passwords

Title: Passwords

Rating: PG, just to be safe

Word Count: 700

Characters: Londo

Summary: The story behind a password... (Aren't you thrilled now? ;))

Centauri Prime, several years ago

"Please specify a password to save the file under folder Purple."

The computer's voice sounded strangely like it belonged to a young Centauri female from the Southern continent. A smile spread on Londo face, showing his sharp teeth. Completely out of the blue this had triggered old and almost forgotten memories. An amused glitter appeared in his eyes. The girls from the Southern provinces! Ah, their exotic voices, miraculously husky and yet sweet at the same time, especially when they sung their famous love songs! How could he ever forget his first journey to the Southern continent, so many years ago; he'd been barely old enough to be able to truly enjoy the sweet company of all these wonderful women! Oh, yes, those had been the times!

A look at the photograph hanging above his desk quickly brought him back to the present time, and the cruel reality of his current life. It showed his three wives in all their beauty: Pestilence, Famine, and Death, as he head lovingly dubbed them. Oh, what a sad life indeed! Shaking his head, he once more wondered what fit of madness had caused him to put up this picture right there. As if having to talk to them from time to time wasn't bad enough! Yet somehow he couldn't get himself to take the picture frame down, or at least cover it with a piece of cloth, or even better, the blade of a sword. It was a reminder, although of what he wasn't sure... Shaking his head, he concentrated once more on the blinking line on the monitor in front of him.

Passwords were strange things. Yes, strange things indeed. Most importantly, they needed to be innovative, so that no one would be able to decipher them. However, at the same time, one had to choose a password that could easily be remembered. Otherwise very annoying situations might ensue... Another memory of exactly such a situation was about the come to the surface of his mind, but he pushed it back. The thought of his wives most definitely was enough of painful memories for one day!

His eyes wandered on, to the glass of wine he had been holding in his right hand all the time. Red wine, the best that could ever pass a Centauri's lips. A look at the colourful label on the half-emptied bottle confirmed his thought; from the Southern province as well! Odd coincidence, wasn't it? Of course, not everyone believed in the concept of things happening merely by chance. Just yesterday he had discussed this quite fiercely with a Minbari priest. Well, as fierce as discussions with Minbari belonging to their religious caste could ever get. The alien had insisted that there was no such thing as coincidence; that everything happened because of some kind of galactic "plan". Or something like that.

The conversation had taken place at an official reception of the Emperor, quite late at night, and Londo had been fairly drunk by that time. Well, not exactly drunk, just that nice state of mind where the heavy burden normally resting on his shoulders seemed to be lifted at least a tiny bit by the alcohol flowing through his veins. Enough to forget, if only for a while.

All he still remembered quite clearly was that the Minbari had been talking about the importance of the number "three". Londo couldn't remember the exact details, just something about three castes, three languages, and the universe and all that. It probably didn't matter anyway. At least with the general concept he could agree. Once more he thought of his three wives, and all the other things in his life that inexplicably seemed to happen by the number of three... Very odd indeed.

Well, maybe the Minbari weren't quite that quirky after all. Of course he would never be able to understand how one could endure living such a boring life as the priest yesterday night had outlined, but maybe the threefold sweetness of the Southern continent was simply too much for some races...

With a smile he raised his glass and finally replied to the computer's request: "Triple cipher. Wine, women, song."



	Title: Passwords Rating: PG, just to be safe Word Count: 700 Characters: Londo Summary: The story behind a password... (Aren't you thrilled now? ;)) Centauri Prime, several years ago "Please specify a password to save the file under folder Purple." The computer's voice sounded strangely like it belonged to a young Centauri female from the Southern continent. A smile spread on Londo face, showing his sharp teeth. Completely out of the blue this had triggered old and almost forgotten memories. An amused glitter appeared in his eyes. The girls from the Southern provinces! Ah, their exotic voices, miraculously husky and yet sweet at the same time, especially when they sung their famous love songs! How could he ever forget his first journey to the Southern continent, so many years ago; he'd been barely old enough to be able to truly enjoy the sweet company of all these wonderful women! Oh, yes, those had been the times! A look at the photograph hanging above his desk quickly brought him back to the present time, and the cruel reality of his current life. It showed his three wives in all their beauty: Pestilence, Famine, and Death, as he head lovingly dubbed them. Oh, what a sad life indeed! Shaking his head, he once more wondered what fit of madness had caused him to put up this picture right there. As if having to talk to them from time to time wasn't bad enough! Yet somehow he couldn't get himself to take the picture frame down, or at least cover it with a piece of cloth, or even better, the blade of a sword. It was a reminder, although of what he wasn't sure... Shaking his head, he concentrated once more on the blinking line on the monitor in front of him. Passwords were strange things. Yes, strange things indeed. Most importantly, they needed to be innovative, so that no one would be able to decipher them. However, at the same time, one had to choose a password that could easily be remembered. Otherwise very annoying situations might ensue... Another memory of exactly such a situation was about the come to the surface of his mind, but he pushed it back. The thought of his wives most definitely was enough of painful memories for one day! His eyes wandered on, to the glass of wine he had been holding in his right hand all the time. Red wine, the best that could ever pass a Centauri's lips. A look at the colourful label on the half-emptied bottle confirmed his thought; from the Southern province as well! Odd coincidence, wasn't it? Of course, not everyone believed in the concept of things happening merely by chance. Just yesterday he had discussed this quite fiercely with a Minbari priest. Well, as fierce as discussions with Minbari belonging to their religious caste could ever get. The alien had insisted that there was no such thing as coincidence; that everything happened because of some kind of galactic "plan". Or something like that. The conversation had taken place at an official reception of the Emperor, quite late at night, and Londo had been fairly drunk by that time. Well, not exactly drunk, just that nice state of mind where the heavy burden normally resting on his shoulders seemed to be lifted at least a tiny bit by the alcohol flowing through his veins. Enough to forget, if only for a while. All he still remembered quite clearly was that the Minbari had been talking about the importance of the number "three". Londo couldn't remember the exact details, just something about three castes, three languages, and the universe and all that. It probably didn't matter anyway. At least with the general concept he could agree. Once more he thought of his three wives, and all the other things in his life that inexplicably seemed to happen by the number of three... Very odd indeed. Well, maybe the Minbari weren't quite that quirky after all. Of course he would never be able to understand how one could endure living such a boring life as the priest yesterday night had outlined, but maybe the threefold sweetness of the Southern continent was simply too much for some races... With a smile he raised his glass and finally replied to the computer's request: "Triple cipher. Wine, women, song."