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

Would he ever be?

Pitifully, pathetically, hopelessly, he nodded, and went to get dressed.

* * *

There was power, but not as she had expected; knowledge, but not as she had anticipated; wisdom, but not as she had wished.

And there was something else, a nagging, burning sensation that the Machine was doing…. something. She did not know what, and she could not find out.

Furious, Donne shifted her consciousness to her holographic form and let it step out into view. As she looked at her companions she was struck by their weakness. The two mundanes were the worst. Number One and Number Two were seated in the far corner of the cavern, ostensibly on watch, but actually talking about their concerns in hushed voices they presumably believed she could not hear.

Ivanova was still comatose, curled up like a tiny baby. From time to time pathetic whimpers escaped from her mouth.

And Tu'Pari…. he was sitting cross-legged next to the equally comatose G'Kar. The Narn assassin was sharpening his long, wicked knife with a methodical air, gazing distantly at the walls.

"Wake him up," Donne ordered Tu'Pari. He smiled, set down the knife, and began to reach into one of his pockets. Whatever strange device he was planning to use however, he did not get the chance. G'Kar opened one eye and stirred.

"I am already awake," he said in a hoarse voice. "I was…. remembering…. the night the Centauri took over…. a farmhouse…. near Na'khamamah. It was a…. rebel base…. We waited until…. dusk and…." He coughed. "We…. killed…. them all…."

"An interesting story, Ha'Cormar'ah G'Kar," Tu'Pari said idly. "If you wished to trade stories of death you should have told me. I have a great many of them."

"No." G'Kar tried to shake his head. "Not death. The…. last Centauri…. looked at me…. knowing he was going to die…. The look…. in his…. eyes. I will…. never forget." He smiled, and then broke into another coughing fit. "I see it…. in…. yours…. now."

"Shut up," Donne snapped. "The Machine is doing something. Whatever it is, I can't get close enough to find out and stop it. What is it doing?"

"Many things."

"Something programmed into it. You did it, I'm certain of that, and it has something to do with that blasted station of yours. What is it doing?"

"Never…. find out…. Never…. make the Machine…. yours…."

"Reality check. It is mine."

G'Kar shook his head weakly.

"Tu'Pari. Hurt him."

"I am…. not…. afraid…. to die."

"I've heard that before," Tu'Pari said in a civilised tone. "Many many times. And they all took it back before the end. How permanent do you want this, my lady?"

"I want him capable of sharing everything he knows with me. Leave his head alone. And stay away from any major blood vessels and muscle concentrations. You know more about Narn biology than I do. I want something painful, but not too devastating."

"Happy to oblige, my lady. I was in the Resistance once. That was where I learned much of my skill. G'Kar was something of a legend for his capacity to absorb pain. This might take a while."

"Not too long. If he hasn't told us anything in…. half an hour or so…. take out his eye."

"Business and pleasure combined," the assassin said, smiling. "How fortunate."

Donne suddenly looked up. Someone was…. coming. She wasn't entirely sure how she knew, but some sense not her own alerted her that someone was approaching. A few moments later the sound of a voice was heard.

"Zathras do this, Zathras do that. Zathras go check on G'Kar. Zathras not doing anything important, oh no. Zathras just checking temporal units in place, yes. Not important at all. Zathras not mind if whole station slip back in time thousand years. No, wait. Yes, Zathras do mind. That would be not good.

"Ah, is bad life being Zathras. Zathras does not mind though. He…. Ah, you is not meant to be being here?"

The strangest alien Donne had ever seen came into view. He hesitated for a moment, looking around, seemingly taking in everything in one swift glance: Donne's body in the Machine, G'Kar on the floor.

"Ah. Zathras be leaving now."

He turned to flee, and ran straight into Number One. She pushed him roughly forward and he fell sprawling to the floor.

"This not good. No, not good at all."

"That, my friend," said Tu'Pari, "very much depends on your perspective."

* * *

I am not afraid.

I am a warrior; born of warriors, bred of warriors, lived as a warrior, trained as a warrior, called a warrior by the greatest warrior of all. I am not afraid.

The captain in charge of the Valentharepeated those words to himself as he tried to restore order to the ship he had been given control of by the Primarch. He remembered the surprise and horror as this holy ship had been given a captain who was not of the Satai for the first time in known history.

He also remembered his pride. The Primarch had told him that the Valenthawas to be used differently now. It was to be both a focus of faith for the people and a warship, the foremost in the fleet. The captain's heart had surged with pride.

And now, his first battle on his new ship, and he had been beaten, forced to retreat like the tiniest of goks.

There had only been three ships in the Tarolin system when the invaders arrived. The Yojirohad fallen within seconds, torn apart by blow after blow. The Seppunhad been at the far end of the system and had received the warning to pull back and regroup with the Valentha. These invaders, whoever they were, were too strong to deal with individually.

Mere seconds of combat had proved that.

"Are the communications back on line yet?"

The captain smiled when he received an affirmative. "Send a message to the Primarch. He must know about this, and now."

"Should we not counterattack now? Shai Alyt Kozorr and Lady Kats are still on the planet."

"Kozorr is a warrior, and if the worker wishes to play with warriors then she had better learn the strength of one. No, Hor Alyt, we need the Primarch. With him at our side not all the forces of Hell could stand against us."

"Will he be here in time?"

"He is the Primarch. Of course he will be."

* * *

The general sense of chaos that gripped the Babylon 4 station began to take hold less than an hour after G'Kar's forced removal from the Heart of the Great Machine. When the survivors looked back and histories and recordings were made, it was established that the problems had in fact begun much earlier. Perhaps even at the commencement of the project. Those whose views tended towards the short-sighted argued that the station should never have been constructed. Minister Vizhak had argued that at the first meeting of the United Alliance Council after the Battle that would be known as the Third Line. Far too many agreed with him.