Title: Surprise Surprise
Chapter 12: Unexpected Surprises
Rated: R
***
The sound of someone retching brought Zhaan's leisurely stroll to a halt. She listened carefully, then
followed the sound to Chiana's quarters. The young Nebari was leaning over a basin, throwing up what
little food she had eaten at breakfast. "Chiana?" Zhaan asked concerned. She walked in and knelt beside her.
"Zhaan," Chiana smiled weakly. "I'll be fine. Honest."
"Why didn't you come to me?"
"I know what's wrong, it'll stop in a few days." Chiana stood and stumbled to her bed. She collapsed on
it, breathing heavily.
"What's wrong?" Zhaan asked standing. She walked over to the bed and sat beside her sick friend.
"Promise you won't tell anyone," Chiana said and gripped Zhaan's hand in her own. "Promise me."
Zhaan hesitated before speaking. "As long as it does not affect the well-being of the crew, I will not
tell," she compromised.
Chiana smiled slightly again. "Alright." Her smile faded. "My body is recovering from expelling the
child I had conceived."
Zhaan stared at her in shock. "What?"
"I was pregnant, Zhaan."
Zhaan's mouth opened but nothing came out. Finally she managed to spit something out, "How?"
"When John and Cassandra couldn't get the parts they from that Sebacean trader, I went back and offered
myself, for a night, to get them. He agreed." Chiana turned her eyes away from Zhaan slightly ashamed.
"Why didn't you do something to prevent the pregnancy?"
"Nebari aren't genetically compatible with many races. I don't normally have anything to worry about. I
don't know of any Nebari having sex with a Sebacean, so I didn't know that we were genetically compatible."
Chiana turned back to Zhaan. "You see Nebari females get pregnant very easily. We were altered hundreds
of cycles ago by our government to increase our fertility. All Nebari females know to stay away from any
race we are compatible with because we *will* become pregnant." She looked away again. "I didn't know.
And I couldn't keep the child." She let out a shaky breath. "So I took care of the problem." A tear
slipped down her face.
"Oh, Chiana," Zhaan whispered as tears coursed down her beautiful face. She leaned close and clutched the
young woman to her. "You should have come to me, if only so that someone could have been with you."
"I wanted to tell John or Cassandra," she sobbed, "but I knew they would feel guilty." She pulled away
from Zhaan slightly. "You won't tell anyone, will you?"
Zhaan brushed Chiana's tears away with her hands. "I will not tell anyone, if that is what you wish."
Chiana nodded. "Come with me, child, I want to make sure that you are recovering well," Zhaan said and
stood. She helped Chiana stand, and they walked down to Zhaan's apothecary in silence.
***
"Tell me what happened."
Cassandra stared at John with lifeless eyes. "When I was first taken, they thought I was a Sebacean. It
wasn't until they examined me that they realized I was different. Because I looked Sebacean but was not,
I attracted the attention of the ship's Lord, G'lin." Her eyes shifted off of John for a microt before
returning to their dead stare. "He found me... interesting. I was his prize... his pet." She spat the
last word, her eyes flaring in outrage and anger before settling back into the same dead stare. "When I
was *good* no tests were performed. A *good* pet does not talk. A *good* pet does not fight. A *good* pet
does not try to escape." Her voice dropped to almost a whisper. "A *good* pet does not resist."
Cassandra didn't have to elaborate on that sentence for it to be understood. John drew in a ragged breath
and shut his eyes in an attempt to control his anger. He opened them to stare at his silent sister. He
ignored the vicious stream of curses coming from D'Argo's direction and the shocked gasp from Jool. He
ignored the measured pacing Crais was using to control his temper. He focused on Cassandra's dead stare
and waited.
Finally she spoke again. "Did you know I was a virgin?" A crooked smile crossed her face, at odds with
the total lack of life in her eyes. "I know you thought that Jared was my first when we were in high
school. It was one of the few times you ever got mad at me. It was normally the other way around."
"Cassandra," John whispered in horror.
She stood abruptly. "I was kept for his enjoyment. If I failed to please him, I would be punished. For
everything I did that was considered *bad* I was punished." Cassandra reached down and grasped the bottom
of her t-shirt. She pulled it off in a single fluid motion. A black sports-bra kept her modesty intact. She
turned around, showing her back to the occupants of the room. The bra did nothing to hide the vicious scars
criss-crossing her back. A shocked gasp was wrenched from every one of the observers. She put her shirt on
and turned around.
"Those don't look like they were made with a whip," D'Argo said his horror evident.
"A knife is more painful than a whip."
John slowly stood. His fists clenched and unclenched as he tried to control the urge to hit something,
anything. He walked over to Cassandra and placed a shaking hand on her shoulder. "We *will* rescue Aeryn,
and we *will* kill the bastard that did this," he vowed fiercely.
***
"Are you ready?"
"Yes."
"Let's go then. D'Argo, take us out."
D'Argo piloted the small ship out of Talyn's bay and into space. They were silent as the ship headed for
the K'lar'in. Crais's voice came over the com to inform them that the K'lar'in ship was now heading
towards them. The ship suddenly rocked, the K'lar'in had captured them in a docking web. The ship settled
and shut down. D'Argo glanced at them, clearly indicating that he had not shut down the engines. They stood
and walked towards the door. D'Argo took his blade and converted it to blaster-mode. John pulled out
Wynonna and the second pistol he had taken for this mission. Cassandra traced her pistols with her fingers
before grasping them firmly in her hands. They stood tense until the door to the ship opened. Before it
could open fully, they opened fire on the K'lar'in that stood waiting to capture them.
They exited the ship, firing on the enemy as they went. The fire fight only last a few microts. The
K'lar'in obviously hadn't been expecting any resistance. Six dead bodies lay sprawled across the floor.
Cassandra led them towards the prison cells. Each cell block was designed the same way: six cells and a
research area. In the first block, they found two Baniks and three Interions but no Aeryn. Cassandra began
trying codes on the cell doors, none worked. John pulled her out of the way and blasted the locks. The five
prisoners armed themselves and went off hunting for their captors. D'Argo, John, and Cassandra went to the
next block. They found a Luxan and six Delvians. The next block held two of unknown races. The next block
held a single Tavlek.
Each time they freed a prisoner, they asked if any had seen a Sebacean woman. No one had. The prisoners
then armed themselves and began hunting the K'lar'in. The three rescuers went through nearly twenty more
cell blocks before they found one containing a single Sebacean female.
John shot the lock and entered the cell. "Aeryn?"
The woman looked up from her position on the floor. "John?"
"Aeryn!" He knelt down beside her as she sat up, and they embraced. "Are you alright?" he asked and helped
her to her feet. Then he noticed. Aeryn's slight figure was no longer slight. Her stomach was rounding,
and he truly doubted it was from the food. His teeth clenched but he said nothing. She swayed alarmingly,
and he steadied her. "Come on, let's get you back to the ship."
"Wait, John," D'Argo said. "I'll take her back to the ship." He picked Aeryn up into his arms. "You and
Cassandra find that bastard."
"Right." John looked at Aeryn for a moment, drinking in the sight of her. He leaned over and kissed her
briefly before leaving with Cassandra.
"Are you alright, Aeryn?" D'Argo asked as he carried her into the hall.
"I just need rest and food," she replied. She held D'Argo's Qualta Blade in her arms, prepared for any
attackers.
D'Argo hesitated before speaking again. "You are pregnant."
"Yes." Aeryn didn't notice the tension in his voice. "I was worried that when they found out, they might
do something since the child is not fully Sebacean. But they didn't." Aeryn paused a moment. "What would
I have said to John if they had killed his child?" Tears formed in the hormone ridden Sebacean's eyes.
D'Argo breathed a sigh of relief that puzzled Aeryn. "I am happy for you and John," he said finally. They
entered the docking bay and D'Argo was pleased to see that the prisoners had not taken his ship. Most
were still running around looking for K'lar'in but some had stolen ships and left as soon as possible. He
set Aeryn down and closed the door. Now they had nothing to do but wait and hope for the best. "I hate
waiting."
***
Cassandra led John to G'lin's quarters. They could hear him speaking through the open door. "I want all
the subjects captured and I want to know who was on that Luxan ship!"
Cassandra and John burst into the room. Two soldiers stood in front of the raging K'lar'in. "Did you miss
me, My Lord?" Cassandra asked firing her pistols at the two soldiers. John did the same.
With four pistols pointed at him and no weapon, G'lin was helpless. He stared at Cassandra in horror. "You?"
"I once told you that you would regret ever learning of Humans. This is that day." She fired a blast into
his upper left leg. "This is for the death of my friends." She fired another blast into him, this time
his upper right leg. "This is for Aeryn." She fired a blast into his right shoulder as John watched in
silence. "This is for hurting my brother." A blast tore through his left shoulder and his eyes darted
around in pain and fear. She stepped closer. "And this is for me." She pulled the trigger a final time,
the blast ripped through his forehead and blew out the back of his head. She lowered the pistol and stared
at the body of her nemesis.
John walked over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. He looked down at the body and let off a shot.
Cassandra looked at him. He shrugged. "I don't know about you, but I feel better."
Cassandra gave a slight smile, and they left the room. They found many dead K'lar'in as they made their way
to the docking bay; they also found the bodies of two of the prisoners they'd freed. They entered the bay and
walked over to D'Argo's ship. The door opened and D'Argo stared at them.
"Mission accomplished," John replied to his unspoken question.
They boarded the ship, D'Argo took them out of the bay and back towards Talyn. Cassandra watched John pull
the sleeping Aeryn into his arms and hold her close to him. She stared at Aeryn's stomach. She was afraid
to know the answer. If it wasn't John's child, how could John or Aeryn ever forgive her? How could she
ever forgive herself... because if it wasn't John's, then it *was* her fault.
***
TBC
WELL... what do ya think? Please review or send me an e-mail!
Thanks to the peps that are reviewing! I really need all the ego boosts I can get for this one since it's my first
Farscape fic, I'm glad to know that it's being well recieved!
~Artemis Luna Diana~
Chapter 12: Unexpected Surprises
Rated: R
***
The sound of someone retching brought Zhaan's leisurely stroll to a halt. She listened carefully, then
followed the sound to Chiana's quarters. The young Nebari was leaning over a basin, throwing up what
little food she had eaten at breakfast. "Chiana?" Zhaan asked concerned. She walked in and knelt beside her.
"Zhaan," Chiana smiled weakly. "I'll be fine. Honest."
"Why didn't you come to me?"
"I know what's wrong, it'll stop in a few days." Chiana stood and stumbled to her bed. She collapsed on
it, breathing heavily.
"What's wrong?" Zhaan asked standing. She walked over to the bed and sat beside her sick friend.
"Promise you won't tell anyone," Chiana said and gripped Zhaan's hand in her own. "Promise me."
Zhaan hesitated before speaking. "As long as it does not affect the well-being of the crew, I will not
tell," she compromised.
Chiana smiled slightly again. "Alright." Her smile faded. "My body is recovering from expelling the
child I had conceived."
Zhaan stared at her in shock. "What?"
"I was pregnant, Zhaan."
Zhaan's mouth opened but nothing came out. Finally she managed to spit something out, "How?"
"When John and Cassandra couldn't get the parts they from that Sebacean trader, I went back and offered
myself, for a night, to get them. He agreed." Chiana turned her eyes away from Zhaan slightly ashamed.
"Why didn't you do something to prevent the pregnancy?"
"Nebari aren't genetically compatible with many races. I don't normally have anything to worry about. I
don't know of any Nebari having sex with a Sebacean, so I didn't know that we were genetically compatible."
Chiana turned back to Zhaan. "You see Nebari females get pregnant very easily. We were altered hundreds
of cycles ago by our government to increase our fertility. All Nebari females know to stay away from any
race we are compatible with because we *will* become pregnant." She looked away again. "I didn't know.
And I couldn't keep the child." She let out a shaky breath. "So I took care of the problem." A tear
slipped down her face.
"Oh, Chiana," Zhaan whispered as tears coursed down her beautiful face. She leaned close and clutched the
young woman to her. "You should have come to me, if only so that someone could have been with you."
"I wanted to tell John or Cassandra," she sobbed, "but I knew they would feel guilty." She pulled away
from Zhaan slightly. "You won't tell anyone, will you?"
Zhaan brushed Chiana's tears away with her hands. "I will not tell anyone, if that is what you wish."
Chiana nodded. "Come with me, child, I want to make sure that you are recovering well," Zhaan said and
stood. She helped Chiana stand, and they walked down to Zhaan's apothecary in silence.
***
"Tell me what happened."
Cassandra stared at John with lifeless eyes. "When I was first taken, they thought I was a Sebacean. It
wasn't until they examined me that they realized I was different. Because I looked Sebacean but was not,
I attracted the attention of the ship's Lord, G'lin." Her eyes shifted off of John for a microt before
returning to their dead stare. "He found me... interesting. I was his prize... his pet." She spat the
last word, her eyes flaring in outrage and anger before settling back into the same dead stare. "When I
was *good* no tests were performed. A *good* pet does not talk. A *good* pet does not fight. A *good* pet
does not try to escape." Her voice dropped to almost a whisper. "A *good* pet does not resist."
Cassandra didn't have to elaborate on that sentence for it to be understood. John drew in a ragged breath
and shut his eyes in an attempt to control his anger. He opened them to stare at his silent sister. He
ignored the vicious stream of curses coming from D'Argo's direction and the shocked gasp from Jool. He
ignored the measured pacing Crais was using to control his temper. He focused on Cassandra's dead stare
and waited.
Finally she spoke again. "Did you know I was a virgin?" A crooked smile crossed her face, at odds with
the total lack of life in her eyes. "I know you thought that Jared was my first when we were in high
school. It was one of the few times you ever got mad at me. It was normally the other way around."
"Cassandra," John whispered in horror.
She stood abruptly. "I was kept for his enjoyment. If I failed to please him, I would be punished. For
everything I did that was considered *bad* I was punished." Cassandra reached down and grasped the bottom
of her t-shirt. She pulled it off in a single fluid motion. A black sports-bra kept her modesty intact. She
turned around, showing her back to the occupants of the room. The bra did nothing to hide the vicious scars
criss-crossing her back. A shocked gasp was wrenched from every one of the observers. She put her shirt on
and turned around.
"Those don't look like they were made with a whip," D'Argo said his horror evident.
"A knife is more painful than a whip."
John slowly stood. His fists clenched and unclenched as he tried to control the urge to hit something,
anything. He walked over to Cassandra and placed a shaking hand on her shoulder. "We *will* rescue Aeryn,
and we *will* kill the bastard that did this," he vowed fiercely.
***
"Are you ready?"
"Yes."
"Let's go then. D'Argo, take us out."
D'Argo piloted the small ship out of Talyn's bay and into space. They were silent as the ship headed for
the K'lar'in. Crais's voice came over the com to inform them that the K'lar'in ship was now heading
towards them. The ship suddenly rocked, the K'lar'in had captured them in a docking web. The ship settled
and shut down. D'Argo glanced at them, clearly indicating that he had not shut down the engines. They stood
and walked towards the door. D'Argo took his blade and converted it to blaster-mode. John pulled out
Wynonna and the second pistol he had taken for this mission. Cassandra traced her pistols with her fingers
before grasping them firmly in her hands. They stood tense until the door to the ship opened. Before it
could open fully, they opened fire on the K'lar'in that stood waiting to capture them.
They exited the ship, firing on the enemy as they went. The fire fight only last a few microts. The
K'lar'in obviously hadn't been expecting any resistance. Six dead bodies lay sprawled across the floor.
Cassandra led them towards the prison cells. Each cell block was designed the same way: six cells and a
research area. In the first block, they found two Baniks and three Interions but no Aeryn. Cassandra began
trying codes on the cell doors, none worked. John pulled her out of the way and blasted the locks. The five
prisoners armed themselves and went off hunting for their captors. D'Argo, John, and Cassandra went to the
next block. They found a Luxan and six Delvians. The next block held two of unknown races. The next block
held a single Tavlek.
Each time they freed a prisoner, they asked if any had seen a Sebacean woman. No one had. The prisoners
then armed themselves and began hunting the K'lar'in. The three rescuers went through nearly twenty more
cell blocks before they found one containing a single Sebacean female.
John shot the lock and entered the cell. "Aeryn?"
The woman looked up from her position on the floor. "John?"
"Aeryn!" He knelt down beside her as she sat up, and they embraced. "Are you alright?" he asked and helped
her to her feet. Then he noticed. Aeryn's slight figure was no longer slight. Her stomach was rounding,
and he truly doubted it was from the food. His teeth clenched but he said nothing. She swayed alarmingly,
and he steadied her. "Come on, let's get you back to the ship."
"Wait, John," D'Argo said. "I'll take her back to the ship." He picked Aeryn up into his arms. "You and
Cassandra find that bastard."
"Right." John looked at Aeryn for a moment, drinking in the sight of her. He leaned over and kissed her
briefly before leaving with Cassandra.
"Are you alright, Aeryn?" D'Argo asked as he carried her into the hall.
"I just need rest and food," she replied. She held D'Argo's Qualta Blade in her arms, prepared for any
attackers.
D'Argo hesitated before speaking again. "You are pregnant."
"Yes." Aeryn didn't notice the tension in his voice. "I was worried that when they found out, they might
do something since the child is not fully Sebacean. But they didn't." Aeryn paused a moment. "What would
I have said to John if they had killed his child?" Tears formed in the hormone ridden Sebacean's eyes.
D'Argo breathed a sigh of relief that puzzled Aeryn. "I am happy for you and John," he said finally. They
entered the docking bay and D'Argo was pleased to see that the prisoners had not taken his ship. Most
were still running around looking for K'lar'in but some had stolen ships and left as soon as possible. He
set Aeryn down and closed the door. Now they had nothing to do but wait and hope for the best. "I hate
waiting."
***
Cassandra led John to G'lin's quarters. They could hear him speaking through the open door. "I want all
the subjects captured and I want to know who was on that Luxan ship!"
Cassandra and John burst into the room. Two soldiers stood in front of the raging K'lar'in. "Did you miss
me, My Lord?" Cassandra asked firing her pistols at the two soldiers. John did the same.
With four pistols pointed at him and no weapon, G'lin was helpless. He stared at Cassandra in horror. "You?"
"I once told you that you would regret ever learning of Humans. This is that day." She fired a blast into
his upper left leg. "This is for the death of my friends." She fired another blast into him, this time
his upper right leg. "This is for Aeryn." She fired a blast into his right shoulder as John watched in
silence. "This is for hurting my brother." A blast tore through his left shoulder and his eyes darted
around in pain and fear. She stepped closer. "And this is for me." She pulled the trigger a final time,
the blast ripped through his forehead and blew out the back of his head. She lowered the pistol and stared
at the body of her nemesis.
John walked over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. He looked down at the body and let off a shot.
Cassandra looked at him. He shrugged. "I don't know about you, but I feel better."
Cassandra gave a slight smile, and they left the room. They found many dead K'lar'in as they made their way
to the docking bay; they also found the bodies of two of the prisoners they'd freed. They entered the bay and
walked over to D'Argo's ship. The door opened and D'Argo stared at them.
"Mission accomplished," John replied to his unspoken question.
They boarded the ship, D'Argo took them out of the bay and back towards Talyn. Cassandra watched John pull
the sleeping Aeryn into his arms and hold her close to him. She stared at Aeryn's stomach. She was afraid
to know the answer. If it wasn't John's child, how could John or Aeryn ever forgive her? How could she
ever forgive herself... because if it wasn't John's, then it *was* her fault.
***
TBC
WELL... what do ya think? Please review or send me an e-mail!
Thanks to the peps that are reviewing! I really need all the ego boosts I can get for this one since it's my first
Farscape fic, I'm glad to know that it's being well recieved!
~Artemis Luna Diana~
