Part 6-comlpete
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Crichton held Sundance in his lap trying to shield her from the worst of the turbulence as Brennik danced with the transport through volleys of fire- trying to edge closer to their destination.
"Aren't you glad you chose to follow me Brennik?" her father asked. "You never would have gotten this kind of flying experience in that fancy school of yours."
"Yeah, dad. Terrific."
An explosion was felt on their Hammond side and a ball of flame slowly ate through the remaining oxygen of the raider's ship. "Good shot Uncle D, only two more to go."
"Hey Aeric," John asked casually, apparently oblivious to the tension around him. "You ever heard of a game called baseball?" Aeric, wide eyed and trying to hide his panic simply shook his head. "It's a fun game. Whatdya say D? When this is all over are you up to a game of ball?" The transport lunged to the left throwing everyone in the opposite direction.
"Sure, John. But the teams will be small. It will not be a proper game."
"That's the fun, though."
Two shots found their mark and the transport was thrown violently forward. John managed to keep his hold on Sundance, but Aeric flew into Sethya. A second explosion outside marked the end of a second raider's ship. A fire erupted on the wall behind them and together Tean and Sethya began to extinguish it.
"You know," John sounded as cheerful as ever. "Every road trip needs singing. How 'bout it Aeric, you know any good songs?"
Aeric shook his head, not trusting his voice. "Oh, come on, I'm sure you know something. Anything. We're game - aren't we Brennik?"
"Sure dad," she said not hearing as she sent the transport into a long nosedive before pulling up.
"Don't be shy."
The look on Aeric's face plainly showed he felt John was insane, but timidly he began. "Three blind mice…"
"Oooo, that's a good one. Three blind mice, see how they run…" John joined in, hitching Sundance farther onto his lap. John was still enthusiastic as they completed the first verse. "Did you know you could sing that in a round? This is how…"
"I'm losing power," Brennik interrupted.
"Re-routing power from environmentals," Tean hurried to a panel and began the needed repairs as Sethya continued to extinguish random spot fires.
"Everybody knows the words by now. Let's all get in on this! Three blind mice, three blind mice…" Surprisingly, Sethya joined in loud and strong, which seemed to encourage Tean to add his voice, if somewhat reluctantly, each continuing with their self appointed tasks.
When they had all reached the end of their verses, Crichton cheerfully suggested the next one. "How about row, row, row, your boat? Now that song brings back good memories." The transport lurched to the right. "Did I tell you I proposed to your mother on a rowboat?"
"No you didn't, dad." Brennik responded before spinning the ship.
"It was at the same time she told me you'd been released from stasis. One of the happiest moments of my life. Of course, we were crystallized and kidnapped shortly after that, but that's a whole 'nother story. Ahhh, good times. Good times."
They entered the planet's atmosphere and the ride became even bumpier. Crichton managed to hold Sundance in his lap with one arm and draw Aeric firmly to his side, holding him with the other.
"Prepare for impact," Brennik warned microts before the pod crashed through a canopy of large trees which managed to brake their descent. They landed wedged against a monstrous purple tree with drooping blue palms.
There was a moment of absolute stillness. No one moved, no one spoke, until finally, Brennik let out a long cleansing breath. And everyone began to stir. "Great landing," Sethya mumbled, picking himself off the floor and dusting himself off.
Aeric threw off Crichton's arm and stormed to the other side of the transport pod.
"Hey, we're all alive aren't we? Back off," Brennik responded gruffly.
"Don't worry about it," Tean assured her. "He was being sincere."
Brennik raised one eyebrow doubtfully, but her wrath instantly faded with one look at Tean's brilliant smile, just for her.
Awkwardly, the group exited the transport to find themselves in a massive jungle. "Right," Crichton said, breathing deeply, still cradling Sundance in his arms. "We're told it's over that ridge. You managed to land us fairly close, Brennik. Good job." He started
to head out when Brennik stopped him.
"'Good job'?! 'Good job'?! I nearly killed us! What were you thinking? I have no combat training. I shouldn't have flown!"
He smiled brilliantly at her. "You're your mother's daughter when it comes to flying, sweetheart. I had every confidence in you." Humming, he started down a thin winding path, holding his wife securely in his arms, close to his heart.
Sethya spoke over Brennik's shoulder as she watched her father disappearing into the bushes. "Don't be so hard on the old man He saved all our lives."
"The 'old man' isn't all there," she retorted angrily.
"When you first knew those ships had locked on to us, were you scared?"
"Of course," she answered honestly.
"After your father started his show, were you scared then?"
"No," she admitted reluctantly, "just irritated."
"So, you were able to look at the situation from a clear viewpoint and base your reactions on instinct and skill instead of fear?"
"I'm not trained." She insisted.
"You know, Princess," he said stepping around her, "your father seems to have an incredible amount of faith in you. Maybe you should too." Without a backward glance he motioned to Aeric and the two followed the path, leaving Tean and Brennik scrambling to catch up.
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Her dad had made the comment that all waiting rooms in the universe were the same, but Brennik only knew that she hated it. The pictures were tacky, the chairs uncomfortable and the tinny music playing through the small speaker in the corner was exponentially annoying.
All of the preliminary work was completed. The DNA tests gave scientific proof that Brennik and Aeric were the product of Sundance and John. She was relieved for both herself and her father, but Aeric looked decidedly unsettled.
Now was the waiting game. How long had it been? An arn? Two? Five? The words of the diagnosian's translator still rung in her ears.
A neural plate had been inserted into her mother's brain, blocking her mental connection access from certain areas. Namely, her past. A back-up system had been installed to cause pain if her mother should try to access the denied areas. The diagnosian felt that due to the hormonal imbalance during her pregnancy, the plate had been damaged, causing her visions and slight insights- thus her headaches. He was at this moment attempting to remove the plate, but had warned there was probably permanent damage. There was no way of knowing how much, if any, of her memory would return, or even how long it would take.
So the mismatched family waited. D'Argo and Chiana sat together in one corner, silently holding hands. Aeric and John alternately paced the length of the room. Brennik could only sit and stare into nothing, trying not to think.
The brothers, feeling as if they were intruding on a private family moment, had offered to try and repair the transport and had disappeared long ago. Occasionally she heard one of their voices over the comms asking D'Argo of any news, but they stayed away.
Finally, the translator entered the waiting area. Everyone stood, holding their breath. "The surgery is complete. The plate has been successfully removed, but we do not yet know the extent of the damage. She is awake and you may visit her one at a time. Briefly."
A collective sigh was heard throughout the room. Chiana through herself on D'Argo and they both had tears streaming down their faces. Brennik heard a hiccup and realized it was herself and that she was sobbing. She sniffed and wiped her tears away. Her father was shaking so badly, she wondered how he continued to hold himself upright. John motioned for Aeric to go in first and Brennik saw respect and gratitude through the tears in the young boy's eyes.
"Brennik, you in next and then wait for me."
"Are you sure?"
He nodded, so when a subdued Aeric returned shortly after, she took her turn through the white door to the recovery room
Her mother was in bed, covered in blankets. She smiled wearily at Brennik and patted the mattress at her side. The young woman obediently sat in the requested place.
"So," Aeryn asked hoarsely "who are you?"
"I am your daughter."
The weary woman's smile brightened just a bit and a lone tear appeared in the corner of one eye. "Good." Brennik tentatively reached for her mother's hand, only to have hers grasped, fingers entwined. "I always wanted a daughter."
For now there was nothing left to say and together they enjoyed the moment of perfect communion.
Her father entered the room and motioned for Brennik to stay. She melted into a corner, trying to disappear.
"Hello, Mr. Crichton."
"Hello, Sundance."
"You have made quite an impression on my son."
John smiled self depreciatingly. "As of right now, he can't stand the sight of me."
She shook her head, but neither wanted to argue. John knelt beside her bed, his hands resting on the frame. Slowly, she reached out and gently trailed her long fingers through his silver-grey hair, then let her hand rest on his cheek. He involuntarily nuzzled his face into her palm. Brennik could almost see the invisible cord stretching between her father and mother, binding them irrevocably together.
"I don't know your face. I don't know our past. But I desperately want to."
"Then that's what we'll build on."
He didn't reach for her, but let her touch him until her eyes closed and her hand fell away. Only then did he lean over and tenderly kiss her lips with a promise of tomorrow.
-End
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Crichton held Sundance in his lap trying to shield her from the worst of the turbulence as Brennik danced with the transport through volleys of fire- trying to edge closer to their destination.
"Aren't you glad you chose to follow me Brennik?" her father asked. "You never would have gotten this kind of flying experience in that fancy school of yours."
"Yeah, dad. Terrific."
An explosion was felt on their Hammond side and a ball of flame slowly ate through the remaining oxygen of the raider's ship. "Good shot Uncle D, only two more to go."
"Hey Aeric," John asked casually, apparently oblivious to the tension around him. "You ever heard of a game called baseball?" Aeric, wide eyed and trying to hide his panic simply shook his head. "It's a fun game. Whatdya say D? When this is all over are you up to a game of ball?" The transport lunged to the left throwing everyone in the opposite direction.
"Sure, John. But the teams will be small. It will not be a proper game."
"That's the fun, though."
Two shots found their mark and the transport was thrown violently forward. John managed to keep his hold on Sundance, but Aeric flew into Sethya. A second explosion outside marked the end of a second raider's ship. A fire erupted on the wall behind them and together Tean and Sethya began to extinguish it.
"You know," John sounded as cheerful as ever. "Every road trip needs singing. How 'bout it Aeric, you know any good songs?"
Aeric shook his head, not trusting his voice. "Oh, come on, I'm sure you know something. Anything. We're game - aren't we Brennik?"
"Sure dad," she said not hearing as she sent the transport into a long nosedive before pulling up.
"Don't be shy."
The look on Aeric's face plainly showed he felt John was insane, but timidly he began. "Three blind mice…"
"Oooo, that's a good one. Three blind mice, see how they run…" John joined in, hitching Sundance farther onto his lap. John was still enthusiastic as they completed the first verse. "Did you know you could sing that in a round? This is how…"
"I'm losing power," Brennik interrupted.
"Re-routing power from environmentals," Tean hurried to a panel and began the needed repairs as Sethya continued to extinguish random spot fires.
"Everybody knows the words by now. Let's all get in on this! Three blind mice, three blind mice…" Surprisingly, Sethya joined in loud and strong, which seemed to encourage Tean to add his voice, if somewhat reluctantly, each continuing with their self appointed tasks.
When they had all reached the end of their verses, Crichton cheerfully suggested the next one. "How about row, row, row, your boat? Now that song brings back good memories." The transport lurched to the right. "Did I tell you I proposed to your mother on a rowboat?"
"No you didn't, dad." Brennik responded before spinning the ship.
"It was at the same time she told me you'd been released from stasis. One of the happiest moments of my life. Of course, we were crystallized and kidnapped shortly after that, but that's a whole 'nother story. Ahhh, good times. Good times."
They entered the planet's atmosphere and the ride became even bumpier. Crichton managed to hold Sundance in his lap with one arm and draw Aeric firmly to his side, holding him with the other.
"Prepare for impact," Brennik warned microts before the pod crashed through a canopy of large trees which managed to brake their descent. They landed wedged against a monstrous purple tree with drooping blue palms.
There was a moment of absolute stillness. No one moved, no one spoke, until finally, Brennik let out a long cleansing breath. And everyone began to stir. "Great landing," Sethya mumbled, picking himself off the floor and dusting himself off.
Aeric threw off Crichton's arm and stormed to the other side of the transport pod.
"Hey, we're all alive aren't we? Back off," Brennik responded gruffly.
"Don't worry about it," Tean assured her. "He was being sincere."
Brennik raised one eyebrow doubtfully, but her wrath instantly faded with one look at Tean's brilliant smile, just for her.
Awkwardly, the group exited the transport to find themselves in a massive jungle. "Right," Crichton said, breathing deeply, still cradling Sundance in his arms. "We're told it's over that ridge. You managed to land us fairly close, Brennik. Good job." He started
to head out when Brennik stopped him.
"'Good job'?! 'Good job'?! I nearly killed us! What were you thinking? I have no combat training. I shouldn't have flown!"
He smiled brilliantly at her. "You're your mother's daughter when it comes to flying, sweetheart. I had every confidence in you." Humming, he started down a thin winding path, holding his wife securely in his arms, close to his heart.
Sethya spoke over Brennik's shoulder as she watched her father disappearing into the bushes. "Don't be so hard on the old man He saved all our lives."
"The 'old man' isn't all there," she retorted angrily.
"When you first knew those ships had locked on to us, were you scared?"
"Of course," she answered honestly.
"After your father started his show, were you scared then?"
"No," she admitted reluctantly, "just irritated."
"So, you were able to look at the situation from a clear viewpoint and base your reactions on instinct and skill instead of fear?"
"I'm not trained." She insisted.
"You know, Princess," he said stepping around her, "your father seems to have an incredible amount of faith in you. Maybe you should too." Without a backward glance he motioned to Aeric and the two followed the path, leaving Tean and Brennik scrambling to catch up.
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Her dad had made the comment that all waiting rooms in the universe were the same, but Brennik only knew that she hated it. The pictures were tacky, the chairs uncomfortable and the tinny music playing through the small speaker in the corner was exponentially annoying.
All of the preliminary work was completed. The DNA tests gave scientific proof that Brennik and Aeric were the product of Sundance and John. She was relieved for both herself and her father, but Aeric looked decidedly unsettled.
Now was the waiting game. How long had it been? An arn? Two? Five? The words of the diagnosian's translator still rung in her ears.
A neural plate had been inserted into her mother's brain, blocking her mental connection access from certain areas. Namely, her past. A back-up system had been installed to cause pain if her mother should try to access the denied areas. The diagnosian felt that due to the hormonal imbalance during her pregnancy, the plate had been damaged, causing her visions and slight insights- thus her headaches. He was at this moment attempting to remove the plate, but had warned there was probably permanent damage. There was no way of knowing how much, if any, of her memory would return, or even how long it would take.
So the mismatched family waited. D'Argo and Chiana sat together in one corner, silently holding hands. Aeric and John alternately paced the length of the room. Brennik could only sit and stare into nothing, trying not to think.
The brothers, feeling as if they were intruding on a private family moment, had offered to try and repair the transport and had disappeared long ago. Occasionally she heard one of their voices over the comms asking D'Argo of any news, but they stayed away.
Finally, the translator entered the waiting area. Everyone stood, holding their breath. "The surgery is complete. The plate has been successfully removed, but we do not yet know the extent of the damage. She is awake and you may visit her one at a time. Briefly."
A collective sigh was heard throughout the room. Chiana through herself on D'Argo and they both had tears streaming down their faces. Brennik heard a hiccup and realized it was herself and that she was sobbing. She sniffed and wiped her tears away. Her father was shaking so badly, she wondered how he continued to hold himself upright. John motioned for Aeric to go in first and Brennik saw respect and gratitude through the tears in the young boy's eyes.
"Brennik, you in next and then wait for me."
"Are you sure?"
He nodded, so when a subdued Aeric returned shortly after, she took her turn through the white door to the recovery room
Her mother was in bed, covered in blankets. She smiled wearily at Brennik and patted the mattress at her side. The young woman obediently sat in the requested place.
"So," Aeryn asked hoarsely "who are you?"
"I am your daughter."
The weary woman's smile brightened just a bit and a lone tear appeared in the corner of one eye. "Good." Brennik tentatively reached for her mother's hand, only to have hers grasped, fingers entwined. "I always wanted a daughter."
For now there was nothing left to say and together they enjoyed the moment of perfect communion.
Her father entered the room and motioned for Brennik to stay. She melted into a corner, trying to disappear.
"Hello, Mr. Crichton."
"Hello, Sundance."
"You have made quite an impression on my son."
John smiled self depreciatingly. "As of right now, he can't stand the sight of me."
She shook her head, but neither wanted to argue. John knelt beside her bed, his hands resting on the frame. Slowly, she reached out and gently trailed her long fingers through his silver-grey hair, then let her hand rest on his cheek. He involuntarily nuzzled his face into her palm. Brennik could almost see the invisible cord stretching between her father and mother, binding them irrevocably together.
"I don't know your face. I don't know our past. But I desperately want to."
"Then that's what we'll build on."
He didn't reach for her, but let her touch him until her eyes closed and her hand fell away. Only then did he lean over and tenderly kiss her lips with a promise of tomorrow.
-End