Part 2
Crais gathered supplies to take down to the planet. He had no intention of going unarmed. He hoped the Crichton's father would have a long sleeved shirt. He packed a vial of translator microbes. They might be useful. As he was packing he began to think about Scorpius on Moya. Crichton hadn't provided a lot of information. He seemed reluctant to discuss it. At least those onboard Moya were reluctant to trust the half-breed. Crais could only assume Scorpius was still after Crichton's knowledge. He smiled to himself. At least the half-breed was finally suffering for what he had done. Scorpius was much worse off than Crais had been when he escaped the Peacekeepers. He could not believe that the Moya crew had taken Scorpius onboard. There was something that he was not being told. Obviously Scorpius was holding something over the Moya crew. He wondered what it was. He would have to ask Crichton.
When Crais arrived in the hangar, Crichton was already there. "You ready to go, Crais."
"That is why I am here." While they were resting the DRDs had modified the transport pod so that it would go undetected. Crichton entered the coordinates. This was one time when Crais could be convinced to relinquish piloting duties.
Once they got moving Crichton spoke up, "Crais, I have a couple of requests. One, I need you to let me pilot. I know where I'm going and it's not a particularly large clearing we are landing at. Second, I need you to remain quiet until I can explain things to my dad."
"What things do you need to explain to him?"
"Remember that no one here has seen an alien. Now he was in the space program so he'll probably take it better than some others might."
"I prefer to return to Talyn as soon as possible."
"That's great, but moving around in the middle of the night can draw attention. Besides, I think it'll be safe. You can at least let me have a couple days here before we go. Okay, now comes the fun part, not getting seen." They had turned the navigation lights off before departing Talyn. Crichton was using the map of airline routes Talyn had constructed while they were resting.
Crichton came in fast and low trying to get down to the treetops as soon as possible. The lower he flew the less likely it was that anyone would see them. It took about 500 microts for them to arrive at their destination. Crichton flew the pod into a large wooden structure. Crais closed his eyes for the landing. He didn't think the door was wide enough to fit the pod through. Crichton looked over after he landed, "Just like parking the truck in the garage. A close fit, but you can squeeze it in there." Crichton checked the sensors. There was one person in the area. "Let me go first." Crais pulled out his pulse pistol and followed after Crichton. Once they reached the base of the stairs someone lit a lamp.
Jack's voice came from the darkness, "Step into the light with your hands up."
Crichton began moving towards the voice, "Dad."
"Stop right there. I'm armed. Both of you step into the light with your hands up."
"Dad, don't you believe it's me?" He stopped with his hands up. Crais put his pistol on the floor and raised his hands.
Jack spent the next couple of minutes questioning Crichton. As far as Crais was concerned this earned Jack Crichton a lot of respect. He had expected the human to be blindly welcomed home. After Jack was satisfied it really was his son he looked over at Crais, "Who are you?"
Crichton answered, "Dad, that's Bialar Crais. You can trust him. I'll explain the rest of it once we get somewhere more comfortable." Jack accepted that Crais could be trusted. Crais was shocked that Crichton used the word trust to describe him. Crichton and Crais changed into jeans and shirts before leaving.
As they were changing Crais asked Crichton, "Are you sure the pod will be safe here?"
"Yeah, no one's been in this barn for ages. It'll be fine." He looked over at Crais, "Hey, man, unbutton the top button, you look like a goober."
Crais had long since learned not to ask. He unbuttoned the button to make Crichton happy. He felt uncomfortable in these clothes. The shirt had some odd cross striped pattern, but at least it had long sleeves. They went outside where Jack's car was waiting. Crais was relegated to the back. He had been allowed to keep his weapon, but had to keep it out of sight. "Buckle up back there."
"Buckle up?"
"Yeah, the seat belt. C'mon I know you guys have safety harnesses in your Prowlers." Crais looked around and found the belt. It was a simple device.
"You understand each other?" Jack asked. Crichton explained the translator microbes. He thought it best to start simple. "That's amazing. They would be incredibly useful here."
It took about half an hour to drive to Jack's house. Crichton explained what happened when he disappeared. He glossed over a lot of his early adventures, including his relationship with Crais. He spent a little more time talking about the Ancients and wormholes. By the time they arrived at the house Crichton had explained how he got home. Jack was a little overwhelmed by it all. He thanked Crais for rescuing his son from orbit. It was hard to believe that his son who had only been gone for six months had over three years of memories. "Before we go in the house, your sister Sarah is here. Try not to wake her up. If she sees you she'll wake the entire neighborhood."
"Gotcha."
"That also means one of you gets to sleep on the couch."
Crais stated, "I'll take the couch, it's your home."
"Crais'll take the couch, Dad." They quietly moved into the house. Crais put his pulse pistol under his pillow. Talyn would alert him if anyone approached the house.
Unfortunately Sarah was the first person up that morning. She was on her way to the kitchen to start the coffee. She glanced into the living room on her way to the kitchen and stopped short. There hadn't been anyone sleeping on the couch last night. She quietly approached to see who it was. She hadn't heard her father leave last night and didn't hear anyone knock on the door. She didn't recognize him, but he wasn't bad looking. He had a curly mass of hair. Normally she wasn't much for guys with long hair. She heard movement upstairs. She then heard an exclamation, "Oh crap!" followed by someone rushing downstairs. All this commotion woke Crais up.
Crichton came around the corner. Sarah took one look at him, "Oh my God! John is it really you?"
"Yeah, Skipper, it's me." She rushed over and hugged him. The tears beginning before she was in his arms.
By this time Jack had come downstairs as well. "So much for preparing you for the shock."
"Dad, why didn't you wake me up when he got in?"
John looked at her, "Sarah, we've gotta talk about this. No one can know I'm here. If IASA finds out it's gonna be ugly." He then gave her the short version of what had happened.
Crais was standing back watching the family reunion. It pained him that he had lost the only family he had ever known when his brother had died. He had only distant memories of his parents. He had no idea which planet he was from and would probably never find it. Peacekeepers kept planet of origin top secret.
"And that is Bialar Crais. Crais this is my sister, Sarah." Crais inclined his head at her knowing she wouldn't understand what he said.
"He doesn't say much, does he?"
"Wouldn't matter if he did, you couldn't understand it." He took a deep breath. He knew Sarah had a history of going for the wrong sort of guy and Crais was definitely the wrong sort. Finding out he was alien would probably make him more desirable in Sarah's eyes. "He's not human."
Crichton saw the gleam in her eye, "Oh really? That's amazing. He looks human. He can understand us?" Crichton explained translator microbes again. She glanced over at Crais, "I might have to get some of those."
"Sarah, once you're injected you have them for life. It would cause a lot of problems. You wouldn't be able to tell when someone was speaking another language. Everything sounds like English to you."
"That could be fun. I could finally eavesdrop on people who thought they were being sneaky by speaking another language. Lip movement would give away that someone was speaking another language."
Jack herded everyone into the kitchen so they could start breakfast. Crichton pulled Crais off to the side, "It might not be a bad idea to inject Dad with the translator microbes if he's going with you to get supplies."
"I had already considered that. I have a vial in my bag."
"Great. Let me talk to Dad about it. One more thing, stay away from my sister."
Crais got a confused look on his face, "What?"
"Just.don't do anything with her. Okay? I see the way she's looking at you. She always goes for the wrong sort of guy."
"What is that supposed to mean?" Crais asked defensively.
"Nothing, just.Nothing." Crichton gave up. He was only going to dig a deeper hole.
They sat down to a breakfast of bacon and eggs with toast. It was food that looked a little familiar to Crais. Crichton placed a mug down in front of him, "This is coffee. Has a mild stimulant in it to help you get moving in the morning. Be careful, it might be a little too warm." Crais watched Crichton put a white granular substance into the beverage before drinking. What an odd ritual to add something to your beverage. What was the purpose of serving something that required an additive to be drinkable. Crais then noticed that Jack was drinking it straight. Crais raised the mug up to his nose and inhaled. It had a pungent though not unpleasant odor. He took a cursory sip. His mouth involuntarily puckered up. This 'coffee' was incredibly bitter. Crichton was chuckling softly to himself. "Yeah, that's about the reaction I had the first time. If you put some sugar and milk in it it's easier to drink. It's an acquired taste to drink it black."
Crais added a spoonful of sugar and a little bit of milk. He tried it again. It was better. He added a little more sugar to take the edge of the bitterness. They talked about the supplies that Crais and Crichton needed to pick up. Crichton thought he could get some of the repair parts off the internet. He assured Crais that something called FedEx could get the parts here overnight. Jack thought he could be of assistance in getting some of the parts. Amy offered to take Crais to the store to go shopping. Crichton was immediately against this idea. He didn't want his sister anywhere near Crais. "No. Absolutely not."
"Why not? Dad is more help to you than I am. Are you saying I am incapable of shopping for groceries?" Sarah was keyed up for a good fight.
"No, it's not that. I just don't want you to get involved in this. It could be dangerous."
"John, I'm not a little girl anymore. I want to help and I'm not going to take no for an answer." She crossed her arms and took on a determined stance.
Jack stepped in. He knew how stubborn his children could be, "John, I don't think it will do any harm to let her help. It could actually speed things up."
Crichton reluctantly agreed. It was about an hour before they were ready to leave. Crichton convinced Crais that no one tied their hair back in a thong and that Crais should wear his hair loose. Besides it would hide the transponder, which would definitely rouse the wrong sort of attention. Sarah gave Crais something called hair gel to try to control it. Crais had to admit that worked quite well. Right before they left they were assembled in the living room. Crais pulled out the translator microbes and prepared to inject them.
Sarah placed her hand on Crais' to stop him, "Hold on. Before you do that I want to hear you say something." He looked at her quizzically. "I want to hear what your language sounds like."
Crais wasn't much for extraneous conversation. He kept his choice simple, "It may sting a little when the microbes are injected."
"Thank you. Okay, I'm ready now." Crais injected the microbes. She rubbed her arm. "About the same as any other shot. How long does it take for them to take effect?"
Crichton replied, "Not too long. They're pretty quick."
"You should be able to understand me now."
She had a look of awe on her face, "That's really cool. Let me grab my keys and we can go."
Right before Crais walked out the door, Crichton grabbed him by the upper arm, "Remember, she's my sister. Don't do anything with her."
Crais arched his eyebrow at Crichton, "I assure you, I have no.romantic intentions towards your sister." He then shook of Crichton's grip and followed Sarah outside.
Jack stepped up next to Crichton, "Worried he might do something to Sarah?"
"I think I'm more worried she might do something to him. I've seen the way she looks at him. C'mon, lets get some work done."
"John, you told me I could trust Bialar, but I find that you do not seem to totally trust him. What are you hiding from me?"
Crichton had always had a hard time hiding things from his father. Jack was just too perceptive. Crichton explained what had happened between him and Crais. "I guess looking back on everything I have no reason not to trust Crais. The biggest reason I have a hard time giving him my trust is that he has a habit of doing things without explaining why. Sometimes I think he has betrayed me, but when the plan finishes unfurling, he didn't. I guess it's just hard for me to look past him chasing me down trying to kill me and stealing Moya's son."
"Perhaps the two of you should talk about it, find a way to put the past behind you."
It took about 15 minutes to get into town. During that time Sarah gave a running commentary about the town, how happy she was to see Crichton and what she did for a living. She was involved in something called marketing. Crais didn't understand half of what she was talking about. He assumed it might be a trait with humans to not like silence. When they were halfway there she decided to involve Crais in the conversation. "So how did you meet my brother?"
Crais had been dreading this question. He knew it would come. He had put some serious thought into deciding how to answer. Unfortunately there wasn't a good answer to that question. He didn't like to lie so had selectively chosen the part of the truth he liked. "When he arrived in my sector of space, I was one of the first people he met. Our ways parted for nearly a cycle. When we met again, he helped me escape from the Peacekeepers. In return I did what I could to help save his life. I have done that a couple of times over the last two cycles. Our paths have crossed several times since my ship is the son of the ship he has been on."
"Wait a minute, your ship is alive?"
"Yes. My ship is a Leviathan. They are living ships. They are generally peaceful creatures. Some of them agree to carry other lifeforms inside them. They enjoy serving others. It is the purpose they were created for."
"Oh." Sarah still sounded like she did totally understand or believe him. "What do you think of my brother?"
Crais answered carefully, "He is a unique individual. He is very compassionate and intelligent. He has adapted well to life in space. I have seen him change much since he arrived. I used to believe that humans were a lesser species, but now I find they are similar to Sebaceans in more than just appearance."
Grocery shopping was uneventful. Sarah concentrated on food that would not spoil or could be frozen. She promised to give him a rundown on everything she had chosen so he could make notes about Earth food. They did get a limited amount of produce. One of the few benefits of visiting a planet was that Crais had fresh produce for a few days. Sarah also decided she would give him several recipes since Crais' cooking skills seemed limited to simply heating his food up. The checkout attendant gave them a strange look when he saw all the canned and dry goods. "We're going to our cabin for a few weeks. It's remote so we won't be doing any shopping."
As they were loading the groceries into the car she looked him over. "You don't look good in flannel. If you're going to be here for a couple of days we should get you something you'd be more comfortable in. Let's go drop this stuff off at the house and then I can show you around town."
"I don't know that your brother would like that."
"I really don't give a rat's ass. Besides, it will keep us from bothering them."
Once they had the food properly stored, Sarah and Crais went to check on Crichton and Jack. They had made some progress in trying to locate compatible parts. In fact Jack had gone down to Radio Shack to pick up some of the smaller stuff. Sarah sprung her plan on Crichton. He was adamant, "No, definitely not."
"And why not?"
"Because he's not human, that's why. I don't want him getting discovered."
"How would he get discovered? I'm talking about taking him to the mall for lunch. I'm not trying to sneak into a military installation or anything."
"No, absolutely not."
"Johnny, I'll bug you until you give in. It can't hurt anything." Crichton didn't budge so Sarah began singing, "Ninety-nine bottles of beer on the wall. Ninety- nine." Crais watched in mild amusement. Sarah sat in a chair
When the number hit eighty-five Crichton had had about all he could take. "All right! Go. Anything to get you to shut up."
Sarah got up and kissed Crichton on the cheek. "Thanks." She grabbed Crais by the hand and led him back to the car. As they traveled she described to him what a shopping mall was. Crais thought the concept sounded quite logical. "What type of clothing are you interested in?"
He never gave his clothes much thought. For most of his life he had worn his uniform. After that he wore something that would wear well. He had chosen black because it didn't show dirt and was more intimidating. "I've never thought much about it. I generally wear something black."
Once there she led him to several different stores, handing him clothes to try on. She tried to remain faithful to his desires in choosing dark colored clothing for him. After about an hour Sarah decided it was time for lunch. Naturally she had to order for him since translator microbes only worked on the spoken word. Crais enjoyed lunch and a beverage called beer. It tasted somewhat but not quite like fellip nectar.
After lunch they walked around the mall a little while longer. Sarah then took him to an ice cream parlor and they walked around a park while enjoying their ice cream cones. Crais found he could understand why Crichton wanted to return. It was a simple peaceful existence. It seemed very safe. Only law enforcement officials carried weapons.
Crichton checked his watch for the fiftieth time since Jack had returned. "John, what's wrong?"
"Wondering where Sarah and Crais are. They've been gone for several hours now. They should have been back by now."
"I'm sure they're all right. Sarah can take care of herself you know."
"I know. I just don't want her getting attached to him. We're going to leave in a couple of days."
He clapped Crichton on the shoulder, "I wouldn't worry about that. You know how she is. She's infatuated for a couple of days and then moves on."
It was well after dark when Crichton heard his sister's car pull into the driveway. When they came in the house Crichton was standing there waiting, arms crossed, a scowl on his face, "Where have you been?"
"Out, Johhny. I was showing Bialar around."
"For seven hours!" he shouted.
Crais raised his hands, "Crichton, calm down."
"No! You should have known better. What were you thinking? You could have been discovered." He was poking Crais in the chest with his index finger.
"Crichton, I assure you I did nothing to draw undue attention to us. Sarah was kind enough to show me around the city."
"John, Bialar was the perfect gentleman. You don't have to worry about him having violated my honor."
Crais decided they needed to change the subject, "Crichton, have you been successful in obtaining the needed supplies?"
"Most of them. They should be arriving tomorrow or first thing the day after. Dad's using a couple of his friends to get some of the more industrial parts."
Crais' face went blank. "Talyn reports that someone is on the road that leads to the transport."
Crichton yelled out, "Dad, we gotta go!" Crais went to retrieve his pulse pistol. "Sarah, stay here."
Crais gathered supplies to take down to the planet. He had no intention of going unarmed. He hoped the Crichton's father would have a long sleeved shirt. He packed a vial of translator microbes. They might be useful. As he was packing he began to think about Scorpius on Moya. Crichton hadn't provided a lot of information. He seemed reluctant to discuss it. At least those onboard Moya were reluctant to trust the half-breed. Crais could only assume Scorpius was still after Crichton's knowledge. He smiled to himself. At least the half-breed was finally suffering for what he had done. Scorpius was much worse off than Crais had been when he escaped the Peacekeepers. He could not believe that the Moya crew had taken Scorpius onboard. There was something that he was not being told. Obviously Scorpius was holding something over the Moya crew. He wondered what it was. He would have to ask Crichton.
When Crais arrived in the hangar, Crichton was already there. "You ready to go, Crais."
"That is why I am here." While they were resting the DRDs had modified the transport pod so that it would go undetected. Crichton entered the coordinates. This was one time when Crais could be convinced to relinquish piloting duties.
Once they got moving Crichton spoke up, "Crais, I have a couple of requests. One, I need you to let me pilot. I know where I'm going and it's not a particularly large clearing we are landing at. Second, I need you to remain quiet until I can explain things to my dad."
"What things do you need to explain to him?"
"Remember that no one here has seen an alien. Now he was in the space program so he'll probably take it better than some others might."
"I prefer to return to Talyn as soon as possible."
"That's great, but moving around in the middle of the night can draw attention. Besides, I think it'll be safe. You can at least let me have a couple days here before we go. Okay, now comes the fun part, not getting seen." They had turned the navigation lights off before departing Talyn. Crichton was using the map of airline routes Talyn had constructed while they were resting.
Crichton came in fast and low trying to get down to the treetops as soon as possible. The lower he flew the less likely it was that anyone would see them. It took about 500 microts for them to arrive at their destination. Crichton flew the pod into a large wooden structure. Crais closed his eyes for the landing. He didn't think the door was wide enough to fit the pod through. Crichton looked over after he landed, "Just like parking the truck in the garage. A close fit, but you can squeeze it in there." Crichton checked the sensors. There was one person in the area. "Let me go first." Crais pulled out his pulse pistol and followed after Crichton. Once they reached the base of the stairs someone lit a lamp.
Jack's voice came from the darkness, "Step into the light with your hands up."
Crichton began moving towards the voice, "Dad."
"Stop right there. I'm armed. Both of you step into the light with your hands up."
"Dad, don't you believe it's me?" He stopped with his hands up. Crais put his pistol on the floor and raised his hands.
Jack spent the next couple of minutes questioning Crichton. As far as Crais was concerned this earned Jack Crichton a lot of respect. He had expected the human to be blindly welcomed home. After Jack was satisfied it really was his son he looked over at Crais, "Who are you?"
Crichton answered, "Dad, that's Bialar Crais. You can trust him. I'll explain the rest of it once we get somewhere more comfortable." Jack accepted that Crais could be trusted. Crais was shocked that Crichton used the word trust to describe him. Crichton and Crais changed into jeans and shirts before leaving.
As they were changing Crais asked Crichton, "Are you sure the pod will be safe here?"
"Yeah, no one's been in this barn for ages. It'll be fine." He looked over at Crais, "Hey, man, unbutton the top button, you look like a goober."
Crais had long since learned not to ask. He unbuttoned the button to make Crichton happy. He felt uncomfortable in these clothes. The shirt had some odd cross striped pattern, but at least it had long sleeves. They went outside where Jack's car was waiting. Crais was relegated to the back. He had been allowed to keep his weapon, but had to keep it out of sight. "Buckle up back there."
"Buckle up?"
"Yeah, the seat belt. C'mon I know you guys have safety harnesses in your Prowlers." Crais looked around and found the belt. It was a simple device.
"You understand each other?" Jack asked. Crichton explained the translator microbes. He thought it best to start simple. "That's amazing. They would be incredibly useful here."
It took about half an hour to drive to Jack's house. Crichton explained what happened when he disappeared. He glossed over a lot of his early adventures, including his relationship with Crais. He spent a little more time talking about the Ancients and wormholes. By the time they arrived at the house Crichton had explained how he got home. Jack was a little overwhelmed by it all. He thanked Crais for rescuing his son from orbit. It was hard to believe that his son who had only been gone for six months had over three years of memories. "Before we go in the house, your sister Sarah is here. Try not to wake her up. If she sees you she'll wake the entire neighborhood."
"Gotcha."
"That also means one of you gets to sleep on the couch."
Crais stated, "I'll take the couch, it's your home."
"Crais'll take the couch, Dad." They quietly moved into the house. Crais put his pulse pistol under his pillow. Talyn would alert him if anyone approached the house.
Unfortunately Sarah was the first person up that morning. She was on her way to the kitchen to start the coffee. She glanced into the living room on her way to the kitchen and stopped short. There hadn't been anyone sleeping on the couch last night. She quietly approached to see who it was. She hadn't heard her father leave last night and didn't hear anyone knock on the door. She didn't recognize him, but he wasn't bad looking. He had a curly mass of hair. Normally she wasn't much for guys with long hair. She heard movement upstairs. She then heard an exclamation, "Oh crap!" followed by someone rushing downstairs. All this commotion woke Crais up.
Crichton came around the corner. Sarah took one look at him, "Oh my God! John is it really you?"
"Yeah, Skipper, it's me." She rushed over and hugged him. The tears beginning before she was in his arms.
By this time Jack had come downstairs as well. "So much for preparing you for the shock."
"Dad, why didn't you wake me up when he got in?"
John looked at her, "Sarah, we've gotta talk about this. No one can know I'm here. If IASA finds out it's gonna be ugly." He then gave her the short version of what had happened.
Crais was standing back watching the family reunion. It pained him that he had lost the only family he had ever known when his brother had died. He had only distant memories of his parents. He had no idea which planet he was from and would probably never find it. Peacekeepers kept planet of origin top secret.
"And that is Bialar Crais. Crais this is my sister, Sarah." Crais inclined his head at her knowing she wouldn't understand what he said.
"He doesn't say much, does he?"
"Wouldn't matter if he did, you couldn't understand it." He took a deep breath. He knew Sarah had a history of going for the wrong sort of guy and Crais was definitely the wrong sort. Finding out he was alien would probably make him more desirable in Sarah's eyes. "He's not human."
Crichton saw the gleam in her eye, "Oh really? That's amazing. He looks human. He can understand us?" Crichton explained translator microbes again. She glanced over at Crais, "I might have to get some of those."
"Sarah, once you're injected you have them for life. It would cause a lot of problems. You wouldn't be able to tell when someone was speaking another language. Everything sounds like English to you."
"That could be fun. I could finally eavesdrop on people who thought they were being sneaky by speaking another language. Lip movement would give away that someone was speaking another language."
Jack herded everyone into the kitchen so they could start breakfast. Crichton pulled Crais off to the side, "It might not be a bad idea to inject Dad with the translator microbes if he's going with you to get supplies."
"I had already considered that. I have a vial in my bag."
"Great. Let me talk to Dad about it. One more thing, stay away from my sister."
Crais got a confused look on his face, "What?"
"Just.don't do anything with her. Okay? I see the way she's looking at you. She always goes for the wrong sort of guy."
"What is that supposed to mean?" Crais asked defensively.
"Nothing, just.Nothing." Crichton gave up. He was only going to dig a deeper hole.
They sat down to a breakfast of bacon and eggs with toast. It was food that looked a little familiar to Crais. Crichton placed a mug down in front of him, "This is coffee. Has a mild stimulant in it to help you get moving in the morning. Be careful, it might be a little too warm." Crais watched Crichton put a white granular substance into the beverage before drinking. What an odd ritual to add something to your beverage. What was the purpose of serving something that required an additive to be drinkable. Crais then noticed that Jack was drinking it straight. Crais raised the mug up to his nose and inhaled. It had a pungent though not unpleasant odor. He took a cursory sip. His mouth involuntarily puckered up. This 'coffee' was incredibly bitter. Crichton was chuckling softly to himself. "Yeah, that's about the reaction I had the first time. If you put some sugar and milk in it it's easier to drink. It's an acquired taste to drink it black."
Crais added a spoonful of sugar and a little bit of milk. He tried it again. It was better. He added a little more sugar to take the edge of the bitterness. They talked about the supplies that Crais and Crichton needed to pick up. Crichton thought he could get some of the repair parts off the internet. He assured Crais that something called FedEx could get the parts here overnight. Jack thought he could be of assistance in getting some of the parts. Amy offered to take Crais to the store to go shopping. Crichton was immediately against this idea. He didn't want his sister anywhere near Crais. "No. Absolutely not."
"Why not? Dad is more help to you than I am. Are you saying I am incapable of shopping for groceries?" Sarah was keyed up for a good fight.
"No, it's not that. I just don't want you to get involved in this. It could be dangerous."
"John, I'm not a little girl anymore. I want to help and I'm not going to take no for an answer." She crossed her arms and took on a determined stance.
Jack stepped in. He knew how stubborn his children could be, "John, I don't think it will do any harm to let her help. It could actually speed things up."
Crichton reluctantly agreed. It was about an hour before they were ready to leave. Crichton convinced Crais that no one tied their hair back in a thong and that Crais should wear his hair loose. Besides it would hide the transponder, which would definitely rouse the wrong sort of attention. Sarah gave Crais something called hair gel to try to control it. Crais had to admit that worked quite well. Right before they left they were assembled in the living room. Crais pulled out the translator microbes and prepared to inject them.
Sarah placed her hand on Crais' to stop him, "Hold on. Before you do that I want to hear you say something." He looked at her quizzically. "I want to hear what your language sounds like."
Crais wasn't much for extraneous conversation. He kept his choice simple, "It may sting a little when the microbes are injected."
"Thank you. Okay, I'm ready now." Crais injected the microbes. She rubbed her arm. "About the same as any other shot. How long does it take for them to take effect?"
Crichton replied, "Not too long. They're pretty quick."
"You should be able to understand me now."
She had a look of awe on her face, "That's really cool. Let me grab my keys and we can go."
Right before Crais walked out the door, Crichton grabbed him by the upper arm, "Remember, she's my sister. Don't do anything with her."
Crais arched his eyebrow at Crichton, "I assure you, I have no.romantic intentions towards your sister." He then shook of Crichton's grip and followed Sarah outside.
Jack stepped up next to Crichton, "Worried he might do something to Sarah?"
"I think I'm more worried she might do something to him. I've seen the way she looks at him. C'mon, lets get some work done."
"John, you told me I could trust Bialar, but I find that you do not seem to totally trust him. What are you hiding from me?"
Crichton had always had a hard time hiding things from his father. Jack was just too perceptive. Crichton explained what had happened between him and Crais. "I guess looking back on everything I have no reason not to trust Crais. The biggest reason I have a hard time giving him my trust is that he has a habit of doing things without explaining why. Sometimes I think he has betrayed me, but when the plan finishes unfurling, he didn't. I guess it's just hard for me to look past him chasing me down trying to kill me and stealing Moya's son."
"Perhaps the two of you should talk about it, find a way to put the past behind you."
It took about 15 minutes to get into town. During that time Sarah gave a running commentary about the town, how happy she was to see Crichton and what she did for a living. She was involved in something called marketing. Crais didn't understand half of what she was talking about. He assumed it might be a trait with humans to not like silence. When they were halfway there she decided to involve Crais in the conversation. "So how did you meet my brother?"
Crais had been dreading this question. He knew it would come. He had put some serious thought into deciding how to answer. Unfortunately there wasn't a good answer to that question. He didn't like to lie so had selectively chosen the part of the truth he liked. "When he arrived in my sector of space, I was one of the first people he met. Our ways parted for nearly a cycle. When we met again, he helped me escape from the Peacekeepers. In return I did what I could to help save his life. I have done that a couple of times over the last two cycles. Our paths have crossed several times since my ship is the son of the ship he has been on."
"Wait a minute, your ship is alive?"
"Yes. My ship is a Leviathan. They are living ships. They are generally peaceful creatures. Some of them agree to carry other lifeforms inside them. They enjoy serving others. It is the purpose they were created for."
"Oh." Sarah still sounded like she did totally understand or believe him. "What do you think of my brother?"
Crais answered carefully, "He is a unique individual. He is very compassionate and intelligent. He has adapted well to life in space. I have seen him change much since he arrived. I used to believe that humans were a lesser species, but now I find they are similar to Sebaceans in more than just appearance."
Grocery shopping was uneventful. Sarah concentrated on food that would not spoil or could be frozen. She promised to give him a rundown on everything she had chosen so he could make notes about Earth food. They did get a limited amount of produce. One of the few benefits of visiting a planet was that Crais had fresh produce for a few days. Sarah also decided she would give him several recipes since Crais' cooking skills seemed limited to simply heating his food up. The checkout attendant gave them a strange look when he saw all the canned and dry goods. "We're going to our cabin for a few weeks. It's remote so we won't be doing any shopping."
As they were loading the groceries into the car she looked him over. "You don't look good in flannel. If you're going to be here for a couple of days we should get you something you'd be more comfortable in. Let's go drop this stuff off at the house and then I can show you around town."
"I don't know that your brother would like that."
"I really don't give a rat's ass. Besides, it will keep us from bothering them."
Once they had the food properly stored, Sarah and Crais went to check on Crichton and Jack. They had made some progress in trying to locate compatible parts. In fact Jack had gone down to Radio Shack to pick up some of the smaller stuff. Sarah sprung her plan on Crichton. He was adamant, "No, definitely not."
"And why not?"
"Because he's not human, that's why. I don't want him getting discovered."
"How would he get discovered? I'm talking about taking him to the mall for lunch. I'm not trying to sneak into a military installation or anything."
"No, absolutely not."
"Johnny, I'll bug you until you give in. It can't hurt anything." Crichton didn't budge so Sarah began singing, "Ninety-nine bottles of beer on the wall. Ninety- nine." Crais watched in mild amusement. Sarah sat in a chair
When the number hit eighty-five Crichton had had about all he could take. "All right! Go. Anything to get you to shut up."
Sarah got up and kissed Crichton on the cheek. "Thanks." She grabbed Crais by the hand and led him back to the car. As they traveled she described to him what a shopping mall was. Crais thought the concept sounded quite logical. "What type of clothing are you interested in?"
He never gave his clothes much thought. For most of his life he had worn his uniform. After that he wore something that would wear well. He had chosen black because it didn't show dirt and was more intimidating. "I've never thought much about it. I generally wear something black."
Once there she led him to several different stores, handing him clothes to try on. She tried to remain faithful to his desires in choosing dark colored clothing for him. After about an hour Sarah decided it was time for lunch. Naturally she had to order for him since translator microbes only worked on the spoken word. Crais enjoyed lunch and a beverage called beer. It tasted somewhat but not quite like fellip nectar.
After lunch they walked around the mall a little while longer. Sarah then took him to an ice cream parlor and they walked around a park while enjoying their ice cream cones. Crais found he could understand why Crichton wanted to return. It was a simple peaceful existence. It seemed very safe. Only law enforcement officials carried weapons.
Crichton checked his watch for the fiftieth time since Jack had returned. "John, what's wrong?"
"Wondering where Sarah and Crais are. They've been gone for several hours now. They should have been back by now."
"I'm sure they're all right. Sarah can take care of herself you know."
"I know. I just don't want her getting attached to him. We're going to leave in a couple of days."
He clapped Crichton on the shoulder, "I wouldn't worry about that. You know how she is. She's infatuated for a couple of days and then moves on."
It was well after dark when Crichton heard his sister's car pull into the driveway. When they came in the house Crichton was standing there waiting, arms crossed, a scowl on his face, "Where have you been?"
"Out, Johhny. I was showing Bialar around."
"For seven hours!" he shouted.
Crais raised his hands, "Crichton, calm down."
"No! You should have known better. What were you thinking? You could have been discovered." He was poking Crais in the chest with his index finger.
"Crichton, I assure you I did nothing to draw undue attention to us. Sarah was kind enough to show me around the city."
"John, Bialar was the perfect gentleman. You don't have to worry about him having violated my honor."
Crais decided they needed to change the subject, "Crichton, have you been successful in obtaining the needed supplies?"
"Most of them. They should be arriving tomorrow or first thing the day after. Dad's using a couple of his friends to get some of the more industrial parts."
Crais' face went blank. "Talyn reports that someone is on the road that leads to the transport."
Crichton yelled out, "Dad, we gotta go!" Crais went to retrieve his pulse pistol. "Sarah, stay here."