PART 5 - Peace Talks
by Sunraven, Oct 23, 2000
The hostility quickly escalated between the two men, and the teams polarized by race. Terra watched in disgust while one of the female Star Riders deliberately and brutally ran into the tiny third baseman, Ensign Harisa Iomoto. She was called out, but it didn't matter. She had scored one against the enemy. And Neroon looked as though he approved, which annoyed her to no end!
David Sheridan called a conference, which included Delenn, Terra, Branmer, Bolter, and Relinn.
"I'm thinking now, all, that this wasn't such a good idea after all."
Terra answered, putting her hand on his arm. "It was a good idea, David. But I'm thinking that it might have been a bit too early for it. The hostility is still so fresh."
Delenn added, "Should we stop the game before someone is seriously injured?"
Terra looked over at Neroon. He was sitting among his Minbari teammates and watching Branmer and the rest of the leaders.
Terra felt guilty because part of the fault of the ill will was because of her. Granted it wasn't her fault, not really, but still...
"I have an idea." She said suddenly. "Let me talk privately with the team Captains, and see if I can stop this now. Maybe this game can be saved."
She walked up to Dick Lanscombe first. "Dick, could you take a walk with me? We need to talk."
"But the game..." And he glared over at a suspiciously staring Neroon.
"It's on hold for a moment. That's why I want to talk."
They walked away from earshot and eyeshot. She turned to him and said, "Dick, the seniors are thinking of canceling the game."
"What! Why? We're having a great time."
She sighed. Warriors were all alike. "Because it's gotten too rough, is why. It's Minbari against Earther all over again."
"Well, it's that damn boneheaded Alyt's fault! He tried to kill me!"
She smiled, then reached down and touched his abraded thigh gently, leaching the pain away from the wounds. "You were really fast, getting out of the way like that. I was really impressed."
All anger towards her melted against a wall of empathic charm. "Well, it was just lucky I saw it, I guess." He took one of her braids and brought it to his lips. "You've been pretty impressive yourself." And he looked her spandexed figure up and down appreciatively.
Forcing down a surge of annoyance, she reached up and stroked his face. "Do you know what would really impress me, Dick?"
He looked up from her hand that he'd taken hold of. "What?"
"If you could get your team, both races of them, to work together, and not against each other. But I guess that's a tall order with a bunch of soldiers who love to fight."
He straightened up. "I can handle it, if that damn bonehead can! I'll calm my team down, if the seniors don't call the game. You can count on me, Terra." And he moved much closer to her. "And you do know you can count on me, don't you, Terra? You're an empath, you have to know how I feel about you."
She forced herself to smile. "Of course I know, Dick. I'm sorry I haven't seemed very receptive. It's just that this is such a big responsibility and all, I've got a lot on my mind."
"Well, maybe later you can bind my war wounds, here, and then you might want to let me help you take the pressure off for a while, eh?"
"Maybe so, Dick. Why don't we see, okay?" She avoided him deftly so he couldn't grab her close and kiss her. But she did it in such a way as to seem as though she was still receptive to his overtures.
"Come on, we've better get back. I need to have a good scream at Alyt Neroon. Maybe I can talk some sense into him somehow, and the game can continue."
"I wish you didn't have to. I don't like him, or the way he looks at you."
She smiled. "Why, Dick, with you around to protect me, he wouldn't have the nerve to get up to anything, I don't think. Come on, let's go back."
They returned to the game area, and Terra then took Neroon out for a walk.
"What did that Earther say to you, Terra? Was he disrespectful? If he was, I'll arrange for my crew to punish him even more..."
How could she possibly convince this very alien male? She turned to him and said, "What I said to Dick is between he and I, Neroon. I'm going to tell you the same thing, though. The seniors are appalled with the display of lack of discipline that you and your people are showing, along with the Earther soldiers as well!"
He bristled, all affronted pride. "They were responding to the attack on me by that Colonel, is all. They are defending their Alyt. Do not criticize my crew for their loyalty."
"Then I will criticize their Alyt, for his lack of ability to keep control of his people. Or maybe for his using his people as a weapon to fight a battle with Dick, is more like it!" She knew she took a risk of alienating him with what she was doing. But somehow she had to show him that letting his people run amuck like this was wrong.
He closed in on her, looming, and said in a growl, "You go too far, Human!"
She reached up and grabbed his headbone and dragged it down to her level. "No, Neroon, you do. I trusted you to lead your people wisely, that's why I chose you to be Captain. And now you are failing. Was I so wrong in my assessment, and my admiration of you, Alyt?" Her voice shook with the strength of her emotions.
The closeness of his face burned into her brain as he let her hold him down to her level for a few seconds. The urge to kiss him was almost overwhelming, and she could feel his anger melt under an avalanche of arousal. Then he reached up and gently removed her fingers from his bone, and straightened up, still holding her hands lightly. "No, you were not wrong, Doctor. I have let my people act in undisciplined ways to handle my own dislike of the Colonel. I have shamed not only myself, but the Shai-Alyt and you who trusted me. If you can convince the elders to not stop the game, I will have a talk to my crew. None of them will get out of line again. You have the assurances of a Star Rider on that, Terra."
He bowed to her, and they returned to the game.
Both men were as good as their words, and the game finally ended in a tie among fairly peaceful relations. But everyone breathed a sigh of relief when it was all over.
The End
back to terra index | fanfic index