SquidgeWorld Archive

"OF MICE AND MEN"
A "Farscape" story
Written by Alison M. DOBELL
AlisonMDobell@aol.com  
http://www.carlajane.50megs.com/Ali00.html 

Aeryn met the transport pod and frowned when only D'Argo and Rygel got out of it. "Where are John and Chiana?"

"They are still on the planet surface..." Began D'Argo.

"What? Are you completely fahrbot? You left John and Chiana down on the planet? ALONE?"

D'Argo frowned, annoyed. "It was not by choice. John got lost."

Aeryn rolled her eyes and took a couple of steps away from him to master her temper. She turned back to him with eyes flashing. "Of all the stupid, dumb, idiotic, bartantic..."

"*I* did not get lost, Aeryn..."

"No, you did the next best thing!"

For a moment there was utter silence. Rygel stayed silent. He had no desire to get involved in this particular brawl.

"And what is that supposed to mean?"

"It means you left *Mr never looks where he's going* with *Miss how much dren can I get into before anyone spoils my fun*, that's what you did."

Anger ran hot through D'Argo's veins at the criticism implying it was his fault. "I HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH IT!"

Aeryn turned her anger on Rygel. "And just what were you doing, your eminence? Stuffing your face or leering at the local women?"

"Neither and if you want to lay the blame anywhere try that defective human of yours."

"He's not mine!"

"Well you could have fooled me."

She glared at him. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means anyone can see how you lead him around by the mivonks and don't pretend you don't know *exactly* what I mean. Innocence does not become you, Peace Keeper!"

"I am no longer a Peace Keeper."

"And I am no longer having this conversation."

Before she could think of anything else to say the Dominar glided away on his thronesled. Aeryn looked at D'Argo to see that he was giving her a level look, warning her that he would not accept any more outbursts on the subject. "John and Chiana are going to pick up supplies. They will then get Pilot to pinpoint their location so I can go back down and pick them up."

Aeryn said nothing. D'Argo gave her a few microts then said. "Unless you wish to take the pod down?"

She thought about that then nodded. Accepting the olive branch. Satisfied, D'Argo turned to walk away when Aeryn spoke. He paused. "I am sorry I blamed you, D'Argo. It is just that I was so angry with John."

He nodded. "As I am with Chiana."

She looked at him for a microt then gave him the merest ghost of a smile. "You could always come down with me in the transport pod, then we could both give them a peace of our minds."

D'Argo grinned. "I would like that."

* * * * *

It was weird the way these things worked out. One microt they were browsing among the coloured stalls the next a fight had broken out over hezmana knew what. All Crichton knew for sure was that some reslac crazed greebol was hitting on Chiana and for once she was not interested. In fact, she looked scared stiff. Without stopping to wonder at her reaction, Crichton waded in on instinct. Pure. Unadulterated. Painful. Human instinct. He should have asked Chiana first. But no he had to play the hero. The guy in the white hat. The last one to draw in a shootout but the one who never missed. <Oh yeah, Dad. What they don't tell you is that in real life the bad guy is *always* faster than you are> The blows fell thick and fast, rendering him a semi-conscious blur in microts. He lay flat on his back in the dry dust, unaware that his opponent was stripping his pulse gun off him and anything else he had of value. What had happened to Chiana he never knew because shortly after that he passed out.

* * * * *

The transport pod landed bang on time. Aeryn scowled at the dust bowl and gave D'Argo a look that summed up how low this planet came on her scale of dren. He did not respond, his eyes already scanning the endless stalls for any sign of their wayward companions. He could feel himself getting even more irritated.

"They are late!" He growled, barely suppressing his anger.

"What did you expect, D'Argo? This is John and Chiana we are talking about."

He grunted something unintelligible and they decided to wait for half an arn. After that they would go and look for them.

Less than five hundred dench away Chiana watched the transport land but did not dare to make a move towards it. They were watching her too closely. Her eyes flicked over to where Crichton lay. He was still out cold and no longer had his boots or belt on, but at least they had left him his clothes. He was going to ache in every place that moved when he woke up so maybe it was just as well he was not conscious. She considered her predicament. The Kiandi Raglan miners spent nine tenths of their life below ground, the other ten per cent looking for ways to get back underground. That so many of them were here meant that they were looking for a new place to mine which meant they were grouchy, quick tempered and usually as horny as hell. Chiana just so happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Lust laden eyes crawled all over her body while they played cards to establish who would go first.

It was not that which bothered her. Sure, she hated being pawed unless she initiated the pass or went along with it but this was something else. She recognised the big man, Hexin. Fortunately to him all Nebari looked the same and he had not recognised her. Did not know that she remembered the time he had betrayed her brother Nerri. Twenty cycles ago and it all felt like yesterday. She flicked a glance at Crichton and felt a stab of regret for getting him into this. If she had kept her cool he would not have felt impelled to leap in to her defence. It was the worst possible thing he could have done but he was not to know that. She turned her head to find Hexin watching her, a dirty smile on his face and a flicker in his eye. The card game paused while all heads turned to see what he was looking at. Chiana felt undressed. Not that nudity embarrassed her but their attention did. She forced herself to show no reaction. Hexin leered at her.

"You make a pretty prize. When he wakes up we will let him watch."

Her eyes widened in alarm. "No, don't do that! Let him go."

They started to laugh, amused at her reaction. "Why should you care,
tralk?"

"He's my friend."

"Then perhaps we can teach him something." Said another miner, his hand slipping down her throat and starting to slide slowly over her bodice, outlining her breasts. Hexin knocked his hand away angrily.

"Play! You have not earned the right to touch!"

The man, Gezrik, snarled at him but played his hand. The circle settled back into the game. Chiana wondered how she was going to get them out of this when Crichton started to stir. Inwardly she groaned. Of all the times for him to wake it had to be now.

His groan turned heads again, the men laughed and continued playing cards. Hexin kept a watchful eye, Crichton's pulse gun in his lap. Crichton tried to sit up but kept seeing stars. He closed his eyes and did not move for a microt. Chiana wanted to go to him to see if he was alright but she had her hands and feet tied and was not close enough to reach him. The game abruptly came to an end and the men watched Hexin get up and go over to the waking human. Chiana was about to say something but one of the men shook his head at her as if he had read her mind. She bit her bottom lip. Hexin dragged Crichton into a sitting position. He had a few creative bruises and would be sporting some very colourful lumps come morning but at least he was not bleeding and was still in one piece. So far.

"Hey, what's...what's going on?"

Hexin crouched down and looked him in the eye. "You were interferring."

Crichton forced his eyes to stay open, squinting at him through the brightness of the planet's sun. "I was?"

He nodded. "The female is ours. For as long as we want her. You agree to this?"

His eye flicked to Chiana. She was trying to shake her head, tell him not to interfere. Whether he understood her meaning or misinterpreted it to say she would never allow them to touch her she never knew. He looked at Hexin, then looked slowly at all of the miners before deciding Hexin was the main guy. "You speak for all of them?"

The Kiandi Raglan miner seemed amused. "I speak, they listen."

Crichton nodded carefully. <Okay, alpha male> "The female is with me."

Chiana was relieved he did not say her name. Hexin shook his head and prodded Crichton with the gun. "You do not understand, no-say. I beat you, she is mine."

"Uh uh, doesn't work like that, pal. She goes with who she wants to go with. You don't just force yourself on her."

"Then perhaps you should show us."

His jaw dropped. "W...what?"

"You say she is your female."

"No, I said she's with me."

"There is no difference."

"Yeah, there is. It means she can decide for herself. She's not my slave and I'm not hers. We're equals. Friends."

The miners laughed. Chiana felt more and more uncomfortable. She had seen these things get real ugly real fast. "It's okay, John. I don't mind."

He turned to look at her, anger washing over his gentle features. "The hell you don't! I saw your face and so did they. No way, Pip."

Hexin looked at the human for a microt. "You are strange for a Sebacean."

He was about to say *I'm not a Sebacean, I'm human* but the look on Chiana's face stopped him just in time. What the hell was going on? What in hezmana was wrong with this picture? Chiana turned her face towards Hexin and smiled. "We could go somewhere more comfortable. Private."

"No. Here. Now."

He was starting to undo his belt, the other miners drawing back so he could have room. Crichton tried to get up but it was difficult with his hands and feet tied. Seeing his efforts Hexin tapped his forehead. "You watch and learn. *This* is how it should be done."

Chiana shrank back as Hexin moved towards her. Crichton yelled, unable to think of anything else he could do. "Take your filthy drenfilled hands off her!"

Hexin spun round and struck him in the face. Already having trouble balancing Crichton landed on his side. Hexin nodded to the nearest miner who dragged him back into a sitting position and held him there. "You will watch until I say you can look away. Then I will kill you and eat your entrails!"

The miner did not have the chance to make good on his threat. At that moment all hell broke loose, rapid pulse fire cutting up the little group and sending the miners scurrying for cover as they tried to return fire. Crichton recognised D'Argo's angry roar and knew that if D'Argo was there it was a good chance that Aeryn was too. He had never been more grateful to see anyone. Four of the miners died before they could return fire, the rest fled. D'Argo would have gone after them but Aeryn stopped him. "Forget them, D'Argo. Help me untie Chiana and John then let's get out of here before they come back with more of their friends."

He nodded but kept an eye out, swiftly untying Chiana. Aeryn took her time untying Crichton. She looked at the bruises darkening on his face and arms, taking in his general appearance.

"Come on, Aeryn, untie me."

"I don't know if that is wise."

"What? Of course it's wise, Aeryn. Let's get out of here."

She glanced back at D'Argo who was checking that Chiana was unhurt. "I think he'd be less trouble if we carried him back."

D'Argo grinned. Crichton felt embarrassed. No way did he want to return to Moya like a sack of frelling potatoes. Chiana resisted the urge to join in. "Untie him, D'Argo. John got in this mess because of me."

The Luxan gave her a level look. "Why am I not surpised to hear that, Chiana?" He said in soft admonishment.

She tilted her head away from him and he huffed then helped her stand up. "Come on Aeryn, untie John and let's go."

She nodded and untied the rope, noticing he was barefoot. She frowned down at his feet. "What happened to your boots?"

He frowned back. "Don't ask."

"And where is your belt?"

"Aeryn.... We need to get out of here."

She flicked Chiana and Crichton a look then accompanied them back to the landing pod. D'Argo did a quick pre-flight check then lifted off. Aeryn pinned Crichton with a look. "Now. I want to know *exactly* what happened."

Back on Moya everybody had plenty of advice about what Crichton and Chiana *should* have done. It was late before everyone had enjoyed their fair share of digs. D'Argo left with Chiana, he wanted to make sure in no uncertain terms that she remembered where her loyalties lay. Aeryn insisted on Zhaan checking Crichton over.

"You will be sore for a few weekens, John, but no bones are broken."

"Thank you, Zhaan."

She inclined her head graciously and handed Aeryn a pot of ointment for his bruises then watched as they left, their voices drifting back along the corridor as Aeryn began to lecture Crichton as he shuffled painfully off to his quarters. For all her harsh words, Aeryn had an arm around his waist and their heads were close together, Aeryn's voice becoming softer until she could not hear their words at all. Zhaan smiled and put her things away.

Once in his quarters, Aeryn insisted on helping him get undressed. He felt weary but oddly content. The presence of a certain former Peace Keeper might have had something to do with it. She made him take off his shirt then sat next to him and started to gently apply the ointment on the ugly bruises that covered almost every microdench of his visible body. She was unhappy to see how badly he had been beaten but pleased at the way he did not complain about it. Sometimes he could be such a child. At other times he made her so proud of him. "How did you get into this fight? You should have walked away."

He bit back a sigh, tried not to flinch as her hard fingers gently rubbed the ointment in a particularly nasty bruise. "I couldn't Aeryn. I had to defend Chiana's honour."

Aeryn snorted, she could not help herself. "Chiana has no honour."

"Hey, that's not fair Aeryn."

She saw the way her words had pained him and was sorry, she was also puzzled. "Chiana is a tralk, John."

She said the words gently but they still struck him like another blow. Sometimes she thought she would never understand him. He put a hand gently over the hand annointing him. Aeryn paused and waited.

"No she's not, Aeryn," He said softly. "She's a friend and she was in trouble."

His words touched her deeply. Summed up better than anything else what was so special about this human. This quality of his, this ability to fly in the face of all the facts and to see the good in all people. It frustrated her and sometimes annoyed her but it was so Crichton. A gift he gave without thinking. She leaned in closer and brushed her lips against his. She felt his heart flutter against her breast and prised her tongue along the curve of his mouth. Then the kiss deepened and everything ceased to matter except the present. Her whole world condensed into this microt. Past, present and future all meaningless without him to share it. She eased him onto his back and slid on top of him, feeling the air squeeze out of him as he hitched slightly with pain. Aeryn eased off him a little but his hand drifted into the small of her back to guide her back again. He would take whatever dren the Uncharted Territories could throw at him, endure any pain, any hardship for this. Aeryn was every star in his sky. The one thing that made his existence worthwhile.

The com burst into life. It was Rygel. He sounded concerned. "John, Pilot is burning up. He is starting to act very erratic."

Crichton and Aeryn continued to kiss for a few microts, getting a little erratic themselves. Crichton brushed the hair from Aeryn's face as he replied, his eyes never leaving Aeryn's. His heart and soul laid bare for her to do with them as she pleased. "Don't worry, Rygel. Tell Zhaan."

"But he's acting so......so odd!"

Crichton smiled. Aeryn smiled back and started to kiss his eyes, his cheeks, his jawline. He closed his eyes and trembled slightly. Close to bliss just to have her in his arms. He wanted to love her and never let her go. He forced himself to remember that Rygel was waiting for a
reply. "Don't worry, Buckwheat."

"Don't worry? That's easy for you to say..."

"It's just his hormones. You know. Puberty. Coming of age."

"Hormones?"

Crichton chuckled, kissed Aeryn again, so deeply that it took her breath away. He pulled away briefly to speak. "Don't knock it till you've tried it, Rygel." He murmured.

"What the yotz..."

He never heard what else the Hynerian wanted to say because Aeryn took his com badge and tossed it across the room. In D'Argo's quarters a similar situation was unfolding between the Luxan and the Nebari. In command Rygel looked somewhat bemused. "Hormones?"

He did not hear Zhaan come into command. Her soft voice surprised him.
"Yes, Rygel. Hormones."

Just then the planet they were passing was bathed in solar flares. Zhaan closed her eyes in bliss and a beautific look suffused her features. Rygel watched her photocasm with his mouth open. He closed it very slowly, understanding dawning. "Hormones." His voice almost had a sneer in it. Would have had if he did not feel a twinge of jealously. Instead, it ended up tinged with something very like wonder. It only occurred to the Hynerian later that it was not only Zhaan who reacted positively to solar flare activity.

END