SC 67: Best Laid Plans(PG)
Starburst Challenge 67 (hosted by A Damned Scientist): The Festival
Rating: PG
Spoilers/Setting: Won't Get Fooled Again
Genre(s): Drama
Word Count: 2904
Test driven by Vinegardog, but all mistakes are mine.
Disclaimer: The characters and universe of Farscape are the property of the Henson Co.
"We have arrived at the Commerce Planet Dominar Rygel found for us."
"Thank you Pilot," Aeryn said from command where the crew had gathered for their first glimpse of the planet.
"There is something you should be aware of. The planet is in the midst of their Freedom Celebration. Officer Sun, you might want to be careful going down there. The 'enemy' they defeated was the Peacekeepers. Moya and I figured it would be a good place to pick up supplies, since the planet should be free of Peacekeeper wanted beacons."
"Thank you Pilot, John and I will be careful."
"Me?" John said.
"Yes, you," D'Argo responded. "Everywhere we go, you get mistaken for a Peacekeeper. We wouldn't want a repeat of that."
"Right." He hesitated. "Maybe I should just stay here."
"No. We need to replace some of the food contaminated by the parasite and I'd like your help with that. Chiana always gets crackers," Aeryn complained.
"D'Argo could help you," John suggested.
"D'Argo is going to be with Chiana."
"All right. I'll meet you in the transport bay," he nodded and left. Stopping off at his quarters, John grabbed his spare pulse pistol from the shelf. After the incident with the Vork and the parasite attack, Winona's firing mechanism was broken, and he wouldn't get a better chance to find a replacement part. Of course, finding parts for Peacekeeper weapons on an anti-Peacekeeper planet might be an issue.
He grabbed his currency credits and ran for the transport pod. As he made his way to his seat, Aeryn started with her standard lecture, "Crichton, stay next to me. I don't want you wandering off on your own." She looked up from her console and John sat down across from her.
Having heard it many times over the last cycle since the incident with Maldis, John interrupted. "Yes, Aeryn. I will stay right next to you. We can even hold hands if you want." At her death glare he added, "Or not."
She rolled her eyes. "I'm serious. You get in way too much trouble when we leave Moya."
"He gets in plenty of trouble on Moya," Chiana piped in with a laugh.
"No help from the Peanut Gallery, Pip."
"We should grab what we need, get in and get out of there quickly," D'Argo added.
"We will. This is going to be the fastest supply run in Moya's history," Rygel said.
"I only need a few things from the Apothecary, perhaps two arns to get it all," Zhaan said.
"Right, so we all meet at the bar down town for a drink in two arns?" John asked.
"Sounds good," D'Argo replied.
As they stepped off the transport pod, they all drifted off to the areas of the city they needed supplies from. D'Argo, Chiana and Zhaan went off to find Zhaan's medicines. Rygel insisted on coming with Aeryn and John because he didn't trust them to buy food fit for a Dominar.
The market place was crowded with people chugging Raslak and carrying rainbow colored flags. Their group stood out in sharp contrasts to all the colors everyone wore. It didn't take long for the inevitable question to come up. "Are you a Peacekeeper?" Letting out a long sigh, John turned and said, "No buddy, I wasn't. Neither was she. We're from a farming colony on the edge of the Uncharted Territories."
"Well, if you don't want anyone else to make that mistake, then you might want to change your attire. In those clothes you will quickly attract too much attention. You need far more color to your clothing. I have some lovely fabric choices."
Aeryn looked over the crowd. Quietly she whispered, "He's right John. Everyone else is far more colorful than we are." She said, noting his signature red vest and black leather pants.
Crichton nodded. "You're right. When in Rome—". Looking over at her with a smirk he asked the merchant, "You don't happen to have anything pink, do you? Perhaps a skirt?"
"Crichton? What the yotz are you doing?"
"Fitting in, Rygel. All the women here are wearing dresses. The pastel blues and pinks remind me of Regency England." He did a double take. "Wow, did you see the wig that woman was wearing? She really could have been from Earth. We should get you one of those."
"John, I am not wearing a dead bird in my hair. Well, what can you do for us, to help us to blend in?," Aeryn asked.
It didn't take the merchant long to fit Aeryn with a dress. Since it was lavender instead of pink, she didn't argue about all the lace on the collar. The merchant then pulled out a long tail coat in peach and tried to convince the human that this style was all the rage. "No, I am not wearing any female colors. Can't we go with something darker and less dandyish?"
"Dandyish?"
"Yeah, something that doesn't make me look like the only thought in my head is about clothing."
"How about this?" the merchant asked, as he brought out a brown overcoat. This looked more like the dusters Earth's cattle rustlers might wear. "It's the perfect attire for someone celebrating our defeat of Peacekeepers." At their look of doubt, he added, "It's a replica of what the Freedom Warriors wore."
"That will work nicely, then. It will also fit over my vest, so I don't need anything else."
At the conclusion of the business, they headed toward the center of the square, Aeryn leading John by the hand. He thought about making a hand holding wisecrack. But he crossed that thought out of his mind in less than a microt. He was enjoying being led around by her, and didn't want to ruin the moment.
Rygel headed over to one of the stalls specializing in illegal commodities. Crichton had given him the task of purchasing the part he needed for Winona, since the human didn't want to draw any unnecessary attention to their party.
Behind them, the clothing merchant accepted bribe money from a shady character to describe the outfits his Sebacean customers had just purchased from him. He had no problem betraying their confidence to such a creature. His latest customer took the information and went out into the crowd after them.
At the center of the square was a stage show where the narrator was describing the battle 200 cycles before that lead to the victory and freedoms enjoyed by the planet. John couldn't help reflecting that no matter how weird and different a world might seem, there are always some universal similarities. A group of people will always celebrate waging and winning war. He just wished they could pick more moderate colors, like red, white and blue.
Aeryn searched the crowd looking for D'Argo. After a few microns she gave up. She would just have to find him when the show was over and the crowd thinned out. Right now the band was playing and she was going to enjoy the experience. She regretted not dancing with John on the Royal Planet, and now was her chance. This was a different kind of dancing, more structured. For a disciplined person like herself, it made far more sense.
One woman tried to cut in and John was surprised at Aeryn's fierce refusal. When he teased her about it, she used the excuse that he couldn't handle himself and he was not to leave her side for any reason. Before long the band took a break, and they made their way over to a refreshment table. Aeryn picked up a bottle of clear blue liquid, but in typical Crichton fashion, he politely declined.
"It's just fillip nectar. It's perfectly safe."
"For Sebaceans maybe. I'm not going to try it here. Before we leave I'll take a bottle back to Moya with us. I just want to make sure it's safe."
"I don't get you. There doesn't seem to be any difference between what you can eat and what I can."
"It's not that, Aeryn. I don't trust that it won't affect my judgment. For all I know, my reaction could be severe and then you might have to carry me to the transport pod. I'm not going to let that happen. So enjoy your beer and when we get back to Moya, I'll join you for a drink."
"All right. We need to be meeting the others soon anyway."
Turning, they headed back toward the landing area where they left the transport pod, Aeryn still leading him by the hand. They were about halfway there when a drunken street performer knocked them apart. Aeryn stood impatiently waiting to get back to John, when more performers stepped between them. When the crowd dispersed, John was gone.
She looked around frantically, searching the whole area. After a quarter of an arn, she finally gave up and commed the Luxan for back up. "D'Argo, I've lost John. I can't find him in this crowd. He was here one minute, and gone the next."
"Where are you?" he asked.
"Far side of the square, by the stage."
"I see it. Chiana and I will be there in a few microts."
Aeryn told them to meet her at the shop Rygel was at, and then went to join the Hynerian. It didn't take long for the four of them to meet up. D'Argo was already trying to locate Crichton by his smell, but he wasn't having much luck.
A brown object lying on the ground across the way caught Aeryn's eye. It was John's new coat. She gestured to it, surveying the dirt around the coat. "This is not good. That's John's coat. We bought it to help him blend in. He didn't want to be mistaken for a Peacekeeper."
"How could you let him get separated from you? You were supposed to make sure he didn't get in trouble again. He's harder to keep out of trouble than a baby Leviathan."
"D'Argo, give her a break. Anyone could get lost in this crowd. And if anyone has the bad luck to get into trouble, it would be Crichton," Chiana said.
"She has a point," Rygel added.
"It doesn't matter," Aeryn said, exhaustion creeping into her voice. "We have another problem." She knelt down to pick up the coat. "Those are Scarran boot prints. Wherever Crichton is, he's not alone."
With a growl, D'Argo looked around the square. Now he knew what that other smell overlying the crowd was. "Can you track it?" he asked.
"I think so. The tracks head off that way. I only see one set of tracks, though." Looking up, she noticed exactly when the Luxan realized the significance of that.
"So Crichton was being carried."
"That would be my guess. Either way, I'm sure he wouldn't willingly go with a Scarran. Losing his head once would have been enough warning to stay away from them."
"Frell," Chiana said what they were all thinking. No one wanted to voice what they were all fearing. Did Scarrans take prisoners and what would they want with John in the first place?
"What we don't know is if this Scarran is alone. I only see one set of tracks, but there may be more. Chiana, you and Rygel start asking questions. Find out if anyone knows or saw anything. What I really need to know is how many Scarrans are we dealing with? Then you two go back to the pod and be ready to come get us as soon as you hear from us," Aeryn said.
"You lead the way, I'll cover our backs," D'Argo responded.
Half a metra later, the tracks ended at the start of a concrete platform. The whole area had once been a thriving parking lot for assault vehicles. It was like a courtyard with abandoned structures on three sides. They contained the remains of military equipment from an era long since past. "D'Argo, I've lost the trail. Can you smell him?"
"No, there are too many chemicals in the area. But this would make a great place to hide. We should begin searching the area for any signs of the Scarrans."
Several minutes passed with the two warriors searching for their friend. Aeryn wasn't sure what caught her attention, maybe a movement out the corner of her eye. Maybe it was just instinct that when Crichton needed her she knew to come running. Nodding to D'Argo, she silently indicated he should follow her.
Microts later, they found him staggering out of a doorway. He made it a few steps before he looked up and saw them. Then he fell forward onto his knees before hitting the ground face first.
"D"Argo, he's over there." Together the two of them ran over to the prone figure. "John. John! Answer me." She shook him frantically, noting that he was covered in grime and gooey flesh. As she tried to revive him, the Luxan kept an eye out for any trouble.
His skin was so clammy with perspiration, for a moment she feared he had heat delirium. Since it was a condition she was fairly sure humans couldn't get, she didn't know what to make of it. A loud groan brought a sigh of relief to Aeryn's lips. Crichton was finally responding to her.
It took a few more moments before he opened his eyes. Slowly he blinked in his surroundings. Suddenly he started thrashing away from her. "No! No more! Frell you! You don't get anything from me."
"John! John! Calm down, it's me, Aeryn."
He shook his head to clear it. For the first time in forever he didn't feel hot. "Aeryn? Is this real?" At her nod, John gestured to her attire. "Then why the frell are you dressed that way?"
Glancing down at herself, she realized for the first time she was still wearing that tacky lavender gown he had talked her into. "Well you did pick it. Don't tell me you don't like it."
"I miss the black. It suits you so much better." He paused as if trying to remember something. "Aeryn, there's a Scarran down there. We have to get away quickly before he finds his head and comes looking for me."
"John, you are not making any sense."
"Uh, lost my pulse pistol," he giggled. "Scarran swallowed it. So glad it wasn't Winona. She would never forgive me." He paused and seemed to forget where he was. "D'Argo! Aeryn! You have to get away from here. You can't be captured too! Go, before he returns."
"Shush John. There's no Scarrans here." She looked up at the Luxan. "D'Argo, we need to make sure the threat has been neutralized. I think John came from that direction." Quickly checking him over, Aeryn decided he had no life-threatening injuries needing immediate treatment. "Chiana," she spoke into the comms. "We've found Crichton. We're on the southern end of the town, concrete complex."
"We'll be right there," the Nebari responded.
"John, you have to get up. Come on, move it. Chiana will be here any moment with the transport pod. Move it!" It took considerable effort on her part, but she finally got the human on his feet. D'Argo returned just as she succeeded.
"One Scarran, very dead. He's missing his head." He gestured behind him as he took on more of the human's weight. "We need to go. I laid charges on the console. They will blow shortly."
"Chiana should be here with the transport pod, any microt now." She relinquished John to D'Argo and pulled up her pulse rifle. "You got him?"
"Yeah."
A few moments later and they were safely aboard the transport pod. D'Argo secured John, and then made his way over to help Chiana. Zhaan came over to help Aeryn as she took the hem of her dress and used it to clean the human up. He seemed to wake a little. "It's okay. You're aboard the transport pod, we are almost back to Moya."
"That dress looks terrible on you. Don't know why I thought purple was your color," John slurred.
Half an arn later they made it back to Moya. D'Argo helped John to his quarters and helped him clean up. After helping him to bed, D'Argo made his way to Command.
Now that they had both the Peacekeepers and the Scarrans after them, they needed to find a safe place to hide out. Aeryn was scanning a gas cloud that appeared to be the perfect location. Chiana was standing next to her complaining about the plan.
Looking up as the Luxan entered, Aeryn said, "D'Argo, I think this cloud would be the perfect place to hide. Pilot and Moya can't get any readings from it. I want to take a pod and survey it."
"I think this is a horrible idea. I don't want to go," Chiana said. "I'm telling you I have a bad feeling about this."
"Chiana, we'll take a vote as soon as Crichton gets up here to join us," Aeryn suggested to pacify the girl, but her mind was already made up. This latest attempt to kidnap one of their own made it imperative that they find someplace safe and out of the way. Rubbing a hand across her forehead, she realized the headache she'd been fighting was coming back. Maybe she'd ask Zhaan for something before she left.