"Apparitions"
Time: Twenty-five cycles after Dog With Two Bones
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 Twenty-two: .The Needs Of The Few
As he walked down the ramp from the transport pod, John looked over the squad of Peacekeepers that waited for them. "A welcoming committee? For us? You shouldn't have!"
As she followed him down the ramp, Chiana said, "I feel like I'm walking onto that command carrier again." She looked around at the Peacekeeper soldiers who seemed to fill the hanger they had been directed to, as well as the Marauders and Prowlers that lined the far walls and shuddered.
"Just stay calm, Chi," Vanessa said from behind. "We'll get through this fast." She took up position next to John and watched Sikozu, Abetan and Katsur approach. "Sikozu looks like she thinks she's better than us."
"She did," Chiana said. "You should have heard how she talked to Pilot."
"She's too damn smart for her own good." John painted a pleasant look onto his face. "A lot of book knowledge but not a lot of practical knowledge."
"Great. Another know-it-all." Vanessa turned to Katsur. "Hello, Lieutenant."
Sikozu stopped in front of John, but she was looking at Vanessa. "So this is your daughter. She bears a striking resemblance to Aeryn, Crichton. Speaking of Aeryn, where is she? And with what orders?"
The pleasant look disappeared from John's face. "She doesn't have any orders, Sikozu. None of them do. We had a little throw-down over wormholes. A couple of Vanessa's friends didn't want to risk their lives for wormholes anymore. Aeryn agreed with them and left. It was an impressive argument."
"Really? Why do I still find that so hard to accept?"
John took a step forward and looked into Sikozu's blue eyes. "Look, Aeryn and I spent ten cycles on a rock in the middle of nowhere because of a wormhole. Now that we're back on Moya, Aeryn doesn't want anything to do with wormholes anymore. Sometimes, I want to be finished with them, myself."
"Considering what you've had to go through just to keep your secrets hidden from the people who could put them to the best use, it's not a surprise you'd feel that way. If only you had cooperated with Scorpius twenty-five cycles ago, things could have gone so much better." Sikozu considered John for another microt and nodded. "Well, we'll know for certain when Aeryn and the others are found. Have you considered what I said earlier? Considering the threat the Scarrans pose, I find it hard to believe you still won't act."
"Because once a weapon is created, it's hard to keep it from being used." John leaned close to Sikozu. "Fine, you get rid of the Scarrans. Who's next? The Nebari? The Sheyangs? What other perceived threat is out there that High Command is just itching to nuke out of existence?"
"The only way to guarantee the safety of the Sebacean race, as well as all of civilized space is to remove the threat of the Scarrans," Abetan said in a tightly controlled voice. "There are, of course, other powers that will be dealt with, should they begin to threaten."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Same old crap. Forget it, Sputnik."
Sikozu looked into John's eyes, then nodded. "Very well. Captain."
Abetan glanced at Katsur and nodded. "Carry on, Lieutenant."
As they walked away, Katsur took a step forward. "If you'll come with me, Vanessa. Your.father and companion will be taken to a workroom. We have several researchers who would like to get their hands on your knowledge, Crichton. Guards."
Vanessa looked at John and Chiana. "Dad."
"It's okay, Vanessa. Just go with it." John smiled and turned to the nearest guard. "Do any of you have any Irish Coffee? I've got a hankerin'."
Vanessa watched for a microt as they were lead away then turned to Katsur. "All right, Lieutenant. What do you want?"
Katsur let an innocent look cross her face. "Want? Well, right now, all I want to do is talk to you. We have much in common, you and I."
"Oh really? It must be something I missed." Vanessa followed Katsur as she walked away from the transport pod. "Anything really important?"
Katsur looked back over her shoulder at the guard that had taken up position behind Vanessa. "Well, we're both hybrids."
"Except that it's less obvious for some of us."
"True. My Nebari side is a bit dominant over my Sebacean side. Still, it's not as bad as some. Scorpius, for example. He was part Sebacean, part Scarran."
"Mom and Dad told me about Scorpius."
Katsur nodded slowly. "And neither of us know who our real father is."
Vanessa stopped, surprised by Katsur's statement. "I know who my father is."
"Really?"
"John Crichton is my father!"
"Perhaps." The smile that crossed Katsur's face bordered on sympathy. "We'll see."
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John kept his eyes locked on the corridor before him. Despite his outwardly calm appearance, he felt tense. Finding that Sikozu was working with the Peacekeepers was an unexpected surprise. John was suddenly afraid of the knowledge Sikozu possessed, afraid of the secrets she held.
As they rounded a corner, Chiana touched John's arm. "What're you gonna do if Sikozu starts telling Vanessa about."
"I don't know, Chi. You never told her?"
"That you already know how to get to Earth? That we were actually there? No, I never told her. You and Aeryn never did, so I talked Pilot into keeping the secret, too. As far as Vanessa knows, you never found the way to Earth."
"You've kept everything from her?"
Chiana looked indignant. "I've learned how to keep a secret."
Despite how he felt, John smiled. "Time heals grief and quarrels, for we change and are no longer the same person." He slipped an arm around Chiana's shoulders. "Don't worry about it, Chi. Everything will be all right."
Chiana sighed. "I've really missed your eternal optimism."
"Gotta have hope, Chiana. Wouldn't have made it this long without it. Now hush."
They remained silent as the guards lead them through the dimly lit corridor.
Microts later, they stopped in front of an isolated door. One guard opened the door as the second waved John and Chiana in.
As they entered, John's first impression was of whiteness. The room's walls were white and both the floor and ceiling glowed with soft white light. At the back of the room was an elaborate workstation. By the station stood a Pathfinder and a Peacekeeper scientist. The two were arguing, their voices growing louder as John and Chiana watched.
"Our progress has stopped," the Peacekeeper yelled. "We need the information you have to continue!"
"I have given you all I can," the Pathfinder replied. "What good would the answers be if you are unable to discern them for yourself?"
"But you've given us nothing! No hints, no clues! You're just as bad as the Ancient! Just point us in the right direction! That's all we want!"
John looked at Chiana, shook his head and cleared his throat. "Arguing with a Pathfinder's pointless," he said. "He won't tell you anything more than Jack did. And if you piss him off enough, he'll make like a porcupine and shoot you full of quills."
Both the Pathfinder and the Peacekeeper turned to John. "Who the frell are you," the Peacekeeper demanded.
"Crichton. John Crichton. This is Chiana."
The Pathfinder looked at the Peacekeeper, frowned and nodded. "You must be the expert Chief Scientist Sikozu told us to expect. I am Pathfinder Adjhirago. This is Malent, one of Sikozu's senior researchers."
Malent stepped up to Crichton and looked him over. "So, you're Crichton. I remember hearing Sikozu talk about you. Don't see what the fuss was about."
"Yeah, that's what they all say."
Adjhirago took a step closer. "Are you going to help us?"
"Help you? To do what? Create weapons based on wormhole tech? I didn't help Scorpius build frell the galaxy. I'm sure as hell won't help you."
Malent nodded slowly. "Sikozu said you could be stubborn. So let me put it this way: You can help us or you can die. Your choice."
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Vanessa looked around the office she was lead to and tried to remain calm. What Katsur had said, that the man she knew to be her father possibly wasn't, disturbed her greatly.
She's lying, Vanessa thought. She has to be. John Crichton is my father. He has to be. What other answer could there be?
"Nice office you have here, Lieutenant." Vanessa tried to sound relaxed, but her uncertainty showed.
Katsur looked around. "Oh, this isn't my office. I'm just a lieutenant, after all. This is Chief Scientist Sikozu's office. She's letting me use it for a few microts so we can talk. There are a few things that I've found out about one of your shipmates, plus Sikozu has told me some things about your family history. What would you like to hear first?"
Vanessa inhaled deeply. "I couldn't care less, Lieutenant."
"As you will. Please, have a seat." Katsur waved a hand at the chairs near the center of the office. As Vanessa sat, she continued. "Do you know that Peacekeeper females born on command carriers are able to retain embryonic fetuses for up to seven cycles?"
"I think Mattis mentioned that once."
Katsur nodded slowly. "Very good. Tell me, what do you know of the situation on Moya twenty-five cycles ago?"
"I know that after they stopped Scorpius's experiments, the crew split up for a little while." Vanessa closed her eyes and thought. "Mom was still learning how to deal with the death of the John Crichton that was with her on Talyn, so she took off and joined a team of assassins for a little while."
"So you know there were two Crichtons for a little while. Did you know that your mother kept her pregnancy a secret from the surviving Crichton for almost half a cycle?"
Vanessa hesitated and wondered what Katsur was driving at. "I'm sure she had her reasons."
"Oh, she did. For example, she was never sure if the baby she carried.you.was from her relationship with either Crichton or from a male she had recreated with up to four cycles earlier. In fact, Aeryn Sun carried you in stasis for two more cycles before she had a surgeon release you."
Vanessa felt the blood drain from her face. "They told me.I always thought.they said that both Johns were the same. Equal and original, they said. I always thought that one John or the other didn't make a difference."
"But another male? I know what it's like to grow up not knowing at least one of your parents." Katsur glanced at the floor and shook her head. "Did Crichton ever find a way back to his homeworld?"
"No, he never did find a way back to Earth."
"I'm afraid that's a lie, too. According to Sikozu, not only did your father find a way back to Earth, albeit by accident, but Moya and all her crew journeyed there as well. From what Sikozu said, she and Moya were there for over forty-two solar days before Crichton and the others caught up to them."
Vanessa buried her face in her hands and leaned forward until her elbows were on her knees. She felt tears begin to well up and she tried to fight them back.
"Why did they keep all this from me," she whispered. "Why did they tell me?"
"Something else for you to consider. What did you shipmate Tashina do before she and her mate came to Moya?"
Vanessa peeked over her fingers and sighed. "I don't know. She never mentioned it and I never asked. I'm not going to like this, either. Am I?"
The smile that crossed Katsur's face was not at all reassuring. "Are you familiar with the Slaughter of Olitas?"
"The Slaughter of Olitas? I've heard of it. An Ilanic strike group wiped out a farming colony they had mistaken for a Scorvian outpost. All the colonists were." Her voice caught in her throat. "All the colonists were killed."
"Yes. Horrible. By a strange coincidence, the commander of the group was named Tashina, and she disappeared along with her mate, a highly skilled medic, not long after the incident. They haven't been seen since. There's a rumor that they've been living on a Leviathan these last three cycles."
Vanessa stared, unable to speak. Katsur pushed on. "What you should be asking yourself is, why haven't they told you everything? Why are they keeping secrets from you?" She leaned back in her chair and considered Vanessa for a microt. "You've got a lot to consider. I'll get a guard to take you to a holding cell. Crichton and Chiana will join you later. And once we find them, so will the rest of the crew. We'll talk again later." Katsur stood and left the office.
Vanessa stared at the door. As the tears began to roll down her cheek, she whispered, "Why didn't anyone tell me?"
TO BE CONTINUED
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 Twenty-two: .The Needs Of The Few
As he walked down the ramp from the transport pod, John looked over the squad of Peacekeepers that waited for them. "A welcoming committee? For us? You shouldn't have!"
As she followed him down the ramp, Chiana said, "I feel like I'm walking onto that command carrier again." She looked around at the Peacekeeper soldiers who seemed to fill the hanger they had been directed to, as well as the Marauders and Prowlers that lined the far walls and shuddered.
"Just stay calm, Chi," Vanessa said from behind. "We'll get through this fast." She took up position next to John and watched Sikozu, Abetan and Katsur approach. "Sikozu looks like she thinks she's better than us."
"She did," Chiana said. "You should have heard how she talked to Pilot."
"She's too damn smart for her own good." John painted a pleasant look onto his face. "A lot of book knowledge but not a lot of practical knowledge."
"Great. Another know-it-all." Vanessa turned to Katsur. "Hello, Lieutenant."
Sikozu stopped in front of John, but she was looking at Vanessa. "So this is your daughter. She bears a striking resemblance to Aeryn, Crichton. Speaking of Aeryn, where is she? And with what orders?"
The pleasant look disappeared from John's face. "She doesn't have any orders, Sikozu. None of them do. We had a little throw-down over wormholes. A couple of Vanessa's friends didn't want to risk their lives for wormholes anymore. Aeryn agreed with them and left. It was an impressive argument."
"Really? Why do I still find that so hard to accept?"
John took a step forward and looked into Sikozu's blue eyes. "Look, Aeryn and I spent ten cycles on a rock in the middle of nowhere because of a wormhole. Now that we're back on Moya, Aeryn doesn't want anything to do with wormholes anymore. Sometimes, I want to be finished with them, myself."
"Considering what you've had to go through just to keep your secrets hidden from the people who could put them to the best use, it's not a surprise you'd feel that way. If only you had cooperated with Scorpius twenty-five cycles ago, things could have gone so much better." Sikozu considered John for another microt and nodded. "Well, we'll know for certain when Aeryn and the others are found. Have you considered what I said earlier? Considering the threat the Scarrans pose, I find it hard to believe you still won't act."
"Because once a weapon is created, it's hard to keep it from being used." John leaned close to Sikozu. "Fine, you get rid of the Scarrans. Who's next? The Nebari? The Sheyangs? What other perceived threat is out there that High Command is just itching to nuke out of existence?"
"The only way to guarantee the safety of the Sebacean race, as well as all of civilized space is to remove the threat of the Scarrans," Abetan said in a tightly controlled voice. "There are, of course, other powers that will be dealt with, should they begin to threaten."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Same old crap. Forget it, Sputnik."
Sikozu looked into John's eyes, then nodded. "Very well. Captain."
Abetan glanced at Katsur and nodded. "Carry on, Lieutenant."
As they walked away, Katsur took a step forward. "If you'll come with me, Vanessa. Your.father and companion will be taken to a workroom. We have several researchers who would like to get their hands on your knowledge, Crichton. Guards."
Vanessa looked at John and Chiana. "Dad."
"It's okay, Vanessa. Just go with it." John smiled and turned to the nearest guard. "Do any of you have any Irish Coffee? I've got a hankerin'."
Vanessa watched for a microt as they were lead away then turned to Katsur. "All right, Lieutenant. What do you want?"
Katsur let an innocent look cross her face. "Want? Well, right now, all I want to do is talk to you. We have much in common, you and I."
"Oh really? It must be something I missed." Vanessa followed Katsur as she walked away from the transport pod. "Anything really important?"
Katsur looked back over her shoulder at the guard that had taken up position behind Vanessa. "Well, we're both hybrids."
"Except that it's less obvious for some of us."
"True. My Nebari side is a bit dominant over my Sebacean side. Still, it's not as bad as some. Scorpius, for example. He was part Sebacean, part Scarran."
"Mom and Dad told me about Scorpius."
Katsur nodded slowly. "And neither of us know who our real father is."
Vanessa stopped, surprised by Katsur's statement. "I know who my father is."
"Really?"
"John Crichton is my father!"
"Perhaps." The smile that crossed Katsur's face bordered on sympathy. "We'll see."
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John kept his eyes locked on the corridor before him. Despite his outwardly calm appearance, he felt tense. Finding that Sikozu was working with the Peacekeepers was an unexpected surprise. John was suddenly afraid of the knowledge Sikozu possessed, afraid of the secrets she held.
As they rounded a corner, Chiana touched John's arm. "What're you gonna do if Sikozu starts telling Vanessa about."
"I don't know, Chi. You never told her?"
"That you already know how to get to Earth? That we were actually there? No, I never told her. You and Aeryn never did, so I talked Pilot into keeping the secret, too. As far as Vanessa knows, you never found the way to Earth."
"You've kept everything from her?"
Chiana looked indignant. "I've learned how to keep a secret."
Despite how he felt, John smiled. "Time heals grief and quarrels, for we change and are no longer the same person." He slipped an arm around Chiana's shoulders. "Don't worry about it, Chi. Everything will be all right."
Chiana sighed. "I've really missed your eternal optimism."
"Gotta have hope, Chiana. Wouldn't have made it this long without it. Now hush."
They remained silent as the guards lead them through the dimly lit corridor.
Microts later, they stopped in front of an isolated door. One guard opened the door as the second waved John and Chiana in.
As they entered, John's first impression was of whiteness. The room's walls were white and both the floor and ceiling glowed with soft white light. At the back of the room was an elaborate workstation. By the station stood a Pathfinder and a Peacekeeper scientist. The two were arguing, their voices growing louder as John and Chiana watched.
"Our progress has stopped," the Peacekeeper yelled. "We need the information you have to continue!"
"I have given you all I can," the Pathfinder replied. "What good would the answers be if you are unable to discern them for yourself?"
"But you've given us nothing! No hints, no clues! You're just as bad as the Ancient! Just point us in the right direction! That's all we want!"
John looked at Chiana, shook his head and cleared his throat. "Arguing with a Pathfinder's pointless," he said. "He won't tell you anything more than Jack did. And if you piss him off enough, he'll make like a porcupine and shoot you full of quills."
Both the Pathfinder and the Peacekeeper turned to John. "Who the frell are you," the Peacekeeper demanded.
"Crichton. John Crichton. This is Chiana."
The Pathfinder looked at the Peacekeeper, frowned and nodded. "You must be the expert Chief Scientist Sikozu told us to expect. I am Pathfinder Adjhirago. This is Malent, one of Sikozu's senior researchers."
Malent stepped up to Crichton and looked him over. "So, you're Crichton. I remember hearing Sikozu talk about you. Don't see what the fuss was about."
"Yeah, that's what they all say."
Adjhirago took a step closer. "Are you going to help us?"
"Help you? To do what? Create weapons based on wormhole tech? I didn't help Scorpius build frell the galaxy. I'm sure as hell won't help you."
Malent nodded slowly. "Sikozu said you could be stubborn. So let me put it this way: You can help us or you can die. Your choice."
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Vanessa looked around the office she was lead to and tried to remain calm. What Katsur had said, that the man she knew to be her father possibly wasn't, disturbed her greatly.
She's lying, Vanessa thought. She has to be. John Crichton is my father. He has to be. What other answer could there be?
"Nice office you have here, Lieutenant." Vanessa tried to sound relaxed, but her uncertainty showed.
Katsur looked around. "Oh, this isn't my office. I'm just a lieutenant, after all. This is Chief Scientist Sikozu's office. She's letting me use it for a few microts so we can talk. There are a few things that I've found out about one of your shipmates, plus Sikozu has told me some things about your family history. What would you like to hear first?"
Vanessa inhaled deeply. "I couldn't care less, Lieutenant."
"As you will. Please, have a seat." Katsur waved a hand at the chairs near the center of the office. As Vanessa sat, she continued. "Do you know that Peacekeeper females born on command carriers are able to retain embryonic fetuses for up to seven cycles?"
"I think Mattis mentioned that once."
Katsur nodded slowly. "Very good. Tell me, what do you know of the situation on Moya twenty-five cycles ago?"
"I know that after they stopped Scorpius's experiments, the crew split up for a little while." Vanessa closed her eyes and thought. "Mom was still learning how to deal with the death of the John Crichton that was with her on Talyn, so she took off and joined a team of assassins for a little while."
"So you know there were two Crichtons for a little while. Did you know that your mother kept her pregnancy a secret from the surviving Crichton for almost half a cycle?"
Vanessa hesitated and wondered what Katsur was driving at. "I'm sure she had her reasons."
"Oh, she did. For example, she was never sure if the baby she carried.you.was from her relationship with either Crichton or from a male she had recreated with up to four cycles earlier. In fact, Aeryn Sun carried you in stasis for two more cycles before she had a surgeon release you."
Vanessa felt the blood drain from her face. "They told me.I always thought.they said that both Johns were the same. Equal and original, they said. I always thought that one John or the other didn't make a difference."
"But another male? I know what it's like to grow up not knowing at least one of your parents." Katsur glanced at the floor and shook her head. "Did Crichton ever find a way back to his homeworld?"
"No, he never did find a way back to Earth."
"I'm afraid that's a lie, too. According to Sikozu, not only did your father find a way back to Earth, albeit by accident, but Moya and all her crew journeyed there as well. From what Sikozu said, she and Moya were there for over forty-two solar days before Crichton and the others caught up to them."
Vanessa buried her face in her hands and leaned forward until her elbows were on her knees. She felt tears begin to well up and she tried to fight them back.
"Why did they keep all this from me," she whispered. "Why did they tell me?"
"Something else for you to consider. What did you shipmate Tashina do before she and her mate came to Moya?"
Vanessa peeked over her fingers and sighed. "I don't know. She never mentioned it and I never asked. I'm not going to like this, either. Am I?"
The smile that crossed Katsur's face was not at all reassuring. "Are you familiar with the Slaughter of Olitas?"
"The Slaughter of Olitas? I've heard of it. An Ilanic strike group wiped out a farming colony they had mistaken for a Scorvian outpost. All the colonists were." Her voice caught in her throat. "All the colonists were killed."
"Yes. Horrible. By a strange coincidence, the commander of the group was named Tashina, and she disappeared along with her mate, a highly skilled medic, not long after the incident. They haven't been seen since. There's a rumor that they've been living on a Leviathan these last three cycles."
Vanessa stared, unable to speak. Katsur pushed on. "What you should be asking yourself is, why haven't they told you everything? Why are they keeping secrets from you?" She leaned back in her chair and considered Vanessa for a microt. "You've got a lot to consider. I'll get a guard to take you to a holding cell. Crichton and Chiana will join you later. And once we find them, so will the rest of the crew. We'll talk again later." Katsur stood and left the office.
Vanessa stared at the door. As the tears began to roll down her cheek, she whispered, "Why didn't anyone tell me?"
TO BE CONTINUED
