Chapter 6 – Rescue?
John Crichton had not been waiting at the compound perimeter for very long when he felt the arrival of D'Argo and Aeryn. He had spent that little amount of time examining the compound and it looked like it was really a big hole in the ground.
"Just what do you think you are doing, John?" Aeryn asked right off the bat.
Crichton hesitated for a moment, "He's human. I have to try and get him out of there." He looked at her with hope in his eyes. He cared a lot about her, but finding his people had been his stated goal from the start. She would understand how important this was to him.
"Oh, John," Aeryn said. She sighed. She had known that getting home had always been his goal. Occasionally, John had been distracted from it, but he always returned to it. She loved him, but when he got like this, he could not be distracted easily. "Alright, what have you found out?" Aeryn asked.
"They found some ruins underground and have been digging them out. From what I can tell, it is a big pit," Crichton stated while pointing out the entrance and exit the road made.
"Strategically, it is very defensible," D'Argo stated as he examined the structure.
At that moment, the sky lite up as hundreds of lighted weapons poured out of the compound and then dove back into the compound causing destruction. All three of them stared in shock as the Andari workers, guards, and even the Magistrate fled the compound in terror. The weapons continued to destroy the compound until nothing but ruins remained. Finally, silence settled over the ruins.
"Crichton, I did not see your human," D'Argo stated.
"Then he could still be down there. We should go look," Crichton said. He slowly got up and cautiously started down towards the ruins of the compound. Aeryn and D'Argo followed behind him slowly.
Crichton and D'Argo entered the ruins of the compound door. They had gone about ten feet before they were stunned and dropped in place. Aeryn froze at the door as she saw her teammates stunned. She was surprised to see the very human they were here to rescue.
D'Argo was correct, he did look Sebacian. The human had hidden by the doorway against the wall when her friends had been stunned. Only because she had held back to guard them from the return of the Andari had she avoided a similar fate.
The human kicked away her pistol from her hand before twisting to avoid her reach. It was a very effective combat move. Perhaps, this was not a human after all. She may be unarmed, but she is far from defenseless. The Sebacians would not get her or John if she could prevent it.
Aeryn's anger rose. How dare they attack their backs! How cowardly! She leapt at him snarling. He side-stepped and grabbed her arm before throwing her to the ground. Then she felt the pistol pressed to the back of her head. She froze.
"Where is the Stargate? The Chappa'ai? The Portal?" the human demanded.
"The what?" Aeryn asked. Perhaps this isn't a Sebacian. He fights like one though.
"The Stargate? The big round metal thing?" the human insisted.
Crichton woke up from being stunned to the sight of the human they were here to rescue sitting on the back of Aeryn demanding the location of something called a Stargate. He almost panicked.
"Hey," Crichton said, calling attention to himself. The pistol left Aeryn's head to whip into his direction. "Easy. Easy, we actually came here to… um… rescue you."
"Ha! Didn't need rescuing, thanks for nothing," the human slowly got up off of Aeryn's back and eased to the wall.
Aeryn eyed him warily. "What is your name, rank, and unit?" Aeryn demanded.
"Well, I only have to give you my name, rank, and serial number under the Code of Conduct and only then if I am a Prisoner of War. Since I am not a POW, you can kiss my ass," the human replied saucily.
Crichton gasped, "You're American."
"No shit, Sherlock," the human replied with a glare.
Crichton turned to Aeryn and D'Argo, "He really is from Earth. From my home."
"Seriously," Aeryn said. John couldn't fight like this one had.
"Yes," Crichton replied earnestly. D'Argo just nodded.
"Alright, now that we have agreed I am human, can we go. I don't want to be here when the Andari get back to the compound that I broke," the human said with a clap and a gesture ushering them towards the door.
The made it out of the ruined compound and back into the city. "This is where we part ways," the human said.
"But, you are from Earth," Crichton said.
"Yes, and I will get back there. I just need a gate," the human said.
Aeryn sighed, "Look, there is no 'Stargate' here or in Known space. I have not heard of one."
"But, you are human," Crichton said.
"And humans are a dime a dozen. I've been to hundreds of worlds where humans live, not on Earth," the human replied.
Crichton just stared in wonder at him. "You have? There are?" Then shook his head, "We have a ship. Come with us. We have been looking for Earth for some time. I need get home again."
The human seemed to consider it. "I am currently without a space ship." Finally, he sighed, "If we are going to travel together, call me Jack."
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