"Apparitions" Time: Twenty-five cycles after Fractures

Disclaimer: I didn't create Farscape, didn't create the characters and don't make a plug nickel off of it.

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Part Three: When The Past Comes Home To Weep

I watched the DRDs begin to open up the Farscape module and somehow kept myself from getting in their way.

More than anything else, I wanted to get to work on it myself. Not that it'll be easy for me; despite what Crais may think, I don't really know the module's systems very well. I wasn't much of a tech-head when I was a kid. I had no interest in the module or its systems (although I did enjoy learning how to fly both the module and the Prowler). (I've gotten better over the cycles; I'm an expert on Moya's systems, the Prowler and the transport pod.) Most of my childhood was spent trying to absorb two different cultures, one of which I only knew from what Dad told me, and learning two different languages. (I didn't get my translator microbes until I was fluent in both Sebacean and English, Dad's language.) The rest of the time I spent getting some kind of education and exploring Moya. I bet I've been to parts of her that only the DRDs know.

For a microt, the DRDs looked like yellow insects crawling over the module's hull. Several of them were reaching into the module, starting to work on the systems. They were quietly beeping and chirping like they always do. (It's probably some kind of shoptalk, or maybe they were making plans for what to do when the day was done. I'm convinced the DRDs are organized in some way.)

There was a bump against my foot. I looked down and saw a DRD sitting there. Not just any DRD, mind you. This was MY DRD. (I even etched my name into his shell, right behind his eyestalks.) Hey, I wanted a pet, but Pilot said that small animals weren't a good idea on a Leviathan. So I adopted a DRD. Neither he nor Moya seemed to mind. (Actually, I think Moya went along with it so she could keep an eye on me while I was growing up.)

As the hanger doors slid open, I knelt down and tapped my fingers on his shell. "Where've you been hiding, huh? Why didn't you come by this morning? Pilot's got you working all over the place again?" His service arms extended and he gently tapped my foot. (His way of showing affection? Moya trying to tell me everything will be all right? I'm still not sure.) I smiled at him, tapped his shell again and looked up.

Lhatan, our medic, and his mate, Tashina, were staring at the module. The two of them always struck me as a mismatched pair. Lhatan was the shorter of the two and always looked like he slept in his clothes. He's a little scatterbrained, too; unless he's focused on a task, his mind is somewhere else. Tashina was something of a mystery. Her manner always seemed a bit.militaristic, if you will. Even her leather outfits looked like they could be uniforms, and she kept her head-tails tied back, as if to keep them out of her way.

I watched them for a microt then stood. "That's my past catching up with me. Maybe I'll finally be able to find out what happened to my parents." They both stared at me, probably wondering if I had lost my mind.

"I see you've found another Prowler," Tashina said in that breathy way she has of sounding both alluring and threatening. "For me, perhaps?"

"Don't say I never get you anything. You might want to give the DRDs a chance to finish cleaning out the cockpit before you climb in. When we found it, it was filled with a thick red slime that might have once been the pilot."

"The pilot? Are you sure?"

"No. Crais seems to think it may be. If it is, we may have big problems on our hands. We have some of it down in the medical bay just waiting for you, Lhatan. See if you can determine if it's an organic compound. And if it was the pilot, try and figure out what killed him."

Lhatan smiled broadly. "Ah, a mystery. I love a mystery." He walked away, still muttering under his breath.

Tashina watched him then turned back to the module. "What's your connection to this.this.I hesitate to call it a vehicle."

"Ten cycles ago, this module disappeared down a wormhole, taking my parents with it. Crais found it floating in the middle of nowhere, unpowered and unmanned." I pointed at the oblong device attached to the upper part of the hull, just behind the canopy. "See that? It's called a phase stabilizer."

"Oh really? Fascinating. What does it do?"

"It rips holes in the fabric of space and forms wormholes. Use it the right way and you can travel to most anywhere you'd want to go in a matter of microts. Use it the wrong way, turn it into a displacement engine and you can destroy whole star systems in the same amount of time."

I expected Tashina's response. "This little thing? It hardly seems possible."

"That's life for you. Never trust appearances. Look, if you're going to work on the new Prowler, get the computer up and running first, then download the flight recorder. I'd like to know where it was launched from and who might be working on wormholes."

"Is it important?"

"As I said, wormholes can be used as a method of transportation or as a weapon. Check Moya's data stores. It's an eyeful. If someone's working on wormhole technology again, I want to know about it. Call it a family curse."

"I'll do that." Tashina's head tilted to one side and she watched me. "Are you all right, Vanessa? You don't look at all well."

I shrugged. "I had that nightmare again. That, plus the Farscape module turning up makes me think that maybe my past is catching up with me." I rubbed my eyes and sighed. For a microt, I felt older than my twenty-three cycles.

Tashina stepped closer to me and slipped an arm around my shoulders. "You're dwelling on the past, Vanessa. Let it go. There's nothing you can do about what has already been. All we can do is work to make the future better."

Despite myself, I laughed. "Very deep, Tashina. Pilot, do the DRDs have anything on the phase stabilizer?"

"Nothing yet, Vanessa."

"How long until they're finished with damage assessment?"

"For a thorough examination, approximately three arns."

I stared at the module again, nodded and turned to leave. "Let me know when they're finished." I knew without looking that Tashina was staring at me, probably wondering what was running through my mind.

If only I could tell her.

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I was sitting in the cockpit of the module, firmly holding on to the control yokes, putting the small craft through a series of loops. I was surprised at how well the module responded. It didn't move like a small craft built on a not-so-technologically advanced planet twenty-eight cycles ago. I was thoroughly enjoying myself.

Mattis's voice crackled in my ears. "If you're finished with the aerial acrobatics, Vanessa."

"Just getting a feel for the ship, Mattis. Is everything ready back there?" I looked back as far as I could and barely saw the two Prowlers holding position behind me. Beyond them, I could see Moya and Talyn.

"Everything looks good here," Chiana said. "If you're going to do this, then get on with it."

"I'm praying for your success, Vanessa." Stark's voice was quiet and quite sane for a change.

I adjusted my oculars and reached for an isolated control. "All right. Activating the phase stabilizer.now." I touched the control and put the module into an ever-widening spiral.

For a microt, nothing happened. Then space seemed to twist on itself, forming the typical funnel shape of a wormhole. It wavered briefly then settled down, looking almost like water going down a drain.

I screamed in joy. "It works! It works! John and Aeryn's little girl, makin' wormholes!"

Crais sounded uncertain. "I'm not certain your parents would share your joy, Vanessa."

Tashina sounded awestruck. "Oh, it's beautiful! I've never seen a wormhole before."

I studied the sensor arrays and nodded. "Everything looks good here, Pilot. How's it look to you?"

"Moya's sensors are picking up a distortion in the electron diffusion. I would recommend holding position until.Vanessa!"

The wormhole flared and what looked like a wave of light started spreading outward. I watched it then yanked the control yokes around. "Mattis! Tashina! Get out of here!"

The wave overtook us immediately. I lost control of the module as the wave slammed into it. As the module began to tumble, I heard Mattis and Tashina begin to scream. As they came into view, I saw both Prowlers explode.

Looking up through the canopy, I saw fine cracks begin to form. They spread quickly until the entire canopy was a web of cracks. I began screaming as the canopy blew out and.

.I woke up screaming.

There were hands on me immediately, holding me down. Then there was a man's voice, calm yet tinged with a little madness. "Vanessa.Vanessa.Vanessa.easy. It's all right. It's all right. You're safe."

I stopped screaming and looked around. I was sitting at the table in the Central Chamber, the remains of a meal in front of me. I must have fallen asleep while eating. I closed my eyes and tried to calm myself.

"Vanessa?"

I turned to my right. Stark was sitting next to me, holding on to my shoulders. There was panic in his single eye. I think, out of all of us, he's shown his age the least. I guess that has to do with him being Stykera. "Are you all right?"

I took a few deep breaths and nodded. "I had a nightmare. A different one. Frell, I'm getting tired of having nightmares every time I close my eyes." I reached for the cup of amestos I had been drinking and gulped it down.

"Dreams are warnings, Vanessa, portents of the future. You should pay attention to what happened in the nightmare."

Running footsteps came from the door. Chiana and Mattis ran into the Central Chamber, both of them wearing looks of concern. Mattis looked from me to Stark then crossed to my side. "Vanessa!"

I nodded slowly as he sat next to me and slipped an arm around my shoulders. "I dreamt I was in the module, opening a wormhole. Something went wrong and we were all killed." I inhaled deeply. "I have to get the module up and running again. I've got to figure out what happened to Mom and Dad."

Mattis looked up at Chiana and Stark. "Of course you will. We'll get the module functioning again, download the flight computer and get some answers. But worrying about it won't help. I mean, for all you know, they're dead."

What I did next is probably one of the stupidest things on record. I pushed him away and stood, knocking over my chair. "They are not dead! They will not be dead until I've dug their graves and buried them with my own hands!" There was shock on Mattis's face, but I was too busy over- reacting to care about it. "What the frell do you know about parents, anyway? You were born on a command carrier to fill up vacancies in the ranks!"

As I stormed out of the Central Chamber, Chiana came up to me, saying something about being wrong. Too busy being angry at the entire universe to care, I pushed her away. I started running when I was out in the corridor. I kept running for many microts.

John and Aeryn's little girl.falling apart at the seams.

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TO BE CONTINUED