MIDNIGHT ON THE NEGOTIATION LINE - PART 2 By Sunraven Terra didn't rest well that night after she entered her cabin. She tossed and turned and dreamed really hot dreams of a lover dressed in black. Then she saw horror as that lover lay there with his limbs amputated by a crazy human. That one woke her with a scream. As soon as it was practical the next morning, she called David Sheridan, one of the co-leaders of the Earth negotiating team. "Terra, to what do I owe the pleasure of this call?" "David, I need to speak with you for a few moments. As soon as possible, if you don't mind." "Of course not, why don't you meet me in the gardens in front of that awful naked Centauri statue in ten minutes? It's so ugly, I'm sure the area around it will be deserted." "In ten minutes, then, sir." David was waiting for her in front of the Emperor Molari the First statue. "You look better than you did yesterday in the session. I thought for a minute there that you were going to punch those two old war horses out." "I can truthfully tell you that I was sorely tempted." "Is something troubling you?" The gentle elderly ex-diplomat asked, his hazel eyes kind. She didn't quite know how to broach the subject. Oh, well, Terra, just get on with it. "Iím beginning to doubt my objectivity in these negotiations, David." "Have the Minbari complained to you?" "No, they've been great, though sometimes it is hard to tell with them. It's me thatís concerned. As you know, to prepare for the peace talks, Iíve been immersed in Minbari culture quite deeply. I lived with them for months before the talks started. It was important so that I have an understanding of their needs and cultural imperatives. The problem is that I've grown quite fond of some of them. Those holos the war leaders showed these last few days have affected me much greater than they should have. I've certainly seen worse in my mediation career. But none have affected me so strongly before this. I'm finding that I am having more difficulty keeping my empathic gift from being overloaded by the strong emotions." "Was it just the Minbari dead that bothered you so much, Terra, or was it the dead of both sides?" She looked inwardly for a moment, then answered. "Both, I believe, David." "Then why would you think you are losing your objectivity? I felt horror as well when I saw them. All of those men and women, no matter of which side, could have been my son John. I've also had some pretty gruesome dreams, and so has my wife, and I only told her about them." "I find that I am beginning to care deeply for Satai Relinn, the one who gave me this." She touched the glass sphere on a chain around her neck. "He's becoming like a father to me." "Is he the only one, Terra?" "No, the Shai-Alyt and I are getting to be friends as well. And his Alyt, Neroon, we've grown... close as well." "But you've also grown close to me, Terra. Or at least I flatter myself that we've become good friends in the short time we've known each other. Heck, if John wasn't involved with someone, I'd like to introduce the two of you. You might just hit it off." He looked at her slyly. "And the Major General's aide, Colonel Lanscombe, the rumor around the barracks is that you and him are a hot item." Her eyes narrowed. "Oh, it is, is it? I wouldn't be surprised if Dick didn't start those rumors himself just to pressure me into something." She sighed. "After all, he's tried everything else." "The point that I'm making, Terra, is that youíre a beautiful young woman who is very warm and loving. You attract people, especially male people from all races, to you like flies to honey. You remind me of my wife when she was young. She had men of all ages following her around from the time she was twelve till I was there to beat them off. Tell me, you've never had to mediate talks with so much at stake before, have you? Or one that has lasted so long?" "No, I haven't. I've mediated peace negotiations before, but they usually involved factions of Earthers, and never took this amount of time. They also haven't usually involved so many intense feelings on both sides. And such strong personalities! Every one of the negotiating team members are strong, dominant personalities, though some of you are quiet about it." "I would say that you arenít losing your objectivity, Terra. I would say that we all, yourself included, may have made a miscalculation in our estimates of how much of this intensity your empathic gift can take." He raised a hand to still her when she would have protested. "I'm not saying that you can't cut the mustard, Terra. What I am saying is that maybe we are using you and your gift too freely. It looks like we might be using you up." "But it's my job, David." "In our contract with you, you agreed to mediate for any potentially explosive or problematic issues. But you didn't agree to mediate everything. Terra, even we on the negotiating teams take time off when an issue that has little to do with us is covered. But you haven't taken a meeting session off since we started. Plus you were with the Minbari for months before that, which must have been a challenge for your gift, as well. Girl, you haven't had a break for almost a year, and itís no wonder that you're burning out. You, and we, have been pushing you too far. As far as I see it, we've been very selfish in that we all want you at our personal meetings, despite the fact that a lot of them don't even need a mediator. Of course, it's all your fault. If you weren't so good at your job, then we wouldn't be doing it." "What I would like to propose to Satai Delenn and the other negotiators on both teams is that we take more than just one day off before resuming. Maybe three or four days would be nice for all of us. I am also going to suggest, no, to insist, that we use you as you were meant to be used. To have you mediate in areas like these war crimes, and not in the ones like proposing a joint comparative religion concordium, or cultural sharing of art, and that sort of thing. Those type of negotiations are important too, but we don't need your skills so much in them. Now how does that sound?" "As long a everyone understands that I would be available if something did come up that needed mediating, I think it's a great idea!" She hugged him gratefully. "How did you get to be so wise? This way I will have more time to clear out my emotional centers between refereeing bouts of fighting between the Shai-Alyt and the Major General. I'm actually beginning to consider letting the two of them have a sparring match or something, just to get it out of their systems, except I don't want to embarrass the Major General." "Yes, that Shai-Alyt Branmer looks like he could whip ten humans all at once." So Terra found herself with nothing to do for four days. She rested, she meditated, she visited with Delenn and Relinn, and she finally was able to shake those awful images from her mind. After about two days of that, she found that she was bored. Then she had an idea. She wanted to see more of this planet, which was much like Earth, but she had never had the time before. She could arrange to have one of the pilots in the guard unit take her anywhere she wanted. But wait, after what David said about her and Dick being a hot item, she didn't really want to face any of them, at least not until she squared things away with that conceited Colonel. Maybe Neroon and/or the Shai-Alyt would like to go with her. Of course, Neroon hadn't called her or came to see her since he had the effrontery to kiss her like he did. He was probably embarrassed. Well, she wasn't about to let him sulk any more. She would call him. While she was waiting for the com system to contact the Minbari, she started getting nervous. Maybe he was more than embarrassed. Maybe he felt she had been teasing him, or something. She really needed to know more about Minbari mating customs to know which, especially Warrior Caste mating customs. Maybe she'd triggered some taboo that...Neroon's face came on the com link. "Alyt Neroon here. Oh, it's you." "That is not a very nice way to say hello, Neroon." "I ...am surprised that you contacted me. I expected that you would be angry at me for my behavior the other day." "Why would I be angry at you?" A male voice could be heard in the background. He was with Branmer, as usual. "The Shai-Alyt suggests that we may wish to continue this conversation face to face." A few more words came from the Shai-Alyt, causing Neroon's face to flushed red enough so that it even showed on the com link. "May I come over?" He meant from the Minbari side to the Human side of the compound. For obvious reasons, the two sides were kept apart in living quarters. "Yes. Of course you can. I look forward to seeing you. I think we have some cultural differences that need clearing up." "I will be there in a few minutes then, Doctor." More comments from the peanut gallery. Neroon turned to where she assumed the Shai-Alyt was sitting, and hissed, "Shai-Alyt, please! Respect, but I will not stand here and be insulted. Good bye, Terra." She could hear Branmer's lovely laughter as the com went dark. Terra picked up some stray belongings that had migrated to the floor in her quarters, brushed her hair and teeth, and did a quick check in the mirror. She had pulled on an old pair of jeans and a large shirt, her hair she bound up into a pony tail, and she was wearing tennis shoes. She resisted the impulse to change into something nicer. After about seven minutes, the door chimes rang. He stood at the door. "Come on in, Neroon. Or would you be more comfortable in a more...neutral environment?" "No, this will be fine." And he came in, his hand on his denn-bok. Holding on to that thing must really be a habit when he's nervous, she thought. She led him to a couch, sat him down, offered him some tea, and went right in to the subject that was disturbing him. "Neroon, you did not insult me by your behavior yesterday." "I...I didn't? But I made an overture when it was not my right to do so." "Human behavior is less structured than Minbari. When I kissed you in the park, by human standards I gave you implicit permission to respond similarly in return if you wished. I also teased you, which means that I challenged your courage, by implying that you would be afraid if I had meant to court you. That was not the smartest thing to do to one of your caste, and the Great Maker knows, certainly not the thing to do to you. I'm sorry." "Then with your behavior you invited me to behave as I did?" "Well, ...not exactly. You behaved with far more, uhh, intensity, than most human males would have. We humans show affection much more casually than do your people, and the uh...passion... no...the strength of your action startled me. Most human males would have been more relaxed about it." Not to mention my own reaction to it startling the hell out of me, she thought. His usual insufferable arrogance back in his voice, he said, "I hope I didn't frighten or hurt you? You humans, especially human females, are not as physically strong as my people, and I am considered strong even by Minbari standards. That strength is a benefit in war, but can be a liability in more ...peaceful relations." "No, of course you didn't. I know that you would never hurt me. Neroon, what happened between us was a normal situation involving cross-cultural behaviors. You and I are both curious about the mating rituals of our respective races, we're both young, and we are friends. What happened was pretty natural, I think." "Natural? I do not even know if our two species can ...uhh...inter..." It was kind of funny to see the greatest warrior the Minbari had embarrassed to the point of speechlessness. "Interbreed is the word you want. No, as far as I know, our species canít interbreed. Our biochemical makeup is too different. But that doesn't mean that we canít, um, perform the mating act together. Your people are basically mammals, as are mine. Our organs are superficially similar. But whether or not our species are physically compatible has very little to do with what happened between us. We had a little cross circuiting of our cultures, is all. Don't worry, you haven't suddenly become a human-lover. You still, I expect, like Minbari women better than human ones, and I still prefer human males to Minbari males. We were both just indulging our curiosity, is all, and were both surprised to find a physiological reaction from that indulging. It doesn't mean that Iím going to try to seduce you, or that you would allow yourself to be seduced by me." Yah, and if you believe that, then I've got a great bridge in Brooklyn to sell you, she thought. The fact was that the sexual and mental attraction was strong on both sides, whether or not they wanted to admit it. He just looked at her, his thoughts the same as hers on that issue. "I expect you do prefer human males to Minbari males. Males like Colonel Lanscombe? He has made it clear to me that he feels you are his female, but..." "He's what? How in the Hell has he made that clear?" "Well, he has stated several times in my presence that you prefer the company of human males, his company, rather than Minbari, or mine." "Don't you pay attention to what that idiot says, Neroon. He has also spread it around the escort unit barracks that he and I are a "Hot Item", which is Earthspeak for a mated couple. It is just his way to try to put more pressure on me to allow him to court me, and to cut down the competition, I suppose. I havenít been too encouraging to his suit, once I realized how childish he was." "But to dishonor a female because she has not chosen a male is a disgrace! If you were one of my people, your clan would be rightfully justified to challenge him to Denn-sha for such a dishonorable act. And after you have saved his honor by not rejecting him in public, or waiting until the true face ritual to reject him, makes his behavior that much more atrocious!" True face ritual? She smiled at his outrage, flattered. "Well, I don't have any clan, Neroon, they have all gone to the Sea of Stars long ago. And human behavior is a little more flexible with regards to mating rituals than Minbari ones are. You don't kill a man for being disrespectful in my culture...." He jumped to his feet, his hand on his denn-bok. "Then I will act as your clan. I will challenge that animal to the Denn-sha for his disrespectful behavior to you!" Oh, oh. This was getting way out of hand. Flattery because of his strong reaction was one thing, but Colonelcide was another. Terra spoke strongly to the angry Alyt. "Neroon, sit down! And please take your hand off of your weapon." Her voice was quiet, but the empathic energy she was generating was not. He automatically responded by sitting down even before he realized what he was doing. "Neroon, Colonel Lanscombe is not a Minbari. His behavior is certainly childish and annoying to me, but it is not something to fight to the death about! Nor is my honor at risk, because my honor lies in my own heart, not in what others think of me. I will take care of him my own way, in my own time. And I want your word that you will do nothing. Do you understand me?" Her tone brooked no argument. He smiled sheepishly and gave her the warrior caste salute. "Yes, Terra. I let my admiration for you take over for my brain for a moment.î She had to laugh at his expression. "You damn crazy Warrior Caste! I almost think you would go out and start the whole war over again just to defend my honor. I'm flattered that you value our friendship that much, but I want you, for once in your entire life, to think with that atrophied muscle underneath your headbone, instead of with your di.., um, your denn-bok. If you did break the peace talks up because of me, you would cause me far more dishonor than Lanscombe ever could. The successful conclusion of these talks will be my legacy to future generations of both our peoples, and if they didn't succeed because of me, that would be more disgrace than I could handle." His eyes moved over her face. ěThese talks really mean so much to you?î ěYes, they do.î "I'm sorry, Terra. I overreacted, and treated you as though you were Minbari. I will do nothing to harm the peace talks." "Well let's just forget that whole discussion took place, okay? And by the way, what was the Shai-Alyt going on about that annoyed you so on the com line? I've never heard you speak like that to him before." "He was suggesting that I was...enamoredÖwith you, and that I was trying to become close to you." He gave her a glare for good measure. "He is mistaken, of course." The Minbari word for close had many different meanings, one of which meant moving towards mating. "Did you tell him about kissing me?" He looked shocked. "No, of course not. I would never burden him with my personal problems." "Well, I see what you mean. If by Minbari standards you acted rudely, he would probably feel that as your Shai-Alyt, he was responsible for your behavior. This would have forced him to have to apologize to me and to reprimand you, and so he and the warrior caste would lose face. With these crucial war crimes discussions going on, it might give an unfair advantage to the Major General." He fingered his denn-bok again, then said, "You give me too much credit. I did not want to show my rudeness to him, or anyone. That is why I stayed silent." "Well, I hope you now understand that you did nothing that I would consider as rude. And we will forget it ever happened. All right?" He nodded. "Was all this the reason you called me this morning?" "Actually, no. I want to go on an exploration of this planet during the time we are off, and, what with the rumors going around the human barracks, I didn't want to ask one of the human pilots to escort me. I was wondering whether you and the Shai-Alyt might want to go with me. I've checked with the Centauri planet representatives, and they've given me some recommendations as to some lovely places to see." "I can check with the Shai-Alyt, and get back to you with his answer. When did you want to go?" "Tomorrow, I was thinking. The weather is reported going to be fair, and hot. I thought a lake trip, where I can swim, would be heavenly. I desperately need to get away from this compound for a while." He got up then and said, "I will go and ask him now, Terra, and will let you know." "Thank you, Neroon. After our 'discussion' I think I will rest for a while. I feel a little exhausted." He left, and she took her nap. Part 3 - We're going on a picnic!