Chapter 7
John Crichton's head snapped forward and he realized that he had been asleep.
Aeryn too had nodded off and he wondered briefly if her ship was equipped with an autopilot. He looked through the canopy of the Prowler and saw Jupiter approaching. According to his watch they had been flying for a full day. He peeled an orange and stared at the planet that grew impossibly large as they approached. The black of the universe was flecked with stars, but at their rate of speed, he could only see them as streaks of light. As the Prowler banked left, Crichton was able to see Ganymede, Jupiter's largest moon. Swirling mists of dust parted, and the Prowler approached Europa. Crichton felt his heart skip a beat as a ship larger than he could ever imagine loomed over them. The bio-mechanical ship that had been Kate's home.


Aeryn spoke in her native tongue over the radio, and a gruff voice speaking an entirely different language responded. Crichton wiped his eyes as he was overcome by the breathtaking beauty that was Moya.
Aeryn, I don't know if I'm ready for this, this is---more than I was expecting.
You oll reich?
Am I all right? I'm woefully unprepared for this. Would you think less of me if I told you I was afraid?
She spoke again in tones that he couldn't comprehend, and he loved her more as the moments passed; this woman who had bared her soul to him without words. Aeryn Sun, a woman who was as lost as he. He knew that it had taken a lot for her to come to him and admit that she was in desperate pain. He reached out to touch her sleeve but could not reach her from the rear seat.
Moya grew as the Prowler was pulled into a large cavernous structure that resembled an airplane hangar. Aeryn pulled her helmet off and began unsnapping her harness. Crichton did the same as she set the Prowler down gently. The canopy lifted over their heads, and Aeryn climbed down the side. Crichton sat for a moment taking in the many ways in which his life had changed in the last two days. After a full minute had passed, Aeryn approached the Prowler and looked at him questioningly.
I can't do this.
Thrust me? She stood with her hand outstretched, waiting patiently for him to emerge.
Crichton stood and took her outstretched hand. It was cool and sure, and he held it for a moment before hoisting himself over the side of the ship. A yellow, bug-like creature on wheels approached with a needle, and he steeled himself for the injection. The needle pricked his heel, and he felt a rush of cold fluid enter his system. This must be the translator microbes, he thought. After a moment, Aeryn smiled and opened her mouth to speak.
I trust the microbes have had sufficient time to colonize at the base of your brain, can you understand me, Crichton?
Marry me.
She smiled and began pulling her gloves off. The Prowler let out a final sigh of steam as the coolant fluid settled over the reactor that served as its propulsion system.
Sure, you think I'm kidding now, but you'll see.
Well, I have discovered where Kate gets her--irreverant charm. Come, I have lots to show you and lots to explain.
He climbed back into the Prowler and retrieved his blanket and his bag of oranges. Don't want to forget these. What are you doing later tonight?
A very tall creature with worm colored tentacles protruding from his head appeared from around a corner. He rushed up to Crichton and thrust his hand out. Aeryn made the introductions.


Crichton, this is Ka D'Argo, Kate's friend. D'Argo, meet Kate's father.
It is a pleasure to finally meet you.
Crichton sized the man up, and after a moment's hesitation, he placed his hand in the Luxan's. From what I understand, I owe you a lot. Thanks for all you've done for Kate.
Truly it was my pleasure.
Aeryn took Crichton's arm and led him down a passageway that opened onto a larger room where he found Kate, a grey child like being, and a slug with large eyebrows. Kate jumped into her father's arms and kissed his cheek.
Dad, you believed me. You were so late, we didn't know what to think. D'Argo and I were worried that you'd be discovered.
Yeah well, we were delayed, I slept in. You know me, I like to stay up late. He looked over at Aeryn and winked. He saw the look of amusement on her face as she turned away from the others. The grey child stepped forward and put her arms around him.
You never said your old man was so handsome, Kate. Maybe we could get to know each other a little better before you take the tour? She stroked his hair and he lifted her arm, took her hand, and kissed it. I'm Chiana. My chamber will be two doors down from yours. After you get settled in-- Aeryn stepped between them, and moved Chiana a pace backward with a playful shove.
He'll be staying in my quarters, Chiana.
Crichton shrugged his shoulders as if to say he had no control over the situation. He was grateful to Aeryn for stepping in; Crichton had a knack for offending people, and he hadn't wanted to hurt the girl's feelings. Aeryn resumed her introductions as Rygel sniffed Crichton, then declared that he didn't have time to bother with another u-man.

Sensing an opportune moment, Crichton suggested that he and Kate find a quiet spot so that they could spend some time together. Aeryn went to their quarters to prepare the room for him. Chiana offered to make a meal out of something Crichton understood to be protein cubes of indeterminate matter. Kate told him that he didn't really want to know what they were made of, and he didn't ask.
Moya's inner chambers seemed to glow at intervals, and Crichton heard the ship heaving and sighing as it prepared for what he was told was starburst. Kate took him to the deck of the ship so that he could see the stars fade to a blur before an electric blue wave pulsed over the hull. A voice requested that they prepare themselves, and he was knocked down to his knees before he could catch himself. The ship lurched forward, and all of space became a blur. He turned away, afraid of motion sickness, and took hold of Kate's hand. She led him to her chamber where she poured him a cup of dank smelling liquid that resembled pond water.
I'm not gonna get the backdoor trots am I?
No, Dad. She sat beside him on a medium cot that reminded him of sleep away camp with the Boy Scouts. So tell me about you and Aeryn.
What's to tell? Aeryn's a beautiful, and most importantly, single woman.
I saw the way you were looking at her, you like her don't you?
I'd say that's safe to say. He took a sip and gagged. What the Hell is this?
It's a mixture of grains we call Reslak. It helps to hold your breath at first.
Thanks for telling me after I took a big drink.You in love with D'Argo?
Yeah, he's--he's a gentle soul. I know that once this war is over, we can start thinking of the marriage rites.
Tell me about Aeryn. From what I gathered, you're very important to her.
I don't know how much I should tell you, it's a very personal matter and she's an intensely private person. Maybe you should be asking her these things. Kate became very agitated and took an orange from the bag that Crichton had given her. You know, I had forgotten how good a stupid orange could be.
Aeryn seemed to really enjoy it. He watched her carefully, noticing that she was trying to change the subject.
That's good to know. Aeryn has needed a bit of happiness for a long time. Look Dad, I can't tell you anything more than she and I are very close. This is for her to tell, if she chooses to. Kate wiped tears from her eyes and peeled the orange in her hand. Crichton didn't want to press, but he felt there was more to the story than either of them was telling. He decided to leave well enough alone, and lifted Kate's hair from her shoulder.
You look a lot like your mother when you put your head down like that.
So you've said. She sniffled and he handed her the square of cloth that Aeryn had given him the previous evening.
What do you use for ink in these parts?
Blood mostly. She turned and saw him grimace slightly.
Your own or someone else's?
Whatever's handy.
I'm not sure I'm going to fit in out here.
Fitting in will be the least of your problems. I feel terrible for asking you to come with me, knowing what I know about Scorpius and the Scarrans, but you had to know what was out here. You had to know where I have been.
Don't sweat it Peanut, I could have been hit by a car crossing campus. I could have cut my throat shaving and bled to death on the floor of that shit hole bathroom.
Why did you live there for so long?
Because it didn't cause me any trouble.
Now I'm really sorry. Daddy, the beings out here aren't all as charming as my friends.
We're safe now aren't we?
She bit into an orange segment and laughed as he stood to deliver his Worry at it, not about it speech. I missed you so much.
Yeah, likewise. He surveyed the room again, taking in the objects that were important to her. I'm sorry that I wasn't able to take anything from Grammy's cabin before I left, as I said, I was in a giant hurry...well, Aeryn was in a giant hurry.
That's because her Prowler wouldn't show up on anyone's radar as long as she got out between 1:30 and 2:30. We figured out that the SETI satellites reposition during that time, and there is a black out while the satellites change over. They're still recording, but by the time the anomaly is noticed, we would have been long gone. According to Aeryn, you almost didn't make it. She blamed you of course.
Yeah, well, indirectly it was her fault. We stayed up all night becoming better acquainted.
Please, you're my dad, Don't tell me anything that will leave images seared in my mind. She put her fingers in her ears.
You mean sex stuff?
Stop it! I mean it dad, enough.
Come on Katie, you're a big girl. What'd you think just cause people are parents they stop doing it?
Okay, that's it, get out. She fell into his arms laughing and pushed him towards the door. I know it goes on but we musn't talk about it.
I'll see you at dinner.
How could I possibly eat now?



After what passed for an evening meal, Crichton was led to Aeryn Sun's chamber. The Sebacean woman had spent the evening nearly as quiet as the night before when Crichton couldn't understand her. When he questioned her silence, she turned to him and took his hand.
Why do I get the feeling that you're about to tell me something that I don't want to hear?
That is what I am most afraid of Crichton. Yesterday, I felt as if we had made a connection. I didn't want you to become important to me. I have already risked too much with the relationship that I have with Kate. The more you pushed, the more I understood how badly I've needed to belong to someone again. She paused, and pressed her lips together. Crichton interrupted before she could speak again.
You're right, maybe this isn't a good time to talk. I'm tired, and I think we should just get some rest.
You need to know what you're getting into before we get too involved. You may decide that I'm too much trouble.
I don't care what you tell me, you could never be too much trouble. Aeryn, I've been so afraid of dreaming that I just stopped; I didn't dare wish for anything but you've made me hope again. Don't tell me that I can't have you, I don't know how I'll spend the rest of my life here having been so close to you last night.
I just want you to understand, I come with a history.
Everyone does but we're here now and that's the important part.
Are you always this simplistic?
Some people say it's my best trait.
Sit down because I have a long story to tell you. Please try not to interrupt this is the most difficult thing I've ever had to say and I don't quite know if I'll have the strength to tell it again anytime soon.
You tell me whatever you're comfortable with.


About five cycles ago, no wait, it goes back before that. As you know I was born and reared on a Command Carrier; genetically modified, perfectly suited for extended military campaigns. As a pilot with the Pleisar Regiment I was assigned to a Sebacean settlement called Ta' Rais. Peacekeeper military code requires that we recreate; have relations with other Peacekeepers to create unity within the regiments. I was selected for special treatment by a young, but ambitious, Captain Waru. I was smitten. He was everything that I was bred to believe exemplified the Peacekeeper ideal. Half a cycle after we met, he asked my commanding officer if he could marry me. I was handed over for the marriage rites, then he and I separated to fulfill our military obligations. I discovered that I was pregnant while I was on leave the following cycle. I was granted leave from Ta'Rais, and I returned to the command carrier to give birth to my daughter, Maddia. I was also to prepare a home for us. When Waru came home we were the perfect family. He was the most loving and gentle soul that I had ever known. Maddia was the very picture of her father; she had his kind ways and she loved to learn. She was always laughing. Aeryn began to cry and Crichton tried to wipe her eyes but she stood and placed her hands on her hips, swallowing back tears so that she could continue.
It doesn't matter, that's not the important part. We lived in what felt like bliss for seventeen cycles. I had returned to my duties on Ta' Rais, Maddia was gaining respect among the training camps for her abilities. My superiors praised our match since we had produced such a fine Peacekeeper candidate.

After a time, there were rumors circulating that Waru had been selling information to the Scarrans. I ignored the rumors but each day the rumors became nastier. Waru assured me that I had nothing to fear, that he was in no way responsible for the information that the Scarrans had been able to acquire. I believed him, he was a loyal Peacekeeper and I never had any reason to doubt him. Her shoulders heaved and Crichton lowered his head waiting for her to gather her strength again.
Maddia began to be shunned by other Peacekeeper candidates, endangering her chances of being accepted into a regiment. I went to confront Scorpius to ask him to put a stop to the rumors or officially charge Waru so that I could be granted a dissolution of the marriage rites. He told me that he would handle everything and I believed him.


Four arns later, Maddia and I were taken aboard a Leviathan prison ship where we were to be transported to a colony of dissidents to await execution. I found out from a friend on board the Leviathan that Waru had been captured before I'd gone to Scorpius. He could have told me then that I was under suspicion; a trial should have taken place, but our departure was made to look like we had deserted. After three of the longest arns of my life, I was dragged into a cell and handed a pulse pistol. Scorpius ordered me to shoot Waru, the man that I had loved beyond reason. When she saw Crichton's confused look, she began to explain.
It is Sebacean custom that a traitor be killed by a spouse to teach the spouse a lesson about duty and the punishment for treachery. I was so indoctrinated that I only hesitated for a moment before shooting him. He had pleaded with me to turn my weapon on Scorpius, that he was innocent, but the evidence against him was compelling and so I shot him. Her voice quavered and she sat down beside him.
Scorpius said that I had fulfilled my duty to my people, but in order to fulfill my duty to the Peacekeepers, I had to kill Maddia. He said that it was no longer possible for her to become a Peacekeeper and therefore, she was taking a valuable position away from someone worthy. I refused of course, I even turned the pistol on myself, but Scorpius overcame me and took the weapon before I could--finish it. I was jailed and kept in a cell for a full cycle before I met Kate. I just knew that Maddia was dead. I found out later from someone who had known my father that Waru wasn't guilty at all, Scorpius needed him out of the way so that he could begin his worm hole project.

I spent the darkest hours of my life in that cell before Kate came. I had refused to eat and I was slowly dying. Kate brought me back. Our friendship gave me something to live for. I cared for her each time she returned from the Aurora chair, and she told me stories about you; all manner of stories. She smiled, and Crichton was beginning to understand how strong the bond was between the two women.
We were able to escape the command carrier by bribing former servants of mine who helped us to a Prowler. Kate and I slipped out when Moya was hijacked by D'Argo and a Delvian Priestess named Zhaan. D'Argo picked us up and brought us aboard as hostages. He was certainly surprised by what he found. We have all been together since.
And what happened to Maddia?
A tear slid down her cheek and Crichton wiped it away with his thumb.
Kate was given the choice between executing a young woman she didn't know and another round of visits to the Aurora chair. Kate chose to kill Maddia.
Oh God, Aeryn, she couldn't have, Kate would never--
You don't know Crichton. I was there. I did two trips through the Aurora chair and I would have done anything not to feel that way again. When Kate discovered what our relationship was, she took the bonding tattoos and agreed to give her life to me in exchange for the daughter she had robbed me of. I was devastated, I had lost everything, my husband, my daughter, and my closest friend. I couldn't forgive her for the longest time; I was very nasty to her. But before Zhaan died, she made me promise to forgive Kate and I am stronger for it. Zhaan was right, I was hating the wrong person. Zhaan advised me to open my heart to Kate, as a mother. My relationship with her has made me understand that I could go on. Whenever she told me about what you had been through, I knew that I could heal someday. That's a small part of why it was so important to her to bring you here. She's trying to repay a life-debt.
I don't know what to say, sorry just doesn't seem to be enough.
She broke down, sobbing in his arms as he held her tightly. Crichton prayed silently that she would be sane when she stopped.