Title: Rystal
Author: DOKChairman
Time/Spoilers: I really have no idea when this takes place, but if I had to say, it takes place before John was twinned, but after Zhaan dies. Everything before that is fair game.
Summary: After a disastrous fight with Aeryn, John is abandoned on a strange planet. He soon discovers an ancient and mysterious prophecy that leads to open warfare with the Peacekeepers, and maybe a way home.
Disclaimer: "Farscape", its characters, and its situations don't belong to me - they are the propertyof The Jim Henson Company, Rockne S. O'Bannon, the Sci-Fi Channel, Hallmark Entertainment, and Nine Network Australia. The only thing that belongs to me is the original story and characters.
Author's Note: Oh, in case anyone hasn't figured it out yet, this takes place in an alternate timeline than Season 3. I have no intention of dealing with any of the issues that occurred during that time.
Second Author's Note: I would like to thank those who have given me feedback; it is much appreciated. Like before, any and all feedback is encouraged, especially constructive criticism. Thanks again to Bolo, you are like an undiscovered treasure trove of inspiration. Please keep your ideas/thoughts/views coming. You give me good input and I try to reflect that in my story. Oh, and I have things planned for Juli that may or may not change people's opinion of her.
Third Author's Note: This chapter, along with the following two chapters, forms the crux of this story. It is important to read them to understand everything. It will be quite a while before we rejoin Moya and the crew, as these next three chapters are all about John and his fight with the Peacekeepers.
"Perhaps you can. You have every incentive. The welfare of Earth hangs on your doing so and, as you have told me, your own career."
"What good is incentive? If you ordered me to fly by flapping my arms and told me further that if I failed, I would be promptly killed by slow torture and that Earth would be blown up and all its population destroyed, I would have enormous incentive to flap my wings and fly-and yet still be unable to do so."
-Isaac Asimov, The Robots of Dawn
Chapter 6: You Put the "O" in Oracle
Takes place after the events in Free as a Bird, Caged as a Lion-
It had been more than two weekens since Toben's attack in the Coliseum, as John had taken to calling the large, cavernous room, and for the first time since arriving on the planet of Rotar, things were starting to look up.
The Rystalva was still recovering from the huge blow it had suffered by the Peacekeepers, but it was slowly getting back to what it had once been. John had successfully assumed his leadership of the group, and Toben had happily accepted his position at John's side as his Second.
John had been worried, at first, that Juli would have taken offense at John asking someone else to be his second in command, but thankfully Juli wasn't angry at being passed over. In fact, when John had told her, she had expressed her relief at not having to handle that kind of responsibility any more. She had confided in him that she was much happier just being a soldier, allowing other people to tell her what to do. She had told him that she would have accepted if he had asked her, but that she was happy that he had chosen someone more qualified.
John envied Juli and her ability to be just a soldier. He envied her that she didn't have to think for herself, that she could do what others told her to do. John tried not to think to much about what he was doing, but every once in a while the full weight of what he was doing would creep up on him and crush him.
Here John was, just a human with no real military training, who had been considered deficient and stupid since the first day he had arrived in the Uncharted Territories, becoming the leader of a group of untrained, inexperienced, resistance fighters trying to win their freedom from one of the most ruthless and overpowering militaries in the galaxy. It dwarfed John in its enormity.
Fortunately, John had good people to help with the fight. Since the death of Kwami, Juli was the only friend that John had, and they had been steadily growing closer. Thankfully, Juli had stopped trying to pursue a romantic relationship with John for the time being, having realized that trying to have a relationship while also trying to build a fighting force good enough to take on the Peackeepers were two mutually exclusive things.
Things were even going well with Toben. Whatever differences might have existed between the two had been resolved, and John was slowly starting to form a friendship with the huge Rotarian. Which was a good thing, because Toben was extremely good at his job. Not for the first time, John wondered what the hell he was doing leading the Rystalva when Toben was obviously qualified to do the job. However, Kwami had asked him to do it, and so he did, but not without considerable assistance from Toben.
The best part of all, though, was the people that made up the Rystalva. The Rystalva wasn't just made up of soldiers, although the majority of the members were in fact fighters. The Rystalva was made up of people that had gotten sick and tired of the Peacekeepers oppressing them and had decided to do something about it. They were normal people placed in extraordinary situations, much like John was. They were scientists, doctors, mechanics, teachers, farmers, and an assortment of other jobs that one would never associate with the military. They didn't want to do what they were doing, but the Peacekeepers had given them no choice.
They knew that the price of freedom was not cheap, but they were willing to pay the price if it meant that they could be free. John had an enormous amount of respect and admiration for them. He didn't know if he would, or if he could, ever become as dedicated as they were. It was John's biggest fear that he would fail everyone and be responsible for their deaths.
Thankfully, everyone in the Rystalva had seemed to embrace John. Of course John knew that he had many factors in his favor. Most, if not all, knew of John's reputation and that gave him an almost mythic quality to many of the people in the Rystalva. Another factor was that John was the chosen successor to Kwami and that Toben had willingly stepped to the side and acknowledged John as the true leader. The biggest factor why he was liked, at least in John's opinion, was the fact that John was just one of the guys. He didn't put himself above anyone else or treat anyone unfairly. Everyone was equal to him and everyone got an equal chance.
Anyone who didn't seem to like John kept their mouth shut. Ever since the incident with Toben, Juli had become extremely protective of John. Juli immediately visited anyone who tried to threaten John or harm him, and they would have a "talk". John knew that it wasn't exactly right, cutting down on free speech, and he had tried to stop Juli from doing it, but she didn't listen. John knew that Juli blamed herself for letting him get hurt during the attack with Toben, and trying to get her to accept that it wasn't her fault was like talking to a brick wall.
And it wasn't like John could exactly stop her from doing what she wanted. Juli was the one of the strongest willed person he had ever met. As much as John might like to deceive himself that he could order her to do what he said, he knew that Juli only did what he said when she felt like it. Not for the first time, John was reminded of how similar Juli was to Aeryn. Both were very stubborn and strong willed people who did what they wanted, when they felt like doing it. Of course that was one of the reasons why John had fallen in love with Aeryn in the first place, her strong personality. John loved strong women.
As if knowing that John was thinking about her, John heard a knocking on the door to his quarters and heard Juli's voice asking to come in. "Sure thing, kid. Come on in." Juli came in with a pained look on her face. John knew that she hated being called 'kid', so he called her it any time he wanted to make himself think that he had some power over her. It usually only lasted for a few microts, but it was long enough to make him feel better.
"So what's up Juli? Peacekeepers attacking? World ending? Ran out of toilet paper?" John asked good-naturedly.
Juli looked at John confusedly and then gave him a look that reminded him of the way Aeryn used to look at him whenever he went on one of his inane ramblings. Stop it! Stop thinking about her. John shook his head and then refocused on Juli.
"I have that list you wanted, of the people I want to see join the combat units." Juli then handed John the list. Juli may not have been his second in command anymore, but he still let her handle a lot of the things having to do with the military aspect of the Rystalva. John skimmed over the list and noticed something that had been bothering him for some time. He decided to ask Juli about it.
"There's something that I've been meaning to ask you about for a while but could never find the time for it." John briefly paused to gather his thoughts, "How come I haven't seen any female Rotarians around, anywhere?"
Juli stared at him for a few microts, and then burst out laughing. "Your serious? That's your question?" Juli saw John's pained look on his face and grew more serious. "I'm sorry John, it's just that sometimes I forget that you're not Sebacean and have only been on Rotar for a few monens. Female Rotarians are not allowed to join organizations like the Rystalva."
John had suspected something like this for a while. "Why not? Are males and females not equal on Rotar?"
Juli was still smiling, as she answered his question, "Of course not. Far from it in fact. Females are considered much too valuable to be risked in such a dangerous group as the Rystalva."
John was very curious, "Really, why?"
Juli thought very carefully on how to answer John's question. "For some reason that no one has ever been able to adequately explain, about a thousand cycles ago a genetic defect somehow entered the genetic makeup of the Rotarian species. Instead of the usual 50/50 chance of having either a male or female child, the Rotarian females started having all male offspring. Only about one in eight children are born female, and that number grows smaller every few hundred cylces. Fortunately, most Rotarian females can have more than ten offspring in their lifetime, but eventually the females will become so rare that it won't matter. Since there are so much fewer females out there, a decision was made that no female would ever be put in any position that would risk her life.
"However, because females were not very common, and because females have almost as dominant personalities as the males do, a joint decision was made between the males and the females that the males would handle all the dangerous and prominent jobs while the females stayed in the background and handled all the civil and governmental jobs. So it is primarily the females that run the government and make most of the decisions, at least when it concerns planetary politics. Naturally, there are Rotarians of both sex who are unhappy about the arrangement, but they are so few in numbers that they are relatively ignored."
John was stunned at Juli's explanation. He had had no idea that the whole thing was so complicated. "Wow! No one has been able to figure out why so few females are being born in a thousand cycles?"
Juli inwardly smiled at John's curiousity; it was one of the things that she liked about him most. "No John, no one has been able to figure out why. They have searched for an explanation, but no one has ever been able to find one."
John sat quietly, digesting the new information. It explained a lot, actually. It explained why there were no female Rotarians in the Rystalva and why he hadn't seen any in the short time that he had been in the spaceport. There was one more thing that he wanted to know about before he moved on, "What do they look like? Are they the same size as the males?"
"Honestly, John, I have no idea what they look like. I have never actually seen a female Rotarian before. I only know about the situation because Kwami told me about it when I first arrived. I too was curious about why I never saw any females. Also, since the Rystalva is not a group sanctioned by the planet's government, I have had no reason to interact with any of them."
John was disappointed. He had hoped that she would have known, and put the thought that had been nagging in the back of his mind to rest once and for all. Now it was going to drive him crazy, thinking about what the females looked like. When John became curious or interested in something he had to find out everything he could about the thing he was interested in before he could let it go. It was the reason he had gone to space in the first place, the urge to explore the last great frontier of mankind.
John's voice was disappointed as he began talking again, "Damn, I was hoping you could tell me what they looked like. I'm assuming the same rules that apply to the Rotarian females don't apply to the Sebacean females."
Juli was quick with her response, "Of course not, John. Sebacean females have no problems producing female children. There is no reason for us to live such a secluded life. Besides even if that were the case, I would find some way around the rules. I was born to fight."
John laughed, "I'm sure you would, Juli. I doubt anything could stop you from getting something you really wanted."
Except you, Juli thought bitterly. Putting up a fake smile so that John would not notice her sudden change in mood. Juli stood, "If there is nothing else you want me to do John, then I think I will go to bed. Goodnight."
John waited until Juli left his room before getting off his bed and slipping on his black jacket. He was going to go see Toben about some questions he wanted answered. He hated sneaking around, especially since he was supposed to be the man in charge, but he knew that Juli would insist on going with him. She had become his de facto bodyguard and she took her job very seriously. John knew that she was tired and he wanted her to get some sleep, hence his sneaking around.
He opened the door to his quarters and stuck his head outside to make sure that Juli wasn't in the hallway. Once he saw the coast was clear, he made his way towards Toben's quarters. They were on the other side of the complex. Despite the relatively equal treatment both species gave each other, there were still some things that were segregated, like sleeping quarters. The Rotarians tended to all sleep in one part of the complex, as did the Sebaceans.
As he was walking through the complex, he stuck his hand into his pocket and felt the metal sphere that was inside. It was Kwami's staff that John was going to ask Toben questions about. He had always been intensely curious about it, especially after seeing Toben's reaction to it during the attack in the Coliseum. He wanted to learn about its significance and what it symbolized.
When he had first seen Kwami use the staff back in the alley of the spaceport on his first day on Rotar, he had assumed that it was a weapon that all Rotarians had. However, it seemed he had been wrong. Since that first day, he had only seen Kwami ever use a staff. No other Rotarian that he had ever seen seemed to have one. Which only made him even more curious. Could it be that he actually had a one of a kind item? If that were true, then he would need to seriously reevaluate its importance.
John tried to avoid as many people as possible as he walked to Toben's quarters. He wasn't going out of his way to avoid being seen, but he wasn't going out of his way to be noticed either. John knew that if he was seen, it would eventually get back to Juli, and she was not a person someone wanted to face when she was pissed. As he knew she would be if she found out he went out on his own. She was way too overprotective. But, even though it was hard for John to admit, especially to his male ego, he was afraid of her. Who wouldn't be? She used to be a frelling Disruptor! John had seen the things a Disruptor were capable of first hand.
Finally, after about a quarter of an arn, John reached Toben's quarters on the other side of the mountain complex. John quietly knocked, and waited for Toben to open the door. He knew that Toben was expecting him.
Toben opened the door and John stepped in. Toben's quarters were in the typical Rotarian arrangement. A bed, a small wooden chair, a few shelves, and, because Toben was an important person, his own lavatory. That was it. Toben's quarters would have made a Spartan seem downright opulent.
John sat down on the wooden chair and Toben sat down on his bed. "Thanks for seeing me Toben. I know it's pretty late."
"It is not an inconvenience John Crichton. Rotarians do not need as much sleep as Sebaceans do. I am assuming that humans are the same way?"
John let out a sharp laugh, "Nah. Most normal humans need a lot of sleep to function as well. Since, I'm not normal, I figure why bother?"
Toben seemed to be confused, "Of course, John Crichton. But if is normal for your species to get lots of sleep, then maybe we should reconvene this meeting at a later time."
John shook his head in the negative, "No, Toben, that's all right. I've become used to not getting any sleep. Besides, I have some very important questions to ask you that if you don't answer will keep me up all night anyways."
Toben shrugged his massive shoulders, his blue fur rippling across his body. "If that is what you wish, John Crichton. Please ask your questions."
John stood up, reached into his pocket, pulled out the metal sphere, and pressed the niche that he remembered extended the staff to its full length. He saw Toben's fascinated gaze fall on the metal staff. "What is this?"
Toben was enthralled with the metal staff in John's hand. The staff was about six feet from end to end and the entire length was covered in ornately carved symbols. The entire staff was metal, what kind John did not know, and seemed to be indestructible.
After staring at the staff for a few microts, Toben returned his gaze back to John's face and answered his question. "That, John Crichton, is called a R'yclava. It is an ancient weapon used by the warriors on my planet more than a thousand cycles ago. That R'yclava is the last of its kind, and has been in my family for more than fifteen generations."
John's curiosity was piqued, "Really? Why is it the last of its kind? What happened to all the other ones?"
Toben smiled at John's enthusiam. "I don't know John Crichton. All I know is that it has been passed down through my family for almost a thousand cycles. Kwami was the last wielder of the R'yclava, and now the R'yclava belongs to you. As far as I know, you are the first non-Rotarian to have the honor of using the R'yclava."
Everything Toben was saying was confirming what John had suspected; that the staff he was holding in his hand was very special. John was getting excited. He loved solving puzzles and the staff he was holding in his hand was a very big puzzle. He was about to begin asking Toben more questions when he noticed a look of intense concentration on the Rotarian's face.
Toben abruptly stood up, "Come, John Crichton, I wish to take a walk."
John was confused, "A walk? Uh, sure Toben. Any particular reason why?"
Toben looked back at John as he was walking through his door and answered John very cryptically, "Yes, John. I have my own questions that need answering."
It had been a quarter of an arn since Toben and John had started their walk, and they had still not spoken to each other. John wanted to talk, but he could see that Toben was so involved with his own thoughts that his questions would probably go unanswered. John was beginning to worry. This was very unusual behavior for Toben. Rotarians were very smart, but they weren't exactly known for their heavy thinking.
At the moment, they were walking along a bridge that connected two buildings of the complex together over a large chasm. It was very cold outside, not to mention dark, and John did not like what was going on. There was a small part of him that was beginning to wonder if maybe Toben hadn't brought him to this secluded spot to get rid of him. He thought they had solved their differences, but he was starting to worry that he was wrong.
John became even more apprehensive when Toben stopped in the middle of the bridge, where the light was the most diffused. Toben turned to face out at the mountain range that the base was built on. A cold wind was ruffling his fur as he stared at the mountains encased in the dark.
Without turning to face John, he began to talk, "Do you know what R'yclava means in my language?" John knew that it was a rhetorical question, so he didn't answer. Toben continued on, "In my language R'yclava has many meanings. The most ancient meaning of the word is 'the strength of life'. Among my people, the R'yclava used to symbolize strength, power, respect, and honor. Any Rotarian who wielded a R'yclava was both loved and feared. They were the strongest warriors, the most respected leaders, and the most honorable men. That faded over time though. The R'yclava faded over time. Now the common meaning of the word is 'weakness of the spirit'."
John was very confused, "I don't understand Toben. What are you saying?"
Toben continued on in his somber voice, "My people have lost their way, John Crichton. They are no longer the strong warriors of the past. Now we are nothing more than techs, used by the Peacekeepers so that they can become warriors and enslave the galaxy. A thousand cycles ago, my people would have not hesitated to fight the Peacekeepers at the first sign of their true natures, but instead we have let ourselves become weak and have let the Peacekeepers enslave us. It took another species, the Sebaceans, to show us the error of our ways, and yet most of my people still refuse to fight."
Toben turned to face John with an earnestness that he had never seen before in the Rotarian. "That has all changed now, though. Now that you have come, John Crichton, everything will change. You will free my people; I have seen it happen in my dreams. And I will do all I can to make it happen in reality."
John sighed. Not another person thinking that I'm some kind of savior. "Look Toben, I'm a human being. I'm not some god or some super soldier who can just snap his fingers and make all the Peacekeepers disappear. There is a very real chance that I, that all of us, will fail."
Toben ignored John's speech. "Give me your staff John. Let me see it."
John briefly hesitated and then handed over the still extended staff. He had wanted to put the staff away, but ever since they had come out onto the bridge John thought that it would be best to have the staff ready to use, just in case his fears about Toben came true.
Toben grabbed the staff in both of his massive hands and then looked it over. He was turning the staff around in his hands when he found what he was looking for. Near the middle of the staff, he saw that three symbols were slightly glowing. Toben got a big smile on his face, as he looked John in the eyes.
Toben bgan talking, "There was a legend about the R'yclava that I did not believe until now. The legend tells of incredible abilities that the R'yclava could perform. It could shoot beams of energy, much like a pulse gun, and it could do many other things that seemed too incredible to believe."
John interrupted Toben, "Well obviously the legend is wrong. I've never seen that thing do anything except change its size. Kwami never did any of those things either."
Toben was still smiling at John, "You are wrong. The legend said that the R'yclava could only perform those things when it was in the hands of its owner, the one the R'yclava truly belonged to. It was said that the R'yclava was genetically coded so that only the person with the right genetic code could activate it. You have the correct genetic code, John Crichton. I don't know how, but you have managed to activate the R'yclava."
John looked at Toben in total disbelief. "How is that even possible? That thing is over a thousand cycles old. I'm only in my 30's and have only been here for two monens. That thing can't be mine."
"It is true that it does not seem possible. But it is true, John. Look here, at these symbols. They are glowing because you have activated it."
John still refused to believe him. He signaled Toben to hand him the staff to look it over for himself. "I have never noticed these glowing before. I have had this thing for two weekens, why is now the first time I've seen it do that."
Toben thought carefully for a few microts. "Perhaps it has always been glowing, and now is the first time you have seen it because it is dark out. The glow is very faint. It would be easy not to notice it during the day."
John was still not convinced. He began to press his fingers all along the staff where the glowing symbols were. "I'm sorry Toben, but you gotta be wrong. This thing isn't doing anyth…" John trailed off as he saw the end of the staff starting to glow. Without warning, a huge pulse of energy shot out from the end of the staff, flying toward one of the mountains in the distance. The pulse traveled almost half a metra before it impacted against the side of the mountain. The impact created a huge explosion and the entire area was bathed in light as debris began falling all over the place. The base alarm was blaring and lights were shining all over the place as people began moving around trying to find out if they were under attack or not. John and Toben ignored them.
John picked himself up from the ground. The recoil from the shot was so strong that it had sent John flying almost four feet before the railing of the bridge stopped him from flying off. To say that John was shocked would have been the understatement of the century. John yelled out in surprise, "Holy shit! Did you frelling see that?"
Toben was very shocked as well. He had heard that the R'yclava could do many things, but nothing compared to what he had just seen. "It was most impressive," Toben said in as calm a voice as he could manage.
John stared at Toben increduosly, "Most impressive! Most impressive! I just blew up half a frelling mountain. I'd say that was a little more than most impressive. That was the most incredible thing I've ever seen."
John heard the sounds of people running on the bridge. He looked up and saw Juli with three others; all of them had weapons and were scanning the area for signs of possible attackers. John inwardly cringed when Juli saw him and got a very angry look on her face. Oh, frell. She's pissed.
"What in the name of Chulack is going on here? And what the frell are you doing out here John?"
John didn't know why he was stuttering, and it was frustrating him to no end. "I-I-I can explain everything, Juli. There's no reason to get angry. I was just taking a walk, that's all."
Juli's anger seemed to grow at John's attempt at reassurance. "What the frell happened? What was that explosion?"
John was still floundering, "It was the staff. I was pressing some of the symbols on it and it suddenly fired. Don't worry, we're not under attack."
Juli relaxed when she heard that they were not under attack. She and her three companions lowered and holstered their weapons. "You three can go back in. I don't need you any more."
The three men with her looked grateful. Since they had appeared John got a good look at them and noticed that they were not dressed very warmly. Probably came here right out of bed. One of the soldiers spoke up before leaving, "Thank you sir."
Juli then turned back to face John, her eyes blazing. "What have I told you about going places without telling me? I should kick your ass for not listening to me."
John immediately got defensive, "Hey I can take care of myself." Juli let out a snort of disbelief. "I can! Besides, it's not like I was alone. I had Toben with me and this." John then raised the staff to get her attention.
John looked down at the staff and noticed that two more symbols, as well as the three previous ones, were glowing. "What the hell? Hey Toben, check this out. More of these symbol thingies are glowing."
Toben took the R'yclava out of John's hands and studied the new symbols. John spoke up, "What do those symbols mean Toben?"
Toben answered, still studying the staff, "I don't know John, but I think I know someone who does."
John felt some enthusiasm seep back into his body. He really wanted to know what was going on with the staff. "Great! Let's go visit this person right now. The faster we get this thing figured out, the faster I can stop worrying about blowing myself up."
John was starting to get tired. He, Toben, and Juli had been walking for almost two arns through a steep and muddy pass that led deeper into the mountains. Toben was in the lead with John bringing up the rear. Toben had yet to tell them who they were going to see or even where they were going.
John looked towards Juli and saw her with her back ramrod straight, her head held high, and her body language screaming: Leave me alone! If you bother me, I'll bite your head off.
It had been two arns and she was still pissed about John ditching her. Juli was unusually very talkative for a former Peacekeeper, and John missed having someone to talk to. He decided to make nice. The last thing he needed was to have his only friend get pissed at him for something so stupid.
John sped up a bit and grabbed for her arm to slow her down. He felt her immediately tense up, and John suddenly had a flashback of what had happened the last time he had grabbed an ex-Peacekeeper like that. I ended up unconscious in a gutter and abandoned on a strange planet. John definitely did not want a replay of the incident with Aeryn so he immediately let go of her arm.
Juli turned her head around to look at him, but she still kept walking. "What do you want John?"
John began to apologize, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you where I was going. I know how you feel about me going out on my own, even though I don't agree, and I didn't mean to piss you off."
Juli seemed to let go of some of her anger at John's apology. "It's okay John. I know you like your independence but you can be so careless sometimes and I worry about you. I don't want anything to happen about you. I care about you too much."
John gave Juli a tender smile, "I know you do, Juli. That's why I don't get so mad. But you really need to loosen up. You can't control my life and have to let me do what I want. You have to let me live, even if that means that I might hurt myself."
John was going to continue when Toben suddenly stopped. "What's up, Toben?"
Toben turned to face a cave that was cut into the mountain. "We're here."
Toben then walked inside the cave. John and Juli looked at each other and then John shrugged his shoulders and followed Toben inside. Juli was right behind him.
John started walking down an incline that led deeper into the cave. John could feel the air get warmer the closer he got to whatever their destination was.
Aften ten minutes of walking down a path, John finally began to see a light coming from a room at the end of the path. Toben stopped at the room's entrance and then turned to face John and Juli. "I will go first and inform her of your visit. She is used to only seeing me. She hasn't left this cave for more than thirty cycles so it may come as some surprise to see you two. She is not used to Sebaceans."
Toben entered the room and began talking in hushed tones. After about 30 microts he came out and motioned them into the room.
John stepped into the room first and was bombarded by a sudden rush of heat. There was a rather large fire off in a corner of the room and the room felt almost oppressive compared to the coldness of outside. Fortunately, the heat was not bad enough to prevent Juli from entering as well. John scanned the room and noticed a bed in another corner, along with shelves carved into the wall of the cave. The shelves were covered in old books and other assortments.
John's gaze soon fell upon the center of the room. There was a high ceiling with an opening that led all the way to the open sky. Standing below the opening was something John thought he might never see: a female Rotarian. At least what he assumed was a female Rotarian. After the incident with the Flax and the Zenetan garbage scowl, John was never a hundred percent sure about the sex of the aliens he met.
The female Rotarian looked nothing like the males. She was short, at least two feet shorter than Toben was, and was significantly thinner. While the males that he had seen could weigh close to two hundred pounds, the female Rotarian standing in front of him looked like she could barely weigh more than one hundred pounds. Of course, if John was right, then she could have weighed so less because she was old. Very old. She was so old it was difficult to tell the color of her fur. If John would have guessed, she might have once been covered in brown fur, but now her fur was a mixture of whites and grays.
John moved out of the entrance to allow Juli to enter and walked over to Toben who was standing next to the old Rotarian. As soon as John walked up to them, Toben began speaking, "This is Rayna, one of the oldest living Rotarians. She was alive during the time when the R'yclava was still in common use. If there is anyone who will be able to answer your questions, it's her." Toben turned to the old Rotarian and began speaking in a very reverent tone, "Rayna, you honor us with your prescence. It is my honor to present the new Prime of the Rystalva, Joh…"
With a wave of her hand, Rayna cut Toben off. "Yes, Toben, I know who it is that stands before me. John Crichton, human and astronaut, and possible savior of the Rotarian people. I know all there is to know about this man."
John was very unnerved by the old Rotarian. She said she knew everything about him, yet he had never seen her before in his life. He hated it when people he didn't know knew so much about him. It almost always turned out bad for him. John was also a little freaked out by the old Rotarian's voice. He had expected, because of her age, to have a rough and quiet voice. Instead she spoke clearly, loudly, and with very little indication that she was over a thousand cycles old.
Rayna paused after seeing John's sudden wariness. "Ah…you have nothing to fear John Crichton. I have no reason to hurt you; in fact I wish to help you. Tell me the questions you seek answers to."
John was still wary about the Rotarian as he reached into his pocket and pulled out the R'yclava. He pressed the niche that sprung the staff to life, and presented the extended staff to Rayna. "I want to know why this thing suddenly has the ability to shoot really big bolts of light out of its ass, and I want to know how it is that this thing became activated by my genetic code."
The old Rotarian stared at the gleaming staff before speaking up in a hushed tone. "I have waited my whole life for this day. I never thought I would ever see it come to pass. They said that you would come, but I have never believed them till this day. They told the truth, I can't believe they were telling the truth."
John had had enough of all the cryptic, and messianic talk coming from first Toben, and now the old Rotarian. John just wanted answers, not more questions. He was a little pissed. "What the hell are you talking about? Could you please just tell me what I want to know, and stop with all this other dren."
Toben looked at John shocked. He exclaimed, "John Crichton! You must not speak to her like that. That is not allowed. She is to be respected and honored."
Rayna spoke up before Toben could continue, "That is okay, child. It is alright. I understand his impatience." She turned to John, "I apologize John Crichton, but I never thought this day would come. When you have lived every day for a thousand cylces, waiting for something to happen, you will understand my excitement."
John looked chastised and sent a silent apology to Rayna for exploding at her. Rayna stopped standing and sat down, crossing her long legs under her. "Come, John Crichton, sit and I will tell you a story. What I am about to tell you is something that no one on this planet has known for a thousand cycles."
John sat down in front of her and waited for her to begin.
As soon as he sat down, she began talking in a melodious voice. "More than a thousand cycles ago, before I was even born, the Rotarian people commanded a large alliance of planets that spanned across four sectors. In this alliance there were hundreds of planet, with billions upon billions of people living on them. We ruled fairly and justly; we were a peaceful people. It was the golden age of my people."
John had so many questions to ak, like what happened to this empire, among other things. But he kept his mouth shut and let the old Rotarian keep talking. "Unfortunately, as with so many other things, this golden age of my people came to an end. There was a race of aliens who called themselves the Stakari, who felt that our territory belonged to them. It had been more than 500 cycles since we had fought a real war, and our people were totally unprepared for fighting an enemy as ruthless as the Stakari. We were warriors yes, but we had lost that edge of constant vigilance. By the time we had awakened and realized the dangers arrayed against us, it was too late. Our alliance was crumbling, there was infighting amongst the member worlds, and the enemy had already conquered three sectors of our space."
Rayna stopped speaking and grabbed for a cup of water next to her. She took a few sips before continuing on. "After only two cycles of fighting, the Stakari were preparing to attack Rotar. We were outnumbered, outgunned, and outmatched. My people were desperate and began looking for any means to avoid being conquered by the Stakari. In our desperation we came upon another alien race, who simply called themselves the Ancients, who agreed to help us for a price."
John sat back stunned. The Ancients! The same guys who gave me the wormhole knowledge. John was definitely interested in everything she said now. This was the last thing he was expecting to hear.
Rayna saw the look of total shock on John's face. "Yes, John Crichton. The same aliens, who have placed the universe on your shoulders, also placed the universe on our shoulders as well. You see, the price that they asked for, the price that would insure the Stakari never conquered the Rotarian people, is that we lose. In order to save our people we agreed that we would lose our position in the alliance and that we would be confined to our planet for the next thousand cycles and let events in the galaxy occur without our influence. In order to make sure that we became too occupied to worry about what was going on in the galaxy, the Ancients did something to the DNA of our species that prevented females from being born. Our people would never risk another war because it might mean that too many people would be killed and we would not be able to replenish our population."
Rayna drank some more water before speaking again. "However, because the Ancients saw that we were the victims of unwarranted aggression and because we were a good and fair people, they told us that in a thousand years someone would come that would lead our people back to our past greatness. We would once again reclaim our place in the galaxy. The Ancients called this person the Rystal, which means 'bringer' in our language. He would be from a different world, an alien, who embodied everything that we used to believe in. They promised us that he would come eventually, they would make sure of it."
"After a thousand cycles had passed, and no one had appeared to claim their position as Rystal, my people began to lose faith. That is when the Peacekeepers came. Much like the Stakari, they succeeded where they had failed, and conquered us without much of a fight. I myself began to lose faith, but then I felt you arrive on this planet, and I knew that you were the one."
John was speechless; he didn't know what to say. It wasn't every day that he was told he would lead an alien species to victory over their enemies. It was very unnerving and John did not like it one bit. When are these people going to get it in their head that I'm not their savior.
"Look, Rayna, I'm sorry, but I'm not this Rystal guy you're talking about. I don't know anything about what you're saying, and quite frankly I don't want to know. All I wanted to learn was what this staff does, not learn that I'm supposed to be your people's leader."
Rayna leapt up with surprising swiftness and walked over to John. "Oh but you are John Crichton. The R'yclava confirms it. That staff was given to Toben's family over a thousand cycles ago, and they were told to keep it in their possession until they found the Rystal. The Ancients said that the Rystal would feel drawn to the R'yclava and that he would activate it. The R'yclava would symbolize the Rystal's power and identity. The person who activates it will be the Rystal. So you see, John Crichton, you activated the R'yclava. You are the Rystal."
John leapt up himself and threw his hands up into the air. He shouted out in frustration, "This is all bullshit! You don't understand! I want nothing to do with this. All I wanted when I came to this planet was to buy some frelling supplies, not get involved in an ancient promise made to you by some wacked out aliens who thinks its fun to put unique and dangerous information in your head without telling you. I just wanted to be left alone, but like always, what I want doesn't happen. I accepted that, and I even promised to free you people, but I will not accept that I am your Rystal and that it is my responsibility to save your people. Besides, there is no way I could be the one you're talking about. I hadn't even met these Ancients until two cycles ago." By the time John stopped he was breathing in huge gulps of air and was still prowling around the room.
Rayna smiled and looked at John humorously, "Are you finished John Crichton? I must say you are a very unusual being. If you don't believe me, then let me show you."
John abruptly stopped and looked at Rayna. "Show me? How can you show me? All this stuff happened over a thousand cycles ago."
Rayna walked back to where she had been sitting and picked up the staff. She walked over to John and handed the staff to him. She then pointed to four symbols on the staff. "Press these symbols and everything will be revealed to you."
John looked warily at the staff. He still remembered what had happened last time he began pressing strange symbols. But if he really wanted to prove everyone wrong then he better do what she said.
John pressed the symbols on the staff and a bright light came out of the end. John turned the staff so that it was horizontal, and saw that an image was slowly starting to form on the wall of the cave in front of him.
John concentrated on the image forming on the wall. What he saw was something that he hoped was something he would never see again. Something that still made him mad whenever he thought of him. Someone that he would recognize no matter how old the image was. Standing in front of him, displayed on the wall, was the alien that had put the wormhole knowledge into his brain. Standing in front of him was the man that had impersonated his father. Standing in front of him was the Ancient who went by the name Jack. And he was beginning to talk.
Side note: The war begins against the Peacekeepers and John meets someone who may shift the balance of power in the Uncharted Territories.