Fic: Walk It Off 5
thanks to can for her help

He hadn't expected to feel like this. Hadn't expected the complete absence of fear inside of
himself. This was, obviously, something to fear. John stared at the hulking mass of metal as it
floated by Talyn's forward portal and felt a lump rise in his throat. The human's hatred of the
ship overwhelmed any thoughts it brought of Aeryn. 'Traveling heavy, huh John?'

"So this is the big bitch that's causing all our problems," John said. It took him a moment to
realize that he had spoken the words out loud. Still, he kept his eyes glued to the screen
throughout.

Without looking up from his console, Crais answered. "Is there something wrong Crichton?"

John snapped back into reality. "Oh, no. Just taking a look at the big bad wolf." He waved off
the recording and turned to face his traveling companion.

There was no attempt from the ex-captain to decipher the meaning of that statement. Bialar did
his best to ignore the human and continued on with his work. Truthfully, he wasn't really doing
anything of importance. It just felt good to concentrate on something simple.

"Yeah, sorry. You don't get the Disney Chan-." John stopped dead in his tracks as a startling
realization came to him. It occurred right at the corner of his eye but he had in fact seen
something. "Crais, take a look at this."

Bialar finally stopped working and glanced up. "What is it?" He saw nothing to cause alarm.
The scene in front of him was just Crichton and the video recording playing in the background.

John stood rigidly with his hand gesturing up to the portal behind him. "You see the Vigilante
right?"

Crais wasn't sure what to make of this. He sighed and nodded his head. "Yes, I see it. Now
what's the problem?"

John tried to smile but the panic was already beginning to show through. "I already turned the
video off."

"That's impossible. I still see it." Crais moved out from behind his console and walked to the
screen. "You must have done it wrong."

John slipped past him and ran to another display screen. Typing rapidly, he brought up an image
of Talyn's flight plan. "Look at this."

Both men turned their attention to the holographic image and saw the same thing. There were
two dots moving away from each other. One was Talyn and the other was the Vigilante. John
shook his head. "I'm telling you-."

Crais raised his hand to quiet the human and then moved it to his transponder. Handling the
device wasn't necessary but he thought it would alert Talyn to the severity of the situation. The
hybrid leviathan answered quickly and strongly.

John watched the awkward little scene with a look of impatience. "What did he say?"

Talyn's captain frowned. "He's been lying to us."



"You think we can take him?"

Aeryn turned to look at the excited young woman beside her. "What do you mean we?" She saw
the corners of Chiana's lips slide into a smile.

"We're a team." The Nebari lifted a pulse pistol and aimed it carefully at the soldier they were
watching. She fingered the trigger lightly. "I think I can get him from here."

A look of confusion spread across Aeryn's face. "Where the frell did you get that?" Before she
was done asking, her hand was on the gun's holster.

Chiana smiled. She shrugged and continued looking at the soldier.

"Don't you ever frelling do that again." Aeryn lifted her own pulse rifle and pushed it up ahead of
her. Getting out of this situation alive would need careful planning, not Chiana's antics.

As they watched, the sirens and flashing lights continued above their heads. The entire corridor
was bathed in eerie red light, casting shadows across the walls.

The two women were at the original junction again. Aeryn looked down the corridor they had
come down and spotted some of the ruin she had created. On her other side, the right corridor
moved down paths unknown. The only other way was back towards the hangar. Unfortunately,
that's where the guard was.

She motioned for Chiana to look down the right corridor. "Go that way until you're out of sight.
Once I distract him, come back and make for the marauder."

"Then what?" Chiana obviously didn't like the idea. She wanted to fight.

"Just get inside and stay there." Before her order could be challenged, Aeryn pushed the Nebari
forward and stepped into the guard's line of sight. "Go now!"

Chiana charged a few feet down the right corridor and then stopped. "Frell, frell, frell!" The
constant swearing wasn't helping any. She would have to ask Aeryn about that later.

Barr, the new hangar guard, was caught unaware by the pulse blast that flew over his head and
scorched the ceiling above him. "What the frell?" He turned quickly and spotted a lone woman
dressed in black leather. The soldier narrowed his eyes. "Two guesses who you are." He started
to run forwards.

Aeryn waited for her adversary to cut the distance between them in half and then made a break for
it. She tore down the left corridor with her pulse rifle swinging at her side. The ex-peacekeeper
prayed to Crichton's god that the soldier didn't already have his gun out. 'If you're there, frelling
help me!'



Chiana waited until they were both out of sight and then ran back towards the junction. She was
still as agile as ever and made the turn quickly. Bursting into the hangar, she scanned the room
for Aeryn's marauder. It was close by.

The seasoned thief was surprised to find that the ship's door was not locked. Easing it open
slowly, she took a look inside. The Marauder was powered down and darker than she would
have expected. "Anyone home?"

Keller patted himself on the back for keeping an extra pulse weapon stored on the ship. He aimed
at the figure in the doorway. "Don't move."

Chiana suddenly realized she was still holding her own gun. "Same to you."

The tech paused for a moment as he recognized the voice. "You're Chiana?"

She relaxed slightly. "Yeah. Who are you?"

Keller didn't bother answering the question. There was something about this that had come out
all wrong. Just as he had feared it would. "Where's Aeryn?"



Barr reached the end of the corridor and stopped. He looked around and realized with confusion
that his prey had disappeared. As he turned, the sound of gravel beneath his feet alerted him.
"What happened here?" The soldier saw that a section of the wall appeared to have been blown
out. Barr stepped through the hole.

It was the interrogation room. He moved forward with his gun raised and took a look around.
Near the back, the missing section of wall lay on the ground in mangled pieces. A low moaning
could be heard below the alarms. "Who's there?"

The moaning stopped for a moment. Something moved. "Barr, is that you?" A bloodied hand
came up through the metal entanglement and waved. "Get me the frell out of here!"

Barr regained his composure and rushed forward. He took the hand carefully in his and pulled it.
There was a groan from below but no words. "Is there something I should know sir?"

"Just frelling do it!" Despite the anger, the voice was of someone in great pain.

The soldier pulled with all his might and dragged his superior out from under the debris. Barr was
surprised to see the man rise to his feet immediately. "Should I call for a med-pack sir?"

Jezik waved the man off angrily and then checked himself. Miraculously, he had survived the
assault with only cuts and bruises. The worst of which had torn a gash through his left cheek.
The peacekeeper growled. "I'm fine." He looked at the man who had helped him. "What are
you doing here?"

Barr took a step back. "We have a situation sir. The lieutenant sent me down to retrieve you."

Jezik nodded. "What situation?" His entire body ached with each movement but somehow his
resolve kept him from dropping. It would have to be enough for now.

"The leviathan is here sir. Less than a quarter arn from our location." Barr watched a look of
amusement spread across Jezik's face. "Also, Officer Sun is onboard."

The head peacekeeper nodded. "That I already knew." Jezik wiped some soot of his clothes.
"Come on. We can worry about her later." He started for the door.

As soon as both men were out of sight, a door slid open at the end of the corridor. Aeryn never
took her eyes off of it as she stepped outside. Whoever put it there had just saved her life. She
had also heard the conversation. "Talyn?"



They stared at each other for a moment in silence. Chiana was definitely perplexed by the man in
front of her. The uniform said peacekeeper but this one didn't like what she was used to. Too
much uncertainty in the eyes. There was something else about him too.

"My name is Keller. I'm a tech." The words stumbled out of his mouth before he could check
them. He watched her carefully for a reaction. Keller realized that he had administered one of the
bruises that now adorned her face.

Chiana's eyes narrowed as she realized where she had seen him before. "You piece of dren!" She
pointed to her face. "You did this to me."

Keller inched back a little. "I'm sorry. I thought you were one of them."

"I've only been mistaken for a peacekeeper once in my life." Chiana smiled now. "And all those
frelnicks are dead."

The peacekeeper looked past her out into the hangar and nodded. "We're wasting time." He
started moving towards the hatch but Chiana stuck herself in his way.

"Where the frell do you think you're going?" Her face turned to stone.

Keller motioned towards the hatch. "I'm going to get Aeryn." He lifted his pulse rifle and started
moving again. "You stay here and keep quiet."

Chiana shook her head angrily and pushed him back. "There's no way you're going without me!"

"You'll be noticed." He realized the words wouldn't work even as he spoke them. "I can't risk
you being captured again."

"Who says I'm going to be captured." She glared at him. "Or have you forgotten that it was
your fault in the first place."

"Shut up, both of you!" Aeryn appeared beside them out of nowhere. The expression on her face
made them both take a step back.

"Aeryn, we need to get out of here now." Keller watched with dismay as she ignored his plea.

"I can't do that now. Talyn is here." Aeryn grabbed the hatch lever and pulled down on it before
Keller could get in another word. It slammed shut as she headed back towards the corridor
junction.



John stared at the approaching ship with a sinking feeling in his stomach. It had taken some time
for him to comprehend what had just been said. Sure, he knew that Talyn was a bit off. But this
wasn't what he had expected.

"Talyn, take us away from here. I implore you." Crais slammed his fist down into a console in
anger. He winced as flesh stopped dead against hardened steel. The ex-captain was not taking
this mutiny well.

That was sort of funny. "I don't think that's going to work." John smiled wryly and walked over
to the man. "Think of something else."

Crais narrowed his eyes. "There is nothing I can do Crichton. If Talyn wants to stay, then we're
staying."

The words removed any sense of humor from John's thoughts. It was beginning to dawn on him
that they might be in serious trouble. "Can't you switch to manual or something?" His feet began
to shift uncomfortably. "Do something!"

"Panic is not a response we can afford right now." Crais pointed to all the instrument panels that
stood around him. Each one was silent and dark. "We must trust that Talyn knows what he's
doing."

John's head dropped. "So basically we're screwed."

"So, you're the famous John Crichton."

Both John and Crais jumped at the unfamiliar voice. Without alerting them, Talyn had begun
transmitting to the Vigilante. Jezik was on camera.

The forward portal was now showing a distorted image of the Retrieval Squad leader. In between
bursts of static, the peacekeeper's scarred face smiled at them.

"Confident little bastard isn't he?" John ignored the question and turned to Crais. Their eyes met
for a moment in mutual confusion.

Crais forced himself to look at the man. He could feel Talyn studying that face even harder than
he was. "He can afford to be."

Jezik leaned in towards the camera and looked at his view of the leviathan hybrid. He smiled in
anticipation of tearing it apart, finding out what made it work. The peacekeeper turned to the
nearest subordinate. "Is the cannon at full power?"

A nod from the soldier was all he needed. Jezik looked back at his opponents and put on a
serious face. It was time to inspire some fear.

"Order your ship to stand down now. I will ask only once before firing."



She locked on to his ugly face through the sight scope of her pulse rifle. One good shot and the
bastard would be bleeding on the floor. 'Wipe that smug little grin off your face.'

Aeryn lowered the weapon and cursed herself. Killing the leader would only force the others into
action. They'd fire on Talyn and then come after her. Shooting was suicide and she wasn't ready
to go just yet.

The peacekeeper stood a few feet in front of her. He was staring attentively at something that
seemed to go up above him. Aeryn guessed that it was a wall monitor. 'Crais.'

She lifted the gun again but didn't aim it at anything in particular. Her heart began to beat faster
and then steadily returned to normal. Just like every other time before a fight. First comes the
excitement, then the caution. Aeryn stepped into the room.

"On the ground! All of you now!" She fired a warning shot at the ceiling and then twisted
around to get a full view of the area. Jezik turned towards her with a confused look on his face.
The smile was gone.

The other nine soldiers in the room also reacted quickly to her arrival. The sound of cartridges
slamming into place filled the room.

"Shall I repeat myself?" Aeryn's eyes danced wildly around the room as she realized her mistake.
She wasn't dealing with the normal peacekeeper variety. These foes wouldn't drop their guns,
wouldn't surrender. Not for anyone.

Jezik, surprisingly enough, was the only one to raise his hands. "No shooting!" He paused to
look at her. "Remember the objective."

She didn't have time to ponder the meaning behind that. Something happened.

"Aeryn?"

The owner of that name turned suddenly at the sound. To her right, on the wall monitor, was the
enormous face of John Crichton. He was staring at her now with wide eyes.

"What the hell are you doing there?"

She froze. "I, I-."

It was all the time that Jezik needed. He lunged forward and ripped the pulse rifle from Aeryn's
grasp. The retrieval leader took her neck in his hand and squeezed. "Weapons! Aim the
cannon!" Behind him, an officer went to work.

John watched this scene in horror from Talyn's command. He turned to find Crais by his side.
"What the hell do we do?"

Bialar Crais was at a loss for words. The situation with Aeryn wasn't what was bothering him
though. He raised a hand and pointed at something. "Crichton, do you see that?"

The human followed his gaze. "That big cone-shaped thing?" John swallowed hard. "Don't tell
me."

"The immobilizer cannon. It's preparing to fire."

John alternated his view from the cannon to Aeryn. She'd been dropped to the ground. There
was no movement. "Can't Talyn just shoot the damn thing?"

Crais shook his head. "Targeting the cannon could destroy the entire ship and Aeryn along with
it." He let that thought sink in for both of them. "Besides, Talyn does not have sufficient energy
to fire at the moment. He's still-."

A loud roar cut him off in mid-sentence. John and Crais both looked up as an enormous red
fireball exploded from Talyn's main weapon. It cut the distance between them and the vigilante in
seconds.

"I thought you said he couldn't-." John was silenced by what happened next. The fireball
collided with the immobilizer cannon.

Their shocked silence continued as a wave of flames cascaded over the peacekeeper ship. Talyn
began to move away.

John finally found the words. "Tell me that didn't just happen.