On Moya
Pilot and Moya were the only ones awake when Talyn contacted them. The
battle had taken a toll on everyone. Pilot thought it best to wake K'Tahli
when Rainne arrived.
One look at the tear-stained face told K'Tahli that the conversation about the baby did not go well.
"I think things will look better after you have had some sleep. Pregnancy takes a lot out of the body, doesn't matter where you come from."
K'Tahli read her well. She did not want to discuss it at all, with anyone right now. She did want to rest. Angry and sad as she was, she missed Bialar.
On Talyn
Crais stood hands behind his back. He and Talyn discussed the aspects of the battle; the modifications Crais planned for when the Leviathan had grown a bit more. Everything but Rainne.
"Talyn. Why did you defy me earlier?"
Talyn knew what he meant. The refusal to open the door, the blocking of the link when Talyn spoke to Rainne.
"I am not certain. I was feeling unwell. I felt her unease very sharply."
Talyn was linked very closely to Rainne and she had acted so very out of character.
"May I address a query?" Talyn asked Crais.
"Granted."
"Am I unacceptable to you because I am of mixed breed?"
Talyn's question hit him squarely in the center of his soul. Talyn had been designed to take the finer of two components to create something better.
"Perhaps our child can make the same claim?" Talyn asked, responding to Crais' thinking.
The use of the possessive regarding the child was not lost on Crais. He did not want to deal with it.
"Privacy mode, please Talyn. Wake me in 6 Arns." Crais spoke the last command. Talyn found it best to do as Crais commanded.
On Moya
The following day, Rainne kept to herself. She explored Moya, finding solace in having her thoughts to herself for a while. Life was resuming some sense of normality. She found a small room that had a cache of trinkets. She remembered hearing something about a deposed Hynerian Dominar being aboard at one time. Perhaps it was his stash of possessions. Another chamber had some of the loveliest dried flowers and plants, pressed between dry white sheets of a thinly sliced wood. There were entries there that explained the uses and origins. It must have been a pursuit of the Delvian the crew had once had. K'Tahli would be interested in this. She tucked it under her arm and continued to walk. She munched on some dried Khalish sun berries. Named for their bright yellow color and fine patterned filament, they were sweet and tangy when dried. They also settled the stomach nicely.
"Bless you, Ashan." He had given her the berries. He told her to please not tell his sweet wife. She became a lot less sweet when her stash of dried sun berries was raided.
"Do you want to know something, little one?" She placed her hand on her still flat lower stomach.
"I hope your uncle Ashan and your father can get things straightened out between them. Ashan will be a good uncle. He's been a good friend to your mommy." She smiled at her own folly. The word mommy had almost as sweet a flavor on her tongue as the berries.
"Ah, but your daddy is a handful, sweet baby. He is not always easy to love. His convictions and strong beliefs are a dual-edged qualta. One side is that his character makes me feel safe; he will not suddenly change his mind and fly away. But on the other side.those convictions, if in error, are equally hard to break."
Her stomach rumbled, and it was not a reply from the baby. She needed to find her way back and get some more sustaining nutrition. She trailed her fingers along Moya's walls as she wandered back to the common areas.
"Hello John."
John turned and saw Ashan come in. Ashan smiled a bit at how Crichton looked. He was healing nicely. When he woke from his slumber cycle, Aeryn had been with him. His memories had not come out of the numbing phase yet, so he did not remember making the tape, or asking Ashan to retrieve it. He did know that Aeryn seemed different, more open, more committed. She had gone to assist Pilot for a while.
"Let me guess. I look strong enough to pull the ears off a gundark."
Ashan smiled, he was getting used to Crichton's enigmatic phrases.
"I told you this morning I would come by to check on you."
"Where is Florence Nightingale?"
"Who?"
"Sorry. She was a really hot nurse back home."
"K'Tahli? She is checking on D'Argo."
"How is he?"
"He is well. Luxans have a dual heart circulatory system. That may have been what enabled them to save him."
"Them?"
"Rainne and K'Tahli were the ones working on him."
"Where were you?"
"Up here with you and Crais."
"Crais? You two are playing nice now?"
"There are still unresolved issues between us."
"Issues? Hell yes that boy has issues. I take it he was a little put out by your announcement that you were the prodigal son so to speak? The long lost brother?"
"Did he tell you he was my brother?"
"Nah. I got that tidbit out of your little woman when she drove a mental pickup truck through the plate glass of my psyche for having a dirty mind."
Ashan just nodded sagely, not having a clue what John meant.
"K'Tahli has her moments." John laughed at the vast understatement. Some things were the same everywhere. Women were not meant to be understood.
Rainne walked into the chamber where the two men were talking.
"Hey, Stormy, what brings you here? Did you miss me?"
She walked over to John and gave him a gentle hug.
"I wanted to see how you were doing."
"Better than my painted friend here. If he gets any paler he could put Bela Lagosi out of a job."
Ashan did look pale. He smiled sheepishly and confessed he had worked harder in the last 24 arns than he had in a long time.
"I will take my leave so you can visit."
"Ashan, wait. I'd really like to talk to you both."
"Hey, Stormy, you ok?"
She looked over at Ashan, then back at John.
"I am fine. I needed to talk to a human."
Ashan looked a little perplexed, but stayed silent. Crichton patted the cushion next to him.
"Sit a spell and tell papa Crichton about it."
At the word papa, Rainne's eyes filled with tears.
"Hey.no waterworks in act one!! Tell me what's wrong first. These guys dosed me with something so if I have problems, I sure don't remember them right now. So tell me yours."
His irreverent innocent banter was a slave to her frayed nerves. She managed a watery grin.
"I am pregnant." She announced.
"It's not mine is it?" Crichton asked with mock severity. She drew back to give him a mock punch, then remembered his injuries. He pulled her in close and hugged her for a moment.
"Stormy, that is wonderful news. How is Captain Dad taking it? Do Sebaceans smoke cigars?"
Rainne cast her eyes down.
"What? He wasn't happy?" Crichton seemed shocked by the possibility.
It was Ashan who spoke, while Rainne struggled with her emotions.
"Sebaceans are drilled with the ideal of racial purity from birth. It is very hard for him to get past, I would think. Also, Sebaceans can carry an embryo for up to seven cycles before having it released to grow to term. Did he ask if he was the father?"
Both John and Rainne looked hard at Ashan.
"Yes, he did. I didn't know. I had read about human pregnancy when I was on the station. I had no idea about Sebaceans cycles."
"So you freaked out on him and then went and tossed your cookies?" Crichton asked.
"Basically, yes." She smiled wanly at the memory.
"I remember when my buddy's wife was pregnant.she went all goofy for a while. I guess the hormones go a little wacky as your body gets used to the new role it is playing."
"I was not supposed to tell you."
"Yeah. I can see Crais asking you to keep it from me. He and I are not exactly ready to go pick out china patterns together."
"I am glad I did. I am glad I came. I needed time, and a little human touch."
"Anytime, Stormy."
Rainne stood up to leave. She felt dizzy suddenly, and swayed. Ashan caught her, and steadied her.
"I need to eat something."
"Let me check the baby to be sure."
He put his hand on her belly. John watched, dumbfounded as the tiny light of the baby's heartbeat appeared.
"Thank you." Rainne said to Ashan. She placed her fingertips on his face as she had seen K'Tahli do. He smiled and touched his forehead to hers.
"You are welcome, sweet sister."
They stood that way a moment, shoring strength from a rich bond of friendship.
This was the image that assailed Crais when he strode into the room.
He pulled Ashan away from Rainne and shoved him backward. Ashan staggered and fell into the sectional seating unit John had been seated on.
"No!" Rainne had known he would return for her. She understood his reaction a little better, and they needed to talk.
"Please.take me home to Talyn with you. We need to talk."
Crais was no longer angry with her. He was frustrated by her easy acceptance of Ashan.
He took her hand and they left the room.
One look at the tear-stained face told K'Tahli that the conversation about the baby did not go well.
"I think things will look better after you have had some sleep. Pregnancy takes a lot out of the body, doesn't matter where you come from."
K'Tahli read her well. She did not want to discuss it at all, with anyone right now. She did want to rest. Angry and sad as she was, she missed Bialar.
On Talyn
Crais stood hands behind his back. He and Talyn discussed the aspects of the battle; the modifications Crais planned for when the Leviathan had grown a bit more. Everything but Rainne.
"Talyn. Why did you defy me earlier?"
Talyn knew what he meant. The refusal to open the door, the blocking of the link when Talyn spoke to Rainne.
"I am not certain. I was feeling unwell. I felt her unease very sharply."
Talyn was linked very closely to Rainne and she had acted so very out of character.
"May I address a query?" Talyn asked Crais.
"Granted."
"Am I unacceptable to you because I am of mixed breed?"
Talyn's question hit him squarely in the center of his soul. Talyn had been designed to take the finer of two components to create something better.
"Perhaps our child can make the same claim?" Talyn asked, responding to Crais' thinking.
The use of the possessive regarding the child was not lost on Crais. He did not want to deal with it.
"Privacy mode, please Talyn. Wake me in 6 Arns." Crais spoke the last command. Talyn found it best to do as Crais commanded.
On Moya
The following day, Rainne kept to herself. She explored Moya, finding solace in having her thoughts to herself for a while. Life was resuming some sense of normality. She found a small room that had a cache of trinkets. She remembered hearing something about a deposed Hynerian Dominar being aboard at one time. Perhaps it was his stash of possessions. Another chamber had some of the loveliest dried flowers and plants, pressed between dry white sheets of a thinly sliced wood. There were entries there that explained the uses and origins. It must have been a pursuit of the Delvian the crew had once had. K'Tahli would be interested in this. She tucked it under her arm and continued to walk. She munched on some dried Khalish sun berries. Named for their bright yellow color and fine patterned filament, they were sweet and tangy when dried. They also settled the stomach nicely.
"Bless you, Ashan." He had given her the berries. He told her to please not tell his sweet wife. She became a lot less sweet when her stash of dried sun berries was raided.
"Do you want to know something, little one?" She placed her hand on her still flat lower stomach.
"I hope your uncle Ashan and your father can get things straightened out between them. Ashan will be a good uncle. He's been a good friend to your mommy." She smiled at her own folly. The word mommy had almost as sweet a flavor on her tongue as the berries.
"Ah, but your daddy is a handful, sweet baby. He is not always easy to love. His convictions and strong beliefs are a dual-edged qualta. One side is that his character makes me feel safe; he will not suddenly change his mind and fly away. But on the other side.those convictions, if in error, are equally hard to break."
Her stomach rumbled, and it was not a reply from the baby. She needed to find her way back and get some more sustaining nutrition. She trailed her fingers along Moya's walls as she wandered back to the common areas.
"Hello John."
John turned and saw Ashan come in. Ashan smiled a bit at how Crichton looked. He was healing nicely. When he woke from his slumber cycle, Aeryn had been with him. His memories had not come out of the numbing phase yet, so he did not remember making the tape, or asking Ashan to retrieve it. He did know that Aeryn seemed different, more open, more committed. She had gone to assist Pilot for a while.
"Let me guess. I look strong enough to pull the ears off a gundark."
Ashan smiled, he was getting used to Crichton's enigmatic phrases.
"I told you this morning I would come by to check on you."
"Where is Florence Nightingale?"
"Who?"
"Sorry. She was a really hot nurse back home."
"K'Tahli? She is checking on D'Argo."
"How is he?"
"He is well. Luxans have a dual heart circulatory system. That may have been what enabled them to save him."
"Them?"
"Rainne and K'Tahli were the ones working on him."
"Where were you?"
"Up here with you and Crais."
"Crais? You two are playing nice now?"
"There are still unresolved issues between us."
"Issues? Hell yes that boy has issues. I take it he was a little put out by your announcement that you were the prodigal son so to speak? The long lost brother?"
"Did he tell you he was my brother?"
"Nah. I got that tidbit out of your little woman when she drove a mental pickup truck through the plate glass of my psyche for having a dirty mind."
Ashan just nodded sagely, not having a clue what John meant.
"K'Tahli has her moments." John laughed at the vast understatement. Some things were the same everywhere. Women were not meant to be understood.
Rainne walked into the chamber where the two men were talking.
"Hey, Stormy, what brings you here? Did you miss me?"
She walked over to John and gave him a gentle hug.
"I wanted to see how you were doing."
"Better than my painted friend here. If he gets any paler he could put Bela Lagosi out of a job."
Ashan did look pale. He smiled sheepishly and confessed he had worked harder in the last 24 arns than he had in a long time.
"I will take my leave so you can visit."
"Ashan, wait. I'd really like to talk to you both."
"Hey, Stormy, you ok?"
She looked over at Ashan, then back at John.
"I am fine. I needed to talk to a human."
Ashan looked a little perplexed, but stayed silent. Crichton patted the cushion next to him.
"Sit a spell and tell papa Crichton about it."
At the word papa, Rainne's eyes filled with tears.
"Hey.no waterworks in act one!! Tell me what's wrong first. These guys dosed me with something so if I have problems, I sure don't remember them right now. So tell me yours."
His irreverent innocent banter was a slave to her frayed nerves. She managed a watery grin.
"I am pregnant." She announced.
"It's not mine is it?" Crichton asked with mock severity. She drew back to give him a mock punch, then remembered his injuries. He pulled her in close and hugged her for a moment.
"Stormy, that is wonderful news. How is Captain Dad taking it? Do Sebaceans smoke cigars?"
Rainne cast her eyes down.
"What? He wasn't happy?" Crichton seemed shocked by the possibility.
It was Ashan who spoke, while Rainne struggled with her emotions.
"Sebaceans are drilled with the ideal of racial purity from birth. It is very hard for him to get past, I would think. Also, Sebaceans can carry an embryo for up to seven cycles before having it released to grow to term. Did he ask if he was the father?"
Both John and Rainne looked hard at Ashan.
"Yes, he did. I didn't know. I had read about human pregnancy when I was on the station. I had no idea about Sebaceans cycles."
"So you freaked out on him and then went and tossed your cookies?" Crichton asked.
"Basically, yes." She smiled wanly at the memory.
"I remember when my buddy's wife was pregnant.she went all goofy for a while. I guess the hormones go a little wacky as your body gets used to the new role it is playing."
"I was not supposed to tell you."
"Yeah. I can see Crais asking you to keep it from me. He and I are not exactly ready to go pick out china patterns together."
"I am glad I did. I am glad I came. I needed time, and a little human touch."
"Anytime, Stormy."
Rainne stood up to leave. She felt dizzy suddenly, and swayed. Ashan caught her, and steadied her.
"I need to eat something."
"Let me check the baby to be sure."
He put his hand on her belly. John watched, dumbfounded as the tiny light of the baby's heartbeat appeared.
"Thank you." Rainne said to Ashan. She placed her fingertips on his face as she had seen K'Tahli do. He smiled and touched his forehead to hers.
"You are welcome, sweet sister."
They stood that way a moment, shoring strength from a rich bond of friendship.
This was the image that assailed Crais when he strode into the room.
He pulled Ashan away from Rainne and shoved him backward. Ashan staggered and fell into the sectional seating unit John had been seated on.
"No!" Rainne had known he would return for her. She understood his reaction a little better, and they needed to talk.
"Please.take me home to Talyn with you. We need to talk."
Crais was no longer angry with her. He was frustrated by her easy acceptance of Ashan.
He took her hand and they left the room.