************************Chapter 5****************************************
My friends sat patiently while I explained my parents offer. Their faces were controlled, so I couldn't tell what they were thinking.
When I had first gotten back to the room they had been waiting for me. They had asked me a few questions and I answered them. I told them what my father had said about B5 and about a few other things. I didn't mention anything about him that wasn't public knowledge.
"Your mother wants to meet US?" asked Shannon. Her mask of indifference had slipped and been replaced by a look of pure fear.
"Yes. I didn't have many friends my own age when I grew up. So she wants to meet the people who pulled me out of my shell."
Shannon looked away from me to stare at the wall. Her feelings were plain to see. She didn't think she was worthy of being in my parents home. She was as humble as any of her cast. The Worker cast had some serious self doubt problems. It came from listening to the Warrior cast deride them and the Religious cast patronize them for the last few thousand years. Despite that they should have paid better attention to the Religious cast. They weren't quite as bad as the Warrior cast. At least the Religious cast talked about showing tolerance for all, no matter what class, clan, or race.
"Shannon, don't let your fears conquer you. You are worth as much as any other person. Don't let the attitudes of others dictate your belief in yourself." I waved around the room. "Think about where you are. Think about why you came. You have proven that the Worker cast is as good as either of the other casts. You have seen the Warrior and Religious casts at their worst. And you know that you are no different than any other. The casts don't matter! You've seen this. You know that it is an individual who matters, not who they were born to." I said in a worker dialect of Minbari. I knew that the others wouldn't understand, but I felt that Shannon deserved some level of privacy.
Shannon nodded and answered in the same dialect. I was pleased that I had remembered correctly which region her parents were originally from. "I know. But it still feels wrong. I don't know if I deserve to meet your parents. Surely there are others more deserving of their time."
"Shannon, you have been a good friend to me. And to my parents, that makes you deserving of their respect. I know it always hasn't been easy for you. Hell, it hasn't been easy for me. Do you think I miss all the stares and whispered comments whenever I enter or leave a room? People see me, and all they think about are my parents. You, Kahlen, and Marcel are the only people here that don't walk on eggshells around me. You all like me for me, not for my parents."
She finally brought her eyes up to meet mine. "You are a very likable person, Davdan."
"I know. But tell that to the others. All they see is a way to get to my parents. They don't see me as an individual. Which you have always done. You acknowledge that my lineage is . . . a little unusual. But you still don't see me as only a way to get to my parents. Or as a status symbol like some of the others do."
"I don't understand. What do you mean?"
I sighed. This was had been very strange day. "Some of the other trainees are only friendly to me because they see me as a means of getting ahead. They think that by being friendly to me, my parents will give them preferred treatment over others. They don't realize that I have been dealing with this since I was a child. And that my parents have had to put up with things like this for more than twenty years."
She blinked. She seemed to hesitate, but she pushed on. "Then, if you wish to go, I see no reason for me to remain here. I would like to meet your parents." She realized how that sounded and tried to explain. "I don't mean it like that, it's just - "
Smiling, I interrupted her. "I understand. You want to meet them for the same reason I hope to one day meet your parents. Because they are your parents and I want to meet your family." We had switched back to English and the others could understand Shannon's acceptance of my offer. I looked to Kahlen who shrugged.
"Well, I wouldn't mind seeing Minbar. And we were planning to go to B5. Might as well join your parents. Don't take this the wrong way, David, but I've always wanted to meet your parents. They are, after all, some very important people."
I smiled. "I can sympathize. I felt the same way when they spoke of people they knew. Dukhat, G'kar, Lyta. I wanted to meet them to ask them why. And to thank them."
"Then you know how I feel. I didn't want to impose on our friendship, but since you mother made the offer, I'll gladly pounce on it." Kahlen had belonged to a group of people like herself. People with their abilities were persecuted and hunted. When her abilities first manifested, her parents had thrown her out. She had lived on the streets for awhile until she was found by the group. They had taken her in as one of their own. They lived together, fought together and been a family to each other. She had been taught to control her powers by another telepath, who had financed the whole thing. She rarely mentioned them, and I supposed it still hurt that she hadn't found a family here.
Since Kahlen and Shannon had agreed to come, it was up to Marcel to make it final. He was leaning back on his bed, his hands clasped behind his head and his feet crossed at the ankles. His eyes were half-closed and he was frowning.
"Minbar? And B5?" he asked, his voice slurred. I could tell that he was tired. He had been up for two straight days now, not sleeping at all. "Sounds good. I've never been there. What's it like?" he asked.
"It's beautiful." I replied, eager to talk about my home now that it was agreed that we would go. "There are these waterfalls that take your breath away. The seas are immense. They're even bigger than those on Earth. They are also colder and have a higher saline content. The cities are works of art, many of them carved out of growing crystals. There are gardens and parks everyway.
"There are living plants growing inside the majority of the buildings, giving off the most amazing smells. Animals are treated like family. There is a sense of peace that pervades the air. The Casts tend to stick to themselves, so the cities tend to be set up with this in mind. The Workers usually live on the west of the city. The Warriors live to the east. The Religious cast divides the two and also has extensions to the north."
"No two cities are even remotely alike. Every one is designed and built by the Workers who live there. The design is agreed upon by all the clans who will live in the city. The cities remain unchanged for centuries." My eyes watered as I talked. It had been nearly a year since I had left.
"My only concern is the people." stated Marcel. "Will they understand me when I try to talk to them? Will we be able to talk to them? Or will we spend the whole time locked inside a guarded building?"
I laughed. "No, Marcel. We will get to talk to people in the city. My mother is planning on a dime tour of the main continent. Visiting some of the more important places to our people. The only guards you'll see will be the ones in the official buildings. Our home isn't guarded, except by a few volunteers from the Ranger ranks."
"So we will get to talk to normal people in the streets?" Kahlen asked, her eyes sparkling.
"I can't think of any reason why not. We won't be on Minbar long. My mother wants to spend a full week on B5. This doesn't leave a lot of travel time."
"How do you know all this?" asked Shannon. "You didn't mention that your father said anything about the trip, aside from asking us to join you."
"No, he didn't. But he did have a data crystal." I popped the crystal out of the case where I stored all devices of that kind. "She told me how she was planning on going to B5. She always told me how much she missed me and wanted me to come home the first chance I got. She didn't mention anything about our going with her and father. She didn't even mention all her plans. It wasn't until my father told me how she had sent him to ask me to join them that I realized what she was hinting at. The plans are already made, with all the preparations made for the four of us."
"So when do we leave?"
"Two weeks from now. We'll be gone for two weeks."
"Two weeks? This gets better and better." Kahlen was rubbing her hands together. "Are there any malls on Minbar?"
"Malls? What's a mall?" I asked.
She looked at me with an expression of surprise. "A mall is a collection of stores in one building. There are restaurants, fast food joints, department stores, specialty stores. That kind of thing."
I thought for a moment. Something about the description had triggered a memory. "Oh. Well. There's nothing quite like that on Minbar. But there is on B5. It's called the Zocalo. It's got booths that sell everything and anything you can think of."
She smiled contentedly and leaned back. "Good. The last time I was shopping, Shannon and I had to concentrate on getting you outfitted."
"Any other questions? I'm tired. It's been a long day." They shook their heads and climbed into their own bunks. Marcel and I had the bottom bunks, while Shannon and Kahlen had the top bunks. Kahlen floated up into hers and then floated Shannon into her bunk. She turned off the lights and we all settled in for a few hours rest. Sometimes, having a teek as a roommate was
very handy.
My friends sat patiently while I explained my parents offer. Their faces were controlled, so I couldn't tell what they were thinking.
When I had first gotten back to the room they had been waiting for me. They had asked me a few questions and I answered them. I told them what my father had said about B5 and about a few other things. I didn't mention anything about him that wasn't public knowledge.
"Your mother wants to meet US?" asked Shannon. Her mask of indifference had slipped and been replaced by a look of pure fear.
"Yes. I didn't have many friends my own age when I grew up. So she wants to meet the people who pulled me out of my shell."
Shannon looked away from me to stare at the wall. Her feelings were plain to see. She didn't think she was worthy of being in my parents home. She was as humble as any of her cast. The Worker cast had some serious self doubt problems. It came from listening to the Warrior cast deride them and the Religious cast patronize them for the last few thousand years. Despite that they should have paid better attention to the Religious cast. They weren't quite as bad as the Warrior cast. At least the Religious cast talked about showing tolerance for all, no matter what class, clan, or race.
"Shannon, don't let your fears conquer you. You are worth as much as any other person. Don't let the attitudes of others dictate your belief in yourself." I waved around the room. "Think about where you are. Think about why you came. You have proven that the Worker cast is as good as either of the other casts. You have seen the Warrior and Religious casts at their worst. And you know that you are no different than any other. The casts don't matter! You've seen this. You know that it is an individual who matters, not who they were born to." I said in a worker dialect of Minbari. I knew that the others wouldn't understand, but I felt that Shannon deserved some level of privacy.
Shannon nodded and answered in the same dialect. I was pleased that I had remembered correctly which region her parents were originally from. "I know. But it still feels wrong. I don't know if I deserve to meet your parents. Surely there are others more deserving of their time."
"Shannon, you have been a good friend to me. And to my parents, that makes you deserving of their respect. I know it always hasn't been easy for you. Hell, it hasn't been easy for me. Do you think I miss all the stares and whispered comments whenever I enter or leave a room? People see me, and all they think about are my parents. You, Kahlen, and Marcel are the only people here that don't walk on eggshells around me. You all like me for me, not for my parents."
She finally brought her eyes up to meet mine. "You are a very likable person, Davdan."
"I know. But tell that to the others. All they see is a way to get to my parents. They don't see me as an individual. Which you have always done. You acknowledge that my lineage is . . . a little unusual. But you still don't see me as only a way to get to my parents. Or as a status symbol like some of the others do."
"I don't understand. What do you mean?"
I sighed. This was had been very strange day. "Some of the other trainees are only friendly to me because they see me as a means of getting ahead. They think that by being friendly to me, my parents will give them preferred treatment over others. They don't realize that I have been dealing with this since I was a child. And that my parents have had to put up with things like this for more than twenty years."
She blinked. She seemed to hesitate, but she pushed on. "Then, if you wish to go, I see no reason for me to remain here. I would like to meet your parents." She realized how that sounded and tried to explain. "I don't mean it like that, it's just - "
Smiling, I interrupted her. "I understand. You want to meet them for the same reason I hope to one day meet your parents. Because they are your parents and I want to meet your family." We had switched back to English and the others could understand Shannon's acceptance of my offer. I looked to Kahlen who shrugged.
"Well, I wouldn't mind seeing Minbar. And we were planning to go to B5. Might as well join your parents. Don't take this the wrong way, David, but I've always wanted to meet your parents. They are, after all, some very important people."
I smiled. "I can sympathize. I felt the same way when they spoke of people they knew. Dukhat, G'kar, Lyta. I wanted to meet them to ask them why. And to thank them."
"Then you know how I feel. I didn't want to impose on our friendship, but since you mother made the offer, I'll gladly pounce on it." Kahlen had belonged to a group of people like herself. People with their abilities were persecuted and hunted. When her abilities first manifested, her parents had thrown her out. She had lived on the streets for awhile until she was found by the group. They had taken her in as one of their own. They lived together, fought together and been a family to each other. She had been taught to control her powers by another telepath, who had financed the whole thing. She rarely mentioned them, and I supposed it still hurt that she hadn't found a family here.
Since Kahlen and Shannon had agreed to come, it was up to Marcel to make it final. He was leaning back on his bed, his hands clasped behind his head and his feet crossed at the ankles. His eyes were half-closed and he was frowning.
"Minbar? And B5?" he asked, his voice slurred. I could tell that he was tired. He had been up for two straight days now, not sleeping at all. "Sounds good. I've never been there. What's it like?" he asked.
"It's beautiful." I replied, eager to talk about my home now that it was agreed that we would go. "There are these waterfalls that take your breath away. The seas are immense. They're even bigger than those on Earth. They are also colder and have a higher saline content. The cities are works of art, many of them carved out of growing crystals. There are gardens and parks everyway.
"There are living plants growing inside the majority of the buildings, giving off the most amazing smells. Animals are treated like family. There is a sense of peace that pervades the air. The Casts tend to stick to themselves, so the cities tend to be set up with this in mind. The Workers usually live on the west of the city. The Warriors live to the east. The Religious cast divides the two and also has extensions to the north."
"No two cities are even remotely alike. Every one is designed and built by the Workers who live there. The design is agreed upon by all the clans who will live in the city. The cities remain unchanged for centuries." My eyes watered as I talked. It had been nearly a year since I had left.
"My only concern is the people." stated Marcel. "Will they understand me when I try to talk to them? Will we be able to talk to them? Or will we spend the whole time locked inside a guarded building?"
I laughed. "No, Marcel. We will get to talk to people in the city. My mother is planning on a dime tour of the main continent. Visiting some of the more important places to our people. The only guards you'll see will be the ones in the official buildings. Our home isn't guarded, except by a few volunteers from the Ranger ranks."
"So we will get to talk to normal people in the streets?" Kahlen asked, her eyes sparkling.
"I can't think of any reason why not. We won't be on Minbar long. My mother wants to spend a full week on B5. This doesn't leave a lot of travel time."
"How do you know all this?" asked Shannon. "You didn't mention that your father said anything about the trip, aside from asking us to join you."
"No, he didn't. But he did have a data crystal." I popped the crystal out of the case where I stored all devices of that kind. "She told me how she was planning on going to B5. She always told me how much she missed me and wanted me to come home the first chance I got. She didn't mention anything about our going with her and father. She didn't even mention all her plans. It wasn't until my father told me how she had sent him to ask me to join them that I realized what she was hinting at. The plans are already made, with all the preparations made for the four of us."
"So when do we leave?"
"Two weeks from now. We'll be gone for two weeks."
"Two weeks? This gets better and better." Kahlen was rubbing her hands together. "Are there any malls on Minbar?"
"Malls? What's a mall?" I asked.
She looked at me with an expression of surprise. "A mall is a collection of stores in one building. There are restaurants, fast food joints, department stores, specialty stores. That kind of thing."
I thought for a moment. Something about the description had triggered a memory. "Oh. Well. There's nothing quite like that on Minbar. But there is on B5. It's called the Zocalo. It's got booths that sell everything and anything you can think of."
She smiled contentedly and leaned back. "Good. The last time I was shopping, Shannon and I had to concentrate on getting you outfitted."
"Any other questions? I'm tired. It's been a long day." They shook their heads and climbed into their own bunks. Marcel and I had the bottom bunks, while Shannon and Kahlen had the top bunks. Kahlen floated up into hers and then floated Shannon into her bunk. She turned off the lights and we all settled in for a few hours rest. Sometimes, having a teek as a roommate was
very handy.
