"But still.... you know, that might not be such a bad idea."
"I do have my moments."
"Report."
"The problem has been dealt with. Security forces raided the base early this morning. The conspirators were captured and arrested. Three were killed. Their weapons were seized, and those incorporating Shadow technology destroyed."
"All of them?"
"No. Two of the weapons.... went missing. An agent of mine managed to arrange for them to be delivered to our storehouse."
"Excellent. Our scientists will analyse them in detail."
"And what will we do with them?"
"Keep them safe. For.... contingencies. You never know when such things will come in useful. Are there any other little cabals of Clark's supporters still active?"
"We do not think so. There might well be individuals here and there still in hiding, but all the large–scale groupings have now been dealt with. The new order is quite secure."
"Good. We will begin the process of elections as soon as practicable. The sooner a proper democratic Government is in place, the better. General Sheridan will then return to his war, and we will be able to return to hiding. We have been too.... visible recently. It is time to disappear for a while."
"And do what?"
"Wait."
Look at Proxima 3. Time passes as the universe turns.
General John Sheridan sits in his high office, reading reports, sending people to die in the front lines against the Shadows, pushing the Enemy further and further back. He gives an order for David Corwin to move to Greater Krindar. A shipyard is being prepared there, a place for Dark Star ships to be crewed and held, a launching pad for the next stage of the war. He misses having David around, but in some ways he is glad. Now he can work alone, truly alone.
General Edward Ryan learns he will not be charged for any of his actions under Clark's regime. He is not discharged from Earthforce, and is assigned to rebuilding. Proxima will be defended by the Dark Star fleet for the foreseeable future, but a time will come when humanity will have to defend itself. Humanity will also have to commit their own ships to the Alliance's war with the Shadows. Captains Bethany Tikopai and Jerry Barns are retained in Earthforce, but the De'Molay and the Dark Thunder are decommissioned and destroyed.
Some of the secret members of Clark's government are found and arrested. They are faceless and nameless, people who worked behind the scenes. Some of them have been plotting revenge against the new administration, but they are stopped, in more than one instance due to a strange intervention by a conspiracy no one believed existed. Evidence and testimony are gathered for public trials.
Slowly a new administration is formed. Political parties appear, created in the pattern of those that existed before the Minbari War. Martial law is rescinded on the captured colonies and their representatives come to Proxima, forming the beginnings of a new Senate. One of the first motions to be discussed when the new Senate is finalised will be humanity's admission to the United Alliance. It has been made very clear that this will happen, and if there is any undue obstruction the Senate will discover its true place in the new order.
Sector 301 continues to operate virtually outside the rest of Proxima. Its people are used to being forgotten and abandoned. Zack Allan has a brief meeting with the new Chief of Security, a man named John Clemens. Dexter Smith tries to make appointments with some of the new Senators, but is frequently rebuffed. Finally, he makes an appointment with William Edgars.
The Blessed Delenn is gone, returned to Kazomi 7. There are whispers that she is still on Proxima however, reports that she has been sighted. Her legend spreads slowly but surely beyond Sector 301, and visitors come to her shrine, many from off–world.
Julia Tikopai remains anonymous in Sector 301. She has come to enjoy her new place and her new duties. She does send a message to her mother, as soon as she is satisfied her mother is safe.
The Round Table watches and waits, content now to sit back and let affairs take their course. Occasionally some slight manoeuvring is necessary, the calling in of a favour, a quick effort to protect one of their own or a useful ally. However, for the most part their work is done.
The network was re–established soon after the battle. Byron is still screaming, as are the other telepaths linked into the network around Proxima. The severity of its initial psi–bursts has dampened, and it is now not much more than a highly sophisticated defence grid, albeit one that most of Proxima knows nothing about. If it is needed again then it will be used, but for now it is a weapon kept safely in the back pocket.
Mr. Edgars has slowed down his business of shipping telepaths to the Vorlons. The collapse of Trace's operations in Sector 301 has more or less closed off that market. His masters do not complain. He has done very well indeed by them.
Mr. Morden watches, with particular attention paid to events on Centauri Prime. Finally, a month or so after the battle, he leaves, knowing the time is right to return there.
A nameless man waits dreaming....
William Edgars was, to the few people who knew him, an enigma. Head of one of the largest MegaCorps to survive the war, he was one of the richest men in what was left of the Earth Alliance. He was certainly influential and would, with a few of his companions, have been able to buy Presidents. Why, therefore, he had chosen to disseminate false information about his death and run his companies from hiding was something of a mystery.
Dexter Smith knew a few things, but certainly not enough. He did not know why Edgars was helping him, what Edgars hoped to gain from doing so.... or just what involvement Edgars had with the missing telepaths Talia had been investigating. He was not entirely sure just which side Edgars was on.
However, he was much too valuable a potential ally to waste.
"Thank you for coming," Edgars said, gesturing to Smith to sit down. "I realise things have been.... busy for you. How are matters in Sector Three–o–one at the moment?"
"Improving," Smith said, taking the seat. "We're slowly getting our industry up and running again. There are a few problems with the new administration, of course, but...."
"But?"
"But we're getting past them."
"Splendid. I'm very glad to hear matters are progressing. Tell me, have you heard from Miss Winters recently?"
Smith stiffened. Edgars had some strange fascination with telepaths, and Talia had experienced something very unusual and very painful here, something she had not fully explained to him. Smith himself possessed some latent telepath genes, and that made him valuable, both to Talia and to Edgars.
"No," he said, finally. "Not for some time." Several months in fact. She had accomplished her mission in Proxima - finding out just what IPX were doing to telepaths. In addition to whatever she had witnessed during her imprisonment, Mr. Welles had given her his own file on IPX and their activities. With this information, she had left.
"Ah, a shame. I would very much like to.... discuss a few matters with her." He sighed. "Yes, a pity, that."
An uncomfortable silence fell over the pair. Smith fidgeted awkwardly in his chair, looking at Edgars, and also thinking about Talia. In some way he could not properly articulate, he missed her, and very much wanted to talk to her again.
Finally, he sat forward. "Mr. Edgars.... we're both very busy, so if you'll forgive me being a little blunt.... why exactly did you invite me here?"
"Would you believe a friendly chat? No.... you probably wouldn't. I've been.... taking a great deal of interest in your activities in Sector Three–o–one. Following your career, one might say. You've done remarkably, better than anyone might have expected."