A/N: I hope that you enjoy this story. I'm sorry it's taken so long for me to post more to this. I am proud to announce that in the 2006 Sparkys this story was 2nd place in Best AU and 3rd place in Best Future Fic.
Chapter 2Crais didn't know what to make of Crichton's story. It seemed far-fetched, but Aeryn was alive. He had seen her pod disintegrate. There was no way she could have survived. As his techs had nothing to report on the phenomenon that had brought Talyn to this place. It seemed he had no choice but to accept wormhole theory.
Crichton stared at Crais. He was unwilling to speak, afraid that if he said too much it would turn Crais against them. The last thing they needed was another enemy.
When Crais finally spoke it was not the answer Crichton was expecting. "I have to return to Talyn. When repairs are complete, I will contact you about returning to my reality." Crais left with the guards in tow.
Crichton stared at the door. He supposed it was a good outcome. He didn't have a new enemy, at least he didn't think so. He left in search of Aeryn. Perhaps she had learned something useful.
&&&&&&&&&
Aeryn was in command, staring out the viewport at Talyn. He was much larger than she remembered, even larger than Moya, but this Talyn was three cycles older than the one she had last seen. She had saved Velorek, convinced him not to sabotage the project.
Crichton entered command and saw Aeryn staring out the viewport, lost in thought. "Hey, babe. How you doing?" When she didn't answer he placed his hand on her shoulder. "Aeryn? You okay?"
She jumped when he touched her. How long had she been standing there? "Fine. I'm fine."
He didn't find her answer very convincing. "Are you sure?"
She quickly changed the subject. "Is Crais gone?"
"Headed back to Talyn. Did the techs hurt Moya?"
"No. She and Pilot willingly helped them. They were careful about what they took."
"Peacekeepers treating a Leviathan with respect? That doesn't seem right to me."
"These aren't the Peacekeepers that we knew," she said defensively.
"Hey, sorry, I didn't mean anything by it." He wondered why she was being so touchy about the Peacekeepers.
"What did you learn from Crais?"
"Not too much. This Crais isn't that much different from ours back when he was a Peacekeeper. I think this first meeting went a lot better than the one I had with our Crais, though. The gunship project succeeded."
"I heard that from the tech." She carefully chose to omit his name.
"Did you learn anything else?"
"Apparently the gunships gave the Peacekeepers the advantage Crais expected over the Scarrans. The balance of power has swung towards the Peacekeepers. I didn't get much more than that. There wasn't a lot of time. Are you going to help Crais?"
"He doesn't belong here. If there's one thing I learned from Einstein, it's that being in the wrong reality is a bad thing."
"Of course."
"Aeryn, that's not our Talyn. Our Talyn is gone."
"I know."
He knew something was bothering her. She had spent more time looking out the viewport than at him. "Aeryn…" he began but didn't get any further as the others entered command.
"What the hezmana is going on here?" growled D'Argo. "What do the Peacekeepers want?"
"They want to go home and we're going to help them," said John.
"Just like that? They imprisoned us and you're still going to help them?"
"Quickest way to get rid of them, D," John said as he checked the sensor display.
"He's got a point," said Chi. "So how long until we do get rid of them?"
"Dunno. Crais wasn't very forthcoming, but I got the impression it would be several arns before Talyn's repaired."
"What do we do in the mean time?" Chi asked.
"Not much. Talyn's armed. Just wait until they're ready to leave."
"That's not much of a plan," quipped Rygel.
"Come on, Sparky, this is us. When have we ever had a good plan?"
"He has a point," said D'Argo.
"They won't hurt us," said Aeryn.
"How do you know that?" asked D'Argo.
"I spent time with one of the techs. Techs don't have anything to hide. He had no reason to lie to me. He knows Crais and I believe him when he says they just want to fix Talyn and go back to where they came from."
"And we're just supposed to trust the word of a tech?"
"We have to trust someone."
D'Argo growled and stormed out of command. Chiana followed after him. Rygel sat in his throne sled smirking and chuckling to himself.
"What's so funny?" John asked.
"Oh nothing," Rygel said as he left.
John was torn between trying to figure out what was bothering and Aeryn and what Rygel was hiding. He thought he might have better luck with Rygel. "Yo! Sparky!" he yelled as he jogged after the Hynerian. "What are you hiding?"
"Nothing," he chuckled as he continued down the passageway.
"Rygel, don't go hiding things from us."
"This in no way puts us or Moya in danger."
He was quickly losing patience. "Then what is it?"
"I think I know why she trusts the tech."
"How could you know that? You were locked in your cell."
He chuckled again. "You know how…resourceful I am. I was using Moya's sensors to keep an eye on the Peacekeepers."
Crichton shoved Rygel against the bulkhead. "Quit it with the games, Buckwheat. Just tell me."
"One of the techs is Lt. Velorek." Rygel gave this fact a moment to sink in.
"Velorek," Crichton whispered.
"The same Velorek from her past," Rygel added.
Crichton looked back towards command. What had this Velorek told her? He turned back to command to find out. Aeryn was still staring at Talyn when he entered. He was trying to decide how to broach the subject when Pilot announced, "Crichton, there is another energy spike."
He rushed over to the sensors and Aeryn joined him. "What is it?" she asked.
"Looks like the wormhole is opening back up."
"More Peacekeepers? I thought you said the wormhole was gone?"
"I don't know. Pilot, what do Moya's sensors say?"
"Inconclusive at this time. Talyn's Prowlers are deploying."
Aeryn started to run out of command.
"Where are you going?" John asked.
"If it's a threat we need all the help we can get."
"What about Talyn?"
"His main guns are out of commission right now."
"Aeryn, you don't need to go. There's a whole squadron of Prowlers out there."
"I can't take that chance."
"Aeryn!" he shouted sternly.
"John, I know he's not our Talyn, but I have to protect him." She ran out of command.
Crichton slammed his hand against the console. He needed to talk to her, but she was running away. She was acting very strange since Talyn's arrival.
&&&&&&&&
Crais had just walked into command when he received the report. "Captain, sensors have detected an energy signature identical to the anomaly that brought us here."
He walked over to the panel and checked the sensors. "Deploy the fighters." Alarms sounded throughout Talyn as the Prowlers and combat pods were deployed. He forced himself not to pace. Talyn had the best fighter squadron in his carrier group. They would be prepared for whatever came through the wormhole. He watched his fighters take up position and waited.
&&&&&&&&
Aeryn slid her Prowler into formation with the others. She had shut off her comms with Moya. John was pleading for her to return, but she would do what she could to defend Talyn and Moya from whatever threat came through the wormhole.
&&&&&&&&
"What is it now?" D'Argo asked as he came running into the maintenance bay.
"There's another wormhole opening and Aeryn's taken off in her Prowler to join Talyn's Prowlers in their defensive role. We need to take Lo'la out there."
"What sort of threat is it?"
"I don't know. Pilot hasn't got any sensor readings on what's coming out of the wormhole, but we can't leave her out there."
"Okay, let's go."
As Lo'la was departing Pilot commed them, I"Moya's sensors show that a Scarran frigate is exiting the wormhole."/I
"D'Argo, man, we have to hurry. Those Prowlers don't stand much of a chance against something that big."
"I know."
&&&&&&&&
"Captain, it's a Scarran frigate."
Crais wondered briefly how they could have followed him, but he had other things to consider at this moment. "Order the fighters into attack formation brekan, the combat pods are to take the lead."
"Yes, sir."
He watched as the fighters executed his order. He noticed that there was one more Prowler than he was expecting. "Lieutenant, where did the extra Prowler come from?"
She checked her sensors. "It came from Moya. There is an unidentified ship leaving Moya and proceeding to the frigate."
Crais scowled and hoped that whatever ship that was wouldn't interfere with the tactics of his pilots. "How long until it arrives?"
"One hundred microts."
&&&&&&&&
As John and D'Argo approached, they watched the battle unfolding. Talyn's fighters moved in precise formations, conducting coordinated attacks on the Scarran frigate as soon as it was clear of the wormhole. The fighters had the upper hand since the Scarrans had not been prepared for battle. Unfortunately the Scarrans regrouped quickly and it wasn't long before Scarran fighters started joining the fray. A majority of them were destroyed as they launched, but enough made it out that they began taking their toll on the Prowlers and combat pods.
D'Argo could see John flinch every time a Prowler took a hit. At this distance they couldn't identify Aeryn's from any other Prowler. D'Argo powered up Lo'la's weapons as they closed the distance to the frigate.
Once within range, D'Argo tried to maneuver for a clear shot, but it was difficult with all the fighters.
"Hurry up, D'Argo," urged John.
"I'm trying. I want to make sure I have a clear shot."
John activated the comms, "Crais, pull back your fighters. We can destroy the frigate, but we don't want to risk hitting any of your pilots." This request was met with silence.
&&&&&&&&
Crais stared in disbelief at the battle in front of him. His fighters were taking casualties, but they were holding their own. He couldn't believe that a ship that small would claim to be able to destroy a frigate.
"Captain?"
"Do not break off the attack."
"Captain Crais, I need you to trust us. Pull back for just a couple of microts. We don't want to see anything happen to Talyn or Moya."
He waited a few microts. "Lieutenant, have the fighters regroup and implement attack pattern velka." That should give Crichton the time to implement whatever plan he had. He watched in disbelief as the frigate was engulfed in a blinding light and then simply ceased to exist. He could hear himself mutter, "By Cholak." He never would have imagined that something that small would possess that much destructive power. "Recall the fighters. Deploy ships as necessary to tow back the wounded." He left command and went to his quarters to contemplate what he had just seen.
&&&&&&&&
Velorek was working on repairs when one of the other techs came running up to him. "Lieutenant, you need to get down to med bay."
"I'm a little busy right now. Perhaps later."
The tech tugged on his arm. "You need to get there. Now."
He was about to jerk his arm free when he looked into the tech's eyes. He knew this was important. He turned to his assistant. "I'll be back as soon as I can." He then headed to medical. As he got closer he picked up his pace, the sense of urgency in the tech's voice echoing in his mind. He could only imagine that something had happened to his son.
He grabbed the first med tech he saw, "What's going on?"
The tech was confused. One of the doctors saw him, "Lieutenant, come with me."
"What is it, Doctor?" he asked, the panic clear in his voice.
"They brought her back onboard. Her Prowler was shot up pretty bad. We have her stabilized, but all we can do now is watch and wait. I don't know how she ended up here."
Velorek was momentarily confused until he realized the doctor was talking about Aeryn. "Where is she?" he asked.
"In there," the doctor pointed at one of the wards.
He shoved past the doctor and entered the ward. He scanned the room quickly, scared by what he might find. He had already lost her once.
&&&&&&&&
"D'Argo, where's Aeryn's Prowler?" John asked.
D'Argo worked the scanners. "I don't see it."
"It wasn't destroyed, was it?"
"I do not believe so. Wait, it's being towed back to Talyn."
"Follow her," John urged.
"I think we should contact Crais first. He might not appreciate us just showing up."
"Yeah, you're probably right." He activated the comms. "Captain Crais this is Commander Crichton." He opted for formality. If he wanted a favor, he had to play his cards right.
"What is it, Crichton?" came Crais' terse reply.
"Always friendly, isn't he?" John asked before reopening the comms channel. "One of the Prowlers you brought onboard Talyn belongs to Ae…Officer Sun. We'd like to come onboard and see how she's doing."
There were several long microts of silence before Crais replied. "Come in an unarmed transport pod."
John stared at D'Argo in disbelief. "Why that ungrateful… We just saved his ass. Let's head back to Moya."
When they landed, Chiana and Stark were waiting for them. "Where's Aeryn?" she asked.
"They towed her Prowler back to Talyn. Crais wouldn't let us over in Lo'la." John said as he was walking towards a pod.
"I'm coming with you," she said.
John turned to face both of them. "It's probably best if you don't come. You both know how Peacekeepers feel about aliens."
"But if Aeryn's hurt," she protested.
"Pip, this is for your own good. Aeryn knows that you would be there if you could." He looked into her eyes and saw the hurt. He hadn't meant to snap at her. He walked up to her and placed his hand on her arm. "Look, I'm sorry. We're all worried about Aeryn. I'm just trying to keep everyone as safe as I can. And I think that means having as few of us on Talyn as possible."
"Okay. You're going to bring her back, right?"
"You better believe it."
&&&&&&&&
Crais went to check on repairs. He was surprised that Velorek was not in the propulsion cluster. He glared at the first tech he saw and barked, "Where is Lt. Velorek?"
The tech snapped to attention. "He went to med bay, Captain."
"Is he injured?"
"No, sir."
Crais stormed out of the cluster and headed for med bay. He was furious that his lead tech had abandoned his post. As he entered med bay he called out, "Doctor, where is Lt. Velorek?"
The doctor cringed at the amount of commotion Crais was causing, but knew better than to chastise his captain. "He is in ward two captain."
"And what...exactly is wrong with him?"
The doctor hurried to keep up with Crais. "Nothing, Captain, its Senior Officer Sun. He's with her."
Crais froze in his tracks. Because of the vital role Velorek had played in the gunship program, Crais had allowed him special privileges. "What is her condition?"
"She is stable. I believe she will survive." The doctor was relieved that Crais' temper seemed to have waned somewhat.
Crais entered the ward without saying anything further. He saw Velorek sitting at Aeryn's bedside, holding her hand. "Lieutenant," Crais said.
Velorek spun around and stood at attention. "Captain." He wasn't sure if he was in trouble or not.
Crais looked at Aeryn and then back at Velorek. "How are repairs progressing?"
"Weapons should be back on line shortly, propulsion within the half arn. I'll return to my post." He started to leave but stopped when Crais raised a hand.
He knew that Velorek regarded Aeryn as family, and he knew how important family was. He knew how he would behave if something had happened to Tauvo. "Can they finish repairs without your assistance?"
"Yes, sir."
"Then you may remain with her."
"Thank you, sir," Velorek whispered to Crais' retreating back.
Crais had just left med bay when he received word a transport pod was approaching from Moya. He decided to meet his 'guest' in the hangar.
&&&&&&&&
When John landed he wondered why Crais was there to personally greet him. Crais had a decidedly unhappy look on his face. "You said there was no wormhole here. That it had closed. I think the appearance of the Scarran ship proves otherwise. Do you have an explanation?"
"I haven't had time to analyze data yet. I'd like to see Officer Sun first."
"I would think the data analysis would be more important. There could be more Scarran ships that follow that one. While your ship is powerful, could it take on a Dreadnought? Even Talyn cannot take on a Dreadnought on his own."
John didn't have an answer for that.
"Senior Officer Sun is stable. My techs will take you where you can analyze the data. Once you have provided me with an answer, you may see her." Crais turned to leave.
"Hey, deal was we do this on my terms." John could see the guards in the area train weapons on him.
Crais turned on John, a scowl upon his face. He closed the distance between the two of them and pointed his finger at John. "It was on your terms before your information was in error. I will not risk my ship because you are letting your emotions rule your behavior. Need I remind you that you are on my ship now? I have the leverage."
John understood the silent threat. He knew that Crais had everything he needed from Moya. The Peacekeeper Crais from their reality had been ruthless. He had no reason to doubt this one was any different. He took on a less threatening stance. "Fine. Let me look at the data you have and see what I can learn."
&&&&&&&&
Velorek was waiting for Aeryn to wake when he heard main propulsion come on line. He hoped to be able to convince her to stay, but he knew time was short. Crais would want to leave as soon as possible. He saw her eyes start to flutter. He wrapped his hands around hers.
Aeryn opened her eyes to see Velorek smiling warmly at her.
"How are you feeling?" he asked.
"What happened?" she asked hoarsely.
He handed her a cup of water. "Your Prowler was damaged in the battle. You're safe onboard Talyn. You're going to be fine."
She tried to get up. "I need to get back to Moya."
He pushed her gently back against the bed. "What you need is a few arns rest to recover."
She continued to fight against him. "John'll be worried about me. I need to let him know I'm okay."
He cringed slightly, but gently brushed her hair. "Rest. I'll make sure he's notified." He left to find one of the med techs to pass the message on. It appeared she had a lover. He would still try to win her back. He found a second tech. "Find my son and bring him here," he ordered.
&&&&&&&&
Talyn's higher functions were just coming back on line when alarms. Crais rushed to command. There was another wormhole forming. "Is starburst on line?" he asked.
"No, sir. Not until Talyn's higher functions are fully restored."
"Launch the fighters. Move into attack position." His crew carried out his orders without question. He saw Crichton run into command. "Commander, it seems that this wormhole is not closed. What is your explanation?"
"I don't know. I've never had problems predicting wormholes before. I haven't had enough time to fully analyze the data yet."
"Captain, this ship seems larger than the last," the deck officer reported.
"Why don't we starburst?" asked John.
"Talyn cannot starburst without his higher functions on line."
"Oh that's just great. Can we destroy this ship? Run?"
Crais ignored John. "Do we have readings yet?"
"Coming in now, sir." There was a pause as deck officer analyzed the readings. "It's a cruiser," she replied quietly.
Crais knew it was long odds they would come out victorious against a ship of that size, especially without a full compliment of fighters. He had lost seven in the first engagement. "Attack pattern gelt, bring all batteries to bear."
"You're going to attack?" John asked in disbelief.
"Our only advantage is in striking the first blow. Retreat is not an option. You can be of no assistance in this battle. Return to your sensor readings to find a way to return us to our reality and stop the Scarrans."
John was beginning to fear that the Scarrans knew more about wormholes in Crais' reality than they did in this one. He could see Crais turn and glare at him and decided to head back to lab.