To Dream in the City of Sorrows (32 page)

It appeared to Sinclair they were going to have this discussion standing in the middle of the room, which the Minbari seemed to find perfectly normal. Obviously, so did the Vorlons since he’d never actually seen one sit down. Sinclair had once seen just enough in Kosh’s quarters on B5 to assume the Vorlons didn’t have corporeal bodies in the same sense Humans and Minbari did, so the very concept of sitting was probably irrelevant to them. It wasn’t to Sinclair, however. He’d been on his feet since dawn.

“Perhaps I should begin by asking a question.’ Rathenn said. “Has the Entil’Zha told Anla’shok Sakai about his experiences with the time rift in Sector 14?” There was very little that Rathenn could have said to him that would have astonished him more. “I’m much more interested in what you know about it, Rathenn.”

“Less than one Earth year ago,” Rathenn said, “Babylon 5’s sensors detected unusual tachyon emissions coming from the area in Sector 14 where the space station Babylon 4 had disappeared. You went to investigate personally and found that Babylon 4 had reappeared. On the day it vanished, it passed through a time rift, emerging four years into their future, although it seemed to them that only a few days had passed. You evacuated the crew just before the station again disappeared through the rift. After that, the time rift seemed to close down and Earth quarantined Sector 14 because of dangerous residual effects leaving time and space there in a turbulent state. Are those the essential facts?”

“More or less,” Sinclair said carefully. Rathenn had left out the part about the alien Zathras and the mysterious figure in a blue spacesuit who seemed to be responsible for Babylon 4 going through the rift. “But I’m interested in your use of the phrase ‘seemed to close down.’ Are you saying that rift is still open?”

“Is Anla’shok Sakai also aware of the presence of the Great Machine at the heart of Epsilon 3?” Rathenn asked, rather than answering Sinclair’s question.

Now Sinclair was really puzzled. Babylon 5 had been built and placed in orbit around the planet Epsilon 3 under the assumption that it was uninhabited. But about a month before the appearance of the time rift, Sinclair had discovered that Epsilon 3 housed an immense and incredibly powerful alien apparatus controlled by a mysterious alien that lived as part of the machine. When that alien died, his place had been taken by a Minbari named Draal, an old friend of Delenn’s. For the first time, Sinclair considered the possibility that there was more than coincidence at work here.

“She’s aware of all of it,” Sinclair said, glancing briefly at Sakai who was listening with great interest. “Are you saying there’s a connection between the rift and the Great Machine?”

“The rift is a natural phenomenon the Vorlons believe to be unique,” Rathenn said. “Only the power of the Great Machine can control it. After Babylon 4 went through the second time, Draal closed the rift so that no other ships could accidentally pass through. But he did not close it off entirely.”

Sinclair didn’t like the way this was beginning to sound. He looked at Ulkesh, looming silently as usual. “What do the Vorlons have to do with this?”

“They are aware of all these events,” Rathenn said, “and have been cooperating with Draal and a very few selected Minbari to maintain the rift and keep it from being misused.”

“Why?” Sinclair asked, still looking at Ulkesh. “What interest do the Vorlons have in the rift? Are you responsible for what happened to Babylon 4?”

Rathenn sounded uncomfortable. “I do not know the exact chronology of all these events.”

Sinclair ignored this nonanswer and continued to train his attention on Ulkesh. When the Vorlon didn’t answer, he tried again. “What’s your interest in the rift, Ambassador?”

“It has value,” Ulkesh replied.

“What kind of value?”

“Unique value.”

“What do you know about what happened to Babylon4?”

Again, Ulkesh did not answer.

“Entil’Zha,” Rathenn said, almost pleading, “there are more immediate and urgent concerns to discuss.”

“Like what?” Sinclair asked, his attention still on Ulkesh.

“The Shadows know about the rift, and are attempting to seize control of it for their own use.”

That brought Sinclair’s attention back to Rathenn. “Have the Shadows attacked Epsilon 3?”

“No, the Vorlons assure us the Shadows would never attack the Great Machine.”

“Why not?”

Rathenn was appearing ever more discomfited by Sinclair’s barrage of questions. “I do not know, Entil’Zha. I simply accept their word that it’s so.”

Sinclair hesitated, doubting he’d get an answer to that question. He decided to press on. “Then how can the Shadows seize control of the rift from Draal?”

Rathenn was relieved to be on surer ground. “They have sent some of their allies to Sector 14 with a device to widen the rift far enough for ships to go through. Draal did not discover this until they were already beginning the process. He immediately countered their efforts, but he is expending enormous energy and using nearly all of his concentration just to offset the power of the Shadow device and keep the rift closed down enough to prevent entry. If he falters for a second, all will be lost: If the Shadows gain control of the rift, they will control history, and utter destruction will be the result. The Shadow apparatus must be destroyed.”

Sinclair found himself once again caught in a very familiar dilemma. If what Rathenn said was true, it obviously would not be a good idea to hand over the rift to the Shadows. But Sinclair wasn’t so sure he liked the idea of the Vorlons in control of that rift either. What plans did they have for it?

Well, Sinclair thought, first deal with the devil you know, and attend to the devil you don’t know later.

“Are they aware of this on Babylon 5? Have they already tried to do something?”

“No,” Rathenn said. “The station’s long-range scanners cannot detect the Shadow allies’ presence. Their ships can amplify the time-space distortion in a way that renders the immediate area around them effectively invisible to all long-range scans. Only a nearby ship could detect them. Since the area is off-limits, that has not occurred.”

“And you haven’t warned anyone on the station about this?” Sinclair asked, already guessing the answer.

“No,” Rathenn said. “It is best if the Shadows believe the station has no current involvement with the rift.”

“What about our Vorlon friends here?” Sinclair asked, but not wanting to let the Vorlons off the hook too easily. “Why haven’t they gone in there and destroyed that apparatus? I’m sure they have the capability to do so.”

“The Shadows must not know of the Vorlons’ involvement with the rift. The only way is to send in a small team of Rangers, who themselves must never discuss this mission or even acknowledge the existence of the rift.”

“But if we do that, then the Shadows will know about the Rangers. I thought you wanted to avoid that as well.”

“It can be done in such a way that the Shadows will believe the attack came from Epsilon 3. The Shadows do not know for sure what forces Draal has at his command.”

“It sounds good in theory,” Sinclair said, “but the reality is we simply don’t have any ships that can match up to Shadow vessels.”

“There are no true Shadow vessels at the rift,” said Rathenn. “The Shadows themselves do not want to risk the unpredictable effects of the rift until everything is secure and ready. They have sent their allies instead, in small fighters. They are far less powerful than the larger Shadow vessels, and we believe there are only four of them guarding and maintaining the apparatus.”

“Four or four hundred, it doesn’t matter. You know we don’t have access to any fighters or warships suitable for a mission like this.”

“That is no longer true.”

“The Whitestar ships!” Sinclair said suddenly as Rathenn nodded. “They’re finally ready?”

“Three small experimental prototypes are. These are single-pilot ships built to test the technology that is being used in the larger warships.”

Sinclair’s hopes plummeted as quickly as they had risen. “Then how does that help us?”

“They may only be small prototypes,” Rathenn said, “but I am assured they are powerful fighter ships in their own right. Similar to your Starfuries but much more powerful and maneuverable.”

“But only three of them? Against at least four Shadow ships of basically unknown capability?”

“The Vorlons assure us these prototypes are a match for their Shadow fighters. By attacking swiftly and with surprise, the mission should be easily accomplished with the right pilots.”

Sinclair exchanged looks with Catherine. Was that why Rathenn insisted she stay for this meeting? His worst fears were confirmed when Rathenn produced a list and handed it to him. “We have determined from the training records that these are the best Ranger pilots available at this time for this mission.”

He saw her name at the top of the list, even as Rathenn said: “We believe Anla’shok Sakai is the best qualified of all those on the list. She has the most hours logged as a pilot, was rated the best by her teachers, has the highest scores on the computer simulators, and has real combat experience.”

Sinclair hesitated while Sakai looked at him expectantly. Had she not been in the room, he might have simply vetoed the idea. Or he might have gone to her later and tried to find some way of presenting it to her while talking her out of it at the same time.

No. Most likely he would have said anyway what he was about to say now, both out of respect for her, and out of his duty as the leader of the Rangers. But he would rather have cut his tongue out than say it.

“Catherine.” He kept his voice and expression neutral. “Do you want to volunteer for this mission? You’re under no requirement to do so.”

“You bet I do,” she said.

Sinclair kept his emotions tightly under control and looked back down at the list. Marcus Cole was one of the names, far and away the best pilot among the other names, but ...

“Nobody else here has combat experience. We have several Rangers currently away on missions with more experience.”

“We cannot take the time to contact them and await their return. We must move immediately.”

“How immediately?”

“The pilots must leave for the rift in two days.”

Sinclair was incredulous. “That’s impossible. You can’t expect pilots to go into combat in unfamiliar ships.”

“They will not be unfamiliar. All Ranger pilots have been training in these fighters through the computer simulators.”

“That’s not the same thing.”

“The simulators were programmed to exactly duplicate the prototype fighters in every way. The pilots will have one day to familiarize themselves with the actual ships. The Vorlons and our own engineers assure us that’s all they will need.”

“Absolutely not. They must have more time–“

“I’m afraid there is no more time, Entil’Zha. The Vorlons tell us Draal cannot counter the Shadow device much longer. And we fear the Shadows may be preparing to send reinforcements, perhaps even a second apparatus to widen the rift. The device and its guards must be destroyed now. Once that is done, Draal will be able to reassert his control over the rift in such a way as to make sure this does not happen again. But we must move immediately. Any delay could mean the destruction of history itself.”

Sinclair didn’t like this at all. He didn’t like the feeling he wasn’t being told everything. Didn’t like being pushed into hasty action. Didn’t like sending his Rangers, including Sakai, into combat without adequate preparation. Didn’t like having to do any of this simply because the Vorlons were unwilling to take any action themselves.

But he had taken this job on the assumption he could at least trust the Minbari to try and do what was right. He wished Jenimer were here. All he could do was trust Rathenn – and Draal. He examined the list of pilots again.

“I’ll ask Marcus Cole,” Sinclair said finally, confident Marcus would jump at the chance. He handed the list back to Rathenn. “And I’ll be the third pilot.”

Sakai wasn’t at all surprised. Rathenn, on the other hand, was thunderstruck.

“No.” That was Ulkesh, as emphatic as Sinclair had ever heard him. “The path is clear. Do not deviate.”

Sinclair took grim pleasure in how much he had upset the Vorlon.

“You said you want the three best pilots to go. I’ve trained extensively on the simulators myself. I’ve had the most combat experience of anyone on that list. And I’m the only person who’s had experience with the time rift.”

“The Entil’Zha must not risk his life,” Rathenn said, finding his voice. “As leader, your life is too important. You must–“

“Hide behind the lines? Send men and women possibly to die, but take no risks myself? That’s the philosophy of bureaucrats, Rathenn, not leaders. A leader has to take necessary risks. Simply put, I’m the best man for the job. Besides, there’s an old saying on Earth: ‘Nothing motivates a man more than to see his boss putting in an honest day’s work.’“

Ulkesh moved toward Sinclair. Was the Vorlon hoping to intimidate him? Sinclair stood his ground.

“An electron follows its proper course,” Ulkesh said. “So does a galaxy. You must follow yours.”

“That’s exactly what I am doing.”

“Choose another pilot.”

“No,” Sinclair said. “But I’ll give you a choice. Either I lead this mission, or you send Vorlon ships to do it.”

C
HAPTER 28

“WHAT do you think?” Sinclair asked over the com from the cockpit of Fighter 1.

“It’s even better than the simulator!” Marcus said from Fighter 3, rolling his craft into a tight spin.

“Agreed,” said Sakai from Fighter 2. “Handles better than anything I’ve ever seen.”

The three new fighters were skimming low over the airless landscape of Minbar’s smaller, uninhabited moon, the pilots already having tried every maneuver with the ships they could think of. They had been given only a few hours to get comfortable with these Minbari-Vorlon hybrid spaceships, and though Sinclair would have preferred at least a couple of days of practice for them all, he had to admit he already felt totally at ease in this fighter.