PART 9 - The Delicate Balance of In-Between
by Jimmy, June 2, 2001
"Dr. Quietbrook, thank you for sharing your findings with us." Delenn said. "We know your decision to do so must have been unpopular with Earthforce and their representatives on Babylon 5."
"You might not like what I have to say." Beano replied honestly.
"We will take that risk since you took so much on Callimer's behalf. What have you found?" Delenn pointedly ignored Neroon as he took a seat by her side. She knew very well he did it just to aggravate her with his presence.
"First, three genetic markers in the room, all Minbari. One was Callimer, the other two are still unknown."
"Minbari?" Jerina echoed. "What are you saying?"
"At some point, there were three Minbari in that room."
"But that doesn't mean a Minbari was responsible for the murder." Delenn argued.
"Well, the problem is one of the samples came from under Callimer's nails. So, unless it's tradition for the Minbari to scratch each other as a form of greeting, I will go with the assumption that the material was picked up during the fight. The third was a blood sample taken from the floor and it isn't Callimer's." Beano hated lying to Delenn. It felt like she was fibbing on her priest, but it was necessary. No need to show the Minbari all her cards.
"That isn't all, is it?" Rathenn sighed his question.
"No, I have extraneous evidence supporting my theory that Callimer met with at least one Minbari in that room. Garibaldi is also chasing down other leads. From our last conversation he was having some success, so it won't be long before we have enough evidence to bring charges."
"But this is a Minbari affair," Jerina said, confused. "Once the evidence is gathered, it will be turned over to us, yes?"
"No," Rathenn spoke for Quietbrook. "Earth Alliance has superceded our interest. They believe there is a direct connection between Callimer's murder and the attempt on Dr. Quietbrook's life. Has Mr. Garibaldi made any headway with that investigation?"
"Yes, I believe he has." Beano said quietly. "All the tubes have limited access panels into the shafts. This allows them to be monitored by cams around the clock. His men are checking the vids right now."
"Callimer's Minbari!" Neroon argued heatedly, "You cannot possibly claim the attempt on your life could outweigh his death!"
"I'm not." Beano said. "But you have to remember, I do not belong to Earthforce. I am a civilian employed by an Earthforce employee. The chain of command you're familiar with is that of Earthforce. I do not fit into that category, and as such, Earth Alliance has taken a personal interest. Especially since I rank high in my caste if I may call it that."
"But Babylon 5 is a military outpost." Delenn said slowly.
"Yes, it is. But there's an exception to every rule, and I'm the exception for this scenario." Beano explained, "My case is what they call a precedent on Earth, and they're very keen in making sure their side gets to be heard while this whole mess plays itself out."
"Even at the expense of ours?" Delenn's question was asked without malice.
"Hopefully it won't come to that." Beano opened her bag, "And I've got just the thing to ensure it doesn't."
She took out a small container filled with glass slides and laid them out. "And all I need from you is a few seconds of your time."
"You're going to collect evidence ... from us?" Delenn asked, stunned.
"Have to." Beano said. "As soon as Earth Dome learns I did this, they're going to back off and tell me to do the same. They're ambitious, not stupid. When they hear that I trounced all over you in your own war cruiser, they're going to come howling at my door. And this way, after I prove none of you were involved in this mess, you guys are free to do whatever your choose, including filing protest with Earth Dome, Earthforce and G-d if need be."
The trap was so beautiful, so cleanly executed - none of the Minbari could rouse any sort of resentment. The human had purposely gathered them into one room and now they had no option but to do as she asked.
"Dr. Quietbrook, we Minbari have a genuine dislike of ..." Jerina said, trying to gauge the needs of Minbar against the practices of the Warrior Caste.
"I know all about it. Dr. Franklin told me. I won't scrape off anything from your body; I won't even draw blood. All I need is a few seconds of your time."
"What will you do?" Neroon asked.
"Well, give me your glove, Satai, and I'll show you."
Neroon handed over his glove without protest. She placed a glass slide on the table and then gently pulled the glove inside out.
"Dandruff gathers at the oddest places, like the inside of gloves or the collar of a shirt or a dress."
She lightly tapped the black glove against the slide and flakes of previously invisible skin fell off. She sandwiched the sample between slides and sealed it shut.
"Thank you." Beano handed the glove back to its owner.
Jerina turned over hers and Beano repeated the procedure.
"Do you want our shoes?" Rathenn asked for himself, Delenn and Lennier.
"Not necessary, just hold still."
Beano took out a Q-tip and walked around Rathenn until she was standing behind him. She folded down the collar of his robe and brushed the Q-tip against it. It too gathered particles which showed up on the glass slide. She collected Delenn's and Lennier's samples the same way.
"And that's it." Beano said after packing each set into different containers. "No invasive procedures, no direct contact with your persons. Just flakes of skin."
"I must take my baths more frequently." Neroon observed wryly.
"More like you should wash your gloves more often," Beano corrected. "But people rarely do, and when they do, they never turn them inside out."
"What will you do with the material?" Jerina asked.
"Just do a cursory examination, match and comparison, the usual stuff I have to do before making my case for dismissal, at least for you."
"How long will this take?" Rathenn asked.
"Three, four hours at most. I'll make contact the moment I find something."
"After that?"
"Mr. Garibaldi gets to run around the station more times than either of us would care to count."
"He will not appreciate the exercise," Delenn commented, her eyes filled with laughter. She admired Quietbrook for trapping Neroon, even though she was cornered alongside the warrior.
"Probably not." Beano said, "But he could stand to lose a few pounds."
"How is your leg? We feared it was broken." Rathenn commented, picking up on Delenn's signal to ease off from discussing the case. He suspected the humans, especially Sheridan, will become more cooperative once Quietbrook was returned safely to the station with the evidence she collected from them.
"Not broken, just needed some mending. My kneecap is synthetic, and it cracked. Dr. Franklin had to make some minor adjustments but it'll be fine."
"You never did tell me how you got your injuries." Neroon said.
"No, I didn't." Beano answered. It took Neroon a moment to realize that was all she was going to say. "I was wondering; could I get a tour of the ship?"
Rathenn was only too happy to oblige, but Neroon knew the only reason she asked was so she could meet with Lenann.
"I would have thought you would want to return to Babylon 5 to study the evidence you collected from us." Neroon confronted Quietbrook's request. "Or am I mistaken about your eagerness in resolving this affair?"
Beano gave him a sour look but agreed. "You're probably right. I should get back."
Jerina volunteered to escort her since she had the necessary forms to retrieve Callimer's body. She was also well aware her offer effectively blocked Neroon from returning with Quietbrook. The Sun Hunter wanted to make sure he would be cut off from any chance of collecting information from the human during the trip. And now, since Quietbrook had crucial evidence, it was imperative that she was safely delivered to her own kind on Babylon 5.
-- continued in part ten --