Be careful what you wish for

Betrayal

" Aeryn can I come?" Breiyden asked as she accompanied Aeryn to the hanger where the transports were kept. Aeryn sighed and shook her head.

" I don't think that's a good idea," she said sadly. " I don't feel comfortable letting half of them come along, but they won't listen. This is going to be very dangerous Breiyden and if anything happens to us, then we need someone with enough common sense to see that things go okay up here...and Warer, you'll be all he has left and he is still so vulnerable." The emotion was clear in her voice. Aeryn was scared, and for once Breiyden didn't feel like arguing.

" Okay," she said in a resigned way. Aeryn smiled and put her arm round the girl's shoulders.

" Come on, we need to hurry if were going to make it to the coordinates in time. I still need you to reconfigure those sensors before we can leave," she said and the pair sped up.

Soon enough they reached the hanger and found D'Argo, Chiana, Deacon, Tripp and Micola preparing once of the transports. All the transports were in bad condition after a foolhardy mission had gone very wrong and they had all been damaged. None of them were properly working yet, but at least one was flyable - just about.

Breiyden quickly climbed on and started trying to sort out some of the sensors, while Aeryn checked with the others to see that at least some of the fundamental repairs had been done. Soon enough Breiyden was immersed in her work; she loved technical work like this, she had learnt most of her skills off John himself. When she first arrived on Moya she had been stubborn and a little warrior at heart, but over the years John had managed to teach her the value of scientific knowledge and engineering skills.

" How's it going?" Deacon asked from behind her. She murmured something inaudible and carried on working. Deacon smiled and sat down next to her.

" I'll be done soon," she said after a while and she carried on working. " Aren't you supposed to be helping the others?"

" No Aeryn's ordered me to keep out the way, I can't fix anything right, never could," he replied, fondly thinking of his mechanical ineptness. " You okay?" he then asked, giving her a calculating look.

" Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" she asked frowning.

" Well you know, about not coming along?" Breiyden smiled and nodded.

" Yeah, someone's gotta stay up here and keep the show going," she said cheerfully. Then she slammed down the console and smiled proudly. " Finished! This bird is ready to fly!" She then jumped to her feet and took a few steps towards the door, but then she paused and leapt at Deacon hugging him roughly around the neck. " Be careful!" she said firmly and then she rushed out of the transport and jumped onto the hanger floor. Aeryn looked up expectantly and Breiyden nodded eagerly.

" Okay, everybody on board, we're going," Aeryn ordered and one by one the crew filed past Breiyden. She gave each of them an encouraging smile, and finally Aeryn was the only one left.

" Be careful," Breiyden said sadly and Aeryn pulled her into an embrace. When Aeryn released her, Breiyden felt tears stinging her eyes. Aeryn gave her one last smile, before climbing on board and closing the transport door. Breiyden sighed deeply and retreated, letting the transport take off. As she left the hanger she was filled with a sense of foreboding.

* * *

" Are you sure this is the spot?" Jamie asked incredulously, staring round the little clearing grimly.

" Jamie, I'm the one who made up the spot, so yeah I'm pretty sure!" John laughed and he turned back to Biggs and carried on explaining stuff to him. He was trying to explain about the war and what would happen if somehow one of the factions got hold of the wormhole technology and made their way to Earth. Biggs was terrified, but he nodded bravely all the same.

" I have no way of thanking you for what you did for us," John said after he had finished his story. Biggs smiled modestly and nodded.

" I couldn't go along with all the suits, I don't know what they're thinking. More and more IASA seem to be missing out on the bigger picture. It's all politics now," he said sadly. A silence ensued in which John scanned the sky for signs of a transport pod. " John?" Biggs eventually said and John turned back to his new friend and saw he was twiddling his fingers together and looking a little nervous.

" You okay?" John asked looking concerned. Biggs nodded quickly.

" I was just wondering if maybe..." he paused and looked away. " If maybe I could possibly come with you?" John sighed and smiled.

" Biggs, man, your place is here," he said softly. " It's no fun out there and God only knows that we don't need another human blundering around up there. I mean I've been out there for years and I still make a nuisance out of myself." Biggs nodded dejectedly and looked down to the ground. " Besides they need you here. If shit happens, they need you here man!"

" Well then if it's all the same with you, I think I'll go now. The temptation might be too much," he said sounding disappointed, but he was smiling warmly. John nodded and held out his hand. Biggs shook it firmly.

" Thank you for everything," John said as the other man turned and left. Seeing Biggs leaving Jamie walked over to her father and reached up to hold his hand. She wouldn't feel one hundred percent calm till she was back onboard that transport and headed home.

" He was nice," she said after a while. John cracked up and looked down at the small child.

" Yeah he was wasn't he," he said through his laughter. " Come here!" he said picking her up and giving her a tight hug.

Ten minutes later the pair were still embraced, almost too afraid to let go of each other, but the second they heard the telltale sound of a transport engine John dropped Jamie to her feet and looked up to see a transport hovering above them.

Moments later it had landed and Jamie stood literally bouncing from one foot to the other while the shuttle hatch opened. Bright light filled the clearing as the rusty hatch creaked open and silhouetted against this blinding light stood a lone figure; a woman's figure.

" Mom," Jamie whispered and she ran towards the shuttle as Aeryn steppe out onto the mossy ground.

" Hold it right there!"

* * *

" Who is that?" Deacon asked sounding curious. D'Argo frowned at the young man and walked over to his viewpoint.

" I don't know, it looks like a human," he growled.

" What's he saying to John?" Chiana asked sounding equally as curious as Deacon.

" Chiana, how much do you actually know about Luxan anatomy?" Deacon asked her cheerfully. Chiana gave the young man a sneaky smile and shrugged. " Yeah not like that you freak, but you know for real! Because those tentacles aren't actually an extension to his hearing!"

" What are you saying?" D'Argo growled angrily.

" How could you possible get insulted by that?" Deacon laughed. " I was just saying that your tentacles aren't for listening..."

" You're saying that I'm inadequate at listening," D'Argo hissed and he took a step towards the young ex-peacekeeper. Deacon stumbled backwards and gave D'Argo a calculating look.

" Well can you hear what they're saying?" he asked eventually. D'Argo remained silent for a while eyeing the young man down menacingly, but then eventually he pulled back happily and stared out the viewpoint again.

" Little jumpy aren't you, for a peacekeeper?" D'Argo jeered good- naturedly.

" Hey don't start D," Deacon said breathing out a sigh of relief. " Who ever heard of a peacekeeper with a sense of humour!"

" Hey I never..." D'Argo began, but Chiana suddenly jumped up and ran over to the hatch. The two men exchanged a curious glance before racing after her. They soon discovered the source of Chiana's panic when they found Aeryn pointing her pulse pistol at the new human male.

" Aeryn put it away!" John hissed angrily as the three appeared in the doorway. John gave them an urgent look and they jumped down to help control Aeryn.

" What's going on?" Chiana demanded seeing John standing at the man's side holding a thin piece of paper in his hand. Stood halfway between the two groups was Jamie, visibly shaking from anger and silent sobs.

" They're not letting me come home!" Jamie finally shrieked bitterly.

" I could shoot you right now, how would anyone ever know?" Aeryn bellowed to the man. He smiled and stepped forward boldly.

" There are a thousand eyes on me as we speak. You pull that trigger..." He paused and cocked his head to one side in thought. " Or whatever it is that you use to fire that thing and Mr Crichton's family will be slaughtered within seconds!"

" This is against the law," John hissed, speaking for the first time and scrunching the piece of paper in his hand into a ball. The man turned back on him and smiled slyly.

" John," he said calmly. " We are above the law."

" We will destroy your planet," D'Argo bellowed. The man looked a little scared for a moment, but then he regained his composure.

" And destroy the child and Crichton?" he hissed. A long silence followed, but eventually John took a few steps forward.

" Baby I'm sorry," he said to Aeryn and his voice trembled with emotion. " Jamie come on," he ordered forcefully.

" No!" Aeryn screamed and her pistol arm trembled with the strain of stopping herself from shooting the human. " No you can't take her away from me again! Crichton!"

" Trust me," John cried out to her and he walked forward and put his hand on his daughter's shoulder and dragged her back.

" No don't do this! Don't take her away from me again!" Aeryn cried and she dropped her pistol to the floor helplessly falling against D'Argo's side. He caught her quickly and the four of them watched helplessly as John and this man dragged Jamie away screaming blue murder.