PART 6 - Tools of Dishonor
by Sunraven, June, 2001

That night, Terra fell asleep quickly.

In the early morning she was wakened by a thudding sound, and the characteristic sound of a denn-bok uncompressing. Terra half fell, half jumped off the bed and ran into the living area.

Lenann, in his sleeping robe and his denn-bok in hand, was circling an opponent dressed in the black of the Warrior Caste. His opponent was about a half-foot taller than him, and had a longer reach. Terra didn't recognize him from the denn-bok training, but his antipathy and hatred scorched her soul.

She tried moving further into the room, but was stopped by one of Neroon's iron-muscled arms. "Stay!" He ordered, and he moved between the two fighters and her. If the assassin managed to get through Lenann, he would then have to go through a fully alert and enraged Neroon in order to get to Terra.

Whoever he was, he was good with the denn-bok. He wasn't even close to Lenann's skill, though, so before long he was losing badly. Suddenly he backed out of Lenann's weapon's reach, looked directly at Neroon and Terra and yelled something Terra didn't understand. Then he threw his denn-bok head-on right at her! Neroon's weapon swung in an arc and knocked the deadly missile aside. By then Lenann had hit the man in the skull with a loud crack, and he went down like a stone.

Terra and Neroon moved up to where Lenann stood over the assassin. He wasn't unconscious, just really dazed, and as he looked at her and Neroon approaching, he called her that word she didn't understand again. She sensed Neroon's anger and battle lust increase in response to the insult, and he stepped up to him, his denn-bok ready to deal the coup de grace to the unarmed Minbari.

"Neroon! No!" Lenann reached up and stopped his friend by crossing denn-boks with him. "He is no longer armed! You can not continue!"

"You heard what he called her!" Terra didn't recognize her warrior's voice, so strangled was it with rage. Her attention had moved inward as his almost berzerker fury overflowed her emotional channels and she filled with the same rage he felt.

"Still, it is dishonorable to kill an unarmed enemy. I will not allow you to do it."

"You will not allow me? You dare speak to me like that?" He looked ready to go after Lenann in his fury.

Terra felt engulfed in Neroon's anger, and saw red, all control lost in the empathic bond between them. "Neroon! Lenann!"

Both men turned towards her at her empathic shout.

"He must die! He cannot live after what he tried. I will kill him myself!"

She approached the warrior lying on the ground. The look of repulsion on his face and the disgust radiating from him hit her head on. Terra concentrated her empathy on him, and cut the blood off to his brain. He was unconscious in seconds. She then moved her concentration on to his heart, planning to stop it from pumping blood.

"Terra! No!" The empath continued with what she was doing, ignoring Neroon's shout.

She felt a sharp blow to the back of her neck, and then knew no more.

When Terra came back to herself, she was being held tightly by Neroon, and his fear that he had killed her with his blow was overwhelming her shields. She reached up to his face and said, "You hit me, you black-suited gorilla!" Her hand curled into a fist, and she socked him as hard as she could. Unbelievable pain shot into her knuckles, and she started crying in reaction, at the same time struggling to get out of his arms.

"Get away from me!"

"Let me see your hand. You've hurt it."

She backed away from him and turned towards her clansman. "Lenann, keep him away from me!"

Lenann moved between them, his arm out stopping Neroon's approach. "Neroon, for Valen's sake, back off! You've frightened her."

Safe behind Lenann, she accused Neroon again. "You hit me!"

Neroon was close to becoming enraged again. "Of course I hit you! You were killing him. Think, Terra! What would using your gift to kill do to you?"

Lenann looked at Terra. "He did the right thing, Terra. It would have destroyed you to use your gift to kill a defenseless enemy."

Her haze of berzerker anger started fading, allowing her mind to come back to her.

"Oh, God, what did I almost do?" Then she ran into the bedroom and fell on the couch weeping. Her hand had swollen to twice its normal size, but she relished the punishment its pain inflicted on her. She had almost taken a life with her empathy, and not in defense of her own life.

"Terra?" Neroon came in and came over to her.

"Go away!"

"I need you to put on some clothes. We have called Chakur and Sorat, and they will be here soon."

She sat up, ripped her nightgown off with her good hand, and went to get a jumpsuit to put on. Tears were falling down her face, and the pain in her hand was filling her with its steady throbbing. She was having trouble putting the clothes on with only one hand. Neroon came over to her, helped her get it on, then took her right hand in his gently.

"I think you've broken a few of the bones in your hand. My heart, didn't anyone ever tell you how hard a Warrior Caste head is?"

"Let me go." She said in a dead voice.

He complied, the hurt from her cruel treatment of him searing her already erratic shields, then he turned to go back into the living room.

She went to her medical kit, got out a chemical ice bag, snapped it, and put the rapidly cooling pack on her swollen hand. Then she took out a pain tab and stuck it on her left wrist. Very soon afterwards the pain dulled from a roar to a dull squeak.

By then Terra could hear Chakur's deep voice, and Lenann's lighter one out in the living quarters. She walked out to where Sorat, Chakur, Neroon and Lenann stood around the still unconscious assassin.

"He is Ran, of the family Cord. He has only been with us a few months. I have no idea why he would want to kill the Doctor, Satai Neroon. It was certainly not by my orders." The Captain of the Ingata smiled ruefully at Terra. "Though you have irritated me to the point of wanting to kill you a few times, it would be the last thing I would do before you have stopped the plague on Korun. I would wait until afterwards to do it." He turned to his Alyt. "Sorat, take him to the cells. I will interrogate him myself."

Neroon said, "No. I will interrogate him, Chakur."

At this blatant usurping of his rank privilege, Chakur tried to stare Neroon down. But he was no match for the will of his superior, and soon he said, "As you will, Satai Neroon."

Ran was finally waking up, and Sorat took him by the arm and thrust him out the door.

Chakur turned to Terra. "Dr. McClare, you have my apologies that your life came to be risked on my ship, by one of my crew. He will be punished and disgraced, you can be absolutely sure of that." He then went out after his Alyt. Neroon stopped and turned to Terra, but she ignored him. Radiating hurt and concern for her, he followed Chakur out the door.

Lenann looked at Terra's white face. "Terra, your hand must be seen to! We must get you to a doctor."

"No! No Warrior Caste Doctor. There are three broken bones, but they are in such a place that a single hand splint will take care of it. All that you need is in my medical bag. You do it, Lenann."

"But I have no knowledge of Human bone setting techniques!"

"I will guide you. You will be fine." She was teetering on her feet in shock. Lenann put his arm around her, picked her up, and carried her into her bedroom. He gently laid her down on the couch, then went and got her medical bag. He brought it to her, and she took the scanner out of it. She ran it over her hand, and found that her gift had diagnosed the breaks correctly. She walked Lenann through applying the Human bone growth salve, then wrapping the hand, then molding the plasti-quick splint to best support the broken bones in the most natural position. Then he applied elastic wrapping around the splint so it would stay in place.

"Is there anything else you want, Terra?"

"Could I have some tea? I have a special blend of herbs in my suitcase there. It will help me relax."

"Of course." He got out one of her pre-made tea bags, then at her request he assisted her out to the living area couch, where she sat down. Soon she was sipping the relaxing blend, and starting to come out of the emotional and physical shock she'd been in.

The door to the suite opened without the door chime ringing, and Sorat came in. She held a bloody denn-bok in her hand, and looked absolutely murderous. Lenann's denn-bok uncompressed and he moved between the warrior and Terra.

Sorat looked at Lenann with ill-disguised contempt. "I have not come to do you damage, Doctor, so call off your guard pet."

"Lenann, it is okay, clansman. She means us no harm."

He backed off, but didn't compress his denn-bok.

The warrior looked down at her with cold gray eyes. A killer's eyes. "There is now blood between us, Human, and blood between myself and the clan of Cord. But he deserved to die for attacking the one who has the Satai's heart, even if my life be forfeit. Know this, Human. You have His heart, and if you even come close to hurting Him, there will be nowhere you can hide from my wrath!" Then she threw down the bloody denn-bok on the floor near Terra's feet, and walked back out the door.

Once she was gone, Terra asked in a small voice, "Please, Lenann, take that thing away."

Lenann took the stained denn-bok and carried it out to the corridor. He came back in shaking his head. "Terra, what in Valen's name was that all about?"

"She killed Ran, Lenann. Alyt Sorat loves Neroon, and took it on herself to punish Ran."

"A Minbari killed another Minbari? This is a dark moment for our people, Terra."

"Yes, it is. Lenann, find Neroon. I need to talk to him."

Just then, Neroon and Chakur walked in to the room. "Lenann, what is that denn-bok doing outside the quarters?"

Terra explained what Sorat had done like this: "It is Alyt Sorat's, Satai Neroon. She has taken Ran's life, perhaps challenged him to Denn-sha, I'm not sure. She said something about not allowing a traitor who would try to take the life of one of the Gray Council to live. She has avenged the insult to the Ingata, and to its entire crew, Captain Chakur. And she was within her rights to do so." Terra stood up from the couch and looked deep into Chakur's eyes. "I insist that she not be punished. That she instead be honored for her honoring of Satai Neroon." She then looked at Neroon. "That is the price I demand for the work I will do on Korun. Satai Neroon, you speak for the Gray Council. Will you give me my price?"

The Satai looked at her, his pride for her burning through her already weak shields, making her ashamed for the way she had treated him. "For your help, I will pay your price, for the entire Gray Council, and for my entire Caste."

Chakur gasped. "You cannot speak for the Shai Alyt, Satai Neroon!"

Neroon looked at his former Lieutenant. "Chakur, it was the Shai Alyt who sent this assassin to take Dr. McClare's life, and who put mine at risk. To avoid disgrace to him and his clan, he will agree to anything I say."

"As you say, Satai Neroon." Chakur bowed his head in compliance, then left to find his Alyt.

Neroon turned to her, his heart in his eyes. Lenann discretely left the suite. She smiled at the Warrior Satai, and reached out her good hand to him. "I suppose that I forgive you for hitting me, you black-suited gorilla, and for having such a hard chin that I broke my hand in three places on it, and I didn't even cause a bruise!"

He pulled her into his arms, holding so tightly that she gasped, "Loosen up, love, I have to breathe." She looked up into his eyes and said, "Thank you for stopping me from doing a terrible wrong, Neroon. You were right. If I had killed him, and I did mean to do so, it would have cracked my spirit. I would have never been able to use my gift again without being reminded of its taint."

"I would give my life for you, Terra, and would consider myself honored to do so."

"And I would give mine for you, Neroon, though I'm not sure it would be a fair trade. You are much more honorable than I am or ever will be. I do care for you deeply, you boneheaded Warrior Caste."

He smirked at her. "Good. Now will you marry me if I wish it?"

"No." At his angry look, she sighed. "Well, if you insist, then I'll agree to think about it. Not that I even have to worry, really. If I did say I would marry you, then we would have about 800 rituals to go through because of us being from different castes, and I bet Delenn would probably think up about a hundred more just to spite you, and we would both be dead of old age before we finally could get married."

He laughed his sexy laugh, hugged her again, and rolled his eyes, saying, "Well, at least it is a beginning."

* * * * * * *

The next day, Terra unstrapped herself from the shuttle chair, ready to step out onto Korun.

"Wait, Terra, let me get that bag." Lenann unstrapped himself.

"No Lenann. This is where you, Neroon, and I part company. I will not risk either of your lives by allowing you onto a planet where so many of your people have died. I will go alone."

"This is absolutely unacceptable!" Neroon bellowed. "We are coming with you."

At the same time, the usually quiet Lenann yelled, "You have no right to forbid us from coming with you."

Her eyes turned green as she frowned at the two of them standing side by side, ganging up against her.

"No, you are not coming with me!"

Giving in to his frustration, Neroon went over, picked Terra up, slung her over his shoulder, and carried her off the shuttle to the waiting Korunians. To give her credit, Terra didn't knock him out, because that would have embarrassed him, and she knew she could never bring herself to do that to him in public again. He put her down smartly in front of the now startled waiting Korunians and said, "We and your equipment will join you soon, Doctor McClare."

Terra, her face crimson, gave the smirking Satai a "Just you wait, bud, boy am I going to get you back!" look, and turned to the head physician on Korun, her eyes daring the poor man to say even one word.

"Dr. Sarel? I am Dr. Terra McClare, and we have much work ahead of us!"

 

The End of Tools of Dishonor



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