He also recognised the sheer contempt in the Drazi's voice, something he took no pains to hide.
The long scar across Juphar's mouth twitched and danced as he spoke, a snake crawling across his face. It was new and jagged, a pale white flickering reminder that there could never be peace, not entirely.
Less than half a year after the Shadow War ended, violence had come to the worlds of the Alliance. Everyone on Kazomi 7 had heard about the riots and uproar on the Drazi worlds. It had seemed as if there would be fighting here as well, but the calming words of the Blessed Delenn — and a heavy military presence — had ended that threat.
They had of course offered aid to the beleaguered Drazi Government, only for Vizhak to refuse it. The riots were because of the Alliance, he pointed out. Involving Alliance troops would only make matters worse.
It had all ended soon enough, but not for the better. A new Government had been formed. New leaders had been chosen. A new Ambassador to the Alliance had been appointed. Vizhak had returned to his homeworld, to a new position. Taan Churok had remained, always having served the Alliance rather than his own people.
They had sent Juphar. G'Kar had made a point of learning as much about him as possible. He had not liked what he had heard. Juphar was renowned as a skilled orator and a tough negotiator. He was also firmly anti — Alliance. He had been scarred during the rioting while delivering a powerful speech in favour of leaving the Alliance.
"Drazi will not pay these sums," he said, drawing his speech to a conclusion. "Drazi will retain control of Drazi fleet. Drazi fleet will go where they wish. Drazi merchants will go where they wish.
"Drazi will not permit Alliance soldiers on Drazi worlds. We fought the Shadows longer and harder than any others. Is an insult to say there are Shadow agents hiding on Drazi worlds. An insult, and we will not accept it!"
G'Kar sighed. He could see why the Drazi were upset about that. It was a requirement of the Alliance treaties that the Rangers and the Dark Star fleet should have free access everywhere to seek out Shadow agents, remaining vassal races or leftover pieces of technology. Few races liked it, but it was a necessity. G'Kar gave a quick glance at Ambassador Durano, who was listening intently. The Centauri had to put up with more than most in that area, and for a moment his heart went out to Londo.
But, much as he disliked it, he knew why it was necessary. If the freedom of movement of the Rangers was restricted in Drazi space then other races would soon be clamouring for similar concessions, and then the Shadow agents would remain hidden, and G'Quan alone knew what they would be capable of.
"We are not insulting you in this," Delenn said, rising to her feet. She had listened to the whole speech with an increasingly despairing expression. She knows the truth, G'Kar thought. The Drazi are lost to us, and there is nothing any of us can do about it.
"We are certainly not implying there are Shadow agents being sheltered by the Drazi people, but they could be hiding anywhere. We must have free access to find them wherever they might be."
"You cannot come to Drazi worlds," Juphar said defiantly.
"That is not an option," said Sheridan, also standing. General John Sheridan, the Shadowkiller. "We must have free access to all worlds, anywhere in the galaxy."
"Not Drazi worlds."
"Please," Delenn said. "We do not mean to insult you in any way. But we must…."
"Alliance do insult us. If Alliance continue to insult us, we will not be part of Alliance. We will not pay for Babylon Five. We will not provide ships or soldiers to die in your wars with no honour. We will not obey restrictions on where we go.
"We will not let Alliance soldiers on to our worlds."
G'Kar glanced across the table. Na'Toth and G'Kael were listening intently. Neither looked pleased, but the Kha'Ri would learn of these events from one of them. The Kha'Ri was growing more and more concerned about the direction in which the Alliance was going.
If the Drazi left and did not return, would the Narns be far behind?
* * *
The image of the alien was crystal clear. Most of those who saw it had never seen such a creature before, but for those who did the sight would never be forgotten.
It seemed to shimmer as it walked, the shadows forming around it, becoming one with it. The instrument that had recorded its passage was specially designed for the purpose. Most recording devices would not even have detected it.
It was short, and walked with a peculiar hobbling gait. G'Kar knew that the creature was capable of astonishing speed and agility, moving its disjointed body in ways no Narn could ever emulate — or human, Minbari or Drazi for that matter.
Black rags were wound tightly around its small frame, completely covering any trace of skin or fur or whatever lay beneath them. No living being had ever seen the face of one of these things. They showed their true appearance only to the dead. Hence the only name the creatures had: the Faceless.
The streets it walked through were narrow and cramped and filled with people, mostly Drazi. The recording showed them bumping into each other, starting and swearing, but the Faceless moved among them with no more substance than a….
A shadow.
There was no doubt about where the Faceless was. Kazomi 7 had been substantially rebuilt since the Drakh invasion and the rise of the Alliance, but there were still some areas that were as they had been when the world was a Drazi colony. Everyone knew there was only one race that built cities with such cramped streets. This was Zhabar, the Drazi homeworld.
The creature did not seem to know it was being followed. G'Kar found that difficult to believe, based on what he knew of them. No, far more likely it was letting the Ranger follow it. Far more likely that it knew what was about to happen.
It slid down an alley and came to a door. The moment it reached it the door opened. For that single instant, G'Kar saw the door as a mouth grinning wide. A Drazi stood there, dressed in a simple smock. He welcomed the Faceless inside, and then the recording stopped.
G'Kar stood back and looked at the Council before him. None of them was speaking. Lethke, Delenn, Sheridan, Durano, G'Kael, Kalika, all the other Ambassadors and diplomats and aides. None of them said a word.
It fell to G'Kar to break the silence. "That recording was found by one of my Rangers on the Drazi homeworld. It was recorded by another Ranger who disappeared some months ago, not long after the recording was made."
"Do you know what that creature was?" Sheridan asked carefully.
G'Kar nodded. "We do not know its true name, but G'Quan called it a Faceless. The Enemy often used them as assassins. They are all but invisible in darkened areas, they are very agile, and they can kill with their bare hands. The information in the Great Machine — " and here he paused, thinking again of the rush of information and knowledge and power the Machine had given him, " — the information there seemed to indicate that they were not a specific race, but an order, composed of the most skilled agents of the Enemy. They were altered in some way, before becoming the Faceless."
Lethke went pale. "Some of these Faceless walked our worlds during the war. Many of our people died."
G'Kar did not know what to say. The nocturnal Brakiri provided a perfect target for the Faceless.
Sheridan rose and turned slowly to look at Taan Churok and Juphar Trikdar. Neither of them had said anything throughout the meeting. "Who was the Drazi in the doorway?"
"No one," Juphar snapped. "That is lies. You seek to frame us." It had been three weeks since Juphar had arrived, and relations had grown considerably worse. More than one Ranger had been ejected from a Drazi world. Blockades had been set up around jump gates and several Drazi merchant ships had been turned back, or boarded and searched. Juphar had been furious after each incident. Taan had been as silent as ever.
But he was still capable of speech from time to time. "Dr. Literana Varda," he said. "Liaison to new Government on matters of biotech and chemical warfare. Very powerful man."
"Lies," Juphar hissed, turning on Taan. "Traitor."
"No traitor," Taan snapped back. "Varda ambitious. Enemies…. go missing. More than once."
Sheridan breathed out. "Thank you. We will have a warrant drawn up for this Dr. Varda, under the Kazomi Accord. He will be brought here for investigation and trial, concerning his dealings with Shadow agents."
"No," Juphar said. "Will not happen."
"It will," Sheridan said. "You will not try to stop us."
"Drazi have sovereignty over Drazi worlds. Alliance soldiers come to Drazi worlds, we will kill Alliance soldiers."
Sheridan's face darkened. G'Kar knew what was coming. He looked across the room. The Vorlon was still standing there in the corner. It raised its eye stalk and looked back at him. There seemed to be…. pleasure in its gaze.
"You leave us no choice," Sheridan whispered. "None at all."
* * *
There was something Delenn had once heard about leadership, a lesson from Dukhat. Leadership was a constant struggle between doing was what right and what was necessary.
It was a lesson she had remembered more than once, but never with greater sorrow than now.
"They have been with us from the start," she said sadly. "Vizhak and Taan Churok have been our strongest supporters. They granted us their world on which to build our Alliance. They lent us their soldiers and their warships. They fought for the honour of carrying me into battle.
"And now…. now we will blockade and invade their homeworld, arrest members of their Government, impose our laws and our customs on them.
"It is necessary, I know, but it is very far from being right."
"I know," John replied. He was at the far side of the room, carefully putting on his clothes. His ritual reminded her of tales of the warriors of Valen's day, readying themselves for battle, beseeching their Gods for aid, preparing to kill.
"There must be another way," she said, softly.
"There isn't," John said. "I don't want to do this either, but we have to…. We…. we can't let the Shadow vassals run around loose. We have to know where they are, what they are planning. And we have to know how far up in the Drazi Government they've gone. What if the riots and the political upheaval, what if all of that was orchestrated by them? What if they're trying to complete their Masters' work? What if it's the Shadows themselves, and they only pretended to leave?"
"No," Delenn said. "They have gone." She remembered a darkened conversation with many faces, all issuing a final message, one that had spoken of good intentions where she and her allies had seen only evil results. We only wanted to show you the stars.
"Maybe," John said doubtfully. "But that's the point. We have to know. We can't allow another war. We can't."
"So we bring war to avoid war?"
"No, we're bringing the threat of war to achieve peace."
"Do you have to go? Could someone else not go? Not Daro, I know, but Kulomani? Captain Tikopai? Surely there is someone else?"
He shook his head. "I'm General. I'm leader of the Dark Star fleet. If anyone is going to do this it might as well be me. If David were here, then…. perhaps…. but there isn't anyone else we can trust with something like this."
"Do you know when David will be back?"
"When he's ready." John finished and turned to face her. "How do I look?"
He was in his full dress uniform, the first time he had worn it for real. They had been commissioned for the Dark Star crews after the end of the Shadow War. They were black and grey, and all bore the sunburst badge that had slowly replaced G'Kar's original circle — of — light emblem for the Rangers.
"Like a leader," she said simply. He smiled and kissed her cheek. "I will be back," he said. "Nothing's going to keep us apart. Nothing."
"I believe you," she whispered. But she had seen too many friends depart these past terrible weeks. Taan had left openly, contemptuous of any attempt to stop him. Juphar had commanded Daro to take him back to Zhabar. Unwilling to lead his ship in an assault on his own world, Daro had gone, as had almost every other Drazi officer in the Dark Star fleet. In less than a month, the Alliance had been sorely crippled.
And for what? A true resurgence of the Enemy? Or just one ambitious man who did not care where his dark allegiances took him?
She shivered. A dark wind seemed to blow through her heart.
* * *
In the end the Drazi Conflict was resolved swiftly. The Dark Star fleet, under the personal command of General Sheridan, blockaded Drazi worlds and jump gates and imposed brutal trade sanctions. Rangers moved in force among the Drazi worlds.
There were a few skirmishes as protected merchant ships tried to break through the blockades, but the Drazi warships, powerful as they were, proved no match for the Dark Stars. The Drazi consistently refused repeated entreaties to permit a full investigation of their worlds, and it took a peacekeeping force of Rangers to seize the Government buildings on Zhabar. With Rangers and foot soldiers on the surface and the Dark Stars in space, they eventually capitulated.
Dr. Literana Varda was found murdered in a secret laboratory underneath the capital. His body was discovered in a room with only one securely — locked exit. A lair of three Faceless was located by a small group of Rangers. The Faceless were acting under the direction of a Z'shailyl Warleader. All of them were killed in the subsequent fight, along with twenty — four Rangers and almost a hundred troops.
The members of the Drazi Government were all tried under the relevant clauses of the Kazomi Peacetime Accord. All were found guilty and sentenced to long terms on prison asteroids. A new Government was inaugurated and relations with the Alliance were resumed. The popular unrest that had swept the Drazi worlds earlier in the year was put down to manipulation by the Z'shailyl, aided by treacherous members of the old Government.
Taan Churok resumed his place on the Alliance Council and Daro returned to the Alliance military, although not to his familiar Dark Star. He now captained a Drazi Sunhawk, and turned down all invitations to rejoin the Dark Star fleet.
Vizhak could not be found. Although he had been publicly visible during the conflict he had vanished shortly after it ended. Speculation was rampant, some claiming that he had been murdered by the Alliance or the Faceless or the new Government. As the first Vorlon Inquisitors arrived on Zhabar, rumours began to circulate that Vizhak was gathering an army to free his people and would return when the time was right.
One final rumour was circulating around the Drazi worlds during and shortly after the conflict. Strange aliens had been seen moving by night, always hiding, apparently drawn to places of death. No one seemed to look at them directly, or at least no one admitted to doing so, but a common thread to the stories was that each of them had a glowing stone in the middle of their foreheads.
