Change of Heart (Part 4-Cavalry)
Author: Brenda, ScribLL@houston.rr.com
Part: 4/5
Rating: R
Summary: John and Aeryn get help from unexpected sources. This is set about a month after 'A Bug's Life', Aeryn got better all on her own and Crais is still captain of his command carrier. I wrote the first draft in the long hiatus after ABL.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything about Farscape. All characters, except the few I created, belong to Henson studios and the SciFi Channel.
With many, many thanks to Kat for her encouragement, advice, and for reeling me back in when I get over my head.
Cavalry
"It's a trap—-Peacekeepers!"
"Crichton!" called Zhaan back into the comm. "Crichton!" No answer. "Pilot, call the others. Have them come up to Command. Something's happened to John and Aeryn."
Zhaan monitored Moya's sensor readings looking for some clue as to what might have happened while waiting for the others. D'Argo was the first to arrive followed closely by Rygel and Chiana. Zhaan had Pilot play back the transmission from Crichton.
"Peacekeepers." D'Argo's eye narrowed and he made a sudden grab for the Hynerian's chair. "You worthless piece of dinka dren, where have you sent them?"
From long practice, Rygel deftly moved his levitating chair just out of the Luxan's reach. "I didn't send them anywhere. That frelling Keegan must have set us up. How was I supposed to know?"
"I've been checking sensor readings," said Zhaan. "I cannot find any indication of a Peacekeeper vessel in the area, at least not one listed in Moya's data base."
D'Argo turned his attention back to Zhaan. "Peacekeepers could have pressed another species' vessel into service."
"Or it could be a new ship. The Peacekeeper data base on Moya is nearly three-quarters of a cycle old," added Pilot from the shell viewer.
"I suppose that is possible," Zhaan said. "Aeryn's prowler has not moved from its landing site. We'll just have to go down to the surface and look for them." She looked around for any objections, but the grim faces looking back at her voiced none. "Chiana, stay here and assist Pilot in monitoring the sensors. Just in case there are Peacekeeper ships about that we cannot identify, Pilot should take Moya to the far side of one of the planet's moons. The rest of us can take a transport pod down to the surface."
"And if we don't find them, you can personally introduce us to your 'friend'," said D'Argo to Rygel.
"I wouldn't mind having a serious word with him myself," said Rygel and he followed D'Argo and Zhaan to the transport bay.
***
D'Argo put the transport pod down about half a metra from the prowler and they made their way cautiously on foot, or by levitating chair, in Rygel's case, but they found the prowler undisturbed. They decided to split up with Zhaan taking the path that Aeryn and John had followed and D'Argo and Rygel circling around by another route. Along the way Zhaan inquired among the inhabitants if anyone had seen what might have happened to her shipmates. The second person she asked told her that 'it was all over town by now'. Peacekeepers had commandeered the houses along Hylos Street, threatening the people that lived there and locking them up in backrooms while they ambushed someone on the street. After that, the stories began to conflict, some saying that the Peacekeepers had killed the people that they ambushed and others, that they had taken them with them.
On Hylos Street she found one of the people who had been forcefully held in her home by the Peacekeepers. The elderly woman was nearly hysterical and it took all of Zhaan's skill to calm her enough to get only a little more information from her. She didn't think that the people were killed, although she couldn't be certain. At any rate, if they did kill them, they took the bodies with them. She was sure that they had marched off to the north when they left. Zhaan reported all of this to D'Argo and Rygel over her comm badge.
When Zhaan arrived at the location where Aeryn and John were supposed to meet the prator, D'Argo and Rygel were waiting for her.
"No one seems to know what happened to Crichton and Aeryn, but the Peacekeepers left to the north, about a dozen of them." D'Argo raised his qualta blade in readiness and turned as if to lead them in that direction. "I'm afraid, fierce D'Argo, that it will be too dangerous to confront them like this. Let's see if Pilot has discovered anything more with Moya's sensors." She raised her wrist to bring the communication device pinned there to her mouth. "Pilot?"
"Yes, Zhaan."
"The villagers report that the Peacekeepers moved towards the north of town. Are you picking up anything on Moya's sensors?"
"Nothing unusual now. However, about a half an arn after we received Crichton's call, a vessel lifted off from just north of town. Wait… this is odd, let me check again"
"What is it, Pilot?" asked Zhaan.
"As soon as it broke orbit it disappeared at an unusually high velocity."
"Like starburst?"
"No, but the last recorded velocity was… hetch seventeen… and it was still accelerating."
"Some new kind of drive?"
"It is possible."
"Are there any other ships in the area?"
"None besides the prowler and the transport pod."
"They had to arrive in something," said D'Argo, "and it appears they have already left."
"But why just Aeryn and John? Why not the rest of us? And this elaborate charade—this just doesn't sound like Peacekeepers," said Zhaan puzzled.
"I, agree," said Rygel. "Peacekeepers just use brute force; they don't go sneaking about."
"I think it's time we paid your friend a visit," said D'Argo.
"Keegan is located in a trading center in one of the northern continents. I took the time to monitor some of his communication transmissions. He runs a very large and diverse trading operation. We shouldn't have any difficulty in locating him."
Rygel took offense at the look on their faces. "Don't look so surprised," he sniffed. "I don't like being taken in by this fapooter any more than the rest of you. I have my pride, you know."
"Of course, Rygel," said Zhaan as she nodded her head.
D'Argo was not as easily convinced, but for now he would assume that the Hynerian might be helpful. "Zhaan, take the transport pod back to Moya. Help Pilot and see if you can find out anything else from Moya's sensors. Rygel and I will take the prowler to visit Keegan."
***
"Welcome. I wasn't expecting you quite this soon," the trader greeted them. Roth Keegan ran a thriving and well-known trading concern and it had not been difficult for them to locate him. D'Argo and Rygel were led to an inner chamber and had not waited long for Keegan to arrive. The room was decorated sumptuously, with rich fabrics and plush carpets in jewel colors that contrasted sharply to the somberly dressed man who greeted them. The dark clothes served to accentuate his gaunt build. "Would you care for some refreshments?"
At the mention of food, Rygel's earbrows went up, but before he could agree, D'Argo declined for them both in his usual brusque manner. "No. We did not come here to eat... and we're not here to deliver the distillate either."
"I didn't expect that you were," he said spreading his dark robes with long delicate fingers as he sat down on the wide sedan. He had a manner of speaking that was slow and deliberate as if choosing every word carefully. "Please, please sit," he said gesturing to the other sedan.
"Then you knew it was a trap," growled D'Argo coming closer. He towered menacingly over the trader, but he seemed unconcerned.
"There's no need to threaten me. I'll tell you everything I know although, I'm afraid, that's very little." D'Argo backed off some. "Believe me, I'm sorry about your friends. It's...bad for business."
This did little to mollify D'Argo, but Rygel recognized the soul of a trader. "Let's hear what the man has to say, before you damage him, D'Argo." D'Argo regarded the Hynerian suspiciously, but sat down. Rygel continued to the trader, "Do you know where they took our shipmates?"
"Back to Peacekeeper territories."
"They were Peacekeepers then," said D'Argo.
"Yes, although the only one I had contact with wasn't wearing a uniform at the time. Still there's no hiding that superior, arrogant manner of theirs."
"You don't sound like you care for them very much. How much did he pay you to help them?" D'Argo asked.
"The Peacekeeper destroyed one of my cargo freighters while in orbit and then threatened to completely disrupt my trading operations if I didn't cooperate with him. He could have ruined me. As it is, with the loss of the freighter, the profit margin for this cycle will be very poor. I had little choice, but to assist him."
D'Argo was about to say something which most likely would have been construed as being very rude, but Rygel diplomatically interrupted him before he could begin. "We can sympathize with your position, but you must understand that some of us are very...distressed by the loss of our comrades."
"Yes, I can understand that perfectly," the trader answered, "but I will tell you all I know. Very late two solar days ago, the Peacekeeper destroyed the freighter and then issued me his ultimatum. He told me to contact the Leviathan giving me instructions for making the fictitious trade. He was very specific that the two Sebaceans were to be brought down to the surface. The timing was dependent on the arrival of this ship." He leaned toward the low table in front of them and pushed a few hidden controls. An image of the Peacekeeper ship appeared over the holographic table. "Since I knew the rendezvous coordinates, I made a point of having someone there to observe. Your friends were abducted and taken aboard the ship. There's something else you may be interested to know."
"What is that?" asked Rygel.
"You understand, it may just be a misinterpretation by my observer, but he is very astute, which is why I use him for these kinds of tasks. It appeared that the female Sebacean was a part of the plan."
"Impossible," spat D'Argo.
"I think it very unlikely," added Rygel more calmly.
The trader opened his palms and shrugged. "Well, you would know her better than I. However, my observer says that while the male was disarmed and bound, the female was allowed to keep her weapon and seemed to go with them of her own accord." Observing D'Argo's and Rygel's disturbed expressions, the trader was quite conciliatory. "I'm sorry if this news is upsetting, but I thought you should be made aware of it.
"And now, I have a proposal to make to you."
D'Argo was astonished at the trader's nerve. "Under the circumstances, I don't think there is anything you have that we would be interested in."
The trader smiled for the first time. "I understand your reservations, but please, hear me out. We may be able to help each other."
D'Argo could not imagine how Keegan might help them, but Rygel was beginning to think that they may have underestimated the man. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt to listen."
Keegan nodded in answer. "First, I will admit, my motives are not in the least altruistic. A key part of my success in commerce is that I make it a practice to be prepared for profitable opportunities as they arise and in this case, I wish to correct a 'missed opportunity'."
D'Argo rose and stomped towards the exit. "I think we've heard enough. You'll have to find someone else who's interested in your business deals."
"Please wait, hear me out. I deceived you once and I know that you have no reason to believe me now, but I want to be as honest with you as I can."
"Now, D'Argo, it won't hurt to listen to him," said Rygel, but he added to Keegan, "You just had better make your point quickly."
"Just so. I had the means at my disposal to defend my property against the lone Peacekeeper, but as I said, he was expecting a much larger ship and my means are limited. I have had a few experiences with Peacekeepers, most of them unpleasant, but I have learned to respect their power. They are well armed and not disinclined to use force. Making enemies of them would hardly be a good business practice. So I went along with his plan.
"However, this ship you see," he said pointing to the holographic projection, "is not what I expected. It has extremely limited weaponry, the prowler alone could likely do more damage. It was never a threat.
"It does have one interesting capability." He touched the controls on the table again. The view of the ship accelerated and disappeared off the table in the blink of an eye. "It's very fast. The last satellite feed from the fifth planet's orbit shows that the ship had already reached hetch twenty."
"The sensors on Moya also indicated that the ship was extraordinarily fast," D'Argo said in reluctant support.
"Such technology would be very...valuable."
"What are you getting at, Keegan?" asked Rygel.
"I propose an alliance. I have accumulated a small fleet of attack vessels and pilots for them. I believe they might be capable of securing the Peacekeeper vessel, but there is only one ship with the ability to overtake the it."
"A Leviathan," D'Argo said. The possibilities were...glorious.
***
"Permission to come aboard."
"Stand-by. Deploying the docking web," said Zhaan. "Pilot?"
"Bringing them onboard now," he answered.
One by one the odd collection of spacecraft was brought into the transport bay. Most were one- or two-man fighters. Two were transports modified to carry weapons. Only one ship looked as if it was less than ten cycles old. The rest certainly had seen their fair share of combat if not the wrecking yard.
D'Argo and Rygel waited in the maintenance bay, watching the ships land and their crews debark.
"Well, General," Rygel said to D'Argo, "You've finally got your command back."
D'Argo grunted in appreciation. Not the Luxan force he had once commanded, but he felt a growing satisfaction. The warrior had been running far too long. It would be good to finally take the offensive, even if it meant allying themselves with the trader who had made it necessary in the first place. He was surprised, though, to find Roth Keegan, himself, at the head of the assembled force.
"Welcome to Moya, Keegan," began Rygel in cordial greeting.
D'Argo grunted in approval. "So you have come at the head of your warriors—you show a true leader's spirit."
"Let's get this straight, Ka D'Argo," Keegan said, "We are traders, not warriors. I've come to protect my interests."
D'Argo's grudging admiration disappeared. "The Peacekeeper drive."
"Is extremely valuable," finished Keegan. "Nearly priceless. Just so we understand each other."
While D'Argo was disappointed that their new allies did not share his sense of honor, he had not expected it either. He could think of very few people that he would not deal with for the chance to fight the Peacekeepers on their own terms. "I understand perfectly. Prepare for your people for starburst." Then into the comm on his shoulder, "Zhaan, we're ready."
"Yes, D'Argo. Pilot is making the last calculations now. Starburst in 100 microts."
***
Aeryn reported to the duty station assigned to her. Despite the well-timed ambush in town, most of the personnel on board were techs, necessary aboard a ship such as this. She had learned that this vessel was using an experimental drive that was much faster than anything the Sebaceans had ever used before except for the starburst capability of Leviathans. However, for the time being, its applications were limited. The drive itself was too large for small tactical vessels like prowlers or marauders, but as yet inefficient in high mass vehicles such as command carriers. While she took some grudging pride in yet another example of Sebacean technical superiority, she knew that at this velocity, she would quickly run out of time in which to rescue John. Once they were in Peacekeeper territories, it increased the likelihood that they would be recaptured, if she managed to get them off this ship at all. So maybe that's the key, she thought. If she could disable the drive, it would keep them from getting to Peacekeeper territories. She needed to know more about it.
She began by accessing the ship's database, but immediately found that other than very rudimentary information, all the data stores pertaining to the new drive required access codes. She began making a few attempts at getting around them.
"Officer Sun, that information is classified," said the technician next to her.
The tech startled her, but she covered up her surprise with genuine admiration. "I just wanted to learn more about this new drive. It's amazing. A velocity of hetch twenty maintained for over eighty arns. Yet another magnificent example of Sebacean superiority."
The technician relaxed slightly and broke into a slight self-satisfied smile. "Yes, it is. I'm a member of the design team. We've been testing it for nearly a quarter-cycle."
His pride was apparent; maybe she could use that. "Our enemies will be shivering in their shirmocks," she added and the technician's chest stuck out a little more. "I hope that some day I might get the opportunity to pilot a ship with this drive."
The tech's expression said 'of course, you would'. "It may come sooner than you think. Each test flight brings us closer to perfecting the technology."
Not having to feign interest, Aeryn began to ask questions about the drive. "How would the drive respond to a Helmot maneuver—how does it compensate for the acceleration forces?"
The technician was openly smiling now, clearly excited about 'his' drive. "It took us a long time to come up with the dipolar shielding. Venting plasma through the shielding creates a localized opposing field effectively compensating for extreme acceleration forces."
"What?" She did not have to pretend that she had not understood him.
"The dipolar shielding acts as an inertial dampening device—" he broke off his explanation at the confused look on Aeryn's face. "I guess it would be alright for you to see the first tier data stores about the drive—the ones a pilot would need to know about." He bent over Aeryn's station and entered a command code. Schematics appeared on the viewer in front of her.
Yes, that will be quite sufficient, thought Aeryn as the technician sat down next to her and began explaining the schematics in more detail.
***
"I was hoping that we'd get to spend a little more time together," Paulto said over a meal of food cubes in the mess hall. "There's not that much for infantry to do on this ship. What have you been doing?"
"I've been trying to catch up with what I've missed while I've been gone," Aeryn said.
Paulto shrugged. "Good, you're getting right back into the swing of things. I'm glad to hear it." He paused a moment. "I just thought—" then he stopped, taking another bite.
For some reason this sparked Aeryn's curiosity. "Thought what?"
"Never mind. When we get to First Command we should review tier four tactical field exercises—make sure your skills haven't dropped."
"Or you'll have me replaced?"
"No! I just—no," he shook his head. Odd, she had rarely ever seen Paulto flustered like this, but he finally seemed to get his bearings. "It just wouldn't hurt for either of us to get some practice in. I'm sure you'll be fine. I wouldn't want to work with anyone else."
Aeryn couldn't explain it, but she felt odd internal alarms going off. It had been a long time, but something about Paulto's behavior was—unexpected. She shrugged the feeling off. Why shouldn't it feel unexpected; the motivation behind this scheme of his was completely unfathomable.
"Good," she said, not knowing what else to say.
And then everything seemed normal again. "This trip's going to be a bit of bore though."
"It's alright," said Aeryn neutrally.
"Well, it's bound to be a step up from that Leviathan and her crew, eh? Tell me, something—I've been wondering—why did they take you in with them?"
"You mean why didn't they just kill me at the first opportunity?" Aeryn asked becoming indignant.
"Well…yes."
"Is this some kind of test?"
Paulto backed down immediately. "I was just curious. Forget I asked."
Aeryn took a couple more bites in silence and then answered, "Crichton talked them into taking me."
A cold smile formed on Paulto's face. "I'll bet he's sorry now."
Aeryn stiffened. It took all her will power not to reach over and wipe the smirk off his face. "I'm sure of it," she said hiding the bitterness in her voice.
***
John had spent the first several hours pacing his cell, eight steps forward and eight steps back, until he realized the there was a camera in the cell, and he felt that this must be what it was like to be a caged animal in a zoo. He suppressed the impulse to make obscene gestures, but managed to move the cot so that it was just underneath the camera in what he hoped was out of the field of vision of whoever was watching. He sat down on the cot with his back against the wall and spent the rest of the time brooding.
If John thought the occasional boredom on Moya was bad, it was not even close to sitting alone in a cell for hours on end with only his own thoughts for company. And not very nice thoughts either. After getting over his initial shock of Aeryn's betrayal, he began to imagine evil things happening to her, not very noble admittedly, but for the moment, satisfying. Besides, it was all he had. He doubted that Moya would find him, let alone take on a Peacekeeper ship, even if they wanted to, which was also in doubt given Aeryn's betrayal. He had come to trust her most of all.
He began to get stiff and sore from sitting slumped against the wall. He sat up straight and was rubbing the back of his neck when he accidentally touched the tender bruise there, the muscle where his neck met his shoulder and the memory of how it came to be there rushed back to him. After all, it had only been last night.
She lay on top of him. He remembered the feel of her against the length of his body, her hair tickling his face, that unique mixture of softness and firmness that was her breasts pressing against his chest, her hips cradling his erection between them. His hands cupped that marvelously firm bottom holding her against him as he pressed his leg between hers, pressing against the warmth of her mound. She'd let out a low moan and he thought that maybe he'd finally found something where she couldn't boss him around, but that thought was fleeting. She bit into the side of his neck and every hair on his body rose in attention as if at her command. He had been unsure what to make of this when she kissed him again. The quiver of her laughter passed from her lips to his and into his veins and he pressed himself hard against her once more. After that, there had been no thinking at all.
His pulse raced and his breath deepened with the unbidden memory. He felt the tightening in his pants, dismayed that his body would betray him, too.
He rose up at the sound of the door opening forcing a calm he did not feel. Still, his heart turned over once in his chest as he recognized Aeryn coming through the door. She wore a new uniform and carried some sort of bundle. He hoped he hid his discomfort by staring at her sullenly.
She started and stopped to speak twice before she finally said, "I brought you a blanket. I know the optimum temperature on a Peacekeeper vessel is probably a little cool for you."
"I don't remember calling for room service," said John coldly.
She kept glancing at the wall behind him with the camera. There was something that she wanted to tell him, but whoever was watching made her nervous. He wasn't sure what to make of that. Maybe she was worried about what he might say.
Finally she said, "I'm sorry, John." She slipped the blanket through the bars letting it fall to the floor and left.
John walked over to the fallen blanket and picked it up, then went back to the cot and lay down covering himself with it. "That makes two of us," he said aloud. He covered his eyes with one arm and prepared himself for the long night ahead.
***
Aeryn returned to her bunk for the night, too. It was painful for her to see John this way, but it was better than not seeing him at all. She had wanted so badly to take out that camera; one well-aimed shot with her pulse rifle would have done it—and brought the entire ship down on top of them.
This will do John no good. She forced herself to focus her attention onto formulating a viable plan. She tried to imagine that this was just a field strategy exercise, one of hundreds she had participated in. She began to review what she had learned about the ship and its drive trying to see if she could use any of the information to come up with some sort of plan.
Disabling the drive would not be simple. Due to the shielding necessary to separate the inhabited part of the ship from the primary power source, the main part of the drive had very limited access and those areas were heavily guarded.
The controls were more accessible, but because of their vulnerability, redundant systems were placed strategically throughout the ship. Still, they seemed like the best chance of success. Except—it suddenly occurred to her, that it might not be necessary to damage the drive itself to render it useless. If the dipolar shielding were disabled, the inertial stresses on the ship would make it virtually impossible to maintain the extreme velocities the drive was capable of. It would not stop the ship, but it would slow it down considerably. And turn it into a very bumpy ride.
Aeryn thought she remembered the main power conduits for the shield generators were accessible from a corridor in the aft section of deck one. An explosion from a strategically placed pulse rifle with the pulse chamber overloaded should take out the whole section. It would also very likely blow a whole in the hull exposing the area to vacuum, making repairs even more difficult and time-consuming. Perfect.
Assuming she could effectively disable the drive—then what? She had to get John off the ship somehow. The ship was too small to have transports. There were escape pods, but they had no propulsion systems of their own. One could only hope to be picked up by another ship. Tomorrow she would try to get access to the flight plan. If they were lucky, perhaps they would intercept an inhabited system or a busy trade route.
Not much of a plan, but it had potential—the most comforting thought Aeryn had had since they had been captured.
Still it was a long time before she could fall asleep. Too much on her mind—John, Paulto, the drive. And while the familiar blend of ship's noise and voices was one she had known all her life, she found she missed the quiet hum of Moya.
***
D'Argo strode impatiently into Command. "Have you picked up anything on the sensors yet?"
Zhaan sighed. "Not a thing, I'm afraid. We've been making the widest possible sweeps of the area, but so far nothing."
"It's been ten arns since we came out of starburst," D'Argo pointed out needlessly.
"I'm well aware of how long it's been," she answered sharply. Zhaan sighed and stretched the muscles in her back and neck striving to master her own apprehension. She was tired and would have liked very much to spend some time meditating in her quarters, but knew too well she could not. Pilot had projected the Peacekeeper ship's last recorded trajectory and estimated the length of starburst to place them well ahead of the Peacekeeper's new ship. Since then he had repeated his calculations, varying the parameters, but anyway they looked at it, their window of opportunity was closing fast. Most disturbing was that if the Peacekeeper vessel changed its course by more than .03 radii, it would be outside of Moya's sensor range. "Delvia zota del renizha," she added beneath her breath. A small prayer would not hurt right now.
Pilot interrupted, "Zhaan, we're picking up something."
Hope made her alert immediately and she went back to the board. "Where?"
"It's just barely coming on sensors now, but it's traveling at …hetch 19."
"That's got be it. At that speed they'll be in visual range in less than 500microts. D'Argo, you'd better get our allies ready. We won't have much time. You have to get the ship to slow down. If it gets past us, we will never be able to catch it again."
***
Aeryn had barely fallen asleep when the alarms first sounded. Before her half-asleep mind could identify the attack alarm, an impact to the ship had thrown her unceremoniously from her bunk to the floor waking her abruptly. The ship was under attack.
She quickly put on her uniform, but not before being thrown against the bulkhead twice more. Picking up her pulse rifle, she entered the corridor. She held onto the wall trying to stay on her feet as she made her way to the nearest sensor screen. She was passed by several of the crew, hurrying to their assigned stations. She stopped one, a tech named Brinin. "Who's attacking us?" she yelled over the noise.
"Not sure, but there's a Leviathan," he yelled back.
Moya, thought Aeryn as she let the tech go. But she has no weapons. How?
Aeryn made her way to the nearest workroom. Two techs were already feeding sensor data to the holographic table. Aeryn viewed the floating image with a sense of awe and pride. It was certainly Moya, but more surprising was the assembled collection of fighters attacking the Peacekeeper ship. Then she recognized what could only be her prowler. D'Argo!
Her sudden elation at this discovery subsided rapidly as she realized that except for buffeting them around a little bit, the fighters' attack was having little affect. The ships defense screen was protecting them against any serious damage and at the speed they were traveling, they would very soon be out of the fighters range. She had to stop the ship and now.
She left the workroom and began to make her way towards the aft section. She traced over the schematics in her mind hoping that she remembered them correctly. She found a stairway to deck one and climbed in taking the steps two at a time and then continued down the corridor. The impacts to the ship were slowing, making it easier for her to stay on her feet, but she also knew that that meant that they were getting further out of range. One more hatch and she'd be there.
"What are you doing here, sir?" the tech asked as she stepped out from behind the hatch.
Aeryn tried to cover her surprise. There had been no duty station noted on the schematics she had seen. "You're needed in section elph—the sensor feed had been damaged and needs repair."
"Ladimor is assigned to that section. Why doesn't he repair it?"
Great, thought Aeryn, she wants to play Crichton's game of twenty questions. Aeryn put on her most intimidating scowl and moved directly in front of the tech. "We are under attack, " she threatened. "Why don't you follow orders and I won't put you on report." Aeryn clenched her fist. If the tech, didn't leave now, Aeryn would have to take her out. She was wasting precious time.
But the tech backed down. "Yes, sir," she said. "Section elph." She headed back down the corridor that Aeryn had come from.
"Hurry!" Aeryn called back to her and the tech began to sprint.
Aeryn laughed out loud for a moment, in relief as much as at the tech. She turned back to the open hatchway and walked up to the far wall. As well as she could remember the power conduits for the bipolar shielding should have been right behind the bulkhead. She took up her rifle and opened the pulse chamber, then set the charge on maximum. She leaned the rifle against the bulkhead and ran back the way she came. She estimated she had thirty microts to get as far away as she possibly could. She was barely through the first hatch when she began to hear the high pitch whine of the pulse chamber overloading. She ran faster.
When she had gone 40 units, she paused long enough to secure the hatch behind her and headed for the next one and secured it. If she did manage to blow a hole through the hull, she needed to be sure she could isolate the area exposed to vacuum. Of course, she didn't know just how big a hole that might be. She ran to the next hatch.
The explosion went off just as she secured the third hatch. The force of the blast threw her against the opposite bulkhead. As she hit the wall, she felt a more intimate explosion of her own as her shoulder shattered, before gratefully, she blacked out from the pain.
*****
Frell, her shoulder ached. I don't want to wake up yet, the thought barely formed. Then she felt warmth, holding her hand, touching her cheek. "John," she murmured aloud.
"Aeryn?" At his voice she opened her eyes and struggled to focus them, but she didn't really need to to recognize the dark, deep-set eyes peering back at her. "Aeryn?" He almost sounded as if he were pleading with her. She gave up trying to focus her eyes, and shut them again.
"Where am I?" she finally managed to ask. She could hear activity going on around her.
"You're in the medic bay. Your shoulder is damaged. There was some kind of explosion. You must have been thrown against the bulkhead."
She remembered that. She opened her eyes again and started to rise, but found she was restrained and not just with Paulto's hands pushing her gently back down on the bed. She felt her panic rise. She'd had been found out. "What is this for?"
As if in answer, an impact rocked the ship throwing Paulto against her. She groaned as he fell against her injured shoulder. He pushed himself back up. "I'm sorry—sorry." For the first time she registered the pained concern on his face. "That's why the restraints, so you're not thrown from the bed."
She smiled to herself. It worked. If they were still under attack then the drive must have been disabled. The ache in her shoulder faded.
Paulto took her smile as something else. He brought her hand to his chest and held it with both hands. The tender gesture focused Aeryn's attention back to him. He was worried about her, she suddenly realized, disturbed once more at his unexpected behavior. "How did I get here?"
"I found you and brought you here," he answered.
Aeryn's eyes flashed with worry. Did he know? But her worry eased when she reasoned that if he suspected her of causing the explosion, he'd hardly be sitting here holding her hand. She needed to know how bad the damage was. "What happened?" she asked, hoping he could tell her.
"There must have been a malfunction in one of the major power conduits. The blast has disabled the drive and blown a hole in the outer bulkhead. Repair crews are still trying to contain the breach. We can barely maintain hetch two." Then he added in a lower voice, "Those pitiful fighters from your Leviathan are all over us, but so far the defense screen has protected us from any real damage."
"It is Moya, then," she said softly.
He let go of her hand as if disappointed in her. "Yes," he admitted sourly.
Aeryn's private joy suddenly diminished as a thought occurred to her. "What about the hull breach? You said it hasn't been contained?"
"We're still venting atmosphere from small breaches in the aft sections of decks one and two. Techs are working on repairs."
Fear stabbed her though the heart. "John—Crichton—his cell is on deck two. Paulto." This time she found his hand, and squeezed it "Paulto, you've got to get him out of there."
"He's probably already dead," he said flatly, his expression hardening.
"Paulto, please," she pleaded, "Please, you've got to get him"
She was too afraid that he would refuse, but slowly his face softened. "All right, Aeryn, I'll try."
As he turned to go she pulled him back one more time. She knew that earlier hard expression all too well. "Promise me, you won't hurt him. Promise me," she demanded.
Reluctantly he nodded. "I promise."
***
Paulto left Aeryn in the medic bay cursing himself for the promise made. He hated himself for being unable to refuse her and hated her for asking. No, he didn't hate her, he corrected himself. He couldn't bring himself to hate her. He should, but he couldn't. Still he was disappointed in a way that made his throat tighten.
He made his way first to the nearest vidviewer and ordered the tech on duty to re-route the visual feed from the prisoner's cell to that station, silently hoping to find the prisoner dead and his coerced promise unnecessary. At first Paulto was hopeful. Crichton was stretched out on the cell bed, not moving, but then he could make out his chest heaving, obviously straining to extract what oxygen he could from the fast thinning air. Perhaps if he hesitated just a few microts longer, this problem would take care of itself. The idea was momentarily satisfying.
Duty. He reminded himself that the whole reason First Command sent this ship to the uncharted territories was to retrieve this man. He would have to set his personal feelings aside, and he found that reassuring. He reasoned that he wasn't doing this just for Aeryn, but that it was his duty to Peacekeeper command to rescue the Human. And by the looks of it, he'd better hurry. Crichton was running out of time.
***
John had been woken violently, the bed shaken out from under him. Impacts continued to shake the ship and he thought it best to remain on the floor. He surmised that the ship was being attacked, although he could not fathom by whom. The knowledge sparked a small, gloomy hope. He admonished himself for such fatalistic ideas. What had happened to him to make him feel that dying on this vessel was preferable to living as a prisoner of the Peacekeepers?
Then there had been a much larger explosion, much closer, for which he was only too glad that he had stayed on the floor. For awhile there was nothing, then he heard activity from the corridor, the sounds of hatches closing and then nothing. He would have liked to know what was going on, but it seemed the immediate area had been deserted. It was awhile longer before he noticed a faint breeze and realized the air was getting thinner. The hull must have been breached. Perhaps he would get his wish after all.
He crawled back up on the bed and waited. It wasn't long before his head began to ache and soon after, the nausea began. He began to breathe heavily, struggling to get more oxygen from the thinning air. He recognized the early symptoms of hypoxia from the high altitude chamber session he had undergone during his astronaut training. The flight instructor had told them that the major symptom of altitude sickness was 'stupidity'. Death by stupidity, the thought struck him as hilarious, but he was just too tired to laugh. But all in all, not a bad way to go. Kind of like falling asleep.
John was only dimly aware of being lifted and carried out of the cell. His first conscious sensation was of a searing pain in his chest as his lungs filled over and over again with breathable air. He was on the floor and he rose to his hands and knees as his chest was racked with a spate of violent coughing, his lungs still gasping for air in-between. Eventually it stopped and the pain in his lungs subsided. He leaned back against the wall, reveling in the simple act of breathing. Only then did he notice the Peacekeeper in front of him.
John recognized him from when he was captured. The black flight suit he must have worn was sitting in a pile on the floor beside him with the helmet perched on top. He squatted just out of John's reach, using his pulse rifle for balance, eyeing him dispassionately.
"If you're expecting thanks, forget it," John said.
"You're lucky that First Command wants you, or you'd have been dead when I first laid eyes on you."
John began a throaty chuckle that turned into a cough. "Yeah, that's me—'lucky'."
The Peacekeeper continued to watch him intently. "I have no idea what she sees in you."
"Who? Aeryn?" said John, surprised. There was no one else 'she' could be.
For a moment the Peacekeeper almost seemed embarrassed, as if he hadn't meant to speak aloud, but he covered it up quickly with a scowl. "You will refer to her by her proper title—'Officer Sun'."
John shrugged. "Why not? 'Officer Sun' it is. And you are?"
"For the moment, you may address me as Officer Jetaal."
John picked up on that right away. "For the moment? You expecting some sort of change—a promotion maybe?"
"That is none of your concern," he answered, but John noticed a small smile play around his lips.
Something suddenly rocked the ship beneath them. The Peacekeeper momentarily lost his balance, but recovered quickly training his pulse rifle on John in case he might have any ideas about trying to escape.
"What's going on?" John asked.
"We are under attack."
No shit, Sherlock, thought John. "Who?"
Another long pause. "Your Leviathan."
"Moya? But how? She's not armed."
"Apparently your comrades have picked up some allies. She has at least a dozen armed fighters with her."
John listened with growing amazement. "I'll be damned," he said under his breath.
"They are a pathetic force. If we had our prowlers, Officer Sun and I would make short work of them ourselves."
Yes, Aeryn's playing for the other team now, thought John.
Paulto continued, "As it is they won't do you any good. They'll never penetrate the defense screen."
John smiled. "But they already did. I would've been sucking vacuum in a few more minutes."
"That explosion came from inside the ship," the Peacekeeper said, again as if to himself.
John's forehead wrinkled, confused. "Who—?"
"An accident," said Paulto recovering quickly. "This ship is using an experimental drive. It must have malfunctioned."
"Yeah. Right," John acknowledged outwardly, but he had the distinct impression that there was something the Peacekeeper 'wasn't' saying.
Paulto scowled again, rising and leveled his rifle at John. "You are sufficiently recovered. Get up."
John did as he was told, keeping his eyes on the Peacekeeper—and his weapon.
Then, over ship's comm system, "Deck two, section decca, report."
Paulto backed over to a comm panel near the door and activated it. "Captain, this is Officer Jetaal on deck two, section decca."
"Where are the techs in this section?" he demanded.
"Sir, the techs are occupied repairing the hull breeches in this area."
"Then you'll have to do it. Go to main communications. Command has lost access to external communications. Report back on the status of the array."
"Yes, sir." He switched off the comm device.
"I don't need babysitting, if you've got something else you need to be doing," John piped in.
"You're coming with me." Paulto motioned to John to move through the hatch to his right and into the corridor, and followed close behind.
A morbid curiosity moved John to ask, "So you and Aeryn—I mean, 'Officer Sun', you know each other?"
"Yes, we're from the same unit."
"Missed her, did you?" He slowed down to glance back at his captor and was rewarded with a shove.
"Hurry! Or we may find that First Command doesn't really need you after all."
As he walked ahead of Paulto, John pondered this idea. Aeryn must have told the Peacekeepers something about her and himself, but probably not much. Maybe he could use that.
"What did she tell you about us?"
"That you saved her life—more than once."
"That's all?"
"What else can there be to tell? Keep moving!" Paulto pushed him again.
"She didn't tell you that we were lovers?" John took a gamble and won the butt of the Peacekeeper's pulse rifle small of his back. He fell to his knees.
"Good try, Human, but impossible. Get up!"
John rose slowly. "Why is that impossible?"
"You are not Sebacean. Aeryn would never do that."
"Ahh, your taboos against interspecies relations. I guess she got past that."
"Never."
"And just how well do you think you know her?" John asked, daring to look over his shoulder at Paulto again.
"More than you ever will. You have known her for less than a cycle. I have known her her whole life."
"People change. Remember, she's 'irreversibly contaminated'."
"She's a Peacekeeper warrior. She'll be back to normal when she's back in our unit, and we are fighting the Batari. In here." Paulto pushed him towards an open cabin.
Paulto turned to him for a moment and then back to the vidscreen without comment.
The room was not very big and the far wall was covered with controls. John walked to the opposite wall and turned around to look at his—rival, the thought suddenly occurred to him.
"Sit on the floor, there," Paulto pointed to a spot away from the controls and door. Paulto began to access the control panel while attempting to keep a wary eye and his pulse rifle on John.
"Aer—'Officer Sun'," John corrected himself, "Told me that you're not turning me over to Crais, that you're taking me to the Peacekeeper headquarters—that Crais is in trouble with the Big Cheese. But you work for Crais, right?" A light went off. "You went around Crais to set this up, didn't you?" Another piece clicked into place. "You're protecting her," John said as much to himself as his captor. "Why?"
Paulto turned to him for a moment and then back to the vidscreen without comment.
As John considered the Peacekeeper again it suddenly occurred to him. "Well, well, well. Our Aeryn Sun is breakin' hearts all over the galaxy—you're in love with her."
"No. Peacekeepers do not 'fall in love'. Civilians, maybe even techs, but not soldiers. She is a comrade, nothing more."
"Oh, so 'love' isn't a part of Peacekeeper training? But you'd risk your career—your life—to bring her back into the fold. I'll bet that's not in the training manual."
At that moment lights on the panel in front of Paulto sprang to life. "Captain," he said into his comm badge, "This is Officer Jetaal. I'm in the main communications room. I think the communication array is functional."
"Good. Send a message to Captain Crais's carrier. It's the nearest ship in the area."
A dismayed look came over Paulto's face, but he answered, "Yes, sir," and closed the comm, but he stared at the control panel without moving.
"Tough one, isn't it?" said John rising slowly. "Without help, you risk losing this high tech ship of yours. But Crais? Your little plan falls apart."
"At least you'll be dead."
"And how long do you think Aeryn will last?"
Paulto shut his eyes and exhaled slowly. John sensed his guard was down and made a desperate lunge at the Peacekeeper, but he was too far away and too slow. Paulto stepped to the side and slammed the butt of his rifle into John's side. John fell to his knees and keeled over.
As the John's pain slowly resided, Paulto weighed the options. "Contact the Leviathan. Have them call off their attack."
"And what do 'I' get?" asked John.
"I won't call Crais. The Leviathan is no match for a command carrier. You and all your friends will be captured—or dead."
John shook his head. "No. You don't want Crais here anymore than I do."
John could see Paulto's jaw clench tightly, and then relax. "You get off of here. I'll put you in an escape pod and your ship can pick you up."
"What about Aeryn? Without me, will you be able to protect her?"
"What do you care? She betrayed you," Paulto reminded him.
"No, I didn't."
Paulto and John both spun around at the sound of Aeryn's voice. She was leaning heavily against the doorway, one arm bandaged securely against her side. She was visibly weak and in pain and John's chest tightened with sympathy and concern. He put it down to habit, reminding himself that she didn't deserve it.
Paulto strode to her side, keeping his weapon aimed at Crichton. "What are you doing here? You should have stayed in the medic bay." She leaned against him as he helped her over the hatch threshold, but her eyes remained on John.
"Believe me—no matter how it may look—I did not betray you."
John swallowed hard, his throat dry.
"You're delirious, Aeryn—" Paulto began.
"I'm no such thing," she interrupted. "Paulto set up the ambush on the planet. Remember when he first saw me?"
How could he forget Paulto embracing her, then asking if this was Crichton, Aeryn's betraying 'yes'? He felt his bile rise.
"He told me that if I played along, Peacekeeper Command would think that I helped capture you…that I could come back to the Peacekeepers. I thought at least if I was free, I might be able to find a way to get you out of this."
Dimly, it made sense, but he couldn't be sure. Paulto scowled at Aeryn, but she ignored him. She held John's eyes unflinchingly. "It's the truth, John."
Another impact rocked the ship. Aeryn would have fallen except for Paulto's steady grip.
"Moya," murmured John.
"Yes," she said, smiling, her eyes glistening.
In spite of his doubts, he wanted to believe her. At this point what did he have to lose? Uncertain, he smiled back and she beamed in return.
John turned his attention back to Paulto. "Well, it looks like the ball is back in your court. You still gonna call Crais?"
Paulto grimaced as he considered and dismissed his alternatives. John almost felt sorry for him. Almost. Paulto switched on his comm again. "Captain, the communications array is damaged after all. I'll have to locate a tech for repairs."
"Make it a priority. Use whatever resources necessary. Keep Command informed."
"Yes, sir." Paulto switched off the comm, then clicked a switch on the console and stood back. John swiftly took his place before the Peacekeeper could change his mind. "Moya, this is John Crichton. Can you hear me?"
There was a little static and then Zhaan'a voice could be heard clearly. "Yes, John. We hear you."
"Have the fighters pull back. Stop the attack. We're going to come out in an escape pod—you pick us up."
"Gladly."
"Hey, Zhaan?"
"Yes, John."
"I don't know how you all did this, but there's nothing sweeter than seeing the cavalry come over the hill. Gotta love that."
He could imagine Zhaan's indulgent smile at the other end. "We'll be waiting."
Silence fell. It took a few moments, Paulto's pulse rifle still trained on John, for them to realize the stalemate.
"They've broken the attack," said Aeryn. She turned back to Paulto. "Where is the nearest escape pod?"
"At the port end of the corridor."
John walked up to Aeryn holding out his arm. "Come on." Aeryn leaned against him, grateful to once more be in John's embrace. Paulto followed them.
When they got to end of the corridor, Paulto keyed in the command code and a hatch opened up, barely a meter in diameter. He stood aside and turned to John. "Get in feet first. You can key the launch sequence yourself from the inside. First the red control, then the green."
John bent over to look inside. It was dark, and he could barely see the other end, but he could make out the controls that Paulto described. There would barely be enough room for the both of them. He stood up and turned to Aeryn. "I'll get in first, then—"
"John," she interrupted, "I'm sorry, for everything." John's heart skipped a beat. "I didn't plan for this to happen; I would have never used you this way. Please believe that, John."
It had been so easy, he thought. Hold her in your arms and in the time it takes to walk down the hallway, you think, everything's going to be the same again…but it's not. "You're not coming, are you?"
"I belong here. These are my people. And someday you'll get back to yours."
How was it possible? How could anything feel worse than thinking she had betrayed him? But then he had his anger and bitterness to buoy him up in his despair. Now that they were gone, he felt like he was drowning. "Aeryn—" he choked.
She touched his face and stared resolutely into his eyes as if she could somehow give him strength, and then pushed him away. "Hurry."
He didn't remember getting into the pod, or hitting the release sequence. It felt like someone else doing all those things.
But he did remember looking back at Aeryn. He remembered the erect way she held herself and the determined set of her jaw. How she hesitated just before closing the hatch. Her eyes had softened and in that fleeting moment faint hope had fluttered in his breast as he sensed her resolution waiver. Then in one sudden movement, she closed the hatch.
***
The acceleration from the pod ejection barely subsided before John could feel the docking web take hold of the pod. In only a few minutes, the pod was being pulled into the crowded transport bay. It looked like a short step up from a Star Wars junkyard. The pod landed none too gently, just inside the maintenance bay. Chiana was there immediately to help him open up the pod. About 10 meters to his left, D'Argo was arguing with what he assumed were the pilots of the various vessels.
"What's going on?" said John as Chiana helped him out of the pod.
"Our friends aren't too happy about halting the attack."
"Which brings me to the next question, why are they helping us?"
"Rygel and D'Argo promised them the new Peacekeeper drive."
"Promised them the drive?" John made his way over to D'Argo, pushing his way through the crowd.
"Crichton," said D'Argo in greeting, ignoring the others. "Welcome back. Where's Aeryn?"
John pulled in closely to D'Argo speaking low so only D'Argo could hear. "I need to talk to you about that. She's still over there."
D'Argo scowled and pushed back the two nearest pilots. "Wait here! I need to speak with my comrade, then I will let you know what you will do. Understand?" The pilots reluctantly backed down.
"Let's talk with Zhaan in Command," D'Argo said as he pulled John along with him. "We'd best hurry, though. I do not think that will hold them for long."
In only moments, they were in Command; the Peacekeeper vessel filled the front viewer. Zhaan hugged him warmly. "But where is Aeryn?"
John walked closer to the viewpoint. "She's still over there," he said trying to keep his voice from cracking. "She chose to stay."
D'Argo's eyes narrowed. "Back to the Peacekeepers?"
John shrugged sadly, "She's home."
"Then she gets what she deserves," said D'Argo and he began to go back to the transport bay.
"Wait!" said John blocking D'Argo's way. "You can't send the fighters back out there. I made a deal. And Aeryn—"
"—has made her choice," hissed D'Argo.
"Well, here's your choice. The first sign of attack, they'll contact Crais's carrier. Pilot, how long until Moya can starburst again?"
"No sooner than 15 arns," answered Pilot who had been monitoring the discussion.
"Fifteen arns," he repeated. "Well, Crais can be here long before then. This little rag-tag armada you've thrown together might do all right against an unarmed vessel, but how do you think they'll do against a Peacekeeper command carrier?"
"D'Argo," said Zhaan in her best soothing voice, "let's just consider this for the moment. This ship is no threat to us. We have rescued John. Aeryn has simply gone home, as we all wish to do."
D'Argo scowled again, "What guarantee do we have that have not already contacted Crais?"
"None, really." John didn't want to explain about Paulto and Aeryn now. He didn't want to think about Paulto at all. "They just won't, though if we leave now it might reassure them."
"And how am I supposed to explain this to our 'allies'?"
"They same way I did. If they call Crais's ship we're all as good as dead."
D'Argo's disappointment was evident, but eight years of imprisonment had made him pragmatic. "There will be a next time. I'll keep the others in line."
***