Author's note: Sorry I took so long. I blame coursework.
***
For five days John was given lessons in Minbari language and fighting by Lenonn. He was also brought more food, which he welcomed gladly. The fighting sessions were exhausting, so much so that it didn't take him too long to fall asleep on the awkward bed, though he still slid off and woke himself up a couple of times.
The Minbari, Danir, who brought his food each day was the same. He'd been shocked when John had thanked him in his own language. After that they would converse while John ate, though John suspected he was only so polite to him because of Lenonn since Danir was one of the Anla'Shok.
John tried to learn more about this organisation, but every question or comment was skilfully diverted by both of the Minbari he had contact with.
Finally, after one extra tiring training session, Lenonn told John he would not see him for a while.
"Sati Delenn is sending me on an important mission so I will have another of the Anla'Shok see to your lessons."
"Why do you bother? I don't understand why you're teaching me these things."
"Do you wish us to stop?" Lenonn asked.
"No, but I wish for understanding."
"Understanding is a fine thing at times, but at others it is sometimes better to remain without it." That sounded like a quote, and reminded John of the saying, 'ignorance is bliss.' He told Lenonn so.
"It would seem we have far more in common than the warrior cast would like to admit," Lenonn laughed.
"What is the mission you're going on?" John asked.
"One I will gladly discuss with you if I am successful, and one for which you are largely responsible." Lenonn was smiling so John guessed this was supposed to be a good thing, but he would have felt considerably better if he could have had a less cryptic response.
"Do Minbari get given lessons in being cryptic?"
"Cryptic? I do not know this word."
"It means vague." Lenonn still looked puzzled. "Never mind."
Danir came with John's breakfast as usual the next day. He also held something under one arm. It looked like cloth. As John began eating his breakfast, instinctively picking up the fork/spoon/thing in his right hand, Danir laid out the cloth on the bed. It was a set of clothes, very much like the Anla'Shok members wore, but missing the green stone.
"Lenonn suggested you might want new clothes," Danir said slowly in Minbari.
"He was right," John replied awkwardly, "Can I have some water to… clean." He had a feeling he'd used the noun rather than verb for 'clean', but after a puzzled moment, Danir left again. He returned shortly with a bowl of water and a cloth. There was also a bottle of something he guessed was their equivalent of soap.
"Can I have some privacy?" He asked, falling back into English.
"Privacy?" Danir might be able to speak English a lot better than John could understand Minbari, but there were still some problems.
"Would you mind leaving while I change?" John was careful to remain polite since, with Lenonn gone, there was a chance they wouldn't be quite so kind to him now.
He changed quickly into the dark shirt and pants he'd been given, but pulled his Earth Force jacket on over the top. He wasn't going to give up his uniform completely, even with his jacket in the state it was. Sweat and dirt clung to it, along with a dark patch of blood he had a feeling was Sterns'. He was a prisoner, but this was one part of Earth he could cling to. He then finished his meal quickly, and was ready when Danir returned.
"That is as dirty as the rest," Danir said looking at the jacket.
"I'm keeping this," he said, then looked down at the badge Danir wore, and came to a conclusion, "it's like that badge." Danir looked down, touching the green stone gently, then he nodded his understanding.
"Come," Danir said, "Lenonn asked I continue your lessons in fighting."
A short while later, John couldn't decide if Danir was more demanding than Lenonn, or if it was just that Danir wasn't as good at English and so struggled to explain what exactly John was doing wrong. Either way, John was finding this session more difficult than his training with Lenonn.
When Danir finally said the lesson was over, John wasn't sure he'd actually learned anything. Still, waving the rod around in the fluid motions was strangely calming. He'd have called it relaxing if it wasn't so exhausting.
When they returned to his cell, Danir took the food away, and then returned with another plateful, which John dug into gratefully.
"Why do you eat so fast?" Danir asked.
"I'm hungry," John replied, and proved it by shoving another large fork/spoon/thingful into his mouth.
"You should meditate on the food."
"I find it easier to meditate with a full stomach."
"With Minbari we pause between each mouthful to consider the food and the person who prepared it, and to remember those who have suffered and died through lack of food."
"With humans we tend to show our thankfulness for having food by eating it. It's a sign of gratitude to the person who made it if you eat quickly, because if you eat slowly it could be interpreted as meaning you don't like it and are hoping to avoid finishing eating." Danir frowned over some of the words, but John was sure his meaning was conveyed.
"That is interesting," he said, "I had not considered it that way before."
"On Earth we often have two or three course meals, sometimes followed by a tea or coffee. If you paused between each mouthful you'd never get finished. You do pause between courses though, and that gives you time to consider the food."
"What is tea and coffee?" Danir asked.
"They're types of drink that traditionally follow meals, though you can drink them at other times as well."
"We drink only water and fruit juice," Danir said.
"No alcohol?"
"What's alcohol?"
"Never mind." John might not be a great drinker, but he liked to unwind now and then with some wine or beer. He decided if he ever got back to Earth, he'd send some wine for Danir and Lenonn to sample, as a thank you for not beating him to a pulp whenever they saw him.
***
Lenonn stepped out of his ship onto the surface of the world the humans had chosen for this meeting. He had a gun with him, since he couldn't be certain all humans were as honourable as Jonsheridon. The world was cold, but this was nothing new to Lenonn. Minbar had large polar regions, so he could cope.
He approached the small, ugly building where the meeting was supposed to take place. Minbari buildings were designed with a certain aesthetic, so that they looked nice as well as serving their function. Either humans didn't have this philosophy, or they had radically different ideas as to what looked attractive.
He caught sight of something moving against the snow and ice, moments before the something became aware of him. A human, identifiable only by from due to the thick clothes it wore as a protection from cold. Lenonn aimed his gun, and the human raised arms. A gesture of surrender, he suspected.
He noted that this human had far darker skin than any of the prisoners and he wondered what this difference meant. Was this human female? Or of another class? Or was it some sort of birth mark? Jonsheridon had not mentioned that some of his kind were dark. Did that mean it was some sort of taboo? Or was it simply something that hadn't occurred to him to mention as it was taken for granted on his world? He would have to ask when he returned.
Lenonn gestured with his weapon, signalling that he wanted the human to return to the building. The human did so, and Lenonn followed closely.
"Ah, good, doctor," Lenonn heard a voice say, in human, "I was just telling…" Then the speaker caught sight of Lenonn. Lenonn saw now that the speaker was a Narn. G'kar, if the information his Anla'shok had given him was as accurate as it usually was. Unfortunately, they hadn't been able to tell him anything of the humans he would meet.
There was another human there, this time with skin the same shade as Jonsheridon and the others. All three were staring at the weapon in his hand.
"Precaution only," he explained, and put it away. The humans and Narn didn't have any visible weapons, so he would trust that they were here to discuss peace, as he intended.
"I am Lenonn," he introduced himself, grateful that his conversations with Jonsheridon had improved his use of the human language.
"I am Squadron Leader Jeffery Sinclair," the paler human said, "this is Doctor Stephen Franklin and G'Kar."
"This war began as retribution," Lenonn said, "for the death of our leader Dukhat in an attack we thought was unprovoked. It has gone beyond that now, and I know Dukhat would never have approved of what many of the warrior cast plan to do to your kind. The Grey Council have sent me to see if we can end this war without wiping out your species." He didn't include the rest, as Delenn had specifically told him not to. He wouldn't tell them that the human Jonsheridon had a Minbari soul. He wasn't even certain if they would believe him.
"You want us to surrender to you?" Jefrysinclair asked. Lenonn struggled for a moment, trying to find the translation.
"I believe that would be the correct word," Lenonn replied, "The warrior cast will most likely demand you give up something to atone for the death of Dukhat, though nothing you could give us will return his life." Again he didn't say everything. He considered, if the war ended as he hoped, allowing humans to join the Anla'shok. If more than just Jonsheridon had Minbari souls, then Valen's prophecy that spoke of the two halves of their souls uniting must mean them joining together for the Shadow War. And since the Anla'shok were the ones who would stand against the darkness, this seemed the sensible way.
"I'm not authorised to give you our surrender," Jefrysinclair said, "If your race are serious about gaining peace, then others will be able to make that decision." Lenonn didn't feel the humans had much choice in this matter if they wished their race to survive. He was about to say so when there was a sound from the Narn's communicator. A few words came through in Narn, but were cut off.
Then came the sound of a ship above them.
"Get down!" Jefrysinclair shouted. Too late. Explosions burst out around them, and something struck Lenonn. He fell, pinned by a piece of the building. Pain filled his senses momentarily, but he fought to gain awareness around it, as his training taught him. The agony was greater than anything he could imagine. He felt it crushing him, enveloping him, drowning him.
He was dying.
He felt the humans beside him, talking, talking about saving him but Lenonn was barely aware of that. He knew what he must do and he needed to do it quickly. He little time left. Nothing the humans could do would save him.
"They will come soon," he said, weakly, "and they will blame you. . . for me. . . and the war will get worse." He beckoned Jefrysinclair closer, "Repeat, exactly as I tell you. 'The two halves of our soul must unite against the coming darkness.'" Lenonn felt his own darkness closing in around him and knew his time had come. But he was Anla'shok, and he was not afraid to die.
'I lived for the one,' he thought, 'I die for
***
Author's note: A much better cliffhanger than the last chapter. I'll try and write the next one quickly, but I won't promise anything. I've finished my chemistry coursework now, but I've still got English. 'The language of rejection'. If anyone has any rejection letters they wouldn't mind me using, I'd be very grateful if you could scan them in and email them to me. They can be on any subject. If you send me them, I'll need to spend less time searching for letters and will be able to spend more time writing stories.
***
For five days John was given lessons in Minbari language and fighting by Lenonn. He was also brought more food, which he welcomed gladly. The fighting sessions were exhausting, so much so that it didn't take him too long to fall asleep on the awkward bed, though he still slid off and woke himself up a couple of times.
The Minbari, Danir, who brought his food each day was the same. He'd been shocked when John had thanked him in his own language. After that they would converse while John ate, though John suspected he was only so polite to him because of Lenonn since Danir was one of the Anla'Shok.
John tried to learn more about this organisation, but every question or comment was skilfully diverted by both of the Minbari he had contact with.
Finally, after one extra tiring training session, Lenonn told John he would not see him for a while.
"Sati Delenn is sending me on an important mission so I will have another of the Anla'Shok see to your lessons."
"Why do you bother? I don't understand why you're teaching me these things."
"Do you wish us to stop?" Lenonn asked.
"No, but I wish for understanding."
"Understanding is a fine thing at times, but at others it is sometimes better to remain without it." That sounded like a quote, and reminded John of the saying, 'ignorance is bliss.' He told Lenonn so.
"It would seem we have far more in common than the warrior cast would like to admit," Lenonn laughed.
"What is the mission you're going on?" John asked.
"One I will gladly discuss with you if I am successful, and one for which you are largely responsible." Lenonn was smiling so John guessed this was supposed to be a good thing, but he would have felt considerably better if he could have had a less cryptic response.
"Do Minbari get given lessons in being cryptic?"
"Cryptic? I do not know this word."
"It means vague." Lenonn still looked puzzled. "Never mind."
Danir came with John's breakfast as usual the next day. He also held something under one arm. It looked like cloth. As John began eating his breakfast, instinctively picking up the fork/spoon/thing in his right hand, Danir laid out the cloth on the bed. It was a set of clothes, very much like the Anla'Shok members wore, but missing the green stone.
"Lenonn suggested you might want new clothes," Danir said slowly in Minbari.
"He was right," John replied awkwardly, "Can I have some water to… clean." He had a feeling he'd used the noun rather than verb for 'clean', but after a puzzled moment, Danir left again. He returned shortly with a bowl of water and a cloth. There was also a bottle of something he guessed was their equivalent of soap.
"Can I have some privacy?" He asked, falling back into English.
"Privacy?" Danir might be able to speak English a lot better than John could understand Minbari, but there were still some problems.
"Would you mind leaving while I change?" John was careful to remain polite since, with Lenonn gone, there was a chance they wouldn't be quite so kind to him now.
He changed quickly into the dark shirt and pants he'd been given, but pulled his Earth Force jacket on over the top. He wasn't going to give up his uniform completely, even with his jacket in the state it was. Sweat and dirt clung to it, along with a dark patch of blood he had a feeling was Sterns'. He was a prisoner, but this was one part of Earth he could cling to. He then finished his meal quickly, and was ready when Danir returned.
"That is as dirty as the rest," Danir said looking at the jacket.
"I'm keeping this," he said, then looked down at the badge Danir wore, and came to a conclusion, "it's like that badge." Danir looked down, touching the green stone gently, then he nodded his understanding.
"Come," Danir said, "Lenonn asked I continue your lessons in fighting."
A short while later, John couldn't decide if Danir was more demanding than Lenonn, or if it was just that Danir wasn't as good at English and so struggled to explain what exactly John was doing wrong. Either way, John was finding this session more difficult than his training with Lenonn.
When Danir finally said the lesson was over, John wasn't sure he'd actually learned anything. Still, waving the rod around in the fluid motions was strangely calming. He'd have called it relaxing if it wasn't so exhausting.
When they returned to his cell, Danir took the food away, and then returned with another plateful, which John dug into gratefully.
"Why do you eat so fast?" Danir asked.
"I'm hungry," John replied, and proved it by shoving another large fork/spoon/thingful into his mouth.
"You should meditate on the food."
"I find it easier to meditate with a full stomach."
"With Minbari we pause between each mouthful to consider the food and the person who prepared it, and to remember those who have suffered and died through lack of food."
"With humans we tend to show our thankfulness for having food by eating it. It's a sign of gratitude to the person who made it if you eat quickly, because if you eat slowly it could be interpreted as meaning you don't like it and are hoping to avoid finishing eating." Danir frowned over some of the words, but John was sure his meaning was conveyed.
"That is interesting," he said, "I had not considered it that way before."
"On Earth we often have two or three course meals, sometimes followed by a tea or coffee. If you paused between each mouthful you'd never get finished. You do pause between courses though, and that gives you time to consider the food."
"What is tea and coffee?" Danir asked.
"They're types of drink that traditionally follow meals, though you can drink them at other times as well."
"We drink only water and fruit juice," Danir said.
"No alcohol?"
"What's alcohol?"
"Never mind." John might not be a great drinker, but he liked to unwind now and then with some wine or beer. He decided if he ever got back to Earth, he'd send some wine for Danir and Lenonn to sample, as a thank you for not beating him to a pulp whenever they saw him.
***
Lenonn stepped out of his ship onto the surface of the world the humans had chosen for this meeting. He had a gun with him, since he couldn't be certain all humans were as honourable as Jonsheridon. The world was cold, but this was nothing new to Lenonn. Minbar had large polar regions, so he could cope.
He approached the small, ugly building where the meeting was supposed to take place. Minbari buildings were designed with a certain aesthetic, so that they looked nice as well as serving their function. Either humans didn't have this philosophy, or they had radically different ideas as to what looked attractive.
He caught sight of something moving against the snow and ice, moments before the something became aware of him. A human, identifiable only by from due to the thick clothes it wore as a protection from cold. Lenonn aimed his gun, and the human raised arms. A gesture of surrender, he suspected.
He noted that this human had far darker skin than any of the prisoners and he wondered what this difference meant. Was this human female? Or of another class? Or was it some sort of birth mark? Jonsheridon had not mentioned that some of his kind were dark. Did that mean it was some sort of taboo? Or was it simply something that hadn't occurred to him to mention as it was taken for granted on his world? He would have to ask when he returned.
Lenonn gestured with his weapon, signalling that he wanted the human to return to the building. The human did so, and Lenonn followed closely.
"Ah, good, doctor," Lenonn heard a voice say, in human, "I was just telling…" Then the speaker caught sight of Lenonn. Lenonn saw now that the speaker was a Narn. G'kar, if the information his Anla'shok had given him was as accurate as it usually was. Unfortunately, they hadn't been able to tell him anything of the humans he would meet.
There was another human there, this time with skin the same shade as Jonsheridon and the others. All three were staring at the weapon in his hand.
"Precaution only," he explained, and put it away. The humans and Narn didn't have any visible weapons, so he would trust that they were here to discuss peace, as he intended.
"I am Lenonn," he introduced himself, grateful that his conversations with Jonsheridon had improved his use of the human language.
"I am Squadron Leader Jeffery Sinclair," the paler human said, "this is Doctor Stephen Franklin and G'Kar."
"This war began as retribution," Lenonn said, "for the death of our leader Dukhat in an attack we thought was unprovoked. It has gone beyond that now, and I know Dukhat would never have approved of what many of the warrior cast plan to do to your kind. The Grey Council have sent me to see if we can end this war without wiping out your species." He didn't include the rest, as Delenn had specifically told him not to. He wouldn't tell them that the human Jonsheridon had a Minbari soul. He wasn't even certain if they would believe him.
"You want us to surrender to you?" Jefrysinclair asked. Lenonn struggled for a moment, trying to find the translation.
"I believe that would be the correct word," Lenonn replied, "The warrior cast will most likely demand you give up something to atone for the death of Dukhat, though nothing you could give us will return his life." Again he didn't say everything. He considered, if the war ended as he hoped, allowing humans to join the Anla'shok. If more than just Jonsheridon had Minbari souls, then Valen's prophecy that spoke of the two halves of their souls uniting must mean them joining together for the Shadow War. And since the Anla'shok were the ones who would stand against the darkness, this seemed the sensible way.
"I'm not authorised to give you our surrender," Jefrysinclair said, "If your race are serious about gaining peace, then others will be able to make that decision." Lenonn didn't feel the humans had much choice in this matter if they wished their race to survive. He was about to say so when there was a sound from the Narn's communicator. A few words came through in Narn, but were cut off.
Then came the sound of a ship above them.
"Get down!" Jefrysinclair shouted. Too late. Explosions burst out around them, and something struck Lenonn. He fell, pinned by a piece of the building. Pain filled his senses momentarily, but he fought to gain awareness around it, as his training taught him. The agony was greater than anything he could imagine. He felt it crushing him, enveloping him, drowning him.
He was dying.
He felt the humans beside him, talking, talking about saving him but Lenonn was barely aware of that. He knew what he must do and he needed to do it quickly. He little time left. Nothing the humans could do would save him.
"They will come soon," he said, weakly, "and they will blame you. . . for me. . . and the war will get worse." He beckoned Jefrysinclair closer, "Repeat, exactly as I tell you. 'The two halves of our soul must unite against the coming darkness.'" Lenonn felt his own darkness closing in around him and knew his time had come. But he was Anla'shok, and he was not afraid to die.
'I lived for the one,' he thought, 'I die for
***
Author's note: A much better cliffhanger than the last chapter. I'll try and write the next one quickly, but I won't promise anything. I've finished my chemistry coursework now, but I've still got English. 'The language of rejection'. If anyone has any rejection letters they wouldn't mind me using, I'd be very grateful if you could scan them in and email them to me. They can be on any subject. If you send me them, I'll need to spend less time searching for letters and will be able to spend more time writing stories.