Chapter 4

Crais paced his quarters impatiently. He hated having no control over a situation. He also wasn't sure what to make of John Crichton. He had a hard time trusting those not Peacekeeper.

What's bothering you? asked Talyn.

"The news I've heard of the Scarrans. Just when it seemed that our victory was assured, I learn that the Scarrans have nearly finished a weapon that will destroy us all. Now I find myself trusting a stranger. Even more troubling is the fact that Senior Officer Sun is not a Peacekeeper in this reality. They have not been entirely honest with me." He hit his comms panel. "Lt. Teeg, send Lt. Velorek to my quarters." He wanted to see if the tech could provide him with any information he might be missing.

Velorek entered Crais' quarters and stood at attention at the desk. "Lt. Velorek reporting as ordered, Captain."

"You spent some time with Senior Officer Sun. What did you learn about her reality?"

"Very little beyond the fact that she did not stop me from sabotaging the gunship project."

Crais arched an eyebrow at this revelation. He had not realized that Lt. Velorek had once been on the verge of treason, but that was unimportant to their current discussion. Velorek had proven his loyalty numerous times over the cycles. "I know some of how she came to be on the Leviathan. Supposedly, she was declared irreversibly contaminated for the time she spent amongst the prisoners. That alone would not be enough. The prisoners were all documented species."

Velorek thought for a few microts and offered, "Perhaps they convinced her of something that compromised her Peacekeeper beliefs."

"You spent time with her, does that seem likely?"

"No, sir, it doesn't."

Crais began pacing again. "I do not entirely trust John Crichton. None of them have been entirely honest with us. Unfortunately, he is the only one that has the means to get us home and destroy the Scarrans. I need to know the truth. I need to know whether or not to trust them. Work with them. Find the truth."

"Yes, sir."

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John and Aeryn called everyone to Pilot's chamber. "As you saw, Crais' Scarrans seem to have more knowledge of wormholes than our Scarrans. I saw some of their research. I can't let them master wormhole travel. It would be devastating to everyone. In order to stop them, I will be returning on Talyn to Crais' reality to lead the gunship fleet to Katratzi to destroy all the Scarran research."

"It's a fool's mission, John. You don't even know that Katratzi is the Scarran base in Crais' reality," said D'Argo.

"I do. I saw it in databanks on the Scarran ship."

"And you're going to go alone?" Chiana asked.

"I'm going with him," added Aeryn.

"I don't want any of you coming with us. You already know how the Peacekeepers feel about non-Sebaceans. The fact that D'Argo, Stark and Rygel are escaped prisoners probably doesn't sit well with them either."

"Good, because I have no intention of risking my life on this fahrbot plan," said Rygel.

Chiana smacked him. "Well…what if we want to help?"

"I'll need you to stay here and guard the wormhole we travel through. There are those in both realities that are after them. Lo'la will be the perfect ship to guard the entrance."

"Are you sure you have to do this?" Chiana asked.

"Yeah, Pip, I am."

She stepped forward and kissed him on the cheek. "Well then, I guess I'll see you when you get back."

"We'll be back before you know it."

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Aeryn didn't say much as they packed their things. John was still looking for the right opportunity to ask her about Velorek. This looked like the best opportunity he would get. "Aeryn, is something bothering you about this mission?"

"Aside from the fact that we are risking our lives for wormholes and going to destroy Katratzi again, no."

John could sense the hesitation in her voice. "Are you sure?"

She was purposefully not looking at him. "Yes."

He paused and rubbed his lips with his thumb. "Rygel told me that Velorek was the tech that came onboard." He saw her pause, but she didn't say anything. "I know that you said you loved him. Does it bother you being near him?"

She stuffed clothes in her bag. "No. He's part of my past now. I've worked past that." She turned to face him with a forced smile, "You are my present."

He could tell that she was holding something back from him. "What did the your other self have with him?"

"It isn't important. That wasn't me."

John knew that pushing her would get him nothing. She would tell him when she was ready. "Are you just about ready?"

She picked up her bag. "Ready."

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Crais had sent Lt. Teeg to meet the two of them. John was somewhat disappointed. "I would have thought the Captain would be here."

"He has more important things to attend to," she replied.

"More important than meeting the person who's going to save your eemas?"

"John," Aeryn whispered, urging him to be quiet.

"I suggest you realize that while you have a privileged position, you will still be considered a member of the crew. As such, there are certain…standards of behavior. I'm sure Senior Officer Sun could instruct you." She turned around and walked out of the hangar, leaving Aeryn and John to follow her.

"You see, there's a problem right there, she's not 'Senior Officer Sun' she's just plain Aeryn. She's not a Peacekeeper anymore."

Aeryn wished John would keep quiet. The less trouble he caused, the better. Unlike their time on the command carrier, there was a chance they could peacefully coexist with Talyn's crew.

"Regardless of that fact, I will not have either of you causing trouble." She stopped in front of a door. "Crichton, these will be your quarters."

He was opening his mouth when Aeryn elbowed him in the ribs.

"You already know where the laboratory is. If there is any tech support that you require, inform me and I will see that someone with the appropriate specialty is assigned to you."

"Thanks." He entered his room and threw his bag on the bed. It was a fairly Spartan room. There was a bed, dresser, small desk and computer station, and a door he supposed hid the bathroom. When he turned around he saw Teeg leading Aeryn down the passageway towards what would be her quarters. He decided his best course of action at this point was to go to the lab and work on finding a wormhole that could take them back to Crais' reality.

John tuned Talyn's sensors to search for wormholes. Shortly after he started, Crais joined him.

"What are you doing to Talyn's sensors?" he asked brusquely.

"Looking for wormholes. You want to get home, don't you?" John asked.

"I am…concerned about the modifications you are making." He was trying hard to maintain his patience.

John continued his adjustments. "Don't worry. I made the same modifications to Moya."

"And these modifications will enable Talyn to find wormholes?"

"Yeah, pretty much." He looked Crais in the eyes, "But don't get your hopes up too much. I'm the only one who can interpret the readings."

"How long until you are able to locate a wormhole?"

"I dunno. It depends how far it is until the next wormhole that goes where we want it." Crais turned and left without saying another word. "Nice talking to you," John mumbled.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Aeryn dropped her bag off in her room. She really didn't have much intention of spending a lot of time in her room. She left in search of John. She didn't get far before Velorek found her.

"Aeryn, I'm glad your back."

She continued walking, paying him as little attention as possible. "I'm here to help John in the plan to defeat the Scarrans."

He smiled his boyish grin at her. "Are you sure that's the only reason you are here?"

"Yes, it is. Look it's better for everyone if you realize how things stand. I love John. Period." She walked away in search of where John was working since he wasn't in his quarters. She only had to ask a couple of people before she located his lab.

He briefly glanced up from his work. "Hey, babe. Sorry I didn't wait for you."

She pulled up a stool. "I understand. Is there anything I can do help?"

"At the moment, no. I think the best thing you could do is brief Crais on what we know about Katratzi from our reality. I realize that it may not be the same, but there should be enough similarities."

She leaned over and kissed his cheek. "I'll come check on you in a little while."

He answered distractedly, "Okay, babe."

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Aeryn had just finish briefing Crais on what she knew about Katratzi including it's vulnerabilities and was trying to relax a little in the officer's lounge. Talyn was larger than Moya and had many of the same amenities as a command carrier. She had already found a planetary simulation. Watching the camaraderie of the others, she was reminded of some of the things she had given up when she left the Peacekeepers, correction, was kicked out of the Peacekeepers.

One of the pilots joined her at her table. "You're from that other Leviathan, aren't you?" she asked.

"Yes," Aeryn replied suspiciously.

"Tera Kadex. Thought you might like some company. Why don't you come over and join us? That was some pretty good flying earlier."

Aeryn followed Tera over a few tables. "Thanks."

"Interesting tactics you used. Where'd you learn them?"

"Just a little something I've picked up along the way. You learn to improvise when you're out by yourself." By now they had reached the table.

Tera got the attention of the table, "Hey everyone, this is…"

One of the other officers stood and came around the table to embrace Aeryn. "Aeryn Sun, I never thought I'd see you again. Where have you been hiding?"

Once again Aeryn had no idea how to react. She had expected there would be others onboard who knew who she was, but she hadn't prepared a response for any of these meetings. She pulled away. "I know this is awkward, but I'm not the Aeryn Sun that you knew. It's complex and I really don't want to have to keep explaining it."

The Peacekeeper who had hugged her pulled away. "I'm sorry. None of us knew. Will you join us for a drink anyway?"

She smiled and joined them at the table, "Sure."

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Over the course of the next few days Aeryn saw very little of John. She did her best to avoid Velorek, which was impressive with a crew as small as Talyn's.

Crais was growing increasingly impatient at the length of time it was taking to find a wormhole. He had summoned Aeryn to his quarters. When she arrived she found him cycling through displays on his screen. "Crichton does have the ability to find wormholes, doesn't he?"

"He does, sir. Why do you ask?"

"It has been four days and we are still in this reality. Each day that I spend away from the carrier group endangers the Sebacean way of life."

"I assure you he is working as fast as he can. Wormholes are not something that exist everywhere. They are very rare."

"I am quickly losing patience with his lack of progress. What must be done to speed up this process?"

"I'm afraid I can't help you, Captain. He is the only one that has any knowledge of wormholes."

Crais' further questioning was interrupted by Crichton over the comms, "Hey, Crais, I found you a wormhole."

He slammed his hand on the desk activating the comms circuit, "How far away is it?"

"Not too far, we can be there in an arn. I'll meet you in command."

Crais didn't comment as he rose from his desk and hurried towards command. Aeryn was left to follow in his wake.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

John had barely pulled up the display in command when Crais stormed in.

"Where is this wormhole?"

John highlighted an area of the star chart. "Right here. Looks like it's a stable one."

"This will get us back to our reality?"

"It should, but I won't know until I'm there."

"What does that mean?" Crais was growing irritated by the lack of a straight answer.

"It means wormholes are tricky. Unpredictable. Long-range scans will only show you so much. Scans period will only show you so much. When I get there, I'll be able to feel out the wormhole."

Crais rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Feel out the wormhole? You are not instilling me with confidence, Crichton."

"Look, I'm doing the best that I can. Take it or leave it. If you don't want our help, Aeryn and I will be on our way."

Crais was seething; it was all he could do to control his temper. "When we arrive at the wormhole, I will expect a full report."

The two of them watched Crais leave. Command was silent until the doors closed.

Aeryn pulled John into the corner. "You need to be careful around Crais. This one has the same temper that ours had back when he was a Peacekeeper."

"I know that. It's just that he's so difficult to work with."

"Try. Once we get into his reality, we're going to need his assistance. We both know that a Prowler cannot go through a wormhole safely."

"Yeah, I know. Look, I'm gonna get back to work. I want to make sure that I have the answers for him when we get there. The sooner we get this over with, the sooner things can get back to normal."

She leaned over and squeezed his hand before leaving. His wormhole obsession was taking over again.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Crais returned at the end of the arn. "I do not see a wormhole."

"It's there. They aren't always visible."

"What do we do to make it visible?" Crais asked.

"Patience, we just wait. It'll be visible in a little bit. In the meantime, I suggest everyone grab hold of something. This could be a bumpy ride."

Crais called for battle stations as John began counting down to the wormhole's arrival. As the countdown neared zero John moved to the controls. He would need to help guide Talyn through the wormhole to his destination.

The wormhole formed exactly where John had predicted.

"Talyn, enter the wormhole," ordered Crais.

The gunship did as he was told, entering the blue vortex, eager to return home.

John guided Talyn through the twists and turns of the wormhole while Crais worked to keep the gunship calm. "Trust Crichton. Follow his guidance."

Crichton chuckled to himself. He had a hard time believing what he was hearing.

After what seemed like an eternity the emerged into normal space. Immediately there was a flurry of activity in command.

The comms crackled to life. "Captain Crai…this…urat…ear me? I repeat, Captain Crais this is Churat, can you hear me?"

Crais smiled, "Yes, Brother, I hear you. I will be bringing a transport over shortly and explain where I have been." He secured communications.

John looked at Aeryn and whispered, "Did he say brother?"

"Yes, he did. Remember, you were never here," she whispered back.

"Commander Crichton, Officer Sun, we are leaving for Churat," he announced before leaving command.

"He has got to learn some people skills," said John as he and Aeryn followed.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Crais said nothing to them as they flew over to the command carrier. When they landed an honor guard met them. John felt a chill run down his spine as the scene looked too much like the last time he had been on this command carrier. He whispered to Aeryn, "Looks familiar, I just hope it has a different ending."

Crais and Tauvo embraced. "When we could no longer hear Talyn, we feared for your well being. Where have you been?"

Crais placed his arm around Tauvo's shoulder. "That is a very long story. I will explain it to you in my chambers."

"Should we follow?" John asked Aeryn.

She shrugged her shoulders, "I think it would be best."

Once they were in Crais' chambers they sat around a conference table as Crais poured drinks and explained his disappearance. Tauvo's eyes widened in increasing shock and disbelief.

Crais finished with, "Now I must present this to First Command. Commander Crichton agrees that the Scarrans cannot be allowed to develop wormholes. We will proceed to their secret base and destroy their research."

"Bialar, none of our ships have successfully penetrated Scarran space, not even the gunships," said Tauvo.

"That has all changed. With wormholes we will be upon them before they can react. We can destroy the Scarran threat once and for all." The thought of being the savior of the Sebacean race made him grin.

Tauvo looked at John and Aeryn. "You can do this? Set our fleet right in the midst of Scarran space?"

"As long as there's a wormhole there, yeah. We'll be a hell of a lot closer than having to transit from the border. It still won't be easy and there will be losses."

"We have been fighting the Scarrans for many long cycles and there is no end in sight. If, as you say, this can end the war, I do not think casualties will be an issue. How many ships will we need?" Tauvo asked.

Bialar replied, "We will need more than just my carrier group. I will present this strategy to First Command. If we could get four carrier groups that should assure us victory."

"That's a lot of our forces on a single mission."

"Not to rain on your parade, but you saw what happened to the Scarrans. I don't think we can take the conventional ships, just the gunships."

"Will that be enough?" asked Tauvo.

Crais thought a few microts. "Four carrier groups would give us 25 gunships. With the element of surprise that should be sufficient."

"You said you had eight, wouldn't that make 32?" John asked.

"Not every carrier group has eight gunships yet. They must reach a certain level of maturity before they join the forces," replied Tauvo.

"We will finally see the end of the war. First Command will see that and grant me this ships I need."

"Bialar, you are only a Fleet Captain, do you really think they will let you retain command of so large a group?" Tauvo asked.

"I do. It is my idea…"

"Excuse me," John interrupted, "This is my idea. I'm the one that makes all this possible."

The Crais brothers stared at John for several microts. Bialar leaned back in his chair. "While it may be your idea, you have no credibility with First Command. You do not exist in this reality. If you want the Scarrans destroyed than this must be my idea."

"John, he's serious." She didn't want there to be any investigation into who he was. Right now they thought he was Sebacean and that was for the best."

"Okay, fine, it can be your idea."

Bialar smiled at him, "I knew that you would see it my way." He turned his attention to his brother, "Tauvo, inform the bridge we are going home, best speed."

"It would be quicker if you took Talyn," said Tauvo.

"Yes, but it will be more impressive if I arrive with the entire carrier group. Finally, we will end the Scarran threat."

"Crais, I don't mean to burst your bubble, but this isn't a guarantee. Katratzi could be more heavily protected than it was. After all, the Scarrans just lost a cruiser."

"I'm sure they will believe it is nothing more than an accident given the lack of proof that it is anything else. As you said, they had not yet perfected wormhole travel." Bialar leaned back and took a sip of his drink. "Finally, I will get the recognition I deserve. Those shipborn fools will realize how wrong they have been."

Aeryn and John shared a quick glance with each other, hoping that glory was not the reason Crais was doing this.

"As great a conversation as this is, I need to get back to analyzing the Scarran data," John said.

Bialar waved his hand dismissively. "Techs are already analyzing the data on Katratzi to plan our assault."

"That's not what I need, Crais…"

"You will address my brother with the respect due his position," interrupted Tauvo.

John glared at Tauvo before turning back to Crais. "Captain, what I need to do is analyze the Scarran data on the wormholes. See if I can determine how much they know about the wormhole network in their space. I know where the closest wormhole was in my reality, but there is no guarantee they have one in the same place."

"Fine, Lt. Orn will see that you are set up in one of the labs."

Bialar and Tauvo watched John and Aeryn leave. Bialar took another sip of his drink.

Tauvo said, "I can't believe you let him talk to you like that."

"Without him I never would have returned home, and he has given me the tool to defeat the Scarrans. I will afford him a small measure of leeway."

"So you trust him?"

"I have no choice. He has proven himself trustworthy so I see no reason to doubt him."

"I don't think that he likes you."

"From what I have gathered, he and my counterpart from his reality did not get along particularly well. I had hoped that he would have realized I am not the same person."

Tauvo sniffed, "I still think you give him too much leeway."

Crais smiled, "You worry too much about me, Brother. This is our chance to make a mark in First Command, too long have they looked down upon conscripts. This will prove that we are every bit as good if not better than those born to the ranks." He raised his glass in salute and waited for Tauvo to reciprocate before draining his glass.

"Do you really think he will succeed?" Tauvo asked.

Crais got up to refill his glass. "I most certainly do. I have traveled through wormholes, and I have no doubt of their power. This is exactly what I need to complement my success with the gunships."

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Aeryn used the time while John was setting up in the lab to wander the command carrier. It was exactly like the ones she had been on before. She enjoyed some time in the planetary simulation before finding the officer's lounge. She was enjoying a quiet drink when Tauvo came to join her. "Do you mind if I sit here?"

"Not at all," she replied. She knew better than to upset the captain's brother. "I notice you wear the rank of Captain," she said.

He nodded, "Yes Churat is my command with Bialar in charge of the whole group. It was decided this would be the best way so that there would be an officer in charge if the gunships went off on separate action." He paused for a drink before continuing, "I was wondering if you could tell me anything about you and Crichton and where you came from."

"What do you want to know, Captain?" she asked.

"There's no need to be so formal. We were once in the same squadron, and you aren't a member of my crew." He swirled his drink. "Oh, general stuff. I know that you aren't the Aeryn Sun that I knew. And I've never heard of a John Crichton before. There is no record of him in our database. If he exists here, it is out of Peacekeeper space."

"Well, from what I have learned, I am very much like the Aeryn Sun you knew, except I was banished from the Peacekeepers five cycles ago.

"As for John, no, he isn't a Peacekeeper. He is a scientist that has been studying wormholes. He has some problems with authority, but you couldn't ask for a better friend."

"How long have you known him?"

"About five cycles."

Tauvo thought about this answer. It was about the same time period that she had been banished. "Did he have anything to do with your banishment?"

Aeryn knew that lying would only cause trouble later. "In a matter of speaking. There was a misunderstanding between him and your brother. I ended up on the wrong side. At least that's what I thought at the time. I've come to learn that it wasn't."

"Are you saying you are no longer loyal to the Peacekeepers?"

She knew she had to answer carefully now. "I have learned many things about the Peacekeepers that I didn't know as a soldier. My opinion has changed, though I do not think the Peacekeepers are evil." She was purposefully speaking quietly. "Not being a Peacekeeper is the right answer for me. I know that Peacekeepers have their place in the Universe. Understand that in the reality I come from, there was a large degree of corruption and what the Peacekeepers stood for had been twisted. One of our leaders was trying to make a pact with the Scarrans, that's how bad it was."

Tauvo looked at her in utter disbelief. "I had no idea."

"That is part of the reason John behaves as he does. He only knows the Peacekeepers from our reality."

"Then we shall have to show him that we are different. That he can trust us. Will he come here tonight?"

"Possibly. Sometimes he gets buried in his work."

"Then if you don't mind, I'll wait here with you. Perhaps I can answer some questions for you and convince you we are trustworthy Peacekeepers."

Aeryn liked this idea. It was likely that Tauvo's presence would keep Velorek away. She had been doing a good job of avoiding the tech. Though she hoped that Velorek would remain on Talyn.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

John figured that Aeryn was probably in the officer's lounge and decided to start his search there. He saw her sitting at a table with Tauvo. He came up behind her and put his hands on her shoulders, "How you doing, babe?" He gave Tauvo a 'she's mine' look before sitting down.

"Good. Tauvo's been filling me in on the Peacekeepers. How is the lab coming?"

"Great. I've got some competent help and the equipment is pretty good. They're doing some modifications for me right now." He turned to Tauvo, "How long before we get where we are going?"

"About a weeken. We could get there faster with the gunships, but Bialar wants the whole fleet there."

"Nothing like a little show of force," said John. "I guess he's pretty junior?"

"He's a Fleet Captain, an important position, but yes, he is outranked by all the admirals."

"And this would be a nice feather in his cap, wouldn't it?"

Tauvo looked at John and then Aeryn inquisitively. Aeryn shrugged her shoulders and shook her head. There were still many things John said that she didn't understand, even after her trip to Earth. "It would undoubtedly lead to promotion if our attack succeeds. Are you sure this will work?"

He shrugged his shoulders, "It has a better chance of success than anything else out there. I'll get some rest and work on it again tomorrow."

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A/N: Well, I had hoped to get one up earlier in the weekend, but it didn't happen with everything else going on. I know that I separated out most of the Moyans, but it works best for the story I have to tell. I hope you are enjoying this story and that you are looking forward to where it is going.