Every day there were the same questions. Every day, at precisely one minute before noon, the Centauri Captain gathered the entire population of the village into the square and picked one person at random. The same questions were asked, the same tortures inflicted whatever the answer. None of them knew where G'Sten was. There were no weapons, no money, no food. The holy person had died of a fever.
Every day the same questions.
G'Kar watched every day, praying they would not take him. G'Sten was his uncle, and his leader, but no one knew that. Not the villagers, not the Centauri. He was just a traveller, working in the fields for a pittance, secretly spying on Centauri troop movements. There were plenty of travellers these days, looking for something better.
None of them found it here.
An old man, crippled and ill, flogged to death in the village square.
A young mother, who had offered information freely to spare her pouchling daughter. The daughter was picked the next day to ensure nothing had been left out.
A terrified boy, who had lied for the sake of having something to say. He had been impaled slowly on a blunt pole.
Every day, the same questions.
Every day, the same answers.
Every day, the same screams.
G'Kar was never picked. Every day he watched, his hands clenched into fists behind his back, drawn so tight he drew blood from his palms.
One day I will kill you all, he kept telling himself. E very last one of you, women and children and old men and babies and merchants and nobles and soldiers.
I will kill every last one of you.
Every last one.
It became a litany, just like theirs.
"Where is G'Sten?"
One day I will kill you all.
"Are there weapons hidden in the village?"
Every last one of you.
"Is there money?"
Women and children and....
"Food?"
.... old men and babies and....
"Where is the holy person?"
.... merchants and nobles and soldiers.
"Where is G'Sten?"
One day I will....
And in the middle was Cathedral, the dark citadel wherein reigned the man whose name was whispered in terror and awe and fear.
Sinoval the Accursed, himself.
His voice came across their channels, in languages they could all understand.
"To the Alliance: this battle is over. We will leave, myself and these others. They will retreat from Centauri Prime and those who so desire may come with me. Any who are left you may do with as you please. Try to stop us leaving...."
Even across the comm channel, even without the immediacy of his presence, everyone listening shuddered.
"And you will regret it."
Fleet-Captain Bethany Tikopai contacted Babylon 5, and Commander Kulomani.
"Let them leave," the Brakiri said simply.
"But, sir...."
"Fight them and we will die. Your mission was to protect Centauri Prime. That will be done. Any of the raiders who remain are to be stopped, by any means necessary. Secure the defence of the planet and contact the authorities on the surface. Centauri Prime has been deliberately left unguarded, and someone will answer for this.
"But do not engage with Sinoval! None of you."
"Yes, sir."
"To
for them to meet up like this. The Thenta Ma'Kur assassins were hunting for them both, as were the more regular Narn security forces. In their own separate ways, both had uncovered a great deal of darkness within the Narn homeworld. Unfortunately they had made themselves a little too visible and vulnerable in the process, and were hunted men as a consequence.
And G'Kar was missing.
"This is the home of my people," Ta'Lon said. "I was not born here, but my people were. These rocks are our bones, this wind is our breath, this water is our blood. More than anything else, more than the Rangers, more than even Ha'Cormar'ah G'Kar himself, I am sworn to defend it."
"I am sworn to nothing," Lennier said quietly. "All the things I do are done because I choose them.
"I choose them!" he hissed to his Keeper.
"And I choose to find G'Kar."
"Maybe he is dead. The signal stopped, but it will have reached the Alliance, and it will have reached the Vorlons. If they try to send their Inquisitors and their Dark Star s then I will fight them, but if I can reach the Alliance Council, if I can talk to Delenn and Lethke and G'Kael, then there might be a way.
"If there is not, then I will fight. But I will fight for this world not for one man, however great he is."
"I will stay, and search for him. I will find him and free him."
"And if he is dead?"
Lennier paused, still looking outside. The sky was bright with promise and power and it hurt his eyes. "That," he said carefully, "I shall deal with as and when I can."
Ta'Lon stirred and nodded, his eyepatch seeming to cast a shadow that fell over half his face. "So be it." He held out a hand. "It was an honour to know you and fight beside you, Lennier of Minbar. May G'Quan see us all back home."
"I have no home," Lennier replied. But he took the one-eyed Narn's hand.
Then he set out into the light.
He had a task to perform.
"Well?" she asked, her voice rising in a crescendo of fury.