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, a trusty Hitachi computer, and Rusty- my piece of shit
computer.
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 [always] 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, instead of getting my own
copies. 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 :) PS: Thanks for the SM
copies. Now I can tell everyone how bad American dubbed anime can be!) 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, EXCEPTIONAL work for a
person who is sick. Thank you, and I hope you feel better soon. And I guess
I'll put you in here, Jasmine, only because you complained I don't give
you any credit anywhere.
EXTRA NOTE: I'll be switching between Risal and Tara for Tara's name.
They are the same person! There is a whole other side to Tara that I have not
mentioned in the previous chapters that will be coming up near the end of this
chapter and some of the next. It may not make sense, but deal with it!
Okay now my babbling is done. (for this chapter at least)
When Worlds Collide
Chapter 5: Nightmares Come True
© sassy_lion May 2002
Tara felt sick to her stomach. Scorpius, the one she was the most scared of in
the whole frelling galaxy, was talking to her Captain, her husband, and her
love. Scorpius was also the cause of most of John's problems in the Uncharted
Territories. He was one of the people she had to protect John from. Not just
because it was her order from Resistance Admiral Tossa, but also because he was
family.
"Scorpius," Zahir spoke up, "I'm sure High Command would be pleased to see you
alive." Tara could hear the slight sarcasm in the last statement, but it went
unnoticed by Scorpius.
"Captain Luca, how nice to see you again. I have requested that you be alone."
"My second is here to make sure you do not overstep your boundaries and to keep
the Pilot of this Leviathan from overhearing our conversation. She will remain
silent and out of the way. That I can guarantee." Zahir's eyes flickered to
hers for a moment making it clear that she was to do exactly as he said.
"I can accept this term on one condition."
"What is that?"
"Hand over John Crichton."
Tara shook her head vehemently, thankful she was off screen. No frelling
way, Scorpius. You can't have my brother.
"John Crichton is to be captured under my jurisdiction, along with Aeryn Sun
and Bialar Crais, if he is still alive. I will not relinquish my custody of
him."
"Captain Crais was pronounced dead when the hybrid starburst inside the hangar
of my command carrier."
"We have been discussing schematics with New Tech and it may be possible that
the Leviathan hybrid escaped your command carrier alive due to tougher
skinsteel shielding. Therefore, if that is possible, Bialar Crais could still
be alive." Zahir repeated what Tara had told him, what she had been discussing
with Fleet Captain Chatto earlier that morning. "You do not have the authority
any more. If you have Aeryn Sun, I would suggest that you send her over on a
transport pod, or I will take her by force if necessary."
Scorpius took a sharp breath and continued. "I do have Officer Sun, but until
you release John Crichton, I will not release her."
"I demand you release her! Her capture is under my jurisdiction, not
yours."
"Unacceptable, Captain. As long as you have John Crichton, I will not release
her."
Zahir activated the comms, "All prowlers, prepare for assault."
*-*-*-*-*
Tara ran down the passageway of the Leviathan to her brother's private
quarters. The ship rocked violently, sending Tara into the grating of the door.
"Come on." she grabbed him by the wrist once he opened the door and
started to pull him to the transport hangar. "We have to get off this
ship. Scorpius has Aeryn and if we are going to rescue her, now would be the
time."
They entered the hangar bay and went to the nearest Prowler. Climbing in and
pulling the top down, she took off 30 microts later and they joined the battle
that had begun. One by one the ships from Scorpius' carrier, a mixture of
standard Peacekeeper Prowlers and Marauders and a few ships that looked
unfamiliar, began to fall back. It was then Tara saw her chance to board the
ship. She handed John a pulse pistol, which he grateful placed in his holster,
and a pair of restraints. Without question, he slipped into them, making sure
they didn't lock and waited for the Prowler to dock. They landed safely aboard
the ship as some of the damaged Peacekeeper ships from Scorpius' hangar started
to come back for repairs and to refuel.
Tara stopped on the deck and started to open the canopy of the Prowler, thankful
she had made John wear a helmet, "Play along, and don't frell this up," she
hissed as she pulled off her own helmet and climbed out of the cockpit.
"Refuel," she ordered one of the techs, "I have a prisoner. Scorpius told me to
immediately place him with the renegade Peacekeeper that was captured earlier."
Playing right into their hands, one of the techs led her and John down a long
corridor until the three of them stopped at a level four security door. "Thank
you. Dismissed." The tech took off and left them alone. "Now for the fun part,
rescuing Aeryn Sun, and trying to get off. A prowler doesn't exactly fit three
people."
"Let's just open the door, get Aeryn, then we'll worry about that." He shook
off the restraints and tossed them to the ground.
"I don't have a strategy yet!" Tara hissed as she checked the hall one last
time for guards.
"Make one up as you go. That's what I do and look at how many times it's saved
my butt."
"I swear you'll be the death of me," she softly whispered to herself and
pressed the code for the door. "I'll guard the hall, you get Aeryn."
It swung open softly and John looked inside. He saw Aeryn on the floor;
unconscious, asleep, he wasn't sure, with one arm underneath her head and the
other gently laying across her flat stomach. "Aeryn," he whispered, gently
shaking her shoulder, "Aeryn wake up."
Aeryn immediately opened her eyes and found John staring at her, "John?" she
whispered. John knew they had started to torture her with heat, and he could
see the damaging effects in her eyes.
"Yeah, baby, it's me. Come on, we have to get off this piece of junk called
Scorpy's ship." He lifted her into his arms, knowing her weakened state. He
entered the hall and started to follow Risal back to the hangar, making sure
that Aeryn was still safely in his arms.
They stepped into the shadows of the hangar and John nearly fell over. The
entire hangar was filled with officers.
"I told you I should have thought of a strategy. There is no way we will ever
get back to the prowler with all the officers around. They will report our
presence the moment they see us."
"Can we cause a distraction?"
"That will be unnecessary," a familiar voice rang behind the three of them.
"now that you are aboard this vessel, there will be no need to try and escape."
John turned around, Aeryn still in his arms, and looked directly at where
Scorpius stood on one of the higher rafters. "You son of a…"
"And, I see you brought another one of your kind with you. How very
convenient."
John turned and glanced at where Risal was standing, noticing the guard that
came up behind them while they had been distracted. He now realized why she had
looked so familiar to him; John was not looking at Lieutenant Commander Risal
L'San, but his own sister in disguise. He shot her an annoyed, yet angry,
glance; but she never saw it. Her head was hung with a look of disappointment.
"Tara…" he whispered softly.
"Guards, secure them in velka nine containment. We will learn what knowledge
the human woman possess after I inform Captain Luca what has transpired."
"Yes, sir," one guard said as he pulled Tara around to face him and
slapped a pair of handcuffs around her wrists.
Aeryn was taken from John's arms and another pair of handcuffs were slapped on
his wrists as well. The three of them were led down a corridor and pushed
violently into a well-secured cell.
John turned from his position on the floor just in time to see Tara thrown
against the wall, rendering her unconscious.
*-*-*-*-*
Tara woke up a few arns later to find herself on top of a small, but well
padded, cot. She tried to sit up, but found her hands were still in the
Peacekeeper restraints.
"You're finally awake I see," Aeryn Sun's voice came from the other
side of the room as she lifted her head to look around.
"Right now, I wish I was back on Loki. It wasn't supposed to get this far
out of hand. It was supposed to be a simple rescue. Why does John always have
to make things hard?" She rubbed her eyes and noticed that she was truly
alone with Aeryn. "Where is John?"
"Taken by Scorpius already. I suggest you continue to feign sleep. The
guards were going to take you first, but you were still unconscious." She
tilted her head to pillow it on her arm and stared questioningly at Tara.
"John was adamant that you aren't who you seem to be. Is that true?"
Tara nodded softly and yawned. "Whatever you do, don't let John believe
that I am who he thinks I am, there will be a lot of problems if you let him.
The less he knows the better off we will be. But I'm Tara...Tara Crichton.
John's sister, but don't call me that. I'm better known as..."
"Risal L'San," A voice called from beyond the door, when no answer
came, the door opened and Tara, despite Aeryn's warnings, stood up, facing the
guards, "come with us."
Tara stifled another yawn and stepped carefully out of the door, as another set
of guards came from down the hall dragging her nearly unconscious brother
between them. She stopped herself from calling out his name and just stared
nervously as she noticed the welts beginning to form around his wrists. He's
already been in the chair... she thought with apprehension.
Zahir had always told Tara that the chair was the worst place a resistance
leader could be. He had told her horror stories about things that had gone on,
about how the chair ripped the memories from the subjected person no matter how
hard they fought it.
She was hauled into the captain's quarters and set down on the hard chair in
front of a large slate-gray metal desk. Behind the desk was Scorpius himself. His
feet propped up on the edge as he signaled for the guards to dismiss.
"Lieutenant Commander Risal L'San," he spoke with a lilting air of
knowledge as he brought his feet down and stood up, circling her like an
animal. "Tell me who you really are and why you are on my ship helping
John Crichton allow Aeryn Sun to escape."
"My name is Risal L'San. I am Lieutenant Commander aboard..."
"I know of your background in Peacekeeper logs, but you are lying. You're
energy signature is non-Sebacean, nearly identical to Crichton's. Now once
again, tell me who you are, the truth this time, or I will allow you to be
placed in the Aurora Chair and extract the information as I have him."
"Your chair won't get anything out of me," she spat defiantly.
"Besides, I have two of the best captains in the fleet looking out for
me."
"True, Captain Chatto and Captain Luca will be greatly disappointed if I
do not return you alive, but I also know that Captain Luca will not allow any
fire upon this ship as long as you and the other fugitives are aboard."
"Says who?" she managed to slip her hand into her pocket at that
moment and pressed the activation point on a small chip that Zahir had given
her before she had left Command earlier in the day. It hummed softly between
her fingertips for a few microts before she let it dropped back into her
pocket. Pulling her hand out, Tara lifted her head a little more and met
Scorpius' eyes.
A few microts later, the ship began to shudder. "I am not bluffing, if he
has to, I know that Captain Luca will destroy this ship, and kill each and
everyone of us in the process." Her blue eyes flashed defiantly at him.
"Make no mistake Scorpius, I know that you are subverting High Commands'
decisions and when the Council finds out you are still alive, you will suffer a
worse fate than the three of us."
"Guards," he called as the door opened. He motioned for the two at the door to
take Tara. "Take Lieutenant Commander L'San to the Aurora Chair."
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
That's all for this chapter, Nixar! That was a long chapter for
me! I hope you liked it because the next chapter will be even better (so I am
told by one of my betas).
REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW!