She'd been trained to go long periods without sleep. Somehow, that fact didn't enter into the
current equation. Aeryn heard the cell door slam shut behind her and she dropped. Escape,
though, was still on her mind. The ex-peacekeeper turned around and was relieved to see that
Crichton had pulled the privacy curtain. Sitting with her legs stretched out in front of her, Aeryn
tried to relax. 'No chance of that happening.'
Aeryn closed her eyes and replayed the scene as it had just happened. Despite her doubts, she'd
actually gone through with it. The guilt and pain inside had been just enough to help her utter the
words. "I'm leaving."
The sound of footsteps from down the corridor put her on alert. Someone was coming. Aeryn
didn't want to deal with all the question. She hadn't even planned on saying goodbye. But
movement seemed impossible at the moment. Everything from the top of her head on down felt
numb. Not even being a peacekeeper felt like this.
"John? That you?" Chiana slipped inconspicuously into the ex-peacekeeper's line of sight and
then stopped abruptly. Obviously, she hadn't expected Aeryn to be sitting outside the human's
room. Frell, anything seemed more likely at the moment. "Hey Aeryn."
She looked up at the Nebari but said nothing. Aeryn found herself seeing the girl through a
different set of eyes. It was the same old Chiana. Slender, with that annoying curve at the edges
of her lips. But something else caught her attention. It was the look on Chiana's face. One
slightly more mature but uncertain as to what that meant. Aeryn wondered how D'Argo saw his
almost fiancé.
Chiana didn't seem to get the point of Aeryn's silence and sat down across from her. She gave a
strange half-smile before saying anything. "What are you doing here?"
Aeryn let her gaze rise from the floor and meet the Nebari's. "Nothing."
"Nothing huh?" Chiana licked her lips and slid down a little further. "I guess you won't mind if I
join you then."
The ex-peacekeeper sighed. She wasn't going to have this conversation. Even if that meant using
her pulse pistol. 'I'm kidding, right?' Aeryn gritted her teeth as she forced herself up.
Apparently the strength was there after all. "Do what you want. I don't care."
She hadn't expected anything more from Aeryn. Certainly not tears. Chiana noticed that the
Sebacean's sad face hardened when she got there. "Nothing changes."
Aeryn was already on her way down the hall when she heard the whispered words. 'I suppose
not.' For some reason she couldn't make out, she waited.
Chiana stood up and faced the solemn woman. She took a breath and drew it out. "We're not
friends are we Aeryn?"
Aeryn felt her mouth drop open a little although she couldn't be sure. Her thoughts were busy
elsewhere. "No, we're not."
The Nebari nodded slightly and then forced a smile. "I didn't think so." Chiana stood there and
waited for the other woman to leave. Aeryn never responded as she made her way down the
corridor. That was that.
Two leviathans floated quietly together in space. The young son floated just above his mother as
they floated aimlessly. Nowhere to go at the moment. Inside Talyn, Bialar Crais sat with his feet
propped up on a console. He wasn't used to being idle like this but there was honestly nothing to
do. His gun ship was getting better by the day and DRD's were putting on the finishing touches.
A signal came in through his transponder. He could both feel and see what was happening. The
hangar doors had opened and a transport pod was heading for bay 3. Talyn's sensors only picked
up one passenger. Crais sighed. "Aeryn Sun."
He stood up and walked over to the forward portal. It looked out on a quiet scene except for the
gigantic vessel that flew beside his own. Crais initiated the comms system. "Pilot, are you
there?"
There was a moment of silence before an answer came. "Yes Crais. Where else would I be?"
The creature's voice sounded tired. Worrying had taken its toll, no doubt.
"Are you aware that one of you crew is missing?" The question seemed silly to him. There
probably wasn't much that Pilot wasn't aware of. Whether Moya's inhabitants realized it or not.
"Officer Sun left Moya's hangar a few microts ago. She did not inform me of her destination."
Pilot's image appeared on the portal screen. He looked tired as well. "Is she there?"
Crais heard the doors to command slide open. "Yes Pilot. Thank you." He cut the transmission
and turned around to meet his guest. If that was in fact what she was.
Aeryn was dressed as if she were preparing for battle. Her long leather overcoat concealed the
pulse weapons she had brought with her. The ex-peacekeeper's hair seemed even tighter than
usual in that braid. "Hello Crais."
The ex-captain smiled and nodded to her. "To what do I owe this visit Aeryn?" He suddenly felt
ashamed of himself. Or maybe that was Talyn picking up on his feelings. There had to be a
reason why images of a dead Crichton were flashing in his mind. Crais took a deep breath.
"I came to say goodbye. To both you and Talyn." Aeryn's face was locked in an emotionless
stare. She didn't even look her former superior in the eye. "I'm leaving."
Bialar was taken aback by the statement. He could feel Talyn's shock as well. It was not doing
wonders for his physical condition. "I don't understand. We're supposed to help Crichton-."
Aeryn raised a hand to stop his outburst but did not say anything. Once he stopped talking, she
walked past him and to the center of the room. Talyn's neural center sat above her on the ceiling.
Its familiar red glow casting shadows on her white face.
"When are you coming back?" It was the only question that Crais could pull out of the multitude
in his head. Both Talyn's and his actually.
She lifted her hand and ran it across the circle's smooth surface. Aeryn could feel Talyn
protesting. Could hear his cries inside her own head. None of it did any good. The leviathan
hybrid soon realized this and kept quiet. Crais's voice entered into the mix. "I don't know. How
long can someone's hate last?"
Crais was already confused. Her words didn't help the situation any. Before he could force
something out of his mouth, Aeryn lowered her head and walked out of the room. The ex-captain
didn't need to ask where she was headed. Talyn had already prepped the transport pod for
departure.
It seemed fitting that he'd been led here of all places. John stepped onto the terrace and took in
the awe-inspiring sight that came with the place. Standing in the middle of the room, Aeryn
smiled at him reassuringly. The human blinked his eyes. It was actually D'Argo. The Luxan
wasn't smiling.
"You've heard?" D'Argo looked over at John and sighed. The human's tortured face awakened
his own feelings. Not sadness and certainly not pity. Well, not for Aeryn anyways. Her
mourning privileges had expired in his opinion.
John tried to smile but it came out more like a half-hearted smirk. "Yeah, she told me." He
walked over to stand beside his friend. They both turned their gazes to the stars outside. Talyn
was right where he had been before. Apparently, Aeryn had gone there before leaving.
D'Argo looked past the gun ship and spotted a small planet off in the distance. According to
Pilot, the ex-peacekeeper couldn't get any further away. At least not with the fuel she'd taken. "I
think it might be time to consider giving up."
The human felt the knot in his stomach tighten. It was something he'd considered many times.
John had never expected that decision to be thrust upon him strongly. "Maybe."
The room was bustling with shady-looking types but only a select few sat at the actual bar. A
layer of cough-inducing smoke had settled above the customers and gave the place a certain
atmosphere. One of the people sitting at the bar had drawn a bit of attention. She was dressed in
leather and looked about as amiable as a Scarren.
"You want another one of those?" The bartender, called Olaf by those who knew him well
enough, stopped in front of Aeryn. He eyed the empty bottle of raslak and grasped another below
the bar. Olaf liked thirsty customers.
Aeryn forced herself out of the liquor-induced daydream and looked up at the bartender. She
scowled at him and slammed another bill down on the bar. "Give me two."
Olaf smiled back at her and lifted two bottles out from under the bar. Suddenly something caught
his eye. The female in front of him was seriously armed. He spotted what looked like a pulse rifle
under her coat. "You're a peacekeeper?"
At the sound of that word, all noise came to a halt. Every conversation stopped and attention was
turned to the new situation. Noticing this, Aeryn turned around and took a look around the
room. The sight was not encouraging. "Not anymore."
Retracting the bottles, Olaf narrowed his eyes. "Not anymore? What the frell does that mean?"
He spotted a few men coming forward and motioned for them to hold off.
"Exactly what it sounds like. I'm not a peacekeeper anymore." Aeryn reached for one of the
bottles but missed it. Something inside her screamed. Possibly her training telling her to see the
situation for what it was. All of a sudden, Aeryn felt sober.
A nasty looking fellow with furry red skin walked up to the bar. He looked from Olaf to Aeryn
and grinned maliciously. "But you were a peacekeeper."
Aeryn lifted her pulse pistol out of its holster and placed it in front of her. "Is there a problem?"
The man looked questioningly at Olaf. They eyed each other for a moment and then the bartender
nodded. He knelt down behind the bar without another word. The lights went out.
"Oh frell." Aeryn dove off her stool and hit the ground hard. The area above her lit up with pulse
blasts from somewhere to the right. She could hear footsteps beside her.
"I can see you." The red man reached down to grab her when he felt something cold press
against his him.
"I can see you too." Aeryn fired several times and felt something warm splash against her face.
"Wonderful!" She stood up and started firing into the darkness. Shouts of anger and pain echoed
back at her along with returned shots.
Olaf growled angrily as precious liquid cascaded down on top of him. "I said not the bar!" He
pulled his own weapon out and stood up. There was nothing in front of him but the peacekeeper
woman. "Get out of the way!"
Aeryn obeyed and threw herself towards the door. She heard a loud explosion rocketed from the
object in Olaf's hands. He laughed hysterically as his own establishment went up in flames. The
ex-peacekeeper reached the door and pushed it open. Light poured in and illuminated the scene
behind her. "Idiots." The pieces of dren were fighting each other now. Aeryn stepped through
the doorway.
"Freeze!" An angry looking man dressed all in black stood in front of her. The gun in his hands
almost touched the end of Aeryn's nose. She mistook him for a peacekeeper at first but soon
changed her mind. Certain parts of his anatomy didn't match up.
Aeryn dropped her pulse pistol. She recognized the uniform now. He was some sort of police
official. "I don't want any trouble. Just let me go." The Sebacean breathed a sigh of relief as he
started to lower his gun.
"Aeryn! Watch out!" The familiar sounding voice was followed immediately by the sound of a
gunshot. The police officer crumpled to the ground. He was dead.
Chiana ran up to Aeryn and grinned happily. "Whew! That was close." She looked up at her
companion and noticed the cold stare. "What?"
Aeryn lunged forward and grabbed Chiana by the collar of her coat. She lifted the Nebari up and
pushed her against the wall. "You frelling trelk! He wasn't going to kill me."
Chiana shrugged. "Hey, I'm sorry, alright? I thought he was." The younger woman was now
annoyed. Frell, she couldn't do anything right when it came to Aeryn.
The ex-peacekeeper tried to contain her anger. It wasn't working. Something else came to her
attention. The sound of pulse weapons charging. Aeryn dropped Chiana and turned around.
Apparently, the dead man had friends. "Frell."
The prison cell stunk even worse than the bar. Aeryn pushed herself further up against the wall
and tried to breath only through her mouth. She let her eyes run across the room and take in the
group of men sitting in front of her. They were the same ones she had escaped from in the bar.
Thankfully, they hadn't noticed her yet.
The young woman beside her took a deep breath. Chiana had managed to fall asleep since they
had been locked away. She opened her eyes now and looked at the ex-peacekeeper beside her.
"Anything yet?"
Aeryn turned her head towards the Nebari and then shook it. "No word." It amazed her how
cruel life could be sometimes. After all she had been through, Chiana was the one who decided to
come after her. She would have preferred Rygel at this point.
Chiana sat up and stretched her arms and legs. Feeling better, she pushed herself a little closer to
Aeryn. "Don't worry. I have a plan."
Aeryn's eyes widened. She couldn't wait to hear what the girl had to say. Surprisingly though,
Chiana didn't say a word. The Nebari simply pulled a small object from her pocket. It was a
comm. "How is that going to help us?"
Before either of them could say something, the cell doors slid open. An officer walked into the
dark room and raised his weapon. It was big and crushed any thought of escape. He appeared to
be searching for something. The man stopped when his eyes met Chiana's. "Nebari! You have a
visitor."
John rubbed his hands together as he waited for Chiana to be brought in. He had tried to hold his
breath against the horrible smell but that quickly proved impossible. Hopefully, it would wash out
of his clothes after a few runs in the spin cycle.
On the other side of the thin partition that sat in front of him, a door opened and revealed the
long-awaited Nebari. Her hair looked like it had survived a tornado. Chiana brushed some of the
dirt off her coat and sat down. She smiled at John. "About time you got here."
The human returned her smile. "Are you alright? Is....she alright?" John looked past her and
through the open doorway. It was pitch black inside. He wondered if Aeryn knew he was there.
"Aeryn's a little banged up. Not that she'll admit it." Chiana shook her head and then spotted the
look in John's eyes. The old man didn't look good. "I didn't tell her you were coming."
John didn't respond to her last comment. He just stared woefully and waited for Chiana to say
something. He considered having Aeryn sent out next. Probably not a good idea.
"Listen John, change of plans." Chiana motioned towards the money bag that he had hidden
under his vest. Sitting in the cell, she'd gotten a great idea. Well, it seemed that way at the time.
John looked around to make sure no one was looking and pulled the bag out. "What change of
plans? Don't get cute with me pip."
Chiana grinned. She waited until all the guards were occupied elsewhere and then grabbed the
money bag. "Aeryn isn't going to come back with you. You know that." The Nebari waited for
him to figure things out. John didn't say anything. "So we're gonna stick around, see how things
go."
He got what she was trying to say. "Pip, I don't think Aeryn's going to want you tagging along."
John leaned back in his chair. Somehow the idea of Chiana going made him feel better. Not that
he was going to say that.
"Well, I'm not giving her a choice." Chiana tucked the money under her coat and stood to leave.
She turned one last time to look John in the eye. His communicated so much more than Aeryn's.
"Bye Crichton."
John watched her go in silence. He wasn't sure what to make of what had just happened. Time
would have to tell on that one. 'Bye pip.'
Aeryn heard the cell doors slide open but refused to look up. She knew who was going to be
there. The frelling human here to save the day. The ex-peacekeeper swore to herself. 'I won't
go. I can't.' Aeryn cursed and looked up. Her resolve wasn't what it used to be.
The scene wasn't exactly what she had imagined. Chiana was standing alone in the doorway with
her hands on her hips. The Nebari looked over at her and smiled. Aeryn sighed and watched as
the younger woman walked over to her.
"New plan." Chiana sat down beside her new best friends and tried to find a comfortable
position. She didn't seem to notice the stares coming from all the men in the room.
Aeryn didn't like what she was hearing. "New plan? I thought you were leaving." She felt a
horrible sinking feeling in her stomach. "No!"
The shout got the attention of all the other men in the room. Including the ones that Aeryn had
been trying to avoid. Another one of the red creatures stood up and pointed at her. "You're that
frelling peacekeeper!"
Aeryn stood up and reached for her pulse pistol. It wasn't there. "Thank you very much
Chiana."
The Nebari came up beside her, a determined look spread across her face. Chiana straightened
up. "Don't worry, I've got your back."
Aeryn turned slightly but kept her eye on the challenger. "That's what I'm afraid of."
current equation. Aeryn heard the cell door slam shut behind her and she dropped. Escape,
though, was still on her mind. The ex-peacekeeper turned around and was relieved to see that
Crichton had pulled the privacy curtain. Sitting with her legs stretched out in front of her, Aeryn
tried to relax. 'No chance of that happening.'
Aeryn closed her eyes and replayed the scene as it had just happened. Despite her doubts, she'd
actually gone through with it. The guilt and pain inside had been just enough to help her utter the
words. "I'm leaving."
The sound of footsteps from down the corridor put her on alert. Someone was coming. Aeryn
didn't want to deal with all the question. She hadn't even planned on saying goodbye. But
movement seemed impossible at the moment. Everything from the top of her head on down felt
numb. Not even being a peacekeeper felt like this.
"John? That you?" Chiana slipped inconspicuously into the ex-peacekeeper's line of sight and
then stopped abruptly. Obviously, she hadn't expected Aeryn to be sitting outside the human's
room. Frell, anything seemed more likely at the moment. "Hey Aeryn."
She looked up at the Nebari but said nothing. Aeryn found herself seeing the girl through a
different set of eyes. It was the same old Chiana. Slender, with that annoying curve at the edges
of her lips. But something else caught her attention. It was the look on Chiana's face. One
slightly more mature but uncertain as to what that meant. Aeryn wondered how D'Argo saw his
almost fiancé.
Chiana didn't seem to get the point of Aeryn's silence and sat down across from her. She gave a
strange half-smile before saying anything. "What are you doing here?"
Aeryn let her gaze rise from the floor and meet the Nebari's. "Nothing."
"Nothing huh?" Chiana licked her lips and slid down a little further. "I guess you won't mind if I
join you then."
The ex-peacekeeper sighed. She wasn't going to have this conversation. Even if that meant using
her pulse pistol. 'I'm kidding, right?' Aeryn gritted her teeth as she forced herself up.
Apparently the strength was there after all. "Do what you want. I don't care."
She hadn't expected anything more from Aeryn. Certainly not tears. Chiana noticed that the
Sebacean's sad face hardened when she got there. "Nothing changes."
Aeryn was already on her way down the hall when she heard the whispered words. 'I suppose
not.' For some reason she couldn't make out, she waited.
Chiana stood up and faced the solemn woman. She took a breath and drew it out. "We're not
friends are we Aeryn?"
Aeryn felt her mouth drop open a little although she couldn't be sure. Her thoughts were busy
elsewhere. "No, we're not."
The Nebari nodded slightly and then forced a smile. "I didn't think so." Chiana stood there and
waited for the other woman to leave. Aeryn never responded as she made her way down the
corridor. That was that.
Two leviathans floated quietly together in space. The young son floated just above his mother as
they floated aimlessly. Nowhere to go at the moment. Inside Talyn, Bialar Crais sat with his feet
propped up on a console. He wasn't used to being idle like this but there was honestly nothing to
do. His gun ship was getting better by the day and DRD's were putting on the finishing touches.
A signal came in through his transponder. He could both feel and see what was happening. The
hangar doors had opened and a transport pod was heading for bay 3. Talyn's sensors only picked
up one passenger. Crais sighed. "Aeryn Sun."
He stood up and walked over to the forward portal. It looked out on a quiet scene except for the
gigantic vessel that flew beside his own. Crais initiated the comms system. "Pilot, are you
there?"
There was a moment of silence before an answer came. "Yes Crais. Where else would I be?"
The creature's voice sounded tired. Worrying had taken its toll, no doubt.
"Are you aware that one of you crew is missing?" The question seemed silly to him. There
probably wasn't much that Pilot wasn't aware of. Whether Moya's inhabitants realized it or not.
"Officer Sun left Moya's hangar a few microts ago. She did not inform me of her destination."
Pilot's image appeared on the portal screen. He looked tired as well. "Is she there?"
Crais heard the doors to command slide open. "Yes Pilot. Thank you." He cut the transmission
and turned around to meet his guest. If that was in fact what she was.
Aeryn was dressed as if she were preparing for battle. Her long leather overcoat concealed the
pulse weapons she had brought with her. The ex-peacekeeper's hair seemed even tighter than
usual in that braid. "Hello Crais."
The ex-captain smiled and nodded to her. "To what do I owe this visit Aeryn?" He suddenly felt
ashamed of himself. Or maybe that was Talyn picking up on his feelings. There had to be a
reason why images of a dead Crichton were flashing in his mind. Crais took a deep breath.
"I came to say goodbye. To both you and Talyn." Aeryn's face was locked in an emotionless
stare. She didn't even look her former superior in the eye. "I'm leaving."
Bialar was taken aback by the statement. He could feel Talyn's shock as well. It was not doing
wonders for his physical condition. "I don't understand. We're supposed to help Crichton-."
Aeryn raised a hand to stop his outburst but did not say anything. Once he stopped talking, she
walked past him and to the center of the room. Talyn's neural center sat above her on the ceiling.
Its familiar red glow casting shadows on her white face.
"When are you coming back?" It was the only question that Crais could pull out of the multitude
in his head. Both Talyn's and his actually.
She lifted her hand and ran it across the circle's smooth surface. Aeryn could feel Talyn
protesting. Could hear his cries inside her own head. None of it did any good. The leviathan
hybrid soon realized this and kept quiet. Crais's voice entered into the mix. "I don't know. How
long can someone's hate last?"
Crais was already confused. Her words didn't help the situation any. Before he could force
something out of his mouth, Aeryn lowered her head and walked out of the room. The ex-captain
didn't need to ask where she was headed. Talyn had already prepped the transport pod for
departure.
It seemed fitting that he'd been led here of all places. John stepped onto the terrace and took in
the awe-inspiring sight that came with the place. Standing in the middle of the room, Aeryn
smiled at him reassuringly. The human blinked his eyes. It was actually D'Argo. The Luxan
wasn't smiling.
"You've heard?" D'Argo looked over at John and sighed. The human's tortured face awakened
his own feelings. Not sadness and certainly not pity. Well, not for Aeryn anyways. Her
mourning privileges had expired in his opinion.
John tried to smile but it came out more like a half-hearted smirk. "Yeah, she told me." He
walked over to stand beside his friend. They both turned their gazes to the stars outside. Talyn
was right where he had been before. Apparently, Aeryn had gone there before leaving.
D'Argo looked past the gun ship and spotted a small planet off in the distance. According to
Pilot, the ex-peacekeeper couldn't get any further away. At least not with the fuel she'd taken. "I
think it might be time to consider giving up."
The human felt the knot in his stomach tighten. It was something he'd considered many times.
John had never expected that decision to be thrust upon him strongly. "Maybe."
The room was bustling with shady-looking types but only a select few sat at the actual bar. A
layer of cough-inducing smoke had settled above the customers and gave the place a certain
atmosphere. One of the people sitting at the bar had drawn a bit of attention. She was dressed in
leather and looked about as amiable as a Scarren.
"You want another one of those?" The bartender, called Olaf by those who knew him well
enough, stopped in front of Aeryn. He eyed the empty bottle of raslak and grasped another below
the bar. Olaf liked thirsty customers.
Aeryn forced herself out of the liquor-induced daydream and looked up at the bartender. She
scowled at him and slammed another bill down on the bar. "Give me two."
Olaf smiled back at her and lifted two bottles out from under the bar. Suddenly something caught
his eye. The female in front of him was seriously armed. He spotted what looked like a pulse rifle
under her coat. "You're a peacekeeper?"
At the sound of that word, all noise came to a halt. Every conversation stopped and attention was
turned to the new situation. Noticing this, Aeryn turned around and took a look around the
room. The sight was not encouraging. "Not anymore."
Retracting the bottles, Olaf narrowed his eyes. "Not anymore? What the frell does that mean?"
He spotted a few men coming forward and motioned for them to hold off.
"Exactly what it sounds like. I'm not a peacekeeper anymore." Aeryn reached for one of the
bottles but missed it. Something inside her screamed. Possibly her training telling her to see the
situation for what it was. All of a sudden, Aeryn felt sober.
A nasty looking fellow with furry red skin walked up to the bar. He looked from Olaf to Aeryn
and grinned maliciously. "But you were a peacekeeper."
Aeryn lifted her pulse pistol out of its holster and placed it in front of her. "Is there a problem?"
The man looked questioningly at Olaf. They eyed each other for a moment and then the bartender
nodded. He knelt down behind the bar without another word. The lights went out.
"Oh frell." Aeryn dove off her stool and hit the ground hard. The area above her lit up with pulse
blasts from somewhere to the right. She could hear footsteps beside her.
"I can see you." The red man reached down to grab her when he felt something cold press
against his him.
"I can see you too." Aeryn fired several times and felt something warm splash against her face.
"Wonderful!" She stood up and started firing into the darkness. Shouts of anger and pain echoed
back at her along with returned shots.
Olaf growled angrily as precious liquid cascaded down on top of him. "I said not the bar!" He
pulled his own weapon out and stood up. There was nothing in front of him but the peacekeeper
woman. "Get out of the way!"
Aeryn obeyed and threw herself towards the door. She heard a loud explosion rocketed from the
object in Olaf's hands. He laughed hysterically as his own establishment went up in flames. The
ex-peacekeeper reached the door and pushed it open. Light poured in and illuminated the scene
behind her. "Idiots." The pieces of dren were fighting each other now. Aeryn stepped through
the doorway.
"Freeze!" An angry looking man dressed all in black stood in front of her. The gun in his hands
almost touched the end of Aeryn's nose. She mistook him for a peacekeeper at first but soon
changed her mind. Certain parts of his anatomy didn't match up.
Aeryn dropped her pulse pistol. She recognized the uniform now. He was some sort of police
official. "I don't want any trouble. Just let me go." The Sebacean breathed a sigh of relief as he
started to lower his gun.
"Aeryn! Watch out!" The familiar sounding voice was followed immediately by the sound of a
gunshot. The police officer crumpled to the ground. He was dead.
Chiana ran up to Aeryn and grinned happily. "Whew! That was close." She looked up at her
companion and noticed the cold stare. "What?"
Aeryn lunged forward and grabbed Chiana by the collar of her coat. She lifted the Nebari up and
pushed her against the wall. "You frelling trelk! He wasn't going to kill me."
Chiana shrugged. "Hey, I'm sorry, alright? I thought he was." The younger woman was now
annoyed. Frell, she couldn't do anything right when it came to Aeryn.
The ex-peacekeeper tried to contain her anger. It wasn't working. Something else came to her
attention. The sound of pulse weapons charging. Aeryn dropped Chiana and turned around.
Apparently, the dead man had friends. "Frell."
The prison cell stunk even worse than the bar. Aeryn pushed herself further up against the wall
and tried to breath only through her mouth. She let her eyes run across the room and take in the
group of men sitting in front of her. They were the same ones she had escaped from in the bar.
Thankfully, they hadn't noticed her yet.
The young woman beside her took a deep breath. Chiana had managed to fall asleep since they
had been locked away. She opened her eyes now and looked at the ex-peacekeeper beside her.
"Anything yet?"
Aeryn turned her head towards the Nebari and then shook it. "No word." It amazed her how
cruel life could be sometimes. After all she had been through, Chiana was the one who decided to
come after her. She would have preferred Rygel at this point.
Chiana sat up and stretched her arms and legs. Feeling better, she pushed herself a little closer to
Aeryn. "Don't worry. I have a plan."
Aeryn's eyes widened. She couldn't wait to hear what the girl had to say. Surprisingly though,
Chiana didn't say a word. The Nebari simply pulled a small object from her pocket. It was a
comm. "How is that going to help us?"
Before either of them could say something, the cell doors slid open. An officer walked into the
dark room and raised his weapon. It was big and crushed any thought of escape. He appeared to
be searching for something. The man stopped when his eyes met Chiana's. "Nebari! You have a
visitor."
John rubbed his hands together as he waited for Chiana to be brought in. He had tried to hold his
breath against the horrible smell but that quickly proved impossible. Hopefully, it would wash out
of his clothes after a few runs in the spin cycle.
On the other side of the thin partition that sat in front of him, a door opened and revealed the
long-awaited Nebari. Her hair looked like it had survived a tornado. Chiana brushed some of the
dirt off her coat and sat down. She smiled at John. "About time you got here."
The human returned her smile. "Are you alright? Is....she alright?" John looked past her and
through the open doorway. It was pitch black inside. He wondered if Aeryn knew he was there.
"Aeryn's a little banged up. Not that she'll admit it." Chiana shook her head and then spotted the
look in John's eyes. The old man didn't look good. "I didn't tell her you were coming."
John didn't respond to her last comment. He just stared woefully and waited for Chiana to say
something. He considered having Aeryn sent out next. Probably not a good idea.
"Listen John, change of plans." Chiana motioned towards the money bag that he had hidden
under his vest. Sitting in the cell, she'd gotten a great idea. Well, it seemed that way at the time.
John looked around to make sure no one was looking and pulled the bag out. "What change of
plans? Don't get cute with me pip."
Chiana grinned. She waited until all the guards were occupied elsewhere and then grabbed the
money bag. "Aeryn isn't going to come back with you. You know that." The Nebari waited for
him to figure things out. John didn't say anything. "So we're gonna stick around, see how things
go."
He got what she was trying to say. "Pip, I don't think Aeryn's going to want you tagging along."
John leaned back in his chair. Somehow the idea of Chiana going made him feel better. Not that
he was going to say that.
"Well, I'm not giving her a choice." Chiana tucked the money under her coat and stood to leave.
She turned one last time to look John in the eye. His communicated so much more than Aeryn's.
"Bye Crichton."
John watched her go in silence. He wasn't sure what to make of what had just happened. Time
would have to tell on that one. 'Bye pip.'
Aeryn heard the cell doors slide open but refused to look up. She knew who was going to be
there. The frelling human here to save the day. The ex-peacekeeper swore to herself. 'I won't
go. I can't.' Aeryn cursed and looked up. Her resolve wasn't what it used to be.
The scene wasn't exactly what she had imagined. Chiana was standing alone in the doorway with
her hands on her hips. The Nebari looked over at her and smiled. Aeryn sighed and watched as
the younger woman walked over to her.
"New plan." Chiana sat down beside her new best friends and tried to find a comfortable
position. She didn't seem to notice the stares coming from all the men in the room.
Aeryn didn't like what she was hearing. "New plan? I thought you were leaving." She felt a
horrible sinking feeling in her stomach. "No!"
The shout got the attention of all the other men in the room. Including the ones that Aeryn had
been trying to avoid. Another one of the red creatures stood up and pointed at her. "You're that
frelling peacekeeper!"
Aeryn stood up and reached for her pulse pistol. It wasn't there. "Thank you very much
Chiana."
The Nebari came up beside her, a determined look spread across her face. Chiana straightened
up. "Don't worry, I've got your back."
Aeryn turned slightly but kept her eye on the challenger. "That's what I'm afraid of."