Author's I apologise that this update is appallingly late. I'd blame A-levels and schoolwork, but I think hyperactive muses and a serious lack of commitment to stories I've started played their part in the delay.
I'll try and not make you wait so long for the next update.
***
"Stop!" Someone called in Minbari, then switched to English, "There has been enough death this day." John and Sinclair looked to the figure who had spoken, dressed in the robes of the Grey Council. John though it was Delenn, but with the hood pulled down so low he couldn't be sure.
The speaker then gave an order, which John thought was for them to be locked up. It certainly fit with the way the other Minbari approached them and began indicating that they were expected to move. John found the fighting pike taken from his hands and a gun shoved him roughly forward.
"You could ask," John said in Minbari, desperately hoping the pronunciation was right. He got a few surprised looks from the Minbari, and one astounded look from Sinclair.
They ended up in a different room from John's cell, or the cell that held his crew. The lack of beds made him think that they wouldn't be here long. There were a couple of chairs and a table, but no other furniture. There was, however, another occupant already in there.
"Dr Franklin," Sinclair said, "have you been hurt?"
"No. They took me to a dark room with some robed figures in, then held a triangle of some sort of crystal in front of my face."
"Did it glow?" John asked, remembering his encountered with the Grey Council.
"Maybe a little," Franklin answered, "but it might just have been my imagination."
"Well," Sinclair said, "it definitely glowed when they held it in front of me. Do you know what it is?"
"No," John answered. He described his meeting with the Grey Council and the use of the triangle-thing. "It clearly means something to them."
Sinclair suddenly realised that good manners had been abandoned, and introduced John to Stephen Franklin. The two of them quickly explained about their mission to meet Lenonn, and John described all that had happened to him since his arrival.
"I'm sorry about Lenonn," Sinclair said, obviously sensing the friendship John had only just realised existed.
"Me too," John responded.
Their conversation ended when the cell door opened, and a group of Anla'Shok waited outside, well armed with both pikes and guns. Danir was with them. The look he gave John might have shown annoyance or maybe concern, but John wasn't familiar enough with their culture to make too certain of a judgement about that. John wondered if he ought to apologise for trying to escape. Danir might be about to get in trouble for leaving John unguarded, and John couldn't help but feel responsible.
"You are to come with us," Danir said, using Minbari, and John quickly translated to Sinclair and Franklin. They followed without struggle, since there really was little point. The Minbari weren't going to make the same mistake again. Probably.
The humans were led to what was almost certainly an airlock, and through to a corridor very similar to the one they had left. Another ship? The Anla'Shok were positioned around the group so there was no chance for another escape attempt. John wondered if they were being taken to an execution or if they were being transported somewhere for torture and interrogation. Lenonn was the only one who would have stood up for the humans, and now he was gone. Danir was unlikely to argue John's case, given that John had just tried to escape on his watch.
John's mind hadn't come up with the possibility that actually occurred. They arrived shortly in a room very similar to where the Grey Council had met, though this room wasn't so utterly black, and there weren't the same cones of light. Only one member of the Council was there now: Satai Delenn. The Anla'Shok left quickly, all apart from Danir. Clearly this was planned, or else John had missed some hidden signal.
Delenn waited in silence for a few moments, looking at each of them in turn. What was running through her mind, John couldn't even imagine. Then she spoke, using English so they could all understand. But understanding the words did little to aid their understanding of what she was actually saying.
"On this day we learn if the time of prophecy has come to pass," she said, much to the confusion of all except Danir, "we journey to a place of legends to see if the ancient enemy has returned." Who this ancient enemy might be was left undefined, but John remembered Danir mentioning them briefly in passing. A war fought a thousand years ago and a prophecy.
Suddenly the darkness of the room lit up. Falling like a shimmering curtain, an image of the distorted dimensions of hyperspace formed around them. John stared at it in amazement, turning around to see a complete view in all directions. They could almost have been outside the ship, out in the void of hyperspace. The image was so clear, surrounding them on all sides, looking so real, so utterly unlike a projection. The Minbari had greater technology than Earth could even dream of.
"Woah!" Sinclair murmured, his thoughts clearly following John's into a place of amazement. For a fleeting moment a thought danced across John's mind, saying that they had been stupid to even think about taking on this race, thousands of years ahead of his own.
John couldn't see any sign in the image of the warship they had come from. Perhaps, he considered, wherever they were going was dangerous enough for them not to want to risk more. But, if that were the case, why would a member of the Grey Council be taking the risk?
"It was Lenonn's plan that a ship journey to the homeworld of the ancient enemy," Delenn went on, "and Dukhat's wish that it should be so. Both have fallen, but perhaps their dream will now come to fruition." She turned away from the three humans, looking at a point in hyperspace. John looked too, not really sure what he was looking for.
Then the jump point formed.
The ship passed from hyperspace and a planet appeared before them. It seemed barren and waterless, filling the image in front of them. For a moment John felt dizzy, as though he were hanging in the sky above this world. Then that fear was replaced by another one.
Something cold gripped at his stomach as he stared at the planet. Barren though it seemed, he could feel the life there. The evil. It was a sense in his mind and his heart, clawing at him with all the instincts of nature to run. He should flee this place, before they found him. Before they saw him.
But the ship went on, and the fear increased. Something icy was crawling up his spine, sending shivers of pure terror through his entire body. And the worst thing about it was the fact he didn't even know what he was afraid of. He couldn't tear his eyes off the planet to see if the others were feeling the same, but a quiet voice, muttering something that sounded like a quote, told him clearly that he wasn't alone in his fear.
"'Into the jaws of death, into the mouth of hell, road the six hundred.'"
John might have asked Sinclair what that meant, but the sensation came. The sense of dread which had filled him since the ship emerged from hyperspace increased a hundred fold. The evil on the planet had just been dormant before. Now it felt as though eyes were staring at John, straight into his mind.
It knew they were there.
He heard a voice calling out to him, though afterwards he could never be sure if he actually heard it. It sounded like his father, calling him home, telling him to come to the planet. Inviting him down.
He wanted to hide, hide from the eyes he could feel in his mind. It was looking at him, and knew everything about him. John was terrified, and wanted nothing more than to flee. But he couldn't. That voice, comforting and compelling, was calling him onwards. He would go down to the planet. He would go down because it was asking him to.
The part of him that knew what was going on grew more terrified, as it realised that it had no control now. The thing down there was drawing him to itself, as the flame drew the moth.
***
Author's Note: The quote Sinclair uses is taken from Tennison's Charge of the Light Brigade. We all know Sinclair likes Tennison, and it seemed fitting.
I'll try and not make you wait so long for the next update.
***
"Stop!" Someone called in Minbari, then switched to English, "There has been enough death this day." John and Sinclair looked to the figure who had spoken, dressed in the robes of the Grey Council. John though it was Delenn, but with the hood pulled down so low he couldn't be sure.
The speaker then gave an order, which John thought was for them to be locked up. It certainly fit with the way the other Minbari approached them and began indicating that they were expected to move. John found the fighting pike taken from his hands and a gun shoved him roughly forward.
"You could ask," John said in Minbari, desperately hoping the pronunciation was right. He got a few surprised looks from the Minbari, and one astounded look from Sinclair.
They ended up in a different room from John's cell, or the cell that held his crew. The lack of beds made him think that they wouldn't be here long. There were a couple of chairs and a table, but no other furniture. There was, however, another occupant already in there.
"Dr Franklin," Sinclair said, "have you been hurt?"
"No. They took me to a dark room with some robed figures in, then held a triangle of some sort of crystal in front of my face."
"Did it glow?" John asked, remembering his encountered with the Grey Council.
"Maybe a little," Franklin answered, "but it might just have been my imagination."
"Well," Sinclair said, "it definitely glowed when they held it in front of me. Do you know what it is?"
"No," John answered. He described his meeting with the Grey Council and the use of the triangle-thing. "It clearly means something to them."
Sinclair suddenly realised that good manners had been abandoned, and introduced John to Stephen Franklin. The two of them quickly explained about their mission to meet Lenonn, and John described all that had happened to him since his arrival.
"I'm sorry about Lenonn," Sinclair said, obviously sensing the friendship John had only just realised existed.
"Me too," John responded.
Their conversation ended when the cell door opened, and a group of Anla'Shok waited outside, well armed with both pikes and guns. Danir was with them. The look he gave John might have shown annoyance or maybe concern, but John wasn't familiar enough with their culture to make too certain of a judgement about that. John wondered if he ought to apologise for trying to escape. Danir might be about to get in trouble for leaving John unguarded, and John couldn't help but feel responsible.
"You are to come with us," Danir said, using Minbari, and John quickly translated to Sinclair and Franklin. They followed without struggle, since there really was little point. The Minbari weren't going to make the same mistake again. Probably.
The humans were led to what was almost certainly an airlock, and through to a corridor very similar to the one they had left. Another ship? The Anla'Shok were positioned around the group so there was no chance for another escape attempt. John wondered if they were being taken to an execution or if they were being transported somewhere for torture and interrogation. Lenonn was the only one who would have stood up for the humans, and now he was gone. Danir was unlikely to argue John's case, given that John had just tried to escape on his watch.
John's mind hadn't come up with the possibility that actually occurred. They arrived shortly in a room very similar to where the Grey Council had met, though this room wasn't so utterly black, and there weren't the same cones of light. Only one member of the Council was there now: Satai Delenn. The Anla'Shok left quickly, all apart from Danir. Clearly this was planned, or else John had missed some hidden signal.
Delenn waited in silence for a few moments, looking at each of them in turn. What was running through her mind, John couldn't even imagine. Then she spoke, using English so they could all understand. But understanding the words did little to aid their understanding of what she was actually saying.
"On this day we learn if the time of prophecy has come to pass," she said, much to the confusion of all except Danir, "we journey to a place of legends to see if the ancient enemy has returned." Who this ancient enemy might be was left undefined, but John remembered Danir mentioning them briefly in passing. A war fought a thousand years ago and a prophecy.
Suddenly the darkness of the room lit up. Falling like a shimmering curtain, an image of the distorted dimensions of hyperspace formed around them. John stared at it in amazement, turning around to see a complete view in all directions. They could almost have been outside the ship, out in the void of hyperspace. The image was so clear, surrounding them on all sides, looking so real, so utterly unlike a projection. The Minbari had greater technology than Earth could even dream of.
"Woah!" Sinclair murmured, his thoughts clearly following John's into a place of amazement. For a fleeting moment a thought danced across John's mind, saying that they had been stupid to even think about taking on this race, thousands of years ahead of his own.
John couldn't see any sign in the image of the warship they had come from. Perhaps, he considered, wherever they were going was dangerous enough for them not to want to risk more. But, if that were the case, why would a member of the Grey Council be taking the risk?
"It was Lenonn's plan that a ship journey to the homeworld of the ancient enemy," Delenn went on, "and Dukhat's wish that it should be so. Both have fallen, but perhaps their dream will now come to fruition." She turned away from the three humans, looking at a point in hyperspace. John looked too, not really sure what he was looking for.
Then the jump point formed.
The ship passed from hyperspace and a planet appeared before them. It seemed barren and waterless, filling the image in front of them. For a moment John felt dizzy, as though he were hanging in the sky above this world. Then that fear was replaced by another one.
Something cold gripped at his stomach as he stared at the planet. Barren though it seemed, he could feel the life there. The evil. It was a sense in his mind and his heart, clawing at him with all the instincts of nature to run. He should flee this place, before they found him. Before they saw him.
But the ship went on, and the fear increased. Something icy was crawling up his spine, sending shivers of pure terror through his entire body. And the worst thing about it was the fact he didn't even know what he was afraid of. He couldn't tear his eyes off the planet to see if the others were feeling the same, but a quiet voice, muttering something that sounded like a quote, told him clearly that he wasn't alone in his fear.
"'Into the jaws of death, into the mouth of hell, road the six hundred.'"
John might have asked Sinclair what that meant, but the sensation came. The sense of dread which had filled him since the ship emerged from hyperspace increased a hundred fold. The evil on the planet had just been dormant before. Now it felt as though eyes were staring at John, straight into his mind.
It knew they were there.
He heard a voice calling out to him, though afterwards he could never be sure if he actually heard it. It sounded like his father, calling him home, telling him to come to the planet. Inviting him down.
He wanted to hide, hide from the eyes he could feel in his mind. It was looking at him, and knew everything about him. John was terrified, and wanted nothing more than to flee. But he couldn't. That voice, comforting and compelling, was calling him onwards. He would go down to the planet. He would go down because it was asking him to.
The part of him that knew what was going on grew more terrified, as it realised that it had no control now. The thing down there was drawing him to itself, as the flame drew the moth.
***
Author's Note: The quote Sinclair uses is taken from Tennison's Charge of the Light Brigade. We all know Sinclair likes Tennison, and it seemed fitting.