FOR THE LOVE OF THE SHI ALYT - PART 3

By Sunraven


Terra pressed the visitors button outside the Commander's office.

"Come"

Sinclair looked up, saw who it was, and smiled.  "Terra.  You look nice today.  How may I be of assistance?"

"I needed to discuss a few diplomatic issues with you.  Do you have the time?"

"Sure.  I only have three hundred tasks on my things-to-do list, but I'd much rather talk to you than do any of them."

He got up and motioned her to a small conference table.  Once they were seated, she began.  "As you know, Ambassador Mollari and Ambassador G'Kar asked me to mediate the sector 165 dispute for them."

"Yes.  They did it at my recommendation.  You have been so helpful with some of the other members of the league of non-aligned worlds, that I thought you might be able to break through even their hard heads."

"Well, I'm afraid I haven't had much success.  I'm an empath, Jeffrey, not a miracle worker.  Those two want to fight.  They don't come to the table for a peaceful resolution unless someone else has forced them to it.  I really think that I am going to have to withdraw from their talks.  All they do is yell at each other.  I wouldn't mind that, if I felt that some progress was being made, but it isn't, not really."

"Oh, those two can't be tougher than mediating the Earth/Minbari peace talks.  That must have been a real headache."

She smiled at his words.  "The difference, Jeffrey, was that the Minbari and EarthGov really wanted peace.  Oh, they certainly had their moments, of course.  I had to knock a few warrior castes senseless, shut off a few screaming voices, and force some warriors to drop their fighting pikes from time to time, but at least they were all working for the same goal.  The Narn and the Centauri, I don't know what they want."  She frowned, her eyes narrowing.  "I mean, Ambassador G'Kar has made it clear to me what he would like, since he is very fond of Human women, but in regards to these talks, I've concluded they don't want to solve the problem."

"Can't you just manipulate their emotions a little, you know, make them good friends, or something like that?"

"Jeffrey!  Of course I can't do that.  That would be unethical."

"I know, I know."  He smiled his attractive smile.  "Sorry about that.  It's just that those two are my worst nightmares.  I take that back.  What will be happening tomorrow will be my worst nightmare."

"Do you mean the viewing of Shi Alyt Branmer's body?"

"Yes.  Delenn has told you about it?"

"She called me as soon as she got the word from the Ingata about his death.  The Shi Alyt and I have been good friends since the peace talks.  I mourn his death terribly."

"I wish I could say the same."  The emotions Sinclair was giving off were fatigue, distaste, hatred, and fear.

"Jeffrey, I'm sorry.  Of course you would be having flashbacks from the war and the Battle of the Line."  She reached out and put her hand on his.  His was shaking.  "You've also been having difficulty sleeping again, haven't you?  The same nightmares?"

"Yes.  Since Delenn told me, they've been worse.  I've seen my team splashed about twenty times since then."  He squeezed her hand.  "Terra, I know that to go through with this will help reconcile our peoples, but I'm not sure I can make it through."

"I think you're talking like that because you're exhausted.  Listen, I'll make a couple of offers to you."

"Offers?"

"Yes.  Tonight, after you go off-shift, I'll come over and make some of my herb tea for you, to help you sleep.  It's extremely effective, but it isn't a narcotic, so you don't have to worry about being drugged if you get called for an emergency.  Then I can perform an empathic technique on you that will insure that you get a good restful night sleep without vivid dreams.  It won't take away what will happen tomorrow, but life always looks better after a good night's sleep."

"God, what I wouldn't give for a good night sleep without seeing Mitchell, Cohn, Weider and the rest of them get blown up over and over, like a broken holovid.  Terra, you're a doctor, tell me, why can't I get over this?  It's been 11 years, for Christ's sake."

"Not everybody heals at the same rate, Jeffrey.  You're a sensitive man with a strong notion for duty.  All that I know, from all the post traumatic stress disorder conditions I have treated, both Human and Minbari, is that some day your memories will quit being enemies, and will become friends.  That's how I've heard it described.  But I think getting some sleep in the meantime is absolutely crucial.  So, are we on for tonight?"

"You bet.  But you said offers, anything else?"

"Yes, I am withdrawing from the talks with the Centauri and the Narn.  So I'll have time to help you out in this situation with the Shi Alyt's body.  You know I'm extremely well versed in Minbari languages and rituals, but what you might not know is that the Alyt that is transporting Branmer's body, Neroon, is also someone I was familiar with from the peace talks.  I know how he thinks, and so I should be able to help you deal with him.  He has always been, quite... volatile, even under normal conditions.  He loved his Shi Alyt.  He is probably not taking his death well.  That is, if you would want my help, of course."

"Want your help?  How would you like to run the station for the next few days?"

She smiled.  "I guess that's a yes?"

"You bet."

"Good.  Now, I'll let you get back to your things-to-do list.  When should I come to your quarters tonight?"

"You know, at any other time, if a beautiful red-head asked me that question, the last thing I would be thinking of would be sleep.  But I guess that just shows how tired I am.  I get off at 2000 tonight.  Why don't you come on over at about 2030?  Hey, maybe we can get a quick game of chess in before you put me to sleep!"

"No way!  You always beat me at chess.  Now, if you let me show you the Minbari game of Tac-lech, then maybe I might take you up on it."

He put his arms up in front of his face.  "God, no, nothing Minbari, please!"

She left the room laughing, and better yet, left him laughing.  A definite improvement.


Instead of going back to her office or quarters, she turned towards Command and Control.  She walked in and looked around for a moment.  A lovely, tall, blue-eyed young male Ensign with a cute cleft chin saw her and asked courteously, "May I help you, Dr. McClare?"

"Yes, thank you.  I'm looking for Lt. Cmdr. Ivanova, please."

"I've got it, Ensign."  Lt. Cmdr. Ivanova came up behind her as she said that.  "May I help you Doctor?  I don't really have a lot of time to chat."  The beautiful second in command gave off stress, impatience, curiosity about Terra, and some other mixtures that were quite intriguing.

"Yes, you can help me, Cmdr. Ivanova."  Terra answered in Russian.  "Would you mind speaking in your native language, so that we won't be overheard?"

"I didn't know you spoke Russian."  She responded in that same language.

"I speak most major Human languages, as well as a significant number of alien ones.  I am sorry to bother you.  I can see you are busy.  So I will be brief.  Commander Sinclair has been having difficulty dealing emotionally with the Minbari ceremony that is coming up tomorrow.  Not from a handling standpoint, but from what it is bringing up in him."

"The Battle of the Line?"

"Yes.  He hasn't been getting much rest.  I am going to arrange for him to sleep without dreams tonight, Lt. Cmdr., but as a physician I wish to see his sleep not disturbed by emergencies, if at all possible.  Do you think you can arrange that for me?  And without him finding out about it? I understand you are very good at your job, and thought that if anyone could, it would be you."

Ivanova smiled, which made her even prettier.  "Of course.  I will see that any emergencies are routed to myself instead.  Will that be sufficient?"

"Very.  Thank you, Lt. Cmdr."

Then Terra left C & C and went back to her office to make a few calls.

"Delenn, hello."  The Ambassador's face looked a bit haggard on the comvid.

"Hello, Terra."

"I was wondering, I am going to be able to come to the cortege and the viewing ceremony, won't I?  I haven't formally asked you."

"Of course.  I just assumed you would be there with the rest of the Minbari on the station."

"Good.  I was just checking.  I had better go.  I need to call Ambassadors Mollari and G'Kar to tell them that I am withdrawing from their negotiation table.  They don't want peace.  All they want to do is argue.  I am not going to waste any more time with them."

"That is too bad.  All of us had hoped that you would be able to soothe them into a truce."

Terra smiled.  "As always, my friend, you think too highly of my abilities.  I'm an empath, not God or Valen."


Terra showed up at Jeffrey's quarters at 2030 as he had requested.  He invited her in, and she came, holding a mesh bag of herbs in her hand.  He was sitting on his couch, with his jacket off but with the rest of his uniform still on.  She greeted him, then went and made the tea.  She brought it to the tired man.

"Here.  Drink this up.  It's made up of relaxing herbs and will help you rest."

"Okay, Doc, you're the boss.  While I'm drinking this concoction, tell me a bedtime story."

"Jeffrey!  What kind of story?"

"A story about how you started Halanthe.  That place is a lot like this station, and yet you started it more than six years ago."

"I guess it was six years ago, wasn't it?  Well, I don't know if you know this, but I stayed on with the Minbari after the peace talks were over."

"No, I didn't know.  You didn't go back to Earth at all?"

"No.  I officially retired from mediation duties, and decided to concentrate on my xenobiochemical studies.  I had made a promise to the Minbari during the peace talks that I would help them with a special medical project after the talks."

"What kind of medical project?"

"Well, when I was researching the Minbari biochemical system during the war, I found a significant weakness that could be used to create an agent that could destroy them.  I destroyed my notes, but the fact of that weakness still existed in my head.  I told them about it, and offered to help their biochemists to come up with a counteragent.  That research took me several years, which I spent on Minbar, mainly.  Anyway, the idea of having an independent science community where the different races could share their knowledge started to sound like a very good idea, so I suggested it to the Minbari leaders and to Earth's Ministry of Science.  Everyone liked the idea, so they gave us the funds, and there we were.  It was a small facility at first, but as our reputation grew, so did the number of alien and Human scientists that wanted to be part of it.  We are now self-sufficient.  Our discoveries have been paying for themselves for years."

"Sounds exciting."

She noticed that he was through with the tea.  "All right, Jeffrey, now for my next trick, you need to get ready for bed.  Which means out of that uniform."

"But you're still here."  He gave her a mock leer.

"I'm a physician, Jeffrey.  Even though I've noticed that you have a lovely body, at this particular moment in time, I could really care less about it.  Leave your underclothes on if you're shy!"

He laughed a big laugh.  "How did someone as blunt as you get to be a professional mediator?"

"Mediators aren't diplomats.  They don't need to beat around the bush.  They need to spot potential problems from an emotional standpoint before they come up, and deal with them.  Now stop prevaricating, and get ready for bed!  I'll stay here on the couch.  Once you're in bed, then I'll help you get to sleep without dreams."

He saluted her.  "Yes, General!  I'm on my way, sir."

Once Jeffrey was in bed, he called her over shyly.  She came over, got him to lie on his stomach, and in a businesslike manner gave him a deep medical massage.  After working the tensions out of his shoulders, neck and back, she then reached inside the area in his brain responsible for memory, dampened it down so that it would take about eight hours to revive, then gently sent him to sleep.

She patted the sleeping man on one shapely shoulder blade then said quietly, "Sleep well, my friend, the ghosts have been exorcised for tonight."  Then she covered him up, and left.


For the cortege, the welcoming parade, Terra chose to stand up the corridor from Delenn and her acolytes, behind some tall Worker Caste Minbari.  She wasn't exactly hiding or anything, it was just that she figured Neroon couldn't have a heart attack if he didn't see her.  She'd let him know she was on the station later, in privacy.  She noticed approvingly that Jeffrey looked a lot better after a good night of uninterrupted sleep.   It was obvious that he still wasn't happy about this whole thing, but he did seem better able to cope with it.

When the Star Rider standard bearers came around the corner, her heart was beating out of control.  Damn.  She wondered how much he had changed since the peace talks.  He probably wouldn't even remember her, let alone what they had shared.  He probably had his pick of Warrior Caste women.  And did she even want him to remember?  It isn't like it would be any easier now for them to have a relationship than it had been then.  Terra didn't even know if she ever wanted another lover again.  Two out of three of the men she had opened her heart to had died, and the third was a Warrior who wouldn't hesitate to give his life for an honorable cause, if it was necessary.  Not exactly a good option to bet on, she thought cynically, while craning her neck around her Worker Caste wall to see if she could catch a glimpse of Neroon.

When he came around the corner after the standard bearers, she was slammed with a gamut of emotions from him that almost overwhelmed her.  Pain, both physical and emotional, depression, a sense of uselessness, anger to the point of almost hatred, but not focused anywhere.  Exhaustion screamed at her and, how odd, starvation.  His body was emaciated almost to the point of starvation.  What in Valen's name was going on here?  He was a wreck.  She had been expecting grief, even anger.  Those were normal when facing the loss of a loved one.  But Neroon was way past that point and was closer to mental and physical collapse.

He came over and greeted Delenn, who introduced him to Jeffrey, Ivanova, and Garibaldi.  After greeting them, he returned to the cortege and it continued.  He had walked up to the point where she was standing behind her wall of Worker Caste when, while scanning the crowd, he turned his head suddenly and looked between two prickly headbones right at her.  As she saw the tired brown eyes focus in on her like a bird of prey on a tasty mouse, she sighed.  Oh well, so much for a private reunion.  He imperiously motioned the cortege to stop again, and walked towards her till he was about a foot away.  Her Worker Caste blockade separated like the Red Sea when he approached.  Probably a sensible move, she thought, as he loomed over her in that particular way he used so well.

"You!"  He snapped in dark Minbari.

She smiled.  Well at least he was still as imperious and obnoxious as he used to be.  That hadn't changed.  

"Is that a way to greet an old friend, Neroon?"  She responded in the same language.

"What are you doing here?"

"I'm the mediator here at the request of the Minbari and Earth.  Neroon, I am so very sorry for your loss.  I cared deeply for the Shi Alyt, and his loss to Minbar is a great tragedy."  Her words of sympathy made him clench his jaw.  She sensed a sudden surge of discordant emotions that almost, but not quite, overwhelmed him then.  He was Warrior Caste, after all, and was very, very strong.  And at the moment, very, very brittle as well.

"Follow us to the place where the Shi Alyt will lie in state.  I would speak with you further!"  It was not a request.  If he had been in a little better emotional state she might have ignored his order.  Yet she sensed that he was reaching out to her in a way that he never could have done with his own people.   There was no way she would play games with him now.  This man should be in a hospital bed, not running around giving orders to people. 

"If that is what you wish, I will meet you there."  She replied with uncharacteristic meekness, and bowed to him.

He then moved back to the cortege and continued on his sad journey.

"Terra?"  Sinclair had moved up behind her and touched her on the arm.  She sensed his affection for her as she turned around.

"Yes, Jeffrey?"

"Did I hear Alyt Neroon order you to follow the cortege?"

She sighed loudly.  "Yes you did.  Didn't I tell you he was volatile?  Well he is also insufferably arrogant and imperious.  That hasn't changed a bit."

"Well, are you going to let him just order you around like that?"  Jeffrey looked shocked, and a little annoyed for her.

Her sea-colored eyes looked up into his warm brown ones.  "I have to, Jeffrey.  You see, the situation is worse than I thought.  Not only is he grieving and angry, but he is also physically unwell from the stress.  I am afraid that Alyt Neroon is on the ragged edge.  He needs a doctor, and if I know him, he has probably refused to see one or even admit he needs one.  So yes, I will let him order me around this time, but only because it suits my purpose as well.  He will allow me to convince him to let me examine him, where he wouldn't let a Minbari do it, I think."

"Great.  It was bad enough when they were only parading this body from here to kingdom come, and now I have a Warrior Caste Alyt with a very large, nasty ship sitting outside the station who's on the ragged edge.  Wonderful.  I love this place.  Never a dull moment."

She patted his arm soothingly.  "Everything will be fine, Jeffery.  Delenn and I will see to it.  Just,  for Valen's sake, take good care of the Shi Alyt's body!"

She then left to catch up with the cortege, unaware of the prophetic nature of the comment she'd just made. 


Part 4 - Here come the fireworks again as the black-suited gorilla meets the Fire-haired titan!