Chapter 2
Crais opened his eyes, stretched and then jumped when his arm touched something. Then he remembered and relaxed. Even after half a cycle he still wasn't used to waking up with someone. He remembered the first morning - he'd had his pulse pistol pointed at her before he'd thought. He'd given her quite a shock. In fact, after that, it was amazing there'd even been a second morning, let alone...however many it was.
He got up slowly, careful not to wake her. Half a cycle, had it really been so long? Sometimes it felt like yesterday, other times it felt like she'd been here forever...but not long enough to make him used to her. No matter how hard he'd tried, he still couldn't truly believe she was here to stay. Something deep within him told him it was too perfect and that made it suspicious. They were too many unanswered questions. Peacekeepers didn't just quit. The problem was, she couldn't give him the answers. She didn't even know them herself.
He'd asked when she'd first come aboard. All she could tell him was that she'd woken up on the commerce planet where she met Crichton, alone and with only a prowler and pulse pistol to her name. She didn't know how she'd got there or why. The only thing she'd known was that she wasn't with the Peacekeepers - and she didn't want to go back.
"But what do you remember before that?" he'd asked.
"The last thing I remember is being in a medi-bay on the Command Carrier I was serving on. It was just after the accident."
Her tone made it clear which accident she meant.
"Pres," he'd said, "that was over ten cycles ago."
The shock on her face when he'd said that hadn't been faked, he was sure of it. He'd even quizzed her a few times on the last ten cycles, anything that might make her slip up. Nothing. He believed her now. What he didn't believe was that something like this could happen by accident. You were a Peacekeeper for life, you couldn't escape and you weren't discharged - you were executed. How a Special Ops Commando could end up on a small planet, with Peacekeeper property and with no sign of pursuit was beyond Crais. No, his instincts told him something was very wrong.
He'd said as much to Pres. She'd said he was paranoid - except she hadn't used quite those words. After all, she'd said, she was one prowler pilot with no special training and no security clearance. Why would the Peacekeepers waste time looking for her? It had taken time to explain that she'd moved into Special Ops ten years ago. Even she couldn't explain the memory loss, but she was sure there must be a rational explanation. She'd always been too trusting.
Then he'd talked to Aeryn. She'd agreed with him. But there was no evidence that anything was wrong. Everything was normal, or as normal as it ever was. So, in the absence of proof, she'd chosen to side with Pres. He was paranoid.
Crichton said he was just trying to avoid trusting Pres. Not that he'd asked Crichton, he'd come in while Crais was talking to Aeryn. In an attempt to stop himself being analysed by the entire crew, he'd stopped talking about it.
But he hadn't stopped thinking about it.
He sat down on the edge of the bed while he tied his hair back and regarded her. He'd come to like watching her while she slept. Not that he would ever let her know. She had a tendency to tell Crichton that sort of thing. Not to be mean, but because it never occurred to her that it would bother him. And if Crichton ever found out, he'd have to leave the ship. You could take the man out of the Peacekeepers, but you couldn't take all the Peacekeeper out of the man.
Reasoning with himself that no one could possibly know, he bent over to kiss her.
The next moment, her hand was around his throat.
"Crais," she spat, "if you dare put your filthy hands anywhere near me, I'll shoot them off."
Crais jerked back in horror. He met her eyes...and saw all the contempt and hatred he'd thought was a thing of the past.
And then it was gone.
"Bialar," she said, concern in her voice, "what's the matter? You look like you've seen a ghost."
Instead of answering her, Crais used his comms.
"Officer Sun, Crichton and Jool, please meet us in the medilab. I believe we may have a problem."
***
"I don't see the problem," Crichton said. "She doesn't seem any different to me."
"As I have already explained," Crais said, trying to keep the irritation out of his voice, "it only lasted a moment."
"WHAT only lasted a moment?" Pres exclaimed, trying for the fourth time to get an answer.
"It is difficult to explain," Crais replied, feeling ashamed for not talking to her first. He'd dragged her down to the lab half-dressed with no explanation, no wonder she was upset. Funny, he'd never used to understand things like that. "For a moment, you...weren't there."
"Weren't there," she repeated. "Could you be a little more specific?"
"Unfortunately not," Crais replied. "It was as if you were gone and...another you was there. The you you were when you were a Commando."
"So," said Crichton, "for a moment she doesn't remember, she was a person she... doesn't remember."
"If you have nothing helpful to add please leave," Crais said testily, strongly regretting his decision to ask Crichton here. "I know what I saw."
"Don't get your panties in a twist, Crais."
"That includes stupid remarks!" Crais said, feeling more than a little on edge.
"Excuse me!" Jool broke in loudly. "Do you actually want to know what I've found? Or did I get out of bed for nothing?"
"Yes, Jool," Crais said, trying to calm himself down, "we want to know what you've found. Is there anything unusual?"
"Everything's perfect, for a Sebacean anyway."
"Nothing out of the ordinary at all?" Crais asked. He couldn't believe that he'd dreamed it.
"Nothing. Well, except that her Teracin levels have dropped since I last examined her, which is probably normal."
"Teracin?" Crais asked, something closely resembling horror rising rapidly in him.
"Yes, Teracin," Jool said. "Is there something wrong with that?"
"I would say so," Aeryn said, exchanging glances with Crais. "Teracin isn't usually found in Sebaceans. It's a neural suppressant."
Crais opened his eyes, stretched and then jumped when his arm touched something. Then he remembered and relaxed. Even after half a cycle he still wasn't used to waking up with someone. He remembered the first morning - he'd had his pulse pistol pointed at her before he'd thought. He'd given her quite a shock. In fact, after that, it was amazing there'd even been a second morning, let alone...however many it was.
He got up slowly, careful not to wake her. Half a cycle, had it really been so long? Sometimes it felt like yesterday, other times it felt like she'd been here forever...but not long enough to make him used to her. No matter how hard he'd tried, he still couldn't truly believe she was here to stay. Something deep within him told him it was too perfect and that made it suspicious. They were too many unanswered questions. Peacekeepers didn't just quit. The problem was, she couldn't give him the answers. She didn't even know them herself.
He'd asked when she'd first come aboard. All she could tell him was that she'd woken up on the commerce planet where she met Crichton, alone and with only a prowler and pulse pistol to her name. She didn't know how she'd got there or why. The only thing she'd known was that she wasn't with the Peacekeepers - and she didn't want to go back.
"But what do you remember before that?" he'd asked.
"The last thing I remember is being in a medi-bay on the Command Carrier I was serving on. It was just after the accident."
Her tone made it clear which accident she meant.
"Pres," he'd said, "that was over ten cycles ago."
The shock on her face when he'd said that hadn't been faked, he was sure of it. He'd even quizzed her a few times on the last ten cycles, anything that might make her slip up. Nothing. He believed her now. What he didn't believe was that something like this could happen by accident. You were a Peacekeeper for life, you couldn't escape and you weren't discharged - you were executed. How a Special Ops Commando could end up on a small planet, with Peacekeeper property and with no sign of pursuit was beyond Crais. No, his instincts told him something was very wrong.
He'd said as much to Pres. She'd said he was paranoid - except she hadn't used quite those words. After all, she'd said, she was one prowler pilot with no special training and no security clearance. Why would the Peacekeepers waste time looking for her? It had taken time to explain that she'd moved into Special Ops ten years ago. Even she couldn't explain the memory loss, but she was sure there must be a rational explanation. She'd always been too trusting.
Then he'd talked to Aeryn. She'd agreed with him. But there was no evidence that anything was wrong. Everything was normal, or as normal as it ever was. So, in the absence of proof, she'd chosen to side with Pres. He was paranoid.
Crichton said he was just trying to avoid trusting Pres. Not that he'd asked Crichton, he'd come in while Crais was talking to Aeryn. In an attempt to stop himself being analysed by the entire crew, he'd stopped talking about it.
But he hadn't stopped thinking about it.
He sat down on the edge of the bed while he tied his hair back and regarded her. He'd come to like watching her while she slept. Not that he would ever let her know. She had a tendency to tell Crichton that sort of thing. Not to be mean, but because it never occurred to her that it would bother him. And if Crichton ever found out, he'd have to leave the ship. You could take the man out of the Peacekeepers, but you couldn't take all the Peacekeeper out of the man.
Reasoning with himself that no one could possibly know, he bent over to kiss her.
The next moment, her hand was around his throat.
"Crais," she spat, "if you dare put your filthy hands anywhere near me, I'll shoot them off."
Crais jerked back in horror. He met her eyes...and saw all the contempt and hatred he'd thought was a thing of the past.
And then it was gone.
"Bialar," she said, concern in her voice, "what's the matter? You look like you've seen a ghost."
Instead of answering her, Crais used his comms.
"Officer Sun, Crichton and Jool, please meet us in the medilab. I believe we may have a problem."
***
"I don't see the problem," Crichton said. "She doesn't seem any different to me."
"As I have already explained," Crais said, trying to keep the irritation out of his voice, "it only lasted a moment."
"WHAT only lasted a moment?" Pres exclaimed, trying for the fourth time to get an answer.
"It is difficult to explain," Crais replied, feeling ashamed for not talking to her first. He'd dragged her down to the lab half-dressed with no explanation, no wonder she was upset. Funny, he'd never used to understand things like that. "For a moment, you...weren't there."
"Weren't there," she repeated. "Could you be a little more specific?"
"Unfortunately not," Crais replied. "It was as if you were gone and...another you was there. The you you were when you were a Commando."
"So," said Crichton, "for a moment she doesn't remember, she was a person she... doesn't remember."
"If you have nothing helpful to add please leave," Crais said testily, strongly regretting his decision to ask Crichton here. "I know what I saw."
"Don't get your panties in a twist, Crais."
"That includes stupid remarks!" Crais said, feeling more than a little on edge.
"Excuse me!" Jool broke in loudly. "Do you actually want to know what I've found? Or did I get out of bed for nothing?"
"Yes, Jool," Crais said, trying to calm himself down, "we want to know what you've found. Is there anything unusual?"
"Everything's perfect, for a Sebacean anyway."
"Nothing out of the ordinary at all?" Crais asked. He couldn't believe that he'd dreamed it.
"Nothing. Well, except that her Teracin levels have dropped since I last examined her, which is probably normal."
"Teracin?" Crais asked, something closely resembling horror rising rapidly in him.
"Yes, Teracin," Jool said. "Is there something wrong with that?"
"I would say so," Aeryn said, exchanging glances with Crais. "Teracin isn't usually found in Sebaceans. It's a neural suppressant."