Dalshon

Chapter 8

The tiara appliance was coming unglued. Lennier had slept in his disguise, and the normal waxy excretions of Minbari skin were making Silenn's adhesives loosen. If he was going to keep this disguise up, he would have to remove and reapply the tiara and the breastforms every day.

Thumps and surprised screams came from down the hallway. Then a male voice yelling in Drazi. Then Silenn's door opened.

Two Minbari warriors barged in. A third stood guard at the door.

"Up, you two," ordered one of the warriors.

Lennier stood up, suddenly chilled. A soldier woke up Silenn by jerking her to her feet by the arm. She cried out, but then went silent as she saw the warriors' ray guns.

"Matching pair, huh? How about a free sample?"

Lennier's disguise was good but it would never stand up to that. And he didn't want it to. He would rather fight the warriors and find another hiding place. He shifted his stand in preparation for defense.

Silenn said, "Honored patron, I am not allowed to perform free services. I must give a percentage of what I earn to the house."

"Then you can give them a percentage of this," said the warrior, taking both Silenn and Lennier by their head bones.

Lennier's false head bone came loose in the warrior's hand.

"What is this?"

Lennier grabbed for the soldier's gun. The tiara appliance came partway off and swung over Lennier's eye. The gun fired into the floor behind Lennier.

Swift as a strking snake, Lennier struck the warrior in the throat and he went down without a sound. Lennier took his gun and pointed it at the second warrior. "Stop."

But the third warrior had gotten behind Lennier, and Lennier did not notice him because his right eye was covered by the hanging tiara. The third warrior got an arm around Lennier's throat and put his ray gun to the side of Lennier's head. "Freeze. Don't even think about it. I will shoot you. In my last battle the other side were all Minbari, too, and none of them survived."

Lennier believed him. The warrior had not claimed that he personally had killed any Minbari, but Lennier believed he would do it. Warrior caste had killed religious caste in the clan war.

Lennier relaxed his defensive posture. Even the most accomplished martial artists was no match for a gun to his head.