D'Argo strode into Command. "Pilot, has there been any change?"

"The unknown vessel is still holding position. Moya has detected unfamiliar energy emissions but none are directed at us."

"We will soon need to move. If we wait too long, we won't be able to catch up to the asteroid that would provide shielding."

"Moya and I are aware of the situation, Captain D'Argo. However, Moya does not want to risk detection."

D'Argo sighed. "Pilot, tell Moya that I understand her fear but that both John and Aeryn's lives may be in danger." He paused and then added, "Not to mention the unborn child Aeryn is carrying." He cringed inwardly, knowing how wrong it was to use Moya's need to protect children as ammo. Still…

"Moya says we will wait for two more arns. That would still provide us with enough time to enter Earth's solar system undetected."

"Mornin', Sunshine," John said, and gave Aeryn a kiss, letting her know he was on to her pretend-to-sleep act. He'd noticed a slight change in her breathing pattern when he started caressing her arm and shortly after her mouth had begun twitching. He indulged her, and himself, and kept caressing, though he had migrated from her arm to wherever his hands wanted to go for a few minutes longer.

Aeryn turned a bit and looked up at him, her smile slow forming. "Good morning, John." She immediately began kissing him.

After a while John reluctantly pulled back. "As much as I'm enjoying this, I'm not planning on giving my Dad or Livvy a peep-show."

"I'd probably have made my presence known before things got out of hand."

John turned his head toward the stairs. "It's the 'probably' that's bothering me," he said, grinning at his sister. "Mornin', sis," he continued, still holding Aeryn close.

"Good morning, Olivia," Aeryn said.

John then realized he was still holding on to her and let go, looking down at her. "How 'bout some breakfast? Wanna try some cereal?"

Olivia rolled her eyes, unnoticed by both people on the sleeping-couch. "Geez, Johnny, at least offer her a breakfast that takes a little more than simply pouring two ingredients in a bowl."

Aeryn looked at Olivia, smiling. "No thanks, I've had the unfortunate displeasure of tasting one of his cooking attempts."

Olivia's brow furrowed, not understanding Aeryn's language at all. "Sorry? I didn't understand you."

John looked at Olivia. "She just commented on my great cooking skills."

Olivia grinned. "I may not have understood the words, but I'm fairly certain by the tone of her voice she wasn't impressed at all."

Aeryn looked impishly at John and this time responded in English, for Olivia's benefit. "Are you sure you two are related? She doesn't seem nearly as deficient as you."

"I see you got to the 'D' in the dictionary already," John answered, not willing to let the bantering end.

Aeryn nodded. "Of course. I'm far more superior."

Olivia laughed. "Sounds to me she even got to the 'S', Johnny. It's just a matter of hours before she even speaks better English than you."

John looked at Olivia. "Liv, we're family, you're supposed to help me, not her."

"Family is important, but women always stick together." Olivia turned around as she heard her father come down the stairs.

John's face lit up when he realized Jack had made an appearance. "Dad, help me out here, will ya?"

Jack looked at the two women. "Son, when you get to be my age, you'll have learned to never go against more than one woman at a time. Hell, even going against one is not recommended."

Olivia had moved further down and half-whispered to Aeryn, "Dad's the exception, but in general human males are deficient and the females are superior."

Aeryn nodded. "Ah, the same as with Sebaceans."

John let out a sigh. "Fine, I give up, I'm deficient." He turned to Aeryn again, a big grin on his face. "But you still love me, so I can't be that bad."

Aeryn shrugged. "I simply learned to live with it." She couldn't resist kissing him again. They only pulled apart when Jack cleared his throat, realizing the kiss had become a much more passionate than intended.

"Right, who's up for some pancakes?"

"I can guarantee my Dad's a much better cook," Olivia responded to Aeryn's questioning gaze in her direction.

"In that case, I'd love some. But first I want to use the…" She turned to John and asked in Sebacean, "what's the word for 'refresher?'"

"Literally, 'refresher' but we call it the bathroom."

Aeryn nodded. "Right, I want to use the bathroom and…" Again she failed in finding the appropriate word.

"Take a shower," John filled in, looking at Aeryn to make sure that's what she wanted to say.

She nodded in response but didn't repeat the words. Instead she lifted the cover resolutely and got up. She noticed Jack quickly looking away and moving toward the kitchen, but it didn't bother Aeryn if he'd seen her in her underwear. Neither did it bother her that Olivia took the opportunity to find out if she looked like any human female.

"Uhm, I think I'll come with you. Just to help."

Aeryn turned her head back to John, smiling. "I've been washing myself for a number years now, John."

John started to grin. "Yeah, but I remember the problems I had figuring things out on Moya. I just want to spare you the trouble."

Olivia snorted at the obvious lie, but Aeryn did indeed want him to join her. They had both wanted more before Olivia had made her presence known. The bathroom seemed a great location to get some privacy and to indulge themselves. "Hmm, you do have a point."

"I'll go tell Dad to wait before starting those pancakes," Olivia said and moved to the kitchen without waiting for a reply.

"Captain D'Argo," Scorpius' voice came over the comms, "I'd like to speak to you about a matter of great importance."

D'Argo sighed as he released Chiana. "I'll meet you in Command, Scorpius." D'Argo shook his head, never having thought he'd be willing to talk to Scorpius voluntarily.

"Why didn't we just dump fek-face when we had the chance?" Chiana asked as the comms shut of.

D'Argo pulled her close again. "Chiana, this is not the Scorpius who put us all, and especially John, through hezmana. I think he has proven we can trust him."

"Maybe, but I had another plan." She pulled back slightly and looked mischievously into his eyes. "You like my plans, don'tcha?"

D'Argo released her, a hiss escaping as he attempted to not give in to his current physical need. "I do, but, ah, I think I'll go and talk to Scorpius first."

Chiana pouted. "You're gonna make me wait?"

D'Argo nodded, still having difficulty not giving in. "I promise to keep it as short as possible." He turned around, knowing that if he kept standing in their quarters, he would eventually give in. Not a bad thing, but as captain he had his responsibilities and it would not be a good idea to ignore those when his captaincy was still so young.

As he made his way to command, he wondered what Scorpius thought could be so important. If they'd been in any part of the known territories, Scorpius could have some kind of information of possible attacks, but surely nothing in this region. Besides, the Scorpius bioloid had been separated from the real Scorpius for a couple of monens. Any information he still had was sure to be outdated.

"Ah, Captain D'Argo," Scorpius greeted him, turning away from the forward portal.

D'Argo nodded once. "What is it that you felt was of such great importance?"

Scorpius tilted his head slightly before beginning. "This morning, after Pilot told us Moya had sensed unfamiliar energy emissions, I went to see Pilot and asked if there was any way if Moya or he could show me those patterns."

Scorpius began to slowly pace in front of the forward portal, keeping his eyes trained on the floor. "As you know, I'm able to see energy patterns of anyone, but under some circumstances I've been known to see certain energy patterns that emit from a non-biological nature also."

He looked back up at D'Argo, but continued his pacing. "The energy patterns Moya showed me seemed familiar. It took me a couple of arns to fully remember where I'd seen them before."

D'Argo's interest had already increased when Scorpius mentioned he had asked Pilot for those energy patterns. He knew the half-breed wouldn't have mentioned it if he hadn't recognized those patterns, though why he chose to take such a roundabout way of telling it, was beyond him.

Scorpius just continued his tale. "During my first escape from the Scarrens, I nearly perished somewhere between Scarren and Peacekeeper territories, trapped inside a vessel which had suddenly lost all its power. After nearly half an arn, a ship appeared next to mine, seemingly out of nowhere."

"By some means they transferred some of their power to my vessel, enough for me to reach the nearest planet. I was able to see the energy transfer beam with my eyes and I'm certain it was the exact same pattern."

D'Argo contemplated Scorpius' revelation. "Are you suggesting we're closer to the Uncharted Territories than previously thought?"

Scorpius shook his head. "No, when Scorpius indicated to John he had found Earth's location, he wasn't lying about the distance. What I'm saying, Captain D'Argo, is that that vessel out there is the same vessel that came to my aid."

"You mean from the same species?"

Scorpius shook his head again. "Not unless they can build their generators in such a way they create the exact same pattern on every vessel they build. I'm certain it's the exact same vessel."

"But what is it doing out here?" D'Argo asked.

Aeryn sighed contently. "I do enjoy taking a shower together."

John grinned broadly. "That makes two of us." He kissed her again, but Aeryn pulled back slightly when his arms came around her and the kiss started to deepen.

"Your father mentioned first meal would be ready in half an arn."

John sighed and turned off the water, knowing she was right. Besides, he didn't want to miss his opportunity to taste pancakes for the first time in nearly four years.

They silently toweled each other, careful to not increase the passion too much. In the back of John's mind, he began to wonder about Moya. He realized they should try to contact Moya as soon as possible. If they still couldn't contact them, he'd take that as a sign something was wrong. Hopefully just the comms, but with their luck, he wasn't betting on it.

As they got dressed, Aeryn turned her gaze to him. "I think we should try to contact Moya. If we still can't by the end of the day, we should make plans on how to proceed."

John nodded. "Yeah, I was thinking the same thing." He paused. "You wanna check now or after breakfast?"

"I think we can wait until after breakfast."

John put his arm around her as he guided her towards the stairs. "Alright, let's go eat."

As they walked down the stairs Aeryn commented on the smells meeting them. "It has a somewhat odd odor. Not bad, but… well, odd." When she turned to John he had just closed his eyes, apparently savoring the smell of something he had missed for so long.

"Just imagine how I felt all these years."

"Well, 'all these years' you've mostly eaten food cubes. They're completely odorless."

They walked into the kitchen when John responded. "Yeah, well that's not the only thing they're lacking. Anyway, I was referring to the times we had what passed as normal food. I admit, most of the time it didn't taste half as bad as I expected, but some of the smells were nauseating."

They sat down at the kitchen table, Jack just bringing over a stack of pancakes.

Olivia sat smiling at them. "So, Aeryn, did Johnny explain the workings of the complicated shower controls properly? Or do you expect he needs to help you again next time?"

Aeryn looked at John briefly and then turned to Olivia. "Depends on how early you come down tomorrow."

Olivia's smile widened into a grin. "I'll try not to be too early." She grabbed a pancake from the stack. "Or you two could stay in my room, and I'll sleep on the couch."

"Oh, no, I wouldn't want you to give up your room."

Olivia shrugged. "No, it's no problem. You two'll be staying in my room, and I'll take the couch tonight."

"So," Jack interrupted, "what's the plan for today?"

John turned to him. "First, we're gonna try to get in touch with our friends. Aeryn and I are bit worried we couldn't get them on the horn last night. If we can't reach them, we'll need to come up with something."

Jack raised an eyebrow. "Like what, Son?"

Aeryn shrugged and responded instead, seeing John had just put a piece of pancake in his mouth. "We don't know yet. And you probably would not want to know."

"And what is that supposed to mean?" Jack demanded.

John had just swallowed and sighed. "Listen, Dad. I've been away for almost four years and it hasn't exactly been a vacation. I've done things that I'm not proud of, but needed to be done to survive." Softly he muttered, "most of the time, anyway." Out loud he continued, "Whatever it is we do, I promise it won't involve killing."

Olivia's hand came to rest on her father's arm. "Dad, let it go, please."

Jack looked at her and then at his son and Aeryn and sighed. "Alright, I won't ask about it. So, what else is on the agenda?"

John let out a breath of air, and sent a silent thank you to his sister. "Well, regardless of whether we can contact our friends, I wanna take Aeryn out; show her some more of the town." He looked at Aeryn and then at himself. "Either we need some more casual clothing or we'll take the bike…" He turned to his father. "My bike still around?"

Jack nodded. "Yeah, I didn't wanna get rid of it, so I stored it in my garage." He looked at John and Aeryn again. "But I think you'll need a change of clothes anyway. I think I still have some of your clothes lying about."

"And I think I have something suitable for Aeryn," Olivia piped up.

"Everyone, the unknown ship has left. Moya is now setting course to return to our previous location."

"We're going back?!"

"Yes, Chiana. It is the quickest way to get back to Aeryn and the Commander. Moya thinks their safety is more important than the risk of being detected by Earth."

"Why risk detection when we have a vessel at our disposal with cloaking capabilities?" Jool asked as she and Hirsch entered command.

"Unfortunately, Lo'La's Deception Shroud is still not fully operational."

"Yeah, but the one on our ship is. And it has weapons, too, in case we do run into trouble."

D'Argo and Chiana looked at each other and then back at Jool. "Well, Princess," Chiana replied, "you could've told us when we needed to get Crichton undetected to Earth!"

"No one told us what the plan was and we didn't know Lo'La's cloak was not functioning."

"We need to stop arguing and try to reach John and Aeryn as soon as possible," D'Argo interrupted before Chiana could say anything. Jool and Chiana might like each other more than they did when Jool first arrived on Moya, but occasionally the two would start a verbal fight for no apparent reason and this was not the time. "Could you two take care of it?"

Jool nodded. "Yeah. It'll take us three arns to get close enough to contact them, though."

D'Argo contemplated this. With Moya, they'd be there within the arn, but they might be detected. But if the humans had already traced their comms, Crichton and Aeryn could already be in danger. But the risk of being detected again outweighed this. "It's our best option."

"Captain D'Argo, Moya and I are worried about the Commander and Aeryn's safety."

"I know, Pilot, and so are we. That's why I agreed initially to your plan to go back, instead of traveling around the solar system, since that would cut the time from a few solar days to an arn. I think the two additional arns Jool and Hirsch require is an acceptable compromise between remaining undetected and get to John and Aeryn as soon as possible."

Pilot remained silent a few microts. "Yes, Moya and I agree. We will remain in our current location."

D'Argo nodded once. "Thank you Pilot." He turned around in time to see Jool and Hirsch leave Command. "Now we can only wait."

"Yo, Pilot! D'Argo! Anyone?!" John looked at Aeryn, both realizing something was wrong. "Damn it! What the frell could happen to them in this solar system?"

Aeryn walked closer to him. "John, we established a protocol before we left. If they don't hear from us for more than a day, they'll come for us."

John nodded. "Yeah, assuming it's just the comms. We didn't set a protocol in case something would happen to them." He looked into her eyes. "We'd be stuck here."

"I think it's too early to tell either way. I suggest we simply enjoy our time here. If we still can't contact them when we get back, then we can really sit down and make a plan."

John sighed. "I dunno. I'm not sure if I can enjoy myself, knowing that our friends might be in trouble. And what if they come down to Earth? With the comms out, they may be unable to locate us."

"I'm sure the sensors would have no trouble isolating my bio signature. Come on, Erp-man. Show me your world, while we have the chance."

John nodded and smiled as he guided her once again toward the stairs. "You look great in jeans. Different, but great. Damn, shouldn't have offered a ride on the bike! I could've gotten you in a dress."

Aeryn snorted. "Not likely. I could never run or fight in one."

John raised an eyebrow. "And how would you know?"

Aeryn blushed slightly. "I tried one on earlier."

"And you didn't come to show me?"

"Don't worry, Johnny, I took a picture," Olivia said from the bottom of the stairs.

"I'm gonna need to see that."

"Oh, you will. Now," Olivia continued as she grabbed her camera. "Why don't the two of you go stand over there so I can take a picture of the both of you?"

It took some time before Olivia was satisfied with their position and snapped of the last shot on the film, promising to have it developed that same day, with extra prints for them. Not long after that, they stepped on the bike and drove off.

"Jool?"

Jool turned her head to Hirsch. "Yes?"

"Are you satisfied with our current situation?"

Jool turned her head back toward the portal, as she piloted their ship in the general direction of Crichton's home planet. "Of course not. Crichton and Aeryn could be in real trouble…"

"No, that's not what I meant. I meant the general situation aboard Moya."

Jool looked again at Hirsch. "Why do you think I wouldn't be?"

"Well, you and Chiana seem to fight almost daily."

Jool smiled and nodded, once again turned her head forward. "It's what we do best." She pressed one of the controls. "Comms relay released and cloaked." She pressed another control. "The relay is functioning."

"Don't you feel threatened by it?"

"Of course not! Like I said, these verbal attacks are what Chi and I do best. You must have noticed we always fight about silly, unimportant things. We're not really attacking each other and usually we both end up leaving with a smile on our face."

"Ah." Hirsch remained silent.

"Hirsch, are you happy aboard Moya?"

"Honestly? I never realized how dangerous it would be. But I know that leaving Moya would not reduce the danger we'd be in. The Peacekeepers, and probably our own kind, are now looking for us. I do not fear the Interion council, but with the Peacekeepers after us, Moya might be the safest location."

"You wished you'd stayed on Arnesk." It was a statement, not a question.

"A small part of me, yes. But the biggest part wanted to be with you. You weren't happy on Arnesk at all. You may have found it thrilling initially, but it was very obvious you missed this life."

Jool sighed. "I did. I never thought I would. If you hadn't been there, I would have left Arnesk the day I found this ship."

"I would have gone with you, if you had just asked me."

"Joolushko," Pilot's voice came over the comms, "Moya and I have calculated that you should be able to pick up the Commander's or Aeryn's comms once you passed the sixth planet's orbit."

"Thank you, Pilot. We should reach that point in less than hundred microts."

As the comms closed, Jool turned to Hirsch. "If you want to leave Moya, know that I will go with you."

Hirsch nodded once and kissed her. "I know. But I doubt I want to leave soon. It may be a dangerous life, but I do know that you all look out for each other. That makes it a lot safer to stay than to leave."

Jool kissed Hirsch long and passionately, before finally turning back to the controls. "This should be close enough," she said as she brought their ship to a stop halfway between the sixth and fifth planet. "Crichton, Aeryn? This is Jool. Can you hear me?"

Jack frowned. He'd heard someone speaking in an unknown language and a quick search led him toward the pin John had on him yesterday and this morning. Jack wasn't sure what to do. He knew that both Aeryn and John had a pin like this, but he wasn't sure if they'd decided to take only one of them today and left this one here or that they lost this one when Olivia was taking their picture.

He went towards the duffels his son and Aeryn had brought, and within seconds he'd found the second pin, mostly because the voice had sounded again. Gingerly he picked it up. "Uhm, I don't know how this thing works, but if you're looking for my son or Aeryn, I think they lost one of these."

Again the weird language came out of the pins, but this time the Crichton name wasn't mentioned, so he was certain they were responding to him. When the voice ended, he replied, "I'm sorry, but I don't understand your language. John and Aeryn should be home in a few hours, though. Maybe sooner if they realize they lost this device."

Yet again the weird language came out of the pins, but this time there were three different voices, each seeming to use a completely different language. While the voices kept discussing the situation, Jack heard the front door close. He immediately went in that direction. "John, Aeryn, I have your friends… oh. Olivia. You don't happen to know where John and Aeryn went, do you?"

Olivia shook her head, "no, but they'll be back in a few hours."

Jack nodded. "Yeah, but I have his friends on this pin and they sound nervous." He talked into the pin again. "Listen, we don't know where they are or when they get back. But maybe you can find them using your ship's sensors, or something."

Again, a short discussion was heard, before a soft click indicated the connection was closed. Jack frowned again. "This really doesn't look so good. First John can't reach them, and now they're nervous about something. Maybe we should try and find John and Aeryn."

"I think one of us should stay here, in case they get back when they realize they forgot that communication device."

Jack nodded. "You're right. You stay here, while I try to find them. I got my cell with me." With that Jack grabbed his car keys and left.

"Okay, go easy on the throttle. It's very responsive."

Aeryn sighed and rolled her eyes. "John, I've been a pilot for many cy… years. I think I can manage a ground vehicle."

John grinned. "Yeah, I guess you can." He wrapped his arm around her waist once he was seated behind her. "Just remember not to go to fast. We don't want the local law enforcement on our asses."

John kept an eye on the road and other traffic, as Aeryn acquainted herself with the bike and the controls. As he had imagined, it didn't take her more than a few small jerky accelerations to get a feel for it and not long after, he didn't bother keeping an eye out for other traffic, and especially considering Aeryn could spot potential collisions way before he could.

When they found themselves on a deserted, long stretch of road in the middle of nowhere, John leaned over Aeryn's shoulder and said, "Okay, hon. let her rip." Aeryn clearly didn't need to be told twice, as she put the throttle full open. After a while she held back on her own, obviously realizing they were coming to a more populated area. John leaned over her shoulder again. "Let's pull over for a while. Get a drink or something."

Aeryn nodded once, and steered towards the diner he indicated. As they got off, Aeryn had a big grin on her face. "This is definitely the best ground vehicle. Almost as good as flying."

John nodded his agreement. "Yeah. It can also be as dangerous. Not much to protect you if you ever get in an accident." He gestured toward the road-house. "Let's get something to drink."

"Are you sure, Pilot?"

"Yes. The sensor data Joolushko is relaying shows that an identical scan was started almost immediately after she attempted to contact the Commander and Officer Sun."

D'Argo sighed. "Just frelling great," he muttered. "Jool, you and Hirsch better get out of there. The humans are scanning."

"No! We can't just leave them! It's not even certain the humans will find us."

D'Argo understood her reasoning, and admired the fact that she actually suggested it at all. "But if they can locate you…"

"…We can still get away faster than they can leave their own planet. They won't be able to catch us. They're a primitive species, remember?"

"They shouldn't be able to scan us at all. Obviously, some things were unknown to Crichton."

"I think it's worth the risk. Hirsch and I will move some distance and then maintain our position."

"Jool?" D'Argo sighed when no response was forthcoming. "Pilot, keep us informed of their status."

"Well, so much for getting a drink," John said as they left the road-house.

"It's not my fault," Aeryn replied, a little indignant.

"No, but you didn't actually have to throw the first punch!"

Aeryn arched an eye-brow. "You'd rather I'd let those frellniks kick your eema?"

"Of course not! I think I'd've been able to handle this myself."

"Really? Two guys were holding you and a third was aiming his fist at your face, but you think you could've handled it?"

"They were just trying to scare me," John stubbornly insisted. To be honest, he had been expecting to be walking away with some scratches, a fat lip or a black eye. Maybe even all of the above. But that was not the point.

"Besides, I had a right to punch him," Aeryn continued.

John didn't dare deny that. All three had a severe ass-kicking coming to them, after their remarks to her. "Of course you did. But you could at least have given me a chance first."

Aeryn stepped right up to him. "What the frell is wrong with you? You never had a problem with me coming to your aide."

"Well, sure. Inferior human in trouble with big bad aliens, superior Sebecean to the rescue. I'm all for that. But here on earth is a whole different ball-park. I can handle these situations. I don't need you to baby-sit me."

Aeryn studied him closely. He was acting like an idiot, and she didn't understand why. Eventually she said, "Stop being a drannit. I'm not baby-sitting anyone."

"Yes you are, Aeryn! Every single time someone threatens me, you are the one stepping right in front of me."

"And look what happens if I don't! You would have been seriously injured if I hadn't stepped in."

"Yes, I would!" John swallowed and looked away momentarily. "I would." He paused for a moment. "Look, it's just…"

"Just what, John?"

John sighed. "What if someone who knew me had been there?"

Aeryn looked confused at first, but quickly realized what he meant. Not that she planned on letting it go. "What does that have to do with it?"

"Aer, they'd think I was a coward or something."

"They don't do that already?" She had a hard time keeping her face straight. John's incredulous look made it only harder and she could feel herself losing the battle.

"Most of them don't," John replied, a grin starting to form.

Aeryn threw her arms around him. "Tell you what. I won't come to your aide until you ask me too."

John kissed her. "That's all I'm asking. But as soon as we get back to Moya, you are free to jump in front of me at the first sign of my impending injury."

"Don't be ridiculous. If I did that, I'd be in front of you all the time."

"I like you right in front of me."

"I noticed," Aeryn said, casting a glance down to where his groin was pressed against her.

"Captain D'Argo, the Earth scan has stopped and has not located Joolushko and Hirshara."

"Thank you, Pilot. Please inform Jool and Hirsh and ask them to wait until they're contacted by John or Aeryn."

"Certainly, Captain. However, Moya and I feel it's important to join Joolushko and Hirshara. If something happens, Moya would be close enough for everyone to reach and we could simply Starburst away."

"I agree, Pilot. Please have Moya head in the direction of Jool's ship, but make sure we'd be in the direction of Earth's sun at all times."

"Of course. We will reach Joolushko and Hirshara in less than an arn."

D'Argo nodded once and the comm channel closed.

"Do y-… do you think Crichton and Aeryn are in trouble?"

D'Argo turned to Chiana. "I'm not sure. His father didn't indicate they were, but things can change. The humans already tracked our comms signal successfully. They may have been able to track it towards John's father's house."

"Sh-… shouldn't we warn Crichton's family?"

"They can't understand us. They don't have translator microbes."

"Does… doesn't Sikozu understand Human? May-… maybe she speaks it, too?"

D'Argo activated his comms. "Sikozu, do you speak John's language?"

"Only a little bit. Not nearly as well as Aeryn. Why?"

"We want to warn his family that someone may be coming for them."

"I could try, but then we might give away information to those who were tracking the signal."

"I'm aware of that, but we'll keep it down to just one warning, a short message."

"I'm on my way."

"I'm really worried, D'Argo. Wha-… what if something happens? This is Crichton's home planet! It'll devastate him!"

D'Argo gently grabbed her by the shoulders. "Chiana, calm down. I'm certain everything will turn out alright."

"Yeah? Then why did you agree with Pilot?"

"Alright, I'm worried, too. But frustration and anxiety will not help in this situation. We need to remain calm."

"I agree with the Luxan," Sikozu said as she entered Command.

Before Chiana could make a snide remark, D'Argo opened a comms channel. "Jool, could you establish a link to John and Aeryn's comms? Sikozu will give John's family a warning in their language. Close the link as soon as Sikozu is finished."

"The comms channel is now open."

"Aer, pull over. That's my Dad's car over there."

Aeryn did as John asked. Jack immediately got out of the car.

"Son, Aeryn, your friends called about half an hour ago."

Aeryn threw a glance at John.

John sighed. "We already covered my stupidity, Aer. I'm sorry I forgot to pin the comms back on."

"You better get back to the house, Son. They sounded nervous."

John nodded. "Right, see you back at the house. Let's go, Aer. You can go over the speed limit a little."

As Jack got in the car he dialed home. "Hi Livvy, I found them, they're on their way." He started his car. "What? Honey, lock up and don't open for anyone but us, okay? John and Aeryn should be there in less than ten minutes. It's probably gonna take me closer to twenty."

Olivia startled by the knocks on the door, but was relieved to hear her brother's voice yelling, "Liv, open up. It's us." She went to the door but still looked first to make sure it was really them and nobody else. Satisfied that was the case, she opened the door, thrusting one of the pins in his hands.

"They called again, someone spoke English, saying that someone might have found you and come here. I'm not really certain, her English wasn't very good and I don't think she was able to say exactly what she wanted to."

Aeryn immediately went to their duffels and grabbed the pulse pistols and John activated the comms. "D, what the hell is goin' on?"

Olivia couldn't understand a single thing that made up the reply, but the worried looks on both faces of her brother and Aeryn made it clear something was terribly wrong. Aeryn took over the communication, using her own language, as John casually stuck the pulse pistol in his waistband.

"Someone's been tracking my friends and the comm signals. Aer is now doing the talking, because my English would be too easy to decipher." He had spoken softly; making sure his voice would not be picked up by the communication device in Aeryn's hands.

"Someone from Earth?"

"Apparently. That's not all. D is now telling us they ran into another ship just outside our solar system. It's gone now, but Scorpy recognized them. That's not good, because that might put Earth on the map."

"They're the bad guys?"

"Don't know. Scorpy only encountered them once and they helped him. Other than that there's no info."

Olivia spotted Aeryn walking over. "You're gonna leave, aren't you? Johnny, at least wait for Dad to come back."

John looked at Aeryn. "What's the plan?"

"Jool and Hirsh will maintain their position for an arn. This will allow Moya to be close enough for us to get to and Starburst out of here. I asked Jool to land in that field behind the yard."

John nodded and turned back to Olivia. "Seems I get to say goodbye to Dad. Oh, and I remember something about a picture of a hot Peacekeeper chick in a dress?"

Olivia smiled a little. "When your friend called with that message, I was afraid you'd had to leave in a hurry, so I've already put them in your duffel."

"Thanks, Liv." John gave her a hug. "I'm glad I got to see you, even if it's gonna be cut short."

"John, someone's coming," Aeryn warned from her guarding spot at the window next to the front door.

"How many?" John asked.

"I count five. They look military." Aeryn stepped away from the window and looked at John. "Jool won't be here for at least a quarter arn."

"Now, hold on a minute," Jack said. "We don't know if they're even here for you. Military people aren't that uncommon in the Crichton house." The doorbell rang. "I'll just go find out what they want."

John grabbed Jack's arm. "Wait, Dad. No sense in being totally unprepared. Let me go with you. I'll hide behind the door and the first sign of trouble I can bail you out."

Jack looked doubtful at the weapon in John's other hand, not used to seeing his son handling a gun as if it's the most normal thing to hold. But he had to concede it was a sound tactic, considering the warning Olivia had received.

John turned to Aeryn. "Aer, you stay here and protect Livvy?"

Aeryn nodded once, not giving in to her instinct to tell him she'd go with Jack. John was right earlier; he should be able to handle things himself while they were on Earth.

Instead she motioned Olivia to keep silent. As she did so, her eyes fell on a perfect spot for Olivia to hide. She indicated to Olivia where she wanted her to go. When Olivia positioned herself out of direct sight from anywhere in the room, Aeryn whispered, "If something happens to us, stay quiet until you're all alone."

Aeryn then moved to a spot she had chosen as her best point for defense when she heard an unidentifiable sound, followed by a frell from John, which in turn was followed by a shot from Winona and again the unidentifiable sound. Aeryn had also heard two bodies fall to the floor.

She assumed both John and Jack were down, and she hoped they weren't killed. She took a defensive stance, determined to make her shots count. She never got a chance to take one.