Author's note: I think I've sorted the formatting problem out now.
***
John came to with a jerk as he was yanked from the sleeping platform. His head exploded with pain and nausea churned in his stomach. Hands roughly propelled him forwards as his fogged mind tried to come to terms with what was happening. They'd got him out the door before he remembered he was a prisoner of the Minbari and began to fight against them, but they held him with surprising strength.
He kept up his struggles, though their grips were like iron. As well as the two holding him, there were others nearby as guards. At last his attempts earned him a punch in the stomach, and it was more than his body could take. He bent over despite their hold and emptied his stomach onto the floor, the foul taste filling his mouth.
He noted with some small pleasure that a couple of the Minbari withdrew slightly, looking at his vomit with suspicion and worry. At last it became apparent that this was nothing but a consequence of what they had done to him, and they hauled him to a door. This slid open at a touch and revealed a large room, empty but for strange triangles of metal hanging from the ceiling in a circle. There were eight of them in all.
John found out their purpose as he was taken to one, his hands fixed to the lower side of the triangle. One of the Minbari remained in the room, but the others left. They, or others, entered minutes later hauling Richards in with them. There were bruises on his face, but otherwise he seemed unhurt. They left again.
John thought it was the same lot who came back and then left again six more times, each time hauling one of the bridge crew, but they all looked the same: bald with a bone in the head.
John surveyed his people. They were all standing, rather than relying on the support of the triangle things. That meant no broken legs, which would make escape easier, and escape was after all the first priority of a prisoner. Visible bruising suggested they'd all been through the same thing he had.
A Minbari stood in the centre of the room. He went first to Lieutenant Baker, a young woman who'd only recently signed on with the Lexington.
"Which of you is leader of your ship?" the Minbari asked. Baker said nothing, and the Minbari pressed a black rod into her chest. John didn't know what that thing did, but she let out a scream and an expression of intense pain filled her features.
"Which of you destroyed Dral Afi?" Again Baker said nothing, and the Minbari shoved that thing into her chest once more. John guessed Dral Afi was their ship, and considered yelling out that it was him. Baker had done nothing to deserve torture.
"Which of you is leader?" As Baker screamed for the third time, John opened his mouth to tell them, but he caught sight of the expression on Richards' face. His comm. officer was trying to say without words that he shouldn't say anything. They couldn't give the Minbari what they wanted.
The Minbari left Baker and went to the person next to her: Richards. John hoped the Minbari couldn't read human expressions since to him the look on Richards' face couldn't be clearer if it had been illuminated in lights: don't say a thing.
"Which of you is leader?" Richards said nothing, but his gaze was fixed on John's face. If he didn't look away soon the Minbari were bound to notice something and he didn't fancy his chances once they found out he was the one who'd destroyed their ship.
Richards' scream cut right into John. He known the man for three years, since he'd joined the crew of the Lexington, he couldn't let him be tortured like this. He owed it to their friendship.
"Stop!" he yelled and the Minbari turned towards him, leaving Richards gasping from the pain, and shaking his head at John.
"You won't find our captain among us," John said, "he's dead. You killed him!" John didn't realise how angry he was until those words burst from him. He was so furious at these creatures for killing someone he cared for as a friend and mentor. Sterns was planning on retiring before these fiends had attacked the Prometheus and started this war. They were responsible for destroying an old man's hopes of peace and quiet.
"Many of our people died on the Dral Afi. Many of our best warriors. Which one of you gave the order that destroyed our ship?"
"I told you, our captain is dead!" It was true enough, but evidently didn't please the Minbari. As the rod met John's chest, he became aware of nothing but the pain. It surged along every nerve in his body, burning and freezing simultaneously. It felt as though his body was being torn apart from the inside. The pain. 'Let it stop,' he begged silently to whatever deity happened to be watching him, 'Let it stop.'
The pain touched the very core of his being until it seemed it would go on forever. The searing agony was a part of him that would never leave. As it continued, taking control of every limb and muscle, it seemed the pain had always been. For an eternity it burned and froze. For an eternity it ate away at him.
Then it stopped.
John hung there from the triangle of metal. His whole body was shaking from the shock. He tried to stand, to support himself, but his legs wouldn't take it. They gave way beneath him and his weight strained at his shoulders.
He was vaguely aware of someone saying his name. "John? John?" He raised his head, dots swimming alarmingly in front of his vision, and looked blearily at Richards, concern filling his face. He tried to smile, to reassure him, but found he didn't have the strength.
"Who gave the order?" John couldn't have answered even if he'd wanted to. The dots were growing more numerous and more vigorous in their movements. Soon his entire vision was obscured by the haze and the sounds of the room began to grow further away.
He knew he was loosing consciousness and he rejoiced at that blessed oblivion.
***
Lenonn sat beside Elcann as they watched a holographic image of the interrogation room. Lenonn was surprised Elcann allowed him here, since his opinion of the Alashak was well known. He considered them fools trying to impersonate the 'superior' warrior cast.
"The human has no honour," Elcann said, "He lies without thought. He says the one who gave the order is dead, but it cannot be so." Lenonn remained silent. He had noticed what Elcann had not, that the human had never stated their captain had given the order, merely that he was their leader and had been killed. There had been a dead body on the bridge of the humans' ship. It seemed to Lenonn that the human was doing all he could not to give an outright lie, but still to protect the others.
Lenonn also noticed the way the others kept looking towards him whenever Canor asked who gave the order. He must be the leader. Why else would he strive to protect the others in such a way?
"Those animals," Elcann said in an angry tone, "they lure the Black Star into a trap and now seek to lie to us. They killed so many fine warriors."
"I would have thought," Lenonn said calmly, "that a warrior such as yourself would realise death is common in war. We have killed more of their warriors then they have killed ours."
"I expected you to be pleased at that. Dukhat was of your cast after all."
"We have taken our revenge a hundred fold. Yet it is not enough for you. Why?"
"Dukhat was the greatest of us," Elcann said, surprising Lenonn. Dukhat was held in respect by all casts, but Lenonn hadn't known that a member of the warrior cast would think him better than any of their own. "Our revenge will only be complete with the destruction of their kind. Every one of us they kill will only make our conquest more just."
"Is it justice to destroy an entire species?"
"They have no honour, that one shows this," Elcann nodded towards the human who was even now loosing consciousness, "Surely there can be no dishonour in killing the dishonourable."
"And no honour either." Lenonn looked at the hologram. He wasn't sure that the human was truly without honour. He would have to ask some questions of his own, away from Elcann and the warriors. The warrior cast thought of nothing but fighting, it needed one who concentrated more on wisdom to judge this matter.
He would speak to Delenn about it. As one of the Grey Council she could grant permission for him to conduct his own interrogations. It was clear that force would not get the required answers fro these people. Intelligence would be needed if they were to learn the truth.
***
Author's note: I couldn't resist using John's description of the Minbari witness from 'There all the Honour Lies': 'bald with a bone in the head'. Please review and let me know what you think.
***
John came to with a jerk as he was yanked from the sleeping platform. His head exploded with pain and nausea churned in his stomach. Hands roughly propelled him forwards as his fogged mind tried to come to terms with what was happening. They'd got him out the door before he remembered he was a prisoner of the Minbari and began to fight against them, but they held him with surprising strength.
He kept up his struggles, though their grips were like iron. As well as the two holding him, there were others nearby as guards. At last his attempts earned him a punch in the stomach, and it was more than his body could take. He bent over despite their hold and emptied his stomach onto the floor, the foul taste filling his mouth.
He noted with some small pleasure that a couple of the Minbari withdrew slightly, looking at his vomit with suspicion and worry. At last it became apparent that this was nothing but a consequence of what they had done to him, and they hauled him to a door. This slid open at a touch and revealed a large room, empty but for strange triangles of metal hanging from the ceiling in a circle. There were eight of them in all.
John found out their purpose as he was taken to one, his hands fixed to the lower side of the triangle. One of the Minbari remained in the room, but the others left. They, or others, entered minutes later hauling Richards in with them. There were bruises on his face, but otherwise he seemed unhurt. They left again.
John thought it was the same lot who came back and then left again six more times, each time hauling one of the bridge crew, but they all looked the same: bald with a bone in the head.
John surveyed his people. They were all standing, rather than relying on the support of the triangle things. That meant no broken legs, which would make escape easier, and escape was after all the first priority of a prisoner. Visible bruising suggested they'd all been through the same thing he had.
A Minbari stood in the centre of the room. He went first to Lieutenant Baker, a young woman who'd only recently signed on with the Lexington.
"Which of you is leader of your ship?" the Minbari asked. Baker said nothing, and the Minbari pressed a black rod into her chest. John didn't know what that thing did, but she let out a scream and an expression of intense pain filled her features.
"Which of you destroyed Dral Afi?" Again Baker said nothing, and the Minbari shoved that thing into her chest once more. John guessed Dral Afi was their ship, and considered yelling out that it was him. Baker had done nothing to deserve torture.
"Which of you is leader?" As Baker screamed for the third time, John opened his mouth to tell them, but he caught sight of the expression on Richards' face. His comm. officer was trying to say without words that he shouldn't say anything. They couldn't give the Minbari what they wanted.
The Minbari left Baker and went to the person next to her: Richards. John hoped the Minbari couldn't read human expressions since to him the look on Richards' face couldn't be clearer if it had been illuminated in lights: don't say a thing.
"Which of you is leader?" Richards said nothing, but his gaze was fixed on John's face. If he didn't look away soon the Minbari were bound to notice something and he didn't fancy his chances once they found out he was the one who'd destroyed their ship.
Richards' scream cut right into John. He known the man for three years, since he'd joined the crew of the Lexington, he couldn't let him be tortured like this. He owed it to their friendship.
"Stop!" he yelled and the Minbari turned towards him, leaving Richards gasping from the pain, and shaking his head at John.
"You won't find our captain among us," John said, "he's dead. You killed him!" John didn't realise how angry he was until those words burst from him. He was so furious at these creatures for killing someone he cared for as a friend and mentor. Sterns was planning on retiring before these fiends had attacked the Prometheus and started this war. They were responsible for destroying an old man's hopes of peace and quiet.
"Many of our people died on the Dral Afi. Many of our best warriors. Which one of you gave the order that destroyed our ship?"
"I told you, our captain is dead!" It was true enough, but evidently didn't please the Minbari. As the rod met John's chest, he became aware of nothing but the pain. It surged along every nerve in his body, burning and freezing simultaneously. It felt as though his body was being torn apart from the inside. The pain. 'Let it stop,' he begged silently to whatever deity happened to be watching him, 'Let it stop.'
The pain touched the very core of his being until it seemed it would go on forever. The searing agony was a part of him that would never leave. As it continued, taking control of every limb and muscle, it seemed the pain had always been. For an eternity it burned and froze. For an eternity it ate away at him.
Then it stopped.
John hung there from the triangle of metal. His whole body was shaking from the shock. He tried to stand, to support himself, but his legs wouldn't take it. They gave way beneath him and his weight strained at his shoulders.
He was vaguely aware of someone saying his name. "John? John?" He raised his head, dots swimming alarmingly in front of his vision, and looked blearily at Richards, concern filling his face. He tried to smile, to reassure him, but found he didn't have the strength.
"Who gave the order?" John couldn't have answered even if he'd wanted to. The dots were growing more numerous and more vigorous in their movements. Soon his entire vision was obscured by the haze and the sounds of the room began to grow further away.
He knew he was loosing consciousness and he rejoiced at that blessed oblivion.
***
Lenonn sat beside Elcann as they watched a holographic image of the interrogation room. Lenonn was surprised Elcann allowed him here, since his opinion of the Alashak was well known. He considered them fools trying to impersonate the 'superior' warrior cast.
"The human has no honour," Elcann said, "He lies without thought. He says the one who gave the order is dead, but it cannot be so." Lenonn remained silent. He had noticed what Elcann had not, that the human had never stated their captain had given the order, merely that he was their leader and had been killed. There had been a dead body on the bridge of the humans' ship. It seemed to Lenonn that the human was doing all he could not to give an outright lie, but still to protect the others.
Lenonn also noticed the way the others kept looking towards him whenever Canor asked who gave the order. He must be the leader. Why else would he strive to protect the others in such a way?
"Those animals," Elcann said in an angry tone, "they lure the Black Star into a trap and now seek to lie to us. They killed so many fine warriors."
"I would have thought," Lenonn said calmly, "that a warrior such as yourself would realise death is common in war. We have killed more of their warriors then they have killed ours."
"I expected you to be pleased at that. Dukhat was of your cast after all."
"We have taken our revenge a hundred fold. Yet it is not enough for you. Why?"
"Dukhat was the greatest of us," Elcann said, surprising Lenonn. Dukhat was held in respect by all casts, but Lenonn hadn't known that a member of the warrior cast would think him better than any of their own. "Our revenge will only be complete with the destruction of their kind. Every one of us they kill will only make our conquest more just."
"Is it justice to destroy an entire species?"
"They have no honour, that one shows this," Elcann nodded towards the human who was even now loosing consciousness, "Surely there can be no dishonour in killing the dishonourable."
"And no honour either." Lenonn looked at the hologram. He wasn't sure that the human was truly without honour. He would have to ask some questions of his own, away from Elcann and the warriors. The warrior cast thought of nothing but fighting, it needed one who concentrated more on wisdom to judge this matter.
He would speak to Delenn about it. As one of the Grey Council she could grant permission for him to conduct his own interrogations. It was clear that force would not get the required answers fro these people. Intelligence would be needed if they were to learn the truth.
***
Author's note: I couldn't resist using John's description of the Minbari witness from 'There all the Honour Lies': 'bald with a bone in the head'. Please review and let me know what you think.