The Bounty Hunter

by dawn341

A new bounty hunter is after John Crichton

The Bounty Hunter by Dawn Cunningham

* FAR * FAR * FAR * FAR * FAR

Disclaimers:

None of the characters belong to me. I'm just borrowing them and not getting paid for it.

Do not post or publish this story anywhere else, without my express permission. Feel free to share it with others as long as the disclaimers remain intact.

I wrote this story many years ago

* FAR * FAR * FAR * FAR * FAR

Commandant Mele-on Grayza tried to hide her disgust. High Command had left her little choice but to follow their dictates, no matter how much she had protested. Peacekeepers should have been able to capture a handful of escaped prisoners without help. She still couldn't believe that John Crichton had somehow managed to escape her grasp yet again. Three times she had encountered the human and each time he'd outwitted her.

The first time she'd been forced to back off due to Scorpius. They had all been in Peacekeeper hands - the human, the escaped prisoners, and the renegade Peacekeepers, Aeryn Sun and Bialar Crais. By the time she'd received the full council's sanction to remove Scorpius from power, the command carrier had been destroyed by Crichton and his comrades.

Then she'd tracked them down to the planet Arnessk where she'd used heppel oil, which targets erogenous zones, to easily control the human. It had actually been quite pleasurable for a while. She still wasn't quite sure how he'd overcome the heppel oil effect. One moment he'd been putty in her hands, willing to do anything she wanted, then, suddenly, she'd been the captive, left tied and helpless as he escaped.

Fortunately, she'd been able to cut herself free before anyone had found her. The humiliation would have been too much to bear. She'd almost killed Braca when she found out that the prisoners had a ship. And then she'd been fooled into following a probe, and Crichton had escaped. It had taken some time before they'd managed to locate Moya.

The new missile prototype should have solved all her problems. It would have killed the leviathan without harming its crew. Then all they would have had to do was to swoop down and pick them up. Except something had gone wrong, and once again Crichton had slipped out of her grasp. She was still convinced that there was a traitor on her command carrier who had somehow managed to warn Moya's crew. She'd interrogated the most likely candidate using the Aurora chair, but the scientist had been innocent. A pity, really, because her mind had been destroyed by the questioning.

Crichton had to be stopped. One leviathan, a handful of escaped prisoners, a renegade Peacekeeper, and one human who'd come through a wormhole were making the Peacekeepers look ineffective, and comical. They were making her look bad. She'd fought her way up to her current position, and she wasn't about to let a human bring about her downfall.

Someone was going to pay, and she wanted it to be John Crichton.

"Can we get on with this?" Baleek demanded impatiently.

Grayza brought her attention back to the other person in the room. She hated the idea of paying a bounty hunter before they delivered. It wasn't the normal way of doing things. But so far, none of the other bounty hunters had managed to accomplish anything, and she'd been forced to follow Baleek's rules.

"You're supposed to be the best bounty hunter in the territory." She let her eyes slowly scan the other person. The voluminous robe and hood hid any distinguishing features. Of course, that was one of the reasons the bounty hunter was so successful. No one knew what Baleek looked like. Only a DNA scan had confirmed that the robed figure standing in front of her was really Baleek. "You don't look very impressive," she sneered.

"Looks aren't everything," Baleek stated confidently. "I haven't failed yet. Who do you want to be retrieved?"

"His name is John Crichton, and I want him alive."

"One man? You're going to pay me to go after one man?"

"Don't underestimate Crichton. Others have done that and they've ending up looking like fools."

"Including you?"

Grayza knew Baleek was smirking even if she couldn't see the other's face, and she struggled to hide her anger. She threw a computer chip at the bounty hunter who easily caught it in a gloved hand. "Here is all the information we have on him. There is also data on his known associates. The number and identity of his companions seems to be constantly changing." She triggered a holographic display in front of her. An image appeared of a man with short brown hair, and blue eyes. "This is John Crichton."

"He looks like a Sebacean. I was told I was going after an alien."

"He may look like a Sebacean, but he is a human." Grayza waved her hand over a control. The image changed to a woman with long black hair.

"Another human?"

"No, that is Aeryn Sun, ex-Peacekeeper. She is considered irreversibly contaminated by her contact with the human. Don't underestimate her. She's been well trained in all types of combat. It is uncertain whether she has rejoined Moya's crew." Another wave of her hand, and the image changed to an alien with tentacles. "Ka D'Argo. He was one of the original prisoners who escaped. He was accused of killing his Sebacean wife, although that has since been found to be untrue."

"A Luxan with a Sebacean wife?" The disgust in Baleek's voice was evident.

"Even worse, they had a half-breed son." Grayza didn't bother to hide her own disgust. Another alien appeared, this one small, and reptilian, with tiny arms. "Dominar Rygel the 16th. His cousin overthrew him, and assumed his throne. Also one of the original prisoners." Next was a young woman with gray skin and hair. "Chiana. She is wanted by the Nebari for subversive activities, among other things. There are some other females that may have joined Crichton, but not much is known about them." Images of alien women appeared, one after another. "We are not even certain whether they are currently with him or not. Crichton is traveling on a leviathan called Moya. My spies tell me she is headed for the Mythos trading post."

"And Peacekeepers aren't welcome there."

"No. That is why the High Command contacted you. You can fit in there with the rest of the outcasts. All you have to do is isolate Crichton and bring him back here. Of course, taking someone by force from the Mythos trading post is next to impossible."

"I'm aware of that. What about the rest of his associates? What do you want me to do with them?"

"I don't care what happens to them. Kill them if you want. Or you can bring them in - I might consider giving you a bonus. However, your primary target is Crichton. If by some chance you should manage to capture the leviathan, I've added frequencies that you can use to contact us, and we'll come retrieve her and her crew."

"One payment, one retrieval. If you want the rest, I'll expect to be paid for them."

"Consider them a challenge. If you're as good as your reputation says you are, you should be able to bring them all back. But if you fail to retrieve Crichton..." She didn't feel the need to be specific. Her tone made it quite clear that failure was not acceptable.

"Don't threaten me," Baleek growled. "Sometimes I kill just for fun. And you wouldn't be the first Peacekeeper I've gone after."

Grayza jumped to her feet. "Get out. Go do your job."

With a flippant salute, the bounty hunter strolled out of the room.

Grayza clenched her fists, then picked up a data pad from a nearby table and threw it against the closed door, wishing it was Baleek she had been aiming at. A slight movement out of the corner of her eye caused her to spin around.

"Who is there?" she demanded.

A tech stood up slowly, eyes cast down to the ground. "I'm sorry, Ma'am. I was working on your air filtration system when you came in. I didn't want to disturb you, so I kept quiet."

For a moment, she was tempted to take out her anger on the tech. She settled for watching the other person tremble with fear. It was a heady sensation knowing that she could inspire such trepidation amongst the crew. "The next time, announce your presence. If Baleek had caught you in here, you would probably be dead. As it is, you should be punished for daring to listen to one of my conversations. Be grateful that I am in a forgiving mood. Now, get out of here."

The tech scuttled around Grayza and almost ran out of the room.

She laughed, then sat down in her chair, and began to think about what she would do to John Crichton once he'd been returned to her.

It was going to be so much fun.

* FAR * FAR

The Mythos trading post was actually a space station. It had originally started out as a small satellite, but as time progressed, more pods had been fastened on, forming a small maze of self-contained modules. To control access, there were only two docking areas - one for cargo, and one for living beings. A steady stream of transport ships docked, unloaded, then returned to their own ships.

Inside the station, there were establishments for everyone. Food, drink, entertainment, and lodgings of every kind were available to those able to pay. If you couldn't pay, you could trade either goods or services. There were few rules on the post. The one most heavily enforced was 'no pulse weapons'. All visitors and cargo were scanned before entering the station. Anyone causing trouble was immediately forced to leave, and banned from returning.

Many of the visitors to the station were less than outstanding individuals, and often were wanted for crimes. To attract their business, there was one other security feature that made them feel safe from being picked up by bounty hunters. When you visited the station, you registered your ship's name. When you wanted to leave, you could not go to another ship. You had to return to your own ship. Plus, there was always a time lag between each departure. Any attempt to intercept a shuttle's return to its own ship was also prohibited.

The only exception was a totally separate satellite. Here travelers could disembark from whatever ship had brought them, then be transferred to the trading post. This was often used by those who were looking for new jobs, or just a ship going in a different direction from the one they had come in on. While there were all the amenities on this satellite, few stayed there for long.

To enforce the rules, and to prevent the station from being attacked, orbital defense satellites circled the trading post. They were the top of the line, and impossible to avoid.

* FAR * FAR

"Why do we always end up in the cesspools of the universe?" Crichton asked as he studied his drink. "This tastes like Drano."

"Is that good?" D'Argo asked.

"Not exactly."

"What are you complaining about?" Chiana asked. "It's cheap and it has a kick to it. If you want better intoxicants, you have to go to another level."

"And pay a lot more," John groused. "We don't have that many credits."

"Well, you could always take Shalag up on her offer." Chiana reminded him.

D'Argo snickered as John waved his hands madly at the thought of the very large, tusked female who rented out sleeping rooms - as well as other things - to visitors. "No, no, no, no, no!" he said. "This body does *not* go on the market. I'll drink the Drano." He looked around. "Anyone see Sparky lately?"

"Last time I saw him, Rygel was in one of the gambling establishments on the next level," D'Argo said.

"Was he winning?"

D'Argo shrugged. "It was hard to tell."

"I think I'll get another drink." Chiana stood up and started wading through the crowd toward the bar.

"Bring me back another one, too!" John called after her. He studied the other inhabitants of the bar while he waited. There wasn't a single person that he would be willing to turn his back on. He recognized many of the species, but there were some he didn't know. There was also a decided lack of Sebaceans, and he felt as if everyone was watching him. Now he knew why Aeryn wanted to stay on Moya, and it had nothing to do with keeping an eye on Scorpius. His hand automatically checked for his pulse pistol only to find an empty spot where it should be. "Damn! I miss Winona!"

"You know that guns aren't allowed on the trading post," D'Argo calmly reminded him. "If they were, there'd be so much damage it would destroy this place."

"Well, I still don't like it. I wish we could have sneaked your Qualta blade through - at least that way we'd have a weapon."

"Their scanners detected that it could be converted to a Qualta rifle. I had to leave it behind. Why don't you try and relax, John? No one else has pulse weapons either. This is neutral territory. We're not being hunted for now. And Moya is getting some needed repairs."

"Any idea how much longer those are going to take?"

"They take as long as they take," Chiana replied as she placed another drink in front of him. "Relax, John, and enjoy yourself. This may be your last chance to enjoy civilization before we head into tormented space."

"Yeah, right." He looked around the room again, trying to follow his friends' instructions. A Sebacean woman was standing by the bar's door. Even in the dim, smoky room he could tell she was nervous. "Whoa! Now there's someone who looks out of place."

"Where?" D'Argo asked.

"Peacekeeper chick, at 9:00."

"Nine what?" D'Argo growled.

"Over there." John pointed at the woman who looked ready to bolt. She was looking around the room, and when her eyes reached their table, she straightened her shoulders and headed in their direction.

"Well, it looks like we're going to have company," John said. He studied the woman more closely. She was average height, but had a slight build, and hardly seemed to be a threat. He changed his mind when she reached them, and he saw her wide green eyes, long blond hair, and slightly trembling mouth. He found himself wanting to protect her.

"Are you..." she looked around nervously, then lowered her tone, leaning closer to the table. "Are you John Crichton?"

He thought about denying it, but she had no obvious weapons. He could easily overpower her even if she had hidden ones. "Yeah."

"I need to talk to you."

John waved toward an empty chair. "Have a seat."

"No! Not here. It's not safe. If he finds out I'm here..."

"Who?"

"Not here!" With that she almost ran to the door.

Crichton sighed and stood up. "Guess I'd better go find out what's going on."

"I'll go with you," D'Argo said.

"I can handle her on my own. Stay here and enjoy your drink."

D'Argo didn't protest, so John headed for the door on his own. Once out in the main corridor of the space station, he looked around for the woman. There were a lot of people moving up and down the corridor, going into various businesses along the way. He finally spotted her standing looking at a display of glassware in a window about fifty yards down the corridor. Then he noticed a robed and hooded individual heading directly toward her.

It wasn't until he saw the glint in the other person's hand, that he realized she was in trouble. "Look out!" he yelled, starting to run toward her. He knew he wouldn't be able to get to her in time, and his hand reached for his pulse pistol. Once again, it found empty space.

When he shouted, the woman turned to face him, leaving her back open to the other. Crichton yelled again, pointing behind her. She turned as the man raised his blade. She screamed, and tried to duck as the blade descended. She screamed again, clutching at her shoulder, and collapsed to the floor.

The man looked up and saw John running toward him. He cursed, then turned and fled. Crichton reached the woman, and knelt beside her. She was still breathing, but was in obvious pain.

"How badly are you hurt?" he asked.

She took a deep breath, and slowly sat up. She moved her hand away from her shoulder, revealing a deep tear in her clothing. John reached out and carefully pulled the bloody edges apart. A four-inch long gash appeared, but it didn't look too deep.

"I think you're going to live," he said. "By ducking, you caused him to miss his target. Who was that?"

"It was either Baleek or someone he hired. He was trying to keep me from warning you. If you hadn't yelled..." She shuddered as if realizing that she probably would have been killed.

"Warning me about what?"

"Not here. Do you have someplace we can go to talk in private?"

"First we need to get you patched up."

"No! I don't have the credits to pay for medical attention. I can take care of my wound myself."

John was reluctant, but he didn't know if he had enough credits to pay for medical treatment either. "All right. We can go to my room. It's not too far away." He stood up and reached out a hand to help her to her feet. She wavered a little then pulled away from him.

"I can manage."

There was no doubt in John's mind that she had to be a Peacekeeper. Even wounded, she wouldn't let him help her. "I don't even know your name. I usually learn at least that much before I invite a girl up to my place," Crichton said with a smile.

"It's Kayla," she responded with a slight smile, then looked around nervously. "Can we go?"

"Of course."

* FAR * FAR

Crichton let himself back into his room, but came to an abrupt halt when he saw the other occupant was only wearing a towel. A very skimpy towel. "Uh... sorry..."

"I don't have any clean clothes to put on," Kayla said. "I rinsed out mine after I showered, but they're still wet."

"Uh... that's okay. Let's get your shoulder bandaged." He held up the package he was carrying. "This should take care of it. Have a seat."

There wasn't much choice in the room, but for the price he was paying, that wasn't too surprising. A bed, just barely big enough for two people, fit along one wall with a light fixture attached to the wall above it. On the other wall there was a communication console with a stool that rolled under it. She opted for this, and John set the package on the bed, and opened it. He quickly cleansed, and disinfected the wound before placing a bandage on it, while trying to ignore the view he was getting down the front of her. He knew it would only take a slight tug to open the towel, and he couldn't help but respond to the idea.

He was sick! She was wounded and all he could think about was how long it had been since he'd been with a woman. Besides, it was Aeryn that he really wanted. Images of the Sebacean seemed to flood his mind. "I'll be right back," he muttered before heading into the washroom. He pulled out a small pod from his pocket, held it up to his nose, squeezing it and inhaling at the same time. Thanks to Noranti, the distillate of Laka did its job and the emotions linked to Aeryn faded away. He took a deep breath, then went back into the main room, and sat down on the bed, facing her. "Okay, it's time for twenty questions. Why did that man try to kill you?"

Kayla sighed. "I'm a Peacekeeper tech. I overheard a conversation between Commodore Grayza and Baleek. She hired him to bring you in. He was still in the hall after I left the room, and he's been after me ever since."

"So, Grayza hired a bounty hunter. It's not the first one we've had to handle. What's the big deal?"

"Baleek isn't just any bounty hunter. He only does special jobs, and he's never failed. No one has ever seen his face... except for me. His hood slipped and I saw him. I can identify him now. Between that and the fact that I came to warn you... well, he wants me dead."

"Why did you come to warn me?" John asked, not exactly sure he bought her story. "Why didn't you just ask the Peacekeepers for protection?"

"I'm just a tech!" she protested. "Grayza wants you, and she doesn't care what it takes to get you. She would have given me to Baleek and enjoyed the show."

Crichton had to admit that sounded right based on his previous encounters with the Commandant. And he had no desire to see that Peacekeeper again, let alone fall into her hands. "That still doesn't explain why you came to warn me. Couldn't you have hidden someplace until this Baleek guy was gone?"

"I could have," she admitted. "I thought about it, but I wanted to find out the truth about Gilina."

"Gilina?" John couldn't believe what he was hearing. He still felt guilty about her death. He'd owed the Peacekeeper tech so much, and she had died saving him from Scorpius. "What do you know about Gilina?"

"We were friends - raised in the same pod, and then we went through tech training together. When she came back from the Zelbinion, she had changed. All she would tell me was that she had met someone who made her question the Peacekeeper way of doing things. I should have turned her in, but I couldn't. She'd saved my life once, and I owed her. I was on the Gammak base when you were captured. Suddenly, she was asking me to take her duties because she had to help someone. You were the only logical choice. They said she died trying to prevent your escape, but that didn't make any sense. I was transferred off the base almost immediately - I think because I knew Gilina. I need to know what really happened."

John closed his eyes as he relived that day. Finally, he opened them back up and looked over at Kayla. "She found a way to keep Scorpius from torturing me in his Aurora chair. She didn't want to come with us, but at the last moment she must have changed her mind. Scorpius had me, with a pulse pistol pointed at my head, and there she was. She had a pulse rifle, but Scorpius fired first. We... we couldn't save her."

"So, she's dead." Tears welled up in Kayla's eyes.

"Yes. I'm sorry."

"She was almost like a sister to me."

"I'm sorry." John didn't know what else to say.

Kayla wiped at the lone tear that trickled down her cheek, then gave a deep sigh. "Thank you for telling me the truth."

She stood up, but almost collapsed. John just barely caught her before she slipped to the floor. He carried her over to the bed, and set her down. Quickly he pulled back the covers and motioned for her to lie down. Once she was in the bed, he pulled the covers back up, tucking them around her. "Try to get some rest. You've had quite a shock."

She nodded her head, and closed her eyes. He waited for a while, until he was certain that she was asleep before going over to the communication console. He turned the volume down as low as possible and contacted Moya.

"Aeryn, what can you tell me about a bounty hunter called Baleek?"

"He's ruthless, and effective," she replied. "No one knows what he looks like which makes it easier for him to do his job. As far as I know, he's never failed. Why?"

"He might be after me."

Scorpius interrupted. "John, if Baleek is after you, you should return to Moya at once. You are in grave danger."

"Do you know what he looks like?"

"I've never had to deal with him. But I do know his reputation. As long as you are on the space station you are vulnerable."

"He can't do anything to me here," John protested. "And he can't force me to leave with him. Those are the rules, right?" "Right," Aeryn agreed. "But it still might be better if you return to Moya."

"I'll think about it. I've got something else to figure out first."

"Like what?" The suspicion in Aeryn's voice was clearly evident.

"Do you know a Peacekeeper tech called Kayla?"

"I didn't mingle with techs," Aeryn stated firmly. "Except for those that worked on my Prowler."

"What about you, Scorpy? She was supposed to have been on your Gammak base."

"There were hundreds of techs on the Gammak base, John," Scorpius replied calmly. "I didn't care what their names were as long as they did their job."

Well, that hadn't helped. So far, some of Kayla's story was checking out, but not very much of it. It would have helped if he could have gotten more confirmation on her real identity.

"How are the repairs coming on Moya?"

"Sikozu and Pilot think it will be at least two more solar days before they are complete."

"If I come back and help, will it speed up the process?"

"Not at this time, Commander," Pilot's voice interrupted. "My DRDs are the only ones who can access the areas that need to be repaired first. Only Rygel is small enough to assist, but the work is very... technical."

John grinned at that statement. It sounded like Pilot didn't want Rygel's help, but was too polite to say so. "All right. Let me know when I can help. I'll stay in touch." Crichton shut down the console, then swiveled around on the stool, and studied his guest while he tried to figure out what to do.

* FAR * FAR

When his entry buzzer chimed much later, John still hadn't figured out what to do except for one thing. There was no way he was going to let another person be killed just because they tried to help him. He planned on doing anything he could to make sure that didn't happen.

He opened his door, and found D'Argo standing in the corridor.

"Are you all right?" the Luxan asked. "We got worried when you didn't return to the bar."

John motioned him back, and followed D'Argo out. He quickly explained what had happened. "She's inside sleeping now. She was pretty shaken up from the attack, and learning that her friend is dead didn't help, either. Plus, I don't want to leave her alone in case whoever attacked her tries again."

"These rooms are secure," D'Argo pointed out. "The door sensors use DNA to make sure no one can get in who isn't authorized. She'll be safe even if you aren't there."

"I still don't want her to wake up alone. It might scare her, and cause her to take off. That could get her killed."

"Are you sure you can trust her?" D'Argo asked. He leaned closer. "After all, you don't have a very good record with females."

Crichton rolled his eyes. "I think I can handle her. Trust me, there's no way she could be hiding any weapon with what she has on."

"That's when a female is the most dangerous."

John waved his hand down the corridor. "Go back and enjoy yourself. I'll be fine." He watched his friend walk away before going back inside.

* FAR * FAR

A few arns later, John was ready to climb the walls. If he had to spend two more days in this room until Pilot was ready to go, he would go nuts. The stool wasn't very comfortable, but with the bed already occupied his only other choice had been the floor. With nothing else to do, he found himself thinking way too much about the Peacekeeper tech, and what would happen if he crawled into bed with her.

When Kayla finally opened her eyes, Crichton almost jumped for joy. Now they could make some plans. He smiled at her and asked, "How are you feeling?"

"Better." She gingerly moved her arm, then winced. "But I think I'm going to be sore for a while."

"Probably. I need some more information, Kayla. Do you think Baleek came in on the same ship as you did?"

She shook her head. "I doubt it. If he had, I'm sure he would have arranged an accident long before we got here so that I wouldn't be able to warn you."

"All right. Then all we have to do is get you back to your ship, and you should be safe. Can you contact them and ask them to send a shuttle for you?"

She shook her head again. "I came through the transit station. The ship I was on was going to head back where it came from, and I can't go there anymore. I figured I could sign on to another ship to take me further away from Peacekeeper territory. If I go back, I'll be labeled a traitor and put to death."

John sighed. He had a feeling she was right. After all, they'd done the same thing to Aeryn, and her only crime had been talking to him. Kayla had actually come to help him - which would be even more serious. "How many credits do you have? I can have one of my friends find a ship that's leaving soon, and book you a room."

"I don't have many credits at all. I was going to find a ship where I could work for my passage. That's how I got here."

"What?" John jumped to his feet in shock. "You mean you had to... recreate with strangers to pay your way here." It didn't sound so bad using the Peacekeeper word for sex, but the thought of her paying her passage in that way was repugnant.

Kayla laughed at that. "No, John. I worked as a tech to pay for my passage. I was much more valuable doing that."

Crichton slowly sank back down on the stool, slightly embarrassed at his erroneous assumption. "Sorry. How long do you think it will take to find a new ship?"

"It could take a while. A lot of crew won't want a Peacekeeper on their ships."

"We have to find a way to get you off this station as soon as possible. Baleek may try to kill you again."

"I'm sure he will, but you're just as vulnerable, John. We both need to leave this station as soon as possible."

"We're safe here. He can't get past the DNA scan on the door lock."

A disgusted look crossed Kayla's face. "Of course he can. Any good tech can override that kind of system. Or he could just bribe someone to get an override code. Whether you realize it or not, the owners usually have a way to get rid of deadbeat tenants by getting around the security scans."

Remembering his own encounter with a DNA scan on the Gammak base made Crichton suddenly feel less secure. Gilina had managed to fix the scanner so that it thought he was someone else. "All right. I guess the best choice is to get us all back to Moya. Baleek won't be able to get to us there."

"I can't go to Moya! I didn't come in on that ship."

"We'll figure it out. I need to go track down my friends and get them back here so we can make plans. You should be safe enough here for now."

"Don't be too long," Kayla replied nervously. "And watch yourself. You're a target, too."

"Don't worry about me." John smiled at her before leaving the room.

* FAR * FAR

It took a while to round up D'Argo, Chiana, and Rygel. Especially since the Hynerian had been winning at the gambling tables. Instead of returning to his own room, John suggested they discuss the situation in D'Argo's room.

"I don't understand why we need to go back to Moya," Rygel protested. "Bounty hunters can't get to us here."

"I bet they could kill you here," John pointed out. "As far as I know, the only one that Grayza wants alive is me."

"We all know why that is," Chiana pointed out. "And it has nothing to do with wormholes."

"That's not true," D'Argo protested before John could say anything. "She wants the wormhole technology, as well."

"Thanks, guys," Crichton retorted sarcastically. "You can make up your own minds, but I'm headed back to Moya, and I'm going to take Kayla there, as well."

"How will you do that?" D'Argo asked.

"I'll go back to Moya, then turn around and go to the transit station and pick her up. She can leave here after me, and I was hoping that you would stay here with her to keep her safe until she could leave."

D'Argo thought about it for a moment, then nodded. "That should work. After you drop her off at Moya, you can come back and pick the rest of us up. That way, once Moya is repaired, we can starburst out of here."

"Great. I'll contact Pilot and arrange a pickup." John went over to the communication console, and turned it on. Unfortunately, Pilot couldn't send a shuttle to pick them up for twelve arns due to the maintenance being done. He arranged a time with Aeryn, and promised to be ready when she came. Then he turned back to the others.

"I suggest we try to get some sleep," he said.

"Not me," Rygel stated firmly. "I'm going to go win some more credits before you drag us back to Moya."

"Just be at the departure area on time," Crichton warned. "Otherwise we'll leave you behind."

"I'll be there, although I still think we'd be perfectly safe here."

"You may be, but don't expect us to come back and pick you up," D'Argo growled.

Rygel frowned, then sped away on his sled chair.

"What about Kayla? Where is she staying?" Chiana asked.

"She can stay with me," Crichton said. "I want to make sure she's kept safe. In fact, I'd better get back to her. She's probably wondering where I am."

"We'll meet at your room in eleven arns," D'Argo said. "We can go to the departure area together."

"Sounds good. See you then." With that, John headed back to his room.

* FAR * FAR

The last thing John expected when he opened the door to his room was to see the only piece of movable furniture in the room descending toward his head. If it had connected he would have probably ended up with at least a concussion. In a desperate move, he threw himself to the side, crashing up against the wall. The stool barely missed him, and he reached out to grab it before it could be used again. Only then did he realize that it had been Kayla trying to bash his head in.

"What the hell are you trying to do?" he demanded, as he grabbed her arms and shook her.

"I'm sorry! I thought it was Baleek! You were gone for so long that I thought he'd gotten to you. I was just trying to protect myself!" Tears started pouring down her face.

Crichton forced himself to calm down, and released her arms. When she kept crying, he wrapped his arms around her, and hugged her. "It's all right. You didn't hurt me. Let's just forget this." He rubbed her back, hoping it would calm her down, then realized she wasn't wearing a towel anymore. While he'd been gone she'd put on the only other shirt he'd brought with him.

It looked much better on her than it ever had on him.

He tried to push her away at that point, but her arms refused to let him. Instead, he found himself drawn closer.

"I never thanked you for saving my life tonight," she whispered. She stretched up on tiptoe, and lightly kissed his mouth.

"You're welcome," he replied, pushing her away again, and this time succeeding. He turned his attention to the stool, and pushed it back where it belonged. He needed to concentrate on something besides her. Unfortunately, it didn't take very long and he found himself looking at her. She still stood by the door, looking as shaken as he felt.

John scrubbed at his face for a moment then suggested, "Why don't you have a seat and I'll tell you our plan."

Kayla slowly moved over to the bed and sat down. John moved further away, and filled her in. "You'll be safe on Moya," he promised once he was done.

"Maybe from Baleek, but what about the rest of your crew? I've heard they hate Peacekeepers."

"They won't hurt you. I promise."

"All right."

"Try to get some more sleep. It's going to be a while before we can leave."

She stood, and pulled the covers down on the bed. Then she climbed in, and pulled them back up. "What are you going to do?"

"Don't worry about me. I'll be fine."

"We could share the bed. It's big enough."

"I don't think that's a good idea." John shook his head emphatically, even though he was tempted.

"It's quite common for Peacekeepers to share bunk space. Often there isn't enough room for everyone to have their own space. That's especially true for techs."

"Well, where I come from, it's not common. I can sleep on the floor."

"John, you need to get some sleep! You have to be alert tomorrow in case Baleek tries something. Come lie down." She patted the bed beside her.

Reluctantly, Crichton complied, but decided to stay on top of the covers. Somehow he had the feeling he wouldn't get much sleep at all.

* FAR * FAR

Baleek watched as John Crichton boarded the transport pod. Everything was going according to plan. The Hynerian had no idea a transmitter had been planted on his sled chair. The transmitter was very small, and would be difficult to spot even if they knew it was there. But even that small, it was still very powerful.

It was programmed to send only short messages, with random delays in between each one. That would make it difficult to locate on Moya, especially since it would probably be in a different location each time it transmitted, thanks to the Hynerian. It was also programmed to not broadcast any signal until it could no longer detect any signals coming from the trading post. There would be no protection for Moya or her crew.

All Grayza would have to do is swoop down and claim her prize.

* FAR * FAR

"You don't have to go with me," John protested as he guided the transport pod toward the transit station.

"It won't hurt to have backup," Aeryn pointed out. "For all you know, Baleek may have planned all this. He could be waiting for you to show up at the transit station to capture you. I'm not sure I buy this tech's story. Peacekeepers are raised from childhood to obey orders. For someone to suddenly stop doing that is highly suspicious."

"You did it, and so did Gilina. For that matter, so did Crais."

"I had no choice. And Gilina didn't really have much of one either. She helped us on the Zelbinion because she wanted to save her own life. If she had told Crais that we had been there, she would have been sentenced to death just as I was."

"She helped me on the Gammak base. She could have done nothing and I would have been caught when they did the DNA scan."

"It could just be that she was afraid you'd expose her."

John rolled his eyes. Sometimes Aeryn could be so narrow-minded. "Gilina helped us, and I think Kayla is doing the same thing."

"We'll see."

"Just give her a chance."

It took a while to get a landing slot at the transit station. John chafed at the delay, but there was little he could do about it. Finally, he and Aeryn left the transport pod, and went to meet Kayla. The tech was waiting for them, dressed in clean clothes. A small bag sat on the floor at her feet.

Crichton introduced the two women, then asked, "Is that all your stuff?"

"Yes, I couldn't bring much with me."

"How did you get off Grayza's ship?" Aeryn asked. "Surely she wouldn't have just let you leave."

"There was a supply ship leaving, and I managed to stow away. Once it landed on the commerce planet, I waited until the ship was empty, then left myself. After that, I found a ship headed for Mythos."

Aeryn looked skeptical, but John took Kayla's arm and started back to the transport pod. "Let's get off this station. I feel like a sitting duck."

"A what?" Aeryn asked.

"Never mind," Crichton muttered.

* FAR * FAR

While Aeryn was retrieving D'Argo, Rygel, and Chiana from the trading post, Crichton showed Kayla to a room she could use. He decided to give her one close to his, because he wasn't too sure that the other members of Moya's crew would be too welcoming to another Peacekeeper. At least this way, maybe he'd be able to keep an eye on her. Afterwards, he showed her around the ship.

"You've never been on a leviathan?" he asked when he saw her touch one of Moya's walls with wide-eyed wonder.

"No, I've always drawn duty on command carriers or Gammak bases. I've heard about them, but that's all."

John immediately knew that Kayla would get the biggest enjoyment out of meeting Pilot, and he was right. She seemed fascinated by the large, yet gentle creature who interfaced with Moya. He would have stayed longer but Sikozu came into Pilot's den, and the woman treated Kayla with barely concealed contempt. Before a catfight started, Crichton decided to separate them by continuing their tour.

As usual, Noranti was brewing something in the center chamber. "Grandma, what are you cooking up now?" he asked, smiling at the woman.

She stirred the pot again, then tried to lift the spoon out. However, the mixture was so thick it was next to impossible. "It's a restorative for Moya. All of these repairs have taken their toll."

John peered into the vat, then grimaced as the odor almost overwhelmed him. "If you say so. By the way, we have a new crewmember." He waved Kayla over and introduced her. The older woman studied the younger, then nodded before returning to her concoction.

Crichton wasn't sure whether that was approval or not, but Noranti didn't seem interested in conversation, so he led Kayla out of the room. "Well, I think you've met just about everyone. There's only one other person on board, and I'd better warn you about him. If you were on the Gammak base, then I'm sure you know about him." He turned to face her before continuing. "Scorpius is on board."

Kayla gasped. "Scorpius? I thought he was your enemy! And I thought Grayza had him killed. I don't understand how he can be here."

"It's a little confusing," John admitted. "I still haven't gotten a complete answer on how he survived, but he saved Aeryn's life, and she promised him sanctuary. So, we're kind of stuck with him."

"I don't want to see him!" Kayla demanded, almost hysterically. "He will try to kill me!"

"Why?"

"I'm a Peacekeeper traitor! He would need no other reason."

"Yes, you are."

John spun around and saw Scorpius standing in the corridor, practically snarling at Kayla. "Leave her alone, Scorpy."

"You cannot trust her, John. If she would betray her own people, her job, her duty, then she would betray you, as well."

"I'd rather trust her, than trust you, Scorpy. Just stay away from Kayla," he warned. He grabbed her hand. "Let's go."

It wasn't until they were back in her room, that Kayla started trembling. "He scares me," she admitted with a shaky voice. "Even more than Baleek."

"He won't harm you," John promised, pulling her into a hug. "Trust me."

She took a deep breath, then stepped back. "I do trust you. I just don't understand why Scorpius is allowed to roam around the ship. This is an ex-prison ship, isn't it? Why don't you lock him up?"

"It's a long story, and I need to go see how the repairs are going on Moya. Will you be all right on your own."

"Yes."

He smiled at her, then left the room.

* FAR * FAR

"So, what are we going to do with her?" Aeryn asked as she worked on the console in front of her.

"She's just like the rest of us - she's on the run. If she wants to stay, she should be able to stay. If she wants to leave, she should be able to leave." John reached for a tool, and passed it over to Aeryn. "Besides, it wouldn't hurt to have a tech around."

"As long as we can trust her to help. For all we know, this could be another plot by Grayza. She may be here to cause some damage to Moya. We'll have to keep an eye on her."

John wanted to protest, but he had to admit that she might be right. Just for once it would be nice to be able to trust someone without worrying that they were about to stab you in the back. But things didn't seem to work that way out here in the uncharted territories.

Aeryn turned away from the console, and approached him. "I know you like her, but it seems like too much of a coincidence that she was in the right place to overhear Grayza and Baleek plot, and then managed to get to the trading post while we were still there. And that Baleek would try to kill her when you were there to see it."

"Just like it would be too much of a coincidence that I happened to be testing the Farscape module just as a solar flare created a wormhole. And that I would end up in the midst of a space battle between Moya and the Peacekeepers. What are the chances that that would happen?" he demanded.

"You're right," Aeryn said with disgust. "I was stupid to think that this could be anything except for what it is. Kayla is exactly who she says she is - a Peacekeeper who went against all of her training just so that she could warn a total stranger that a bounty hunter was after him." She turned to storm away.

"Aeryn, wait!" John called out, hurrying to catch up to her. "You're right. I promise I'll be careful around her until we know one way or the other. I'll even ask Pilot to have a DRD watch her. Okay?"

Aeryn nodded reluctantly, then turned back to the console. "We'd better get back to work, or we'll never leave here."

* FAR * FAR

When Crichton headed back to his room, it was arns later, but Moya's repairs were finally finished. They'd decided to wait until after the sleep period before leaving the trading post, figuring it would be better for them all to be well rested in case Baleek and Grayza were waiting for them.

The last person he wanted to run into was Scorpius, but there he was, as if waiting for him to come along.

"Not now, Scorpy," John growled. "I want to get some sleep."

"What is it about you, John?" Scorpius asked. "How do you manage to gather all these followers? How do you manage to sway them from their goals to help you?"

"Just lucky, I guess." He tried to move past the half-breed, but had no luck.

"What magic do you have to turn loyal, obedient Peacekeepers away from their duty, and turn them into renegades? Aeryn, Crais, Gilina, and now this Kayla. How many more were there that I don't even know about?"

"Did you ever think that they finally figured out there was a better way of life than the Peacekeeper way?" John demanded. "You rule through intimidation, and fear. Failure is punished by torture or death. We had guys like that back on Earth, and guess what? Sooner or later, they were all overthrown. Just as your High Council will eventually be overthrown. And I hope I'm there to see it."

"If the Scarrans have their way, you just might see that, John. Of course, you will be destroyed right along with the rest of the Peacekeepers - unless the Scarrans decide to try to extract wormhole knowledge from your mind." Scorpius paused and studied the human. "And they won't be anywhere near as gentle as I was."

"Gentle!" Crichton couldn't believe Scorpius actually thought he'd been gentle - it had been torture, plain and simple. "That's not what I remember, Scorpy. I can very clearly remember screaming in agony in your Aurora chair."

"Yes, the Aurora chair was a mistake, but without it, you would never have known that the wormhole information had been implanted in your brain."

"And neither would you. Don't expect any thanks for that." John pushed Scorpius aside. "I'm going to bed."

"Sleep well, John," Scorpius called down the passageway. "You may not have many more opportunities to do that."

* FAR * FAR

"Everything ready to go?" John asked as he scanned the command center. Aeryn and D'Argo were at consoles ready to respond to anything that might go wrong. Sikozu was flitting from one station to the next, getting in everyone's way. Chiana and Kayla were standing near the door, watching silently. Rygel was still in bed, and he had no idea where Scorpy was.

"Yes, Commander," Pilot's holographic image replied.

"Have we got clearance for taxi and take-off from the control tower?" When everyone turned to stare at him, he waved a hand in apology. "Has security for the trading post given us permission to leave?"

"Yes, I contacted them myself," D'Argo said.

"Okay, then nice and easy, Pilot. Let's not draw any attention to ourselves. And keep an eye out for tails - I mean, someone following us."

"Even if he doesn't follow us, Baleek won't give up," Kayla stated firmly.

"Then we'll just have to stay ahead of him. He's not the first bounty hunter that's come after us. Sooner or later, he'll either get tired, or Grayza will come up with some other way to come after us." Crichton turned his attention back to the view-screen. The trading post was slowly moving out of sight.

"How soon can we starburst?" D'Argo asked.

"Moya wishes to wait until we are clear of all traffic going and coming from the trading post. At least several arns," Pilot stated. "However, we should be able to increase our speed very soon."

"Good. The farther away from this base we are, the happier I'll be."

Over the next two arns, they kept a vigilant watch. Several times they thought another ship had followed them, only to have them eventually turn and head in a different direction.

Finally, Pilot made the announcement they were all waiting for. "Prepare for starburst."

John waved Kayla up to stand beside him. "Hang on," he said, pointing toward the console. "The first time going into starburst can be disconcerting."

She nodded, and tightly grasped the console.

"Not that hard - it won't be that bad. Just a little jolt."

However, instead of a little jolt, there was a loud explosion and the deck suddenly seemed to fall out from underneath him, sending him crashing onto the console. Moya rocked in the other direction, and John scrambled for a hold, but it was useless. He was sent flying across the command center, only dimly aware that everyone else was doing the same thing. He managed to grab Kayla to keep her from hurting herself, using his own body to buffer her impact.

"Pilot? What the hell happened?" he yelled through the noise and the confusion.

"Unknown." Pilot moved his arms around in agitation as he struggled to figure out what was happening.

"Did we starburst?" D'Argo demanded.

"Negative."

Finally, with Pilot's aid, Moya managed to stabilize herself. Crichton climbed to his feet, then helped Kayla up. "Is everyone all right?" he asked, his eyes searching for Aeryn through the smoke that seemed to fill the room. He heaved a sigh of relief when he received affirmatives from everyone. "Pilot, any more info?"

"There was an explosion in the neural cluster just as Moya tried to starburst. Someone must have done something wrong while working on the repairs."

"That is not possible," Sikozu claimed indignantly. "I checked it all out myself."

"We can figure out who to blame later," D'Argo jumped in. "Pilot, how much damage was there?"

Pilot pressed levers on his console, then looked up. "There is a hull breech on tier fourteen, hamman side. I've sealed off the area until it can be repaired. I cannot tell how much damage there is in the neural cluster from here."

"Right. Aeryn, you and Chiana go check out the neural cluster. John and I will take care of the hull breech."

"Can I do anything to help?" Kayla asked. "I don't know much about leviathans, but I'm a quick learner."

"No, that's all right," Aeryn stated firmly. "We can manage."

John almost protested, then decided maybe she was right. Until they found out what caused the explosion, Kayla was definitely a suspect.

* FAR * FAR

It took several arns for John and D'Argo to repair the hole in Moya's side, even with DRDs to help them. Working in a vacuum wasn't the easiest thing to do. At least the spacesuits on Moya were almost like wearing a second skin. They sure beat anything that Earth had developed.

When he felt that D'Argo could finish up the rest of the repairs on his own, Crichton stripped out of his flight suit, and headed for the neural cluster to see if he could help with those repairs. Kayla waylaid him before he got there.

"I offered to help," she said. "I don't know why they won't let me. Why don't they trust me?"

"Give them time," he replied. "We've been on the run for so long that it's hard to trust anyone at first."

Kayla moved closer, staring up into John's face. "Do you trust me?"

His hesitation was enough of an answer for her. Her eyes filled with tears, and she backed up. "Maybe it would be best for everyone if you dropped me off at the first inhabited planet," she suggested.

"Just give us some time," John said, hating to see the pain in her eyes.

She sighed, then moved even closer than before. "I'm willing to give *you* time," she whispered. She reached out with one hand, and rested it on his chest. "I find myself attracted to you. Maybe some day you will trust me enough to recreate with me."

John stepped back in a hurry. "Uh... Kayla..."

She held up a hand. "No, don't say anything. Now isn't the time or place for this. I shouldn't have brought it up. It's more important to get Moya repaired before Baleek finds us."

"Yeah, uh... I was just on my way..." John waved down the corridor. "I should go..."

"I just picked up a Peacekeeper signal!" Pilot's panicked voice seemed to echo through the corridors.

"Damn! How close is it?" John demanded as he took off at a run for the neural cluster.

"It came *from* Moya!"

"What?" John skidded to a stop. "Where's it coming from?"

"It stopped before I could pinpoint it, but I think it was on or near tier three."

"I'm on my way. D'Argo?"

"I'll join you there," the Luxan commed back.

John raced through the corridors until he got to tier three. The first person he spotted was Rygel. "You see anything up here?"

"Scorpius was here a little while ago."

"Scorpius? He wouldn't be contacting the Peacekeepers, would he?"

"Maybe he thinks he has enough support with Kayla on board," D'Argo pointed out as he joined them.

"Not you, too?" John shook his head. "She was almost killed trying to warn us."

"If this Baleek is so efficient, then why didn't he manage to kill her?" D'Argo pointed out. "Maybe she's working with him, and now that Moya's dead in space she's sent a message to him."

"She was with me. Trust me, she wasn't sending out any signals." At least not to Peacekeepers. "Let's search the tier, then we can have a little chat with Scorpy."

"Pilot, can you have the DRDs help with the search?" D'Argo asked.

"Of course."

"Rygel, you stay here and make sure that no one else leaves. Where is everyone else?"

"Chiana and I are in the neural cluster," Aeryn commed back.

"I am with Scorpius on tier five," Sikozu reported in.

They waited for a moment, but there was no further communication.

"Grandma? Old woman, where are you?" John commed.

"Oh. I am in the central chamber, quite alone."

"Well, that accounts for everyone. The only ones close enough to have sent the signal were Scorpy, Sikozu, and Rygel," Crichton said, checking his pulse pistol to make sure it had a full charge.

"Me!" Rygel backed his sled chair up. "How can you accuse me of doing something like that?"

"Relax, Ryg. We're not accusing you of anything. Let's go take a look, D."

* FAR * FAR

The search had been a waste of time, although that didn't surprise Crichton. There were too many ways to move through the passages. It would have been easy to elude trackers. Besides there really hadn't been any chance of someone sneaking on board Moya, which narrowed the list of possibilities. Kayla would have been the obvious choice, but since she'd been with him at the time of the communication, that let her off the hook. Unless she was working with someone else.

John headed for Scorpius' room as soon as they had finished the search. Sikozu was still with him, but he moved right past her. "Want to tell me why you're sending out signals, Scorpy?" he demanded angrily.

"I sent out no signals, John," Scorpius replied calmly.

"He didn't," Sikozu chimed in. "I was with him the whole time."

John glared at her. "Like that proves anything. As far as I know, you're both in this together. What did he promise you? Moya, maybe? Well, don't trust him to keep his promises. As soon as you're no longer useful, he'll either throw you out, or kill you."

"If you want to find out who sent that signal, I would look to your new passenger," Scorpius said. "Or maybe you should concentrate on fixing Moya before Grayza arrives."

"Kayla wasn't involved!" John insisted, but had to admit Scorpius did have a point about what he should be doing. "I'll be back to continue this discussion." He turned and stalked out of the room.

* FAR * FAR

When John saw the mess in the neural cluster he almost groaned. Burnt wiring seemed to be everywhere he looked. He quickly climbed up one level to where Aeryn and Chiana were working. "What can I do to help?"

"Pilot thinks if we can bypass that section," Aeryn pointed out a panel that showed signs of fire, "Moya will be able to regain propulsion."

"What about starburst?"

"We haven't figured out why the starburst failed. Pilot and Moya don't want to risk trying it again until we figure that out. Otherwise, the damage could be even more severe."

"Well, propulsion is better than nothing. We need to get away from here before Grayza shows up. Where do you want me to start?"

"Where's Sikozu?" Chiana asked, somewhat bitterly. "I thought she was the great leviathan expert."

"I'm not sure I trust her," John said. "She's been hanging around with Scorpy too much. She could be responsible for this mess. For all we know, that signal wasn't meant for Grayza, but for some other Peacekeeper. Scorpy may be plotting a comeback."

"Kayla's my first choice," Chiana said. "Everything was fine until she showed up."

"She was with me. She couldn't have sent the signal," John pointed out as he started working on the control panel.

* FAR * FAR

Four arns later, another signal was sent out from Moya. John abandoned his work, to try to track it down, but with no more success than before. This time Sikozu had been nowhere close to where the signal was sent out, but Noranti, Rygel and Scorpius had been in the vicinity.

John finally headed for Pilot's den. "All right, Pilot. Time to get ruthless. Can you have a DRD follow everyone around? Have them tune in for the transmission signal, and report who it came from?"

"The DRDs are needed for repairs," Pilot protested.

"Okay, how about having them follow Sikozu and Scorpy then? You already have one on Kayla. That's only two more."

"Very well, Commander." Pilot went to work, pressing various knobs and slide controls.

"Is there any way to jam those signals?"

Pilot thought about it for a moment. "I don't think so, but I will work on it."

"You do that. I'll head back down to the neural cluster."

* FAR * FAR

Three arns later, they finally had propulsion back, and Moya headed away from the area. The tired crewmembers gathered in the central chamber to eat before trying to figure out how to get starburst power back.

Just seeing Scorpius and Sikozu was almost enough to turn John's stomach. He hadn't figured out how to prove they were sending the signals, but he was sure it was one or both of them. He looked around, and realized that one person was missing.

"Where's Kayla?" he demanded.

"I invited her," Sikozu said, casually keeping her eyes on her drink. "She... chose not to come."

John's eyes narrowed as he studied her. "In that case, I'll take something down to her." He quickly prepared a tray with enough food and drink for two, and left the center chamber.

"All it takes is a pretty face," Chiana commented as she sat down. "Typical male."

"If it takes his mind off..." D'Argo glanced over at Aeryn and quickly turned his own attention back to his meal.

"If you mean me, you're wrong," Aeryn retorted. "John cares nothing for me anymore."

"The question is, do you still care for him?" Chiana asked.

Aeryn didn't answer. She just left the room.

* FAR * FAR

"I brought you some food," John announced as he paused at the open door of Kayla's room.

"Come in," she called out as she got off the bed. "I'm not really hungry, though."

"Why not?"

She shook her head in defeat. "I know what's in store for me. Grayza will be here soon. If she doesn't have me executed immediately for treason, then she'll put me through a session in the Aurora chair. I wish Baleek had been successful back on the trading post. At least that would have been quick. All I can do is sit here and wait." Tears started to pour down her face.

John set the tray down on the nearest surface, and wrapped his arms around her. It was getting to be a habit. "We've gotten out of tougher situations than this," he told her. "Stop worrying so much."

"When you're with me, I don't worry at all." She pulled back slightly. "Let's take a transport module and run. We could be far away before Grayza gets here."

"And what about everyone else? Am I supposed to leave them here to face her?"

"Grayza only wants you. She'd let the rest go free if you weren't here."

"If she only wants me, she'll let the rest go free whether I'm here or not."

"I don't want to see you captured!" Kayla insisted, then stood on tiptoe and kissed John deeply.

He didn't resist at first, but finally he pushed her away. "I'm not leaving, Kayla. I don't have as much faith as you do that Grayza will let everyone else go free. I have to do everything I can to make sure Moya doesn't get captured."

Kayla turned her back to him. "Then go. Enjoy your last few hours of freedom."

"I'm not willing to give up yet," Crichton promised. "You'll see." When she didn't respond, he sighed, then turned and left the room. There were still repairs to be done.

* FAR * FAR

"I think I've found why we can't starburst," Sikozu announced over the comms several arns later.

"Great! Where are you?" John asked.

"In the starburst chamber."

"I'm on my way." He quickly ran toward a small chamber deep inside Moya. It was the one place on the ship that Pilot could not monitor except through the DRDs. D'Argo, Aeryn, and Chiana must have been closer because they got there before him. "What did you find?" he demanded.

Sikozu waved toward the three curved spokes in the middle of the room. DRDs were clinging to each of the spokes, using lasers on a black coating. "There's some kind of substance on them."

John moved closer, and studied the substance. It almost looked like tar, but the lasers didn't seem to be making any headway. From what he remembered of the last time he'd been in this room, the starburst power emanated from those spokes. It was quite possible that the substance had rerouted the power into channels where it hadn't been intended to go. "So, all we have to do is get this gunk cleaned off, and we can starburst?"

"Yes, but it seems to be resistant to everything the DRDs have tried," Sikozu explained. "It may be impossible to remove it."

"Get Grandma down here. Maybe she can dissolve it with something," John suggested.

"I'll get her," Aeryn said, even as she headed out of the room.

"How did you find this?" Chiana asked Sikozu, suspiciously.

"When I could find nothing to explain the failure of the starburst in the neural cluster, this was the next logical place to look," Sikozu replied innocently.

"Or maybe you did this! Maybe you know that we won't be able to get this off before the Peacekeepers arrive so you felt it was safe to show us this now."

"Whoa!" John stepped between the two women. "Cool down, Chiana. Let's just concentrate on the two most important things. Sikozu, you keep working on this stuff with Aeryn and Grandma. Chiana, you can help me track down that signal, along with D'Argo and Rygel."

"Fine!" Chiana snapped out. "And what about the other two?"

"Good idea. If we all stick together, we'll have a better chance of finding out who is sending the signal." John reached for his comm. "Aeryn, also bring Scorpy down here so you can keep an eye on him. We'll get Kayla and bring her with us."

He herded Chiana out of the room, knowing that D'Argo would follow. It didn't take long to get Kayla, then head for the center chamber where Rygel was still eating.

"Now what?" D'Argo asked.

"We wait until the signal is broadcast again," John explained. "If it comes from any other level than this one or where the starburst chamber is, we'll know there's someone else on Moya. If not, we'll have isolated which group has the transmitter."

There was nothing worse than waiting, John decided an arn later. Especially under these circumstances. No one seemed to want to talk, and everyone else kept glaring at Kayla. She'd finally moved to the far side of the room to sit by herself. He couldn't stand it any longer, and went to join her, smiling as he sat down next to her.

"Another signal!" Pilot finally called out as his holographic image appeared on the nearby clamshell.

"Where's it coming from?" D'Argo demanded.

"One moment... The DRD in the center chamber says it came from there."

"Then it must be her!" Rygel insisted, pointing at Kayla.

"That's right!" Chiana agreed.

"How? She didn't touch anything," John said.

"Then she must be wearing the transmitter."

"I'm not wearing a transmitter!" Kayla jumped to her feet.

"Okay, Chiana search her," John finally suggested. He really didn't believe she would find anything. The first time the signal had been sent, she hadn't been anywhere close to the source. He had to be missing something.

Chiana was quite thorough in her search, but finally admitted defeat.

"Okay, let's assume the transmitter is programmed to send messages automatically," John finally said. "We were all on the trading post. Maybe Baleek got close enough to plant it on us. He wouldn't even need to be on Moya."

"It's not on me," Chiana declared immediately.

"Me either." He looked at D'Argo and Rygel. Then he realized where the obvious place was. "Hey, Buckwheat, looks like you're the spy." He reached out and pulled the Hynerian from his sled chair.

Even knowing it had to be there, it still took them a while to find it. The transmitter blended in perfectly with the sled chair.

"Well, that's one mystery solved. And it proves that Kayla isn't a spy!" John said with a relieved grin. "Anyone could have planted this on Rygel while he was still on the trading post. Now, we just have to figure out how to shut it off."

"It does not matter anymore," Pilot stated. "My long range scan shows a command carrier headed for us. They should be here within an arn."

"Damn! Aeryn, any progress? We need to starburst."

"Yes, Noranti has found something that will dissolve this substance, but it will take some time."

"We don't have any time," Crichton pointed out.

"It will be close, but I think we'll make it."

"Great! Join us in command as soon as you can. D, let's go."

* FAR * FAR

Crichton watched the holographic image of the command carrier as it drew closer to Moya with a growing sense of dread. There was no way he wanted to end up back in Grayza's control. Granted she had a different way of getting information, and it was definitely more pleasurable, but it made him feel degraded. He was also pretty certain that everyone else would be killed. The only question was whether they would be tortured first.

Just the thought of Aeryn being tortured had him reaching for another Laka pod, but he forced himself to stop. He didn't want anyone else to know that he was sniffing a drug to help keep the memories at bay.

If he'd been smart, he would have sent everyone else off in D'Argo's ship when Pilot had heard the first transmission. Of course, the transmitter would have gone with them, so that wouldn't have worked anyway. He'd been a fool to believe that getting away from the trading post would have been enough to foil Baleek's plan.

"It won't be much longer," Aeryn announced as she came into command. She moved over to stand next to the strategy table between John and Kayla. "It's going to be close, but I think we'll be able to starburst before they get here."

"I can't let you do that," Kayla said, calmly.

"What?" John stared at the tech, totally confused.

"I can't let you ruin my plan." Kayla raised her hand toward Aeryn's arm. Before anyone could do anything, there was a loud pop, and Aeryn cried out.

John pushed Aeryn out of the way and grabbed Kayla. "What did you do?" he demanded as he pulled the weapon out of her hand. It was so small that it couldn't have caused much damage. "Aeryn, are you all right?"

"I'm fine. My arm just stings."

"That's just the start," Kayla said with a smug look. "It will get much worse."

"What is this?" John demanded. "What did you do?"

"It's poison. Very slow. Very painful. Very deadly."

Crichton couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Why?"

"Because I was paid a lot to bring you in. And I've never failed."

"You're Baleek?" Aeryn forced out between gritted teeth.

"Yes. Based on his run-ins with the Peacekeepers I knew he'd never be able to pass up a female in distress. It was the perfect cover," she gloated.

Sikozu's voice came in over the comm. "Pilot, starburst now!"

"No, wait!" John called out. He turned back to Kayla... no, she was Baleek. He had to remember that. "Is there an antidote for this poison?"

"Yes, I've hidden it here on Moya. Once Grayza is close enough to keep Moya from escaping I'll tell you where it is. Although Aeryn may prefer to die rather than fall into Grayza's hands. If you starburst, you will never find the antidote and Aeryn will die."

John looked over at Aeryn. Her face had turned pale, and sweat beads had formed on her face. She was clutching at her arm, and he knew it was hurting quite a bit, but she wouldn't want him to know it.

"Pilot, starburst," Aeryn ordered. "At least everyone else will be safe."

"No!" John countermanded the order. "Grayza wants me alive, right?" he asked.

"Yes," Baleek admitted with a puzzled look.

John reached for his pulse pistol, and pointed it at his head. "Tell us where the antidote is or I'll blow my brains out. I don't think Grayza will be too happy about that."

"You do that, and Aeryn will still die. Stalemate."

John had hoped his bluff would work, but he still wasn't ready to give up, yet. "All right. Grayza wants me. We'll go down and take my module to the command carrier. When we're past the point of no return, we can radio back where the antidote is, and Pilot will starburst out of here. You get your prize, Aeryn gets to live, and my friends get to go free. I won't give you any trouble. You have my word."

"John, no!" Aeryn said, before gasping and falling to her knees.

Crichton was at her side immediately, easing her way down to the floor. "Aeryn?"

She turned pain-filled eyes toward him. "Don't give yourself up for me," she pleaded.

"I can't let you die," he forced out over the lump in his throat.

"Pilot, why haven't we starburst yet?" Scorpius demanded over the comm.

"Shut up, Scorpy," John shot back. He looked over at Baleek. "Is it a deal? You have five microts, then I'll blow my brains out." He raised his pistol again.

"Very well, but we'll take one of the transport pods. Let's go, Crichton."

John looked up at D'Argo. "Take care of her," he said. "And as soon as you know where the antidote is, have Pilot starburst." He looked down at Aeryn, then leaned down to kiss her one last time. As he stood, he looked at D'Argo again. "Tell Lo'La that she should take off and do what is necessary. Understand?" He could only hope the Luxan did.

It took a moment, but comprehension filled D'Argo's eyes. "I understand."

"Crichton, let's go. Otherwise Grayza will be here before we can leave."

John looked around at his friends, knowing this could be the last time he ever saw them. "Good luck," he said. With one last glance at Aeryn, he followed Baleek toward the docking bay.

* FAR * FAR

Baleek insisted on piloting the transport pod, leaving John nothing to do but watch. He couldn't believe how he'd been taken in by her. So much for helpless females.

"There never was a tech who overheard your conversation, was there?" he asked.

"Oh, yes there was. Of course, it wasn't a female, and he never saw my face. At least not as long as I was Baleek. He heard too much. I couldn't risk letting him tell anyone that I was after you. He wasn't too hard to handle." She gave him a wicked smile. "And he did enjoy himself right before he died."

"You're real sick, lady. And why the big come-on to me?"

She shrugged. "I figured it would distract you. Make me seem less of a threat." Baleek's eyes studied John. "Besides, with the way you attract females, I wanted to see if you were something special or not. We could still find out before Grayza gets here."

"No, thanks! Not interested."

"You were interested before."

"Yeah, but I'm a guy. We're always interested. But then you poisoned Aeryn, and I became very uninterested."

"Would you like me to cry for you, again?" Baleek asked with a leering look. "I do it so well. And you were always the gallant protector."

"Don't bother." Crichton turned his attention to the viewport in disgust. "Okay, we're close enough to the command carrier. We couldn't get back to Moya before they'd be on us. Tell me where the antidote is."

"First give me your pulse pistol. I wouldn't want you to harm yourself after I tell you."

Reluctantly, John handed over his weapon. "Where's the antidote?"

She shrugged. "I lied. There is no antidote."

John stared at her in numb disbelief. "No antidote?" he finally forced out.

"None." She didn't look the least bit remorseful.

With an outraged cry, Crichton surged out of his seat and grabbed her. He quickly disarmed her, taking back his pulse pistol. He aimed it at her head. "I should kill you for that, but I won't." Instead he aimed at the pod's controls, firing a blast that disabled the guidance mechanism.

"What good did that do?" Baleek demanded with a shaky voice. "Grayza will be here before Moya can rescue you."

"That's what you think. D'Argo, are you there?"

"Right behind you, John. Do you know where the antidote is?"

"She lied, there isn't one. Pick me up." He turned back to Baleek. "I'll let you explain to Grayza about how you let me get away. If there's any justice, she'll kill you for me," he ground out, letting his hatred for the woman fill every word.

"You'll never make it back to Moya on time!" Baleek screamed.

"You've never seen D'Argo's ship. We'll make it." Crichton felt the shudder as Lo'La docked with the transport pod. "Give my best to Grayza," he said as he opened the hatch.

It didn't take long for him to transfer to the other ship. "Let's get back to Moya," he said. "I want to be with Aeryn when she..." He couldn't say the word. He couldn't even think the word. He rubbed at his stinging eyes as D'Argo turned Lo'La around. "Pilot, get ready with the docking web, and starburst as soon as you can."

"We're ready, Commander," Pilot signaled back.

It was a good thing, too, because at the speed D'Argo was flying they would have crashed into Moya. John wasted no time getting off Lo'La. "Where's Aeryn?" he called out as soon as he was in the docking bay.

"Her quarters," Pilot responded.

John took off at a run, and yet it felt like an eternity before he skidded to a stop by her bed. The Sebacean's eyes were closed, her face so pale that at first he thought she was already dead. "Aeryn?" He knelt down beside her bed and carefully reached out to pick up one of her hands, ignoring the rest of the people in the room.

She opened her eyes slowly, then smiled. "John, you're safe," she whispered.

"Yeah, everyone is. Moya has starburst. We got away from Grayza."

She tried to raise her hand to his face, but the motion caused her to cry out in pain. John knew it had to be hurting a lot to make her reveal how much pain she was in.

"Don't try to move, Aeryn," he said, feeling tears start to trickle down his face.

"Antidote?" The one word seemed to drain her remaining energy.

He slowly shook his head, hating to tell her but she deserved to know. She would want to know. She was going to die, and it was all his fault. He looked around at the rest of the crew. One person was missing. "Where's Noranti? Maybe she has a cure."

Chiana slowly shook her head. "She's working on it, but she hasn't figured out what kind of poison was used."

D'Argo and Chiana exchanged glances, then the Luxan quietly said, "Let's leave them alone." He shepherded everyone else out of the room.

John stared down at Aeryn, and watched as her eyes closed. He'd been so cold to her, ever since he started using the Laka to forget. He couldn't let her die without knowing just how he felt. "Aeryn, I'm sorry. I love you. Don't leave me," he pleaded, reaching out to cup her face with his free hand. "Don't leave me."

She didn't respond, and he realized she must be unconscious. At least she wouldn't be in any more pain, but he didn't know if she'd heard him or not. He closed his eyes, letting his tears fall unchecked. How would he be able to go on if she wasn't there? Where would he get his strength from? He opened his eyes to study her, wanting to remember every last detail about her, but he couldn't do it, so he shut his eyes again. He didn't want to remember her this way. Deathly quiet and pale. Barely breathing. He wanted to remember her fighting back. Arguing with him. Kissing him.

"John, help me give this to her."

His eyes popped open to see Noranti carrying a small bowl. "An antidote?" he asked hopefully.

She shrugged. "Maybe."

Together they managed to get some of the liquid down Aeryn's throat. John knew he shouldn't get his hopes up, but he couldn't help it. It seemed like it took an eternity for it to take effect. He ticked off each of the improvements as they happened. Deeper breathing. More color in her face. Steadier pulse. Temperature down. Then she opened her eyes.

"How do you feel?" he asked.

"Better. It doesn't hurt so much anymore. What happened?"

"Noranti figured out an antidote. You're going to be fine." Crichton tapped on his comm. "Pilot, tell everyone that Aeryn's better."

It didn't take long for the rest of the crew to flood into Aeryn's room. John stepped back to give them a chance to see for themselves, then decided to move out to the hallway. He pulled another pod out of his pocket, and inhaled the mist that came from it. He needed to back off from the deep emotions he'd just been through. Feeling better, he went back into the room and chased everyone away.

"She needs her rest," he stated firmly.

When everyone was gone, he knelt down by the bed again. "Try to get some sleep," he ordered. "Everyone is safe, and there's nothing to worry about."

Her forehead crinkled as she frowned. "Did you say something to me just before I passed out? I'm not sure whether I heard you or not."

John thought about telling her again that he loved her, but he couldn't risk it. She was his weak point, and obviously he wasn't hiding it well enough. Otherwise, Baleek would never have picked Aeryn as the sure way to get him to cave in. With Scorpius on board he couldn't risk making it too obvious. "Don't know what that would have been," he said. "I remember telling you to hang on. To fight, but that's it."

She looked disappointed. "That must have been what I heard."

"Now get some rest. You'll need to be fit by the time we get to tormented space."

She nodded, then closed her eyes.

He should have left, but he couldn't force himself to do that. It wouldn't hurt to stay by her side for a little while longer.

* FAR * FAR

"So, you finally failed," Grayza stated as she stared at the woman in front of her. "And all it took was one human."

"He won't get away the next time," Baleek promised.

"You've had your chance, and you've lost your advantage. They know what you look like now. You accepted this commission knowing what failure meant. Take her to the Aurora chamber," Grayza ordered. "I want to make sure she's telling the truth."

"You won't get away with this," Baleek screamed.

"You're wrong," Grazya replied coldly. "I can do whatever I want on this ship, and no one will stop me. Take her away." She watched with enjoyment as the bounty hunter was dragged out of the room, then she turned on her holographic imager to John Crichton's face. "You managed to get away this time, but you won't be so lucky the next time. I promise you."

The end.