NOTES: Sorry it took me so long to write the 4th part and to completely finish it. Part 5 is well on the way, I only have to type it out. (Ack, too many words to type out!) I just want to thank everyone for giving me feedback, 'cause it kept me writing this.
A New Era, Part 4
Copyright 2000/2001
John looked up towards the starry sky that was slowly becoming lighter, as the group of rebels finally exited the dungeons, after fighting their way up to the surface. He looked at Aeryn, who was still slightly leaning on him for support, the wound in her side bothering her more than she let on.
"What is her condition?" Selara asked, suddenly standing in front of them, accompanied by one of the rebels John recognized as being the leader of the group.
"We'll need to change her bandage, the wound was still bleeding when we were in that cell." John replied, watching the other rebel, who was removing the helmet. He was surprised to see a young woman emerge from underneath the helmet.
"This is Lieutenant Saran, she will bring you to a safer location. I must rejoin my cell, they're waiting for me to the north of the city." Selara explained and picked up her gear from the ground. She saluted to the three of them, before heading off with a small group of other freed prisoners, along with some of the rebels that helped them escape in the first place.
"Come with me, it's still a long way to the other side of the city." Saran spoke, signaling to two other rebels to come and help with Aeryn. One of them seemed to be a medic.
John looked at Saran, who motioned to him to follow her. He did so, until they stopped in a darkened alleyway. Once there, she forcefully pushed him into the wall and before he could react, she pressed a knife to his throat.
"Who are you?" She hissed. "I know you're not the real Larraq, because I know him." She pressed the knife deeper into his skin, drawing some blood.
John raised his hands, letting her know he was no threat to her. "Alright, I'm not him. I'm a human named John Crichton." He explained. She blinked; the name 'human' not familiar to her. John sighed and continued. "I know I look like a Sebacean, but I'm telling the truth. I was sucked into this part of the universe when some kind of wave hit my ship. The only reason I'm on this planet is because we needed supplies." He said, glancing at the knife.
Saran withdrew the knife and nodded. "I believe you, for now, but I want you to stay near me at all times, so stay where I can see you." She said, sheathing the knife and returning back to the waiting group.
John jogged up to her. "Wait, you believe me that easily? I mean, not that I am complaining..." Saran interrupted him. "I saw your face on a wanted beacon. It was a surprise that you weren't captured immediately. However, no one pays attention to the beacons anymore. They think they're always the superior species, no one would be so foolish as to hide under their noses." Saran spoke, resuming her way towards the other rebels.
John simply watched her as she reached the group, before making his way to Aeryn, whom a Peacekeeper med-tech was tending to. The tech, upon seeing John walking over to him, stood up and saluted.
"We're finished here captain, she'll be able to travel to our base." The tech reported and waited until John had dismissed him, before joining the larger group.
John looked at Aeryn, who had moved over to a large crate to sit on.
"Are you alright?" he asked when she sat down, wincing and clutching her side.
She nodded. "They gave me an anaesthetic so the wound won't slow me down." She spoke, glancing up at John. "What did Saran wanted to talk to you about?"
John sighed and moved to sit down next to Aeryn. "Saran knows I'm not Larraq." He said when he was sitting down. "I had to tell her about me, but it won't be long before she'll find out you were a Peacekeeper once."
"It was only a matter of time before we would meet someone who knew the real Larraq. What is she going to do with us now?" Aeryn asked.
"I told her about Moya. She has allowed us to come with them, to find a way back to Moya." John replied. "They'll be leaving soon; we should go and join the group." He looked at Aeryn, who nodded and stood up. Together, they walked to the remaining group of rebels, who were now armed and waiting in the abandoned alley Saran had led John to earlier.
*********
The remaining crew of Moya looked at the small dot on the screen that was the approaching Peacekeeper command carrier.
"The carrier has come to a complete stop." Pilot announced from his den.
"Pilot, have the Peacekeepers detected us yet?" Zhaan asked quietly, her gaze fixed on the forward screen.
"I'm... not sure. The carrier remains on the edge of our sensor range." He replied. "Also the moon is interfering with both our sensors."
Anything from John or Aeryn yet?" D'Argo spoke gruffly.
"No, nothing so far. I've been monitoring communications from the planet; it seems that there were a few prison outbreaks about an arn ago; they were scattered over the entire planet. The Peacekeepers seems to be mobilizing their forces, which might explain the approaching command carrier." Pilot said.
"Thank you, Pilot." Zhaan replied with her serene voice, "Notify us if you have any news."
*********
After escaping the city unnoticed, the small group of rebels entered the thick forest. Looking at the sky, Crichton noticed the dark clouds gathering there. Saran, who had been watching Crichton ever since they had reached the city gates, walked up to him.
"The rain cycle started one solar day ago. It'll start to rain soon again, but the forests are thick. We'll only notice the rain a little." She spoke, pointing at the high trees and the natural roof of leaves.
"How long does a rain cycle last?" John asked.
"12 monens. One full cycle last for 19 monens on Xi'an. For three of them, we're covered in total darkness." She replied. "The temperature doesn't get high on the planet, so we won't have to fear Heat Delirium."
"So you live here? You never leave the planet?" John spoke again, interested in getting to know this young Sebacean, after they had overcome the initial uneasiness between them.
"Yes. I've lived here for 3 cycles now. Living planet-side is much better than on a carrier, at least, that is my opinion. There is so much to see here, so much to learn. The Peacekeepers disapprove of that; why should you waste time learning something that isn't useful in combat?" Saran replied. "My brother is captain of a command carrier. He feels the same way about Peacekeeper High Command as we do. His entire crew supports the rebels, and there are more carriers like his." She explained. She looked over her shoulder, watching Aeryn. "Your friend, she was a Peacekeeper, wasn't she?" Saran asked, looking back at Crichton. "I know a Peacekeeper when I see one."
He nodded in return. "When I came here, in this part of the galaxy, I landed in the middle of a battle. I was brought onboard a Leviathan, where the prisoners were trying to escape. Aeryn and I got thrown in the same cell together, and to make a long story short, her captain declared her irreversibly contaminated." he explained. "We escaped and we took her with us."
"Ah, yes. Captain Crais and his quest to find the lost prisoners." Saran spoke up. "He's quiet famous here. Neither Peacekeeper High Command nor the Rebels condone his actions. In fact, the search was called of almost as soon as it started. I believe Terran Ra was the prison camp your friends were assigned to. The reason the escaped prisoners didn't receive highest priority is the fact that Terran Ra is full; there are too many prisoners there. It has be come a liability to the Peacekeepers; they can't spare enough manpower to guard the planet." Saran clarified. "So, the disappearance of Crais' Carrier into the Uncharteds was a good reason for High Command to cancel the search."
"But... what about the wanted beacons in the cities then?" John asked, remembering the countless times they had came across one of the beacons.
Saran chuckled. "The Peacekeepers never bothered to removed the wanted beacons. The wanted beacons weren't the reason you and Aeryn were arrested. You were disguised as Peacekeepers after all. They were searching for a Human scientist and one rogue Peacekeeper, not two Peacekeepers." Saran replied.
John looked up as he felt the first drops of rain.
"Rain...the first time I felt it, I thought it was mysterious. I like the feel of the water on my skin, it cools you down after a long day. After three monens of endless rain, I got tired of it." Saran commented.
********
After three arns of walking in the rain, John was soaked. His mood had become as dark as the sky above. Aeryn had been walking beside him for an arn now and, needless to say, her mood resembled his.
"It's not far now, just a few microts." Saran spoke up, noticing their condition.
Saran led them into a small cave entrance in the rocks, carefully concealed by using natural camouflage.
"This is where most of us live, after it has become to dangerous to remain in the cities. Peacekeeper command is haunting us down like animals, they'll even torture innocents for more information about our whereabouts." She explained, when they stood in a large cave inside the mountain.
John, glad to be out of the endless rain, followed the young rebel through a series of tunnels, leading deeper into the mountain. He shivered when he suddenly felt cold air rush onto him. Saran noticed his reaction.
"It'll get much colder after the sun has begun to sink below the horizon." She said. "If we can find dry firewood, we try to light the fires early, but it is rare that we can light them. With the search going on, we can afford to produce smoke inside the caves or to give the Peacekeepers any sign as to our hiding places."
They stopped in front of a stone wall, a dead end, as it seemed. Saran, knowing exactly what to do, entered her ident-chip into a small slot in the wall, where it was scanned almost immediately. The door quickly slid open to reveal an almost crowded corridor. The other rebels who had accompanied them on their hike trough the woods, disappeared quickly in the crowd, while Saran led John and Aeryn to two other soldiers, who had obviously been waiting for them as they immediately responded once they spotted Saran.
"Sergeant," Saran spoke, nodding to him, "escort our guest to their rooms and show them where they can get something to drink or to eat afterwards."
The sergeant saluted quickly and looked at Aeryn and John. "Follow me." He said curtly and started to move down one of the corridors. They followed him, until they reached a quieter part.
"Your room." He said to John, pointing towards a small corridor leading to a round, open space. "Wait here, I'll be back." Then, he resumed his walk, leaving John behind.
As they rounded a corner, the sergeant suddenly stopped. "This is where you'll be staying." He said to Aeryn. "You know," he started, taking a few steps closer to her, much to Aeryns dislike, "the nights here are very cold. Sometimes it can even freeze. Maybe you and I could work out a deal? I'll trade a few blankets," He stood even closer to her, "and you'll stay with me tonight?"
Aeryn took a few steps back, trying to get away from him. "No, I'm not interested." She answered, not liking the tone his voice had taken on. She stepped even further back, until her back hit the wall.
"Yo, Aeryn!" John yelled, coming from around the corner. Aeryn sighed, silently thanking Crichton for interrupting.
The sergeant, upon hearing John's voice, had immediately stepped backwards. "I'll bring you to the mess hall now." He muttered, leading them deeper into the maze of tunnels.
"I don't like this place." Aeryn whispered to John as they trailed behind the soldier.
"Me neither, Aeryn, but it's only for a night or two." He replied. Deep inside, he shared her feelings about this place.
Soon, they heard, rather than saw, Saran, who had been waiting for them to return. The sergeant gruffly saluted and stalked to the other corner of the large chamber, where it was even more crowded than possible.
Saran looked at the two of them. "Come on, I'll get you something to drink. Wait over here." She said, leading hem to an abandoned table. She left them, only to return a moment later, carrying a few bottles and glasses in her arms.
"Sorry, I could only get some razlak." She said, placing the bottles and glasses in front of them and sitting down, facing John and Aeryn.
"Were you able to talk to your superiors?" John asked.
Saran nodded. "It seems that they were already planning on attacking a nearby Prowler base. I have arranged for us to join the attack squad, so you'll two will be back onboard your ship by tomorrow night. If everything goes as planned." She replied. She turned around when she felt a pair of eyes on her back.
Aeryn recognized the man standing behind Saran as one of the men who had been waiting for them when they had entered the cave.
"Would you mind it if I joined the three of you?" he asked, before sitting down next to Saran.
John was the first to reply. "It's okay, feel free to join us."
"Lt. Marras," Saran said, introducing him, "this is John Crichton and Aeryn Sun." He looked at Aeryn, who was quietly drinking her razlak. When she looked up, he nodded to her and looked at Crichton.
"Are you a Peacekeeper?" Marras asked Crichton, who shook his head in return.
"I'm not even an Sebacean. I'm a Human from Earth." He replied, reaching for his glass of razlak. Saran had obviously told Marras about them.
"I've never heard of a planet called 'Erp' before, nor have I heard of a race called Humans." Marras spoke. "And your friend, is she a Human too?" He asked, looking at Aeryn.
"No, she's Sebacean." John replied, leaving out the fact that she was an ex-Peacekeeper.
"I was a Peacekeeper." Aeryn said, watching John, surprising him. Normally, she didn't want other Peacekeepers to know she had once been like them.
It was clear that Marras was curious and had many more questions, but his attention was diverted when sounds of a fight reached their table. Two soldiers were in the middle of a fight, while a small group of soldiers were standing around them, cheering them on and betting on the outcome. The rest of the room seemed almost uninterested in the ongoing fight.
"Aren't you going to break them up?" Crichton asked Saran as they watched the two soldiers pounding on eachother.
"No. Not when Merc is involved. He always starts a fight. It's useless and a waste of strength to stop him." She answered, pointing at one of the soldiers. Crichton recognized him as the sergeant who had shown him and Aeryn their rooms.
"He's not a real danger. The only reason why we haven't send him away yet, is because he's a good soldier and he believes in our cause." Marras added. "The men always know how to solve a problem, so it'll be over in a few microts."
They looked up again when they heard a loud cheering and were just in time to see Merc knocked to the stone floor of the cave; unconscious.
"Like I said, they know how to solve a problem." Saran added.
TBC
I hope I can get the next part up here soon, but school is starting next week and already I'm pretty busy. Don't worry, it will be there. If you have any ideas, feel free to leave them below.
