It was the year of fire,
The year of destruction,
The year we took back what was ours.
It was the year of rebirth,
The year of great sadness,
The year of pain,
And a year of joy.
It was a new age.
It was the end of history.
It was the year everything changed.
The year is 2261.
The name of the game Babylon 5.


It is the beginning of the Earth year 2261, and the galaxy is entering a new age; the age of the ‘younger’ races. The Vorlons are gone, the Shadows have left, and all the ancients that once proved such a mystery have left the galaxy, to live with those who left for beyond the Rim so long ago. But that doesn’t mean the galaxy is any quieter or more peaceful. Governments still conspire against one another. Fleets still meet and do battle amongst the stars. If anyone thought that the departure of the 'older' races would bring some sense of peace or calm, then they were sadly mistaken.

The humans are embroiled in a deep and bitter civil war, something that has been brewing for years. Breaking away from Earth in an act of open defiance to the bombings of civilian targets Captain John Sheriden leads a band of renegades and like-minded individuals in a coup to over-throw the dictatorial President Clarke. With support from the Rangers and a few of the other races he forges an armada with one purpose, to liberate his people from a tyrant’s grasp. Meanwhile, through the use of the relentless Night Watch and the ever present Psi-corps, President Clarke rules Earth with fear and misinformation. Working under the guidance of Shadow agents he began a campaign of hatred and xenophobia, bringing about an enforced period of isolationism. But now it slowly winds towards a head, like the calm before the storm. Niether side is willing to roll over and surrender, this will only end in death.

The Mimbari are a people in shock, with the Grey Council broken the castes and clans are falling apart as the old rivalries surface from beneath their placid veneer. No Mimbari has killed another for nearly a millennia; not since the coming of Valen, but all that has the potential to change. Only Delen and the respect she has earned through her command of the Rangers has managed to keep the powerful race in check throughout the Shadow war. Unfortunately, the war is over now and little can hold in check the more ambicious and extreme of ‘certain’ elements of the Mimbari race, most notably the powerful and rightfully feared Star Rider clan of the Warrior caste; still fuming over the surrender at the ‘Battle of the Line’.

With the death of Emperor Cartagia the Centauri are in an unusual position, having no Emperor and no clear heir. On the advice of the newly elected Prime Minister Londo Mollari they have recalled their forces from Narn and only narrowly escaped what had seemed like certain destruction at the hands of the Vorlons. Centauri Prime is their main concern now, under the leadership of Prime Minister Mollari and in the care of Regent Virini they seek to strengthen and rebuild their loses from the Shadow war and the hostilities with almost every other sentient race. Something dark and sinister lurks in the palace on Centauri Prime though; the twisted servants of the Shadows have dreams of power for themselves and know how ‘amicable’ the Centauri can be. As the Houses vie for power and dominance over one another, an altogether darker agenda weaves its way in.

For the second time in a little over a hundred years the Narn have been enslaved by the Centauri and were freed from their cruel clutches, and the Narn homeworld has paid the price. Their planet and infrastructure in tatters they seek refuge from the other races whilst they can lick their wounds and rebuild. Growth, however, requires resources and their homewrld has been all but stripped bare meaning they have to look elsewhere in order to survive the coming years. Vengence and anger still fills the heart of many a Narn, and with the Kha’Ri having been all but hunted down and destroyed rebel factions can easily form around a strong leader.

Though once united in the fight against the Shadows and Vorlons the League of Non-Aligned Worlds has largely returned to its old ways. Bickering and politicing are on the rise again as each government tries to carve up the galaxy and stake their claim on the universe, determined not to be ignored or walked over. The peace was great whilst it lasted, but old wounds soon open up, if not sealed properly.

The Shadow/Vorlon war had little effect on the splintered Raider fleets, except to generate an increase in abandoned hulks and salvageable scrap. If anything the Raiders benifitted from the war, governments turned their attentions and forces away from dealing with them and pulled away their defences to engage in the war for survival. From the time the first race crawled to the stars till the time the universe gasps its last breath the Raiders will always exist in one form or another.

With their masters gone and Z'ha'dum destroyed the Drakh are a race without home or purpose. However, they are driven by an insatiable appetite for power and now desire to be masters themselves. Launching raids and attacks from huge Motherships and even the vast Clanships, capable of supporting hundreds of thousands of Drakh, they have the ability to attack anytime, anywhere. Having lived in close proximty to the Shadows for so long they are bitter and have become adept at bending people in power to their will and their aims. Their ships are sleek, manouverable and powerful, benifitting from direct technology sharing from their old masters, they are definitely not a race to be ignored or taken lightly.