Title: The Journey Home
Chapter 11: Introductions Begin
Rated: R
***
The alien ship docked with the station as the Humans on board watched in awe. Major
Jennifer Stone gave the go ahead to open the hatch to the alien ship. She was in
charge of the International Space Station and had been receiving orders on this event
for the past six hours. No mistakes would be tolerated.
"We will not be seeing the pilot of this craft," she told the anxious crew. Moans of
disappointment filled the small bay. "Quiet," she said swiftly. Her staff grew
silent. "Load the ship, and don't touch ANYTHING." She gestured for the crew to begin
loading. "Don't go near the pilot's door. The ship is armed and will fire without
hesitation on anyone that approaches the pilot," she cautioned.
She glanced at Dr. Kirkland. "I don't know if I envy you, or am relieved I'm not in
your position."
DK looked at her startled. "What do you mean?"
"You get to meet someone, more than someone, you get to meet *many* someones that
aren't Human." She paused as he began to grasp what she was getting at. "But think
of everything that can go wrong."
"I trust John and Cassandra," DK said firmly.
"That wasn't what I was talking about." She smiled slightly at his confused
expression. "You are naïve. You must be crazy if you think those scientists you are
bringing with you aren't going to cross the line and offend someone. I've heard of
that Dr. Dustin Mayfield, you need to watch him. He would have been the last person I
picked for this mission. Don't trust him."
DK stared at her in dawning horror. "What do you know?"
"Just that you shouldn't trust him. Watch your back, Dr. Kirkland." She turned back
to her crew loading the ship. "Move it people!" She pushed away from the wall she
had been leaning on, then turned. "Go get your people; they are almost done." DK
started to leave the bay. "And Dr. Kirkland." DK turned back. "Good luck."
DK stared at her a moment before turning and exiting the bay. Major Jennifer Stone
moved over to her crew to watch the final packages and equipment load onto the ship.
"Clear the bay," she said when they finished. She didn't have long to wait until DK
returned with his fellow travelers. They boarded in nervous silence. Jennifer sealed
the hatch after them, then stood at the small porthole and watched the transport
leave. "Good luck to us all," she whispered.
***
John, Aeryn, Cassandra, and Chiana stood waiting in the docking bay as the transport
landed. Each of them held steady hands over their pulse pistols, ready to pull them
out at a moment's notice. The door to the transport opened, and they waited for the
first person to appear. It was Col. Jack Crichton.
"Dad!" John and Cassandra yelled.
Jack grinned when he saw them and the three met halfway. They were laughing and
crying as they hugged. DK came out next and immediately crashed the group hug. Umi
came out and pounced on Cassandra. Laurie exited the transport with all the dignity
she could muster. She calmly walked to the rambunctious group and stopped in front
of them. John and Cassandra grinned at her.
"Oh, come on Laurie, lighten up" DK said laughing.
John didn't give her a chance to respond by pulling her into a crushing hug. Cassandra
joined in, and Laurie surprised them all by bursting into tears. "I missed you both!"
she sobbed.
They all looked up as the three scientists exited. "We got to unload the transport,"
Cassandra said wiping away the tears still streaming down her face.
"Right," John said wiping away his own tears. "Come on, before anything else can
happen, we got unload whatever you all brought."
The Humans quickly unloaded the ship while Aeryn and Chiana remained still unnoticed
by the entrance. Once the transport was unloaded, Cassandra commed Pilot and told
him to tell Crais to go. The transport lifted off and left the hanger much to the
surprise of Moya's guests.
"That wasn't your ship?" DK asked.
"That was one of Talyn's transport pods," John replied.
Cassandra glanced over at Aeryn and Chiana and gestured for them to come closer.
"Introductions will be the first order of business."
Moya's guests stepped back slightly in surprise as the two women approached. Since
Earth had seen them over the comms, their appearance wasn't a big surprise, precisely
why they were the only ones greeting the Humans. John and Cassandra stepped over to them.
"Officer Aeryn Sun, Sebacean, former Peacekeeper and Chiana of the Nebari," John
introduced them. "This is my Dad, DK, my sister Laurie, Cassandra's friend Umi Kanzaki,
and I recognize Dr. Richard Price." John pointed out each of the Humans as he said
their names.
"This is Dr. Lindsey Smith and Dr. Dustin Mayfield: medical researcher and physicist,
respectively," Dr. Price replied.
"If you'll grab your bags, we'll take you to your quarters first. We'll move the
equipment and supplies afterwards," Cassandra said. The Humans picked up a bag
each, except Laurie, who had two.
John and Cassandra led the bunch, followed by Jack, DK, and Umi. Laurie and Dr.
Smith were behind them, and Dr. Price and Dr. Mayfield were behind them. Chiana
and Aeryn took up the rear, watching the Humans to make sure nothing would happen.
As they walked, John began explaining a bit about Moya. "Moya is a living ship,
a leviathan..."
"How many are living on the ship right now?" Umi asked after awhile, curious.
"Thirteen, no well technically fourteen," he replied thinking of Jool's pregnancy.
"This huge ship and there are only fourteen of you, technically?" DK asked amazed.
"Sometimes this ship can seem really small," Cassandra said grinning. "And really crowded."
"This is where we all have our living quarters," John said stopping at the beginning
of the hall. He began walking again. "There are places all over this ship you are not
allowed to go, here are the first few. Do not go into someone's quarters without their
permission." He began pointing out doors, though he did not say any names. He came up
to his and Aeryn's quarters. "These are my quarters," he commented as he passed.
John passed two more doors and then stopped. "Dad, these will be your quarters." John
showed him how to open the door, and Jack walked in and dropped his bag on the bed.
"We'll be back as soon as we finish taking everyone to their quarters." John glanced
over as seven DRDs came into view. "Each of you will be assigned a DRD. They will be
following you, not just for our protection, but for yours as well."
"Also, during the sleep cycle, you will be locked in your quarters. If there is a
problem, tell the DRD and we'll come," Cassandra added.
"You are going to lock us up?" Dr. Mayfield asked offended.
"Until we can be sure of you, absolutely," Cassandra replied without missing a beat.
"Moving on," John said gesturing for the group to begin moving again. "We'll be
right back," he told his father.
John, Cassandra, Aeryn, and Chiana escorted each of the Humans to their quarters,
leaving them with their assigned DRDs and locking them in. They would return to gather
everyone up as soon as went over the packages the Humans had brought. Of course the
Humans didn't know that D'Argo, Zhaan, and Jool had begun doing that the microt they
left the bay. The purpose behind separating the Humans and locking them up was to by
time to introduce Jack and DK to the idea of John and Aeryn's marriage and parenthood.
After securing the last Human, the four returned to DK's quarters. John opened the
door and DK stood up from his position on the bed. John was slightly nervous as he
said, "Come with me." Next they went to Jack's quarters and retrieved him. The four
belonging to Moya were silent in their anxiety, causing Jack and DK to become slightly
frightened. They walked to the central chamber where Rygel and Stark watched over
Xhalax and baby Jack.
They walked in to find Rygel cooing over Jack, and Xhalax and Stark singing softly.
Jack and DK were stunned to see the two children. Xhalax glanced up and grinned.
"Daddy!" she yelled and hopped up to run to John. "Uncle Stark taught me a new song,"
she said as John picked her up and set her on his hip. Aeryn walked in and picked up
Jack, speaking softly to Rygel for a moment before looking up at the shell-shocked
Humans. Cassandra and Chiana walked in and sat down next to Stark. John turned
around to face his father and his best friend.
Jack and DK hadn't understood most of what the little girl had said, but one word had
been very clear, "Daddy?" DK squeaked.
John met his gaze calmly. "Yes, this is my daughter, Xhalax."
"Dad? Who are they?" she asked suspiciously.
"That's my Dad, your Grandfather and your Uncle DK," he explained patiently, also
giving his father and best friend more time to comprehend what was happening.
"Who is the mother?" DK asked still off-balance.
Aeryn walked to John and stood beside him. "This is my wife, Aeryn, and our son...
Jack," John said and put his free arm around Aeryn's waist.
Jack and DK stared stunned once again. Jack was the first to break out of the daze.
He stepped forward so he was facing Aeryn. "Welcome to the family, daughter," he said
softly and placed a kiss on her cheek. Aeryn stood frozen; she had no idea what to
expect from this meeting, but in her wildest dreams, she never thought she'd be accepted
so quickly. She smiled, suddenly relieved.
"Grandpa?" Xhalax questioned.
Jack looked over at her. "What did she say?" he asked.
Cassandra grinned. "Frell, I just lost 50 credits."
"Why?" Stark asked.
"I said Xhalax would be speaking English, but since Dad can't understand her, she is
obviously speaking Sebacean."
"Who did you loose it to?" Chiana asked.
"D'Argo."
John laughed. "She said 'Grandpa.'"
DK suddenly grinned. "I can't believe you're married." He laughed and quickly walked
over to Aeryn. "Can I hold him?"
Aeryn carefully placed baby Jack in DK's arms. "Wow," he looked up at Jack. "He
looks kind of like you, Colonel."
"He looks like John and his father," Aeryn said proudly, and John blushed and grinned.
"Okay, tell me how you all understand each other, 'cause I can't figure it out," DK said
laughing.
***
TBC
WELL... what do ya think? Please review or send me an e-mail!
What i decided was that Xhalax speaks a little of every language. i mean think about it,
when you're a kid first learning to talk, the way you learn is by someone saying, 'say...' so
if Xhalax grew up with a mixture of races like is present on Moya, she is going to have learned
words in each of the languages, get what i'm saying? this is going to be explained to the
crew in the next chapter so it should be interesting trying to see if Cassandra can get out
of paying D'Argo 50 credits since technically Xhalax does speak English, sorta, lol
~Artemis Luna Diana~
Chapter 11: Introductions Begin
Rated: R
***
The alien ship docked with the station as the Humans on board watched in awe. Major
Jennifer Stone gave the go ahead to open the hatch to the alien ship. She was in
charge of the International Space Station and had been receiving orders on this event
for the past six hours. No mistakes would be tolerated.
"We will not be seeing the pilot of this craft," she told the anxious crew. Moans of
disappointment filled the small bay. "Quiet," she said swiftly. Her staff grew
silent. "Load the ship, and don't touch ANYTHING." She gestured for the crew to begin
loading. "Don't go near the pilot's door. The ship is armed and will fire without
hesitation on anyone that approaches the pilot," she cautioned.
She glanced at Dr. Kirkland. "I don't know if I envy you, or am relieved I'm not in
your position."
DK looked at her startled. "What do you mean?"
"You get to meet someone, more than someone, you get to meet *many* someones that
aren't Human." She paused as he began to grasp what she was getting at. "But think
of everything that can go wrong."
"I trust John and Cassandra," DK said firmly.
"That wasn't what I was talking about." She smiled slightly at his confused
expression. "You are naïve. You must be crazy if you think those scientists you are
bringing with you aren't going to cross the line and offend someone. I've heard of
that Dr. Dustin Mayfield, you need to watch him. He would have been the last person I
picked for this mission. Don't trust him."
DK stared at her in dawning horror. "What do you know?"
"Just that you shouldn't trust him. Watch your back, Dr. Kirkland." She turned back
to her crew loading the ship. "Move it people!" She pushed away from the wall she
had been leaning on, then turned. "Go get your people; they are almost done." DK
started to leave the bay. "And Dr. Kirkland." DK turned back. "Good luck."
DK stared at her a moment before turning and exiting the bay. Major Jennifer Stone
moved over to her crew to watch the final packages and equipment load onto the ship.
"Clear the bay," she said when they finished. She didn't have long to wait until DK
returned with his fellow travelers. They boarded in nervous silence. Jennifer sealed
the hatch after them, then stood at the small porthole and watched the transport
leave. "Good luck to us all," she whispered.
***
John, Aeryn, Cassandra, and Chiana stood waiting in the docking bay as the transport
landed. Each of them held steady hands over their pulse pistols, ready to pull them
out at a moment's notice. The door to the transport opened, and they waited for the
first person to appear. It was Col. Jack Crichton.
"Dad!" John and Cassandra yelled.
Jack grinned when he saw them and the three met halfway. They were laughing and
crying as they hugged. DK came out next and immediately crashed the group hug. Umi
came out and pounced on Cassandra. Laurie exited the transport with all the dignity
she could muster. She calmly walked to the rambunctious group and stopped in front
of them. John and Cassandra grinned at her.
"Oh, come on Laurie, lighten up" DK said laughing.
John didn't give her a chance to respond by pulling her into a crushing hug. Cassandra
joined in, and Laurie surprised them all by bursting into tears. "I missed you both!"
she sobbed.
They all looked up as the three scientists exited. "We got to unload the transport,"
Cassandra said wiping away the tears still streaming down her face.
"Right," John said wiping away his own tears. "Come on, before anything else can
happen, we got unload whatever you all brought."
The Humans quickly unloaded the ship while Aeryn and Chiana remained still unnoticed
by the entrance. Once the transport was unloaded, Cassandra commed Pilot and told
him to tell Crais to go. The transport lifted off and left the hanger much to the
surprise of Moya's guests.
"That wasn't your ship?" DK asked.
"That was one of Talyn's transport pods," John replied.
Cassandra glanced over at Aeryn and Chiana and gestured for them to come closer.
"Introductions will be the first order of business."
Moya's guests stepped back slightly in surprise as the two women approached. Since
Earth had seen them over the comms, their appearance wasn't a big surprise, precisely
why they were the only ones greeting the Humans. John and Cassandra stepped over to them.
"Officer Aeryn Sun, Sebacean, former Peacekeeper and Chiana of the Nebari," John
introduced them. "This is my Dad, DK, my sister Laurie, Cassandra's friend Umi Kanzaki,
and I recognize Dr. Richard Price." John pointed out each of the Humans as he said
their names.
"This is Dr. Lindsey Smith and Dr. Dustin Mayfield: medical researcher and physicist,
respectively," Dr. Price replied.
"If you'll grab your bags, we'll take you to your quarters first. We'll move the
equipment and supplies afterwards," Cassandra said. The Humans picked up a bag
each, except Laurie, who had two.
John and Cassandra led the bunch, followed by Jack, DK, and Umi. Laurie and Dr.
Smith were behind them, and Dr. Price and Dr. Mayfield were behind them. Chiana
and Aeryn took up the rear, watching the Humans to make sure nothing would happen.
As they walked, John began explaining a bit about Moya. "Moya is a living ship,
a leviathan..."
"How many are living on the ship right now?" Umi asked after awhile, curious.
"Thirteen, no well technically fourteen," he replied thinking of Jool's pregnancy.
"This huge ship and there are only fourteen of you, technically?" DK asked amazed.
"Sometimes this ship can seem really small," Cassandra said grinning. "And really crowded."
"This is where we all have our living quarters," John said stopping at the beginning
of the hall. He began walking again. "There are places all over this ship you are not
allowed to go, here are the first few. Do not go into someone's quarters without their
permission." He began pointing out doors, though he did not say any names. He came up
to his and Aeryn's quarters. "These are my quarters," he commented as he passed.
John passed two more doors and then stopped. "Dad, these will be your quarters." John
showed him how to open the door, and Jack walked in and dropped his bag on the bed.
"We'll be back as soon as we finish taking everyone to their quarters." John glanced
over as seven DRDs came into view. "Each of you will be assigned a DRD. They will be
following you, not just for our protection, but for yours as well."
"Also, during the sleep cycle, you will be locked in your quarters. If there is a
problem, tell the DRD and we'll come," Cassandra added.
"You are going to lock us up?" Dr. Mayfield asked offended.
"Until we can be sure of you, absolutely," Cassandra replied without missing a beat.
"Moving on," John said gesturing for the group to begin moving again. "We'll be
right back," he told his father.
John, Cassandra, Aeryn, and Chiana escorted each of the Humans to their quarters,
leaving them with their assigned DRDs and locking them in. They would return to gather
everyone up as soon as went over the packages the Humans had brought. Of course the
Humans didn't know that D'Argo, Zhaan, and Jool had begun doing that the microt they
left the bay. The purpose behind separating the Humans and locking them up was to by
time to introduce Jack and DK to the idea of John and Aeryn's marriage and parenthood.
After securing the last Human, the four returned to DK's quarters. John opened the
door and DK stood up from his position on the bed. John was slightly nervous as he
said, "Come with me." Next they went to Jack's quarters and retrieved him. The four
belonging to Moya were silent in their anxiety, causing Jack and DK to become slightly
frightened. They walked to the central chamber where Rygel and Stark watched over
Xhalax and baby Jack.
They walked in to find Rygel cooing over Jack, and Xhalax and Stark singing softly.
Jack and DK were stunned to see the two children. Xhalax glanced up and grinned.
"Daddy!" she yelled and hopped up to run to John. "Uncle Stark taught me a new song,"
she said as John picked her up and set her on his hip. Aeryn walked in and picked up
Jack, speaking softly to Rygel for a moment before looking up at the shell-shocked
Humans. Cassandra and Chiana walked in and sat down next to Stark. John turned
around to face his father and his best friend.
Jack and DK hadn't understood most of what the little girl had said, but one word had
been very clear, "Daddy?" DK squeaked.
John met his gaze calmly. "Yes, this is my daughter, Xhalax."
"Dad? Who are they?" she asked suspiciously.
"That's my Dad, your Grandfather and your Uncle DK," he explained patiently, also
giving his father and best friend more time to comprehend what was happening.
"Who is the mother?" DK asked still off-balance.
Aeryn walked to John and stood beside him. "This is my wife, Aeryn, and our son...
Jack," John said and put his free arm around Aeryn's waist.
Jack and DK stared stunned once again. Jack was the first to break out of the daze.
He stepped forward so he was facing Aeryn. "Welcome to the family, daughter," he said
softly and placed a kiss on her cheek. Aeryn stood frozen; she had no idea what to
expect from this meeting, but in her wildest dreams, she never thought she'd be accepted
so quickly. She smiled, suddenly relieved.
"Grandpa?" Xhalax questioned.
Jack looked over at her. "What did she say?" he asked.
Cassandra grinned. "Frell, I just lost 50 credits."
"Why?" Stark asked.
"I said Xhalax would be speaking English, but since Dad can't understand her, she is
obviously speaking Sebacean."
"Who did you loose it to?" Chiana asked.
"D'Argo."
John laughed. "She said 'Grandpa.'"
DK suddenly grinned. "I can't believe you're married." He laughed and quickly walked
over to Aeryn. "Can I hold him?"
Aeryn carefully placed baby Jack in DK's arms. "Wow," he looked up at Jack. "He
looks kind of like you, Colonel."
"He looks like John and his father," Aeryn said proudly, and John blushed and grinned.
"Okay, tell me how you all understand each other, 'cause I can't figure it out," DK said
laughing.
***
TBC
WELL... what do ya think? Please review or send me an e-mail!
What i decided was that Xhalax speaks a little of every language. i mean think about it,
when you're a kid first learning to talk, the way you learn is by someone saying, 'say...' so
if Xhalax grew up with a mixture of races like is present on Moya, she is going to have learned
words in each of the languages, get what i'm saying? this is going to be explained to the
crew in the next chapter so it should be interesting trying to see if Cassandra can get out
of paying D'Argo 50 credits since technically Xhalax does speak English, sorta, lol
~Artemis Luna Diana~
