PART 6 - Midnight on the Negotiating Line
by Sunraven, Feb 1999, revised Nov 2000

The table was almost filled by 0758. The Shai-Alyt and Neroon came in just in time, making all the delegates now present.

Major General Bolter eyed Neroon with his beady brown eyes and said, "Sorry to have missed you yesterday, Alyt. There was a little excitement here while you were gone. Were you under the weather?"

"No Major General, I was meditating in solitary," To give him credit, he didn't look at Terra as he said the word solitary, "To prepare for a trip I must make this afternoon."

"Major General, Shai-Alyt, gentlemen and Satai Delenn," Terra spoke firmly to them, deftly turning the attention away from Neroon. "We have consistently over the last weeks reached impasses regarding the issue of war crimes and reparations for our war dead."

"With Satai Delenn's permission, I would like to quote from the Minbari Sacred Scrolls, and recite some words of Valen, one of the Minbari's greatest leaders.

Valen, a Minbari not born of Minbari, was asked by the Nine, "Master, what caste do you claim, worker, warrior, or religious?" And he answered, "While the Darkness needs to be vanquished, I will fight for the Light until my last breath. Then am I a Warrior. Once the Darkness is destroyed, then I will fall on my knees in thanksgiving to the Great Maker. Then I am Religious. When I look upon the burning stones of destroyed buildings with tears in my eyes for lost beauty, then I will Build. But when all of this is done, and I know that I will soon go to the Sea of Stars, then I will be what my soul has made me. A man of peace, who cries for the souls of the dead, but lives for the hearts of the living."

In the reverent silence afterwards, she got up and went to stand next to the warrior leaders where they sat at the end of the table. She looked at each one for a long time, seeing deeply into their hearts, then reached her hands out to them both.

"Gentlemen, Valen asked the Nine, "Will you follow me into fire?" and the Nine said yes, and followed. In the name of that gentle man of peace, I would ask you, Will you follow me into the light of peace? Will you?"

The first to respond to her was, surprisingly enough, Major General Bolter. He stood straight up, nodded at her sharply, and tentatively put his large hand into her smaller one. Then she looked at Shai-Alyt Branmer, who slowly did the same, but with a bow instead of a nod.

"I call all of you at this table to witness these men of peace, the great ones of our warriors. Together," With tears falling down her cheeks, she took the two hands she held and placed them together, sandwiched between her own. "They will show us the way to peace, and to the healing of our wounds. Thank you, both of you." Then she stepped back, bowed deeply to them both, and returned to her seat.

After a moment of quiet intensity where the two men just looked at each other, she said, "I would like to call a break for a few moments, if I could. I need some time to rebuild my shields. Thank you, all."

As Terra left the conference room, she felt the quiet support of Neroon as he fell in next to her. He walked with her to her bench in the garden, not intruding on her feelings.

She looked at him. "I must be alone, dear one. My shields are almost gone, and I need to rebuild them before the emotional noise drives me mad."

"I will go away and stand guard. You do not need to fear interruption." Then he left.

Once she returned to the table, the negotiations ran much more smoothly than before. By the time the lunch break was called at 1230, they had made more progress than they had made for weeks.

After stopping by her quarters, Terra went to the shuttle port to wait for Neroon. He arrived at precisely 1300, saw her waiting, and came to her.

She looked into his eyes until she could stand the pain in them no longer, then threw herself into his arms. "I am going to miss you, you black-suited gorilla! You can't even imagine how much. Who am I going to fight with when you're gone?"

He smiled and stroked her hair. "Well, stay away from Chakur, whatever you do, or the Shai-Alyt will be forced to step in. He really doesn't like to lose his aides. And stay away from that Human Colonel, as well, so I don't have to come back and kill him."

She laughed, even with the tears falling down her face. "And, who will make me laugh, Neroon? No one else can do it as good as you." Without waiting for an answer, she reached into her pocket and handed him a velvet box. "Here, I wish to give you a gift of parting."

He opened the box, which looked very tiny in his large hands. Inside was Terra's mother's emerald pendent on a slender gold chain. It was exquisitely made, and very beautiful. "You would give me something so close to your heart, Terra? Is that wise?"

"Do you not like it?"

"It is extremely beautiful. I always appreciate beauty, as you know."

"I know it is kind of feminine, but I wanted you to take something of me with you on your travels. Something that might bring you luck in your future battles. And something that means a lot to me, as is the custom of your people."

"Then I will take it with honor, Terra, and will treasure it forever."

"Neroon, I want you to know that you are free to take other lovers, even to marry, if your heart should call you to that. Our bond will remain intact always, but will dull with time if it isn't renewed. If not renewed, I will know if you...are killed or something, but won't be able to feel everyday things, like if you are getting close to some other female."

He touched her face gently. "Terra, Minbari are different from your people. When they choose a heart's mate, they choose for life. I am yours until the day I die, I'm afraid."

"Well, couldn't your heart be just a little confused in this situation? After all, I'm not Minbari. The rules have kinda changed because of that situation. Maybe your heart just doesn't understand. Or maybe other parts of you have taken temporary control. I want you to be happy, even if I already want to kill whatever female warrior caste you choose." Now the tears were really flowing.

He smiled a little. "Other parts? Such as those parts the Shai-Alyt mentioned that you had revived? We shall see what we shall see. By the way, I also have a parting gift for you."

"You do?"

"Yes. Here."

He handed her a lovely carved wooden box about the size of a cigar box. Inside, pillowed in snowy white silk, was an unusually carved and compressed denn-bok. She took it out, looking at the runes carved on it.

"It is lovely. But it looks very old."

"It is. It belonged to my father's Grandfather, Sterenn. Before Durhan, who was his pupil, he was the greatest denn-bok master on Minbar. It means a great deal to me, and I want you to have it as a remembrance of the Minbari warrior whose heart you captured in honorable battle."

She knew better than to refuse the valuable gift. "Thank you, Neroon. I will treasure it always."

As her hand caressed the denn-bok, she accidentally triggered the expansion process, and the tube exploded out. Unfortunately, one end was pointed at Neroon's midriff. It took him right in the stomach, knocking him down.

She put the pike down gently and dropped next to him. "Neroon! I am so sorry. I didn't mean to hit the trigger. Are you all right?"

He struggled to catch his breath, which wasn't helped when he burst out laughing as well. "You have now struck another blow that I couldn't stop. Too many more of these, and I'll be going to the Sea well before my time! I am fine, Terra. Come here!" Then he took her in his arms and kissed her as though he would never stop.

They were both breathless as they got to their feet. He reached down and picked up the precious denn-bok, compressed it, put it back in its box, then said, "Here. I would suggest that you keep this in the box until you can talk the Shai-Alyt into teaching you how to use it. That way we can keep the casualties down to acceptable levels. Though I do wish it were me that would be teaching you, we all have to do what we have to do. Go with Valen in everything you do, my heart."

Then he turned around and left her standing there holding the box next to her heart as he entered the shuttle. They wouldn't see each other again for another 11 years .

The End

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