Dalshon

Chapter 6

Lennier picked up the discarded newspaper. He had never actually read a newspaper before, although he had seen Delenn read Universe Today. But this week's headline pulled him in like a fish on a hook. "Rangers Hunt Deserter".

The photo was not of him. His intermittent luck gave him that much. Instead there was a photo of the human skeleton in the overly large Anla'shok uniform, clearly taken in a hotel lobby from across the room. She had several black clad Minbari warriors with her. The caption identified her as "Anla'shok Carla Punch, Captain of Whitestar 97, heads up the hunt for the Anla'shok deserter."

Lennier took the paper with him to his latest hiding place, wondering why he was being identified as 'deserter' and not 'assassin'. The reporters might not have the whole story, of course.

His current safehouse was a filthy room, scattered with the detritus of its previous occupant. He stood and read the article.

The reporters had much more of the story than he had feared. And just enough accurate but misleading facts to start a very large scandal, if this story were picked up off Untika.

The article did not refer to his assassination attempt at all. But it stated that Sheridan was loribonded to him. That Lennier had been Delenn's personal assistant. And that recently declassified information indicated that Sheridan had once been captured during the Earth-Minbari war, very soon after earning the name Starkiller. And that Sheridan had been brought before Satai Delenn, and then let go. Let go on her orders.

The article speculated that Sheridan had been loribonded at that time, and had been an unwilling slave of the Minbari—and of Delenn, through Lennier—ever since. Using Lennier as an intermediary was called "plausible deniability". It kept Delenn's hands clean.

"This is terrible," Lennier said out loud. "My actions have hurt Delenn's reputation. I never wanted this. I only wished to serve her. My love was pure, my devotion was perfect, before the loribond. I became selfish. But that was not my choice. I would have refused to become his controller, if Sheridan had asked me, instead of tricking me into coming with him. This was his choice, not mine. His fault. He does not deserve her love."

Lennier set down the weekly. It was time to move to a better safehouse, and a better disguise.

He went to the Feather Resort. It looked like it had been furnished by a committee of drunken Centauri. Everything was plush and red and purple and gold.

But as long as his money held out, the management did not care if the services he purchased were those of disguise rather than the usual. Lennier asked for a Minbari, if they had one. They did.

He went up to her room, narrow and claustrophobic with excessive throw pillows. "Hello," she said. "I'm Silenn."

"Hello Silenn. Let's take a tour of your closet. Have anything that will fit me?"

She smiled gratefully. "Oh yes. I love transvestites. You are so much fun. This way. Shall we start with some frilly garters?"

End of Chapter 6