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

He rose to his feet and began a number of very important communications.

She had sat alone since he had left, thinking. At first she had believed this was a simple power struggle between a dissatisfied warrior and the leader of the Minbari, but now she was beginning to suspect something more. Forell's corruption, his words to her, Sonovar's evident madness….

Kats was not afraid to die, but she was afraid of being so helpless again before she did. She was afraid of being trapped in a column of light and suffering humiliation, degradation and pain while warriors watched and did nothing.

Without ceremony, without warning, the door opened and Sonovar walked in again, his bearing proud and arrogant. His two guards waited just outside.

"You are to come with me now, my lady. My last reason for remaining here has just been accomplished. There are two little details I must attend to, and then I will leave. Your 'Primarch' Sinoval will be here soon. I would rather not still be here when he arrives. Follow!" He left the cell and began to walk down the corridor.

In trepidation, Kats followed Sonovar along the twisted corridors of his warship, the guards by her side. She found herself thinking of Sinoval, and wishing he were here. Forell had said she was stronger now than she had been, but she did not feel stronger. She felt…. useless. Unable to fight, not born a warrior. She had never regretted her allotted role in life, until now.

They passed into a darkened room, with just one column of light in the centre. Trembling slightly, she stepped inside it, but only after seeing that Sonovar stood within it as well.

"You swore fealty to Sinoval," he said, his voice harsh. "You chose willingly to ally yourself with one who has violated some of the most sacred laws of our people, who deliberately rejected the return of the True Valen, who betrayed those who wished only to serve him, and who has thrown down the rightful Government of our people, choosing instead to claim all power for himself."

"He's not like tha…." she began, but he stopped her.

"Silence! These facts are undeniable, and your guilt is plain. Your punishment will be decided here, but I will not be the one to decide it. Rather…. another will."

He made a gesture, and another column of light became visible. There was someone within it. Someone she knew. Someone she had hoped to see here, but not like this, not forced on his knees, arms and legs bound, head bowed.

"Kozorr!" she cried, and he looked up. His face was heavily marked with wounds and scars. He closed his eyes when he saw her, and whispered her name softly.

"He was captured by the Tak'cha recently. Apparently he had learned that you were in my custody and was seeking a way to free you. He sent many of them to their ancestors before he was subdued." In a puzzled tone, he continued. "They regard him with great respect actually, for his prowess in battle and evident strength."

"Free her, Sonovar!" Kozorr cried. "Let her go, now."

"That is not my decision to make. Both of you have committed crimes against our people and against our religion, and both of you must be punished. This is the judgment of your fate."

He paused, and looked intently at them both. His expression when he looked at Kozorr was one of almost anguished despair. There was only pity in his eyes as he looked at Kats.

"One of you will be permitted to return to Sinoval, to tell him what has happened here, and to deliver my message. The other will die here, now. The choice is yours."

Kats tried to speak, but the words would not come. She knew with a terrible sense of horror that Kozorr would speak first, and she knew what he would say. She would forever after curse herself for not speaking sooner, although she never knew what she should have said.

"Kill me!" Kozorr cried. "Let her go."

"Very well," Sonovar proclaimed. "So shall it be." He shook his head. "I am not surprised, although I wish I were."

"No!" Kats cried. "You can't do this! You…."

"Please," Kozorr said, addressing Sonovar. "Let her come over here. I want…. I want to speak to her." Sonovar nodded once, and, not ungently, pushed her down before Kozorr.

She touched his heart lightly, feeling his breath on her face. "You can't do this," she whispered to him. "There's another way. There must be another way. Please…." She was beginning to cry.

"No, there isn't. Go, my lady. Never look back, and take your future. Tell the Primarch that…. tell him my soul waits to serve him in the next life." Then he reached forward ever so slightly, and gently touched his lips to her own.

"I love you." He bowed his head. "Take her away, Sonovar. I don't want her to see this."

"Neither do I," he replied, as one of his guards pulled her away. "You have my word, by the way. I will do as I said."

"I never doubted it. Farewell, my lady."

"No! Kozorr, you…." She was dragged away by the guard. As soon as Kozorr was out of sight she went limp. She was still crying.

Sonovar then gestured to his other guard, who freed Kozorr from his bonds. Puzzled, the warrior rose to his feet, rubbing at his wrists. Sonovar pulled an object from his belt and showed it to Kozorr, whose eyes widened. It was his fighting pike.

Sonovar extended it, and then threw it to the floor at Kozorr's feet. He smiled.

Time passed in a flurry of activity. Ships came from Kazomi 7 within hours of Delenn sending the message. Warships from the Drazi, the Llort, the Vree, others…. They had been convinced of the importance of this, of protecting the place that was so vital to all their futures. Few of them understood the details, but with a Vorlon and their Blessed Delenn on their side, victory could only be certain.

Messages were also sent surreptitiously to Councillor Na'Toth on the Narn homeworld. Despite a waning of her power in recent months she was able to contact a few captains loyal to G'Kar, and two Narn heavy cruisers arrived at Epsilon 3 eight hours after the Alliance fleet.

Messages were sent to Sinoval, but there was no reply. Reports were coming in of fighting on one of the colonies, but there was nothing definite.

Many non-essential personnel were evacuated back to Kazomi 7. Lethke was one of these, as he knew he would be able to do more there. The dream of unity at Babylon 4 might have been lost, but it could still be recreated at Kazomi 7. G'Kar went there as well, to recover from his wounds. Before he left he spent more than an hour in discussion with both Ta'Lon and Garibaldi — considerably against doctors' advice.

Between them Captain Sheridan, Delenn, Ta'Lon and Taan Churok managed to co-ordinate the defence of the station and the Machine. Wherever possible telepaths were placed on the capital ships. Lyta Alexander instructed them thoroughly on how to spot and paralyse the Shadow ships. Few of the others had any experience in such matters.

A great deal happened in those two days. Some of which is known to history….

Lyta looked up at the Vorlon before her, and nodded. She knew his name, Kosh, even without being told. He was a part of her, after all.

"Yes," she said. "I'm…. I'm ready…."

There was a great and terrible sadness in his voice.

"Why?" she asked, walking up close to him, touching his armour. It seemed so warm, almost alive.

"I don't understand. What do you mean?"

Light blazed up around her and she screamed, her mouth wide open. Her eyes glowed pure golden, slowly returning to normal as the light passed through her and into him. When it was over she slumped to her knees, looking up at him. "I…. I can't feel you any more," she whispered, horrified.

"You're…. Oh my God. You're going to die."

He turned to leave, and as he reached the door he stopped and looked back. She could not be sure from the tone, but it sounded more like a plaintive request than an order. He then left.

She never saw him again.

Elsewhere, work on the Babylon proceeded apace. The damage to the ship was repaired. Losses were replaced as far as possible.

Captain Smith sat in his ready room, Captain Sheridan and Commander Corwin with him. "It's a fine ship," Smith said.

"It should be," acknowledged Sheridan. "But it was a fine ship before. What have you people done to it?"

"I didn't do anything. It was…. repairs, upgrading. I only supervised the final stages. The rest of it was all done before I was appointed."

"Why are you doing this?" Corwin asked suspiciously.

Smith studied him. "Why do you trust me enough to make the offer?"

"I don't," said Sheridan. "Delenn does, and I trust her. Still…. you made a brave offer…. yourself for your crew. I don't think many people would have done that."

"It was the right thing to do. You'd have done the same."

Sheridan nodded. "Maybe I would."

"Even so, there aren't many people who would trust me to fight alongside you."

"Delenn explained the significance of this?"

"Oh yes, she did. But I can't help but feel she left something out. That's if I even believe her. Time travel? Am I really expected to understand that this…. Babylon Four must go back in time or the whole fabric of whatever will be torn apart?"

"That's as much as I know," Sheridan lied. "It's not our place to question such things. We're soldiers. We obey orders, and that's it."

"True enough. But I'm helping you here for the good of my crew. Don't forget that."

"I won't."

And on the station maintenance workers and Rangers hurried around under the seemingly omnipresent direction of a strange little alien everyone deferred to, making repairs and alterations to technology they did not really understand.

"Yes yes. Do that. That is good. No no, not that tool, never use that tool, use this tool…. ah, no this not right tool. Ah yes, this right tool."

"That's the one I was using before!"

"Yes. Zathras know that. Do as Zathras says. Ah, everyone listen to Zathras. Zathras knows what Zathras is saying. Trust Zathras."

Sometime during this frantic charging around Zathras managed to meet with Valen, who had been mainly talking either to Catherine or Kosh, or both together.

"Zathras be going back with you. Yes. You need Zathras to help you, you see. Zathras has…. great destiny in past, yes. Not as great as Valen's destiny, but almost. Zathras must make sure Valen does not trip over own feet, yes."

Valen smiled. "I would be honoured to have you with me, Zathras."

"I'll be going too," announced Catherine.

Of all those gathered there, only Valen seemed surprised. "What? Catherine, you…."

"Don't you dare try to say I can't. I will not be separated from you again. I'm going, and that's the end of it."

"But…."

"Don't, Jeffrey. There's nothing left for me here. I'm going with you."

Zathras looked at Kosh, with a knowing sense of sadness in his eyes.

There was an equal fluster of activity on the planet, in the heart of the Great Machine, where Michael Garibaldi's physical body was enshrined surrounded by technology immeasurably old and powerful.

"Isn't that…. weird?" asked Commander Corwin, looking at both his friend's real body and the holographic form Garibaldi had created.