Title: Sacrifices
Author: Third Charm
Fandom: Babylon 5
Pairings: Marcus/Neroon.
Story Type: Romantic Comedy Snippet
Current Rating: T
Disclaimer: Babylon 5 and all subsequent major characters, plots, and ideas are the property of J. MichaelStraczynski, Babylonian Inc. and Warner Bros. The following story was written only for the purposes of entertainment. No income had been made.
Warnings: AU, not beta read, slash
Spoilers: Up to and including "Grey 17 is Missing", after that, anything goes.
Summary: Marcus is asked to make a terrible sacrifice for his lover.
Author's Note: The Minbari words and phrases were found at the "JumpNow" website in John Hightower's Minbari dictionary.
Sacrifices
Marcus practically ran into the War Room. His wild eyed and breathless entrance had everyone's attention. The entirety of the War Council had never seen the Ranger in such a state before. He was closely followed by a Minbari Warrior. Everyone tensed when they saw whom the Warrior was. It was Alyt (Captain) Neroon of the Star Riders, and the Warrior who had almost killed Marcus in den'shah (a fight to the death).
At the sound of the Warrior entering, a very panicked Marcus whirled around, and practically shouted, "No! No, I won't do it. There is nothing you can say or do that can make me do it! You can torture me, break me, but I will NEVER AGAIN in my life let myself be subjected to that!"
The entire room was now enveloped in a stunned silence. Neroon stood stock still and warily watched the Ranger that had stolen his heart with his bravery, fealty, and spirit. He then put his hands up in a placating gesture, and slowly approached the panicked human. He started speaking slowly, in a soothing, comforting voice.
"Ma'fela (Lover), you know that I would never do anything to harm you, but this must be done. Our honor demands it. The situation must be faced. The denn'bok (Minbari fighting pike) competition was lost by our team. The forfeit to the Moon Shields must be paid," he gently explained.
If the room was stunned before, they could be knocked over with feathers after that statement. Neroon and Marcus? When had that happened? And what was that about a denn'bok competition?
"You are the Clan Leader. You pay it!" Marcus spat out, while walking backwards and positioning himself so that Sheridan, who was seated at the head of the table, was between him and the oncoming Warrior.
"And as my Nil'bok Mal'ier Veni (officially named sword brother), you are the Second of our Clan. Marcus, you know that the request of forfeit specifically named you. I cannot pay it in your place. If I could I would. Do you think that I LIKE the idea of you spending the evening with the Moon Shield Clan Leader?" Neroon asked in a voice that was practically a growl.
Everyone in the room watching the scene practically choked on that statement. Delenn and Lennier both looked as if they were about to feint. Vir was literally choking. Everyone else was doing the best damned impressions of Earth gold fish seen in at least a century. Did Neroon just say what they thought he said?!
Marcus slumped, his head hung, the Ranger looked positively defeated. He raised pleading eyes to his lover. "You gave me you word, Neroon. When we came together, when you asked me to stand by you as your sword brother, your lover, you told me you would never ask something foul of me. This qualifies as FOUL!"
Neroon, who had been standing stock still before Sheridan, saw his opportunity and pounced. The Warrior moved with lightening speed and gathered the defeated human in his arms. After a brief struggle, Marcus collapsed into the arms of his Warrior, and took what comfort he could from the embrace.
Neroon sighed as he rubbed Marcus's back. "I know, beloved. I know I did. And I know that it does. But, I do not think that even Valen could have foreseen such a request of forfeit. Ahrrat is a cunning one, and I have underestimated him. This is my fault, my one. I should have set much stricter limits as to what the forfeit could be."
Marcus sighed, and raised his head from its position of being buried in Neroon's shoulder. "I don't blame you. And I know that our Clan's honor must be satisfied, but this is so – so degrading! I just can't believe that he would ask for something so positively vile! I feel filthy just thinking about it, I know that I'll be physically sick the minute I walk into his chambers. I can't do it, Neroon. I just can't do it!" After that statement, the distraught Ranger buried his head in Neroon's shoulder again.
Those of the War Council that still had synapses firing thought, "Yep. Neroon had said what they thought he had said!"
Neroon held his love and tried to think of a way out of this mess without impugning the honor of his Clan. He couldn't come up with even one. The Warrior sighed. No, he could NOT ask his love to go through with this. He thought of the forfeit request and shuddered, even Shakiri had never asked for something so utterly degrading when he had been alive.
"It is all right, beloved. I will send a message that this is not an acceptable forfeit, and that the Star Riders will not pay it. I will not ask you to degrade yourself, not even for the honor of the Clan. We will think of another way," Neroon said in a voice that sounded rather defeated as well.
He continued to try to comfort his distraught lover while the frozen in utter shock War Council looked on. After a bit, Marcus raised his head.
"There's no other way, is there?" he asked in a small voice. When he saw the hooded look in his love's eyes, he forestalled the lie he knew was coming. "No, Neroon. Don't try to placate me. There is no other way, is there?"
Neroon shook his head morosely. Marcus sighed and slumped again. Then, slowly, he gathered himself, straightened his shoulders, and forced himself to stand tall.
The Ranger looked into his love's eyes and gathered the courage to say, "I vowed to stand by you and the Clan. I vowed to be your sword arm, your shield, and your comfort in Darkness. I vowed to stand for your honor and the Clan's. And I'll do it. Oh, God! I'll need a bath in acid and a memory wipe after this, but I'll do it. Just please, Neroon, please be my comfort in the Darkness after," Marcus finished in a broken voice.
Neroon gathered Marcus closer, and choked back tears at his lover's speech. "Always, beloved. Always!" he said in a voice just as broken.
After a bit, an idea came to Neroon. "There is nothing in the request that bars my presence, beloved. If you wish it, I will be there with you. If you must endure this horror of a forfeit, then I shall endure it with you. When it seems that the night is at it's worst, when you can endure no longer, look to me beloved, and I will be your comfort in the Darkness. Know that, my one. Know that I will love you to eternity," he finished as he continued to hold his Ranger.
After a bit, the two slowly left, with Marcus clinging tightly to the Warrior, as if he needed the support just to walk. They left the continuing stunned silence in their wake. It was Delenn woke broke the spell.
"Oh, Valen! Oh, Valen and Valeria! This should not be! My poor Ranger! Poor, poor Marcus! And Neroon! This will wound them so terribly!" She cried out, heartbroken for the Ranger and the Warrior.
And with that she burst into tears, with Lyta, and even the two formidable Amazons, Ivanova and Na'Toth, following her lead. All the ladies were heart sick at what had befallen their favorite Ranger. The Men of the War Council finally woke from their shocked stupor, and then shear pandemonium broke out. Finally, after an hour of yelling, ranting, and swearing by the Narns and Centauri, the call to restart the Earth-Minbari War from Steven and Lyta, Garibaldi suggesting they call in his cousin Gino, to "take care of" Ahrrat, Ivanova wanting to invite the "stoka" to the Station just so that she could personally space him, and Sheridan grinning evilly (after all, he still had a few "toys" he could play with) and asking for the name of Ahrrat's ship, Delenn knew what must be done. After all, John and Minbari war ships did NOT go well together. She shuddered at the thought and immediately shouted the table down.
"No! We must do nothing! It would only make things worse! We cannot in any way involve ourselves in this! It would destroy the honor of an entire Star Rider Clan and could possibly start a civil war within the Warrior Caste. With the oncoming war with the Shadows, we CANNOT afford that!" she screamed.
"Then we're supposed to just sit back and let poor Marcus be forced to, um, "trip the light fantastic" with that dog, Ahrrat!" an irate Garibaldi yelled back.
Delenn slumped back in her seat. "Yes," she said tiredly. "Yes, it is the only way. We must never even mention this again. It must be as if it never happened. All we can do is offer our support to Marcus and Neroon, "a shoulder to cry on", as the Humans say. All we can do is quietly comfort them afterwards. We cannot even mention the event by name. It would dishonor Marcus's sacrifice, as well as dishonor the nobility of the entire Star Rider Clan."
With that, she collapsed against Sheridan, who had come to stand beside her. "Oh, John! Why must the purest souls always pay!?" Delenn cried out and began to cry again. It started the waterworks of the other ladies as well. The men had no answer, and stayed morosely silent.
As the yelling and crying came to and end in the War Room, Marcus and Neroon had made it to Neroon's quarters. Marcus collapsed against his lover after they entered. He started to sob in his love's arms.
Neroon held him close. "All will be well, love. I will be with you. We are Warriors, we will endure and be stronger for it," he said as he tried to calm the human.
"Oh, God! I'll go mad with it Neroon, I know I will! I won't survive this mentally intact! He's sadistic to want this! Oh, Valen help me! A "Star Trek, the Original Series" marathon at his place! A whole damned day and night of James T. "I'll fuck anything" Kirk!" Marcus sobbed out as his legs gave out.
The End