Chapter Five
Jack, DK, and Kira looked at Crichton and Morgan, trying very hard not to break down. Kira rubbed her cheek, her fingers coming away damp. Morgan swallowed past the lump in her throat. Crichton shuffled his feet. They had loaded Talyn's transport pod with food and other items they thought the cousins would need, as well as a few extras they knew nothing about. Crais and Aeryn stood to one side, waiting, watching, the pre-dawn breeze crisp as it blew across the compound on Earth.
Kira was the first one to move, embracing Morgan, letting the tears freely flow down her face. "I'm sorry I jumped your shit," she whispered, her voice catching.
"It's okay." Morgan kissed her cheek, letting her go. "I love ya, Kira."
Kira nodded, the tears flowing down her cheeks. "Think of me," she managed to get choked out. She turned to Crichton, hugging him as Jack slipped up to his niece.
"Remember your training. You can do this." He chuckled, hugging her tight against him. "Hell, Morgan. You and John can do anything." He looked down at her. "I'm proud of you."
"Thanks, Uncle Jack."
Morgan hugged DK as Jack moved to Crichton. He looked at his son, clapping his hand on his shoulder. "And I'm proud of you too, John. Very proud of you." He looked up at the transport pod. "Here we go again, son."
Crichton hugged his father, handing him a package. "I recorded these for you." He looked away, backing away from Jack. "Maybe one day..." Crichton didn't finish the sentence.
"Maybe," Jack replied.
Crichton reached into his pocket. "I'm...uh...little late in giving this back to you."
Jack looked at the good luck charm he had handed his son that fateful day. He closed Crichton's fingers over it, wrapping both of his hands around Crichton's. "Hold onto it." He smiled and turned away, walking over to Aeryn. He drew the Sebacean woman into his arms. "Take care of him, Aeryn."
"I will," she answered, looking up at Jack. "I'm glad I had the chance to meet you."
Jack smiled down at her. "Me too." He gazed at Crais, offering the Captain his hand. "Crais." He glanced over his shoulder at Morgan. "It's really easy with Morgan. Just keep her happy."
Crais nodded. "I will. Good health to you Jack Crichton," Crais answered, letting go of Jack's hand as Crichton and Morgan approached.
Jack nodded, walking back to stand with Kira and DK, watching as the transport pod lifted, speeding off across the valley, climbing higher into the atmosphere until it appeared as no more than another star in the lightening sky.
"I wonder if we'll ever see them again," DK said softly, holding Kira tightly.
Jack wrapped his arms around them. "Maybe," he whispered. "One day."
Crais stood in the center of Talyn's bridge, taking a last look at his lover's home planet. The tension in the room was palpable and he gazed at the three other humanoids. Morgan stood at the system's panel, Aeryn at propulsion, Crichton at weapons. "Talyn, set course for the edge of the system," Crais commanded, his voice firm in his authority.
The gunship broke orbit, banking away from Earth, picking up speed and shooting towards Pluto. Morgan watched the console before her, nodding in satisfaction, all system's registering normal as the gunship opened up to full throttle. She gazed at Aeryn.
"Propulsion registering normal." Aeryn gazed over to Crichton. "Look like the rewiring worked."
"Starburst has not yet been tested," Crais commented, watching the viewport. He looked at Morgan.
She glared at him. "You would mention that."
Crichton looked at Crais. "The weapons systems are hot and a go."
Crais nodded, the look on his face betraying no nervousness, no worry, as the dreadnaught appeared, growing quickly as they closed the distance. "Talyn, on my command, fire across their bow. Get their attention."
Crichton looked at him in disbelief. "Yeah, that will definitely get their attention."
Morgan's hands flew over the console as they neared. She looked up, her eyes narrowing. The wormhole formula was ready. Mentally she counted in her head. 5...4...3...2...1...
"Talyn! Open fire!" Crais yelled.
Laser fire from Talyn's main battery streaked through space, flying across the Scarren's bow as he flew past them, sharply banking towards the furthest edge of the galaxy. "Dreadnaught armed and targeting. Pursuit course has been initiated," Morgan reported.
Crais waited, listening and coordinating with Talyn. He looked at his lover, their eyes meeting. "Now."
Morgan's hand slapped the console. Before them, a thousand metras out, a wormhole began to form, the swirling blue lights spinning faster, growing brighter, it's gravitational pull strengthening with each microt. Morgan looked at Crichton, her eyebrows raised in question. He nodded in affirmation. The buzzing in his head was back. Talyn flew straight to the center of the wormhole like an arrow released from a bow. The dreadnaught followed right behind, firing at them.
Talyn shook once, momentarily rocking the bridge. Morgan grabbed tight to the console. She looked over the panel as they sped back to the Uncharted Territories. "John! Take over!" she yelled, backing away from the panel.
"Morgan! What are you doing?" he asked, moving past her. He gazed at Crais, who simply shook his head, confused as the human.
Morgan had moved to stand next to Crais, grasping the transponder at the base of her neck with both hands, closing her eyes, letting herself slip into the backdoor she had left within the Scarren's computer system. Talyn shook again under the dreadnaught's canon fire and she lost her balance, Crais catching her.
The wormhole opened up into the blackness of space.
Morgan found the power system on the dreadnaught and began the shutdown as they barreled through the wormhole behind Talyn.
Chaos began to flow through the dreadnaught's bridge as power conduits and circuits began to blow.
Morgan counted to ten and opened the fuel chambers, pulling out of the Scarren's system, Talyn pulling her back to the ship. She looked up at Crais, who still held her, her whole body shuddering from the exertion.
"What did you do?" he asked as Talyn came around, facing the dreadnaught.
She caught her breath, her heart beating in her chest wildly. "I shut down their system, and remixed the fuel so it would implode when they fired the system back up."
The Scarren dreadnaught came to a full stop, the running lights aboard the ship going out as all power was lost. "Well, there's something you don't see everyday," Aeryn remarked dryly.
An explosion burst from the aft end of the ship, another following behind it. "Talyn, fire all main batteries," Crais commanded. The gunship fired, targeting the dreadnaught.
The board in front of Crichton began to blink. "Hey guys, we got company."
Both Morgan and Crais looked at him. "Identify."
Aeryn looked over at the console, peering over Crichton's shoulder, immediately recognizing the signal. "Peacekeeper."
"Talyn! Initiate starburst now!" Morgan called.
They turned back to the exploding dreadnaught as Talyn began to move away, picking up speed. Fragments of the huge dreadnaught flew past briefly as the gunship paused in time...
And stopped.
"What the..." Crichton looked at Morgan.
Crais quickly moved through the systems.
"Peacekeeper command group has entered the system and are one hundred metras and closing," Aeryn reported.
"Talyn, starburst now!" Crais demanded. "Do not argue! You must starburst now!"
Morgan looked up at her lover. "He can't. Damn it, Crais, the system was never connected."
"What? How....Oh never mind. I thought Leviathans could do this anytime they wanted?" Crichton yelled.
"Carrier group fifty metras and closing," Aeryn called.
"They still need to have the power systems operational," Morgan exclaimed. She tried to move forward but stumbled. Crichton pushed her back into Crais' arms.
"Aeryn, let's go fix this!" Crichton called. He started to turn towards the bridge doors when the clamshell sprang to life.
"Well done! Well done!" Scorpius said, clapping, a very smug Lieutenant Braca standing behind him. Scorpius looked right at Crais and Morgan.
"We're frelled," she whispered. Her eyes locked with Crais' as the carriers encircled Talyn.
Talyn's crew walked down the access ramp, six armed Peacekeepers in front of and behind them. Their weapons had been confiscated, Talyn a "guest" in Scorpius' landing bay. Braca met them at the exit into the corridor, a satisfied look on his face that Morgan and Crais both wanted to erase. The Lieutenant spun on one foot without saying a word and led them down the corridor to a conference chamber.
Scorpius sat waiting for them, six of the guards following them in the room, fanning out as they stared at the scientist. "How was Earth?" he asked pleasantly.
Crais and Crichton exchanged glances. "Just the way I left it, Scorpy. What do you want?" Crichton snapped.
"What I always want," Scorpius answered. He motioned for them to sit. "Please." He waited until they had taken seats around the lower end of the table, Crais and Morgan on one side, Crichton and Aeryn across from them. "Now maybe you understand the danger the Scarrens and their allies pose."
"I think we figured that out," Crichton replied, leaning an elbow in the table, tapping his lips with his fingers.
"Good." Scorpius stood up, bracing his hands on the table in front of him, leaning forward. "I found out that you had some help from my neural clone. I believe it's now time for you to keep your end of the deal," he remarked, looking at Morgan.
"What deal?" Crais hissed, glaring at Crichton, his head tilted at a questioning angle.
Scorpius walked around the table, slowly traversing the room behind them and stopping between Crais and Morgan. He laid one hand on the back of Morgan's neck, exerting just enough pressure to keep her still.
"What did you do?" she softly asked Crichton in resignation. Their eyes met, Crichton's pleading with her.
Crais growled deep in the back of throat and grabbed Scorpius' wrist, launching himself from his seat. He slammed the scientist back against the bulkhead before any of the guards could comprehend what was happening. A gleaming knife had appeared in Crais' hand and he held it to Scorpius' throat. "You...leave...her...alone...or...I ...will... kill... you," he snarled through clenched teeth.
The guards behind Crichton and Aeryn had immediately trained their weapons on them, stopping them as the other four moved towards Crais and Scorpius. Morgan sprang from the chair, putting herself between the Peacekeepers and her lover. "Bialar let him go."
Crais never looked away from Scorpius. "I will not let him..."
"Dammit Crais. Let him go!" she hollered, her eyes locked with the middle guard, noticing his itchy trigger finger.
The nervousness in her usually calm voice was enough to convince him to release Scorpius. He sheathed his blade with one hand while pulling Morgan to him with the other in one swift motion.
Scorpius smiled as he rubbed his neck. "Your cousin did what he had to do to save your planet. You would've done the same thing." He pointed to the guards and they lowered their weapons. The guard with the itchy trigger finger grasped Morgan's arm, jerking her out of Crais' grasp, pushing her out of the room as the other two restrained the Captain.
"Let her go!" Aeryn yelled, standing up, slamming her hands on the table.
Crichton stood up and started for the scientist. "Scorpius! Get her back..." He was cut short when one of the guards that had been standing behind him slammed the butt of his pulse pistol into the back of Crichton's head, dropping the human.
Aeryn knelt next to him. "You bastard!"
Scorpius looked at her. "Yes, I am," he replied with an evil chuckle. "Take Commander Crichton and Officer Sun back to the gunship and keep them there." He noticed Aeryn's questioning glance as the guards dragged Crichton to his feet, half carrying, half dragging him from the room.
Crais struggled against the guards holding him. "What are you going to do to them?"
Scorpius walked over to him, standing just inches away. "That depends on you Crais. You see, the neural clone never told John what I wanted, because I honestly wasn't sure you would succeed in getting the formula, let alone getting back to the Uncharted Territories and destroying the dreadnaught." He shrugged. "But now...now I have both you and Langtree. And what I want, only you..." he poked Crais in the chest in emphasis, "...can give me."
Crais' eyes narrowed defiantly. "And that is?"
Scorpius reached behind Crais, grabbing a hold of the transponder and popping it from its cradle. He turned the transponder in his fingers between them. "I want a ship like Talyn."
Crichton rubbed the back of his neck, the goose egg the pulse pistol had left sore under his fingers. "Man, she's going to kill me," he moaned.
"Mmm, only if Crais does not get to you first." She helped him stand, easing him gently against the bulkhead as she inspected the knot on his neck. "What were you thinking?"
Crichton glanced at her. "I was trying to save our asses, Aeryn." He moved away from her, starting up the corridor towards Talyn's bridge. "We've got to get the starburst fixed so we can get of here."
"And leave Morgan and Crais?" Aeryn propped her hands on her hips.
He turned and looked at her. "No. We're going to get them first."
"And how do you propose we fix the starburst without either one of them here?"
Crichton shook his head. "I'm not sure, but we'll figure it out."
Morgan was roughly shoved through the door of a holding cell, stumbling forward awkwardly. She threw her hands out, catching herself against the far wall as the door closed behind her. The Peacekeepers had removed the transponder, leaving her feeling disconnected. Morgan leaned her head against the wall, her chest tight, whether from fear or frustration, she couldn't tell.
The door opened behind her and she turned as Crais was thrust in the cell with her. Immediately, the Captain pulled her into his arms. "Are you alright?" he whispered in her hair. Scorpius had gotten smart, stripping Crais of his uniform jacket and hidden weapons. Morgan held tightly to him, her hands clenched in the fabric of his shirt. He looked down at her, noticing the dread that filled her eyes, the only thing that gave him any indication that his usually strong and stubborn human lover was terrified.
"He's going to..."
"No." He stroked her face. "Not unless...I cooperate." He held her face in her hands.
"Bialar, I'm scared," she whispered. He knew it took a lot for her to admit that. Fear was not something Morgan Langtree was used to. But the entire concept of Scorpius' Aurora chair...that was another whole thing. And Crais was the only one she would show her true feelings to.
"I know." He ducked his head, catching her eyes and holding them. "If you have learned nothing else from me over the last cycle, I know you have learned to think like a Peacekeeper. That is what I need you to do." She nodded, exhaling the breath neither of them had realized she had been holding. "Push everything else aside, Morgan." Crais pulled her tight against him.
The door opened, Braca's form filling the entrance. He crossed his arms, staring at them. "How touching," he commented snidely.
Morgan's eyes narrowed. "Jealous?" she snapped.
Crais tried not to smile as he tightened his arms around Morgan protectively. "What do you want?"
Braca stared at them. "Scorpius has more suitable accommodations for you, although personally I think both of you could rot in here." He turned, motioning for them to follow, taking them through the carrier.
Morgan looked at Crais. "You know, Braca must not have had many friends as a child. He doesn't play well with others." She saw his back straighten at her comment and began to feel better about being a prisoner. Braca shot her glance and left, leaving them in the quarters Scorpius so graciously provided them.
Crais moved further into the room as the door locked behind them. "V.I.P. quarters," he remarked sarcastically to Morgan.
She looked around the room, surprised that Scorpius allowed them the luxury. "Okay, what does he want?" she asked softly, running her fingers around the rim of the table, looking for bugs. She noticed Crais doing the same thing, meeting him in the middle of the room when they were both satisfied it was not bugged.
Crais moved slowly towards her. "He wants me to...breed...another Leviathan like Talyn."
"What?!"
Crais nodded, rubbing his temple with his forefinger. "As long as I...agree...to do as he asks...he will leave you alone and allow...Crichton and Officer Sun to leave with Talyn."
"Crais we'll be stranded here."
He nodded. "For now."
Morgan closed her eyes, sighing, feeling a growing headache and wishing she had a bottle of aspirin. It seemed like forever since they had left Earth, even though it had only been a few arns. "So, you are going to do it."
Crais nodded. "I have no choice, Morgan. I will not let him do to you what...he did to Crichton."
"And you." She looked around the quarters and sat on the edge of the bed, suddenly very tired. She looked back at him and held out her hand. Crais took it, settling on the bed next to her. "Then, I suppose, you give him a gunship," she whispered.
Crais stretched out on the bed, pulling Morgan against him. He kissed her gently, a smile on his lips. "Oh...we will give him a gunship," he whispered against her lips, a plan already forming in his mind. "With...a few surprises."
Morgan leaned back and looked at Crais curiously, his smile contagious. "Just a few surprises? Why not just rig it blow at some unfortunate time?"
Crais' smile grew even wider as he pulled her down to him. "See, now you're thinking like a Peacekeeper."
"Are you sure? Crais you can't trust him," Crichton argued, looking at the ex-Peacekeeper in the clamshell.
"We have no other choice." He looked away, nodding. "Talyn has agreed with Morgan and I that this is the best course of action. Everything is arranged. When this is done and...Scorpius returns our transponders...then we will find you." Crais' jaw set. "I will let nothing happen to her," he whispered. "Good health to you."
The clamshell went blank and Crichton turned to Aeryn as Talyn burst from the carrier. He shook his head franticly. "We can't just leave them."
"We're not. Talyn, take us just out of sensor range," she called, manning the system's console. The ship seemed empty without Crais and Morgan.
Crichton stepped up behind her. "How long does it take to breed a Leviathan gunship?" he queried quietly.
Aeryn looked at him. "I don't know." She turned back to the view port. "The Peacekeepers locked all of Crais' files when he went renegade. Standard procedure." She paused. "Oh frell!"
Crichton looked up in time to see the carriers disappear, carrying Crais and Morgan to who knew where. "NO!"
Crais stopped just inside the door to the lab, memories flooding his mind. Scorpius had left it exactly the same, changing nothing, leaving everything exactly the way Crais and his team had left it after impregnating Moya with the egg that became Talyn. Coldness spread through him and he glared at Scorpius. "I hope...you are not planning on keeping us prisoner until she gives birth.
Scorpius turned to face him. "If you breed this one the same way you bred Talyn, there will be no need to." He looked at Morgan as she entered behind Crais.
Morgan's face was blank, all expression gone as she looked over the lab. Five steps led down into the chamber, a control collared Leviathan female floating just outside the huge windows. The space lab was somewhere deep into Peacekeeper territory and Crais assured her that he knew exactly where they were.
"Most of the system's and control's packets have been inserted," Scorpius said, moving past Crais towards Morgan. "I have done the preliminary work. Now you must do the rest." He grabbed her arm, leading her away from Crais.
"Langtree stays," Crais replied flatly, turning and clasping his hands behind his back.
"Really Bialar. This human has made you soft."
Morgan jerked her arm free and slammed Scorpius against the wall, one hand around his neck, the other inches away from the regulation unit she had replaced for Scorpius when she had first arrived in the Uncharted Territories.
Crais walked up the steps slowly, shaking his head as he stopped behind Morgan, staring at the scientist. "I would not advise upsetting her. I assure you she is quite capable of killing you."
Scorpius' looked at him. "I doubt it," he croaked. Morgan's hand tightened around his throat.
"So did the human on Earth that she killed," Crais calmly replied.
Scorpius looked at Morgan and then back to Crais. "You'll never get off this station alive."
Morgan grabbed Scorpius by the arm, swinging him around and pushing him down the stairs. She lunged off the steps, landing on the Peacekeeper, her knees capturing his head in a move Aeryn had taught her. She tightened the muscles in her thighs, watching the nervous look in Scorpius' eyes.
Crais easily walked down the stairs and knelt next to Scorpius' head. "Oh, we will, with or without you."
"Get her off me," Scorpius gasped.
"Not until you agree to a new deal. One that I set the terms to," Morgan said, her blue eyes flashing. They had come up with the plan two nights earlier, waiting to catch Scorpius in a mistake, like the one he made when he entered the lab without any security. And the mistake of letting his guard down around Morgan. "Once the Leviathan accepts the egg, you return our transponders, get us the needed clearances to travel back to the Uncharted Territories without any problems and two Prowlers with enough supplies to last a monen so that we can find either Talyn or Moya."
Scorpius chuckled, although it sounded more like a gurgle. "Never!"
Crais stroked his goatee, watching as Morgan laid her hand on the cooling core. He leaned his arm on his knee. "The other option is to kill you," Crais replied. "And then we'll take the Leviathan and leave. I do know how to remove a control collar."
How he had managed to get himself into this predicament, Scorpius could not fathom. And if High Command ever found out that he had not turned Crais in, he'd be in the same boat, hunted and outcast. "Deal."
Morgan stood up, backing away from Scorpius. She glared at the scientist as she walked around him to stand next to Crais, her arms crossed. "Now who's soft?" she simply said.
Scorpius stood up, staring at them. "You will pay for this," he remarked. He turned on one heel and headed up the stairs. "Get to work!" he growled as he stormed through the door, making sure it was locked behind him.
Crais looked down at Morgan and smiled. "Shall we?"
Copyright 2002, Beth A. Carpenter
13
Jack, DK, and Kira looked at Crichton and Morgan, trying very hard not to break down. Kira rubbed her cheek, her fingers coming away damp. Morgan swallowed past the lump in her throat. Crichton shuffled his feet. They had loaded Talyn's transport pod with food and other items they thought the cousins would need, as well as a few extras they knew nothing about. Crais and Aeryn stood to one side, waiting, watching, the pre-dawn breeze crisp as it blew across the compound on Earth.
Kira was the first one to move, embracing Morgan, letting the tears freely flow down her face. "I'm sorry I jumped your shit," she whispered, her voice catching.
"It's okay." Morgan kissed her cheek, letting her go. "I love ya, Kira."
Kira nodded, the tears flowing down her cheeks. "Think of me," she managed to get choked out. She turned to Crichton, hugging him as Jack slipped up to his niece.
"Remember your training. You can do this." He chuckled, hugging her tight against him. "Hell, Morgan. You and John can do anything." He looked down at her. "I'm proud of you."
"Thanks, Uncle Jack."
Morgan hugged DK as Jack moved to Crichton. He looked at his son, clapping his hand on his shoulder. "And I'm proud of you too, John. Very proud of you." He looked up at the transport pod. "Here we go again, son."
Crichton hugged his father, handing him a package. "I recorded these for you." He looked away, backing away from Jack. "Maybe one day..." Crichton didn't finish the sentence.
"Maybe," Jack replied.
Crichton reached into his pocket. "I'm...uh...little late in giving this back to you."
Jack looked at the good luck charm he had handed his son that fateful day. He closed Crichton's fingers over it, wrapping both of his hands around Crichton's. "Hold onto it." He smiled and turned away, walking over to Aeryn. He drew the Sebacean woman into his arms. "Take care of him, Aeryn."
"I will," she answered, looking up at Jack. "I'm glad I had the chance to meet you."
Jack smiled down at her. "Me too." He gazed at Crais, offering the Captain his hand. "Crais." He glanced over his shoulder at Morgan. "It's really easy with Morgan. Just keep her happy."
Crais nodded. "I will. Good health to you Jack Crichton," Crais answered, letting go of Jack's hand as Crichton and Morgan approached.
Jack nodded, walking back to stand with Kira and DK, watching as the transport pod lifted, speeding off across the valley, climbing higher into the atmosphere until it appeared as no more than another star in the lightening sky.
"I wonder if we'll ever see them again," DK said softly, holding Kira tightly.
Jack wrapped his arms around them. "Maybe," he whispered. "One day."
Crais stood in the center of Talyn's bridge, taking a last look at his lover's home planet. The tension in the room was palpable and he gazed at the three other humanoids. Morgan stood at the system's panel, Aeryn at propulsion, Crichton at weapons. "Talyn, set course for the edge of the system," Crais commanded, his voice firm in his authority.
The gunship broke orbit, banking away from Earth, picking up speed and shooting towards Pluto. Morgan watched the console before her, nodding in satisfaction, all system's registering normal as the gunship opened up to full throttle. She gazed at Aeryn.
"Propulsion registering normal." Aeryn gazed over to Crichton. "Look like the rewiring worked."
"Starburst has not yet been tested," Crais commented, watching the viewport. He looked at Morgan.
She glared at him. "You would mention that."
Crichton looked at Crais. "The weapons systems are hot and a go."
Crais nodded, the look on his face betraying no nervousness, no worry, as the dreadnaught appeared, growing quickly as they closed the distance. "Talyn, on my command, fire across their bow. Get their attention."
Crichton looked at him in disbelief. "Yeah, that will definitely get their attention."
Morgan's hands flew over the console as they neared. She looked up, her eyes narrowing. The wormhole formula was ready. Mentally she counted in her head. 5...4...3...2...1...
"Talyn! Open fire!" Crais yelled.
Laser fire from Talyn's main battery streaked through space, flying across the Scarren's bow as he flew past them, sharply banking towards the furthest edge of the galaxy. "Dreadnaught armed and targeting. Pursuit course has been initiated," Morgan reported.
Crais waited, listening and coordinating with Talyn. He looked at his lover, their eyes meeting. "Now."
Morgan's hand slapped the console. Before them, a thousand metras out, a wormhole began to form, the swirling blue lights spinning faster, growing brighter, it's gravitational pull strengthening with each microt. Morgan looked at Crichton, her eyebrows raised in question. He nodded in affirmation. The buzzing in his head was back. Talyn flew straight to the center of the wormhole like an arrow released from a bow. The dreadnaught followed right behind, firing at them.
Talyn shook once, momentarily rocking the bridge. Morgan grabbed tight to the console. She looked over the panel as they sped back to the Uncharted Territories. "John! Take over!" she yelled, backing away from the panel.
"Morgan! What are you doing?" he asked, moving past her. He gazed at Crais, who simply shook his head, confused as the human.
Morgan had moved to stand next to Crais, grasping the transponder at the base of her neck with both hands, closing her eyes, letting herself slip into the backdoor she had left within the Scarren's computer system. Talyn shook again under the dreadnaught's canon fire and she lost her balance, Crais catching her.
The wormhole opened up into the blackness of space.
Morgan found the power system on the dreadnaught and began the shutdown as they barreled through the wormhole behind Talyn.
Chaos began to flow through the dreadnaught's bridge as power conduits and circuits began to blow.
Morgan counted to ten and opened the fuel chambers, pulling out of the Scarren's system, Talyn pulling her back to the ship. She looked up at Crais, who still held her, her whole body shuddering from the exertion.
"What did you do?" he asked as Talyn came around, facing the dreadnaught.
She caught her breath, her heart beating in her chest wildly. "I shut down their system, and remixed the fuel so it would implode when they fired the system back up."
The Scarren dreadnaught came to a full stop, the running lights aboard the ship going out as all power was lost. "Well, there's something you don't see everyday," Aeryn remarked dryly.
An explosion burst from the aft end of the ship, another following behind it. "Talyn, fire all main batteries," Crais commanded. The gunship fired, targeting the dreadnaught.
The board in front of Crichton began to blink. "Hey guys, we got company."
Both Morgan and Crais looked at him. "Identify."
Aeryn looked over at the console, peering over Crichton's shoulder, immediately recognizing the signal. "Peacekeeper."
"Talyn! Initiate starburst now!" Morgan called.
They turned back to the exploding dreadnaught as Talyn began to move away, picking up speed. Fragments of the huge dreadnaught flew past briefly as the gunship paused in time...
And stopped.
"What the..." Crichton looked at Morgan.
Crais quickly moved through the systems.
"Peacekeeper command group has entered the system and are one hundred metras and closing," Aeryn reported.
"Talyn, starburst now!" Crais demanded. "Do not argue! You must starburst now!"
Morgan looked up at her lover. "He can't. Damn it, Crais, the system was never connected."
"What? How....Oh never mind. I thought Leviathans could do this anytime they wanted?" Crichton yelled.
"Carrier group fifty metras and closing," Aeryn called.
"They still need to have the power systems operational," Morgan exclaimed. She tried to move forward but stumbled. Crichton pushed her back into Crais' arms.
"Aeryn, let's go fix this!" Crichton called. He started to turn towards the bridge doors when the clamshell sprang to life.
"Well done! Well done!" Scorpius said, clapping, a very smug Lieutenant Braca standing behind him. Scorpius looked right at Crais and Morgan.
"We're frelled," she whispered. Her eyes locked with Crais' as the carriers encircled Talyn.
Talyn's crew walked down the access ramp, six armed Peacekeepers in front of and behind them. Their weapons had been confiscated, Talyn a "guest" in Scorpius' landing bay. Braca met them at the exit into the corridor, a satisfied look on his face that Morgan and Crais both wanted to erase. The Lieutenant spun on one foot without saying a word and led them down the corridor to a conference chamber.
Scorpius sat waiting for them, six of the guards following them in the room, fanning out as they stared at the scientist. "How was Earth?" he asked pleasantly.
Crais and Crichton exchanged glances. "Just the way I left it, Scorpy. What do you want?" Crichton snapped.
"What I always want," Scorpius answered. He motioned for them to sit. "Please." He waited until they had taken seats around the lower end of the table, Crais and Morgan on one side, Crichton and Aeryn across from them. "Now maybe you understand the danger the Scarrens and their allies pose."
"I think we figured that out," Crichton replied, leaning an elbow in the table, tapping his lips with his fingers.
"Good." Scorpius stood up, bracing his hands on the table in front of him, leaning forward. "I found out that you had some help from my neural clone. I believe it's now time for you to keep your end of the deal," he remarked, looking at Morgan.
"What deal?" Crais hissed, glaring at Crichton, his head tilted at a questioning angle.
Scorpius walked around the table, slowly traversing the room behind them and stopping between Crais and Morgan. He laid one hand on the back of Morgan's neck, exerting just enough pressure to keep her still.
"What did you do?" she softly asked Crichton in resignation. Their eyes met, Crichton's pleading with her.
Crais growled deep in the back of throat and grabbed Scorpius' wrist, launching himself from his seat. He slammed the scientist back against the bulkhead before any of the guards could comprehend what was happening. A gleaming knife had appeared in Crais' hand and he held it to Scorpius' throat. "You...leave...her...alone...or...I ...will... kill... you," he snarled through clenched teeth.
The guards behind Crichton and Aeryn had immediately trained their weapons on them, stopping them as the other four moved towards Crais and Scorpius. Morgan sprang from the chair, putting herself between the Peacekeepers and her lover. "Bialar let him go."
Crais never looked away from Scorpius. "I will not let him..."
"Dammit Crais. Let him go!" she hollered, her eyes locked with the middle guard, noticing his itchy trigger finger.
The nervousness in her usually calm voice was enough to convince him to release Scorpius. He sheathed his blade with one hand while pulling Morgan to him with the other in one swift motion.
Scorpius smiled as he rubbed his neck. "Your cousin did what he had to do to save your planet. You would've done the same thing." He pointed to the guards and they lowered their weapons. The guard with the itchy trigger finger grasped Morgan's arm, jerking her out of Crais' grasp, pushing her out of the room as the other two restrained the Captain.
"Let her go!" Aeryn yelled, standing up, slamming her hands on the table.
Crichton stood up and started for the scientist. "Scorpius! Get her back..." He was cut short when one of the guards that had been standing behind him slammed the butt of his pulse pistol into the back of Crichton's head, dropping the human.
Aeryn knelt next to him. "You bastard!"
Scorpius looked at her. "Yes, I am," he replied with an evil chuckle. "Take Commander Crichton and Officer Sun back to the gunship and keep them there." He noticed Aeryn's questioning glance as the guards dragged Crichton to his feet, half carrying, half dragging him from the room.
Crais struggled against the guards holding him. "What are you going to do to them?"
Scorpius walked over to him, standing just inches away. "That depends on you Crais. You see, the neural clone never told John what I wanted, because I honestly wasn't sure you would succeed in getting the formula, let alone getting back to the Uncharted Territories and destroying the dreadnaught." He shrugged. "But now...now I have both you and Langtree. And what I want, only you..." he poked Crais in the chest in emphasis, "...can give me."
Crais' eyes narrowed defiantly. "And that is?"
Scorpius reached behind Crais, grabbing a hold of the transponder and popping it from its cradle. He turned the transponder in his fingers between them. "I want a ship like Talyn."
Crichton rubbed the back of his neck, the goose egg the pulse pistol had left sore under his fingers. "Man, she's going to kill me," he moaned.
"Mmm, only if Crais does not get to you first." She helped him stand, easing him gently against the bulkhead as she inspected the knot on his neck. "What were you thinking?"
Crichton glanced at her. "I was trying to save our asses, Aeryn." He moved away from her, starting up the corridor towards Talyn's bridge. "We've got to get the starburst fixed so we can get of here."
"And leave Morgan and Crais?" Aeryn propped her hands on her hips.
He turned and looked at her. "No. We're going to get them first."
"And how do you propose we fix the starburst without either one of them here?"
Crichton shook his head. "I'm not sure, but we'll figure it out."
Morgan was roughly shoved through the door of a holding cell, stumbling forward awkwardly. She threw her hands out, catching herself against the far wall as the door closed behind her. The Peacekeepers had removed the transponder, leaving her feeling disconnected. Morgan leaned her head against the wall, her chest tight, whether from fear or frustration, she couldn't tell.
The door opened behind her and she turned as Crais was thrust in the cell with her. Immediately, the Captain pulled her into his arms. "Are you alright?" he whispered in her hair. Scorpius had gotten smart, stripping Crais of his uniform jacket and hidden weapons. Morgan held tightly to him, her hands clenched in the fabric of his shirt. He looked down at her, noticing the dread that filled her eyes, the only thing that gave him any indication that his usually strong and stubborn human lover was terrified.
"He's going to..."
"No." He stroked her face. "Not unless...I cooperate." He held her face in her hands.
"Bialar, I'm scared," she whispered. He knew it took a lot for her to admit that. Fear was not something Morgan Langtree was used to. But the entire concept of Scorpius' Aurora chair...that was another whole thing. And Crais was the only one she would show her true feelings to.
"I know." He ducked his head, catching her eyes and holding them. "If you have learned nothing else from me over the last cycle, I know you have learned to think like a Peacekeeper. That is what I need you to do." She nodded, exhaling the breath neither of them had realized she had been holding. "Push everything else aside, Morgan." Crais pulled her tight against him.
The door opened, Braca's form filling the entrance. He crossed his arms, staring at them. "How touching," he commented snidely.
Morgan's eyes narrowed. "Jealous?" she snapped.
Crais tried not to smile as he tightened his arms around Morgan protectively. "What do you want?"
Braca stared at them. "Scorpius has more suitable accommodations for you, although personally I think both of you could rot in here." He turned, motioning for them to follow, taking them through the carrier.
Morgan looked at Crais. "You know, Braca must not have had many friends as a child. He doesn't play well with others." She saw his back straighten at her comment and began to feel better about being a prisoner. Braca shot her glance and left, leaving them in the quarters Scorpius so graciously provided them.
Crais moved further into the room as the door locked behind them. "V.I.P. quarters," he remarked sarcastically to Morgan.
She looked around the room, surprised that Scorpius allowed them the luxury. "Okay, what does he want?" she asked softly, running her fingers around the rim of the table, looking for bugs. She noticed Crais doing the same thing, meeting him in the middle of the room when they were both satisfied it was not bugged.
Crais moved slowly towards her. "He wants me to...breed...another Leviathan like Talyn."
"What?!"
Crais nodded, rubbing his temple with his forefinger. "As long as I...agree...to do as he asks...he will leave you alone and allow...Crichton and Officer Sun to leave with Talyn."
"Crais we'll be stranded here."
He nodded. "For now."
Morgan closed her eyes, sighing, feeling a growing headache and wishing she had a bottle of aspirin. It seemed like forever since they had left Earth, even though it had only been a few arns. "So, you are going to do it."
Crais nodded. "I have no choice, Morgan. I will not let him do to you what...he did to Crichton."
"And you." She looked around the quarters and sat on the edge of the bed, suddenly very tired. She looked back at him and held out her hand. Crais took it, settling on the bed next to her. "Then, I suppose, you give him a gunship," she whispered.
Crais stretched out on the bed, pulling Morgan against him. He kissed her gently, a smile on his lips. "Oh...we will give him a gunship," he whispered against her lips, a plan already forming in his mind. "With...a few surprises."
Morgan leaned back and looked at Crais curiously, his smile contagious. "Just a few surprises? Why not just rig it blow at some unfortunate time?"
Crais' smile grew even wider as he pulled her down to him. "See, now you're thinking like a Peacekeeper."
"Are you sure? Crais you can't trust him," Crichton argued, looking at the ex-Peacekeeper in the clamshell.
"We have no other choice." He looked away, nodding. "Talyn has agreed with Morgan and I that this is the best course of action. Everything is arranged. When this is done and...Scorpius returns our transponders...then we will find you." Crais' jaw set. "I will let nothing happen to her," he whispered. "Good health to you."
The clamshell went blank and Crichton turned to Aeryn as Talyn burst from the carrier. He shook his head franticly. "We can't just leave them."
"We're not. Talyn, take us just out of sensor range," she called, manning the system's console. The ship seemed empty without Crais and Morgan.
Crichton stepped up behind her. "How long does it take to breed a Leviathan gunship?" he queried quietly.
Aeryn looked at him. "I don't know." She turned back to the view port. "The Peacekeepers locked all of Crais' files when he went renegade. Standard procedure." She paused. "Oh frell!"
Crichton looked up in time to see the carriers disappear, carrying Crais and Morgan to who knew where. "NO!"
Crais stopped just inside the door to the lab, memories flooding his mind. Scorpius had left it exactly the same, changing nothing, leaving everything exactly the way Crais and his team had left it after impregnating Moya with the egg that became Talyn. Coldness spread through him and he glared at Scorpius. "I hope...you are not planning on keeping us prisoner until she gives birth.
Scorpius turned to face him. "If you breed this one the same way you bred Talyn, there will be no need to." He looked at Morgan as she entered behind Crais.
Morgan's face was blank, all expression gone as she looked over the lab. Five steps led down into the chamber, a control collared Leviathan female floating just outside the huge windows. The space lab was somewhere deep into Peacekeeper territory and Crais assured her that he knew exactly where they were.
"Most of the system's and control's packets have been inserted," Scorpius said, moving past Crais towards Morgan. "I have done the preliminary work. Now you must do the rest." He grabbed her arm, leading her away from Crais.
"Langtree stays," Crais replied flatly, turning and clasping his hands behind his back.
"Really Bialar. This human has made you soft."
Morgan jerked her arm free and slammed Scorpius against the wall, one hand around his neck, the other inches away from the regulation unit she had replaced for Scorpius when she had first arrived in the Uncharted Territories.
Crais walked up the steps slowly, shaking his head as he stopped behind Morgan, staring at the scientist. "I would not advise upsetting her. I assure you she is quite capable of killing you."
Scorpius' looked at him. "I doubt it," he croaked. Morgan's hand tightened around his throat.
"So did the human on Earth that she killed," Crais calmly replied.
Scorpius looked at Morgan and then back to Crais. "You'll never get off this station alive."
Morgan grabbed Scorpius by the arm, swinging him around and pushing him down the stairs. She lunged off the steps, landing on the Peacekeeper, her knees capturing his head in a move Aeryn had taught her. She tightened the muscles in her thighs, watching the nervous look in Scorpius' eyes.
Crais easily walked down the stairs and knelt next to Scorpius' head. "Oh, we will, with or without you."
"Get her off me," Scorpius gasped.
"Not until you agree to a new deal. One that I set the terms to," Morgan said, her blue eyes flashing. They had come up with the plan two nights earlier, waiting to catch Scorpius in a mistake, like the one he made when he entered the lab without any security. And the mistake of letting his guard down around Morgan. "Once the Leviathan accepts the egg, you return our transponders, get us the needed clearances to travel back to the Uncharted Territories without any problems and two Prowlers with enough supplies to last a monen so that we can find either Talyn or Moya."
Scorpius chuckled, although it sounded more like a gurgle. "Never!"
Crais stroked his goatee, watching as Morgan laid her hand on the cooling core. He leaned his arm on his knee. "The other option is to kill you," Crais replied. "And then we'll take the Leviathan and leave. I do know how to remove a control collar."
How he had managed to get himself into this predicament, Scorpius could not fathom. And if High Command ever found out that he had not turned Crais in, he'd be in the same boat, hunted and outcast. "Deal."
Morgan stood up, backing away from Scorpius. She glared at the scientist as she walked around him to stand next to Crais, her arms crossed. "Now who's soft?" she simply said.
Scorpius stood up, staring at them. "You will pay for this," he remarked. He turned on one heel and headed up the stairs. "Get to work!" he growled as he stormed through the door, making sure it was locked behind him.
Crais looked down at Morgan and smiled. "Shall we?"
Copyright 2002, Beth A. Carpenter
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