The Narn homeworld was once a beautiful place, its lands green and fertile, its skies clear, its primary shining brightly, bathing G’Kar’s people in warmth and light. Now the skies are clotted with dust and smoke, and what little sunlight makes it through the ever-present haze is weak and colder than G’kar remembers. Where once were verdant fields, clear, sparkling waters, and magnificent cities, now all that remains is dust and dirt, craters and bare rock.

It hurts to see such desolation, the wind blowing hard and keen across the tortured land where native animals once roamed free. It hurts G’Kar all the more knowing that while his people were suffering the devastating bombardment from space, he was safe and comfortable aboard Babylon 5. He never had to suffer the hardships his people have endured, that they’re still enduring, those that have survived this far, and it sends a pang of guilt through him, shame for not standing alongside them, sharing their fate.

And yet it was necessary for one member of the Kha’Ri to remain free, to work on the behalf of his people, to save as many as he could, and to negotiate on their behalf. He has not been idle, he has forged an alliance with the humans, arranged for weapons and food to be delivered, worked tirelessly to gather resources so that when the moment is right, he can coordinate the rebellion against the Centauri. Knowing that, however, does not ease his conscience.

His world and his people are broken. Day after day, those who are left struggle for survival, each of them aware that they could be struck down by their Centauri overlords at any moment over some perceived slight. But they do not give up, nor do they despair.

All they have left is the bright light of hope, an undimmed belief that someday, somehow, they will win their freedom once more, dig themselves out from under their conquerors’ heel, and restore their world to its former glory. It will likely take many generations, G’kar himself will not live to see the day when the skies are once again free of dust and smoke, but he will strive to his last breath to ensure that future generations will be able to stand beneath the sun and give thanks to those who fought so long and so hard to give them the gift of freedom.


The End