Part 2: Hostile Intent.
Hostile no. I wouldn't be hostile to Aeryn I love her too much to be that way. No, my answer is to give back what she had given me, indifference.
Three Arns Later
Aeryn? Standing, facing to the side at the bar entrance. He could scarcely credit his eyes. Pushing with the heel of one boot, he sat more erect and turned fully towards her.
He could see she was still beautiful, slightly built with a wealth of dark hair and that rare milk-white skin you seldom run across in real life. As if she sensed John's gaze on her, she turned to look at him, and he found himself staring into the most vulnerable, surprised eyes he ever seen her with. Turning his head from her, he tipped back his head to swig his drink. The blessed burn promised oblivion, and he closed his eyes as the warmth spread through him, needing it-craving it-grabbing for it. He didn't want to face this waking nightmare. Aeryn wasn't here.
A sudden wailing trailed to John over the rhythmic notes of voices. The sound startled him so much that he choked. A baby? Liquor backwash went up his nose. He strained to breathe, his eyeballs feeling as if they might pop from his skull.
He turned his gaze to where the cry came from. A white haired female draped in a gray flowing cloak had her back to him. Her head bent down as she swayed back and forth. The sound came again. An eerie feeling came over him. No.it can't be.Chiana?
He started to stand when the black-haired woman rejoined the one with the baby. Black-hair moved with a ..no, this couldn't be happening. Snorting with disgust he turned his back to them burying his head in his arms. If you ignore them maybe they wouldn't notice him, then again.
Aeryn walked into the bar joining Chiana. She leaned down and said something to the baby. After comforting him she looked back into the room. The informant said he should be in here. Her eyes scanned each patron carefully until they locked on a hunched figure. Nodding with her head, Chiana saw where Aeryn was indicating. "Now what?"
Turning away she walked out of the bar. Chiana followed behind her. "What? Aren't you even going to talk to him?"
Aeryn stopped under the shade of the building overhang. She pulled out her old comm badge. "Pilot?"
Instantly Pilot's voice responded, "Is that you, Officer Sun?"
"Yes, Pilot. Chiana is with me. I just wanted to know if you were in orbit or not. And it's Aeryn now no more Officer." She smiled, as Jack turned his head looking at his mother.
"Will you and Chiana be coming aboard?"
"I hope so. Can you tell me who is still on Moya?" Aeryn's eyes roamed back to the entrance of the bar.
"There is only Commander Crichton, and he is down on the planet. Do you wish me to let him know you both will be rejoining us?"
"No, let him finish whatever he needs to do. We'll be up to Moya in about two arns." She saw another alien enter the bar. A cold mask settled over her face. "Take Jack back to the room and get everything ready for us to leave. I have to finish up something here before I'll can join you."
Chiana had noticed the alien, and knew trouble was about to happen. She really wanted to join in on the action, but Jack's safety came first. "You be careful and watch out for John. The stupid human could be hostile towards you."
"I know," she answered back in a sad voice. "I'll just cover his eema then we'll go home to Moya."
Aeryn went back to the bar as Chiana slipped away with Jack.
Fifty Microts Later:
Glancing back up he saw them leave. Sighing he turned back to nurse his booze flask in peace. He took a long pull from the flask, determined to consume enough liquor to pass out.
"What is that smell?" One of the lowlifes yelled. "This place is worst then a thousand koput herders.
Amen to that. John took another swig of booze and turned up his coat collar. Aeryn. She'd was so beautiful and he.He chased it away with another gulp of liquor, wondering why the images had started back again. She had killed what was lift of John Crichton as surely as if she'd put a gun to his head and pulled the trigger.
"You in the black. With that stench.you're a 'bacean." The same loud month said right behind him. John froze with the liquor flask midway to his lips. He clenched his teeth to bite back a curse. Of all.fate once more coming in like an unwelcome troublemaker.
He grabbed John roughly by his arm. John was on his feet before the alien even realized it. John shifted his grip on the flask, as he turned he brought it up to the side of the lowlife's head. With eyes nesting laterally, the blow caught one full on. Growling the lowlife stumbled back with his hand flying up to stem the flow of blood. John backed up his hand on Winona ready for any other attacker. Everyone was either watching or leaving.
Stepping back into the bar Aeryn, heard and saw the commotion, and of course do to no fault of his own, John was in the middle of it. After John had lain open the aliens eye the bar went quiet. Weapon ready, she noticed that John was prepared for whatever was about to happen. Within her puerperal vision she saw someone pulling out his weapon. She didn't haste to put a stop to that.
The creature let out a high pitch screech as he fell to the ground. All eyes turned first to the ex -patron laying on the floor to Aeryn. The loud mouth turned his one good eye to see who was behind him. Recognition let his face. He held up one hand as if begging not to shot. "I'm sorry I didn't know he was with you.please don't hurt me any more."
John never took his eyes from the lowlife. He was amazed at how high his voice could go pleading for his life. Everyone else turned back to what they had been doing. Ignore the problem and maybe it would go away mentality settling in around the room. He put Winona away. Glancing over at Aeryn, his face remained emotionless. Their eyes met for the brief moment before he turned back to his drink.
Aeryn could feel the door close behind those beautiful eyes, not giving anything away. He would make a good peacekeeper she thought fleetingly and that scared her. Walking over to his table she waited for him to acknowledge her presence.
Taking another long drink he sat his flask down. His eyes refusing to meet hers, as he spoke, "Thanks, Aeryn, but I didn't need your help. I have gotten good on my on."
"I know. I just wanted you to know that Chiana and I are back and we are going up to Moya. Pilot is waiting for us."
More time passed he set the container down with a snap. John said in an indifferent voice. "Whatever you want. If Moya and Pilot say ok then I could care less. Anything else?"
She glanced around the bar deciding this wasn't a good place to mention Jack. "When we are all back on Moya, I need to talk to you about something."
"You mean the kid? Sure whatever. Now I have some business to take care of. I'll see you later." He moved away from her. Aeryn could not believe this was the same John Crichton she had left so long ago. A single tear fell down her cheek with so much regret.
Hostile no. I wouldn't be hostile to Aeryn I love her too much to be that way. No, my answer is to give back what she had given me, indifference.
Three Arns Later
Aeryn? Standing, facing to the side at the bar entrance. He could scarcely credit his eyes. Pushing with the heel of one boot, he sat more erect and turned fully towards her.
He could see she was still beautiful, slightly built with a wealth of dark hair and that rare milk-white skin you seldom run across in real life. As if she sensed John's gaze on her, she turned to look at him, and he found himself staring into the most vulnerable, surprised eyes he ever seen her with. Turning his head from her, he tipped back his head to swig his drink. The blessed burn promised oblivion, and he closed his eyes as the warmth spread through him, needing it-craving it-grabbing for it. He didn't want to face this waking nightmare. Aeryn wasn't here.
A sudden wailing trailed to John over the rhythmic notes of voices. The sound startled him so much that he choked. A baby? Liquor backwash went up his nose. He strained to breathe, his eyeballs feeling as if they might pop from his skull.
He turned his gaze to where the cry came from. A white haired female draped in a gray flowing cloak had her back to him. Her head bent down as she swayed back and forth. The sound came again. An eerie feeling came over him. No.it can't be.Chiana?
He started to stand when the black-haired woman rejoined the one with the baby. Black-hair moved with a ..no, this couldn't be happening. Snorting with disgust he turned his back to them burying his head in his arms. If you ignore them maybe they wouldn't notice him, then again.
Aeryn walked into the bar joining Chiana. She leaned down and said something to the baby. After comforting him she looked back into the room. The informant said he should be in here. Her eyes scanned each patron carefully until they locked on a hunched figure. Nodding with her head, Chiana saw where Aeryn was indicating. "Now what?"
Turning away she walked out of the bar. Chiana followed behind her. "What? Aren't you even going to talk to him?"
Aeryn stopped under the shade of the building overhang. She pulled out her old comm badge. "Pilot?"
Instantly Pilot's voice responded, "Is that you, Officer Sun?"
"Yes, Pilot. Chiana is with me. I just wanted to know if you were in orbit or not. And it's Aeryn now no more Officer." She smiled, as Jack turned his head looking at his mother.
"Will you and Chiana be coming aboard?"
"I hope so. Can you tell me who is still on Moya?" Aeryn's eyes roamed back to the entrance of the bar.
"There is only Commander Crichton, and he is down on the planet. Do you wish me to let him know you both will be rejoining us?"
"No, let him finish whatever he needs to do. We'll be up to Moya in about two arns." She saw another alien enter the bar. A cold mask settled over her face. "Take Jack back to the room and get everything ready for us to leave. I have to finish up something here before I'll can join you."
Chiana had noticed the alien, and knew trouble was about to happen. She really wanted to join in on the action, but Jack's safety came first. "You be careful and watch out for John. The stupid human could be hostile towards you."
"I know," she answered back in a sad voice. "I'll just cover his eema then we'll go home to Moya."
Aeryn went back to the bar as Chiana slipped away with Jack.
Fifty Microts Later:
Glancing back up he saw them leave. Sighing he turned back to nurse his booze flask in peace. He took a long pull from the flask, determined to consume enough liquor to pass out.
"What is that smell?" One of the lowlifes yelled. "This place is worst then a thousand koput herders.
Amen to that. John took another swig of booze and turned up his coat collar. Aeryn. She'd was so beautiful and he.He chased it away with another gulp of liquor, wondering why the images had started back again. She had killed what was lift of John Crichton as surely as if she'd put a gun to his head and pulled the trigger.
"You in the black. With that stench.you're a 'bacean." The same loud month said right behind him. John froze with the liquor flask midway to his lips. He clenched his teeth to bite back a curse. Of all.fate once more coming in like an unwelcome troublemaker.
He grabbed John roughly by his arm. John was on his feet before the alien even realized it. John shifted his grip on the flask, as he turned he brought it up to the side of the lowlife's head. With eyes nesting laterally, the blow caught one full on. Growling the lowlife stumbled back with his hand flying up to stem the flow of blood. John backed up his hand on Winona ready for any other attacker. Everyone was either watching or leaving.
Stepping back into the bar Aeryn, heard and saw the commotion, and of course do to no fault of his own, John was in the middle of it. After John had lain open the aliens eye the bar went quiet. Weapon ready, she noticed that John was prepared for whatever was about to happen. Within her puerperal vision she saw someone pulling out his weapon. She didn't haste to put a stop to that.
The creature let out a high pitch screech as he fell to the ground. All eyes turned first to the ex -patron laying on the floor to Aeryn. The loud mouth turned his one good eye to see who was behind him. Recognition let his face. He held up one hand as if begging not to shot. "I'm sorry I didn't know he was with you.please don't hurt me any more."
John never took his eyes from the lowlife. He was amazed at how high his voice could go pleading for his life. Everyone else turned back to what they had been doing. Ignore the problem and maybe it would go away mentality settling in around the room. He put Winona away. Glancing over at Aeryn, his face remained emotionless. Their eyes met for the brief moment before he turned back to his drink.
Aeryn could feel the door close behind those beautiful eyes, not giving anything away. He would make a good peacekeeper she thought fleetingly and that scared her. Walking over to his table she waited for him to acknowledge her presence.
Taking another long drink he sat his flask down. His eyes refusing to meet hers, as he spoke, "Thanks, Aeryn, but I didn't need your help. I have gotten good on my on."
"I know. I just wanted you to know that Chiana and I are back and we are going up to Moya. Pilot is waiting for us."
More time passed he set the container down with a snap. John said in an indifferent voice. "Whatever you want. If Moya and Pilot say ok then I could care less. Anything else?"
She glanced around the bar deciding this wasn't a good place to mention Jack. "When we are all back on Moya, I need to talk to you about something."
"You mean the kid? Sure whatever. Now I have some business to take care of. I'll see you later." He moved away from her. Aeryn could not believe this was the same John Crichton she had left so long ago. A single tear fell down her cheek with so much regret.