been weak, a pawn, he could so easily be strong again. He had suffered torture and agony at her hands, and that had opened his eyes to the darkness he now saw between the stars.
Guards moved forward to oppose him. He stretched out his hand and his eyes flashed crimson. Within an instant, they knelt at his feet. He moved past them, not seeing or caring. His eyes focussed on one thing only.
He walked slowly up the steps to the Purple Throne and sat down.
I am Emperor!
He moved with the force and determination of the prophet he was, bearing his message in front of him as a talisman. Those he saw trembled before him. None dared block him as he walked closer and closer towards the seat of power of his people, a place he had once trod, and now, through necessity of circumstance, would tread again.
The guards stepped aside, bowing reverently. He did not notice them.
The familiar chamber opened up before him, and there was a hush as its inhabitants saw him enter. Slowly, drawing out every moment, he walked towards the podium in the centre and looked up at the collected Circles all around him.
Ha'Cormar'ah G'Kar opened his mouth and began to address the Kha'Ri.
Lord–General Marrago could feel his world collapsing around him, the final death of everything he had ever believed in or trusted. Two things alone remained. First, Lyndisty. He had to see her safe. He had to. And second, he must die as a servant of the Republic. He knew his duty. He would die, and all his sins would be washed clean. There was no other option now.
Or so he thought until he returned to his quarters and found the Drakh waiting for him.
'Peace,' hissed the Drakh. 'A favour is owed. One last favour, yes?'
Marrago's kutari was already in his hand. 'You think I will give you anything after this? That creature tearing up my world? That is yours, isn't it? And mine, too?'
'Its delivery was the first payment, yes. There is a second.'
'I will give you nothing.'
'We can call it off now. It has done its task. It can be taken elsewhere. All can be well again. Your world, your people, they can be strong again, strong and united. All we need is your one favour.'
'What this time? My right arm?'
'Your daughter.' There was a moment's pause as the two words hung in the air. 'She will be Empress of the new Centauri Republic. Through her will come the new Emperors, the leaders who will bring you back to glory. Give her to us, and we will ensure your survival, your greater destiny.'
There was no thought, no moment of conception. The kutari moved, Marrago moved. The two were as one. An instant later the Drakh was dead, collapsed on the floor.
Dark clouds swept across Marrago's eyes, a terrible rage, a fire that would blaze within him. It would burn itself out soon enough, but he had time. He could do what was necessary.
Find Lyndisty, and then die in his Emperor's service.
Lyndisty ran, her skirts hitched up in a most undignified manner. Her mother, could she but see this, would be having a heart attack. Lyndisty did not care.
She moved through the palace swiftly, preferring speed to stealth. It did not seem to matter. No one stopped her. She saw fighting, she saw those she knew standing still as statues, she saw comatose bodies drooling, chewing on their lips, blood flowing down their chins.
And still she ran.
The throne room. That would be a safe place. That was where the Emperor would be, and he would know where her father was. Then everything would be all right.
She pushed her way through the doors and took a step inside, then she stopped.
There was someone on the throne, but it was not the Emperor.
Lord Kiro smiled. 'My Empress,' he said, welcoming her. 'You have arrived at last.'
The byakheeshaggai raised its head and looked up, trembling with anticipation. In the skies, in the heavens, came its Dark Masters. One by one they emerged above Centauri Prime, encircling the planet. They would claim it for their own. They would claim these people for their own. Temples would be built in their Name, to their worship.
The byakheeshaggai imagined the future and marvelled at it. It howled, and the red cloud expanded.
He could hear it somewhere, just at the back of his mind, a million screams in one voice. General Carn Mollari paced up and down the bridge of the
Something was happening. He knew it.
Hence it was no surprise when he received a communication from the homeworld, from no less than his uncle, Emperor Mollari II.
'Carn,' his uncle said. 'We don't have much time. Get every ship you can find. Bring them all here, to the homeworld. The.... the Shadows are attacking.'
'What? But why? What can we do against the likes of them?'
'Whatever must be done. They want Centauri Prime. They want it for their own, a place of refuge. We must deny them that.'
'And the Narns? Can we dare leave this frontier unguarded?'
'We have no choice, Carn. None at all. Come here. We must save the homeworld, that above all else. And.... Carn.... I am proud of you. Your father is proud of you.' Then the communication ended.
Carn sat back, his mind racing, but above all he remembered one of the earliest lessons Lord–General Marrago had taught him. A great leader can always take time to think. Rushing headlong forward will only bring disaster. Time for thought, even only a moment, will bring victory.
He sat forward. 'Send a hail to the leader of the Narn fleet.' The order was questioned, but ultimately obeyed. Soon enough the face of Warleader Na'Tok appeared on the holoscreen. A much younger man than the recently retired Warleader G'Sten, Na'Tok was nonetheless tough in appearance, a hardened soldier and veteran.
'I have no time for threats, General,' he said, slowly and purposefully, 'if that is what this is about.' He smiled. 'Or have you decided to surrender?'
'Neither,' Carn replied. 'What I am about to say may well have me tried for treason, but I don't care. Centauri Prime is under attack by the Shadows. I am going back to defend it. The whole fleet is coming with me. Maybe we can win, maybe we can't, but we at least have to try.
'You can come with us if you like.'
There was a pause, and Na'Tok laughed. 'You expect me to believe that?'
'Why not? It was our two races who first joined forces against the Shadows. My uncle and your prophet G'Kar. I fought alongside Narn ships at the Battle of Proxima. They gave their lives that we might all triumph. I am tired of fighting this war, Na'Tok. If you choose to take advantage of our departure then the Republic is dead and gone anyway. So I give you this offer. Help us. Help us against the greater Enemy.'
'Everyone knows you are allied with the Shadows. This is a deception.'
'Then don't believe me. Do as you wish. Obey your Kha'Ri. Disobey them. Whatever you wish. But I am going home. General Mollari out.'
He sat back and sighed. Technically that was treason, but he had to try. What use victory against the Narns if you lost to the Shadows? Who was truly the greater enemy?
He began to take the Centauri fleet home.
She was perfect. She was everything he could have imagined his Empress would be. Her eyes were filled with flame, the warrior nature of her bearing contrasting with the fragile beauty of her features. She would bear him
