Galaxies Apart
It had been a half a cycle since Crais, Aeryn, and Chiana left on Talyn to scout for information on Scorpius' new Gammak research base.
It was no surprise to anyone that Aeryn volunteered to go. Both she and John had been finding it difficult to work around each other with the tension between them since Aeryn's return and the other John's death. Aeryn could fall back on her Peacekeeper upbringing but John was an emotional human, as she liked to call him, and he couldn't bare to not to be able to talk to her the way they used to and tell her all that he was thinking and feeling. So when Aeryn said she was going with Crais, John was flooded with conflicted emotions. On one hand he didn't want her to go away again because although he couldn't be with her just seeing her every day was a enough for now. Then again he when she wasn't around he didn't feel like a sense of relief and the knot in his stomach would go away.
No one expected Chiana to go along on Talyn. She and D'Argo had another argument and before anyone realized she was packed and sitting beside Aeryn on the prowler. She couldn't stand being in the sites of D'Argo's accusing stare making her feel guilty every minute for her stupidity with Jothee.
Talyn had traveled deep into the Uncharted Territories. They landed on several planets looking for information contacting Moya scarcely so as not to attract any PK retrieval squads who were still looking to reclaim Talyn.
Seven solar days ago Talyn came across a planet that at first landing seemed to be a commerce planet. But under closer scrutiny proved to be much more. Aeryn went into a bar that seemed to be full of the dregs of a variety of species. She slipped onto a bar stool and ordered an intoxicant. She held the drink with her left hand. Her right hand never strayed too far from the pulse pistol strapped to her thigh under her long coat.
Crais and Chiana came in as planned about an arn later. Aeryn had asked the bartender if he had heard of anyone ordering large amounts of supplies for transport. She was posing as a transport pilot looking to make money hauling supplies and cargo. The bartender feigned stupidity.
Crais sat at a table across the room while Chiana did what she did best. She mingled with the locals picking up tidbits of information. She came across a talkative deformed man who was telling her of some Sebeceans who were trying to bargain for some supplies for a research base. Chiana had signaled to Crais that they had a live one. Crais stood up and was about to cross the room when two Sheyangs entered the bar. They spotted Crais. They recognized him from his bounty beacon. They shouted.
Sheyang Bounty Hunter: "Captain Bilar Crais. Peacekeeper deserter."
Aeryn kept her back to them. She didn't want to take a chance of them recognizing her before she thought she could get a good shot off.
The Sheyangs approached Crais. Chiana stood up from the table and pulled the guy with her. She moved toward the door like nearly everyone in the bar. Aeryn looked over her shoulder at Chiana. She mouthed for her to take him to the transport pod. Chiana slipped out of the door. Aeryn slipped off the stool once the Sheyangs walked passed her hunched over body at the bar. Crais looked over the Sheyang's shoulder. When he saw Aeryn take aim, he knocked over a table and dove behind it. Aeryn opened fire on the Sheyangs. Crais managed to slip around behind the bar in the confusion of the gunfire from Aeryn's pulse rifle. One of the Sheyang hunters was badly injured from the first blast. The other took cover and was about to shoot a ball of fire in Aeryn's direction. As he released his fireball, Aeryn was knocked to the ground from behind. The fireball blew an enormous hole in the bar wall. Crais came from behind the bar and took out his pulse pistol and started firing. Aeryn turned over to see who had knocked her to the ground. She was shocked.
Aeryn: "Jothee?"
Jothee: "Are you okay?"
Aeryn saw the Sheyang loading up to fire again.
Aeryn: "Not if we don't get out of here."
She scrambled to her feet. Jothee followed her.
Aeryn: "Crais?"
Crais: "Right behind you."
The three of them jumped through the hole just as the Sheyang let out another fireball which nearly leveled the bar.
Chiana was waiting in the pod. She had knocked out the drunk from the bar because he was trying to escape. Aeryn ran onto the pod followed by Crais who was followed by Jothee. Chiana and Jothee stared at each other momentarily. Their awkward moment was broken by Aeryn yelling to them to get belted in before the Sheyangs had a chance to catch up to them. Aeryn lifted the pod off the surface and headed toward Talyn. Crais checked the instruments.
Crais: "No one is following us. I think we lost them."
Crais looked over at Jothee.
Crais: "Who is this Luxan?"
Chiana cleared her throat softly.
Chiana: "I guess you two didn't get to meet after the shadow depository heist. This is Jothee, D'Argo's son."
Jothee and Chiana's eyes meet.
When they returned to Talyn, Aeryn and Chiana went about sobering up the drunk from the bar to get the information from him. Jothee stood in the background quietly watching them methodically questioning him getting the information about the Sebeceans. After they got all that they could from him, Aeryn took him back in the pod to the planet. She told Crais to track her position just encase the Sheyangs were prowling about.
Chiana and Jothee were sitting in the food chamber. Jothee was eating like he hadn't eaten in days. Chiana just stared at him.
Chiana: "Have you been on this planet all this time?"
Jothee: "No, I have been moving from place to place. Working on different transports to get food and places to sleep."
Chiana: "It looks like you haven't eaten in a while."
Jothee looked down at the large plate of food cubes. He lowered his eyes to his hands.
Jothee: "How is my father?"
Chiana: "He is the same."
Jothee: "Have you two….?"
Chiana looked at him.
Chiana: "No, we are working together but we don't get into anything personal. I don't think he will ever trust me again."
Jothee: "I miss him. I miss you."
Jothee looked up at Chiana. She looked away and then back at him.
Jothee: "Where is Moya? What are you all doing on Talyn?"
Chiana: "It is a long story."
Jothee: "I have time."
Chiana told him about Scorpius' Gammak research base and Crichton's plan to find it and destroy it. They talked very a couple of arns. Jothee told her about some things he heard on the planet about opportunities to work on a research base. As soon as Aeryn returned from the planet Talyn broke orbit. Jothee told Aeryn and Crais everything he told Chiana about the Sebeceans. The information went with what the derelict had said about the Sebeceans. She pulled Crais aside.
Aeryn: "There is a Sebecean marauder sitting outside of the city. They are getting the last of their supplies and heading back to a Gammak base."
Crais: "Has to be Scorpius."
Aeryn: "My thought exactly. If we were to intercept that marauder, which only holds two techs and one commando, then we have our in to Scorpius' base."
Crais looked at Aeryn.
Crais: "I see get onto the base as a tech and then Crichton will have an insider to help destroy the base. But Crichton can not go on the base, if Scorpius is there, he will sense Crichton immediately."
Aeryn: "If a Sebecean tech arrived at the base with the right ident chip, then no one will thick twice about it."
Crais' forehead wrinkled.
Crais: "Crichton will never go along with you going on to the base alone."
Aeryn: "I am not going to give him a choice. First we have to intercept the marauder, and then you are going to send an intercept course for Moya. By the time they reach us, I will already be on the base and feeding Talyn information."
Crais: "How Scorpius' security is going to be on high alert? How are you going to transmit without being discovered?"
Aeryn: "I thought about this on the way back from the planet. Talyn could design a small implant that goes just below my skin at the base of my brain or behind my ear. I can feed him information directly from my brain. With all the electromagnetic energy flowing around the base, a weak signal like that would get lost."
Crais looked up and then back at Aeryn.
Crais: "I don't like this Aeryn. It is too dangerous."
Talyn chimed in to Crais.
Crais: "Okay Talyn set an intercept course for the marauder. Put a docking web on them."
Aeryn took out her pulse pistol. Crais grabbed his.
Aeryn: "Chiana, Jothee monitor the board and make sure there are no other ships in the area while we go great our guests."
Aeryn and Crais ran out of command.
******
The commando came off the marauder firing. Aeryn took him out. The techs came with their hands up. Crais lead them to their holding cells. Aeryn went on the marauder to access the flight plan.
Crais joined Jothee and Chiana in Command.
Crais: "Chiana, Aeryn wants to see you. She is on tier 3."
Chiana: "What is going on? Why did you bring the marauder abroad?"
Crais: "Go see Aeryn. I am going to signal Moya."
Chiana walked out. Jothee looked pensive. He wasn't sure if he was ready to see his father again. He didn't know how he would be received. Crais looked over at him.
Crais: "I can transport you back to the planet young Luxan, if you do not wish to be aboard when we rendezvous with Moya."
Jothee thought for a moment.
Jothee: "My father's battles are my battles. I will stay."
Crais grinned and turned away.
Crais: "Talyn, set an intercept course for Moya. Contact and let her know we have discovered the Gammak base."
It had been a half a cycle since Crais, Aeryn, and Chiana left on Talyn to scout for information on Scorpius' new Gammak research base.
It was no surprise to anyone that Aeryn volunteered to go. Both she and John had been finding it difficult to work around each other with the tension between them since Aeryn's return and the other John's death. Aeryn could fall back on her Peacekeeper upbringing but John was an emotional human, as she liked to call him, and he couldn't bare to not to be able to talk to her the way they used to and tell her all that he was thinking and feeling. So when Aeryn said she was going with Crais, John was flooded with conflicted emotions. On one hand he didn't want her to go away again because although he couldn't be with her just seeing her every day was a enough for now. Then again he when she wasn't around he didn't feel like a sense of relief and the knot in his stomach would go away.
No one expected Chiana to go along on Talyn. She and D'Argo had another argument and before anyone realized she was packed and sitting beside Aeryn on the prowler. She couldn't stand being in the sites of D'Argo's accusing stare making her feel guilty every minute for her stupidity with Jothee.
Talyn had traveled deep into the Uncharted Territories. They landed on several planets looking for information contacting Moya scarcely so as not to attract any PK retrieval squads who were still looking to reclaim Talyn.
Seven solar days ago Talyn came across a planet that at first landing seemed to be a commerce planet. But under closer scrutiny proved to be much more. Aeryn went into a bar that seemed to be full of the dregs of a variety of species. She slipped onto a bar stool and ordered an intoxicant. She held the drink with her left hand. Her right hand never strayed too far from the pulse pistol strapped to her thigh under her long coat.
Crais and Chiana came in as planned about an arn later. Aeryn had asked the bartender if he had heard of anyone ordering large amounts of supplies for transport. She was posing as a transport pilot looking to make money hauling supplies and cargo. The bartender feigned stupidity.
Crais sat at a table across the room while Chiana did what she did best. She mingled with the locals picking up tidbits of information. She came across a talkative deformed man who was telling her of some Sebeceans who were trying to bargain for some supplies for a research base. Chiana had signaled to Crais that they had a live one. Crais stood up and was about to cross the room when two Sheyangs entered the bar. They spotted Crais. They recognized him from his bounty beacon. They shouted.
Sheyang Bounty Hunter: "Captain Bilar Crais. Peacekeeper deserter."
Aeryn kept her back to them. She didn't want to take a chance of them recognizing her before she thought she could get a good shot off.
The Sheyangs approached Crais. Chiana stood up from the table and pulled the guy with her. She moved toward the door like nearly everyone in the bar. Aeryn looked over her shoulder at Chiana. She mouthed for her to take him to the transport pod. Chiana slipped out of the door. Aeryn slipped off the stool once the Sheyangs walked passed her hunched over body at the bar. Crais looked over the Sheyang's shoulder. When he saw Aeryn take aim, he knocked over a table and dove behind it. Aeryn opened fire on the Sheyangs. Crais managed to slip around behind the bar in the confusion of the gunfire from Aeryn's pulse rifle. One of the Sheyang hunters was badly injured from the first blast. The other took cover and was about to shoot a ball of fire in Aeryn's direction. As he released his fireball, Aeryn was knocked to the ground from behind. The fireball blew an enormous hole in the bar wall. Crais came from behind the bar and took out his pulse pistol and started firing. Aeryn turned over to see who had knocked her to the ground. She was shocked.
Aeryn: "Jothee?"
Jothee: "Are you okay?"
Aeryn saw the Sheyang loading up to fire again.
Aeryn: "Not if we don't get out of here."
She scrambled to her feet. Jothee followed her.
Aeryn: "Crais?"
Crais: "Right behind you."
The three of them jumped through the hole just as the Sheyang let out another fireball which nearly leveled the bar.
Chiana was waiting in the pod. She had knocked out the drunk from the bar because he was trying to escape. Aeryn ran onto the pod followed by Crais who was followed by Jothee. Chiana and Jothee stared at each other momentarily. Their awkward moment was broken by Aeryn yelling to them to get belted in before the Sheyangs had a chance to catch up to them. Aeryn lifted the pod off the surface and headed toward Talyn. Crais checked the instruments.
Crais: "No one is following us. I think we lost them."
Crais looked over at Jothee.
Crais: "Who is this Luxan?"
Chiana cleared her throat softly.
Chiana: "I guess you two didn't get to meet after the shadow depository heist. This is Jothee, D'Argo's son."
Jothee and Chiana's eyes meet.
When they returned to Talyn, Aeryn and Chiana went about sobering up the drunk from the bar to get the information from him. Jothee stood in the background quietly watching them methodically questioning him getting the information about the Sebeceans. After they got all that they could from him, Aeryn took him back in the pod to the planet. She told Crais to track her position just encase the Sheyangs were prowling about.
Chiana and Jothee were sitting in the food chamber. Jothee was eating like he hadn't eaten in days. Chiana just stared at him.
Chiana: "Have you been on this planet all this time?"
Jothee: "No, I have been moving from place to place. Working on different transports to get food and places to sleep."
Chiana: "It looks like you haven't eaten in a while."
Jothee looked down at the large plate of food cubes. He lowered his eyes to his hands.
Jothee: "How is my father?"
Chiana: "He is the same."
Jothee: "Have you two….?"
Chiana looked at him.
Chiana: "No, we are working together but we don't get into anything personal. I don't think he will ever trust me again."
Jothee: "I miss him. I miss you."
Jothee looked up at Chiana. She looked away and then back at him.
Jothee: "Where is Moya? What are you all doing on Talyn?"
Chiana: "It is a long story."
Jothee: "I have time."
Chiana told him about Scorpius' Gammak research base and Crichton's plan to find it and destroy it. They talked very a couple of arns. Jothee told her about some things he heard on the planet about opportunities to work on a research base. As soon as Aeryn returned from the planet Talyn broke orbit. Jothee told Aeryn and Crais everything he told Chiana about the Sebeceans. The information went with what the derelict had said about the Sebeceans. She pulled Crais aside.
Aeryn: "There is a Sebecean marauder sitting outside of the city. They are getting the last of their supplies and heading back to a Gammak base."
Crais: "Has to be Scorpius."
Aeryn: "My thought exactly. If we were to intercept that marauder, which only holds two techs and one commando, then we have our in to Scorpius' base."
Crais looked at Aeryn.
Crais: "I see get onto the base as a tech and then Crichton will have an insider to help destroy the base. But Crichton can not go on the base, if Scorpius is there, he will sense Crichton immediately."
Aeryn: "If a Sebecean tech arrived at the base with the right ident chip, then no one will thick twice about it."
Crais' forehead wrinkled.
Crais: "Crichton will never go along with you going on to the base alone."
Aeryn: "I am not going to give him a choice. First we have to intercept the marauder, and then you are going to send an intercept course for Moya. By the time they reach us, I will already be on the base and feeding Talyn information."
Crais: "How Scorpius' security is going to be on high alert? How are you going to transmit without being discovered?"
Aeryn: "I thought about this on the way back from the planet. Talyn could design a small implant that goes just below my skin at the base of my brain or behind my ear. I can feed him information directly from my brain. With all the electromagnetic energy flowing around the base, a weak signal like that would get lost."
Crais looked up and then back at Aeryn.
Crais: "I don't like this Aeryn. It is too dangerous."
Talyn chimed in to Crais.
Crais: "Okay Talyn set an intercept course for the marauder. Put a docking web on them."
Aeryn took out her pulse pistol. Crais grabbed his.
Aeryn: "Chiana, Jothee monitor the board and make sure there are no other ships in the area while we go great our guests."
Aeryn and Crais ran out of command.
******
The commando came off the marauder firing. Aeryn took him out. The techs came with their hands up. Crais lead them to their holding cells. Aeryn went on the marauder to access the flight plan.
Crais joined Jothee and Chiana in Command.
Crais: "Chiana, Aeryn wants to see you. She is on tier 3."
Chiana: "What is going on? Why did you bring the marauder abroad?"
Crais: "Go see Aeryn. I am going to signal Moya."
Chiana walked out. Jothee looked pensive. He wasn't sure if he was ready to see his father again. He didn't know how he would be received. Crais looked over at him.
Crais: "I can transport you back to the planet young Luxan, if you do not wish to be aboard when we rendezvous with Moya."
Jothee thought for a moment.
Jothee: "My father's battles are my battles. I will stay."
Crais grinned and turned away.
Crais: "Talyn, set an intercept course for Moya. Contact and let her know we have discovered the Gammak base."
