“"Emperor Mollari thought I'd be safer with you. He said 'I would trust Sheridan with my life.' ... Then he corrected himself and said he would trust you with my life, because he had plans for next week. Then he left the room, laughing."
- – Dius Vintari
Dius Vintari was the son of the late Emperor Cartagia, and was Prince Regent of the Centauri Republic.
History[]
Background[]
Vintari resented the fact that his life was so difficult due to the actions of his father, and had an intense hatred towards Vir Cotto, who was - correctly - rumored to have killed Cartagia late in the Second Shadow War. Throughout his childhood, Vintari endured death threats as the third in line to the throne and as the descendant of an infamous ruler whose madness had brought Centauri Prime close to destruction. Vintari was quite capable of manipulating and using people for his goals, but never knew true kindness due to the nature of politics within the Royal Court. In his mind, those that gave something often expected something in return.
Away from the intrigues of political life, Vintari loved studying the technology of other races and knew a great deal about the fighters of other militaries, including the Starfury used by the Earth Alliance, which he always wished to pilot.
Meeting Sheridan[]
Before meeting Interstellar Alliance president John Sheridan on the Alliance's tenth anniversary, Vintari experienced a number of dreams, one of which showed him leading an armada of warships against his enemies, and another in which he met Sheridan on a Starfury before "something wondrous" happened.
When the two met aboard a Valen class ship on route to Babylon 5 station, Sheridan granted Vintari his request to fly a Starfury, and the two launched in separate fighters. Unbeknownst to him, a techno-mage had warned Sheridan about a possible future threat from Vintari, and arranged via third parties to cause the weapons aboard the young man's craft to overload and destroy it, making it look like an accident. As the two were piloting their ships, Sheridan changed his mind and refused to kill Vintari. Once abord Babylon 5, Sheridan invited the Prince Regent to Minbar to spend time with him and his family, partly to get him away from his enemies on Centauri Prime for a time, but mostly to show him what having a caring family is like. The prince, overjoyed and relieved at the president's offer, chose to accompany him once the celebratory journey was over.
Possible Future[]
According to the techno-mage Galen, Vintari will become emperor of the Centauri Republic in 2291, after Vir Cotto. If history continues as Galen foresees it, Vintari will execute a program of expansionism that he feels will be hampered by Humans, as they are the only race that have been able to stop the Centauri before. To eliminate the threat, Vintari will launch a full scale attack that will bring great ruin to Earth ten years after taking the throne. Sheridan's act of taking Vintari under his wing is intended to prevent this future from coming to pass.[1]
Notes[]
- Vintari's status and parentage at first glance appear to contradict previous continuity. When Cartagia died in "The Long Night", it was specifically stated that he had no heir and that there was no clear line of succession; before his death, no reference was made in the royal court to the emperor having a wife, and Vintari's existence was not mentioned. However, Cartagia could have produced an heir without it being common knowledge, and it is unclear if illegitimate Centauri are considered to be suitable to inherit. If he was an illegitimate child, his existence may simply have been kept quiet.