Title: "Second Chances"
Author: Brenna
Rating: PG-13 violence and language
Archive: Please ask first.
Summary: Jack Crichton gets a second chance. ANGST!!!
Disclaimer: Sadly they're not mine and I'm making no money from this story.
Jack Crichton answered the door to his home to find three very serious looking men standing on the other side.
"Jack Crichton?" the one in front asked.
"Yes," he replied cautiously.
The man presented him with a badge as he introduced himself, "Tom Jasper. I'm with IASA, sir. I need you to come with us."
"IASA? I'm retired," Jack reminded the man. He'd 'retired' soon after his son John's death during a test of his experimental craft, Farscape One. He hadn't had anything to do with IASA since the end of the accident investigation had cited pilot error and a design flaw in the module as the cause of John's death. Jack would never accept that. He knew a cover-up when he saw one. Who better to pin the blame on than a dead man?
"Sir, something's landed at Canaveral" Jasper told him. "You've been requested."
"Something...something as in..." Jack asked.
"As in it's not from Earth, sir" Jasper said as he took Jack's arm and led him gently but firmly towards the waiting vehicle. It was only then that Jack noticed the flashing lights of their police escort. "Whoever's inside wants Colonel Jack Crichton, and Colonel Jack Crichton only."
The drive was a short one over to the local mall where a section of the parking lot had been cleared to allow a helicopter to land. Stealth was obviously not a consideration. 'Whatever it was that landed at Canaveral the word must already be out,' Jack mused to himself as he watched the helicopter lift off from the mall where a crowd had gathered to watch the unusual spectacle.
Jasper spent the twenty minute flight to Cape Canaveral briefing Jack. "Four hours ago NORAD tracked a fast approaching object entering Earth's atmosphere," he said. "It was on a direct path to Cape Canaveral. Two high altitude fighters were sent to intercept it. As they approached they began picking up an SOS. Even though IASA is an international agency, the air space around Canaveral belongs to the U.S. The President agreed to let the craft land so the fighters escorted it in. It landed thirty minutes after detection."
"Where?" Jack asked.
"In the middle of the damn parking lot a couple hundred yards from a tour group," Tom told him. "Most of whom had cell phones."
"So it's public" Jack said stating the obvious.
"Totally," Tom agreed. "Whoever's inside will only say your name. There's some sort of energy shield around it that we can't penetrate."
"So you want me to do what?" Jack asked. "Walk up to it and say 'hi'?!"
"Yeah." The expressions on the faces of the IASA personnel on the helicopter with him assured Jack that they weren't joking.
"You're fucking nuts!" Jack shouted over the roar of the aircraft.
"You've done crazier things, sir. Like strap a rocket to your ass for a trip to the moon," Jasper retorted.
By this time they were circling the parking lot of IASA headquarters. It was a fairly small craft Jack noted as the helicopter finally landed. More IASA officials rushed to the helicopter pulling him from his seat and hustling him over to where a tight knot of men and women stood waiting. As soon as he reached them someone was fitting him with a headset before he could voice any objections. At least a half dozen people were shouting instructions to him. Many of them contradicting each other. "Shut up!" Jack shouted. "You want me to do this then just shut up and let me do it my way."
"Colonel Crichton," one officious lout objected but an icy cool look from Jack silenced whatever his objections were.
Once he was wired Jack began the long walk to where the alien craft sat isolated by a cordon of military police. When he was within twenty feet of the craft the hatch at the rear of the craft opened. The being that appeared had to be close to seven feet tall or more. He couldn't be sure, but for some reason, Jack felt he was male. The alien had tentacles on his head and a bright red beard that matched the color of his clothing. He made no attempt to leave his craft. Instead he threw something at Jack's feet. Jack bent down and picked up the small flat object. One of the controls had been marked in a bright red. "I'm going to press this control," he murmured into the microphone then ignored the panicked protests issuing from the earpiece. Jack took a deep breath and let it out slowly before he pressed the button. Immediately the small screen on the device came to life. What he saw made his knees buckle.
"Colonel!" he heard a voice shout from the device in his ear.
"It's my son," he murmured knowing the microphone he was wearing would pick it up.
"I'm sorry you have to see me like this, Dad, but there's not much time left." the voice from the recording said. "And I'm afraid I'm just about out of other options." Jack tried to take in every detail of the recording as it played. He tried to tell himself that John's injuries weren't as bad as they looked, but he couldn't make himself believe it. "It took me a long time to figure out how to get back to Earth," John said on the recording, "and even longer to figure out exactly where Earth was. By then I knew I could never use that information. I'd be endangering Earth." John paused and grimaced in obvious pain. The alien appeared on the recording then taking John's hand and speaking to him in an urgent tone of voice in a language Jack couldn't understand. "It's the only way, D'Argo. It's gotta be this way, my friend." D'Argo didn't appear to be happy with John's statement. "Please, D'Argo. I...knowing you're going to be there for them," John said. "I need you to do this for me."
Jack frowned at the recording. 'What the hell...' he thought to himself. He watched as the alien he now knew as D'Argo nodded reluctant agreement to whatever John was asking of him.
He watched as John sighed on the small screen. "D'Argo's agreed to help Earth become a space-faring world," John said. "He's going to be one of a small group I'm sending to Earth. I need you to help them, Dad. Keep them safe. Outta Area 51 and the like. There's a group of worlds out here controlled by something called the Peacekeepers. They make Hitler and his bunch look like the local boy scout troop. They know where Earth is. It'll take them at least sixty years to reach you, but they will come. I've done what I can to slow 'em down, but now you have to get ready. You have to be prepared to defend our world." John sobbed on the small screen. "I'm sorry," he said. "They found Earth 'cause of me. Took it from my head," he murmured as he began to cough. Jack sobbed himself as he saw the small red flecks appear at the corners of John's mouth. "Only one thing left I can do to keep them away from Earth," he murmured. "It's me they wan'. Wormhole tech in m' head. Chased me for yahren...years now. They caught us 'bout three weeken...weeks ago. M' friends rescued us, but too late" John said stroking the hair of the woman in his arms. Jack was pretty sure she was dead. Jack was also bitterly aware of how slurred John's speech was becoming. "I'm dyin', Dad" he stated. "Once I'm gone, D'Argo's goin' t' put our bodies in Aeryn's prowler 'nd set us driftin' near a PK base. 'veryone 'ill be safe then. They'll stop lookin' f'r me. Y'll be safe."
"John," Jack moaned.
"One m're thing gotta ask ya, Dad" John said he lifted his head to stare more directly at the camera. This was obviously very important to him because when he spoke again he was careful to enunciate his words clearly to make sure he was understood. "I need you to finish somethin' for me. You said you regretted not bein' a better father. Being away all the time when I was young," he said. "Consider it a second chance. I love you, Dad," he said as his eyes drooped. A moment later the rise and fall of his chest stopped and then so did the recording.
"Nooo!!!" Jack sobbed where he knelt on the ground.
"Jack Crichton," he heard a deep rumbling voice say from the direction of the alien craft.
He looked up to see the imposing alien figure standing in the hatchway. In his arms he held a baby perhaps six months old while two children flanked him on each side. "Consider it a second chance," Jack murmured as he rose and approached the craft and the children he had no doubt were John's. He watched as D'Argo worked some control aboard the vessel. A moment later he was motioning Jack into the ship.