Dalshon
Chapter 14
"Here's your uniform back. You ever plan on wearing it again?"
"Probably not," Lennier said softly. But he folded it carefully, reverently, and stowed it in the waterproof cache container from which it had been removed.
When they arrived wherever they were going, he would lose himself for a while and then hide this again. He had many caches of money, weapons, and so forth across the galaxy, but only two of them contained something precious. Whichever one was going to hold this uniform, and the large green stone of the Anla'shok pin, symbol of a hope as bright as his eyes, which now glistened with unshed tears.
The other one was the one which contained a single, long dark hair, sealed in a clear bag. A hair he had impulsively pocketed one day while cleaning up Delenn's quarters, when he had first encountered the peculiar human contraption known as a hairbrush. That too was a symbol of hope, and fulfilled prophecy—for the rest of the galaxy. For Lennier it was a symbol of despair. Of inevitable change, against which the power of mere love could not stand. He did not know why he kept it. Oh, yes, of course: because it was Delenn's. Quite simple, really.
"You planning to ask what I wanted it for?"
"Hmm? No. I'm sure you had your reasons. And I do hope you plan to show as much circumspection about my own activities. That is, wherever it is you let me off, I would very much appreciate if you do not tell anyone."
"Cor! What makes you think we're gonna let our best weapon just walk away from us? Eh?"
"What?"
The human clapped a mock-jovial hand on Lennier's shoulder. Lennier grabbed it and twisted it off his shoulder and had the human in an arm-lock in the blink of an eye. "Do not assume my gratitude is boundless," Lennier said. Then he released the man.
The human back off a few steps, rubbing his arm. "Yeah, well, it's like this, see. Didn't you wonder how a piece of Teeknab just grew legs and scuttled off?"
"No. If you say you flew part of the station away, then you did. It is not magic. Every section of Untika used to be a starship. You just reconditioned the engine. What is your point?"
"My associates want me to hang onto you til we see how our little propaganda film turns out. If it works, they'll want you to do more of them."
"I see. First you blame the Earth civil war on the Minbari. Then you look around for other things to blame on us. I do not mind hurting Sheridan's reputation. But I do mind hurting Delenn's, and Minbar's. And this is skating entirely too close to lying for Minbari taste." Lennier had told outright lies before, and he would again, if necessary, but he was not about to admit that.
"Cor! How did you manage to hang out with the cutthroat Ambassadors on Babylon 5 without picking up a nose for conspiracy?" He laughed the way a bully laughs when one of his victims trips and falls without his help.
For just a moment, Lennier stopped focusing so hard on his own anguish over Delenn to really pay attention to his circumstances. "Are you saying…" Lennier trailed off. Of course. That message he had recorded: it was not about Clark.
He had to get out of here. He had to issue the counterphrase before he got the Insterstellar Alliance into another war with Earth.
"I see," Lennier said. "Sheridan shoots President Luchenko. Then Luchenko's bodyguards shoot Sheridan. Then Delenn is left alone. I will comfort her in her grief. And she will come to my arms at last. I do not see a downside here."
The uncouth human's jaw dropped open.
"Tell your associates that I hope our partnership is a long and mutually beneficial one." Lennier was very glad now that he had some practice at lying, because he could not afford to do it badly now. "If they hope for influence with the Alliance, through me to Sheridan, they will have to move quickly, before the command I have already given is played out. Because Sheridan must die. But after that, I have no doubt that Delenn will step into the Alliance Presidency. And with their help, I will be there at her side. We will rule Minbar, and the galaxy, together."
"Uh, yeah. Yeah, that would be good. I'll tell them."
"I will tell them myself, I think. If I am to become a person of power, then I should deal directly with other beings of power. Do you not agree?"
"Of course. They'll come to see you here."
"They will come to see me where I choose. I am to become Delenn's consort, the power behind the throne, and they the power behind me. Unseen. In the shadows."
The human's eyes widened. "I take it back. You do have a nose for conspiracy. How did you guess?"
Lennier forced himself not to react. He had been speaking metaphorically. At last he saw this low class human for what he really was: a Shadow servant.
"I am Minbari," Lennier said. "Other races worship the light. We have always striven for a balance between the light and the darkness. The Earth Pope, the Centauri Emperor, they wear white. The grandest ceremonies of their races are all about white light, thinking that law and good are the same thing. But we Minbari: our leaders are Grey."
The human cleared his throat. "You're right. My associates have concentrated on Earth and the Centauri Republic. We never dared approach the Minbari. But we were wrong to count you out. That will change."
"Yes," agreed Lennier. "Now, you will set down at a location of my choosing, so that I can tend to some pressing business. Give me a communications device to contact—our—associates."
"Nn, this ship will have to dock at our base, or at least someplace where nobody can see it. You can transfer to a less conspicuous ship from there."
"The base then," Lennier said. "But I would think a slightly wrecked looking hull would not draw too much attention anywhere."
"Cor! You wasn't paying attention, gov'nuh. This ship sprouted legs, I tell you."
"Oh. Of course. This is a spiderdrive ship."
"You bet it is. And don't worry, our associates will be waiting for you on the base. You can discuss your plans for galactic conquest then."
"I very much appreciate it."
End of Chapter 14
