Темное, кривое зеркало. Том 3 : След на песке.

"I have many, but here is one. Sinoval will destroy us. Oh, under him we may be able to defeat the Enemy, and the Earthers, perhaps even win every battle we face, but where will that victory bring us? Our people are dead anyway. Sinoval has torn down everything that made us Minbari, and he will not be able to rebuild us. Not in the way he wants. A victory under him will be every bit as dark and terrible as if we had been enslaved by the Earthers.

"I will provide an alternative. Sinoval has committed too many wrongs for him to be allowed to remain."

"Minbari do not kill Minbari. And yet you did. Is that not a wrong?"

He shrugged. "Of course. I know what I have done here, and I accept it, but I punished only those who swore fealty to Sinoval…. only the weak and the cowardly. My actions may have been wrong, but my motives were pure. Can he say the same?"

"I don't need to bother arguing that. Were those in that hospital you killed guilty? Did they deserve to die?"

"They were sheltering you…. and you, Lady, are guilty."

She shook her head and tried to restrain a sob. "And there it is. A high and mighty worker aspiring to a position above her station. Only the warriors should rule, yes? Only they are fit to rule, and let the rest of us stay down in the gutter where we belong. You have no idea how many times I have heard that."

"You wrong me, Lady. Sinoval raised you to whatever position you hold because he thought you were deserving of it. I do not dispute that, but surely you more than anyone are intelligent enough to see the evil in what he has done. You have seen that, and yet you continue to serve him. That is why you are guilty."

"Yes, Sinoval has done a great deal that was wrong, but I believe in him. I chose to serve him not out of weakness, but because I know he is right, and…." She fell silent, and shied away. "I believe in him, and I always will."

"Truly? Or are you merely grateful to him for saving you? I saw you, remember…. begging on your knees, screaming…. tears running down your face…."

"Stop it!" She was crying again. "Yes, you saw me…. and you did nothing! You stood there and watched. How can you justify that?"

"I followed Kalain. He was my superior then, and I believed in him. Whatever madness afflicted him, it is gone now. It died with him. In a way, Lady, you are responsible for my actions now."

"Me?"

"Your…. ordeal showed me that the ones who rule can be as wrong and as flawed as any of us. After Kalain died I chose to embark on my own path instead of following Sinoval's. Had I not witnessed your torture, I would probably still be as those sheep on the planet, following Sinoval simply because he has claimed the right to rule. You and Kalain showed me that I did not have to follow blindly."

"You're…. you…."

"I'm sorry, Lady. I've obviously overwhelmed you. Rest here. Sleep if you wish. I will have food and drink brought to you, and I would like to talk with you again when you are feeling better. I…. I can see why Sinoval thinks so highly of you." He turned, and began to walk away.

A few moments later, he stopped. "Tell me, Lady, what is your definition of a great man? One theory could be that a great man is someone who takes his own path rather than meekly following others. What do you think of that?"

She said nothing. There was nothing to say. He left.

* * *

There had been no time for explanations, little time for questions, or answers. The next few hours passed hurriedly aboard Babylon 4.

Captain Dexter Smith was brought on board the station under heavy armed guard. He was met at the docking bay by Taan Churok.

"I was right," he said in harsh English. "I should have killed you."

"Yes," came the muted reply. "You should have."

The rest of the crew of the Babylonremained on board, although the ship was now operated by a large number of Narn Rangers. Captain Sheridan did not go near the ship, nor ask about anyone on it.

The survivors of the chaos on Epsilon 3 were brought up to the station. G'Kar was immediately rushed to the medical bay for extensive emergency work. Later reports said that he was stable, albeit with extensive internal and external injuries. Healing would take months at least.

Attempts were made to keep Ta'Lon in the medical bay as well, but he politely refused. He did consent to having his eye bandaged and disinfected, but then he insisted on meeting G'Dok and the other Ranger lieutenants. His second act was to tell them about those who had died on the planet. His first act was to rebuff all allegations that he was too weak to lead.

"I trust that scratch hasn't made you unfit to fight?" asked G'Dok.

"Hardly," came the reply. "It's just an eye, after all. I have a spare."

Ko'Dath and G'Dan came over from the Parmenionto liaise with the Narns on the station. Neither made any remark about Ta'Lon's injuries.

Dr. Mary Kirkish was also taken to the medical bay, and was diagnosed as suffering from extreme stress and trauma. She was sedated and left to rest. Commander David Corwin went to see her while she was sleeping. He whispered three words to her, words she did not hear, and then resumed his duties on the Parmenion.

Zathras remained on the planet for a while, advising and coaching Michael Garibaldi as much as he could. He frequently clicked and muttered in his own language, but it was clear that something was definitely not good.

Susan Ivanova was brought to the station. She was now semi-conscious, and seemed aware of her surroundings. Lyta Alexander, remaining on the Parmenionto scan for the presence of Shadow ships, gave a slight shudder at this time, although she would not explain why. Ivanova was taken to a cell and left there to await the attentions of those in authority.

No one dared touch the bodies at the Heart of the Machine.

A few hours after the ending of what would later be called the first stage of the Battle of the Third Line, a council was called. It was not attended by quite the number of dignitaries who had been present at G'Kar's doomed summit, but there was still enough power wielded in the room to influence a considerable portion of the galaxy.

It was Ta'Lon who spoke first. "Our current situation here is one of great danger," he explained. "The threat to this place has not ended with the surrender of the human forces. This station has a greater purpose than as a mere command centre for the war in the present. It has…. another destiny."