10. Out Flew The Web And Floated Wide

A month has passed during which Lyta and G'Kar were lurking around the capital city in telepathic guise of two ordinary citizens. Rangers, with help of Vir and some carefully selected Centauri, were concurrently doing everything in their power to disable the fusion bombs and G'Kar was fishing for any palace gossips he could.

'You are even more worried for him than if you two were married' teased Lyta.

'According to some we are' sighed G'Kar. 'But perhaps I shall have a little faith in Mollari after all. If there is some virtue in him I could be sure of, it's the devotion to his people. He really will agree to do anything necessary for them.'

'As you would do for the Narns.' Lyta shrugged. 'I don't think it absolves him from everything he did.'

'No, it doesn't. But lack of absolution in turn doesn't mean that I can't help him.' G'Kar smiled. 'And somehow I think he would return the favor if needed.'

The very next day G'Kar was caught by the city guards. He and Lyta had to be simultaneously at two different spots meeting with Rangers and somehow, upon returning, G'Kar was spotted, captured and brought before the Emperor. As it showed, cloaks with hoods weren't nearly as good as telepathic guises provided by Vorlon ward.

Mollari, while clad in immaculately white clothes and sitting on a pompous Centauri throne, didn't look as a proper emperor. No pride was left, only heavy burden and slumped shoulders upon which it lied.

'G'Kar... why? Why have you come?' asked Mollari in a hoarse voice.

That was an excellent question by itself and G'Kar still didn't come up with a good answer suitable to be given in public. At last he tried something both a bit offensive and a bit rational.

'Well, the Alliance send me incognito to observe how things are going on here. I must say that your guards are becoming more and more competent as of lately, they managed to capture me before I had time to find something interesting.'

'Is that so, G'Kar?' asked Mollari with a tired voice, then paused as if listening to something, someone. A look of utter horror passed through his face for a millisecond, complete with shaking his head. Then a flick of pain and involuntarily gesture to his shoulder, where G'Kar supposed the Keeper was hidden. Disgusting little creature, just like Lyta said. And even more so as G'Kar was all too easily able to guess what his order was.

Mollari looked at guards.

'Leave us. Now.'

When the guards reluctantly left, Mollari stood up and came closer to G'Kar.

'It doesn't make sense, you know. The dream... '

G'Kar almost rolled his eyes.

'The dream is just a dream, and so are prophecies. You are ordered to kill me, right?'

Mollari's eyes widened and he paled to the true white whiteness of artificial light with all wavelengths balanced. He even took a step back. Have it been under different circumstances, G'Kar would be doing his best now to be impossibly smug.

'Yes, I know. Your, ah, companion may show himself as well. The Drakh, isn't it? Nasty creature.'

Said nasty creature emerged from shadow, wearing a little, ironic smile.

'So you discovered the truth, G'Kar' he said in an elegant, raspy voice. Now the Narn and the Drakh stood eye to eye, with Mollari in between. The Emperor was looking ready to drop dead after this last turn of conversation.

'Yes, I did.'

'All the more reason to have you killed now. We could not risk you exposing our presence here to anyone. If we learn that you already did, the consequence will be most dire. And... I think that it will be only fair to have Mollari kill you personally. Not necessarily by choking' the Drakh chuckled unpleasantly. 'I suppose you know what would happen if Mollari refuses, do you, G'Kar?'

'Yes' sighed the Narn.

'There you are' said Drakh almost cheerfully. 'All in good self-defense. Mollari' he handed to the Emperor a Centauri-made PPG. Mollari accepted it with shaking hands. But when he finally looked at G'Kar there was no hesitation in his eyes. No words were really needed. Mollari raised a gun, aimed carefully, completely sure that G'Kar understood why he had to do it. G'Kar in turn, until then, made a very convincing show of agreeing. In the very last second he bolted forward, hit Mollari's hand and snatched the weapon. Almost without aiming, he shot at the Drakh, who tumbled backward, hurt, yet very much alive.

'No!' shouted Mollari. 'He'll kill them all!'

G'Kar felt a forceful push, an invisible strength was pinning him down till he was laying flat on the floor. He still could observe everything, Mollari's shocked face, menacingly glowing eyes of the Drakh and of course a little detonator in his hand.

'No!' begged Mollari. 'Don't! I'll kill him, right now, but don't!'

Well, if it would come to that, then G'Kar would have to spill the secret, but for now he still was counting on some surprise-born advantage. And, of course, that the Rangers who were meeting with Lyta also confirmed that the last bombs were indeed rendered useless. They practically had the job done and were planning a little Drakh-exposing in the very next days. But not yet. Well, but if this was the way it was supposed to be...

'You had your chance' said Drakh coldly. 'Now I'll detonate just one fourth of the bombs. The rest is still an open possibility.'

'NO!' shouted Mollari and lunged forward but too late. The Drakh activated the detonator.

Nothing happened. Mollari stood there resigned, clearly thinking that it just happened on the far side of the planet. But the Drakh knew that something was very wrong and his befuddled expression was immensely satisfying. Then the force pinning G'Kar to the floor disappeared and the Narn didn't wait for an explanation. The PPG was still on the floor and the Drakh wasn't moving. That just made him an excellent target.

'Enough, G'Kar' he heard after a while. 'He is dead. Truly.'

It was a female voice, and then he heard clacking of heels. He turned to see Lyta, who was smirking with satisfaction.

'What would you do without me' she sighed. 'Pinned to the floor and ready to slaughter.'

'You immobilized the Drakh?'

'Yes, and at the same time made him feel terrible pain. There are no more Drakh here now, but they had big plans and it's better if I go and tell Sheridan immediately. After that it's his trouble not mine. The Rangers will take me to him.'

'Lyta...' said Mollari with a feeble, barely audible voice. 'Thank you...'

Lyta actually smiled and left without a word. G'Kar looked at Mollari, who was also smiling albeit a bit incoherently. The remains of Keeper were lying on the floor and a few spots of blood marked white imperial uniform on the shoulder. Then Mollari staggered and fell, but G'Kar have already managed to catch him.