Chapter 32 (Londo Mollari)
Londo could not hold back his anger. That sniveling excuse for a Narn had finally crossed the line. He'd already set plans in motion to take care of the invasion at Ragesh 3. He remembered the first time he had laid eyes on that Narn, during a basic trade mission with the humans. He'd always assumed that the Narns were doing back-door trading with the humans. It was a sneaky tactic, one that would help the Narns build a stronger friendship with the humans. But he had been instructed to stop this friendship at all costs.
As he watched the swirling clouds in hyperspace from the cozy window of his quarters, Londo knew the time had come for him to take the Centauri people back to the glory days. The attack on Ragesh 3 was the perfect excuse to start a war, and Londo had made sure that the Centauri war machine was ready for action.
A faint chime at the entrance of his quarters brought him out of his vengeful thoughts. He placed his wine onto the nearest table and snapped to whoever was outside, "Yes, what is it?"
The doors hissed open and Vir trotted in like a faithful servant and waited for his commands.
Londo barked, "Well, what is it, Vir? I haven't got all day." He carried on with his revengeful thoughts, not giving Vir the chance to speak. "We will soon be at Ragesh 3. I can't wait to put my hands around that Narn's neck."
Londo demonstrated his resolve with brisk strangling movements with his hands. He noticed Vir jerk back slightly and returned to his normal straight-back position.
Vir stammered hesitantly. "L-Londo, our scout teams have reported back. They say the Narns have abandoned the planet, but not before they soiled the land."
Londo was surprised. He assumed the Narns would occupy Ragesh 3 for longer than a few days, perhaps even start a huge war in Ragesh's airspace. Londo, himself, was looking forward to the first stage of the war, especially after the blunt and unjustified execution of his nephew.
But no matter how much excitement he felt, that sweet taste of revenge was soon replaced with the sour thought of emptiness. He cursed the Narns for leaving.
Still, Londo knew the trip would not be wasted. He could gather evidence and see the mutilated bodies for himself. That would be more than enough to convince the Centauri people that war was needed. Londo loved to 'stir the pot' as the humans called it.
"How long until we jump into the Ragesh system?" Londo demanded.
"L-Londo, we will jump within moments."
Yes, in a matter of minutes, I can finally see the damage those Narns have caused. This will be a momentous occasion. But before he had the chance to voice his opinions, Vir sniveled out more unnecessary comments.
"Londo, are you sure you want to see this? You've been under a lot of stress recently. Are you sure you want to drag the Centauri people into a war with the Narns?"
Londo heard Vir's tender words trickle out. He knew his assistant didn't know what he was talking about. How could he? He was merely a faithful servant that liked to overstep his mark once in a while. Normally he would ignore such ramblings, but not today. He shouted some obscene words, threw his glass of wine—again—across the room and marched over to him.
"Now you listen to me. You're nothing more than my assistant. If you continue to poke your nose in where it doesn't belong, I'll have you replaced." Londo made sure his voice quivered with an icy tone. It was his way of squashing any more thoughtful remarks.
As expected, Vir bowed and left his quarters in silence. Londo walked back towards his observation window and prepared to enjoy the jump into the Ragesh system.
He would often stare out of the window for hours thinking about his latest plans. The sheer breathtaking view of the swirling clouds often cleared his mind. He was able to devise his brilliant plans that seemed to come from some force deep within hyperspace.
He imagined the decisive blow his fleet could have inflicted if the Narn ships had stayed in orbit. He could have marveled at the destruction of Narn cruisers and battleships, something he wanted to see from the very window he was staring out of. He could almost imagine his ship swooping out of the jump point with guns blazing, taking the Narn cruiser by surprise and watching the debris ricochet off his window. Even a few mutilated corpses would be a sight to remember. But for the moment, he would have to accept the empty view of Ragesh 3.
Londo had never visited this place before. Now he could finally discover why his nephew was so attached to the place.
Many years ago, Londo had been shocked to discover that his nephew had applied for a post so far away in difficult territory.
He had assumed that his nephew wanted to display his heroism and stand in the way of any ill-will people had towards him. After all, he had played with a few high-ranking officials' daughters in the past and almost disgraced the Mollari name. But Londo knew that there was some other deep-rooted reason. It wasn't until he had scanned the local transport database that he recognized a name that appeared in the manifest far too many times to mean anything but a passing interest in a girl. Londo soon discovered that his nephew was running away with an official's daughter.
But that little incident hadn't concerned him when he'd looked through the spaceport window and watched his nephew take off on the transport for his new life. He had wished him luck and denied all knowledge of his involvement.
A disturbance of jump points brought Londo back to reality as the Centauri battle fleet emerged from hyperspace in an immense display of power.
Londo 's quest for war would have to wait as well as his sightseeing tour. The main question on his mind was: why had the Narns left a perfectly good planet?
He then surmised that the pesky Narn deliberately dragged him all this way to torment him. Londo had always hated G'Kar and wanted his revenge, sometimes it seemed like he'd hated G'Kar even before they'd met, that he'd always wanted revenge on the arrogant Narn.
Those days had been a struggle for the humans, but they were also days for the Narns to show their true colors. Since then, they had crossed paths more frequently and began stepping on each other's feet. But things had taken a turn for the worst once Earth was destroyed.
The disaster in itself brought the two worlds closer to war. With the Minbari now seen as one of the most hostile and dangerous races in the galaxy, relations with other non-aligned worlds soon deteriorated, spreading fear and distrust throughout the sector.
It seemed that the human race had deeper connections with each society than anyone had thought. Even worlds that were untouched by humans had heard about this race and knew of this devastating war between the Minbari. The human race would not be forgotten.
No matter how much Londo thought about the Narns or the humans, the pungent smell of sweaty men and leather boots intruded on him. The transport was too small for Londo to cope with and he could not understand why Vir had assigned him a place here. What happened to my personal shuttle?
He placed a handkerchief to his nose and did his best to cope with the journey. He hoped Vir had a good explanation for the mix up.
The shuttle was loud and vibrated badly, not like his personal craft with exotic skinned seats and servants waiting for his every command. He looked out of the murky view window and watched as the clouds whizzed past. The spectacular view of the lush green land came into view. Now Londo could finally understand why his nephew had wanted to come to this planet, but he still could not understand why the Narns had left so quickly. There was no reason. He assumed the Narns had learned about the attack fleet and had run away! They were cowards anyway. I would be doing the galaxy a favor by eliminating them. But first, he wanted G'Kar's head on a pole.
Londo had to contend with the present situation. The nervous handling of the shuttle was a tell-tale sign that the pilot was wary of his presence and making a fool of himself.
Londo gave the pilot a few sporting glances and waited for the flight to improve. The last thing Londo wanted was an unpleasant ride down to Ragesh 3.
But the pilot had nothing to fear. Londo wasn't in the mood to berate the poor man. He was more interested in finding the Narns responsible for the needless slaughter.
Yes he thought. The Narns will pay dearly for their mistake.
After ten minutes of rattling and cloud diving, the small agricultural colony was in sight. It was only a spot of bright land in the jungle of green, but this was the final resting place for his nephew.
Londo wasn't sure what the Narns were up to. Why would they incite a war now? Surely the Narn Regime knows they can't withstand a war with the Centauri.
And still there was another question that confused him. Why did they run?
From his confined space on the transport, Londo continued to gaze at the surrounding area outside his small window. The closer they got to the colony, the more detail he could see, and the more he wished he hadn't. The area was not what he expected. The entire settlement had been destroyed.
Thin funnels of smoke slithered into sky as fingers of steel reached for the heavens like great bones of prehistoric predators. The stony roadways had been charred and large scoops of land had been dug up and dumped in random channels. The entire area was a mess.
Charred bodies and items of personal belongings lay strewn all over the streets, including weapons and burned out defensive platforms.
The shuttle hovered over what appeared to be the colony square, marked by a huge iconic water fountain brought over from Centauri Prime. Because this colony was one of the most prestigious ones in the empire, the emperor had decided to move the fountain from the home world and have it placed in the main square.
Such a poetic gesture and now the object stood in ruins with the blood of Centauri citizens flowing through its channels. Londo cringed at the sight but he looked on, respecting the dead.
When the shuttle touched down on the hard surface, Londo remained unobtrusive and allowed the soldiers to leave the shuttle. He was surprised at how fast the troops deployed around the area. Their efficiency told him instantly that the Narns could not win a new war. But Londo still wanted to massacre the entire lot here and now.
The destruction he saw once he walked down the ramp was of total devastation on a scale he'd never seen before. Every building had been set alight long ago and all that was left was charred remains and metal skeletons that zigzagged across the skyline. The Narns were no more than animals -no, animals would be too kind of a word- the Narns were no more than parasites, leeching on the very fabric of time itself.
Londo felt the chill in the air dissolve as he contemplated vengeance.
As he touched the crispy ground that cracked and snapped under his feet, he received a new surprise. Even the ground was converted to glass, as if an intense energy beam had melted the loose gravel that once made up the colony center. Why would the Narns waste resources to destroy useful ground?Perhaps some Centauri officer had fought back while his nephew was executed; perhaps their own people had drawn out the Narn invaders.
But that thought was overwhelmed by the remaining smell of burned flesh. He covered his nose and watched from a distance as Vir explored his surroundings, prodding the local objects with little or no interest. Londo wasn't sure what his useless assistant was doing and he shouted impatiently, "what are you doing, Vir?"
Vir froze, pointing his chubby cheeks at Londo His blank stare was more than enough to convince him that his assistant had no idea.
Just when he lost interest and was about to head over towards the damaged fountain, Vir's voice rang throughout the background.
"Londo! Look what I've found."
He looked towards Vir and slowly felt his anger boil up inside himself. Just what does that blundering idiot want now?
Vir appeared to be focused on a newly constructed building that had been partly destroyed. Londo had missed this structure on his first round and, from the construction design and layout, it appeared to be of Narn origin.
He bit his lower lip and felt himself ball his hands into fists as he stepped forward into the structure.
It was dark, wet and smelt terrible. The undertone of death lingered in the air.
He slowly walked along the highest point of the room. It was too dark to see anything and what little light there was came from the few sunbeams that managed to sneak past the cracks in the ceiling.
Thump!
Londo felt something at his feet. It was soft with a hardened core. He could not see the object, but it stank like rotten meat.
Londo pulled out a glow stick from his pocket; turned it on and threw it into what he thought was the center of the room. It was his only stick and he didn't want to waste it unnecessarily, but he had to see what was below his feet.
The faint glow illuminated the area. To Londo's horror he gazed at a pile of heads that appeared to have been dropped from a great height. He bent down and looked at his fallen comrades. He called them comrades because they were the bravest Centauri he knew of. To stand in front of G'Kar and resist to the bitter end deserved his respect.
Vir trotted closer, saw the mutilated heads and vomited all over the place like an out of control weapon.
Londo chose to ignore his assistant and looked for his nephew.
It took longer than Londo expected because he'd forgotten to take into account that his nephew was second to be executed. Naturally his head was located under the assorted pile of heads of all sexes and age, but once he respectfully removed the last bloody head he found what was left of his nephew.
Hands caked in blood and the silky texture of skin and nerve tissue under his fingernails, he got up and left the building with his nephew's head in his hands.
Once he stood outside, he held it high in the sky and roared, "I want his body found. Then we will kill the Narns!"