Old Haunts Book Two

by Auna

Futurefic Series #9: The crew of Moya try to find their missing sons

4. Chapter 4

Author: Auna

Title: Old Haunts; Book 2, Chapter 4

Rating: PG-13, just because I believe in playing it safe

Disclaimer: Farscape isn't mine.  A few of these characters are, but that's all I'll lay claim to.

Beta's: scrubschick, shipsister and ScaperRed.  I cannot possibly thank you enough or give you enough credit for this story.  You have stuck with me through all of my temper tantrums and bad grammar and kept me going.  Sanchez, you have been so awesome and I thank you for all the creativity you put into this.  This wouldn't be half the story it is without you.

Author's Notes:  I've thought a lot about what I'd want to say here, the very last chapter in the whole Brennik/Aeric universe, and sadly enough I couldn't come up with anything poignant.  It's been over a year, and a lot of you are still here reading.  Wow.  I am humbled.  Thank you.  I hope this doesn't disappoint.

Go here for a diagram of the banquet hall.

One last thought.  This picks up RIGHT where chapter three left off, so you might want to read the last few paragraphs of that chapter to refresh yourself of the mood and setting.  I did nothing to reestablish that.

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Sethya's eyes, bruised and swollen, only glanced at Brennik for less than a microt before they moved away without recognition.  His mouth was swollen and the bruises extended over his face in artistic patterns.  Her heart jumped into her throat and she looked away as well.  Her hands shook, making it difficult to place the settings.

The longer she worked, the more she realized exactly what was going on.  Sethya wasn't the only one at the table.  Shedya and Tean were there as well.  All of them were shackled to their chairs, their wrists secured to their seats.  They could watch everyone else eat, they could see the food in front of them and smell its delicate aroma, but it was impossible for them to eat.

And from the looks of their physical condition, it didn't appear that they had eaten much the last weeken and a half.  Was that really only how long it had been?  It felt like she'd lived several cycles.  Seeing their condition, it had probably felt like eons to them.

All of this was observed from her peripheral vision as she worked, the food slightly slopping over the sides of the plates with her shaking.  But she stalled, trying to stay next to Sethya for as long as possible.  It seemed that between her haircut and his injuries, he didn't realize who she was, but she wanted to be there to support him anyway.

Eventually, she couldn't stall any longer and had to move to accommodate the round table, giving everyone a portion.  When she finished setting the last plate, she made sure to walk to Sethya's side one last time under the excuse of placing a bowl of bread in the center of the table.  As she stretched to reach the center, she purposely brushed her leg against his and received no reaction on his part.

She wanted another look at that swollen eye, so she turned in his direction to leave, but before she could take a step, she felt his boot and leather pants wrap around her leg, cool through the lace of her nearly non-existent pants.  "You need to get your trelks a little less clumsy," he said in a raspy voice, as his leg wound around hers and flicked their intertwined legs in a direction that sent her flying downward, face first into his lap.

A person could think a lot of things in a very short amount of time, and as she fell, the first was the realization that he'd tripped her on purpose.  The second was that he'd called her a trelk.  The third; that he probably did recognize her, since he wasn't the type to go around insulting someone as insignificant as a waitress.  The fourth, and most prominent thought that entered her mind, was that she was going to beat the dren out of him when they got out of here.

And then she hit his lap.

It was hard and ungiving and she felt her air rush out of her with the impact.  Luckily, and to her satisfaction, her elbow connected with his stomach on her way down, and his air was knocked out of him as well.  He doubled over in pain, and for half a heartbeat, she was completely surrounded by his body.

She felt the brush of his lips against her neck as she struggled to right herself, and her knees went weak, causing her to collapse again.  Fortunately, it looked like she'd tripped over her serving tray.  She pulled herself together and struggled to stand, using him as leverage.  He never once looked at her.

Laughter rang throughout the hall, and Klune was enjoying her moment of humiliation immensely.  "So Klune, you've resorted to hiring women to beat the dren out of me now?" Sethya asked.

The arrogant mercenary sat back in his chair and draped one arm around the back of it as he eyed Brennik thoroughly.  She had no doubt, by the gleam in his eye and the smile on his lips, that he wasn't seeing a scrap of her clothing right then.

"You're the only man I know," he addressed Sethya without looking at him, "that would complain about a beautiful woman literally falling into his lap."  He subtly ran his tongue along the top of his teeth, just the bare edge peeking out from his lips, and then finally turned his attention to his captive.  "Maybe you prefer men?  Should I get one of the squad to come sit in your lap?"

She saw the anger in Sethya's eyes, and knew it wasn't about the joke just made.  He had superior control, though, and forced himself to smile.  "You made your first mistake, Klune, when you let it become personal.  It was always about business, and that's what kept you successful.  What happened to the Peacekeepers?  They weren't interested anymore?"

Klune's sole attention was on Sethya now, and she was able to sneak to the nearest rectangular table without another inspection.  All of the plates had been served, so she positioned herself at the corner nearest Sethya, under the guise of standing guard for any needs of the men.  Truthfully, she was keeping the head table within hearing range.  She had the perfect view of both their profiles, and listened intently.

"Oh, they were interested.  But I couldn't decide whether to give you to them, or have the pleasure of killing you myself.  I still have a few arns until they get here.  I still might change my mind."

Sethya smirked, irritating Klune.  "Do you really think I care about dying, idiot?  Do me the favor.  But let the kid go; he's not a part of this.  You'll ruin your reputation for professionalism."

The man smiled, shaking his head.  "Ironically, Sethya, that's what kept you alive for two and a half cycles, your apathy towards death.  You've always taken the chances no one else in his right mind would try."

Sethya shrugged, his chains rattling slightly with the effort.  "So, what is it?  Death by you, or death by the Peacekeepers?"

"Well," Klune said, eyes widening slightly and leaning in as if divulging some deep secret.  He looked incredibly pleased.  "They told me I could witness the Aurora chair in use.  Evidently, there have been rumors of you associating with certain individuals, and they want all your knowledge of them.  Otherwise, you're right about the boy.  If he hadn't been witnessed fighting as one of your crew, I wouldn't have even bothered securing him in the first place, it would have been a waste of resources.

"But enough talk of business right now.  This is a celebration!  The Company has finally captured the elusive Sethya and Tean."

"You lost money on us, you know.  IF the Peacekeepers actually pay up, you spent more than you earned."

"Ahh, but I had the pleasure of the chase, and glory of knowing I won."

"So, you won?" Sethya asked.

Before Klune could answer, a door opened on the left, and a large group of men of every race Brennik had encountered, and several she hadn't, began pouring into the room.  They were all directed to empty tables and the waitresses began delivering plates of food.

She started in that direction, hoping to find her father in the group and speak to him, however briefly she could, to update him on the situation.  But as she passed the two men, a warm hand circled her waste and pulled her down into yet another lap.  Only this time, she couldn't elbow the drannit in the face... it was Klune.

His arm was like steel and she didn't dare struggle.  She tried to giggle, but it ended up sounding like she was about to vomit.  His fingers began lazy circles on her bare skin, reaching ever too close to the higher parts of her chest.  She didn't dare look at Sethya, so she began to eye the crowd of newcomers.

Klune noticed that her attention was diverted.  "Those are the initiates.  I decided to invite them tonight.  Everyone gets to celebrate my victory, including the prisoners."  She felt his breath on her neck, in the same spot Sethya had just kissed.  It was sacrilege, and she wanted to scream when she felt teeth softly nibble at the bottom of her hairline.  "Sethya gets the pleasure of being fed by you tonight," Klune said, his voice carrying even though his mouth was so close to her neck.  "The Nebari woman, she gets to feed the other two.  No one will say that I am not a compassionate captor."

Yeah, that's why they all looked like they had spent the weeken at a pleasure resort.

She picked up a two-pronged utensil and filled it with a mashed yellow concoction, when she saw Sethya eyeing it purposely.  Maybe it was one of his favorite foods.  She guided it into his mouth, trying desperately not to meet his eyes and ignore the hand playing with her stomach.  Spoonful after spoonful, she loaded his mouth as Klune's hand circled upward.

This was it.  The mercenary was going to grab a handful of her loomas, and there was nothing she could do about it.  Why couldn't he have picked Chiana?  She wouldn't have cared in the slightest.  Time slowed for Brennik as his hand ascended, his palm widening.

Just as his fingers were about to enclose their target, Sethya spewed all the yellow mush straight into her face.  He must have been saving it in his mouth, and used all the air his lungs could hold, because she was covered in the dren.  There had been enough to not only cover her, but to spill over onto Klune as well.

The mercenary jumped to his feet, unceremoniously dumping her to the floor and she heard a loud jumble of bodies colliding.  Four pairs of legs were standing around Sethya's chair and she heard skin connect with skin.  Sethya gasped, and at one point, cried out slightly, until a crash heralded his chair's fall to the ground.  The idiot took a beating over that.  They would have a talk about that later.

She crawled out from under the table to find Sethya on the ground, still attached to his chair.  His eye was more swollen, and a small trickle of blood was trailing from his nose to the floor.  He coughed and the sound was watery.  She scooted over to him on her knees and towered above him, angrily.  He twisted his face to hers and she looked into his eyes.

Loudly, concisely so there would be no mistake, she made her declaration.  "Don't you EVER do that AGAIN!"  She was talking about taking a beating for her sake, but the laughing crowd around them thought she was peeved over her food bath.

He looked at her with anger on his face, but a smirk in his eyes, and answered her just as loudly.  "In a heartbeat, honey."

The men at the nearby tables roared with laughter again and, irritated, she pulled a handful of yellow mash from between her pushed-up cleavage and tossed it at him.  She hit her mark, and it splattered on his face, landing in an eye.  Poor guy.  She wanted to go pick him up and hold him, but she forced herself to stand and wait beside the table for further instructions.

Klune looked at her with distaste, and waved his hand toward the exit.  "Go bathe and come back,' he granted.

Without argument, she hurried from the room, anxious to get back and keep an eye on Sethya.  Although, it seemed as if he were better off without her.  At least, it seemed he didn't sustain quite as many injuries.

Chiana realized what was going on about the same time Brennik fell into Sethya's lap.  She scanned the table and found her baby, shackled and beaten.  His bruises were an odd mixture of dark gray and bluish purple.  His face was swollen and it looked like he could barely hold himself up.

She wanted to run to him and pull him into her arms, but she held back.  They'd been in this situation more times than she could count, and she'd learned long ago to wait for the right moment.  Then she'd been told to feed Tean and Shedya.

She tried to look indifferent, tried to look irritated.  But it was a labor of love as she alternately spooned the fancy cuisine between the two men.  The whole table was disrupted when Sethya pulled his stunt, and she was pushed to the side temporarily as four mercenaries beat on Sethya, tipping his chair in the process.

Brennik was sent away and Chiana gained hope.  D'Argo or John would contact her and she'd be able to update them.  The plan would be frelled, whatever they came up with, but it would be a plan, and they would make it work.  It was only a matter of time.  She breathed a sigh of relief and continued with her waitress duties.

Brennik finally reached her assigned room she shared with Chiana and tugged at the primitive handle with a sigh.  They'd slept here the previous night, before their orientation this morning, and already her stuff was scattered about the place.  She had thought they'd be stuck here longer, undercover until someone could infiltrate into the network to discover what had happened to the boys.  Obviously that wasn't necessary now.

Without turning on the lights, she crossed the room and headed for the washroom, peeling off clothes as she went, letting the awful creations rest wherever they landed.  She was in a hurry.

"You really need to be more careful when you enter a room while working," a voice spoke through the darkness, startling a small screech from her.  "You never know who will be waiting for you."

She was topless and standing in the middle of the room with no chance at cover.  Her mother was right.  If it had been anyone else, she'd have been at a terrible disadvantage.  "I'll keep that in mind.  How did you know where to find us?"

"Chiana managed to get a message to us earlier this morning.  John and D'Argo are still in the bar, but I don't know how much headway they are making."

"They're here.  Now.  The boys are sitting at some asinine banquet that Klune is lording over them.  They're pretty messed up.  But I don't know how we are going to get everyone out of here.  That room is filled with over a hundred mercenaries, and they are expecting the Peacekeepers in a couple of arns."

Her mother's head tilted slightly in the darkness, pausing briefly.  "Peacekeepers?  How long?"

"I don't know, they were pretty vague.  I'd guess two to three arns, at most."

Her mother suddenly seemed restless, anxious to get moving.  "Go change and get back there and wait for our signal.  You'll know what to do when the time comes."  She started for the door, but paused when Brennik called to her.

"What are we going to do?" she asked, the fear and frustration ebbing through her voice.

Through the dim light, she saw her mother smirk.  "First, I'm going to tell your father.  After that, I'm not positive, but I'm pretty sure what he'll come up with.  After a while, you get a sixth sense about these things.  Just wait for it.  Your father has never let us down before, has he?"

Brennik shook her head and her mother disappeared out the door.  It was little reassurance, but it was all she was going to get.

The room had been darkened.  She had no idea why, but when she'd returned to the banquet room, the lights were low and everyone seemed in a mellow, cheerful mood, if slightly drunk.  The boys were still sitting at Klune's table, their food before them and inaccessible.

Chiana had waylaid her for a few microts, and she'd managed to relay the conversation with her mother to the Nebari before they were called in different directions again.  Chiana had looked relieved, and Brennik drew strength from her friend's surety.

Her father would think of something.

The next arn was difficult.  Sethya sat on the stage, only a few motras from her, and she couldn't do a thing about it.  He didn't look at her, didn't acknowledge her in any way.

Chiana must be going mad, to see her baby restrained like that, bruised and swollen.

"Hey," Tean called to her as she passed by, heading to the next table over to refill drinks.  She stopped and turned and lifted her nose slightly, trying to stay in character.  "I won't spit on you," he said, tilting his head toward his plate.

He looked hungry, but a small smile graced his swollen lip.  She couldn't help it.  She smiled.  Leave it to Tean, to tease his brother, even now.  She must have looked doubtful, because Klune spoke up.  "Go ahead... Brennik?  You can feed him.  I'm sure he will be much more appreciative."

Now she just wanted to take the plate and pour it into his lap.  Tean; the opportunist.

Slowly, she reached over to his plate and picked up the eating utensil Chiana had used earlier to feed him.  She stabbed a large portion of meat and raised it to his lips, arching an eyebrow at him in challenge.  She was sending a message about the size of his mouth, but he only wrapped his lips completely around the hunk and pulled it off the two pronged fork with his lips and began to chew, his eyes smiling up at her.

"Yomph ha to doo be'er tad at, woan," he said around the food.  She'd do better than that, she'd...

A door at the back of the stage slammed open and a scruffy looking man wearing two pulse pistols and a long blade slung over his back hurried into the room.  He scanned the area for a microt before locating Klune and rushing to his side.  He knelt beside the ornate chair and began whispering, almost frantically.

She couldn't be sure in the dim light, but she thought she saw Klune frown, his face becoming more sour as the whispering continued.  Klune returned the whisper and the man stood and headed for the next table, whispering quickly to the man at the head, who in turn delivered the message to the men sitting around him.

Rapidly, the word was being spread, and they were becoming more alert... getting ready for something.  The hair on the back of her neck began to dance and her heart started to race.

What could be happening?  They were already in the worst possible predicament, stuck on a para-military base, surrounded by hundreds of people who wanted them dead, with the biggest, meanest military force in this sector headed this way, intent on their capture.  Yet something else was happening.  Such was the life of a Crichton.

What had her father said to her that day he'd taken her from the Flying Academy?  "It sucks for you, but get over it."  There was no getting over being a Crichton.

Across the room, next to the opposite stage, a large door slammed open, and in walked two figures.  Her heart stopped in her chest.  Peacekeepers.  She'd never seen them in person before.  Her entire knowledge of the ruthless soldiers had all been through legend and stories told to her by her shipmates.

Everything they had told her was true.

She couldn't make out all their features with the dim lighting, but she could see enough to know she didn't want to ever be taken prisoner by one.  The front soldier, a man, was wearing red and black leather pants, the standard pulse pistol gracing each thigh.  His pants hugged his body, accentuating the strength and power in his legs alone.

His red and black leather jacket ended at his waist, showing lean hips and broad shoulders.  His gloved hands were held perfectly still at his sides with no nervous twitching or adjusting, ready over the grip of his pistols.

His face was the scariest part of all.  With the combination of the lighting and the distance, he seemed faceless... emotionless; devoid of any warmth or soul.

The woman behind him was just as scary.  Her dark hair was pulled back into a tight braid at the base of her neck, no loose strands or wisps daring to escape.  Her form was hidden behind a long black leather coat, but there was no mistaking the power in her stance as she stood ready with her pulse rifle held at waist level.

The two began to walk past the stage, past the room full of mercenaries staring at them, toward Klune sitting in his decorated chair on the stage.  They moved with confidence, arrogance and total disregard for the hostile stares and the weapons just denches away from being aimed at them.

At last they reached the base of the stage Klune sat at and stopped, staring up at the leader with contempt.  "You are Klune?" the man asked, his voice hard and commanding.

It was her father's.  Her lungs refused to operate, and she forgot for a moment how to breathe.  This was yet another face to the man who'd raised her, the man she thought she'd known.  She never thought his blue eyes could ever be so cold, his voice so hard, so emotionless.  Who was this man?  Would she ever learn the real John Crichton?  Just when she thought she had him figured out, the rules changed all over again.

Somehow, knowing that this stranger before her was her father didn't make her feel any better.  It only served to make the performance that much more eerie.

"Yes, I am," Klune replied.

"I am Captain Kirk," he said with a straight face.

Brennik wanted to roll her eyes.  Captain Kirk?  He couldn't come up with anything better than that?  She thought she heard Chiana groan behind her, the sound carrying in the stillness of the room.  Her father ignored the interruption and continued.

"I am here for the prisoners.  I see you have them ready.  Leftenant," he said, to Aeryn standing slightly behind him, "secure the prisoners."

"There is the matter of payment," Klune said as two of his men blocked the stairway.

Her father pulled a small leather bag from around his neck and held it in the air.  "This covers the reward promised."

Klune scooped the bag into his hands and dumped the money onto the table in front of him.  From where Brennik stood, it was a lot of cash.  Her father hadn't lied... there was enough there to cover the ransom, and probably more.

They were rich?  Why hadn't anybody ever told her?  And why had they labored for twenty cycles under a blazing sun doing back-breaking work?  And where had the money come from?  Wait.  She didn't really want to know the answer to that one.

Klune sifted through the coins for several microts, probably doing a quick count.  Finally satisfied, he raised his head and looked down on the Peacekeeper imposters with a smile on his lips.  "This is adequate," he conceded.  "You may have your traitors."

The two men blocking the stairs moved aside and Aeryn mounted the steps, heading for the table silently.  A mercenary stepped up from the background and released all three prisoners from their chairs, cuffing them in full restraints for Aeryn to transport.

Meekly, with a show of how injured they were, the men hobbled and staggered across the stage in front of Aeryn's pulse rifle.  They descended the steps and stopped in front of John, leaning on each other for support and strength.  No one reached a hand out to help, and in fact, John cast cold blue eyes at Sethya and Tean and spat in each of their faces.

Brennik wanted to scream at him.  What was he doing?  Couldn't he see that they'd been humiliated and hurt enough?  She held her ground, though.  Mom had said to trust him.

"Move, soldiers," her father barked coldly and stood and watched as they hobbled across the room, barley able to move under the guidance of Aeryn's rifle.

"We have further business," Klune said to John, gaining his attention one more time.

He turned a grey head to the mercenary with contempt.  "Our business is finished."

"There was an agreement," Klune said.  "I get to watch the interrogation."

"Take that up with the captain of the command carrier headed this way," John returned.  "All I'm doing is transporting them."  He turned away, the conversation obviously finished, and followed the small group through the room.

Chiana and Brennik stood on the stage, watching the retreating forms and calculating how long they would have to wait before making their escape.  The Peacekeepers would be here at any moment, but they didn't want to raise suspicions by leaving too early.

It ended up being a moot point.  The retreating group had arrived at the door John and Aeryn had entered through, when the door at the back of the stage, behind Klune, slammed open and a large man, dressed in Peacekeeper black and red entered the room with four equally leather clad soldiers, all carrying rifles and looking dangerous.

Several things happened simultaneously, all of which occurred in a matter of microts.  "I am Captain Beghuin," said the leader of the real Peacekeepers.  "I am here for the traitors."

As the captain introduced himself in the silence of the hall, a reverberating thunk of metal crashing to the floor punctuated the ominous announcement.  Every head in the room swiveled to the opposite side of the room to stare at John, Aeryn, Sethya, Tean and Laighn... who had just dropped his restraints and was now standing free with a whip in his hand.

Chiana wanted to moan.  Shedya had dropped his cuffs too early.  If he had waited until they'd reached the hallway, John could have probably bluffed their way to safety.  That was not possible now.

A single shot rang out across the room.  No one was quite sure where it had originated from, but everyone was already on edge and it had been enough for panic and mayhem to break out.

Everyone ducked, and Chiana managed to keep an eye on the escaping group long enough to see John pull out a pistol from his jacket and throw it to Sethya and Aeryn tossing one to Tean.  Where the frell was D'Argo?  Shots were flying in all directions and she and Brennik found themselves pulled to the ground by another young waitress.

Tables were being toppled over to use as cover while bodies, food, and pottery flew in every direction.  It was through this chaos that they were crawling, headed for the door.  A young Zenetan fell in front of Chiana, nearly landing on top of her.

"Where the frell is my pulse pistol when I need it?" Brennik called from behind her.

In answer, Chiana pulled the pistol from the dead woman... or was it a man... and tossed it back to her.  "Here."  She stretched up onto her knees, trying to see above the tables and the mayhem to find out what was going on, only to nearly be singed by a flying blast.  The glimpse had been quick enough to see the last of the crew disappear through the door.  "They're out," she called to Brennik.  "Let's get out of here."

Perhaps it was the intoxicated state of the mercenaries, or perhaps they were looking for something to break the monotony of non-work, but they continued to fight after the group escaped.  Half the crowd fought amongst themselves, the other tried to follow the escaping crew.  There must have been several routes, because they left through every exit in the room.

That meant that they were vulnerable to ambush.  Frell!  Her baby was with them.  Chiana, still on her hands and knees, looked behind her to see Brennik taking aim at a mercenary that had her by the ankles.  "Quit playing around," she said as Brennik's  blast knocked the man over.  "They're out."

"Great," Brennik said, tucking the pistol in the back of her tight waistband and returning to her hands and knees.  "Lets go."

"Let me go with you!" the waitress who had initially shoved them to the floor called.

"If you can keep up, you can come," Chiana hollered loud enough to be heard over the mayhem.  All three women crawled through the mess, dodging flying bodies and food, trying to make it to the nearest exit.  Their outfits weren't conducive to quick maneuvering though, and progress was slow.

"Where are we going?" the young woman asked, dodging a flying bowl of yellow glop.

"Out that way," Brennik motioned with her hand before using it to trip a leg that was attempting to kick her.  She smiled with satisfaction at the loud crash of the man hitting the floor and continued on.

Finally they reached the exit and stood in time for a large, burly Luxan to grab Brennik around the waist and hold a knife to her throat.  "Where do you think you are going?" he asked in her ear.  It was the last thing he'd ever say.

The young waitress stood up behind him and pulled a long dagger from her hair braid, plunging it into the Luxan's neck.  Chiana and Brennik watched him fall to the floor in shock, the waitress already tugging at the doorknob.  "Your ship is this way?"

"Yeah," Chiana said, pulling her eyes away from the body on the floor.  He'd resembled a young D'Argo.  Where was he?  All three women escaped the tumultuous room in haste.  The transport pod should be easy to reach now.

John's heart stopped in his chest when he heard the voice of the Peacekeeper commando echo throughout the room.  This was going to take a load of bull-crap to pull their collectives asses out of this mess.  He'd gotten here first, though, so he had the upper hand.

Pretend they're the imposters.  After all, he was the King of the Bluff, wasn't he?  Then the loud metallic ring of Shedya's restraints hitting the floor reverberated and every set of eyes turned to them.  Ok, if Aeryn acted quickly, they could still pull themselves out of this.

She made a move to subdue the kid, when a shot rang out across their heads, missing Aeryn by a few denches.  The game was over.  Once again, they were forced to rely on Plan B... run.  Run quickly.

Hopefully D'Argo was nearby, like Plan A had called for.  He'd gone to get Lo'Laa ready for an immediate takeoff, and was supposed to meet them near the entrance.

Shots rang out across the room, exploding off walls and men.  Tables were being turned over and the room was complete chaos.  At least that was in their favor.  The mercenaries weren't sure whom they were supposed to be fighting, so they were firing at both the real Peacekeepers, and John's family.

It seemed like that had been the story of his life.  He grabbed the spare pulse pistol he'd brought and tossed it to Sethya.  The ex-commando caught it mid-air, and immediately began firing into the crowd, still cuffed.

Aeryn had thrown a pistol to Tean, and it seemed that everyone was now armed, if you counted that whip D'Argo's boy was snapping.  John had to give the kid credit; anyone who came within range was dropped by the tip hitting their neck.  Now if they could just get through the door.

"We have to get the girls!" Sethya yelled over the noise.

"Chiana will get them out," John assured.  "Let's go!"

Tean was the first to the door and he flung it open wide, holding his weapon ready for any mercenaries on the other side.  The passageway was empty, and the exit door to freedom was only a few motras away. 

John continued to cover the group with blasts from Winona as each of them exited and finally, he walked backward, firing the entire time until the door slammed in his face.  They were all crowded into the short passage.  John fired on the door-lock, melting the opening mechanism.  That would hold them for a few minutes.

As Aeryn went to their only exit, Shedya made quick work of Tean's cuffs, tossing them aside in distaste.  "You're really good at that," John commented.  "How much practice have you had?"

The black eyes looked up at him in wry humor.  "Lately?  More than I want to think about."

"John," Sethya interrupted, "we have to get Brennik out of here... now."

Shedya was standing between the two men, unlocking Sethya's cuffs, and the man had to continuously look around the kid to keep John in his vision.  Something was jammed and it was taking longer to pick the lock.

"Seth, they are safe.  Klune doesn't know about your connection..."

"John... every Peacekeeper in this sector is looking for her, and they have recent pictures.  There are literally thousands of people assigned to the sole task of locating her."

"All clear," Aeryn called from the open doorway.  "Let's go."

John flashed Sethya a look, telling him silently to not say a word to Aeryn, and that they would talk about this as soon as possible.  He must have gotten the message because even though his cuffs were still jammed, he joined the other two men as they headed for the door.  "You're sure about this?" John whispered as they walked.

"I have all the information in a storage cask."  He answered quietly.  They'd reached the doorway and the five huddled in the entrance, looking at the open field in front of them. 

Purple grass swayed peacefully in the moonlight, in direct contrast to the mayhem behind them.  The only cover in sight was a large tree a little to the left.  "Where's D'Argo?" John asked.  "He should have been here by now."

"Psst..." sounded from the left.  "Aeryn."

"D'Argo?" she asked in a loud whisper.  "Where the frell is Lo'Laa?"

"I couldn't get to her by myself.  The launch‑pad was surrounded with peacekeepers falling into ranks.  I tried to get back here to warn you."

Now what were they going to do?  They had half a metra to cover before they would reach D'Argo's ship, and there was no cover in site.

"Everyone down," Aeryn ordered.

No.  She couldn't be planning on...  yup.  She was.  Aeryn, using John's body as leverage, lowered herself to her hands and knees, crouching as low as she could in her expanded condition.  She slung her pulse rifle onto her back and began to crawl.

Tean and Sethya dropped to their stomachs and began to low‑crawl through the grass with amazing speed.  Grumbling, John dropped to his stomach and followed, making sure Shedya was right beside him.  As soon as he hit the ground, he realized the grass had been taller that it initially appeared.  When he was on his stomach, he couldn't see over the top of it.

Sethya had to be having difficulty, he was still cuffed.  But the man didn't complain once, merely followed the sounding swish of Aeryn crawling through the grass.  "D'Argo, come on!" John called as loudly as he dared, which ended up being a loud whisper.

"I am too old for this," came the surprisingly close voice of his best friend.

"You and me both, old man, you and me both."

"This is a Leviathan transport pod," the young waitress stated, staring at the entrance ramp.

"Yes it is," Brennik agreed, running past her and entering the ship.  "Are you coming?  We're in a hurry," she urged.

The young woman ran up the ramp and found a corner in the pod and sat, staring around her.  "If you could just drop me off at the next colony over," she began," I would really appreciate it."

"No time," Chiana mumbled, not looking at her as she prepared the pod for takeoff.  Brennik was already in the pilot's seat, and as soon as Chiana nodded, the ship was air‑born.

"Do you see them?" Brennik asked, scanning the monitor for any clue as to where they were while trying to keep an eye out for any prowlers.

"What are you guys doing?" the waitress asked.  "Let's get out of here.  This place will be swarming with Peacekeepers any microt now!"

"Shut‑up," Chiana ordered as she searched the screen.

Six small dots appeared and Chiana adjusted the view to a close‑up.  "What the frell!" the waitress exclaimed.  "You're with THEM?"

On the monitor were six individuals, on their stomachs, in the grass, slowly crawling toward a ship in the distance.  Peacekeepers and Klune's men surrounded them on three sides, and the distance was ever decreasing.  Soon, they would be cut off from any avenue of escape.

"They left Sethya cuffed!" Brennik exclaimed, outraged.  "What the frell?  They could free Tean but not Sethya?  I'm flying in," Brennik announced, moving the transport pod in their direction.

"NO!" Chiana ordered.  "You'll give away their position."

"What is THAT?" the waitress asked, pointing to an incoming ship at the right of the screen.

"That," replied Chiana calmly, "is a prowler."

All three held their breath as they watched the ship fly in closer, swoop down over the field of purple grass and over the advancing peacekeepers and mercenaries.  The six figures froze as it moved upward, out and then back again for another pass.  This was it.  Any microt now, it was going to open fire and the two women were going to have to watch as their family was riddled with pulse blasts.

The Prowler swooped high and on the second pass opened fire… right into the mob of advancing Peacekeepers.

"Aeric!" Brennik shouted, laughing and crying at the same time, hugging Chiana.  "That kid has been practicing," she said, trying to gain some semblance of control over her emotions.

"He can't keep them off long, Chiana reminded.  "The real prowlers are going to be on their way, now.  He's not a fighter pilot."

Chaos had broken out on the ground.  Peacekeepers began shooting into the air at the ship.  Mercenaries, thinking the Peacekeepers had been shooting at them, began firing at Peacekeepers, who in turn started firing at the mercenaries.  All of this was happening over the heads of the six individuals still hiding in the grass, their presence unknown to those surrounding them.

"Get me off this ship!" the young woman exclaimed.  "You were supposed to be taking me away from the fighting, not leading me right into it!"

"Not now," Brennik said, not bothering to look away from the screen and her controls.  Aeric was swooping around for another pass, and she didn't want to let the opportunity slip away.

"You ready Chiana?"

The Nebari woman hurried over to the waitress and shoved her aside, pulling at the floor plating.  Reaching into the cavern beneath, she pulled out two pulse rifles, throwing one to the waitress.  "You want out of here?  Here!" she said.  "If I catch you aiming at one of the six in the grass, I'll shoot you."

The young woman sighed in frustration and pulled the rifle to her stomach, completing a surprisingly quick and thorough inspection.  "Fine, if it will make this go faster.  What are we doing?"

There wasn't time to answer questions, so Chiana motioned to the door.  "Ready," she said.

Brennik pushed a button and the ramp to the transport stared to descend.  Chiana and the waitress braced themselves and hung out the open door as the pod descended.  The prowler was flying overhead, shooting into the main crowd and the two women fired at the closest soldiers.

The pod touched ground directly in front of Aeryn, rocking with the blast of pulse fire hitting its shell.  Aeryn stood and scrambled up the ramp, turning to help fire on the enemy.  The doorway was too crowded and as Tean scrambled up, she had to duck out of the way.

Sethya was next and then Shedya, but there were too many soldiers advancing and not enough firepower to keep them all away.  "Frell it!  This door needs to be bigger!" Chiana yelled, watching as John and D'Argo were trying to run to the pod.

A second prowler flew in from the right, headed for them at top speed.  Aeric, was turning his prowler around for another pass and probably didn't see it.  They were all sitting targets.

Pulse blasts surrounded them, the noise deafening, smoke obscuring their view of the approaching men.  John and D'Argo dropped to the ground, invisible to the transport pod and any soldiers in the vicinity.  The smoke was thick and pulse blasts kept any crew from exiting the transport.

"Get above the smoke!" Chiana yelled in desperation.  "MOVE!"

Aeryn shoved the waitress aside and the two women stood shoulder to shoulder in the doorway as the transport pod lifted into the air, each holding their rifles with a fierce grip, each scanning the ground with desperate determination.  Their men were down there.

"Drop to the ground!" D'Argo yelled above the noise around them.

Without thinking, John dropped to the soft dirt, once again being swallowed by the tall purple grass.  D'Argo crawled up beside him and together they lay side by side.  The sky above them was clouded by smoke, highlighted by the light from the pulse blasts.

Men were yelling to be heard over the sounds of their weapons, and the hum of the passing prowlers accentuated the chaos.  The transport pod lifted up and hovered in the air, obviously trying to locate them.  If they stood, they'd be shot in less than two microts.

"Lo'Laa isn't too far away," D'Argo told him.  "I think we can make it."

John just looked at him with incredulity.  "There are fifty commando soldiers between us and it," he pointed out.  "Not to mention that we can't see where we're going.  We'd be crawling blind."

"Do you have a better plan?" his friend asked.

"No."

"Then start crawling."

Mumbling, John followed D'Argo into the grass.  Why did it seem like he was always running head first into suicide missions?

The enemy prowler circled around and headed straight for them.  Good.  As long at it targeted the transport pod, it wasn't going after the two men on the ground, or Aeric; who was in way over his head in this battle.

Sethya lay on his stomach in the doorway, at the women's feet, Tean beside him, taking shots at any soldiers advancing on John and D'Argo's last known location.  Hopefully they'd moved by now, but it was impossible to tell if they'd had a way out or not.

As the prowler approached, Chiana and Aeryn fired their pulse rifles, trying to aim with the jolting of the ship as Brennik attempted to fly evasive maneuvers.  She briefly thought back to the first time she'd been forced to try these same moves, and how hard it had seemed at the time, and how scared she'd been.  Now she was just angry and determined.  That was her father and he was lost down there in that foreign grass, under that cloud of smoke and rain of pulse blasts.

She'd be damned if she was going to let those filthy Peacekeepers have him.

The prowler circled around, easily outmaneuvering the unwieldy transport pod, heading straight for them for a direct kill‑shot.  This was going to be the end, and Brennik knew there was nothing she could do about it.  Time slowed and it seemed like the prowler was inching toward them.  She pulled the controls to the hard left, in one last‑ditch effort to save the ship.

Everyone in the doorway was thrown backward into the pod, weapons flying and bodies landing on top and around each other.  Shedya's whip tangled around Aeryn's leg and Chiana's arm.

It wasn't going to be enough.  She could hear the whine of the prowler's engine; taste the smoke from the chaos below.  Refusing to close her eyes, she forced herself to watch the end.  The prowler came closer, within range and she heard the whine of the weapon priming.

Lo'Laa dropped behind the prowler and with one efficient blast, turned the enemy ship in to a ball of flames.  "Move it everyone!" D'Argo's voice echoed through the ship's communicators.

"Aeric, Brennik, get out of here NOW!" John ordered, controlled panic seeping into his voice.

The three ships lifted away as more prowlers appeared over the horizon.  Wishing she could get out and push the slow transport, she steered upward.  The waitress climbed over the pile of bodies and closed the ramp manually before they were high enough to clear the atmosphere.  D'Argo hung behind as escort as the advancing Peacekeepers came closer.

Ten prowlers, she counted on the monitor.  There was no way they'd live through ten prowlers firing on them, no matter how hard D'Argo tried to cover for them.  She pushed the throttle harder and watched as Moya appeared with agonizing slowness.

"Pilot," D'Argo called over the ship's comms.  "Prepare for immediate starburst!"

Aeric's prowler disappeared into the ship and Brennik gained a little hope.  At least one of them would make it.  The prowlers got closer and as the darkness of space surrounded them, she saw the mass of a command carrier in the distance.  Her blood turned to ice and she pushed harder with no effect.

"Come on, come on," she said softly to the pod, her eyes darting between the image of the approaching Prowlers from behind and the approaching Leviathan in front.  They weren't going to make it.

"Three glinde mites, three glinde mites," came a loud, resounding base, singing from the pile of bodies that were busy disentangling themselves.  Sethya's voice carried to her, surrounding her, holding her.  "See how they run!  See how they run!"

"They all ran after the farmer's wife," Aeryn sang.

One prowler cut away from the rest and sped forward.

"Who cut off their tails with a charring knife," Tean sang.

The approaching prowler ducked to the left and circled around, coming at them from an angle that would put the transport pod in the line of fire if D'Argo tried to shoot.

"Did you ever see such a sight in your life?" Brennik sang.

The ship lurched as Moya's docking web grabbed hold.  "Prepare for immediate starburst," Pilot announced.

Brennik's heart beat exactly once as the bright blue light circled throughout Moya's systems and then exploded into the slipstream of starburst.

"Of three glinde mites," John finished over the communications.

Brennik let out her breath and bowed her head as the tension finally started to drain from her body.  Everything she had been holding back began to pour from her faster than she was able to compensate and the tears began to flow.  She covered her face with her hands, trying to hide her sobbing, embarrassed that after everything was finally resolved, she'd lose control.

Everyone slowly separated themselves, adjusting clothing and testing sore muscles.  Laighn found himself locked in the strong arms of his mother, and he did nothing to try to push her away, even when his leg began to cramp as he sat awkwardly on the floor.

"Everyone accounted for?" John asked and Chiana loosened her grip to look around.

"We have Brennik, Aeryn, Sethya, Shedya, Tean, me and… oh dren."

"What?" John asked.  "Who's missing?  Where's Aeric?"

"No," Chiana assured, staring at the ex‑waitress sitting angrily in the corner.  "Aeric made it to Moya.  We just picked up an extra person."

"Against her will," she spat.  "Where the frell did you take me?"

"Don't worry," Aeryn said.  "We'll drop you off at the next commerce planet we come to, with enough money to get back, if that's what you want."

The woman didn't answer, just sat with her arms crossed, her pinkish blue lips pursed, staring in front of her.  Nobody really blamed her, she hadn't asked to be starburst millions of metras away from her home.

"So we're all here?" John asked once again.

"Yes, John, we're all here," Aeryn answered.

The transport jolted slightly as it landed and the ramp lowered, showing the haggard crew the inside of Moya.  "Everyone, we need to meet in Command," D'Argo stated.  "Now."

"D'Argo, can't it wait?" Chiana asked, as she descended the exit ramp, holding onto Shedya.  "We just got back and the boys need medical attention."

Sethya walked out behind them and tapped Chiana on the shoulder, holding out his restrained wrists for her inspection.  They were red and swollen with all the crawling and shooting he'd been forced to do, and it seemed as if his circulation was being limited.  Chiana pulled a small metal stick from her hair and began to pick the lock.  Within a couple of microts, they clattered to the floor, and he began rubbing the sores as he watched everyone exiting their ships.

"They'll live," John said, exiting Lo'Laa to stand beside his best friend in the landing bay.  "We need to meet now."  Aeryn went to his side and he tucked her under his arm before kissing her on the head.

Aeric ran into the bay and never stopped until he pummeled into Aeryn, hugging her tight.  She put an arm around him and pulled him into their arms.  "You did well," Aeryn whispered to him.  "Don't ever do anything like that ever again."

"Dad," Brennik began angrily, joining the crowd that had assembled.  Traces of her tears were still apparent, her eyes still red and puffy.  "You have treated them like dren this whole…"

Sethya walked up behind her and placed a hand on her shoulder, cutting off her remark.  "Trust us," he said, his voice grave with concern.  "Just listen to what has to be said."  He placed his arm around her shoulder and squeezed, steering her out of the room.  She was mollified for the moment, and followed his lead.

Mumbling, moaning, and hobbling, the small crowd slowly left the landing bay and headed for command.

This was, by far, the scariest group of individuals she'd ever run across, and she'd been around the worst in the uncharted territories.  She'd pulled a stint as an entertainer on a Peacekeeper base, waitressed for Klune and his mercenaries, and pulled many shifts in the most decadent nightclubs imaginable.  The money was where the scum were.

But this crowd, these people, scared the dren out of her.

She'd heard of John Crichton, Aeryn Sun, Chiana and D'Argo during her stay on the military base.  They were infamous, and their stories were legends to some, used as life lessons for others.  They'd been held up before the Peacekeepers as abominations and their exploits were used as training exercises to teach the cadets how to protect themselves from irreversible contamination.

Sethya and Tean were spoken of in hushed tones among Klune's men, some in reverence of their skill and tenacity, others with hatred and venom.

But none of that had any effect on what she was feeling now. As she sat in Command, listening unobtrusively from the back by the door, what scared her most was the absolute lack of any sanity from any person there.  They were all completely fahrbot.

This impromptu meeting started with everyone collapsing on the nearest surface the microt they entered the room.  A purple creature was watching them from a giant shell-like monitor and Sethya walked to the front of the room, leaving Brennik to sit on the edge of a nearby table.

Earlier, she'd been shocked to see the murderer put his arm around Brennik and speak to her so tenderly.  The way they'd been in the club, she'd have never guessed there was anything between them.  But that had been the point, hadn't it?  Everything about this place was a puzzle.

"As all of you know, we left here to complete one last mission."  Everyone nodded affirmation and he continued.  "During the course of that mission, we obtained records that deal explicitly with Moya and her crew.  Specifically: Brennik."

Interesting, how everyone reacted.  John and D'Argo simply looked at him, waiting for him to continue.  They'd known about this.  Brennik turned pale, Chiana groaned, Aeryn let out a long breath and the boy's head turned to his sister so quickly, she wouldn't be surprised if he had a sore neck afterwards.  The other kid, she thought his name was Laighn from what had been spoken in the nightclub, but Chiana kept calling him Shedya, closed his eyes.

"We've had the Peacekeepers after us for nearly 28 cycles," Chiana said, her voice sounding weary.  "We'll deal with it."

"Not with this you won't."  He pulled a small cylindrical object from somewhere in his clothes and held it up.  His brother, Tean, pulled the object from his hand and went to one of the consoles, dropping the item into a hole.

A three dimensional image appeared on the table Brennik had been sitting on, and she moved so everyone could get a better look.  What they saw silenced everyone.  Data streamed by at a hurried pace and only by skimming could a person read any of it.  Skimming was enough.

There were three command carriers, four retrieval squads, and twenty marauder crews assigned to the sole purpose of locating one individual that they believed would stop the devastating war with the Scarrans... Brennik Crichton.  She was the daughter of the infamous John Crichton and Aeryn Sun, and her DNA was believed to be uniquely encoded with both Pilot DNA and wormhole technology.

Why the frell hadn't she been caught yet?

There was a secret base, deep inside the uncharted territories, built and designed for the sole purpose of experimenting with, and on, Brennik once she was apprehended.  Finally, a face appeared, larger than life and paused on the table before them.  No one could mistake the image.  She was slightly younger, her hair was longer and her eyes held a naïveté and innocence that was no longer there.  But the woman smiling at them with joy was undisputedly Brennik Crichton.

The picture hovered for several microts before the image changed and the scariest face she'd ever seen appeared, staring into the room as if he were actually present.  He looked like death.  His skin was pale and puckered around the edges of his black face mask.  His eyes were sunken in and purple around the edges.  It looked as if someone had dropped this face into a preservative, and then reanimated it cycles later.

"I wish I could see the look on your face right now, John.  It has been far too many cycles."

"What the frell!" Sethya exclaimed as John made a lunge for the picture.  D'Argo grabbed the... human?... by the shoulders and held him back.

"That won't help, John," his friend reasoned.

"As you can see, I have given up hope on you ever seeing the logic of our uniting forces," the face said.  "Despite the fact that the Scarrans travel closer every day to your home world, you still insist on keeping the wormhole technology from the one group of people who can help you.

"No matter, though.  I have found an alternate solution.  It will not be long."  The face smiled before getting in one last statement.  "I find it rather ironic, though, that after all you sacrificed, you still lost Officer Sun.  Was it worth it to you?  You can tell me personally, soon.  I have no doubt that once Brennik is assisting me, you will be more... cooperative.  It is inevitable John."

The face disappeared and the room sat in silence, staring at the empty table.

"I am dead," Brennik said.  "I couldn't help them if I wanted to.  And how the frell did they get a picture of me at the flying academy?"

"Right now," Aeryn said, "we have to decide what we are going to do."

The room grew silent, everyone thinking about their future.  "Tormented space," Chiana finally decided.  "It's the only way.  The Peacekeepers are still scared drenless of the place, and Moya has the shielding she needs."

Tormented space!  No one who ever went onto Tormented Space came out again.  She was getting off this ship as soon as she could get a transport.  Insane.  All of them.

"We can't ask all of you to go with us," John started.

"John," D'Argo interrupted.  "Whatever happens, we do it together."

"Thanks D," John said.  "I don't know what we'd do without you."

"Wait a minute," Brennik said, obviously outraged.  "This is ME we're talking about and I am standing RIGHT HERE.  I will decide what I'm going to do.  Not all of you."

Everyone looked at her for a moment and Sethya finally broke the silence in a soft, tender voice.  "All right, Brennik.  What are you and I going to do?"

Very efficient, that one.  In two short sentences, he managed to convey that she had a choice and that no matter what her decision- he was going to be with her for the outcome.  Why couldn't she find a man like that?  She had to give these people credit for loyalty.  Never in her life had she seen such fierce unity.

Brennik stood ramrod straight for several microts, staring in front of her, daring anyone to tell her differently.  Finally, slowly, her posture relaxed, almost deflating.  "What is this tormented space?" she asked.  "And how do we get there?"

A collective sigh sounded throughout the command, the relief obvious.  "Pilot, how about you and Moya?  I know it's scary for you.  Are you down for a ride through Tormented Space again?"

"Moya has... concerns... about returning to that area.  But she understands the necessity and does not want anything to happen to Brennik.  We are in agreement."

Returning?  These people had been there and came back before?  She merely shook her head.  Insane.

"Tean, Shedya?" John asked.  "You two are the only ones who haven't spoken up yet."

The blonde Sebacean merely shrugged.  "It's someplace I've never been before.  Count me in."

"I'm going," the hybrid answered.

So, all of them were planning on taking a ride through the toughest part of the universe just to protect one person.  Maybe this group wasn't so bad after all.  And she'd never been to Tormented Space before.  She wondered if the tips were any good out there.  It was time for her to move on anyway, she'd already spent way too much time on that last rock.

"Can I go?" she asked, startling everybody in the room.  They'd all pretty much forgotten she was there.  John raised an eyebrow and she shrugged one shoulder.  "I've never been there before either.  Thought I'd see if it's as tough as legend claims."

"It's worse," Chiana assured.

"Drad."

"I'm changing," Brennik declared, folding her arms over her bare stomach.  It was as if now that the action was gone and everything was settled, she'd just remembered what she was wearing.  Without saying a word, or looking around, she walked from the room.

That was the cue, and one by one the crew started to vacate command.  Eventually, she was left standing in an empty room with the blonde Sebacean, Tean.  "They're all farhbot," he said through a half smile.  "But you get used to them.  Let me show you where the spare rooms are, and you can pick one for yourself.  It's not like they don't have the space.  What's your name?" he asked, flashing a bright smile and heading for the door.

"Yetia," she told him.

"What a beautiful name.  Well, Yetia, You're in for a wild ride with this group."

She hoped so.  It was looking promising so far.

Aeric sat on the edge of his bed, his feet planted firmly on his skateboard, shifting it left and right.  The wheels made short whirring noises as it rocked back and forth and the sound was strangely comforting.  Nobody had asked him what he wanted to do.

It didn't really bother him, he hadn't expected to be consulted, and he would have said to go anyway.  But still... nobody had asked him.  Sighing, he pushed himself off the bed and wheeled out the door.  There were some good ramps, way up on tier two.  Everybody was home and safe for the microt.

No time like the present to get up a little speed.

"Ow!" Laighn exclaimed as Chiana dabbed a cloth at his forehead.  He flinched and Chiana followed his escaping head with dexterity.  He was sitting on a stool in their wash area and watched D'Argo clean his Qualta blade as his mother attended to his wounds.

"I have to clean this off," she said, trapping his face in one of her hands.

"It hurts," he whined, tossing out his little boy voice for his mother's benefit.  It really didn't hurt all that bad, but he'd learned a lot of things in the last several weekens.

D'Argo winked at him, and he knew he was doing the right thing.

His mother kissed his injury and pulled his head into a hug.  The angle was slightly uncomfortable, and it was difficult to breathe, but he didn't say anything.  Instead, he wrapped his arms around her slim waist and hugged her back.

"Thank you mother," he whispered.

She nodded and held tightly.  "We're proud of you," she said to the top of his head.

D'Argo nodded in agreement and suddenly, Laighn wasn't sure if the little boy voice was an act or not.  His chest filled and he breathed out deeply.  It wouldn't be manly to start crying like his mother.  But he'd accomplished what he'd set out to do, and he was finally home.

The lights were low, barely even on.  John sat on his bed, leaning against the wall, holding Aeryn in his arms.  One hand rested on her stomach making lazy circles.  Neither was talking and the room was silent.

Later the words would come.  Later they would work through the memories that returning to Tormented Space would resurrect.  Hell, later he'd rant and rave about Scorpy still chasing them and recruiting the Third Reich to turn his family into a guinea pig.

But right now he was holding Aeryn in his arms, they were headed the hell out of Dodge, and they had survived another day.  This had been one of the good days.  Aeryn shifted in his arms, resting her head in the crook of his neck and he squeezed her and kissed the top of her head.

They were all alive, Scorpy didn't know about Aeryn or Aeric yet, and his baby was strong and growing healthy.

Hope.

The lights were bright, showing everything clearly inside the cell, including Sethya standing still, staring at the wall as his hands rested on his hips.  He had changed into black leather pants and a brown leather, waist length jacket.

Brennik stood in his doorway, nervous about entering.  Strange that after everything that happened, everything they'd shared, she'd feel shy right now.

"Hello," she whispered and watched as he turned his face to her, a small smile gracing his lips.

"Hello."

She shifted her weight from one foot to the other and twisted the edge of her shirt in her fingers.  "How's your eye?"  She had a thousand things she wanted to ask, to tell him, but it all escaped her and she was grasping at the first thought that entered her mind.

"I've had worse," he said.  He watched her eyes intently, evidently waiting to see what she was going to do next.  When she didn't speak for a moment, he lifted a hand briefly toward her head.  "Nice haircut."

She didn't get mad at his sarcasm, which surprised her.  There was a time that statement would have started a war.  Instead she merely smiled.  "I like it."

He nodded and the silence returned, both of them eyeing each other.  Why was this so awkward?  She shifted to the other foot, her t-shirt getting mangled.  Was he regretting the promise he'd made before he left?  He had said that they would be together.  Maybe something had changed his mind.

"Well," she stated, starting to turn back to the door, "you must be tired.  You should rest."

"Princess," he called softly, and she had to choke back some tears at the endearment.  She turned to see him facing her, his arms spread wide, invitingly.  "Come here."

She didn't feel the ground beneath her feet as she went to him, slipping her arms beneath his jacket and around his waist.  She rested her head against his chest and let his warmth spread through her as she listened to his strong heartbeat.

His arms wrapped around her and held her tightly, almost too strong in their grip; as if they would never let her go.  His lips kissed her hair, before she felt his cheek rest against the top of her head.

She closed her eyes and let his strength, his warmth, mingle with hers.  She felt safe, protected, cherished.  He began to rock gently, as if soothing a small child, and together they held each other, each reassuring the other that they were together again.

All hell would surely break loose in another ten microts; it always did on this ship.  But it didn't matter, she wouldn't dwell on that.  She had right now, in her man's arms.  And even the Peacekeepers chasing them couldn't, wouldn't, ruin the moment for her.

She'd learned a lot since she'd first told her father she was going to the flying academy; she was no longer the person she once was.  She didn't want to be.

Honor.

Unity.

Loyalty.

Love.

Tormented space didn't stand a chance.