Title: Left Behind
Fandom: Babylon 5
Author: badly_knitted
Characters: John Sheridan, Captain Jack Maynard.
Rating: PG
Word Count: 300
Spoilers/Setting: A Distant Star.
Summary: Sheridan wishes he could go with Captain Maynard, but he has a job to do.
Content Notes: None needed.
Written For: Challenge 417: Amnesty 69, using Challenge 95: Exploration.
Disclaimer: I don’t own Babylon 5, or the characters. They belong to J. Michael Straczynski.




Sheridan knows he shouldn’t be envious or dissatisfied with his lot in life. The posting to Babylon 5 is flattering, even if he’s not entirely sure he’s up to the task. There’s so much paperwork and diplomacy involved. But he’d thought he was doing alright, up until his old friend Captain Jack Maynard arrived at the station for a re-supply.

As a starship captain, the Cortez is the kind of ship Sheridan had always hoped to someday be granted command of. Exploring the edges of the known universe was what he’d trained for, what he’d dreamed of for years. Now here he is, tied to a desk, watching Stinky fly that big, beautiful Explorer class ship away, heading out where no earth ship has yet been, discovering new worlds, maybe even encountering new races…

It stings. He wants to be the one going into the unknown, experiencing all that adventure and wonder, but instead he’s being left behind. He was never a politician, doesn’t want to be one now, and he knows many of the Minbari don’t want him here, but the Earth Alliance President does, and President Clark’s not someone Sheridan can say no to. He doesn’t have that luxury.

So Babylon 5 is his to command, for better or worse, and all he can do is obey his Commander in Chief and make the best of it. Sheridan looks at his desk, practically buried under the minutiae of his job, and reluctantly lets go of his long-held dream of exploration. This is where he’s needed right now, so this is where he’ll stay.

There’s no point moping about missed opportunities; he has a job to do, and it’s about time he got on with it. First order of business is to clear his desk. After that… who knows?


The End