By Any Means Necessary
Part 4 - Love and Darkness
Zhaan heard Jaad yell that Crichton was dying, and she abruptly
broke the connection with the two men. She trembled from the shock of being
pulled back into her body. She jumped out of the Marauder's hatch, then
ducked as she saw Braca and Tal exchange fire. Braca doubled over when
a bolt hit him. She kept under cover until she heard Aeryn tell the commander
to take Scorpius into custody. Zhaan ran across the deck as she saw Aeryn
collapse into Crais' arms.
"Pa'u Zhaan!" Jaad called out. "I need some help here!" Zhaan joined her at John's side. The redhead looked up at Crais. "Get her to the infirmary. She's in shock!" she ordered. Crais turned and ran with Aeryn in his arms. "This is Lieutenant Jaad. Medical emergency, hangar eight!" she said into her comm badge, then tossed a glance over to D'Argo, who was climbing out of the Marauder. "There's a stretcher and medkit in there. Get it for me!" In the meantime, Zhaan tried to hold down Crichton, who was jerking violently and gasping.
Stark ran over with the medkit. D'Argo followed with the stretcher. The young Peacekeeper opened it and pulled out a hyposyringe. "Hold him down. I'm going to sedate him," she ordered. Zhaan and D'Argo steadied Crichton, and Stark placed a his hands on the Human's temple. Zhaan realized what he was doing, and pulled his mask off partially. John stopped jerking enough for Daya to inject the sedative directly into John's carotid artery. Immediately he relaxed. "Good. Where the frell is that medical team?" she exclaimed and looked around for them.
"This is Commander Tal," Zhaan overheard the older man announce over the communications system. "I have relieved Scorpius of command, and have taken control of this vessel. Lieutenant Braca is dead. Lieutenant Thuraya will be Acting First Officer until further notice. I am issuing a general order to stand down. We will be returning to home base as soon as possible. I thank you for your loyalty, and I expect your full cooperation." As he spoke, a team of medical technicians rushed into the hangar. Jaad appraised them of Crichton's condition as they lifted him gently onto a gurney. The two women accompanied Crichton to the medical suite, followed by D'Argo and Stark.
***
Aeryn felt a hand in a leather glove holding her right hand. She forced her eyes open. As her vision cleared, she saw D'Argo sitting next to her. Crais was standing on the other side of the bed. "Relax, Aeryn," D'Argo said gently. "You're in the infirmary."
She looked around to see a gold bedcover and an antiseptic-looking environment. Under the cover, she was in her underwear. She also felt stickiness where monitoring electrodes had been taped to her head and chest. "How long have I been out?" she asked.
"About an arn," Crais informed her. She saw something reflected in his eyes that she hadn't expected. "The doctor says that your neural synapses overloaded, but there's no permanent damage. You just needed to recover."
"And Scorpius?"
"Tal has him in the brig, in solitary confinement," Crais said.
She looked past the two men into the small, curtained-off area of the infirmary. "Where's John? I need to speak with him," she asked. D'Argo turned away and looked at the floor. Crais intently studied something on the other side of the room. Aeryn started to panic. "The last time someone wouldn't tell me where he was, he had been captured."
"He's in surgery," Crais admitted. "Doctor Skada is trying to complete the work that the Diagnostan didn't finish. Zhaan and Stark are with him. I think you should know that the odds are not in his favor." Crais took her other hand gently.
"They never are, but he always manages to pull through," she stated. The remembrance of the hatred and betrayal on his face came back to her. She didn't want that to be her last memory of him. She sat up and tried to get out of bed. "I have to talk to him. I need to apologize, to let him know that I made it all up to fool Scorpius."
Crais and D'Argo caught her, and pushed her back down onto the bed. "You can't," D'Argo said gently. "He's under heavy sedation."
Crais leaned over and squeezed her shoulder gently. "Crichton will understand once he's no longer under Scorpius' influence. You did an admirable job under the most difficult circumstances. I'm very proud of you. So is Talyn."
She perked up at the mention of Moya's son. "Talyn managed to get you here? Zhaan told me that you thought he could do it."
"Yes, he performed a navigated starburst. It wasn't perfect, but it was remarkable."
Aeryn smiled. "That's wonderful. Crais, please tell him that I'm very proud of him."
Crais relayed the message, then smiled back at her. "Talyn is also very relieved that you are alive and relatively unharmed. He missed you."
The curtain suddenly was pulled aside. Daya Jaad appeared carrying several items of clothing. "All right, get out, both of you. Aeryn needs to get up and moving. We need the bed space for other casualties." Crais started to object. She glared at her former captain, and waved him and D'Argo out. "You can wait out in the hall." She sealed the curtain back up after they left.
"Hey," Aeryn grinned to her friend.
Daya looked at her as if she'd lost her mind. "What did you say?"
"Oh, sorry. It's a greeting that John taught me."
Daya smirked in response. "What else did you learn from him?" she commented.
"Shut up, Daya," Aeryn warned. "That's not funny."
"Sorry," her friend apologized. "You're right. It's not funny." She sat on the bed next to Aeryn. "He's a good man, Aeryn. He cares very deeply for you. I could tell that much in the short time since I've met him. He'll understand what happened with old Scarran-breath."
"I'm not so sure," she sighed. "You didn't see what I saw."
"Hey," her friend echoed the greeting earlier, "don't think about it too much. Let's get you up and dressed, so you can see him when he wakes up. I brought you a spare uniform. It'll be a little short on you. We had to cut the leather thing off of you. I hope you don't mind."
"Not at all," Aeryn winced as her friend peeled off the sensors. "The sooner I could get out of it, the better."
"Bad associations?"
"Not to mention that it was hot, uncomfortable, chafed, and built for someone with bigger lumas," she replied as she swung her legs over the edge of the bed. The room spun. She leaned on Daya for support.
With Daya's help, she slowly dressed and got her bearings. Her friend gave her a final hug, then left. When she was ready, she stepped out into the infirmary's waiting area to join her friends. Stark was the first one to notice her. "Aeryn!" he exclaimed, then she found herself enveloped in the Bannik's embrace. Then D'Argo hugged her, lifting her into the air as he did so.
As he released her, she came face-to-face with Zhaan. The Delvian pulled Aeryn into her arms and held her tight. "Well done, Aeryn. Khalaan wishes to tell you that you have fulfilled her wishes. For now, anyway."
Aeryn realized that the peaceful presence in her mind was now gone. "It's a shame. I've gotten used to hearing Her in my head."
"I can help you with that," Zhaan replied. "Just let me know when you are ready."
Someone coughed behind Zhaan. Aeryn turned to see Crais waiting. Zhaan released her, and the Captain handed her something. It was the nanobot controller that had been thrown across the hangar deck. "I think this should stay with you," he said quietly.
"Thank you," she whispered as she took the controller from him. She remembered their conversation just before she took off after John in her Prowler - the one about Talyn wanting her to join them. She'd never answered him. At this point, she wasn't sure what the answer was.
The door to the surgical bay opened, and Doctor Skada came out. The woman looked exhausted. A smear of blood stained the front of her blue surgical gown. Aeryn focused on that smear of John's blood. She'd seen blood before, lots of it. But this was much different.
"Whatever Scorpius did to him, it was very pervasive," Skada informed them. The tension in her voice was clear. "I've seen a lot of brain trauma, but I've never seen anything like that."
"Did you repair the damage?" Zhaan asked for all of them.
Skada looked at her. "Yes and no. I was able to remove the remnants of the neural chip that had woven through his brain. However, his seizure was caused by a massive blood clot inside the dura mater. I had to drain that before I could proceed further."
"So, what's his prognosis?" Zhaan asked again. Aeryn felt the room spinning again. She reached out and took Crais's hand. She felt D'Argo's hand on her shoulder, supporting her.
"I honestly don't know at this time. Best case, he'll have minor brain damage. At the worst case, he could never come out of the coma."
"Is there anything that can repair the brain damage?" Aeryn asked and held up the controller. "You brought me back from the dead with your nanobots. Can't you inject them into John? I'd be happy to donate some of mine."
"I'm afraid not. Nanobots can't penetrate the brain. It's the same reason that Scorpius controlled your body, but not your mind. If Crichton was Sebacean, he'd have more of a chance to make a full recovery."
"Why is that?" Stark asked.
"We could harvest the stem cells from a compatible embryo, inject them into Crichton, and stimulate them to repair the neural pathways. But his DNA is just far enough off of Sebacean for that option to not be available."
"We may have a match," D'Argo exclaimed. "The Neutral Colonies. Katralla's child."
"He has an unborn child?" the doctor asked hopefully.
Realization dawned on Aeryn. "Yes! Of course!" She looked up at the others, who were staring at her and D'Argo like they'd gone insane. "While we were visiting the Neutral Colonies, they discovered that John was the only male whose DNA was compatible with their Princess."
D'Argo jumped in. "They harvested DNA samples from him, fertilized an egg and implanted it in Katralla. John released all claim to any future offspring."
"They were careful enough to fertilize one egg. They must have done more and kept them frozen in case Katralla wanted more children," Aeryn added.
"Will they release an embryo?" Zhaan asked.
"They'd better," D'Argo shot back. "We just saved them from a war with the Scarrans."
"Can he be moved?" Aeryn asked the doctor.
Skada hesitated. "It depends. In a Marauder, no. Medical transports are too slow. The more we delay, the less chance there is of a full recovery."
Aeryn turned to look at Crais. He practically read her mind. "Talyn is at your disposal," he said gallantly. "He doesn't have a medical facility, but he is fast."
"Thank you, Crais," Zhaan said. "I can monitor Crichton while on the journey."
"Good," Skada replied. "I'll give you detailed instructions on how to do the stem cell procedure. Unfortunately, I'm needed here, or I'd go with you. I admit, I'm rather curious about this, what did you call him? Human?"
"He inspires curiosity in a great many people," Zhaan smiled.
"He also pisses off a great many people. Often at the same time," D'Argo grumbled.
***
Half an arn later, the medical techs had transferred Crichton to Crais's quarters inside Talyn. The little gunship didn't have any rooms besides that, the command section and the docking bay. Zhaan hooked up the monitors while Aeryn and Crais said their final goodbyes.
"Contact us when you get to the Neutral Colonies," Tal said as he embraced her tightly.
"You sound like an overprotective father," Aeryn teased.
Tal frowned. A strange expression came over his face. "You could come back, Sun. We could petition High Command to retract your sentence..."
"Two cycles ago, I would have given anything for what you just offered me. But not anymore. Even if you could persuade High Command, I don't belong here anymore."
"No, you don't," Tal agreed. "You've grown. I'm very proud of you, Officer Sun."
"Thank you, sir. That means more to me than anything else."
Tal then turned to Crais. "The door is open for you, too, Bialar. You know that I never wanted command. I'm an old Prowler pilot that's been thrust into something that's out of my league. I can talk to High Command on your behalf..."
Crais shook his head. "No, Braydon. I resigned my commission, remember? Don't worry. I have every confidence in you. After all, you served under the best captain in the fleet." The two of them clasped arms and embraced tightly.
"I thought so. Besides, I'm envious of that gunship of yours. He's already lived up to his name," Tal said quietly. Aeryn looked at her old commander questioningly, but a certain redhead pulled her away before she could ask any more questions.
"So, you're leaving," Daya observed. "At least we get to say goodbye this time."
She embraced her friend warmly. "I think I'll miss you most of all," she said as tears came to her eyes.
"Give that gorgeous man a big kiss for me when he wakes up," she teased. "Or maybe something more. You know, if you don't want him, I'll take him."
"It's too bad you're not coming with us, Daya. We have a crewmate named Chiana. I think you'd like her a lot. Provided you didn't kill each other."
"Aeryn, Zhaan says that it's time," Crais interrupted. "We should go now." She nodded, then hugged Daya one last time. Then she followed Crais through the docking umbilical to Talyn.
***
Talyn's second attempt at a navigated starburst had the same results as his first. Although D'Argo and Aeryn had given him coordinates for the Neutral Colonies, but the little ship still undershot the mark. Still, Aeryn and Crais both lavished him with praise. Aeryn was still amazed that Talyn was able to do something that Moya couldn't, especially at such a young age.
Her joy at Talyn's accomplishment and happiness at being reunited with her family aboard Moya was tempered by John's condition. He was hooked to monitors which read out heart, respiratory, and neural functions. His head was partially shaved, and a thick bandage covered the incision. Aeryn spent most of the journey in Crais's quarters at Crichton's side. Even though John was under sedation, she still felt like she had to be there in case he awoke.
Aeryn stared out the window as Talyn made his way to the Royal Planet at the fastest speed he could manage. The door hissed open behind her, and a heavy set of footsteps told her that either D'Argo or Crais had entered.
"We should be at the Royal Planet within half an arn," Crais informed her. "Talyn has contacted Moya. He says that she is very excited to see you."
She turned around. "I'm looking forward to seeing her, too. I'll be glad to be home."
"How is Crichton doing?"
"The same," she confessed.
"Aeryn," he sat down in the chair next to the bed, and motioned for her to join him. She crossed the room and sat on the bed. Her hand covered John's. "I need to tell you something."
She backed away skeptically. Ever since she'd woken up in the infirmary, Crais had been hovering around her like Rygel around a buffet. "I'm not sure I know where this is coming from, Captain," she said tentatively.
He smiled. "I realized something after I bonded with Talyn. His name sounded familiar."
"I told you, it was my father's name."
"I know. How much do you know about him, or your mother?"
"My mother, Aerzi Sun, died in battle when I was five cycles old. She was a Prowler pilot. Before she went on her last mission, she told me that my father's name was Talyn, he had died before I was born, and that she had loved him very much. They had chosen to mate with each other rather than conceive through an unknown donor. I tried to research this after I graduated from training, but the records were sealed."
"I see. Well, I realized that I'd heard the name Talyn before, when I was growing up. My father was the eldest of three brothers. My family didn't talk about the youngest, only that he joined the Peacekeepers at fifteen. I did some research, and discovered that his name was Talyn."
"Wait a microt," Aeryn said, not believing what Crais was saying. "This isn't a coincidence, is it?"
"No, it isn't. I managed to find the Peacekeeper personnel records and discovered that they hadn't heard about my resignation yet. I called up the name Talyn Crais, and I discovered this," he handed her a chip with a Peacekeeper symbol.
She looked around for a viewscreen, but she couldn't find one. "What's on it?"
"Lieutenant Talyn Crais was part of the team that designed the prototype of the Prowler. In fact, he was the main designer. He was apparently a gifted engineer. He was assigned to a Military Tech research station in the Dellis sector."
"I was born in the Dellis sector," Aeryn added.
"Yes, you were. I was thrown off by the fact that colonists on my home planet give the father's surname to children, whereas Peacekeepers use the mother's surname. I eventually found your birth record. It lists your father as Lieutenant Talyn Crais."
Aeryn turned pale. "So, what you're saying is that we're..."
"First cousins," Crais finished. Aeryn did a double-take. "There's more. Your mother, Aerzi Sun, was assigned to the Prowler project as a test pilot. So was another hotshot pilot - Lieutenant Braydon Tal."
Her mind reeled. Her mentor, the man she considered to be like a father to her, had known who she was all along. "All of those cycles under his command, and he never told me."
"He probably couldn't. According to official records, Talyn Crais died while trying to keep the prototype Prowler from a Scarran attack force. He self-destructed rather than have the prototype and his knowledge fall into enemy hands. After his death, the records were sealed."
"And the others on the project were sworn to secrecy," Aeryn completed his sentence. "It explains a lot about my life, though. Especially Tal's cryptic comment when we left."
"If it's any consolation to you, Braydon explained to us that one of the reasons he was helping us was a promise to a dying comrade. When he said it, he looked directly at Talyn. Now that I've had time to think about it, I believe he may have made a promise to your father to look after you, and this was his way of fulfilling that promise."
"I see," she whispered, still not believing it. "So, where do we go from here?"
Crais looked down at her hand covering John's. "Talyn wants you to come with us."
"And you, Crais? What do you want?"
"Please, if we're going to be cousins, call me Bialar," he tilted his head back and closed his eyes. "I don't know, Aeryn. I had entertained the idea of a relationship with you before I found this information. However, the fact that we are closely related changes a great deal."
"My plans haven't changed. I want to stay aboard Moya, and try to pick up the pieces of my life, such as it is," she looked down at the unconscious Human on the bed. "I still love him. That's not going to change."
Crais looked her in the eye. "Crichton may not survive this."
Her anger flared. "Don't say that! Don't even think that!"
He backed off and held up his hands in surrender. "I think that, once we get all of you to you destination, Talyn and I should leave. I think we all need some time to get used to this new relationship. I won't stand in Crichton's way, Aeryn. I can't."
"Thank you, Cr... Bialar," she corrected herself.
Talyn's lights blinked and Crais's face clouded over, the way it usually did when he was communicating with the gunship. "I see. Thank you, Talyn. I'll be right there." He looked over at Aeryn. "Talyn says that Pilot is hailing us. We'll be docking with them in a few microts."
"I'll stay here, if you don't mind," she said.
"Of course," he answered, then left the room. Aeryn stared after him, not quite knowing what to think of this latest turn of events.
***
Zhaan studied the instructions for the stem cell procedure, but it was almost incomprehensible. She'd never felt so helpless. She was a simple healer with a background in science, not someone accustomed to doing brain surgery. For the first time in a long while, she felt inadequate. Stark sensed her discomfort and put his arms around her from behind. She smiled and turned around, then pressed her forehead to his.
"You never gave me an answer," he whispered.
She sighed. "This isn't the time, my love. We have to get John back onto Moya, and..."
"Zhaan," he said, "I know that you care for Crichton and the others, but you need to start thinking of your own wants. Your own desires." Stark brushed her lips with his and kissed her.
Zhaan wanted to respond to his overtures, but she held back. "No, Stark. I am sorry, but this is not the time. I care deeply for you, but I have a higher duty to perform."
He released her from his embrace. "I understand. And, I'm willing to wait, for a while."
"Pa'u Zhaan," Crais tapped her gently on the shoulder to interrupt them. "We'll be docking in a few microts."
"Thank you, Captain," she nodded. "Stark? D'Argo? I'll need your assistance," she said as she went into Crais's quarters to prepare Crichton for transfer.
***
Aeryn paced nervously as Talyn's docking umbilical was attached to Moya and the airlock sealed. All of the gunship's passengers had an unspoken agreement that Aeryn would be the first one through the airlock. "Pilot is reporting the airlock is secured. You may open the hatch, Aeryn," Crais instructed.
Her hands were shaking as she blew the hatch. She didn't know what to expect on the other side. So much had changed in such a short time. Aeryn took a deep breath and walked through the short umbilical to the older Leviathan. As she stepped into Moya's hangar, she saw a blur of gray and white come toward her. She staggered backward as Chiana tackled her, laughing and crying at the same time. The young Nebari pulled her into a crushing embrace. "Aeryn! I'm so glad you're back!" she squealed with delight.
"Get out of the way, you stupid tralk," Rygel ordered imperiously from behind her. Aeryn looked past Chiana's fluffy white hair to see the little Hynerian hovering close behind and smiling like he'd just hit the jackpot. Aeryn pried herself from Chiana's arms, then pulled Rygel down and hugged him, thronesled and all. She was so happy that she even gave the insufferable little rodent a kiss on the lips. "Now, there was no need for that!" Rygel harrumphed.
"I never thought I'd be glad to see you, Rygel," she confessed as she released him.
"Likewise," he grumbled. "Nice to see you're all back in one piece," he observed as the others crossed over from Talyn.
"Not quite all of us," D'Argo replied. He was carrying the front end of the stretcher that held Crichton. Stark was carrying the other end. Crais brought up the rear.
Chiana bent over the Human and took his lifeless hand in hers, holding it close to her face. Tears shone on her cheeks. "Did Scorpy...?" she looked up at Zhaan and asked.
"Crichton had a massive blood clot inside his brain. He almost died, but the Peacekeeper doctor managed to reverse what Scorpius had done to him," Zhaan answered gently.
"Where's Jothee?" D'Argo looked around and asked.
"He's bringing the stem cells from the Royal Planet," Rygel replied. "The Empress wasn't thrilled about sacrificing her future grandchildren to save their real father's life, but I managed to persuade her otherwise."
"By reminding her that she owed us big time," Chiana added.
Aeryn suddenly felt uncomfortable with the thought that Katralla and that bitch of a mother had the key to restoring John's mind. She didn't like owing them anything. "I... I have to go see Pilot," she said quickly, then left the others to take care of Crichton.
As she walked through Moya, she felt an overwhelming urge to run her hand along the wall. She felt as if she was caressing the Leviathan. Oddly enough, she had the feeling that Moya was responding to her touch. Perhaps it was the nanobots that were coursing through her body and reacting with Pilot's DNA, but she felt closer to Moya than ever before.
Aeryn walked through the hatch to Pilot's den quietly. He was concentrating on something, but he looked over toward her and smiled broadly. "Officer Sun!" he exclaimed happily, then beckoned her over with a free arm. She practically ran to him. Pilot used two arms to lift her bodily over his console and pull her into a tight embrace. She was too choked up to say anything. "Moya and I were lost without you, Aeryn Sun," Pilot said. "I didn't think that we'd ever see you again." She nodded wordlessly and wiped tears away from her eyes. "Moya wishes to tell you that she did feel your touch. She is delighted that you are alive."
"So am I, Pilot," she whispered through her tears. Here, in the heart of Moya, Aeryn finally felt like she was home. Then, her hands brushed something inside her vest pocket. She pulled it out gingerly. "Pilot, may I entrust you with something?" she asked.
He looked down at her skeptically. "I will help you with anything you wish, Aeryn."
"This is what's controlling the nanobots in my body. I think you've seen what would happen if it would fall into the wrong hands."
Pilot nodded grimly. "I could not bear to see you tortured like that."
"Unfortunately, they're also responsible for bringing me back to life. I'd like to give this to a DRD. Send it somewhere deep within Moya, then tell it to hide the controller there. In case anything happens to me, pull it out and give it to Zhaan."
"I will do this for you, but shouldn't you keep it for yourself?"
She shook her head. "No. I don't want anyone else to know about this, in case we're overrun. It's for everyone's safety, not just mine."
"I understand," Pilot said. "I'll keep your secret safe."
She stroked his leathery cheek gently. "Thank you, Pilot." Then, she handed the controller to a DRD that had climbed up Pilot's console. She watched quietly as the bright yellow DRD scooted away on its mission.
***
The implantation of the stem cells from John's embryonic offspring actually went smoother than Zhaan thought. Doctor Skada's instructions were quite detailed, and she was able to follow them to the letter. The whole operation was over in less than an arn. She would have to monitor him for the next two solar days, but Zhaan believed that he would make a full recovery.
Meanwhile, life aboard Moya was still in a state of flux. When D'Argo was reunited with his son, the tension between them and Chiana was almost visible. Instead of staying apart like she'd hoped, the two teens had simply grown closer while everyone else was gone. She didn't fault Rygel or Pilot for their lack of diligence. It was inevitable that the two of them would get together. Ordinarily, she'd have encouraged the match. But D'Argo's feelings had to be considered, too. Zhaan gave up thinking about their situation. She had much more important things to concentrate on.
As she was watching Crichton's life signs on the monitor, she felt arms encircle her. She leaned back into Stark's embrace and let him comfort her. She was so tired that she could fall asleep right there and then. The Bannik sensed that, and kissed the top of her head. "Rest, my love," he whispered. "I'll watch over both of you."
"I really shouldn't," she began. Stark stroked her cheek, then put his hand over her eyes gently. She closed them. From behind her eyelids, she saw a glow as he removed his mask.
"Shhh.... go to sleep, Zhaan," he murmured. "I'll stay with you as long as you need me." She didn't fight it, and drifted off to sleep.
***
In Aeryn's nightmare, John turned into Scorpius, then back again as she had sex with him. Finally, he thrust into her and turned into some weird combination of both of them. Then she was back in the ejection seat, falling rapidly. She hit the water and was sucked under. She struggled to the surface, only to have Scorpius reaching out his hand to help her up. "You're mine, pet," he laughed, then turned into John again. "You're his tralk, Aeryn!" he accused her, then turned his back on her plea for help. She slid beneath the water again, calling out his name as she did. The blackness engulfed her again.
Aeryn woke with a scream and sat straight up. She was in her own bed, in her own quarters aboard Moya. Her heart was racing, and she gasped for breath. A DRD chirped quietly at her. She smiled with the knowledge that Pilot was watching over her. "I'm all right," she reassured the it. "It was just a bad dream." The DRD seemed to be satisfied with that answer, because it switched direction and rolled out of the room. "I wish it was all just a bad dream," she muttered to herself. However, the pain in her muscles from the torture reminded her that it was real. She stood up and staggered to the washbasin in her bathroom. She ran the cold water, then splashed some on her face to clear her head. As she looked up, she caught a reflection of herself in the mirror. Her throat was bruised where Scorpius had tried to strangle her. She ran her fingers over the bruise gently, but still winced with discomfort. Frell this, she thought, I've had worse. She shrugged off the memories, then went back into the main room.
Someone was waiting for her as she opened the door. Aeryn jumped with surprise as Rygel hovered through the door to her quarters. "If you're going to have nightmares, at least have the common decency to keep them to yourself," he grumbled.
"I'm fine, Rygel. Thank you for asking," she shot back.
"Good. I could hear you all the way in the next chamber," he replied, a little more gently.
"So sorry to disturb you."
"If you need someone to talk to, I'll be right next door," he offered.
Aeryn did a double-take. It wasn't like Rygel to be kind without some benefit to himself, but sometimes the little slug surprised her. She nodded gratefully. "Thank you."
"After over a hundred cycles, Durka still managed to get to me," he shared quietly.
"But you beat him in the end."
"Only after a lot of sleepless nights," Rygel added. "But I did win. And so will you."
She smiled, and kissed Rygel on the forehead. "Thanks," she whispered.
"Just keep it quiet, will you?" he groused, then hovered away on his thronesled.
***
"Zhaan," Stark's whisper cut through her sleep. He was shaking her awake, after spending the sleep cycle in his arms. "Time to wake up."
She heard beeping in the rhythm of a four-chambered heart beating. She opened her eyes. "Crichton?" she asked sleepily.
"Improving," he answered.
She disengaged herself, and straightened her robes as she looked at the monitor. John's brain functions were returning to normal parameters. "Thank the Goddess," she sighed. As she bent over him, his eyelids fluttered. "He's regaining consciousness."
"I'll let the others know," Stark replied, then left the room.
John groaned, then opened his eyes. He looked up at her and smiled weakly. "Hey, Blue," he said. "What happened?" His speech was clear, with no audible sign of aphasia.
"It's a long story," she patted his shoulder gently. She gave him a brief summary of what had happened since he'd collapsed on the carrier's deck.
He frowned and seemed to check something within. "So, I'm clear?" he asked hopefully.
"I will need to run some tests to be sure, but I am fairly positive that you are no longer under Scorpius's influence."
"Scorpy? The real one? What happened to him?"
"In solitary confinement in the Carrier's brig. Braca was killed by Commander Tal."
"So much for Pinky and the Brain," he smirked.
Zhaan looked at him, not comprehending his reference. "Well, that just proves that you're recovering. Your speech is clear - it's just that I don't understand the context."
"Two lab mice. One wants to take over the world, and the other's an idiot. Never mind."
"Stark went to inform the others. They should be here shortly," she changed the subject.
"Good." She helped him to sit up slowly. He was still shaking when he reached for a cup of water by the bed. As he was drinking, D'Argo, Chiana, and Rygel came in, followed by Stark.
"Crichton!" D'Argo called out. "You're alive!" He pulled the Human into an embrace that almost sucked the air out of his lungs.
"Not if you keep doing that," he gasped. D'Argo released him, and Chiana pushed her lover out of the way. "Hey, Pip," John winked. "How's tricks?"
"Better, now that you're back with us, Old Man," she answered, and kissed his cheek.
As she bent over, Rygel smacked her bottom. She jumped up, which gave the Hynerian room to maneuver in closer. "Does this mean that I don't get your things?" he asked.
"Guido! Good to see you, too!" Crichton grinned, and pulled Rygel in for a hug and kiss. Then, he looked around. "Where's everyone else?"
"Jothee wasn't around. Neither was Crais," Stark replied. "Aeryn was in the shower."
"I don't care if she did come back from the dead," Rygel grumbled. "The bloody bitch been in there for over an arn, using up all of the hot water!"
Zhaan frowned at that news. Aeryn normally took very quick showers - a throwback to her Peacekeeper days. Something was wrong. "Someone should check on her," she muttered.
"No need," Pilot interrupted from the clamshell screen. "She's on her way down."
"Good," Crichton said, a darker tone coming into his voice that only Zhaan caught. "I'm looking forward to seeing her."
***
As she stood in the shower, Aeryn tried to wash off every last molecule of Scorpius's touch from herself. But no matter how hard she scrubbed, she still felt filthy. Then, where no one else could see or hear her, she screamed and pounded the wall so hard that the skin on her knuckles bruised. She didn't even feel the pain, although she felt a shudder from Moya.
Aeryn emerged from the steamy bathroom into her quarters, and the chilly air made her skin tingle. As she reached for clean underclothes, Pilot's voice came over the comm. "Officer Sun," he said as his face appeared on the clamshell monitor. Aeryn jumped, then pulled the towel over her naked body. She may have been closer to Pilot than anyone else, but that didn't mean that she wanted him to see all of her. "Sorry to disturb you, but I have good news. Commander Crichton has regained consciousness."
Her heart skipped a beat. "Thank you, Pilot. I'll be right there, as soon as I get some clothes on."
"There is another thing," he began. "Moya asks that you not take such a long shower next time. She had to expend a great deal of energy to heat that amount of water to a sufficient temperature, and now she has to recycle it."
"Oh, Pilot! I'm so sorry! I guess I just lost track of time," she stammered as she pulled on her support top. "Please tell Moya that it won't happen again."
"She understands," he said cryptically. Whether that meant that Moya understood the pain that she was going through, or that it wouldn't happen again, was anyone's guess. Pilot cut the transmission before she could ask him further. She quickly pulled on her well-worn leather pants and tossed a work shirt over her top, then dashed out of her quarters to the medical bay.
Everyone on board, with the exception of Pilot and Jothee, was clustered around John's bed. The Human was awake and joking amiably with everyone. "I see that you're back to what passes for normal," she teased. Everyone turned and looked at her. She met John's eyes and drew closer to him. Chiana and D'Argo separated to let her through to the bed. John's eyes were still sunken into his face, as if he was haunted by something. He was putting on a brave face for everyone else, but she saw something beneath his act.
"Hey," he whispered. She put her right hand, bruised knuckles and all, over his.
"Hey," she answered.
"So, tell me, Sunshine," his eyes narrowed. "Did you and Scorpy have a good laugh at my expense?"
Her stomach dropped to the floor, and she pulled her hand back as if she was burned. "John! It's not what you think!" she gasped in horror.
"What are you talking about?" Chiana cocked her head and asked.
"Our straitlaced Miss Sun didn't tell you about that? I don't blame her," he sneered. "You see, while we were all worrying ourselves sick about her, Aeryn was not only jumping into the sack with Scorpy, she was telling him all about how I was in bed!"
Everyone turned to stare at her with shock. Everyone except Crais, who had been the only other member of the rescue team to see the replay. He moved to her side, as if to defend her from physical attack. "Crichton, I suggest that we discuss this some other time, when emotions are calmer," he warned.
"No, Crais. I need an explanation now, if I'm going to continue to live on the same ship with some whore who betrayed me," John answered, staring at her with utter contempt. "So, Princess, what was it? Was I really that pathetic, or was it the fact that he was at least half-Sebacean? Gotta keep those bloodlines as pure as possible. Or maybe it was payback for saving your miserable life!"
Aeryn's anger exploded at that last comment. "Or, maybe I just mistook him for you! It got pretty hard to tell the difference there at the end!" she yelled, then stormed out of the room. She blindly ran down the hall to what had always been her sanctuary, the exercise facility. Everything was as she'd left it. The punching bag was still standing in the center of the mat. She blindly swung at it again and again. The skin on her knuckles opened up, but she didn't even feel the pain as she hit the bag between her tears.
***
After Aeryn's explosion, everyone in the room stared at each other in shocked silence. Crais narrowed his eyes at the Human, who was still fuming. "That was uncalled for, Crichton," he snarled. "If I didn't know better, I'd think that you were still brain-damaged." He turned on his heel and went after Aeryn. Rygel shot a contemptuous look at Crichton, then hovered out of the room in Crais's wake.
"John, I am sorry," Zhaan said gently. She had noticed her friend's bruised hands and her skin that was red and abraded from scrubbing. It didn't take much to know what was going on.
"You knew, didn't you?" he interrogated her. She nodded. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"She asked me not to."
That only made him angrier, which made the line on the monitor reading out his blood pressure spiked higher. "I guess she wanted to play both sides to her advantage."
Chiana slapped him, not hard, but enough to get his attention. "You frelling, stupid, ignorant man!" she spat. D'Argo tried to pull her back, but she shrugged him off. "Leave me alone, D'Argo! Let me tell you something, Crichton! If you think she frelled Scorpy on purpose, you'd better get that doctor to examine your head again! Who appointed you the moral authority on this ship, anyway? She was using the only weapons she had - her body, and Scorpy's fascination with you. I'd have done it, too. Aeryn was playing both sides, all right. She got him to trust her enough so that she could take him down. Frankly, you should be proud of her!"
"Chiana's right, John," D'Argo agreed. "You saw what Scorpius wanted you to see."
"It was a matter of survival," Zhaan added. "She would never purposefully hurt you like that, especially not with Scorpius. She was spying on him for her friends."
"Okay, so she was playing Mata Hari," Crichton agreed. "But that was no reason to tell him what we'd done in the privacy of our quarters."
"Maybe I didn't make myself clear before," Chiana hissed. "It was a desperation move!"
"Perhaps you should examine all the facts before you judge her," Stark, who had been hiding in the back of the room, spoke up and chimed in. "Isn't that what you're always saying?"
"She forgave you for actions that you took while you were under the control of that monster," Zhaan added. "Does she not deserve the same forgiveness?"
Crichton's eyes got wide at that point. Zhaan knew that her words had found their mark. He closed his eyes and tilted his head back, so that the bandages rested against the wall. "You're right, Zhaan. You're all right. Oh, man. I've really screwed things up bad this time, haven't I?"
"I'd say that you have," D'Argo agreed. Zhaan shot him a warning look.
The Human slumped forward and put his head in his hands. "I need to talk to her, before it's too late. Before she does something that she'll regret later."
"Not now," Chiana advised. "Let her blow off some steam first."
"No, I've got to talk to her now. D'Argo, help me up, will you?"
Zhaan started to say that he shouldn't be out of bed, but stopped herself. Some things were more important than bed rest. "Chiana, help me get these electrodes off of him," she asked.
John caught Chiana's hand before she could touch him. "No, Pip. I need you to go get something for me first..."
***
Aeryn visualized Crichton's face on the punching bag, then Braca's, then Scorpius's. She punched and kicked the bag repeatedly. She was so focused on what she was doing that she didn't notice the door open. As she spun around to plant a flying kick on the bag, she nearly clobbered Rygel hovering by the bag on his thronesled. She pulled back sharply to avoid hitting him. "Rygel! Be careful! I could have hurt you!"
"But you didn't," he reminded her.
She looked over toward where Crais was leaning against the wall. Breathing heavily, she leaned on the bag. "So, have you come to gloat?" she gasped.
"Not at all," he smiled gently. "Dominar Rygel and I were concerned about you."
"I'm fine," she panted. "Go away, Bialar. I'm not in the mood right now." Rygel arched an earbrow at her use of Crais' first name.
"Aeryn, Crichton overreacted. I saw that tape, too. Granted, it wasn't me that you were talking about, but I understood what you were doing and why."
"I'm glad that someone does!" She removed her hand, leaving a bloody print on the bag.
Rygel glided forward and stared at the handprint with concern. "We all understand."
"Except for the one that matters the most."
Crais suddenly stopped short, and his face clouded over as Talyn spoke to him. "I must go. Jothee has boarded Talyn and is attempting to manipulate him." He turned to leave, then looked back at her. "I just want to let you know that my offer is still open. You can join us anytime you wish. Please think about it."
"Thank you, Cousin," she nodded. He turned and strode quickly down the corridor to the docking bay. She watched him go with mixed feelings.
"Cousin?" Rygel asked incredulously. "You're related to Crais?"
She looked over at Rygel, and remembered that the rest of Moya's crew didn't know about this new information. "His father was the elder brother of my father."
"Just be careful, Aeryn. I know how devious cousins can be."
"Oh, be quiet," she snapped, then stalked out of the exercise room.
"Where do you think you're going?" Rygel asked as he hovered after her.
"To my quarters. I'm going to pack my things, say goodbye to Pilot, then leave with Crais and Talyn. There's nothing left for me here," she replied. She heard Rygel grumbling over the whine of his sled as he pushed the motor to keep up with her. She ignored him.
The lights were off when she entered her quarters. She hadn't recalled turning them off, but that didn't matter. She preferred to be in the dark. It matched her mood. Suddenly, she was aware of the presence of another being in her room. She stopped suddenly and reached for her pulse-pistol, wincing when her raw knuckles hit the hard leather of the holster. Her eyes adjusted to the darkness, and she focused on a bright object in the middle of her bed.
She turned the lights up to half. The object was actually several bright flowers from Zhaan's pharmacopeia. Sitting behind them was John Crichton, in a black work shirt and leather pants. With the shaved patch of hair and bandage on his head, he looked more ridiculous than usual. He looked up at her with tears in his haunted blue eyes. "Flowers?" she asked skeptically.
"It's a custom on my planet. When a guy is in the doghouse for saying something really stupid to his girl, he gives her flowers when he apologizes," he explained. Then, he picked up the flower bouquet, stood up, and handed them to her awkwardly.
She looked at him as if he'd still been brain-damaged. "A dog is a small quadruped that you keep as a pet, right? Then why would you be in one's house? Or is this another Erp saying?"
"Another saying. Dammit, what I'm trying to say here, Aeryn, is that I'm sorry. I was way out of line to jump on you like that. You've been through a terrible, hellish experience, and I just made it worse. I can be so stupid sometimes..."
"More than sometimes," she replied gently. Her heart felt like it was breaking. She took the bouquet from him. He felt the blood from her torn knuckles, and looked at her with shock.
"My God, Aeryn! What did you do to yourself?" He took the bouquet from her and tossed it onto the bed. Then, he gently took both of her hands in his and examined them. He traced the cuts lightly with his fingertip. She tried not to wince, but the pain showed through on her face. "We need to get that cleaned up."
"Don't worry about it, Crichton. The nanobots will heal it eventually."
"Yeah, but it'll still hurt. Come on. You sit down on the bed." He took her by the shoulders and steered her. She resisted. "It's all right, Aeryn. You've been taking care of me for the past few weeks. Let me take care of you." She met his pain-filled eyes, then nodded. He guided her to the bed, and she sat. Then, he kissed her forehead gently. "I'll be right back."
He went into the bathroom. Aeryn heard him fumbling around, then the sound of running water. She looked at the bright yellow flowers laying discarded on the bed, and pulled one of them out of the bouquet. Such a strange custom, she thought, but very touching.
The water stopped, and he came back out of the bathroom with two wet washcloths. "Come here," he said as he sat on the bed behind her and leaned his back against the wall. She scooted back, so that she was sitting with his legs straddling her backside. Aeryn leaned back into his warm body and felt his arms embrace her. He wrapped one cold washcloth around her right hand, then the other around her left. "There. That ought to bring the swelling down. Hold them with your thumbs, like this." He moved her thumb to hold the ends together.
She looked up at him with confusion. "Why are you doing this?"
"Because I love you," he replied. Her eyes widened in surprise. "I know I said some awful things, but it was because I was a stupid jerk, and didn't have all of the facts." He stroked her damp hair and asked quietly, "Talk to me, Aeryn. Tell me what happened on that carrier."
She shuddered with the memory, and he put his arms around her. Hesitantly, she told him everything that happened from when she woke up in Scorpius's quarters to when they got back to Moya. He listened to everything, punctuating her story with strokes of her hair, rubbing her back, and feathery kisses along her jawline. She felt his tension when she got to the part about recreating with Scorpius, and how degrading it had been. But he said nothing, just listened.
When she finally finished, he kissed the top of her head. "So, you and Crais are cousins?"
"Yes, John," she reassured him. "You have nothing worry about, though. Even if you," she hesitated, "weren't around anymore, I wouldn't have a relationship with him. Peacekeepers have very strict rules against mating with close relatives."
"So do Humans. Unless they're from Kentucky or West Virginia, that is," he chuckled. He moved his arm, and inadvertently brushed her breast. A shot of pain on her nipple from one of Scorpius's bites triggered a brief flashback. She stiffened involuntarily and gasped. "Whoa, Aeryn," he exclaimed, pulling his arm back. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do that."
She looked away from him. "I know. It's just that," she shuddered and couldn't continue.
"Hey, now, Sunshine," he put both arms around her and pulled her in closer. "I understand. It's going to take some time for us to put the pieces back together. He hurt you. He hurt me, too. I'll never forgive him for ruining both of our lives."
She considered what he said. "Scorpius did do one good thing," she reminded him. "If it wasn't for him and his twisted idea of revenge against you, I'd still be dead. He did save my life."
"Is that why you let him live?"
"No," she replied honestly. "I wanted to kill him. Khalaan, or whatever I was channeling, wanted him dead, too. But Daya stopped me. You were still connected to him, John. If I killed Scorpius, I might have killed you, too. You barely survived as it was. Zhaan's Goddess seems to think that you're someone pretty special. She stopped me to protect you." She tilted her head up and kissed him. He returned her kiss, but he didn't push things any farther.
"Officer Sun, Commander Crichton," Pilot's voice interrupted them on the comm system. "We have a situation. Please come up to Command immediately."
John released her. She stood up quickly, and helped him up. He lost his balance, and fell forward into her. She caught him, and their eyes met. "Thanks," he said. "I'm still a little shaky."
"Nice to see that you two have patched things up," Rygel said from the door to Aeryn's quarters. "But Pilot said immediately." He sniffed, then sped off.
"Come on, let's go," she said. John put his arm around her shoulders, and leaned on her as they both made their way up to Command.
Everyone had already arrived when they showed up. "What's going on?" John asked.
Crais looked from him to Aeryn, then over to the screen. "Talyn just received a high-level encrypted message. He's patched it through to Moya. Go ahead, Talyn."
Commander Tal's face came up on the screen. He was bleeding from a wound to his forehead. Behind him, Aeryn could see several Peacekeepers laying on the hangar deck with pulse-rifle wounds. "Bialar, we've got trouble. Scorpius escaped with several officers who were still loyal to him. We tried to stop them, but they overwhelmed us. He's loose, he's got support, and he's out for revenge. Be very careful. We've both seen how vindictive he can be. Tal out."
"This changes everything," Aeryn said as she stared at the image of her mentor on the screen. Behind his frozen image, she noticed a medic with bright red hair bending over an injured man. "At least Daya survived," she nodded at the screen.
"Thank the Goddess for that," Zhaan agreed.
"That's it, I'm staying here with you," Stark announced. He put his arm around Zhaan.
"You two might be safer aboard Talyn right now," Crais offered to Aeryn and John. "No offense, but he's better equipped to protect you."
She exchanged looks with John, and took his hand. "I'm not leaving Moya," she said.
"I'm not gonna hide from Scorpy. Not anymore," John added with fierce determination. "Let him come. We'll be ready for him this time."
"I understand," Crais agreed. "However, this is another matter that we need to discuss." He looked over at D'Argo. "Earlier, Jothee was aboard Talyn without my permission."
Jothee glared at Crais. "I wasn't doing anything! I was just checking him out!"
"I know. Talyn didn't mind. In fact, he only notified me when you started doing something that was potentially dangerous. He likes you, young man. I have no idea why."
"Jothee!" D'Argo growled. "You are not a slave anymore. You should ask permission..."
"Wait a microt, Father," Jothee shot back. "I told you, I was just checking Talyn out! He's half Peacekeeper, I'm half Peacekeeper..."
"Your mother was not a Peacekeeper!" D'Argo snapped.
Aeryn suddenly felt insulted by the Luxan's tone of voice. She looked over at Crais, who was watching Jothee closely. "Watch what you say," she hissed as she nodded toward the image of her mentor on the screen, "Peacekeepers risked their lives to save mine."
"Jothee! D'Argo!" Chiana stepped in between father and son. "Both of you, calm down!"
"Thank you, Chiana," Crais nodded. "Jothee, I have a proposition for you. Since Aeryn is not coming with us, Talyn and I would like you to join us."
"Absolutely not!" D'Argo shouted.
"You don't have a say in this, Father! I've been on my own for a long time."
"But you are not a warrior!"
"I could teach him to be one," Crais interjected. That stopped D'Argo cold.
"I think this proposal has some merit," Zhaan said, putting her arm around D'Argo and steering him away from Jothee. "Jothee has done well to survive on his own, but there are many things that he still must learn."
"I should be the one to teach him, not a Peacekeeper," he grumbled. Aeryn scowled at him and put her hands on her hips in a subtle warning.
"Look, we're wasting time here," John jumped in. "Scorpy is out there looking for us. The best thing right now would be for Jothee to take Crais's offer. D'Argo, just deal with it."
"Actually, I think it's a wonderful idea," Aeryn added. "It would solve several problems."
"Captain, you've got yourself a crewman," Jothee agreed. He and Crais clasped arms.
"Take care of my son, Captain," D'argo surrendered. "He's all I have."
"I'll treat him like my own kinsman," Crais agreed, looking cryptically at Aeryn.
Meanwhile, Jothee was hugging Chiana goodbye. Aeryn arched her eyebrow at how close the two teens were, and she nudged John. "Yeah, I saw," he whispered. "This is beginning to look like the Love Boat. I just hope that I'm not Gopher."
She reached up and whispered back in his ear, "I think I liked you better when you couldn't come up with all of those stupid Erp references," she teased.
***
An arn later, Talyn, Crais, and Jothee starburst away. Aeryn and John watched them go from Command. He stood behind her with his arms wrapped around her waist. "Regret not going with them?" he murmured in her ear.
"Not in the least," she replied. "I belong here on Moya. Since we got back, I feel even more connected to her than ever before."
"He's still out there, Aeryn. He's hunting us. He won't stop hunting us."
"I know. Does that frighten you, John?"
"Scares the crap outta me."
"Me too," she admitted. "I don't want to think about what would happen if he captured either one of us..." She shuddered.
He tightened his embrace and nuzzled her neck. "But now, we've evened the score a little bit. He's cut off from his power base, with only a handful of Peacekeepers to back him up. Your friends are high-tailing it back home, where they'll tell everyone what Scorpy was up to. With luck, they'll be after him, too. And best of all, he's not in my head anymore."
"I'm glad of that," she agreed. "But I wouldn't put anything past him."
He kissed the top of her head. "He may be out there, but we're both here, both alive, and both relatively whole. And, after what we've been through, I'm thankful for that."
Aeryn nestled back into his arms, where she felt like nothing could
touch her. "So am I, my love. So am I."