'But he does not speak just for the Shadows,' he countered. 'He speaks for humanity as well. Can there be peace with them?'
She hesitated, lost momentarily in a world fifteen years gone. 'Perhaps…. but humanity is…. they are too closely linked with the Shadows now. There cannot be peace, Lethke. I wish it were not so, but….' She bowed her head sadly.
'He says he will come only to speak of peace. He is a true diplomat, Delenn. I have known many, and I can see it in his eyes. His words…. they are genuine. Delenn…. dare we turn away this chance? I do not want to spend the rest of my life devoted to war. I want to build this Alliance so that it protects and shelters the entire galaxy, and we cannot do that if we are constantly worrying about battles and fighting. We…. prefer not to fight, we Brakiri. I have always thought it is a far more pleasant option to choose.'
She sighed, and thought again of that moment fifteen years ago. She had been too ready to embrace war once before, and it had cost her dearly. Could she refuse this option now? Even if it were only the merest possibility….
'We will bring the matter to the Council,' she said at last. 'If you all say yes…. then I will assent.'
Lethke smiled and bowed, but then he looked worried. 'There is one other thing, Delenn. The diplomat who contacted me…. he was human. The Shadows do most of their dealing through intermediaries of other races…. so I was not surprised. But…. he gave his name as Sheridan.'
She paused. 'Sh…. Sheridan? No, it cannot be,' she said finally. 'All of John's family are dead. It is a…. coincidence, and nothing more. Still, it would be best, I think, if John were not told of this.'
'As you say, Delenn. When shall we convene the Council?'
She paused, and thought for one brief moment about the man she loved. 'As soon as possible,' she said finally. 'As…. soon as possible.'
They all agreed, and Lethke sent back the reply in the affirmative. Ambassador David Sheridan received it, and nodded. Everyone did what they had to do, what was necessary, and however much he disliked the thought of going to Kazomi 7, he knew that he had to do it.
But he had one important person to see first.
Londo was tired, and he had a headache, and he wanted very much to have a steaming cup of brivare and go to bed.
But he was the Emperor, and contrary to what he had believed as a child, the Emperor did not get to do whatever he wanted. He had his duties to the Republic, and if those duties meant he had to stay up all night with Marrago and Durano, then so be it.
In the preceding two months the situation had improved slightly, although not as much as he might have hoped.
The Centarum had been reconvened, and its first actions had been the passing of motions recognising Londo as Emperor and accepting his story as the official history of events. The second motion had passed substantially, as almost all of those who knew the truth about Valo's attack on the Court were either dead or firmly allied to the new regime.
The first motion however was more difficult. Many remembered that Londo had been accused of murdering Emperor Refa, and that he had raised rebellion against his own Government. Denials of the first had been expected, if not entirely believed, and the same had been the case with explanations for the second. Nevertheless, the placing of the blame for everything that had ever gone wrong in the Republic since the dawn of creation entirely at the door of the Shadow Criers…. that had been generally accepted.
In any case, Marrago and Durano had separately exerted considerable pressure on the dissenters, and the first motion had been passed. Londo's inauguration as Emperor had been a pitiful thing by previous standards, but in respect of the lying speeches, futile thanks and insincere hopes for the future, few things ever changed.
That, however, was only the beginning. The homeworld was now fairly secure, but the Republic itself was very shaky.
'We have lost all contact with Beta Centauri Two,' Marrago reported. 'The communications satellite might be down, but I fear it is more likely either that the Narns have taken the colony, or that there is another rebellion there, as there was at Gorash.'
'A rebellion is possible, but unlikely,' acknowledged Durano. 'My sources there informed me that there was considerable ill-feeling towards the Court here, but that matters were improving. The lowering of taxes, the replacement of the planetary Governor, and the improved weather conditions and harvesting mean that the economy there is recovering strongly. Any uprising would have been more likely to occur two or three months ago.'
'The Narns then,' muttered Londo. 'Again. They are seeking to destabilise our economy, aren't they?'
'It seems likely,' admitted Marrago. 'A very different strategy for them. I am not sure if they are receiving outside assistance or if Warleader G'Sten is simply having flashes of genius.'
'I fear we will need to begin peace talks soon, but will they accept anything other than unconditional surrender? G'Kar might be able to help, but he is sorely pressed by other concerns. I fear an Ambassador to Kazomi Seven is more essential now than it has ever been.'
'We have spoken about this, Londo,' said Marrago. 'We need to be strong and secure as a Republic first. If we go on bended knee to this…. G'Kar, then we risk exposing our vulnerabilities. The Narns may be more reckless than they have been, but to some extent there are still elements of caution in their strategy. That caution is buying us time. If we reveal our weakness…. then they may launch a direct attack on the homeworld, and we would be defeated easily.'
'G'Kar…. is not like that.'
'I accept that, Londo, but can you speak for all the Narns he commands? What about the other aliens on Kazomi Seven? Can we trust the Minbari…. or the humans? No, I say again that we need to be as strong as we can be. Then we will go to the Narns as equals, not defeated and on our knees.'
'Yes,' Londo muttered. 'Good advice, again. Ah, Gods…. I am tired. Sooner or later, Marrago, we will have to go there, and I would rather it be sooner. That is it…. if I stay here any longer I will fall asleep. Do you have anything else to report?'
'No,' said Marrago. 'Nothing else.'
'Durano?'
The Minister for Intelligence had been silent throughout the exchange between Emperor and Lord-General. His gaze had been firmly fixed on Marrago, but he now slid it away smoothly. 'No, Majesty,' he said. 'The Shadow Criers have been very quiet of late. Perhaps whatever madness has gripped them has simply…. died down.'
'Or maybe they are all dead. Burning yourself alive in the middle of the street is unlikely to bring in many new converts. In any case, they are a problem for another time. I am to bed. Gentlemen.' He rose, as did both of them. They bowed as he left, and then stalked from the room through opposite exits, not exchanging a single word.
The silent Minbari who had stood alone in the shadows in the corner of the room waited until they had gone, and then followed Londo.
The Emperor passed six separate groups of Palace Guards on the two-minute walk from his personal study to his bedroom, a fact he found most distressing. When he arrived at his bedroom he closed the door firmly and found Timov already in bed, pretending to sleep.
'I know you are awake,' he said, undressing and changing into his night attire.
'You know me too well,' she said acidly. 'Do you know what time it is?'
'I am sorry I was out too late, Mother,' he said, in smiling sarcasm. 'I will try to be home for supper tomorrow.'
She sat up. 'That is not funny, Londo. You are up working until past midnight every night, and up again at the stroke of dawn every morning. You cannot keep up this pace. Leave it for younger men.'
'There is…. too much to do,' he said, sighing. 'Too much….' He finished changing and walked over to the bed. 'May I come and join you, lady Empress?' he asked, smiling. 'Or are you still angry with me?'
'Idiot,' she whispered. 'I don't know. My husband will return soon, and I do not know what he will say when he sees me in bed with the Emperor.'
'I am sure he loves you too much to remain angry with you for very long,' he said, climbing into bed.
'I wonder if I love him that much,' she replied. 'Good night, Londo.'
