Disclaimer on punctuation and spacing: seems to take some out!
Disclaimer: "Farscape" is a protected trademark and I'm just borrowing the characters. I promise to give them back once I've used them, hopefully more or less intact.
Set in an Alternative Universe, after the Command Carrier blew up. Follow-up on Sacrificial Lambs.
Title: Peacekeeper Secrets
Author: GitonCrais
Rating: General/AU
Spoilers: None
Keywords: Crais, Crichton and Aeryn
Summary: Aeryn and Crichton travel with Crais and Talyn. This is a follow-up on Sacrificial Lambs.
Peacekeeper Secrets
by GitonCrais
.
Aeryn had left to look for John. Crais had offered to take her to Moya's last location. It would have been quicker with Talyn. However, she had told him that since Talyn was still recuperating, it would be too dangerous for him and the Leviathan to be seen anywhere in that vicinity. They had argued, but in the end she had won.
He promised to wait here for two monens while she searched for Crichton, and Talyn continued to heal. That way, she could come back and would have a home to come back to, with or without John Crichton; she in turn promised to stay in contact on a scrambled comm-link.
It had been two weekens now and still no word from her.
.
Crais limped through Talyn's corridors. Although the youngster was resting more comfortably now and his condition was continuing to improve, he was becoming more and more impatient to move and Crais was experiencing this through the link. They had been hiding on a moon near the Tech-planet; the relatively high gravity was good for the healing process. It didn't put any undue strain on Talyn. But Talyn was a creature who wanted to roam freely in space; being stuck on a moon wasn't his way of fun and he was growing restless.
Before she left, Aeryn had bought a large supply of provisions with the remaining credits, for herself as well as Crais. He didn't have to worry that either of them would die of starvation. Still, he was concerned about her. Another weeken went by without a word.
.
His leg had healed but was still quite stiff. He wondered if he would ever run naturally again. To keep himself in shape, he had started to exercise on a daily basis after he had completed that day's scheduled maintenance on Talyn. The youngster still had a lot of internal damage that had to be taken care of too.
It wasn't until after they had completed the most obvious and major repairs on Talyn and made him as comfortable as they could for the present, that Crais allowed Aeryn to examine him further. The broken leg had only been one outward physical manifestation of his injuries. On furtherexamination, it turned out that in addition to a number of minor cuts and bruises, he had cracked some ribs as well. However, without the proper medical facilities, they would just have to heal on their own.
In the beginning, the physical exercises put a great strain on his battered body. The first workouts left him gasping for breath and in a great deal of pain after about a quarter of an arn. Now, nearly three weekens after Aeryn had left, he had managed to get some suppleness back. He realised he would never be able to get totally back to his former self without more professional medical attention, but at least he wouldn't be overwhelmed so easily if he or Talyn were attacked again.
He waited for a word from her, either that she had found Crichton or that she was coming back.
.
It had been a hard day. He had crawled through conduit-pipes to fix one of Talyn's leaks. The damage had not been detected until he ran a system check for the environmental controls. Talyn had assaulted him with a wave of pain, which had left him gasping for several microns even after the checks were completed. How could they have missed it?
While in the pipes, he realized that he was capable of fixing the problem himself. It would just take a little longer than if he had been a trained Tech.
When he emerged several arns later, Talyn was much happier, but Crais resembled a refugee from a war-zone. His own injuries were giving him grief and he limped over to his quarters to shower and get some badly needed rest.
He had only just come out of the Refresher when the comms beeped. He asked Talyn to patch the transmission through to his quarters. He sat down on the edge of the bed while he towelled his hair dry.
The interference was high, but Talyn boosted the signal and eliminated most of the crackling from the transmission. Crais was now able to hear the whole message without the background white noise.
Aeryn's voice came from afar.
"I have found John on a nearby planet near Moya's last location. He is in pretty bad shape. He can't be moved. I will stay with him. Don't wait for us. Moya went through a Wormhole. John hasn't heard from her since. Stay safe, fly well."
.
Talyn was upset that his mother had been lost and he immediately urged Crais to find her. Crais was writhing on the bed while Talyn's arguments manifested themselves physically and it was only with considerable effort that he calmed the youngster down enough to speak with him.
"Talyn, if Moya has gone through a Wormhole, then we have no way to discern where she has emerged. We cannot guess how far away she may be. Just racing across the galaxy on a mad chase to find her, without even knowing which direction to take, will not help either her or us. It could result in our ending up only further away from her."
Talyn couldn't understand this and accused Crais of abandoning her. His distress left Crais unconscious for arns.
.
When he came to, Talyn had settled down. He was very remorseful and apologised to Crais. He had missed Crais' thoughts while Crais was out and the fear of being left alone had made him realise that he needed Crais very much. It had also given him time to think over what Crais had told him. He was still very distraught but he did accept the reasoning.
Crais raised himself from the bed. The onslaught had left him weak.
"Talyn, if there is a way to find her, we will, I promise. For now, I want you to concentrate on getting well."
I'm well enough to look for her said Talyn petulantly.
"No, Talyn, you're not, and neither am I."
We can pick up Aeryn and Commander Crichton. He knows about Wormholes
Crais agreed, "You are right, Talyn, he knows. But you are not well. What happens if there are Peacekeepers near their location?"
I will be very careful
"But Talyn..."
I need to find her!
Crais could feel the anxiety rise in Talyn, "Very well, we will go."
.
Two StarBursts and four solar days later, Talyn and Crais arrived near the last position of the Command Carrier named 'Mu Thaan'. They approached the coordinates with caution.
They could not detect any Peacekeepers nearby but they still cautiously settled behind a small moon at the edge of the solar system.
Crais opened the scrambled comms, "Aeryn on which planet are you?"
"Crais," there was surprise in her voice, "Why didn't you wait for me? Why have you come here?"
"Talyn was most anxious to get here."
"You should not have come, Crais. There are Peacekeepers on the planet."
"It was hardly a choice," replied Crais calmly.
"It is the fifth planet from the sun," she supplied him with the coordinates on the planet.
.
Crais took the transport pod down after the area she had directed him to was shrouded in darkness, landing the pod close to the coordinates she had given him. He scanned the area; as far as he could tell, all seemed safe.
Once he was outside, he could make out the lights of a small settlement in the distance. He moved towards it. Traversing the rocky terrain wasn't easy and Crais occasionally had to bite back sharp exclamations when his right foot stepped badly on loose rocks.
It was with relief that he finally reached the edge of the settlement.
He took his comms out and said in a low voice, "Aeryn, I'm on the edge of the south-side of the settlement. Where are you?"
"You are close by," said Aeryn, "Take the first street you see, and look for the third house on your left.There's a small balcony on the second floor, and a pot filled with white flowers. I will light a candle in the window to guide you."
Crais waited and after a few microns saw a small light appear in one of the windows to his left. It was extinguished shortly after that.
.
When he reached the door, she was already waiting for him.
She looked haggard, as if she had slept very little but the pleasure of seeing him was evident in her eyes, "I'm glad you came."
A wry smile lifted the corner of his mouth, "I had no choice."
She smiled tiredly back, "Still blaming Talyn for your good deeds?"
"Aeryn, I..."
"Come inside," she said, while looking about furtively.
He stepped inside and she closed the door quickly.
They stepped into the main room.
Crais saw Crichton lying on the settee.
"Crais, you are alive," Crichton's voice betrayed surprise.
"Evidently so," replied Crais.
"And Talyn?"
"He's alive too."
Crichton noticed his limp as Crais stepped closer, "You didn't come out unscathed."
Crais shook his head, "A minor problem."
"And Talyn?"
"He lost a propulsion fin."
"Yeah, we found it. We thought you were both dead." Crichton looked at him with a hint of sarcasm, "So, contrary to what you led us to believe, you did make it out alive."
Aeryn could see the hurt in Crais' eyes and how quickly it was replaced by his well-known calm, "Talyn and I were fortunate beyond expectation. He lost a propulsion fin and sustained both internal and external damage. My leg was broken and some ribs were cracked. We are recuperating. We must have been pulled into the closing Wormhole. We were blessed; neither of us expected to survive."
"But you did," said Crichton, "You must have calculated that into the equation."
Crais sighed; it was no use arguing with Crichton on that point. Instead, he turned to Aeryn, "You said he was in a bad way. Bad enough not to be moved?"
"You brought the transport pod? (-Crais nodded-) Then we might be able to move him."
"You can come on board Talyn."
"When you turned up, I was hoping you would say that."
"Talyn wants to find his mother, maybe Crichton can help find her and..."
"I knew there was a reason why you would want me," said Crichton sarcastically, "I didn't believe it was done out of sheer benevolence or because you missed my cheerful personality. Still keeping to your hidden agenda, Crais?"
Crais' eyes blazed with suppressed anger at Crichton.
Crais turned back to Aeryn, "How long before we can depart? I would like to leave as soon as possible, preferably under cover of darkness."
"We shouldn't be long. Do you need a hand getting him to the pod? I don't want to leave the Prowler behind."
Crais shook his head, "I'll manage."
"Hello," said Crichton, "I'm here too. Don't I get a say in the matter?"
Crais and Aeryn ignored him.
"It will only take me half an arn to get our belongings together."
"I will take Crichton over to the pod now," said Crais as he limped over to the settee.
When he bent forward to lift Crichton, Crichton warded off his hands, "Hey, do you mind? Who says I have to come with you? Nobody asked me what I want to do."
Crais straightened up, "Of course you need not come, Crichton. But from what Aeryn has said, I understand that there are Peacekeepers here on the planet. How long do you think it will take them before they find you? Days? Weekens? And they will find you, of that I have no doubt. You wish to lie here and wait for them? Your choice."
Crichton scowled at him.
Crais bent down and lifted him off of the settee.
.
Crichton wasn't able to walk unassisted and Crais had to take most of Crichton's weight on himself. His ribs and leg protested in unison.
The going was rough and Crichton could hear Crais' laboured breathing next to him, "You're sure you're all right, Crais?"
"I'm fine," replied Crais through gritted teeth when he miss-stepped on a rock.
After they had boarded the transport pod and Crichton was settled, he noticed the almost waxen pallor of Crais, "Not getting enough exercise, Crais? You look like dren."
Crais was silent as he flew the pod over to Talyn.
Crichton observed him. It looked to him as if Crais could do with a week's sleep. He kept silent for once; Crais would probably bite his head off if he said anything more.
When they landed, Crais leaned back against his seat.
"Yo, Crais... Are you falling asleep?"
"We wait for Aeryn," replied Crais wearily.
"Whatever you say."
Luckily they didn't have to wait long. As soon as Aeryn came on board,she asked, "Want a hand with John?"
Crais nodded and opened his eyes. She assisted Crichton from his seat and helped him down.
Crais left Aeryn to tend to Crichton, while he moved to Command to navigate Talyn away from this sector.
Disclaimer: "Farscape" is a protected trademark and I'm just borrowing the characters. I promise to give them back once I've used them, hopefully more or less intact.
Set in an Alternative Universe, after the Command Carrier blew up. Follow-up on Sacrificial Lambs.
Title: Peacekeeper Secrets
Author: GitonCrais
Rating: General/AU
Spoilers: None
Keywords: Crais, Crichton and Aeryn
Summary: Aeryn and Crichton travel with Crais and Talyn. This is a follow-up on Sacrificial Lambs.
Peacekeeper Secrets
by GitonCrais
.
Aeryn had left to look for John. Crais had offered to take her to Moya's last location. It would have been quicker with Talyn. However, she had told him that since Talyn was still recuperating, it would be too dangerous for him and the Leviathan to be seen anywhere in that vicinity. They had argued, but in the end she had won.
He promised to wait here for two monens while she searched for Crichton, and Talyn continued to heal. That way, she could come back and would have a home to come back to, with or without John Crichton; she in turn promised to stay in contact on a scrambled comm-link.
It had been two weekens now and still no word from her.
.
Crais limped through Talyn's corridors. Although the youngster was resting more comfortably now and his condition was continuing to improve, he was becoming more and more impatient to move and Crais was experiencing this through the link. They had been hiding on a moon near the Tech-planet; the relatively high gravity was good for the healing process. It didn't put any undue strain on Talyn. But Talyn was a creature who wanted to roam freely in space; being stuck on a moon wasn't his way of fun and he was growing restless.
Before she left, Aeryn had bought a large supply of provisions with the remaining credits, for herself as well as Crais. He didn't have to worry that either of them would die of starvation. Still, he was concerned about her. Another weeken went by without a word.
.
His leg had healed but was still quite stiff. He wondered if he would ever run naturally again. To keep himself in shape, he had started to exercise on a daily basis after he had completed that day's scheduled maintenance on Talyn. The youngster still had a lot of internal damage that had to be taken care of too.
It wasn't until after they had completed the most obvious and major repairs on Talyn and made him as comfortable as they could for the present, that Crais allowed Aeryn to examine him further. The broken leg had only been one outward physical manifestation of his injuries. On furtherexamination, it turned out that in addition to a number of minor cuts and bruises, he had cracked some ribs as well. However, without the proper medical facilities, they would just have to heal on their own.
In the beginning, the physical exercises put a great strain on his battered body. The first workouts left him gasping for breath and in a great deal of pain after about a quarter of an arn. Now, nearly three weekens after Aeryn had left, he had managed to get some suppleness back. He realised he would never be able to get totally back to his former self without more professional medical attention, but at least he wouldn't be overwhelmed so easily if he or Talyn were attacked again.
He waited for a word from her, either that she had found Crichton or that she was coming back.
.
It had been a hard day. He had crawled through conduit-pipes to fix one of Talyn's leaks. The damage had not been detected until he ran a system check for the environmental controls. Talyn had assaulted him with a wave of pain, which had left him gasping for several microns even after the checks were completed. How could they have missed it?
While in the pipes, he realized that he was capable of fixing the problem himself. It would just take a little longer than if he had been a trained Tech.
When he emerged several arns later, Talyn was much happier, but Crais resembled a refugee from a war-zone. His own injuries were giving him grief and he limped over to his quarters to shower and get some badly needed rest.
He had only just come out of the Refresher when the comms beeped. He asked Talyn to patch the transmission through to his quarters. He sat down on the edge of the bed while he towelled his hair dry.
The interference was high, but Talyn boosted the signal and eliminated most of the crackling from the transmission. Crais was now able to hear the whole message without the background white noise.
Aeryn's voice came from afar.
"I have found John on a nearby planet near Moya's last location. He is in pretty bad shape. He can't be moved. I will stay with him. Don't wait for us. Moya went through a Wormhole. John hasn't heard from her since. Stay safe, fly well."
.
Talyn was upset that his mother had been lost and he immediately urged Crais to find her. Crais was writhing on the bed while Talyn's arguments manifested themselves physically and it was only with considerable effort that he calmed the youngster down enough to speak with him.
"Talyn, if Moya has gone through a Wormhole, then we have no way to discern where she has emerged. We cannot guess how far away she may be. Just racing across the galaxy on a mad chase to find her, without even knowing which direction to take, will not help either her or us. It could result in our ending up only further away from her."
Talyn couldn't understand this and accused Crais of abandoning her. His distress left Crais unconscious for arns.
.
When he came to, Talyn had settled down. He was very remorseful and apologised to Crais. He had missed Crais' thoughts while Crais was out and the fear of being left alone had made him realise that he needed Crais very much. It had also given him time to think over what Crais had told him. He was still very distraught but he did accept the reasoning.
Crais raised himself from the bed. The onslaught had left him weak.
"Talyn, if there is a way to find her, we will, I promise. For now, I want you to concentrate on getting well."
I'm well enough to look for her said Talyn petulantly.
"No, Talyn, you're not, and neither am I."
We can pick up Aeryn and Commander Crichton. He knows about Wormholes
Crais agreed, "You are right, Talyn, he knows. But you are not well. What happens if there are Peacekeepers near their location?"
I will be very careful
"But Talyn..."
I need to find her!
Crais could feel the anxiety rise in Talyn, "Very well, we will go."
.
Two StarBursts and four solar days later, Talyn and Crais arrived near the last position of the Command Carrier named 'Mu Thaan'. They approached the coordinates with caution.
They could not detect any Peacekeepers nearby but they still cautiously settled behind a small moon at the edge of the solar system.
Crais opened the scrambled comms, "Aeryn on which planet are you?"
"Crais," there was surprise in her voice, "Why didn't you wait for me? Why have you come here?"
"Talyn was most anxious to get here."
"You should not have come, Crais. There are Peacekeepers on the planet."
"It was hardly a choice," replied Crais calmly.
"It is the fifth planet from the sun," she supplied him with the coordinates on the planet.
.
Crais took the transport pod down after the area she had directed him to was shrouded in darkness, landing the pod close to the coordinates she had given him. He scanned the area; as far as he could tell, all seemed safe.
Once he was outside, he could make out the lights of a small settlement in the distance. He moved towards it. Traversing the rocky terrain wasn't easy and Crais occasionally had to bite back sharp exclamations when his right foot stepped badly on loose rocks.
It was with relief that he finally reached the edge of the settlement.
He took his comms out and said in a low voice, "Aeryn, I'm on the edge of the south-side of the settlement. Where are you?"
"You are close by," said Aeryn, "Take the first street you see, and look for the third house on your left.There's a small balcony on the second floor, and a pot filled with white flowers. I will light a candle in the window to guide you."
Crais waited and after a few microns saw a small light appear in one of the windows to his left. It was extinguished shortly after that.
.
When he reached the door, she was already waiting for him.
She looked haggard, as if she had slept very little but the pleasure of seeing him was evident in her eyes, "I'm glad you came."
A wry smile lifted the corner of his mouth, "I had no choice."
She smiled tiredly back, "Still blaming Talyn for your good deeds?"
"Aeryn, I..."
"Come inside," she said, while looking about furtively.
He stepped inside and she closed the door quickly.
They stepped into the main room.
Crais saw Crichton lying on the settee.
"Crais, you are alive," Crichton's voice betrayed surprise.
"Evidently so," replied Crais.
"And Talyn?"
"He's alive too."
Crichton noticed his limp as Crais stepped closer, "You didn't come out unscathed."
Crais shook his head, "A minor problem."
"And Talyn?"
"He lost a propulsion fin."
"Yeah, we found it. We thought you were both dead." Crichton looked at him with a hint of sarcasm, "So, contrary to what you led us to believe, you did make it out alive."
Aeryn could see the hurt in Crais' eyes and how quickly it was replaced by his well-known calm, "Talyn and I were fortunate beyond expectation. He lost a propulsion fin and sustained both internal and external damage. My leg was broken and some ribs were cracked. We are recuperating. We must have been pulled into the closing Wormhole. We were blessed; neither of us expected to survive."
"But you did," said Crichton, "You must have calculated that into the equation."
Crais sighed; it was no use arguing with Crichton on that point. Instead, he turned to Aeryn, "You said he was in a bad way. Bad enough not to be moved?"
"You brought the transport pod? (-Crais nodded-) Then we might be able to move him."
"You can come on board Talyn."
"When you turned up, I was hoping you would say that."
"Talyn wants to find his mother, maybe Crichton can help find her and..."
"I knew there was a reason why you would want me," said Crichton sarcastically, "I didn't believe it was done out of sheer benevolence or because you missed my cheerful personality. Still keeping to your hidden agenda, Crais?"
Crais' eyes blazed with suppressed anger at Crichton.
Crais turned back to Aeryn, "How long before we can depart? I would like to leave as soon as possible, preferably under cover of darkness."
"We shouldn't be long. Do you need a hand getting him to the pod? I don't want to leave the Prowler behind."
Crais shook his head, "I'll manage."
"Hello," said Crichton, "I'm here too. Don't I get a say in the matter?"
Crais and Aeryn ignored him.
"It will only take me half an arn to get our belongings together."
"I will take Crichton over to the pod now," said Crais as he limped over to the settee.
When he bent forward to lift Crichton, Crichton warded off his hands, "Hey, do you mind? Who says I have to come with you? Nobody asked me what I want to do."
Crais straightened up, "Of course you need not come, Crichton. But from what Aeryn has said, I understand that there are Peacekeepers here on the planet. How long do you think it will take them before they find you? Days? Weekens? And they will find you, of that I have no doubt. You wish to lie here and wait for them? Your choice."
Crichton scowled at him.
Crais bent down and lifted him off of the settee.
.
Crichton wasn't able to walk unassisted and Crais had to take most of Crichton's weight on himself. His ribs and leg protested in unison.
The going was rough and Crichton could hear Crais' laboured breathing next to him, "You're sure you're all right, Crais?"
"I'm fine," replied Crais through gritted teeth when he miss-stepped on a rock.
After they had boarded the transport pod and Crichton was settled, he noticed the almost waxen pallor of Crais, "Not getting enough exercise, Crais? You look like dren."
Crais was silent as he flew the pod over to Talyn.
Crichton observed him. It looked to him as if Crais could do with a week's sleep. He kept silent for once; Crais would probably bite his head off if he said anything more.
When they landed, Crais leaned back against his seat.
"Yo, Crais... Are you falling asleep?"
"We wait for Aeryn," replied Crais wearily.
"Whatever you say."
Luckily they didn't have to wait long. As soon as Aeryn came on board,she asked, "Want a hand with John?"
Crais nodded and opened his eyes. She assisted Crichton from his seat and helped him down.
Crais left Aeryn to tend to Crichton, while he moved to Command to navigate Talyn away from this sector.