arming herself, taking her denn'bok from the case where Kats had insisted she keep it. It was not a good time for those not in the Rangers or Security to be wandering around the station armed. 'Did you find anything?'
'A great deal,' came the reply. 'Everyone you asked me to find seems to be at some private meeting. No one's seen Delenn in hours. The Starkiller neither.'
'What is it?' There was an urgency in Tirivail's actions, anger in her voice. 'Tirivail?'
'Nothing.' The warrior extended the denn'bok, testing the balance, stretching her muscles.
'Tirivail!'
Her friend turned to look at her, and Kats saw fury in her dark eyes.
'I heard that someone else is here. A human.'
A cold chill settled on Kats' body.
'Tall, pale skin. Archaic clothing. A tall black hat.'
'A staff,' Kats whispered.
Tirivail nodded.
'Sebastian,' she said again.
'The same. The head of the Vorlon Inquisition.' Tirivail snapped the denn'bok closed and fixed it to her belt. 'I am going to find him.'
'No.'
'Do not try to....'
'No!' Tirivail took a slow step back. Kats continued without a pause. 'You are a warrior sworn in service to the Grey Council. I am Satai sworn and oath–bound. I have stood in the circle and the column. I have stood between the candle and the star.
'You owe me service and obeisance.'
Tirivail's dark eyes flashed. 'He loved you,' she whispered. 'That is why I serve you.'
'Then that will have to be enough. Where is Sebastian? You will take me to him.'
'No.'
'You will take me to him. I am not afraid.'
Tirivail moved angrily to the door, then looked back, waiting for Kats to follow.
'I am,' she said harshly.
'I am not afraid,' G'Kar said, with soft, despairing finality.
'I am not afraid to die. I have done many things of which I could feel ashamed, but I have always believed that my actions would lead to a better world. I have striven for so long for peace.
'I have served you as well as I was able. I will admit to having made mistakes. I am not perfect, and the more I learn, the more I realise just how truly imperfect I am, but I have tried.
'I have tried to build and to create and to make the world better.
'I formed the Rangers to fight the Shadow that G'Quan had prophesied would return. I led them, and I sent many of them to their deaths. I believed then that it was a just and righteous cause, and I still do.
'I let one of you inhabit me, and I do not regret that.
'I have seen so many things, some terrible and some wonderful. I have seen the wonder in a young child's eyes as she learns she is to live, and I have seen the terror in a man's eyes as he knows he is to die.
'I am old, and I am tired, and I am no traitor.
'Kill me if you wish.'
The Vorlon remained there, drifting lazily and majestically in the air above him. The tip of the tentacle reached down to within a fraction of an inch of his good eye. Another slid around his back.
He heard its voice, the voice of the authority, of the magistrate, of the judgment, of the executioner.
<You have always served us well. You are no traitor.>
The light seemed to recede, rushing backwards into the encounter suit in one swift, smooth motion. The suit closed and the headpiece turned, the eye stalk glowing brightly.
<You have served us well,> it said again. <You may be permitted to live. Speak of what you have seen here. Speak of what happens to those who betray us.>
'I will,' G'Kar said, hollowly. 'Believe me in that. I will.'
The Vorlon turned and left, leaving the smoking charnel house where five powerful and influential people had just discovered the true nature of power.
G'Kar waited until he could be sure the Vorlon was gone, and then he began to run.
The anger he felt was so great as to overwhelm all rational thought. He had passed beyond grief and loss and sorrow, and all General John Sheridan felt now was a fury that could destroy stars themselves.
He found David in his office, frantically trying to use the commpanel.
David looked up as he entered. 'Where have you been?' he asked. 'The internal sensors are going crazy. Someone's been throwing around colossal amounts of energy in Blue Sector. No one can find Kulomani, or G'Kar, or any of the Ambassadors. The jump gate is closed. Delenn's just vanished off....'
'Delenn doesn't matter,' he said sharply, the tiniest manifestation of the rage within him.
'What? John, what...?' He watched as David's eyes narrowed, darkening. 'Oh,' he said simply. 'I see. Was this all just a joke then? Did you come all that way and drag me back here just to go through all this again?'
'Everything's a joke. If you haven't worked that out yet, you should just get back to building mud huts on Minbar.'
'God's sake.... look at the mess you've made. No, we've all made it, but I've had enough of it.' David walked towards the door, brushing past him angrily, pushing him aside. At the door he turned back. 'Everything's going to hell in a handbasket, as a former friend of mine would say. It's a pity he isn't here. At least he'd be trying to fix this.'
'Get out.'
He did.
General John J. Sheridan sat down at his desk, looking at the energy readouts. He recognised what David had not, that the sheer amount of energy could only have been generated by a Vorlon. Someone very stupid had annoyed one of them.
'To hell with all of you,' he whispered.
Something was rubbing at the back of his skull, an itch he could not scratch. He had a name for that, though.
Somehow he was not surprised.
'You as well,' he muttered. 'Well, Sinoval, come on in and join the party, everyone else has.'
He looked the commpanel and sent out a quick signal. This line he knew would be working. If everything else on the station collapsed, this would still be working.
'I know you're there,' he said. 'I think we need to talk.'
--- We are always ready for you, --- came the Vorlon's voice.
'I'll be there in a minute. We should do this face to face, as it were. Oh, I suppose you know that Sinoval's on his way.'
--- We were aware. We are prepared. This is our stronghold. We will not allow it to be breached by such as him. ---
'How soon we forget,' he muttered. 'Don't you lot always have a plan.'
The jump gate was closed, barred and sealed against the travellers, the common wanderers, the pilgrims and the seekers. The station was protected, charmed and blessed by the
