Synopsis: Alternate-universe stuff. Jeffrey Sinclair falls in love with Delenn's human-who-considers-herself-Minbari aide. A faction on Earth wants Delenn dead. Romance at the beginning, action at the end.
Addition: This is just the romantic part of the story. You'll have to wait for the action part; I'm not finished working it our yet.
Author: Asyr Sei'lar
Title: Chance Encounter
Jeffrey Sinclair kneaded his cramped neck tiredly as Garibaldi wrapped up his latest report. The wallscreen next to Garibaldi still displayed the face of the notorious Narn criminal Garibaldi had just captured three hours ago.
"One down and a million more to go," he muttered. Garibaldi laughed.
"I know," Garibaldi said. He yawned. "Have to . . . supervise . . . security . . . for . . ."
"You're getting some sleep, is what you're doing," Jeffrey said firmly. "You've done a superb job with the security measures for the ambassadorial reception, but now it's time to leave it in the hands of your competent subordinates."
"Or incompetent." Garibaldi laughed again. "Depends on how you look at it." He yawned again. "Well, g'night, Commander. Or good morning, or whatever time it is . . ." "Good night, Mike," Jeffrey said with a smile. He watched as Garibaldi exited the office, then started the paper work that was piled up on his desk.
He frowned as he picked up a request from Ambassador Delenn that he be present at the reception. What the hell—? He shook his head. First, the insistence that he get this post, now this. Whenever he got involved with the Minbari, normality seemed to go on vacation.
He quickly wrote up a formal response to the request stating that he was indeed coming to the reception. He picked up the report and headed out of the office, with the intention of personally delivering it to Ambassador Delenn. He generally felt uneasy around Minbari, but hated to disappoint them. Perhaps it was because Delenn seemed to treat him with a strange mixture of awe and respect. The respect was easily evident whenever she dealt with him—which wasn't often—but the awe was hidden under the respect, much more difficult to read.
He walked through Babylon 5's busy corridors, watching as the many different species who constituted the Interstellar Alliance trod through the space station. He finally stopped in front of an unmarked door in Green Sector.
The doorchime's breep was answered by a single Minbari. "Yes?" the unfamiliar Minbari asked. "I'm here to see Ambassador Delenn," Jeffrey said.
"Ambassador Delenn is not here," the Minbari said. "She is currently resting. But you may direct all queries, reports, etc., to her aide."
"Thanks," Jeffrey said. "Where is she located?" "Green Sector, Level 15, Section 10, Room 39," the Minbari answered.
Jeffrey nodded and walked away. It was only a ten-minute walk from Delenn's office to her aide's room, so Jeffrey decided to enjoy his few minutes away from the office with a leisurely stroll.
He arrived before another unmarked gray-and-green door. He pressed the chime which would announce his presence. "Come," a voice called.
He stepped into a set of quarters decorated rather sparsely. A couple of candles were placed on the dresser, a few blue, phosphorescent crystals, and two beaded hangings were the only decorations. "May I help you?" the voice asked. Sinclair tore his attention away from the crystals to focus on the speaker. He was startled. A woman with dark-blond hair and feline, emerald eyes stood before him with a puzzled look on her face. God, she's beautiful, Jeffrey thought, his throat constricting. "Um, no," he stuttered. He blushed fiercely. "Um, I must have the wrong room. I'm sorry." "Maybe I can help you find whoever it is you're looking for," she said, a faint smile on her face. He blushed again and silently cursed himself. "Actually, I'm looking for Ambassador Delenn's aide." The smile grew. "You've found her." "You?" He blinked in surprise, then frowned. "But . . . you're human." "It's a long story." She motioned at the couch. "Sit. What exactly did you seek me out for?" "I was supposed to give this to Delenn, but there was a Minbari there who suggested I give it to you." He handed her the datapad. She thumbed the pad and glanced at it. "Hmm. Yes, Neronn." She looked up. "Thank you, Commander. I'll give it to her tomorrow." She smiled. "It was nice meeting you." "You, too." Before he could stop himself, he blurted out, "Are you free for dinner tomorrow?" She nodded. "Yes. Are you asking me out on a date?" Jeffrey shook his head. "Just dinner. To discuss the Minbari. And how you wound up being Delenn's aide. I imagine you know a lot about them." She hesitated. "Discuss the Minbari, yes, but the second issue is kind of sensitive. You're practically asking for my life story. And I can't discuss everything I know about the Minbari. Understand?" "I understand," he said quietly. Reluctantly, he headed for the door. "See you tomorrow." "Good night, Commander," she said. "Good night, um ...?" "Coryna D'Sora. My name is Coryna D'Sora." "Well, good night, Ms. D'Sora," Jeffrey said softly. She stared at his back in puzzlement as he exited her quarters.
********** Coryna woke up early the next morning. She showered and got dressed, but did it with a distracted air. She could not seem to get Jeffrey Sinclair out of her mind.
Get a grip on yourself. Dating and/or falling in love with Valen is a big mistake, she told herself. He's got a mission to fulfill. And so do you. Shaking her head as if to get rid of unwanted thoughts, she headed for Delenn's office with the commander's response. The door spiraled open as she stepped inside. Delenn looked up to see who had come in. "Shata, Coryna," she said. "Shata, Delenn," she said in return. She gave the datapad to Delenn. "Commander Sinclair gave this to me last night to give to you." Delenn skimmed over the text, then nodded and set the pad down. "Good. He's coming." She glanced up at her aide. Coryna looked tireder than usual. She was also staring off into the air. "Coryna?" she called. "Hmm?" Coryna said distractedly. She looked at Delenn. Delenn frowned. "Were you up late again last night?" Coryna gave her a wan smile. "Yes," she admitted. Delenn looked slightly amused. "Was meeting with Commander Sinclair that exhausting?" she asked. Coryna looked at her questioningly. "No. Why?" "Something must have happened between the two of you," Delenn pressed. "Even if it was the first time you've met." Coryna smiled wanly again. "I thought I was supposed to be the telepath," she joked weakly. "The one who's supposed to read your mind, not the other way around." She looked away. "All that happened was that he invited me to dinner to discuss the Minbari. That's all." Delenn did the Minbari equivalent of a human raising an eyebrow in doubt. "Really." "Really, Delenn," Coryna assured her. "Nothing will develop between us. I'll make sure of it personally. At most, we'll be friends."
Delenn nodded. "I believe you, but love strikes at the most inopportune moments, and sometimes when you really don't want it to." "I'll take your advice under advisement," Coryna replied. "How about we move onto business now?" Delenn laughed. "Coryna, what are you so worried about? That I'll forbid you to see him?" "He is Valen," she said softly. "True, but he is also Jeffrey Sinclair, human commander of this station. As such, even though he and you have Minbari souls, you are still the both of you possessed of human emotions and desires. That means that, even though he has a mission to perform—an important mission—that does not mean he must cut himself off from everybody else." Coryna nodded. "I understand. But still . . ." Delenn's voice softened. "Coryna, I have never known a more hardworking and dedicated person than you. But to cut yourself from your emotions, no matter how important the reason, would be to deny yourself something special you may never regain." Coryna's head snapped up. "Are you encouraging me to see him?" she asked incredulously. Delenn smiled. "Yes." Coryna considered. "In that case, I guess I'll have a go at it." Delenn nodded. "Take the rest of the day off. Get a dress for dinner that will stun him. Perhaps I'll even go with you . . ." Coryna groaned. "Delenn . . ." The Minbari smiled. Shaking her head, Coryna left Delenn's office. She smiled as thoughts of the commander and the upcoming dinner filled her head.
**********
Commander Sinclair entered his office, barely noticing that Garibaldi was waiting inside for him. "Yes, Mike?" he asked at last. "You look kind of tired, Commander," Garibaldi observed. "Late night?" "Yeah," Sinclair said, lying. He could not bring himself to tell anyone, not even Mike, about last night. "I didn't sleep too well, either." Garibaldi nodded sympathetically. "I got the file on this guy we caught yesterday from the Narn government, if you want to see it." "Sure," Sinclair said. The security chief handed over the pad, and the commander thumbed through it. "Let's see . . . Three murders . . . Four charges of assault and battery . . . Fraud . . . Terrorism . . . Robbery . . . Boy, this guy's got a record a yard long." "Tell me about it," Garibaldi said. "The Narns were really happy when we caught him and shipped him back to their world for trial." "I'll say," Sinclair agreed. He looked at the file again, but this time he didn't look so much at it, as through it, using it as a cover for the thoughts of Coryna D'Sora that threatened to overwhelm him. "So tell me about her," Garibaldi said after a while. Startled, Sinclair's head jerked up. "Her?" "Yeah, her. I can tell when a man is daydreaming about a woman when he's hopelessly in love with her, and you've got that look on your face." "I do?" Sinclair shrugged. "Well, she is beautiful . . ." "What does she look like?" Garibaldi asked eagerly. "Emerald eyes, blond hair, tall, slender, but muscular, like a swimmer is, y'know," Sinclair said. "But it was the first time I met her. And it was for official business. Besides, I didn't fall 'hopelessly in love' with her. I'm not even sure she's interested in me." Garibaldi raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me? Not in love? Not interested in you?" He snorted. "Did you at least ask her out to dinner?" Sinclair nodded. "But it's only to ask her about the Minbari," he pointed out quickly. "The Minbari?" Garibaldi frowned. "Yeah, the Minbari. She's the aide to their ambassador, Delenn. She's human, though." "Should make for an interesting story." The security chief stretched his arms, several of the joints popping faintly. "Well, I say you should give it a go. She sounds interesting and intelligent, which is a perfect match for you . . ." Sinclair frowned. "I'm seeing her tonight, as I said, so I can postpone the decision to pursue a relationship until later. Although," he admitted, "I would very much like to get involved with her." Grinning, the security chief rose. "See what did I tell you?" He threw a mock-salute. "Good luck, Commander." "I'm going to need it," muttered Sinclair under his breath as Garibaldi left the office.
**********
The doorchime to Room 39 breeped. "Come!" Coryna called. As the door opened, she hastily attached an earring and gave her hair one last brush. She hurried out to meet her guest. "Commander!" she called happily as she saw him. He blushed slightly when he caught sight of her, but he hid it well. "Ms. D'Sora," he said politely. She could feel his eyes watching her as she grabbed her purse and abruptly turned. She caught him by surprise, and he turned away, looking slightly guilty. "You look wonderful tonight," he said softly. Her dark-blond hair was wavy as it fell onto her shoulders untied. The silvery-blue dress she wore clung to her body, mysterious yet somehow revealing, which augmented the unfathomableness of her piercing eyes. "Thanks," she said, in an equally soft tone. She flushed and looked away. "You're very handsome tonight," she admitted. She admired the way his curly dark hair augmented the equally opaque darkness of his eyes. The gray pants and green-gray shirt he wore gently outlined the muscular contours of his body. In an effort to break the silence, Sinclair said, "I've made reservations at the Starlight cafe for dinner. You don't mind, do you?" She shook her head. "Actually, I've been wanting to go there since it opened," she admitted. "The atmosphere is supposed to be really great, as good as the food." He nodded. "A friend recommended it to me, said it was the best place to go on B5 for romantic dinners." Her smile widened. "So this is a date!" He smiled faintly. "I guess you could call it that." She shrugged. "I don't mind." She colored slightly. "I've never dated before. I'm kind of new to this romance stuff." "Me too," he acknowledged. "I never really had time for, or paid attention to, romance."
"Me neither," she said. She sighed. "All my life, I was training. Training to become a warrior, training to fight well, to fly well, to talk well, diplomatically, I mean . . . it never really left me time for anything like that." "I know what you mean," he said quietly. "Romance, for me, was a nuisance. Whenever I saw couples who were in love, giggling because they were so happy, infatuated with each other, I thought it was like a disease I didn't want to catch. Now . . . now I understand what they feel like." She gazed at him in surprise, but he had turned away to exit her quarters and hadn't caught her surprised look. ***********
The maitre d' led them to a table under the ceiling of simulated stars that gave the cafe its namesake. Coryna sighed. "You picked a great restaurant." "Thanks," Jeffrey said. He walked to one side of the table, and pulled out a chair. "After you, Madame," he said, faking a French accent. She smiled and seated herself. "Merci, monsieur," she replied, as he pushed her chair closer toward the table. He sat down across from her. A waiter approached the table and handed them menus. Coryna smiled wryly as they leafed through the menus. "Centauri spoo . . . Calamari and shrimp . . . Narn shras . . . Minbari calimas . . . Big choice to make," she observed. "Indeed," Jeffrey said. He looked at her. The waiter returned. "May I take your orders now?" Jeffrey looked at her. "Ready to order?" She nodded. "Minbari calimas, with a side dish of limonas. For dessert, I'll have a piece of Black Forest cake. Drinks, I'll have tonic water with a twist of lime." "And you, sir?" "Shrimp and calamari, scalloped potatoes, cheesecake, and sparkling water." The waiter nodded and left. "What's calimas?" he asked her. "It looks kind of like a Mexican enchilada," she explained, "but it has salsidda sauce instead of salsa, and different vegetables and meat." "I see," he said. He paused. "How about I say something about my past, then you say something about yours, or the Minbari, as long as it's not too sensitive?" "Fair enough," she allowed. "Okay. Well, um," he considered, "I trained for three years as a Jesuit before joining Earth Force." Her eyebrows came together as she frowned. "You were a religious missionary?" "Not exactly a missionary," he said. "I was sort of considering becoming a monk." "I'm glad you didn't," she said softly. "Else we would never have met." "True." He rubbed his chin. "What about you?" "Hmm." She frowned again. "The colony planet I lived on, Cormick, was attacked when I was five. My parents were killed." She looked away. "The Minbari rescued me three days later. I was barely alive. The ship's commander, Maulin, sent me to live on Minbar. I was raised by them, and I owe my life to them." He grasped her hands in his. "I'm sorry," he whispered. She raised her head and smiled faintly at him. He gripped her hands harder to reassure her. "Thank you," she said quietly. She smiled. "Your turn." "Might as well tell our whole life story all at once," he pointed out. She nodded in agreement. "Okay," he said, "I was born on Earth. My parents were David and Janna Sinclair, both now deceased. My birthday is on April 1—" Coryna grinned and he pointed a finger at her—"no jokes—and I'm currently 27 years old. I grew up in Idaho, and, as you know, trained with the Jesuits before joining Earth Force." He paused. "I trained as a pilot, and I worked my way up to Alpha Lead for the Alpha Starfury wing. I was at the Battle of the Line," he went on quietly. He paused. "I know the Minbari captured me, but I have no memory of being their captive. After the Minbari surrendered, and B5 was built, they insisted I be given command of the station." He shook his head. "Whenever I deal with Minbari, I get this strange feeling. I don't know why," he finished in frustration. She nodded. The Valen part of him is active, she noted. His mission must be coming up soon. Strangely enough, despair came with the end of that thought when she realized he would have to leave her soon. I must be falling in love with him, she thought. She shook her head. Jeffrey looked at her quizzically. "Something wrong?" "No," she answered, just as the waiter set down their orders and drinks. She sipped at the water, then looked up. "After Maulin sent me to Minbar, Delenn's parents 'adopted' me and they raised me with her, despite her being way older than I was. That's how we became best friends. After that, when I 'came of age,' I decided to join the warrior class. They taught me how to fight, and to fight well. After that, the Anla-Shok, a group that draws its ranks from all three castes, picked me to join them. It was, probably, the best period of my life." She paused to take a bite of her order. "Mmm, good. Anyway, they taught me other stuff, more fighting techniques, diplomacy, and intelligence-type stuff. I became a pilot, and I spent a good deal of time flying missions before I flew into the Battle of the Line aboard one of the cruisers as an observer. Delenn later requested me as her aide." Jeffrey raised an eyebrow. "Interesting life. Much more interesting than mine." He sighed contentedly. "I'm glad we met, Ms. D'Sora," he said warmly. "It's Coryna," she said. "Coryna," he acknowledged. "Also an interesting insight into the Minbari." "True," she replied. She tilted her head. "At least we have something in common: piloting. I. . . " She blushed. "I have to admit that I find you fascinating. And handsome." She blushed again. "Coryna," he said softly. She looked up. "I find you as beautiful as the stars. In fact, I could write a poem about your beauty, even though I'm not much of a writer." She smiled. "You're also extremely intelligent, funny, caring and I . . . and I love you." "I love you too, Jeffrey," she whispered. Their eyes locked, and Jeffrey dropped his fork on the table. He leaned forward and kissed her hesitantly. She pressed back hard, and they kissed passionately. A few moments later, they stopped, breathless. He took her hands in his, and gazed into her piercing eyes. Beautiful, yet so mysterious, he thought. She gazed back into his dark eyes, wondering what was going on behind them. Yet his dark eyes were so warm and affectionate that she thought she would melt. He lifted one hand and stroked her cheek. "Coryna," he said, his voice choked with emotion. Beep-beep. Jeffrey's communicator went off. He sighed and tapped the comm on his hand. "Sinclair here." "Sir, the President is on Gold Channel. He wants to speak to you right away," said the officer on duty. "I'm on my way," the commander told him. He looked back at Coryna, who was watching him calmly, without the slightest bit of resentment. "Duty calls, I'm afraid." "I understand," she said. They rose and walked outside the restaurant. Jeffrey walked her back to her quarters. "Isn't it customary to kiss good night after a first date?" she enquired. He leaned slightly down and kissed her long and hard. "Good night," he said softly. Then he turned and headed for his office.
******************
The president of the Interstellar Alliance appeared patiently on the wallscreen in Sinclair's office when he switched it on. "President Santiago," Sinclair greeted. "Commander Sinclair," the president said gravely. "I trust I have not interrupted anything important. You look like you are dressed for going out to dinner?" Sinclair sighed. "I was having dinner, sir, when your call came through," he admitted, "but it must have been urgent if you called on Gold Channel." "Not as urgent as it may seem," the president admitted. Sinclair raised an eyebrow. "Who were you having dinner with?" Sinclair sighed again, albeit this time silently. For a president, he sometimes seemed like a gossip. "The Minbari ambassador's chief aide, sir." The president's eyebrows rose. "You're dating a Minbari?" "A human, sir," he corrected, "and it wasn't a date." The president shrugged. "Whatever you say." He sobered. "On to business. There may be factions in the government who disapprove of the current peace with the Minbari. They may try to injure or upset the Minbari at Babylon 5." "Do you have any hard intelligence, sir?" Sinclair asked "Not at the moment," Santiago admitted. "All I want you to do at the moment is keep an eye on the Minbari ambassador. Which shouldn't be too hard—" he grinned—"since you started dating her aide." Sinclair felt like rolling his eyes. "Yes, sir" was all he said. The president nodded. "Santiago out." The screen blinked off. Sinclair left his office to visit Coryna to deliver the news, since he knew she was probably was still awake, unlike Delenn.
********************
A breep at the door brought Coryna awake quickly. On silent feet she padded to the main living area. "Come!" she called.
Jeff, with his eyes tired, hair and clothes rumpled, entered. "Hey," he said warmly. "Sorry I had to break off our kiss so suddenly." "No problem," she replied. Throwing a glance her way, Jeff took in the sweat suit she was wearing and her ready-for-anything stance. She indicated the chair next to her. "Please, have a seat." "I'm really sorry I had to barge in on you like this-" he began.
"Not a problem. I couldn't sleep anyway," she admitted. "So, what's the problem?"
He laughed. "Perceptive, aren't you?" He sobered. "President Santiago called on Gold Channel-" "So I heard before," she interrupted again.
He nodded. "Right, I forgot," he said sheepishly. He cleared his throat. "A faction on Earth wants Ambassador Delenn dead. That's all I know right now, but I'm to keep an eye on her to make sure they don't try anything."
She raised an eyebrow. "And you want me to do your spying for you?"
He shook his head. "Just tell her what I told you."
She leaned forward. "I may be her aide, but I'm also in charge of her safety, Commander," she said, throwing his title in his face.
"Then you'll coordinate with Michael Garibaldi for guards around her at all times?" he asked.
She threw him a exasperated glance. "Of course not," she said, annoyed. "If these people are really gunning for Delenn, we should stop them before they can get a shot at her. Get me all the information your government has on this faction. We'll see if we can't turn the tables on them."
He laughed. "Is this the way Minbari do politics?"
"It's the way I do politics."
He stopped laughing. "You're serious." "I am." She rubbed her hands together. "The hunters will soon become the hunted . . ."