ItLoTM: Chapter Ten
Sep. 9th, 2010 11:43 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shakatanyTitle: In the Light of Two Moons
Author: Shakatany
Series: Babylon 5
Pairing: Neroon/Catherine Sakai
Rating: FRT
Chapters: 10/?
Disclaimer: These stories are not meant to infringe upon the copyrights held by J. Michael Straczynski, Kathryn M. Drennan, Babylonian Inc. or Time Warner Productions. I'm merely playing with what they've apparently abandoned, adding my own take on that universe. It's not my fault...my muse is forcing me to do it.
Summary: After "Objects at Rest" John and Delenn find that once again the dead do not stay dead.
Note: This fic is dedicated to John Vickery who has been described as having a voice that could melt the underwear off a cloistered nun at 50 paces. So very true.
Watch the skies the old vid said; one of the vids she'd watched with Jeff on that long ago winter break. Watch the skies it warned and so here she was watching the skies even though the few seconds advance warning they would have would be basically useless. They'd been taking turns keeping watch in the shell of a building that might once have been a watchtower though what the Shadows might have needed a watchtower for with all their advanced technology was something no one could explain.
Gah it's so hard to wait, thought Dancer and yet, as they waited for the approaching ship she felt that she could well do without the ship ever arriving. I know how Schrödinger's cat felt, existing in a state of being both alive and dead, waiting for the box to be opened and its fate determined. If this goes bad it will all be my fault. I made the decision, I threw the dice. I condemned my child to death or an even worse fate. In all the time since her capture these past few days may have been the hardest.
It was now the beginning of the third day since Ni'Dayr had made his announcement. Arguments had kept them up that night as they discussed what steps they could take if the approaching ship proved hostile but their options were few and would ultimately prove ineffective. The suspense was worse torture than any torture devised by Torquemada at his most sadistic.
The heat outside had risen with the approaching sunrise as had the tempers inside until, finally exhausted, they'd gone to bed having reached only one decision. They had, knowing that there was nothing else they could do, agreed that Ni'Dayr should turn off the tachyon transmission but keep the basic communicator online, and thereby free up enough energy to power the living quarters once more. However the communicator remained silent which did nothing to ease their fears.
She put down the PPG and wiped a sweat-drenched strand of hair from her eyes. I better cut it soon she thought for the umpteenth time then realized that in a short while it might no longer matter. The slight breeze she'd felt earlier had vanished and her caftan was clinging to her body. She'd relieved Viddag as dawn approached and even though the sun was still low in the sky the heat would soon drive her to get one of the Narn or other Drazi to replace her.
She considered the PPG to be a security blanket, a futile defense against any weaponry a hostile ship would have. Some of the Narn and Drazi were scattered around the encampment armed with PPG rifles and comlinks they'd found in the smuggled supplies aboard the Aelita but it was basically useless bravado.
From her perch in what she called the crow's nest she had a 360-degree view of their known territory - the sea, the Pit, the crags that hid the Citadel and, beneath the watchtower, the ruins of the Shadow prison which marked the grave of untold hundreds perhaps even thousands. Her eyes caught a glimpse of movement far below and focusing on it she saw Anyani wandering between the buildings. As if aware she was being watched she raised her hand and saluted Dancer before vanishing behind the greenhouse. Dancer had come to believe that the Centauri wouldn't harm Jade; that her tossing of Jade's shells, which had started this chain of events, had been something she'd done to cause all this to come about. They'd tried to catch her to ask just what it was that she'd foreseen but the Centauri had remained elusive and Dancer still never left Jade unless Tr'gan could remain with the child.
Suddenly something else caught her attention; she felt a strange almost imperceptible vibration and returned her gaze to the skies barely registering the sound of footsteps coming up the staircase. She caught sight of a bright object over the sea reflecting the morning sun and as Neroon entered the chamber she was certain that it was a ship. He joined her by the window and used his comlink to alert the others then continued to stand silently as the ship neared them. Limbo was living up to its name - after what seemed so long a wait would it all end in heaven or hell?
Soon the ship landed gracefully in an area between the Shadow base and the sea. It was familiar yet she'd never seen it before but it reminded her of the ship she had been piloting when she was captured by the Shadows though much larger. Her ship had been a small prototype of the White Star ships that Jeff had been waiting to be finished being built so he could start his crusade against the Shadows. "It's a Ranger ship, isn't it?" she asked Neroon. "Are we saved?" He looked up from the ship and turned to her before replying, "So it would seem."
******************************
What a difference a few hours made, Dancer thought, as she finished packing the few belongings they would be taking with them on board the Maria. Once the Rangers emerged from the ship and introduced themselves the relief felt by the survivors was palpable. The Rangers were known to all of them from the stories Neroon told of the Anla'shok during the long evenings and both Dy'Gal and Viddig had reported glimpsing White Star ships in battles before their capture. Neroon, of course, made no references to any opposition he had had when the Rangers had been resurrected from the obscurity they'd fallen into after the first Shadow War a millenia ago.
Into the carryall went a selection of warmer outfits for Jade who would not be happy having to wear more than the shorts she was used to. Lastly, on top of the clothes, went Gemma and the few toys that Dancer felt Jade would want to keep. She then sealed the bag and stood up stretching her muscles and looking around the room for what would be the last time. There were some good memories of it, all having to do with Jade - her birth, her first smile, her first word even though it was meema not mommy. Dancer still couldn't figure how Neroon had managed that but in time, once they were on Earth, she figured Jade would come to forget the Minbari term for mother.
She straightened the creases of her favorite caftan and feeling presentable left the room and joined Jade and Tr'Gan and the others in the main room who were waiting with their gear. Behind them on the wall were the marks they'd kept to mark the passage of days. Over 720 days since the Departure and who knows how long she'd been here before that. All that time isolated from the rest of the galaxy and now soon they would be rejoining what civilization was out there. Jade toddled over and indicated that she wanted to be picked up. She'd been clingy which was unusual for her but with the arrival of the first strangers she'd ever seen her whole world had turned upside down and she was aware that things were changing. There would now be many more strangers in Jade's life; fortunately she was young and Dancer foresaw little problem with any readjustments she'd have to make. In time she would forget the planet of her birth and the life she'd led here and if she remembered at all, it would seem like a dream unlike her mother who feared she who would have nightmares for a long time.
Carrying Jade with one arm she used the other for the carryall and slowly they all filed outside toward the waiting ship. From the hanger came Ni'Dayr who'd wanted to make sure the Unicom and the power units, no longer needed, were completely shut down. He came to Jade and touched her cheek and she smiled at her friend. "Did you accomplish what you needed to do?" Dancer asked.
"Oh yes", he replied, "even though Anyani was dancing around and pulling out things from one of the storage units."
Anyani. Dancer had forgotten her in all the excitement. Someone had better get her packed and ready to go; Dancer felt far too drained to deal with her herself. "So what is our madwoman up to?"
Ni'dayr took his carryall from Dy'Gal and slung the strap so it hung from his shoulder. "I don't know. She's singing some bit of opera and talking about jiga."
Jiga? Jiga? Jigai? "Did she say jigai?"
"Well something like that."
"Oh no." She dropped her carryall and practically flung Jade at Tr'Gan before running to the hanger. There inside the last of "Un bel di" was playing as Anyani knelt on the far end on a blanket looking like a Centauri Ciao-Ciao San though dressed in the ceremonial robes of the Imperial court. She held a dagger to her throat. As Dancer rushed toward her, as the singer stopped singing and the last few notes played, she looked up at Dancer sadly and said, "I will not be part of the darkness growing on Centauri Prime," and thrust the dagger into her neck, splattering the approaching human with her warm arterial blood.
Author: Shakatany
Series: Babylon 5
Pairing: Neroon/Catherine Sakai
Rating: FRT
Chapters: 10/?
Disclaimer: These stories are not meant to infringe upon the copyrights held by J. Michael Straczynski, Kathryn M. Drennan, Babylonian Inc. or Time Warner Productions. I'm merely playing with what they've apparently abandoned, adding my own take on that universe. It's not my fault...my muse is forcing me to do it.
Summary: After "Objects at Rest" John and Delenn find that once again the dead do not stay dead.
Note: This fic is dedicated to John Vickery who has been described as having a voice that could melt the underwear off a cloistered nun at 50 paces. So very true.
In the light of two moons
crystal mountains gleam
within their hearts
no shadows fall.
--Shaal Mayan
crystal mountains gleam
within their hearts
no shadows fall.
--Shaal Mayan
Watch the skies the old vid said; one of the vids she'd watched with Jeff on that long ago winter break. Watch the skies it warned and so here she was watching the skies even though the few seconds advance warning they would have would be basically useless. They'd been taking turns keeping watch in the shell of a building that might once have been a watchtower though what the Shadows might have needed a watchtower for with all their advanced technology was something no one could explain.
Gah it's so hard to wait, thought Dancer and yet, as they waited for the approaching ship she felt that she could well do without the ship ever arriving. I know how Schrödinger's cat felt, existing in a state of being both alive and dead, waiting for the box to be opened and its fate determined. If this goes bad it will all be my fault. I made the decision, I threw the dice. I condemned my child to death or an even worse fate. In all the time since her capture these past few days may have been the hardest.
It was now the beginning of the third day since Ni'Dayr had made his announcement. Arguments had kept them up that night as they discussed what steps they could take if the approaching ship proved hostile but their options were few and would ultimately prove ineffective. The suspense was worse torture than any torture devised by Torquemada at his most sadistic.
The heat outside had risen with the approaching sunrise as had the tempers inside until, finally exhausted, they'd gone to bed having reached only one decision. They had, knowing that there was nothing else they could do, agreed that Ni'Dayr should turn off the tachyon transmission but keep the basic communicator online, and thereby free up enough energy to power the living quarters once more. However the communicator remained silent which did nothing to ease their fears.
She put down the PPG and wiped a sweat-drenched strand of hair from her eyes. I better cut it soon she thought for the umpteenth time then realized that in a short while it might no longer matter. The slight breeze she'd felt earlier had vanished and her caftan was clinging to her body. She'd relieved Viddag as dawn approached and even though the sun was still low in the sky the heat would soon drive her to get one of the Narn or other Drazi to replace her.
She considered the PPG to be a security blanket, a futile defense against any weaponry a hostile ship would have. Some of the Narn and Drazi were scattered around the encampment armed with PPG rifles and comlinks they'd found in the smuggled supplies aboard the Aelita but it was basically useless bravado.
From her perch in what she called the crow's nest she had a 360-degree view of their known territory - the sea, the Pit, the crags that hid the Citadel and, beneath the watchtower, the ruins of the Shadow prison which marked the grave of untold hundreds perhaps even thousands. Her eyes caught a glimpse of movement far below and focusing on it she saw Anyani wandering between the buildings. As if aware she was being watched she raised her hand and saluted Dancer before vanishing behind the greenhouse. Dancer had come to believe that the Centauri wouldn't harm Jade; that her tossing of Jade's shells, which had started this chain of events, had been something she'd done to cause all this to come about. They'd tried to catch her to ask just what it was that she'd foreseen but the Centauri had remained elusive and Dancer still never left Jade unless Tr'gan could remain with the child.
Suddenly something else caught her attention; she felt a strange almost imperceptible vibration and returned her gaze to the skies barely registering the sound of footsteps coming up the staircase. She caught sight of a bright object over the sea reflecting the morning sun and as Neroon entered the chamber she was certain that it was a ship. He joined her by the window and used his comlink to alert the others then continued to stand silently as the ship neared them. Limbo was living up to its name - after what seemed so long a wait would it all end in heaven or hell?
Soon the ship landed gracefully in an area between the Shadow base and the sea. It was familiar yet she'd never seen it before but it reminded her of the ship she had been piloting when she was captured by the Shadows though much larger. Her ship had been a small prototype of the White Star ships that Jeff had been waiting to be finished being built so he could start his crusade against the Shadows. "It's a Ranger ship, isn't it?" she asked Neroon. "Are we saved?" He looked up from the ship and turned to her before replying, "So it would seem."
******************************
What a difference a few hours made, Dancer thought, as she finished packing the few belongings they would be taking with them on board the Maria. Once the Rangers emerged from the ship and introduced themselves the relief felt by the survivors was palpable. The Rangers were known to all of them from the stories Neroon told of the Anla'shok during the long evenings and both Dy'Gal and Viddig had reported glimpsing White Star ships in battles before their capture. Neroon, of course, made no references to any opposition he had had when the Rangers had been resurrected from the obscurity they'd fallen into after the first Shadow War a millenia ago.
Into the carryall went a selection of warmer outfits for Jade who would not be happy having to wear more than the shorts she was used to. Lastly, on top of the clothes, went Gemma and the few toys that Dancer felt Jade would want to keep. She then sealed the bag and stood up stretching her muscles and looking around the room for what would be the last time. There were some good memories of it, all having to do with Jade - her birth, her first smile, her first word even though it was meema not mommy. Dancer still couldn't figure how Neroon had managed that but in time, once they were on Earth, she figured Jade would come to forget the Minbari term for mother.
She straightened the creases of her favorite caftan and feeling presentable left the room and joined Jade and Tr'Gan and the others in the main room who were waiting with their gear. Behind them on the wall were the marks they'd kept to mark the passage of days. Over 720 days since the Departure and who knows how long she'd been here before that. All that time isolated from the rest of the galaxy and now soon they would be rejoining what civilization was out there. Jade toddled over and indicated that she wanted to be picked up. She'd been clingy which was unusual for her but with the arrival of the first strangers she'd ever seen her whole world had turned upside down and she was aware that things were changing. There would now be many more strangers in Jade's life; fortunately she was young and Dancer foresaw little problem with any readjustments she'd have to make. In time she would forget the planet of her birth and the life she'd led here and if she remembered at all, it would seem like a dream unlike her mother who feared she who would have nightmares for a long time.
Carrying Jade with one arm she used the other for the carryall and slowly they all filed outside toward the waiting ship. From the hanger came Ni'Dayr who'd wanted to make sure the Unicom and the power units, no longer needed, were completely shut down. He came to Jade and touched her cheek and she smiled at her friend. "Did you accomplish what you needed to do?" Dancer asked.
"Oh yes", he replied, "even though Anyani was dancing around and pulling out things from one of the storage units."
Anyani. Dancer had forgotten her in all the excitement. Someone had better get her packed and ready to go; Dancer felt far too drained to deal with her herself. "So what is our madwoman up to?"
Ni'dayr took his carryall from Dy'Gal and slung the strap so it hung from his shoulder. "I don't know. She's singing some bit of opera and talking about jiga."
Jiga? Jiga? Jigai? "Did she say jigai?"
"Well something like that."
"Oh no." She dropped her carryall and practically flung Jade at Tr'Gan before running to the hanger. There inside the last of "Un bel di" was playing as Anyani knelt on the far end on a blanket looking like a Centauri Ciao-Ciao San though dressed in the ceremonial robes of the Imperial court. She held a dagger to her throat. As Dancer rushed toward her, as the singer stopped singing and the last few notes played, she looked up at Dancer sadly and said, "I will not be part of the darkness growing on Centauri Prime," and thrust the dagger into her neck, splattering the approaching human with her warm arterial blood.
