Гэрет Уильямс - Темное, кривое зеркало. Том 3 : След на песке

But first he had a duty to his Captain. He would stay here until the body was found, and he would ensure it was taken back to Kazomi 7 and buried there. It was not really what the Captain would have wanted, but a burial on Earth was impossible now, as was one on Proxima.

"You should return to Kazomi Seven," he told Delenn. "The Government will need you now. G'Kar has also requested to see you. He…. he seems to be recovering well from his injuries."

"I am glad," she replied, her voice hollow. "But I will not leave here without John."

"Delenn, this is not rational. You…. you have responsibilities. The Captain would have wanted it this way. He…."

"I know what he would have wanted! But I will not let you send me away. I loved him…. I love him, and I will not believe him dead until I see his body. Not until then." She fell silent, and bowed her head.

"I…. know. And he loved you too." It was hard for him to admit that. He had never been able to reconcile himself to the Captain's feelings for this…. this Minbari.

"He is alive, Commander. I know that. I…. know."

"Faith manages," he muttered.

"Exactly," she replied, deadly serious. "Faith…. manages."

"What…. what is to do be done with me?"

Her guards did not reply. She was not even certain they could understand her words, but a vague legacy of senses she could not explain seemed to indicate that they had. Her telepathy was now once again barely present. It appeared that everything the Shadows had done to her had been erased by Kosh's sacrifice.

Everything they had done to her, but nothing she had done to herself.

The events of the last few years were clearer to her now, crystal clear as if she were looking at them through a lake of still water. Everything she had done…. breaking open Delenn's chrysalis, her part in Anna's death, her part in Laurel's death, her attack on Ambassador Sheridan and…. everything she had done on board Babylon 4.

"He couldn't have taken them away too, could he?" she muttered to herself. Not that anyone was really listening. Only the two Narn Rangers guarding her were present, and they hardly looked at her. Ta'Lon had told them she was powerless now, and they had believed him.

"No…. he had to let me remember everything. Every single damned thing."

She sighed, and bowed her head. As she slowed down the Narns turned to glare at her angrily, and she resumed walking again. All of these corridors seemed much the same. Whether that was typical of Drazi architecture or a sign of the limited budget of the United Alliance she did not know. Or particularly care.

What was waiting for her? A cell…. or a place of execution? She supposed what she had done might merit death, at least…. to the Drazi perhaps. Maybe the Narns, too. G'Kar wouldn't be exactly kindly disposed to her at the moment. Not after her part, however unwilling, in his removal from the Great Machine. She was the only one of that squad still alive.

She supposed that a lot of what she had done was wrong, but she had never intended to do harm. All she had wanted was to save humanity. That couldn't be so bad, could it?

And then her Russian pessimism returned. The road to Hell is paved with good intentions. Bad ones too, probably.

The Narns stopped in a section of corridor seemingly identical to the ones they had been tramping down for the past half an hour or so. There seemed to be a few more security cameras around, but little else was different. She did not even know which building this was. She'd never been to Kazomi 7 before, and she doubted she'd have much time for sightseeing while she was here. Not that there was much to see, apparently.

One of the Narns stepped forward and raised a strange-looking card. He placed it against the wall, and it slotted into a indent she had not noticed before. A section of the wall slid aside, revealing a small, well-lit room containing a bed and…. well, nothing else.

"Narn cells?" she asked. "Or Drazi ones?" The Drazi had been responsible for much of Kazomi 7's design, hadn't they? She was sure it had been a Drazi colony at some time in the past. From the looks of the corridors it didn't seem as if Delenn had had a hand in the design, though. Susan had been in Minbari cells before, and they were a little…. less accommodating than this one.

Not gently, she was pushed forward into the cell. She crossed the threshold with a soft sigh and a resigned grace. Turning, she saw the door slide shut.

With a gentle sigh and a click of her tongue, Susan Ivanova lay down on the bed and began to await her judgement.

Londo Mollari looked at his council of advisors, the nucleus of his new Government, and felt a sudden and quite inexplicable surge of pride. There was a long way still to go, yes, but the earliest obstacles had been overcome. They were past the beginning of the long journey.

"The Palace Guard have, almost to a man, sworn fealty to you, Majesty," Minister Durano was saying. The new Minister of Intelligence was a canny man, always acutely aware of the way the political winds were blowing. He was also however a principled man, and a meticulous one. If he said he would do something, then it would be done.

"Those who have not done so are under arrest. It would of course be foolish to assume that all such conversions are genuine. I recommend our own guards from Selini, or if that is not possible, then those from Gallia or Sphodria. They are in our debt, after all. A list of all such persons is appended to my report."

Londo shifted his gaze to his nephew. Carn Mollari, captain of the warship Valerius, new Commander of the Imperial Guard, and recently appointed Minister of Security. "There are a number of guards I do not entirely trust, but between myself, Minister Durano and Guards-Captains Kerrik and Volga we will soon have an efficient force answerable only to you, uncle." Kerrik and Volga had been the captains of the guards at Selini and the Court. Both were loyal men, woefully overlooked by the previous regime. That was not a mistake Londo could afford to make. For one thing, good and loyal men were far too rare, and for another…. he had a promise to an old friend to fulfill, and this was as good a starting place as any.

"The Court itself is…. er…. well, in a state of chaos, as you might expect," spoke up Virini, or rather, the 'Minister for the Court'. In the past the timid little man had been the butt of many a joke by those who failed to see that he heard everything, saw everything, knew almost everything and yet said very little. Rare attributes indeed. Now that he had returned to his former position, he preferred his former title, that simply of 'Minister'. The fewer people who knew his name, he argued, the more inconspicuous he was.

"The majority of Prince Cartagia's followers are either dead or under arrest. The body the guards…. uh…. recovered from the warehouse district has been confirmed as being that of Lady Elrisia, although some people do not appear to believe this. The…. uh…. the old guard faction are in disarray with the…. er…. incapacitation of Lord Kiro. Depending on the treatment of those responsible for the attacks on his estate, they may well decide to align themselves with you, Majesty. They are at least not openly hostile."

Londo said nothing about that, and everyone knew why. One of those responsible for the attack on Kiro's estate had been his wife, Mariel, involved in some futile and hopeless plan to attain power. Strictly speaking her actions deserved execution, but Londo had not yet made up his mind and few people dared broach the subject with him.

"Regarding the remaining slots in our Government," said Durano again, "I recommend Minister Vitari for the post of Minister of the Interior. I admit to not trusting him, but he is efficient and dedicated, and he will undoubtedly be able to cope with the responsibility."

"So," said Londo, "what positions are we missing, then?"

"All the details are in my report," Durano said. "Myself, as Minister of Intelligence. Your nephew for Security, and the…. ahem, the Minister here for the Court. Vitari for the Interior. Lord-General Marrago, of course, is the Minister of War as well as Commander-in-Chief of the Army. We do not yet have a Minister for Transportation, Culture, Agriculture, Resource Procurement or a Head of the Diplomatic Corps." He paused and looked down, a most uncharacteristic gesture. "And there is the post of…. First Minister."

"There will be no post of First Minister yet," Londo said firmly. "If I am to be Emperor, then I will operate in the way I see fit. All of you here, as well as Marrago, I trust as I trust no other. A First Minister is not needed at present.

"As for the others…. Vir Cotto will be the Head of the Diplomatic Corps. He has…. certain skills and contacts that will be very useful. And as for Resource Procurement…. I do think my dear wife Timov will be perfect for the role."

"Oh dear," whispered the Minister. Londo smiled.

Durano, to his credit, recognised that protest would not be the wisest of options. "A fine choice, Majesty. If a little…. unconventional, not to say controversial."

"There you have it, Durano. You have just hit upon two of the best reasons for appointing her. The other vacant positions can be filled later. They can be used as convenient…. incentives to those whose support we need.

"And now…. matters for the future. The Centarum must be reformed as soon as possible, and the Emergency Measures passed at the beginning of the year phased out. We need order and effective communications across the planet as well as to the rest of the Republic. Engineers and technicians are looking at the damage done to the main signal relay satellites. What caused the damage…. is a concern for another time.

"We also need these…. Shadow Criers dealt with, and soon. And there is the matter of posting Ambassadors to the major powers. We need to let the galaxy know we are returning to strength again, and we need to end this war with the Narns. Quickly. We will soon, I fear, have even greater problems on our hands.

"Minister Cotto will oversee the establishment of embassies to the Resistance Government of Humanity, the United Alliance at Kazomi Seven and the remains of the Minbari Federation. At a later date, appointments to the rest of the former League worlds will be possible, but they can wait. Negotiations with the Narns must be our first objective.

"And the army…. well, that is a matter for the Lord-General, and for my nephew here."

"Ah, yes," spoke up Durano. "Majesty…. where is the Lord-General?"

"Attending to something," was the only reply. "Attending to something…. very important."

Victory!

Sonovar threw his arms wide and laughed, revelling in the glory of the moment. It was over, and the entire mission had been a success. Not a thing had gone wrong. He had been a warrior in too many campaigns not to recognise the rarity of that.

The Government of Tarolin 2 had been punished for their treason, a message of defiance had been sent to the traitor Sinoval, the Tak'cha had proved their combat worthiness and Kozorr…. his laugh faded. Yes, Kozorr. A success there also, but only a beginning.

He was alone on the bridge of his ship, the flagship of the new warrior caste revival. A true warrior caste, a return to the old days of glory and honour and a worthy war, days that had been taken away from them by the weakness of the priestlings and the treachery of those like Sinoval.

He was alone. None of his colleagues, those who had been a part of Kalain's Grey Council, would come here with him. They had all requested other duties, other responsibilities. They were cowards, all of them, unable to see the rightness of his cause, and that disappointed him. Sinoval, for all his wrongs, at least had followers who would obey him unto death.

Such as Kozorr.

Sonovar suddenly felt very lonely. Every leader needed someone to confide in, with whom to share the moments of weakness and indecision. Every great leader had doubts and fears, it was only natural. Any man who claimed to be truly fearless was either a liar or a madman. And yet Sonovar had no one. He was beginning to understand why Sinoval kept such a pathetic worker as Kats around him. He could explain to her all his doubts in the knowledge that she was too weak to act on them.

Sonovar had no one like that.

There was no sound of his coming, no rustle of his robe or rasping of his breathing. Sonovar was a trained warrior, his every sense honed to its utmost degree, and yet the being who had once been Forell managed yet again to sneak up on him.

"You look fatigued, my lord," he said. "Are you well?"

"I am…. fine," he muttered. He was beginning to develop a headache actually, but he was not going to admit that to this loathsome creature. Every leader needed someone to confide in, true, but that someone was definitely not Forell.

"You have not taken your medicine these last few days, lord. It is for your own health." Something from Forell stank, and Sonovar could see he was carrying that ridiculous antique goblet. Inside it was a thick, dark red liquid.

His 'medicine'.

"I needed to concentrate on the mission," he explained. "That stuff makes me…. sluggish. I don't like it."

"Medicine is not meant to be liked, my lord. You should take it. It does you good."

"I do not need to…." He stopped, and wondered why he was explaining himself in such an apologetic manner. He did not have to justify himself like this! Forell moved forward, taking this pause as an invitation to continue. He held the goblet with the foul medicine up before Sonovar, who gagged.

The warrior brought his arm up, knocking Forell back. The goblet tipped up and the medicine fell over Forell's already stained and worn robe. There was a hissing noise. "You are not my nursemaid, Forell! How many times must I explain that to you?"

"My apologies, my lord," he replied, sounding distinctly unapologetic. "I tripped and spilt your medicine. I will prepare a fresh batch, and bring it to you personally."

Sonovar readied an angry retort, but he stopped and nodded. His throat was feeling very dry, and his headache was worsening. Say what you liked about that concoction, he did feel better afterwards. Well, a bit better.

"Yes," he ordered. "Do that. I will be in my chambers shortly. I have something to check on first."

Without waiting for a reply he stormed from the chamber, and so missed the expression on Forell's face. Truly though, he would not have cared if he had seen it. His senses might have been heightened through years of training and meditation, but in many ways Sonovar was terribly, terribly blind.

He made his way through the corridors and hallways of the ship, and everyone he met turned aside, shrinking away from his furious gaze. He could not explain the reason for his anger, but he did know it would have to be vented in some way. There was one thing he could use to divert it elsewhere. A symbol of his greatest triumph to date, and his greatest challenge to come.

He found himself at the door he wanted. At his orders four guards were posted there at all times, with another two at each end of the corridor. All were armed, and all were among his best warriors. Two of them were Tak'cha, and they attended to their duties with a diligence that not even the most loyal Minbari warrior could muster.