Title: When Worlds Collide
Author: sassy_lion
Summary: Aeryn and John are having a wonderful weeken to themselves, when Aeryn goes missing and John finds a Peacekeeper plot that seems too unbelievable (somehow all my stories, as of late, get the PK treatment), only to get help from an unlikely source...
Spoilers: A little more than 5 months after season 3. John and Aeryn are back together, as they should be!
Disclaimer: Rockne owns the world. I just live and play in it, I really can't ask for more...to bring home a PK maybe?
Archiving: If you want it, take it. Send me a note.
Beta: Iris Green, Pinky (for what little you did), and of course who can forget: me! Oh, wait; I can't give myself credit, can I? Hmmm... Another question to ponder... I'll have to write this one down.
Feedback: PLEASE. I need it! Compliments will be shined and placed in a display case. Flames will be used to blow new glass. (Yes, I know how to do it too!)
Author's Notes: 1) I am person who HATES to do story outlines ahead of time. It just throws me off and makes me lose my concentration. 2) I am a nocturnal, soon-to-be 18-year-old, so if you find a mistake (regarding space-time or just normal time) it just means I had to be up for at least part of the day. 3) You'll find a couple of anime references in a lot of my stories. No anime belongs to me, and in a way I want to strangle Lizzy for giving me excuses to watch more and more TV every week. Most of my references will be Gundam Wing, Cowboy Bebop, or Outlaw Star, but there others.... 4) To my betas: my computer is old, so forgive all the spelling mistakes. :*(
Shout-Outs: The biggest thanks go to Lizzy (aka pinky) for endlessly listening to me bitch and complain about EVERYTHING from my works, your works, your spelling problems (quit complaining, you know I luv ya!), being broke, trying to get money for both conventions...Am I being to repetitive? * Sits in quiet contemplation for a whole minute * Why do you put up with me anyway? Thank you for also listening to me ramble about who I am going to kill...(you know its VSC :)) I can't forget Amy for being a nitpick and checking every little spelling and grammar mistake. Don't worry, there are more chapters to come…I also have to thank my brother Tucker for listening to PM5K thousands of times...over and over and over again. (Hence the title of the story) and the QOTD and Bride of Chucky soundtracks and not to mention my endless parade of Pink Floyd's Roger Waters Live From Berlin CDs. NOTE FOR YOU TUCKER: I will not name ANYTHING Yoshi!

Okay now my babbling is completely done. (For this chapter at least)

When Worlds Collide
Chapter 1: Different Worlds

© sassy_lion March/April 2002


Lieutenant Commander Tara Crichton sat silently on the terrace of the Leviathan in her care, thinking about how she had actually ended up where she was-- a militaristic organization on the opposite end of the universe pretending to be who she wasn't. A Peacekeeper lieutenant named Risal L'San, a Sebecean in general. This was her life now, not like the peaceful one she had begun to lead not too long ago.

It has been 20 Earth years, since John went to this twisted and psychotic end of the universe...I wonder how he is holding up now. For him, it's only been about four cycles. It's strange how physics works its wonders when it comes to space travel. Imagine what Einstein would have did if he had known his Special Theory of Relativity actually worked, instead of just being theoretical. John doesn't even know about the terricolonies that IASA and NASA had started in his name a few years after he left all because of the theory he had predicted. It had actually worked. Tara brought her knees up and wrapped her arms around them. Putting her chin on her knees, she continued to give her full attention to the stars above her. All that data had helped us build the gates, to travel anywhere between the Milky Way, the Andromeda galaxy and the MS7 galaxy, to explore space like we always wanted to. Oh, John you would be amazed at what Humans had done in the last 21 years.

Remembering what life had been like after John had left and before the gates spawned another set of thoughts. She had only been 16 when John had disappeared. As soon as she could she had joined IASA and began working into what had happened. It was Tara, herself, who had helped get the Centinnal project funded for deep-space exploration missions.

Maybe not, maybe he's like me now. Being stuck out here for nearly two cycles on my own. Maybe he's seen his share of aliens and all he wants to do is somehow get back to Earth. Would he even want to go to Earth? Maybe he'd go with me to Centinnal, go to my colony. He would be more welcome there on Centinnal than any other colony, especially since I helped found it. He'd be able to see DK again. He'd be able to see Kayla again, if he wanted to. He's had that terrible grudge toward her, his own sister, ever since... no, I won't remember that. I don't want to. He'd see how much better the colonies are then our own pollution-covered, corporate-run Earth. Einstein's Special Theory won't affect the colonies perception of time as drastically as Earth does. The colonies are only about ten light years from this position. Earth is at least sixty, maybe seventy years at normal pace.

The thought of John's grudge against Kayla brought up another point she had been thinking about seriously as of late. There's all those rumors in First Command about John having an all-out grudge against Scorpius, destroying his carrier, destroying his Gammak base, killing thousands upon thousands of people...but are they really true?

Tara yawned and stared out of into the starry blackness that had become a part of her life, as she had to work to sustain her Peacekeeper ruse. It hadn't been very hard for her to keep up the masquerade as long as she had Torin around. He had helped her infiltration in the first place after she had saved his life on Cirroc IV. They had spent time together and he told her of his background as a Peacekeeper. In return she told him of her life on Earth, on Centinnal, and how she had come to be so far from her home.

It had been Torin who had originally suggested that she have a solid background in a Sebecean house. It was then she had learned that John was still alive and that he had gained a dangerous reputation out in the Uncharted Territories.

Before she began her ruse, he had taught her all the 'rules' of acting Sebecean-- like a Peacekeeper. He had then taught her all 750 articles of Peacekeeper Deca, customs, language, and more. It was like one of the well- worn castes she had been taught of in school. One track stayed in that track, each company stayed in similar ones, and regiments stuck together like family. They never took another track in the Peacekeepers unless they needed to. Command to command; tech to tech; pilot to pilot. Or lesser officers that never shift.

High Command has wanted beacons everywhere for anyone related to Crichton, that includes his shipmates. Always remember to protect yourself. Torin's words rang through her head again as she remembered the night before the Prowler Detail had picked them up from the planet.

He had helped her create a whole new identity inside the Peacekeepers domain, he had altered the genetics of her skin to allow her access to the command mainframes, he had made a ident chip for her, and had cleverly inserted her ruse into First Command's active duty rosters. He had given her an entire life to keep her safe.

She didn't, couldn't admit to anyone that she actually had fallen in love with her beloved Torin. Not because she was going to be left again, as DK had left her for that floozy little blonde he was married to now, but because Peacekeepers didn't believe in life-long commitments or even emotional attachments. Besides she was now considered infantry and he was just a tech.

"I see you are sitting here again, Lieutenant Commander." Captain Zahir Luca spoke softly as he sat down next to her. "You look at the stars too often." He smiled and placed his hand gently on her shoulder. It was just a gesture of comfort this time unlike it had been in the past.

He was the only other person in all of the Peacekeepers who knew of her potentially deadly secret. He had found out after she had been transferred to his command. She had slipped while on duty, and he had called her on it. Instead of turning her over to High Command, though he only improved her ruse by accepting her completely into his command as his second and constantly protecting her along with her secret.

She was thankful only a crew of 15 command posts and maybe 300 techs were ever on board at one time. It kept their secrets much more hidden than if she and Zahir were paired together on a Command carrier.

There was only one other secret that had bonded the two together. They had been married at the last planet they had visited, the Sebecean way, by carving ornate bands of designs across their upper left arm, almost touching their shoulders, showing their commitment to each other. Not even the crew under their command knew. She wouldn't stand it if they knew; a vengeful or displeased crewmember would easily turn both of them in for a better position.

"I look too often don't I?" She smiled and gently leaned her head on his shoulder. "I miss my home, my family, friends -- at this point I even miss work." She gave a dry chuckle. "But I couldn't give up my life out here now."

"No, you look just enough." He pulled her into his arms and leaned down gently to kiss the woman he had fallen in love with in less than two cycles.

"Zahir," she scolded and pulled away slightly. "Quarters! I don't think the crew would appreciate it if we started right here on the terrace." She smiled playfully as he led her to the now shared quarters, laughing most of the way. "And I certainly wouldn't want them to see..."

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

John sat on the terrace of his own Leviathan home, Moya, watching the stars as well. His reasons were different though. John wasn't truly wishing for Earth now, he had accepted that his home was now on Moya with the others. His reason was instead the only woman he truly loved, Aeryn. They had just come back after another planet-side excursion. It was just another day where Aeryn had to rescue his sorry ass after an ambitious group of people tried to capture John, to turn him in for the ever-growing bounty on his head.

Damn the Peacekeepers, he thought as his mind involuntarily began to rifle through all the wear and tear he had gone through on the command carrier with Scorpius. He shook his head to clear his mind of the horrible images as the door to the terrace swung open gently and a set of soft footfalls started toward him. They stopped a microt later about ten feet behind him, but he already knew who it was.

"John?" Aeryn's voice sounded softly behind him. He turned around to find her wearing just a pair of his Calvins and a large black T-shirt. It had only been about a monen earlier that Aeryn had begun showing signs that she was nearly halfway through her fifteen-monen pregnancy. As of the last three weekens, her belly was starting to grow a lot faster and she was having a slightly harder time doing things she normally did, like maintenance.

"Yeah, baby?" He motioned for her to join him. As she did, he tucked her gently into his arms and she rested her head in the usual spot of the niche of his shoulder blade. He waited a moment for her to answer, but as he looked down at her face, he saw she was almost asleep.

John nudged her gently and she opened her eyes. "Did you want to say something?"

Aeryn shook her head and snuggled back into his arms. "I love you," she whispered.

"I love you, too." He brought her closer as she fell back into a light sleep from all the stress that had accumulated over the last few weekens since she had learned of her pregnancy.

He wondered how long she would actually sleep this time. Ever since she had learned of the pregnancy, her sleeping patterns had gone erratic. One minute she could be wide-awake and the next she could be fast asleep. She would sleep most of the day and stay awake all night. And she always tended to be in John's arm when she fell asleep.

"Commander." Pilot's voice quietly filtered through the comms. "I have been alerted that we are low on supplies. I have located a commerce planet nearby."

"It's been nearly three weekens since we picked up food. How far away is the planet?"

"27 arns."

"Let's go, but be on the lookout for Peacekeepers. Aeryn mentioned something about being near Peacekeeper space."

"Understood, Commander."

After another arn of watching the stars, John nudged Aeryn gently and whispered, "Aeryn, baby..."

Aeryn lazily opened her eyes, already knowing what he was about to say, "I can't move," she whispered back. She was actually telling the truth. Between the last arns on the terrace, the position her ever-growing belly was in, and the warmth of John against her, she was so completely comfortable she couldn't move if she wanted to, and she didn't.

"I know you're comfortable, but we have to get you to bed. You'll be more comfortable there."

"No," she yawned slightly, "I'm fine here, John." she whispered as she began to fall asleep again, knowing John would become frustrated and shift himself to pick her up and carry her to their shared quarters. "And don't pick me up. I hate when you do that."

But as she knew John would, about 30 microts later, he did exactly that, but unlike all the other times, Aeryn continued to stay sleeping.

John carried her to their respective quarters and shook her awake again, only long enough to get her comfortably settled into bed. He stripped and joined her in bed. Aeryn immediately rolled over and pressed against him as well as she could despite her ever-growing form, placing her head on his shoulder, one hand across his chest, and her right leg between his thighs. She had already fallen asleep and John knew this was how she preferred to sleep, giving both her and the baby enough room to be comfortable.

He put his hand against her face for a microt, enjoying the moment of watching her sleep. Then his hand gravitated toward her hair and he began to stroke it lightly. A few microts later, he fell asleep as well.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

Okay that is the end of this chapter. That makes 7 pages (according to my computer...I think it turns out to be about 4/5, maybe 6 here) for the night. It is now official 1 am and I actually have to get up by noon tomorrow, so this is where I am calling it quits for tonight. Besides Rusty (my computer- he's a hunk of junk) is getting tired too. Note: Because I DID make a draft sheet (OH MY GOD!) for "Nothing" and it got tossed by my 4- year-old brother, I am taking the story down until I can write a new draft for it. (I know I said I hate drafts, but that story is too complex for off- the-wall writing. I let everyone know when I have the draft done for it if interested. Just for now, place your comments in the small box below, or I'll have to send you an insulting e-mail completely in Japanese! (I can do it too! LOL)

At this point I am pausing for 7-10 minutes at a time to watch my screen saver as I fly through space. *Yawns* Oh God, I think I'm going to die of sleep deprivation. (I haven't slept since Thursday!)

Good night now...zzzzzzzzzzzz... I'll start chapter 2 tomorrow. I hope. I wish.