Byron start forward. She stepped back quickly, counting the new arrivals. Seven, at least.
'M…. M…. M….' Chase was spluttering.
'Shut up, Chase,' snapped an angry voice. 'Did you really think you'd evaded us all this time? We wanted to see who you planned to contact, and now we've found them…. Well, many thanks. Thanks to you, we're all getting extra bonuses this month.'
'Mr. Trace,' Chase said, finally managing a coherent sound. 'Ah…. It's…. ah…. You don't want to hurt me…. You don't….'
Talia became aware that Byron was beside her, and suddenly realised what he was planning. So far this Trace and his companions hadn't tried anything aggressive, and she knew it was best to let the other person make the first move, sucker them into revealing more than they intended.
Byron didn't plan on waiting for anything at all.
She reached out to warn him, but it was too late. She could feel his telepathic invasion of Trace's mind, and his psionic suggestion to him.
Trace smiled slightly. 'No,' he said, in a friendly tone of voice. 'I don't think so.' He raised his hand, and revealed a small black box. He pressed a button.
Byron screamed and fell to the ground. He was unconscious by the time he hit it, his eyes rolled up into the back of his head. There was blood welling from his nose.
'He'll have a headache for a while,' muttered Trace. 'Are you going to make this easy, Miss…. Winters, isn't it? Because let me tell you, between the two of us and at the risk of jeopardising my hard-man image in front of my men here…. I really don't like hurting women. We've all got to have some sort of moral code, don't we? Otherwise we're nothing better than savages, howling in the wilderness.'
'This looks pretty much like a wilderness to me,' she replied, edging back slowly, careful not to trip over Byron's body. He was alive, she could sense that much, but there was nothing she could do to help him now. She would be lucky if she could help herself. Chase stood stock still, as if paralysed. He was still blubbering.
'Well, yes, it is.' Trace was standing still, but two of his men were moving forward. They were wearing the same black clothing as he was, and Talia recognised a Light Refraction Belt. Some of the science labs in Main Dome were working on them, and they were nearly perfected. Obviously Trace and his men had first dibs on any interesting new tech to come this way.
'This is a wilderness, but it's my wilderness. Are you going to surrender?'
'What do you think?'
The nearest of his men darted forward and she reacted instantly, whipping her slender knife from its sheath in her sleeve and lashing out. It caught him straight across the face and he fell back in a shower of blood.
The other man hesitated slightly, just long enough for her to drop the gas bomb she had been holding clenched in her other hand. The instant it hit the ground and cracked, she turned and ran as fast as she could.
Trace waited patiently for the gas to recede, and then looked around. The male teep — the powerful one — was still unconscious. He could be sent on to the Boss without any problem. The female teep — the interesting one — seemed to have got away.
'Well don't just stand there,' he barked. 'Go find her. What am I paying you for?' Only Nelson stayed behind. He would be needed to make arrangements for the body, and anyway, a simple search-and-locate was a bit beneath him these days.
And then there was Chase. Trace actually liked the pathetic little weasel, but still…. He'd killed people he'd liked before.
Chase was still whimpering, trying futilely to beg for mercy.
Trace raised his PPG.
There was one person on Centauri Prime who knew of the Shadow involvement in the battle before anyone else. Mr. Morden had sold his soul to a higher power than humanity, and that power had given him certain advantages. He knew that the Shadows had come, and that he had arrived here too late.
He had not hesitated. All transport off-planet had been halted by the news of the upcoming attack, and so he could not have left even if the jump gate had not been disabled. On the other hand, that would not last forever. He had to be clear of the palace, to somewhere safe. The Vorlons knew of the problem here and they could help him escape.
The Centauri Republic was not lost yet. It could still be redeemed from the errors it had made. It would be a hard road, and a difficult one, but it could be done. The Centauri would escape far easier than humanity for their lapse in judgement.
It was a shame, though. He liked Mollari. He really did.
Oh, well. The burden of power was never an easy one. Mollari would understand.
Morden turned the corner, not quite running, to find Lord-General Marrago standing there with a sizeable number of the Palace Guard.
'There he is,' Marrago said flatly. 'He is under arrest by order of the Emperor. He is to be detained in the special cells in this building. Do not try to resist, Mr. Morden. Their orders are to shoot to kill if you try.'
'The Emperor gave no such order,' Morden said smiling. 'I'm one of his most trusted allies.'
'That alliance, and the need for it, has just been terminated. I am a soldier, and I serve and protect my Emperor.'
The guards encircled Morden. He did not plan to resist. There were more of them than of him, and they were also considerably stronger. He could have used some of his more…. esoteric talents, but there was little point. He knew now who the Shadow agent here was, and there was no cell that could hold him for long.
He went along with them quietly. Centauri Prime had been given its chance for salvation, and it had been refused. They would pay for that error. With a great fire and a terrible fury, the whole Republic would suffer because of the actions of one man.
Morden almost smiled.
'I can't believe it.'
The pain was gone. The inner torment had receded. Delenn was filled with a joy all the more powerful because she knew it was limited. She had bargained with Ulkesh for one night with John before she would leave this place for Z'ha'dum. He had agreed.
That one night would be a reminder to her of why she was doing this. She loved him more than life itself, and she had once made a mistake which had cost him everything. This was one small form of recompense.
But she had seen a way to grab another triumph from this bargain. She had left four messages. One for John, explaining what she had done, and why. One for Lyta, her greatest and truest friend. She was not sure that message would get through, but she had at least to try to explain just how much Lyta's friendship had meant. One for Lethke, handing over command of the Alliance to him. She could trust him to make the right choices.
And the fourth…. That would be the most important message of them all. A warning of a sort, but so much more than that. He would know what to do with it, and he was the one person she could trust to act on what she had learned.
She had needed time to do these things, time apart from John, time she did not want to lose. But they were necessary, and now they were done.
There was one other thing she had needed to do as well. That accomplished, she could begin to make herself ready.
His face on seeing her had been all the reward she could need.
The dress was white and gold, a mixture of human and Minbari design. She was not sure if its cut was flattering or ludicrous, but John certainly seemed to like it. She had begun its commission before the beginning of G'Kar's fateful summit on Babylon 4, and she had quite forgotten it until now.
He had said nothing, as if he had been entirely struck dumb. Then he had smiled, and stepped into her quarters. 'You look beautiful.'
He was wearing a uniform much like his old one. He had showered and shaved, and he looked just as he had for those first months, before his virus had become dangerous and after they had finally managed to acknowledge what they felt.
