Author's note: I apologise for the delay. Moving house, work and friends pestering me to write more of my novel meant I had very little time for this story.
***
John decided he'd try and persuade Lenonn to teach him to speak Minbari. After what had just happened, he really wanted to know what they were saying when they talked about him.
He'd braced himself for a long argument, trying to come up with reasons why it was in the interests of Minbar to teach him. He'd run out with 'it would save you struggling with a language you don't have much experience with' and 'it's easier for me to learn to speak your language than for all of your people to learn mine'.
He wasn't really expecting Lenonn to agree, at least not without some serious arguments on his side. Which is why he was so surprised when Lenonn said "yes" without hesitation when John asked. All John could do was sit gaping in surprise.
"Really?" he asked, just checking he'd heard correctly.
"Indeed. I will begin teaching you the basics immediately if you wish."
A couple of hours later John decided it said a lot about a culture that they considered words like 'soul' and 'honour' to be among the basics. He'd have gone for, 'do you speak English?' 'could you repeat that?' and 'can you say that slower, please?' He learned those too, providing he could remember the nuances of the pronunciation.
"Perhaps we should try something else," Lenonn suggested, as John failed to say 'I'm pleased to meet you' properly. Given Lenonn's expression, John was afraid it came out as something very different when he said.
"Like what?" John asked, expecting to be given another phrase to learn. Instead Lenonn turned to the door.
"Come with me," he said. John was puzzled. There were no armed guards, no restraints, no nothing. Just Lenonn leading him through the corridors of the ship. Maybe that was because he now knew it was a ship and that there was nowhere to go.
"Where are we going?" John asked. When Lenonn didn't reply he tried asking the same question in Minbari. The only answer he got was Lenonn correcting his pronunciation. Again.
He found out soon enough when Lenonn led him into the room he'd taken him to when wanting to see how he fought.
"Why have you brought me here?" he asked.
"Given how you fought last time I brought you here, I think you need some training."
"You're going to teach me how to fight using your methods?" John once again wondered what that triangle thing had meant, and whether it had something to do with Lenonn's behaviour towards him. Not that Lenonn hadn't always been nicer to him than any other Minbari.
"Is that not what I said? My grasp of your language is not perfect."
"It's better than my grasp of yours." Lenonn went to a box against one wall and pulled out a small tube, as long as John's hand was wide. There was a button on the side, which he pressed and the tube instantly extended into one of the rod-weapons. Lenonn took one of his own from beneath his robes.
John held his weapon uncertainly, expecting Lenonn to attack him. Instead Lenonn just looked. After a few seconds he lowered his weapon and came towards John. John wanted to back away, but held his ground as Lenonn grasped his hands and altered his grips.
"I shall show you basic moves," Lenonn said, "we shall not use them to fight for now." He then did just as he said he would, showing John a sequence of moves with the rod.
John attempted to copy, but after about ten minutes of failure he still hadn't got it right and was sweating considerably.
"Watch carefully!" Lenonn demanded, and ran through the sequence again. John did watch, and couldn't see what it was he was doing wrong. Yet still he couldn't please Lenonn.
He began to wonder if this was just a distraction, some way of wearing him out so he was too tired to escape. Then finally Lenonn declared he'd managed it.
"I have?" John thought back over the sequence he'd just gone through, unable to spot anything he'd done differently from the previous few times.
"Again," Lenonn said. John did as he was told, bringing the rod round in sweeping motions, that would probably knock down anyone who got in their way. Each time he ran through the sequence Lenonn insisted on making him do it faster. He was soon drenched in sweat, but Lenonn wasn't even damp. Life just wasn't fair.
They must have been working for half an hour when another Minbari came in. Lenonn turned to face this newcomer instantly, and John stopped his sequence when he noticed the change in his teacher.
The new arrival said something to Lenonn in Minbari, too quickly for John to even know if he could recognise the words. From the voice, he guessed this new Minbari was female. There was something familiar about the voice as well.
"May I present Sati Delenn," Lenonn said in slow Minbari. John remembered Lenonn mentioning a member of the Grey Council called Delenn. If so, he was in the presence of a very important Minbari. He was half tempted to use the weapon in his hands, but doubted he'd be able to do much if he tried.
"I'm pleased to meet you," John said, hesitantly, straining to remember the pronunciation Lenonn had been teaching him not long before, "I am John Sheridon."
An amused smile crept onto Sati Delenn's face. "He needs to work on pronunciation," she said to Lenonn in English. John wondered what it was he was actually saying.
Delenn then switched to Minbari and spoke rapidly. John caught the word 'human' several times, 'time' along with something he thought was a negative, and the word 'soul' repeated often. Unfortunately, the long gaps where he couldn't understand a word meant he still had no idea what was going on.
Still, it was better than knowing nothing. The two of them had a long conversation that after a few minutes John gave up any attempt of understanding. He'd need a few more lessons in Minbari, a hundred or so, before he could come close.
Soon Delenn left and Lenonn turned to John. "I must take you back to your cell," he said.
"I want to see the rest of my crew," John replied. Lenonn thought for a moment, then nodded.
"They are also on this ship," he said.
"All of them?"
"Those who were on the command deck," Lenonn said. Something about his tone told John that he was reluctant to continue. When he did, John understood why. "The others were killed."
"All of them?" John had managed to keep himself from thinking of this possibility. He'd allowed himself to be deceived by the hope that if he was alive there was a good chance the rest of the crew were.
Now Lenonn shattered that hope, and grief and anger filled him. They'd murdered over a hundred of his people! Good people! They hadn't deserved to die like that.
Why? The unfairness cut into him. Why keep some of his crew alive but kill the others? A part of him wanted to hit Lenonn, take out some of the anger he felt on this member of the species who was responsible.
He managed to drag those feelings into control by reminding himself that Lenonn had acted with kindness towards him. He probably had nothing to do with the killing of the Lexington crew.
"I apologise," Lenonn said, and John couldn't control the anger at the nerve of it.
"You apologise?! A hundred of my people are dead for no decent reason and you think you can just apologise and make everything all right?! I don't know about your species, but among humans life is sacred! A hundred deaths can't be brushed aside with an apology!"
"I did not mean to suggest they can," Lenonn said, "with Minbari's as well, life is sacred."
"Then tell that to your soldiers who kill when there's another choice, when they're not just protecting their own people."
"I am not of the warrior cast, I cannot give orders to any who are not Aleshak." John couldn't be sure, seeing as he was dealing with an alien here, but he thought Lenonn was genuinely sorry about the deaths of his crew.
At last they came to a stop outside a door. Lenonn informed John that he would send someone to return him to his cell shortly. The door opened, and John stepped inside.
The room was a little over twice the size of his cell, yet contained seven of the awkward beds and a low table. His crew were around the room, some sitting talking, others lying on the bed.
They all looked up when he walked in, worry rapidly changing to relief.
"Commander," Richard exclaimed in surprise, "you're all right?" John nodded. "We thought they'd killed you in that torture session."
"No, they. . . I'm not really sure what's been going on to tell you the truth." He explained what had happened to him, and the way Lenonn acted towards him, and could tell that they were as confused as he was. Baker seemed to be under the impression he shouldn't have gone along with Lenonn though about the fighting lessons.
"If an enemy handed you a weapon," he asked her, "and explained how to use it, wouldn't you take advantage of that?" She had the decency to look somewhat embarrassed at that, obviously not having considered it that way.
Richards then explained about their situation. They had all been moved into the cell together shortly after the torture session. They had believe John dead, since they had seen him carried out and he wasn't brought back to join them. Since that session they had been left alone.
By the time everyone had finished their explanations, the door opened again. Two Minbari stood there. Each wore the green badge that John was coming to realise meant they were Aleshak, and therefore working for Lenonn.
"You must come," one said. John walked towards them. When he was close to the door, they closed the remaining distance and grabbed hold of him. Their grip wasn't overly painful, but it was secure enough to prevent any thought of escape.
Richards, shouting a protest, but John looked over his shoulder and shook his head. His crew watched, worriedly, as he was led out. But they let it happen. It wasn't as though any of them had a choice. All they could do was stay alive until they could find some way to escape.
***
Author's note: Pathetic cliffhanger. But the options were either posting this as it is, or waiting to find time to rewrite, and I figured you'd prefer it this way.
***
John decided he'd try and persuade Lenonn to teach him to speak Minbari. After what had just happened, he really wanted to know what they were saying when they talked about him.
He'd braced himself for a long argument, trying to come up with reasons why it was in the interests of Minbar to teach him. He'd run out with 'it would save you struggling with a language you don't have much experience with' and 'it's easier for me to learn to speak your language than for all of your people to learn mine'.
He wasn't really expecting Lenonn to agree, at least not without some serious arguments on his side. Which is why he was so surprised when Lenonn said "yes" without hesitation when John asked. All John could do was sit gaping in surprise.
"Really?" he asked, just checking he'd heard correctly.
"Indeed. I will begin teaching you the basics immediately if you wish."
A couple of hours later John decided it said a lot about a culture that they considered words like 'soul' and 'honour' to be among the basics. He'd have gone for, 'do you speak English?' 'could you repeat that?' and 'can you say that slower, please?' He learned those too, providing he could remember the nuances of the pronunciation.
"Perhaps we should try something else," Lenonn suggested, as John failed to say 'I'm pleased to meet you' properly. Given Lenonn's expression, John was afraid it came out as something very different when he said.
"Like what?" John asked, expecting to be given another phrase to learn. Instead Lenonn turned to the door.
"Come with me," he said. John was puzzled. There were no armed guards, no restraints, no nothing. Just Lenonn leading him through the corridors of the ship. Maybe that was because he now knew it was a ship and that there was nowhere to go.
"Where are we going?" John asked. When Lenonn didn't reply he tried asking the same question in Minbari. The only answer he got was Lenonn correcting his pronunciation. Again.
He found out soon enough when Lenonn led him into the room he'd taken him to when wanting to see how he fought.
"Why have you brought me here?" he asked.
"Given how you fought last time I brought you here, I think you need some training."
"You're going to teach me how to fight using your methods?" John once again wondered what that triangle thing had meant, and whether it had something to do with Lenonn's behaviour towards him. Not that Lenonn hadn't always been nicer to him than any other Minbari.
"Is that not what I said? My grasp of your language is not perfect."
"It's better than my grasp of yours." Lenonn went to a box against one wall and pulled out a small tube, as long as John's hand was wide. There was a button on the side, which he pressed and the tube instantly extended into one of the rod-weapons. Lenonn took one of his own from beneath his robes.
John held his weapon uncertainly, expecting Lenonn to attack him. Instead Lenonn just looked. After a few seconds he lowered his weapon and came towards John. John wanted to back away, but held his ground as Lenonn grasped his hands and altered his grips.
"I shall show you basic moves," Lenonn said, "we shall not use them to fight for now." He then did just as he said he would, showing John a sequence of moves with the rod.
John attempted to copy, but after about ten minutes of failure he still hadn't got it right and was sweating considerably.
"Watch carefully!" Lenonn demanded, and ran through the sequence again. John did watch, and couldn't see what it was he was doing wrong. Yet still he couldn't please Lenonn.
He began to wonder if this was just a distraction, some way of wearing him out so he was too tired to escape. Then finally Lenonn declared he'd managed it.
"I have?" John thought back over the sequence he'd just gone through, unable to spot anything he'd done differently from the previous few times.
"Again," Lenonn said. John did as he was told, bringing the rod round in sweeping motions, that would probably knock down anyone who got in their way. Each time he ran through the sequence Lenonn insisted on making him do it faster. He was soon drenched in sweat, but Lenonn wasn't even damp. Life just wasn't fair.
They must have been working for half an hour when another Minbari came in. Lenonn turned to face this newcomer instantly, and John stopped his sequence when he noticed the change in his teacher.
The new arrival said something to Lenonn in Minbari, too quickly for John to even know if he could recognise the words. From the voice, he guessed this new Minbari was female. There was something familiar about the voice as well.
"May I present Sati Delenn," Lenonn said in slow Minbari. John remembered Lenonn mentioning a member of the Grey Council called Delenn. If so, he was in the presence of a very important Minbari. He was half tempted to use the weapon in his hands, but doubted he'd be able to do much if he tried.
"I'm pleased to meet you," John said, hesitantly, straining to remember the pronunciation Lenonn had been teaching him not long before, "I am John Sheridon."
An amused smile crept onto Sati Delenn's face. "He needs to work on pronunciation," she said to Lenonn in English. John wondered what it was he was actually saying.
Delenn then switched to Minbari and spoke rapidly. John caught the word 'human' several times, 'time' along with something he thought was a negative, and the word 'soul' repeated often. Unfortunately, the long gaps where he couldn't understand a word meant he still had no idea what was going on.
Still, it was better than knowing nothing. The two of them had a long conversation that after a few minutes John gave up any attempt of understanding. He'd need a few more lessons in Minbari, a hundred or so, before he could come close.
Soon Delenn left and Lenonn turned to John. "I must take you back to your cell," he said.
"I want to see the rest of my crew," John replied. Lenonn thought for a moment, then nodded.
"They are also on this ship," he said.
"All of them?"
"Those who were on the command deck," Lenonn said. Something about his tone told John that he was reluctant to continue. When he did, John understood why. "The others were killed."
"All of them?" John had managed to keep himself from thinking of this possibility. He'd allowed himself to be deceived by the hope that if he was alive there was a good chance the rest of the crew were.
Now Lenonn shattered that hope, and grief and anger filled him. They'd murdered over a hundred of his people! Good people! They hadn't deserved to die like that.
Why? The unfairness cut into him. Why keep some of his crew alive but kill the others? A part of him wanted to hit Lenonn, take out some of the anger he felt on this member of the species who was responsible.
He managed to drag those feelings into control by reminding himself that Lenonn had acted with kindness towards him. He probably had nothing to do with the killing of the Lexington crew.
"I apologise," Lenonn said, and John couldn't control the anger at the nerve of it.
"You apologise?! A hundred of my people are dead for no decent reason and you think you can just apologise and make everything all right?! I don't know about your species, but among humans life is sacred! A hundred deaths can't be brushed aside with an apology!"
"I did not mean to suggest they can," Lenonn said, "with Minbari's as well, life is sacred."
"Then tell that to your soldiers who kill when there's another choice, when they're not just protecting their own people."
"I am not of the warrior cast, I cannot give orders to any who are not Aleshak." John couldn't be sure, seeing as he was dealing with an alien here, but he thought Lenonn was genuinely sorry about the deaths of his crew.
At last they came to a stop outside a door. Lenonn informed John that he would send someone to return him to his cell shortly. The door opened, and John stepped inside.
The room was a little over twice the size of his cell, yet contained seven of the awkward beds and a low table. His crew were around the room, some sitting talking, others lying on the bed.
They all looked up when he walked in, worry rapidly changing to relief.
"Commander," Richard exclaimed in surprise, "you're all right?" John nodded. "We thought they'd killed you in that torture session."
"No, they. . . I'm not really sure what's been going on to tell you the truth." He explained what had happened to him, and the way Lenonn acted towards him, and could tell that they were as confused as he was. Baker seemed to be under the impression he shouldn't have gone along with Lenonn though about the fighting lessons.
"If an enemy handed you a weapon," he asked her, "and explained how to use it, wouldn't you take advantage of that?" She had the decency to look somewhat embarrassed at that, obviously not having considered it that way.
Richards then explained about their situation. They had all been moved into the cell together shortly after the torture session. They had believe John dead, since they had seen him carried out and he wasn't brought back to join them. Since that session they had been left alone.
By the time everyone had finished their explanations, the door opened again. Two Minbari stood there. Each wore the green badge that John was coming to realise meant they were Aleshak, and therefore working for Lenonn.
"You must come," one said. John walked towards them. When he was close to the door, they closed the remaining distance and grabbed hold of him. Their grip wasn't overly painful, but it was secure enough to prevent any thought of escape.
Richards, shouting a protest, but John looked over his shoulder and shook his head. His crew watched, worriedly, as he was led out. But they let it happen. It wasn't as though any of them had a choice. All they could do was stay alive until they could find some way to escape.
***
Author's note: Pathetic cliffhanger. But the options were either posting this as it is, or waiting to find time to rewrite, and I figured you'd prefer it this way.