Bester smiled. “Please, Captain, allow me some little secrets. I have no wish to jeopardise certain… individuals who are better off remaining nameless at the moment.”

“Then you were not interested in me,” Delenn said. Sheridan could see Bester’s careful gaze on her. He wondered if he was scanning her.

“Oh yes, but as an… interesting aside, that is all. The fact that I could not get close enough to scan you was an… annoyance, but that is all. Sooner or later, everything comes to me.”

“‘All things come to him who waits’,” Sheridan quoted.

“Exactly, Captain Sheridan. You are exactly correct. I had also better point out that I feel no animosity towards you for your… treatment of me. I admire someone who feels such loyalty towards his companions. It bodes well for your future.

“And now to the conditions under which you are here, Captain. You will work for me. I have one very capable and adept captain in Ben Zayn, but a gift such as yours cannot be wasted. There will be certain… activities which will need to be carried out… from time to time, and if Ben Zayn is not available, or if I feel you are better suited to them, then I will ask you to perform them for me.

“In exchange I will give you and whichever members of your crew you feel most capable a place here in Sanctuary. I will protect you from the considerable ire of the Resistance Government at Proxima Three, and I will give you a chance better to serve humanity.

“We both know that those in power in Proxima are drifting away from the lofty ideals of the Earth Alliance, Captain. The urge to survive is all well and good, but there are always limits, and some in Proxima have crossed over those limits by quite a way. Perhaps we here can help humanity return to the ideals of the Earth Alliance, and perhaps not, but we can at least try.”

“There are innocents at Proxima,” Sheridan said coolly. “People who haven’t been touched by… people who still believe in the ideals. You can’t abandon them.”

“I have no intention of abandoning anyone, Captain. The Babylon will be returned to Proxima, with a few members of my staff to pilot it. As a last line of defence it is not up to much, but it is better than nothing. We have a much better ship in store for you, Captain. She is called the Parmenion. She is newer, faster and stronger than anything else we have at the moment. Captain Ben Zayn was offered first choice, but he is somewhat attached to his Ozymandias, and so we will give the Parmenion to you and Commander Corwin. Mr. Garibaldi will be able to escort you to the ship and put you in contact with its current third in command, Major Krantz.”

“And what about Delenn?” Sheridan asked. He could feel her looking at him, and he gently reached out his hand, brushing his fingers against her palm. She gripped his hand tightly.

“She is a valuable resource, Captain, but I have no intention of treating her as badly as did the Resistance Government. She may stay with you on the Parmenion if she wishes, or she may stay here. If I can assemble some kind of communication with the Minbari, then she may be able to function as Ambassador.

“I would however request that my Chief Medical Officer has a look at her, so that we can determine the effects of the change.”

“Dr. Kyle on the Babylon has already done that.”

“And he is free to share his findings with our Dr. Hobbs. Satai Delenn, I hope you will consent to this?”

And what if she doesn’t? Sheridan thought blackly, but there was no need for him to worry.

“I will be… happy to help in any way I can,” she said. She gripped his hand tighter.

“Good. Very well, Captain, Commander. That will be all. Oh, except for one thing. I gather you had a reputation on Proxima as something of a… what is the phrase…? ’loose cannon’. I accept that you are very skilled in strategy and leadership, Captain, and I will give you the freedom to obey my orders in whatever way you see fit, but let me make this very clear.

“You will follow my instructions, Captain. You will not deviate from them, you will not abandon them. The future of the whole galaxy may rest on the events of the next few years, and I will not allow anyone to threaten that future. Any transgressions, and I assure you you will regret them. Never forget who I am or what I can do.

“Good day, Captain. Commander. Satai.”

Mr. Welles had known Lyta Alexander for several years now. He had found her to be a valuable asset, if a little irresponsible in the use of her powers at times. He knew her to be competent, professional and adept in the use of her abilities.

Bruised, scarred, battered and scared were new descriptions, although he couldn’t say she hadn’t deserved it. Boggs had been a little extreme, but the man had just lost one of his best friends, so a little licence was in order. Besides, as far as Welles was concerned, she had done nothing to cause sympathy.

“I am very disappointed,” he said, as he sat down. She looked at him. One of her eyes was puffy and bloodshot. “Very disappointed. Just one question. Why?”

She swallowed and winced. “Where… is… Marcus?”

“The sleepers should be at full effect by now,” Welles said idly. “I’m not a telepath myself, but I have studied the use and results of these drugs. A telepath’s abilities are integral to his or her existence. They make you special, make you different, make you important. Take these gifts away, and you’re just like everyone else. The psychological damage must be quite severe. Like an artist who loses the use of her hands, or a musician who becomes deaf, or a soldier who becomes crippled. It takes away not just what you do, but who you are, what makes you unique and special.

“You have a rare gift, Miss Alexander. One in every ten thousand people is a telepath, is it not? Take away those whose abilities are almost useless, and you are in a very select group of people. And yet you misuse your talents. First for your own personal pleasure, as if the minds of others are your own private playground, and now, you use your power to betray your people.

“At least you have not tried to deny it. Mr. Allan has provided us with all the details. He has also been a source of knowledge about what happened on board the Babylon. He is holding some things back of course. People always do. But what he has told us so far is true. I hear so many lies that I recognise the truth when I hear it.

“And so, Miss Alexander, I have just one question. I know what you have done. I know how you have done it. I think I know why, but I just want to hear it from your lips.

“Why?”

“Where… is… Marcus?”

Welles steepled his fingers together and looked at her over the top of them. She did look a pitiful figure, and he would rather not have been here at all. No, he was certain that the true knowledge he sought could be found within the mind of the very Marcus Miss Alexander was asking about, but he was… off limits. Someone else had an interest in him, and so Welles was here.

Perhaps Boggs had been too hard, after all. Welles would liked to have supervised the affair, but he had been afraid. When he had discovered Cutter’s body he had lost control. He had come within an inch of killing Delenn. He had learned something very unpleasant about himself then, and he was afraid of losing control again.

There were always other ways to deal with problems than simple violence.

“I studied as a psychologist once, you know,” he said conversationally. “I learned what makes people tick. Their past, their present, their childhood, their wishes, dreams, aspirations. Then came the war however, and I felt another calling. I have certain unique abilities, every bit as unique and precious as yours, and I have put them to use serving my people.

“I think I know why you helped her escape. I think it is because you have no identity of your own. I may have been reckless in allowing you to form such a bond with Satai Delenn during my interrogation of her. You latched on to whatever connection you formed with her. You… welcomed it, you even came to need it.