Metamorph 3
By Oonagh
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Doctor's Franklin responded promptly to Lenier's request, which didn't surprise Delenn at all. He had always struck her as a man who worked hard, perhaps too hard, and who took his work seriously. Even now, as he prodded at the crust on her arm, his expression registered only puzzlement. And for that Delenn was grateful. She had to fight the urge to hold her breath while he examined her, waiting for the awful moment when he declaimed her fate. But that moment never came. Instead, Doctor Franklin peeled a small portion of the crust away. Then he jerked his hand back, afraid that he'd hurt her. She was unable to answer his question as to whether that was supposed to happen but she reassured him that it had not hurt.
Tentatively, he reached his hand forward again and removed a larger strip. Then he examined her arm again, holding it close to his face so that he could see it clearly through the gloom.
"It looks like there's skin under here, Ambassador." Delenn looked at him for a moment, confused, and he clarified.
"Healthy, new skin. I think that maybe this crust is merely some kind of protective covering. Is that possible?"
"I really do not know, Doctor. The scrolls which told of this use for the triluminary did not speak in detail of the results. They merely dealt with the final transformation and even then were more concerned with the spiritual than the physical." Doctor Franklin took a deep breath before speaking again.
"I think the best thing we can do is to remove the crust and see what happens. Are you well enough to walk to med lab or should I call a medical team?"
"No! Please, Doctor Franklin, may we do what has to be done here?"
"I'd feel better if I had you somewhere where I had more equipment, Ambassador."
"I would rather it was done here, in privacy." Delenn's tone told Doctor Franklin that further argument would be fruitless and so he nodded, reluctantly.
"Please stand up and remove your robe, Ambassador. With Lenier's assistance this should not take too long."
"Lenier's assistance? No…"
"I will not do this on my own, Ambassador. Too many things could go wrong." Delenn closed her eyes and nodded. She stood up and let her robe fall to the floor. Then she took several steps forward and raised her arms out to her sides. Doctor Franklin nodded in satisfaction and he gestured to Lenier to begin removing the crust. Lenier did so hesitantly, eyes averted.
To Delenn the procedure seemed to take hours. She stood unmoving, naked and tried to pretend that the two men were not there. Appearing naked in public was, for a Minbari, inexpressibly humiliating. If convicted of a serious crime, such as treason, a Minbari would be paraded naked through the streets of all the main cities, allowing the people to see his shame exposed. Minbari did not kill Minbari but, Delenn knew, they had devised some punishments that would make death appear a welcome escape. And right now the humiliation of her current position – naked in front of two men, one of them a human – almost caused Delenn to long for death. But she kept her eyes closed and endured. There was nothing else for it. This had, after all, been her choice and she must take the consequences.