that someone under your command will get an itchy trigger finger, starting a firefight neither of us want.”
Sheridan had to admit, even if just to himself, that Morden was telling the truth. There had to be a way out of this, there just had to! Of course! “Can I have a week or two to think things over?” At Justin’s hesitant expression, and hearing the door crack open, “The League’s been extremely hesitant about engaging in battle away from their homeworlds,” more like a case of hemming and hawing. “If I can convince them to a cease-fire, is it a deal?”
Instead of any of the three, it was the one at the door who answered. “Vssst sssshuu vsssuuhh.” John craned his head just enough to see that it was a Shadow, elegant in form, artful in design.
Out the other eye, the one still looking at the three Icarus survivors, he could see Anna smiling, holding back from ‘beaming’ - aka, bouncing up and down - with excitement. “He agrees to your terms, John,” said one very relieved Anna.
“Can I go back to Babylon Five?” Sheridan asked, “and gather my things?”
“Of course,” Justin answered. “We’d expect no less.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To Be Continued.
Part 2 of Hypocracy Now:
by Rodlox.
property notes in Part One.
anybody want to archive this story? just let me know, please!
notes: Yes, I know Morden says that Sheridan’s actions precipitated their move to CP, but it just struck me as one of those “either way, we do this” things. I also wanted to expound on my idea of *why* Morden serves the Shadows, without using the “in one of those ships too” like Anna Sheridan.
~~~~~~~~
Outside Babylon Five:
One by one, the Shadow fighters vanished, twisting and fading into invisibility. They continued this untill only one was left, one that positioned itself between the station and Epsilon 3 -- the home of the Great Machine. Garabaldi watched it from within his Cobra Starfury fighter, watched the light play across the sleek, predatory lines of the black ship. “Suggestions, Commander?” Garabaldi asked C&C.
“Don’t fire,” was the best Ivanova could come up with. “It might be a trick.” A trap. To Lt Corwin, “Any luck picking up the White Star that Sheridan left with?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Corwin replied. “it’s right where you thought it’d be. But it’s not responding to any communications. I guess the Captain didn’t want to risk interuptions?” he hazarded a guess. Ivanova grimaced, but didn’t say anything about that.
~~~~
Seven Days Later, Mollari’s Quarters, Wing For Guests Of The Royal Court, Centauri Prime:
“Cartagia told you to expect a visitor, did he not?”
“What are you doing here?” was all Mollari could think to ask Mr Morden.
“This is a calm, a lull in the storm. It’s not over, sad to say, not by a great deal. And a deal is what brought this lull to us. To answer your question, my associates have decided to take advantage of this, spreading out and across.”
~~~
Council Chambers:, Babylon Five:
“You cannot win this war, Commander, you can only hope to survive it,” the Drazi Ambassador said. “And if the rumors are true -”
“We don’t know that!” Ivanova snapped back. “We don’t really know what happened at Zha’ha’dum -”
“Not much really,” said a familiar voice, one that’d been absent for what was felt to be too long. All visual organs turned to face the source of it. Captain John Sheridan.
“You’re alive?” the Drazi said, unsure if to make it a real question. “But - but no-one returns from Zha’ha’dum -”
“Nobody returns from there the same as they left, Ambassador,” Sheridan corrected unoffensively. “But then, you never return from anywhere the same as you were when you left -- unless, that is, you’ve been holding back on just how special you are...?” at least one set of eyes came to rest on the suddenly-self-concious Drazi, who hushed himself up.
“Yes, I’m back,” Sheridan comfirmed. “And I bought you all some time to make preparations. The Shadows, as we’ve been calling them, have agreed to a temporary cease-fire...not, I repeat, *not* a permanent one. The price for that was simple enough.”
“What price - have you paid?” asked the Gaim.
Sheridan’s eyes seemed to take in everyone at once. “That I step down, that I not command your forces.” There was a momentary muttering among a few ambassadors saying that he’d never commanded them, but they were quickly shushed by the others.
“Now if any of you want to fight the Shadows, I won’t stop you,” John Sheridan told them. “I just won’t be fighting alongside any of you.” Amidst the murmurs and whisperings in a myriad of alien languages, he sat back down. Abruptly, he stood up, an act that the League greeted with sudden silence, watching him. “In light of this, I am giving serious thought to stepping down from my post.”
Sheridan looked around. “Is there any other business to discuss?” Nobody could bring themselves to say anything, nobody knew just what to say. “Well then, I declare this meeting over.” The League ambassadors filed out, trying to hurry away without it looking like they were in a rush to leave.
“Welcome back,” Delenn told him; Lennier bowing to him. G’kar clasped his hand firmly, then let go.
“Where were you?” Garabaldi asked.
Sheridan took a minute to think that question through. “Oh, nowhere in particular. Just thinking, walking around some, trying to come to a decision.”
“And...?”
“Not yet.”
~~~~
Shadow Base, Island Of Selini, Centauri Prime:
Deep within one of the larger Shadow vessels, Morden took a seat next to the healing bed, his eyes watching his wife’s sleeping frame. So peacefull. *This* was what he was fighting for, his reason for servitude! He glanced at her medical chart: no outbursts or spasms during the time he was away -- that alone gave him hope.
Taking her hand in his, he gently massaged it, doing what he could to help ease her journey. Talking, doctors through history had said talking helped; yes, he’d do that again. “Sheridan’s not a problem anymore, we’ve reunited him with his wife; it was very touching once he stopped suspecting a trap somewhere.
“Mollari’s here, on Centauri Prime. G’kar’s on Babylon Five still - you remember me mentioning him, don’t you? The vigilant Narn. He’s like what Sheridan used to be: clinging to the offenses of the past. Maybe we can turn him to our side too, maybe not. I’m not too sure about Vir, apart from the fact that he reminds me of you,” how you used to be, before you became bedridden; “Headstrong and never backing down, that’s the two of you,” Morden said with a smile cracking the mask his face had become.
A flickering of movement beneath her eyelids made Morden catch his breath, his hands stopping. “Jill?” he whispered, afraid to disturb her.
One eye opened, Jill seeing her husband sitting beside her. “Sam, hi.....beware the New One, she’ll be hurting you.....I’m afraid, Sam, the fire coming, fire, fire....” trailing into a whimper. Sam Morden got up to sit on the bed, bringing her to lean against him, him comforting her, protecting her.
“Sshhh, it’s okay, it’s okay,” he whispered to soothe her. “There’s no fire, no fire. I’ll make sure of that,” he promised. Within his mind, he was wondering if she was worried about the future, or if she was talking about one of her worlds again. Sometimes the two were easy to tell apart, sometimes they felt like one and the same.
~~~~
Ivanova’s Quarters, Babylon Five:
“Commander’s personal log,” Susan Ivanova spoke into her recorder. “I wish it didn’t have to be like this.....but I can’t go on denying it: the John Sheridan we knew is gone, he might as well be dead, I suppose.
“What matters now is finishing the work he started. I have some ideas on that, but I’m going to need some help. I’ve got an idea of where to go.
“One last thing: Lyta’s link with the Vorlons. With John out of the war, it becomes more urgent that we find out what her connection is with them.”
~~~~
Garabaldi’s Quarters, Babylon Five:
“...and Sheridan, ooh, don’t get me started,” Garabaldi said to himself, his recorder taping his conversation. “The guy comes back from a place ev’rybody’s been saying can’t be returned from....and he refuses to talk about it at all. Something’s up, something more than the usual intrigue this place attracts.
“And I intend to find out what.”
~~~~
Zha’ha’dum:
Deep within the planet, Lorien sat. Waiting. Patiently waiting.
The One would come, he was sure of it.
~~~
Sheridan’s Quarters, Babylon Five:
Meanwhile, John Sheridan was also recording a private message.....
“I don’t know. Maybe history will lump me in with Vidkun Quisling and men like him, traitors to the cause. Then again, maybe I’ll be celebrated like Churchill, my faults forgotten and forgiven. I really can’t tell, not from where I’m standing, here on the front lines.”
He sighed, then went on. “Back before Kosh died, one of the lessons I got was to find beauty in the dark, a moment of perfect peace. I’m not sure if I could find that sort of darkness again, at least not in the foreseeable future; maybe later.
“Maybe someday.”
~~~~~~~
(email to Rodlox@hotmail.com)