In answer to the Aeryn/Crais Fanfiction contest this was the result. Some of the conversations I have taken verbatim off the episode “Lambs to the slaughter” in order to let the story flow better and to connect up the shown scenes with my interpretation of the missing scenes. No infringement is intended.

During and After Into the Lion’s Den, part 2: Lambs to the slaughter. What happened after the Command Carrier blew up. (Winning Crais and Aeryn Challenge)

Sacrificial Lambs

By GitonCrais

Part 1: The Command Carrier

Crais had looked for Aeryn and had arrived at the indoor Park. He caught up with her near the Lake and whispered quietly, “There is a problem, follow me.” She was intrigued what he had to say for himself and followed him to the Generator room, another soft spot on the Command Carrier, which interfered with surveillance devices.

By his actions earlier, Crais had secured the safety, for the moment, of the others. By not telling Crichton of his intended “betrayal” he had also insured that Crichton put up the right “performance” to convince Scorpius that a conspiracy against his person was stopped. He had wanted to talk to Aeryn personally about his future plans; at least she would understand what he was about to do.

He paced the deck not sure how to begin.

“What do you want to discuss, Crais,” she asked in an annoyed tone of voice. She had heard from John that Crais had betrayed them to Scorpius to save his own hide and Talyn’s. The others were now in the holding cells because of this. She was wondering why she wasn’t with them. His request for this secret meeting only aggravated her feelings towards him. For a short while she had believed that he had turned a new leaf. How wrong could one be in trusting people! Now she was just curious.

“Aeryn,” he smiled smoothly, “There are some matters I want to discuss with you….”

“Cut the pleasantries, Crais, and come to the point. What do you want to tell? That you really didn’t want to betray our plan to Scorpius? That you couldn’t help yourself?”

He flinched at her words. Yes, it had seemed that way hadn’t it? Well, if Aeryn and the others believed it then maybe Scorpius would too.

He took a deep breath, “I had to tell them, Aeryn. John’s plan is flawed. It would not have worked. A lot of people would have died unnecessary had he gone ahead with it. I am also aware that John might not have wanted to follow carry it out.” He lifted his hands in defence when he saw that she was about to protest his allegations. “Hear me out, please. You must have noticed that for a while he has gone from thinking about sabotaging the Wormhole Project to maybe helping Scorpius in acquiring Wormhole Technology in order to fight the Scarrans? At the moment he is still trying to convince himself that he will be sabotaging the hunt for the Wormhole Technology and that he will be blowing up the Command Carrier but I can hear him waver. Don’t forget, it might be his last ride home to Erp. His plan to put explosive charges all around the Command Carrier is not going to work and would have gotten all of us killed without reaching our goal.”

He started pacing until Aeryn told him to stop. “Crichton believes he can simply plant the explosives anywhere he pleases around the Carrier. You know as well as I that it is not that simple. We also know that the most sensitive and restrictive areas are well guarded. We wouldn’t even get near to the places where the devices should be placed to create the maximum damage.”

He looked at Aeryn and he could see she had her doubts as well.

Aeryn asked him, “What do you suggest?”

He took a deep breath, “I don’t know if my proposal will work out as I hope it will but it is a means to destroy the Command Carrier.”

He turned away from her to gather his thoughts.

When he turned back, she saw a look of determination, which scared her. His words were spoken slowly to her as if he tried to convince himself, “I’ve given it some serious thought and I think we might survive it. Even if we don’t, the Command Carrier will be destroyed and with it all the information on the Wormhole.”

“Who’s “We” are we talking about Crais?” A feeling of dread entered her heart.

“Talyn and I,” he answered softly.

“Talyn and… What is your plan, Crais?” She feared she knew the answer.

He looked away from her, lest his resolve should waver, “I have managed to get Talyn back online. Nobody knows, yet. I have talked to him about my plan in broad lines and he agrees with me. One way or the other we will succeed,” his mouth twitched into a ghost of a smile and he looked up in contemplation, “Talyn is much calmer now. His mind is clearer than it has been in Cycles.”

A deep throaty guffaw accompanied his next words. “It is quite ironic, when you think of it. The plan is so insane it defies belief. Yet, a crazy Leviathan and an ex-crazy, ex-Captain are in total agreement of it.”

“What is the plan, Crais?”

He looked at her and in his eyes she saw the smouldering fires of passion, “Talyn and I will Starburst out of the Command Carrier while we are still within its confines!”

“Of all the crazy…suicidal…”

“Is it really, Aeryn? It’s our only valid option! Maybe it sounds crazy but I think it can be done.” He took her by the shoulders and arrested her eyes, “Think, Talyn is a Leviathan gunship, the only one of his kind. They… We have engineered a resistance in his hull, which should resist canon-fire and extremely high temperatures. His outer skin is already harder than Moya’s and he is not even a fraction of her age. He was able to power up to Starburst earlier than any Leviathan whom we know of. His rate of regeneration is higher than any of his species. If we are talking survival here, Talyn has the means to do it.”

He dropped his hands off her shoulders and his eyes dropped to the floor, “If we miscalculated, at least the Command Carrier will be destroyed. Whatever the outcome our goal will be reached.”

“But why would you both agree to such an insane plan? It could go very wrong!”

“We realise this too, Aeryn,” Crais started pacing in the limited space; three paces forward, three paces back. When he saw Aeryn frown, he stopped and sat down.

“What is there for Talyn if we don’t do it? They have already stripped his guns. Shortly they will be taking his Engram out and replace it with a docile imprint, in effect killing him. They will be collaring him and he will be used for Peacekeeper’s means, the one thing we have strived not to let happen.”

He looked her sadly in the eyes, “What’s left for me? Do you really believe that they will trust me, a renegade? I have never heard of a Peacekeeper returning to the fold. They will strip my knowledge through the Aurora Chair to build more gunship Leviathans and when there is nothing left to strip, they will condemn me to the Living Death. Neither prospects are very desirable ones. Besides,” he smiled ruefully, “I have promised Talyn not to let him be alone, I will stand by that.”

Aeryn looked at him. He was right, either way he and Talyn were condemned to death or worse. At least if they were able to survive Starburst they would have a chance.

“When will you do it?”

“As soon as possible, to wait longer will diminish our means of survival and increase detection. I have been able to communicate with Talyn on a low frequency but it will not be long before they will detect even that. It has to be soon or all our plans will fail.”

Both were silent.

Aeryn broke the silence, “We will have to tell John.” Crais nodded.

They waited for Crichton to arrive. They heard the sound of approaching footsteps and Crichton came around the corner. He walked up to Aeryn, “You said you wanted to see me.”

When he saw Crais sitting behind Aeryn his anger flared up and he just wanted to step forward and rip Crais’ throat out. Aeryn pushed him away and stopped his charge, “No! Stop it. Save the talk. You want to hear this!”

Crichton glared at Crais and then back at her, “I need to kick his ass. He sold us out.” He barely contained his anger while Aeryn held him back.

Crais’ face twitched with a suppressed sneer, “ You can’t destroy the ship by simply throwing a few switches!”

Crichton spoke softly with venom, “So, you set them up.”

“No, Crichton, I did not,” Crais said in defence, “I needed a distraction so that Scorpius believed that the plot against him had failed.” He paused and continued softly, “I kept Aeryn safe because I need her.”

The sarcasm was dripping from Crichton’s voice, “You should come up with a newer line!”

“And you should listen to him now,” interjected Aeryn.

“All that I have cared for is gone,” said Crais in a broken voice, not looking at Crichton or Aeryn, “My parents, taken away from me. My brother, dead.” He took a deep breath and said with a hint of sarcasm, “So, now I live, I plan, I do all in the service of my own interest, In this, I believe, I am not unique in the Universe.”

“Snap this up,” Crichton said angrily, “I have to get back.”

Crais stood up, “Despite all this I understand the power of the technology that Scorpius is attempting to harness.” His voice rose in cadence, “I understand the horror that will wash over this Galaxy if anyone wields this weapon.” He finished forcibly, “And last of all, I now know that I am the only individual capable of stopping him.”

Crichton tilted his head, “Have fun,” he said and turned to walk away.

Aeryn grabbed him by the arm, “Listen, we’re all on the same team. We all want this ship destroyed.”

Crais said softly, “And the only way to do that is with Talyn.”

Aeryn looked up into Crichton’s eyes, “Crais proposes that he and Talyn will Starburst while still inside the Command Carrier hangar.”

Crais explained in a detached voice, “The Carrier will collapse on itself. The Outer decks first. Central Core last.”

Aeryn added, “It will take at least half an arn for the ship to fully implode.”

It dawned on Crichton, “Giving the crew time to abandon ship.” He looks over at Crais and then back at Aeryn, “Tell me, do you believe that?” There was disbelief in his voice.

Aeryn looked back at him defiantly, “Do you have a plan to destroy the ship?”

Crichton snapped back in defence, “Not yet.”

Aeryn looked worriedly at him, “D’Argo and the others are probably in the holding cells and I can’t find them.”

Crichton looked over at Crais, “Where do we meet up with you and Talyn?”

Crais’ mouth twitched, “You don’t!” He looked away briefly, “Starburst in a confined space where the energy can’t dissipate will be the hero’s death that Talyn deserves.”

Surprise changed to respect in Crichton’s eyes when he finally realised what Crais had said, he stated softly, “You gonna die…”

Crais looked a bit uncomfortable with this scrutiny and talked over it as if he had not heard what Crichton had said, “I will need a …ah… significant distraction to keep Scorpius occupied.” He turned and was about to walk away.

Crichton called him back, “Crais!”

Crais turned and looked at him. For a moment the silence hung between them. It was Crichton who broke it, “I’ll get you one.” He walked out of the room.

After Crichton had left, Aeryn and Crais remained. They had to go through the details to go to Talyn and take control of the ship again. In principle it was simple. He would get to the hangar bay when they had word from Crichton and so would she but from above. Subdue the guards and he would board Talyn, while she went in search of the others.

Crais took a deep breath, glad that the details were laid out and was on the point of leaving when Aeryn drew his attention. He stopped and looked at her. She looked at her former Captain. Gone was the arrogance he liked to display to cover up his own anger and insecurity. Gone was the haunted look of a man on the run and being distrusted by his friends. Two Cycles on the run had shaped him. With his resolve came a quiet dignity, she realised that it was something she had missed in him for a long time.

“Where will you go, if matters work out for the better?”

He looked up at her again, “The force to blast out of the Command Carrier will be tremendous, I don’t know where we will exit, if we survive it. Hopefully far away from the Carrier.”

“Would you consider taking a crew on board?”

He tilted his head to one side, “What are you offering, Officer Sun?” His words were a faint echo of a question stated so long ago and it was accompanied with the same smile.

It was her time to feel uncomfortable. “Would you consider taking me on board?”

“Why Aeryn,” there was genuine confusion on his face.

She bit the nail of her thumb before answering him, “I’ve know for some weekens that I am pregnant.”

“But that is wonderful news. Does Crichton know?”

She shook her head, “No, he doesn’t.”

“Is Crichton the father of the child?”

“Yes and no. It is Crichton’s but not this Crichton. It is the Crichton who died on Talyn, my Crichton. I don’t know whether I can share the baby with this Crichton. He is a different man from the Crichton I made love to.”

“He is still the same Crichton, only with different memories.”

“It is not the same,” her voice broke, “I tried telling myself that this Crichton is the same man but I can’t get over the memory of the other Crichton. I can’t get rid of the picture of the other Crichton dying in my arms. Or of the nights on board Talyn when we discussed what we would do if we were to have a child together and how we would raise it. This Crichton doesn’t know anything about all this.” She crossed her arms in front of her.

“Shouldn’t you at least give him a chance to be the father of your child?”

She looked angrily at him, “What is it with you, Crais? Acquired a conscience?” She wanted to retract her words when she saw the hurt in his eyes.

“No, Aeryn but it is John’s right to know. I haven’t spent much time with this John Crichton but the other Crichton was a honourable man and I had come to respect him. You are right, this John Crichton is not the man who died but he loves you just the same and I think he should be given a chance to know about the child.”

His dark eyes bored into hers, “Talyn and I don’t know whether we will survive or how the future will look. Give me the promise that you will at least try? You owe that to both John Crichtons.”

She looked at him. He had changed so much. She nodded briefly, not trusting her own voice and left quickly.

He looked at her retreating figure. He hoped she would try to resolve this.

Crichton gave him the promised distraction.

It came not long after they had their conversation. When it was all over the ship that Scorpius would fly with Crichton through the Wormhole, it was Crais and Aeryn’s cue to move.

Nobody paid Aeryn any attention when she made her way to tier 14 with a rope slung over her shoulders. She walked quickly and with determination. All eyes and ears were focused on the trip Scorpius and Crichton were going to undertake. She made it in no time. From where she was she had a good view of the Hangar below and she marvelled at Talyn. There were only four guards present. Good, it would make their task so much simpler. She tied the rope to the banister and waited for Crais to appear.

Crais walked down the corridors at a brisk pace. Lieutenant Larell had to do her best to keep up with his pace. She asked Crais, “What’s happening?”

“Nothing,” answered Crais.

“You forget how well I know you,” her voice dripped sweetness and Crais’ mouth twitched with distaste, she continued, “I can tell you are about to do something.”

“You do know me very well,” he bit back sarcastically. She was right, she knew him too well.

Larell pulled him to a side-corridor. She looked at him with a mixture of fear and resolve, “If I suspect you are conspiring against Scorpius, I must report it.”

Crais looked into her eyes, this was his chance to save her. He had loved her, a long time ago, a meeting of minds if nothing else and she had been useful over the last Solar days. Unknown to her she had helped him get Talyn back online, luckily she was so busy trying to “seduce” him and make him believe that she still loved him that she hadn’t noticed what really was going on.

His eyes bored into hers, “Larell, if you suspect anything, you must report it. Do not be disloyal to Scorpius in any way!” For the last time he looked into her eyes, there was a message of love and sadness in them but it passed quickly and she couldn’t be sure if she had seen it.

He briefly turned away from her and in front of all the other Peacekeepers he backhanded her hard enough to make her drop to the floor. He shouted venomously at her, “Tell Scorpius it’s not going to work. Tell him that next time he sends someone to spy on me, to send someone I care about.” He walked away without a backward glance.

She was too stunned to follow him. She touched her reddening cheek and felt humiliated when she heard the sniggers from the other Peacekeepers.

Crais sauntered into the hangar and walked to Talyn. The Chief Guard stopped him from getting any nearer, “My orders have changed. Scorpius ordered me to shoot to kill if you want to board the Hybrid.” He sneered at Crais, clearly enjoying this, “I will enjoy this command.”

Crais smiled at him, “Not as much as me.” He showed his hand and like a magician and revealed the smoke grenade he had concealed there. Before the stunned guard could react he threw it amid the guards.

At the same time Aeryn launched herself off the balcony and came flying down the Hangar, bowling two of the guards over in the process. Crais knocked the Chief Guard down with a well-placed Panthak-jab and it was with satisfaction that he heard his neck break. He took out the second guard with no problems. In the meantime, Aeryn had been able to silence her two targets. None would rise again.

The altercation had taken less than a microt and both looked at the guards lying at their feet with satisfaction. Aeryn stepped over to Crais and gently laid her hand on his right cheek. She looked into his eyes and her eyes held a message of respect and goodbye. His eyes were soft and his throat contracted, he was afraid to speak. How long had he waited to see that in her face?

“Now you go,” she said softly and patted him once on the cheek. Without a word she turned and ran out of the hangar, she still had to find the others.

For a moment he looked at her retreating figure. He looked up at Talyn and a smile of determination and love played around his lips. They were going home.

When Crais got aboard Talyn he went to his old quarters. He opened the secret panel in the wall. He had it installed half a Cycle ago. Why, he could not tell. He reached for his Captain’s uniform and donned it. He put on his gloves. Pity he lost the cap so long ago.

He took the light from where he had left it the last time he and Larell were on board and walked to the Command Centre. Everything was in darkness when he entered, the beam of his torch providing the only light. He could feel the young Leviathan asking for him tentatively.

“Yes, Talyn,” he hunkered down while Talyn let the room become brighter, “I am here.” He sighed while his hand caressed Talyn’s floor.

“Nothing to be afraid of.” He took a deep breath, “Talyn, the firing mechanism on your cannon was taken away from you by the Peacekeepers. The rest have been captured and Moya…” He paused, “Moya will soon be enslaved (Talyn’s lights flashed, he was clearly upset) unless we do something. Something radical. You…and…I…together.”

He and Talyn had discussed it before and although Talyn hadn’t fully understood what Crais had meant he understood that between them they were able to safe the others and Moya and maybe the rest of the Universe too. Talyn had understood that they might not be able to make it out alive but that was preferable to no existence and collared for life.

Talyn was glad that Crais was back. He had missed his presence and from what he could feel from Crais, so had he. Crais had explained that there was only a slim chance that they would make it out alive and Talyn had accepted. They would be together again, however brief.

Crais was proud of Talyn and touched him one last time before he stood in the centre of the Command Centre. Talyn powered up.

Crichton and Scorpius had just returned from the Wormhole and Scorpius was still wobbly on his feet after his flight in John’s plane when Crais’ voice boomed over the entire communication speakers on board the Command Carrier.

His voice was calm and commanding, “Scorpius, I am just making my final goodbyes.”

Scorpius looked in confusion about him. “Where are you Crais?” He shouted at the walls.

Crais’ voice was triumphant, “I am standing in your heart and I am about to squeeze!”

Scorpius looked over at Braca, “Find the source of that transmission and arrest the fool!”

Braca looked at the readings on his scanner, “It is coming from the Hybrid in the Gamma Hangar on level 12.” He looked at the readings and there was panic in his voice, “The Hybrid is powering up!”

Crais’ voice came back over the speakers and it had risen, “You are the most repellent of creatures, Scorpius. You weren’t born into Peacekeepers. You weren’t conscripted against your will.” Crais’ voice rose in suppressed anger, “You chose to be one!”

Scorpius became frantic with rage, “I want the Bay doors sealed and the Prowlers scrambled. That Hybrid must not get away!”

Braca looked at his readings again and answered in a stunned voice, “The Hybrid is building to maximum power inside the hangar. I don’t think he’s planning to escape.”

Scorpius turned back and looked at him in shock when it dawned on him what Braca had said.

Crais’ voice continued, calmer now, “The last time I left the ship… my ship… I did that under a veil of secrecy. You forced that situation. You took away MY command.” His voice rose, “You stole my life from me! And this time, Scorpius I am not leaving quietly!”

Scorpius shouted in rage and panic, “Get that fool and get him off that ship!”

Shudders went through the Command Carrier and shook everyone off balance when Talyn lifted off the hangar floor and broke loose from his moorings.

In the Command Centre Crais looked for one last time around him. He closed his eyes, spread his arms in surrender and gave the command quietly, “Talyn, Starburst.”

For a microt he was bathed in light and then all hell broke loose

Part 2: Lost…

He regained consciousness. With consciousness came pain. It lanced through his body and it coursed through his veins. His head was pounding. Part of it was Talyn’s pain. At least they had made it out alive.

He struggled to get to his feet but collapsed to the floor again. His leg was bleeding and a pool of blood had formed underneath it.

He closed his eyes and tried to calm Talyn. The youngster was screaming in pain, confusion and panic. He had not been able to detect Crais for a while and he was worried.

“Please, Talyn, slow down,” Crais tried to clear the pounding in his head and wasn’t sure if it was Talyn’s doing or due to his own injuries.

Talyn did not relent, “Help me!” He screamed in Crais’ mind over and over.

“Talyn,” Crais called back, “If you don’t calm down I can’t help you.” Talyn’s screaming made his head pound more, he closed his eyes and bile rose to his mouth, he swallowed deeply. Still the youngster was in too much pain to calm down. “Talyn, if you don’t calm down I will have to engage Privacy mode.” The fear of being left alone again made Talyn calm down enough. A feeling like a whimper could be detected through the Transponder. Crais laid his head back down and let the moment of near silence wash over him.

He spoke to Talyn softly, “You have to show me your injuries, Talyn. I need to know to be able to help you.” Immediately Talyn bombarded him with a sum up of all his injuries at once. The pictures came fast and furious and this time Crais couldn’t stop himself from retching when he was shown the swirling colours, which were accompanied by feelings of overwhelming pain. He rolled away from the stench and nearly passed out when his own leg was sending spikes of pain through his brain.

“Talyn, please,” his own voice sounded hoarse and pleading, “You have to slow down.”

Through the link Talyn could feel Crais’ pain and finally slowed down to a point that was bearable to both. Crais thanked him silently.

Step by step they went through it. When they Starburst one of Talyn’s Starburst-fins had been ripped off by half and was the biggest cause of his pain, it also made propulsion quite unstable. His outer hull had protected them both but was severely gashed and burned. Several of Talyn’s conduits had burned out all over the ship and had started small fires. Talyn had been able to extinguish most of them but it had been this that Crais had felt coursing through his body. Some conduits had ruptured and spilled out Cesium-fuel and other liquids.

Crais wondered if he would be able to repair Talyn on his own. He knew Leviathans had regenerative powers but even so, the damage to the young Leviathan was extensive.

Ignoring his own pain for the moment Crais crawled over the floor to the main panel, he was leaving a trail of blood. He opened a side panel on the right hand side and threw a switch. Immediately a stream of Chromextin was released into the youngster and he could feel Talyn submit to the anaesthetic effects. It affected Crais too and both sank back to let it take effect. Crais was glad that he had installed the release mechanism about a Cycle ago.

Crais roused himself from the lethargy.

“Talyn you were very brave and you have made me very proud,” he told the youngster and Talyn could feel Crais’ love and pride for him, “We have made it and I will not leave you, I promise, whatever happens. In a short while I will try and repair the damage. Rest now.”

It did have its advantages and disadvantages to be linked in the way he was. Talyn was quite drowsy at the moment but Crais warned him nevertheless that he was engaging privacy mode. He didn’t want the youngster to have another panic-attack.

The silence in his mind was almost deafening. Disconnected from the link Crais was able to assess his own injuries. His right leg gave him the most concern. It had bled heavily due to a wound right above the knee. He must have torn a ligament as well. When he moved it, white-hot pain lanced through his brain. It was with an effort that he kept from screaming out loud.

He lay still for a moment to catch his breath. He had to stop the bleeding and then get to the Medical facility. His hand reached to the back of his neck and he loosened his queue. He used the thong as a tourniquet.

He crawled over to the main console and with an effort pulled himself up in a standing position. He could now use the walls for support. By the time he reached the Medical Facility he was exhausted beyond belief and the sweat was pouring down his face.

He opened the door and recoiled in disappointment. What the Tech’s hadn’t stripped, the Starburst effect had destroyed. The Regenerator, the monitors and the scanners had gone, as were the medical supplies. The bed had turned over and the now empty cabinets lay scattered over the floor. He leaned heavily against the door and closed his eyes briefly. He had to do something about his leg before he could begin patching up Talyn. He would be of no use to Talyn if he bled to death.

He moved to his own quarters and opened the secret compartment, which had held his Peacekeeper’s uniform. A small amount of medical supplies could be found. Not wholly sufficient but it was better than nothing. He was able to close the wound with some crude sutures and was grateful that the Tech’s tool, which had been the cause of the wound, had not penetrated a major artery or the suturing would have been of no help. He could do nothing about the ligament. A further inspection showed him a head wound as well as scrapes and bruises. All things considered it could have been worse. He bandaged his leg and left the room to look after Talyn’s injuries.

There wasn’t much he could do to the injuries outside, it would have to wait until Talyn had recovered enough to show him more without sending them both in convulsions. He looked what he could do on the inside first to ease the pain in Talyn’s nerves.

The Techs had left nothing in the way of medical supplies, on the other hand they had left numerous tools scattered around the corridors. He smiled to himself, they would not have left it scattered but Starburst had done so.

He managed to repair most of the leaking conduits with the help of two DRD’s, probably the only two remaining on Talyn. They came out of hiding when he started his repairs on Talyn. One he remembered Crichton talk to when he was on board the ship, a blue DRD. He could not remember what the human had called the small device and had always found it quite silly that he was talking to it as if it was a sentient being but during the work he found himself talking to it and strangely felt comforted by it. The two DRD’s also cleaned up the spilled fluids.

He was contemplating calling it a day when Talyn’s frantic calls for help lanced through his brain, somehow Talyn had been able to disengage his privacy mode. He leaned against the bulkhead to steady himself. “Slow down, Talyn, what’s wrong?”

Talyn showed him a small craft outside the Docking bay trying to burn their way in, oblivious to the fact that they were hurting the Leviathan. Crais was not familiar with the design.

“I’ll be on my way Talyn. Try to keep the doors firmly closed.” Crais tried to remember what he had done with the pulse-rifle he had taken from one of the guards when he came back on board. He remembered and could have kicked himself, he had left it in the Command Centre, which was now on the other end of the ship and Talyn’s guns had been stripped.

He had to get to the Docking Bay and see if he could see something that could be used as a weapon. When he was near the Docking Bay, Talyn came back to him, the craft had broken through and were now boarding.

For a moment Crais stood indecisive. He was without a weapon and too far away from a hiding place. The only option left open was bluff.

He entered the Docking Bay at the same time as the hatch of the craft opened to let their passengers out. The first one out was a scrawny looking individual while the next one was bigger and heavyset.

“Good day to you, gentlemen. I hope you have a valid reason to be here.”

One of the men turned round in surprise, they had not expected anyone to be on board this ship. It had looked derelict. Now they were faced with a Peacekeeper, by the looks a Tech in shirtsleeves, by stance and tone an officer. They didn’t want any problems with Peacekeepers.

“We were salvaging this vessel,” the first claimed lamely.

“As you can see, there is nothing to salvage, since the occupants are still here,” said Crais.

“Well, yes… ah, we’ll be on our way then,” the man answered and turned to get back into his ship but the second man hissed into his ear, “Do you know who that is? That is Captain Crais, the renegade. I have seen his face on the wanted beacon a couple of monens ago. He should fetch a good price. I don’t think there is anyone else on board.”

The other hissed back, “You want to take him on? I’ve heard of his reputation. He’s a madman. A killing machine! If you want to take him on, be my guest.” He made to get back in.

The other grasped him by the arm, “He’s on his own and we are with two. Have you seen the state of him? Look well!”

For a moment Crais had hoped that his bluff had worked when he saw their spokesman turn back to his vessel. His apprehension grew when the second man grasped the first and stole covert glances at Crais while he talked to the first man quietly. They walked over to where he stood.

The man who had left the vessel last approached him first, “We think that this ship is ready for salvage.”

Crais took his most superior stance, “I have already told you, you are mistaken. This ship has a crew and will be ready to fly again soon.”

“I don’t think so, Captain… Crais.” He took a step forwards and Crais knew the game was up.

Crais went with his right arm for the Panthak jab, moving his weight to his left leg but the man was faster than he had anticipated and evaded the jab, he moved to the right and Crais’ left hand shot out towards his neck. Due to the heavy neck of the man he only had half a grip on it but a solid one. He closed his fist to close over the larynx. The man used both hands to try and pry Crais’ hand off. He only managed in delaying what was supposed to be the inevitable.

The other man shot forward now, if Crais was able to take out his bigger partner he would certainly be dead.

Crais saw the other coming and his other hand shot out for a blocker to the nose of the other. He was only partly lucky. The heel of his hand connected to the forehead of the man, stunning him instantly but his momentum took Crais off balance. The sudden shift of weight to his right leg made him lose his balance and with it the grip on the other man’s neck.

The man made use of this immediately and landed a solid punch on Crais’ jaw. Crais had to let go and stepped back, by a miracle he managed to keep his balance.

The man moved forward again and pulled his fist back for a blow to Crais’ abdomen. Crais blocked it with the sharp of his hand nearly breaking the man’s forearm. He had numbed it sufficiently and the man’s arm hung limply next to his body; he stepped away from Crais.

It was Crais’ turn to move forward. He balled his hand into a fist and it would have connected lethally with the man’s breastbone had the other man not woken up. He grabbed hold of Crais’ right ankle and pulled. Crais was off balance and felt a jarring pain when his right leg was pulled down. The first man finished off what the man on the floor had started and planted his fist to Crais’ temple.

Crais fell heavily on his left side. He couldn’t stop a moan from escaping his lips. The man standing made sure he stayed down by kicking him in the stomach. Crais curled into a tight ball.

When the man hit him in his right leg he nearly straightened out, clasping his leg and he bit his lips. The movement did not go unnoticed by the standing man and to make sure he kicked him in his right leg again. This time Crais could not hold back a scream of anguish.

Despite the Chromextin Talyn could feel Crais’ pain as well and had seen what had happened. He helped Crais in the only way he could by rolling and bucking himself. His movements brought everyone off balance. It only gave Crais a brief respite.

The big man crawled over to Crais, “I don’t know how you do it but you better make the ship stop this or I’ll kill you. I know you will be worth less when you’re dead but by the gods I will kill you if this doesn’t stop.”

Talyn had heard the threat and with Crais’ silent confirmation ceased his movements. Instantly everything was back to where it was.

The two men got up. Crais stayed down. The big man hauled him to his feet but before Crais could make another move he pinned his arms behind him. “T’Lek find me something to bind his hands with.”

While T’Lek looked for some rope Crais made a last ditch attempt by ignoring the pain and stepping with his right foot on the man’s instep. The man let out a howl and Crais could feel his grip lessen. Crais turned round to his captor and reached up. Unfortunately T’Lek had found a piece of piping and hit Crais’ leg from behind. Crais arched his back and went down again.

This time the other man took no changes. He sat on Crais’ back and pinioned his hands together on his back with the rope T’Lek had handed him. For safety’s sake he tied Crais’ legs together too. For good measure he kicked him in the leg again when he stood up, Crais grunted in pain but managed to keep the scream in. It wasn’t until then that the big man hauled him into a sitting position and dragged him over to the wall.

Crais was glad he had some support in his back but he was breathing heavily. He closed his eyes briefly. “Sorry, I have failed you Talyn,” he said silently. The youngster beeped in sympathy.

“What now, T’Rak,” asked T’Lek.

T’Rak looked down on their captive. He couldn’t see a Peacekeeper Captain anymore, just a man in pain with loose hair framing his tired, pale face on the brink of passing out. “We’ll bring him to our ship and hand him over to the Peacekeepers. We put a dampening net on the ship and tow it with us. I bet it will fetch a nice price.” He grinned menacingly at Crais, “I don’t know what you did but I’m glad to get rid of a Peacekeeper.”

“Oh no you won’t,” a calm female voice answered him from behind.

He spun around and looked into the mouth of pulse-rifle held by a stunning woman all dressed in black leather. It was the last thing he saw before she shot him in the chest. T’Lek was next.

Crais could not believe his ears when he heard her voice or his eyes when he saw the two men drop dead to the floor and saw Aeryn Sun standing there, pulse rifle at the ready.

“Officer Sun,” he said in disbelief before he passed out.

Aeryn quickly moved over to untie his bonds.

Part 3: …and found

When he regained consciousness he was lying flat on his back in the Medical Facility. For a moment he couldn’t remember what had happened. Then the vision of Aeryn came back. He lifted his head to see if she was in the room but dropped it immediately when the pounding in his head grew worse.

She was at his side quickly and looked down in his tired, painfilled eyes, “Rest Crais. You’ll need it. We’ll talk later.” She placed a gentle hand on his brow when he nodded slowly.

He drifted off again.

When he came to again his head wasn’t pounding so badly anymore and he lifted it tentatively.

He saw Aeryn asleep in a chair next to the bed. He dropped his head back. It was real. She had found him but how?

His next thought was for Talyn and he disengaged Privacy mode, “Talyn? How are you?”

Talyn responded immediately. He was glad Crais was back. The Chromextin had helped him considerably but he was still in quite a lot of pain and far from restored. Crais moaned in emphatic pain and promised to do something as fast as possible.

His moan woke up Aeryn who came to his side of the bed. Crais had his eyes closed but was awake. She surmised that he was talking to Talyn and that it had been the reason of the moan. She placed her hand on his shoulder, “Crais?”

His eyes snapped open but were still unfocused for a couple of microns.

“Officer Sun,” he asked her in a croaky voice, “How…”

She had poured him a glass of water and supported him while he drunk.

He fell back exhausted, “How did you find us?”

“I placed a small, far range beacon on your jacket before you boarded Talyn.” When she saw the panic on his face, she assured him, “Don’t worry it was set to go off at intermittent times.”

She continued when she saw the relief on his face, “When we were back on Moya I could still detect the beacon and that’s when I knew that at least the beacon was still intact. I did not know in which state you two had survived.”

“Yet, you came to look for us and well in time.” He looked at her and asked softly, “Did you tell Crichton you went to look for us?” He knew the answer or at least guessed it. He saw it when she avoided his eyes. Besides, Crichton would never allow her to go ghost-hunting on her own, especially if she was with child. He wanted to hear it from her.

She looked down and avoided his eyes, “I didn’t tell John that I was having a baby. I couldn’t. He is so jealous of the other John. It might have broken his heart.”

He sighed warily, “Officer Sun, I am glad and grateful that you did come after us but I would have been happier if you had told Crichton. After all, you have been through a lot together. You loved each other!”

“What do you know about love,” she suddenly said vehemently, tears started to form in her eyes, “You have never loved anyone, except for your recreational purposes, that is not love. So, don’t you lecture me on it.” In anger she wiped the tears off her face. “John loved me. The John on Talyn, he loved me. He showed me the stars, he showed me another way of life and now he’s gone. Forever lost.”

“The John on Moya…”

“No!” She stood up abruptly and continued softly, “He’s is different. He did not share what John and I had. He did not die in my arms. He doesn’t understand me. He doesn’t understand that I grieve for my John, he is jealous of the memory of the other. It is not the same.” She turned away from him.

Crais lifted himself off the bed and limped towards her. His warm hand on her shoulder startled her. “Office… Aeryn,” his calm, gentle voice broke through to her, “Have you ever given him the chance to understand? Have you given him enough time to get to know you again? Have you given yourself the chance to see the John Crichton who loves you?”

Deep down she knew he was right. She had avoided John Crichton for the first Solar days after she was back on Moya, after that she had been aloof and only spoke to him briefly. She knew she had never given them both the chance to start again. She was not going to admit to it. Crais had no right to see through her. He had no right to know what she was thinking or feeling. She turned around in anger and shoved him away from her.

He was caught off balance and fell across the bed, his right leg impacted with the edge. He gripped the covers hard and tried not to cry out in pain.

When she saw his pale, sweating face contort in pain, all anger left her immediately and she was beside him, “Oh, Crais! I’m sorry, I didn’t mean…”

This time it was he who pulled away. He was breathing deeply to control himself and to stifle the pain that was coursing through him, he said softly “No, Aeryn, you are right, ‘you didn’t mean…’ You didn’t mean to hurt me. You didn’t mean to hurt John, the one on Moya or the one on Talyn. You didn’t mean to leave the last John without saying that you were pregnant.” He had pulled himself fully on the bed now, his anger barely under control, “When are you going to be honest to yourself? Tell me that, please, because I want to know. When you’re too old to want to look at yourself in the mirror? On your deathbed? Or on his? When Aeryn Sun?”

She glared at him through her tears, “You just don’t understand! I can’t love him! Not after...”

“The other John is dead, Aeryn, this John isn’t! He loves you just the same.”

She sat down. The tears now streaming freely down her cheeks.

He looked down at her with sadness and this time his soft voice had no anger in them, “I know, we can believe that we have left the Peacekeepers but unfortunately, the Peacekeepers haven’t left us. Years of training and indoctrination have not prepared us for life outside the Force. We are still soldiers and not family-trained. For your sake, I hope that one day you will be able to see that and allow yourself to have a family.” He laid a tentative hand on her shoulder and this time she did not pull back.

He had rested for another arn, while she had left the room to look at Talyn’s damage. When she returned she was again composed and in control. Only a slight puffiness under her eyes reminded Crais of her earlier emotional outburst.

He sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed.

“What do think you are doing,” she asked admonishingly.

“We have to repair Talyn.”

“You want to aggravate that leg even further? We have no means at our disposal to treat it properly. Or has it escaped your notice that the regenerator is gone, as well as the medical sondes and the scanner? We don’t know what the internal damage is.”

“I know what the internal damage is and it is negligible. Talyn needs to get repaired, he is in too much pain and we can do it easier with the two of us.” He got up, balancing precariously on one leg. Just this small exercise was enough to bring sweat to his brow.

“Look at yourself, Crais. You are in no condition to work on Talyn. I’m not waiting for two patients on my hand. Lie down.”

“No, Aeryn, if you had not come to our rescue I would have to do it on my own. Now we are with two and we will be able to get the work done faster. No arguments,” he said when he saw that she wanted to protest again.

She shrugged her shoulders, he never listened to her anyway why would now be a different?

Work progressed slowly, even with the two of them working on Talyn. Now and again Crais stole furtive glances at Aeryn. She seemed to be all right for the moment and she had her earlier outburst under control but he knew her too well. Sometimes she would stare briefly into nothing, straightening her shoulders afterwards. The balled fists when she worked on areas she and John had worked on. The glistening of her eyes when she was working near one of the view-ports. The caresses she gave Talyn. All were small indicators that all was not as it should be. But his first concern was for Talyn, he had to deal with Aeryn’s problem later.

Aeryn glanced over at Crais. The exhaustion and the pain was evident on his face but he bore it all with stoicism. A couple of times she saw him reel and he had to steady himself against the wall but when she moved towards him he had himself under control and after the second time she let it pass. If he wanted assistance he would ask, wouldn’t he? She knew better than that, even though he had changed there were certain things he couldn’t change.

Her mind drifted to what he had said earlier. He had been right, all the way to the last word. She had not given the John on Moya any chance. She never really discussed with him what had transpired on Talyn. Oh, yes, the general idea. He could have gotten that from Stark or Rygel or even Crais but never how she felt for the John on Talyn. And certainly not about the child that was growing inside her. And she was to blame for that; her own fear was to blame for that.

The fear that he might love her in the way the other John had done. She felt guilty for leaving him on Moya like that, without really saying goodbye to him.

Why did it have to be Crais to point that out to her? She had had it nicely under control, tucked away in the recesses of her mind. Now she couldn’t stop thinking about it. She could almost hear John’s voice here on Talyn, almost touch and feel him. Her hands caressed Talyn softly.

They had finished fixing the main conduits and nerve-centres. Crais leaned with his back against Talyn’s walls and communicated with the youngster. Talyn chirped happily at Crais that the pain had diminished much. A smile appeared on Crais’ tired face. They would take some rest and do some more repairs later. Through Talyn Crais could feel if there was a sufficient supply of Chromextin passing through without overloading the youngster. Aeryn saw a look close to euphoria pass briefly over his features. When he opened his eyes again, she couldn’t help but notice how close he was to passing out.

“That’s enough for today Crais,” she beseeched him. He nodded in agreement.

They made their way slowly to the living quarters. For the first part of their walk Crais used the walls for support, shaking his head stubbornly when Aeryn wanted to support him but halfway there he acknowledged that progress would be quicker with him leaning on her. She noticed how heavily he had to lean on her and when she glanced over at him she saw with what kind of effort he managed to stay awake and upright.

She eased him on his bed. When she took his boots off he cried out in pain. When she touched his leg it felt hot and damp to the touch.

“Unfasten your pants Crais.”

“That is highly indecent, Officer Sun,” he said in a slurred voice.

She smiled ruefully at him, “Do you want to bleed to death?”

He shook his head and loosened his trousers. She helped him take it off. Her fears had been warranted. His wound had opened up again and had bled inside his trousers.

He lay back on the bed and passed out almost immediately.

She shook her head. Men! She washed the area around the wound and redressed it. She had to suture a couple of stitches again, if he continued like this there would be no healthy tissue left to keep the edges together. Other than a few soft moans he gave no indication of regaining full consciousness. She covered him with a blanket and watched him for a while. His pale face was in stark contrast against the black pillows his head was resting on. He had not worn his hair bound up while they were fixing Talyn and now his long wavy hair had tangled in a mass. For the moment his breathing was laboured but at ease and she left his bedside to see if the Techs had left some food in the larder or if they had stripped that as well. If they had, they always had the food cubes, which she had packed in her knapsack.

She was surprised and amused at the same time when she found the larder stacked with all kinds of snacks. One thing you had to give the Techs, they made sure that while they were working they had a sufficient supply of refreshments. No alcoholic beverages but a decent supply of fruit juices. She carried some of it back to Crais’ quarters.

He was still out but by now he was sleeping rather than merely passed out. That was a good sign.

She sat down in the chair next to the bed, had some of the refreshments and dozed off briefly.

Aeryn had been watching him while he was asleep. Sleep had finally smoothed away the pain and the exhaustion. She rested her elbows on the bed and her chin on her clasped hands. He found her thus when he woke up, “Offi… Aeryn, how long…”

“Only about 5 arns,” she answered.

He pushed himself in a sitting position.

She glared at him, “And where do you think you are going?”

“Talyn…”

“Talyn is resting now. Follow his example.”

He tried to ignore her but this time she was adamant. She pushed him down on the bed and leaned on his shoulders until she could feel him relax under her hands.

“Crais, you should at least rest for a full Solar day. We have been able to extinguish all the fires on board. While you were asleep, I have patched up the remainder of the conduits. The DRD’s are running maintenance checks. There isn’t much else we can do at the moment. Talyn is resting.” She looked thoughtful, “That is something that puzzles me, why is he resting comfortably?”

He lay back and a small smile played around the corners of his mouth, “Chromextin!”

“What about Chromextin?”

“About a Cylcle ago I had a Chromextin release valve installed on Talyn. After the attack by the Retrieval Squad I decided I wouldn’t let Talyn get into such a vulnerable position again. Luckily I never had to use it after I had it installed. I am glad I did. The release valve is slowly feeding him with the Chromextin, easing the pain and helping him with the regeneration process. I’ve had it routed through his whole body. One of the release levers is hidden in the Command Centre. We should be grateful that the Techs hadn’t found the anomaly.”

“Starbursting the way you did could have damaged it.”

“Luckily it didn’t. I had it well shielded and it paid off.”

“How did you get the currency to pay for it?”

“I cashed in some of my favours,” he said evasively.

There was anger in her eyes, “How? By blackmail? Threat?”

There was hurt in his eyes, “No, Aeryn, by trade and having been able to help a Techno-planet a while ago. The people who were installing the device were most grateful to have been able to return the favour. No blackmail or threat was involved, just an exchange of help.”

She regretted having doubted him.

He moved to sit up again.

She pushed him back again, “Do you want me to restrain you? The last time you didn’t listen the wound opened again. I had to suture you again. If you continue like this there won’t be much healthy tissue left around the wound to stitch you back together again!” She glared at him, “So, you better lie still or, by Cholok, I will knock you out and restrain you! Since that seems to be the best way to keep you still.”

“Then at least give me a hand to get to the Refresher. There are certain needs you can not help me with,” he smiled mischievously.

She flushed pink. She helped him up and insisted that he stay off the leg as much as possible and let his weight lean on her. She silently thanked the Gods that they made Sebeceans a strong race. She thought back to Crichton and had to smile. The human had such funny notions about females. She had tried to explain that Sebaceans had at least three times the strength of humans but he had not listened to her. Her musings nearly let Crais bump into the wall of the Refresher, “Sorry, Crais, my thoughts were wandering.”

He nodded in understanding. He didn’t take long and took to his bed again.

“We have to do something to get Talyn’s hull repaired or at least the propulsion drive. We are vulnerable left here in the open. The two raiders boarding us proved that,” said Crais worriedly.

“There is not much we can do until Talyn recovers sufficiently enough.”

Crais was lost in thought for moment, “Have you been able to see if the main console, in particular the star-charts, is in working order?”

She looked at him questioningly, “I think they are in working order. Why? You are not suggesting going to the Command Centre, are you?”

His mouth twitched into a smile, “And risk being knocked out by you? No, I’m not but if it is working I should be able to access it from here. If that is all right with you?”

“Anything in particular you are looking for?”

“Yes, for a planet nearby where Talyn can recuperate and may be repaired. I don’t know in which part of the Quadrant we have turned up.”

He didn’t wait for her answer but used his link to start accessing. The Starburst had thrown them a fair distance in the Uncharted Territories, in an area that was not familiar to Crais. He wondered how long it had taken Aeryn to find them and how long he and Talyn had been out cold. He opened his eyes and turned to her, “How long ago did you leave Moya?”

She was surprised by his question, “Nearly two weekens, why?”

Crais looked thoughtful, “Before you boarded, only less then a Solar day had passed since I regained consciousness. This leg was still bleeding when I woke up and from the impression I got from Talyn no more a Solar day had passed then. Had it been two weekens that we had been out, the blood would have dried, the wound mended and Talyn in a much more panicked state.”

“Are you saying you traversed the distance in a little over a Solar day,” she asked incredulously.

“I’m not just saying it, I believe we did. I don’t know if it was due to the slingshot effect, which we know of in theory but never have been able to prove or that we must have entered the Wormhole Crichton and Scorpius passed through earlier. It must have been either one.

“What gives you that impression?”

“Talyn!” When she saw her confused expression, he said, “Talyn lost consciousness briefly too but can not recollect having travelled a long distance neither is there any indication to the contrary. Slingshot or Wormhole is the only plausible explanation.”

He closed his eyes again and this time used the scanners to search for a planet nearby on which to land Talyn. He found two but each was at least a Solar day away even if they had propulsion.

“We have a small problem, we are too far away to…” He remembered something T’Rak had said before Aeryn had disposed of the scavenger. “Aeryn, there might be a chance. One of the men had said earlier that they could tow Talyn. They must have something on board their ship to make this possible and if they have, we can use it to tow Talyn to one the planets.”

Aeryn nodded but pushed him firmly back on the bed, “You rest! I’ll have a look.”

He felt frustrated not being able to have a look for himself but lay back and waited for her to return.

When Aeryn came back she had two makeshift crutches with her. She knew he would be too stubborn to stay in bed, this way he could move about and keep the weight off his leg. The gratitude she saw on his face when he accepted the crutches from her was enough.

The scavengers’ craft had been outfitted with a dampening net which could double up as a tow.

By using this and attaching a cable to the dampening net from a Prowler they should be able to tow Talyn. Crais communicated this to Talyn. Talyn had once before been subjected to a dampening net and the mere mention of it send both him and Crais into convulsions. With some effort Crais took control and got through to the youngster. He assured Talyn that once they had him safely on the planet they would release the dampening net but that it was imperative that they use it to tow him there, there was no other way.

The other question was, could they lift him off the planet afterwards if Talyn had not been able to do this himself? Crais used a closer scan on the planets. One of the two seemed to have a highly developed technology and the cities seemed large and densely populated. Chances that would find the help they needed for Talyn on this planet was high.

Crais took the scavengers’ craft and applied the dampening net. For a brief moment he could feel Talyn panic but with his reassurance the youngster calmed down and Crais couldn’t feel the link anymore. He quickly disengaged before the effects of the net would affect him too.

From the view port he saw Aeryn keep the Prowler stationary while she left the craft to attach the cable to the net. Once she was back on board, they slowly towed Talyn to the designated planet. Before entering the planet’s atmosphere, Aeryn switched the cable which held Talyn from the front to the back to enable them to ease Talyn down gently and on even keel.

Crais looked for a wooded area to land. This way they could conceal Talyn. He hoped they had drifted in slowly enough to escape detection for the moment.

Once Talyn was settled on the ground Crais deployed the net and disengaged Privacy mode. Talyn came back to him as if awakening from a deep sleep. It was happy to rest for now.

It was agreed that the next day Aeryn would use the pod to try and get help in the nearest city while Crais stayed on board and took a rest as well. He nodded in acquiescence. It had been quite tiring for him too. He showed her the secret compartment in his quarters. He had a small cache of credits there and hoped it would be sufficient to pay for the repairs.

Part 4: Resolve

When Aeryn returned the next day she had a smile on her face. She had made discreet inquiries and had found someplace where they were willing to come and repair Talyn. The credits, she was assured, would cover the costs and there would still some left.

She said thoughtful, “It might be best if you stayed in your quarters while they are repairing Talyn. I thought it wise not to tell who Talyn’s Captain or Pilot was.”

“You did well. When will they be here?”

“Tomorrow morning.” She changed the subject, “I bought some food, care to have some?”

He nodded and followed her to the galley. She glanced over. He seemed to get used to the crutches even though a sheen of sweat covered his brow. “You all right Crais?”

He growled in the affirmative.

She had bought some fresh food and set about preparing it. He watched her and found it strangely comforting. The meal she had prepared was simple but nice and beat food cubes.

He looked over his plate at her, “So, what are your plans?”

She looked at her plate, avoiding his eyes, “Get Talyn back into space, stay here, have the baby, raise it.”

“Officer… Aeryn, I still believe that Crichton…”

“Crais…” she growled deeply.

“…has a right…” he continued undaunted.

“You are threading dangerous ground here. Can’t you drop the subject?”

“…to know you are with child,” he finished calmly.

She jumped up, swept the plates off the table, grabbed his collar and pulled him close, “Haven’t you listened to what I’ve said?”

Other than a small wince he returned her angry gaze calmly, “Yes, I have and I have listened to what you have left unsaid!”

She let go of his collar. He sat back and adjusted his tunic. “I can hear the fear in your voice when I mention that you might still love him.” For a moment he feared that her anger would flare up again but she sat down. He continued, “I can hear the regret in your voice for not telling him about the child and leaving him. What makes you believe that you will be happy with us?”

“I am not going back to Crichton, if that is what you are implying.”

“It’s only that I don’t want you to regret…”

“Who’s talking about regret? I don’t regret anything,” she nearly shouted at him.

“Aren’t you? (she glared at him) Then why are you shouting at me every time I mention Crichton…”

“I’m not shouting at you…” she shouted.

He cocked his head.

She lowered her voice, “You’re right, I am shouting but it is not because…”

“Isn’t it? Everything on Talyn reminds you of John. That’s why you want to be aboard. That way you don’t have to face the flesh and blood John.”

“He’s not the same…” she started weakly.

“He is the same John, just with different memories!” When he saw her starting to protest, he said, “Would you have stopped loving him and let him stop loving you if he had lost his memory in some accident?”

“No, but…”

“…or if he got lost for an intermittent length of time?”

“No, but…”

“Then why?”

Her face turned red with anger, “If you would just let me finish instead of jumping on your high horse… (Crais lifted an eyebrow “horse?” Aeryn saw Crais’ face. He’d never got the hang of Earth-speak) …morals. Making love to this John, accepting him as a father to my child is like making love to his twin, not the same person. I couldn’t do that to John…”

“Aeryn, the John who was on board of Talyn is dead! You keep talking about him in the present! If you don’t want to give this John a chance then speak of the other in the past!”

Aeryn only just realised what she had been doing, “I still do? (he nodded) I…Oh, Crais…” She broke down sobbing and ran from the room.

He didn’t see her until the next morning. She had locked herself in her quarters and refused to speak to him. She finally stopped by at his quarters to announce that the Techs had arrived. They needed the schematics on Talyn’s Starburst drive and propulsion system in order to fit an artificial limb to him. Accessing Talyn’s database he provided it for her. She took it without comment and left.

The experience to get Talyn’s fin fitted was unpleasant at best for both the Leviathan and Crais. He lay on his bed, gripping the sheets tightly. He could have engaged Privacy mode but Talyn was panicking as it was. He had hoped that Aeryn would have come to ask how Talyn was coping since she had “forgotten” to take a comm. with her.

When she finally dropped by, about four arns after she had left, she found him weak, sweating and on the brink of passing out. Concern filled her face and she moved over to his bed, “Crais, what’s wrong?”

Crais opened his eyes with an effort, “Could you ask them to anaesthetise Talyn,” he said in agonised gasps, “He is a sentient being and the way they are… operating on him causes him… us great distress.” He swallowed once.

“Why don’t you disengage?”

“And let Talyn trash them in his pain and panic?” He closed his eyes briefly, “There is another way. There is a panel in the aft section closer to his fins which has another release lever to pass Chromextin into Talyn. Maybe the added dose will make it more bearable.”

She left the room quickly. Shortly thereafter ship and master felt the soothing effects. When Aeryn returned she found Crais asleep.

It took the Techs, nearly a weeken to fit Talyn with a temporarily propulsion and Starburst drive. In that time Crais was barely conscious for more than a brief period. By the end of that weeken Aeryn had disengaged the second Chromextin flood, thereby waking up Crais and Talyn.

She walked into his quarters when he was stirring awake. He was very weak and she had to help him drink.

“How is Talyn,” she asked.

“He’s feeling better now and resting. He can feel the operation nearing completion.” He hardly had the strength to keep his eyes open, “How are you?”

She knew what he was referring to but chose to ignore it, “That’s supposed to be my line.” She looked at his leg. The enforced rest seemed to have healed the wound, at least on the outside. When she looked at him again to comment on it she found he had drifted off into a normal sleep.

During the next two Solar Days, the Techs were putting the final touches on the fin and advised her to let the Leviathan rest for a couple of days before they would come back and test it.

Talyn was resting and feeling less painful while Crais was recuperating.

For the test Aeryn flew Talyn manually. She had taken one of the small comm.-links with her, the receiver fitted almost invisibly in her ear. Through this Crais was able to relay Talyn’s performance and feelings to her. The propulsion was working and the Starburst might be only for a limited distance but at least they could be on their way again. It was a pity that the credits did not extend to gunnery but that was of minor importance for the moment.

The artificial limb was grafted like overlapping scales and could be shed individually, enabling Talyn to shed portions of it while he was regenerating a new limb. All in all a beautiful creation of ingenuity.

Finally Crais allowed himself to disengage the transponder. The change was almost instant. He couldn’t shake the weakness immediately for being linked for so long to a drugged Leviathan but his eyes regained their focus. Aeryn had to help him to the Refresher and then settled him down to eat.

She had made a vegetable broth and fed him. He had been stubborn enough to decline her help earlier on and it had only resulted into another trip to the Refresher.

“I have been thinking,” she said absentmindedly while feeding him another spoonful, “about what you said last weeken.”

He listened carefully.

She took a deep breath and put the bowl down, “Could you ask Talyn to find and contact Moya. He might not be the same John Crichton but he is as close as.” Her mouth twitched into a smile which did not reach her eyes he noticed, “You are right. I could never be completely happy here on Talyn if I don’t get this thing straightened out with John first. I admit, I was afraid that I might find this John still as attractive as a mate as I felt for the other John. I felt that in a way I was betraying the memory of the other. I had a whole weeken to think about it and in the end it will be better if I gave it a try first.”

She looked away from him. When she looked back, she said, “Why couldn’t you have talked some sense into me before we blew up the Command Carrier? Why did we have to wait so long?”

He looked at her sadly, “Would you have listened to me then? I tried telling you on Valdon but then the pain was still too raw. After that your mind was set. I would have liked you to reconcile with John before joining us but even on the Command Carrier there was nothing I could have said to change your mind. I’m glad you will be reconsidering. You will always have a home here if things don’t work out between you and John, and for your child. You are sure you want to try?”

She nodded.

He closed his eyes and communicated with Talyn who was only too happy to contact his mother. For long moments nothing happened and despite her earlier thoughts and feeling, Aeryn was anxious to hear the answer.

A feeling of dread and panic came over her when she heard Crais say, “Are you sure the scanners are not malfunctioning Talyn? Can you check again, please! Use a different wavelength.”

Crais opened his eyes and looked at her in shock, “Talyn has lost all contact with Moya. He can’t find her on any wavelength, short or long range scanners. Either we are in another galaxy or she is not in this galaxy any more!”

THE END

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FanFiction on Captain Bialar Crais