A Universe of Change: Realized Probability

Disclaimer: see chapter one.

Author's Notes: Hope u enjoy this. A note to everyone, reading, if I haven't altered a scene from the series that is canon, then that scene is still valid fro this fic.

Summary: The Enterprise C and D blunder into the borderland between the Scarren Empire and The Peacekeepers. This fic is a part of AlbertG's Ruinations series and has been written with his express permission.

Chapter 9 The insanity continues

Sisko sat there and tried to imagine how he was going to write all this up in his report when they got back to Enterprise, hell if they got back.

They'd barely been on this station for a couple of hours and already Crichton had taken himself hostage with a nuclear fission bomb, repeatedly baited the Scarrans, bluffed the Peacekeepers… and now here he was a veteran Commander in Starfleet getting drunk with the enemy and a Luxan warrior. Sisko didn't know when it was all going to end and most importantly as far as he was concerned things were still going downhill.

Sisko managed to fight of the urge to rub his temples in pain as he watched Rygel insult a Charrid who then pulled out a blade and tried to stab him only to be grabbed and held down on the table by Dargo. Sisko shook his head. Rygel's negotiation tactics were inventive-effective, but not necessarily the most safe, for all parties involved.

Suddenly alarms began ringing through the chamber and the Charrids' leader General Rhazaro looked around in surprise and more than a little bit of trepidation if not outright fear.

"Intruder alert in the Crystherium Chamber!" one the Charrid officers announced moments later.

General Rhazaro looked around at his soldiers. "Hurry! Check it out!" he screamed at them, urging them on.

Sisko and the others watched as the General and his small cadre of soldiers charged out at full tilt from the room heading towards wherever this Crystherium Chamber was.

Sisko shot an inquisitive look at Dargo, who merely mouthed the word 'Crichton' to him. Sisko clenched his teeth; obviously, this was yet something else he had neglected to mention to him.

Sisko mentally made a note to have a talk to Captain Garret when they got back about her volunteering him missions. He wondered how Dax was doing on his mission.

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A short time later, Sisko found Crichton and Aeryn in the conference room looking very smug.

He eyed them carefully before saying, "it seems you two have been having some fun at the Charrids' expense."

John shared a look with Aeryn. "Not as much as we would have had, if the Charrids hadn't responded so quickly to the alarm," he said with a mysterious smile.

Sisko merely raised an eyebrow at that comment, but decided to let it pass he had more important things to wonder and worry about. "I'll bet. Did you find your friend?"

John grimaced. "How many times do I have to say grasshopper ain't no friend of mine…" he turned to Aeryn. "I mentioned this before didn't I sunshine, right?"

Aeryn nodded.

"And yet look at the trouble you are going to, to free him from Scarren captivity, the danger you and your other friends face for him," Sisko countered evenly.

"Yeah whatever…" the doors to the conference room opened and cut off the rest of Crichton's retort.

Sisko watched as the Emperor strode purposefully into the room flanked by two Charrid guards carrying or rather dragging behind them a black leather clad being.

"A bargain is struck," proclaimed the Emperor as the two Charrids threw the being onto the tabletop as if he were a piece of meat, "... however an agreement requires trust which, thus far, has been one-sided. Now, you tell me what else you really want."

John glanced at Aeryn, seemingly having forgotten Sisko, then looked back at Staleek, his eyes narrowed and his voice grew soft, "When you wake up... in the morning on your big, Emperor bed and you listen... what do you hear?" He started to walk, circling around to stand beside Aeryn. "Do you hear the little Emperor birdies singing outside your window? Do you hear the Emperor wind whistling through the trees? Or do you hear people dying? Do you hear your friends begging for mercy? Do you hear doors being kicked in because people are hunting you? Do you hear the sound of your heart pounding in your ears? What I want... Santa Claus? For the rest of my life I wanna wake up like an Emperor!" he proclaimed to Staleek much to Sisko's surprise.

Staleek nodded in understanding. "Your safety, guaranteed. In just a few arns."

John snorted derisively, "Bill Gates can't guarantee Windows. How you gonna guarantee my safety?"

Staleek drew himself up to his full height, "With great effort... and great sincerity. Though at some point, my largesse will dissipate." He finished and strode off, leaving the four of them alone in the conference room.

John looks at Aeryn.

From his position on his back, on the table, Scorpius hoarsely gasped out, "My appreciation."

In response, John walked over to him and grabbed Scorpius by the leather under his throat. "My... ass. Did you tell them?" he demanded irritably.

Scorpius stared at John and said, "No."

John's eyes narrowed and he glared at Scorpius. "Wormholes... my brain... Harvey! What did you tell them?" John grabbed Scorpius' throat.

"Nothing!" Scorpius repeated adamantly.

John's nostrils flared, "Listen up... I am Johnny Radiation because of you, Nosferatu. Everyone I care about west of the Moon is here and in danger to make sure that you keep your mouth shut. Now! Did you keep your mouth shut?"

Scorpius didn't hesitate in his answer. "Yes!" he croaked out.

"John..." Aeryn began slowly as she stared dispassionately down at Scorpius.

John looked up at her. "You believe him?" he asked disbelievingly.

"Yes, I do," Aeryn nodded slowly.

Scorpius looked between them unsure of his position and how John would react.

"Good. Kill him and let's go," John ordered as he let go of Scorpius and took a step away.

Sisko froze he couldn't possibly have heard right. He stared disbelievingly at Crichton.

Scorpius' eyes and mouth fell open and he stared in utter shock at John, not believing what he had just heard. John couldn't have become that cold-despite everything he himself had done to him. John was no Peacekeeper; he didn't kill people like this!

"What?" exclaimed Aeryn in mock surprise.

"Kill him, and let's go." He repeated simply, stressing the important words.

Aeryn frowned. "We came here to free him," she retorted.

John shook his head empathically. "No. We came here to make sure that my knowledge didn't slip out of his mouth. Kill him, Aeryn and let's go."

Aeryn: "Oh, you want me to kill him?"

John, "Well, I'm not the assassin, am I?"

Aeryn, "If you want him to die, you can kill him yourself."

John cocked his head at her. "You made me promise that I wouldn't."

Aeryn, "Well, I release you from that promise."

John froze, as if not believing what she was saying. "Say that again."

Aeryn repeated her statement more forcibly this time. "I release you from that promise."

John gave her an evil grin before saying, "Thank you." He pulled out Wynona pointed it at Scorpius' face. He held it there for several microts, staring Scorpius mercilessly right in the eye before looking back up at Aeryn. "I'll give you my bike if you kill'im."

Scorpius gasped in exasperation as he finally realized what was going on. "May I speak?"

Aeryn and John both visibly relaxed, and John re-holstered Wynona. "No, he's tellin the truth. We'll sort you out later."

Scorpius sagged back onto the table in relief.

Sisko had watched the strange tableau developing in front of him, with growing horror and disbelief, who were these people? And Aeryn was an assassin? Once more Sisko got the sinking feeling that there was much more-much, much more, going on here than he or any other Starfleeter realised. Captain Garret truly hadn't realised the magnitude of the situation she had dropped him in. He had another feeling that whatever was really going on was going to have very serious consequences for them all.

"Guys! I apologize in advance for any incivility or insensitivity on my part, but it is beer o'clock... where the hell is my riot?" John demanded over his comm.

Sisko touched his comm badge. "Sisko to Dax-heads up, it seems everything's about to come to a head…stay alert and stay alive!" he warned Dax.

"Acknowledged Commander," came Dax's near immediate response.

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Elsewhere on Katratzi tensions were steadily rising to boiling point between the Kalish and the Charrids. Thanks mainly to the efforts of Rygel and Sikozu, both species were now only one step away from active conflict. And as Dargo watched their Scarren overseer tear into them for the breech in security of the Crystherium chamber, the tensions could be visibly seen continuing to steadily rise unabated.

Once the Scarren Overseer had walked away from the arguing Kalish leader and his Charrid counterpart things deteriorated even further as the Kalish insulted the Charrid you then grabbed the Kalish and then…boom suddenly both factions were shooting at each other.

The Scarren overseer came back into the room screaming at both groups to cease their actions at once but things were no longer under his control and he was forced to summon Scarren security to put down the riot.

So far, everything was going according to Crichton's harebrained plan.

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Sisko and Aeryn supported, or rather dragged Scorpius along as John led the way back to the docking bay were Dargo's ship was waiting for them. They'd made it most of the way undeterred except for one minor incident with a Charrid guard that Captain Braca had shot in the back for them, before going his own way.

Now finally they were at the docking bay and Sisko had brought out his tricorder and was scanning the bay before they went in. Simultaneously, John was edging around the doorway trying to get a good look in to see what was waiting fro them there.

"I read two Scarrans," Sisko reported.

"I see them, they're looking the other way," John added.

Scorpius caught sight of Dargo's ship and said, "Dargo's ship cannot outrun a Stryker!"

"Moya's disguised as a freighter and waiting for us, as soon as we're aboard she'll Starburst," Aeryn responded quickly,

Scorpius looked at them his eyes unreadable.

"Come on," said John.

"I can't," croaked Scorpius before seeming to pass out on the floor of the corridor outside the docking bay.

Sisko shared a look with the others before quickly scanning Scorpius with the tricorder, "He's faking it, he's awake," he said in confusion.

"Grasshopper, you'd better get the hell up right now, we don't have time for your crap!" John cursed as he bent down next to the supposedly passed out hybrid.

Slowly Scorpius opened his eyes and grabbed John's arm. John in response hauled him back up onto his feet. "Alright Aeryn, you go in first," John said.

Aeryn nodded in affirmation and pulled out her pulse pistol, but Sisko stopped her before she could take a single step into the room.

"Wait, we should have a plan first!" Sisko exclaimed.

John just rolled his eyes. "We've got one, just follow our lead," he said impatiently.

Aeryn shook of his hand and ran into the docking bay firing off several shots but not at the guards as Sisko expected.

The shots were high above the guards. "Don't shoot or you might hit the bomb," she screamed at the same time as she held her pistol up in submission.

The guards stared about hesitant to make a move. Sisko could practically see the gears working in their heads as they wondered what they could do. They stared at each other uncertainly for a moment before the other shoe dropped.

Scorpius seemed to go into a fit and as Sisko bent to see what was happening to the hybrid, Scorpius reeled up and punched Sisko in the jaw. Stars exploded in front of Sisko's eyes before darkness started to close around him as the full force of Scorpius' teeth rattling punch registered.

The room slanted and Sisko had one thought before he passed out, I hope the old man is having better luck today then me…

Author's Notes: I realise that little of this has been changed from the actual events of the series but I simply couldn't think of a way to make it even better that it already was, still I hope you like this chapter, as always Read, Enjoy and Review! Though you should expect more changes in the next chapter. Sisko and Dax will become involved and have bigger parts then.