Peter David - Out of the Darkness

The timing of the sudden jolt couldn’t have been better, I he dream was still fresh in his mind, much more so than if he’d woken up on his own. He stepped down off his bed, reached for a robe, and pulled it around himself. Then he padded noiselessly down the hall, following his parents’ voices.

Finding them presented no difficulty. They were in his father’s main office, and he could tell from the way his father’s voice came from one side of the room, then the other, that his father was pacing. “We have to do something about this,” Sheridan was saying. “We can’t just let G’Kar sit there in Centauri hands!”

“It’s not that simple, John…”

“Yes. It is. We go to the Alliance, or the Narns specifically, and say—”

“And say what?” There was a sharpness, a hardness in her voice that hadn’t been there before. “That G’Kar was captured while on Centauri Prime? They will ask why… a reasonable enough question. After all, the Centauri have made no secret of the fact that off—worlders are forbidden. And you will tell the Alliance… what? That G’Kar was there because you and he had a tacit understanding that hewas supplying you information about the Centauri? That he wasn’t telling you how he was acquiring this information, and that you were not inquiring? That your ‘hand’ was caught in the cracker jar?”

Despite the seriousness of the moment, Sheridan laughed shortly. “Cookie jar.”

“Who cares?” she retorted. “John, G’Kar knew the risks, as did you. You accepted those, as did he. And now he is dealing with the consequences, as you must.”

“And I’m going to deal with them by getting him out. Fine, I won’t go to the Alliance. I’ll get him out myself.”

“You’ll be killed.”

“It won’t be the first time.”

“How dare you.” Crouching, David peeked around the edge of the door frame. His father had stopped in his tracks and was staring at his mother. She was much smaller than he was, yet at that moment her anger was so great that it seemed to fill the room. “How dare you” she repeated.

“How dare I? How dare I what?”

“How dare you recklessly and foolhardily throw away your life on a hopeless mission just to satisfy your ego.”

“This has nothing to do with ego,” he protested. Before he could continue, she cut him off. “Yes, just as when you went to Z’ha’dum,” she said, and clearly the very recollection of it was difficult for her. David had heard mention made of that dead world several times, and he knew that his father had journeyed to it. There were even tales that he had died there, but that was nonsense, of course. After all, there he was, clearly alive. “And at the time you went,” she continued, “you were ‘only’ the commander of Babylon 5 . We were not married. You had no son. You had no Alliance of which you were the president. You were young and cloaked with the banner of righteousness, and no doubt you thought you would live forever. None of those have been, or are any longer, the case. You have responsibilities to me, to David, to the other races in the Alliance.”

“And my responsibility to G’Kar?”

“He is where he needs to be. They are not going to hurt him, Vir already passed that information along to us. He has been given humane, if Spartan, accommodations in the palace itself.”

“And he’s not being allowed to leave!”

“John… perhaps he is not supposed to,” Delenn suggested reasonably. “Perhaps circumstances have conspired to put G’Kar right where he is supposed to be. Londo is cut off there, surrounded by many destructive forces. My guess is that, on that entire planet, he had not one ally on whom he could utterly depend. G’Kar is now that ally. Who knows what poisons have been whispered into Londo’s ear. Who knows what dark forces may be shaping his thinking?”

“And you’re saying G’Kar can undo that.” He sounded skeptical.

“I’m saying he might be able to. He certainly has a far greater chance of doing so by being there. Those two… G’Kar and Londo… they are bound by fate, John. They circle each other like binary stars.”

“Binary stars,” Sheridan reminded her, “allow no life between them. Their gravity wells crush whatever planets might start to form.”

“Yes,” she said. “I know. And that may well be the case with G’Kar and Londo, as well. They may well be destined to crush all life between them with the intensity of their will, until nothing is left. Perhaps not even them.”

“Is that supposed to make me feel better somehow?”

“No. It is simply supposed to be a statement of what I believe Unless my beliefs are no longer of importance to you.”

He sighed heavily. “Of course they’re of importance to me He embraced her, holding her so tight that David thought he was going to break her. “It’s just… when I think of G’Kar in that place, surrounded by enemies…”

“This is G’Kar we’re talking about. He thrives on that sort of situation. Sometimes I think he’s not happy unless he’s surrounded by enemies. And he may be able to make a difference, John. He might very well be of far more service there than anywhere else.”

And then David jumped—as a loud voice came from behind him. “And what have we here?” In an instant he was on his feet, turning at the same time. As a result he tripped himself up and landed hard on his own backside. ” Master Vultan, his occasional teacher and frequent source of frustration, was standing right behind him, arms folded, “Spying, are we?” he asked in a stern voice, his bearded chin bristling with indignation. It was difficult for David to tell just how genuinely annoyed Vultan really was. Determining the annoyance level of his parents, however, was no problem at all. When Delenn and Sheridan emerged from his office to investigate what the noise was about, they both stared down at their son and frowned. “How long were you hiding there, David?” his father demanded. “Since you woke me up with your shouting,” David replied. This got Sheridan a dirty look from Delenn, which he did his best to ignore. “You shouldn’t be hiding there, listening in on other people’s conversations,” Sheridan told him. “You’re right. Next time I’ll find a better place to hide,” he agreed, standing and dusting himself off. is mother was not the least bit amused. “David… your actions were inappropriate.” He sighed heavily, and said, “I’m sorry, Mother.” He was far slower to employ his sharp and ready wit on his mother. He just couldn’t help but feel that he was far less likely to get away with it than he was with his father. He had a feeling that, secretly, his father was amused by his son’s rebellious streak. That certainly made sense; after all, John Sheridan had practically written the book on rebellion. “I’m sorry, Father,” he continued. “But when I heard you mention G’Kar… well, I’ve always liked him, and I hate to think about him being in trouble.” Sheridan sighed and seemed less irate than he had moments before. Now he just looked sad. “So do I , David. Your mom, too. she’s right: at this point, it’s G’Kar’s play. We have it on reliable authority that he is in no danger. On that basis, he may very well be able to do a lot of good, working from the inside, as it were.”

Vultan looked from Sheridan to Delenn and back. “Are neither of you going to punish the boy? He eavesdropped. Certainly that behavior cannot be tolerated.”

“You’re absolutely right,” Sheridan said firmly. “David: extend your left hand.”

David immediately did as his father dictated. John Sheridan stepped forward sternly, looked down at the outstretched hand, and then slapped it once lightly on the knuckles. “Let that be a lesson to you,” he said gravely.