The travel weary message crackled to life on Moya's main screen. Immediately conjuring the grinning form of Scorpius into view. Aeryn took her husband's hand gently in hers and gave it a firm squeeze. Not Scorpius. Not again.
"Just when I thought I was out…" she heard John whisper, the vagueness of this statement gave her the impression that it was his benefit only.
"Hello John. Surprised to see me? Well, not to worry, in view of the fact that if you are indeed, viewing this transmission, then it can only signify one thing: I am dead. Tragic, I know. You see, a short while ago, I implanted a high frequency beacon inside of my own brain to send this particular message to you when it sensed that all of my internal functions were no longer processing. Please understand, John that this message was one that I had always longed to deliver to you in person, but now, it appears, this is quite impossible. Now pay attention for I have a story to impart on you, and you won't want to miss anything.
During my time with the Peacekeepers, while you were thought to be dead on the water-planet and I was a high-ranking officer, I had several on-going experiments that were not entirely sanctioned by Peacekeeper High Command. One of which, my own personal favorite, is the reason for this post-humus missive, for not only does it involve you, Crichton, but the lovely Officer Sun as well."
John tightened his grip on Aeryn's hand as Scorpius continued.
"You see, Crichton, I have always been off-put by the means of my origins. You know that I was the product of Scarran breeding experiments. And, in spite of the fact that I myself am, or should I say was, the living proof of the failure of those experiments, the subject of genetic hybrids always fascinated me. And since, Crichton, you and Aeryn Sun were always so intriguing to me, I decided to conduct a breeding experiment of my very own. Using DNA I collected unbeknownst to you and the good Officer during one of our many times together, I merged your genetic codes in the form of a single, living being... A child."
John's stomach bottomed out as he fought to breathe, choking on what this pseudo-Scorpius was telling him. Looking to a silent Aeryn, John was greeted with a mask of disbelief and disgust as she raised a hand to cover her mouth. And yet looking into her tear-filled eyes, he could glimpse, behind the anguish, the chilling cold of unadulterated hatred. If this transmission proved to be accurate, and Scorpius was dead, and he had created a child, John swore to drag Scorpius all the way back from Hell, just to be able to kill the man himself. Not knowing if he could take much more, John wrapped his arms around a silent yet emotional Aeryn and continued listening.
"I had great plans for this child, Crichton, make no mistake. Half-Sebacean, half-human, half Aeryn Sun and half John Crichton, the opportunities that such an offspring presented me were endless. I took a special interest in the project spending endless arns implanting key knowledge into the fetus, combat training, flight controls, tactical science, languages, medical training, and, of course, the wormhole knowledge that, with the help of the Aurora Chair and my neural clone, I was lucky enough to obtain from you, John. However, this is where I lose myself Crichton, for you see, not only did I inseminate the child with your wormhole knowledge, but I also transplanted all the other memories I had managed to secure from you during your occupation of the Aurora Chair. You see why these actions confuse me Crichton? There was no logical reason to implant your memories into the child, I was rid of you once and for all, or so I thought, and yet I found myself recreating you in this offspring. It's because we're alike, you and I. As much as you will try and deny it Crichton, it's true. You: the hero, me: the villain. Fundamentally the same, and yet fundamentally different. You needed me to fill a void, to bring balance, and, in your absence, I found myself in want of said balance once again. And yet, disaster struck. Peacekeeper High Command learned the specifics of my experiment and immediately seized control over it, hoping to find some genetic improvements to Sebacean physiology in a human - Sebacean hybrid. They confiscated the fetus from me and made some additions of their own. They applied a highly powerful growth stimulant to the fetus as it was in stasis, in order for it to mature physically and mentally at an exponential rate until a desired age was obtained. The Peacekeeper's had some torturous experiments in mind for the hybrid, and survival would be more assured in a more mature specimen, therefore your child was grown to the physical and mental age of eighteen cycles in a matter of solar days. All this, while you were in bits at the bottom of the sea…"
The Scorpius on the view-screen smirked evilly, and something inside of John Crichton snapped. He had been tortured, chased, shot at, blown up, plotted against, imprisoned, threatened, black-mailed, twinned, turned into a statue, interrogated, forced to destroy a planet and killed more than once during his cycles out here in the Uncharted Territories. And yet, out of everything that had happened to him and his wife, out of every hardship and death that they had gone through, this… was the most evil, disgusting and tainted thing he could ever imagine. Scorpius, stealing their DNA, creating a life! Peacekeepers, experiments, DNA, memories, eighteen cycles old, a child… their child… It was all too much for John as he released his hold of Aeryn and sank to his knees, all the while Scorpius' last transmission played on:
"But our story is not over Crichton, and it does not have the ending you expect. No, for you must understand that I was not about to see my experiment destroyed by artless Peacekeeper experimentation, therefore, I set a plan into motion. I managed to break into the lab containing my experiment and prematurely awaken your offspring from stasis. With Sikozu's help I managed to secure a small ship and enough credits to last a few cycles, and I instructed the confused and scared fledgling to steer clear of Peacekeeper controlled space and especially bio-med scans, for if anyone were to discover her unique physiology, the consequences could be disastrous. I blew the lab afterwards, destroying any remaining samples of your DNA John, to cover my tracks. But think of the child John! An entirely new species! Isn't it amazing? I've included in this transmission all of the data pertaining to your child and all my notes regarding the experiment itself. And, as a special gift to you, John, I've even included the codes to a very unique homing signature that I implanted into your child without the Peacekeeper's knowledge. What an exceptional parting gift! Don't you think Crichton? My death, and a daughter, all in the same-"
"-Pilot, halt transmission…" Aeryn's low voice interrupted, as Pilot stopped the recording and Scorpius' grinning face faded from the view-screen. John remained prone on the floor, unable to move or speak as he watched Aeryn sweep past a speechlessChiana and Rygel as she left the room.
John found Aeryn back in their room, silently watching their infant son sleep, both mother and child gently illuminated from the glow of the star field stretching out behind Moya. As John quietly walked up behind Aeryn and wrapped his arms around her, she began to speak, her voice deep and full of a pain John had wished they never had to cross paths with again.
"She's out there somewhere John…" Aeryn quietly confided. John tightened his embrace around her strong body, but she didn't face him, just continued to stare out across the endless expanse of stars and planets. "She's out there somewhere… half-human, half-Sebacean… and all alone."
"We'll find her." John gently assured.
It was only now that Aeryn turned in his arms, facing him. Her eyes were hard and held a question in their depths. "But what then, John? We find her… this girl. We track her down and find her and what? Tell her that we're her biological parents and that she was created for the amusement of our arch-nemesis!"
John recognized the disgust and vicious anger in Aeryn's voice. And he knew that she was experiencing the same gamut of emotions that he, himself was currently going through: The fury at having been defiled by Scorpius yet again, the sickening feeling in the base of his stomach at the atrocity that had been committed against him and his wife after the lengths they had already been through. The frustration and exhaustion that came with the feeling that these situations: the wars, the chases, the trials, the losses, the sacrifices, the plots, all of the hezmana they'd had to wade through for the past four cycles would never end, they would never be able to simply raise their son in peace, that was apparently too much to ask.
"Aeryn, we'll find her and we'll figure things out-" John started, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear, but Aeryn quickly cut him off.
"But should we find her? It's been, what? Almost a cycle since the war, she's eighteen and she's been on her own for almost a whole cycle! What would you want if you were in her position?" John could tell that Aeryn was beginning to unravel. Tears were now freely falling down her pale cheeks as she tried to think of the right thing to do in a situation that was nothing but wrong. Aeryn Sun was a warrior, but everyone has their breaking point, and Aeryn's was children, their children. Placing his hands on either side of her beautiful face and catching her tears with his thumbs, John tried to remain the calm one but even as he whispered soothing words to his distraught wife he felt hot tears pricking his eyes.
"If I… were in her shoes… I'd want to know… that I had parents out there… who cared about me…" John said slowly, measuring each word.
"We don't care about her John! We don't even know her! We didn't even know she existed until a few microts ago!" As D'Argo shifted in his sleep, Aeryn waved a hand in front of the door mechanism, triggering it to slide into place, cutting off the sleeping baby from his distraught parents. "Is this girl truly our daughter! Do we have any responsibility here!" Aeryn finished, backing away from John.
"This isn't about responsibility, Aeryn, this is about finding a scared and lonely teenager who is alone in the universe, and letting her know that there are people who have got her back when she needs it!"
"I just don't know John… I just don't know what to do..." Aeryn said, the sadness and confusion in her eyes and face causing John to wrap his arms around her and hold her tightly against him.
"We'll find her, that's what." John said softly, "we'll find her and then we'll see."
He felt Aeryn sigh in his arms, "I just hope she wants to be found."