Chapter 8.
"Anything you say can and will be held against you."

"So you want Talyn to use his cannon to destroy Scorpius' computer?" Crichton had finally caught up on his sleep enough to go and find Crais and discuss what their next move should be. "If we are captured, Crichton, Scorpius will find out everything your twin did." Crichton looked around Crais' quarters as he thought of his reply.

"I know that, Crais, but if we don't stop him he'll keep coming after us anyway. We have a chance to destroy his research - he's gonna look really bad to High Command if we do that. And I know you want his head on a pole, but as far as I'm concerned I just want to know that this guy isn't going to have power over us anymore. Dead or disgraced - I'm happy either way."

Crichton walked over to Crais and put his hand on his shoulder. "It's a hell of a risk, I know. But we don't have a choice now. He already knows about the dreadnaught, Crais. You think he's not coming after Talyn anyway?" He cocked his head to the side and peered up into Crais' face. "You make the first move and you get to be in control of the situation. Trust me, you don't want Scorpy running the show."

"What about you? How are you going to deal with what he's done to you?" Crais actually looked concerned. Crichton felt almost touched by it.

"I'm not going to do anything about it until we get back to Moya. Jool can check me over, find out how bad the news is, and then we can decide what to do after that. For now, I'm just going to ignore it." He added, as an afterthought, "If I can. Either way, you guys can always lock me up if I get weird on you. You have the advantage in attacking Scorpy, Crais. He can't fire back without worrying that he might kill me. As long as I'm on Talyn he can't just blast us to hell. We go in, convince Scorpy I'm comin' back, he opens the doors, then we blow the damn computer and we get out again. Easy."

"And what is Plan B, Crichton?" Crais looked at him, "You must have a backup plan."

"You go through with turning me over to Scorpy in exchange for your freedom, Crais. That is, hopefully, a last resort. Aeryn, Talyn, and you have priority over me - and I mean that. If it looks like everything is going south, then you make the decision. I don't want Aeryn to do it. I don't think she can."

Crais nodded. He knew Aeryn was incapable of putting Crichton in harm's way to save herself.


* * *


"Crais, we need to talk," Aeryn told him as soon as he entered Command. He raised his eyebrows. Aeryn seemed angry, but he didn't think he had done or said anything to anger her.

She turned to look at him. "You and Crichton are planning on attacking the command carrier, is that right?" Crais slowly nodded, wondering what she would say next.

She looked directly at him, "You will stay focused on the objective, Crais, and if you do any thing more or less than destroy the wormhole computer, you and I will be enemies again. Do I make myself clear?"

Crais was instantly annoyed. "Crichton said we could kill Scorpius if the opportunity presented itself, Aeryn," he reminded her.

"And the opportunity will not present itself on this mission, Crais. Scorpius commands that carrier and if he dies they will feel free to destroy Talyn and us. I expect you to keep that in mind." Aeryn looked at Crais intently. She found herself hoping Crais would not discern that her main motivation was to ensure that Crichton could return to Scorpius if necessary - if Scorpius had been telling the truth, and if Crichton's life really did depend on the hybrid finishing what he had started.

Crais bowed his head towards her, "Of course, Officer Sun. I assure you I will follow the mission plan to the letter." He strode off Command, stiff-backed with anger. He knew she was right, but he still had a hope that Scorpius would somehow be in the line of fire. Or near enough to it.

Aeryn watched him leave. With Crais thirsting for Scorpius' blood, and Crichton under the influence of the neurochip again, she knew she would need to be ready to take control from either or both of them.


* * *


Aeryn navigated their approach to the carrier. When they were within comm range, Crais opened the channel.

"This is Captain Bialar Crais, I wish to speak to Scorpius."

"Scorpius here, Captain."

"We have Crichton on board, Scorpius. Whatever you have done to him, it is clear he cannot survive for much longer. If you guarantee us save egress, we are willing to let you have him back."

There was a pause, then Scorpius spoke again, "I will send a prowler to dock with Talyn. You have my word that Talyn will not be pursued, as long as Crichton is delivered to me unharmed."

Crais looked at his companions. Their relief was visible. "I think you already know that he is not in good health, but that is not our doing. We await your prowler." Crais closed his comm and then walked over to Aeryn. "As soon as those doors are open enough for you to get a clear shot, take it," Crais told her.

They watched as the doors slowly opened. Aeryn quickly maneuvered Talyn into position directly in line with the docking bay. They could now clearly see their target.

"Talyn, ready your cannon. On my command," Crais ordered. Crichton was relieved to see that the scientists weren't in sight. Then he saw him. Scorpius, standing not too far from the computer.

Crichton swung around to Crais. "Don't kill him, Crais. Just aim for the computer!" he shouted at Talyn's captain.

Crais looked at him and said one word, "Fire!" They all watched as Talyn's cannon demolished the computer and everything around it. Scorpius was blown back, but Crichton didn't think he had been injured. He wondered if the hybrid had evacuated the room at the last minute when he detected Talyn's cannon priming. He didn't have much time to ponder the matter, as Aeryn had already turned Talyn around and was headed back into space, using the wormhole's position to her advantage.

Several prowlers discharged from the carrier's docking bay, intent on pursuing the armed Leviathan.

Talyn's comm sprang to life and they all listened as Scorpius told the prowlers to hold their fire, and then demanded again that Crichton be brought back. "Do not take this lightly," he warned them. "Crichton's life depends on me finishing his DNA manipulation. Do not let him die - return him to me immediately!" His guttural growl made Crichton shiver. He looked over at Aeryn, and was relieved to see that her concentration was fixed on navigating Talyn.

None of them felt any need to respond.

Talyn starburst the moment they were free of the wormhole.

Crichton wondered if he would forever remember it as the only plan that had gone as expected in his entire sojourn in the Uncharted Territories. It felt so good to blow Scorpius off, leaving the sick and demented lunatic ranting and raving behind them. And with his mission finally accomplished he felt a huge weight lifted off his shoulders. He had to admit, though, that the whole thing would have felt a lot better if he hadn't begun to suspect that Scorpius had told the truth. His body was feeling worse by the microt. He knew he was running a fever, and was only barely keeping it under control with frequent use of his ring. They had probably been able to surprise Scorpius only because the ring was slowing Crichton's deterioration. But he knew that would not last, and keeping his condition from Aeryn was proving more and more difficult. Every time he glanced at her he saw her looking at him with suspicion in her eyes. He had lost his appetite, and when he forced himself to eat anything he had trouble keeping it down. Fortunately, the few times he had actually thrown up he had been alone in his quarters. He knew he couldn't keep it from her much longer. She was watching him like a hawk.

The confrontation came sooner than he was expecting. He had just left Talyn's mess, where he had actually only played with his food, when Aeryn met up with him in the corridor. He was headed for his quarters, so he nodded at her and attempted to walk on by, but she put one hand out and grabbed his arm to stop him.

"Tell me what's going on," she snapped as she noticed his arm was hot to her touch.

He pulled his arm back and turned and smiled at her. "Nothin', just headin' to my room." He started to walk away again and she swung him back around and pushed him up against Talyn's wall. He realized with shock that he couldn't get out of her grasp - he was weaker than he had thought.

"You're lying, Crichton." He blinked at her - that had sounded too much like Scorpy. Although he could only wish Scorpius was so easy on the eyes. He smiled to himself, and then focused back on Aeryn, who was now getting really angry.

"Hey, calm down. Okay, I'm running a little fever - no big deal. I was gonna go lie down for a while. Happy?" He peered into her face and got his answer. She was definitely not happy.

"You just came out of the mess - what did you actually eat?" she questioned him in a sharp and angry tone.

He paused, and she pounced. "Nothing, right? You aren't eating, you're running a fever, what else?" She was definitely in his face now.

He didn't know what to say. It occurred to him that the phrase "Anything you say can and will be held against you," definitely applied to conversations with Aeryn. Especially when she was in this kind of a mood. He tried several times to start an answer and finally ended up just shrugging his shoulders. I wonder if she'll let me have the right to remain silent. They stared at each other for a few microts, and then Aeryn leaned into his face and told him, ominously, "This is not over." Nope.

She reeled away from him and stomped off down the corridor - headed towards Crais' Command. He figured he might not be getting that nap after all.

No sooner had his head hit the pillow than Crais commed him. "You're needed in Command, Crichton." He seriously doubted that was true. Aeryn and Crais would soon be telling him what to do and exactly how to do it. There would be no "command" decision they would now be willing to let him make. He briefly considered blowing them both off. He really did need some rest. But then he knew they would move their meeting plans to his quarters - and he really didn't think that would make the situation any better. He groaned to himself, then answered his comm, "I'll be right there." He was annoyed to find that his head was now pounding. For once, he didn't assume the headache was caused by the damn chip. Ducking under his blanket, he let the ring ease back the pain just enough so he could think clearly again. His hand shook as he brought it back down to his side, and he laid back against his pillow for a few microts longer, waiting for the weakness to pass. And he promptly dozed off.

The next thing he knew, Aeryn was shaking him awake.

"Oh, Aeryn, sorry, must'a drifted off for a while there," he groggily shook his head and sat up, rubbing his eyes.

"Were you deliberately avoiding me?" she asked him, point blank.

"No. Of course not. I just meant to rest for a few microts, and I fell asleep." He looked at her with bleary eyes, and Crais wondered how Aeryn could doubt his word. It was obvious the man was exhausted.

"I don't believe you," Aeryn practically hissed at him. Crichton slowly shook his head. I do not need this right now.

He tried explaining it again, "I didn't ignore you or Crais, I just fell asleep. I didn't do it on purpose, Aeryn." He looked over at Crais, but the ex-Peacekeeper was carefully avoiding eye contact. No help there. He turned back to Aeryn, who looked like she was loading up with more verbal ammunition.

Then she took aim. "So, you're so exhausted now you can't stay awake even if you want to?" She was good. He knew some law firms who could use her services.

"Fine, Aeryn, have it your way. I'm not doing very well right now, and we both know why. So let's cut to the chase. I'll have Jool check me over as soon as we get back to Moya. And in the meantime I need you to cut me some slack. I don't think I'm going to be worth much for helping out around here." He yawned and rubbed his eyes again, looking longingly at his pillow. He really wanted to just lay back and fall asleep again. He couldn't remember the last time he had felt so bone-tired.

Aeryn was now more concerned than ever. Crichton admitting that he wasn't feeling well could only mean that he was gravely ill. She knew he would carefully hide anything less than that from her. And Scorpius had said he could die from this. She came up to him and put her hand on his forehead. He was burning up. And his eyes glittered with a feverish glaze. Her heart lurched in her chest.

"Crichton, I don't think we should take you back to Moya. If you're feeling this terrible already, then I think we know Scorpius wasn't lying." She glanced over at Crais, "I think we need to take you back to the command carrier. Now." At his look of alarm, she added, "I'm sorry. I don't know what else to do."

"No. No frelling way am I going back to Scorpy, Aeryn. Absolutely not. My mission is over! And I'm not going to even consider going anywhere until I find out if Jool can help me." He had jumped up and was now pacing the floor in agitation. He found himself worrying that Aeryn was going to keep pushing him until he ended up making promises that he was certain he'd regret. He began chewing on the side of his thumb.

"And if she can't help you?" Aeryn asked.

"Then we cross that bridge when we come to it." He wasn't going to promise anything. There are some things worse than death.

"What's that supposed to mean, Crichton? If Jool can't help you, then you have to go back to Scorpius - you have to let him finish what he started. You are not going to just die!" Her heartbeat quickened at the thought. She was not going to lose him again. He was going to have to accept that. Crichton stopped pacing and looked at her. Then he turned and looked at Crais. He wondered if the ex-Peacekeeper captain could be counted on to back him up if he needed him to. He began pacing again.

Crais was beginning to wish he was anywhere else. He could see that Aeryn was determined to force Crichton into doing what she wanted. He didn't dare interrupt them, but he felt like he was going to end up in the middle of this argument and he really wanted no part of it. He had no sooner had this thought then they both turned to him at the same time.

"Crais," Aeryn started.

"What do you..." Crichton asked at the same time. They both stopped speaking and looked at each other. Then they both tried to speak again, and Crais put his hands up.

"I'm going back to Command. You two can work this out and let me know your decision. I want nothing more to do with this." He looked at them both, making sure they knew he meant what he said, then he left the room and headed back to Command.

"I want you to promise me..." Aeryn started, and Crichton practically yelled at her, "No, Aeryn. I'm not promising anything!" He covered his face with both hands. She went over to him and pulled him down beside her on the bed. He was shaking, and she took his blanket off the bed and put it across his shoulders, pulling him up against her for warmth. He felt like an oven. They sat like that for a long while. Finally, he started talking.

"Don't make me go back to him, Aeryn. If Jool can't help, then I want you to end it for me."

"No, Crichton. You can't give up," she whispered in his ear, rubbing his back and pressing him up against her.

"I can't do it, Aeryn. I can't go back to him. You remember how you felt when you thought you would die of heat delirium?" She nodded.

"Well, that's how I feel, Aeryn. You said then that a friend would kill you, and a relative would do it quickly. If Jool can't help me, if I have no other choice but to go back to Scorpy, I want you to kill me." He was hunched over now, the picture of despair.

"No, Crichton, you aren't going to just frelling give up!" Aeryn was angry with him now.

He turned to stare at her. She's not going to agree to do it unless I really piss her off. And he knew just what buttons to push.

"Fine, Aeryn. You always know best. I'm wasting this conversation on you anyway. You're not a relative or even a friend anymore, right? I'm just a member of Moya's crew to you. You and my twin had the love thing going on, but you and me - nothing. I need to find someone who gives a damn about me. And there's no one on this ship that qualifies."

Aeryn was off the bed and facing him in an instant, her pulse pistol drawn and pointed at him. She didn't even have time to think. He couldn't talk to her that way. He knew nothing of what had happened between her and his twin. Nothing. How dare he even mention it to her! She was trembling with fury. Then she realized he was looking back at her with utter calm. And she understood what he was trying to do.

She stared at him, remembering what Chiana had said she had seen in her vision. Aeryn knew she had almost done it. She shuddered. Then she knew she wouldn't do it, not just because Chiana had begged her not to, but because she had gone through Crichton's death once before and would never willingly do it again. She lowered her weapon and sat back down next to him, taking several deep breaths.

"You have to understand one thing, John." She had called him John. He turned to look at her. "I have nothing in this universe that I care about more than you." He pulled away from her. "No, Aeryn, don't..." he began, and she put her hand up to his lips to stop him. "I can't lose you again, please don't do this to me," she pleaded with him. He made the mistake of looking into her eyes, and he was lost. This is hurting her terribly. Oh, God, I can't do this to her. He closed his eyes, waiting for her to say what he knew was coming. "Promise me that you won't give up, John. Promise me. If Jool can't help you, you have to agree to go back to Scorpius. You have to promise me that you will do that." She waited, watching his face as he struggled to control his emotions. She knew what she was asking him to do. It was more than she had ever asked of him before. And she would not leave his side until he agreed to her demand.