Темное, кривое зеркало. Том 3 : След на песке.(ЛП)

A young man in a black robe came towards them, his hands folded into a steeple before him. Sheridan recognised him as the technomage Vejar, and nodded to him briefly. He nodded back. "We bid you welcome, Starkiller," he said, in a precise, immaculate tone, almost like someone who knows how to speak but has never actually tried it before.

"It's a pleasure to be here, Vejar. We have some of the mineral samples your government asked G'Kar for."

"Ah, yes. I am sure Minister Lethke or Minister Churok will be here soon to take delivery of them. I believe they are planning some sort of scientific experiment in our quantium refining plants."

Sheridan nodded. Quantium-40 was a vital element in jump gate construction. Minister Lethke seemed to think he might be able to build a plant here to refine the raw elements into pure quantium-40. If that was true, then it would be a real boost to the Alliance's economy.

Sheridan looked at Vejar closely. The technomage seemed to be studying him. "What?" he asked. "What is it?"

"You have been…. touched. Someone…. is lost in darkness. Someone close to you."

Sheridan started. "What…? What do you mean?"

"You are marked. By the future, and by the past. You are touched somehow, and you have seen things you should not have seen. You have pierced the barrier between times…. Where have you been recently?"

"Recently? Well…. on patrol…. Babylon Four mainly. Why? What is this about?"

Vejar shook his head. "Ah, I fear it is nothing. Merely…. nothing. Has anything strange happened to you? Any…. visions, dreams perhaps?"

"I always dream. Who doesn't these days? Nothing serious though."

"Of course. My…. apologies for bothering you, Captain. I remember now that you have been involved with Vorlons at various times. That could explain a great deal. Good day."

He started to leave, but Sheridan stopped him. "Wait! Do you…. know where Delenn is?"

"She will be here in a moment." He gently pulled himself free of Sheridan's grip and nodded his head, before turning and moving away. Sheridan shook his head, and then turned to look at his companion. Corwin shrugged.

At that point, the figure of Sheridan's beloved appeared at the door.

All thought of the confusing conversation with Vejar left him as he ran towards Delenn, calling out her name. Smiling, she stepped forward and let him engulf her in his arms, lifting her up into the air and kissing her lightly.

"I missed you," he whispered to her, over and over again. "I missed you."

"John," she said, still smiling. "We were only apart a week."

"So? I still missed you." He lowered her back to the ground, but did not let go of her. Nor she of him, he noticed.

"And I you. It seems that…. any time we spend apart now is…." She paused, trying to find a word. Sheridan brushed her hair with his fingers, feeling the beating of her heart against his chest. "Hard," she whispered at last.

"I know. Still, we have some time here at least…. before anything else blows up in our faces. Why don't I try cooking for you tonight? We can…."

"I…. have another idea," she said, smiling. "My people have…. rituals for when a couple become…. close. A courtship among my people can take many years, but the rituals are designed to ensure that the couple are right and true for each other before the relationship is…. consummated."

"I think it's a bit late for that," he whispered, and she blushed.

"No. I know…. we cannot have a full Minbari courtship, and I would not expect it from you, not even if…. we had the time. But still, some rituals we have already passed through…. without knowing. Others…. we cannot perform here. But there are some. I would like us to perform one tonight, just…. as a reminder of how things might have been, and may yet become."

"Hey, you're the boss. You sat through my cooking after all, so I suppose I owe you something in return. I'd love to, Delenn."

"Good." She smiled, and then reached up to him, her lips lightly brushing against his. "Tonight?"

"Mm-hmm."

* * *

"Greetings, Miss Sakai. I suppose you would like to know what's been happening, hmm?"

To call that an understatement would be an understatement itself, Catherine Sakai thought, and one of galactic proportions. Two people close to her had died tonight, and…. and…. she wasn't sure what she was going to do, but yes, she definitely did want to know what had been happening.

But first, she wanted to know why she was in the company of a man who was supposed to be long dead.

William Edgars smiled and nodded. "Yes, I can see that…. recent events might have been a…. burden, and I would like to apologise for that. Alas, it was necessary, I assure you. Nothing I do is ever without reason."

Something clicked. Catherine was not sure how to react to the insanity of this — the man who seemed to be confessing to ordering the deaths of her lover and her best friend was apologising for doing so! — but her instincts were not dying down. The phrasing, the syntax, the grammar….