When Aeryn entered the Galley, she saw how Lyane had cornered Crichton. Anger was written plainly on her face, "You ungrateful son of a Drannit!"
"Lyane, I..."
"I understand why Bialar nearly throttled you. I would like to do the same, right now, right here!"
"Lyane, I didn't mean..."
"Of course you didn't, Mister Crichton. I hope next time he uses his common sense and forgets that he knows you. From what I have heard it is obvious that the John Crichton who was on Talyn was the most honourable of the two."
It was Crichton's turn to bristle with anger, "That John Crichton is dead!"
"More's the pity."
Aeryn stepped forward, "Lyane..."
Lyane turned around quickly but when she saw it was Aeryn, her eyes softened, "Hello, Aeryn. Crichton and I are just having a little conversation."
"...Which can be heard on the other side of Moya," said Aeryn.
"I am sorry," apologised Lyane, "We had meant to spend a pleasant afternoon here. Crais and Talyn were so happy to have found you. But I think his happiness in meeting you again was a mistake."
Aeryn didn't look at Crichton, "We were all glad to see that he and Talyn had survived and had found happiness. For this whole cycle, we believed they were dead. And it was a shock to us to hear that for Crais and Talyn it had been twelve cycles, instead of one. John has this annoying habit of reacting to shock with bad jokes and sarcastic comments." Aeryn felt the need to defend Crichton, "It was the shock of seeing Crais alive that prompted this."
Lyane looked from Aeryn to Crichton, unsure whether to believe this.
Aeryn continued, "John hadn't meant to be rude, he was just... John."
Lyane could understand Aeryn's defence of Crichton and she stepped back. She looked at Aeryn, her face calm and composed, reminding Aeryn of Crais, "The food is ready. We should eat before it gets cold."
+++++
Aeryn called everyone in and Chiana appeared with the twins, her eyesight was still blurry. She whispered something to Ka D'Argo who smiled, moved to the sold storage and returned shortly with three big cakes balanced in his big hands. He placed the cakes on the table. Chiana and the two boys were grinning and sat at the table.
"Where is father," asked Tyrek, "Didn't he come back to eat with us?"
"He still had work to do," said Lyane.
Tauvo looked over at Crichton and raised an eyebrow. It reminded Crichton of Crais and it was strange to see it on a face this young. "Smart kid," he thought.
The meal progressed amicably but Tauvo kept throwing glances at Crichton.
While the table was being cleared Tauvo and Crichton stayed seated. Tauvo's eyes were very intent on Crichton. He finally asked in a low voice, "Why do you hate my father?"
"I don't hate your father."
"Then why did you insult him?"
"We used to do that a long while ago."
"But my father didn't enjoy it. I don't think he enjoyed it when you "used to do it" either. He would not have been this angry with you if he did."
Crichton looked at the boy, "I think it was just the shock of seeing him alive. We had all thought he and Talyn had died almost a cycle ago."
"Yet the others were happy to see him," Tauvo sounded too old for his age.
"Well, I was too," Crichton said in defence.
Tauvo said nothing but he raised an eyebrow.
The others were finished and moved over to the table. Lyane stood behind the two boys, "It is time for us to leave. I don't know when we will meet again. Good fortune."
Aeryn regretted seeing them leave so soon, "Will you tell Crais that we will miss him."
"I will."
Crichton stood up. He glanced briefly at Tauvo then looked at Lyane, "Please stay. I have behaved like a jerk to Crais. I want to apologise."
Lyane's eyes softened, "It is not me you should apologise to, Crichton."
Crichton looked up, "I know but I don't think we will be seeing him again. Not after my behaviour."
"You could use the comms," said Aeryn.
"Too impersonal. I have already insulted him enough, without adding insult to injury." He looked at Lyane, "Would you ask him to come back to Moya?"
"I am not sure if he would want to..."
"Can't you tell him there is an emergency?"
"He would know it to be a lie. Even now he has engaged privacy mode to stop me from feeling how upset he is."
Crichton bit his fingernail, "There has to be a way to get him back here without physically forcing him."
Tauvo looked down the table and saw the dark cake. "Is that tsg'klt," he asked innocently.
The adults told him absentmindedly that it was.
Tauvo broke off a piece, regarded it curiously, took a small bite and swallowed it. Two microns later he went into convulsions.
Crichton was by his side immediately and noticed the uneaten part of chocolate in the boy's hand, he whispered, "What have you done boy?"
He lifted the small body and rushed with him to a refresher. Before leaving he shouted over his shoulder, "Lyane, do you have something to counter-act the effects of Therin-seeds?"
"Yes, on board Talyn but..."
"Then let Crais bring it over quickly before it is too late."
"Yes but..."
"Tell him Tauvo ate chocolate."
She paled and used Moya's comms to contact Crais on board Talyn. The microt Crais received the message the link between him and Lyane was opened and the thoughts of a worried father assaulted her mind. Lyane had to tell Crais where she kept the counter-agent. Crais ran to his Fighter and shortly afterwards they could see it leave Talyn at a speed, which had to be unsafe. He was too impatient for Moya's docking web to be used and all but skidded to a halt in the Hangar Bay.
Soon he entered the galley, panting heavily. He had only taken his helmet off, "Where is my son? Where is Tauvo?"
Lyane walked up to him and tried to calm him down, "Tauvo is with Crichton in the refresher. He ate some tsg'klt."
Crais wrenched himself away from her and shouted to no one in particular, "Take me to Tauvo immediately!" He clutched the vial in his hand and followed Aeryn down the corridor.
When he saw Tauvo lying in Crichton's arm, saw how feverish and small his body looked under the steady stream of water, his resolve broke. He knelt down beside them, not caring that his flight suit was getting soaking wet. With a trembling hand he poured the contents of the vial between his son's lips.
Tauvo stirred and he mumbled something. A little while longer and his colour returned back to normal and his breathing seemed to ease.
"Can he rest somewhere," Crais asked in a broken voice.
Crichton led the way while Crais carried Tauvo. By the time Crichton left father and son alone, he had been able to talk Crais into taking his flight jacket off. Crais sat very still beside his son's bed, waiting for him to wake up.
"Lyane, I..."
"I understand why Bialar nearly throttled you. I would like to do the same, right now, right here!"
"Lyane, I didn't mean..."
"Of course you didn't, Mister Crichton. I hope next time he uses his common sense and forgets that he knows you. From what I have heard it is obvious that the John Crichton who was on Talyn was the most honourable of the two."
It was Crichton's turn to bristle with anger, "That John Crichton is dead!"
"More's the pity."
Aeryn stepped forward, "Lyane..."
Lyane turned around quickly but when she saw it was Aeryn, her eyes softened, "Hello, Aeryn. Crichton and I are just having a little conversation."
"...Which can be heard on the other side of Moya," said Aeryn.
"I am sorry," apologised Lyane, "We had meant to spend a pleasant afternoon here. Crais and Talyn were so happy to have found you. But I think his happiness in meeting you again was a mistake."
Aeryn didn't look at Crichton, "We were all glad to see that he and Talyn had survived and had found happiness. For this whole cycle, we believed they were dead. And it was a shock to us to hear that for Crais and Talyn it had been twelve cycles, instead of one. John has this annoying habit of reacting to shock with bad jokes and sarcastic comments." Aeryn felt the need to defend Crichton, "It was the shock of seeing Crais alive that prompted this."
Lyane looked from Aeryn to Crichton, unsure whether to believe this.
Aeryn continued, "John hadn't meant to be rude, he was just... John."
Lyane could understand Aeryn's defence of Crichton and she stepped back. She looked at Aeryn, her face calm and composed, reminding Aeryn of Crais, "The food is ready. We should eat before it gets cold."
+++++
Aeryn called everyone in and Chiana appeared with the twins, her eyesight was still blurry. She whispered something to Ka D'Argo who smiled, moved to the sold storage and returned shortly with three big cakes balanced in his big hands. He placed the cakes on the table. Chiana and the two boys were grinning and sat at the table.
"Where is father," asked Tyrek, "Didn't he come back to eat with us?"
"He still had work to do," said Lyane.
Tauvo looked over at Crichton and raised an eyebrow. It reminded Crichton of Crais and it was strange to see it on a face this young. "Smart kid," he thought.
The meal progressed amicably but Tauvo kept throwing glances at Crichton.
While the table was being cleared Tauvo and Crichton stayed seated. Tauvo's eyes were very intent on Crichton. He finally asked in a low voice, "Why do you hate my father?"
"I don't hate your father."
"Then why did you insult him?"
"We used to do that a long while ago."
"But my father didn't enjoy it. I don't think he enjoyed it when you "used to do it" either. He would not have been this angry with you if he did."
Crichton looked at the boy, "I think it was just the shock of seeing him alive. We had all thought he and Talyn had died almost a cycle ago."
"Yet the others were happy to see him," Tauvo sounded too old for his age.
"Well, I was too," Crichton said in defence.
Tauvo said nothing but he raised an eyebrow.
The others were finished and moved over to the table. Lyane stood behind the two boys, "It is time for us to leave. I don't know when we will meet again. Good fortune."
Aeryn regretted seeing them leave so soon, "Will you tell Crais that we will miss him."
"I will."
Crichton stood up. He glanced briefly at Tauvo then looked at Lyane, "Please stay. I have behaved like a jerk to Crais. I want to apologise."
Lyane's eyes softened, "It is not me you should apologise to, Crichton."
Crichton looked up, "I know but I don't think we will be seeing him again. Not after my behaviour."
"You could use the comms," said Aeryn.
"Too impersonal. I have already insulted him enough, without adding insult to injury." He looked at Lyane, "Would you ask him to come back to Moya?"
"I am not sure if he would want to..."
"Can't you tell him there is an emergency?"
"He would know it to be a lie. Even now he has engaged privacy mode to stop me from feeling how upset he is."
Crichton bit his fingernail, "There has to be a way to get him back here without physically forcing him."
Tauvo looked down the table and saw the dark cake. "Is that tsg'klt," he asked innocently.
The adults told him absentmindedly that it was.
Tauvo broke off a piece, regarded it curiously, took a small bite and swallowed it. Two microns later he went into convulsions.
Crichton was by his side immediately and noticed the uneaten part of chocolate in the boy's hand, he whispered, "What have you done boy?"
He lifted the small body and rushed with him to a refresher. Before leaving he shouted over his shoulder, "Lyane, do you have something to counter-act the effects of Therin-seeds?"
"Yes, on board Talyn but..."
"Then let Crais bring it over quickly before it is too late."
"Yes but..."
"Tell him Tauvo ate chocolate."
She paled and used Moya's comms to contact Crais on board Talyn. The microt Crais received the message the link between him and Lyane was opened and the thoughts of a worried father assaulted her mind. Lyane had to tell Crais where she kept the counter-agent. Crais ran to his Fighter and shortly afterwards they could see it leave Talyn at a speed, which had to be unsafe. He was too impatient for Moya's docking web to be used and all but skidded to a halt in the Hangar Bay.
Soon he entered the galley, panting heavily. He had only taken his helmet off, "Where is my son? Where is Tauvo?"
Lyane walked up to him and tried to calm him down, "Tauvo is with Crichton in the refresher. He ate some tsg'klt."
Crais wrenched himself away from her and shouted to no one in particular, "Take me to Tauvo immediately!" He clutched the vial in his hand and followed Aeryn down the corridor.
When he saw Tauvo lying in Crichton's arm, saw how feverish and small his body looked under the steady stream of water, his resolve broke. He knelt down beside them, not caring that his flight suit was getting soaking wet. With a trembling hand he poured the contents of the vial between his son's lips.
Tauvo stirred and he mumbled something. A little while longer and his colour returned back to normal and his breathing seemed to ease.
"Can he rest somewhere," Crais asked in a broken voice.
Crichton led the way while Crais carried Tauvo. By the time Crichton left father and son alone, he had been able to talk Crais into taking his flight jacket off. Crais sat very still beside his son's bed, waiting for him to wake up.