The Scarren Archipelago: All In The Family

by Ann Brill White

The second part of "The Great Escape": Aeryn, Crais, Stark, and Rygel help the refugees they rescued find a new home.

The Scarren Archipelago
Part 2 - All In The Family

Ann Brill White

(Author's note: This story takes place between "Infinite Possibilities 2: Icarus Abides" and "The Choice". The first part, The Great Escape, was posted in September 2002. The premise is that, after TalynJohn's death, the crew of Talyn discovers a Scarren POW camp full of captured Peacekeepers on a deserted planet called Stallak. They stage a daring prison break and bring the prisoners aboard Talyn. One of them, an old man named Linn, has been mind-wiped. With Stark's help, he discovers his true identity: Lieutenant Talyn Crais, uncle to Bialar Crais, lover of Xhalax Sun, and father of Aeryn Sun. To read the full story, go to The Great Escape.)

Freedom is just another word for nothing' left to lose.
- Janis Joplin, Me and Bobby McGee

Aeryn felt the color drain from her face and she started to tremble. Her mind was whirling out of control. She bit her lip nervously. "No," she whispered, "that can't be true! She said that you were dead! That she'd killed you!"

Crais put a comforting hand on her shoulder and stared daggers at the old man. "Please. I don't know if you are who you claim to be, but Officer Sun has been through a difficult few days. Do not cause her any more pain. If you do, you will have to deal with me."

"I know that this is difficult. Please, hear him out," Stark pleaded.

Linn reached out and took her hand. His hand was strong and callused from cycles of hard labor. "My dear child," he said gently, "I don't mean to hurt you. That is the last thing I want to do. Please let me finish my story." She didn't say anything, but she nodded and wiped a tear away from her cheek. Just when I finally stopped crying, she thought. Stark moved over and put a protective arm around her shoulder. Linn took a drink and continued. "Your mother, Xhalax Sun, was a test pilot on the Prowler project at the Dellis research station. We fell in love. Our commander knew about it, but he tolerated it as long as we got our work done. When Xhalax was ordered to bear a child, we manipulated the rules to allow her to remain on the project instead of going to the reproductive facility. Her child - you - are the result."

"So far, your story matches what little I know. But, what happened? Why did she say that you were dead?" she asked.

"To the Peacekeepers, I was. I was on my way back from a demonstration flight. Xhalax was due to deliver soon, and I wanted to be there with her. My partner and I were intercepted by a Scarren light cruiser. During the firefight my Prowler was crippled. I ejected, but before my partner could retrieve my ejection seat, my oxygen line was cut. He must have thought I was dead and saved himself, as I would have done in his place. I was retrieved by the Scarrens. They realized that I was a person of some importance, and questioned me about Peacekeeper technology. My interrogation, fortunately, is still a blur. Somehow they inserted a mental block on my memories, then dumped me into Stallak."

"My mother told me that your name was Talyn Lyczak. And, that she was forced to kill you to avoid a severe punishment," Aeryn explained. "With everything else she did, I'm not surprised that she lied to me about this."

Linn looked over to Crais, then back to her. "Xhalax... your mother... she is alive? You've seen her recently?"

Aeryn cringed and looked over at Crais for help. Linn's eyes were so hopeful that she didn't want to crush his fragile feelings. "No and yes," Crais dissembled. Linn cocked his head in confusion - a habit that Aeryn recognized that she herself did. Crais took a deep breath and continued. "Talyn - my ship - was being pursued by a Peacekeeper retrieval squadron commanded by Senior Lieutenant Xhalax Sun. They found us on a heavy-gravity planet. Lieutenant Sun cut Talyn's higher intelligence functions and was attempting to fly him back to the Peacekeepers, when Aeryn, Stark, and Rygel stopped her. I killed Xhalax rather than have her continue to pursue us. I did not want to do it. I offered her a choice, but she refused it. I am sorry, Linn, um, Uncle." Linn closed his eyes and absorbed this information.

Aeryn heard the echo of her mother's voice mocking her as John dragged her away. She studied the old man in front of her and wondered how he could ever have hooked up with the hardened, bitter Xhalax Sun."She damaged Talyn, nearly killed Rygel, and would have turned us all over to the Peacekeepers. It was us or her. I'm sure you can understand that logic."

"All too well," Linn agreed. "You did the right thing, Bialar."

An uncomfortable silence settled over the room. Aeryn looked over at Crais. "I need to understand this," she said. "Linn is my father. His brother was your father. That makes us...?"

"Cousins," Crais answered. He turned to the old man again. "Talyn," he asked. Lights flashed on the ceiling as Talyn the ship responded. "No, the other one," Crais smiled.

The old man chuckled. "I think that it would be best if you just called me Linn. It's less confusing, and I've answered to it for thirty cycles."

"Actually, Talyn - my ship - agrees with you. He also says that you have as fine a touch as Aeryn does," Crais explained. "He is pleased that he could help rescue his namesake."

Linn seemed taken aback. "Tell him," he stammered as tears came to his eyes, "tell him that I am proud that my namesake is such a beautiful ship. You've done well. Both of you." He started to cry in earnest.

"He knows," Crais assured his kinsman.

Aeryn felt like her heart was going to break all over again. She shook off Stark, reached forward, and wrapped her arms around the old man. The tears came again, but this time there was joy mixed in with the sadness. "I found my mother and lost her, then I lost the man I love. I'm glad that I've found you, Father," she sobbed. "I don't want to lose you, too."

Linn held her tight, but didn't say anything. He rocked her and stroked her hair. Then, he loosened his embrace and looked at her face. "My beautiful baby girl. I don't know why Xhalax said what she said to you, but she and I loved you very much. You have her eyes, you know. And, unfortunately, my nose." He chuckled and touched the tip of her nose. "I love you, Aeryn."

***

Renata Shann was almost beginning to regret leaving the prison planet. It seemed like every one of the other twenty-nine former prisoners wanted something from her. Linn had disappeared somewhere and left her in charge. Rivi, Tanit, and the rest of the children were overstimulated. They were now playing hide-and-seek with one of the DRDs. Resources aboard this Leviathan, which had already been strained with a crew of four or five, were stretched past the breaking point. Everyone wanted to shower and get clean clothes at once, and there just weren't enough of each to go around. On top of everything else, she was still worried about Kelvar's condition. He was still asleep in Crais' bed, recovering from heat delirium. She'd dressed his sunburned skin, but there was very little in the way of medical equipment aboard this hybrid Leviathan. As she watched the children running around chasing a DRD, she sat down next to one of the other mothers. "Vardan," she said quietly, "try to get these wild animals calmed down and sleeping before they tire out the DRDs. I've got to check on Kelvar." The woman nodded wisely and squeezed Renata's hand.

Renata slunk out of the maintenance bay without her children seeing her. She made her way towards Crais' quarters. Along the way, she heard Linn's voice coming from the room belonging to Aeryn Sun. The other woman's voice answered him. She couldn't hear what they were saying, only that both of them seemed to be very hesitant about something.

Moving on, she came to Crais' door. She knocked on it softly. "Captain Crais? Are you in there?" Hearing no response, Renata waved her hand over the lock. She entered quietly. Crais was standing in front of a large window, looking out into the expanse of deep space. He was wearing a work shirt and pants. She watched as he ran a hand through his disheveled hair and touched the device at the back of his neck.. "Bialar?" she asked softly, not wanting to interrupt.

He turned and gave her a wan smile. "Renata," he nodded. She felt her heart skip a beat.

Suddenly the moment felt awkward. 'I... I'm here to check on Kelvar," she explained, then ducked into the sleeping area. What is wrong with me? she thought. Just focus on what you came here to do. She pulled up a chair next to the man on the bed. Kelvar was sleeping soundly. She checked his temperature, and it was back down to something approaching normal. She would have to change the dressings on his burns, but not now.

"How is he?" Crais' voice came from behind her.

Renata jumped and spun around. "Uh, better," she stammered. "He's doing much better. He should sleep through the night. The cold compresses helped."

"I am glad that we could help," he said gently. Crais put a hand on her right shoulder and looked down at the man on his bed. "The Scarrens certainly know how to exploit our weakness."

"It was their special punishment. We've lost a lot of good people to the cage," she confessed. "Including the father of my children." He squeezed her shoulder to encourage her to continue. She reached down and stroked a lock of hair back from Kelvar's blistered forehead. "Kelvar and Stano were on the last prison transport. The Scarrens were pretty hard on both of them. Stano was raped before they finally dumped her into our barracks. Kelvar had several broken ribs and a skull fracture. Linn convinced the guards to let me stay with them instead of going to my work shift. They recovered, but I'm afraid that Stano may have some kind of internal damage. Kelvar started fighting with a guard who was hitting her. For fighting with a guard, you got put into the cage," she explained.

"You've been through a lot, Renata," Crais agreed. "You all have, especially the children. I'm sure that High Command will want to debrief all of you before you go back to duty."

Renata turned to look at him. "No, Bialar," she whispered. "I'm not going back to being a Peacekeeper. Being on the other side made me realize something. Peacekeepers aren't any better than Scarrens. We torture prisoners, keep them locked up, deny them their freedom. In fact, we're worse! We not only do it to the so-called lesser races, but we do it to our own! To go back to being a Peacekeeper would be worse than going back to Stallak. At least there, I could put my arms around my children without the fear of punishment! Rivi and Tanit may not have much, but they had two parents that loved them and were willing to die for them. Besides, Captain," she asked sarcastically, "if being a Peacekeeper is so frelling great, why did you leave?"

Crais stepped back and closed his eyes painfully. "It is a long, complicated story," he said quietly. "Suffice it to say that, like you, I was forced to examine my life as a Peacekeeper, and did not like what I saw. I deserted rather than face a court-martial." He turned away from her, back to the window. "No one is saying that you have to go back, Renata. We would drop those who wished it at the nearest commerce planet. Or, you could remain on Talyn..."

She stopped, her anger dissipating almost immediately. "I'm sure that some will want to return to duty. But staying aboard Talyn is a good option," she agreed.

He turned back to face her. "I'm not going to lie to you, Renata. You deserve better. We are being pursued by both a the Scarrens and a Peacekeeper retrieval squadron. Talyn is no place for children and non-combatants right now. Our resources are stretched to the limit. Before you came in, I was having a discussion with Talyn about contacting his mother, Moya. She is a full-grown Leviathan, and can accommodate everyone easily." He paused, then looked at her. Something strange was reflected in his black eyes. "Talyn and I would like it very much if you stayed with us." He paused. An odd look crossed his face. "Well, as many of you that wish to," he corrected himself.

Her heart skipped a beat. Suddenly, Renata was conscious of the fact that she hadn't cleaned up yet. Her hair was still a filthy, tangled mess, and she felt like a thick layer of cycles-old crud was encasing her body. "I will, um, let the others know," she stammered. She felt herself blushing like a teenaged cadet. "In the meantime, may I use your shower?" she asked.

Crais smiled graciously. "Make yourself at home," he invited her. "Take as long as you wish. I will leave you alone." He bowed formally, then left the bedroom.

Renata watched him go with mixed feelings. Part of her was glad that he was gone, and the other part of her desperately wanted him to come back. Get a grip on yourself, Shann, she thought. Yes, you're grateful to him for saving you and the children. That doesn't mean you have to repay him by recreating with him. Just take a shower and clear your head. She stepped into his small bathroom area, quickly pulled off her filthy prison clothes, and ran the water. As the steam enveloped her, she imagined the water washing away not only the cycles of dirt, but the whole experience of the prison. She scrubbed away the filth, washed her hair until it squeaked, but she still couldn't wash away the horror. Renata realized that, even though the Scarren prison was hell, some good had come of it. She'd loved Aidian and bore him two children. She'd used her natural talent toward medicine to help heal the others. Most of all, she'd come to know and love her fellow prisoners. Even at the worst times, they'd always had each other to share the burden.

Some of the others had fantasized late at night about what they would do if they ever escaped, but Renata didn't choose to indulge herself that way. All she knew was that her children deserved to live in freedom. Not the so-called freedom of the Peacekeepers, where they would be turned into cannon fodder to be used at the discretion of High Command, but the freedom to live their lives as they chose. Crais was right - this ship was no place for her children right now. If they were captured by the retrieval squad, Rivi and Tanit would be torn away from her and molded into good little Peacekeepers. She would never let that happen. She made her decision.

As she stepped out of the stall, she noticed something. A folded pair of trousers and black work shirt had been carefully placed on the counter by where the door opened. She lifted the shirt up skeptically. It was about Crais' size - which floated on her small frame, and it smelled like him. If she used a belt, the trousers might fit. I guess this is Crais' way of getting me into his pants, she grinned. Maybe later, but not tonight. She pulled on the pants and combed the snarls out of her hair. After a last check on Kelvar, she tiptoed out of the room and back to her children.

***

At the end of the sleep cycle, Aeryn woke up to the sound of a man shaving. She rolled over in bed, expecting to find a warm spot where John had slept. Instead, she almost fell off of the bed! A strange man was using John's razor to shave off a prodigious salt-and-pepper beard. His black and gray hair was still long, but it was tied back in one of Crais' hair-wraps. As she sat up, she remembered the previous night. She had invited Linn - her father - back to her room to talk. They had pushed the bunks apart, then talked late into the sleep cycle. Although she was still tired, Aeryn now had a better sense of who she was than since she was kicked out of the Peacekeepers. "Good morning," he greeted her with a clean-shaven smile. "What do you think?"

"I think you look twenty cycles younger, Father," she replied.

He grinned with satisfaction. "I feel twenty cycles younger." The smile left his face, and he crossed the room to her bed. Aeryn made room for him to sit next to her. "You are very much like your mother when she was your age," he whispered.

"Is that supposed to be a complement?"

He took her right hand in his. "The Xhalax Sun you encountered is not the same woman that I loved. What I meant is that you don't show your emotions in front of others, but they run deep within you. In your sleep, you called out for John Crichton several times."

She looked down and away, studying the floor intently. "I'm sorry I disturbed you."

Linn reached over and took her chin between his thumb and finger, forcing her to look at him. "You saw how I lived for thirty cycles. There wasn't a night that went by that someone on Stallak cried out in pain. I'm used to it. You've given me my life back. I just wish that there was some way that I could ease your pain. Sometimes fathers can't make everything better."

Aeryn's eyes started to water. "Oh, frell," she whispered. "I think I'm going to start crying again."

***

Bialar Crais awoke with a stiff neck. Because the injured commando was in his bed, he'd slept on a chair in the living area of his quarters. Like many of the others, he had spent the night contemplating what to do next. The rescue of the Stallak prisoners, plus Linn's revelations, had caused him and Talyn to think for arns about their situation.

In contrast to his own worries, Talyn was overjoyed to have new friends aboard. The young ship was playing with the children through his DRDs. He was also happy to find out that Linn - whom Talyn referred to as "the old man" - was a member of the family. Crais also suspected that his growing attraction to Renata Shann was partly Talyn's doing. His ship made it clear that he wanted the children and their mother to stay aboard. Sometimes Crais wondered just how much of his personality Talyn had absorbed after he'd restored the ship's higher functions - or how much of his own personality was actually Talyn's. Although he still felt an attraction for Aeryn Sun, he would definitely have to change his thinking on that relationship. The entire Peacekeeper genetic program was set up to avoid the accidental offspring of two close relatives. Although Aeryn was most decidedly off-limits, he still had his needs. He hadn't recreated since before he lost his command and Lorell. To be truthful, Renata Shann was an attractive woman - or would be once she was cleaned up. She was a capable officer and medic. He didn't think that she would stay, but he hoped that she would.

The sound of the door opening interrupted him. Aeryn walked in, followed by Linn, Renata, and the blonde commando that had helped him fly the transport pod - he recalled her name was Lexi Stano. Now that his kinsman was clean-shaven, Crais was stunned by the resemblance between him and Aeryn. They even used the same gait when they walked.

"We have to talk," Aeryn said without even asking permission. How far they had come from three cycles ago, when she been one of thousands under his command. "These people are a drain on our resources. While I don't question the decision to rescue them and bring them aboard," she looked back and smiled gently at Linn, "The fact that there's so many of them is having a negative effect on Talyn."

"Crais, is this true?" Renata asked.

He admitted it reluctantly. "Talyn says that he's sorry that he can't accommodate everyone the way a full-grown Leviathan could. He's trying, but he's feeling overwhelmed."

"We don't want to be a burden on you, Bialar," Linn agreed.

"Believe me, that's the last thing we want," Renata echoed. She looked up at him, and Crais felt drawn to her. She blushed and looked away suddenly. "Come on, Lexi. Let's go check on Kelvar." Stano nodded her agreement, and the two women left the room.

Aeryn looked from the two women to Crais. Realization dawned on her face. "Some people," she said pointedly, "may want to stay on board, but I don't think that's a good idea."

Linn echoed his daughter's statement. "No, we can't run the risk of being recaptured. I won't be taken again. By anyone - Scarren or Peacekeeper."

Crais almost laughed at the sight of Aeryn's steely determination reflected on her father's face. Like father, like daughter. "Then it is agreed," Crais answered. "We will find a commerce planet and drop all of you off to make your own ways. I wish that there was more that we could do for you and your people, Uncle."

"Thank you, but no, Bialar," Linn smiled. "You've done enough as it is."

"But only to save his own skin," a strange man's voice said sarcastically from the entrance to the sleeping area. Everyone turned to see Renata and Stano supporting Kelvar. The younger man's normally fair skin was fiery red and blistered from the sun, but he was coherent.

"What are you talking about?" Linn asked incredulously.

"The only reason this frelling traitor rescued us was so that he could use us as a bargaining chip with High Command," Kelvar explained.

"Kelvar!" Stano hissed a warning and jabbed him in the ribs. "What does it matter now? Leave it alone!"

"No, we have to complete our mission, regardless," he reminded her.

Everyone looked confused, except for Kelvar and Stano. "Your mission?" Renata asked. "Are you still delirious? Let us help you to a chair."

He waved Renata off, and leaned on Stano as he walked to a seat. "Linn, Renata... how much do you know about me and Stano?"

Linn looked at the other woman. "Neither of you told us much. Just that you were in a commando squadron that was captured."

"Good," Kelvar breathed. "Our mission was to capture Crais and bring him and this hybrid Leviathan back into custody."

"Kelvar!" Stano gasped with shock.

"Like you said, Stano, it doesn't matter now," he silenced her.

Crais sat down opposite of Kelvar. Aeryn sat next to him, her brows knitted with concern. "Go on, Officer Kelvar," Crais encouraged gently. "Tell us the whole story."

Kelvar sneered at Crais. "Admiral Maxa gave us the order personally. We'd heard from Scorpius on your old command carrier that you were responsible for blowing up a Shadow Depository with two squadrons of Peacekeepers inside, and that you were running loose with MilTech's prototype gunship. So, Maxa sent us in to retrieve you. We ran across the Scarrens instead. We were unable to evade their Dreadnought. Our lieutenant was killed in the battle. I don't know what happened to the rest of our squadron. Shann, you saw how they treated us."

"This makes sense," Aeryn agreed. "When your squadron failed to report in, they assumed you were dead. Then they sent the second retrieval squad out with mercenaries, and under the command of someone more expendable. The less Peacekeeper casualties, the better."

"According to our intel, you were supposed to be dead, Officer Sun," Kelvar told her.

"I was. I got better," Aeryn shot back.

"Well, I think it's safe to say that either the Scarrens didn't find out about your mission, or word hadn't reached this part of the Uncharted Territories," Crais observed. Stano looked at him for clarification. "The Scarren dreadnought that attacked us before Crichton detonated the bomb was unaware of Talyn's capabilities. Neither were the Scarrens guarding Stallak."

"They're certainly aware of you now," Linn said.

"Yes, unfortunately." Crais looked at Stano, then back at Kelvar. "There are two possibilities, Officer Kelvar. Either you and Officer Stano return to Peacekeeper High Command and report the truth of what happened here, or..."

"You kill us," Kelvar finished the sentence for him.

"We are not killers," Crais shot back. He suddenly had a vision of Xhalax Sun's face in front of him. "What I was going to say was that we would drop you off at the next commerce planet, and you disappear along with the others."

"And if we do go back and report what happened?" Stano asked.

"You won't be welcomed back," Aeryn interrupted. "You have been in prison for how long? Half a cycle?" Stano nodded. "That's more than enough time to be declared irreversibly contaminated. Even by people who have no ulterior motives," she said as she glared at Crais.

Crais shifted uncomfortably in his chair at the reminder of his rash decision three cycles ago regarding Aeryn. "Aeryn is correct. You may want to reconsider your decision, Kelvar."

Kelvar looked around the room, and finally settled his gaze on Crais as he stood shakily. He jerked his head toward Stano, who stepped over to his side. "Come on, Stano. We need to talk about this in private." He put his arm around his comrade, and they walked haltingly out of the room together.

An uncomfortable silence lingered in the room after they left. Finally, Crais broke the silence by saying, "Well, I suppose that settles it. We will drop everyone off at the next commerce planet, and you can find your ways from there."

Renata reached out and took his hand gingerly. He felt an electric shock go up from his fingertips as she did. He looked down into her warm brown eyes. "It doesn't matter," she told him. "We are all very grateful that you rescued us. Kelvar is still suffering the effects of heat delirium. He'll come to understand once he heals." To his utter shock, she stood on her toes and kissed him on the cheek!

Crais quickly turned away as he felt his ears redden. "I'm glad that you feel that way," he stammered. He didn't quite know what to say.

"Uh," Aeryn jumped in, "why don't Linn and I leave you two alone?" She looked over at his uncle, who was staring out the window. "Right, Father?"

Renata turned toward her old friend in surprise. "Did I hear that correctly?" she asked.

Linn turned back toward the room. "Yes, you did, Renata. With Stark's help, I remembered who I was before the Scarrens tortured me. I discovered that Captain Crais here is my kinsman, my brother's son, and that Aeryn is the daughter that I never knew."

"Oh, my," Renata stammered and sat down abruptly. "Congratulations, Linn. I'm so glad that you found what you were looking for. And it was right here the whole time."

Crais got the distinct impression that Renata wasn't just talking about Linn any more. "Aeryn, why don't you show Crichton's module to your father. Maybe he can make some sense out of it," he suggested. Aeryn cringed, and he immediately regretted asking her.

Linn picked up on his daughter's pain, and steered her out of the room. "Yes, I'd like to see this module of his." Aeryn nodded silently, and they left the room together.

Crais looked at Renata, who was still sitting at the table trying to make sense out of everything. "Renata," he said quietly, "are you leaving as well?"

She looked up at him with a softness in her eyes that hadn't been there in a very long time. "Do you want me to, Bialar?"

"That's up to you. What about your children?"

"They're probably off playing hide-and-seek with the DRDs," she grinned.

He stopped and listened to Talyn for a moment. "Yes, I believe that the are," he replied. "Renata, I know that you and your children will have to leave when we get to the next commerce planet. But I would like it very much if you would stay."

She stood and crossed the room. He met her halfway, and their arms naturally wrapped around each other. He tilted his head down and kissed her. When they finally broke the kiss, Renata chuckled, "I'm so glad that our children like each other." Then, he led her to his bedroom. The bedcover was still turned back from where Kelvar had slept on them earlier, but he didn't care. He and Renata sat on the bed and kissed more passionately. He felt her hands pulling his hair-wrap free, and her fingers combed through his hair. She pushed him down onto the pillows as they fumbled with each other's clothing. To his surprise, he felt Talyn's curiosity in his mind. The young Leviathan had certainly gotten an education in mating rituals from watching Crichton and Aeryn's incessant recreation, but the young ship was feeling something entirely new through Crais. He stopped suddenly as he realized this.

"What's wrong?" Renata asked, frowning with concern.

"Talyn," he answered. "It's like, well, it's hard to explain. The neural link..."

She paused for a moment, and then laughed. "I see," she chuckled deep in her throat. The sound made Crais want her even more. "I conceived two children in a barracks with thirty people. I don't mind a little voyeurism if you don't."

He thought about it. "No, it's just a very strange sensation."

She kissed him again. This time, he didn't fight Talyn's presence in his mind at all as Renata pushed him back down onto the bed and covered him with her slender body.

***

Aeryn led her father to the docking bay, where Furlow's replica of John's module sat. She hadn't been down here since she'd helped him out of it after he destroyed the Dreadnought. As she opened the hangar doors, it sat there, nose facing her, a silent reminder of what she'd lost. She froze as she felt a sharp pain like a kick in the stomach. A strong hand clasped her shoulder.

"You don't have to do this if it's too painful, Aeryn," Linn said quietly.

The tears started to well up in her eyes again. Aeryn brushed them away with the back of her hand and sniffled. "No, I can do this," she replied, reassuring herself more than her father. "I had to face it sooner or later."

They walked together in silence to the front of the module. Linn released his grasp on her shoulder, and started to examine the module closer. Aeryn traced the fuselage with her fingers, popping the canopy as she tried to fight back the tears that were threatening to come. "John designed it himself," she said, her voice quavering. "He was so proud of it..."

Linn looked up from the cockpit controls. "I can understand that. I was willing to die before I'd let my work get into the hands of our enemies."

"But you didn't die. He did," she stammered.

"In a way, I was dead. And besides, his death saved countless lives."

"I don't care!" she screamed. "I don't care if he saved the entire frelling universe, I just want him back!" The tears finally welled up inside her, and she started to cry.

Linn wrapped his arms around her and put her head on his shoulder. "I know, child," he whispered and stroked her hair. She kept crying on her father's shoulder while he held her and rocked her, whispering comforting words.

Finally, the tears stopped coming. Aeryn felt shaky and hollow inside. Her father kissed the top of her head as he released her. "Better?" he asked.

She smiled wanly. "I think so," she nodded.

"Good." He wiped her wet cheek with his hand. "I'm glad that I could help. I've become a bit of an expert in grief over the past thirty cycles," he joked as the left corner of his mouth curled into a half-smile. "Now, do you want to tell me how this thing works? It's primitive, but it shows some real promise. It reminds me of the crop-duster that I first learned to fly in."

Aeryn smiled half-heartedly. Before she could say anything else, Talyn lurched suddenly, then went into starburst. Linn grabbed onto her and hung on for five microts, until the ship emerged into normal space. "Starburst?" she asked as her father regained his equilibrium.

"Is that what that was?" Linn asked. "Why didn't we get any indication?"

"I don't know," Aeryn responded, then hit her comm unit. "Crais, what the frell is going on? Talyn just starburst without warning." Over the link, she could hear Stark stammering in panic, and rolled her eyes in disgust.

"I... I know," Crais said through the commlink. "Stark is screaming his fool head off about it. I, um, don't know how to explain this..." the captain stammered. In the background, Aeryn thought she heard Renata Shann's voice saying something muffled. "No, that's never happened before," Crais told his guest.

"Oh. I think I understand. Sorry to interrupt you," Aeryn smirked, then cut the commlink. Linn looked at her in confusion. "Talyn and Crais are mind-linked. Apparently when Crais recreates, Talyn is along for the, um, ride."

"I see...." her father grinned. "I'm glad that he and Renata found each other. I just hope that the next time they recreate, they leave Talyn out of it. Or at least warn us first."

***

"Children!" Rygel grumbled as one of the little Sebacean brats tugged on his robe. "This is why I never raised any of my offspring!"

"Wygel... up!" The little girl demanded. Her name was Teru, and she was about a cycle or two younger than Rivi, with freshly-scrubbed blonde hair and bright blue eyes.

"Oh, all right," he muttered, then scooted over in his thronesled. The little girl climbed in next to him. When she was settled, he pushed the controller and the sled raised. Teru laughed with delight as they flew around the cargo bay.

"Higher, Wygel!" she ordered. The other four children were chasing one of Talyn's DRDs around the room. He complied, then swooped down over the heads of the other children, causing them all to duck and squeal with glee.

"Look out! Here we go, back up to the ceiling!" he laughed with Teru. Rygel would rather die than admit it, but he was actually enjoying these youngsters. Once they'd gotten over their initial hesitation, they'd become like more normal children very quickly. As much of a curmudgeon as he was, Rygel still felt some sense of satisfaction that he was able to help give these children a life free from slavery and constant fear. He could almost hear Crichton saying, looks like you've finally developed a conscience, Sparky. He snorted at the thought. Dominars can't afford to have consciences, he mused as Teru hugged him, but they can occasionally make their subjects lives easier. "Time to land," he said to Teru as he landed the thronesled on Talyn's deck. "Give someone else a turn."

Teru gave him a quick kiss on the earbrow as she jumped off of the sled. Tanit Shann climbed in next. Of all of the children, Rygel felt the sorriest for Tanit, who had seen his father tortured to death. "Are you ready, Tanit?" Rygel asked. The little boy nodded, then Rygel took off. He zoomed around the cargo bay while Tanit laughed and clapped his hands.

The door to the cargo bay opened, and Kelvar and Stano entered, arguing furiously. The two Peacekeepers ignored the children and crossed over to the far corner of the room. They were so engrossed in their argument that they didn't notice Rygel fly his thronesled over and hover above them, eavesdropping.

"And I'm telling you," Kelvar whispered, "Crais is a traitor, and so is Sun. The other two are escaped prisoners. They have every reason to lie to us. First Command might consider us contaminated, but our positions will improve if we bring them all in alive. Or not."

"But Kelvar, they saved our lives!" Stano retorted. "Not to mention the lives of all of everyone else in the camp! You would have died if you'd been left in the cage another arn."

"So what?"

Stano looked shocked. "I can't believe you're saying this, after all that we've been through! Look, all I'm saying is that we owe Crais and Sun our lives. We don't have to tell High Command everything. Just say that we escaped from the Scarrens, commandeered a ship, and made our way back to Peacekeeper territory. They'll believe us. We're commandos, that's what we're trained to do."

Kelvar hesitated. Before the commando could say anything, the door opened again to admit Renata Shann, who was smiling broadly, but looked somewhat disheveled. She glanced around and saw Rivi and the other children running after the DRD. "Tanit? Dominar Rygel?" she asked. "Where are you?" Rivi stopped dead in her tracks, then scampered over to her mother.

"Mama!" Tanit called out loudly, causing the two commandos to look upward at the noise. "Mama! Wivi! Fwying!"

"Oh, frell," Rygel muttered, upset that he'd been caught listening in on the conversation.

Renata, however, had a different reaction. "Tanit?" she asked with amazement. "Rygel, bring him down, now!" Rygel complied with the mother's order. As he landed, Renata knelt down and pulled her young son into her arms. "Tanit, you spoke!" She looked over at Rygel with gratitude. "Dominar Rygel, I don't know how you did it, but you got him to talk. Thank you!" she whispered as tears rolled down her cheeks. "Oh, my little boy... I'm so happy."

Rygel felt a sharp tug as someone pinched his earbrow hard. He turned around to see Officer Kelvar frowning at him. The man's burns weren't healed yet, but he was still physically threatening. "How much did you hear, Slug?"

"That's no way to talk to someone who just saved your life," Rygel snapped. "I just heard that you want to turn us all in to protect your own career. Know this, Peacekeeper. Twelve arns ago, you were sitting in this thronesled, unconscious and near death, while we carried you from the prison to the transport pod. You owe me, and I never forget a debt. You can pay it back now, or you can have me as an enemy. And believe me, you do not want me as an enemy. The last Peacekeeper I considered an enemy currently has his head on a stick in my quarters." He looked over at Renata, who was hugging her children and crying. "Not only do you owe me, but you owe her for keeping you alive. Think about that before you turn in the person who she finally found happiness with." Kelvar said nothing, but Rygel could tell that he'd reached the Peacekeeper's thick skull. The commando released him, and Rygel hovered out of the room without turning around.

***

After his brief but intense encounter with Renata, Crais felt like he could take on the entire universe and do it with a smile on his face. He was happier than he'd been since Tauvo died. He left his quarters and went to relieve Stark in Command.

The Bannik grinned as Crais entered. "What's our current position, Stark?"

"On the bottom," Stark shot back.

Crais felt his face redden. "Shut up," he snapped.

Stark smirked, but said nothing. The two men worked silently at Talyn's controls for a few microts. "Do you love her?" Stark asked.

The question caught him by surprise. "I don't know," Crais confessed. "It's true, I do care for her and her children and I want them to stay aboard. But they've been through so much already. What I feel for her is irrelevant. It is her decision to make."

"Sudden freedom can be quite jarring," Stark agreed. "After Crichton and Aeryn freed me from Scorpy's Gammak Base, I had to go off by myself to enjoy my freedom."

"I experienced much of the same thing. Not only did I have to figure out what I was now that I was no longer a Peacekeeper Captain, I had the responsibility of Talyn as well." Stark started to reply, but Crais cut him off. "What's that, Talyn?" He turned to Stark. "Check the sensors. Talyn is reading a large metallic object on long-range scans."

Stark peered into the scope with his one eye. "It's not moving. In fact, there's no life signs or energy signatures. It's just dead."

"Is it a ship of some kind? Talyn says that he can't identify it from his database."

He waited as Stark looked further. "I think it's some kind of station," the Bannik guessed. "It's near an asteroid field. Maybe an ore processing station for asteroid mining?"

"Possibly," Crais thought aloud. Something wasn't adding up. "Talyn, approach with caution. Be on alert for any ships in the area. The retrieval squadron caught us by surprise once. I don't want that to happen again." He turned back toward the inter-ship communications. "Aeryn, Rygel, we need you in Command."

"Still no energy signatures or life signs," Stark confirmed. "Talyn is reading some evidence of older battle damage, possibly as old as twenty cycles. There are signs of a large explosion in the lower part of the station."

"Talyn, move us to docking distance. Carefully," Crais reminded the ship. Talyn slowed down and fired his maneuvering thrusters as Aeryn and Rygel arrived in Command.

"What the frell do you want now, Crais?" the Dominar grumbled. "Not that I mind. Those children were getting on my nerves."

"Now you know how the rest of us feel around you," Aeryn fired back. Rygel snorted. Then, both of them noticed the station on the viewscreen. "How did we get here?"

"When Talyn starburst without a vector, he found this abandoned mining station," Crais replied, feeling himself blush under his beard at Talyn's unforeseen reaction.

"Next time, give us some warning before you frell someone," Rygel snapped. "I nearly tossed up one of my stomachs."

Crais gave Rygel an evil look. "Aeryn, Stark, get Stano and one of the techs and suit up. We need to see what's on that station."

Aeryn caught her breath and a stricken look came over her normally stoic face. "Crais, we don't have enough EVA suits for four..."

He knew what she was going to say. She had carefully stored Crichton's EVA suit in his bag after his death. She didn't want to let another person wear it. "Aeryn, we need John's suit. You can return it to safekeeping after we are finished," he told her quietly. Aeryn didn't say anything, just looked at him with pain in her gray eyes and nodded silently.

Stark reached over and touched her shoulder in sympathy. "Come, Aeryn. I need your help to properly put the helmet over my mask." The Bannik gently steered her out of Command without another word.

***

Aeryn didn't want to think about the last time she'd donned an EVA suit. She wanted to block that painful memory from her mind. She focused on the task at hand, which was getting herself, Stark, Stano, and one of the former techs - a slender, dark-haired older man named Zhaled - suited up and over to the ship. Zhaled had been trained in environmentals, and had been captured with several other techs when the Scarrens overran a Peacekeeper base on an asteroid. He also fit into John's EVA suit, Aeryn thought bitterly. Stark, on the other hand, wasn't fairing as well. The few helmets that Crais had managed to steal either didn't fit the Bannik, or limited his vision to the point of making him useless. "I'm sorry, Stark," she apologized as she pulled the last available helmet off of his bald pate. "This isn't working. Take your suit off and go back up to Command. We'll need your experience there."

"It's all right, Aeryn," Stark agreed. "The only Peacekeeper technology I know well is the Aurora Chair." Aeryn closed her eyes and turned away from him as yet another memory of John came flooding back. "I'm sorry," Stark stammered as he saw her pain.

"No, I'm all right," she reassured him. Stark unfastened his suit and stepped out of it silently. He put a gentle, reassuring hand on Aeryn's shoulder and squeezed.

"I thought Stark was going," a now-familiar voice interrupted her. She looked up to see her father entering the airlock.

Aeryn smiled and wiped away the tear that was forming in her eye. "We seem to have a helmet problem, Father. Who else knows anything about environmental controls other than Zhaled?" Stano, who had been in a room with Aeryn and Linn an arn before, paused and stared at the two of them with incomprehension. As her gaze went from Linn to Aeryn, and then back to the old man, a knowing smile crossed her face as she recognized the resemblance.

Linn exchanged looks with Zhaled, who shrugged. "It never came up," the younger man said. "We didn't have much use for environmental systems on Stallak. Although we could have used some cooling systems down there!"

Linn picked up a helmet. "The Scarrens kept me alive because I could fix just about anything. I can certainly give it a try." He smiled at Aeryn as Stark handed him the suit. "Now, how do I put one of these things on again?" he asked.

Getting Linn suited up only took a few more microts. Within a quarter of an arn, Aeryn, Stano, Linn and Zhaled had depressurized the airlock and were crossing over to the derelict station. The door creaked open, revealing a dark airlock. Aeryn and Stano shouldered their pulse rifles and exchanged looks. The two women shone the lights on their pulse rifles into the abandoned station, sweeping the area with their rifles, making sure that nothing lurked in the dark to surprise them. "Crais? Stark?" Aeryn said into her commlink. "Everything's clear so far. We're entering the station."

"Affirmative, Aeryn," Crais' voice came through in her helmet. "Be careful."

She smiled in spite of herself at the tone in his voice sounding so much like John's. "Don't worry. We're being very careful." She nodded at the others, then opened the airlock that led to the inside of the station.

This time, Stano went first, stepping in and sweeping her rifle around the room. Linn and Zhaled followed, and Aeryn covered them from behind. The four of them shone their lights around, trying to see any sign of life, either friend or foe.

They were at an intersection of two corridors. Zhaled moved over to the wall to the right to investigate something further. He shone his light on some writing. "Looks like some kind of writing, probably a control panel. I'm not familiar with the language."

"Can you send a shot of it to Talyn?" Stark asked. "I might be able to identify it."

Zhaled aimed a holographic unit at the writing and held it steady. "Can you see it, Stark?"

"Yes. It appears to be Bannik. It's marking some kind of steam pipe. If this is a Bannik station, I may be able to direct you around."

"Good," Aeryn agreed. "Let's split up. Stano, you and Zhaled try to find the environmental systems. Linn and I will head to Command. Everyone keep your comms open."

"Got it," Stano agreed. She nodded once to Zhaled, and led him down the right corridor.

Aeryn watched them go with some concern. She felt a gloved hand on her shoulder, and turned to see Linn looking at her through his helmet. "The more I get to know Stano, the more I liked her," she admitted. "She's smart, efficient, and has enough grasp of reality to know that going back to the Peacekeepers isn't an option. If things had been different, we'd probably be serving together in a commando unit."

"Do you regret what happened?" Linn asked as they walked down the hall.

Aeryn swept the corridor with her rifle. "I used to. Every frelling day that I'd wake up in my quarters on Moya, I'd think about what I'd be doing if I was still a Peacekeeper. But after a few weekens, that stopped. Now I can't even conceive of going back."

Linn aimed his flashlight at another panel of unidentified writing. "Try this door," he suggested. "It might be the Command area."

She wedged her fingers in the crack of the door and tried it. It creaked open enough to see inside. Aeryn and Linn shone their lights inside. The number of dark buttons and screens along the walls told them that this was their goal. About twenty corpses, perfectly preserved in the airless compartment, floated freely around the room. They all wore metal half-masks similar to Stark's. Aeryn exchanged a look with her father, and they shouldered the door open wider. "Crais? Stark?" she said into the commlink.

"What is it, Aeryn?" Crais answered.

"We've found some of the former occupants of the station. They appear to be Banniks, all dead. From what we can tell, they all gathered in the Command area, then suffocated when the air ran out." She heard Stark mutter something under his breath. "I'm sorry, Stark."

"It's all right, Aeryn," he replied. "Their souls have been gone for a long time."

"About twenty cycles, by the looks of it," Linn agreed. "I was right, this is the Command deck." He shone his light around, and various colored buttons glittered in the beam. "Although we won't get anything functioning without power."

"Right," Aeryn agreed. "Stano, Zhaled? Have you found the power core yet?"

Stano's voice echoed in her helmet. "We've just reached it. Zhaled's attempting a cold restart now. We found some bodies down here, too. Looks like the power core took a hit and the failsafe shut it down. They were attempting to restart it, but didn't make it in time."

A thought was nibbling at the back of Aeryn's mind. Something that John had once said about Talyn's power core. "Crais?" she asked through the commlink. "If we connected Talyn to this station, could he possibly give the environmentals enough power to start up?"

She overheard Crais asking Talyn's opinion through their neural link. "Talyn feels that he could give the station a power boost without compromising his systems."

A gloved hand clapped her on the shoulder. She turned to see a huge smile of pride through the clear portion of Linn's helmet. "Good idea," he chuckled. "That's my girl."

The praise made her feel uncomfortable. "Let's see if we can't find out what happened here while Crais and the others hook up Talyn."

The whole process took approximately an arn to complete. Zhaled and Stano had successfully connected Talyn's umbilical to the station's power supply, and they were able to transfer enough power to give Aeryn and Linn some rudimentary control. The two of them were able to bring enough systems on line to discover that the station was a fully self-sufficient ore processing center, complete with hydroponics systems for food and oxygen production. It normally housed approximately twenty workers, plus five Command staff.

As Aeryn was taking inventory of the weapons systems, Linn's voice came over her commlink. "I've found the station logs," he announced. "Loading in the last entry now."

The image of a female Bannik - a woman with a round face partially hidden by a mask, her drab brown hair pulled back into a ponytail - came on the screen. "This is Shalla, the head mechanic of the Meltana Processing Facility," the woman said. "We have been attacked by the Zenetan Pirates, who are after our supply of froonium. We have initiated our distress beacon, but the nearest Peacekeeper unit is too far away. If you receive this distress beacon, please be warned. Banniks are a peaceful race and have no quarrel with the Zenetans." An explosion lit up the screen behind Shalla. "Please, help us!" she pleaded as she turned to witness the carnage. Then the screen went blank.

"Well, I guess that answers that question," Aeryn commented.

Linn didn't respond at first. He was examining the schematics of the station on a panel across the Command deck. "Did you say something, Aeryn?" he asked without turning away.

"I was just saying that we know what happened to the Banniks. What are you thinking?"

"I'm wondering if this station could be repaired with a complement of, oh, twenty-five adults and five children. Give or take a few." Father and daughter exchanged a knowing smile. "It would certainly solve the problem of how to feed and house thirty people."

Aeryn carefully studied the rising power meters. Zhaled and Stano were doing a good job of getting the station running. "If we can get the environmentals on line, would everyone consent to stay here?"

"We will have to ask them," Linn answered. As if in response, the command center lit up. The floating debris dropped to the deck as the artificial gravity came on line. "Aha!" the old man grinned. "I see that Zhaled hasn't lost his touch."

Father and daughter worked together for the better part of an arn. Finally, the air had circulated enough that they could remove their helmets. Aeryn popped hers off and took a small breath of the stale air. The station was still cold, but the air was at least breathable.

"Aeryn," Crais said through her comms. His voice was heavy with concern. "Talyn is picking up another ship on his long-range scans. He's not sure, but it might be Scarren."

"Frell," she said under her breath. "It didn't take them long to come looking for us." She exchanged a look with Linn, then answered Crais. "Understood. I'll notify Zhaled and Stano, and be back aboard in 100 microts."

The boarding party returned to Talyn quickly, and summoned all of the rescued prisoners to Talyn's docking bay, the only place that would hold all of them. Aeryn, Crais, and Stark also stood by and listened, while Rygel hovered in his thronesled. As Aeryn watched Linn explaining the situation to his people, she considered how much her father would have liked John. Both men were technically gifted, and had made the best of a bad situation that was not their doing. If John hadn't blundered into my life, I probably would have been just like my mother, she thought. The sound of multiple voices all talking at once jarred her out of her thoughts.

"But what if the station is attacked again?" Renata Shann asked, holding her two children close. "Will we have the means to defend ourselves?"

"As far as I could tell," Stano answered, "the station's defense system will require some repairs, but it's in decent enough condition. We could have it up and running in a few weekens." The other former prisoners exchanged wary looks and whispers.

"Either way, it's better than being cramped on this relatively small, but powerful, Leviathan," another man grumbled. "No offense, Captain Crais."

Crais nodded regally. "None taken," he smiled. "Talyn is, admittedly, straining to accommodate all of you. We wish that we could be your new home, but that is out of the question at this point in Talyn's growth."

Linn gestured for everyone to become silent. "My friends, I understand your concern. But know this. Most of us have spent our lives taking orders, first from the Peacekeepers, then from our Scarren jailers. Even though I've discovered something that I thought I'd lost during this short time we've been aboard Talyn," he glanced over at Aeryn and Crais, "I do not want to take orders from anyone again. Here, we would be part of a crew under Crais' command."

"Aren't you commanding us to go over to this abandoned station?" Kelvar interrupted.

Linn smiled sheepishly back at the young commando. "On the contrary, Officer Kelvar. I'm asking everyone to vote. Children included." The escaped prisoners exchanged confused looks. "All in favor of inhabiting the abandoned mining station, raise your hand."

The first hand raised belonged to Rivi Shann, followed by Officer Stano and Zhaled the tech. One by one, the other Peacekeepers raised their hands, until there were two left - Kelvar, and Renata Shann. Renata cast a questioning look over at Crais, to ask what she should do. He hesitated, closed his eyes, then nodded slowly. Aeryn put a comforting hand on his arm, and he covered her hand with his. Then Renata reluctantly raised her hand.

Kelvar looked around at his comrades. "I think you're all frelling insane," he muttered.

"We probably are," Linn chuckled. "If you want to take the chance that you will go back and regain your honor, I am sure that Captain Crais could drop you off at the next commerce planet, Officer Kelvar."

Kelvar hesitated, then looked over at Crais and Rygel, then to Renata and Stano. "I'm sorry, Stano, but I'm going to take Crais up on his offer." He looked over at Crais. "Drop me off at the next Commerce Planet. I'm going back."

"Kelvar!" Stano cried out. "You can't! You know what will happen!"

"I'm sorry. But I'm a Peacekeeper. I have a duty to report back to my superiors no matter what. If they declare me contaminated, then I'll go from there."

Aeryn exchanged looks with Crais, then spoke up. "I think you're making a mistake," she advised. "Take it from someone who has been there. There is no going back."

The commando looked her in the eye. "Then that's a chance I'll have to take."

***

An arn later, the transfer of the refugees was proceeding smoothly. Rygel and Crais were helping move people through Talyn's narrow airlock with the station. Aeryn and Stark were on the station, taking care of the dead Banniks. They had gathered all of the bodies into the station's power core. Stark prayed over each of them individually before they put the frozen body into the power core to cremate it. Aeryn observed Stark closely and with some curiosity.

"John told me one time about the Human version of the afterlife," she said as Stark took a break. "Do you think that he's there?"

"Undoubtably," Stark replied. "Each being's soul moves on after death to a different plane of existence."

"Peacekeepers don't believe in an afterlife," she told him. "But when I died myself, I found out that wasn't true. When we were trapped in that siren star, that woman, Sierjna, was..."

"A disembodied spirit," Stark finished her words for her. "I don't know how long she was trapped between life and death."

Aeryn thought for a moment. "So, it's possible to communicate with someone who has died? Under the right circumstances?"

Stark regarded her. "I know of a way. But you don't want to do this, Aeryn. Don't torture yourself like that."

Aeryn regarded him coldly. "That's my choice to make, Stark," she said quietly. "Just show me how to do it."

"I know of a planet. It's called Valldon. I think it's close to here." he replied, then leaned in closer. "But you really don't want to go there, Aeryn. It's full of charlatans and cheats."

"Well, I can certainly see why you'd know about it, then.," Aeryn shot back.

Stark looked insulted. His one eye narrowed dangerously as he lifted the remains of a Bannik female into the power core. "Aeryn, you do not want to go to that planet. Trust me." They continued working together in silence until all of the corpses were destroyed. Stark waved her off, and stood before the power core alone. Aeryn turned and left him to his prayers, and crossed back over to Talyn.

Most of the refugees had cleared out of Talyn's docking bay. Only Linn, Stano, and Renata and her children remained on board with Crais and Rygel. Aeryn looked over at Crais briefly, then crossed the deck to her father. Linn opened his arms and enfolded her tightly. "My beautiful Aeryn," he whispered into her ear.

Aeryn felt the hot tears starting to fill her eyes yet again, the way they had so many times this horrible weeken. "Father," she began, "I wish that you would stay with us. We could use your help. And Crais and I are your family."

He kissed her forehead gently. "I'm sorry, Aeryn, but you don't need me. I have another family, one that needs me more than you and Bialar do."

She smiled through her tears. "I remember saying something similar to your namesake a few monens ago," she observed. "I suppose that my words are coming back to haunt me."

"Because they were true for you. And for me," Linn explained. "But always remember that I love you, no matter what happens. You, Bialar, and your shipmates have given me more than I could have ever hoped for. You freed me and the others, and you've given me back my life. I can never repay you for what you've done for us."

"You may be able to," Crais interrupted them. "Make this group prosper."

"I will," Linn replied and the two kinsmen clasped forearms. "Take care of your cousin, Bialar. And this wonderful ship."

Crais laughed. "I can easily promise that, Uncle."

Linn embraced Aeryn once more, then made his way down the docking umbilical to the station. On his way, he passed Stark, who was returning to Talyn. "My friend," he said to the Bannik and clasped his shoulder, "you have given me my life back. I cannot thank you enough for what you've done."

"I was glad to help," Stark replied. Linn embraced the younger man, and whispered something in his good ear. "I will, Linn," Stark said gravely. "I promise."

"Thank you," he replied. Then, Linn turned around and waved goodbye. Aeryn waved back. "Contact us soon," he said, then turned and walked into the airlock to the station.

Meanwhile, Crais and Rygel were saying their own goodbyes. Lexi Stano saluted Crais formally, then bent over and shook Rygel's hand. "Thank you again for saving us," she said to them. "I know that I was sent to capture you, but I owe you my life."

"And so do I," came a familiar voice from behind them. Crais and Rygel turned suddenly to see Kelvar standing in the doorway to the docking bay. Rygel's jaw dropped open in shock. Kelvar looked over at Aeryn and nodded. "I thought about what you said, Officer Sun, about being declared contaminated." Aeryn shot a quick look at Crais as Kelvar continued. "I realized that you were right, there would be no going back. Besides, I've found something with these people that I can't explain, but I like. I've come to depend on them, and to care deeply for at least one of them," he looked over at Stano.

Stano broke into a broad grin and pulled her comrade into an embrace. Kelvar winced as she touched his still-burned skin, and she backed off. "I'm glad, Kelvar," she whispered. "I know you've made the right decision."

Kelvar then turned to Crais and extended his hand. "I misjudged you, Captain," he said as Crais shook his hand. "I thought that you were a traitor to everything we had been taught as Peacekeepers. But, you put your life and the lives of your crew on the line for these refugees that you didn't know and had no business caring about. High Command, had they cared to rescue us, would have declared us contaminated and executed us. I realized that this community of refugees is living what we should have been all along."

"Thank you for the complement, Officer Kelvar," Crais grasped Kelvar's forearm and they shook arms like brothers. "Take care of these people, both of you. They're very fortunate to have you."

"I will, sir," Kelvar replied. He released Crais, then he and Stano saluted the Captain, turned, and walked across to the station.

That left only three refugees left. Rivi and Tanit slipped from Renata's grasp and ran over to embrace Rygel. "Goodbye, Rygel!" Rivi cried out. "I'll miss you."

"Me too," Tanit stammered.

To everyone's surprise, Rygel started crying. "I'll miss you too," he blubbered. "You listen to your Mother, all right?"

"We will," Rivi smiled and kissed Rygel on the cheek. "I love you, Rygel."

Renata, however, was kissing Crais in a very different way. When their lips separated, she looked into Crais' dark eyes. "Take care of yourself, Bialar," she whispered. "I want to see you back here soon."

"I will," he replied and kissed her on the forehead. "Good health to you, Renata."

"And to you and Talyn," she said. She turned around, and her children ran to her. She picked up Tanit, and took Rivi by the hand. As they walked toward the airlock, she stopped in front of Aeryn. "Remember what I said, Aeryn. Give yourself time to grieve, then move on with your life. Time will heal your loss." Aeryn didn't say anything, but nodded in response. Renata turned one more time to look back at Crais, then led Rivi through the airlock. As they passed through, the pressure seal on the station shut with a hiss.

"Talyn, seal the airlock," Crais ordered. The ship responded by closing the door. "Commence undocking." Aeryn, Stark, and Crais held on as Talyn eased himself away from the station. He touched the back of his neck. "Talyn says that we're getting a message from the station. Go ahead."

The audio came across the internal comms system. It was Linn. "Good health to all of you," he said. "We'll be waiting for your return. Thank you again for the most precious gift of all - our freedom. Linn out."

***

Aeryn joined the others on Talyn's command deck as they watched the station grow fainter, until it appeared to be just another point of light in the blackness of space. She turned to Stark. "What was the name of that planet that you told me about?" she asked.

"Valldon. But, really, Aeryn, this isn't a good idea," he begged.

"Do you know the coordinates?"

Stark hesitated and looked over at Crais, who nodded slowly. "Yes."

"Good. Take me there and drop me off. I won't be coming back."

"Aeryn!" all three of her companions said at once.

"Don't argue with me!" she snapped. "Just do it. I'll be in my quarters. Let me know when we arrive." With a last look at Crais, she spun on her heel and walked out. When she reached her quarters, the room that she used to share with John, she locked the door and engaged privacy mode. When she raised the lights, she got a surprise. John's EVA suit, the one that Linn had also worn, was laying across the beds, which were pushed back together. Her father had left her that one last gift. The tears came again, and she didn't fight them this time. She lay down on the bed and pulled the EVA suit close to he, and cried herself to sleep.