**"..and the days of the Rings were passed, and an end was come to the story and song of those times.."**
- Tolkien, 'The Return of the King'
* * *
Chronicles Log, Remembrances; August, 2262.
I never believed I would see the day when she started to do it, but now that her term has advanced close to its end, it is one of the few things that gives her peace, and for that reason, I would support her, above all other things. For her love, and for them, I have come here, come to what will, in all likelihoods, be my final calling. So much change I have seen and lived through, but in the end, to have come back to this place, back to the side of the one who holds my heart in her hand, forevermore...I will not argue.
Tonight, we decided to do something special, something...remarkable. We talked of the beginning, and we talked of the End, because, after all, she wasn't there to see the first movement; only I was. And in the end, it was finally up to me to tell her of that beginning, something I had never done before. It was harder then I thought it would be, to go back to that moment, that turning point where my life moved aside, and all who were with me perished, while I carried on. I hope that, in the end, they would have approved; that Captain Frye would have looked down on what I have accomplished, and nodded, and spoke to me of pride. Because, all things considered, along with all the others I stood for and with, I will never forget the men and women I served with on the ATLANTA; cannot allow myself to forget, and sully their memory.
And with the beginning told, then, I moved on to something that was, in my opinion, far harder; the telling of the *end* of a great thing. And this was a great thing I had done, in all their memories; especially Vikotal's; we could never have done what we did if he hadn't been there to help me when it mattered the most; the White Star Fleet would not have been what it was if there had not been both Human and Minbari Sha'vei to guide them in their path.
And that, at the core of it, was the problem that continued to gnaw at me as 2262 began. With only a human leading the Fleet, the situation had become unbalanced; for while both sides of our Soul flew in the White Stars, only a human lead them now; it could not continue, a solution *had* to be found. And then, as she has done before, and probably will do again, the Entil'zha...no, I suppose I will have to start learning to call her by name, now...even after Delenn asked me to move on in the Spring, even after I asked Tashann to become Sha'vei after my passing, the problem remained; for if Tashann lead, who would speak for the humans among the White Star commands?
Initially, I thought I had a solution to that problem in Brianna, but as Jennifer and I later found out, that solution was to slip through our fingers, forever lost, intangible as a ghost. But I can see her shaking her finger at me as I write, and so, for now, I will set that matter aside. The problem remains, and has yet to be solved to my satisfaction; perhaps, there is a chance it will never be solved. Perhaps what Vikotal and I were will never come again; we will simply have to wait and see, on that score.
But for now, I will draw back, and fulfill her wishes; and look back on what was, in my opinion, the hardest thing I've ever had to do.
* * *
Centauri Prime; orbit, after the attack by the Narn and Drazi fleets.
White Star 4.
His expression bleak, William gazed down on the great crescent of Centauri Prime, and what he saw below him caused spikes of cold to pass through him. Even now, hours after the bombardment of the surface by the Drazi and Narn fleets had ceased, smoke still filled the air over the major cities, most prominently the capital. What had brought them to this point, that such a thing could have been allowed to happen? He didn't know; he *simply* didn't understand how it had come to pass...how out of the peace they had found at the end of the previous year, a dark fall such as this could have been allowed to happen.
Briefly, he met the gazes of the two women on his bridge, and saw the hurt he felt, reflected in their eyes. There were few who meant more to him and Jennifer then these two, after all. Brianna sat at her station beside the captain's chair...his chair, her face a bleak mask, while behind his chair, Julia stood her ground in silence, her shock and misery still quite apparent, even after all the hours since their arrival. The hour in which they had sprang into the skies above the Centauri homeworld, to witness the horrible rain of fire and death spawned by the attacking Drazi and Narn. They both understood, but neither of them wanted to say what they were all thinking.
What had happened; it simply *didn't* make any sense. From the beginning, when one of their own, Delenn's former aide, Lennier, now in the final stages of training to be Anla'shok himself, had revealed that Centauri ships had been the ones responsible for the great destruction and loss of life among the fleets of the various Alliance members. Following on that, the Centauri themselves had protested that the attacking fleet could not *possibly* have been controlled by them...but the Alliance worlds, particularly the Drazi, had not wanted to listen. They had lost too much due to the attacks by the dark, horned ships of the Centauri, too many lives, too much hope. They had lashed out, and the Narn, of course, had only been *too* willing to aid them.
William's lips tightened. In due course, he would have to give his friend, Councillor G'kael, a call to inquire on the matter. While it had been *true* that the Narn had done a fine job of rebuilding a portion of the navy they had once had, the portion used here had been for a dark purpose, indeed. G'kael would never have condoned such an action; he and the President were reportedly on fairly good terms. But while Warleader Na'tok had obviously hidden his plans from the Councillor, there were other deceptions and veiled truths in this matter that would be far harder to uncover, if at all.
For from the beginning, this had felt like a setup of some kind...but *what* force had done this, if not the Centauri? Their new Emperor, the now cold-voiced Londo Mollari, had insisted that the previous Regent had been the one responsible for the attacks; that he had ordered the deep-space attacks without the knowledge of the rest of the Centaurum. But if that were true, which part of their military had acted on the orders of a madman? Even the Centauri military must have a conscience of some kind, after all! And *how* had the Regent been able to convince the Homeworld defense force to leave Centauri Prime, and, at the same time, turn off the planetary defense grid? That had been a miscalculation of the worst possible kind.
But the end result was now clear to see; lead by their new Emperor, the Centauri were on the verge of vanishing from galactic society, acting on the orders of Londo Mollari. They would rebuild, but they would do so alone; until their Emperor told them otherwise, the Centauri had almost become a race of pariahs, en masse. In the years to come, they would, no doubt, become bitter and resentful, this much was already understood. But what twist of fate had brought them to this end? And how, in Valen's Name, could Emperor Mollari have changed as much as he had?
And yet, William could not argue with the facts. History had been made, the actions were completed. There was, now, no going back to what was.
And then, a chime interrupted his thoughts, and he turned towards Julia, who had come out of her reverie to answer the signal. "Sir; message coming in from White Star Five, sir; it's President Sheridan."
He nodded; of course; he had been waiting for the order to leave Centauri Prime behind for some time, now. "On screen."
A moment later..."William."
"Mr. President."
A rueful smile. "It seems that once again I have you to thank for backing me up on this matter. If things had come to blows, I can't think of anyone better I'd want to stand by my side, as commander of the White Stars beneath me, which, of course, has been your task, for some time now. But we've managed to avoid that for now, William; the guns have fallen silent, and while I didn't want what happened to happen, the way it did, for now, our job is done here...we can do nothing more."
"So; where am I to take the Fleet now, sir?"
At that, President Sheridan managed to look both uncomfortable and regretful at the same time, and William felt his heart begin to go cold. "I'm afraid it's not quite so simple as that, William. Delenn and I have been talking about your situation, and the future of the White Star Fleet, for some time now, and while I'm sure you didn't want this day to come..."
He bowed his head; and tried not to meet the astonished gazes of everyone else on his bridge. Some had not known this was coming, like Julia; some others, however, Brianna prime among them, had known for some time now. He swallowed deeply, and then met the President's eyes again. "So; this was my final mission, then; I understand completely, Mr. President. Since the spring, I’ve known that this day would come, eventually. I tried to put it out of my mind, even as my wife moved on to Tuzanor, to ready herself for the birth of our children; but now, as you probably know, the end of her term is drawing near. It is my duty to stand by by her side, and watch over them all, as a husband and father should..."
"Your task as head of your family, yes..." another voice spoke, a familiar voice, as his Entil'zha, Delenn, stepped into view. "But your duty?...not quite. A short time ago, I told you that eventually I would speak to you of your next task among the Rangers, William; that time has now arrived. It is a critical task, as critical as the one you have performed honourably for us, all through the Shadow War, and beyond. For at Tuzanor, the place we, ourselves, will be drawn to, all too soon, there is a group of Anla'shok above all others; a group enlarged and strenghtened by Jeffrey Sinclair out of sheer necessity, once he knew of his fate."
Of course. "The High Council."
A regretful smile. "Indeed. For some time now, one of the members of that Council, Verethas, has been in ill health, but able to continue his duties; that has now changed. Within the last human day, Verethas has fallen into a deep coma, and now lies near death. He has served us well in his time, but he must be replaced; I choose *you* as his replacement."
For a moment, he didn't know what to say, but eventually, the words *did* come. "I...I thank you for this trust, Delenn; you have...no idea how much this means to me."
The smile now became enigmatic. "Perhaps so; and yet, this will, after all, allow you to serve both your family and the Anla'shok at the same time, will it not? A duty combining the best, as you would say, of both possible worlds."
He allowed himself to smile, then; she had given him the opportunity he needed to retire gracefully from the field; he would never be able to repay her for this, he suspected, but the reasoning was sound. As well, Tashann and other Rangers waited in the wings, to replace him, to carry on the duty he and Vikotal had begun, so long ago, it seemed now. "As you say...Entil'zha."
And then, the President re-entered the fray. "Not so bad, William!...not so bad at all. And while I have to return to Babylon 5 for a while, eventually, even I will be coming to Minbar, and once I do, there'll be plenty of opportunities for us to talk. Our duties always seemed to prevent that in the past; but after I come to Minbar, maybe even *that* will change."
He smiled. "I guess anything's possible...Mr. President."
"*More* then anything.quot; Delenn finalized, her gaze knowing. "Now, you must go; a final flight awaits you, and a test of courage. For sometimes, leaving what one has helped to build behind is the hardest thing of all."
And then, the signal faded, and he straightened, and met Brianna's gaze. "The President and the Entil'zha go with Tashann, this time; he will keep them safe, until they return to Babylon 5, and the Fleet...the Fleet will follow him, from now on, as they must."
"*William*." Brianna replied, her voice full of emotion, "Are you sure you want to do this? Very sure?"
A pause...and then he nodded, the hardest decision he had ever had to make behind him; and yet, the easiest at the same time, as he slowly sat down in his chair, and watched the rest of the Fleet ships begin to peel away, following Tashann and his important guests towards their own jump translation. "*Yes*. There comes a time when we must all move on to other, greater tasks, and I helped to make the White Star Fleet what it is, Brianna; but now...now, it's time to say goodbye.
From time to time, we may fly with them again, as we are carried on wings of fire between the stars, between meetings and engagements...perhaps, if we are lucky, even to Babylon 5, from time to time. But the time has come for me to look to the future...to the lives of the children I will be protecting. G'kael once spoke to me of 'moments of transition'; this is just such a one.
How can I say no, to such a chance as this? To see my children grow up, under a sun safe from shadows? I helped to give them that; *now*, let us fly, one last time...one last mission, even though it is a difficult one. Let us fly, and see this through to the end, before I change my mind!"
Nodding thoughtfully, but with a faint smile for his last comment, Brianna turned to Julia, and the younger woman bent to her tasks with what was obvious regret. And William sat back in his chair, once again deep in thought, as his command wheeled in space, and vanished from the skies above Centauri Prime. So much he had been through, to reach this point, in this place, at this time. So many actions, so many victories, so much sadness.
Perhaps, now, there would be time to reflect on it all; and with Jennifer's help, to begin telling the story of what they had *all* been through.
That was, after all, his wife's legacy, was it not?
* * *
Narn. The Parliament Buildings.
With pointed silence and near antagonism, Na'tok strode through the corridors of the parliament buildings, his expression steady and determined. Immediately after the attack he had conducted at Centauri Prime, the more senior Warleaders had recalled his command to Narn. This was not a surprise, of course; he had been expecting this fate, after all. He had defied President Sheridan; and that defiance would have to be answered for.
He had no doubt he would be removed from his command; perhaps, a military tribunal would be convened to punish him. It didn't matter; in the end, he had done what he had felt was *right*. And nothing any government official could say to him would make him change his mind, or his opinions on that score.
At least, that was what he thought until he turned a corner, and arrived at his final destination. A door opened, and then another, and Na'tok was ushered deep into the heart of the repaired Parliament, into an area he had never yet seen. The heart of the power base on Narn...the inner sanctums of the Kha'rhi.
And there, a figure stood; powerful, sharp of gaze, and for the first time, Na'tok realized what his fate might be...and for the first time, he, Na'tok, began to have certain doubts as to what the outcome might be, as well.
"Ah, Na'tok." Councillor G'kael drawled, casting a caustic gaze across the now slightly nervous warleader. "So *good* of you to come."
* * *
Tuzanor, Minbar; several days later.
"Thank you for coming with me, Durhan." Jennifer said, as she looked up into the brilliant blue skies over Tuzanor. Standing and waiting for William to come back to her was becoming difficult as of late; the twins were big enough now that even *walking* was becoming uncomfortable. But in the end, it would all be worth it, she told herself.
"It is a honour to accompany one such as yourself!" Durhan replied, his gaze full of humour. "You need not have asked. After all, once we learned that you intended to become one of the first human Sech to ever instruct in this place, the rest of us decided we would do anything for you. What we have made in you, Jennifer Westcastle, will now be reflected in the generations of Anla'shok yet to come. It is a honourable calling; and at the same time, as you well *know*, this event is a momentous one...and difficult, for both of you. When you asked, nothing I know of could have preventd me from coming!"
She smiled, and bowed. "Thank you, Durhan..." And then, she noticed the tiny form growing nearer, and straightened *far* too rapidly for her own good. Durhan reached out a hand to steady her, and then shaded his gaze as well, to observe the new arrival. "So; it is happening at last. There were times, in the last few cycles, that I didn't believe he would ever do it; but now, here he is, just the same. What can it mean?"
"I think I know *exactly* what it means..." she replied, as above and across from them, the shrill, familiar sound of a White Star main drive echoed through the air as the White Star Four passed directly over them, swung neatly around, almost as if on a pin (and she *knew*, only too well, at whose hand it swung) and almost gently sank down onto the landing pad.
With as much dignity as she could manage, she approached the grounded starship, Durhan at her side, and then, her heart jumped as a small, barely visible hatch appeared on the underside of the ship, and three all too familiar figures emerged, and made their way towards her. She couldn't run, of course, but he could...and did. And soon enough, they were in each other's arms, at last. Too long, this last seperation had been; but all being well, this would be the last time, for a while, at least. And only rightly so; for with all the times that William had promised to stay by her side, and she by his, life and duty had intervened all too often.
And then, his lips met hers, and for a time, she forgot all other matters.
Eventually, though, William straightened, and turned towards the figures of the two women who had accompanied him across the landing pad, the first, One who had been with them nearly from the beginning...the other, One whose adventures were really, all things considered, only just beginning. "Now, Brianna, I give her over into your capable hands. I know you will fly with her honorably, as I did, use her well, as we both did..."
Jennifer frowned. Was that a touch of dark regret and pain in Brianna's eyes? And if so, what did it mean? "I will...Sha'vei. Or rather, I guess I should say, Sha'vei no'Raden, now."
She watched William straighten, and mentally translated the Minbari title into English. High Councillor. Of course.
And Julia, until we see you next, serve Brianna as you would, me. With honour, and integrity, and utilizing all the skills you've learned. The post is only temporary, of course; but until you return to enter your Ceremony at year's end, serve her well; serve *both* of them well."
"I will, sir." Jennifer noted, quite understandably, that Julia's eyes were near to brimming with tears. In fact, she was having a hard time controlling her own; "To the last."
"Then *go*." And go, they did, last survivors of what had been built; walking proud, if sadly; determined, if regretful. Back into the starship that had been William's for so long, and now lay in his past. Ahead of them lay the future, a future she almost see, even as the White Star Four lifted away from the landing pad, and retreated out of sight beyond the crystal towers around them.
And then, William and her turned towards one another, and for a long time, they said nothing, and only stood, taking comfort in each other, and trying to put behind them what was now gone, forever.
She had not had an easy time of it, but for him, it would be far harder, this she knew with certainty. But then, a tiny kick against her skin reminded her of the reasons they had come to this place, and put that part of their lives behind them. Their time among the White Stars was done, now, and soon enough, they would see the world reflected in two tiny pairs of eyes.
That, above all else, told her that they had done the right thing, in the end.
* * *
To be continued...
* * *
Next time: As William and Jennifer's children arrive into a world still filled with more surprises then their parents can possibly realize, Julia begins to realize that something strange is going on with her commander. "The Price of Passage"...the sixth part of "Walkers", coming *very* soon.