PART 3 - A Week in the Strife
by Sunraven, May 1999
Terra came into the Captain's conference room. Marcus, Garibaldi, Lennier, Ivanova and Sheridan all stood around just looking at each other in distress. The emotional morass hit her like a one-ton rock- guilt, anger, rage, fear, and one almost berzerking Minbari- Lennier. She went to him immediately, projecting calming emotions at him, despite her own fear and anger.
"Lennier," She projected her voice to slice through his beginning berzerker fury. "Nei! Ve revak et cho Delenn! Ve lacht redat! Ce ve redinnelcht?"
"Vei. Ce I redinnelchtei, Terra." He bowed to her, visibly calming down, then bowed to the room, and left.
Sheridan leaned over to Marcus. "What did she say? It seems to have had quite an effect."
"She told him that it wouldn't help to lose himself, that's the Minbari statement for going into a berzerker fury, now. She told him that if he was going to lose himself, that he needed to wait until it could do some good. For now, he should chill out and make himself useful."
"She said all that? It didn't seem that long of a speech."
"They are a very economical people, Captain, and their languages are no different."
"What's happened, Captain?" Terra looked at Sheridan.
"Someone's kidnapped Delenn and one of the Minbari Captains. Docking area four was sealed off by a trip switch, and when we finally cut our way through the door, we found two dead Minbari aides and ppg scorch marks. Apparently someone got them right when Delenn met their shuttle."
"Where were her escorts? With all that's going on, she wouldn't be stupid enough to go without at least one!"
Marcus came over, his eyes begging her to punish him, and his emotions telling her that he was already doing a fine job of it all by himself. "I was escorting her. She was trying to tell me something, and I didn't want to listen, so I left her. If I hadn't left, she would be safe right now."
Projecting calmness and concern, she responded in Minbari. "You're not one of the Great Ones, Marcus. You might have died well defending her, but they were obviously prepared and had superior forces. You can still help now, if you can keep your head clear. You have Ranger sources that may know something. Start thinking with your head, not your denn-bok like a Warrior Caste!"
He shouted a few more passionate words, then left at a run.
Ivanova started to go after him, but Sheridan stopped her. "Let him go. He has sources outside of Security that we don't have. Maybe he can find something useful."
At her mention of Warrior Caste, Terra remembered Neroon. Oh no! She had better get to him before he found out about this from the Minbari grapevine. She went over to the vid com.
His face came on line. Good. He didn't look too upset as she said in Dark Minbari, "Neroon. Something has happened. I need to see you now. Do you know the way to the Command Center?"
"Of course I am familiar with all the major places on the station. What is it, what has happened?"
"Not here on an open channel. Come to me, now. The officers in the Command station will show you the way." Then she signed off.
Sheridan looked at her accusingly. "That's the Warrior Caste that you brought on my station without my permission, isn't it, Doctor McClare?"
She fought down the annoyance that sparked at his tone of voice. The empathic part of her knew that it was only his fear for Delenn that was speaking. "Neroon is a member of the Gray Council who, at great physical and political risk to himself, gave me protection and brought me back to this station, Captain Sheridan. Delenn also approved his coming to take counsel with her. The Minbari people, like your own, are at a crossroads. I was doing my job as mediator to try to keep peace among the Minbari during this transition. Are you questioning my judgement as mediator and the judgement of the Minbari Ambassador?" She was standing nose to nose with him by then, well, more like nose to chest, since he was over six feet tall.
"If your judgement threatens this station, I will put both you and this Minbari Warrior into the brig if I have to!"
Before she could respond, Neroon's carrying voice broke the tableau. "I would welcome you to try, Starkiller, it would be an entertaining experiment. Except that, at this moment, I understand that you need every one of your Human warriors to fight in this war against your own government. Losing twenty or thirty of them at one time might prove rather inconvenient for you." He strolled over to them, definitely looking big, black, and bad, his hand on his denn-bok, a smirk on his arrogant face, and with four C & C officers following, unsure whether they should fight him or escort him.
Garibaldi stepped in front of Sheridan, blocking Neroon's path. "You'll have to go through me to get to him, Neroon."
Neroon looked at Garibaldi, an amused smile flickering across his face. "Mr. Garibaldi. Are you still having people's stomachs pumped?" Then he frowned. "If I had wanted the Starkiller dead, he would be dead already, as would everyone else in this room except Dr. McClare."
Terra jumped feet first into this testosterone bath. "Neroon, quit teasing Mr. Garibaldi. You've made your point." She turned to Sheridan. "John, I'm sorry, I should have asked you before I brought him up here. I guess we're all upset about Delenn and Lenann. But until Delenn is returned, Neroon is now the highest ranked Minbari on the station, and has a right to be involved. Also, the Minbari Captain, Lenann, is oath-kin to Neroon, and having him here will only be of help to us. There isn't a person on this station, except maybe Ambassador Kosh, who can fight better than he can."
"What has happened to Delenn and Lenann, Terra?" Neroon broke in with a dangerous voice. He absolutely hated not knowing what was going on.
She looked at Sheridan. Their eyes locked again, then she sensed that he finally decided to trust her, and turned and explained to Neroon what had happened.
Meanwhile, Ivanova turned to Terra and whispered, "I can't believe you just told a Warrior Caste Minbari to stop teasing Garibaldi! And a Religious Caste Captain is oath-kin to him? How did that happen?"
Terra glanced at her, then returned her eyes to the testosterone dance of the two males in front of her. "It's a long story, Commander. I'll be happy to tell it to you the next time we have some leisure time. That Captain is also kin to me, Ivanova. He's from my clan, and my husband was his cousin."
That startled her even more.
"Have you received any messages from the people who did this?" Neroon asked. Then he turned to Terra. "Is this the same organization that killed Ledann?"
Terra answered, "I don't think so. Captain?"
"I think it is a faction supporting the corrupt government back on Earth. The remnants of Nightwatch, or some such group." He was still eyeballing Neroon suspiciously. Terra suspected that Sheridan knew all about Neroon's impressive record during the war.
"If they hurt Delenn or Fleet Captain Lenann, my people will not stand for it, Starkiller."
Terra stepped up to Neroon, laying a hand on his arm. "His name is Captain Sheridan, Neroon. Let's leave the old war nicknames for the historians, please?" He looked down at her, his dark eyes glinting with amusement. That crazy Warrior Caste was enjoying baiting Sheridan. "Very well. Captain Sheridan," He dipped his headbone a bit to one side, which was the Minbari equivalent to a sarcastically raised eyebrow. "Do you have a plan to rescue my fellow Minbari?"
Sheridan locked eyes with him again. "Satai Neroon, they could be anywhere on this station, or could have left it, for all we know. We have to wait, as frustrating as that is, until we are notified as to their demands. And believe me, my people will not stand for it if those two are hurt, either. I hold Ambassador Delenn in great esteem, and would defend her with my life if I had to."
Neroon looked at him, brown eyes examining the face of his once enemy . "You would do this for one not of your own kind?"
"Yes. I would do this for any friend of mine, Satai, no matter what race they were."
"You may address me as Alyt, Captain. The Gray Council has been disbanded, and the rank of Satai no longer exists. Then, for the moment we can do nothing but wait for a message." He actually growled then, his teeth clenching. "I do not like waiting!"
Sheridan and Neroon stood looking at each other, both in a perfect accord of pent-up ferocity. "I hear you, Alyt. And I agree completely." All of a sudden Terra realized that these two men were very much alike in a lot of ways. She had never noticed the resemblance, not having ever seen them together before.
Garibaldi leaned over to Terra. "Did Neroon just growl? He hasn't mellowed much, has he?"
"I think he's doing it to impress you all. He's really a pussycat inside." Garibaldi didn't answer, but gave her a skeptical look.
"Terra?" Sheridan caught her attention back from considering the resemblance. "Yes, Captain?"
"How far can you sense with your talent?"
"About half the station's linear length, I would think. It's hard to tell. Why?"
"Do you think you could try to sense them? Didn't I hear you say that the Minbari Captain is a relative of yours? And I know your friendship with Delenn goes back pretty far."
"I could try, John. If I was intimately bonded with either of them, I could probably find them no matter where they were hidden, as long as they were on the station. Without that bond, though, I would probably have to be fairly close to them physically. There are a lot of people giving off strong emotions on this station right now, because of declaring independence. Separating out a few voices, no matter how well I know them, will be difficult. Do you want me to try?"
"Could you? I know it's grasping at straws, but even if you could get an idea of whether or not they are still on the station, and where they might be held would help, I think."
"I'll need someplace quiet to do it. To do any good at all, I'll have to lower my shields completely." Just the thought of letting in all the emotional clamor that was going on around the station made her face drain of all color.
"You can use my office." Sheridan offered
Neroon must have sensed her unease, because he spoke up suddenly, giving off concern and protectiveness. "Terra, this will not cause you injury, will it?"
"I…I'm not sure, Neroon. I've never deliberately opened myself to a large group of agitated people before. I may lose myself in them, and there's always a danger that I won't be able to separate myself from it again afterwards."
"Then I will stand by you, and will bring you back to yourself if it is needed."
"Won't the Alyt's presence interfere with what you're trying to do, Doctor?"
"Having the Alyt even on the station will interfere somewhat, Captain." She smiled at Neroon. "We have been friends for a long, long time, and he has very strong emotions. But if anyone can, he can bring me back if I become lost."
They went to Sheridan's office, and Terra made herself comfortable in the Captain's chair, or at least she made herself as comfortable as possible, considering that the chair was so large that her feet were dangling. She felt like a little girl in her daddy's chair. Neroon stood on the other side of the desk, just watching her. She started lowering the shields she'd had up since childhood. Neroon's emotions were like hot cocoa with cinnamon and an underbite of arsenic, familiar and well-worn. She expanded her awareness, and like a desert dust devil, the turbulent emotions of the crew in C & C and the command staff flogged her nerves. She reached farther. The dust devil became a sandstorm as she extended her awareness out through the station.
Terra's soul and personality, what made her who she was, started breaking off in the emotional gales. Fears, jealousy, hates, lusts, love, sorrow, mourning, joy- John's love for Delenn shone out in C & C, all of the myriad of sentient emotions whirled around her. She moved her awareness in first one direction, then another, trying to find those two spirits who she cared for so deeply among the multitude. More and more of her flew off, till her spirit was only a small point of brilliance as she continued to reach. Wait. A familiar soul, and a very angry one, sparked out brightly. Delenn. Then she sensed a close to berzerker fury near Delenn- it was Lenann. She tried to improve the focus on them with what was left of her spirit.
"Terra!" The sharp slice of her bond with Neroon wrenched those wandering wisps of her back with the fierce pull of iron shavings to a magnet. She opened her eyes to see a pair of very upset brown ones only inches from hers. Fear was hot off of him, and concern for her. She felt a sharp stab of pain as he grasped her upper arms in fingers of steel. "You were gone! I…I mean your spirit was gone! I couldn't feel you there. What am I saying? Feel you there? Valen's balls, I'm talking like a Religious Caste!"
"Loosen your grip, Neroon, you're hurting me." She smiled up at him, reaching up and touching his face to reassure herself that she was really back in her own body. "And you're babbling, do you know that? What you felt was our bond stretching, dear one. And I was almost lost, I think. Thank you for pulling me back."
* * * * * * *
Delenn was sitting there, ignoring the growing stiffness in her body, and glaring at the insane Human in front of her. Then suddenly she felt a touch on her inner self, like a cool breeze of caring over her anger. She looked over at Lenann. He jerked upright for a moment, looking startled. Then he turned and caught her eyes.
"Terra?" He asked her.
"Vei. I think so."
"No talking, you two, or I might cut out your tongues!"
Hope took over for a bit in their hearts. Someone was coming for them.
* * * * * * *
The noise of Neroon's shouting brought the command staff in, hope in their eyes and radiating from them. "I just had something, it was Delenn, and also Lenann, I think. They're definitely still on the station, and are both really pissed off. But then Neroon brought me back, and I lost them. The only sense of direction was down. It's not very helpful, I think."
Sheridan turned on the Minbari, furious. "Why did..."
Terra's voice was cold. "Please don't say any more, John. He brought me back because I was almost lost. If he hadn't, I'm afraid I would never be of any use to anyone again. It was awful!" The emotional clamor was still hitting her strongly and she couldn't concentrate.
"Can you try again, now that you've got a feel for the general direction?"
"No! I forbid it! The risk is too great!" Neroon moved between her and Sheridan. The two of them gave off such strong and violent emotions that it shredded her last nerve.
"Stop it! Both of you!" With such erratic shielding, the emotions she projected were like a jackhammer to the two males. Fear and anger, no, rage engulfed them and Garibaldi and Ivanova, who were standing behind them. It was like they were all experiencing what she felt. Neroon, having the most experience with her gift, came over, picked her up in his arms, and left them and C & C behind without a word. He took her to her quarters and commanded her to rest, then he returned to C & C. She then put herself in an empathically induced trance that was designed to help rebuild her fragmented shields.
A few hours later, the door chime buzzed. Neroon entered and came to her side. "How are you feeling?"
She smiled. "Much better. I'm going to need some time in the near future to completely rebuild my shields, but for now they're manageable. What's happening with Delenn and Lenann?"
"They got a message from the person who masterminded this. His name is Boggs. Apparently he used to work for Security." Neroon's jaw clenched, and he got a deadly look in his eyes. "They killed Lenann's aide Kalonn to show they were serious. He was already wounded, yet they still shot him in the head with a ppg. The dishonorable chakleks deserve no mercy. I will step on them as on an insect!"
"What were their demands?"
"They want our ships to leave so that Earth is free to take this station. They said if it did not happen within six hours, that they would kill Lenann first, and then Delenn."
"What are you going to do?" As the highest ranking Minbari on the station, it was now his decision to make.
"I am not sure. Delenn and Lenann wouldn't want me to order the ships away. I know that."
She got off the bed and moved to the vid com. When John's face appeared, she said, "Captain, may we come and talk with you about this?"
"Are you feeling up to it, Terra?"
"Yes. I'm much better. We'll be there in a few minutes."
In the conference room, Mr. Garibaldi played back the recording of Bogg's threats. Terra's heart hardened when they killed Kalonn. Lenann had told her much about his aide, and she felt as if he had been a friend.
"What are you going to do, John? Did you trace the call?"
"No. It was scrambled. But we did analyze it for any background sounds and found, together with Marcus' tip he managed to get, where they are being held. We're setting up a fake cooling reactor blow-out now." He looked at Neroon. "Once everything's ready, could you order your ships to fake leaving and to stay in hyperspace near here? Letting them think they've won could make them overconfident."
Terra looked skeptical. "Won't they know something's up? It seems like it would be a little too coincidental."
Sheridan looked at her as though judging the strength of a weapon he was planning to use. "That's where you come in." She picked up from Neroon that he definitely didn't like the way Sheridan was eyeballing her.
"Me?"
"Captain, I believe Terra has done enough…" Terra touched Neroon's arm lightly. "Let him speak, Neroon. What can I do?"
"If we place you near the hideout, could you project to the whole group emotions like fear, unease, belief? Like you did to us earlier, only," He winced, "a little less intense?"
She looked down for a minute, then back up at him. "Yes. I think I can do that. Do you have any idea how many of them are in there?"
"No."
"That shouldn't matter, I guess. Just as long as I'm close enough to them, I should be able to help set the emotional mood to get them to believe what you want them to believe. When is it going down?"
"One hour from now. Garibaldi is setting up the supposed leak now. We should probably get you in place in about a half hour. I'm thinking that we'll put you into the open area close to their hideout, where we are going to flush them out. You should be safe in the back of the balcony." He turned to Neroon. "Where do you want to be, Alyt Neroon? Up in the balcony with Terra, or down on the deck with the rest of us?"
Responding to the challenge in the Captain's eyes, he answered. "As long as Terra is well guarded, I prefer to be with you, Captain Sheridan. I will be more useful in any combat situation that way." He smirked at Sheridan. "And perhaps I could show your men some of the finer points of hand to hand fighting."
"Do you know how to shoot a ppg rifle?" There was a definite challenge in the Human's eyes now.
"Minbari Warrior Caste don't usually use such dishonorable weapons that kill from a distance. In hand-to-hand fighting, we prefer to look our opponents in the eyes before we kill them."
"That's not going to be very practical in a firefight, Alyt."
"I am skilled in the use of all major weapons, including ppgs, Captain. And I think you will be surprised at how practical my traditional fighting methods can be even in a so-called firefight. After all, I have been a warrior since before you were born." The dare was accepted and thrown back.
Please don't say something about how many Humans you killed during the war, Terra prayed to herself. That's all she needed. Fortunately, he didn't. But Terra still got the feeling that Sheridan knew anyway.
Part 4: Let's kick some butt!