When Worlds Collide Chapter 4: The New Ally and the Unknown Variable, a farscape fanfic

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.** 4) To everyone: I am working on about four stories at once, so please forgive me if I don't post as frequently as I usually have been. I hope you guys enjoy!
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 :) I'm gonna have to stop teasing you about the spelling aren't I? 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, and NO, I don't think you are too much of a nitpick. You nitpick just enough. Chi for reviewing after EVERY chapter… even if it is just to tell me to post the next one.

Okay now my babbling is done. (for this chapter at least)

***I know I said 15 reviews, but I decided that 12 was close enough… besides I already have Chapter 5 done and I am anxious to put it up!!!!***

Tara slipped slowly into the small alley and looked around, checking for intruders and followers. She looked back at where Zahir and Trilan were guarding the entrance. Giving a thumbs up and taking a deep breath, she headed to the doorway. I hope this works... otherwise, the Resistance will be in trouble.

She slowly opened the wooden door and found a pulse pistol aimed right at her head. "It's me. I see you agreed to my proposition." A smile tugged slightly at her lips as she watched him put away a pulse pistol he had obviously found at a weapons dealer's booth.

"I didn't have much choice. For me, Aeryn is top priority. Why did you call me here like this? Why did you let me escape like that in the first place? Who are you really? Why..."

"One question at a time." She took another deep breath and opened the door to the small room. Seeing Zahir and Trilan standing there, she motioned for one of them to come in. Tara looked directly at her captain and he nodded almost imperceptibly. Zahir stepped inside and she closed the door behind him. "My name is... Lieutenant Commander Risal L'San. Both myself and Captain Luca here work for the Resistance." She motioned for the disc she had given him earlier. "Did you look at it?"

He nodded sharply, "Why do this to your own people?"

Zahir spoke up now, "We don't believe in First Command doing what they are doing here in the Uncharted Territories. We want to diminish their presence in these areas so they cannot be brought into occupied territory under supposedly valid contact charters. There are over 30 planets in the Uncharted Territories already under Peacekeeper jurisdiction because of these so-called peace contact charters. We want to stop that."

"Like Sykar," John said softly before he turned around, still flipping the disc between his nimble fingers.

"Sykar was one of the first. By now, even independent as they claim, they are in what is now Peacekeeper territory." Tara said, remembering one of Torin's history lessons and wondering when John had visited Sykar. "We want to stop High Command's expansion into the Uncharted Territories. That's why we let you escape; to give you time to look at the disc and hopefully enough incentive to help us."

"Assuming you get Aeryn back, just how am I supposed to help you?" John handed the disc back to Tara, crossed his arms and sat down on one of the small wooden chairs that were scattered around the room.

"That will all be worked out later. Let's get back to Loki." She held out a pair of restraints. "This is the only way back aboard the Leviathan. Once there, given a few days, I can get you Officer's quarters, IF you decide to help us. If not, walk out the door right now and watch more planets become enslaved."

Sighing deeply, he slipped his hands in and she tightened them to the point of near circulation deprivation. When she noticed the look on his face, she loosened them just enough for comfort. "You sure know how to blackmail a person."

"It's one of my jobs." Tara smiled softly and secured the lock on the handcuffs. "Besides, it's fun," she teased.

"I can guarantee that we will do everything to get Officer Sun back," Luca spoke behind her as she gave John a slight smile and nodded.

"Come on. Once we get aboard the Leviathan, I can explain more." She patted the back of his hands gently and started to lead him out of the room. Opening the door, they started to walk to the two Prowlers sitting at the edge of the city that two members of the first squad had left behind on Zahir's request. "Officer Trilan is a resistance member, so you haven't anything to worry about until we get to Loki, all right? When we get aboard, stay silent and cooperate with the guards. I'll come down to your cell two arns after we dock. Do you understand?"

"Yeah. One question. Why are you doing this? The real reason this time." He noticed the Prowlers on the other edge of the square, and his thoughts went to Aeryn, as always.

"Same reason as you when you destroyed Scorpius' Command Carrier," was her cryptic reply as she helped him into the back of the Prowler and they took off for Loki.

*-*-*-*-*

John sat in his cell aboard the Leviathan with his head buried in his hands. "I knew this was a bad idea," he muttered, not hearing Tara walk up to the cell. It had been nearly two solar days since he had willingly let himself be captured, and no one had made any progress on finding Aeryn, or the ones responsible for her disappearance.

As promised, Zahir and Tara were making all the progress possible and reporting it back to him.

"What was a bad idea?" Tara said from the other side of the door. She tilted her head to the side in a questioning manner, "Getting recaptured?"

"Yeah," he nodded.

"Guards, dismissed."

The two guards to her sides bowed slightly and left without another notice. "Pretending to be locked up until..."

"You may never find Aeryn. I should have went looking for her myself," he said softly with a tinge of attitude in his voice.

"By now, you'd be in the custody of the person who captured Aeryn." Tara leaned against the doorway.

"At least I'd be with her, since..."

"Since what, John?"

For a tenth of a microt he had a look of surprise on his face, but then it disappeared under his stoic face. Tara had seen through it though. "Nothing. Aeryn was nervous because Moya took off without us. We were on the planet getting some supplies." he lied. He still didn't trust her enough to tell the truth that Moya had had Pilot make them leave on a transport pod, almost by force. "After we dropped the needed stuff on Moya, we came back down to see if we could barter other supplies we didn't desperately need, but wanted. Like oil for the pistols, some parts for our ships, stuff like that."

Tara knew he was at least partially lying. She wasn't his sister for nothing. Nodding quietly, she tapped her comms badge. "Officer Trilan, our guest has decided to cooperate. Can you have him escorted out of his cell, tier eight, and to much more suited quarters?"

"Yes. Lieutenant Commander. I will have that done immediately."

John tilted his head to the side in confusion as she closed the comms channel. Tara looked back with an equally strange look. "I did promise to assign you better quarters as long as you cooperated with the Resistance, did I not?"

John nodded, "Thank you."

"Do not thank me yet. There is still the matter of finding Aeryn." She gave him a soft smile and nodded her head, "I promised I would do whatever necessary to find her."

*-*-*-*-*

Tara sighed as she slipped into her quarters exhausted. She could hear the shower running from the deeper in the room and she knew it was Zahir.

Flopping down on the bed, she covered her eyes. She heard the shower stop and Zahir pad softly to the bed.

"Is something wrong?" he asked quietly.

She sat up from her position on the bed and kneeled softly at his side. Tara wrapped her arms around his waist and set her head on his shoulder. "I don't want to lie to John anymore."

"Even though it's necessary?" He turned around and looked directly into her deep blue eyes. Zahir leaned forward and gave her a passionate kiss.

She gave an equally passionate one back in return as she felt Zahir's arm go around her waist to pull her closer. After a microt, she could feel her jacket starting to be pushed off her shoulders until it fell in a heap on the bed next to her. Next started to come the black shirt she was wearing. He broke the kiss for a microt to pull it over her head, tossing it next to the discarded jacket as his lips soundly met hers once again. She could feel one of the straps of her bra starting to come off as she broke away from the passionate embrace for a few microts.

"I never lied to him before in my life." Tara stared into his equally dark brown eyes. "What if he figures all this out and he figures out that I am his sister? He probably already did and he'll never trust me again."

"Don't worry about that now. We must learn who has Aeryn Sun. She will be of value in this mission the Resistance has given us. High Command must not know about it..."

"Captain!" Lieutenant Terga's voice called. "Priority one message..."

"I'll be up in 100 microts," he interrupted. Zahir closed the channel and sighed deeply to Tara. He gave her another deep kiss and they both began pulling on clothes. Forty microts later, he and Tara were both off to Command.

They entered to find themselves alone, even Lieutenant Terga had vacated Command. Tara stepped off to the side, out of view and Zahir initiated the comms channel open.

The view screen lit up with Scorpius' face.

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Hey, Nixar, I know this chapter is kind of short. It makes up for chapter three. Besides, I don't want to give away too much yet. I know there are questions cycling through your heads like: what is this all-important mission the Resistance has, and why do John and Aeryn play such a big part? I promise those questions will be answered soon. You all have to remember almost all my stories are off-the-wall-writings!

I am going to have to POLITELY ask you non-responsible reviewers to review!!!! (Next time, I'll just write everything in Japanese, or Russian, or Italian if I don't get reviews. LOL. I'm kidding! Even though I could, I wouldn't want to do that to the responsible people!)

QUOTE OF THE CHAPTER:

Be forgiving. Be kind. Better angels. Her life. Her world. On her time...you will know. Aeryn is...with child.
~ Noranti (AKA The Old Woman) to John "Dog With Two Bones"