Crichton walked through the small stands, looking for something that might
help with his module. For some odd reason, it wouldn't start, and he had
gone through it probably a thousand times, and he still had no idea what
could be wrong with it. It was driving him nuts not knowing, but Crichton
had a suspicion that one of his crew members had done something to it so he
couldn't stop Moya to fly for a bit and collect data. Chiana? No, she was
too busy dealing with Jool, so that cut her out, too. Dargo? They may have
been fighting an awful lot, but due to recent circumstances, Dargo had been
there for John so he could talk to someone who understood. Crais was on
Talyn, so that cut him from the list, and Aeryn…
Aeryn wouldn't even look at him if she could help it. It was destroying John, little by little, and he moved a lot slower nowadays. It was killing him. "Just don't think about it" Dargo would say.
"Man, I've tried that for quite a long time now, ever since she left on Talyn" Crichton would say aghast in a reply. "But I see her, and then everything just floods back. My imagination just gets the better of me, D."
Crichton tried desperately to forget this, and tried to concentrate instead on an interesting piece of equipment that he had never seen before. The clerk, a delvian male who seemed quite young (then again he could be 800 years old and you wouldn't know the difference), looked at Crichton and tilted his head to the side briefly, then asked, "Are you interested in this piece?"
"What is it?" John asked in curiosity.
"It's called a TB6 Track" he said matter-of-factly. "It can detect problems with any mechanical thing, and will tell you what it is. It also blinks red if someone untrustworthy is nearby, so you can watch yourself easier."
Weird he thought. That's exactly the sort of thing I'd need. I wonder if this guy is trying to rip me off.
The delvian seemed to sense what was going on in Crichton's head, so he said, "You don't trust me on this. Tell you what? It's free of charge for you. I think you need this quite badly."
Out of the corner of Crichton's eye, he could see a woman in black leather probing around, wearing a tight braid. Aeryn Sun. The woman of his dreams, but yet also the thing that was killing him inside.
He sighed heavily, and yet again the delvian seemed to know what was the matter.
"Women are difficult. Time and patience are virtues. They will work with you."
Crichton shook his head. "Not now. They are working against me." He picked up TB6 Track, muttered a thank you, and left.
In all actuality, John and Aeryn were the only two people from Moya's crew on the planet. Neither one of them wanted this to happen, but everyone else was busy doing something. John and Aeryn just-didn't have anything or much to do anymore. Aeryn had silently pleaded with Chiana to come with her, which threw Chiana to be quite surprised, but she told her no.
"I'm helping Pilot. I promised him since yesterday."
"Chiana, I beg of you, if you care for me at all-"
"No, Aeryn. You need to do this. You can't just avoid Crichton forever. It's killing him. Look at how grateful you are being to Zhann! She saved both of you! She fixed everything for you guys a cycle ago. If I had been able to fix things with me and Dargo, I would have done it in an instant. I acted without thinking, I realize that now, but you still have a chance, and you are acting like a peacekeeper bitch" she said icily.
That was a blow Aeryn didn't want to take. It really hurt her. Aeryn couldn't totally mask it, and Chiana saw that she had hurt her.
"Listen, I'm sorry, Aeryn" she said sympathetically. "I really am. But you can't avoid him forever. He's no different from the Crichton on Talyn you had and loved. He's the same man you loved a cycle ago. The same man who held you when you cried about your peacekeeper past. The same guy who once said that you could be more. The same man who has loved you since day one."
Aeryn looked a bit thunderstruck. "But-how do you know-?"
"Aeryn, I get around this place. I hear things no one else would like me to hear. But I hear them, nonetheless."
Chiana, for the first time, gave Aeryn a hug. And for the first time in quite a while, Aeryn smiled, but weakly.
"If you need to talk to someone, I'm right here. I know you may think I'm acting really weird right now, but I know what it's like when there's no one to talk to. It-"
Chiana stopped herself. She tilted her head a little bit, then shook off whatever it was that was bothering her.
"Just don't be where you don't want to be" Chiana said finally.
***************
Dargo had been pacing around for a bit. Something was bothering him, but he couldn't figure out what it was. It kept panging his conscience wherever he went, and he had kept going back and forth so many times that he, a luxan, got tiered and sat down. He sighed heavily. So many things seemed to have taken a bad turn for everyone, and Crichton's decision to stop Scorpius didn't comfort him in the least. It would be very difficult. How the hezmana did he think this was going to work?
"Talyn? Talyn, wait, no!" Pilot shouted, which for some reason came over the comms.
Now what could be wrong? Dargo thought.
"Pilot, what's wrong?" Dargo said in his usual forceful voice.
"Talyn is going into Starburst!" Pilot said in frustration and worry at the same time.
"Is he responding?" Dargo said, heading over to Pilot's chamber.
"No! He and Moya were talking, and then he just stopped and-he's gone."
It was true. Dargo was passing by command, and Talyn was no more in view.
"Pilot, Moya isn't-?" Dargo said, gaping slightly.
"She is!"
"We must warn John and Aeryn!" Dargo said, breaking into a run.
"No time!"
"Make Moya stall!" Dargo said angrily.
"She won't listen!" said Pilot. "Moya is going into Starburst!"
Aeryn wouldn't even look at him if she could help it. It was destroying John, little by little, and he moved a lot slower nowadays. It was killing him. "Just don't think about it" Dargo would say.
"Man, I've tried that for quite a long time now, ever since she left on Talyn" Crichton would say aghast in a reply. "But I see her, and then everything just floods back. My imagination just gets the better of me, D."
Crichton tried desperately to forget this, and tried to concentrate instead on an interesting piece of equipment that he had never seen before. The clerk, a delvian male who seemed quite young (then again he could be 800 years old and you wouldn't know the difference), looked at Crichton and tilted his head to the side briefly, then asked, "Are you interested in this piece?"
"What is it?" John asked in curiosity.
"It's called a TB6 Track" he said matter-of-factly. "It can detect problems with any mechanical thing, and will tell you what it is. It also blinks red if someone untrustworthy is nearby, so you can watch yourself easier."
Weird he thought. That's exactly the sort of thing I'd need. I wonder if this guy is trying to rip me off.
The delvian seemed to sense what was going on in Crichton's head, so he said, "You don't trust me on this. Tell you what? It's free of charge for you. I think you need this quite badly."
Out of the corner of Crichton's eye, he could see a woman in black leather probing around, wearing a tight braid. Aeryn Sun. The woman of his dreams, but yet also the thing that was killing him inside.
He sighed heavily, and yet again the delvian seemed to know what was the matter.
"Women are difficult. Time and patience are virtues. They will work with you."
Crichton shook his head. "Not now. They are working against me." He picked up TB6 Track, muttered a thank you, and left.
In all actuality, John and Aeryn were the only two people from Moya's crew on the planet. Neither one of them wanted this to happen, but everyone else was busy doing something. John and Aeryn just-didn't have anything or much to do anymore. Aeryn had silently pleaded with Chiana to come with her, which threw Chiana to be quite surprised, but she told her no.
"I'm helping Pilot. I promised him since yesterday."
"Chiana, I beg of you, if you care for me at all-"
"No, Aeryn. You need to do this. You can't just avoid Crichton forever. It's killing him. Look at how grateful you are being to Zhann! She saved both of you! She fixed everything for you guys a cycle ago. If I had been able to fix things with me and Dargo, I would have done it in an instant. I acted without thinking, I realize that now, but you still have a chance, and you are acting like a peacekeeper bitch" she said icily.
That was a blow Aeryn didn't want to take. It really hurt her. Aeryn couldn't totally mask it, and Chiana saw that she had hurt her.
"Listen, I'm sorry, Aeryn" she said sympathetically. "I really am. But you can't avoid him forever. He's no different from the Crichton on Talyn you had and loved. He's the same man you loved a cycle ago. The same man who held you when you cried about your peacekeeper past. The same guy who once said that you could be more. The same man who has loved you since day one."
Aeryn looked a bit thunderstruck. "But-how do you know-?"
"Aeryn, I get around this place. I hear things no one else would like me to hear. But I hear them, nonetheless."
Chiana, for the first time, gave Aeryn a hug. And for the first time in quite a while, Aeryn smiled, but weakly.
"If you need to talk to someone, I'm right here. I know you may think I'm acting really weird right now, but I know what it's like when there's no one to talk to. It-"
Chiana stopped herself. She tilted her head a little bit, then shook off whatever it was that was bothering her.
"Just don't be where you don't want to be" Chiana said finally.
***************
Dargo had been pacing around for a bit. Something was bothering him, but he couldn't figure out what it was. It kept panging his conscience wherever he went, and he had kept going back and forth so many times that he, a luxan, got tiered and sat down. He sighed heavily. So many things seemed to have taken a bad turn for everyone, and Crichton's decision to stop Scorpius didn't comfort him in the least. It would be very difficult. How the hezmana did he think this was going to work?
"Talyn? Talyn, wait, no!" Pilot shouted, which for some reason came over the comms.
Now what could be wrong? Dargo thought.
"Pilot, what's wrong?" Dargo said in his usual forceful voice.
"Talyn is going into Starburst!" Pilot said in frustration and worry at the same time.
"Is he responding?" Dargo said, heading over to Pilot's chamber.
"No! He and Moya were talking, and then he just stopped and-he's gone."
It was true. Dargo was passing by command, and Talyn was no more in view.
"Pilot, Moya isn't-?" Dargo said, gaping slightly.
"She is!"
"We must warn John and Aeryn!" Dargo said, breaking into a run.
"No time!"
"Make Moya stall!" Dargo said angrily.
"She won't listen!" said Pilot. "Moya is going into Starburst!"