Another fine day (Open--can do gathering if desired, tag Desire?)

[faramir_hurin]

The autumn continues here in the village, coming earlier than it would in Minas Tirith but... about the same as north Ithilien. I have a number of things keeping me busy* but still have enough time to read and enjoy the weather outside. Sometimes I do both of those at once, but today I'm just out

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Couldn't help myself.

[onewho_willbe]

John had mostly recovered from his injuries. He'd cracked two ribs in the struggle at Z'ha'dum, and still had obvious bruises on his face, but the chance to sample honest to god fresh air, instead of recycled air for the first time in five years was too good to miss.

He was out, walking through the streets, trying to figure out who ran this place, what kind of people were there, and why he was there. He'd fallen back on the uniform which Delenn had gifted all the command staff after Babylon 5 broke away from Earth. It was something to remind him of the place he called home, of her. He saw the other man out and smiled at him as he slowly walked through the village, looking at the plants he'd gathered. "Excuse me?" he asked politely, pointing at one of the plants. "If you don't mind me asking, what's that?"

Re: Couldn't help myself.

[faramir_hurin]

I see the man approach in my peripheral vision and look up before he speaks to me--very few in the village wear uniforms and at first I thought it might be Dr. Koscuisko. It's not an Enterprise uniform either. How strange.

"That is a ramp.* I suppose the weather has some of them confused, because they come up in the spring and it's October." Then again, there were those wild blueberries that Lady Artemis told me about. It could just be the village. "Wild onions or leeks is what modern people call them. I suppose I look modern enough today."

Except for the knife in my boot. And most men don't have hair this long or carry baskets. Then again, it's the village.

*Link to wikipedia entry.
You make me do swift research. If Faramir was a smartarse, I'd have said "that's an apple".

[onewho_willbe]

"Yeah, shows how long it is since I've been on Earth, and my Dad's a farmer these days as well. He'd be most unimpressed with me," John said with a smile. "Ah, but given what I've found out about the village, what is modern for most people is history for me."

[faramir_hurin]

"Well, you wouldn't find ramps growing on a farm, nor any of these things. I've picked them up in the wood surrounding the village." I smile. "Nor would most know what these things are, except for the obvious fruit and nuts."

More here than the normal modern world, but the village draws special people.

"Perhaps so. Your uniform does not have that look of what I call 'modern'. I'm not sure about Earth. I say modern as around the year 2000 and most are within a score of years of that. But I am from Arda, not Earth. My name is Faramir and I'm from the land of Gondor." I smile again and shrug. "My father is unimpressed with my ability to gather herbs and cook."

And other things beside.

[onewho_willbe]

John nodded. "Well it's been a while since I've seen plants not grown by hydroponics. About five years, actually. It's a pleasure just to breath fresh air, and see plants."

"Well, when I came here, it had just gone into 2261, so all this is quaint to me. I'm John Sheridan, from Earth, but currently in charge of the space station Babylon 5, in orbit around Epsilon 3. And my father probably is too, but I've got other skills, I suppose."

[faramir_hurin]

"The way you say that it's been a while makes me think that you arrived not too long ago. At home, this is what we have. No electricity, even, though I've had time to become accustomed to it here." It's convenient, I admit.

"You do not only travel in the stars but live there?" Well, Garak mentioned such things. "And I ask because of the uniform--is it a military station? Or do you have families there, too?"

Henneth Annun is not as far from things as anything in space.

I did not watch the show, but Faramir has met Marcus Cole once. The name Babylon 5 was not mentioned in thread, and I'm thinking that Sheridan's uniform is different than Marcus' was. If I'm wrong, please let me know and I'll fix my stupid.

Crap, my reply didn't post

[onewho_willbe]

"Uh, about a week or so?" John said, calculating quickly. "Wow. No electricity would mean simple death in space."

He nodded. "Yeah, I haven't been back to Earth for about five years. I was captain of a Destroyer class warship, and then was assigned to Babylon 5. Technically it's a military station, but it's more than that. It's a free port, a center for diplomacy as well. There are about a quarter million humans and aliens on B5. Some have families, but most of the military don't, actually. It's a dangerous place at times."

[ooc: Yes, John's uniform is different to Marcus'. Marcus had a more flowing, neutral coloured uniform, with robes being the basis of it. This is far more military in style. Amusingly, John is in co-charge of the Rangers in their sector of space, so Marcus' immediate superior.]

Re: Crap, my reply didn't post

[faramir_hurin]

"So I would say that you are new here. But not so new that you haven't heard a bit about the strange nature of Haurvatat." I hope not that new. "It would, but we do not travel in space or even in the air

[onewho_willbe]

"Well, I pick things up quickly," John said, smiling sightly. "And the strange seems to follow me around, so you learn to be adaptable."

He nodded slowly. "It's five miles long, so yeah, it's a big station. And so many different kinds of aliens, you have to make sure you provide for them all."

"Oh, it's not so bad," John said. "We have large amounts of the station given over to hydroponics - growing plants without soil. I had my first orange for three years when I came to Babylon 5. The cost of importing food would be astronomical, so we grow as much as we can ourselves. Though there's nothing like home for food." One thing John did love was his food.

He cocked his head, frowning. "Mostly safe? As in not all the time?" But then, why should he be surprised by that? "Well, I'm a captain in Earthforce, and a qualified pilot. B5 was just my latest posting."

[faramir_hurin]

"I think strange follows many of the people here. We're not certain how we're chosen or who chooses--we're just here." I'm rather ordinary, considering. Ordinary for Gondor, with the exception of my birth

[onewho_willbe]

John cocked his head slightly. "Strange? Strange how? I wasn't exactly at my best when I arrived, and the person I met was more concerned with getting me to medical help."

"Hydroponics uses minerals and air to grow food. useful in space obviously. I've eaten so many different alien foods in the name of diplomacy," John laughed. "After you've eaten Spoo, nothing is ever quite the same. And well, as much as we might like it, there are rogue elements that treat their people badly in every race I've found."

He was silent as he listened to Faramir. "It sounds... interesting, but very strange." Stranger than was normal. "Do these things happen with regularity?"

He nodded slowly. "That makes perfect sense. Basic strategy."

[faramir_hurin]

"Strange creatures... some people know what some of them are. Zombies, which are dead people re-animated. There were some... I don't know what things several months ago. I cannot begin to describe them except that it was like various nearly human parts put together wrongly." How can I explain those things? "My friend once encountered giant scorpions, if you know what scorpions are. Only these were the size of very large dogs

[onewho_willbe]

"Zombies I've heard of," John said, nodding slowly. "Though they're generally horror stories, not real." This place really was going to take some adjusting to.

He shuddered though. "Why is it always rats? I hate rats. Though seeing different things and species isn't anything new to me." He'd seen so many through his time in space.

"Earth holidays. I keep forgetting about those. It was just New Year when I left. It's kind of confusing to arrive here in October, after that."

He nodded, listening to the idea. "So, where do I sign up?" he asked. "I'm not afraid of combat and I am used to getting people to work together. Part of my job involves being a diplomat." And some of the races, like the Narn and the Centauri took a lot of patience and ingenuity to work with.

[faramir_hurin]

"It is likely rats because you hate them. They're thieves, filled with disease, and generally irritating creatures. I wonder how the giant ones would have reacted to the giant cat who is companion to the ladies down the hall from me." Olore would not quite have been large enough to worry them.

"It is easier for people used to seeing... beings other than ordinary humans. So that is an advantage for you."

I have to smile.

"When I first left home it was April and I arrived in November." The island, not here, but it was disconcerting anyway.

"I would say join me, but my team is larger than most already. The police station, Captain McClane, he is the one who set it in motion and would likely know where you should fit into it all." I have several from space so I do not need another. "They have tried to mix fighting styles and skills to meet the range of creatures we might need to fight. Would that diplomacy was useful more often in these things."

The bugs didn't care, nor did zombies or vampires. Or the Joker.

[onewho_willbe]

"One thing about space - no rats, in theory. Though a space station like Babylon 5, some always manage to make it there." He gave a small smile, thinking of how his relationship with the Minbari Delenn. "An advantage of being from the future, I suppose, though it was only a hundred years ago we made first contact with another species."

"Oh I'm sure I'll find a place to fit in somewhere," John said, smiling. "It's a knack you pick up."

[faramir_hurin]

"How do they get there? Someone would have to bring them." Why? There would be no purpose to bringing rats to a ship in space.

"Things move more quickly with technology. I've read a bit and once people learned to use electricity the world seemed to change very fast." Amazingly so.

"I've found a place and we all manage to fit here. It's difficult to look at any one person as different when the range of people is so vast." He's got appropriate skills and is diplomatic enough. I'm sure John McClane will find a place for him, or create a new one.

"Do you know where the police station is? Not that it's difficult to find." Especially not with his station being so vast.