Chapter 2: Much Too Young to Feel This Damn Old
"Alright, everyone, just calm down!" John said, trying to fully grasp the scene before him. What had started as a calm attempt for the parents to meet and figure out where their children had disappeared to, quickly escalated into a verbal brawl. Biqur Staaf, Relex's overly dressed attorney father, quickly accused Goll's unassuming father of incompetence and threatened, as he put it, "To sue you until I own your very thoughts!"
This led to Mr. Weleth nailing the Justice Prefect, Lind inscrutable father, on spaceport budget concerns, "Well, if I had the adequate funding I requested, I would not have had to use my son to get the upgrades installed on time!"
This of course brought the Prefect to the Crichtons, saying, "It's that damn D'Argo! He has kidnapped my daughter!"
And then to bring it full circle, Aeryn accused the good lawyer of having "…a frelling farhbot of a son who was always getting D'Argo into trouble."
If his son were not missing, then John would have found the scene very entertaining, almost like a bad sitcom. Two of the city's most prominent citzens telling each other to:
"Shut up."
"No, you shut up."
Anthony Michael Hall's dad trying to come up with a good insult but only managing a weak, "You're all frelling idiots."
And then there was Aeryn, trembling with self-restraint. She appeared moments away from getting up and going supernova on the entire room until she got some answers or she felt better. Whichever came first. Unconsciously, John moved his silverware out of her reach.
"Alright," John said, rising to his feet and picking up the Prefect's obviously expensive china plate. With a fluid motion he threw the plate against the dining room wall, its shattering clash bringing the silence he sought. He got an incredulous look from the lawyer and spaceport geek, anger from the Prefect and a look that seemed to suggest, "Wish I had thought of that first" from Aeryn.
"Why don't we all calm down and talk like civilized…beings?" John said retaking his seat, part of him wanting to say humans to get a rise out of the Prefect, but it seemed he had risen enough tonight.
"There are more…civilized ways of getting our attention," the Prefect seethed.
"I know, but I didn't want to bang my fork against the glass. Looks expensive." John commented dryly, eyeing the flute.
Just when the Justice Prefect had reach the level of wrath that usually lead to execution order, Biqur Staaf interjected.
"Mr. Crichton has a point. This bickering is getting us nowhere. I say we examine the facts of the situation," he said, quelling the Prefect.
"Very well. It has been six solar days since graduation and none of our children returned home. At some point during that time, they managed to elude the security at the spaceport, including the bio-scanners and ticket purchase DNA scan. Yesterday, Molina's Intel office received confirmation that a disturbance had taken place on a recreation planet in the next system and the description of the assailants matched our children's. This morning we received word that a sizable bounty had been placed on all their heads by an unknown party." The prefect succinctly stated.
The fact that there was a bounty on their sons and daughters hit them all like a brick. The pettiness and childish behavior seemed to evaporate for a moment as they realized the true danger their children were in. Soon, as their minds began to search for a reason, a person to blame, the squabbling restarted.
As the three men argued, John touched Aeryn's shoulder to keep her from engaging.
"What do you think, honey?" he whispered.
"I think it's obvious that whatever we do, it will be on our own." Her eyes never leaving the three men across from her.
"I figured as much."
"How could they have gotten a bounty on them so quick?" John asked absently. He knew that there were probably still a few people out there looking for him, but the speed at which it had been spread was staggering. A thought formed on Aeryn's brow.
"Prefect, did the bounty have specific instructions about capture?"
"Yes, it said all were to be captured unharmed." Prefect muttered before returning to brow beat whoever would listen.
"Frell," they both said. They knew that if this was merely revenge by someone, then the bounty would have said dead or alive. The fact that they were to be captured unharmed led to only two conclusions; either they wanted something they knew or they would be used as bait to lure out John and Aeryn. The feeling of helplessness was rising again and she had had enough of it.
"Prefect!" Aeryn roared, rising to her feet, her tone commanding silence and her face attention. "This is what you are going to do. You are going to authorize the use of one the city's Macula-class fighters for our use. Staaf, you are going to talk to every lowlife criminal that you have ever defended and find out who put out the bounty on our children. Goll, you're going to hack that recreation planet's data base and find out exactly what happened there and where our children are going." Life as a Peacekeeper had taught Aeryn how to take orders; having a teenage son taught her how to give them.
"You dare give me orders?!" the Prefect had the nerve to look shocked.
"You're damn right we dare! Listen here, Boss Hogg, the only way we are going to get our kids back is if we get to them first," John said, rising to join Aeryn.
"Wait, how do you know that they are not still on the recreation planet?" Weleth asked.
"Because if they were then there would be no bounty to collect. They must have escaped."
The Prefect seemed to mull over the information for a few microts then conceded.
"I will agree to your request, but you will take three of my personal guard with you to offer assistance."
"No, we don't need them."
"You misunderstand, human. This condition is non-negotiable; accept it or I'll throw you both in the lock-up on suspicion of aiding a kidnapper."
"You don't have the mivonks, you slimy..." Aeryn started but was silenced by John grabbing her arm to keep her from storming out or decking the Prefect. Probably both.
"Deal. Have your men and the ship meet us at my garage in 10 arns," John said, leading Aeryn out of the room.
"We do not need his help." Aeryn said as they strode down the hall.
"Yes, we do, Aeryn. Like it or not, we gotta swallow our pride on this and admit we need assistance. We have two of the most famous faces in the galaxy, so it's not like we can go incognito." He reasoned, not happy with their circumstances himself.
D'Argo wearily opened his eyes after the room shuddered, signaling the ship had docked with an inspection station before entering the planet's atmosphere. He thought he was lying prone, but he could hear the soft thump of Lind's heart and smell the scent she placed in her hair. He had fallen asleep resting on her, her arms clasped around his chest as if expecting him to disappear when she finally succumbed to an exhausted sleep.
Across the room, Relex was sprawled out in a chair, his feet propped up on the small table in their quarters. What looked to be an extremely uncomfortable position yielded no sign of discomfort from him as he snored loudly.
Slowly rising from the bed, D'Argo tried not to wake Lind. He entered the refresher and looked at the haggard face before him.
You look old, he thought, splashing some water on his face. Hoping that when he looked again the lines and weariness would have washed away down the drain. The last two cycles had changed him so much, he wondered if his parents would even recognize him when they saw him again. At this point he could barely recognize himself. The things he had done to survive would seem almost comical if they were presented to his previous self.
I would have found another way, he could hear his former self say.
"There wasn't any other way; we did what we had to do to survive."
Keep
telling yourself that. Keeping trying to justify what you did.
He
wanted to smash the mirror, to destroy the memory of the person he
once was and the person he had become. Instead he walked back into
the room and began checking their weapons. Three Mark IV pulse
pistols, one with the moniker "Molly" etched in its handle, a few
extra ammo packs and two incendiary grenades. Of course, these
weapons would be useless if she didn't keep her side of the
bargain. A few pulse pistols against a platoon of Peacekeepers would
be anything but effective. Once again, they were faced with a dire
situation and D'Argo could not help but wonder where it had all
gone wrong.
They entered the spaceport awash with anxiety and excitement. In order to seize the moment, D'Argo had sent Goll ahead on graduation night to sneak into the spaceport and program the bio-scanner.
"But what terminal will we be departing from?" Goll asked, unsure of their destination.
"The closest planet with booze, broads and little need for clothing!" Relex said without missing a beat.
Lind merely rolled her eyes and D'Argo laughed, "You heard the man. We will meet you there at dawn."
The morning sun was shining brightly through the ornate glass window panes. They were all groggy but Relex's always ready supply of hangover pills worked as usual. They didn't have time to pack their bags so they were traveling burdened only with the graduation money they received and what little savings they had scraped together. However, the look in Relex's eye seemed to suggest he might have dipped into his father's private account.
"We have got a problem," Goll said, materializing from the stairway.
"With the scanners?"
"No, that was easy," Goll said matter-of-factly. "It's the ticket booth. It seems that now a DNA sample must be given in order to purchase a ticket. Seems Lind's paranoid father is worried about criminals skipping town and he wants to know where they are going."
"Frell," D'Argo managed, seeing his dream explode before they could even start the engine.
"Maybe not…" Lind said, something catching her eye. "Goll, isn't that Nabcee over there at the counter?"
"Oh, yeah, it is. Her mother is the head of ticket sales; she must be starting her apprenticeship early."
She was not unattractive by any means, merely plain. Nothing about her stood out and she seemed to blend into whatever environment she was in.
"Now is not the time for gossip and discussions about hair scenting, Lind," Relex snapped, which prompted a sharp elbow in the ribs from D'Argo.
"Are you that oblivious? She has had a crush on you for three cycles, Relex!" Lind said, her eyes wide with utter lack of awareness in him.
"What?" Relex squinted his eyes at her. "I don't even recognize her."
"That's because you're a drannit."
"Perhaps, but how does this change our situation?"
"Well, you're always talking about how smooth you are. Well, brother, time to belly up to the bar," D'Argo said, sensing where Lind was going.
"First of all, stop using Earth terms. It makes you sound like an idiot. Secondly, you guys want an aisle seat or window?"
"I propose a toast!" D'Argo said surging to his feet, swaying from the level of alcohol in his blood. They were all seated around a table with a star-filled sky and a roaring ocean at their backs. They had spent the last few days celebrating their freedom and all wore the bright colors of the native stores.
"Preach, brother!" Relex said.
"To our good friend, Goll. What he lacks in women skills, he more than makes up for in projectile vomiting." They all laughed as Goll blushed. Earlier in the weeken he had too much to drink and approached a young woman. However, instead of a pick-up line coming out his mouth, his dinner did.
"Next, to the charismatic one, Relex Staaf. Whose tongue not only got us here but also got him a trip to the medical office," D'Argo chuckled, alluding to the incident when Relex was seen leaving a dance club one night with an attractive alien only to find himself in the town's medical office due to his allergic reaction to her saliva.
"I'll drink to that!" Relex said, raising his glass.
"Next, the lovely Lind..." D'Argo's eyes and tone softened as he looked at her.
"Is this a toast or a speech?" Goll said through a laugh.
"Lind, there are very few things in this universe that I would endure your father on a daily basis for," D'Argo continued unabated.
"Oh, yeah, what else is there?" she asked, grin firmly on lips.
"Whatever the frell is in this drink."
Again they all shared in a fell about the table with laughter.
At that same moment countless motras away…
"We have a positive identification, Ma'am. You were correct, the scan found them on Kauris IV, the nearest recreation planet." The officer said sharply.
"Do they have any idea they have been scanned?" a calculating voice asked.
"It appears not, Ma'am. The reporting agent signaled from a dance club in the city. He told them he was scanning for weapons before they could enter. They put up no resistance and have made no attempt to leave the planet."
"Send a small collection team. This is off the books, Lieutenant. No uniforms or Peacekeeper vessels. Is that understood?" she barked.
"Yes, Ma'am. I will oversee their retrieval myself."
The next morning, D'Argo awoke in his hotel room trying to will his mind to stop the room from spinning. He took the last of the hangover pills and decided some sea-air would be just the trick to clear his mind. The voyage here had only been a little over a solar day in space, but he could not shake the strange feeling he got when they initially broke the atmosphere. He couldn't explain it to the rest of them, so he didn't bring it up. It was as if something inside him had been dormant but entering space had awakened it.
On his way back to the hotel he stopped at the local pharmacy to pick up some more pills, but his blood ran cold when he glanced over at the hotel entrance. A bloody-nosed and restrained Relex was being ushered out the front door. The men leading wore no uniforms, but were dressed in civilian clothing. However, their gait and constantly scanning eyes gave them away. His mother taught him early on how to recognize a Peacekeeper and today it served him well.
His first instinct was to rush in and check on Lind, but he knew better. If they'd found Relex, then they must know that they were all here. The first thing he had to do was free Relex for back up.
He frantically looked around the pharmacy for something to use as a weapon. His eyes settled on a bottle of Holocene Solution, a disinfectant used to treat wounds given by the occasional sea animal tentacle burn. It was also extremely combustible. Buying a bottle and as well as a rag and lighter, D'Argo bolted out the door. Relex, being the stubborn guy he was, slowed the Peacekeepers down considerably, allowing D'Argo to sprint down the beach out of their sight and eventually pass them. Looking for a good place to ambush, he settled on a four-way stop.
The more places your enemy has to cover, the better. His mother's words resonated in his mind.
They seemed unarmed but he knew that wasn't true, they had guns on them somewhere. As they approached, D'Argo expected to feel uneasy or nervous, but the emotions never came. His mind was clear and focused. Waiting until they passed directly beside him, he lobbed the lit bottle directly into their path.
The bottle shattered in a blaze of flame, forcing the three men to jump backwards. As the two Peacekeepers struggled to their feet, D'Argo made his move. The first Peacekeeper reached for the small of his back, but a sharp kick to his face from D'Argo halted the effort. However, he wasn't quick enough to stop the next one. The gun seemed to materialize in his hand and it was pointed directly at his chest.
"Nice try, junior," the man fumed. He looked like he was about to pull the trigger when the man seemed to recognize D'Argo. "You're D'A…"
The man's epiphany was cut short when Relex's boot connected with his rib cage. The Peacekeeper reflexively pulled the trigger but the shot went wide over D'Argo's shoulder. Embracing the adrenaline now flowing in his veins, he leapt on the Peacekeeper with a fury he hadn't known he possessed.
When Relex finally got his attention, his fists were covered in blood and the Peacekeeper before him looked ravaged. Grabbing his weapon, he searched for the keys to Relex's restraints. Finding them and unlocking them, Relex armed himself with the other Peacekeeper's weapon.
"What do you want to do about them?"
A few precious moments later the boys finished handcuffing each of the Peacekeepers' hands over a cross beam under the boardwalk. There was no way for them to escape unless they could take out the body-width size strut...
"We gotta get back and get the others."
"I heard the hezmana twins here talking about the ship that they had concealed. It should be just over the next dune in a cove."
"Ok…" D'Argo said nodding his head.
"You know how to use one of these things?" Relex asked, eyeing the blaster in his hand. Both of D'Argo's parents trained him in using a firearm, but those pulse pistols were out of date now. These were sleeker and less cumbersome.
"Slight bend in the arm, aim for center mass," D'Argo said tapping his finger into Relex's sternum. "Let your finger pull the trigger and not your wrist."
The first room they got to was Goll's. They could hear the muffled struggle through the unsealed door. Motioning for Relex to follow his lead, they both took a deep breath.
"Where are Crichton and Thanos?!" he demanded again, a slap reverberating across the room.
"I don't know," Goll wailed. When Lind and D'Argo checked in, they had made a joke and registered under the name of Mr. and Mrs. Hooman. A joke that seemed to be keeping her safe for the moment.
There was no way of knowing how many Peacekeepers were going to be around the corner. They spun into the room, weapons held high.
"Don't move," D'Argo barked, trying to be intimidating.
One of the two Peacekeepers started to turn around but was halted when a pulse blast whizzed by his ear, burning the wall.
"You heard him," Relex growled, with a look on his face that made D'Argo wonder if he'd missed on purpose.
"Goll, get up," D'Argo ordered. "And get their weapons."
Reluctantly Goll took the pulse pistols from the two Peacekeepers, giving one to D'Argo and clutching the other.
"Both of you two turn around slowly and enter the refresher."
They were both giving D'Argo spiteful looks, but he remember his training and stayed far enough away that if they made a lunge he would get a shot off first.
"Handcuff them to the sink pipe," D'Argo directed. "Relex, take Goll to their ship and get it ready for launch."
"What?! I—"
"Listen, Goll, now is not the time. You have been around starships your entire life and I need you to focus."
"Fine, I can get it prepped but I can't fly it."
"You don't have to. I will."
"What? Since when have you flown anything but atmospheric cargo ships?" Relex admonished.
"It can't be that much different. Frell, it may be easier, no gravity or weather patterns to worry about."
"We are all gonna die."
"Both of you just shut up and get to the ship."
"The inspection station just confirmed. The transport has just been cleared to land; they will be planetside within the arn."
"Excellent, prepare for their arrival."
"You don't have to do this," the man said wearily from the floor.
"You know nothing of what I have to do, Crichton. You are human, flawed and weak."
"How many times do I gotta tell you? Call me Dad."
They were sprinting now as they rounded the stone wall and entered the cove. In the center of the depression in the massive seawall sat their salvation. The ship itself was uninspiring; it was a moderate-sized long-range transport. His father would have called it, 'The Minivan of Space Travel.' The hatch was open in its side and the few steps leading up to it were traversed quickly. As soon as they entered Goll rushed past them mumbling loudly to himself. D'Argo tried to get his attention but he continued on his way to the back of the ship.
"How we comin'?" D'Argo asked, finding Relex in the cockpit.
"The ship is prepped for launch but we can't leave yet," Relex said, exasperated
"What? Why?"
"Frell, I dunno. Goll has been speaking gibberish since we got here. Something about a thing that does a thing and apparently we don't want it to do that particular thing."
D'Argo merely sighed and put his hand on his head. This could not possibly get worse.
"Uhhh, guys?" Lind's tone was leery.
Relex and D'Argo saw what caught her attention out the front viewport of the ship. Coming around the same bend they had moments earlier, were two bloody and pissed-off Peacekeepers, as well as what appeared to be the local authorities.
"Frell…!" they all said in unison.
"Time to go to work," D'Argo said, patting Relex's shoulder.
"What do you want me to do?" Lind asked.
"See if there is gonna be anything waiting for us when we get up there." Lind had always been exceptionally talented when it came to interpreting and directing the planetary data streams and seemed naturally at home working on the complicated consoles.
D'Argo and Relex positioned themselves on either side of the open hatchway, backs against the wall. Pistols drawn, they spun and began laying down fire. The two Peacekeepers and three accompanying officers dove for cover. D'Argo's shots were clean and precise; Relex was all over the map. Most of his shots peppered the cove walls and a large boulder.
"You know," D'Argo said as they both retreated behind the wall as the officers returned fire. "You are really bad at this."
"Perhaps..." Relex said as if mulling it over. "But that big rock out there isn't gonna be coming after us anytime soon."
They both laughed and returned fire.
"I think I've found it!" they heard Goll shriek even over the gunfire. In his euphoric daze, he almost wandered directly into the crossfire coming through the open hatchway.
"What the frell is that?" Relex said, alluding to the piece of machinery in their friend's hand. It had frayed wires and had that freshly-ripped-out-of-the-engine look.
"This is the ships tracking device…or…" Goll trailed off.
"What do you mean or?"
"Well, it could also be the fuel cooling processor."
"What!? You mean the part of the engine that regulates the fuel temperature on take-off? The part of the engine that if not engaged will cause us to blow up as soon as we hit ignition?" D'Argos voice kept getting louder.
"You'd be surprised at how similar the parts look."
A brief, disbelieving silence fell between the friends as they all stared at the offending part.
"I'm gonna shoot him," Relex ground out between clenched teeth, leveling his weapon.
"What?!" Goll squeaked.
"Just once, you'll be ok."
"Enough, we have got to get out of here. Here, trade." D'Argo said, holding out his pistol and taking the part from Goll's hand. "You two keep shooting, I'm gonna go light this candle."
"I've never…" Goll said, looking at the blaster dangling uselessly from his fingers.
"Don't worry; you can't be any worse than Relex," D'Argo said snidely, a strong "Frell you!" accompanying his departure.
"I think I have got us a clear path out of here. What is that?" Lind asked as he entered the cockpit.
"Trust me, you don't want to know."
He took a moment to admire her lithe body before entering the room and alerting her to his presence. She was tall and thin, with her hair loosely layered on the pillow as she slept. It was jet black and seemed to accentuate her lighter skin tones. However, her most impressing feature were the cool blue eyes that could alternately scour or warmly welcome you. She had learned well from her mother, while never going as far Grayza had to gain influence over men. She did learn, however, that even in the most disciplined of armies, the allure of a beautiful woman is unrelenting.
"Hello, Felina," he said slowly, wondering if she would jump at the sound of his voice.
"What do you want?" she asked sullenly, hoping her tone of disenchantment covered the apprehension she felt whenever he was around.
"The same thing you want, my dear."
"I see," her tone warming, becoming more seductive. She crossed the room gracefully to him, watching his eyes to see how closely they followed her hips as she walked, sheer sleeping gown hugging every curve.
"And what is it that I want?" she whispered, slowly walking around him, running a finger over the smooth, hard surface of his shoulder. She had tried this many times before, but to no avail. Both her beauty and stature had made it easy to have even the most hardened officers swooning over her. But he was different.
As she slowly reached his front again, she brought both hands to his shoulders and willed him with her eyes. He seemed to relent just for a moment, a change in breathing or perhaps a different line in his brow. Suddenly, he grabbed her wrist and flung her backwards, forcing her to fall back on her bed.
"We do not have time for this foolishness, child!"
"Soon, that's all we will have. My agents have already landed on the recreation planet, the boy will be here within a solar day."
"What?!" he yelled furiously. "You were under strict orders not to send a Peacekeeper contingent after him!"
"I didn't," she said defensively, rebuked by his recrimination. "I sent some of my own personal guard. They went out of uniform and off the 'net. No one will know they are Peacekeepers."
"You had better pray you are right, Felina. Otherwise your usefulness to me will have ceased to be."
"You do not scare me."
"I should," Scorpius assured her with silken menace.
