Work Text:
"LIFE, THE UNIVERSE, AND AERYN"
A short "Farscape" story
Written by Alison M. DOBELL
* * * * *
Aeryn stepped out of the landing pod reluctantly. Everything on her face, in her movements, telegraphed how much she disliked this planet. "This is a waste of time, Crichton. There is nothing here."
"That's where you're wrong, Aeryn. It's *all* here."
Aeryn looked around again. What had he seen that she had not? Nothing. Impatience then anger started to stir in her. She wanted to go. He knew she would. She glared at him, annoyed that she had let him talk her into coming with him. The others had refused. They were supposed to be looking for a commerce planet not a world that was erupting in frelling flames. "Tell me, tell me what is on this frelling planet because I can see nothing. It's completely useless and a waste of time coming here."
Crichton smiled at her. "This is a young planet, Aeryn. In a way you could say it's still being born."
She frowned at him. At a loss to explain his strange mood yet he also fascinated her. He saw things none of the others did, had a sense, an awareness of the universe that was a strange mix of childlike wonder and wisdom. It must be a human thing because she had never known another species quite like this one.
For Crichton's part, in his dreams so many secrets lay frozen in time. Insects in amber. All the gifts of his heart he would share with her. Not just the love, the knowledge he carried inside him. Also the wonder, the ability to see things with new eyes, a different perspective. The sheer joy of being alive. The celebration of being able to share it all with another living being. Even better, with one he cared so much about. "It's not a violent universe you know." He said softly.
Aeryn looked at him as if he were completely fahrbot. Correction. Make that magra fahrbot. She pointed out the line of live volcanoes spewing out molten lava and hot black ash. Okay, so it was a long way away from their landing site but she could still feel the heat from here, taste the bitter ashes burning her tongue. The fumes making her nose and mouth dry and irritating her eyes. "What do you call that?"
"Volcanoes, Aeryn. Nature."
She snorted at him in disgust. He chuckled. No matter what the universe threw at him this was always what amazed her most. His ability to take it all in, to analyse it and try to understand. To make sense of the chaos and the madness that she simply accepted. Underlying all that was his
gentleness. The true heart of the man. She had once mistaken it for weakness. Now she recognised it as a quiet strength. Something precious that she could rest in safe from harm. From time to time though her earlier assessment came to the fore and she would look at him as if the human were seriously deranged. She frowned at the nearest volcano, her face reflecting the glowing heat like the sun coming up to him. She did not know that was what he was thinking. She saw only the violence being played out upon a small, desolate, deserted world. "It could destroy us."
He nodded. "Just mother nature making the beds Aeryn."
Her frown deepened. She shook her head. He smiled indulgently at her, knowing the translation microbes would not be able to make any sense of what he had just said. "It's a euphemism for a world being born. What you're seeing is mom rocking the cradle, Aeryn."
Aeryn shook her head. "The volcano is *not* a world, Crichton, and I refuse to be asked to accept this dren."
"No, it's not a world in the sense of being the whole planet." He agreed patiently. His voice mild, not offended. "But it is a world in a smaller sense. It's own little world. The volcano erupts and pushes out all this material it has drawn up from the depths of the planet and ejects it as hot magma, lava, dust. When it all eventually cools new life will emerge from it Aeryn. Out of the seeming chaos a new world is being born."
"Life? How could anything *live* in that?"
"I'm not saying living beings are going to just step out of it whole and unscathed, Aeryn. But it's rich in chemicals, nutrients, the little things that make life possible. It's like when the Nile floods and creates floodplains. From one point of view it's just a flood, wipes out whatever pathetic little structure you try to put up and call home. But go with nature not against her and you see the gift she brings."
Aeryn gave him a doubtful look. "Gift?"
"Yeah. The flood waters retreat, the alluvial plain left behind is rich in nutrients, teaming with life. You plant your crops in that rich soil and you will never grow hungry."
She thought about that. Was moved by his quiet assertion of something that he obviously considered as fact but which still eluded her. "What is this Nile?"
"It's a river back on Earth in a place called Egypt. Egypt was once a mighty civilisation."
"What happened to this E-jit?"
A small smile tugged at his lips. "Egypt, Aeryn. It's called Egpyt." He paused a microt, the smile vanishing to be replaced by sadness. "The same thing that always happens. War."
His words startled her. Getting used to Crichton, learning to appreciate his gentle ways, his need to think things through before acting, his need and ability to understand, had been a long road and the journey was not over yet. It was a voyage of discovery that was oddly captivating. Hearing that there were those on his home planet who did not think like him, who still preferred war, was a sobering thought. She had been judging one planet by her exposure to this one man. This single human. He often baffled her but he never bored her. When she spoke, her voice was quiet. Thoughtful. "Why did you bring me here?"
"To show you this. To share it with you."
She started to frown. "I don't understand. It means nothing to me."
He looked sad but the sadness was tempered by something in his eyes that made her heart falter. "That's why, Aeryn. You see everything in the universe as an obstacle. If you can't hammer it into submission, kill it or eat it you have no time for it. I want you to see it all, to catch all the detail, not just storm through life missing out all the good bits."
Her eyebrows rose at that last comment. Humour, rare and delicious to his starved eye, flickered and illuminated the serious planes of her face. "This is not one of the *good* bits as you call it. This is dren. Frodank. I can't believe I let you talk me into coming down here."
"Aeryn, do you trust me?"
She studied him for a moment. His gentle face serious. Yes, she trusted him. With her life. But she was not yet ready to trust him with her heart. "What has trust got to do with this?"
"Come here, Aeryn, I want to show you something."
"What?" She could not imagine anything he could possibly show her that she had not already seen the moment they landed on this dreadful place.
"I want you to see what I see."
She frowned. "There is nothing wrong with my eyesight, Crichton, but I think you need yours testing."
That cracked a smile on his face. "Please, Aeryn?"
She sighed, caving in. Her look said, *this had better be good*. Crichton sat on a large rounded boulder. Big enough for two. Then guided her to sit just in front of him. He put his arms carefully round her and eased her gently back to rest against his chest. She felt the air stir by her right ear as he whispered gently to her, telling her what he wanted her to do. Willing her to play this game with him. "Now Aeryn, look again at that nearest volcano. Tell me what you see?"
Irritation rose in her but she batted it down. Took a breath and decided to humour him. Just for a few microts. "I see what I saw before. A volcano."
She could almost feel his lips by her ear. It was. Distracting. "Describe it for me."
He felt her tense. "What do you *see* Aeryn?"
"I see the hot lava..."
"What colour is it?"
"It's bright, golden."
"Good, that's good Aeryn." He murmured, stirring more air against the side of her face. Tickling her ear. She felt his hand gently brush her hair back and tried to block out the distraction.
"I see other colours, reds, the black of the ash..."
"What is the ash doing?"
She frowned trying to concentrate as he gently kissed her hair, inhaling her scent while he held her. Gentle but strong. She fought the urge to turn around and face him. "The ash is..." She broke off, trying to recall the word he had used. "spewing out?"
"Good Aeryn, what else?"
"It's like a spray of dark matter and it's got sparks in it. The sparks are red and gold and...." Her voice trailed off, his lips gently caressing her earlobe. "It's incredible..."
He smiled. She felt his smile, his warmth, his goodness. It made her heart ache for him. She turned in his arms and faced him. Her face only inches from his own. Her hand rising to touch a face bathed in golden light, warm to her touch and so beautiful. "Is this why you brought me here?" She whispered.
"Yes."
She traced his smile with her fingers, half closing her eyes as he gently kissed the fingertips one by one. Then she was leaning in closer, her lips stealing a kiss, his hands gently guiding her trajectory as he kissed her back. A perfect docking manoeuvre. His arms slid around her and drew her close, the kiss deepening, two hearts lost in the beauty of creation. Of worlds being born. <Oh man> Thought Crichton as Aeryn's hands travelled down his body, her kiss becoming more demanding, searching for all his secrets and determined not to leave without them. <Huston, we have lift off!>
********** T H E E N D **********