Night Came
Chapter 1 - Meeting minds
The President's villa, Minbar, Thursday evening EST
David Sheridan Jr. was playing contently on the floor with his nanny. He was a happy, calm child, very different from what his father had been, as Delenn had been told by her in-laws. It was probably the Minbari blood in him that made him satisfied with just sitting down fiddling with a piece of wood and looking for approval in Nerenn's friendly eyes. Delenn herself had just finished off answering some less important messages and returned to the kitchen. For once they were going to eat a nice dinner at home - she looked forward to it, since something usually came in between and family was an expensive rarity John had hardly ever seen in the past months. She understood him, she accepted him being chosen, she loved and supported him but sometimes the very non-Minbari emotion also known as egotism overcame her and she just didn't care for sharing him with the entire universe. And now he was late - again. Just as she started dwelling in thoughts that didn't suit her reputation and that made her deeply ashamed of herself the door opened and John finally entered with David on his shoulders.
"Hullo, dearest!" he said and added one of his grins while planting a kiss on her cheek. He looked tired, she thought. She wished they were just another plain couple with no responsibilities, holidays and some 9 to 5 job, as the humans used to say. It must have been one of the side-effects of becoming human and she took it in a way only a true Minbari could do.
"Sorry, I'm late, the Drazi-"he excused himself. She nodded in a compassionate way, because there was always something with the Drazi.
"Well, now I'm home and I don't know about you, but I'm starving!" he exclaimed, starting to open the pots on the stove inhaling the strange scent. Since Delenn wasn't in to hiring a cook - Nerenn, the nanny, was just as much help she was willing to take - she had started cooking herself. She found it disturbing having so many people around in her house doing things for her all the time. John thought that was odd, but he was Human and they saw things in a different way. They had created this complicated system of service and payment. She didn't quite get it, because it was virtuous and respectful to help and serve whoever and whenever possible and not a matter of money. The Minbari didn't pay any rent to the universe, either, for letting them live there, still her planet existed and so did the universe.
Now the Sheridans shared the cooking; this meant whenever he couldn't get food somewhere else she cooked. And since an avERUge meal for members of the religious caste took at least 7 hours to prepare, John had bought her a recipe book from Earth. Delenn usually tried to get the right ingredients but when she failed she used local food which usually resulted in very interesting dinners. At least it didn't make David a picky child, John thought, as he saw the gloomy grey stuff that she called spaghetti in tomato sauce. The president gulped, masked it as a yawn, as he saw her look, and asked her about her day. She told him quickly about it, since she sensed that he wasn't really interested, but anxious to tell her about his.
"What?" he asked as she looked at him, pacing around in the room while she stirred in the pots.
"You should know that I appreciate your politeness. How was your day?" she asked and he shone up like a 300 watt lamp.
"Nathan Gray is coming!"
"Oh." She was surprised but smiled at seeing him so agitated like a child with an entire room filled with new toys.
"You know, the author!" he persisted.
"Yes, I know - the author."
"You do?" Unlike his wife John was neither especially litERUte nor very intellectual and that was one of the reasons why she knew who that Gray- person was. The only books he had brought into their marriage were written by him.
"Of course." she stated simply.
"He is coming here, to us!" John had tried to sit but was far to exited and shoved the chair away.
"Yes. I am sure it will be an interesting and stimulating meeting."
"He, he is the only author that really is an author with a reputation that I've ever liked to read - no loved! Yes, I loved to read them! I never love to read! I've hated reading, never finished an entire book in school, but he is...brilliant. I don't know what to wear."
"But John you've met authors before, especially since you've became President."
She smiled silently at the way he acted, knowing too well that he was up for another wonderful surprise.
"Well, this is different. I've actually read this guy's work, and not got the summaries quoted from an assistant."
He paused looking somewhat ashamed of himself.
"Besides most of them were your friends and.I feel kinda dumb whenever you're together." She had felt that, too, he always got silent and uncomfortable when they visited. What John didn't notice was that that was mutual; all her friends thought he was Messiah or Valen incarnated.
"Why is he here?"
"You don't know?" She didn't, though she thought she actually should have known; at least before John found it out.
"Nathan Gray is the first living human writer that gets a novel translated to Minbari."
"Oh."
"Can you believe that? It's been so many years since the war and no living human - and no Minbari either, I think - has gotten a book translated and published on the other planet. I read that in the Universe Today. There have been a few attempts to bring Shakespeare to your people a few years ago, but no one seemed to want an exchange."
"Man takes time to adapt, forgive and forget. Reading the enemy's poetry is feeling with him. It's strictly prohibited by the warrior caste in times of war, it always has been."
"But the war is over. It's been more than 15 years!"
"The trauma is not. We lost loved ones like you did. Reading is understanding, understanding is forgiving. It's sad. No war really ends until the mind stops fighting."
With those words, Delenn took the food off the heater and called for David and Nerenn. John sat down and ate, since he was grateful she at least tried and he didn't have to. And he even praised the bluish threads that she called pasta because he loved her more than anything in the world.
The President's office, Tuesday morning EST
"Michael! Ready?"
"Sure, Mr. President. Always."
The room was big, beautiful and representing, Delenn arrived late but in time. Stephen, who finally had agreed to work as the Presidents personal doctor, since it was the only way he could get a lab, a staff and amountless of time and money for his xenobiological studies, had also joined them as well as G'Kar being the author of the constitution of the Alliance and all.
"He's coming any minute now." John stated nervously to the other four.
"How do I look?" A young Minbari Ranger entered the room and John had to live without a response. She bowed and declared that the guest had arrived. The President put on his smile, straightened his suit glancing at his friends. The door slid up again and a man in his late thirties and an older woman entered.
"Mr. Gray? It's an incredible honor to meet you. I am John Sheridan." Gray shook the offered hand and smiled.
"It's an at least equally 'incredible' honour to meet you Mr. President."
"May I present my wife, Entil'Zha Delenn." The guest bowed acknowledging in Minbari style and she replied it smiling sweetly.
"And this is the head of Intelligence Mr. Garibaldi, further Dr. Franklin and Consul G'Kar."
They shook hands and exchanged mumbled acknowledges. Then Gray introduced the woman as Miranda Fesse, his manager, and John seemed confused.
"I was informed that your wife would come, too."
"Oh, yes, she is here, indeed. But she had to finish some business; she will join us any minute. I'm sorry about that."
"No need for excuses." John said politely while caching a grim look from Michael.
"Well, please sit down, Mr. Gray. Can I get you anything to drink?"
"If you'd have some juice, I'd love some."
While John moved to the cabinet G'Kar sat down beside the other author and involved him in a conversation.
"What?" John whispered en passant while pouring fresh orange juice in a couple of glasses.
"His wife-"
"Yeah. What about her?"
"I checked her out. Marianne Gray. PSI-cop. Big fish." Michael contently noted the startled expression on John's face. Then he seemed to gather himself and become President Sheridan.
"Right now she's our guest."
"Is that wise - now?"
"Yes, and she is invited to the banquet as well. Remember that." With that he turned away moving back to the others.
Just as he opened his mouth and join the quasi-intellectual conversation with some irrelevant chatter the door opened anew and a Ranger entered, now a man with the hood drawn over his face. He pulled out a PPG and fired two shots at Gray who had rose to greet his wife. While the author fell down, the Ranger ran away followed by startled security-guards and hell broke loose.
_____________________________________ Oh, and Nathan Gray is not the same as the PSI Cop Gray, sorry, never thought there might be a mixup until now. So, what did you think of this? Really, really bad? Please review, how am I else ever gonna do better or learn when to stop?/ Bumble-bee-free
Chapter 1 - Meeting minds
The President's villa, Minbar, Thursday evening EST
David Sheridan Jr. was playing contently on the floor with his nanny. He was a happy, calm child, very different from what his father had been, as Delenn had been told by her in-laws. It was probably the Minbari blood in him that made him satisfied with just sitting down fiddling with a piece of wood and looking for approval in Nerenn's friendly eyes. Delenn herself had just finished off answering some less important messages and returned to the kitchen. For once they were going to eat a nice dinner at home - she looked forward to it, since something usually came in between and family was an expensive rarity John had hardly ever seen in the past months. She understood him, she accepted him being chosen, she loved and supported him but sometimes the very non-Minbari emotion also known as egotism overcame her and she just didn't care for sharing him with the entire universe. And now he was late - again. Just as she started dwelling in thoughts that didn't suit her reputation and that made her deeply ashamed of herself the door opened and John finally entered with David on his shoulders.
"Hullo, dearest!" he said and added one of his grins while planting a kiss on her cheek. He looked tired, she thought. She wished they were just another plain couple with no responsibilities, holidays and some 9 to 5 job, as the humans used to say. It must have been one of the side-effects of becoming human and she took it in a way only a true Minbari could do.
"Sorry, I'm late, the Drazi-"he excused himself. She nodded in a compassionate way, because there was always something with the Drazi.
"Well, now I'm home and I don't know about you, but I'm starving!" he exclaimed, starting to open the pots on the stove inhaling the strange scent. Since Delenn wasn't in to hiring a cook - Nerenn, the nanny, was just as much help she was willing to take - she had started cooking herself. She found it disturbing having so many people around in her house doing things for her all the time. John thought that was odd, but he was Human and they saw things in a different way. They had created this complicated system of service and payment. She didn't quite get it, because it was virtuous and respectful to help and serve whoever and whenever possible and not a matter of money. The Minbari didn't pay any rent to the universe, either, for letting them live there, still her planet existed and so did the universe.
Now the Sheridans shared the cooking; this meant whenever he couldn't get food somewhere else she cooked. And since an avERUge meal for members of the religious caste took at least 7 hours to prepare, John had bought her a recipe book from Earth. Delenn usually tried to get the right ingredients but when she failed she used local food which usually resulted in very interesting dinners. At least it didn't make David a picky child, John thought, as he saw the gloomy grey stuff that she called spaghetti in tomato sauce. The president gulped, masked it as a yawn, as he saw her look, and asked her about her day. She told him quickly about it, since she sensed that he wasn't really interested, but anxious to tell her about his.
"What?" he asked as she looked at him, pacing around in the room while she stirred in the pots.
"You should know that I appreciate your politeness. How was your day?" she asked and he shone up like a 300 watt lamp.
"Nathan Gray is coming!"
"Oh." She was surprised but smiled at seeing him so agitated like a child with an entire room filled with new toys.
"You know, the author!" he persisted.
"Yes, I know - the author."
"You do?" Unlike his wife John was neither especially litERUte nor very intellectual and that was one of the reasons why she knew who that Gray- person was. The only books he had brought into their marriage were written by him.
"Of course." she stated simply.
"He is coming here, to us!" John had tried to sit but was far to exited and shoved the chair away.
"Yes. I am sure it will be an interesting and stimulating meeting."
"He, he is the only author that really is an author with a reputation that I've ever liked to read - no loved! Yes, I loved to read them! I never love to read! I've hated reading, never finished an entire book in school, but he is...brilliant. I don't know what to wear."
"But John you've met authors before, especially since you've became President."
She smiled silently at the way he acted, knowing too well that he was up for another wonderful surprise.
"Well, this is different. I've actually read this guy's work, and not got the summaries quoted from an assistant."
He paused looking somewhat ashamed of himself.
"Besides most of them were your friends and.I feel kinda dumb whenever you're together." She had felt that, too, he always got silent and uncomfortable when they visited. What John didn't notice was that that was mutual; all her friends thought he was Messiah or Valen incarnated.
"Why is he here?"
"You don't know?" She didn't, though she thought she actually should have known; at least before John found it out.
"Nathan Gray is the first living human writer that gets a novel translated to Minbari."
"Oh."
"Can you believe that? It's been so many years since the war and no living human - and no Minbari either, I think - has gotten a book translated and published on the other planet. I read that in the Universe Today. There have been a few attempts to bring Shakespeare to your people a few years ago, but no one seemed to want an exchange."
"Man takes time to adapt, forgive and forget. Reading the enemy's poetry is feeling with him. It's strictly prohibited by the warrior caste in times of war, it always has been."
"But the war is over. It's been more than 15 years!"
"The trauma is not. We lost loved ones like you did. Reading is understanding, understanding is forgiving. It's sad. No war really ends until the mind stops fighting."
With those words, Delenn took the food off the heater and called for David and Nerenn. John sat down and ate, since he was grateful she at least tried and he didn't have to. And he even praised the bluish threads that she called pasta because he loved her more than anything in the world.
The President's office, Tuesday morning EST
"Michael! Ready?"
"Sure, Mr. President. Always."
The room was big, beautiful and representing, Delenn arrived late but in time. Stephen, who finally had agreed to work as the Presidents personal doctor, since it was the only way he could get a lab, a staff and amountless of time and money for his xenobiological studies, had also joined them as well as G'Kar being the author of the constitution of the Alliance and all.
"He's coming any minute now." John stated nervously to the other four.
"How do I look?" A young Minbari Ranger entered the room and John had to live without a response. She bowed and declared that the guest had arrived. The President put on his smile, straightened his suit glancing at his friends. The door slid up again and a man in his late thirties and an older woman entered.
"Mr. Gray? It's an incredible honor to meet you. I am John Sheridan." Gray shook the offered hand and smiled.
"It's an at least equally 'incredible' honour to meet you Mr. President."
"May I present my wife, Entil'Zha Delenn." The guest bowed acknowledging in Minbari style and she replied it smiling sweetly.
"And this is the head of Intelligence Mr. Garibaldi, further Dr. Franklin and Consul G'Kar."
They shook hands and exchanged mumbled acknowledges. Then Gray introduced the woman as Miranda Fesse, his manager, and John seemed confused.
"I was informed that your wife would come, too."
"Oh, yes, she is here, indeed. But she had to finish some business; she will join us any minute. I'm sorry about that."
"No need for excuses." John said politely while caching a grim look from Michael.
"Well, please sit down, Mr. Gray. Can I get you anything to drink?"
"If you'd have some juice, I'd love some."
While John moved to the cabinet G'Kar sat down beside the other author and involved him in a conversation.
"What?" John whispered en passant while pouring fresh orange juice in a couple of glasses.
"His wife-"
"Yeah. What about her?"
"I checked her out. Marianne Gray. PSI-cop. Big fish." Michael contently noted the startled expression on John's face. Then he seemed to gather himself and become President Sheridan.
"Right now she's our guest."
"Is that wise - now?"
"Yes, and she is invited to the banquet as well. Remember that." With that he turned away moving back to the others.
Just as he opened his mouth and join the quasi-intellectual conversation with some irrelevant chatter the door opened anew and a Ranger entered, now a man with the hood drawn over his face. He pulled out a PPG and fired two shots at Gray who had rose to greet his wife. While the author fell down, the Ranger ran away followed by startled security-guards and hell broke loose.
_____________________________________ Oh, and Nathan Gray is not the same as the PSI Cop Gray, sorry, never thought there might be a mixup until now. So, what did you think of this? Really, really bad? Please review, how am I else ever gonna do better or learn when to stop?/ Bumble-bee-free
