Title: To Fall From Grace
Summary: What happened on that trip to get a new Pilot for Moya to turn a respected Peacekeeper tech against everything he knew? See why Velorek put his career and his life on the line.
A/N: This marks the first Farscape fanfic that I have published in quite some time. I hope that you enjoy it. Please, R&R.
Rating: PG-13 for suggestive sexual situations
Disclaimer: Farscape is property of Jim Henson, Co., Hallmark Ent. and others. I am making no profit off this story, merely sharing my enjoyment of the wonderful characters. I'll return them unharmed, this time.
Velorek looked around his room, making sure he had everything. As an expert on Leviathans, he skills were in great demand, and he was used to being reassigned. The Peacekeeper life was a transient one for someone of his stature. Sometimes, he longed for the days before he had achieved fame, but his standard of living was much improved over that of the average tech on a Command Carrier.
Normally, he was assigned to assist with newly captured Leviathans, but this time, he was doing something different.
His new assignment was to Captain Crais and his secret Leviathan-hybrid project. This was an exciting project to develop a potentially powerful weapon that could be used against the Scarrans. So far, the project had met with limited success, and he had been assigned to bring his expertise in Pilot and Leviathan physiology. Peacekeeper Tech had told him that the successful completion of this assignment could bring him great glory, even for a tech. If he helped this project succeed, it had been hinted that he would be assigned as Chief Researcher on a Gammak project, something he had longed for the last several cycles.
Arriving at the transport, he found the usual sour-faced pilot who looked like she would rather be anywhere else. He had grown used to this; pilots were the elite and were cold to those that were not their brethren. At least it was a female pilot this time. Since it would be a twenty-two solar day journey, he could hopefully convince her of the advantages of recreating with a lowly tech.
"Lieutenant Velorek," he said by way of introduction.
"Officer Sun," she replied coldly. "Is that everything you need?"
"Yes." He had never cared for the division Peacekeeper society had placed between tech and warrior. It was his opinion that they could benefit from closer interaction. He watched her turn away almost before the words were out of his mouth.
She was so eager to depart, that he barely had time to toss his bag in his room and strap himself into his seat before she took off.
Once they were clear of the base, he asked, "So, do you normally do transport runs?"
"No."
He could tell this would be a very long trip if he couldn't get her to open up. "What do you normally do?"
"I'm a Prowler pilot."
"Have you seen much combat?" He knew how proud they were of their combat records.
She continued to concentrate on her instruments. "Your orders are in your quarters. I was instructed to inform you to read them."
He sighed, realizing that it would take time to get through to her. Deciding he should let her get used to his presence, he went to his quarters to see if he was finally getting the in depth information on the project he had asked for.
After a quick read through the information, he saw that he was to procure a new Pilot. He should have suspected as much since he had been developing a process to replace Pilots. His first test had been quite successful, and his work had been lauded. Unfortunately, he still didn't see much information on the details of this particular project. He composed a message requesting more information so he could ensure the new Pilot had the qualities needed to ensure success of the project. Since this request was being sent to Captain Crais, he assumed it would take a few days to receive a reply.
He made a list of supplies and personnel he would require upon his arrival to the Leviathan, and after sending that message, he decided to prepare the evening meal, hoping that eating something other than food cubes would make Officer Sun more sociable.
Two days out from the base, Velorek felt that he was finally making progress with her. While not a great conversationalist, he was at least getting her to give more than one word answers and had even prompted her into telling several stories.
He smiled at the sparkle in her eyes as she regaled a story in which she and her comrades had been vastly outnumbered and still defeated a Scarran patrol. Now that she had warmed to him, he could see her beauty. She still had her hair pulled back according to Peacekeeper regulation, but he longed to see it flowing freely, to run his fingers through it.
Reaching out to stroke her arm, he said, "It is going to be a long journey, and telling stories will only pass so much time." He gave her a suggestive grin.
She returned the grin. "That would make the time pass more quickly, wouldn't it?"
Taking this as an invitation, he pulled her onto his lap. "Most definitely." It wasn't long before he was leading her to his quarters, divesting her of her clothing along the way.
Returning from his visit to the Elders, Velorek was disappointed with the results. The Elders had refused his request for a new Pilot. In the previous instance, the Pilot he sought to replace had been seriously injured and was no longer capable of properly performing his duties. He was not able to demonstrate that was the case this time as the Leviathan in question was not with him.
Knowing he had to succeed, he decided to take another route. Aeryn had suggested taking a Pilot by force, but he knew that to do so would likely injure the Pilot to the point where nothing would be gained. No, he had a better idea. He quietly put out the word that he was looking for a Pilot to be joined with a Leviathan, one that need not be qualified by the Elders. There had always been many more willing Pilots than Leviathans, so he assumed it would not take long before he was contacted.
In less than a day, he received a message requesting a meeting in a remote location. Relief washed through him as he realized he would likely be able to begin the return transit that evening. He found Aeryn going through her exercises. "I have good news. I should have a new Pilot procured in a few arns. Once we have him secured for transport, we'll be able to depart."
"Good. I'll get the transport ready for departure."
"Are you almost done with your workout?" Over the last several days, he had gotten her to open up, to have real conversations. She was something special, something more than just a Peacekeeper grunt; she just didn't know it yet. He hoped to convince her of that.
"Give me a few more microts," she replied playfully.
He leaned against the bulkhead to watch her, finding her fluid movements quite arousing.
On the return journey, he finally received the complete project information from Crais, including results from pervious iterations. What he read appalled him. Leviathan after Leviathan was being sacrificed for this project. Very little effort was being put into discovering the underlying cause for why neither mother nor offspring survived the process. He knew that he could not be part of this.
Before, he had been eager to help, but not at the cost of innocent lives. Realizing the direness of the situation, he knew that he had to first try to convince the current Pilot to agree. He also had to devise a method to ensure project failure. He would not sacrifice another Leviathan to a hopeless project.
Knowing that Aeryn was still loyal to the Peacekeepers, he would have to keep this information from her. Thankfully, he had already warned her that he would be busier on the return voyage, ensuring the new Pilot was prepared for joining. He also had the project specifications, which would be further reason for him spending more time working. Of course, he would still find time for her. Recreating with her was an experience like no other. He had never felt this way about any of the others, and he was almost positive she felt the same way. He would give her a few more days before broaching the subject of securing her a transfer to his unit.