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Babylon 5 Chronology
THE EARTH-MINBARI WAR
2245-2248
July. Delenn is sworn in as one of the three members of the Religious Caste on the Grey Council. As she takes her oath she touches the Triluminary, making it glow briefly. After her inauguration, Dukhat visits Delenn and reveals that his choosing her for the Council was because of her heritage. An alarm sounds and both go to the Council chamber. There they observe the EarthForce fleet led by the E.A.S. Prometheus approaching their territory. Delenn recognises them as Earth ships from her investigation of humans. Morann has given the order to approach the fleet with their gunports open as a sign of respect, as Delenn spots four Soul Hunter ships and brings them to the attention of the rest of the Council. With their jump engines down because of the Minbari's powerful sensor scans, Captain Jankowski misinterprets the Minbari's actions and orders his Gunnery Sargeant David Mackintyre to open fire on the lead cruiser, damaging it and and mortally wounding Dukhat. After a brief engagement, the EarthForce fleet withdraws. Soul Hunters board the vessel to collect Dukhat's soul, but are prevented from taking it by Delenn and the rest of the Council. In his last moments of life, Dukhat reveals that Delenn is a child of Valen then dies. In her grief and anger she votes to pursue the Earth vessels back to their base and destroy them, telling Morann no mercy be shown for their unprovoked attack. Later, she regains her composure and learns that news of Dukhat's death has reached Minbar and the population have gone mad with grief and rage, declaring a holy war to avenge his death. Delenn realises in her own grief and anger, her vote has committed Minbar to war.
Atonement and In The Beginning details Delenn's rise to the Grey Council and events before and after the attack on the cruiser. Soul Hunter establishes the Council stopped the Hunters from collecting Dukhat's soul. A Late Delivery From Avalon establishes it is the 15th anniversary of the attack that started the war, and the name of the vessel that fired the fatal barrage. In The Beginning reveals the events on the Prometheus.
The Soul Hunter's failure to capture Dukhat's soul becomes the first of many. Other failures unbalance him and one day he tells his Brothers he has found a solution to the problem of arriving too late and disappears. The Brotherhood learn he has taken to killing his subjects to capture their souls, rather than wait for their natural death. His action brings shame on the Order.
Soul Hunter.
Gunnery Sargeant David Mackintyre is absolved of all responsibility for firing on the Minbari cruiser by a Review Board, as he was acting on Captain Jankowski's orders. Mackintyre is returned to duty as EarthForce need as many able bodies for the war as possible, unaware he is suffering from depression.
A Late Delivery From Avalon reveals Mackintyre's role in the attack and his exhonoration of all responsibility for it.
The planetary draft is instituted.
The Coming Of Shadows.
Marcus Cole is drafted into EarthForce, later working in EarthForce Intelligence where his language skills are put to good us, learning the Minbari language.
To Dream In The City Of Sorrows.
After the Centauri Republic refuse to supply advanced weaponry to the Earth Alliance, the Narn Regime begin selling them weapons, providing advisors to demonstrate their use and prevent them from being sold on. The weapons are duplicated from abandoned arms left by the Centauri after the occupation ended, so if any were captured the Minbari would think the Centauri supplied them, and they not the Narn, would be at their mercy.
Midnight On The Firing Line and In The Beginning.
Dr Stephen Franklin ends his hitchhiking voyage and enlists in EarthForce.
And The Sky Full Of Stars.
The Wind Swords present the Grey Council with advanced weapons for the war against the humans. The Council accept them, discovering they were developed by Jha'dur, who the Wind Swords have been hiding since the end of the Dilgar Invasion in 2232.
Death Walker.
Lyta Alexander gains her commercial telepath licence, number N617CC860.
Data from J.Michael Straczynski and The Gathering, from Lyta’s identicard.
Reverend William Dexter becomes an EarthForce chaplain.
And The Rock Cried Out, No Hiding Place.
An intelligence gathering unit station themselves in some old ruins on a barren moon in Sector 18 by 70 by 59, to monitor a Minbari command and control post. Soon after the camp is established a Soldier Of Darkness attacks and kills all but one of the unit, Amis, whom the Soldier keeps alive to feed on. The deep space explorer vessel Copernicus passes by the moon and the Soldier Of Darkness boards it. The Soldier alters it's course taking it to the Rim, unaware that it is programmed to make contact with any signal of intelligent origin it receives. The Soldier kills Will Cirrus in his sleeper tube by removing his internal organs, with no sign of opening the body and uses Mariah Cirrus to keep itself alive. When the rescue unit arrives at the moon, Amis weighs eighty five pounds. He explains exactly how his forty six comrades died, but his superiors don't believe him and record the deaths as the result of a Minbari attack. They decide Amis is either mad or a liar.
The Long Dark. Amis' recollection suggests these events were in the early days of the war.
2246.
Sofie Ivanova, her mind and spirit slowly eroded by the weekly injection of sleepers commits suicide. Susan blames her father Andrei for her death.
Midnight On The Firing Line. Sofie killed herself after 10 years of taking the sleepers. TKO reveals how Susan felt after her mother's death.
During the war, Michael Garibaldi serves as a Ground Pounder although it is some time before he sees any action. One soldier in the unit repeatedly warns them they have a weak perimeter. Everyone would check it and judging it to be sound, just call the soldier mad. Then one night a Minbari ground assault cuts through the perimeter as though it were paper, and the first soldier to die is the one who warned of the weak perimeter.
The Long Dark. Garibaldi recounts this event to Amis, although the actual date is conjecture.
A detachment of EarthForce Marines, among them Private "Large" Turnbow and his friend Buffer, encounter a Minbari ground assault team. Buffer takes out the Minbari point man and a firefight ensues.
Conjecture, from GROPOS. From the story Large tells Yang.
Lieutenant Commander John Sheridan's Starfury is disabled, losing power and communication links with the E.A.S Lexington. All he can do is sit and wait for 8 hours, which seems like 8 years. Before he is rescued, Sheridan begins to think he will never see another living being again. He never forgets the feeling of helplessness he experienced.
There All The Honor Lies. Sheridan recounts this experience, although the date is conjecture. Assumes it was the Lexington he lost contact with.
On Centauri Prime in the village of Tuwain, future prophetess Shiri is born. Her mother dies giving birth to her and Shiri is raised by her father.
The Shadow Of His Thoughts. Shiri is 16.
Isabelle first reads of the legendary Well of Forever.
The Passing Of The Techno-mages:Casting Shadows. Isabelle was 9 when she first read of the Well.
2247.
The EarthForce tactic called "The Bonehead Manoeuver", whereby a jump point is opened within a jump gate, is abandoned because ships attempting it are unable to outrun the huge energy discharge and are destroyed.
Matters Of Honor. The tactic was tried briefly during the war, although when is conjecture.
EarthForce soldiers capture a group of Minbari troops and hold them as POW's. One of the soldiers tortures a captive, taking a week to kill him. He ties off the Minbari's extremeties and starting with the fingers, he cuts them off. He then cuts off the arms, and then the toes and legs.
Ceremonies Of Light And Dark. Boggs' war buddy describes how he killed one of his Minbari captives, although the actual date is conjecture.
Galen’s parents are killed when their ship crashes. Elric, visiting them on business, protects himself with a shield and retrieves their bodies. After the funeral, Galen and Elric return to Soom where Galen becomes his ward.
The Passing Of The Techno-mages:Casting Shadows. Galen was 10 when his parents died.
Susan Ivanova visits her brother Ganya before he goes on patrol with the E.A.S. Lexington, commanded by Captain Sterns. She reminds Ganya of the camping trip where they got lost and she lost one of her earrings. They were found but the earring wasn't, and Ganya made her feel better by saying it was a sign of good luck. Susan gives him her earring for good luck. Patrolling the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, a Minbari transport is spotted and Ganya is ordered to pursue. The transport leads him into a trap and his Starfury is destroyed. The patrol comes under fire from the Black Star, killing Captain Sterns and leaving John Sheridan in command. The ship is badly damaged and adrift in the asteroid belt. Using tactical nuclear weapons, Sheridan has the asteroid belt mined and sending out a fake distress call, lures the Black Star and three heavy cruisers into the minefield, destroying all four vessels. Members of the Third Fane of Chudomo are killed in the Black Star's destruction, among them some of Lennier's family. The Minbari view Sheridan's tactic as dishonourable and nickname him "Star Killer". A piece of the Black Star is retrieved and placed in the EarthForce archive. The Black Star's destruction is the Earth Alliance's first major victory and Sheridan is awarded the EarthForce Star Of Valor.
Points Of Departure. The Black Star was destroyed 12 years ago.
In The Beginning shows Ganya Ivanov's death and the destruction of the Black Star. There All The Honor Lies establishes many of the Third Fane were aboard the Black Star when it was destroyed. Ivanova presents Sheridan with a piece of the ship in The Fall Of Night. And Now For A Word reveals he was awarded the Star Of Valor, assumes it was for destroying the Black Star.
Monitoring the war from Soom, Elric sees the news broadcast on Commander Sheridan’s action against the Black Star. He comments to Galen that Sheridan is a noble man fighting an ignoble war.
The Passing Of The Techno-mages:Casting Shadows. Elric heard of Sheridan through the ISN news broadcast.
Lenonn informs Delenn that all of Dukhat's belongings have been brought to the cruiser, his sanctum has also been recreated and only they have access. Going there, Delenn discovers the presence of two Vorlons Ulkesh and Kosh, who plays to her and Lenonn the message Dukhat recorded before his death. Knowing the Narn have been selling weapons to the humans, Lenonn has the Anla'shok contact the Narn Regime to arrange a meeting with the humans on neutral territory to try and end the war.
In The Beginning.
With the war going badly for Earth, those scientists working in Xenobiology are ordered to surrender their notes on Minbari physiology for use in creating genetic and biological weapons. Dr Stephen Franklin instead destroys his, including notes he took after aiding some Minbari during his hitchhiking days, because he believes all life is sacred and is unwilling to have his research used for killing. He is arrested and taken to the stockade pending a court martial.
And The Sky Full Of Stars and In The Beginning. Franklin and the others were asked for their notes towards the end of the war.
Lyta Alexander starts work as a commercial telepath for XenoCorp.
Moments Of Transition.
General Lefcourt calls John Sheridan into a meeting with himself and G'Kar to discuss the secret meeting with the Minbari on an abandoned listening post in Sector 919. Going with Sheridan and the Minbari speaking G'Kar is Dr Stephen Franklin. Released from the stockade and because of his previous contact with the Minbari, he will be there to confirm they are who they say they are. The party leave for Sector 919 in a Narn cruiser.
Londo Mollari is ordered to prevent the Narn from using the war to create closer ties to the Earth Alliance. His spies tell him of a secret meeting in the Epsilon system, and Londo assumes it's for an arms sale. A Centauri cruiser is sent to intercept them.
As Lenonn meets Sheridan G'Kar and Franklin in the abandoned listening post, a Centauri cruiser comes out of hyperspace, destroying the Narn ship and attacking the bunker. Lenonn is critically injured but before he dies, he gives Sheridan the message "I know what's in Dukhat's sacred place, Isil'zha". A cruiser comes for Lenonn and they are captured. G'Kar is to be freed while Franklin and Sheridan are held for interrogation, until he gives Lenonn's message and a hooded Delenn orders them to be released. No one knows who attacked the bunker, and it is assumed that elements in both governments who didn't want the war stopped were responsible.
In The Beginning.
With Lennon’s death, Turval is chosen to lead the Anla’shok and is installed as Anla’shok Na.
Conjecture, from To Dream In The City Of Sorrows. As Turval was serving in this capacity before Sinclair assumes he took the post after Lennonn’s death.
After the failure of the secret initiative to try to end the war and Earth forces being beaten back under the Minbari advance, EarthDome fear a coming invasion. Bolstering defences in the Sol system they assign ground troops to defend Mars, among them the unit Michael Garibaldi serves in. While he is stationed there he strikes up a friendship with Lise Hampton.
Objects In Motion. Garibaldi says he has known Lise on and off for 15 years.
Tuesday August 30th. Susan Ivanova leaves University and joins EarthForce. She ignores her father Andrei's plea not to join, with her mother Sofie dead and Ganya killed in the war, Susan is all he has left. But she feels she has to finish what Ganya started, and a rift develops between the two.
Sic Transit Vir establishes her date of entry into EarthForce. Born To The Purple and TKO reveals Andrei's objections to her joining. And Now for A Word establishes her reason for joining. From comments Ivanova made in In The Beginning, assumes she joined on her 17th birthday.
On Minbar, Delenn's father dies. She feels the war against the humans broke his heart.
Grey 17 Is Missing. Delenn's father died 10 years ago.
Laurel Takashima enters the academy.
Conjecture, from The Gathering. Assumes Laurel joined when she was 17.
Branmer, a member of the Star Riders clan of the Minbari Warrior Caste and one of Minbar's greatest warriors, plans the final assault on Earth. He informs his friend Delenn that if he dies, he wants a simple cremation and his ashes spread out in the space above Minbar.
Legacies.
2248.
February. Elizabeth Levy is re elected as President of the Earth Alliance.
Conjecture, from In The Beginning and Midnight On The Firing Line.
May. The Mars government declare its neutrality in the war, angering EarthGov. They withdraw the troops assigned there to protect the colony, including the unit Michael Garibaldi serves in.
Data from J.Michael Straczynski and conjecture, from Objects In Motion.
June.
Morden, now serving in EarthForce New Technologies Division, is married.
The Shadow Within and The Passing Of The Techno-mages:Casting Shadows.
The colonies at Proxima 3 and Beta Durani go silent having fallen to the Minbari, and contact is lost with Io. EarthForce Intelligence believe an all out assault on Earth is imminent. With the messages of surrender and pleas for mercy ignored, President Levy asks for volunteers to form a line of defence around Earth.
In The Beginning.
THE BATTLE OF THE LINE.
The Minbari war fleet led by Branmer launch the final assault on Earth, bypassing colonies and outposts including Mars Colony. In a desperate attempt to prevent an invasion, Earth launches twenty thousand ships as a last line of defence. Aboard the Minbari cruiser, Delenn asks the Vorlons there must be another way to end the war, but all Kosh says is "The truth points to itself". Overwhelmed by Minbari forces, many fighters are destroyed. Jeffrey Sinclair as leader of Alpha Squad loses most of his flight to Branmer's guns in minutes, his wingman Bill Mitchell breaks formation against orders to destroy a Minbari fighter on Sinclair's tail. Mitchell's Starfury is hit and as he ejects, his life pod is destroyed. Sinclair's stabilisers are hit, and his reactor is going crititcal. Determined to go down fighting, he uses his Starfury to ram a Minbari cruiser. Delenn joins the rest of the Grey Council watching the battle. Wanting to learn more about Earth's defenses, she suggests bringing a human aboard. Coplann says to choose quickly as they are fast running out of candidates. Seeing Sinclair's Starfury on a collision course with their cruiser, Delenn chooses that one. His ship is disabled and brought on board, whereupon Sinclair is taken hostage and interrogated by Coplann. Beaten and tortured, Sinclair is probed with a Triluminary and Coplann discovers he has a Minbari soul. Other pilots are captured and scanned to confirm the result. Taken to the Council chamber and restrained, Sinclair is scanned with a Triluminary by Delenn and is shocked that he carries Valen's soul. The Religious Caste order an immediate halt to the war, choosing not to reveal their discovery to the Warrior Caste. Shai Alyt Branmer of the Ingata accepts the surrender order though his Alyt Neroon feels otherwise. Shai Alyt Sineval of the Trigati commits ritual suicide rather than surrender, leaving Alyt Kalain in command. Disgusted at the surrender order, Kalain withdraws the Trigati from the fleet and disappears. Sinclair is to be kept close to the Minbari, and if he discovers the truth before the Minbari people can be prepared, he is to be killed. The captured EarthForce personnel have their memories blocked by telepaths, and returned to their ships 24 hours later, discover the Minbari have surrendered. Jeffrey Sinclair dismisses his missing 24 hours, reasoning the force of acceleration caused him to black out while trying to ram the cruiser. Out of twenty thousand ships only two hundred pilots survive The Battle Of The Line, among them Sinclair, David Mackintyre and Robert Black. The survivors become heroes and are awarded the Medal of Honor For Bravery On The Line. The Religious Caste in not telling the Warrior Caste the reason for the surrender, causes a rift between them. Over a quarter of a million humans were killed in the conflict.
Legacies reveals Branmer planned and led the final assault and destroyed Alpha Squadron, Neroon's disagreement with the surrender order, Sineval's suicide and the rift between the Castes. And The Sky Full Of Stars, Points Of Departure and In The Beginning show events at The Line detailing the Grey Council overseeing the final assault, Sinclair's capture and them learning of Minbari souls being reborn in humans. Kalain and the Trigati are seen in Points Of Departure. Sinclair's memory block is first hinted at in The Gathering and partially broken in And The Sky Full Of Stars. A Late Delivery From Avalon reveals David Mackintyre is a hero of The Line. Crusade:Patterns Of The Soul reveals Black is another hero of The Line. And Now For A Word reveals the death toll.
A hearing held after the battle determines a malfunction was the reason why Sinclair and other pilots disappeared from the screens. For years after the war, Sinclair has to resist the urge to strangle a Minbari every time he sees one.
And The Sky Full Of Stars.
Commander John Sheridan takes charge of the EarthForce outpost at Io.
Conjecture, from Points Of Departure, Spider In The Web and Falling Toward Apotheosis.
The Senate approve the budget for the Babylon Project and construction of the Babylon Station, in the hope of preventing warfare between races and finding negotiated settlements to disputes, rather than force of arms.
And Now For A Word and In The Beginning.
With the war now over, Michael Garibaldi seeks psychological counselling to help him with his bad dreams.
The Long Dark. Garibaldi tells Amis how he sought help for his nightmares.
Dr Mary Kirkish begins her employment for Interplanetary Expeditions.
Messages From Earth. Kirkish began her employment for I.P.X. 12 years ago.
Delenn becomes Ambassador for Minbar, while still remaining Satai of the Grey Council. Her new duties take her away from home world. She does this to try and atone for the decision to go to war against the humans.
Atonement reveals she has spent 10 years trying to atone for her actions. The Parliament Of Dreams first establishes she has been gone a long time from Minbar.
The Grey Council keep Jha'dur's presence on Minbar a secret, instead of turning her over to the Earth Alliance and the League Of Non Aligned Worlds to face trial for crimes against sentients committed during the Dilgar Invasion of 2230-2232.
Death Walker.
EarthForce Command and Control stations begin transmitting coded I.D. numbers on sub channels, to prevent conterfeit orders being given.
Babylon Squared.
Still unable to get security work in the Sol system because of the incident at Europa, Michael Garibaldi goes to Orion 4 to work security there. Later he runs into his old friend Walker Smith.
Conjecture from TKO.
Construction begins on the Omega class destroyers. Among the first to be built is the E.A.S Agamemnon, registration number OCG-5.
And Now For A Word. The first Omega class cruisers were built after the war. The Agamemnon's registration number is from the crew cap Sheridan wore in Knives.
Construction begins on the Babylon Station in neutral territory between the major powers in the galaxy. Thomas Jordan is hired to work on building the station.
Conjecture, from In The Beginning and Grail.
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