A/N: Okay, I've been convinced. LOL It really didn't take that much arm twisting, did it? Here we have Crais' POV on what happened when he took Talyn and rescued Aeryn. I may do another chapter that deals with the time between when he drops them off on the asteroid and the show picks up with Mind The Baby. I haven't decided yet. I kind of like filler fic and I can't believe that I've never done anything for this period here.

Thanks again to all those that have taken the time to review. I think this chapter proves that feeding the muses is a good thing. Or a bad thing as I have other projects I should be working on. :D Jamieson, your request was the one that pushed the muses over the edge, so this one's for you.

Thanks to the fine folks at shriftweb for transcribing Family Ties. I got my dialogue from the episode from there.

Chapter 2

Crais marveled once again at the elegance of the gunship. It was even better than the simulations had predicted. No, he. The ship was male. And like other Leviathans, he was sentient. Crais would have to remember that. He planned to take advantage of the fact that the ship was young, overwhelmed, and frightened.

He knew that he could address the ship from anywhere, but command was the control center and the place where he wanted to be. Upon entering command, he once again admired the beauty and elegance of the design. He ran his hand down one of the ribs, and he heard a soft chirp from the ship. The response made him smile. "You like that?"

Moving the center of the chamber, he addressed the ship. "Those on Moya, your mother, have a plan to distract the Peacekeepers. Their plan may work, but it will still be dangerous. They want you to follow Moya through starburst, but there is chance that may not work."

The ship chirped nervously.

Crais reassured, "Don't worry. I have a plan to keep us both alive. That is why I am here, to protect you. You are small, almost completely undetectable. The Peacekeepers won't find you in the asteroids, not in the amount of time it will take for your starburst abilities to develop. I know you don't want to leave your mother, but in order for us, for her, to survive, you must do as I ask. I will protect you and keep you safe. We will find her again, later, once it is safe. Will you trust me?"

The ship gave an affirmative chirp.

He smiled victoriously. "Ship, deeper into the asteroid field where the debris is densest." Watching Moya grow smaller in the display gave him confidence that his plan was working. He would have to spend more time with the gunship, earn his trust, but for now, he needed to secure their safety.

The speaker in the overhead came to life, and Rygel asked, "Crais, what the yotz are you doing?"

He could imagine what the Hynerian must be thinking. The deposed Dominar had thought he had a deal. "Saving myself, your Eminence. I'm sure to your envy," he replied smugly.

"Talyn is not mature enough to starburst. If you attempt this, you will damage him. You may die," Zhaan protested.

How little they knew about him. Aeryn must not have told them that the gunship project had been his idea. "Thank you, priest, but I know that. We'll be fine. Where no one can follow us; you or the Peacekeepers."

Aeryn entered the discussion, and she sounded particularly distraught. "Crais, you listen to me, now. You stop what you are doing, and you leave the ship, NOW."

It had been a shame that he had not been able to bring her with him. He knew that he was embarking on a solitary life, and it would have been nice to have a companion. "Officer Sun, if by some strange quirk you survive your current situation, and we manage to encounter each other again, I hope that our relationship away from the Peacekeepers will be a much different one next time."

"You cannot take a child from its mother," she insisted.

She would understand once she calmed down. "You forget: it was done to me, and it was done to you. Goodbye, Officer Sun." He closed down external communications and encouraged Talyn to move into the densest part of the asteroid field, where they would not be found.

After traveling an arn, he felt they were far enough from where Moya and the Peacekeepers had been. "Stop in the shadow of that large asteroid, it will shield us." Now, he needed to start earning the youngster's trust.

"I know that what the others said was disturbing, but I remind you, that I am looking out for your best interest. You know that you were created as part of a project that I envisioned. In a way, you are my son. I will treat as I would treat my own child." The others tried to capitalize on the mother child-bond; well, he would give the gunship a new one, the father-son bond. "I will teach you what you need to know in order to survive. I can teach you things that your mother never could. She is Leviathan and does not understand the part of you that is Peacekeeper. I do."

He paused a moment, allowing time for his words to sink in. Remembering that the gunship liked to have his 'skin' stroked, Crais once again rubbed on of the ribs. "Together, we will explore the galaxy, see many worlds, nebulae, and all the fascinating things available to us. We will travel far from here, find places where Peacekeepers and Leviathans are unknown, a place where we will be accepted. All I need you to do is to continue to trust me."

Moving to the navigation console, he decided that this was as good a time as any to show the ship that he was sincere about being a teacher. "The first thing we will do, is exercise your sensors by mapping the nearby asteroids. I will teach you how to identify elements and metals that will be useful to our survival, to find signs of inhabitation. Are you ready?" Once he was sure the Peacekeepers had left the area, he planned on using the gunship's weapons to mine some of the valuable ore in the asteroids for trading. As he had nothing, he had to start somewhere. It would serve a two-fold purpose, also allowing the gunship to become proficient with his weapons.

The ship chirped happily, awaiting his instructions.

Crais began his lesson by plotting a basic course through the asteroids. As the gunship followed the course, Crais showed him the most efficient way to scan an asteroid, and how to determine when a deeper scan might be required. They found a couple of asteroids with weak power signals. A deeper investigation had shown one still had a functioning atmospheric processing system. Crais marked it for later exploration. There might still be supplies on that asteroid and he had been able to take very little from Moya. They also identified some smaller asteroids that still had remnants of ore.

As they moved closer to where Moya and the Peacekeepers had been, the gunship received a transmission and played it over audio. "Crais, this is Aeryn. Please respond. Moya is gone and I'm running out of air."

"Locate that signal and move closer." He was surprised that Aeryn was still in the area. She was supposed to have left on Moya. Did that mean their plan had gone wrong?

Once he had her Prowler on the gunship's sensors, and had determined that she had succeed in rescuing Crichton and D'Argo, he replied, "Officer Sun, I received your distress call. Are you asking for assistance?"

"Yes. Where are you? Time is running out," she replied desperately.

"I will be there shortly," he replied tersely. Perhaps there was a way for him to have a traveling companion after all. He held her life in his hands. Unfortunately, she had the human and the Luxan with her. Neither of them were traveling companions that he wanted as he knew they would never understand his motivation behind liberating Talyn from his mother and the overprotective Moyans.

He knew that Aeryn had a level of affection to the gunship, one he hoped to use to his advantage. She could help him control and teach the gunship, and in time, she would realize she had made the right decision. She was a Sebacean and did not belong on that ship full of fugitive aliens. All he had to do was help her realize that, and that she belonged on the gunship. It had been a mistake declaring her Irreversibly Contaminated. She was an excellent soldier, and he was sure she was the reason they Leviathan had evaded capture.

As her Prowler came into range, he headed to the hangar, ready to strike a bargain with her.