Disclaimer: not mine

So no comments on it becoming a true threesome?

Chapter 3

Noctis made his way back to Prompto's room. He would need to think of what kind of work he could do so that he could pay his way, maybe they could rent bigger quarters, though that should probably wait until Hermione arrived. He smiled as the door opened for him at a touch to the Identicard reader and slipped inside. In such a technologically advanced society, being a Techno-Mage really came in handy. He put his bag in the bedroom and then took off his coat, he should look at getting more normal clothing as well at some point, enough to hide his implants but lighter in style. The station was climate controlled and wearing the layers was a bit warm.

As tempting as it was, he didn't look around at anything that wasn't out on display, he would not invade Prom's privacy like that. He didn't know much about the Corps but he probably had less privacy with them then he'd had as Hermione's bodyguard though hopefully not as bad as at the MT facility.

He pushed the couch back and sat on the floor, crossing his legs and closing his eyes, falling easily into the meditation exercises Micah had taught him as a child. There was so much technology….

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"Mr. Garibaldi," he greeted, hoping he wouldn't have to look for a new chief of security.

"Captain."

"I've been expecting you | to come by for some time," he admitted, taking the seat opposite him. He didn't blame Garibaldi for staying away, he had a lot to deal with. His own second in command had shot him in the back and when he woke up his friend and commanding officer had been transferred to Minbar, leaving John, a stranger, in command. He knew it had been his predecessor who recruited Michael Garibaldi to work on the station, would he resign now that Sinclair was gone?

"Since you hadn't, I decided the mountain should visit Mohammed after all," he grinned. It's good to see you on your feet," he offered more seriously, if not for the extreme measures taken, the man before him would likely be dead now. "I talked to Dr. Franklin. He says you can come back to work anytime you want. What do you say?"

"I don't know," Michael admitted. "Don't know if I'm ready to come back or if you want me to come back. Maybe it'd just be easier on everybody if I resigned and moved on."

Ouch, not that he blamed him for feeling like that. "Probably." That got his attention, Garibaldi finally looking up from his water. "The universe doesn't give you any points for doing things that are easy. Your record is colourful, to say the least. Everything I've heard suggests that you know this station better than anyone else. I would be foolish to throw away a valuable resource without at least trying to work together. I need someone I can trust running security. I'd like it to be you," he stared him down, seeing the shock in his eyes at his words. "Now if you decide you'd rather be someplace else I'll understand. I'll hold your job open as long as I can. Don't take too long, okay?" He stood and walked away, hoping he'd get a positive answer and soon.

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"-and then he said, 'Don't come here again'." Vir explained nervously. That was one order he was very willing to obey.

"That's it? Unacceptable. You'll have to go back."

"It won't work, they're not for sale." He argued, almost pacing Londo's quarters. He did not want to know what that Elric person had meant with the whole 'Do not meddle in the affairs of wizards, for they are subtle and quick to anger'.

"No? And how do you know?" Londo demanded, sipping his drink.

"It's just something in the way he looks at you. Something in his voice," he didn't know how to explain it properly. "Londo, they're going away. Money doesn't matter to them, | power doesn't matter to them."

"Money and power always matter," he denied and Vir shook his head, he had to make him understand. Who knew what they could or would do if Londo irritated them?

"Not to them. I don't think it's a good idea for anyone to get between them and where they're going."

"Being seen with them being given their blessing would be a powerful symbol back home," Londo sighed but then sat up straighter. "But if they won't come to me, perhaps they will come to someone else. Someone they can't ignore. I'll be right back."

Vir watched him go with the sinking feeling it was not going to end well.

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Prompto didn't know how he got through the day, only the fact he could feel Noct kept him from running back to his quarters to check it hadn't been a dream. Things were tense on the station because of some cultural fight between the Drazi. He'd heard fighting had broken out in several areas, thankfully none near him. He could fight but he didn't like revealing that, he had managed to train his body to almost to his old standards before he'd begun succumbing to the implants. This body wasn't altered at all though so he would never fully match his old skills.

He paused as he spotted a familiar woman hobbling down the hall. "Commander? Are you alright?" he asked, picking up his pace a little to catch up to her.

She looked over at him and he was glad she didn't seem as wary of him since their talk. "Just a small injury in the line of duty, Mr Bester."

"Prompto, please. Argent if you want to be formal. It may not be legal but I'd rather use my Mother's name." And what were the odds that was a coincidence? Of all the people in the universe his Mum had the name Argent

She nodded and began walking again, and he walked beside her since they were heading the same way.

"Some of my clients were talking about the Drazi issue, is it something they should be worried about?"

"We're working on it," she answered and he nodded.

"If you need help, please don't hesitate to ask. To restore the peace I'll even work for free," he offered a grin and she blinked but nodded. They reached the corridor where he'd turn off to return to his quarters. "Commander?"

"Yes?"

"How would I go about requesting a meeting with the Captain?"

"What about?" she asked and he glanced around, reaching out to ensure no one was listening and he saw her stiffen, he hadn't tried to scan her through…he had the feeling her Mother wasn't the only one to hide from the Corps. "What did you?"

He held his hands up. "I didn't scan you, just making sure no one's listening in," he swore. "I don't like scanning people Commander, even with permission. It's…to do with some interesting visitors the station has at the moment."

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Susan hesitated. He was a powerful telepath, Bester's son…but there was something so honest about the kid, and he was a kid. She'd checked his file; he was barely twenty-one. Interesting visitors?

"You don't know about them?" he asked, actually chewing on his lip. He stepped closer, dropping his voice even lower. "Techno-Mages," he breathed in her ear and then pressed a finger to his lips. "I can detect organic surveillance and even several forms of electronic but you never know who's listening."

"I'll let the Captain know you want to see him," she offered, if a telepath was getting that paranoid about being overheard maybe it was something they needed to know about.

He stepped back and smiled at her. "I'll be in my quarters if you need me Commander," he actually bowed slightly before turning and walking away.

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John looked up as Susan hobbled into his office.

"What did Londo want?"

"Offering his aid with a group of travellers called Techno-Mages," he answered and saw her startle. "Commander?"

She glanced around and then leant in close. "Our newest telepath mentioned them to me not even an hour ago, said he needs to see you, something to do with them. He was being very paranoid about being overheard." She stepped back and he frowned.

Something very odd was definitely going on. Londo had been too eager to help and Bester was being paranoid. He'd only met the telepath that once. He did not strike him as someone easily spooked, despite his young age.

"He's in his quarters," she told him and John nodded.

"Tell him to come now."

She nodded and left.

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Prompto walked into his quarters and relaxed when he saw Noct sitting on the floor, eyes closed. He was still here. Blue eyes opened and his King smiled at him, rising smoothly. It was odd, he knew he looked different than he had on Eos, but Noctis looked almost identical. He was a little taller, moved more smoothly, all of that likely due to not having been attacked by a daemon as a kid. His hair was longer but the colour and wildness was the same, his eyes still midnight blue. Maybe he wasn't quite as pale, but that was about it.

"I spoke with Commander Ivanova about seeing the Captain. There's some trouble with the Drazi at the moment though."

Noctis nodded. "I've been monitoring it," he admitted and Prompto blinked.

"You have?"

"I may have tapped into the stations surveillance systems," Noctis shrugged.

"You can do that?" he asked, eyes wide and Noctis nodded, a small smile on his lips. "Okay, wow." He grinned and Noct laughed before pushing the couch back into place, collapsing onto it and Prompto went to the tiny kitchen, grabbing them drinks and some food, putting it on the table. He sat down beside Noctis and then leant towards him. He relaxed when an arm wrapped around his shoulders, drawing him up against Noctis' side. He watched as the cups he'd put on the table glowed and floated up to them. "Guess you've picked up a lot of new tricks," he took his glass.

"Some new tricks yeah, some old ones," he held his hand out and fire flickered in his palm, a favoured trick of his Dad and Nyx. "Took me a lot of trial and error but I can even mix the two together."

"I'm kind of scared to find out why Harry thought we needed these abilities here," he admitted and Noctis nodded.

"Me too." They drank and ate quietly for a while.

"How're we going to explain this, knowing each other?" Prompto asked, going to put the dishes away and Noctis frowned.

"You said you ran away after your Mum died? Does anyone know exactly where you were during all of that time?"

"No…the instructor who found me never asked or tried to scan me over it and I was found when cutting through a park. Why?"

"So we say you spent that time with a Techno-Mage and his apprentice. We go where we want, when we want. There's no records to say we were or weren't there. We planned to take you with us but then you vanished."

Prompto stared at him in surprise but then nodded. He couldn't think of anything better when he knew the Command staff had checked into him, there was no other time they could use to account for them knowing each other. He was considering making actual dinner but then the small Babcom screen beeped and Prompto stood to answer it, keeping Noctis out of sight.

"Commander," he greeted.

"The Captain can see you now," she told him and he nodded.

"Of course, thank you," he answered and she cut the call. "Ready?" he asked and Noctis nodded, grabbing his coat. Once again he was invisible as they made their way to the Captain's office in Blue sector.

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John nodded in greeting as the blond entered his office. "You wanted to speak with me?" he asked and he saw the young man look around, scanning for eavesdroppers.

"Thank you for agreeing to see me so quickly Captain."

"No problem at all," John smiled. "Commander Ivanova said you had information?"

"Not exactly…" he glanced to an empty patch of wall and then suddenly energy spread over the walls and he tensed, Susan shifting closer, but then they both stared as a hooded figure in black appeared, a staff in his hands. He let go of the staff and it remained uprights as the figure pushed the hood back, revealing a young man, about Prompto's age, with black hair and blue eyes.

"I apologise for the subterfuge Captain but I thought it better that as few as possible knew of this meeting."

"And you are?" he asked warily.

"My name is Noctis, I am a Techno-Mage."

Well…it seemed young Bester hadn't technically lied about the topic of discussion.

"I asked Prompto to arrange a meeting with you on my behalf as the rest of my Order does not know of this."

"I only heard your people were on the station a little while ago," he admitted. If he could get the answers Eathgov wanted from him then there would be no need to arrange a meeting with Londo. So far, he was not seeing anything like what Londo had warned him of. "I admit, I don't really know anything about you."

"Not surprising, we don't generally mix with others. I assure you; we mean no harm to the station or anything within it."

"You're in charge?" Susan asked and Noctis shook his head.

'No, but Babylon 5 is merely a convenient gathering place before we move on."

"Move on where?" he asked and the young man smiled sadly.

"We are going away, to preserve the knowledge our Order has gained over the centuries."

"From what?"

"There is a storm coming," dark blue eyes held his, he could see the utter seriousness in them, despite his youth. "A black and terrible storm. We would not have our knowledge lost or used to ill purpose. From this place, we will launch ourselves into the stars. With luck, you will never see our kind again in your lifetime…or so the Circle has decreed. However, with your permission, I wish to remain on the station."

John was shocked by his answer. This was not the first warning of something coming that he'd heard. "Why should I allow you to stay? What will you do here?"

"I am a Techno-Mage, Captain. I have many skills that could be useful, granted I've never actually had to use them for a job. I will not work for Earthforce or any government. And I literally cannot speak of much about our Order. If you are worried I would be some sort of security risk, there is only one telepath in the galaxy who can scan me and he is standing beside me. Should the station come under attack, I would aid in its defence." He suddenly stopped, staring at nothing.

"Noct?" Prompto called, sounding alarmed and he had to wonder, how well did they know each other, how did they know each other?

"The Drazi situation has just become lethal Captain. The two groups have begun killing each other on their homeworld," he answered, taking a deep breath and shaking his head as if to clear it.

"How can you know that?" Susan demanded.

"I've been monitoring the situation and sensed the communication as it arrived. It was sent to the green faction; they are the ones who began the killing. I stopped the message getting through, but I doubt it will take long for them to hear via other means."

"You can do that, stop communications?" John asked and Noctis nodded. "What exactly are Techno-Mages, we've barely even heard of you on Earth."

"Captain do you believe in magic?" he asked calmly even as Prompto shifted slightly beside him, only for Noctis to lay a hand on his arm. They definitely knew each other.

He stared at the young man, wondering just why he was asking but in the end decided to answer. "When I was 12, I used to sit in my dad's garden the air full of the smell of orange blossoms watching the sky, dreaming of faraway places. Back then, I think I believed in just about everything. But now, I don't know. I do think there are some things we don't understand."

His answer received a small smile. "If we went back in time 1000 years and tried to explain this place to people they could only accept it in terms of magic. Then perhaps it is magic. The magic of the human heart. Focused and made manifest by technology. Every day you here create greater miracles than the burning bush," he explained and John chuckled.

"Maybe. But God was there first and he didn't need solar batteries and a fusion reactor to do it."

"Perhaps," Noctis laughed. "Perhaps not." He sighed and motioned to the chair, John nodded and he moved to sit, tugging Prompto with him. "It is within that ambiguity that we exist."

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Noctis remembered what Micah had told him as a child and decided it still made for the best explanation. "We are dreamers, shapers, singers and makers. We study the mysteries of laser and circuit crystal and scanner, holographic demons and invocations of equations. These are the tools we employ. And we know many things," he admitted, watching the Captain lean forward even as the Commander stared in disbelief.

"Such as?"

"The true secrets," he leant forward a little in return. "The important things. Fourteen words to make someone fall in love with you forever. Seven words to make them go without pain. How to say goodbye to a friend who is dying," he'd never known how to do that before, he had always feared he hadn't said enough when Prompto was dying, when Iggy died. "How to be poor. How to be rich. How to rediscover dreams when the world has stolen them from you. It is this knowledge they wish to preserve by going away where they will never be found."

"Why don't you want to leave with them?"

"Because I believe we can do more good by staying, by teaching and helping others. Because I was drawn to this station for a reason and I will not ignore that call. They do not know yet and that is why this meeting had to be secret. If they knew, they would demand I leave with them."

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John glanced at Susan who looked as overwhelmed as he felt. If Noctis could do even a quarter of what he was hinting at… he looked back at them and blinked…yes, Prompto was holding Noctis' hand. "You two know each other?"

"My Mother died when I was six Captain, and Dad made his lack of interest in me very clear. After a few weeks shoved in with other telepath children…I ran. For one week I was free."

"My mentor and I were on earth at the time, we found Prompto, took him in. I'd never spent much time with other children, Techno-Mages tend to be rather solitary. We were instant friends," Noctis smiled. "We were going to take Prompto with us, keep him safe from the Corps but…"

"I shouldn't have left the room but I wanted to see the park," Prompto shrugged. "They found me, took me back. I was lucky, they decided I wasn't actually running from the Corps, just having trouble with my grief so there wasn't really any punishment."

"We got back to an empty room and spent the next week looking for him but then we had to leave. I thought I'd never see Prom again. Then we came here and I just knew, he was here too."

"I felt Noct and went looking for him, thought I was dreaming," Prompto admitted.

As much as he disliked thinking it, a tie outside of the Corps, to the someone on the station, would hopefully help in the troubled times that seemed to be coming. He'd been listening to Clark's speeches and he did not like what he was hearing, though he did a good job hiding what he really meant. Having a telepath on side would be very helpful. Depending on what Noctis could really do then he could be a big help as well. It was sad, to think Prompto had come so close to living free of the Corps. To have recognised each other after so long, to be so close when they'd only known each other a week… "Alright, do you need help arranging quarters?"

"I'm staying with Prompto, once I figure out exactly what I can do to earn my own income then we can split rent somewhere bigger maybe," he glanced at Prompto who nodded, smiling slightly. "Thank you Captain," he offered his hand and John shook it.

"Welcome aboard."

"Oh…how would I go about getting an Identicard? I understand they are necessary for some things here and if I am living here I would feel uncomfortable using our normal methods of circumventing such things."

"I'll speak with Mr Garibaldi, our Chief of Security about arranging one if you'll supply the necessary information."

"Of course."

John watched them go. "This either a brilliant idea…or the worst mistake ever."

"Then why allow him to stay?" she asked.

"Because we may need his skills. His isn't the first warning of coming trouble I've heard lately. If they're right, we'll need all the allies we can get.

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She looked around the apartment and then at the boxes and bag. She was all packed and ready to go. She went to the window and looked up at the stars, smiling softly. Tomorrow she would leave for her new posting and she knew….her boys were waiting for her.

TBC…