Chapter 5
"Captain, can these wormholes really get the gunships to Katratzi without detection?" Grayza purred.
"Admiral, I have already given you all the information I possess."
She unzipped her jacket partway and ran her fingers through the heppel oil before approaching Bialar. "Are you sure? I must know whether or not we can sneak up on the Scarrans."
He involuntarily inhaled deeply. "We will exit a wormhole in Scarran space, undetected. Their sensors look outward. They will never expect us."
She leaned over the desk and locked the door. "No, they wouldn't, would they?"
He moved closer to her, craving her. "They will never know what hit them," he said proudly.
"You have done well, Captain. I would like to make a report back to First Command, but it seems your communications system is locked," she purred.
"A precaution. Communications are secured until after the assault."
She once again ran her finger between her breasts. "Surely you can make an exception for me. You do trust me, don't you?"
He found he was having a hard time concentrating on anything other than her. He had the feeling there was something he was supposed to remember, but he couldn't. "Implicitly," he began but trailed off as she gently touched his face. He knew he wanted to say more, but he couldn't remember what it was.
"Then you'll give me access?"
He reached up to caress her, "Of course."
She patted his cheek softly. "I have to make my report, first, but I will return later."
He was disappointed. "Are you sure you can't wait a little while?"
"Don't worry. I will return, but this is a very…very important report."
Crais watched with a pang of disappointment as she left his quarters.
&&&&&
Tauvo composed himself before entering command. "Lt. Elik, have we sent any outgoing messages?"
"I just finished routing a comms circuit to Admiral Grayza on Fleet Captain Crais' request," she replied.
"Cancel that request."
"Sir?"
He reached over her shoulder and broke the connection. "There is to be absolutely no communications off this ship. It doesn't matter who authorizes it."
"Sir, I cannot just ignore an order from the fleet captain."
"You will ignore that order. I am captain of the Churat."
"But, sir…" Elik protested.
"You will carry out my orders. You will change them for no one, not even me. I have reason to believe that the Scarrans may have found a way to exert influence over us. Do you understand? Even if I give you an order saying to allow communications you are not to follow it. You must be very clear on this. The Scarrans could be influencing any one in the chain of command."
"Yes, sir," Elik answered in confusion. She couldn't understand how the Scarrans could be influencing anyone onboard, but she would follow her captain's orders.
"I will answer to the fleet captain." He left the bridge hoping that he would avoid any encounter with Grayza.
&&&&&
Grayza stormed into Bialar's quarters. "Captain, what is the meaning of this?"
"Meaning of what, Admiral?"
"I thought that I had been given access to the comms, but your bridge officer is telling me that all comms are secured. She is refusing to listen to my order. She claims that your brother countermanded your order."
Bialar could feel his fury rising. How dare Tauvo go against him? "I will correct this." He activated the comms panel on his desk. "Bridge officer, you will grant Admiral Grayza access to the external comms."
"I'm sorry, sir, but I have orders from Captain Crais. He said that you were not allowed to countermand them," replied Lt. Elik.
Bialar was seething. "Have him report to me in my quarters." He slammed the comms off.
Grayza moved closer to Bialar and sat on the arm of his chair. "Your brother has been insubordinate and must be punished. This is your fleet."
Bialar could feel himself reacting to her presence. There was something he was supposed to remember about her, what was it? "Yes, it's my fleet," he said distractedly. He was trying to fight through the fog, to find that memory.
Grayza could see her influence waning. Bialar Crais was a very strong man. She gave him another dose of the heppel oil. "Together, you and I will make him see things our way. This is a very important report that cannot wait." She knew some of the information made it off the ship, but not all of it. She had to get the rest of it off the ship.
He reached toward her, longing to touch her, "Your report will not have to wait long." That's what it was, after she gave her report she was going to return to him. That was what he had been waiting for.
She let him touch her. Yes, she would tease him, make him want more. It was so easy to bend these fools to her will.
&&&&&
Tauvo walked down to his brother's quarters, fully expecting a monstrous fight. He had picked up a female guard detail on his way. He knew that he was not immune to her powers, but they would be. He buzzed the door when he arrived and waited for it to open. The door did not close behind him before Bialar started yelling it him. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Grayza standing in the shadows.
"What is the meaning of overriding my commands? You work for me, or have you let the fact that you are my brother cloud your memory?" Bialar shouted.
"You are placing our ships in danger. I cannot allow any transmissions off this ship."
"You are not in charge of this armada! I am in command!"
"Bialar, listen to what you are saying. You are yelling at me over the comms circuit. Why? Why is it so important that she be allowed to contact First Command? Or is that who she is really trying to contact?"
Grayza stepped out of the shadows and moved towards Tauvo. "Of course I am trying to contact First Command? Who else would I be contacting?"
The guards lowered their weapons at her. "Stay back," Tauvo ordered.
"You have gone too far," shouted Bialar. "How dare you bring armed guards into my quarters and lower weapons at a member of the Council."
"I dare because you are not yourself." He pointed an accusatory finger at Grayza, "She is controlling you with a mind altering substance. Do you remember the conversation we had with John? Do you remember the heppel oil?"
Bialar tried to think. Most of his thoughts were about the glory he and Grayza would return with after striking a heavy blow to the Scarrans, but he was also seeing flashes of a warning.
Grayza could see the conflict in Bialar's face. "He lies. He wants the glory for himself. He has always been jealous of you. He has concocted this story to aid his own cause." She started moving slowly towards Bialar.
"Stop right there," ordered Tauvo. "You will not get near anyone." He began to wonder when the medical team would get there. Once she was sedated and examined, he could prove his point. Once sufficient time had passed, John had said the effects would wear off.
"Tauvo, you have gone too far. You may be my brother, but I will see you court-martialed and executed for this insubordination."
"If that is your wish, but first you will let me tell you my side of the story, when you are not under her influence."
Finally the medical team arrived. "Captain, we were told there was a medical situation here."
Bialar spoke, "Yes, my brother seems to be taken in a fit of space sickness. Sedate him and confine him to an isolation cell."
"Belay that order. Admiral Grayza is to be sedated and examined for the presence of an alien gland that secretes a mind altering substance," said Tauvo.
Grayza turned her icy glare to the senior member of the medical team. Once again, she noticed that they were all female. She had heard Tauvo mention something about John knowing about a heppel gland and it worried her. "You dare take a member of the Council into confinement? You will die a slow and painful death for this insubordination. Doctor, you will join him if you touch me."
The doctor looked nervously at her captain. "You will do as I have ordered. The evidence of the gland is clear. My brother would never order my death. He trusts my judgment. The only reason he would do that is if he were under the influence of some substance. He will also be examined to determine what that substance is." Tauvo turned to face a seething Bialar Crais who looked as though he were about to leap over the desk to throttle him. "Doctor, do your duty and sedate them both."
"Tauvo, you will pay…" Bialar never got to finish his sentence as the stunner pulse hit him. As the med team placed Bialar and Grayza on stretchers he said to the doctor, "Only females will be allowed in her room, and I want her tied down. Keep my brother restrained until the effects of the oil have worn off."
"We'll keep him sedated until then, Captain. We don't want him injuring himself. I'll let you know as soon as we have the results, sir."
He watched the med team lead them out of Bialar's quarters and turned to the guards. "Keep a close guard on her. We don't believe that the oil works on females, but I can't take that chance. No guard is to approach her."
"Yes, sir," replied the captain of the guard as they followed the med team down the passageway.
Tauvo remained behind the closed door, thinking about all that had happened. Had his crew listened to Bialar, he might be dead now. As it was, they still had to contend with the fact that Grayza had gotten a partial transmission off. Surely the Scarrans knew at least part of their plan. Once he had calmed down, he left in search of Aeryn and John.
&&&&&
Bialar opened his eyes and it took a moment for him to focus. He tried to rub his eyes with his hands, but found he couldn't move them. As the room came into focus, he recognized the med bay. He struggled again and found that he was completely restrained. What was going on? Why was he a prisoner? He tried to call out, "I demand," but found that his voice was a hoarse whisper and that he was incredibly thirsty.
Not long after he came to a doctor entered the room. "Captain, good to see that you are awake. How are you feeling?"
"Release me," he whispered.
The doctor gave him some water. "I have some questions for you before I release you."
"I will not be subjected to such indignity. I order you to release me."
The doctor sat down. "It's a good thing that the medical corps is accorded some freedom in treating their patients. Do you remember what happened?" She watched Bialar scowl at her. "Captain, you will not be released until I am satisfied with your answers."
"What do you think happened to me?" he growled.
"I won't answer your questions until you answer mine."
He looked up at the ceiling in a huff and struggled against his restraints again even though he knew it was futile.
"Do you remember what happened?" she asked gently.
"Of course I remember," he snapped. Though now that he started thinking about it, it wasn't all that clear. They stayed in that uncomfortable silence for several long microts. Bialar finally realized he was not going to win this stand off since he was the one restrained. "I remember the admiral coming to my quarters. We talked…about her needing to contact First Command. After that…" he struggled to remember what had happened. "I…argued with my brother…but, I can't recall why." This bothered him. Why were there holes in his memory?
"That is to be expected. One of the side effects of heppel oil is memory loss."
"Heppel oil," he said quietly as he remembered a conversation with Crichton about heppel oil. "So she has a heppel gland?"
"Yes, we have her in isolation right now. It seems that you are free of its effects. I will notify Captain Crais. He wished to see you when you were released." She got up to remove the restraints.
"Notify him that I will see him, Lt. Crichton and Sr. Officer Sun in my quarters in a quarter arn."
"Yes, Captain," she replied before leaving.
Crais rubbed his wrists. Now they had to determine how much damage had been done. He still didn't completely remember everything.
&&&&&
Tauvo and the others were very punctual. Tauvo immediately launched into an apology, "Bialar, I apologize for my behavior."
Bialar raised his hand to quiet his brother, "No apology is necessary. The doctor explained heppel oil's effects to me. Unfortunately, there are some gaps in my memory. What did I do while under her influence?"
"You allowed her access to the comms. The techs are still working on that transmission. We don't know what it was or who it was to, and I'm not sure they will be able to break through the encryption. Past that, you threatened to have me court-martialed and executed. The guards and medical team that witnessed this will not speak about what they witnessed."
Bialar got up and started pacing. "It seems that we will have to assume that the Scarrans know our plan."
"Can we contact the other ships and set up a new rendezvous?" asked John.
"No, but we will devise a secondary rendezvous that Talyn will transmit to the others when they arrive. The gunships can starburst at a moments notice if necessary."
"So we just proceed as planned?" John asked incredulously.
"We have no choice. At least we know it is a trap. Tauvo, increase speed so that we will arrive earlier." He pulled up a chart of that area. "We can change our approach vector and use this nebula to conceal our presence. If the Scarrans are going to ambush us, they will want to be in position."
"What if they're using the nebula as well?" Aeryn asked.
Bialar pointed at it again, "They will be on this side. By positioning ourselves here we can come in behind them if they attack the ships arriving at the rendezvous. It's the best option we have." He started pacing. "Now our concern is what do we do with Grayza."
"She's a spy, don't you execute spies?" John asked.
"Convicted spies, yes. But we don't know that she really is a spy. As of now, we have no proof that she contacted the Scarrans. It is vital that the techs figure out what she was trying to send off the ship."
"You are going to keep her confined, aren't you?" asked John.
"Of course, after what she did to me, I will not allow her freedom."
"Crichton, find a secondary rendezvous point and report to me as soon as possible."
"Sure thing, Captain," John replied.
"Tauvo, keep Grayza under observation."
"Should we interrogate her?" Tauvo asked.
"Not yet. Give the techs some more time to see what they can find in the message she tried to send and any other files she has." After he dismissed everyone, he poured himself a drink to calm himself down. He couldn't get over the feeling of violation he had from what Grayza did to him.
&&&&&
Aeryn and John walked out of Bialar's quarters together and proceeded silently to their quarters. "Have we done enough?" she asked.
"I don't know. I have a bad feeling about this, but we have to go through with it. I need to get Crais that new rendezvous point. I'll be back later. He bent over and gave her a quick kiss.
Aeryn watched him go and felt sad about it. He was acting much as he had the last time they had been on this command carrier. He was once again obsessed with wormholes, something she had though was over since they closed the wormhole to Earth.
She decided to go for one last walk around the command carrier since they would be moving over to Talyn tomorrow and hopefully once the assault was over they would return to their reality and Moya.
&&&&&
Churat and the rest of the carrier group approached the rendezvous point at high alert. Bialar didn't want to take any chances. John and Aeryn were in Talyn's command with him. "Lieutenant, is there anything on the sensors?"
"No, Captain. We are the first ship to arrive."
"Hold here. As the rendezvous time approaches and we detect the other gunships, we'll move closer."
"Are you sure about that, Captain?" John asked quietly. "Shouldn't we warn the others?"
"And risk that signal being detected? No. If the Scarrans do know where we are rendezvousing, I don't want them to know we know so we can surprise them."
"During their surprise attack. I think my head's starting to hurt," John replied.
"This will not affect your ability to navigate wormholes, will it?" asked Crais, clearly not understand the joke John was trying to make.
"It's an expression, Bialar, don't take it seriously."
They waited impatiently and the mood was tense. Bialar, John and Aeryn went over what they knew about Katratzi, trying to come up with every conceivable variation of what could go wrong. The silence was broken when the deck officer announced, "Captain, there are ships arriving at the rendezvous."
"Is it the gunships?" he asked.
"Unknown, they are too far away to identify. Should I send the recognition signal?"
Bialar thought for a few microts. "No. Do what you can to keep us out of their sensor range. Let Churat know that ships are arriving and to prepare for attack."
"Yes, sir."
John leaned over and whispered to Aeryn, "Wanna bet on whether it's the gunships or the Scarrans?"
"No, I don't. It's just best to be prepared for the worst."
"If the Scarrans do know we're coming this could get ugly real fast."
"Are you suggesting we give up?" she asked.
"No. It's just…I don't know. I have a bad feeling about this."
"You said that already," she replied.
"It's a really bad feeling."
"Captain, I've identified the incoming ships, they are Vekal's gunships and I've detected another group of ships."
Over the course of the next quarter arn, the rest of the gunships arrived.
"Still no sign of the Scarrans?" John asked.
"I have contacted the rest of the ships and no one has detected any other ships."
"It appears that Grayza's message did not get through to the Scarrans. It appears we stopped her in time," replied Bialar.
"I dunno. I just have a bad feeling about this. She didn't say anything when she was questioned did she?"
"She continues to protest her innocence and the fact that I will be court-martialed and executed on grounds of treason. I am unwilling to resort to more drastic means to get information from her in case you are wrong about her."
"I'm not wrong," John insisted.
Aeryn placed her hand on his arm, "John. It's probably best if we proceed to the secondary rendezvous point just in case the Scarrans do show up. Maybe they couldn't make it on time."
Bialar couldn't argue with this logic, "Lieutenant, transmit the new coordinates to the gunships. Once we arrive, we will hold the planning conference. Contact my brother," he ordered.
"Yes, sir." The lieutenant worked the comms panel for a few microts. "Churat standing by, sir."
"Tauvo, you have command of the carrier group. We will meet you at the rendezvous point."
"We'll be waiting for you, brother."
"If you are discovered, the safety of the ships is paramount. The gunships should be able to defend themselves. I do not expect we will be gone longer than one solar day. Good fortune, brother."
"And to you," replied Tauvo.
&&&&&
Velorek had been waiting for another chance to talk to Aeryn, but she was always with John Crichton. He knew their time was growing short. As soon as their mission was accomplished he was sure that Crichton would be leaving and, unless he could do something, Aeryn with him. He could tell that she still loved him; he just had to get her to admit it to himself.
Using Talyn's internal sensors, he had been keeping an eye on her, waiting for her to be alone. Finally, he had his chance. She was in the gym. He decided to try once again to convince her to stay. He changed into workout gear and headed to the gym.
"Aeryn? What a surprise to find you here," he said as he entered the gym.
"Velorek," she replied hardly looking up from her workout.
"I guess you've been keeping busy, I haven't seen much of you lately." When she didn't respond he continued, "You'll be pleased to hear that Talyn's repairs are complete and he's ready for battle. I know that the Talyn you knew was much younger. I would be happy to give you a tour so you can see what kind of power a full grown gunship has."
Clearly, ignoring him wasn't working. "I don't think that would be appropriate," she replied.
"Why not?
She stopped and turned to him. "We've been over this before. I have a life now. You need to move on with yours. You haven't done that. You are obsessing over me."
"I'm not obsessing over you. You are a Peacekeeper…"
"Not anymore," she interrupted.
"Let me finish, please. You are a Peacekeeper; that is how you were raised. An unfortunate turn of events removed you from that lifestyle. I've heard what your life is like. We are about to defeat the Scarrans. This would be a safe place for you. No one would be chasing you." He fell silent.
"Aeryn, you are something special. You always have been. We had something special." He reached out to touch her hair. "We could have it again. You just need to give me a chance."
She gently took his hand in hers. "I know you miss her, and I know you loved her." She made her voice more stern, "Now, I need you to realize that I'm not her. I've come to terms with what happened in my reality and moved on. I loved my Velorek once, but that part of my life is over. I have made my life with John. Nothing you say can change that."
"But what of our son?"
"He's not our son. While I share the same genetics with him, he is not a part of me. Please, don't make this any harder on yourself."
"Aeryn," he pleaded as he tried to reach out for her again.
She backed away and said gently, "No. This is the way it has to be. Remember her for who she was, forget me." She turned away from him and walked out of the gym.
&&&&&
John was looking for Aeryn. They were ready for the final planning and she was late. He found her sitting in her quarters with the lights off. "Aeryn? Are you alright?" He moved to sit next to her on the bed. "Aeryn?"
"I'm sorry. This has been harder than I thought."
"It's Velorek, isn't it?" he asked.
She looked at him. "You know?"
He nodded. "Rygel told me."
"And you didn't say anything?"
He shrugged. "I know how much he meant to you. I thought I'd give you room to work though it alone."
"But what if I'd chosen him?" she asked.
He gently lifted her chin to look into her eyes. "Do you really need to ask the question?"
She smiled and kissed him. "No."
He broke away from her embrace. "We're late for the meeting, that's why I came to get you."
"Oh, frell, I forgot."
&&&&&
John and Aeryn tried to slip into the room. While Crais didn't stop speaking he did spare a glance for them. He was highlighting the layout of Katratzi and what they had analyzed as the most vulnerable areas.
"Each of you has been given your primary and secondary targets. In the event you are unable to hit either, you will attack a target of opportunity. All of us have to be prepared to take care of any Scarran opposition. Our latest intelligence did not indicate the presence of a Dreadnaught, but if there is one present, it will need to be dealt with first.
Captain Kael's group will lead the attack if there is a Dreadnaught.
"Now that Lt. Crichton is here, are there any more specific questions about your targets or the layout of the planetary defenses?"
Crichton bristled at his introduction, but didn't say anything.
"Captain Markaz of gunship Arum, you didn't say where we got this intelligence. Some of this stuff is very detailed. If we're going to do something so drastic I'd like to know where this information came from."
Crichton was about to answer, but Bialar spoke up first, "Lt. Crichton had the opportunity to infiltrate the base at Katratzi. While there he was able to make note of power cores, central computers, armories and other vulnerable areas. Those are where we have decided to concentrate our attacks. In addition, we captured a Scarran cruiser, and we were able to download and translate their databanks. Does that allay your concerns?"
Markaz nodded.
"Return to your ships and we will proceed to the wormhole."
As the room was emptying the general alarm sounded. Crais accessed Talyn's sensors.
"There is a Scarran attack fleet," he announced to John and Aeryn.
"I knew our luck was too good to be true," John muttered as he followed Bialar and Aeryn to command.
&&&&&
"How many ships?" Aeryn asked.
"A Stryker force. Not large enough to stop us." He turned to the bridge officer, "Jam communications."
"Did they send a signal?" John asked.
Crais looked at his sensor officer.
"We didn't detect one, sir, but that doesn't mean one wasn't sent out."
"Gets better and better," John muttered.
Aeryn stepped up to his side, "What do we do now? They know we're coming."
"Maybe, but I doubt they are expecting this kind of firepower. We still have to go."
They watched the battle rage around them. It didn't last very long. The gunships worked well together. It was like watching a pack of wolves separate the weakest member of the herd for the kill. One by one the gunships picked off the Scarran ships until they were all destroyed.
When the skirmish was over Crais turned to John. "Where is the wormhole? The sooner that we can commence our attack, the better."
"It's here, we just have to wait for it to open."
"Deploy the ships defensively. We don't know if that was the only force or a vanguard."
The waiting drew on. Bialar kept looking at John nervously, but John was ignoring him. He stepped beside Aeryn as asked quietly, "How long will this take?"
"I don't know."
"Is he alright?"
"He gets like this when he deals with wormholes. If he says it will be here, it will."
Crais walked away. "Anything on sensors?" he asked.
"Nothing, Captain."
Crais continued pacing nervously. He knew the others had to be getting as restless. Finally, he saw a blue flash followed by the now familiar vortex of a wormhole.
"There it is, Crais. Pass the word to the other gunships to follow close." He moved to stand at Talyn's navigational controls so he could guide the gunship through the wormhole network.
A/N: Again, I would like to thank all that have taken the time to review. Feedback of any variety is very important to an author.