Matchmaker

by Jigs

John and D'Argo run into an old friend on a supply run.

Title: MATCHMAKER

By: Jigs & Officer Don

Feedback: Any and all comments welcome. Email: jigsaw4@aol.com or marks@caverock.net.nz

Archiving: Please e-mail us first

Rating: PG-13

Category: Action/adventure

Warnings: Possible references to scenes from the Premiere through 'The Ugly Truth'

Summary: John and D'Argo run into an old friend on a supply run.

Disclaimer: Regrettably we have no claim to Farscape; we're just borrowing the characters for the SACC FanFiction Challenge 2000.

Nighttime did little to improve the hospitality of Bacca-Prime, either in the demeanor of the inhabitants or the climate. The mammoth sun produced insufferable heat during the day so the market was only open between dusk and dawn. Even then, the temperature was too intense for Sebaceans. It looked a lot like Dam-Ba-Da, or Tatooine, John Crichton thought, either way this God-forsaken place was too hot for Aeryn Sun.

That anyone would inhabit this tiny planet defied explanation, which led John to believe that anyone here was probably hiding from legitimate authority, and probably had very good reasons for doing so. As far as he'd been able to determine there was no recognizable law enforcement in what was apparently the only urban area on this world. It could hardly be called a city; it reminded John of the barbarous towns in the old west of American history. The biggest gun ruled the town, which was actually a way station for every criminal element in the territories.

In fact, that's probably why the outlaws of the Uncharted Territories thought it a safe haven. The heat alone would keep the mercenary Peacekeepers from establishing a presence here, which meant no constabulary interference to disrupt nefarious activities or uncover sinister plots. On this particular night, however, one of the elite of the Peacekeeper Special Directorate had infiltrated their den of iniquity.

The Sak'kra Empire sent a small compliment of advance troops to Bacca-Prime two weekens ago, led by Lord Jesliac. Their purpose was to either locate or secure information on the whereabouts of five data crystals that were stolen from one of their couriers. It was a very important mission if the Empire was to have its revenge for the annihilating defeat it suffered hundreds of cycles ago in the Sak'kra War. The precious data crystals detailed the first phase of their plans for retaliation.

Rumors of the Sak'kra's resurgence were whispered throughout the surrounding systems. Although the major space-faring races rarely ventured into the Uncharted Territories or maintained outposts here, they still had agents strategically placed to keep tabs on the activities there. The Tellez, notorious for rooting out information, which they in turn sold to the highest bidder, were also on Bacca-Prime. They were hired by a consortium of several smaller worlds to find out why the Sak'kra Empire was reasserting their presence in the Uncharted Territories. It was a risky alliance, but the lesser worlds would be most vulnerable to attack by the Sak'kras, and concluded they had no other choice than to deal with the Tellez.

Although they had not been able to completely decipher the data on the crystals, the Tellez knew the information belonged to the Sak'kra Empire and that made it extremely valuable. Considering the significance of this information, the Tellez were looking for a buyer that would pay their price.

After loading up the few supplies they were able to find, John and D'Argo sauntered into the local pub looking for something cool to drink. It was dark and smoky inside with clusters of patrons huddled in whispered conversations at the tables scattered around the small room. The place would have been called a dive on Earth John thought as he and D'Argo plopped down on stools at the bar.

"Let's grab something cold and get the hell out of here," John suggested in a hushed voice. "No friendly types in these parts, if you know what I mean, pilgrim," he drawled in his best John Wayne impersonation.

"More human nonsense…there is no end to it!" D'Argo muttered to himself, then looked over at John. "I agree. I think trouble could find a priest in this wretched place."

The barkeeper was a humanoid male, as best as John could tell, tall and lanky with golden skin. His baldhead was at least twice the size it should have been for the rest of him. A bone ridge circled his head, bisecting it from the back of his collar to his shirtfront. He was in deep conversation with another of his species at the end of the bar and didn't seem to notice the two strangers that just sat down. John whistled and the barkeeper finally looked up, acknowledging them with a toss of his head.

"Name your poison," he said walking over and casting a glance at D'Argo. "Luxan, right? Don't get too many Luxans in here."

D'Argo grunted, rolled his eyes and turned to survey the bar again.

"We just want to quench our thirst with a cold drink and we'll be on our way," John offered, eyeing the man curiously, his blue eyes studying the man's unique face.

"Can do," the barman replied as he set two glasses in front of them.

"How long have you been here on Bacca-Prime?" John asked inquisitively. He'd never seen this species before and thought he'd make a little conversation to pass the time.

"I'm Trilok. My family has owned this establishment for 20 cycles. That's my twin brother, Hiselk," he said pointing to the man with whom he had been speaking.

"Trilok, I'm Cri…Butch." It suddenly occurred to John that leaving his name on this barren world might not be the best move considering the clientele.

"Cributch…that's an odd name."

John laughed but made no effort to correct him. Trilok served what appeared to be the UT equivalent of a soft drink. The frothy, lime-green concoction smelled awful, but it didn't taste too bad and it was cold. John figured he was better off not knowing what it was; he had discovered after nearly two cycles in the Uncharted Territories that the old adage was usually true: ignorance was bliss, especially when it came to food and drink.

Trilok eyed John with interest, "you are not a Sebacean," he stated flatly.

John smiled, "no, too hot for them here."

"But you wear the clothes of a Peacekeeper," he noted, still trying to identify John's origins.

"Let's just say he didn't need them anymore," John offered as an enigmatic explanation, hoping to soothe the man's curiosity without actually revealing any details.

"Good, I like people who kill Peacekeepers," Trilok said with a wry smile.

D'Argo sipped the cool, fizzy liquid, wondering why Crichton felt it necessary to engage this stranger in polite conversation. He just wanted to finish his drink and get the Hezmana back to Moya. Something about this place made his tentacles twitch.

The discussion taking place at the table nearest the bar caught D'Argo's attention. Three hairy looking beasts were gesturing wildly to each other as another biped, shrouded from head to toe in drab-colored, rough-hewn cloth sat quietly watching, listening intently.

D'Argo could overhear only part of the conversation as their voices raised excitedly. The potential buyer, obviously female he thought, seemed most interested in what the Tellez leader had to say.

"You think that a Plokavian weapons deal is what these crystals are about?" He smiled derisively, "I must admit that's what we thought at first…. But I don't think that would be of concern to the other buyers who have expressed an interest in them."

She was not surprised by this tactic given the Tellez's duplicitous reputation. Deciding she didn't want anyone else in the bar to eavesdrop on their negotiations, she leaned over the table and whispered, "and just what is it that interests these *other* buyers?"

The Tellez leader smiled slyly and bent down to whisper the answer in her ear. "It seems the Sak'kra Empire is up to its old tricks. We believe they may be planning an attack on the known Territories. We intercepted some data crystals from one of their couriers."

The being in rags seemed even more surprised and very interested in that information, but she tried to hide it. "So I take it the price has gone up then?"

D'Argo lost interest as the hushed conversation prevented him from hearing their exchange over the noise in the bar. It was just as well, he was ready to return to the pod and get as far away from Bacca-Prime as he could.

Gammet nodded to his client as one of the other Tellez noticed a Peacekeeper Special Ops Captain and a Luxan seated at the bar. "Gammet, look! A Peacekeeper!"

"He's no Peacekeeper, you fool! It's far too hot for them here. Still, I have to admit he looks the part in that uniform. I wonder where he got it? And the Luxan seems to be in no hurry to kill him. When was the last time you saw a Peacekeeper and a Luxan sharing a drink?"

The raggedly dressed woman looked over and immediately recognized the newcomers, having crossed paths with them once before, or rather they had crossed hers. For an instant she wondered what they were doing here, but turned back to the Tellez as the bargaining entered a new stage.

Trilok noticed D'Argo's interest in the foursome and explained, "they've been talking for the last half arn. Well those three Tellez have been doing most of the talking. Don't know who the other one is, but I wouldn't waste my time with them if I were her."

"Why is that?" John asked suddenly curious about the Tellez. They were among the oddest critters he'd ever seen.

Covered in bright orange fur with fleshy, tan cheeks and slanted eyes. They were bare from the waist up wearing black pants tucked into the tops of their boots and holsters slug low across their hips. Each wore bands of tiny knives crisscrossing their ample chests. To John they looked like orangutans dressed up like Mexican banditos. He couldn't help but smile at the image.

"The Tellez are scoundrels of the first order, information brokers. Good natured sorts, but they can't be trusted. Rumor is they will do whatever is necessary to get information that someone is willing to pay for," Trilok explained.

John nodded, "and the other one?"

"Don't recognize that one, like I said," Trilok answered, wiping the bar with a damp rag as he headed back to finish the conversation with his brother.

Unbeknownst to John, he actually knew the other person at the table, dressed in filthy rags with a grimy scarf wrapped around her head like an Arab abayah, she was hardly recognizable as the beautiful woman she was.

Jenavian Chatto sat confidently amidst the Tellez. At first it was easy convincing the unsuspecting outlaws that she wasn't a Peacekeeper since they counted on the fact that it was too hot on this desert planet for Sebaceans. But the determination of Peacekeeper High Command knew no bounds; they were not about to let a little heat interfere with their plans to obtain the information they desired.

It was fortuitous for her current mission that the med techs of the Special Directorate had recently developed a top-secret serum that enabled Sebaceans to withstand extreme heat for short periods of time. It wasn't generally known that such a drug existed or was powerful enough to prevent the dreaded heat delirium inducing Living Death. It wouldn't do for your enemies to know all your secrets, now would it? The only drawback - it had to be administered at regular intervals. Jena was half an arn past due for her next dose and she was beginning to feel the effects. It was a mistake Jenavian Chatto would soon regret.

"You're wasting my time, woman!" The apparent leader of the Tellez told Jena. "The information you want will be costly. And from the looks of you, I don't think you will be able to afford it," he sneered, reaching out to touch her raggedy garment disgustedly.

As the heat began to have more of an affect on her Sebacean physiology, the Tellez became more suspicious. Beads of sweat were forming on her brow as the first tremors of the Living Death rattled her svelte frame.

"Looks can…be…deceiving," Jena said brokenly, jerking her arm out of the Tellez's grasp.

"Apparently you are the deceiver," he said calmly, then pushed his chair back from the table and yelled, "you PK tralk!"

With a burst of strength Jena turned the table over and snapped her wrist blade out from beneath the long sleeve of her garment, slashing it threateningly through the air. The Tellez seated next to Jena grabbed her arm while another pulled a small laser pistol from his boot. In an instant the stiletto blade was sliced away from the base, scorching the surrounding flesh in the process. Jena clutched her wrist in agony, crying out in pain. As her body succumbed to the heat, her considerable abilities eroded quickly. She was not able to defend herself against the three burly Tellez. The leader backhanded her across the face, knocking her to the floor.

Without further provocation, the fight erupted throughout the bar with a ripple effect. It didn't take long for all the patrons to join in, fists flew and glass shattered, along with a jaw or two. Before John and D'Argo had figured out what was going on they were in the midst of a good, old-fashioned barroom brawl. John had Winona ready in a flash and D'Argo drew his Qualta blade with equal alacrity.

Having promised Aeryn he would return unscathed, John was determined to keep his word. Agilely dodging punches and flying furniture, he and D'Argo deftly managed to avoid any physical damage, weaving in and out of the melee with the fluid skill of seasoned NFL running backs as they scrambled for the exit. Above the din, John heard what sounded like a woman scream in utter pain.

Instinctively he stopped and looked around the bar, searching for the creature making that pitiful wail. He spied his target lying in a heap on the dirty floor surrounded by the menacing group of orange brigands. The woman appeared to be badly injured, clutching her arm and writhing in pain as the Tellez kicked at her with their feet.

Just for an instant John thought there was something vaguely familiar about her. //No… impossible. A Peacekeeper wouldn't last two arns down here.// The feeling vanished as a barstool zoomed passed his head and crashed into the wall above the bar. Self-preservation took precedence and John slid to the floor as D'Argo dropped down to join him.

"Now you die, PK bitch!" The Tellez leader vowed.

The wounded woman tried to get up, but she was too weak to mount much of an effort. Without thinking of the consequences, or his promise to Aeryn, John moved toward the fallen woman, incensed that the Tellez would attack a defenseless creature with such viciousness. There was no honor in that.

As he stepped forward he aimed Winona at the leader of the group; "I wouldn't kill her if I were you, Hairy McClary!"

The hirsute man turned toward his accuser and raised his weapon, but John fired first. The shot was a little off, but it had the desired affect - disarming the leader - literally!

John had only meant to hit the ape-man in the hand, dislodging his weapon, but Winona was still having technical difficulties. Although the errant shot surprised him, the sparks that flew from the wounded man's shoulder socket shocked the hell out of John Crichton. That, and the fact that losing an arm didn't seem to phase him; he was laughing. Lucky for John and D'Argo his laughter kept his cronies occupied as they joined in the unknown joke.

"Now that is the strangest reaction I've ever seen to losing limb," John said, turning to D'Argo.

"I've lost nothing," laughed the one-armed bandit bending down to pick up the disembodied arm. "You aren't the first to severe one of my appendages. I lost my arm three cycles ago, but I…well…shall we say I persuaded a skillful surgeon in the Nim-Orthax System to fit me with this artificial one. It is a simple procedure to reattach it."

John and D'Argo looked at each and shrugged. There was apparently no limit to the wonders of the Uncharted Territories.

The leader approached John; "you are brave for someone who has a faulty weapon. What are doing on Bacca-Prime?"

"Just a supply run," John answered then grinned bravely, "but it seems we got a little more than we bargained for!"

The leader laughed boisterously with his fellows, he was quite jovial as it turned out. When he composed himself finally, he turned back to John, "I am Gammet," he offered, slapping John on the back with his only hand. "Why would you risk your life for a Peacekeeper? You obviously aren't Sebacean."

"Let's just say that Peacekeeper's have their uses when they are alive and able to answer questions. Comes in handy when you have a command carrier after you." Giving him one of this patented hysterical laughs, John added, "that's right, kinda makes me one of you, doesn't it?"

"Indeed!" Gammet shouted, appreciative of John's sense of humor. He bowed slightly, then turned to his cronies.

+++++

John and D'Argo had been gone about six arns - two arns passed their scheduled return time, and Aeryn Sun started pacing over an hour ago wearing a path across central command. She was in such a foul mood that Zhaan and Rygel left her alone to take her frustrations out on the control console. Only Pilot blinked in occasionally to check on his friend from the safety of the clamshell viewer.

She was still angry that she couldn't accompany the men down to the planet. To her mind, it was the only way she could keep John out of trouble. It wasn't that she doubted his ability to take care of himself, not really. She was quite proud of his progress in that area, under her tutelage, of course. But there was a reason they were called the Uncharted Territories; none of them knew what hidden dangers might be lurking on these unfamiliar worlds. And John, well he was so curious; sometimes his fascination with the unknown short-circuited his natural survival instincts. Aeryn considered it her personal mission to keep him safe.

+++++

D'Argo's was still contemplating John's unusual behavior, wondering why his friend was so intent on saving a Peacekeeper? Then it occurred to him that if there was one Peacekeeper here there could be others. The human just might be savvier than D'Argo gave him credit for - sometimes. Quickly converting his blade to the rifle configuration, D'Argo moved to John's side just as he knelt beside the unconscious woman. That feeling of familiarity hit John once again, but he didn't take the time to dwell on it.

The woman's wrist was badly mangled so John checked the other, finding her pulse faint and thready. He looked up at D'Argo, "she probably has a concussion. We better get her up to Moya…Zhaan may be her only chance."

Deciding it was futile to argue the point right then, D'Argo scooped up the Peacekeeper in his arms, cradling her as gently as he could, and the trio made a hasty exit. The big Luxan hurried ahead as John watched their back, hoping none of the riffraff from the bar tried to come after them. Fortunately the fight was still in full swing as they slipped away. The transport pod was only a short distance from town and for once, trouble didn't seem to follow them.

Within a few microts they were all safely aboard the transport pod. As D'Argo placed the woman on one of the bunks along the wall, John manned the controls and piloted them away from Bacca-Prime. Once they broke orbit, D'Argo jerked Crichton out of his seat and slammed him into the Hammond side bulkhead.

"What the Hezmana were you thinking, Crichton? You risked both our lives for a half-dead Peacekeeper! Why am I not surprised she's female?"

John frowned at that comment. //Always was a sucker for a damsel in distress.// In truth, John prided himself on his Southern gentility, even if he didn't believe that women were the weaker sex, his mama had raised him right. Men should at least try to protect them, if possible. A knight in shining armor, well in John's case PK leather, fighting to defend a lady's honor - not that it was really appreciated in this end of the universe!

"Take it easy, D'Argo! If we get back to Moya in time Zhaan might be able to save her, and then we can find out what she's doing here. And more importantly, how she managed to stay on Bacca-Prime without the Living Death making her a vegetable."

D'Argo growled, "this is foolish, Crichton!"

"Maybe…but I have to try…. What if it was Aeryn?"

"That's not fair!"

"Who said life was fair, big guy?" He said, punching his friend in the arm as he moved passed him.

D'Argo muttered some Luxan curse that John didn't catch; neither did the translator microbes. Moving to the pilot's seat, D'Argo took over the pod's controls while John tended to their still unconscious guest. He carefully unwrapped the scarf from her face, not at all prepared for what he saw.

"Frell! What the hell…." It was the only thing he could think of to say. The shock of seeing someone he actually knew caused him to drop the damp cloth he had in his hand in the middle of her face.

She sputtered, then groaned as she came to, "frell," she groaned.

"Jena?" He managed to say as he picked up the cloth and gently wiped her forehead.

"John?" She opened her eyes briefly trying to focus on the visage looming above her, but it was the voice she recognized. "Yes human, it's me…." She groaned again, "or rather what's left of me."

"You're in pretty bad shape, but Zhaan will be able to fix you up…I hope."

"You're taking me to your Leviathan…to Moya?"

"Yep, even though Grizzly Adams there isn't too happy about that." John nodded his head toward D'Argo.

"The Luxan?"

"Yeah, D'Argo. What were you doing on that sand pile anyway?"

"Ask me again if I recover," she moaned, slipping back into unconsciousness.

John sat back and looked at the Peacekeeper that had saved his life more than once. He had gotten to know Jenavian Chatto very well, at least in the Biblical sense. John smiled sadly at that. He'd be lying if he didn't admit to enjoying their night at the lake, but Jena wasn't Aeryn, and that's the only Peacekeeper he really wanted to get close to. //Aeryn!// Like a blast from a pulse rifle, the thought suddenly hit him. //Oh man she will go nuts if she finds out about that.// Then quickly amended the thought. //Well, I hope she will…or maybe I don't…considering her temper!//

John walked up to D'Argo, "hey…guess who our little PK is - Jenavian Chatto."

D'Argo turned abruptly, "from the Royal Planet?"

John nodded, "the one I frelled after she saved my sorry ass. Remember, I told you about it."

"You're in deep dren if Aeryn finds out, Crichton," observed D'Argo.

"Ya think?" John deadpanned.

"Leave it to you to pick up another Peacekeeper!" D'Argo said with a slight smirk. The big Luxan wasn't blind; he had interrupted John and Aeryn in the flax and overheard their conversation about 'just the once' on the mining asteroid that confirmed his suspicions about what happened between the human and Sebacean at the safe house on the false earth.

As the their friendship strengthened, John and D'Argo began to share some secrets. It was a natural progression in their relationship, and filled a void for John. One of the things he missed the most about home was the camaraderie of male companionship. After the body switching, D'Argo hadn't been surprised to learn that John and Aeryn had shared a bed again. D'Argo, just as the others in Moya's crew, was aware of the strong attraction between them and found it puzzling that neither seemed to act on it with any regularity.

"Well I guess I get what I deserve." John replied, grinning as he hit the comms to Moya. "Pilot, have Zhaan meet us in the docking bay. We have a medical emergency."

"Who is injured?" Zhaan asked, concern evident in her voice.

Aeryn screamed in the background, "Crichton! You promised…."

"Calm down, Aeryn," John interrupted, secretly pleased that she was concerned, "don't worry, it's not me or D'Argo. We ran into an old friend, Jenavian Chatto."

"What?" Aeryn asked in disbelief, "that tralk?"

"Aeryn, I wouldn't call a member of the Peacekeeper Special Directorate a tralk," John laughed, though given what happened between them at the lake it might be truer than he cared to admit.

Before Aeryn or Zhaan could react to that piece of news, John cut the link. Turning to D'Argo he wiggled his eyebrows, "let the games begin…."

D'Argo shook his head, "sometimes you are just too odd, Crichton."

+++++

"How long before the pod arrives, Pilot?" Aeryn asked running to the docking bay.

"200 microts, Officer Sun," Pilot answered.

Aeryn met Zhaan and Chiana at the docking bay with 100 microts to spare. Rygel was taking a nap after gorging himself and couldn't be bothered.

The blue Delvian brought what medical equipment she could carry. "What do you know of the Peacekeeper Special Directorate, Aeryn?"

"Not that much. They keep very much to themselves and report to High Command directly. You have to be the best of the best to be an operative." Aeryn frowned, "what was she doing on the Royal Planet, I wonder?"

Chiana cocked her head to one side, "more importantly, what was she doing down on that hot rock and why isn't she in the Living Death?"

Aeryn could only nod as the transport pod landed in Moya's familiar confines. John was the first one down the ramp, followed closely by D'Argo carrying Jena. Zhaan came over to look at the wounded Peacekeeper and noticed her right wrist or what was left of it. "What happened to her wrist?"

"That's where her stiletto implant was. Must have been sheared off in the bar fight," John surmised.

Aeryn was annoyed, "you started a bar fight, Crichton?"

John just gave her an exasperated stare while D'Argo set the record straight. "No he did not. From what we can tell, Jena was discovered as a Peacekeeper and all Hezmana broke lose after that."

+++++

After leaving Jena in Zhaan's capable hands, John and Aeryn found themselves on the terrace. They always seemed to end up here when they needed a little privacy. John stood behind Aeryn, his arms wrapped tightly around her waist as they faced the view of the stars.

"I'm glad you're back safely, John. I was worried."

"I'm glad I'm back, too. Bacca-Prime was not the most welcoming place I've ever been." He smoothed the hair back behind her ear, "I hope Jena pulls through."

Aeryn frowned and leaned her head against his shoulder, "why are you worried about her?"

John sighed, "because it could have been you, Sunshine, and because she saved my life on the Royal Planet." John's tone took on a more serious note; "she's Special Directorate, Aeryn, which raises two questions - what was she doing on Bacca-Prime and how did she avoid the Living Death?"

Aeryn turned to face John, "well I'm more curious about what she was doing on the Royal Planet?"

"She called herself a disrupter," John explained, "as near as I could tell she was there to make sure our big scaly friends, the Scarrans, didn't get a foot hold on that world. Clavor was in cahoots with them, you know, and look what happened to him."

"Did she tell you why she's here?"

"No, she was too weak. When she's up to it I'll ask her again."

"If I didn't know better, Crichton, I'd say you like her." Aeryn was barely able to disguise the flash of jealousy she felt.

John smiled slightly, "there's something intriguing about her, I'll give you that. But there's only one Peacekeeper for me Aeryn, and that's you."

"Don't flatter yourself, Crichton," she teased with the slightest hint of a smile.

John's own smile widened, "like I said, she saved my butt so I'm just returning the favor."

"So if someone saves your butt, as you put it, what kind of favors would they get?" Aeryn asked playfully.

"Well, that would depend on who it was…wouldn't it?" John said cryptically.

For just an instant, it occurred to John that he should tell Aeryn about his indiscretion with Jena at the lake on the Royal planet, but considering her amorous mood, he decided it could wait. Jena probably wouldn't be coherent for a while. No reason to jeopardize this rare opportunity to be close to Aeryn with that confession.

"If it was me, for instance, what would I get?" She purred, leaning in to nuzzle his neck.

John raised his eyebrows, "Aeryn Sun, are you feeling OK?"

"Yes, I'm fine," she sighed, moving her mouth to suckle his earlobe, "just answer the question."

"Well, I'd rather show you…." He answered, pulling back to look at her.

"Show me then," she challenged.

It was an invitation he couldn't pass up. He leaned forward, tilting Aeryn's head slightly and kissed her. Aeryn moaned softly deepening the kiss.

"Hmmm…see, showing is better." John's voice was breathy and soft.

"Is that all, Crichton?" Aeryn asked, pretending to be disappointed.

"Not by a long shot, baby," he said, taking her by the hand and leading her off the terrace to a more secluded location.

+++++

Zhaan repaired Jena's wrist as best she could and gave her some herbal concoction to ease the pain. The rest was up to Jena now. Zhaan began straightening the medical lab with D'Argo lending a hand.

"Will she make it?" D'Argo asked.

"I think so, but she will be in a great deal of pain. I've done all I can for her wrist; she will need special surgery for that. The bruises and cracked ribs will have to heal naturally before she can return to normal activities. She is lucky you got her out off that planet before the heat weakened her further"

"I don't think she feels all that lucky at the moment, Zhaan." D'Argo said putting the last of the herb canisters on the shelf.

"No, I suppose not," Zhaan agreed.

Their conversation was interrupted as Jena moaned. Zhaan turned toward her patient just as she was regaining consciousness.

"Ah my dear, I'm glad to see you are awake," Zhaan said, activating the medical scanner and running it over the wounded woman.

"What the frell happened?" Jena asked groggily.

"You were in a bar fight, Peacekeeper," D'Argo grumbled, "if it hadn't been for Crichton you'd be in the Living Death."

Jena nodded, "where is John? I want to speak to him."

Zhaan spoke into her comms, "John? Can you come to the lab? Jena is awake and wants to speak to you."

When John didn't respond immediately, Zhaan repeated the summons.

"OK…yeah…be there in a few microts," John answered, trying not to sound annoyed.

"Hmm…" Zhaan pondered. She didn't say it aloud, but it seemed to her John was a little out of breath, "am I interrupting anything important?"

John cackled, "why should anything I'd be doing be important, Zhaan? I'll be there, don't worry." The link went dead.

Zhaan was sure she had heard Aeryn curse. The Delvian smiled to herself. She had indeed interrupted something important, at least for John and Aeryn, and the priestess had a feeling she knew what it was, too.

Zhaan turned back to Jena, "John will be here shortly," she said, unable to hold back a smile.

+++++

"Frell…frell…frell!" John exclaimed as he rolled off Aeryn and started to look for his clothes. "Why is it whenever we get horizontal we always get interrupted?"

Aeryn was disappointed too, but she couldn't help but have a little fun at John's expense. Rising up on her elbows she watched him as he slipped on his pants. "Because you are so unlucky you can't even manage a simple frell?"

"That's *not* funny, Aeryn!" John growled as he pulled his black tee shirt over his head. "I'm not that unlucky…I found you, didn't I?" He returned to her side and kissed her quickly.

Aeryn smiled, "you may have found me, but I sat on you first - you're mine!" She said, falling back on the bed and laughing.

John cocked an eyebrow, "I thought Peacekeepers didn't go in for the one partner thing?"

"They don't…usually. It's an ancient Sebacean custom. A woman can claim a man if she knocks him down and sits on him. Like I did when we first met."

"What? That's the oddest mating ritual I've had ever heard of." He didn't believe it either.

"So you see, Crichton, you've been mine for almost two cycles now," Aeryn said grinning from ear to ear.

"You're making that up!"

"Uh uh...." Aeryn shook her head, her eyes dancing.

"Why you!" John laughed as he threw a pillow at her before leaving for Zhaan's medical lab.

"Yotz!" Aeryn swore. She and John were just getting serious when Zhaan called and her body was not happy about the interruption. She lay on the bed for a time wondering what she was going to do. A smile crept across her face and she ran her hands down her body, wishing they were John's.

By the time John arrived at the medical lab, Jena was sitting up and looking a lot better. The color had returned to her face; the pain was merely an annoyance.

She smiled as John entered, "I'm glad to see you got here."

John only nodded, "so Jena, now are you going to tell me what you were doing on Bacca-Prime?"

"Only if you promise to help me."

"Why does that not surprise me?" Somehow he knew there would be a condition.

"My ship is still down there. I need it back. It has all the information I've collected for Peacekeeper Command."

"Crichton, I told you this was foolish," D'Argo reminded him as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Not now big guy. Let's hear what Little Miss Undercover here has to say," John said as he walked over to Jena, "how did you manage to survive the heat down there?"

"That's classified," Jena said, not sure she should divulge the information - not yet anyway.

"I have an idea about that, John," Zhaan said, eyeing Jena with scrutiny. "During the scan I found traces of an unknown chemical. Perhaps the Peacekeeper's have developed a drug that helps them withstand great heat, at least temporarily."

"Is that it, Jena?" John asked.

"A disrupter can't reveal all her secrets, now can she?" Her evasion of the direct question confirmed to John that Zhaan's suspicion was probably accurate.

"Fess up, Jena. We're just a bunch of rebels here. Who are we gonna tell?" John prodded, trying to get as much information as he could.

Jena just stared at him, contemplating whether or not she could trust them with such a tightly guarded secret.

"Well, if this drug exists, it doesn't seem to be very effective," John observed, "how else do you explain letting a group of bullies like the Tellez get the best of you in that bar?"

Maybe it was her weakened condition, or her pride, but Jena took the bait. "It's still experimental. I volunteered to take it because we needed the information I was after and couldn't wait for the med techs to complete their evaluation."

John smiled triumphantly.

"It's only drawback is it has to be taken regularly," Jena continued, "and I missed a dose. Apparently there's not much margin for error. That's the ONLY reason I couldn't take out those animals!"

"So, what information were you after?"

"I was on the trail of what was thought to be a Plokavian weapons deal, but it is something much more serious than selling illegal weapons. It seems the Sak'kra Empire is making their presence known again. They may be preparing to make a move on the known territories," Jena explained. If she was to secure their help to complete her mission, they deserved to know the truth. She had no intention of returning to her superiors without results. She had never failed a mission before and wasn't about to start now.

D'Argo let loose a Luxan rant no one could understand. When he calmed down slightly, the translator microbes clicked in again. "The Sak'kra! Those dishonorable reptilian sons of Hezmana! They haven't been heard from in hundreds of cycles! Why now?"

Jena shook her head, "I don't know for certain. It could have something to do with the fact the Nebari are having internal troubles. I was close to finding out more when my cover was blown."

John had never heard of these Sak'kra, but from D'Argo's reaction they were bad news…really bad news. "Well, looks like we better rally the troops for a major briefing. If you want our help Jena, it's only fair that everyone knows what's going on."

"Very well, the center chamber then?" Jena suggested.

John spoke into his comms, "Aeryn, Rygel, Chiana - meet us in the center chamber in 50 microts."

+++++

On Bacca-Prime things were getting nasty, at least for some.

"Why have you risked coming here?" The Sak'kra Lord named Jesliac hissed. He was all of 10 feet tall and looked like a crocodile on stilts, complete with powerful legs and a long, spiked tail.

"I have some news you may find...interesting," Hiselk replied. "News that may convince you to leave Bacca-Prime."

"Be quick about it then." Jesliac snarled, his impatience barely contained. "You shouldn't be here!"

"A Peacekeeper was discovered at the bar earlier tonight." Hiselk said as bravely as he could manage. He knew his life was in peril just by coming here, but he wanted the Sak'kras off his planet.

"How is that possible?" Jesliac sneered in disbelief. "It is too hot here for those black-clad weaklings."

"That I cannot answer. However, before she could be dealt with a Luxan and another being took her away. He looked Sebacean, but most certainly wasn't. The heat had no effect on him."

"WHAT!" The Sak'kra roared in anger, "the Peacekeeper spy is still alive?"

"It would appear so. As I understand it, she was taken to an orbiting Leviathan."

The creature's eyes blazed and Hiselk thought he was going to die. The Sak'kra swished his tail violently, "go before your brother realizes you are missing."

Hiselk merely nodded and left as quickly as he had come, unaware of the two Tellez who noted his departure. Gammet would be most impressed when they passed on this nugget of information.

+++++

Everyone gathered in the center chamber to hear what Jena had to say. As usual Rygel was perturbed by the interruption of his meal. When he spied Jena standing there he couldn't hide his surprise, "I remember you from the Royal Planet. What's are you doing here?"

"Good memory," Jena replied with a twisted smile.

"But…you were betrothed to that idiot Clavor…." Rygel's confusion was evident.

"Sparky!" John thought it was time to rescue the tiny monarch before he said anything insulting. "Allow me to introduce Peacekeeper Special Directorate Disrupter Jenavian Chatto." John grinned broadly at Rygel's stupefied expression.

"Special Directorate!" The Hynerian exclaimed, his eyes wide in disbelief.

Laughing at the puzzled look on Rygel's face, Jena explained, "yes, I was engaged to that ridiculous Clavor…undercover assignment."

"I thought you wanted to be empress." Rygel, who prided himself on being in on all government intrigue, even when it wasn't an Hynerian colony, was irritated that this pearl of information had eluded him.

"No, I was there to keep Clavor from becoming regent. Peacekeeper High Command couldn't allow that, especially with his ties to the Scarrans."

"I'm sure Empress Novia would be interested to know that Peacekeeper Special Directorate succeeded in infiltrating her court," he threatened with his usual inflated importance.

"Don't even think about it!" Jena smiled evilly, raising her bandaged hand, "lucky for you my blade has been forcibly removed, but I can still take you with my one good arm," she added as Rygel quickly backed out of her reach, intimidated by Jena's implication.

"So what's going on, Crichton?" Aeryn demanded. Suddenly the ex-Peacekeeper was all business as she eyed Jena suspiciously. She wasn't sure what was going on, but she had a very bad feeling about it.

"The Sak'kra Empire is back," Jena said simply.

Both Aeryn and Rygel paled at the mention of the name.

"That was five hundred cycles ago! The Hynerian Navy only just managed to repel them." Rygel had hoped he would never hear the name Sak'kra again in his lifetime.

"The Peacekeepers suffered great losses, as well," Aeryn interjected.

D'Argo nodded, "even Lux came close to falling. If all the clans had not banded together, things would be very different now."

"Now you understand why I need your help," Jena said, groaning as she tried to stand.

A part of John didn't want to know too much more about the Sak'kras. He had the feeling they were in way over their heads. But if these overgrown lizards were that dangerous, he decided they had no choice. "Looks like you and I are going back to Bacca-Prime, big guy."

D'Argo grunted, "given the alternative, this is one time I definitely want to go down swinging."

John just grinned; the Luxan's use of earth slang was improving.

As Moya's crew began to file out of the center chamber, Jena caught John's eye. "Thanks for helping me…again. I promised you that I'd help you get what you want, and I will."

"Jena, you've already helped me. I'm here on Moya with Aer… with my friends, instead of being a statue for 80 cycles."

Nodding in agreement, Jena left to find Aeryn; it was payback time. It had more than irritated her when Aeryn threatened her on the Royal Planet and pushed her into the washroom mirror, and in front of the insipid Katralla, no less. But she couldn't fight back then and risk blowing her cover. Yes, she owed Aeryn for that one.

It would give her some perverse pleasure to be able to push Aeryn over the edge emotionally since she, like all Peacekeepers, took such pride in their impervious self-control.

Jena didn't want John - oh she had enjoyed him physically, but she wasn't one for commitment. That's why she had offered him the compatibility drops in the first place - she had to be certain he wasn't expecting more from her than she was willing to give.

The affection between John and Aeryn was obvious to anyone who spent any time around them. Tyno, Dregon, half the royal court had picked up on the vibrations. Dregon had been most helpful, in fact. She had befriended the tall blonde during her assignment. He was easy to talk to, and willing, a literal font of information on the political machinations of the palace. And quite observant, as Jena found out; she was able to get quite a bit of information from Dregon about Aeryn's feelings for John.

Now that circumstances brought her aboard Moya it was time to make good on her promise to help John get what he wanted - and he wanted Aeryn Sun. It occurred to her that she could keep her promise to John and exact a bit of revenge on Aeryn by confronting the ex-Peacekeeper and letting the details of her night with John slip into the conversation, and she would enjoy doing it. It was worth a try since she owed John once again for saving her life on Bacca-Prime,

D'Argo and John would be gone at least two arns to retrieve her star darter. That was plenty of time to put her plan in motion.

++++

Lord Jesliac paced back and forth swishing his deadly tail angrily. There had been a Peacekeeper spy here - that was bad enough - but she was still alive on a Leviathan, which, for all he knew, could be long gone, but he doubted it. He turned to his underlings who were only about six foot in height, but just as deadly as their leader.

"That Peacekeeper spy must have a ship here somewhere. Find it and destroy it! Then we find the Leviathan!"

"Yes my lord!" The two other Sak'kra hissed as they left in search of Jena's ship.

++++

John and D'Argo were in the transport pod headed back into hell, at least that is how John thought of it. The only thing he was grateful for at the moment was that it was still nighttime on Bacca-Prime.

"I probably shouldn't ask, but what is all the fuss over the Sak'kras?" John asked

D'Argo grunted, "they are little more Sheyangs, but much better organized and equipped. They spend much on their military or so it is believed, and they use their firepower to possess as much territory as they can and they don't care who they kill to do it. Nobody knows why. Some say it is for planetary resources; others believe it is for food stocks, if you get my meaning."

"That is horrible!" John shuddered at the grotesqueries of that image.

"It is pure speculation, of course. No one who has uncovered their intentions has lived long enough to tell about it," D'Argo continued.

"Hell, they make Klingons look tame," John remarked, shaking his head.

D'Argo shot his friend a what-the-frell-are-you-on-about look.

Grinning, John said, "forget about it, big guy. It would take too long to explain."

"Now you understand why I think fighting is the only option."

"So why didn't they try to take over the Uncharteds during the last 500 cycles? Wouldn't that make more sense than launching an attack on established worlds?"

"That's another mystery. It could be revenge, I guess. The story goes that when the Sak'kra Empire first attacked, the Uncharteds were the known territories' new frontier. After the war, in which the Sak'kra slaughtered hundreds of worlds and systems, all the major space-faring races abandoned their colonies and outposts. Five hundred cycles later we have the Uncharted Territories as we know them now."

John pondered this for a time, "that means there could be map fibers of the Uncharted Territories then? Old ones, but…."

D'Argo nodded, "…if the story is true, then it's possible."

++++

Jena knew she really should be resting, but once she found John's cell she couldn't resist the urge to have a look around. She wasn't surprised to find he had very little in the way of possessions. Since all he had were the clothes he was wearing when he went through that wormhole, including a hideous orange flight suit, it was no wonder he had added the Peacekeeper uniform to his wardrobe. There were a few personal items, too, mostly odd bits from various commerce planets, and a very curious recording device.

It didn't take her long to figure out how it worked. She smiled, turning the strange little machine over in her hand. //Time to find a quiet place and listen to this.// Her training wouldn't allow her to pass up a chance at intelligence gathering, even on her friends. Checking the passageway, Jena ventured down the corridor, headed for the ion backwash chamber on Tier 7.

++++

For the second time, John and D'Argo landed on Bacca-Prime without incident and quickly exited the pod. They made their way toward the main spaceport and hangar where Jena told them the star darter was stored. Just as the pair reached the intersection of what apparently passed for roads on this backward planet, John heard voices. Grabbing D'Argo by the arm, he pulled him against the wall of the nearest building, then peered round the corner. He saw Hiselk talking to two very ugly reptile-looking critters that stood about six-foot in height.

"Um, D'Argo, what do these Sak'kra look like?" John asked hesitantly as he leaned back against the wall.

It was D'Argo's turn to check out the scene, and what he saw almost sent him into hyper-rage. "They are Sak'kra!" He hissed, converting his Qualta blade to a rifle.

"Any other way to the spaceport, I wonder?" John asked. He was in no hurry to get into a firefight, but he was very glad to have one of Aeryn's pulse rifles on this trip after deciding to give Winona a breather. He didn't want to get caught with a temperamental weapon when their lives were in danger. He had finally learned to use Aeryn's weapon of choice; she had insisted on it.

"There is another way, but it would take us far too long and I'd say those two are looking for Jena's ship. We need to move now!"

One of the Sak'kras sniffed the air and nudged his partner who was also picking up a scent.

"There's a Luxan nearby and a being I can't identify," spat the first.

"It could be the two from the bar tonight. They are probably looking for the Peacekeeper's ship, too," Hiselk said.

"You have done well. Go now…we will deal with these two minor inconveniences."

++++

Jena sat quietly, listening to John's voice talking to his father about his favorite subject.

"After all this time I still haven't figured out why Aeryn defended me to Crais, Dad. She could have said nothing and she'd still be the happy little Peacekeeper, dominating the lesser races." There was a pause, "or would she? I knew Aeryn was special the moment I met her. Knew she could be more than a Peacekeeper, hell she already is! " Another pause, then a subtle laugh, "she's the stuff dreams are made of, Dad. I just wish she knew that. I wish I could tell you she's the girlfriend of a very lost human, but I don't think we are there yet."

Releasing a long, slow breath, John continued, "I don't know how Aeryn puts up with me lately. I've having eerie visions of tall, dark and scaly…sometimes I think I'm losing my mind, or Scorpy is determined to make me go insane – Aurora chair or not." The tape clicked off at that point, and when John started talking again, he was on another subject.

"I'm never going to stop trying to get home, Dad…. But when and if I do find a way home, I won't be staying long. I want to see you and DK again, let you know I'm still alive and fill you in on what's been happening to me, not that you'd believe most of it. And leave these tapes I've so painstakingly recorded. The others think it's foolish, but talking to you like this makes me feel closer to you…." There was a moment of silence, then he laughed sadly.

"I've changed too much out here, Dad. I wouldn't fit in on Earth anymore. And after what happened on the false earth…. I mentioned in on another tape, you remember the story about the Ancients and the wormhole…. I know Aeryn doesn't want to live on Earth, and besides, her home is in space. In a strange way it feels like home to me now, too."

Jena noticed that John's voice became softer as he continued, "you'd like Aeryn, Dad. She's incredible! I just hope we both live long enough to finally admit that we love each other. I know we do…we're just both too stubborn to say it first."

Jena heard John chuckle, "You know Dad, we think Earth women are hard to understand, you should try a Sebacean woman! But with Scorpy after my head, the future doesn't seem too secure. I hate to say it, Dad, but getting home is not as important to me as it once was. Finding some nice, out-of-the-way planet for Aeryn and me would be great."

There was another laugh, "that's if Miss PK pin-up will have this deficient human as her mate."

After a brief pause, John continued, "gotta go, Dad, D'Argo and I have to make a supply run down to Bacca-Prime. At least it's too hot for Sebaceans down there, so Aeryn will be safe on Moya." The tape clicked off.

Jena smiled inwardly. Yes, her plan would definitely work - now to find Aeryn. She was looking forward to this.

++++

"I told you it was foolish bringing that Peacekeeper aboard!" D'Argo roared as he and John dove for cover to avoid the two attacking Sak'kras.

"Next time I get the urge to save a Peacekeeper," John replied, firing at the reptilians, "make sure you stop me!" John smirked, "especially if they're female!"

D'Argo shook his head. How the human could make light of their current situation was beyond him, but he guessed it had something to do with John's natural defense mechanism and coping with stress.

"Man! Don't these guys know how to die?" John yelled as their shots just seemed to bounce off the advancing reptiles; their thick skin was more like impenetrable armor. John got an idea even as he heard D'Argo break into one of his rants.

"Yo, big guy!" After he had D'Argo's attention he made a series of hand gestures that, remarkably, the Luxan was able to understand.

Both D'Argo and John stopped firing at the same time. Fortunately Jesliac's two grunts were a bit dim, assuming they had killed their prey. When they were at point blank range, John and D'Argo sprang up firing, hitting the first Sak'kra, then the other with their combined firepower. Unfortunately for D'Argo, one of the big lizards got a shot off grazing him in the leg. He growled in pain, but it felt worse than it was.

The gun battle had not gone unnoticed. Trilok glanced outside to see what all the commotion was about when he spied the Sak'kras and raced back to the bar, grabbing the pulse pistol he kept hidden there. What were those evil demons doing on his planet? When his brother returned they would have to have a serious talk.

The Sak'kra Lord was also watching the destruction of his two minions from another vantage point. Seething with rage, he signaled his other four grunts to follow him.

"Those fools!" He barked; his four subordinates remained wisely silent. "If you want something done right best do it yourself! Follow me!"

++++

On her way to find Aeryn, Jena stopped at John's room to return the tape recorder. She had rewound the tape completely and listened to all of the entries. She was aware of some of the events John talked about after making some subtle inquiries at High Command when her assignment was completed on the Royal Planet. The background checks on former Officer Aeryn Sun and John Crichton had been quite enlightening. Most of the information on D'Argo, Zhaan and Rygel had to do with their trials and imprisonment. Chiana was still a mystery since the Peacekeepers didn't have much information on any Nebaris.

"You are indeed a very resilient man, John Crichton," Jena remarked as she placed the recorder back where she had found it. "You find yourself in a galaxy you do not understand, yet you have survived and adapted. You have even made alliances with beings that would have killed you, but now they protect you with their lives. Quite an accomplishment for an inferior species." Jena laughed, knowing the human was far from inferior. You could have been a great disrupter."

As she turned to leave, Jena looked again at the orange flight suit, "I cannot guarantee that I can keep Scorpious from hunting you, but you do not deserve such a fate. You are an honorable man, John Crichton, and because of that I will try and help you."

As she walked down the corridor, Jena tapped the comms badge Zhaan had given her, "can you tell me where I might find Aeryn Sun, Pilot?"

"She is in the maintenance bay on Tier 3," he answered.

"Thank you," Jena replied, quickening her pace to confront the ex-Peacekeeper.

++++

John and D'Argo found Jena's star darter without further trouble. The outer hull didn't look like a Peacekeeper vessel, but then that was the whole point, wasn't it? It had been adapted with indistinct markings and overlaid panels disguising its Peacekeeper origins. John popped the hatch with ease and jumped inside. The layout was very similar to Aeryn's prowler.

"I'll fly Jena's ship back to Moya, D'Argo," John volunteered, as his head popped up from the hatch opening. "You take the transport pod."

"Are you sure, Crichton?" D'Argo asked doubtfully, knowing John had much less experience flying Aeryn's prowler than the transport pod.

"Yes, if I can fly Aeryn's prowler I can handle this. I may not be as great a pilot as Officer Sun, but I think I can manage the short flight back to Moya," John replied flippantly. He really wanted to fly it. Jena's star darter was a sleek little vessel - the Peacekeeper equivalent of a hot rod. Besides, D'Argo's injury would make it difficult for him to get his enormous Luxan frame into the narrow hatchway.

"Very well, I'll go back for the pod." D'Argo turned and limped toward their landing site.

After completing the preflight checks, John was about to hop into the cockpit when he heard movement behind him, knowing instinctively it wasn't D'Argo. "Frell," he muttered under his breath, "I *knew* this was too easy!" John turned to face whoever had sneaked up on him.

++++

Being in the Special Directorate had its advantages, Jena thought as she neared the maintenance bay. You were less likely to be found guilty of being irreversibly contaminated. After all if you didn't mix with the different races, how would you ever complete a mission? Even so, she would need to be careful how she brought up that subject with Aeryn Sun. Jena certainly didn't feel like the human contaminated her, but it was probably a painful subject for Aeryn. Peacekeeper training was difficult to ignore or overcome.

She owed the human and all of Moya's crew a lot. All they really wanted was to be left alone and find someplace to call home. There were those in High command who didn't like or trust the Scarran half-breed Scorpious. After making a copy of John's tape, which was surprisingly easy to do, she downloaded the logs from Moya's internal systems that the crew either didn't know about or had never bothered disabling. Jena had enough information to show High Command that this group of unlikely shipmates was not a threat to the Peacekeepers. And inform them that Scorpious was chasing something that John may or may not posses. The Peacekeepers had more important things to worry about at the moment than a lone Leviathan full of displaced souls, especially with the reality of the Sak'kra threat looming on the horizon.

++++

John turned to see three Tellez standing around him. To say he looked surprised was beyond ridiculous. "Gammet…. What are you doing here?"

Gammet smiled, "I could ask you the same thing, my mysterious friend."

"Well if I told you I'd be letting the cat out of the bag wouldn't I?"

Gammet frowned and John had to laugh, "just one of my Erp sayings. No one out here can understand half the things I say."

"You're a long way from home then?" Gammet asked, his curiosity getting the best of him.

"You have no idea how right you are. I'm not even in the neighborhood!"

"So what are you doing back on Bacca-Prime?"

"Remember that Peacekeeper?" John grinned, "she's alive and well on Moya. And she did ask me very nicely if I'd get her ship for her."

"Peacekeepers don't do nice," remarked one of the other Tellez.

"Jena has a way with words," John answered, still smiling, "and she isn't a bad frell either." He sighed, "but she isn't the radiant Aer…." John decided he had said a little too much, chastising himself mentally. He chalked it up to nervous tension.

Gammet smiled, "what's so important about this ship?"

Before John could answer hissing snarls filled the air from outside the hangar. John ran to take a look, "oh felling dren!" Five Sak'kras approached from the other side of the square. "Great! We get rid of two of them and five more decide to join the party!"

Turning to face Gammet he said, "there's your answer, Sak'kras!" John headed for Jena's star darter. It was time to get the hell out of here.

Gammet paled slightly; it all made sense to him now. "Before you go human, you had better take this," he said placing a small pouch in John's hand. The Peacekeeper will need them."

John's confusion made Gammet grin and answer his unasked question. "A Luxan and a Sebacean who isn't Sebacean, a Leviathan named Moya, and an ex-Peacekeeper named Aeryn Sun." The Tellez laughed uproariously, "information is my business. I know all about you, John Crichton!"

As John tried frantically to process this information, Gammet ordered, "Now go! Aeryn Sun is waiting for you! Don't worry, we will take care of these Sak'kras!"

John didn't hang around to argue. It surprised him that information brokers like the Tellez would just give away their commodity for free, but then he remembered what D'Argo said about the Sak'kras. Perhaps the Tellez had a score to settle with them from the war long ago, along with the Hynerians, Luxans, Peacekeepers, and countless other races. Of course that didn't explain Gammet's reaction in the bar to discovering Jena was a Peacekeeper.

Maybe Gammet had had time to reconsider. If the Peacekeepers were the best defense against the Sak'kras, then maybe the Tellez were willing to help them. Too bad Jena didn't reveal she was Peacekeeper Special Directorate in the bar when the Sak'kra Empire was mentioned. If she had, Gammet might not have been so intent on trying to kill her for deceiving him.

"Good luck, Gammet, and thanks," John yelled over his shoulder. He was in Jena's ship, firing up the engines before the lizard men reached the hangar entrance. He lifted off and headed for the safety of Moya as fast as the little star darter would fly. As he pulled into the familiar confines of the docking bay, John wondered if the Tellez who aided his escape were still alive.

++++

Jena entered the maintenance bay to find Aeryn tinkering with her prowler. "Aeryn Sun, Pilot told me you were here."

Without stopping her work, Aeryn said, "shouldn't you be resting?" From anyone else the question might have implied concern, but Aeryn wanted nothing to do with Jena and her tone was far from friendly.

She didn't like disrupters and saw no reason to pretend otherwise. That John found her interesting was enough to raise Aeryn's blood pressure. The ex-Peacekeeper had never been impressed by any of the Special Directorate disrupters she had known. They were always skulking around, spying on enemies or their fellow Peacekeepers, and Aeryn didn't like deception. Confrontation was her style, meet the enemy head on and beat them with tactical prowess and superior skills, not intrigue and mendacity.

Of course Jena was aware of the contempt with which most of the Peacekeeper rank and file viewed the disrupters. She chalked it up to jealousy - only a select few were even considered for the elite of Peacekeeper High Command. The selection process was rigorous, but Jena completed the training at the top of her class. Oh yes, she was going to enjoy taking Aeryn down. Her only regret was that she was not in top physical condition at the moment and would have to limit this encounter to verbal sparring. Hand to hand would be much better exercise, but mental calisthenics would have to suffice.

"I probably should be resting, but I was never one for lying around." It was time to test the waters, Jena thought, wondering how easy it would be to get Aeryn on the defensive. "So tell me, how did an ex-Peacekeeper end up on a Leviathan prison ship full of fugitives?"

Of course she already knew the answer, but Aeryn didn't know that, and it was a good place to start.

Aeryn eyed Jena suspiciously. "Are you trying to pick a fight with me, Jena? That doesn't seem like such a brilliant move for a Disrupter in your current physical condition. I won't be provoked into a fight you."

//Really? We'll see about that! Let's try another approach.// Jena looked around the maintenance bay and spotted the odd-looking Farscape module. "What is that?" She asked condescendingly.

Aeryn looked up to see her staring at John's pride and joy. The technically challenged little shuttle had never been Aeryn's favorite, but she wasn't about to let Jena ridicule something of John's, or anything else on Moya for that matter.

"It's Crichton's spacecraft. He designed it himself and it brought him all the way across the galaxy," she explained, defying Jena to criticize it.

"It's a piece of dren," Jena taunted, running her hand along the sleek lines of the module's hull. "He's braver than I thought."

"Yes, he's quite brave actually." Aeryn agreed, returning to her repair work on the prowler, "I should think he had demonstrated that after escaping from you a few monens ago." She smirked triumphantly, delighted at the opportunity to defend John and get a dig in a Jena.

"Oh I wouldn't say he escaped from me…but we can discuss that later." Jena paused, "I'm more interested in finding out how much you know about this human?"

Aeryn looked over at Jena, wondering what she really wanted, but she was eager to let her know that she knew more about John than she did. "I know he is intelligent and loyal…."

"Loyal? You make him sound like a pet…."

"Hardly," Aeryn scoffed, "what do disrupters know about loyalty, anyway? You spy on your own, use deceit and lies to accomplish your missions without a thought for the lives you ruin the process."

"I take it you don't have much respect for the pride of the Peacekeeper High Command?"

"I find nothing to be proud of in your methods. John has helped me see that the Peacekeepers have a narrow, conceited view of the universe. Using their power indiscriminately to dominate and control that which does not belong to them."

"I see…he has been quite an influence on you to turn you against your own." Jena watched Aeryn with interest, waiting for the time to spring her trap.

"I was never one of you - was never interested in being a devious secret operative."

"Not interested…or not selected?"

Aeryn bristled at that comment, but refrained from taking the obvious bait, "I'm a pilot, a damn good one - not a spy. I am loyal to my friends, as John is, and I've learned to choose them wisely, not blindly."

"Meaning I am not your friend…." Jena was poised like a tiger ready to pounce on an unsuspecting prey.

Aeryn smiled smugly, "I do not believe you know the meaning of the word."

"Friendship, or any emotional attachment, is a liability in my kind of work," Jena replied evenly. "But my job does allow me certain freedoms."

"How can you be free when your life is spent following the orders of your superiors?" Aeryn thought Jena's statement was ludicrous.

"Well, I don't have to worry about being irreversibly contaminated, do I?" Jena smiled haughtily, knowing she had hit a nerve as Aeryn tensed perceptively.

"If that is meant to be an insult…." Aeryn began.

"Just a fact. My allegiances, though fleeting, can be quite…" she paused for emphasis, satisfying."

"What does that mean?"

"Only that I can recreate with anyone I want…."

Laughing incredulously, Aeryn sneered, "You call that a benefit? I think it just makes you a tralk." Inwardly Aeryn was quite pleased with that comeback. She didn't need to get Jena on the exercise mat, she could take her down with words alone.

This is too easy, Jena thought. //I have you now, Aeryn Sun!// "Maybe not always a benefit…but some of my liaisons have been very enjoyable."

"What are you trying to say?" Aeryn knew there was some point to this, but she didn't know what it was.

"Just that I had great fun getting to know John Crichton. And I'd say he did, too."

The mention of John's name made the tiny hairs on Aeryn's neck quiver to attention. Before she could think better of it, Aeryn threatened, "you stay away from Crichton! He's suffered enough at the hands of the Peacekeepers!"

"Ahh..too late, I'm afraid."

Aeryn stopped working on the prowler and glared at her adversary. She didn't like Jena's implication in the least.

Buoyed by that response, Jena eagerly continued, "we spent time together, private time…. He is unquestionably the best frell I've ever had," she added offhandedly, then looked at Aeryn for a reaction. She wasn't disappointed.

Aeryn's face flushed instantly and her mouth dropped open in complete shock before she could school her reaction. "You're lying!"

"Am I?" Jena sidled over to Aeryn and got right in her face. "We spent the entire night camped by the lake after I rescued him from the palace. He was VERY appreciative and…well let's just say he was more than willing to…."

"I get the idea, Jena," Aeryn interrupted, clenching her fists at her side.

"Oh I'm not sure you do. He was so enthusiastic, so attentive…like he hadn't recreated in quite a while. I'm surprised you weren't tempted by his considerable charms after spending so much time with him here on Moya?" Jena was milking this for all it was worth, enjoying Aeryn's obvious distress at her revelation.

"We're…shipmates…that's all." Aeryn stuttered, barely able to utter the words. She was getting angrier by the microt, and wasn't about to let Jena know that she and John had been intimate.

"Really? That's not what Dregon told me. He seemed to think you were in love with the human."

"Well, he's an idiot," Aeryn snapped. Regaining a modicum of control she added, "personal indulgences can fracture a small crew."

"Don't quote the Peacekeeper hard line to me, Aeryn. I memorized it long ago. And besides, you aren't a Peacekeeper any more, now are you?"

Those words hit Aeryn like a gut kick and she turned away from Jena, fighting to keep her fist from smacking her in the face.

"Oh I checked you out, Officer Aeryn Sun, Pleisar Regiment, Icarion Company. I know all the sordid details of your contamination. I just assumed you and John had recreated since you were so quick to defend him to your captain."

"My relationship with John is none of your business!" Aeryn screamed angrily, but her expressive eyes gave her away.

Jena could see the truth there - Aeryn had strong, possessive feelings for John. And if her powers of perception were up to their usual excellence, and she was sure they were, Aeryn was very much in love with John, even if she didn't recognize it.

Listening to the tapes confirmed Jena's belief that John was completely in love with Aeryn. And given her rabid defense of him, she was sure her human friend and the ex-Peacekeeper had already been intimate, and probably more than once, if Aeryn had any sense. But she wasn't about to reveal that assumption now and destroy all her hard work!

Aeryn was tittering on the edge of an emotional meltdown and Jena couldn't help giving her that last little push.

"I suppose not. But from one woman to another, you don't know what you're missing. He could certainly give the males I've known a few pointers in how to please their partner." She paused for effect, giving Aeryn time to contemplate what she was saying. "He's so passionate - incredible stamina, and those breathy groans just before…."

"Get out of here, Jena! Or I just might forget you're injured…."

Jena held up her hands in surrender, "sorry…just thought you might benefit from my experience." She smiled with wicked satisfaction and ambled out of the maintenance bay.

Aeryn tried to contain her anger, but her frustrated scream reverberated in the cavernous hangar. She picked up the biggest wrench she could find and hurled it across the room, barely missing the nose section of Farscape I.

The metal tool clanged against the locker on the far side of the maintenance bay as the DRDs skittered toward the exit. The clattering sound it made seemed to echo for microts.

"Aeryn Sun, is there a problem?" Pilot asked, his image coming to life on the clamshell viewer.

"I'm fine, Pilot," she snapped. Muttering under her breath, "just peachy." Scaling back the potency of the sarcasm she added curtly, "dropped a wrench. Sorry to worry you."

Although absolutely certain the wrench had been hurled in a pique of anger, Pilot decided not to challenge her. The tone of her voice told him she was not in the mood for conversation or accusation.

"As you say…." He answered quickly as his image vanished.

Aeryn swung around and pounded her fist into the side of her beloved prowler. The nerves in her hand tingled to her fingertips like spiders crawling on skin, but Aeryn didn't seem to notice.

"Frell!" She screamed at the walls, "why did I let her get to me?"

"Special Directorate tralk," she cursed, stalking across the hangar to pick up the discarded wrench.

Aeryn climbed into her prowler and sat there quietly, reflecting on her conversation with Jena, trying to figure out how do deal with the myriad of emotions that were waging war inside her.

+++++

Zhaan, Rygel, Chiana and Jena were present as the transport pod docked, followed closely by Jena's ship. D'Argo hobbled out of the pod, pain written all over his face, his left thigh covered in dark blood.

"Frelling lizards!" He growled as he slumped against the struts of the pod's ramp for support. Noting the look of distress on Chiana's face he grumbled an explanation, "fortunately it's only a flesh wound, but it hurts like Hezmana!"

The little Nebari rushed to his side and slipped her arm around his thick waist. "C'mon Dar, let's get you to medical."

"Yes, I need to take a look at that wound, make sure the blood is clear. You will need a course of antibiotics to prevent infection." Although concerned for her friend, Zhaan took her medical duties very seriously; they were always the priority.

Chiana smiled up at D'Argo, her big, black eyes conveying sympathy, "and I'll help make it better too," she cooed, stroking his chest.

Blushing as much as is possible for a Luxan, D'Argo shushed Chiana as John emerged from Jena's star darter. "Great little ride you've got, Jena. Handles just like Aeryn's prowler - only different!" John laughed as he jumped down to the flight deck.

"My 'little ride' is nothing like a prowler!" Replied Jena, indignant that her star darter would be compared to a common PK issue prowler.

"I knew I'd get a bite," John grinned as he ambled over to D'Argo. "How's the leg, buddy?"

"I'll live," he growled.

"You better," grinned Chiana, "I'm not done with you yet!"

"Oh please!" Rygel groused, "I'm surprised you haven't killed him by now yourself." The diminutive dominar shook his head and floated out of the docking bay.

"Oh, I almost forgot…." John said, fishing in his pocket for the mysterious pouch. "I have a gift for you from the Tellez."

Jena eyed John suspiciously as he reached for her hand, pouring the contents into her open palm - five gleaming data crystals.

"Whoa!" John's surprise was evident. "I'm guessing this is the rest of the information you were after."

Jena stared at the crystals, then raised her gaze to look wide-eyed at John, the question obvious on her face.

John smiled knowingly, "I think it was the fact that there were five Sak'kras about to use me for target practice, and the Tellez didn't want this information to fall into their creepy claws. Those over-grown lizards seem to be universally despised!"

Jena leaned forward and kissed John on the cheek, then whispered, "thank you." She smiled, "I have returned the favor the only way I could," she added in a whisper.

John frowned at the cryptic statement. He had no way of knowing what she had been up to while he was away. Jena felt a pang of guilt, knowing what John would face from a very irate Aeryn Sun, but she was confident the end result would more than make up for his trial by fire.

Before John could consider Jena's words, D'Argo's voiced boomed from the other side of the docking bay, "Crichton, we are not taking on another *female* Peacekeeper! One is more than enough!" Even though D'Argo was trying to sound threatening the humor in his voice was unmistakable.

John grinned at his big friend knowing exactly what D'Argo meant, then he realized someone was missing from the welcoming party.

"Where is Aeryn?" John said to no one in particular. "I thought she'd be here to welcome the conquering heroes." His good-natured laugh was a welcome sound to his friends.

Pilot responded from the clamshell, having observed the return of his friends from his usual location, "the last time I spoke to her she was in the maintenance bay, but…."

"Great!" John interrupted him, "that's where I'll be if anyone's looking for me." He hustled toward the exit, looking forward to seeing the dark haired beauty and resuming their interrupted tryst.

"…but I would not advise talking to her right now, Commander."

Ignoring the warning, John replied, "oh we have some unfinished business, Pilot. I really need to see her."

Pilot sighed, "as you wish, Commander."

+++++

"Hey Aeryn," John called to her from the entrance to the maintenance bay.

//Perfect! The last person in the universe I want to see and he appears right on cue. Dren!//

"You want something?" She snarled, jumping down from the prowler's cockpit and striding past him.

She was in such turmoil it took every bit of her self-control to reign in her impulse to hit him with a Pantak jab, leaving him in an unconscious heap on the floor. But she hadn't finished sorting through Jena's admission and her reaction to it, and she did not want to talk to John about it until she did. Right now it was impossible for her to keep her fury contained.

Completely dumbfounded, John whirled around asking, "what the hell did I do?"

Aeryn laughed derisively, giving him a look that would have melted a snow bank in a matter of microts. "Nothing…why should I care what you do?"

It wasn't so much the question that sounded the alarm in John's brain, but that sneering laugh sent a shiver down his spine.

"Look, Aeryn, a couple arns ago I thought you were glad to see me when D'Argo and I got back." John said calmly, trying to keep from reacting to Aeryn's bad mood.

"I just had a little visit from your Special Directorate friend."

"Jenavian?" The earlier alarm was now a hissing nest of rattlers in his mid-section. //Oh frell!//

John recognized the totally pissed expression that Aeryn had perfected long ago, and his heart sank somewhere around his ankles. He could just guess what Jena had said to her. Sheepishly he tried to start the explanation he should have given her weekens ago, "so you're mad at me?"

"I'm not mad…."

John snorted, "could've fooled me."

"I'm not mad at you as much as…I'm mad at myself." She retorted nonchalantly, keeping her back to him and trying to hide the roiling sea of unfamiliar emotions that threatened to engulf her.

"Damnit, Aeryn, what does that mean?"

"I don't want to talk about it…." She replied trying to stop the conversation she didn't want to have in the first place.

"Well, that's tough!" He shouted, grabbing her shoulders and turning her around to face him. "We have to talk about it, Aeryn…."

"OK, what's your version, I've already heard Jena's," she challenged angrily, "…in great detail." Aeryn squared her jaw and looked John right in the eye, defying him to deny what happened on the Royal Planet.

John closed his eyes; his worst fear realized. Jena told Aeryn about their night together before he could. He released her and Aeryn drew her shoulders back defiantly, her chin high as she tried to prevent the unwanted tears from spilling down her cheeks.

Sighing resignedly, John ran his hand through his hair. Aeryn's stoic stance and watery eyes ripped into him and he took a deep breath. "I slept with her after she rescued me from the palace."

"Funny, Jena didn't say anything about sleeping," she commented coolly, staring him down.

"It's an earth expression, it means we…." He searched for the right word, "…recreated."

"Recreated…" she repeated, "…well, it was apparently quite a workout from what Jena had to say." Aeryn smiled thinly, but her eyes were aflame. "You seem to enjoy 'recreating' with Peacekeepers." Her voice dripped with sarcasm, "let's see there was Gilina…"

John's eyes flashed with anger. His friend's death was still a sore point with him. "How dare you dishonor Gilina's memory with that, Aeryn!" John hissed, "she paid the ultimate price for helping both of us! If it hadn't been for her, you'd most certainly be dead and I'd be a raging nut case twirling around in Scorpy's chair!" John bellowed loud enough to rattle the walls of the immense hangar.

Although chastised by John's outburst, Aeryn knew in her heart he was right about Gilina. In her rage however, she refused to be sidetracked from her point. "Okay then, start with me, a mere PK skank, and now a Special Directorate disrupter. Disrupter…a fitting name, wouldn't you agree?"

She didn't wait for him to answer, "are you working your way through command, Crichton? Should we alert the female Peacekeeper captains that you're available?"

John was speechless. He was not prepared for the venomous bite of her words, preferring a Pantak jab to mocking contempt. //Oh boy, I am in deep dren.//

"Nothing to say? I'm surprised. You usually have a comment about everything."

Summoning his courage and fighting to keep his voice calm, John said, "you can't believe that, Aeryn…it just…happened. There were lots of reasons, I guess, but none of them had anything to do with emotions or…."

"Oh right, Crichton!" She laughed viciously, tossing her head; "everything you do involves emotions!"

His fear of losing Aeryn was quickly dissolving into anger and he couldn't stop it. Why was she being so difficult? Was this a jealous reaction? He dared not hope for that….

"Aeryn, listen to me! I think I made it pretty clear in the module before we ever landed on that frelling planet that I wanted you. You're the one who pushed me away, accusing me of raging hormones …."

"You said I was *pleasing*…." Aeryn shouted, "…pleasing, like a pair of comfortable, old boots!"

"Well I'm not the one who put some enticing fragrance in their hair and then ran like a frightened little girl when things started getting hot!"

"Oh I see, so your 'sleeping with' Jena, as you call it, is all my fault! That's good Crichton…I wasn't even there!" Aeryn was totally irate and on the defensive, just as John was. Even though she knew there was truth in his words, her anger discouraged all rational thought.

"That's just it, Aeryn, you weren't there," he countered. "You weren't anywhere around! I was a statue for crissakes - a frelling headless statue, scared out of my mind. My bronzed head was bobbing up and down in an acid bath, and if Jena hadn't blasted Scorpy and saved me, we wouldn't even be having this conversation!"

"So you were thanking her for saving you - wouldn't a hand shake have been sufficient?"

The glacial timbre of her voice froze John's heart as he remembered their handshake before he left for the Gammak Base in a desperate attempt to save her life. He had really wanted to kiss her then, knowing it quite probably would be his last chance to do so. He pushed the memory aside and tried to explain the unexplainable.

"Maybe I was thanking her, partly, I don't know. But I just survived three assassination attempts, gone EVA without a flight suit, turned into a statute, beheaded, dropped in acid, and then reanimated, only to find myself pushed around by a PK Jane Bond with a stiletto in her wrist threatening to kill me! "

Aeryn refused to back down, "well that's certainly a reason to recreate, isn't it? Before you kill me, let's…."

"Why are you deliberately misunderstanding everything I say, Aeryn?" Before he could take it back, he heard himself say, "I thought recreating was part of the PK philosophy - wham bam thank you ma'am! Isn't that what you're used to?"

In one swift, sure motion, Aeryn slapped him hard across the face. A Pantak jab he might have been ready for, not a slap. He recoiled, rubbing his stinging cheek.

"Look Aeryn, you can beat the crap out of me with one hand tied behind your back. Will that make you listen to me?"

Aeryn was vibrating with anger. If she didn't walk away right now she just might kill him. He stood there facing her, holding his arms out in surrender, an invitation for her to take all her anger out on him. But that wouldn't change what she was feeling, wouldn't make her happy; she didn't think anything would make her happy right now. She turned on her heel and marched out of the maintenance bay, leaving John alone.

John was still muttering to himself as he opened the door to his cell. Aeryn could light his fuse quicker than anyone could. "Damnit! Can anything possibly go right in this frelling end of the universe?" He cursed, ripping off his jerkin and slamming it into the bunk.

"Calm down, John," he chided himself. "Gotta think…." With that he turned on the shower and waited for it to warm up, taking the time to remove the rest of his clothes and toss them in the corner of the room.

After beating the stuffing out of her punching bag, Aeryn found herself aimlessly wandering Moya's corridors. She was furious, with John and with herself. // What the frell is going on? When did I lose control of everything?// But she knew exactly when - the day John Crichton walked into her life.

Anger, jealousy, fear - were attacking Aeryn with a viciousness she had never experienced. All these unfamiliar feelings combined to create an enemy she was ill equipped to cope with. Recreating was comfortable, easy - it's what she knew. John was right about that even if she didn't want to hear it. He evoked feelings in her that she couldn't control, couldn't ignore, couldn't explain - they just were. She needed him, and that scared her more than anything. Aeryn Sun had never needed anyone!

The pang of jealousy she felt when she caught John kissing Gilina on the Zelbinion was infinitesimal compared to this. It wasn't so much that he'd been with Jena; she couldn't begrudge him that release after what he'd been through, her more rational side reminded her. She had pushed him away more times than she cared to remember and really had no claim to John's affection.

But their relationship had grown more intimate since they returned from the Royal Planet. She remembered the compatibility test, and how offering that tiny vial to John was the hardest thing she'd ever done - but she had to know. After seeing him with his holographic child on the Royal Planet, she knew children were important to him, although they'd never discussed it. And John's fearlessness in taking the test, it was almost like he knew what the results would be. She was surprised and ecstatic that it was sweet. Her head told her John's night with Jena meant nothing, but her heart was another matter entirely.

She hated being ambushed - she'd told John that before. He should have told her about Jena. She might not have liked it, but she would much rather have heard it from him. Jena's obvious delight in relating the events of her night with John irritated her more than their physical coupling, and she seemed to know how Aeryn would react even before Aeryn herself did. That bothered her more than anything else did.

How did this woman she barely knew manage to undermine her control so effectively? Was she that transparent? She couldn't recall ever having this problem when emotions weren't crippling her defenses. She needed to talk to John. She wasn't happy with the way they left things, and she was sure he wasn't either. With a determined stride she headed for his quarters.

+++++

The hot shower relaxed him and John wrapped a towel around his waist as he stepped around the shower screen only to find Jena lounging seductively across his bunk.

"How did you get in here? I know I locked the door."

His hostile tone pleased Jena. She was certain her plan was working. "You aren't serious?" She grinned cockily, "you think a simple lock can keep me out?"

"OK, so what are you doing here? I told you we weren't compatible!" He didn't care that he was being incredibly rude. His thoughts were preoccupied with Aeryn.

"You have to ask, John?" She said slinking over to him and running her uninjured hand suggestively across his bare chest.

John grabbed her wrist roughly and pulled it away. "Not interested, Jena. You know that. So what is it you want?"

"Just a little fun…. Doesn't seem like Aeryn Sun will be warming your bed anytime soon…." She leaned in to nuzzle his neck.

"No thanks to you!" He growled, shoving her away and reaching for a T-shirt. "You're kind of help I don't need, thank you very much!"

"Don't blame me for your troubles," she purred, stalking him like a panther, "I just thought you needed a diversion…."

"John?" Aeryn called from the corridor as she approached his cell.

Timing is everything, Jena thought. This will seal the deal.

Before he could react, Jena grabbed his face and pulled him into a searing kiss, just as Aeryn appeared in the doorway.

"Well isn't this perfect!"

John tore his lips away, "it's not what you think, Aeryn." Jena's possessive smile did nothing to vouch for the voracity of John's words.

"But I do have eyes, Crichton!" Making a hasty retreat, Aeryn turned and stormed off down the corridor. Furious that she had been ambushed yet again.

"Get the hell out of here, Jena!" John shouted, grabbing her by the arm and literally tossing her through the doorway.

Jena laughed to herself as she straightened her clothes and headed toward the galley. She was having a grand time playing matchmaker. Kissing John Crichton again was just an added bonus.

+++++

The terrace was dark, like John's mood, but he knew he would find Aeryn here. He stood in the doorway, his figure a mere shadow against the light from the hallway. Aeryn sat near the star field, her knees drawn tightly to her chest, staring ahead. He recognized the closed off posture, through sheer force of will Aeryn was trying to bury whatever she was feeling. They had to talk, even if she didn't want to.

"Hey," he said softly. When she didn't respond, he walked over to her and repeated the greeting, "hey…."

"I don't want to talk to you," she groused, not turning to look at him.

John smiled sadly, "I know, but I need to talk. All I'm asking is that you listen…will you do that?"

"Say what you came to say, then leave. Agreed?" Aeryn was fighting to keep up her icy facade, but she was beginning to melt from just his closeness. His effect on her was more than she could overcome.

"Sure Aeryn…." Her anger deflated him, but he had to try; he wouldn't give up without a fight.

John sat down across from her, wanting to see her face as he talked to her. This would be the deciding moment for them. All they had been through together; everything that had happened between them led them here. If all were lost…well, he couldn't think about that now.

She refused to look at him, staring over his shoulder, focusing all her thoughts on keeping her composure, not allowing him to see the torment seeping into every part of her. She concentrated on her breathing, waiting for him to speak.

"Aeryn, I've never lied to you…you know that, right?" He asked softly.

She nodded once, her lips pursed in a straight line, eyes still avoiding his.

"Then you believe that I would never intentionally hurt you?" It was a leading question, but he was trying to make a point.

That brought her eyes to his, and what he saw there devastated him. Her gaze was hollow, empty, and so infinitely sad his own eyes filled with tears. He reached for her hands and she pulled them away, not wanting his touch to distract her from the pain. She could handle pain, physical pain, but this was so much worse, cut so much deeper, she didn't even know if she could survive it.

"God, Aeryn," he choked out; his own fear gripping his throat like a vise.

It took so long for her to even begin opening up to him, and just when he thought there was hope, he crosses paths with someone who could shake Aeryn's fragile hold on her emotions, make her doubt those fledging feelings. And more importantly to John, make her doubt him.

Unable to help himself he had to hold her, whether she wanted him to or not. He had to feel her in his arms. She fought wildly as he pulled her toward him, but he was as determined to hold her as she was to break free. He was relentless, refusing to let her slip away from him. The emotional and physical strain eventually zapped her strength and Aeryn fell against his chest, weeping uncontrollably. All the years of training to gain that impenetrable Peacekeeper control washed away like water down the drain.

"Shhh…." He murmured, rocking her in his arms. "It's okay, Aeryn." His voice was raspy; "it will be all right…we'll make it right…." He whispered to her, trying to convince him as much as her.

Aeryn clutched his shirt in her fists, sobbing into his chest. Like a dam breaking, all the pent up emotions she fought to suppress for so long were flooding her.

John cried with her, her torment affecting him viscerally; he tried to console her, lovingly caressing her hair and stroking her back. His thoughts were lost in the beautiful woman in his arms that meant more to him than life itself. Why would she have such a strong reaction to his tryst with Jena? It didn't make sense…unless she cared more deeply for him than he considered possible. An ember of hope flickered deep in his heart.

"Aeryn," he whispered as her sobs finally subsided. He lifted her face to his, her tear stained cheeks glistening in the faint light. Quickly she closed her watery, reddened eyes, embarrassed that he should see her so out of control.

"Please Aeryn…open your eyes…look at me…." He pleaded waiting for her to respond. Slowly she opened them and met his gaze, surprised to see tears shining there.

"You are the most important person in my life," he said stroking her cheek. "And when I think that the only way we found each other was through a freak set of circumstances that landed me in your part of the universe, I can't help but believe that we are meant to be together." He paused a microt, "do Sebaceans believe in fate?"

Emotionally exhausted, Aeryn relaxed into his embrace as she considered the question. Her mind was still foggy from the uncharacteristic crying, but she was trying hard to follow what John was saying.

"Fate, it's the inevitability that certain events will lead to a predetermined conclusion."

"What are you trying to say, John?" She questioned, wanting to make sure she understood his meaning.

"I'm saying that maybe fate brought us to this point. That there's a reason why we met the way we did, why we've both changed…." He stopped to gaze lovingly into her eyes. The moment of truth had arrived. He smoothed the hair back from her face, "… why I have to tell you right now that I love you.…"

Aeryn's eyes widened in amazement, she definitely wasn't expecting that. "You love me?" She asked doubtfully.

He nodded, "I have for a long time."

Looking away from him, her voice barely above a whisper, she asked, "what does love mean to you?"

He smiled at her, "that's easy. I can describe it in one word…."

She looked at him oddly.

"Love can be different things…but true love is rare. When two people are in love they want to be together - need to be together…. If the person you love is not around, you feel empty, like a part of you is missing. You want them to be safe…happy…." He paused to caress her cheek."

"I thought you said you could describe love in one word?"

Grinning at the expression on her face he kissed her slowly, deeply, then looked at her. "I can…Aeryn Sun."

"That's two words, John," she said, smiling up at him.

"Technically I suppose…but just one extraordinary woman."

Love was still a mysterious concept for Aeryn. She always comprehended things in black and white, and love was so full of grays. Trying to understand, she asked, "how can you love me after what I did?"

Her response surprised him, "what did you do?"

"You've always been there for me John, always…I wasn't there when you needed me most."

"You've saved my life more times than I care to count."

"That's not what I mean…you…you needed me on the Royal Planet, needed my support emotionally, and I was too stubborn - too scared to…." She paused, gathering her courage, "I couldn't admit that you were so important to me…that I didn't want to lose you…."

"There are lots of things that scare me, Aeryn…Scorpious, the Aurora chair…but losing you scares me most of all."

She kissed him gently, "but fear is an enemy, every soldier learns this. And that's what I am - a soldier - that's all I ever wanted to be…all I thought I could be."

"But you've changed, Aeryn. You know you have." John's voice was soft, but firm.

"Yes, I've changed because of you."

"That's not entirely true. If there wasn't some part of you that wanted to change, it never could have happened. It's something that came from in here," he said, placing their joined hands on her chest, "from your heart. You're the one who changed…you did it all."

"But it happened so fast. I am not trained to deal with all this emotional dren…."

"No one is, baby," John smiled, wishing he could make her understand that coping with emotions is a never-ending process.

"It's just so hard, John." She sighed heavily, shaking her head.

"It can be…but when it's right, when you find someone you love, it's worth putting up with all the 'emotional dren.' Some people look all their lives for real love, Aeryn, and if you're lucky enough to find it, it is amazing, makes you look forward to every day."

"That's what Dregon said, that all the good days make up for the bad ones."

"Dregon Cassanova? He said that to you? When?" John hadn't given that guy a second thought…until now.

"I'll tell you about it sometime. It's not important." Aeryn was not ready to explain the details of her trip to the barren lands with tall, blonde and available. She had only told John that she fell off a cliff and broke her leg, end of story.

"Okay, Aeryn, but I'll ask again…sometime."

Thankful that he didn't push her for more information, Aeryn changed the subject. "You know when I was with the Peacekeepers, I was ready for anything at any time. I was a good soldier. But now, look at me, I can barely function." She paused as the tears started to flow again.

"You can do anything, Aeryn. You just have to believe you can…like I do." John stroked her cheek tenderly.

"How can I keep my edge in battle and cope with all this!" She wiped at the tears as she continued, "you, everyone on Moya depend on me to be strong in a crisis, to defend us. What if I can't focus when I need to…what if I can't control…."

He silenced her rant with a gentle kiss, tasting the tears streaming down to her lips. "You can, Aeryn. I know you can."

She smiled at him, still amazed by his confidence in her. "You're so sure…."

"About you? You know it, baby. You can defend me anytime, Aeryn, I trust you to watch my back. I wouldn't have it any other way." That made her smile, and John smiled back, "maybe you will always be most comfortable being a warrior and pilot, just like I'll always be a scientist…." He took a breath and reminded her, "you don't have to believe all that Peacekeeper training propaganda any more Aeryn. You already are so much more."

He bent down to kiss her again and she melted into his embrace. Somehow, when she doubted herself the most, she could always depend on John to remind her that she could be more. As the kiss faded slowly he pulled her closer.

"We all have different parts of our personality, Aeryn. It's the blending of those parts that make us who we are." He could see the lingering doubt in her eyes and continued, "have I ever told you about roses?" He asked softly; she shook her head.

"A rose is one of the most coveted flowers on earth. They are spectacular in bloom, hundreds of vibrant colors, every color you can imagine, all different sizes and types. But they have one thing in common, their stems are covered in sharp, prickly thorns."

"You're saying I'm a prickly thorn?" She countered, deliberately misunderstanding his intent.

He cocked his head at her and smirked, "let me finish…. What I'm saying is that you're precious and beautiful, like the rose, but that's only a part of you. You're also a superior soldier, tough and strong, like the thorn, which protects the fragile blossom.

"So you're the fragile blossom the big bad thorn has to protect?" Her eyes twinkled mischievously.

"Aeryn!" He grumbled in frustration, "I'm trying to make a point here."

"Well hurry up because I very badly want to kiss you."

John looked at her in complete wonderment. Aeryn flashed that incandescent smile at him then captured his lips in a passionate kiss.

"You never cease to amaze me, Aeryn Sun." John sighed as they finally parted. "You understood my analogy right from the beginning, didn't you?"

Aeryn smiled sweetly, nodding her head as she reached up to stroke his cheek, "but I like the comparison, John. I always thought I could only be a Peacekeeper…. It's who I was - it defined me. I think I'm beginning to understand that I can be a woman, too…a woman in love."

His pale blue eyes lit up as she said that. It was the closest she'd ever come to telling him that she loved him; he was ecstatic and his heartbeat quickened.

"With a little practice, maybe these different parts of me can co-exist." She paused, her eyes moistening again as she looked at him, "you've given me that, encouraged me to see beyond the limits of my training."

"Aeryn, those parts have always been there…. It's just these last two cycles gave you a chance to discover them." He kissed her lightly, "I know it hasn't been easy…."

"As long as I have you, I can make it," Aeryn snuggled further into his embrace.

"You keep saying things like that and you'll never get rid of me."

She frowned, "who says I want to get rid of you?"

Grinning, John replied, "well, earlier I was very glad I wasn't standing in front of an open airlock. Actually there's been a few times I was glad of that, when you decided I wasn't your favorite person in the galaxy…."

"Sometimes my temper gets the best of me John, but I promise I'll always make it up to you."

"Now that's a promise I'll hold you to." John rubbed his cheek against her hair before kissing the top of her head. "I'm not going anywhere, Aeryn. Wherever you are is where I want to be."

Lovingly holding each other, the pair looked out into the tableau of stars before them, lost in their own thoughts. Jenavian Chatto smiled and moved out of the shadows of the terrace entrance and headed to the maintenance bay. It was time to return to her life of intrigue and deception. This personal mission may not have been her most dangerous, but it was one of the most satisfying.

John sighed, content to be with the woman he loved. He wondered what Jena had intended telling Aeryn about their night at the lake. He couldn't fathom why she would try to split them up. What would be the point? He knew Jena had no designs on him other than physical gratification, and he'd made it quite clear that wasn't going to happen again. And something else, why had she saved his life on the royal planet in the first place? Not that he wasn't grateful, but the more he thought about it after he returned to Moya, the more it bothered him. It was a question he would probably never have an answer to.

The woman in his arms was suddenly heavier, and very quiet. John noticed Aeryn's breathing was slow and steady; she had fallen asleep. It had been an emotionally draining day for both of them. John smiled down at her and kissed her gently on the forehead.

After standing carefully so as not to wake her, he bent down and picked her up as gently as he could. "Come on sleeping beauty," he whispered, securing her in his arms and heading for her quarters. "Time for your leather-clad knight to whisk you off to never-never-land." He smiled at the thought - Lady Aeryn had a nice ring to it, as did Sir John. "Aw well," he sighed, "dreams are free."

After putting her to bed and removing her boots, John covered her with one of Moya's golden blankets and tucked her in, making sure she was still sleeping comfortably. He stroked her cheek and whispered, "I do love you."

Aeryn smiled in her dreams as if she had heard him. Admiring her for just a moment longer, John stretched and yawned, realizing all of a sudden how very tired he was. Exhausted didn't even begin to cover it. He quietly tiptoed out of Aeryn's room and headed for his own bed.

He wasn't more than 10 metras from his door when Pilot contacted him. "Commander Crichton?"

"Yes, Pilot?" John replied sounding as tired as he felt, silently praying there was no emergency that required his attention.

"I thought you might wish to know that Jenavian Chatto is planning to leave soon."

"Really? Thanks, Pilot." John said, suddenly energized. This might be the last chance he'd have to find out the answers to the questions that haunted him. Sprinting to the maintenance bay that housed the star darter, he pulled his thoughts together.

+++++

As Jena entered the maintenance bay she looked for the Farscape module and saw it sitting in the corner with its canopy up. Quickly she climbed the ladder and placed a small black box on the seat. Inside was the anti-heat delirium drug, her last salute to John and Aeryn. As she was climbing down John burst into the room at a dead run.

"Jena!" He yelled, "what the frell are you doing in my module?"

Jena smirked, "nothing…nothing at all," she replied innocently. "When Aeryn told me you'd flown across the galaxy in this *thing* I just had to have a closer look."

"I guess that's when you told her about our one night fling?" John accused, not bothering to hide his hostility. "What were you trying to do? Split us up?"

Jena fluttered her eyelashes and pouted, pretending to be hurt, John just glared at her; "well your little plan backfired - big time! We are closer now than we've ever been. And if I have anything to say about it, we'll stay that way!"

Laughing loudly, Jena asked, "are you that dense, human? My plan was to get the two of you TOGETHER! From your own admission, I was very successful, wouldn't you say?"

John was stunned, that confession had just taken the wind right out of his sails. There was more to Jena than met the eye, like another Sebacean female he knew. "Oh…ah…okay," John muttered. "Well…I have another question for you. Why did you save my ass on the Royal Planet?"

Jena smiled, "well aside from my insatiable curiosity about you, that's a story worth telling. The Regent, you remember him, the quiet man behind the throne? He knew all along that Clavor was up to something. When he found out his fool of a son was plotting to be the next ruler with the help of the Scarran emissary, an alliance the Regent couldn't allow, he asked the Peacekeepers for help. He deduced, and quite correctly I might add, that the Peacekeepers would be willing to help if it meant preventing the Scarrans from having access to that system.

"High Command sent me to the Royal Planet to make sure Clavor didn't get what he was after. The Sebaceans in that system might not like the Peacekeepers, but we couldn't allow the Scarrans to succeed. No one counted on you turning up from out of no where, the only man who had DNA that was compatible with Katralla's poisoned genes."

Jena smiled as John stared at her with a dumbfounded look on his face, unable to speak.

So she continued, "the Regent, desperate to make his beloved daughter happy, coerced Tyno to tell Empress Novia that you could not undergo the statue process again, which may or may not have been true, since the process had never been tested on your species. That was a good enough reason to convince the usually noble Tyno to go along with the deception.

"The Regent's plan was made all the easier because he knew Tyno and Katralla were in already in love. So he prevailed on those feelings and suggested Tyno could take your place so that he and Katralla could be together. Although the honorable Tyno had misgivings about the deception, you played right into their little scheme by proposing the switch yourself. It was too perfect a solution, and Tyno couldn't resist. He knew all you wanted was to be free and back with Aeryn. Perfect symmetry, wouldn't you agree?"

John was completely flummoxed and Jena grinned at his astonished expression. She was enjoying this as much as she did toying with Aeryn's emotions. As the details of all these political gyrations were revealed, John was certain that fate indeed was flourishing in the Uncharted Territories.

"Privately, the Regent forced Novia to concede Clavor's treachery in poisoning Katralla's DNA once he was found dead and the Scarran had been dealt with. So, John, you were simply an unwitting pawn in the Royal court's political intrigue. You see, I did keep my promise to you. You got what you wanted…you are free and back with Aeryn."

For the third time that day John was totally at a loss for words. His goofy smile couldn't hold his surprise at this revelation. He shook his head in awe, "a simple thanks just doesn't seem sufficient. I'm beginning to think some Peacekeepers are like diamonds in the rough…you just never know what you're going to get."

"Diamonds?" Jena didn't recognize the word.

"Diamonds are precious stones on my home world. They aren't that much to look at when they are first brought out of the ground, but once all the outer debris is removed they are truly a thing of wonder. Each one is unique even though they are formed in the same way. I'm beginning to think some of the Peacekeepers are like black diamonds, which are extremely rare."

Jena frowned slightly, not sure where this analogy of John's was headed.

He smiled at her bewilderment expression and continued, "at first you only see the darkness, but if you hold the stone just right you can see the odd rays of color and it makes you think there might be hope for it to become a beautiful gem. Of course it has to be cut and polished just right, but the black diamond can become something to behold."

A sly smile graced Jena's lips, and John thought she looked pleased. He grinned at that and took her hands in his. "What I'm trying to say is that you're one of those rays of color. I've seen the same possibilities in Aeryn. And the more I think about it, if I hadn't arrived here the way I did things might have been very different between Crais and me in the beginning. He might have even helped me...maybe."

Jena stared at their joined hands then looked up into his beautiful blue eyes. //Aeryn Sun, you are a very lucky woman.// "So you no longer believe all Peacekeepers are evil - that they can change?"

John laughed, "well not all of them, that's a bit like asking a pride of leopards to change all their spots at the same time."

The perplexed look on Jena's face told John she didn't catch the reference. "Think of it this way, if the Peacekeepers handle this Sak'kra thing right, other races might just see them in a new way." John took a breath, giving Jena time to consider what he said.

"You know, if you guys could only ease up on the superiority complex, not to mention that irreversibly contaminated philosophy about alien species…" John was on a roll, "…oh and the domination-by-force approach to intergalactic human relations, you might not be half-bad," he laughed loudly. "It's only an idea…but I live in hope. Miracles can happen…I think we've proved that."

Before Jena could respond, John surprised her by grabbing her in a bear hug, forgetting about the injured ribs. When Jena groaned, he released her quickly. "Oops, sorry," he offered meekly.

"That's all right, John. I enjoyed it…really." But the pain on her face was evident, despite her smile.

John just shook his head, "right. Now get your butt the hell out of here and back to High Command. Something tells me a lot of lives depend on it."

"Yes, the sooner I get back with this information the better. Hopefully we can stop the Sak'kras before they set their plans in motion." She kissed John on the cheek then climbed into her star darter.

Watching as the fast, little ship exited the massive mouth of Moya's hangar and sped off into the stars, John yawned widely. It was finally time for some much needed shut eye.

This was one of the good days, as it turned out, he thought.

Wondering what would happen in the not too distant future, he walked back to his quarters. Would they soon find themselves in the middle of an interstellar war? He hoped not. Sometimes things did work out right. Just ask the Fates.

The End