The Babylon Project
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"No dictator, no invader can hold an imprisoned population by force of arms forever. There is no greater power in the universe than the need for freedom. Against that power, governments and tyrants and armies cannot stand. The Centauri learned this lesson once. We will teach it to them again. Though it take a thousand years...we will be free."

Citizen G'Kar, December 10th, 2259

The Second Centauri Occupation of Narn began when the Narn Regime agreed to unconditionally surrender to the Centauri Republic at the end of the Narn-Centauri War in late 2259. The Kha'Ri was dissolved with most members arrested and/or executed. The only exception was G'Kar, Narn's ambassador on the Babylon 5 Advisory Council, who was granted sanctuary on Babylon 5 prior to the surrender. In place of the Kha'Ri a Provisional Ruling Council appointed by the Centauri government was installed in order to maintain the Narn homeworld as a colony and protectorate of the Centauri Republic.[1]

The Centauri leadership was determined to keep the Narn in subjugation and prevent them from ever becoming a threat again. Therefore, they treated the captive Narn populace with great cruelty: millions were herded into work farms, construction gangs and relocation camps as expendable slave labor used in rebuilding the planetary infrastructure. Also, roads were mined so that the population couldn't distribute their own food and supplies, making them dependent on occupation forces.[2] The punishment for the killing of any Centauri by any Narn was the execution of five hundred Narns including the perpetrator's own family.[1] Millions more Narns were slaughtered as part of Genetic cleansing programs, orchestrated by Lord Antono Refa, intended to eliminate the potential for aggression from their gene pool – many whole communities were destroyed in this process. Between the war and the occupation, between 5 to 6 millions of Narns have lost their lives.

NarnRuins01

A ruined city on Narn

The younger Narn blamed their defeat on the fact that their leaders had used Centauri strategies. The older Narn, who remembered the First Centauri Occupation of Narn and enslavement of their world, believed that they were defeated because they had not been more like the Centauri. As a result of the Centauri bombardment, the Narn Homeworld underwent major climate change, as dust blown into the atmosphere reduced the planet's sunlight, lowered the global temperature, and created near-constant windy conditions around the planet.

Despite all this, an active Narn Resistance continued, both on the Homeworld and B5. On the Homeworld, they bombed and fought Centauri forces. On B5, they gathered weapons and supplies, sending them to the homeworld nad even keeping open clandestine communication channels, sometimes with the help of the Anla'Shok.[1][2]

Due to G'Kar's assistance in the assassination of Emperor Cartagia, which saved Centauri Prime from destruction, Narn was liberated early in 2261.[3] The Centauri withdrew their occupation force from the Narn solar system and closest colonies. It was apparent that the majority of Narn in a position to influence the future of their nation tended toward a desire for revenge rather than reconciliation; at this point, however, they were in no position to threaten anyone, with most of their industrial base destroyed and only a few fugitive ships remaining of their fleet – enough perhaps to defend the homeworld, but not to wage a war. G'Kar refused an offer to become leader of the new Narn Regime, insisting that he would only take his place in the reconstituted Kha'Ri. Narn ships gave logistical support to Sheridan and his fleet in their ultimately successful bid to oust President Clark and return power in the Earth Alliance to its people, but for most of this year the Narn concentrated on rebuilding their shattered world.

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