Title: When Worlds Collide
Author: sassy_lion
Summary: Aeryn and John are having a wonderful weeken to themselves,
when Aeryn goes missing and John finds a Peacekeeper plot that seems too
unbelievable (somehow all my stories, as of late, get the PK treatment), only
to get help from an unlikely source...
Spoilers: A little more than 5 months after season 3. John and Aeryn are
back together, as they should be!
Disclaimer: Rockne owns the world. I just live and play in it, I really
can't ask for more...
Archiving: If you want it, take it. Send me a note.
Beta: Iris Green, Pinky (for what little you did), and of course who can
forget: me!...Oh, wait, I can't give myself credit, can I? Hmmm... Another
question to ponder... I'll have to write this one down.
Feedback: PLEASE. I need it! Compliments will be shined and placed in a
display case. Flames will be used to blow new glass. (yes, I know how to do it
too!)
Author's Notes: 1) I am person who HATES to do story outlines ahead of
time. It just throws me off and makes me lose my concentration. 2) I am
a nocturnal, soon-to-be 18-year-old, so if you find a mistake (regarding
space-time or just normal time) it just means I had to be up for at least part
of the day. 3) You'll find a couple of anime references in a lot of my
stories. No anime belongs to me, and in a way I want to strangle Lizzy for
giving me excuses to watch more and more TV every week. Most of my references
will be Gundam Wing, Cowboy Bebop, or Outlaw Star, but there others.... **Dogma
reference, that doesn't belong to me either.
Shout-Outs: The biggest thanks go to Lizzy (aka pinky), for
endlessly listening to me bitch and moan about EVERYTHING from my works, your
works, your spelling problems (quit complaining, you know I luv ya!), being
broke, and trying to borrow all your stuff one at a time to try and copy (but
it doesn't work that well I guess). Why do you put up with me anyway? Thank you
for also listening to me mention who I am going to kill...(you know its Holly
:) ) **SOS! The Wrath of Happosi** Can you buy that??? *grins like Edward* Amy,
for being a nit-pick and noticing EVERY spelling and grammar error in this
vapid little excuse to get away from my loud and crowding family life. I don't
think I could ever get this story up without the help. Dad, for giving
me a whole pound of Twizzlers, Pop Tarts, jelly beans, creme savers and all the
chocolate my little tummy can hold to much on during this chapter's workings, Mom,
for watching all the episodes in succession with me about 20x in a row. And Tucker,
for listening to the QOTD soundtrack all this time...
Okay now my babbling is done. (for this chapter at least)
When Worlds Collide
Chapter 3: Operation Search and Seizure
© sassy_lion May 2002
Tara immediately became alert as she sensed Zahir crawling back into their warm
bed lined with quellidyr fur. "Hmm. I was beginning to wonder where you
had gone," she mumbled as she pulled close to him comfortably. "This
bed was getting a little lonely. Where did you go anyway?"
"I just went to check our status on Command." He pulled her as close
as he could, reveling in the warmth that her body released. "There is a
Command carrier heading for the same point we are."
"Is it Scorpius? Do you think it is possible he escaped from the carrier
my brother destroyed?" she asked sleepily, but alarmed, "If he did,
and he is on that carrier, we will have a major problem. I heard that he can
sense what species a person is just by looking at them. He'll know I'm not
Sebacean, and then he'll kill us both."
"I won't allow him to get anywhere near you." Zahir promised. "I
told Lieutenant Terga not to initiate communications with the carrier at any
cost. We will contact them when we are ready to confront them. If they contact
us, we will both be notified immediately."
"Good." she tucked her head under his chin and fell asleep soundly as
thousands of listless thoughts ran rampant through her head.
*-*-*-*-*
Tara was sitting on the warm deck once again. It had been a three solar days
since they had located the Leviathan they had thought was Moya, but as they
closed in for identification, the Leviathan had become spooked by the
approaching command carrier and Starburst away to safety
. Zahir and others had gone down to the planet to gather supplies that would be
needed. Tara had wanted to go, but she was to stay aboard Loki and learn of the
Fleet Captain's background.
So in fact, she had. Tara had spent the last few solar days in comm silence,
side-by-side the command carrier. Keeping to her word, she had not initiated communications
yet. The comms had been deathly silent, except for the Fleet Captain announcing
his name, registration, and assignment to the small command crew aboard Loki.
In return, before he left for the planet, Zahir had done the same and asked if
it was possible for them to accompany the carrier back to Peacekeeper occupied
territory once the commerce run had finished. Fleet Captain Chatto had granted
the request and both stayed in orbit around P'Masa until both were ready to go.
Tara had kept comm silence, as ordered and spent the three solar days already
on orbit asking Pilot to help her tap into the high-level Peacekeeper comm
channels, which allowed her access to certain restricted files in the central
database. Captain Brantam Chatto's files, specifically. Clean. No
unexplained gaps in his service record, no disseverance of duties. Excellent
service. Why do I feel like I am missing something here?
From her lessons with Torin she had learned of the prominent Sebacean houses,
all 26 of them, and Chatto House was one of the highest. The Chatto House had
at least four members on the high council and it the was known that Loamti
Chatto's children were Brantam- who she wanted, at first, to strangle for the
escape of the Leviathan; and Jenavian- one of the highest disruptors in Special
Directorate.
Tara had learned from encrypted resistance information, that one of Jenavian's
last assignments had been to watch the Royal colonies; to make sure the
Scarrens didn't get a foothold there. She had reported that John had been on
the colony, and in order to complete her mission, she had been
"forced" to rescue him from the Scarrens.
Thank God it wasn't Scorpius that Jenavian had to save him from. The
records back at Command headquarters indicated exactly what Tara had heard
about Scorpius. He could sense energy signatures, lies, and every once in a
while he could control someone's mind. Scarren traits.
"Lieutenant Commander, Fleet Captain Chatto would like to speak to you
privately."
Tara sighed. The first round of interrogation… she mused as she trudged
off to command softly, wishing that Zahir hadn't reached a comms station on the
planet and ordered her to initiate communications at Captain Chatto's request.
She would have been much happier keeping comms silence.
"Lieutenant Commander Risal L'San," Captain Chatto addressed her
formally. "I have been researching your background in the solar days of
communications silence. You have a wonderful service record."
"Fleet Captain Chatto," she addressed him in attention stance, a
small smile playing at her lips, "I have been doing the same and I have to
say the same of you."
"I have tried reaching your captain down on the planet, but it appears the
heavy cloud layers block communications channels."
"Captain Luca has given me full command of this Leviathan until he gets
back. If there is a problem, I would be the one to talk to, for now." Until
my husband gets back… She didn't say that out loud though; that would have
been 315 deaths for a simple slip of the tongue. She was better than that.
"We have received word that the Leviathan sighted in this system as we
both approached was named Moya."
Tara sighed angrily. "Our prey. The mission given to us by First Command,
as you may know, is to help capture the Leviathan Moya and her prisoners. It
has been reported that Leviathans are much more efficient."
"Spoken like a true New Tech commander," he said softly.
"Yes. New Tech has been working with Leviathan technology for years, but
both my captain and I are upset that you allowed the Leviathan to escape. After
Scorpius's command carrier was destroyed we were assigned to track Moya and
bring her back to First Command, along with her crew. Under a Leviathan it may
be more discrete and therefore we would be more successful."
Captain Chatto snorted softly and nodded. "I have been given the same
information. Though as your assignment is to capture Moya, my and my crew's
assignment has been given to search for the Leviathan Moya's offspring Talyn,
along with his crew of Officer Sun and Captain Crais. It is possible that he
escaped the command carrier and survived. He is after all part gunship."
Tara nodded. "I suspected as much. Even though Starburst in a confined
space, like the hangar of a command carrier would kill a normal Leviathan, he
is, as you said, part warship. Therefore, he would have much tougher shielding
and not be as affected."
"Yes. That is what High Command has predicted. I have decided that, in the
best interest, we should stay together until we have captured both Moya and her
offspring."
"Captain Chatto, your command carrier would cause unneeded..." she
began, but Chatto nodded once and the communication was broken,
"...attention. Damn. It's easier to talk a starving person out of his only
food than explain stuff to that guy." she growled softly to herself and
stalked out of command. He's hiding something, but what?
"Lieutenant Commander," Zahir's voice rang richly through the small
comms badge as she shut the door to their quarters and pulled the privacy curtain.
She smiled slightly as she activated her comms.
"Yes, sir," she replied stiffly knowing that he was probably not
alone.
"You can stop that. I'm alone."
"Yes, Hun," she teased, "you rang?"
"Risal, what did I tell you about using those colloquialisms with
me?"
"Sorry, I was just teasing." She gave a small laugh as she noticed
his use of her Sebacean name. "What's going on?"
"As soon as the pod returns to Loki, I would like you personally to bring
it back down for another load of supplies. Bring four crewmembers with you.
Clear?"
"Yes, sir." She mock saluted her comms badge as he terminated the
comms circuit.
"Pilot," she called softly, "Is the pod going to be here
soon?"
"It just left the surface, Lieutenant Commander," her voice filtered
through the comms. "I estimate the time of arrival to be... 6000
microts."
"Thank you, Pilot."
Why does he want me to go down there myself? she wondered as she
holstered her pulse pistol to her thigh and went to meet the arriving transport
pod.
As soon as the pod was unloaded, she called upon three trustworthy Officers and
a tech to accompany her to the surface.
As she stepped out, a large ground vehicle approached filled with provisions.
"Begin to put those all in the transport pod." Zahir commanded the
work force of techs. He turned to the officers, "We have received word
that a Leviathan pod was sighted heading down into the bonosphere of this
planet. I want all of you to start searching the city. Search pattern
Omega." Zahir watched as he began to move toward the inner city.
"Now, as our crew searches the outsides of the city, or packs our
transport pod, we will search the inner city and keep the two of them safe, as
resistance leaders..." he smiled and grabbed her hand pulling her through
the open market place. "Tara, Risal," he corrected himself, "if
it is your brother, you must not let him know anything. Not even that you are
his own dear sister. From this point on, you will only answer to your given
Sebacean name. Understood?"
She nodded vehemently. "I can't give up our position of both Resistance
and Peacekeeper Command. If he figures it out though, I will tell him the
truth."
"No, until we are positive he is absolutely safe, you must not tell him
anything. If he is captured by Commandant Grayza, or perhaps even Scorpius, the
council will allow whomever it is to use every means necessary to extract
information from him. No matter how severe. If he learns who you truly are,
then he learns. Do not tell him anything of great importance."
"What about if it is the others?"
"The same. We cannot be 100% sure they will not betray us in any way. The
only ones we can fully trust are Moya's Pilot and Aeryn Sun."
She nodded once again and they both slipped quietly through the commerce
square, watching, waiting and searching.
*-*-*-*-*
John and Aeryn were searching the small marketplace when they saw a Leviathan
pod landing outside of the square.
"Do you think it is one of Moya's?"
"Pilot would have contacted us before he would send a pod down to collect
us. Besides it has only been three solar days. If Moya starburst out of this
system, it would take her nearly this long to travel back to our location if
Pilot got all the Starburst points correctly aligned." Aeryn pulled the
hood of her cloak up as she noticed Officers exit the pod with a Lieutenant
Commander.
Following her lead, John did the same and the two of them went back to
investigating the market stalls. He noticed four officers heading in their
direction. They quickly passed and John breathed a small sigh of relief.
"Come on," he whispered as he tugged softly on her hand and started
to lead her away from the growing number of Peacekeepers scouring the
marketplace.
As they approached the center of the town, toward the room at the inn they had
bartered for, that was when all hezmana broke loose.
Two Peacekeeper officers began to search the square and noticed the pair
crossing the square rather quickly. Both the Officers pulled their pistols and
started to shoot at John and Aeryn as they both dived behind the small fountain
in the middle of the square. They both grabbed their weapons from under the
cloaks and began to shoot at the two officers, bringing them down quickly.
But soon more took their place. As more Peacekeepers moved to surround them,
John noticed that Aeryn was not in his sight anymore.
"Aeryn?"
He turned around slowly and noticed Aeryn being dragged off by two Peacekeepers
and that they were nearly half way across the square already.
"Aeryn!" he yelled as he took one step in her direction and found
eight pulse pistols pointed directly at his head. He dropped his pistol and
held up his hands in a sign of surrender. An officer slipped a pair of
restraints on his hands and stepped back.
"Good work, Officers," a male voice sounded behind him. "Leave
him with me and Lieutenant Commander L'San."
The officers nodded and began to back away. Five took off toward the transport
pods and two stepped to the edges of the square, their weapons still pointed at
John in case he would try and escape.
"What the frell did you assholes do with Aeryn?" John yelled as he
tried to break free of the restraints.
"My men did not capture her, or else she would have been kept here as
well," Tara spoke up in her Sebacean laced accent. "It could have
been a number of others. After Moya was sighted in this system, Captain Chatto
contacted a number of command carriers, including Commandant Grayza's."
"You called them yourself, Peacekeeper bitch!" He rushed forward to
attack her, but was quickly stopped by Tara herself as she pushed him backward.
"Be wary, John Crichton, I do not need to keep you alive. You are just as
valuable to High Command dead." She leaned in even more and unnoticed,
even to John, she slipped her ident chip past the restraints. She lowered her
voice so low, even John had a hard time hearing her, "I swear to you, my
guards did not capture her. Even if you don't believe me, you should continue
to play this deception until we get safely aboard the Leviathan. There I can
explain everything."
"Why," he whispered back, "Why would you do this for me?"
"I have my reasons." she whispered as she pocketed her ident chip and
grabbed Crichton by the cuffs, keeping them tight enough for everyone to
believe that they were still secure, but loose enough for him to easily slip
out of. She pretended to check the restraints once again before pretending to
be satisfied.
He hasn't recognized me yet. That's good, the longer I can hide that from
him, the longer everyone can stay safe. But who took Aeryn? Captain Chatto's men?
Maybe. The Commandant? Easily enough, to get John back in her custody.
Scorpius. Absolutely, everyone knows of the grudge between the two.
"I know Chatto, she would..." John whispered softly.
"It's not Jenavian," Tara whispered back. "Just shut up and on
my mark, take off toward the opposite end of the square where the guards aren't
patrolling. If you do as I ask, I'll explain anything to you."
"Like who you really are?"
"Just go on my mark." She turned around and started to loosely drag
John behind her. "Everyone, back to the transport pod," she yelled to
the guards. As soon as the guards were out of the square and a few metras ahead
of the three, she quietly spoke. "Dive out of sight," she handed him
a small disc with a name printed on it in Sebacean and a key. "Meet me
there in an arn. The key is for the door. Go, now."
John broke loose from Tara's grasp and began to run. "Guards!" she
yelled as she stood there for a moment, letting John get partially to safety.
"Guards!" she called again as they came back into view.
"The Human has broken loose." Zahir looked at the group and noticed a
trusted resistance officer standing among them that he and Tara had recruited
no more than a monen ago. "Officer Trilan, come with me. The rest of you,
report back to the Leviathan. Senior Officer Rirad, you have control for the
moment. If it is possible, find out whoever is responsible for taking Officer
Sun. She is part of our assignment and our capture. Dismissed."
All the guards headed off to the Leviathan transport, leaving Zahir, Tara, and
Bishall Trilan in the center of the square.
Tara dropped her Peacekeeper face and spoke up, "Zahir, Captain Chatto has
orders to capture Officer Sun too."
"What do we do now?" Bishall spoke up. "The Resistance cannot possibly
continue the mission unless Crichton and Officer Sun are free and willing to
cooperate with us. At the moment, we have neither of them."
"I gave John a disc with the instruction to meet us in an abandoned
building just outside the city limits in one arn. He'll be there."
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
*-*-
I know this chapter stops very suddenly, but I (OMG) have to
write a partial outline for the next chapter b/c I have four stories going at
this time, and I am swamped with chemistry homework (gas laws. for those who
have taken chem or are just learning it: Boyle's Law, Charles Law, Avagadro's
Law and the combined gas laws. What FUN!)
Okay, this kind of a strange chapter b/c here I am in bed, typing on Rusty, and
watching Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace and trying to do chem work.
This apparently wasn't too good of a combination. SO sorry for the weirdness
factor, or maybe it is better for me to be doing four things at once, b/c HEY
my chapter is longer! :)
"Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to
hate. Hate leads to suffering." -Yoda
Nixar, this chapter was longer than the others I know... but I hope you liked
it. This time I am putting a limit on how many reviews I get. So far this is
Ch. 3 and I only have about 6 reviews! How sad...
I really don't want to do this, but until I get at least 15 reviews, I am not
posting another chapter. I really want to know what people think. I know there
are those out there that read every story and just go "That was good, but
I am not going to review..." I know, b/c (ashamedly) I used to be one of
those people in the beginning. (Besides, the more reviews, the faster the next
chapter will go up.)
For reviews, it's not like it has to be an essay. Just spend a minute and type
what you think. It isn't that hard. BE RESPONSIBLE!!!!
May the Force be with you.