Темное, кривое зеркало. Том 3 : След на песке

whom the Vorlons referred to as a Ragg'hia, a race that served the Shadows, tried to call another meeting for peace with our leaders. He was captured and executed, and from that moment on the saying 'There can be no peace with the Shadow' began to be heard. Despite this, some of our more pacifist religious leaders still pushed for peace. Many went to the Shadows' homeworld, a grim, dark world called Z'ha'dum. When we took the place we found them there, changed irrevocably, beyond our capacity to undo.

It was not long after Shryne's death that Valen came to us…. and we were united. And from that point on, there truly was no peace with the Shadow.

Excerpts from The First Footsteps To The Stars: A History of Minbari Space Travel, by Sech Turval of the Temple of Tuzanor, published in the Earth Year 2232.

* * *

There was nothing but death where once there had been hope. Everything was gone, scattered to the four winds.

Epsilon 3 was destroyed, torn apart by the stress of the Great Machine. Somewhere, in pieces, amongst a sea of rock and metal and machinery a millennium old, lay the body of Michael Garibaldi. Just one of the many who had died at the Battle of the Third Line.

A great many ships lay in ruins, sacrificed to preserve the future and the past. Shadow ships were dead there also, their wordless screams silenced at last.

The temporal rift was closed, the past forever the past now. The Vorlon Kosh had sacrificed himself to ensure it fulfilled its purpose, returning the great hero Valen where he belonged.

And somewhere, amidst all the death and the carnage and the chunks of floating metal, shuttles moved cautiously, accompanied by beings in space suits, moving through the devastation, seeking survivors, hoping against hope that someone might still be alive.

It had only been a few hours since the battle's end. It was possible that some sections of the ships were still pressurised, possible that people still lived, trapped and alone in a dead prison.

But more than that, they were searching for a body, the body of one among so many who were believed to be dead.

Captain John Sheridan. He was there…. somewhere.

* * *

'He is not dead.'

Commander David Corwin sighed and rubbed at his eyes. How long had it been since he had last slept? He had grabbed a quick three or four hours after the attack by Clark's forces, during the preparation of the station. But he had awoken from that feeling just as tired as he had been before.

With Mary, the night Bester's recall signal had been given. How long ago had that been? Three days or so…. Maybe a little longer. He couldn't tell any more. But then, the woman with him could not have slept much either. Of course, she wasn't human…. well, not entirely, and for all he knew she did not need to sleep.

But still….

'He is not dead.'

Corwin gave her credit. She almost sounded as if she believed the words she was saying. He was sure he did not. The Captain…. had known what would happen. He had chosen to stay on the bridge of the Parmenion. He had chosen to order the evacuation of his crew, and to give the order to launch a ramming action.

In some way, he had wanted to die.

'He is not dead.'

'I'm sorry, Delenn,' he said, surprised by how hoarse his voice sounded. He was thirsty. 'There are people out looking, but…. No one could have survived that, Delenn. The ship was destroyed, completely wrecked. Delenn….'

She raised her head and looked at him. He was trapped by her piercing eyes, and he contemplated her for a minute. He had never really been comfortable around the former Satai Delenn, but he could see just what it was about her that made her able to rule dynasties, to lead leaders, and to capture the heart of the great Starkiller.

Corwin admitted he did owe her slightly. She had once helped the Captain free himself from a difficult situation, at Corwin's request. He supposed he might have helped push them together by asking that of her, and he was not entirely sure how he felt about that.

Still, the Captain had been happy these last few months. That was something, at least.

'A part of the bridge could still be pressurised. You said yourself that communications on the Parmenion were down before the…. end. He could still be alive, trapped in a pressurised section of the ship, unable to alert us to his position.' She was speaking calmly and rationally, explaining each point precisely. He did not want to listen. He had run over every argument he could think of, and he could still not believe anything other than the fact that Captain John Sheridan was dead.

'Delenn,' he said, interrupting her. 'I want him to be alive just as much as you do…. but…. it's impossible.'

'Nothing is impossible,' she snapped, her voice firm. She sounded angry. 'Nothing is impossible while there is hope, and faith. We have a saying, one John heard and understood. Faith manages, Commander. Faith manages.'

'It hasn't done a very good job for me so far,' he muttered angrily, but then he sighed. 'I'm sorry, Delenn. I didn't mean that.'

'No, Commander. It is I who should be sorry. John…. liked you a great deal. He respected you.'

Corwin nodded and looked around, trying to avoid the lure of those green eyes. The quarters were not very luxurious, but then Drazi ones never were. They were on board the Drazi Sunhawk Stra'Kath, one of the few ships to remain in the Epsilon Eridani area. Most of the fleet that had fought in the Battle had gone back to Kazomi 7, for repairs and to off-load the wounded.

Captain Smith had taken his Babylon there and was now in detention, awaiting the decision on his fate. Susan was also there, and Corwin definitely did not want to think about her. So was Mary, and…. and he had something to ask her. He had been trying to build up the courage for a long while, but the battle had sharpened his focus. He would ask her….

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,