Disclaimer: not my characters, not my world.
Continuity: set after season 2, episode 1. May not be consistent with anything thereafter.
Crais and Talyn caught my imagination, and I wanted them to have an adventure together.
We can do what we want now. You should be happy.
Talyn's thought invades my brain, tearing me from my reverie. I banish the image of Aeryn Sun from my mind and force my eyes to see what's in front of them- the flickering lights of Talyn's instrument displays.
We're free now! The thrill of possibility shivers through his circuits.
He's wrong about that, of course. If he wants to survive, he will follow my commands. Neither of us is truly "free." We are fugitives, and the difference between a prisoner and a fugitive is small. The need to avoid the Peacekeepers will determine our every move. I cannot let him be captured, can't let them shackle his will in order to exploit his weaponry. I must keep him safe, and that imperative defines me, gives me back the sense of purpose I lost when Tauvo died.
I don't understand. Explain now.
At least with my brother, I could hide my fears behind a smile or distract him with a game. Talyn knows my every thought, can feel my neurons firing, even as I sense each pulse of energy that flows through him. He senses my fear, knows I'm checking the scans for any signs of danger, heaving a sigh of relief each time an arn passes with no ships in sight.
"We need to find someplace safe, somewhere to hide until you're big enough to protect yourself," I try to explain.
I'm big enough now. And fast enough they can't catch us. Not the bad men, not the bossy lady, not even my mom. Lights flicker, and Talyn makes a chirping sound that must be his laugh.
"No! No, you're not!" I bring my fist down on the panel in front of me. I haven't hurt him, but he senses my frustration and beeps in confusion. "You have no idea what can happen to a ship, to a man--" I have no words to convey my meaning, so I force myself to envision my brother's ship as it was destroyed.
Now Talyn is silent, brooding in a sullen adolescent way.
Exhausted, I slump into the bunk Talyn has grown for me. After what seems only a moment, I am jolted awake, more by Talen's excitement than by the jubilant bleating of his speakers or the flashing of the sensor panels. "What is it?" I demand, even as I see for myself.
The ship is a Leviathan, perhaps half the size of Moya. My stomach clenches and my mouth goes dry. Out here, it could be anything- a pirate ship, a merchant vessel, even a Peacekeeper transport. There is no way to tell from this distance, other than direct communication.
Hail her now, Crais! Talyn whines.
"Get ready to starburst!" I order. "We can't take a chance."
She doesn't like me. She won't talk to me. Talyn is hurt.
I smile a bit uncomfortably, knowing how he feels. Perhaps my perception is being altered by Talyn's, but I think the little Leviathan even looks a bit like Aeryn Sun, lean and graceful. "Trust me, it's better to leave now. Prepare for starburst."
A surge of power pulses through the engines as Talyn begins to comply, but then he stops as a new thought occurs to him. What if they've got one of those things on her, like the one they put on my mom?
"Yes, exactly! What if she's transporting Peacekeepers? They'll kill me and enslave you! That's why we have to starburst." I take a deep breath and will the vein in my forehead to still.
I'm not used to arguing, I'm used to ordering. I can't shoot Talyn for insubordination. I can't even put him in a headlock and threaten to punch him. It dawns on me that I'm neither a commander nor an older brother, but merely a nagging mother, forced to use emotional appeals. I would laugh at the sheer absurdness of it if I weren't so frelling terrified. "Talyn, please!"
No. Not until I know she's ok.
Where did he learn that, I wonder? That piece of dren human, Crichton, was on Talyn for less than an arn, and he still managed to be a bad influence. I realize I'm never going to be able to make the young ship into the sort of selfish bastard you have to be if you want to survive. He'll get us both killed for some stupid, noble ideal. At least it's better than dying by Scorpius's hand.
I sigh. "Fine. I give up. Open a comm channel to the Leviathan's command center."
Talyn hums a tune as his circuits obey. He fancies himself a rescuer, sees himself as strong, unstoppable. Ah, to be that age again...