And then the fires would begin anew. This time, they would never be put out.
Morden looked up at the sky and found himself imagining a dark cloud falling over it. Two clouds in fact, one rising from the ground, the result of a million fires, and the other coming from the heavens, dark ships screaming.
Even without that particular image the sky was dark and grey. He could still taste smoke in it. It had been over a year since Londo had ascended to the throne and the fires had been put out, but a legacy remained. No matter how faint, it was an unsettling thought. He had less time than he had been expecting.
One of theirs was here, a Shadow minion, a powerful one too. It was sleeping still, but would be awake soon. Morden knew what it was, and what it was capable of. When it did awake.... the fires would start up again, the skies would become black, the ground would become a wasted desert, and the people mindless lunatics.
And all that just to create a place of refuge. The Shadows knew they were losing and they needed a place to hide, a place to seed with their legacy so that they might arise again. Centauri Prime was perfect for them, or it would be. Uninhabited planets would suffice, but an inhabited planet was so much better, so many people to harvest and.... adapt.
A nasty thought. A nasty image at that, but one he could prevent from becoming reality. He could.... sense the Shadow's minion. Its mind was sending out tendrils of thought and fear, tendrils he could perceive and track. At this stage it was vulnerable, and could be killed easily. Everything would be fine.
But that was contrary to his orders. His instructions were very clear, with no room for ambiguity. The Centauri had been given more than one chance to redeem themselves, far too many chances in fact. It was time for them to learn precisely the stakes they were playing for. Centauri Prime would find salvation, or it would burn. There would be no middle ground.
Which was in some ways a pity. Morden liked this planet, and even some of the people living on it. If things went.... right, then he might well ask to be posted here permanently.
There was a noise to his side and he turned, smiling. There were some people here he liked, but few more than the man standing before him, the man to whom he owed so much.
'Nice to see you,' Morden said, still smiling. 'I trust everything's been arranged.'
'Oh, yes.... Londo, I mean.... the Emperor.... his Majesty will be in his private study for the rest of the day. No one else is there, not even his bodyguard. For some reason he's.... been sent away. I don't really know why myself, but there it is. The guards.... I could have them sent away too, or bring you in as a guest, perhaps....'
'No, that's not necessary. That would only reveal to the Emperor our.... relationship. We don't need to do that before it's too late. The guards.... won't see me.'
'You'll become invisible?'
'No, they just won't notice me. Their eyes will slide right off me. It's a little trick I learned some time ago. The trouble is it'll give me a splitting headache by tonight, but, well....'
'Will you.... ah.... need arrangements for getting off the planet in a hurry? Again?'
Morden smiled. Two frantic escapes from Centauri Prime in the last few years, and neither of them accomplished just through his own skill and brilliance. 'No, not this time. This time I'm here until the end, for good or ill.'
'Oh, dear. Are things really going to be that bad?'
Morden looked at Minister Vir Cotto and sighed. He believed. He really believed. If all men were such as he, Morden would have a very easy life. 'I hope not,' he said. 'But you can never be too sure.
'Now, I believe the Emperor is not expecting me....'
G'Kar debated again his only options and found himself uncomfortable with just how few they were. Time was growing short. Very short. Oh, there was peace at the moment, but the moment was all. Soon things would erupt again, and this time.... this time....
He supposed he could have done something about the situation by now, but there had always been something else. Two–and–a–half years, it had been. Two–and–a–half years since the second Narn / Centauri War had begun.
And what had he been doing in that time? He had abandoned political power for the burden of a greater destiny. He had believed that as a preacher he could have greater influence than as a politician, bringing change from within, bringing the idea of change to his whole people rather than a tiny proportion.
Maybe he had been right.... then. But now.... now he was a politician, and he was starting to wonder if his original choice had been the correct one. His people had taken his teachings on board, but they had perverted them, badly misinterpreting the message. He had wanted to speak of understanding, of alliances between races and peoples, of all becoming one to fight against a mutual enemy.
And now that message of understanding had been turned into a doctrine of conquest. Oh, the Narns would still fight the Shadows, but they would lead the war. First they would rule the galaxy, and then they would go on to the greater war. Foolishness, and a dark and bitter destiny that would bring them.
'Are you sure about this?' asked a soft voice from across the table. That voice brought him no comfort. It had been months since he had received word that Delenn was still alive, and a few weeks since she had returned to Kazomi 7 to take up again the burden of leadership, the duty of leading the Alliance she had helped create.
Every moment of those few weeks had been spent planning, preparing, readying. The commissioning of the shipyards at Krindar, constant liaisons with General Sheridan at Proxima, preparing for the induction of humanity in the Alliance, dealing with the Drazi growing more and more aggressive with every passing day, hunting down Shadow agents on the planet, trying to grasp some understanding of the Vorlons....
And above all, working with the Kha'Ri for the next phase of their war with the Centauri.
That was what burned G'Kar, that more than anything else. The war had been quiet for months, a bloody stalemate. The Kha'Ri now had evidence of a Centauri alliance with the Shadows, and had used that to force aid from the Alliance. The races were too evenly matched - the assistance of the Shadows gave the Centauri a clear advantage, but with the Alliance, with the
A jihad, a holy war, being fought in his name.
'Yes,' he told Delenn. He was sure. This had to be avoided. The Shadows must be driven away, yes, must be destroyed, yes.... but at what cost? This was only doing their task for them. They only benefited from the Narns and the Centauri tearing each other apart.
'I have waited too long,' he said again. 'Afraid to confront my own errors. But now there is no time for fear, and no more time to wait.' And there wasn't. The final stage of the plan for the renewed invasion of Centauri space had been sent to the Alliance Council from the Kha'Ri, passed through Ambassador G'Kael and his assistant Na'Toth. Both were loyal to G'Kar and had informed him early. They had also promised to delay presenting the plans as long as they could.
For long enough to enable him to do what he must.
G'Kar had seen the plans. Almost every ship the Narn people could spare, backed by a full squadron of
'The war will soon be over,' G'Kar whispered. Today, tomorrow, in a few months, it would soon be over. 'But what will the peace bring?'
'It will bring what we make of it, surely,' Delenn said.
'So there will still be no rest.' G'Kar shook his head and rose from his chair. 'I have missed you, Delenn, those long months you were gone.' She had not explained what had happened to cause her to leave Kazomi 7 when she did, but there had been no need. Sinoval had explained to him and Londo. If Delenn did not give credence to his beliefs, then....
No, that was an issue for the peace, not the war.
And surely a peace bought with terror and lies was better than a war caused by anger and truth?
He had believed that once.
'I am glad you have returned to us, Delenn. I wish we had more time together.'
'As do I, but we will see each other again, G'Kar.'
