Title: Mr. Crichton Goes to Washington
Author: DOKChairman
Time/Spoilers: This takes place three monens after the end of Rystal.
Disclaimer: Farscape is the property of The Jim Henson Company, Rockne S. O'Bannon, the SCI-FI Channel (even though they don't deserve it), Hallmark Entertainment, and Nine Network Australia. The only thing that belongs to me is my original story and my original characters.
Author's Note: Thanks for the encouraging feedback. I too think this story has the potential to be better than Rystal. I just hope I can deliver.
Author's Note #2: It should be known that the idea for this story came long before the new episodes for Farscape started airing. I originally envisioned the plot for this story way back when I was still writing Rystal, long before any spoilers, news, or any other sources said that John would be going back to Earth. Any similarities between this story and the current story on the show are merely coincidences. I swear.
Chapter 2: Dream a Little Dream
Takes place two solar days after the events in The Calm Before the Storm:
Warmaster K'rilla Ta'vor leaned forward to better admire the utter devastation his battle group had wreaked on the Peacekeeper fleet protecting the small observation post on the third moon of the planet Draylor. Ta'vor growled low in his throat and transformed is reptilian like mouth into a macabre smile. Three heavy assault cruisers was all the resistance the Peacekeepers could provide.
It was pathetic really. The once mighty Peacekeepers could not even adequately defend their own installations. If Ta'vor was as concerned with glory as some of his fellow comrades, he would have been insulted by the Peacekeepers' display. To think that he, Warmaster K'rilla Ta'vor, the warrior chosen personally by the Scarren Clans to lead the fight against the Peacekeepers, only warranted three cruisers was an insult to him, to his family, and to the Scarren Empire. The Peacekeepers should have arrayed an entire battle fleet against him. That would have been a worthy adversary for someone of his status.
He would have utterly destroyed them of course, but at least then, it would have been a victory he could glorify in. Instead, the field of debris floating in front of his dreadnought had been nothing but an annoyance. A necessary annoyance to be sure, but an annoyance nonetheless. Once the observation post was destroyed, the Peacekeepers would have a blind spot covering over 1 million metras of the Rotarian Sector. The Scarrens would have free reign to move ships, troops, and supplies into Peacekeeper controlled space.
It really was an important strategic victory, but it did little to sate Ta'vor's bloodlust. He may not be as vain as most Scarren warmasters, but he had the same desires. The thrill of victory and the knowledge he had furthered the cause of the Scarren race were the motivations all Scarrens ascribed too.
Ta'vor let out one last growl of satisfaction and turned away from the viewing window. Unfolding his large body, Ta'vor stood up from his command chair and walked over to the weapons and tactical station of his bridge.
A rather young Scarren Leftic, Ta'vor knew he had served in only two battle campaigns, was currently in command of the station. He was young, but he was descended from a well respected clan and had great potential.
In his low, lisping voice, Ta'vor barked out, "Status?"
The Leftic lowered his head in the proper gesture of respect and said in a deferential tone, "The weapons are fully charged and await your command to fire Warmaster."
"Good. Target their primary facility and fire all krellin cannons," Ta'vor ordered.
The young Scarren nodded his head perfunctorily, and turned back to bark out orders to the five Scarrens under his command. Ta'vor turned back to face the viewing window and saw the slightly orange tinted moon float into view.
A small whine suddenly sounded, and the deck of the dreadnought vibrated softly. Ta'vor bared his large teeth as he saw ten arcs of deadly pulse fire head directly for the surface of the moon. Ten microts later, Ta'vor growled satisfactorily at the resulting explosion. The main facility of the Peacekeeper observation post was gone.
Ta'vor walked back to his command chair, feeling the ship vibrate again. Ten more fiery streaks could be seen heading down to the moon. Ten microts later, Ta'vor could see several smaller explosions dot the surface of the orange moon. Ta'vor exhaled loudly, in the Scarren version of a sigh, and sat back down. It was all too easy.
John sat down heavily in one of the few chairs placed sparsely around the Kraylor's operations room and wearily rubbed his eyes. He had been up for two days straight, and it looked like he was about to extend that streak to three. If not for the occasional trip to the galley or to the bathroom, John would have never left the operations room in the last two days..
There was simply too much to do. Forces had to be activated and coordinated, data needed to be analyzed, and decisions needed to be made. To sleep would waste time Rotar didn't have. It would waste time John didn't have.
It would be nice though, John had no trouble admitting, to just catch a few winks. To just close his eyes, even if it was only for a quarter of an arn. And before John knew it, he did just that.
John felt someone gently nudge his shoulders, and he jerked awake violently. Through the haze of waking up, John saw Aeryn leap back in surprise. She tried to hold back a laugh, but she only succeeded for about two microts. To John's displeasure, Aeryn laughed heartily at his reaction.
Aeryn teased him, "Do all humans wake up like that? Or is that just a John Crichton thing?"
John frowned and said, "Ha ha ha, let's laugh at the poor, sleep deprived Earthling." John then stood up and stretched the kinks out of his sore muscles. It had not been smart falling asleep in that chair. "Let's see how you like it when you have to go without sleep for a few days."
Aeryn grinned and said, "I used to be a Peacekeeper John. We're trained to go without sleep for days without it affecting us."
John frowned in response. Somewhat bitterly he said, "Yeah, well us deficient humans need sleep to function properly. Speaking of which, why the frell did you wake me up?"
Aeryn looked at John sympathetically and said, "I'm sorry John. I wanted to let you sleep, but Lorana insisted you see the latest reports on the Scarrens. It seems they took out a small, but important Peacekeeper base about an arn ago."
John groaned dramatically. "It's a conspiracy, I tell ya. Damn Jurassic Park rejects are trying to ruin my life. It's like every time I get a chance to sleep, they do something. How do they know?"
Aeryn placed her hand on John's shoulder in mock sympathy, "I think you're right. This whole invasion is all one big plot to ruin your sleep cycle. The Scarrens must have a spy on board that tells them whenever you try to sleep."
John laughed and then grinned for the first time since waking up. "I think you may be right Aeryn. I'm gonna get Juli to start looking for spies right now."
To Aeryn's surprise, John wasn't kidding. Shouting across the room to where Juli was currently talking to Lieutenant Vin, he said, "Hey Juli! Come here! I got a job for you."
Aeryn looked at John bewilderedly and then smiled at his boyish attitude. Despite his claims to the contrary, he seemed to be functioning just fine.
Juli broke off her conversation with the Kraylor's tactical officer and walked briskly towards them. "Yes, John?"
John grinned widely. "Aeryn tells me that she thinks there are Scarren spies on board. She wanted to tell you but she was too embarrassed to say anything." John then leaned closer and whispered conspiratorially, "I think she's afraid you'll think she's nuts."
John moved back to his previous spot and glanced over at Aeryn. He couldn't help but laugh when he saw the shocked look on her face. Coming out of her daze, Aeryn smacked John on the arm and said, "You-you liar! I did not say that."
John started laughing loudly, and after seeing the expression on Aeryn's face, Juli started laughing as well. Aeryn's facial expression went from surprise to consternation. She repeated, "I did not say that." Aeryn was about to leave the two in a huff when she saw the sparkle in John's eye.
Realization dawned on her and she smacked John again. While he was rubbing his arm, she said, "Ok, I get it John. We're even now for me waking you up. You can shut up now."
John merely grinned and said to Juli, "I was just yankin' Aeryn's chain. No need to go huntin' Scarrens."
Juli snorted at the obvious comment and just shook her head at John's attitude. A thoughtful look came over Juli's face and she remarked, "Actually John, it may not be such a bad idea to do a little checking of the crew."
John's face grew anxious and he asked, "Is that really necessary? I was only joking. I don't really think there are any Scarren spies on board."
Juli shrugged her shoulders. "Neither do I John, but Scarren spies are not the ones I'm worried about. I know that Lorana claims everyone in her crew is loyal to you and the Rystalva, but I find it very hard to believe that none of them still feel loyal to the Peacekeepers. I think it would be a mistake to follow that assumption."
"Juli's right John. There are thousands of former Peacekeepers aboard this ship. At least one of them has to feel that what we're doing here is not right. And it only takes one to be a disruption," Aeryn added helpfully.
John sighed and rubbed his hand across his face wearily. "Fine. Do what you think needs to be done. But I don't want a Spanish Inquisition, ok? Keep it simple and low profile."
Both Juli and Aeryn had no idea what a Spanish Inquisition was and so Aeryn asked haltingly, "Span-–ish In-–qui-sition?" Aeryn had to form the strange words carefully.
John groaned in frustration and explained, "A few hundred years, uh...cycles, ago back on Earth, the Catholic Church in Spain decided that all people who didn't believe what they told them to believe were bad and deserved to die. So they rounded up anybody who they suspected of being a heretic, and killed them. It was just an excuse for the Church to get more power. I don't want that here. Before you do anything to anybody, I want to see irrefutable proof that they're guilty of what you say they're guilty of."
Juli looked offended. "Of course John. I am not some Peacekeeper who decides the fates of others on a whim. If I accuse someone of being a spy, then they are a spy. I do not make mistakes."
"I know you don't Juli. Just be careful ok?"
"Of course John." Juli paused and then added, "Actually, I should have done this monens ago when we first broke away from the Peacekeepers. If there is a spy or spies on board, there's no telling how much damage they have caused since then."
Aeryn said to Juli, "I'd be more than happy to help. This planning and thinking is making me feel restless. I could use a little action or else I'll go farbot."
Juli smiled brightly at Aeryn. "Great! I could use your help." Her smile dimmed somewhat and she added, "Unfortunately, we'll have to wait to get started until tomorrow. I still have to discuss our operational readiness with Lieutenant Vin, go over our security preparations both here and down on the planet, and a council of the Primes has been called for later today."
John perked up at that. In surprise he belted out, "What? When? I didn't order that."
In a reasonable tone Juli responded, "I know John. Toben ordered it after hearing about the Scarrens latest attacks. You were unavailable and he didn't think you would mind."
John calmed noticeably and said quietly, "Not really. It just caught me by surprise, that's all."
Juli nodded her head, but didn't say anything. John sighed and said, "Tell Toben to go ahead. And you go do what you have to do too. I think I'm going to head to my quarters and take a shower. Try to wash these cobwebs out of my head."
Juli recognized John's word as a dismissal and walked back to resume her conversation with Lieutenant Vin. Aeryn looked like she was going to leave as well, when John cocked his head to the side and looked at Aeryn with a secret smile on his face. "Wanna come?"
Aeryn glared at John and spoke in a brusque tone. "I am not going to shower with you John."
John looked at Aeryn in mock surprise and said, "Who said anything about showering with me? I just wanted you to walk me to my quarters so that I could talk to you. Sheesh! Get your mind out of the gutter Aeryn."
Aeryn blushed scarlet and said flusteredly, "I-I-I thought you meant..." Aeryn then saw a wide smile form on John's face and she growled at him, "Oh frell you!"
John laughed and started to walk toward the door leading out of the operations room. Over his shoulder he shouted, "That's the idea Aeryn!"
He then turned his head back around and sauntered cockily out the door. If he had turned around he would have seen the even bigger blush creep over Aeryn's features.
John walked down the passageways of the command carrier with a spring in his step and a jaunty tune on his lips. "When Johnny comes marching home again, Hurrah! Hurrah!" He repeated the line as he continued on his way to his quarters. Despite his previous claims to the contrary, he really did feel rejuvenated. That little catnap had done wonders for his energy level. He was really only taking the shower because he needed one, not because he expected it to wake him up.
He had learned long ago, even before the war had broken out on Rystal, to adjust his sleep cycle so that he could reap the maximum benefits with minimum effort. Sure he loved to sleep, who didn't, but he didn't need it as much as he used to. The Uncharted Territories made sure of that.
John grinned when he saw the weird looks on two crewmen's faces when he passed them on the way to his quarters. So what if he was singing quietly to himself. Did that make him crazy? Of course not. That just made him John Crichton.
John grinned even wider when he heard the sudden appearance of heavy footfalls walking next to him. John looked over to the newcomer and flashed him a wild grin. John slapped the leather clad being on the back and said enthusiastically, "Harvey! So good to see you man. I was wonderin' when you were going to show up."
The two stopped at a lift and waited for the elevator like transport to arrive. Harvey said disdainfully, "I would have arrived sooner, but as usual, you had to participate in that useless banter with Officer Sun."
John stepped into the lift and Harvey followed him in. The lift closed and with a lurch took off in the direction of John's private quarters. John turned around to face Harvey and said, "Useless to you maybe, but us normal folks actually communicate through methods other than crazy voices in their heads."
Harvey snorted. "Honestly John, I don't know why you waste your time with her. It has been more than three cycles and you have yet to connect on any meaningful level with her."
John grinned and said, "Two words Harv. Leather pants."
The lift stopped and John walked out the open door. Harvey frowned at John's response and followed him out. John sobered slightly and said, "Seriously though, if it wasn't for Aeryn I'd be rotting in some Peacekeeper prison or end up some vegetable drooling all over myself."
Harvey pointed out, "If it wasn't for her, I wouldn't be in your head to begin with."
John shrugged his shoulders. "Who knows? Maybe you would have, maybe not. Either way, it doesn't matter. While I regret what happened, I'll never regret saving her life. She means more to me than anything."
"Then why do you refuse to accept her. She obviously wants to join in a relationship with you but you constantly rebuff her. You are a very confusing individual, John."
John laughed and said incredulously, "Harv, are you trying to give me relationship advice?" Harvey didn't respond. John continued, "My relationship with Aeryn is...complicated and lets leave it at that."
The two finally reached John's quarters and John turned to face Harvey. "All right Harv, this is where you get off the John Crichton Express." Harvey started protesting but John just ignored him. John punched in the code to his room and opened the door. Before the door could close he shouted out to Harvey, "Call me! We'll do lunch!" The door then closed and John moved further into his spacious quarters.
John smiled when he stopped to do a quick once over of his quarters. There were some benefits to being the man in charge, and the most spacious, not to mention luxurious (by Peacekeeper standards of course), private quarters on the ship were one of those benefits.
Obviously, Peacekeepers were not known for their decorating prowess, but John had brought enough of his own belongings from Moya to at least dull the stark image created by the room's bleak black and red color tones. It would never be as personal as his own home on Earth, or as homey as his cell on Moya, but it would do for what he needed it to be. A place to sleep, and on the rare occasion where he had enough time, to live in.
John's smile faltered slightly after that thought, but quickly shook it off. Optimism was John's watchword of the day. As long as he didn't let things bother him, they would stop having power over him. Yep, hope was what John clung too. Everyday he lost more of it, and everyday he clung to what he had left like a thirsty man clinging to his last cup of water.
John began taking off his clothes as he walked to the shower unit in the rear of his quarters. As he did, he walked past a table that was glowing a bright white. John continued walking, and then suddenly stopped, turning back around to stare at the table. What the hell!? Tables are not supposed to glow, John thought.
John spoke out loud, "Am I going nuts or is that table glowing?"
D'argo, who was sitting in a chair sharpening his Qualta blade, said eagerly, "Do you want me to kill it? I can kill it if you want."
John looked at D'argo like he was insane. Kill a table? Not even I'm that crazy John thought humorously. John started to respond but Pilot cut him off. "Maybe its trying to communicate with you. Perhaps you should talk to it Commander Crichton."
John spun around and shot Pilot an incredulous look. "It's a freakin table! How the hell am I suppose to talk to a table?"
Pilot attempted to perform a shrug, moving his four arms in a upward motion, but all he managed to accomplish was knocking a lamp over. John laughed at seeing Pilot trying to do a human gesture, and wondered how in the hell he had missed his massive frame until now.
John turned away from Pilot to face Chiana who was lying suggestively on a couch. John raised his eyebrows and Chiana smiled at him and then shifted her position on his couch-like furniture. With her usual feline grace, Chiana contorted her body into a shape that boggled John's mind. John shook his head at the sight and refocused back on the glowing table.
Stark, who was pacing nervously in front of the door, said in a high pitched, agitated tone, "We should leave it alone! Don't know what it does." He then began mumbling over and over again, "We should run. We should run. We..."
After Stark repeated his crazed litany for the fourth time, John tuned him out. Running would prevent him from figuring out what was going on. John's curiosity was getting the better of him and he really wanted to know why the table was glowing. He just felt like it was really important that he knew, and the closer he got, the more intense that feeling became.
He took a couple hesitant steps forward, and the light grew in intensity. It was almost reaching the point where it would blind John if he stared at it for too long. John stopped his advance and asked for the opinion of the last occupant of the room he had yet to talk to. "Yo Buckwheat! What do you think I should do?"
Rygel voiced his thoughts, despite the fact that he was rapidly stuffing as many marjoules into his mouth as possible. "As dominar of over 600 billion subjects, I feel I am uniquely qualified to answer your question. I suggest you stop worrying about the frelling table and get me more marjoules!"
John said sarcastically, "Thanks for the advice Sparky." John glanced at each of the five aliens, trying to decide which one had made the best argument. Deciding that all five didn't know what the hell they were talking about, John shrugged his shoulders and took off his shirt. Using the shirt as a primitive shield, John carefully moved closer to table.
Like before, the light grew in intensity the closer John got. As John moved closer, he heard Chiana say, "You know John, that table looks like a good place to frell. Maybe you and I could...?"
John cut her off, "Not now Pip!"
John was almost within reach of the glowing table when D'argo's large Qualta blade came slicing through the air and impacted into the table. John yelped in surprise, the blade had come perilously close to taking off his arm as well as the table, and scrambled away from D'argo. Once he had settled into his new spot, he noticed that whatever D'argo had done had extinguished the light.
D'argo dug his blade out of the wood and smiled proudly at John. "See, I killed it. No more table, no more light." D'argo's proud smile changed into a smug one and he said, "I told you I could kill it."
John just stared at D'argo in disbelief and then collapsed to his knees and began frantically searching through the debris of the destroyed table. He had to find the thing that made the table glow. John knew that tables just didn't start glowing on their own, so he knew something else must have been causing the light show.
After a few tension filled microts, John's hands came into contact with something cold and metallic. Grasping the spherical object in his right hand firmly, John pulled his hand out of the debris and yelled, "Eureka!"
John looked up to notice that Stark, Rygel, Chiana, and D'argo were all gathered around him and were all staring intently at the object in John's hand. John wondered where Pilot was and scanned the room. To John's surprise, Pilot was gone. Oh well, John thought, he was destroying my room anyways.
John's attentions turned back to the metal tube in his hand and everything else around him faded away. The tube started glowing white and John's eyes glazed over.
John felt himself floating for several microts, and soon thereafter found himself landing, hard, in a grassy meadow. John groaned and picked himself off the ground. As he was wiping the grass and dirt off his clothes, he remembered that he still had the metallic tube that he had picked up back in his quarters.
Speaking of which, John thought apprehensively, where the hell are they? One microt he had been crouching in front of a broken table in his quarters with his friends standing around him, and the next he was in a meadow. A meadow that looked distinctly familiar, like John had seen it before.
That was when the memories came rushing back and John remembered why the meadow he was standing in looked so familiar. It was a meadow he had visited quite a few times during his childhood. Whenever John and his father would go up to their cabin in Maine, they would always drive past a large, green meadow surrounded by large pines. The meadow had been rather famous because of its appeal to some of the local wild life. John remembered that deer liked to frequent the large meadow, and if one was careful, you could stay on the outskirts of the meadow and watch the deer for hours without them ever knowing you were there.
John hadn't been that interested in deer back then, preferring to focus more on astronomy, fishing, and the occasional girl (He had always had a healthy interest in the opposite sex even at such a young age), but he had stopped every once in a while to watch the deer. John had always found them to be fascinating, in a naturally simple kind of way. The deer didn't have to worry about whether or not their father would miss their birthday, or whether or not they got straight A's in the fifth grade. They didn't have to worry about anything except surviving. A rather simple existence.
The meadow brought up memories of his father, and John once again felt the desire to go home. Just once, just to see his father one more time.
The sound of a snapping twig brought John's head up in sudden alarm. He had thought he was alone. Quickly searching the area around him, his eyes landed on the form of a man walking towards him. Surrounding the man was a bright light, covering his face and nearly blinding John with its intensity. John brought his hands up to shield his face and he could hear the man come closer.
John parted his fingers slightly to see the man's feet stop no more than three feet away from him. Gradually the light died down enough so that John could finally see again. Light still covered the man from the shoulders on up, but John thought the man looked familiar. John moved his hands down to his side, his right automatically going to Winona in his holster. To his dismay, Winona was nowhere to be found.
The man noticed John's actions and spoke in his distinct voice, one John recognized instantly. "You do not need your weapon, John."
Hope and surprise meshed in John's voice and he said, "Dad?"
The light finally faded and Jack Crichton smiled sadly at John. "No, John."
John stiffened and he said bitterly, "You're Jack aren't you?"
The alien impersonation of John's father nodded his head. "Yes, John. I am not the real Jack Crichton, just as this is not the real Earth."
"God damnit! Why can't you just leave me the frell alone? Haven't you done enough to me? Why don't you go mess with some other guy to get your jollies." John said angrily.
Jack sighed. "This is not what you think John. This..." Jack stopped talking and moved his arm in a sweeping arc, drawing attention to the meadow. "...is all an illusion. It's not real. Nor am I really talking to you."
John scrunched his face in confusion and asked frustratedly, "What the hell are you talking about?"
Jack paused and took his time to answer. "As you are well aware, the Rotarian battle staff that accompanies you is a very powerful piece of weaponry. However, its sole function is not death and destruction. When handled in the right way, the R'yclava can become a huge storage space for information. It was this function of the R'yclava that I exploited when I imparted the knowledge of wormholes on you four monens ago."
John interrupted, "Hold on a minute here. How do you know when you did that if you're not really talking to me? If you're not here, then this has to be a dream and that would mean you're only a figment of my twisted mind."
"You are both right and wrong, John. This is a dream and I am not really talking to you, but I assure you, I am not a figment of you mind."
John's frustration was clear. "I don't understand."
Jack sighed again. "What I mean is, I am a part of your subconscious. I am not something you made up. A part of me is really inside you mind, just like the necessary equations you need to solve wormholes."
Jack just saw a blank look on John's face in response. Jack tried a different tactic. "Think of me as a very sophisticated, highly complex, message left on one of those primitive devices you use to record communications."
John stared at Jack incredulously, "Are you saying that you're using my brain as a freakin' answering machine!?"
Jack cocked his head to the side and said, "In a way, yes."
John groaned and ran his hand through his short hair. In a self suffering tone, he said, "I cannot believe this is frelling happening to me!"
"I know this is not what you wanted to hear John, but it is of vital importance that you listen to what I tell you. I specifically put this version of myself in your mind to activate itself at a specific time. That time has come and you must do what I tell you."
John groaned again. Was he ever going to get to live in peace? Sighing, he said, "What the hell does the universe want me to do now?"
"It is not the universe that needs your help. It is your father."
John's whole attitude change from one of partial indifference to apt attention. "My father?"
"Yes John, your father. Something will happen to him within the next three months, that unless prevented, will result in his death."
John's face paled and he instantly bristled. "What happens to him?"
Jack shook his head and said, "I'm sorry John, but I can't tell you that. My function is only to warn you of the impending tragedy. You must go to Earth and save your father."
John certainly did not want his father to die, and he would have loved nothing more than to go to Earth and save him, but he had other responsibilities that he could not just shirk. So John waffled, "I-I can't. The Scarrens are on the move and I'm needed here. The people of Rotar need me."
"I had a feeling you would say that, so I programmed myself to show you this image." Jack stopped and then waved his arm. A holographic image suddenly appeared in thin air, right in front of John. The image was of a desolate planet, obviously destroyed by the horrors of war. The planet was gray and brown, pockmarked with massive craters and it was clear no living thing could survive on the planet any longer.
John asked in confusion, "What is this?"
Jack responded soberly, "This is Earth, John. This is what will happen to Earth if you do not save your father."
John's body went numb and he grew nauseated. "H-h-how?"
"The Scarrens. And after destroying Earth, they will partake in a streak of destruction that will leave half the universe in disarray. This cannot be allowed to come to pass."
John cried out plaintively, "But I don't understand! How can not saving my father cause this? How can saving him prevent this? How do you know this?" John started mumbling to himself, "This makes no sense. It's only a dream. It's only..."
Jack sighed. "I can't tell you what you want to know. If I do, I risk doing irreparable harm to this dimension's timeline."
John's draw dropped. "Wait a microt. This dimension?"
"Yes, this dimension. As I'm sure you've already begun to discover on your own, wormholes are capable of moving through not only space and time, but also through different dimensions. There are an infinite number of possibilities that could stem from what you decide to do here today. If you save your father, then the timeline as you and I know it will continue to maintain its current path. However, if you do not save your father, then this timeline will divert drastically into what I just showed you. A different path, a different result." Jack explained.
John was slowly starting to catch on. "But how do I know that preventing my father from dying will prevent that from happening?"
"You don't. However, the percentage of the timeline staying on its current path is greatly increased by saving your father." Jack acknowledged.
John nodded in understanding. While John still didn't fully understand what Jack was saying, he was beginning to comprehend the underlying concepts. What he needed to know was the why. "But that still doesn't tell me why. Why does saving or not saving my father affect the timeline?"
"I can't tell you that. That would shift the balance in the inverse direction. You must believe that saving your father is important. More important than staying here and worrying about the Scarrens."
John sighed in frustration. "Then what the hell was the whole point of me freeing the Rotarians if you were just going to have me leave them a few months after?"
"Freeing the Rotarians was an important step in your development and it brought the necessary factors in alignment. Your embracing the Rystal legend, discovering the R'yclava, and befriending the Peacekeeper admiral were all necessary steps to ensure you were on the right path." Jack explained in a subdued tone.
John didn't know how to take that. He was quiet for a long time, processing everything that Jack had just told him. After about two minutes, he finally spoke. "So what you're saying is that everything has been predetermined? Fated?"
Jack hesitated with his answer. "Yes and no. Nothing is absolute. I come from a time where all the events that I have brought to your attention have already come to pass. However, that does not mean that you are devoid of free will. Do you make the choices that I tell you to make? Yes, but you decide to do with your life what you will. I can not make you do anything, only guide you."
Jack again paused and then continued reluctantly, "If you decide to not follow my advice, then that is fine. That is a decision that you have made, and there is nothing I can or will do to change that. However, doing so may change the path this dimension takes in ways that you cannot predict."
John mulled over everything Jack had just told him. As he did, a sickening feeling began to form in his stomach. "How do the Scarrens even know where Earth is?" When Jack didn't answer right away, John said softly, "Its because of me isn't it?"
Jack nodded stiffly. "Unfortunately, yes. Somehow, they managed to acquire the memories that Scorpius extracted from your mind and calculate Earth's position. Eventually, they send a battle fleet to eradicate the planet and all its inhabitants. Unfortunately, that's all I know. Details on these events are unclear."
John croaked out, "Why?"
"Why do they attack?" Jack asked. John nodded his head in response. Jack sighed and said, "Evolution, John. Scarrens believe in the natural superiority of their species and all other life forms are seen as a threat to that superiority."
"But why Earth? We're no threat to them. We can't even leave our own solar system!"
Jack shook his head sadly. "You're forgetting one important thing John. Humans are not as physiologically advanced as most other species, they are not as technologically advanced, and they are not as intelligent, but they do possess a quality that gives them the potential to be an eventual threat to the Scarrens."
John did not understand. Jack saw his confusion and enlightened him, "Unlike Sebaceans, humans do not possess a natural aversion to heat." Sudden clarity dawned in John's eyes. "It may take your species hundreds, if not thousands, of cycles to advance far enough to be any kind of threat against the Scarrens, but you are immune to the one distinct advantage Scarrens have over Sebaceans and that is something they cannot allow to flourish. They will destroy your world as soon as possible, therefore stopping the problem before it arises."
"How does my father factor into this?"
"There is an event in this dimension's eventual future that your father plays a pivotal role in. What he decides to do determines whether or not this path stays consistent with what we know. If he is dead, he will never get the chance to make this decision and the destruction of Earth would seem imminent."
"Ok, I get it. I have to save my father. But I still haven't figured out wormholes yet."
Jack smiled and said, "I know. That's why this message also includes the last bits of data you need to complete the whole picture inside your mind. When you wake up, everything will start to make more sense."
"So that's it huh?" John asked skeptically.
Jack grimaced slightly. "Not quite, John. When you wake up, the things that we have talked about will start to get hazy. You'll remember the central ideas, like saving your father, but the details will fade. Its safer this way. The less you know, the better off you'll be."
"What? I don't want to forget!" John yelled angrily.
Jack smiled sadly, turned around, and started walking away. Jack spoke one more time, but this time he did so in his own voice. The voice of the Ancient who impersonated John's father. "Goodbye John."
Jack's form quickly retreated, the blinding white light preventing John from following. John could only yell in frustration, "Jack! Jack! Get back here! Jack!..."
And then everything went dark.
John came to awareness with a start. Someone was shaking him, and they weren't being very gentle about it. Opening his eyes groggily, John saw a very worried Aeryn looking at him in undisguised concern.
Aeryn's soothing voice washed over him as he came to complete awareness. "John? John? Are you all right?"
John shifted his eyes away from Aeryn to scan his whereabouts. He was back in the operations room, still sitting in the chair he had sat in to just rest for a little while. His eyes turned back to Aeryn and he asked shakingly, "What's going on?"
"You were having a nightmare John. You kept repeating your father's name and you...you were screaming."
John's eyes widened in remembrance and he quickly scrambled out of the chair. John almost knocked Aeryn over in his haste, and Aeryn had to grab him to stop him from falling over. Apparently, the dream had been more intense than he thought.
John started rambling as he looked at Aeryn imploringly, "My father. I have to get to my father Aeryn. I have to go to Earth. Now!"
Aeryn's face was confused. "What? John, you can't. Not now. The Scarrens, remember?"
John shook his head wildly. "No! Don't care about Scarrens. I gotta save my dad! I have to go to Earth Aeryn!"
Aeryn hated seeing John like this. It reminded her of a time when Scorpius had been invading his mind. He was acting crazy and incoherent; he was making even less sense than usual. Desperately trying to understand what John was talking about, Aeryn asked, "Why John? What is wrong with your father?"
John focused his blue eyes on Aeryn's gray ones and said, "Aeryn, if I don't go to Earth my father will die."
Next time on Farscape: John must convince every one that he needs to leave for Earth. And when the crew on Moya hear of John's plans, they demand going as well.