SquidgeWorld Archive

Chapter Text

He was angry, fury boiling in his veins with an unquiet fire. The flames of his ire running rumpant until he could barely contain it. Talyn was silent until they emerged from the latest starburst. You did not tell him

"Of course I didn't tell him, Talyn. I am *not* stupid."

The leviathan did not comment on the last part of that sentence. John asked you not to do this

"I know."

A pause. He would not approve

Crais bit back his anger, forced himself to calm down enough so that he did not flood the leviathan with his all consuming rage. "That is why I did not tell him."

A long silence ensued between them. Talyn did not question his motives, he already knew and shared his outrage at what Scorpius had done to Crichton. The cruelty, the unremitting pursuit of the human. It was as Crichton had said, it would not end until one of them was dead. Crais wanted to ensure it was Scorpius who died. A thought occurred to the leviathan. We are not coming back, are we?

Silence. A tremor of emotion rippled through the gunship. Worry. Concern. At last Crais responded. His anger only a shadow of the dark ruin that had raged through his heart and soul microts before. It had solidified into something else. Something much more deadly. A cold detatched anger that he could wield like a weapon. He was now back in control of himself and
it felt good. Empowering even. He knew the feeling of power was an illusion augmented by the adrenalin flowing through his veins. Everything was settling down again now. Calm was returning to the eye of the storm. He needed to think, to plot, to plan, then execute with all the fiery passion of his intellect and Talyn's weaponry. He could not afford to underestimate the half-Scarran. "You do not want to do this, do you Talyn?"

He felt the ship quake a little then become steady. No. I think it is suicide but if you need to do this, I need to be with you

"Even if it ends in your death?" He asked quietly.

Talyn shuddered. Yes. You are part of me now and where you go, I go

His answer moved Crais. He ran a hand along a console, a gesture of love and affection that pleased the leviathan. "My only regret is dragging you into this."

No. I willingly go where you go

"This will be the hardest fight we have ever fought. You understand this?"

Yes

He paused for several microts, searching for the words to say what was in his deepest heart. "You understand *why* I must do this, don't you Talyn?"

The answer was gentle, soothing, loving. Yes. To protect John

Tears pricked his eyes. He hung his head for a microt. When he raised his head again his cheeks were wet. "He has suffered so much Talyn and he does not deserve this." Anger flared and spilled out briefly from his control. "I am going to end it even if I have to tear down the stars around Scorpius to do it. I swear on my oath, on my honour, that I will see that abomination die before I make any move to return to Moya!"

What her son thought about that was never expressed. Talyn remained silent, his connection to Crais like an umbical chord. Gently Talyn fed him calming thoughts. Gradually the fire in Crais diminished in intensity but not in heat. He cradled that heat, nurtured it and nursed it to feed his hatred. Talyn was concerned for him. Worried that he would lose control at a critical time. Vowed to do all in his power to see that what Crais wanted came to pass but part of him wanted, desired, longed and hoped to be able to save him from the fate he planned for Scorpius. He did not know what would become of them but he knew this. They would be together and for Talyn that was all that really mattered in the end.

* * * * *

Life aboard Moya had slipped back into the numbing sensation of routine. In some ways the past had never happened. The future would never be. All they had was now. D'Argo for once was happy that it should be so. Chiana was not used to him being this calm for this long. "Are you just going to sit there?"

He looked at her. Not even a glare! She frowned and tilted her head in a jerky angular movement.

"Chiana, this is the rest cycle."

"Every microt aboard Moya is the *rest cycle*, D'Argo."

He hid a sigh. "Your point being?"

Her head tilted the other way. "I'm bored. I want something to happen!"

D'Argo got to his feet. He was not having this conversation. "Your boredom is not my concern."

She darted in front of him, her face intent, her body taking on a teasing aspect. Anything to divert the Luxan and give her something to do. "Come on, D'Argo. Let's you and me go find somewhere and see what we can come up with to occupy ourselves."

He snorted slowly with disgust. "Is that *all* you can think about?"

Amusement skated in her eyes. "No, but it has to be better than staring at a plate of food cubes."

"On that at least we can agree."

Her eyes lit up. "Then you'll...."

"No, Chiana, I will not." He paused as he made for the door. "But that is not to say I do not like being asked." He added in a vaguely seductive tone.

Only after he had disappeared from sight did his words hit home. Chiana flung back her head and laughed. When she stopped laughing she looked at her own plate of food cubes and made a face.

* * * * *

She found him in the transport hangar, tinkering with that frelling piece of space dren he called his module. Aeryn paused to watch him for a while. So intent and focused on what he was doing that he did not know she was there. She loved these microts when she could observe him unawares and drink in everything that made this peculiar human so precious to her. Irreversibly contaminated. The term made her smile now, other meanings shining deep in her lustrous black eyes. They were all contaminated now. All because of one man.

Aeryn walked over to the Farscape 1, Crichton's head bent down inside the cockpit as he stood on the top of the rungs to get access to what he wanted. Aeryn could see what she wanted but there were DRDs all over the place. Little thrumming and bleeping biomechanoids that would have driven her to distraction but for the odd taint of humanity given to them by Crichton. What was it about this human that he had to affect everything and everyone he came into contact with? Could it be that he was not a man at all? Not a *human* creature but some other equally exotic lifeform? A virus perhaps? A contaminant lose among the Uncharted Territories looking for hosts to infect and corrupt to his idiotic cause? Her smile widened at the sheer scale of her fantasy. Another gift from Crichton. Imagination. She said it was pointless, an idle firing of random thoughts that simply wasted time and energy. He said it was part of the magic that made humans what they were. Magic.

He looked up and turned to pick up another tool then saw Aeryn. His face broke into a wreath of smiles, pleasure lighting up his eyes and making her heart ache. "Hey, sunshine. You come to help?"

She smiled warmly back and stepped up to him. "Only if you promise to help me with my prowler afterwards."

A tiny frown settled on his face. "Something wrong with the prowler?"

She did not want to lie outright to him. To admit that it was just an excuse. "I just want to check it over. Make sure everything is at optimum efficiency."

He nodded. Yep, that was Aeryn. "Okay then, hand me that wrench."

She looked at the odd assortment of tools and picked the right one. This might all be alien to her, as he was, but she was a quick learner and had an excellent memory. Especially if it was something she wanted to remember.

* * * * *

He was tired but so keyed up he could not have rested had he tried. Why was it that when you were running from someone, trying to hide your presence, they seemed to lurk behind every frelling asteroid? Yet when you wanted to turn from hunted to hunter you found yourself eating vapor trails conjured up out of the imagination? Where the yotz was that bartantic half-breed
abomination anyway? He sighed and paused in his pacing just as Talyn dimmed the lights. He looked up, his eyes roaming across the ceiling and around the sleek vessel. "Talyn, what is happening? Why are the lights so dim?"

You need to rest

"I am fine, Talyn. Please restore the lights to their former illumination."

When you have slept

He raised jet black brows. "Talyn..."

Rest. I will keep watch, keep searching. You gain nothing by being exhausted for no good reason

He was about to argue but the leviathan was right. "Very well, Talyn. But you will wake me the moment you pick up anything on your sensors."

Yes

Satisfied he made his way to a pod bay and was about to climb on to it when Talyn's admonishment rippled gently through the neural link. You do not need your clothes

"I am tired, Talyn."

Yes, and I can soothe you

Crais sighed then relented. It would be a blessing and something of a comfort to allow Talyn to caress him to sleep. A little smile teased the darkness from his face. "Very well, Talyn."

He undressed carefully and folded his clothes then climbed up onto the pod bay and lay down on his back, his eyes closing as he sighed at the warmth thrumming up through the biomechanoid skin sheath that was his bed. Talyn soothed him with his song, so quiet initially that it took a few microts for it to register. The notes lapping at his consciousness and beginning to calm him. One of Talyn's appendages snaked up over the lip to attach to the side of his neck, the nutrients and chemicals both soothing and feeding him. Warm fleshy tendrils slid over his chest and abdomen caressing him and easing away the stress that was his current enemy. He thought of Crichton. His lover. His friend. Talyn picked up his thoughts and amplified the images inside Crais's head. Memories so tender that they spanned his heart with a bridge of sighs. He was so tired. The anger that was fueling his mission began to abate as weariness took its' toll. Gently Talyn held and caressed him, sending him to sleep with images of the human's gentle face. Drawn inexorably into the clear blue eyes that he would gladly die for.

* * * * *

There was nothing actually wrong with Aeryn's prowler but she liked to tinker with it, fuss over the components, try to trim every response to optimum efficiency. Crichton understood her passion for the craft for he felt the same way about the Farscape 1. Once they had checked the exterior Aeryn climbed into the pilot seat and Crichton slid in behind her. She hid a little smile and began to check her instruments. Crichton opened his mouth to say something and froze. A sloppy smile washed over his face, his eyes sparking with unsung humour. "Wait a microt, we have been here before Aeryn."

Aeryn pretended to misunderstand. "What the frell are you talking about? Of course we've been here before. This is the transport bay."

"No, no, you don't understand Aeryn." He paused, closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. His senses reeling as he was swept along by her scent mingling with a mix of exotic aromas that was doing weird things to his insides. He slowly leaned in to feel the silk of her hair on his face.

"What are you doing?"

"Your hair..."

"What about my hair?"

"You scented it again."

"So?"

He pulled back slightly, now running his hands through the luxurious fall of black shining strands. He loved her hair. Loved her. The scent was simply heightening his awareness of her and firing off a deepening desire that he could not control. Oh man, Aeryn, you are killing me here

"John?"

"Mmm?"

Aeryn turned so she could see him clearly, saw the lovelight illuminating his face, his eyes shining with such feeling that she caught her breath knowing he would surely catch her. She did not know who kissed who first, but the next thing she knew they were melting into each other, lips burning a trail of fire everywhere they touched. The cockpit was not very spacious but for once Aeryn did not want space. She wanted the human close and she wanted to tease and excite him, to show him how much she loved him without the possibility of their being interrupted. Above all she wanted to recreate that first time she had scented her hair for him and the delicious wonderful feeling it had given her to know it had driven him crazy with desire. Oh Zhaan She thought. I definitely owe you more than I can repay

* * * * *

Dominar Rygel XVI looked for a long time at the portrait in his converted cell. It had been poorly painted until Zhaan had *improved* on it and the vision of a regal image of himself was a source of both pain and comfort. Pain because it reminded him of all he had lost and comfort because he liked to see himself in just such a manner. This time he did not go into a rage or shove the painting away where he could not see it. This time he wanted to ruminate on everything that had happened to him since he was usurped by his unworthy cousin. Caught napping indeed! Anger slow and unforgiving burned thick in his veins. He had been too long on the leviathan. Too long among lesser species whose only thoughts had been on their own pathetic little struggles for survival. Yes, he wanted to survive as much as they did, but he had a destiny. Billions looked to him to lead the way. He felt a stab of guilt because he had been getting far too comfortable among this ship of convicts and losers.

He could not take his eyes off the painting, his brow ridge drooping as he reviewed the recent past. His mind racing through a hundred possible actions he could take but none of them would bring him closer to reclaiming his throne. He had been foolish thinking the others would understand. That they would even respect him. No. To them he was a joke. Someone to sneer at and look down on. Always underestimating him and seldom supporting him. On his home planet they would have been flogged then executed for a tenth of the things they had done or said to him. And they were his *friends*. He sighed. He had done it. He had finally found a way to make himself feel even more depressed than before.

* * * * *

Zhaan finished her meditation and raised her serene face, eyes closed and touching the bliss that always enveloped her when she reached that tranquil state that connected her most closely to the Goddess. A smile radiated from her beautiful features. Slowly she stood up and put her robe back on. She was still smiling when Pilot contacted her. "Zhaan?"

"Yes, Pilot?"

"Would you please come to my den?"

A faint brush of worry flitted over her face. "Is something wrong?"

Pilot sounded hesitant. "Not....exactly."

A frown despoiled the timeless serenity of the Delvian P'au. "I'll be right there, Pilot."

"Thank you."

When Zhaan got to Pilot's den she noticed he was looking askance at the controls, his four triple clawed hands hovering over the controls but not touching. Zhaan frowned. "What is it? What's wrong?"

"Uh," He looked up at her. "I'm not sure."

Zhaan reached his side and craned her neck trying to see. "What happened?"

"We are, we are approaching a planet."

"What planet is that?"

For a moment Pilot just looked at her, such stress and tension in his gentle face that Zhaan felt overcome with dread. "My home planet."

Shock registered on the P'au's face. Her blue skin actually paled. She had to lean on the console for support. "Your planet?"

Pilot tilted his head. "Yes."

She detected apprehension, sorrow, alarm and shame. "Surely you would like to see your people again?"

He shook his head. Utter misery in his eyes. "How can I go back?" He whispered in a small voice. "How can I face any of them ever again?"

Zhaan thought quickly. "We do not have to land, Pilot."

"Too late." He said.

"What do you mean, *too late*?"

"Moya has already told them we are here!"

* * * * *

Chiana was bored. Everybody was busy doing something except her. No one seemed to want to be bothered with entertaining a bored Nebari. Even Rygel was completely engrossed in his own company which left her rather at a loose end. There was no fun snurching food as only Rygel had a passion for food cubes and until they hit another commerce planet that would be their food rations for the next few weekens at least. She had thought of annoying Crichton but she could not find him. Aeryn was also not to be found which made her suspicious mind go into overdrive but even that bored her after a few microts. D'Argo was not inclined to help her out of her mood and had gone off with the suggestion that she find something *useful* to do. She had been so mad at him he was lucky not to have his qualta blade shoved sideways down his throat - then switched on.

The image almost made her laugh. Almost but not quite.

She had spotted Zhaan communing with the air again and hurried passed her open door. After a few more microts she found herself alone in command. That was how she came to be the first to see the vessel approaching Moya. Alarmed, Chiana hit the com. Hardly able to keep the panic out of her voice. For there, surfacing out of the mists of the planet they were approaching was the unmistakable sleek lines of a Peace Keeper Command Carrier...