"Apparitions"
Time: Twenty-five cycles after Dog With Two Bones
Rated: PG
Disclaimer: I didn't create Farscape, I didn't create the characters and I don't make a plug nickel off of it.
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Part 17: The Road To Hezmana.
Lieutenant Misata Katsur stood at attention, her eyes locked onto the far wall of the office. Behind her, Captain Kelis Abetan paced, his shaved heard glistening with sweat. "So, both the Leviathan and the gunship escaped and the Tries'tall outpost was a total loss?"
"Yes, Captain. Between the two Prowlers that came in first and the Leviathan gunship, the outpost fell quickly. The prisoners escaped under the cover of the attack."
"And how did you survive?"
Katsur swallowed and tried to keep her face calm. "I was in the sub- levels, sir. I was conducting an interrogation when it started." Close enough to the truth, she thought.
Behind her, Abetan nodded. "And the outpost's commanding officer, Ci'amon?"
"He didn't survive the attack, sir." Again, close enough.
"Good. Then there won't be any trace of our dealings with him." Abetan went to his desk. "At ease, Lieutenant," he said as he sat. "I know the gunship was Talyn. Was the other Leviathan Moya?"
"Yes, sir. Apparently, they've decided to make our wormhole project their latest cause."
Abetan shook his head. "Fools. What do you know about the last Peacekeeper wormhole project?"
"Only that the crew of Moya engineered the destruction of the command carrier by having Talyn initiate starburst while still in its hanger."
"Yes. There is some debate as to how Talyn survived, but that's not important right now. What matters is that these people are capable of anything. We should not underestimate them."
"Agreed, sir." Katsur turned and walked to Abetan's desk. "If I may suggest, sir, we should make certain we don't repeat the mistakes made by Scorpius twenty-five cycles ago."
"You've studied the records?"
"Yes, sir. I read the reports on the flight here from Tries'tall."
"And your evaluation?"
"Scorpius proved to be his own worst enemy. He let his desire to perfect wormhole technology blind him to the fact that Crichton's one and only goal was to stop him. Just by giving Crichton and his comrades free run of the carrier laid the groundwork for the ship's destruction."
Abetan reclined his chair and laced his fingers together. "I agree. Drive and perseverance are one thing, but Scorpius was out of control. He let his hatred for the Scarrans overshadow his duty to the Peacekeepers. It's all the same with half-breeds, can't trust any of them." He glanced up a Katsur and nodded. "Present company excluded, of course."
"Of course, sir." Katsur's voice was level and devoid of emotion.
The Captain hesitated for a microt before continuing. "Double the security on the main labs. Tell the staff that no one gets in without voice authorization from either you or me."
"Very good, sir." Katsur reached into a pocket and turned over the data chip. Time to start research, she thought.
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"This won't be easy," Vanessa said as she surveyed the faces that watched her intently. "In fact, it's probably the hardest thing we've tried to do in a long time. But considering how dangerous wormhole technology can be, it's a risk I think we should take."
John nodded. "Considering that a wrong turn down a wormhole can rewrite history."
"And that a wormhole weapon can destroy an entire star system," Aeryn added.
".calling wormhole tech dangerous is an understatement."
"Correct," Xhalax said. "The destructive potential of wormhole technology is far too great for anyone in this dimension to possess. One wrong move, one wrong turn and the results could be catastrophic."
"And since the Peacekeepers aren't going to listen to a rational lecture, we'll have to do this the hard way." Mattis leaned on the chart table and looked around Command. "The easiest thing to do would be to have Crais and Talyn go down and level the base."
Rea Ayani looked uncomfortable. "A large part of the base's operational staff has nothing to do with the wormhole project. To most of them, this is just another posting."
Crais frowned. "I'm not certain Talyn could bring down a Gammak base."
"He leveled a Shadow Depository," Stark said. "And he's bigger and more powerful now than he was then."
"I don't want to level the base," Vanessa said. "As Rea pointed out, a sizeable chunk of the staff isn't involved directly with the project. How many researchers are there, Furlow?"
She shrugged. "I can't say, really." Tashina pressed her pulse pistol against the side of Furlow's head. "About a dozen, all together."
"How much help are they getting from the Pathfinders?"
"Not a lot. Those frellniks are holding back on us. They can travel through wormholes, but they're not telling us how they do it."
Xhalax nodded slowly. "It's been our observation that the Pathfinders, on their own, are not a danger. They can navigate wormholes without affecting this plane."
"But if they share their knowledge with the Peacekeepers, it could be a disaster." John frowned. "If they manage to construct a displacement engine, they could be even more dangerous than the Scarrans."
"With Jack out of the way, that shouldn't be a problem. Unless." Aeryn turned to Furlow. "You know how to build a phase stabilizer."
"Yeah, that's right. I do. But a stabilizer will only let you travel through wormholes. Nothing to worry about."
Xhalax's eyes darkened. "It doesn't take much to reconfigure a phase stabilizer to a displacement engine."
"It's a easy conversion," John added.
"Easy for you," Chiana said with a smile. "You're the wormhole expert."
Vanessa chewed her lower lip and considered. "If we can get you to the main labs, Rea, could you access the computer and erase the information?"
"If my access codes are still good, I should be able to do it. But my codes would have been erased, since they'll probably assume I was killed in the attack."
"There are ways around that, Rea," Mattis said. "It'll take a few microts, but I should be able to forge access. I would also expect them to be waiting for us. Depending on what they got out of me and Vanessa when we were in the Aurora Chair, we could find ourselves walking into an ambush."
Chiana's eyes darted from side to side as thoughts turned themselves over in her mind. "Maybe we can use that to our advantage."
Everyone turned to her. "What do you have in mind, Chi?"
"They're probably expecting us to come at them from the outside. Would they expect something to happen if we're locked up in a cell? Here's what I was thinking."
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Pilot watched Vanessa walk across the den. "Talyn is on his way, Vanessa."
"Good, Pilot." She climbed onto the console and sat next to Pilot. "What did you want to talk to me about?" Vanessa massaged her eyes and tried to push aside the dull throbbing that seemed to be emanating from the center of her mind.
Pilot's head tilted to one side and he frowned. "Moya has asked me to talk to you about the promise she made to you."
Vanessa's head lowered. "Things are going to get rough, Pilot. I just want to make sure you're all protected."
"Moya said you made mention of using a wormhole weapon."
"Just expecting the worst. Guess I've been around Tashina too long."
Pilot watched her for a microt then nodded. "Moya and I appreciate your concern, Vanessa. However, Moya is concerned about what keeping her promise will entail."
Vanessa sighed and nodded. I should have known Moya would mention it to Pilot. "I said that if necessary I would use a wormhole weapon. It depends on the Peacekeepers. If we can get away from them without too much trouble, then Moya won't have to keep her promise."
"Why would you even feel the need to make such a request? You essentially asked Moya to abandon you."
"Only if necessary. Look, Pilot, with the exception of my parents, there are only two beings who mean more to me than Mattis." She reached out and gently brushed her fingertips over his cheek. "I will do anything I have to in order to keep you and Moya safe."
Pilot reached out with one arm and gently pulled Vanessa close. "Of all the people who have come and gone over the cycles, Moya feel the closest to you. You were the first child born onboard her, and she feels the same for you as she feels for Talyn."
"I know, Pilot. That's why I asked her to make the promise. I have to protect you all, no matter what. Just don't tell anyone else about the promise. Okay?"
Pilot frowned, but reluctantly nodded.
Vanessa heard footsteps and turned. Mattis was walking toward them, an amused look on his face. "Should I be jealous?"
"I was going to tell you later, Mattis. We've decided to kick the rest of you off and run off on our together. We're planning on starting a family with kids who are part human, part Sebacean, part Leviathan, part Pilot."
"A child like Talyn, only with four arms and an even bigger attitude. Just what the galaxy needs." He watched Vanessa climb down and walk toward him. "Is everything all right?"
"Fine. Did Dad say anything about converting the phase stabilizer?"
"I was just on my way down to the maintenance bay. Pilot, how far away from Brellan are we?"
"I'm not certain, Mattis. Give me a microt."
Vanessa searched her memory. "What's so special about Brellan?"
"It's a commerce planet, with a lot of smuggling and invisible market traffic."
"And you think we can get partanium there? You're not about to tell me you have an old friend there, are you?"
"No. If someone I know is on Brellan, it'll be a coincidence. We should be able to get the partanium and get out fast."
"I'll believe it when we're on the way back up here with the partanium."
"Mattis," Pilot said, "Brellan is not that far from here. We should be able to get there fairly quickly."
"Good, Pilot. Have Moya get ready for starburst."
Vanessa and Mattis walked in silence for a time, each lost in their own thoughts. After a few microts, they came across Xhalax, standing in the middle of an intersection, watching them with interest.
"Shouldn't you be down in the maintenance bay," Mattis asked.
"There's something I have to do first." Xhalax took a step closer to Vanessa. "What knowledge do you have of wormholes?"
Vanessa glanced at Mattis then looked back at Xhalax. "Just that wormholes are paths through space and, if you don't know what you're doing you could rewrite history. But I don't know anything else."
"As I believed." She stepped closer still, until she was within arms length of Vanessa. "There is much work to be done."
"Yes, there is. So why don't we get down to the maintenance bay."
"Someone else must know." Xhalax reached out and touched Vanessa's forehead.
Vanessa's head jerked back like she was punched and her body stiffened. She and Xhalax remained still, even as Mattis tried to pull her away. He took a microt to slap his comm and called for help.
After what seemed like a microt long eternity, Xhalax stepped back and Vanessa collapsed into Mattis's arms. He lowered her quivering body to the deck then turned to Xhalax.
"What did you do to her? WHAT THE FRELL DID YOU DO?"
Looking completely at ease, Xhalax said, "Someone else must know."
"Know what? What does she have to know?" When Xhalax refused to answer, Mattis turned back to Vanessa.
Vanessa opened her eyes, but all she saw was the glowing, twisting tunnel of a wormhole.
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TO BE CONTINUED
Disclaimer: I didn't create Farscape, I didn't create the characters and I don't make a plug nickel off of it.
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Part 17: The Road To Hezmana.
Lieutenant Misata Katsur stood at attention, her eyes locked onto the far wall of the office. Behind her, Captain Kelis Abetan paced, his shaved heard glistening with sweat. "So, both the Leviathan and the gunship escaped and the Tries'tall outpost was a total loss?"
"Yes, Captain. Between the two Prowlers that came in first and the Leviathan gunship, the outpost fell quickly. The prisoners escaped under the cover of the attack."
"And how did you survive?"
Katsur swallowed and tried to keep her face calm. "I was in the sub- levels, sir. I was conducting an interrogation when it started." Close enough to the truth, she thought.
Behind her, Abetan nodded. "And the outpost's commanding officer, Ci'amon?"
"He didn't survive the attack, sir." Again, close enough.
"Good. Then there won't be any trace of our dealings with him." Abetan went to his desk. "At ease, Lieutenant," he said as he sat. "I know the gunship was Talyn. Was the other Leviathan Moya?"
"Yes, sir. Apparently, they've decided to make our wormhole project their latest cause."
Abetan shook his head. "Fools. What do you know about the last Peacekeeper wormhole project?"
"Only that the crew of Moya engineered the destruction of the command carrier by having Talyn initiate starburst while still in its hanger."
"Yes. There is some debate as to how Talyn survived, but that's not important right now. What matters is that these people are capable of anything. We should not underestimate them."
"Agreed, sir." Katsur turned and walked to Abetan's desk. "If I may suggest, sir, we should make certain we don't repeat the mistakes made by Scorpius twenty-five cycles ago."
"You've studied the records?"
"Yes, sir. I read the reports on the flight here from Tries'tall."
"And your evaluation?"
"Scorpius proved to be his own worst enemy. He let his desire to perfect wormhole technology blind him to the fact that Crichton's one and only goal was to stop him. Just by giving Crichton and his comrades free run of the carrier laid the groundwork for the ship's destruction."
Abetan reclined his chair and laced his fingers together. "I agree. Drive and perseverance are one thing, but Scorpius was out of control. He let his hatred for the Scarrans overshadow his duty to the Peacekeepers. It's all the same with half-breeds, can't trust any of them." He glanced up a Katsur and nodded. "Present company excluded, of course."
"Of course, sir." Katsur's voice was level and devoid of emotion.
The Captain hesitated for a microt before continuing. "Double the security on the main labs. Tell the staff that no one gets in without voice authorization from either you or me."
"Very good, sir." Katsur reached into a pocket and turned over the data chip. Time to start research, she thought.
---------------------------------------
"This won't be easy," Vanessa said as she surveyed the faces that watched her intently. "In fact, it's probably the hardest thing we've tried to do in a long time. But considering how dangerous wormhole technology can be, it's a risk I think we should take."
John nodded. "Considering that a wrong turn down a wormhole can rewrite history."
"And that a wormhole weapon can destroy an entire star system," Aeryn added.
".calling wormhole tech dangerous is an understatement."
"Correct," Xhalax said. "The destructive potential of wormhole technology is far too great for anyone in this dimension to possess. One wrong move, one wrong turn and the results could be catastrophic."
"And since the Peacekeepers aren't going to listen to a rational lecture, we'll have to do this the hard way." Mattis leaned on the chart table and looked around Command. "The easiest thing to do would be to have Crais and Talyn go down and level the base."
Rea Ayani looked uncomfortable. "A large part of the base's operational staff has nothing to do with the wormhole project. To most of them, this is just another posting."
Crais frowned. "I'm not certain Talyn could bring down a Gammak base."
"He leveled a Shadow Depository," Stark said. "And he's bigger and more powerful now than he was then."
"I don't want to level the base," Vanessa said. "As Rea pointed out, a sizeable chunk of the staff isn't involved directly with the project. How many researchers are there, Furlow?"
She shrugged. "I can't say, really." Tashina pressed her pulse pistol against the side of Furlow's head. "About a dozen, all together."
"How much help are they getting from the Pathfinders?"
"Not a lot. Those frellniks are holding back on us. They can travel through wormholes, but they're not telling us how they do it."
Xhalax nodded slowly. "It's been our observation that the Pathfinders, on their own, are not a danger. They can navigate wormholes without affecting this plane."
"But if they share their knowledge with the Peacekeepers, it could be a disaster." John frowned. "If they manage to construct a displacement engine, they could be even more dangerous than the Scarrans."
"With Jack out of the way, that shouldn't be a problem. Unless." Aeryn turned to Furlow. "You know how to build a phase stabilizer."
"Yeah, that's right. I do. But a stabilizer will only let you travel through wormholes. Nothing to worry about."
Xhalax's eyes darkened. "It doesn't take much to reconfigure a phase stabilizer to a displacement engine."
"It's a easy conversion," John added.
"Easy for you," Chiana said with a smile. "You're the wormhole expert."
Vanessa chewed her lower lip and considered. "If we can get you to the main labs, Rea, could you access the computer and erase the information?"
"If my access codes are still good, I should be able to do it. But my codes would have been erased, since they'll probably assume I was killed in the attack."
"There are ways around that, Rea," Mattis said. "It'll take a few microts, but I should be able to forge access. I would also expect them to be waiting for us. Depending on what they got out of me and Vanessa when we were in the Aurora Chair, we could find ourselves walking into an ambush."
Chiana's eyes darted from side to side as thoughts turned themselves over in her mind. "Maybe we can use that to our advantage."
Everyone turned to her. "What do you have in mind, Chi?"
"They're probably expecting us to come at them from the outside. Would they expect something to happen if we're locked up in a cell? Here's what I was thinking."
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Pilot watched Vanessa walk across the den. "Talyn is on his way, Vanessa."
"Good, Pilot." She climbed onto the console and sat next to Pilot. "What did you want to talk to me about?" Vanessa massaged her eyes and tried to push aside the dull throbbing that seemed to be emanating from the center of her mind.
Pilot's head tilted to one side and he frowned. "Moya has asked me to talk to you about the promise she made to you."
Vanessa's head lowered. "Things are going to get rough, Pilot. I just want to make sure you're all protected."
"Moya said you made mention of using a wormhole weapon."
"Just expecting the worst. Guess I've been around Tashina too long."
Pilot watched her for a microt then nodded. "Moya and I appreciate your concern, Vanessa. However, Moya is concerned about what keeping her promise will entail."
Vanessa sighed and nodded. I should have known Moya would mention it to Pilot. "I said that if necessary I would use a wormhole weapon. It depends on the Peacekeepers. If we can get away from them without too much trouble, then Moya won't have to keep her promise."
"Why would you even feel the need to make such a request? You essentially asked Moya to abandon you."
"Only if necessary. Look, Pilot, with the exception of my parents, there are only two beings who mean more to me than Mattis." She reached out and gently brushed her fingertips over his cheek. "I will do anything I have to in order to keep you and Moya safe."
Pilot reached out with one arm and gently pulled Vanessa close. "Of all the people who have come and gone over the cycles, Moya feel the closest to you. You were the first child born onboard her, and she feels the same for you as she feels for Talyn."
"I know, Pilot. That's why I asked her to make the promise. I have to protect you all, no matter what. Just don't tell anyone else about the promise. Okay?"
Pilot frowned, but reluctantly nodded.
Vanessa heard footsteps and turned. Mattis was walking toward them, an amused look on his face. "Should I be jealous?"
"I was going to tell you later, Mattis. We've decided to kick the rest of you off and run off on our together. We're planning on starting a family with kids who are part human, part Sebacean, part Leviathan, part Pilot."
"A child like Talyn, only with four arms and an even bigger attitude. Just what the galaxy needs." He watched Vanessa climb down and walk toward him. "Is everything all right?"
"Fine. Did Dad say anything about converting the phase stabilizer?"
"I was just on my way down to the maintenance bay. Pilot, how far away from Brellan are we?"
"I'm not certain, Mattis. Give me a microt."
Vanessa searched her memory. "What's so special about Brellan?"
"It's a commerce planet, with a lot of smuggling and invisible market traffic."
"And you think we can get partanium there? You're not about to tell me you have an old friend there, are you?"
"No. If someone I know is on Brellan, it'll be a coincidence. We should be able to get the partanium and get out fast."
"I'll believe it when we're on the way back up here with the partanium."
"Mattis," Pilot said, "Brellan is not that far from here. We should be able to get there fairly quickly."
"Good, Pilot. Have Moya get ready for starburst."
Vanessa and Mattis walked in silence for a time, each lost in their own thoughts. After a few microts, they came across Xhalax, standing in the middle of an intersection, watching them with interest.
"Shouldn't you be down in the maintenance bay," Mattis asked.
"There's something I have to do first." Xhalax took a step closer to Vanessa. "What knowledge do you have of wormholes?"
Vanessa glanced at Mattis then looked back at Xhalax. "Just that wormholes are paths through space and, if you don't know what you're doing you could rewrite history. But I don't know anything else."
"As I believed." She stepped closer still, until she was within arms length of Vanessa. "There is much work to be done."
"Yes, there is. So why don't we get down to the maintenance bay."
"Someone else must know." Xhalax reached out and touched Vanessa's forehead.
Vanessa's head jerked back like she was punched and her body stiffened. She and Xhalax remained still, even as Mattis tried to pull her away. He took a microt to slap his comm and called for help.
After what seemed like a microt long eternity, Xhalax stepped back and Vanessa collapsed into Mattis's arms. He lowered her quivering body to the deck then turned to Xhalax.
"What did you do to her? WHAT THE FRELL DID YOU DO?"
Looking completely at ease, Xhalax said, "Someone else must know."
"Know what? What does she have to know?" When Xhalax refused to answer, Mattis turned back to Vanessa.
Vanessa opened her eyes, but all she saw was the glowing, twisting tunnel of a wormhole.
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TO BE CONTINUED
