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Appearances Aside: Part I by: Travis Anderson
Moya entered starburst with a spasm. Time and space was twisted with violent force as the living ship ripped her way out of one dimensional barrier and into another. She rode the by-ways of nether space until the reaction of her action appeared and another hole opened, hurling them into "real" space. It was not unlike the birthing process the ship herself would soon begin. The transition was not conducted with her usual grace, as her passengers noted irritably. "What the hell just happened?" Crichton demanded to know as he tried to push himself up off the floor. He found he couldn?t. There was some indiscernible weight pressing down on him. He wondered what, or who, it was until two legs came down, one on each side of his head. He?d recognise those boots anywhere. "Chiana," he growled, "do you mind?" "Not at all." she replied blithely. "Comfortable are we?" he asked sarcastically. "Pretty much, yeah." she replied merrily. "I?m gonna ask you one more time." Crichton warned. "You know you like it." she retorted. Crichton put everything he had into his effort. He pushed upwardly, gaining enough clearance to swing his knees under him. Caught unawares and unsuspecting, Chiana rolled off of him, tumbling backwards. She swiftly rolled onto her feet, staying in a crouch. "That was rude." she complained scornfully. He gave her a stunned look as he rose to his feet, "You wouldn?t know rude if it sat on your face." "Oh, so that?s how you like it." she said suggestively. He pointed a warning finger at her, his voice low and dangerous, "Don?t...even...think...it." "Sure." she said as she stood, "Fine." He shook his head angrily, "I?m going to Control to try and find out what happened." "Hey! Wait for me." Aeryn lifted herself by pulling herself up with the navigational console. She quickly glanced around. D?Argo was straightening himself out, his pride suffering the greatest injury. Zhaan also appeared unharmed. Aeryn turned towards the display, "Pilot, what happened?" "We have just completed a starburst." Pilot answered as his image arose in the display?s confines. "Why?" Zhaan asked, "I thought Moya was incapable of any starburst transits until she gave birth." "Not entirely correct." Pilot replied, "Moya is more than capable of initiating starburst. She is prefers not to at this juncture unless motivated by necessity." "And this was necessary?" "Yes." Pilot began to reply before being interrupted by Crichton and Chiana?s entrance. "I don?t care!" Crichton declared as he strode in, "No means no, get it?" Chiana shrugged as she followed, "You?ll change your mind. They always do." Crichton shook his head in discouragement and headed for the others, "What?s up guys?" "We?ve just completed a starburst." Zhaan explained with a little impatience. "Something you would already know if you had been here." D?Argo added testily. "Back off." Crichton replied, "Everyone?s got to eat." "Especially Rygel." Chiana added. She turned silent as her comment was met by cold stares. Crichton looked around, "Speaking of which, where is Fluffy?" "Who cares?" D?Argo muttered. "Rygel is in his quarters." Pilot answered cheerily, trying to steer his shipmates from another of the incessant arguments they seemed to delight in. "Maybe we should." Crichton retorted, "How?d you like it of you were injured and no one came looking for you ?cause Chiana said, ?who cares??" Chiana cringed under the Luxan?s glower, "I would expect it from her!" "Hey!" Chiana and Crichton protested simultaneously. Chiana grinned as she turned towards Crichton. John ignored her and focused on D?Argo, "Nobody said that?s what happened. It was a hypothetical." "My answer is not hypothetical." D?Argo declared doggedly, "I know how I would react. I would apply my medical skills and await either assistance or death." "What medical skills?" Crichton asked sarcastically. D?Argo?s answering growl was interrupted by Aeryn?s voice, "Can you all shut up?" She ignored the angry glances they cast her way as she resumed questioning Pilot, "Can you tell us where we are?" "Elsewhere." Pilot replied confidently. "What kind of answer is that?" D?Argo snapped. Pilot shrugged, "We are not where we were, hence we are ?elsewhere?. Given more time, I can give a more detailed answer based upon astrocartographical data we have stored." "Just figure out where we are, Pilot. Tell us when you know." Zhaan replied. "Why did we starburst?" Aeryn pressed on. "Moya?s baby did not require all of the thermonucleonic energy she had stored for feeding her offspring. The baby had eaten its fill. The excess could not safely be stored. Moya?s systems automatically converted the energy into null dimensional field particles. She already had reached her maximum capacity awaiting her next transit. The excess had to be bled off." "By a jump?" "Precisely." "Wait a minute." Crichton interjected, ignoring the eyes rolls form D?Argo and Aeryn, "You?re saying we went into starburst because Moya?s baby was full?" "Yes, but more precisely because the baby?s system were filled and discharged back the remaining stores being fed to her." "She spit up." Crichton translated. "She what?" Aeryn asked with obvious confusion. "When you feed a baby," Crichton explained, "They eat more than they can digest. You have to pat them on the back and make ?em burp up the excess. They usually spit some of the food back up as well." Aeryn?s look was one of astonishment and sardonic amusement, "I?m so glad you?re a nursemaid. I?ll call upon your services if I ever have an infant." "It?s pretty standard knowledge on my world." Crichton explained a tad defensively. "Your world is led by women?" D?Argo asked. Crichton gave him an exasperated glare, "We like to believe we share responsibilities and roles. We aren?t quite there yet, but at least we try." "Are you certain you?re the male of your species?" Aeryn asked teasingly. Crichton?s eyes flickered with both irritation and fond memories at Aeryn?s veiled paraphrase, "Yes, I am." "Just checking." "I could check." Chiana offered. Crichton turned around to face her, "Give up. It?s not going to work." "Yes, it will." she replied confidently, "You defended me against D?Argo." "Because I like you." Crichton explained, grasping for the last vestiges of patience he had, "Because you?re my shipmate. Not because I want to sleep with you!" His last words were declared hotly, then he marched off. Chiana turned to the six eyes, eighteen sets of DRD probes, and one holographic image that were staring at her and shrugged, "All he had to do was say he wasn?t interested." Aeryn caught up with Crichton in the cargo bay. He was tinkering with some piece of minutia on board Farscape 1. If she weren?t just as particular as he regarding the care of her Prowler, she would have sneered at his constant maintenance of his primitive craft. Although, she admitted, it certainly needed all the care and improvements that it could get. "Pilot?s determined our position." Aeryn announced as a way of greeting. "Yippee for Pilot." Crichton retorted, never removing his head from under the access hatch he was stooped under. "Aren?t you even curious as to where we are?" she asked a little incredulously. "Why bother?" Crichton asked bitterly, "I?ll just have someone treat me like I don?t understand them and pat me on the head." Aeryn cocked her head slightly to one side as she pondered that, "You still feel slighted?" Crichton whirled out form beneath his ship?s wing and came at her so suddenly she feared he would attack her for a moment, "Hell, yes." He stopped inches from her face and thrust a finger in her direction, "You could have listened to my explanation without turning into a joke regarding my masculinity. I swear you people out here are a buncha macho idiots, even the women." Aeryn nodded seriously, "I apologise." John stopped suddenly, "What?" "I promised to treat you with greater dignity and respect." she paused to swallow, "You deserve it. What?s more, you?ve earned it." "Are you feeling alright?" John asked in complete surprise, and an unexpected joy. "No." she said wryly, shaking her head, "That was the hardest frelling moment of my life." "Zhaan put you up to it, didn?t she?" Aeryn glanced about uncomfortably before answering, "Yes, I admit. I know that I broke my word, and that I treated you unfairly, but..." Crichton grinned, "But it your stubborn pride doesn?t want to admit that to me." "Yes." she agreed, with a relieved smile. He shrugged, "It could have been worse, y?know. I could have been explaining a fart." "A what?" Crichton?s lips twisted into a pained expression, "I?ll tell you what. I?ll trade you that explanation in exchange for what the difference between dren and shiznet is." "Agreed." she said happily, "You can go first as we head to the control centre." "Control?" Crichton asked, "Why?" "Pilot?s found something interesting." A ship lingered drifted ahead of them on the edge of a star system. It was a sleek angular design. It reminded Crichton of a stiletto with a cross-brace X at the hilt for the engine pods. It looked fats and deadly. "Whose ship?" he asked. "That?s what we?re trying to determine." Aeryn informed him. "It looks familiar." he commented. "Anyone want to know what I think?" Chiana asked. Her question was ignored as Zhaan explained the sensor?s inability to detect any energy sources aboard. "It looks familiar somehow." Crichton mumbled to himself. "That?s because we?ve seen one before." Chiana sing-songed from the corner she perched herself in. "Design elements incorporate basics from across known regions." Zhaan continued, "But there also appear to be significant changes." "Like what?" Crichton asked. "Like an impeller gun." Chiana chimed in. Zhaan shook her head, "It?s impossible to say without their systems being powered." "Are there any life signs aboard?" Crichton asked. "Indeterminate." Zhaan replied sadly, "And there?s no way of knowing if that?s because we?re unfamiliar with species or the tech." "We are familiar with the tech!" Chiana insisted from the corner. Zhaan turned in her direction, "Child, do you have something useful to contribute." Chiana drew herself up, "You bet I do." she strode towards the viewer and pointed at it, "We never saw this ship, but we saw one?s like. Sabbacean, but not quite Sabbacean, remember?" Crichton, Aeryn, D?Argo, and Zhaan all exchanged stunned glances. How did they overlook something so obvious? They had just encountered these people mere weeks before. The answer was simple, they had gone into starburst and gone in another direction, or so they thought. "Good news." Pilot?s voice suddenly broke the silence, "I?ve determined our position. We are within six systems of the planet Perit." "We know Pilot." Zhaan said quietly as her gaze turned back to the crippled ship before them. "Do you believe me now?" Chiana asked acidly. "Yes. We do." Zhaan spoke for them all. "Good." her eyes narrowed, "And I?m not your ?child?." "The grappling clamp has the ship." Pilot informed them, "Moya is bringing the ship into the landing bay." "Understood." Aeryn replied, hefting her pulse rifle up. She looked over to D?Argo, "Ready?" "Always." They entered the landing bay cautiously. Keeping their weapons poised and ready, they split up. Aeryn set position behind a cargo container and covered D?Argo?s approach to the ship?s hatch. Zhaan waited outside the room for the "all clear" from the other two. D?Argo reached the hatch and studied its controls. For all the sleek sophistication of the craft?s hull, the override mechanism on the hatch was almost as primitive as that found on Crichton?s ship. He converted his Q?alta blade back into sword mode and rested it against his shoulder. He reached into the round access that housed the release and took a firm grip on the bar nestled inside. It had a ribbed surface to make gripping it easier, especially if one was wearing an enviro suit. D?Argo had no such concerns, only that this pilchek handle was frelling hard to turn. Throwing his entire upper body into the effort, he managed to start it turning. AS the door slowly crept open, D?Argo realised he was fighting a counter-weight system rather than a conventional mag lock. Stifling curses directed at such primitives, D?Argo finished twisting the override until the main hatch was fully open. It took mere microns for him to switch back to rifle mode. Keeping the barrel pointed towards the open hatchway, he waved for Aeryn to join him. Aeryn nodded towards Zhaan, signalling she could enter, before joining D?Argo. D?Argo went in first. Aeryn followed fifteen microns later. Zhaan watched them disappear with a cold chill descending down her spine. She knew something dreadful was about to occur. Something brushing against her shoulder sent her into motion. Her heart froze and her body reacted without her mind?s permission. She reached over her right shoulder with her left hand. Taking hold of the cloth she found there, she began to pull forward as she angled her right arm into the path of the body she was propelling forward. As its mid-section hit her waiting hand, she began to push upwards, lifting the creature upwards. She continued the forward motion with both arms and lifted with her legs, adding momentum to the throw as Crichton went sailing halfway to the Peritan vessel. He let out a yelp as he flew across the bay. That ended with a groan as he hit the deck with a sickening thud. The pulse pistol he?d been holding clattered away, skidding across the floor into some containers. Zhaan turned to see Chiana rush in, cradling a pulse rifle. "What are you doing?" Chiana glanced at Crichton while she obviously weighed the benefits of holding back some of the story versus the amount of damage Zhaan was capable of inflicting if she didn?t believe she getting the entire truth. Not knowing the Delvian?s full capabilities, the truth looked fairly decent. She tried giving Zhaan an innocent smile. Zhaan wasn?t buying it, so she ceased smiling and plunged ahead with the story. "He thought you may need back up." Chiana confessed, "So he went and got that gun Aeryn gave him and found me." "And he gave you a pulse rifle as well." Zhaan observed, then shook her head, "John, what were you thinking?" "I already had the rifle." Chiana confessed, "I lifted it from the weapon?s locker before Larraq?s team came aboard." She gave Zhaan a wan smile, "Just in case, y?know?" "And as far as him," Chiana huffed, pointing at Crichton?s prone form, "I think it has something to do with that stupid uniform he insists upon wearing." Zhaan glanced back at Crichton wearily. Moya?s cleaning enzymes were taking an exceptionally long time getting recently acquired stains out of John?s normal garb. He?d taken to wearing his Peacekeeper captain?s uniform lately. It had become annoying to see him wearing it. The thought that it might be influencing his decisions as well was rather disconcerting. Although it could be contributed to another source of irrationality altogether, Zhaan thought to herself. She had been studying his relationship with Aeryn for some time now. She knew Sabbaceans typically engaged in rather turbulent and protracted courtship rituals before mating. What she?d seen of Humans, she assumed the same was true of Crichton?s race. They?d been engaged in such a ritual since the say they?d come aboard Moya. D?Argo politely ignored it. Rygel seemed oblivious, but there was no telling what the canny Hynerian actually knew. Chiana had detected the signs the moment she came aboard, and delighted in tugging at the frayed nerves resulting from the protracted chase. Zhaan had seen the hurt in John?s eyes at her earlier slight, and again when she insisted that he not be allowed to join her and D?Argo in exploring the ship. She was increasingly protective and he was increasingly seeking greater and more grandiose ways of proving his virility. She?d witnessed the positive effects they had upon one another, as well as these negatives. She sighed. They should just frell and let us regain a sense of peace. She thought bitterly. She also knew that a one-time encounter would not satisfy the longing in either soul. They were seeking a lifelong mating, which meant the ritual hunt had to be even more arduous to prove the hunter?s tenacity and endurance. Zhaan just hoped the rest of the crew would survive in the interim. "Let?s see how he is." she told Chiana and left her place form behind the container. They walked towards Crichton, Chiana held her rifle pointed at the ship. Zhaan reached out and pushed the barrel towards the deck. She gave Chiana a chastising smile. "Let them show hostility before we point weapons at them." "Aeryn and D?Argo pointed weapons at them and you didn?t say a word." "As long as they?re doing it, we shouldn?t need to." "You don?t trust me." Chiana clarified. Zhaan sighed wearily, "I?m just unsure of your skills with weaponry. Aeryn and D?Argo have a lifetime of training and experience." "Whatever." Chiana muttered darkly. Zhaan knelt to examine Crichton. He seemed unharmed, aside form being unconscious. She closed her eyes and placed her hand upon his head. A moment passed, and then Crichton bolted upright. "Zhaan! No!" he shouted, then looked around. A befuddled look took over his face, "What the hell just happened?" "You surprised me." Zhaan explained, "I am sorry for injuring you." "I?m sorry for sneakin? up on you." Crichton said wryly, "You have quite a throw." Zhaan shrugged. Their attention was swept towards the ship as they heard the first cries and the report of weapons. As John scrambled to get his pistol, the cries continued. He snatched up the gun and turned back towards the ship in time to see it. D?Argo inched forward slowly. His eyes searched the gloom of the ship?s interior. He could see nothing of importance. He was still moving forward when he felt the substance on the wall. He glanced at the wall. A strange yellow streak was splashed upon it. It was fairly soft, almost wax-like. He wondered why the Wardens would carry candles upon their vessels. Surely they weren?t that primitive? D?Argo shrugged. After seeing Crichton?s so-called "survival" gear, he was not easily surprised any more. He moved further into the ship, towards the cockpit. He could see the door ahead of him. It was sealed, having trapped whatever air remained in there when the rest of the ship lost power. There was also another of those pilchek handles! D?Argo converted his blade again. He laid it against the bulkhead as he used both hands this time. The door opened much easier than the last. The cockpit was small. The only light was that pouring in from the bay through the wide window canopy before the four cockpit stations. Two of the seats were occupied. Those occupants were also covered in that strange wax. D?Argo stepped closer. He recognised the two occupants. It was Arich Soren and Katryn Qek. They were both adhered to their seats by the wax. It covered their bodies, but not their heads. They appeared to be alive, if haggard. D?Argo heard a slight scraping noise. He glanced upward. Straddling the ceiling was a creature he?d never seen before. It had six appendages, four major and two minor. It had a rounded head with mandibles and multi-faceted eyes. It hissed at him and dropped. D?Argo tried positioning his sword so that it would impale itself in its descent. It swatted the sword away with one hand while three others reached for D?Argo. D?Argo released a challenging bellow as it started to pull him closer. The creature suddenly tossed him aside and leapt to the cockpit?s wall. A pulse bolt streaked by. It launched itself at Aeryn. She dove forward with a cry of her own. She rolled underneath it as it sailed by overhead. Aeryn twisted her roll so that her back slamming into one of the cockpit chairs stopped it. She fired her pulse rifle from her hip. The creature scurried down the accessway and out of sight. Aeryn and D?Argo both started forward in pursuit. John stared at the creature in mute fascination. It had it?s body was divided into three segments. The head rode atop the second segment, which sprouted the six limbs. The uppermost set and lower most set were both almost the length of the creature?s body. They were at least triple-jointed. The middle set was less than a yard in length. The third segment was round and hung down from between the lowest set of limbs the creature was currently "standing" upon. It was covered with fine, downlike hair. The down had a swirling black and yellow pattern. Except for the absence of wings, Crichton knew what it was. It?s a bee, he thought as it hissed, The biggest, maddest damn bee I?ve ever seen. He brought his pistol up in a single-handed grip. He didn?t fire. He had a dismal hope of talking to it. If they could only get it to calm down, he thought. "Pilot, can you erect a force-field or something?" "Negative." Came the reply. "Damn." Crichton muttered bitterly, "Why couldn?t I have landed in Star Trek?" "John, we need a plan." Zhaan said. Crichton couldn?t agree more. He was about to make a suggestion when he noticed Chiana taking aim. She was about to fire in panic, just like when they were caught between folds of inter-dimensional space and the "guardian of dimensional reality" kept visiting them. He started to shout at her, but it was too late. The creature started moving before Chiana finished pulling the trigger. It leapt over the bolt and slammed into her, sending her sprawling. Crichton fought the instinct to shoot as he tried to think of a way to reason with it. What I really need is a can of Raid, he thought dryly. Or a jar of honey! The inspiration jolted through his brain, "Pilot, do we have anything like honey?" "Specify: honey?" Oh, hell. Crichton?s blood turned cold as he realised what the third segment of the creature?s body was for as a dagger-like protrusion descended out of it. It?s got a damned stinger too! He fired his first shot. The "bee" leapt into the air, narrowly avoiding the bolt. Crichton realised that its eyes gave it almost 360-degree vision. Almost but not quite, the "bee?s" eyes were set too closely together to grant it true wraparound vision. He saw Aeryn and D?Argo racing out of the Warden ship behind the bug. He began firing in its general direction, while insuring that neither Aeryn nor D?Argo could be hit by a stray blast. Utilising the bee?s distraction, Aeryn got a shot off, hitting the bee square in its meddle segment. It turned to face her. Crichton shot it as well. It staggered. It lifted its head and let out a piercing shriek. It aimed its third segment at Aeryn and launched the stinger at her. D?Argo shoved her down and started running for the wounded bee. Crichton yelled for D?Argo to stoop, but it was too late. The Luxan?s sword had lifted over his head and was already descending in a lethal arc. It nearly split the bee on two, stopping halfway down the second segment. D?Argo grunted in satisfaction and kicked the body away as he pulled his sword out. It landed with a slapping noise and lay still. John reached D?Argo at the same time Aeryn did. Aeryn?s face carried a sad satisfaction. Crichton?s was livid. "You just had to, didn?t you? You had to kill it?" he shouted. "It attacked us, and those we called allies." D?Argo replied in a low growl, "Would you have had me abandon those loyalties?" "No." Crichton answered in an equally low growl, "But a prisoner might have been nice, don?t you think?" "We may not have been able to hold him." Aeryn spoke up. John turned to stare at her. She pointed towards the Warden ship. The stinger had not only penetrated the ship?s hull, the acid it contained had eaten the alloys, allowing it to nearly cut through the entire ship. With that kind of capability, the alien may have easily been able to defeat any form of restraining system Moya could develop. "I see your point." Crichton conceded, "But how we going to find out anything about them?" "With luck, "D?Argo replied, "the two Wardens aboard the ship may be able to answer our inquiries." Arich Soren woke with the worst headache he?d ever experienced. He fought the spasms of pain he felt as he lifted his head to gain a better view of where he was. He knew he was no longer in his seat aboard the Fardreamer, but that was about it. He expected his blurry vision to clarify into a picture of one of those monsters he?d allowed in his ship. To his pleasant surprise, he saw a Delvian instead. More to the point, it was a Delvian he knew and could trust. He slipped back into unconsciousness with a content smile on his face. Arns later, he was up and about. Zhaan had declared him fit. Katryn was still sleeping off the exhaustion that was a result of the neuro-venom the creature had inflicted upon them. Arich sat by her bedside until she awoke. "Hi there." She said in a ragged voice. "Hello yourself." He replied with a relieved smile. "I take it we?re not dead?" she asked with wry humour. "No, we?re not." He confirmed. "That explains why I hurt so bad." She groaned. He put a hand on her forehead, "You still have a bit of a fever. I wouldn?t try moving." "Wasn?t going to." She admitted, then gave him a worried look, "What about a meal?" "Are you hungry?" She shook her head, "You said we?re alive, but what about a meal? Are we going to be someone?s snack?" He broke into a grin, "No. We?re safe aboard the Leviathan ship, Moya. You remember her an her crew?" Katryn nodded then gave him a wan smile, "Be careful. I wouldn?t put it past the Hynerian to try and eat us anyway." Arich chuckled as he kissed her on the forehead, "Just get some rest. I?ll make sure no one eats us." "Good." she murmured as she drifted back off to sleep. Soren met the rest of the crew in the mess. Crichton was shocked at the haggard condition the Intelligence officer was in. Soren?s fair skin was utterly colourless, giving him the appearance of a walking corpse. His stiff movements did nothing to allay that impression. He sat down at the common table and levelly met the eyes of the crew. They were all in attendance, even Rygel. Pilot was present via the comm panel. DRDs were monitoring Katryn?s condition and would alert Pilot of any changes. "Glad to see you up and about." Aeryn told him. "Thank you, Officer Sun." Soren replied. Aeryn hadn?t trusted the Peritans during their first encounter with them. She had also disapproved of their deviation form Peacekeeper doctrine. Her attempts at kindness, if not quite reconciliation, were obviously appreciated. "What happened to your craft?" D?Argo asked, by-passing the pleasantries, "What are those creatures?" "D?Argo!" Crichton hissed. "It?s all right." Soren assured him, raising a hand to ward off Crichton?s objections, "I understand." "When last saw us, we were trying to integrate our former enemies, the Aquatarians, into our society." He paused and saw the nods of remembrance, "What you couldn?t know is that all of them died days after your departure." "How?" Zhaan asked. "The deterioration of the nervous system due to a mysterious neuro-toxin. None of them would reveal what had happened to them. They were too frightened to re-visit the experience. We were able to extract the circumstances with records from their last ship?s logs." "Before the solar flares destroyed their cities, they were visited by a mysterious species. This species offered to destroy their enemies, us, in exchange for abandoning our world. The Aquatarian leadership refused, desiring our world for themselves. These mysterious aliens returned and attacked. The solar flares were a result of an Aquatarian fail-safe weapon." Stunned silence filled the mess, broken finally by Crichton, "You?re saying they destroyed their own world?" Soren nodded grimly, "Exactly. The refugees we found were aboard a medical evacuation shuttle. They?d been wounded in the attacks and evacuated off the planet as it was being overrun. No one knew how deadly the poison was." "Why didn?t they inform you of this?" Aeryn asked angrily. Soren shrugged, "They must have felt we would accuse them of trying to form an alliance to destroy us and we?d kill them." "I would in their place." Rygel mumbled. "Stow it, Beeker." Crichton warned. "What happened then?" Aeryn asked, trying to steer the conversation back to business. Soren sighed and his shoulders slumped, "We decided to try and make contact with the Swarm ourselves." "The Swarm?" Zhaan asked. "That?s the appellation they apply to themselves." He explained. "So they can communicate with us?" He nodded, face grim, "When they want to. Generally that?s only when they have demands to make." "I take it you?ve made contact." Aeryn commented dryly. "You saw the results." He replied bitterly, "We went to them to talk and they attacked and boarded us." "How many attacked you?" D?Argo asked. "Dozens, although the boarding party consisted of the single delightful fellow you?ve already met." Soren?s face hardened and his posture firmed, "I need to contact my people." "I?m certain we can arrange something in a few arns." Zhaan assured him, "Right now you need to..." "I need to contact my government." Soren snapped, "That...drone boasted of his species? plans to invade our system. I need to warn them." "Certainly." Aeryn assured him. "You also need to set course away from here." Soren warned, "Their invasion fleet is set to come through here en route to my world. They were going to pick up the one that boarded our ship. Making a meal of us was its reward for meritous service." "Pilot!" Aeryn snapped. "I heard." Pilot replied calmly, "I am setting course for Perit." Katryn was still sleeping soundly. Soren touched her cheek gently. She murmured softly in her sleep. He had no idea what kind of nightmares still plagued her. He?d lived through his own and didn?t wish them upon anyone else. Constructing an emotional dam around his concern and his own remnant of pain, he stood and left the quarters granted her. He headed back to the mess, where he knew their benefactors were still "discussing" the level of aid to grant his people. He knew there was little they could truly do or offer. As he neared the mess, he could hear their cascading voices. "I don?t care, Aeryn!" Crichton declared hotly, "These people helped us. We owe them the same." "We don?t owe them our deaths." She retorted with equal passion, "We will take them home. I?ll even give them some pulse rifles and the plans for bombs and heavy weaponry. I will not stay to fight for them." "No one has asked you to." Soren reminded her from the doorway. "You don?t need to." Crichton said giving Aeryn a searing glance, "It would be our pleasure." "It would be your pleasure." D?Argo said dryly. "Hear, hear," Rygel added in support. D?Argo flashed him a dark look, "If I need your support, Hynerian, I?ll inform you." "I don?t believe this." Crichton declared, then pointed at Aeryn, "I really don?t believe you." "Why?" she asked, "It?s tactical suicide. My prowler and a few small arms will not make a significant difference in this campaign." "That?s not the damn point!" "Yes, it is!" Aeryn shouted back, "That?s exactly the point. You?re just to frelling dense to realise it." "Fine." Crichton conceded in disgust. He stalked out of the room. Aeryn muttered various epitaphs under her breath as she left, turning the opposite direction in the corridor. Soren gave Zhaan a wry look. "I see things are still the same." His face twisted into a rueful grimace, "I think its time you had a talk with Crichton and for me to discuss a matter to two with Officer Sun." "Do you honestly believe it will help?" "It certainly can?t make things any worse." Zhaan shrugged, "You have a valid point." Zhaan caught up with Crichton in John?s quarters. He sat on his bed, back leaned up against the bulkhead wall, legs draped over the mattress. He was staring at a small, thin rectangular object. Zhaan cleared her throat and Crichton glanced up with some embarrassment. "Sorry." He stammered, "I didn?t see you there." Zhaan waved his apologies aside, "You are obviously troubled. I thought I might help you gain some clarity." "Good luck." John snorted. "Every time I think I?m..." he banged his head off the wall, "Forget it." Zhaan sat down in a chair near the entrance to his quarters. She gave him a reassuring smile, "We all have difficulties at times, John. Part of what defines us is how we cope." "We shouldn?t abandon them, Zhaan." Crichton said angrily, "They helped us. This isn?t right." Zhaan pondered his words, then replied softly, "If we truly had any worthwhile assistance to offer, I would endorse your plan. We do not. There is no point in offering what we do not possess." "I thought that?s what priests were all about." John grumbled sourly. Zhaan ignored the slight, "No. Priests are there to assist those that seek direction." Her eyes narrowed, "Why does this issue plague you so?" Crichton started to become livid again, then relaxed with a loud sigh, "I know we really can?t do much. Something is better than nothing, no matter how small." "We have done something." Zhaan corrected him, "We?ve rescued Soren and Qek from certain death. We?ve allowed them the opportunity to contact their people and rally a defence. We are taking them home so they can participate in that defence alongside their loved ones. Those are the most precious gifts of all, and we have been the instruments by which they have been delivered. You should seek comfort in that." "I know it Zhaan, really." He assured her, "I guess I just expected...I dunno what I expected." His words were laced with bitterness. "You expected an ally." Zhaan filled in the blank. "Yeah." He agreed. "You especially expected Aeryn to support you, not fight you at every turn. Her resistance to your proposal feels like a betrayal." "That?s not it." Crichton protested with rousing passion, "She argues with me over everything. I?m used to it. I just thought that she?d..." "Agree with you on this at least." Zhaan supplied again, "Especially given her relation to the Peritans." "Yeah." He conceded softly. "You should tell her, John." Zhaan urged. "That I think she?s slightly cold-hearted for abandoning her relatives?" "That you love her." John froze. Zhaan had seen people with the same dull expression after they had received a physical blow. The rising colour in Crichton?s cheeks did give him the appearance of having been slapped. His jaw began working, but no sounds were uttering forth yet. "What...did...you...say?" he stammered. Zhaan wondered if Crichton appreciated the irony of his using those words again, "You love her John. You should tell her so." "Now, hold on." Crichton protested with rising panic in his voice, "I never said I... well, I?ve never even alluded to..." "John, it?s painfully obvious." Zhaan said in exasperation, "It?s exceptionally painful for the rest of us. We have to deal with the side-effects on a daily basis." "Don?t worry." He said assured her, "Nothing?s going to..." "Then it will be your loss." Zhaan declared hotly, "And you will have to live with the consequences alone. You will receive no succour from the rest of us." Her gaze grew in intensity, "At least be honest with me. I?ve shared my consciousness with yours, remember? I know how you feel, how you see the rest of us. Admit it to yourself if too no other." Crichton was still shaken, but thinking. He stood and began pacing the room. He started to speak several times, but stopped each time. Zhaan waited patiently. He finally sunk to the floor, back to the wall. "I don?t know what I feel or think any more, Zhaan." "Such admissions are the first step towards wisdom." Crichton began laughing, "What?s so humorous, John?" Her voice was slightly agitated. "A guy from my world said something similar. His name was Socrates. I think you Delvians would?ve liked him." "Are his thoughts recorded?" "In a manner of speaking." "Then we may still ?like? him." She shrugged, "Or at least one of us." Soren found Aeryn in the cargo bay she?d converted into a workout mat. He approached quietly as he watched her practice her disciplines. He was impressed. She was definitely in peak physical condition. "What are you doing here?" she asked abruptly. "I need to talk to you." "About what?" "The situation." She folded her arms across her chest, "You know the tactical reality. WE have nothing to contribute." He shook his head sadly, "I know that. That?s not the situation I?m here to discuss." She looked puzzled, "You?re not? Then why are you here?" "To discuss you and Crichton." Soren doubted her could have shaken her that badly if he?d physically struck her. I wonder of Zhaan is getting a similar reaction? "You?re attracted to him." He said simply, "You may even love him." "Preposterous." She said defensively. "Then why do you disagree with everything he says, regardless of your true feelings of agreement or disagreement?" "You barely know us." Aeryn replied angrily, "You can?t know if that?s the way we react." "Yes, I can" he assured her, "It?s my job to know such things." He shrugged, "Your behaviour is classic. He fascinates you, and terrifies you at the same time." "Of course he terrifies me, he?s a primitive that would get himself killed if it weren?t for the rest of us." Aeryn retorted. "That?s not it." Soren chided, "He may be smarter than the lot of you. He?s willing to explore options the rest of you can?t fathom. Options like the one you?re considering regarding him." "What option?" "Of mating with him." Soren stated, "Not once, but for life." Soren could see the truth of it in her eyes, as well as her fear, "No, I haven?t. Never, I couldn?t. He?s not Sabbacean. He?d never be able to live in my culture." "He doesn?t have to." "Well, I?m certainly not going to live as a human." "You don?t have to." Seeing Aeryn?s obvious confusion, he continued, "Neither of you has to live like the other?s culture demands. You?re not in either culture. Live as yourselves. You are already living together, you may as well enjoy that life." "No." she said firmly, but with far less resolve than her earlier protestations, "We?ll find his home someday. He?ll want to return. I don?t think I can live among them." "Do you honestly think he can return home?" Soren asked levelly, "Does he?" Aeryn swallowed hard, "No." "Then what you have left is each other...and the unknown." "The unknown?" "It?s what you fear, Officer Sun. It is also what entices you now that you are away from the familiar. That passion for exploration drives Crichton as well. It is part of the dynamic you share." "He hates me." "No, he does not." Soren replied, "That is obvious even to a virtual stranger." Aeryn was about to reply when D?Argo?s voice rang across Moya?s tiers, "Everyone assemble in Control. We have company." Soren and Aeryn entered Control to find John and Zhaan already there. Aeryn and Crichton exchanged a fleeting glance. Zhaan shrugged in Soren?s direction. He replied in kind. "Look who I found." Chiana announced happily as she entered. Katryn followed her. She was still pale and worn, but obviously recovering. Soren could see her disapproval regarding his condition in her eyes. "I thought you were going to rest?" she asked accusingly. He gave her a contrite grin, "I got distracted." "What are they?" D?Argo asked, pointing at the display. Dozens of small, tubular ships were coming for them. They appeared made out of a gelatinous substance. Their shape shifted and flowed. Colour fluctuations rippled through the writhing hulls. "That?s the Swarm." Soren answered bleakly. "How soon until they catch us?" Zhaan asked. "A quarter arn." Pilot answered grimly. "They?ll try to board us rather than destroy us." Soren informed them, "That way they can eat us instead." "I never thought I?d meet a species I despise more than the Peacekeepers." D?Argo grunted. "Appearances aside, they?re amazingly similar in style and motive to the Peacekeepers." Soren replied with bitter irony, "They?re a militant collection parasites that sells its services in order to devour the life of other species." "Well phrased." Rygel commended. Soren shook his head, "No. A well-spent phrase describes something noble, such as art or beauty. A description of atrocity is a crime against the language employed." "You?re a poet." Zhaan commented. "I just think too much." Soren replied, "We should gather arms and try to mount a defence." D?Argo grinned. Aeryn nodded. Katryn, though still troubled by lingering symptoms, voiced her consent. Crichton agreed as well. "Do we stand a chance?" Rygel asked nervously. "Perhaps not." D?Argo said fiercely, "But they?ll know we were here."
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