Summary: Set in an Alternative Universe, after the Command Carrier blew up. Aeryn and Crichton travel with Crais and Talyn. This is a follow-up on Sacrificial Lambs.

Peacekeeper Secrets

by GitonCrais

Aeryn had left to look for John. Crais had offered to take her to Moya's last location. It would have been quicker with Talyn. However, she had told him that since Talyn was still recuperating, it would be too dangerous for him and the Leviathan to be seen anywhere in that vicinity. They had argued, but in the end she had won.

He promised to wait here for two monens while she searched for Crichton, and Talyn continued to heal. That way, she could come back and would have a home to come back to, with or without John Crichton; she in turn promised to stay in contact on a scrambled comm-link.

It had been two weekens now and still no word from her.

Crais limped through Talyn's corridors. Although the youngster was resting more comfortably now and his condition was continuing to improve, he was becoming more and more impatient to move and Crais was experiencing this through the link. They had been hiding on a moon near the Tech-planet; the relatively high gravity was good for the healing process. It didn't put any undue strain on Talyn. But Talyn was a creature who wanted to roam freely in space; being stuck on a moon wasn't his way of fun and he was growing restless.

Before she left, Aeryn had bought a large supply of provisions with the remaining credits, for herself as well as Crais. He didn't have to worry that either of them would die of starvation. Still, he was concerned about her. Another weeken went by without a word.

His leg had healed but was still quite stiff. He wondered if he would ever run naturally again. To keep himself in shape, he had started to exercise on a daily basis after he had completed that day’s scheduled maintenance on Talyn. The youngster still had a lot of internal damage that had to be taken care of too.

It wasn't until after they had completed the most obvious and major repairs on Talyn and made him as comfortable as they could for the present, that Crais allowed Aeryn to examine him further. The broken leg had only been one outward physical manifestation of his injuries. On furtherexamination, it turned out that in addition to a number of minor cuts and bruises, he had cracked some ribs as well. However, without the proper medical facilities, they would just have to heal on their own.

In the beginning, the physical exercises put a great strain on his battered body. The first workouts left him gasping for breath and in a great deal of pain after about a quarter of an arn.

Now, nearly three weekens after Aeryn had left, he had managed to get some suppleness back. He realised he would never be able to get totally back to his former self without more professional medical attention, but at least he wouldn't be overwhelmed so easily if he or Talyn were attacked again.

He waited for a word from her, either that she had found Crichton or that she was coming back.

It had been a hard day. He had crawled through conduit-pipes to fix one of Talyn's leaks. The damage had not been detected until he ran a system check for the environmental controls. Talyn had assaulted him with a wave of pain, which had left him gasping for several microns even after the checks were completed. How could they have missed it?

While in the pipes, he realized that he was capable of fixing the problem himself. It would just take a little longer than if he had been a trained Tech.

When he emerged several arns later, Talyn was much happier, but Crais resembled a refugee from a war-zone. His own injuries were giving him grief and he limped over to his quarters to shower and get some badly needed rest.

He had only just come out of the Refresher when the comms beeped. He asked Talyn to patch the transmission through to his quarters. He sat down on the edge of the bed while he towelled his hair dry.

The interference was high, but Talyn boosted the signal and eliminated most of the crackling from the transmission. Crais was now able to hear the whole message without the background white noise.

Aeryn's voice came from afar.

"I have found John on a nearby planet near Moya's last location. He is in pretty bad shape. He can’t be moved. I will stay with him. Don't wait for us. Moya went through a Wormhole. John hasn't heard from her since. Stay safe, fly well."

Talyn was upset that his mother had been lost and he immediately urged Crais to find her. Crais was writhing on the bed while Talyn’s arguments manifested themselves physically and it was only with considerable effort that he calmed the youngster down enough to speak with him.

"Talyn, if Moya has gone through a Wormhole, then we have no way to discern where she has emerged. We cannot guess how far away she may be. Just racing across the galaxy on a mad chase to find her, without even knowing which direction to take, will not help either her or us. It could result in our ending up only further away from her."

Talyn couldn't understand this and accused Crais of abandoning her. His distress left Crais unconscious for arns.

When he came to, Talyn had settled down. He was very remorseful and apologised to Crais. He had missed Crais' thoughts while Crais was out and the fear of being left alone had made him realise that he needed Crais very much. It had also given him time to think over what Crais had told him. He was still very distraught but he did accept the reasoning.

Crais raised himself from the bed. The onslaught had left him weak.

"Talyn, if there is a way to find her, we will, I promise. For now, I want you to concentrate on getting well."

~I’m well enough to look for her~ said Talyn petulantly.

“No, Talyn, you’re not, and neither am I.”

~We can pick up Aeryn and Commander Crichton. He knows about Wormholes~

Crais agreed, “You are right, Talyn, he knows. But you are not well. What happens if there are Peacekeepers near their location?”

~I will be very careful~

“But Talyn…”

~I need to find her!~

Crais could feel the anxiety rise in Talyn, “Very well, we will go.”

Two StarBursts and four solar days later, Talyn and Crais arrived near the last position of the Command Carrier named ‘Mu Thaan’. They approached the coordinates with caution.

They could not detect any Peacekeepers nearby but they still cautiously settled behind a small moon at the edge of the solar system.

Crais opened the scrambled comms, “Aeryn on which planet are you?”

“Crais,” there was surprise in her voice, “Why didn’t you wait for me? Why have you come here?”

“Talyn was most anxious to get here.”

“You should not have come, Crais. There are Peacekeepers on the planet.”

“It was hardly a choice,” replied Crais calmly.

“It is the fifth planet from the sun,” she supplied him with the coordinates on the planet.

Crais took the transport pod down after the area she had directed him to was shrouded in darkness, landing the pod close to the coordinates she had given him. He scanned the area; as far as he could tell, all seemed safe.

Once he was outside, he could make out the lights of a small settlement in the distance. He moved towards it. Traversing the rocky terrain wasn’t easy and Crais occasionally had to bite back sharp exclamations when his right foot stepped badly on loose rocks.

It was with relief that he finally reached the edge of the settlement.

He took his comms out and said in a low voice, “Aeryn, I’m on the edge of the south-side of the settlement. Where are you?”

“You are close by,” said Aeryn, “Take the first street you see, and look for the third house on your left.There’s a small balcony on the second floor, and a pot filled with white flowers. I will light a candle in the window to guide you.”

Crais waited and after a few microns saw a small light appear in one of the windows to his left. It was extinguished shortly after that.

When he reached the door, she was already waiting for him.

She looked haggard, as if she had slept very little but the pleasure of seeing him was evident in her eyes, “I’m glad you came.”

A wry smile lifted the corner of his mouth, “I had no choice.”

She smiled tiredly back, “Still blaming Talyn for your good deeds?”

“Aeryn, I…”

“Come inside,” she said, while looking about furtively.

He stepped inside and she closed the door quickly.

They stepped into the main room.

Crais saw Crichton lying on the settee.

“Crais, you are alive,” Crichton’s voice betrayed surprise.

“Evidently so,” replied Crais.

“And Talyn?”

“He’s alive too.”

Crichton noticed his limp as Crais stepped closer, “You didn’t come out unscathed.”

Crais shook his head, “A minor problem.”

“And Talyn?”

“He lost a propulsion fin.”

“Yeah, we found it. We thought you were both dead.” Crichton looked at him with a hint of sarcasm, “So, contrary to what you led us to believe, you did make it out alive.”

Aeryn could see the hurt in Crais’ eyes and how quickly it was replaced by his well-known calm, “Talyn and I were fortunate beyond expectation. He lost a propulsion fin and sustained both internal and external damage. My leg was broken and some ribs were cracked. We are recuperating. We must have been pulled into the closing Wormhole. We were blessed; neither of us expected to survive.”

“But you did,” said Crichton, “You must have calculated that into the equation.”

Crais sighed; it was no use arguing with Crichton on that point. Instead, he turned to Aeryn, “You said he was in a bad way. Bad enough not to be moved?”

“You brought the transport pod? (-Crais nodded-) Then we might be able to move him.”

“You can come on board Talyn.”

“When you turned up, I was hoping you would say that.”

“Talyn wants to find his mother, maybe Crichton can help find her and…”

“I knew there was a reason why you would want me,” said Crichton sarcastically, “I didn’t believe it was done out of sheer benevolence or because you missed my cheerful personality. Still keeping to your hidden agenda, Crais?”

Crais’ eyes blazed with suppressed anger at Crichton.

Crais turned back to Aeryn, “How long before we can depart? I would like to leave as soon as possible, preferably under cover of darkness.”

“We shouldn’t be long. Do you need a hand getting him to the pod? I don’t want to leave the Prowler behind.”

Crais shook his head, “I’ll manage.”

“Hello,” said Crichton, “I’m here too. Don’t I get a say in the matter?”

Crais and Aeryn ignored him.

“It will only take me half an arn to get our belongings together.”

“I will take Crichton over to the pod now,” said Crais as he limped over to the settee.

When he bent forward to lift Crichton, Crichton warded off his hands, “Hey, do you mind? Who says I have to come with you? Nobody asked me what I want to do.”

Crais straightened up, “Of course you need not come, Crichton. But from what Aeryn has said, I understand that there are Peacekeepers here on the planet. How long do you think it will take them before they find you? Days? Weekens? And they will find you, of that I have no doubt. You wish to lie here and wait for them? Your choice.”

Crichton scowled at him.

Crais bent down and lifted him off of the settee.

Crichton wasn’t able to walk unassisted and Crais had to take most of Crichton’s weight on himself. His ribs and leg protested in unison.

The going was rough and Crichton could hear Crais’ laboured breathing next to him, “You’re sure you’re all right, Crais?”

“I’m fine,” replied Crais through gritted teeth when he miss-stepped on a rock.

After they had boarded the transport pod and Crichton was settled, he noticed the almost waxen pallor of Crais, “Not getting enough exercise, Crais? You look like dren.”

Crais was silent as he flew the pod over to Talyn.

Crichton observed him. It looked to him as if Crais could do with a week’s sleep. He kept silent for once; Crais would probably bite his head off if he said anything more.

When they landed, Crais leaned back against his seat.

“Yo, Crais… Are you falling asleep?”

“We wait for Aeryn,” replied Crais wearily.

“Whatever you say.”

Luckily they didn’t have to wait long. As soon as Aeryn came on board,she asked, “Want a hand with John?”

Crais nodded and opened his eyes. She assisted Crichton from his seat and helped him down.

Crais left Aeryn to tend to Crichton, while he moved to Command to navigate Talyn away from this sector.

Crichton had his arms behind his head as he looked at Aeryn, “What’s the damage?”

She smiled as she ran the scanner over his body, “The rest seems to have done you good. Your leg is still healing from your fall and it might take another couple of days before you’re on your feet again. But as far as I can tell, there won’t be any permanent damage.” She put the scanner away.

“Does that mean I don’t have to stay in medical and can move to our quarters?”

“I will see if the room is ready.”

“Why shouldn’t it be?”

“First the techs stripped Talyn, and then the StarBurst knocked things about. Essential repairs have been Crais’ first priority. Most of the rooms are still a mess.”

“Apart from the Captain’s quarters,” said Crichton with a sneer.

“It passes, but even in his personal chamber, there was quite a sizable amount of damage.”

“You’ve been in Crais’ quarters?” There was a hint of jealousy in his voice.

“Yes.”

“When?”

“When I found him four weekens ago.”

“And you didn’t tell me?” Crichton was suspicious, “You’re sure it was four weekens ago? You were gone for nearly three weekens before you found me.”

Aeryn sighed, “What was there to tell? You might find this hard to believe, John, but, yes, it was four weekens ago when I found Crais and Talyn. They had moved through the Wormhole when they StarBurst. But to them, only a day had passed.”

“God, he’s lucky,” said Crichton with a wry smile, “You sure he didn’t plan it?”

Aeryn sighed in exasperation, “John, Talyn and Crais did not believe they could survive this. They were most surprised when they found out they had.”

“And you believe him?”

Aeryn glared at him, “I’m going to see if our quarters are ready.” She stood up abruptly and left the room. Crichton scowled at the closed door.

Crais looked up in surprise as he saw Aeryn enter Command. His expression changed to an amused smile when he saw the thunder in her eyes, “Crichton?”

“He’s impossible sometimes!” She fumed, but then a smile crept over her face as she registered the look on Crais’ face, “Impossible, but I still love him, I guess. He’s doing fine; a couple of days more rest and he should be up and about.”

“I’ll look forward to it,” said Crais without enthusiasm, “What had happened to him?”

“He had asked the others to drop him off on the planet where I found him. Said that he needed some time on his own. Ka D’Argo deposited him on the planet’s surface. He was supposed to return after a solar day but before the day was over, John received a garbled message, and then Moya disappeared for a second time.”

“Second time?” Crais was confused.

“The first time was shortly after I left to look for you and you were Cholok knows where. She reappeared shortly after that but disappeared again in the weeken that I found you.”

Crais sighed as Talyn said to him ~We were so close…if I hadn’t been injured…~

“We’ll find her again Talyn, don’t worry,” Crais thought back.

Aeryn had seen his vacant look and waited until he was finished talking to Talyn. She resumed, “After two weekens on the planet, John grew bored with having nothing to do and decided to go on a climbing expedition. He… uhm… fell and was brought back to the village where they set the bone. He should be all right in a couple of days. I found him shortly after that fall.”

Crais remembered what she had said on the planet, “You said he couldn’t be moved.”

“Well, he couldn’t, not at that time.” Aeryn pouted, “Regret picking us up?”

Crais shook his head. He didn’t tell Aeryn that he and Talyn had expended considerable energy to reach them as quickly as possible.

She looked at him, noticing again how pale and tired he looked. He hadn’t shaved for a couple of days and a stubbly shadow had started to fill in his cheeks. She suddenly understood why,“I’m sorry, Crais, I hadn’t realized that you would push yourselves so hard to get here this fast.”

“Didn’t you, Aeryn?” Crais asked quietly.

She dropped her eyes, “Maybe I did.”

Crais turned back to the Nav-console, “We will be leaving this sector soon and then we should find some relative safety.”

“When was the last time you slept, Crais?”

“I will take my rest soon, Aeryn,” Crais said without turning around.

“I could…”

“Look after Crichton.”

She left Command and for a brief moment Crais closed his eyes wearily.

Two arns later, Crais walked into their quarters. He had asked Talyn first to do a quick scan to establish that they weren’t otherwise engaged.

“Do you mind,” said Crichton with annoyance. “I know this is your ship but can’t you knock or something? We could have been… busy.” He smiled suggestively.

“You weren’t,” replied Crais calmly.

“You’re letting your boy spy on us? Putting together a night-time vid?”

Crais raised an eyebrow in mild annoyance. He handed Crichton two short metal rods.

Crichton took them and looked at them in confusion. The top end looked crooked and the straight end was almost as long as his forearm, “What’s this?”

Crais smiled, “They’re something Talyn made for you. Let me demonstrate.”

He took one of the rods back. A quick tap at the crooked part and the top sported an almost half circle. Another quick flick of the wrist and the long end extended and settled into place with a sharp tap on the deck. A short support bar provided a rest to lean on. Seen in full, the device was clearly a lightweight crutch. Hold it at a certain angle and another tap on the deck again, and it reverted to its original shape.

Crais handed it back to Crichton, “We thought you might want to get about.”

Crichton looked at the rods in amazement. They were surprisingly light. He looked back at Crais, “Gee, Crais, thanks! You too, Talyn.”

The little gunship chirped happily.

Crais was about to turn around.

“Where are you going, Crais? You only just got here,” Crichton fingered the rods lovingly.

Crais turned around, the veiled tiredness beginning to shine through on his face, “To my quarters, to rest. Aeryn can monitor our progress, while you rest or accustom yourself to using the crutches.”

“Still eminently practical and ordering everyone else around, aren’t you, Crais?”

Crais was too tired to argue with him. He turned and left the room.

Crichton turned to Aeryn, “I see he still hasn’t lost his charm.”

Aeryn glared at him, “I’m willing to bet he hasn’t slept for days or, at least, very little, trying to get to us as quickly as he could. John, would you be that cheerful if you were that tired?” Without bothering to wait for his answer, Aeryn left too.

Luckily there were no other problems or obstacles or crises to make it necessary for Crais to be present in Command.

Crichton had tried out his crutches and found them light, comfortable and very supportive. He thanked Talyn again and was rewarded by cheerful chirps.

He made his way slowly to Command where he found Aeryn on her own.

“Crais still resting?”

“I assume so,” she replied, glancing briefly his way. A smile played around her lips, “The crutches are comfortable?”

“Yeah. Talyn did a marvellous job. Hey, I noticed Crais was sporting a heavy limp, why didn’t Talyn make him a pair too?”

She sighed, “I don’t know. You’d have to ask him.”

“What do you have to ask me?”

Crichton and Aeryn turned as one. They hadn’t even heard the door slide open. The short rest had restored some of Crais’ energy.

“Didn’t hear you come in, Crais,” Aeryn said with a smile.

“Someone left the door open. What should Crichton ask me?”

Crichton turned to him, “Talyn did a great job on the crutches, thanks. (-Crais gave him a small nod-) But why didn’t he make a set for you?”

Crais flinched just slightly, “When I needed them, Talyn needed all his energy just to focus on his own healing. Now, I’ve gotten used to the balance.”

Crichton lifted an eyebrow in imitation of Crais’, “Sure you are, Crais, whatever you say. Have you eaten yet?”

Crais blinked his eyes, a small frown appeared briefly above the bridge of his nose, his voice showing his confusion with the sudden shift of topic, “Eaten? No. Why do you ask?” It was one thing about Crichton that Crais hadn’t missed: his annoying habit of switching topics in mid-sentence.

“Then I guess I’m the cook today,” said Crichton cheerfully. He started for the door.

Aeryn looked at Crais; she suppressed a smile when she saw his surprised face but then she also noted his pallor, “Isn’t three arns a bit short, Crais?”

“It was sufficient,” replied Crais.

Crichton stopped for a moment, “When was the last time you got any sleep, Crais?” He added, “Before you met up with us.”

“About a solar day ago.”

“Ah.” Crichton half turned, but then turned back, “For how long?”

“Long enough,” replied Crais.

“No… How long?”

Aeryn put a hand to her lips in a vain attempt to hide a smile. Crichton seemed to have finally found how to ask the right questions. Crais was quite skilled in avoiding giving direct answers, but nevertheless he was usually truthful.

“An arn,” Crais answered tersely.

“That’s not enough, Craisy-boy. Even with your penchant for being an apprentice vampire.”

“Vampire?” Crais asked puzzled.

“Yeah, you know, blood sucking creature of the night.”

“I do not suck blood, whatever you may think of me,” replied Crais in an annoyed tone.

“But you hardly sleep, and now you even look like the undead,” Crichton said with a grin.

The humour was lost on Crais. Rather than argue the point, he walked over to the main console and checked the readings. They were well away from their last position, and in just another four arns, Talyn would be able to StarBurst again, should the need arise.

Crichton looked at Aeryn, “Care to give me a hand in the galley while Captain Dracula takes the first watch?”

Two Sebacean pairs of eyes looked at him in confusion. Crichton smiled.

The meal was simple but made with the fresh products Aeryn had brought on board.

Crais appeared shortly after Crichton had commed him that the food was ready. He took a plate and ate slowly. He looked up and complimented Crichton on his cooking. Crichton was surprised that he did so.

Always the talkative person, Crichton asked Crais, “You and Talyn managed to survive then?”

Crais looked up with resigned annoyance, “As you can see.”

“I thought you said that StarBurst within a confined space would mean certain death? What happened?”

Crais placed his utensils on the plate, “Talyn and I were resigned to death. It must have been Talyn’s unique physiology that protected us, in combination with the opening of the Wormhole. Aeryn found us shortly after we awoke from StarBurst. To her, two weekens had passed, to us…less than a solar day. When we StarBurst we must have been dragged into the Wormhole, which you had opened up, as it was closing. Talyn lost a propulsion fin.”

“Yes, we found that,” replied Crichton, “We believed that it was all that was left of Talyn. One solar day, you say, in two weekens? You sure that Talyn’s readings were right?”

“I had sustained an injury too, which was still bleeding when I regained consciousness. I would surely have bled to death had more than a solar day passed.” Crais picked up his utensils and continued eating.

Crichton looked guiltily at Crais, “That serious, huh?

“That serious,” said Crais, without looking up.

After their repast, Crais returned to Command to set the coordinates and guide Talyn through StarBurst. When Aeryn entered Command, she saw how tired Crais was and realized that the last StarBurst had done nothing to help him relax. At Aeryn’s insistence, Crais took some much-needed rest while she took over his watch in Command.

Crichton had hobbled after her and was taking his rest on the recliner. He found it amazingly comfortable, “So, what do we do now? Stay with Crais?”

“At least for the moment.”

“It is better than being stuck on some planet. Even so, it’ll take getting some used to. Compared to Moya, Talyn looks cramped.”

Talyn gave him an annoyed chirp.

“And, unlike Moya, he keeps his ears open to our conversations all the time.”

Again Talyn chirped.

Aeryn smiled, “He is different from Moya, in many respects. He is…Talyn.”

Talyn chirped happily.

“Besides,” she continued, “If we want to find Moya, Talyn is our best option.”

Crichton was silent for a moment. He was well aware that Aeryn had already stayed on Talyn for an extended period with the other John, gotten used to Talyn.

“What was it like? With the other John,” he asked tentatively.

Aeryn glanced over briefly, “We got used to Talyn. John…the other John, and Crais reached an understanding in the end.”

“Something he and I might never do.”

“That’s up to you both.”

Crichton spoke softly, “And you and… the other?”

Aeryn didn’t turn around, afraid to look in his eyes, “We loved each other.”

“You don’t love me?” he asked softly.

Aeryn was silent. Then she all but whispered, “I don’t know, John. I know I should, but I really don’t know at the moment. Crais says…”

“What does Crais know about love, relationships, or us?” asked Crichton irritably.

The little smile that had curled around Aeryn’s mouth disappeared, “If it hadn’t been for Crais’ insistence, I wouldn’t have returned. I would have stayed on Talyn.”

“So, now I have to be grateful to Crais that you found me,” said Crichton with a sneer.

“Yes, you should,” answered Aeryn.

When Crais woke up, he felt more refreshed and rested than he had in a long time.

Talyn had not woken him up for any emergencies for once, but now he immediately informed Crais that he had slept for nearly half a solar day. Crais allowed himself the luxury of taking a very long shower and a shave before looking for Aeryn and Crichton.

When he walked into Command, he could almost feel the tension between the two. He raised a questioning eyebrow at Aeryn and, in turn, she threw an angry scowl at Crichton.

Crais sighed. It would be nice if those two finally settled their differences. It really was quite wearing on the nerves.

Crichton had noticed their silent exchange, “Yo, Crais! Aeryn and you talking about me in Peacekeeper code?”

Crais looked at him and drew another deep breath, “No, Crichton, no Peacekeeper codes. No secret messages. One doesn’t have to be a Delvian priest to see that you two have had an argument.” As he saw that Crichton gathered breath again to speak, he added, “And before you start accusing Talyn, he hasn’t said anything either.”

Crichton scowled, “Aeryn says I need to thank you.”

“Oh?” Now there was outright surprise on Crais’ face.

“Yes, she says you have been playing Captain Cupid.”

Crais furrowed his brow in confusion, “I do not know a Captain Cupid. Which Carrier does he command?”

Crichton chuckled, “He’s not commanding any Carrier.”

Crais couldn’t see the humour in Crichton’s remark, “Then how am I able to impersonate him if I don’t even know the man!”

Again Crichton chuckled, much to Crais’ annoyance.

Crais looked at Aeryn and Crichton grew serious again as he followed Crais’ glance, “She says that you insisted that she should go looking for me.”

Realisation dawned.

“Why,” asked Crichton.

Crais glanced again at Aeryn and saw the small shake of her head. He returned his gaze to Crichton, “Aeryn would never be happy on Talyn had she just stayed without saying her farewell to you.”

Crichton’s eyes became slits, “There’s something you’re not telling me, Crais.”

Crais turned his most innocent look on Crichton, “I am not aware of that. What am I not telling you?”

“How do I know,” replied Crichton annoyed, “All I know is that you two know something I don’t know…”

“That leaves many possibilities,” said Crais dryly. “For instance, you don’t know the name of the sector we are in. You don’t know…”

“Something I should know but that you’re keeping from me.”

Crais raised an eyebrow.

Crichton found Crais’ calm more aggravating than his anger. His annoyance was now aimed at Crais and he practically glared at him, “If no one is going to tell me, I’ll find out somehow!”

Crichton got up from the recliner and moved to the door, “I’m going to our quarters to rest. You two can conspire about what else you’re not going to tell me.”

Crais waited until he left Command, then turned to Aeryn, “You still haven’t told him?”

Aeryn shook her head and said softly, “I can’t.”

Crais sighed and walked up to her, “You can, Aeryn. You must!”

She looked into his eyes, “I don’t know if I still love him.”

Crais shook his head, “Maybe Crichton is right. Maybe I don’t know anything about love but I do know this. Had you not loved him, you would not have gone back to look for him. You would not have asked Talyn and I to come for…”

“I didn’t ask for your assistance,” she said with a pout.

“You know that if I hadn’t come for you, Talyn would have. His mother is lost somewhere in this universe. Crichton knows how to traverse Wormholes. Even had I tried to prevent Talyn from going, you know he would have…persuaded…me to follow you.” Crais canted his head.

“Maybe,” conceded Aeryn, “but I only wanted to let you know that I was all right and that I had found John. I had no other motives than that.”

Crais shook his head and walked past her to the main console, “If you say so, Aeryn. But if this newfound independence is allowing you to lie, especially to yourself, than maybe I shouldn’t even try to get involved.”

She spun him around in anger and Crais flinched as his weight switched back onto his right leg. Aeryn ignored the pain she saw reflected on his face, “John is right, you don’t know anything about love. You don’t know anything about how I feel or how I should feel, so stop lecturing me. I’ll tell him when I’m ready.” She stormed off Command, not giving him time to retaliate.

Talyn beeped questioningly.

“I know, Talyn,” Crais answered aloud, “but it is not up to me to tell Crichton. It is up to Aeryn.”

Crichton wasn’t very happy. He was sure that Aeryn and Crais were concealing something. He was fed up with their Peacekeeper secrets. He scowled as he walked Talyn’s corridors. Talyn was most definitely not Moya. He was so much smaller and yet Aeryn managed to avoid him,and avoid his questions. Answers to which he had a right.

And then there was Crais. He couldn’t trust him. Never had. The man had his own agenda, would easily sell them to the Peacekeepers or the Scarrans given half the chance. Of that Crichton was sure. He had never believed their stories about how the other John had died. Heroically, yeah! But why? Crais had probably attracted some Scarrans and was leading them to the others. He’d only had Aeryn’s word that it hadn’t been so. The others had told him to talk to Aeryn and Crais…and Crais hadn’t said much of anything.

Crichton needed to find out what they were hiding from him. He hated being left in the dark.

If the other John had not moved to Talyn, then he would have…

His eyes grew to slits once more. There was a way to find out.

“Talyn…”

Talyn’s panic hit Crais hard and he gripped the console, “What is it, Talyn?”

~Crichton is not going to help me find my mother!~

Crais gripped his head as Talyn shouted in his mind.

He bit back the pain, asking Talyn, “What do you mean?”

~He says he won’t help me find Moya if you and Aeryn don’t tell him what you know. You have to tell him!~

Crais massaged his temple, “All right, I will speak to Aeryn.”

~You have to tell him now!~

Crais reeled, “Talyn, this is between Aeryn and…”

“NOW!~

Crais fell to the deck, cursing Crichton silently for making Talyn panic.

It seemed that panic could still bring out the violent streak in Talyn. Damn the Human!

Crais walked onto the Observation deck. Aeryn was standing at the mouth of the front view portal, looking for the brightest star. She half turned and saw Crais near the door; he stood in the shadows. She turned back to the portal and asked, “Which star do you think is the brightest?”

“Aeryn, you have to tell Crichton,” Crais’ voice was hoarse.

“No, I can’t. Not yet.”

“You have to, Aeryn,” there was a note of desperation in Crais’ voice.

“You can’t make me.”

“I could… Talyn can.”

“Threats will accomplish nothing,” she smiled sadly at his shadowy figure.

Crais staggered into the room.

She saw his haggard face, the pinching of his eyes. She became suddenly worried, “Crais, what is wrong?”

“Crichton is threatening Talyn. He says that he will not help look for Moya if we don’t tell him.”

“He wouldn’t do such a thing. Doesn’t he realise that Talyn will take it out on you?”

“Oh, he realised that, Aeryn.”

“He’s just trying to scare Talyn. Of course he’ll help look for Moya.”

“His scare tactics are working,” gasped Crais.

“I’ll tell him when I’m ready.” She turned back to the front port.

~NOW!~ screamed Talyn in Crais’ head.

Behind Aeryn, Crais crashed to the deck, holding his head in excruciating pain.

She turned around and then moved swiftly to his side. She cradled his head in her lap. He was very pale and a sweat had broken out. When he was finally able to open his eyes, his eyes were rolling and it didn’t even seem as if he saw her, “Crais… I’m sorry… I didn’t know.”

Crais couldn’t even hear her as Talyn continued to assault him.

She rested his head back on the deck and stood up, “I’ll have a word with that frelling fahrbot!”

When Talyn finally withdrew, Crais’ head continued to loll weakly on the deck.

Aeryn looked at him briefly before she turned away to look for John. There wasn’t much else she could do for Crais now.

Crais eventually regained consciousness, with two voices reverberating in his head. Talyn was listening in on Aeryn and Crichton, and by the sounds of it, they were having a shouting match. Crais moaned with the headache. From the words “shouted” at each other, Crais surmised that Aeryn had told Crichton, and that he wasn’t taking it very well.

Crais managed to push himself off the deck and staggered to his feet. His voice was still hoarse as he asked Talyn, “What did she tell him?”

~She told him about the baby~

“Yes, but how?”

Talyn let him listen to a playback of the start of the conversation.

“Aeryn? You’re here to tell me your little secret?” There was a note of sarcasm in Crichton’s voice.

“You panicked Talyn,” annoyance evident in Aeryn’s voice.

“It worked, didn’t it? You’re here to tell me.”

“It knocked Crais out.”

“Serves him right for not telling me.”

“You can be such a Bartik, John!” Aeryn was getting angry.

“Well, he wouldn’t tell me either.”

“No, of course not. It was MY secret, not his!”

“So, are you going to tell me?”

“I’m not sure I want to now.”

“Then my ultimatum stands. No telling me, no help from me in finding Moya. How long do you think Crais can handle Talyn before his brain fries on overload?”

“You’re fahrbot! Do you realise that Talyn might attack you?”

“He won’t; I couldn’t help find Moya then.” There was triumph in Crichton’s words.

“You knew what Talyn would do to Crais.”

“Since you told me that little secret, yes.”

“It’s not Crais’ fault!”

“Whose is it?”

“Mine,” her voice was soft.

“Then tell me, so I can understand.”

Aeryn took a deep breath, “I’m carrying John’s child.”

“My child?”

“No, the other John.”

“That’s wonderful news. Why did you want to keep it from me?”

“It’s not yours, John. It’s his.”

“So? I don’t see a problem with that. I will raise it as if it was mine, which genetically it is.”

“I know.”

“Then what?”

“I don’t know whether I still love you.”

Silence.

“I am still John.”

“But you are not the other John Crichton.”

“Yes I am.”

“No, you’re not.”

Their voices rose again.

Crais staggered off the Observation deck. This had gone on for far too long. Someone had to talk some sense into them; even if only to save his own sanity.

Crais walked into their quarters.

Aeryn and Crichton were still shouting at each other and hadn’t even noticed his entrance.

“Shut up!” Crais’ voice thundered over their shouting voices.

They blinked in stunned silence at him.

Crais looked first at Crichton and then at Aeryn, “You two have to resolve this. I won’t have you confusing Talyn with your arguments. Aeryn, you are carrying Crichton’s child, even if it is the Crichton who travelled with us before, and not this Crichton. I know they are different from each other in their final memories, and the other one is dead. Apart from that, they are genetically the same and their feelings for you were and are the same.”

He took a deep breath, “You may continue to deny to yourself that you love this Crichton but we both know that it is not true.”

“And you,” he turned to Crichton, “should show some understanding. Aeryn loved the otherJohn Crichton very deeply; enough to let her womb accept his seed. By pushing her to believe that she should only love you and disregard that she also loved the other, you will only succeed in pushing her away.”

He turned back to Aeryn, “If, as you say, you don’t love him, than why did you go looking for him? Why ask Talyn and I to come to your aid?”

They looked at him in astounded silence.

Crais practically glared at them, “You two had better talk this out like civilised beings, or by Cholok, I will drop you both off at the next commerce planet and Talyn and I will continue our own search for Moya.”

Talyn beeped frantically.

“Yes,Talyn, we will find her. It might take us longer by ourselves, but I’m getting sick and tired of the arguments,” Crais sounded exhausted.

Talyn beeped.

“No, I won’t keep them here if all they can do is to shout at each other and deny their feelings for each other.”

Talyn was angry and reacted in the only way he knew. He lashed out again and Crais dropped to his knees, grasping his head.

“I will not give in to…” Crais screamed and arched his back, falling to the deck.

Aeryn looked at the ceiling, “Talyn, stop that! Stop hurting him. I will talk to… John… in a civilised manner, but stop hurting Crais. He has done nothing to deserve this. Besides, he is right.”

Talyn stopped, leaving Crais spread out and gasping on the deck.

Crichton hobbled over and stared in shock at Crais, “Sorry, Aeryn… Crais… I didn’t realise…”

“No, you couldn’t,” said Aeryn as she helped Crais sit up, “I should have, though.”

Crais was almost like a rag doll in her arms.

Rather than move him to his quarters, she took him to their bed and let him rest there. At least that way, they would be able to keep an eye on him.

As they had promised Talyn and Crais, they talked. Their arguments were softly spoken and in the end, they agreed.

As Crais regained his senses, he saw Aeryn and Crichton kiss and embrace each other. There were tears streaming down Aeryn’s face. He closed his eyes, offering them what privacy he could to deal with their personal grief.

When he finally heard the sobs fade away, he got up from the bed and left their room without saying a word, leaving them to “kiss and make up”.

~Will Crichton help us now?~

“Yes, Talyn. It was always his intention to help us find Moya. He was just trying to scare you into revealing what Aeryn had to tell him. He wishes to find Moya and the others too”

~I’m sorry, Crais. I didn’t want to hurt you but I was scared~

Crais sighed deeply, “I know Talyn. You couldn’t have known.”

~Why did Aeryn wait to tell him? You told her to even before she left~

“I don’t blame Aeryn. She was scared too. She was confused about her own feelings.”

~Is everything all right now?~

“I think so, Talyn. At least now they are talking to each other.”

Crais had reached his quarters, “Warn me if there are any more problems.”

~I will~

Crais fell on the bed, not bothering to even take his boots off. He needed rest. Having to fight three people was more than he was willing to do at the moment.

For a moment he considered taking the transponder out, but didn’t.

His last thoughts were that at least there were no more secrets. He drifted off.

The End

Back to After StarBurst Inside The Command Carrier

FanFiction on Captain Bialar Crais