Author's note: I apologise for how long it's taken me to update. I'm blaming a mixture of exams, general school work, way too many ideas for other stories and laziness.
I'll try not to leave it so long next time, but since I'm going on holiday for the next week it won't be for a while.
***
"What is this mission Lenonn's gone on?" John asked Danir. The two were in John's cell as he ate his dinner.
"I do not know," Danir replied. He was using Minbari, despite the fact John had asked his question in English. "I only know that Satai Delenn sent him on it."
"You respect Sati Delenn a lot?"
"Lenonn respects her, and I trust Lenonn. She believes as we do in the prophecy of Valen."
"Who?"
"Valen was our greatest leader. Long ago there was a great war and Valen led our people to victory against our enemy. He then prophesied that the enemy would return and the two halves of our souls must unite against the darkness. He left the Anla'Shok to prepare for the return. The time has now come and our people are wasting time fighting yours."
"Then why don't you stop the war?" From John's point of view it seemed the perfect solution. The Minbari got to prepare for whatever war it was they thought was coming, and his race didn't get completely annihilated.
"Very few of the warrior cast believe in the prophecies of Valen, and those that do are Anla'Shok. Only three of the Grey Council are religious cast, so only those three will support us." By this time John had finished his meal, and the two went to the training room.
This was John's third session training with Danir. He thought he was getting better. Either that or Danir had given up hope of him mastering the basics. Whichever it was, he was making fewer criticisms as they ran through the sequences he and Lenonn had taught John. John was starting to imagine how they might work in combat, when Danir announced that he was ready to fight a real opponent.
He was fairly glad that the opponent in question was Danir, since any other Minbari was far less likely to be nice. It was obvious from the first few moves that Danir was attacking far more slowly than he could, but even so John's sides were becoming rapidly decorated with bruises. He was lucky if he could land a single blow in return and his arms were aching slightly from the shock of the blocked blows and the constant strain of movement.
The sweeping movements from the sequences clearly allowed the pike to gain momentum and make the attacking blows stronger, but they also gave Danir a chance to see what was coming block. The sharper jabs and thrusts seemed to be more effective, so John concentrated on those. They also meant he left himself less open for an attack.
He grunted in pain as a blow straight at his chest knocked him backwards. The air rushed out of his lungs as he landed on his back. The thin padding on the floor did little to ease his fall and he hadn't even gathered his shaken wits enough to think about getting up, when Danir's pike pressed into his neck.
"A good fight, for a beginner," Danir commented.
John thought his bruises disagreed. He accepted Danir's hand in helping him to his feet. His fall hadn't done any serious damage, he'd just be sore for a day or two.
"Rest a moment then we'll begin again," Danir said, "you must work on your speed, but the movements are there."
"Didn't seem to do me much good," John commented.
"You are only learning," Danir replied, "I have had much more practise than you."
"I can see that."
"Let us begin again," Danir said after a few moments' respite. John raised his fighting pike again, ready to defend, hopefully, against Danir's attacks.
He never had a chance to do so.
Before the first blow was struck, something that was undoubtedly an alarm sounded. A wailing noise that cut into the head came from somewhere. It dimmed again almost immediately, and a voice announced something in rapid Minbari that John couldn't follow. The alarm continued in the background, but even when the voice ended it remained quietly than it had begun.
"Remain here," Danir instructed, and ran from the room. John hesitated a moment, looking at the pike in his hand. He'd just been left unguarded, with a weapon in the middle of an enemy ship.
The way he saw it there were several possibilities. The most obvious one was that his captors were stupid. The door out into the rest of the ship was open, meaning that John was now able to go where he liked. Another possibility was that whatever emergency was going on was more important than one human prisoner, and that didn't bode well for John. The third possibility was that this was some sort of test or trap and the Minbari were watching to see what he would do.
He decided to risk possibility three and hope for possibility one. Besides, if it was the second option, he needed to get off the ship as quickly as possible. He ran from the room, pressing the button that shrunk the pike to the small, hand-width tube.
He ran in the direction his crew were held, the alarm continuing to blare out its warning of something. He really wished he'd been able to understand the announcement.
He hadn't gone more than a couple of corridors when he heard the sounds of a struggle. He slowed his pace and peered cautiously round a corner. Two Minbari were holding someone, and the someone didn't seem too pleased about this situation. It took John less than a second to realised the someone was human. He charged forwards, extending the pike as he did so.
Thankfully he caught the Minbari off-guard, and managed to knock one out before he even realised what was happening. The human took out the second Minbari with defence moves John himself had learned in Earth Force Academy. The human was definitely a soldier, even though he wasn't in uniform.
"Thanks," he said, stepping away from the two unconscious Minbari.
"Lieutenant Commander John Sheridan," John introduced himself, holding out a hand.
"Squadron Leader Jeffery Sinclair." The handshake was a brief one, since both of them had better things to do than worry about formalities.
"This way," John said, heading off down one corridor.
"What's this way?" Sinclair asked.
"The cell where my crew are being held."
After a few moment Sinclair spoke again. "How long have you been here?"
"Too long," John responded, "ever since the Lexington was taken."
"The Lexington?" Sinclair sounded surprised, "That was on the news. You destroyed a Minbari warship. The reporter said that everyone on board was killed."
"Well, he was wrong. I was taken prisoner along with the rest of the bridge crew. The Minbari wanted to know who was responsible for destroying the Black Star." They headed down a new corridor in the direction John thought was the right one.
"What about you?" he asked, "Why are you here?"
"We were supposed to be meeting a representative of the Minbari for peace talks," Sinclair replied, "but someone attacked us. The representative was killed, and the rest of the Minbari weren't too thrilled about it, to say the least."
Peace talks. John's mind quickly recalled Lenonn's important mission and the fact that he seemed pleased about it.
"Was the representative called Lenonn?"
"Yes, he was. Why? Did you know him?"
"The first Minbari to show me anything other than unconditional hatred." John was surprised by the way he felt about the news. It filled him with sadness in a way he would never have expected. Somehow, over the course of his imprisonment, he'd come to think of Lenonn as a friend. Learning that the friendship was over, that he would never see Lenonn again hurt him greatly. He tried to tell himself that it shouldn't matter, that Lenonn was just another member of the race out to destroy humanity, but it didn't work. He knew that Lenonn did not approve of the war.
"Do you know who attacked you?" John asked, more to cover up his feelings than out of true curiosity.
"No," Sinclair replied, "It's possible it was someone from Earth who didn't like the idea of us surrendering to the Minbari."
They were approaching a meeting of two corridors and could hear sounds from around the corner. John waved for Sinclair to stay back as he looked round. There was a rather large, rather armed group of Minbari heading towards them.
He turned and started running the opposite direction, Sinclair right behind him. He frantically sought through his memory for any knowledge of another route to his crew.
He turned down another corridor, hoping that the Minbari wouldn't get into the previous one until they were out of sight. He wasn't sure how he hoped for them to avoid the guards, find his crew and get them all off this ship without getting recaptured or killed in the process. He just knew he had to try. After today he probably wouldn't ever be left unguarded again so this was his only chance of getting home, especially with Lenonn dead.
Unfortunately, his chances of escaping this time were cut somewhat short by the group of armed guards approaching from the direction they were running in.
He turned, searching desperately for an escape, but the group they were trying to get away from before were there.
Both groups had guns aimed at them.
John raised the fighting pike. They didn't stand a chance, but they were Earth Force and they would go down fighting.
I'll try not to leave it so long next time, but since I'm going on holiday for the next week it won't be for a while.
***
"What is this mission Lenonn's gone on?" John asked Danir. The two were in John's cell as he ate his dinner.
"I do not know," Danir replied. He was using Minbari, despite the fact John had asked his question in English. "I only know that Satai Delenn sent him on it."
"You respect Sati Delenn a lot?"
"Lenonn respects her, and I trust Lenonn. She believes as we do in the prophecy of Valen."
"Who?"
"Valen was our greatest leader. Long ago there was a great war and Valen led our people to victory against our enemy. He then prophesied that the enemy would return and the two halves of our souls must unite against the darkness. He left the Anla'Shok to prepare for the return. The time has now come and our people are wasting time fighting yours."
"Then why don't you stop the war?" From John's point of view it seemed the perfect solution. The Minbari got to prepare for whatever war it was they thought was coming, and his race didn't get completely annihilated.
"Very few of the warrior cast believe in the prophecies of Valen, and those that do are Anla'Shok. Only three of the Grey Council are religious cast, so only those three will support us." By this time John had finished his meal, and the two went to the training room.
This was John's third session training with Danir. He thought he was getting better. Either that or Danir had given up hope of him mastering the basics. Whichever it was, he was making fewer criticisms as they ran through the sequences he and Lenonn had taught John. John was starting to imagine how they might work in combat, when Danir announced that he was ready to fight a real opponent.
He was fairly glad that the opponent in question was Danir, since any other Minbari was far less likely to be nice. It was obvious from the first few moves that Danir was attacking far more slowly than he could, but even so John's sides were becoming rapidly decorated with bruises. He was lucky if he could land a single blow in return and his arms were aching slightly from the shock of the blocked blows and the constant strain of movement.
The sweeping movements from the sequences clearly allowed the pike to gain momentum and make the attacking blows stronger, but they also gave Danir a chance to see what was coming block. The sharper jabs and thrusts seemed to be more effective, so John concentrated on those. They also meant he left himself less open for an attack.
He grunted in pain as a blow straight at his chest knocked him backwards. The air rushed out of his lungs as he landed on his back. The thin padding on the floor did little to ease his fall and he hadn't even gathered his shaken wits enough to think about getting up, when Danir's pike pressed into his neck.
"A good fight, for a beginner," Danir commented.
John thought his bruises disagreed. He accepted Danir's hand in helping him to his feet. His fall hadn't done any serious damage, he'd just be sore for a day or two.
"Rest a moment then we'll begin again," Danir said, "you must work on your speed, but the movements are there."
"Didn't seem to do me much good," John commented.
"You are only learning," Danir replied, "I have had much more practise than you."
"I can see that."
"Let us begin again," Danir said after a few moments' respite. John raised his fighting pike again, ready to defend, hopefully, against Danir's attacks.
He never had a chance to do so.
Before the first blow was struck, something that was undoubtedly an alarm sounded. A wailing noise that cut into the head came from somewhere. It dimmed again almost immediately, and a voice announced something in rapid Minbari that John couldn't follow. The alarm continued in the background, but even when the voice ended it remained quietly than it had begun.
"Remain here," Danir instructed, and ran from the room. John hesitated a moment, looking at the pike in his hand. He'd just been left unguarded, with a weapon in the middle of an enemy ship.
The way he saw it there were several possibilities. The most obvious one was that his captors were stupid. The door out into the rest of the ship was open, meaning that John was now able to go where he liked. Another possibility was that whatever emergency was going on was more important than one human prisoner, and that didn't bode well for John. The third possibility was that this was some sort of test or trap and the Minbari were watching to see what he would do.
He decided to risk possibility three and hope for possibility one. Besides, if it was the second option, he needed to get off the ship as quickly as possible. He ran from the room, pressing the button that shrunk the pike to the small, hand-width tube.
He ran in the direction his crew were held, the alarm continuing to blare out its warning of something. He really wished he'd been able to understand the announcement.
He hadn't gone more than a couple of corridors when he heard the sounds of a struggle. He slowed his pace and peered cautiously round a corner. Two Minbari were holding someone, and the someone didn't seem too pleased about this situation. It took John less than a second to realised the someone was human. He charged forwards, extending the pike as he did so.
Thankfully he caught the Minbari off-guard, and managed to knock one out before he even realised what was happening. The human took out the second Minbari with defence moves John himself had learned in Earth Force Academy. The human was definitely a soldier, even though he wasn't in uniform.
"Thanks," he said, stepping away from the two unconscious Minbari.
"Lieutenant Commander John Sheridan," John introduced himself, holding out a hand.
"Squadron Leader Jeffery Sinclair." The handshake was a brief one, since both of them had better things to do than worry about formalities.
"This way," John said, heading off down one corridor.
"What's this way?" Sinclair asked.
"The cell where my crew are being held."
After a few moment Sinclair spoke again. "How long have you been here?"
"Too long," John responded, "ever since the Lexington was taken."
"The Lexington?" Sinclair sounded surprised, "That was on the news. You destroyed a Minbari warship. The reporter said that everyone on board was killed."
"Well, he was wrong. I was taken prisoner along with the rest of the bridge crew. The Minbari wanted to know who was responsible for destroying the Black Star." They headed down a new corridor in the direction John thought was the right one.
"What about you?" he asked, "Why are you here?"
"We were supposed to be meeting a representative of the Minbari for peace talks," Sinclair replied, "but someone attacked us. The representative was killed, and the rest of the Minbari weren't too thrilled about it, to say the least."
Peace talks. John's mind quickly recalled Lenonn's important mission and the fact that he seemed pleased about it.
"Was the representative called Lenonn?"
"Yes, he was. Why? Did you know him?"
"The first Minbari to show me anything other than unconditional hatred." John was surprised by the way he felt about the news. It filled him with sadness in a way he would never have expected. Somehow, over the course of his imprisonment, he'd come to think of Lenonn as a friend. Learning that the friendship was over, that he would never see Lenonn again hurt him greatly. He tried to tell himself that it shouldn't matter, that Lenonn was just another member of the race out to destroy humanity, but it didn't work. He knew that Lenonn did not approve of the war.
"Do you know who attacked you?" John asked, more to cover up his feelings than out of true curiosity.
"No," Sinclair replied, "It's possible it was someone from Earth who didn't like the idea of us surrendering to the Minbari."
They were approaching a meeting of two corridors and could hear sounds from around the corner. John waved for Sinclair to stay back as he looked round. There was a rather large, rather armed group of Minbari heading towards them.
He turned and started running the opposite direction, Sinclair right behind him. He frantically sought through his memory for any knowledge of another route to his crew.
He turned down another corridor, hoping that the Minbari wouldn't get into the previous one until they were out of sight. He wasn't sure how he hoped for them to avoid the guards, find his crew and get them all off this ship without getting recaptured or killed in the process. He just knew he had to try. After today he probably wouldn't ever be left unguarded again so this was his only chance of getting home, especially with Lenonn dead.
Unfortunately, his chances of escaping this time were cut somewhat short by the group of armed guards approaching from the direction they were running in.
He turned, searching desperately for an escape, but the group they were trying to get away from before were there.
Both groups had guns aimed at them.
John raised the fighting pike. They didn't stand a chance, but they were Earth Force and they would go down fighting.