Темное, кривое зеркало. Том 5 : Средь звезд, подобно гигантам.

Talia threw her head back, shaking and screaming and trembling. The lights still blazed in the sky, but they seemed so faint. The network was there, but it seemed so weak. These things had infiltrated it, been allowed to enter it by the Vorlons. b e

Al was there. y u

She stumbled backwards, staring up into the sky. s y

"Help me!"

* * *

There was no one to help him now. He was alone. o u

If he had to concede it to himself (and if he could not trust himself, whom could he trust?) he would admit that he had always been alone. That was the burden of power and responsibility. You could not regard those who followed you as real people with real lives. That way lay madness. w i

Still, General John J. Sheridan had hoped there were a few he could trust, a few he could call friends. l l

A few he could love.... o b

"Do you not believe me?" asked Sebastian, in his perfectly enunciated voice. He seemed to dwell on very syllable, every letter even, making sure its presence was known and commented on before moving to the next. e y

"No," Sheridan whispered, broken. "I believe you. It all.... makes too much sense to be lies. My father always used to know when I was lying to him, and he said he could hear the ring of truth in anything I said. u s

"What you've just told me.... it has the ring of truth to it." y o

"We are nothing but truth, General. If you want lies, turn to the other side. If you desire to know truth and enlightenment.... then we are here. We will always be here." u w

"Yes," he said, with more than just a hint of bitterness. "I know you will." i l

"It is painful, I know," said Sebastian, without any sympathy at all. "But better for you to know now than to have it always be hidden." l o

"Yes." b e

"In any event, it was a pleasure, General. I can see you will need some time to think. There are many options before of you. You should consider them. I.... may be busy soon, but if I am available, feel free to come and visit me. Or there are always my associates. They will be happy to discuss any concerns you may have regarding these.... revelations. They will also be more than willing to answer any questions you may have." y u

Sheridan looked up as Sebastian started to walk away, the tip–tap of his cane on the floor rhythmic and precise. s y

"Why?" he asked. o u

Sebastian turned back. "I beg your pardon?" w i

"Why did you tell me this? Why now? Why me?" l l

"Three excellent questions." He regarded Sheridan levelly. "To the first, because you had a right to know, and because we hate lies, and because we have always regarded you as special. To the second, you have been.... changed recently. You have begun to question and doubt and seek answers in unfamiliar places. You would not have reacted this way before. You might not even have cared. But you have changed, and you have begun to question, and it was only fitting that you receive answers." o b

"Changed," he said, with a bitter laugh. "Oh, is that ever true." e y

"And as to the third," Sebastian continued as if he had never been interrupted. "You are special. You have a rare gift, General - to weld people to your side, to spread your dreams so that they become the dreams of others. You are a natural leader, and your position here is well–deserved. You have also seen much death and much loss, and you will not wish to see these things return to this galaxy. Yours can be a powerful voice for peace and unity. u s

"You are special, General, and there are forces that will seek to take advantage of that for their own ends. We cannot permit that. We cannot permit others to control you by lies and by deceit and by shadows. We are the truth, as I trust we have now proven." y o

Sheridan looked down again, his head in his hands. u w

"If there is anything more I can do for you...." Sheridan did not reply. "Then I shall take my leave, and permit you to return to your thoughts. It has been a pleasure, General. Good day." i l

He left. It took a long, long time before the echo of his cane stopped resounding in Sheridan's mind. l o

* * *

It seemed such a small room to hold so much. b e

The Council Hall on Babylon 5 had always been big enough before. It was smaller than the Chambers they had used on Kazomi 7, but it had been more than adequate for their needs. Now it looked tiny. y u

Lethke zum Bartrado, diplomat and nobleman and Merchant–Lord, looked around at those he had gathered, and realised he was not just standing in a room with Ambassador Durano, but with the entire Centauri people. He was not talking merely with Ambassador G'Kael, but with every Narn man and woman alive. Little wonder the room looked small. s y

He had always known these implications, but over time the knowledge had been lost to him. His uncle had been a Merchant–Lord, an incredibly rich man, a wily and experienced trader with contacts on a score of worlds. Lethke had travelled with him as a child and as a young man, and he had dreamed of seeing more of these aliens, of understanding how they thought and why they acted, of knowing more than just how to take their money. o u

And so he had become a diplomat. The skills of language and perception his father had taught him served him well in both fields. w i

But over time, the meaning of what he was had escaped him. He had become just another servant of the Government, just another politician drawing a wage and holding down a job. l l

As he looked around at his companions, he realised again what he really was. o b

He was the voice of the Brakiri people, and he had been silent for too long. e y

Durano, the cold, icily–efficient Centauri statesman. Lethke had come to admire his competence and calm. He remembered the emotionless look on Durano's face as he signed the Kazomi Treaty joining the Alliance, as he reported the raids on Centauri worlds, as he announced the illness of Emperor Mollari II. u s