Babylon 5 Angel's wings cast the longest Shadows

Although Sheridan himself has long excepted his fait his wife Delenn cannot imagine a life, nor an Alliance, without him. It is 2280 and with time running out there is one last desperate attempt to prolong her beloved's life...

"Mother, you're..." David didn't have the heart to tell his mother, normally a woman of great beauty and elegance, that she looked run down. "... you're looking well."

Whether Delenn appreciated his slight untruth or not David would never know as she went straight to business, "David what have you found?"

David took in a slight breath, if he'd been speaking to anyone but his mother it would be been a fully fledged sigh. "Same as the last three planets from the Excalibur's records... we've found nothing." When Delenn said nothing David continued; "Rigel 9, Beta Anteras, Sigma Prime and now Noram 4 were all a complete waste of time. All their medical technologies and breakthroughs were all designed to combat Drakh technology, nothing more..."

Delenn looked down and away, as if breaking eye contact would mean David's findings would somehow change. When she finally met his eyes once again she realized it hadn't worked. "Where is next on the list?"

David did sigh this time. "Mother I've been running around the galaxy looking for a cure for Dad for 3 months. He's starting to get suspicious. He IS head of the Anla'Shok now, and he's starting to wonder where the Bluestar is..."

Delenn knew it was true. Her attempt to keep the truth from her husband John was wearing on her too. John Sheridan, founder and first President of the Interstellar Alliance had died on Z'ha'Dum almost 20 years ago. Lorien, a being apparently of immeasurable power had given him back his life, but only for a short time. At first neither John nor Delenn had thought about that ticking clock, there was always so much going on... the Telepath War, the Drakh War, the Plague... But now time was running out, and although John didn't seem to be concerned Delenn most definitely was.

"David," Delenn said with urgency in his voice, and what looked almost like tears in her eyes. "please, where is next?"

David hated seeing his mother like this. Although he knew about his father's predicament it had all happened before he was born, and if he was honest with himself, he didn't quite believe it. He'd already been through so much in his short life, his time on Centauri Prime chief amongst them, that aimlessly hyperspacing around the galaxy seemed a waste of time.

"Cestus 3," he said looking down for a second and scrolling through his computer terminal. "It's a small agricultural world on the rim. First contact was made with the natives by an Earth Alliance Explorer in 2250. Since then the only other record is the Excalibur's visit in 2269..."

" – Where they found the inhabitants hadn't aged a day since first contact," Delenn interrupted, she already knew the entire list of planets David was to visit. Infact she had the names memorized, they were John's only hope...

"Yeah," David nodded. "And apparently they still haven't aged, or got sick, or died. But if the Excalibur didn't find anything to cure the Drakh Plague there why would anything there be able to help Dad?"

Delenn opened her mouth, as if she felt David needed reminding of the importance of his mission. She thought wiser of it though and closer her mouth again. The two shared a quiet moment, before a bleep came from David's end. "I've got to go Mom."

"Report back to me," Delenn said.

"Yes Mom," David said eager to answer whatever it was that was bleeping at him.

"And david..."

"What?"

"Go safely."

David rolled his eyes, he was a fully grown man now, but as his father had told him "_mother's never stop worrying about their sons"_.

The transmission ended and only then did Delenn feel the cold Minbari breeze coming through the open window. She rose to close it, but stopped a moment to stare out across Tuzanor, the purpose built Capital of the Alliance. Normally when one would look out from a high window across the city they would be staring in wonder and glee, pointing joyfully at the monument for _that_ and a statue for _this_, but all Delenn saw was a representation of her life without John; cold.

With his usual update with his mother finished David was finally able to answer the bleep that had cut their transmission short. Hitting the control crystal in front of him the viewscreen changed from starscape to his father's face.

"Hi Dad," David said, pushing his long hair behind his ears.

John smiled, it was a smile of pride; that his son was so grown up, so able in his duties as a Rangers, and it was also a smile of worry; about having his son out on the rim without him.

"I take it you found nothing on Noram 4?"

"Nah, if the Excalibur had come here first the plague would have been cured pretty quick. But beyond that nothing." David spoke as if the plague was of little consequence, it was a failing of youth, to not fully appreciate anything you have not had first hand experience of. The quarantine of Earth was over a decade ago and having grown up on Minbar David could not remember or have empathy with the event or those who suffered through it.

"Have you... spoken to your Mother?" John asked.

"Yeah."

"She is still unaware of the mission I've sent you on?"

David paused for a moment. Time and time again each parent had asked him whether the other was aware of what he was doing out on the rim. And time and time again David had lied, but each time he considered telling them the truth; that they were both searching for the same thing. Delenn was searching for a cure for John's predicament because she couldn't imagine living a life without her beloved, and John was looking for the preverbal _get out of jail free card_ because he _could_ imagine Delenn living without him and didn't want her to suffer the crushing loneliness and sense of loss. Afterall John had experienced losing a partner...

"She's hasn't a clue Dad. She thinks I'm out her on a cartography mission, just like we talked about."

It was a unique situation David and his small crew of 3 were in. Taking orders from the Head of the Anla'Shok was normal for any Ranger, but to be given orders directly from the President was a break from the norm, and to have those orders conflict with their existing orders was definitely a struggle.

"Good..." John said, looking down as if a little ashamed on his deceit of his beloved wife, "... good." He said it a second time partly to convince himself, partly because he had little else to say. He craved to tell Delenn about David's mission, and he yearned to simply have the solution found so his son would come back to him.

"We've set a course for Cestus 3," David said breaking the silence. "It's a small mainly agricultural world."

"With immortal natives?" John too had memorized the list.

"Yeah," David confirmed pushing his hair back behind his ears again, "it's only a couple of days jump from here."

David and his father made small talk for another couple of minutes. John was busy setting up a new Ranger training facility on a Brakiri colony world so they talked of that, and the second half of the conversation they drifted onto the sports results from Earth.

With the link broken and the conjoint, but separate, interests of both his parents at the back of his mind once again David watched from his chair at the heart of the Bluestar's bridge as an audible crack, almost like thunder, preceded a jump point opening.

The Bluestars were a brand new class of ISA vessel, designed using reverse engineered Vorlon technology and built essentially as a smaller Whitestar these vessels were small, quick, heavily armed, could create their own jump point, and could be manned by anywhere between one and three crewmembers.

The Bluestar disappeared into the welcoming orange haze in a flash, leaving behind it only the blackness of space.


End file.

Babylon 5, Hurt-Comfort, Sci-Fi