TITLE: "THE HARD WAY"

AUTHOR: Alison M. DOBELL

FANDOM: "Farscape"

PAIRING: JOHN/CHIANA

RATING: PG-13

STATUS: New.

ARCHIVE: Yes. Just let me know where.

FEEDBACK: Welcomed

SERIES/SEQUEL: SEQUEL to "IN TIMES OF NEED"

The usual disclaimers apply. No infringement of copyright is intended.

"THE HARD WAY"
A "Farscape" story
Written by Alison M. DOBELL

Chiana had to almost run to keep up with Crichton. Even limping he was moving faster than she was. D'Argo was annnoyed with him. "This can wait, I have to take out that tooth NOW!"

Crichton ignored him. The pain in his mouth numbed by the rage flooding through him. Nerri managed to keep pace with the human but could not slow him down. Crichton burst into the Dominar's quarters with only one thing on his mind. "Eat my children?" He yelled at the top of his voice. "Eat. My. Children?"

With each word his voice rose, anger and rage twin engines of destruction. Rygel had never seen Crichton lose his temper like this before. Never had the maelstrom turned in his direction. Did humans suffer from a form of Hyper rage? For the first time since knowing Crichton he feared he
was going to come to physical harm.

"You sound like something out of a bad B movie. Scratch that, Rygel. You ARE something out of a bad B movie!"

Rygel looked terrified, his eyebrow ridge drooped in fear, eyes wide and staring, unable to speak. He had backed up as much as he could in the fierce advance of the furious human. His face red with rage, muscles bulging, hands balled into fists he stopped just short of hitting the Hynerian. "What the hezmana did you think you were doing threatening my kids?"

All of sudden it was like the wind changing and sails deflating in an unexpected calm. He looked round to see the startled faces staring back at him. "What are you all looking at?"

D'Argo's mouth hung open in shock. Kari giggled. Jack was half hiding behind Rygel. Chiana had tears in her eyes. Nerri looked surprised and a little amused. Baffled he looked round to find the frightened Dominar had regained some of his dignity and was actually smiling at him, albeit
tentatively. Crichton frowned, confused.

"What? Did I forget to zip up my pants?"

D'Argo grinned. "John. In your angry tirade at Rygel you did not stutter ONCE!"

Surprised, Crichton looked at them again. Nerri smiled, Kari looked excited. Jack stepped out from behind Rygel, still dressed in the Dominar's finest fur cloak. Chiana bit her lip and nodded to show this was true. He looked stunned. "I didn't?"

D'Argo laughed and clapped a hand on his friend's shoulder. "No, my angry friend. You did not."

* * * * *

The Scarrans had landed several hunting parties. Aeryn could not work out how many there were and she could not move without threatening to reveal her position and by default Patri's. That the Sebacean was not talking to her mattered little. She still did not want her to become a prisoner of the Scarrans. Oh frell. How did she manage to end up in these situations? Aeryn tried to remember everything she could about Scarrans. She knew they could read heat signatures. Could tell if you were lying to them. Could withstand intolerable levels of heat but hated the cold. Lot of good that knowledge would do her down here. The Scarrans had poor peripheral vision but once they focused on a target they had the occular advantage of being able to magnify whatever was in the centre of their field of vision. Their clumsy appearance belied their speed and cunning. The sheer sinigle mindedness of their warrior natures. Only a complete greebol would underestimate a Scarran.

This did not look good. It did not look good at all. She desperately wanted to speak to Patri and risked a short break in cover to get to her. There was no pulse fire. No shout to indicate her position had been tracked but that did not mean a thing. Scarrans could be very crafty and subtle with the right motivation.

"Patri."

The Sebacean glared at her, started to turn her back on her. Aeryn gripped her shoulder. Was about to launch into a tight lipped tirade but instead forced herself to be calm. Her words gentle but firm, remembering how Crichton used his patience and understanding to reason rather than batter people into listening to him. "Patri, please. This is not my fault and it is not yours. We can accomplish more by working together than falling out like children."

Surprised, Patri looked her in the eye. Relaxed a fraction but was still wary. "Why should I listen to you? How could we possibly accomplish more together unless it is to die together?"

Something in her words touched off deeper memories in Aeryn. Her eyes misted over for a microt. "Is that not better than dying alone?" She said very softly.

Then suddenly Patri was crying, nodding and hugging her. Aeryn found tears rolling down her cheek, an unbidden release in a microt of madness. They clung to each other for a couple of microts then Aeryn gently pulled back, brushed a stray strand from Patri's face so she could look at her properly. "Where are the others?"

"In the cave." Patri choked out.

Aeryn brushed a hand down her hair, a soothing gesture that Crichton had used many times with her. Patri calmed at the touch, the sound of Aeryn's usually harsh voice tempered with a gentler tone that subdued the panic and helped her think. "We must come up with a plan."

"A plan?" Asked Patri, bewildered.

"Yes." Said Aeryn with a soft smile. Hundreds of memories bursting inside her mind. Fragments of microts shared with her crewmates aboard the leviathan. Precious microts shared when every danger faced they had escaped or outwitted together. They had faced worse than this. Her mood became more positive, her words more assertive. "We can do this, Patri."

Despite all the terror, all the doubt in her heart, Patri found that the confidence she saw in Aeryn was beginning to fill her with something she thought she had lost forever. Hope. Patri smiled slowly. The smile became a grin. "What is your plan?"

* * * * *

His cries filled the apothecary. Spilled out into the passageways alarming anyone within hearing distance. Pilot was alarmed and sent DRDs to investigate. D'Argo was glaring at Crichton, trying to hold him steady as the human squirmed on the table. "Do not be such a child. Hold still or it
will hurt even more."

Crichton could not speak. D'Argo had one huge hand pressing down on his shoulder while he held something which looked like a exotic pair of pliers in his other hand. The pliers had been prised into his mouth and were now gripped onto his tooth. Blood was trickling out of his mouth as he cried. Chiana's blow had not only jolted the tooth loose but exposed the nerve and the pain was driving him crazy. Giving him the kind of strength that had almost shoved the Luxan off him twice. D'Argo found the struggles of the human were making his grip on the tooth slip. As the pliers slipped yet again more blood trickled out of Crichton's mouth.

"Nerri!"

Chiana's brother wanted no part in this barbarian ritual but he could not get out of the room quickly enough to avoid D'Argo.

"Nerri, hold him down."

He started to shake his head. He wanted no part in this. Glad for once that Chiana was not here. She was with the children right now and he hoped fervently that they could not hear his brother in law's cries on the next tier.

"Nerri," Said D'Argo slowly, wanting to impress the necessity of doing as he was told on the Nebari. "We cannot help John unless we can remove this tooth. I am almost there but his struggling is making things worse. If you can hold him still I can finish this. It will be over. Otherwise he will be in even greater pain."

The Nebari hesitated. "I will help only if you let me give him something first for the pain."

"Nerri..."

"No." He shook his head. Maybe the Luxan reacted well to pain but that did not mean others had to.

D'Argo sighed and reluctantly nodded. "Very well. Do it."

Nerri looked around the apothecary, not sure which bottle was which. D'Argo watched him for a few microts then nodded to his right. "That bottle. The green one."

Nerri picked it up. "This one?"

"Yes."

For the first time, a tentative smile graced his lips. He removed the stopper and took a sniff. "How do I administer it?"

"There is an applicator on that shelf behind you. It is an injector and will be that much quicker to act."

Nerri nodded and got it, filled it with a dose of the pain killing solution then glanced at Crichton. The human's face was wet with tears but he was quiet now. Eyes fastened on Nerri. Watching him. He could not speak. The Luxan still had the pliers in his mouth. "I'm going to give you
something for the pain."

He saw the gratitude in Crichton's eyes and placed the injector against the side of his neck. The cylinder hissed as it emptied it's contents into the human. For a microt he and D'Argo just looked at Crichton then they saw him start to visibly relax. Impatient to get it over with D'Argo took this
as a sign that the pain killer was working and with a sudden yank pulled the tooth out. Crichton yelled in agony then passed out.

Nerri glared at D'Argo but the Luxan was too happy, holding up the pliers with the bloody tooth caught between the pincers. Nerri looked at Crichton and shook his head slowly. Glad that D'Argo was not Crichton's enemy.

* * * * *

He spent so long absorbing the light that it took him many arns to realise that there was something else he had to do. Sorrow was his only constant, emotional pain his only indication that he still lived. Still breathed. He could feel her now. So close he could almost inhale her scent, her breath, her sweetness. Stark closed his eyes then felt his love flow through him, embracing his heart, soothing all the hurt he carried with him. The joy was so intense he cried, his soul afire with a love that consumed him. He could feel, see, hear, touch, taste his love on every level of being. A sigh passed through him. She was speaking to him.

<Dear Stark. Beloved. You have to go back>

Even with his eyes closed he was shaking his head. His whole body trembling. <I can't. I want to be with you, Zhaan>

<You *are* with me, my love. And I will be with you - *always*>

So many things he wanted to ask her, share with her. So much love still to give. She knew.

<My beloved Stark>

He smiled. Felt her beautiful touch in his soul. Drowned her in his light, embraced her and lost himself in their spiritual joining. Heat consuming his visceral passion, light devouring all the dark places in his heart. As the intensity began to fade he heard her will. Not a voice exactly, yet there were words too.

<You must return to help John>

<There's nothing I can do, Zhaan. He is with Chiana now>

<He has returned to Moya>

That startled him so much he opened his eyes. <On Moya?> What had gone wrong?

<Aeryn is not with him>

Totally confused, Stark started babbling. The spirit of Zhaan moved through him in calming gestures of love and peace. Slowly he stilled again, began once more to listen to his love. The one soul who made all the pain of living bearable. <I don't understand>

<That is why you must return to Moya>

He nodded. Would have agreed to anything she said. <Yes, yes, return to Moya>

<There is something we have left undone>

Confused again. <What? What did we leave undone?>

She was fading now from his consciousness. Panic began to set in. <Zhaan, Zhaan! Don't leave me!> He cried.

Faintly, like a distant echo to his heart he heard her. Felt her. Was bereft at her diminishing presence in his mind. <Remember. I am always with you....>

* * * * *

The plan was so basic it was hardly a plan at all but it had the advantage of giving them something constructive to do. Patri risked a glance at Aeryn. They were making their way as far as they could from the Scarran landing site, even though it meant leaving the caves behind them. It went
against every instinct to leave the others behind, trapped, but they had nothing but a pulse rifle with only one charge left between them.

"How do you know anyone else has escaped?"

"Because in the near dark everyone able to do so was above ground, Patri. Hunting or planting seeds. Not everybody could have reached the tunnels in time."

Patri said nothing. It made sense.

"Once we find out how many of us are left, we can make for higher ground and assess our situation."

Patri made a little face. "Still the Peace Keeper at heart, Aeryn?"

Aeryn Sun flinched. Part of her still at war with her Peace Keeper past. Yet there was no denying that her training had also kept her and her shipmates alive on more than one occasion. Just thinking about them set her heart racing. "Come on, Patri."

She nodded and the two slid away like ghosts. Watchful, wary and fast becoming a team whether they knew it or not.

* * * * *

Chiana could not believe what Nerri told her but knew it must be so. She was furious at D'Argo but saying anything to him would just make the situation worse. She had learned from Crichton the value of the odd earth saying *least said, soonest mended*. Inwardly though, she seethed at his
impatience. When Crichton woke it was to see her beautiful face hovering like an anxious moon over him. He tried to smile but pain shot through him and he quickly closed his eyes, trying hard not to cry out. Chiana angled her head at him. "John, what is it?"

"Mmm hmmm ummm." He mumbled painfully.

She watched his eyes flicker open. He looked in pain. Chiana frowned. "Are you in pain?"

He nodded very carefully.

"I don't understand it. Nerri says D'Argo took out the tooth."

A cloud darkened Crichton's face for a microt. "Nnnh nuh huh."

"What?"

He swallowed a mouthful of blood. Damn, why did tooth extractions bleed more than most any other kind of injury? "Wrong....tooth."

Horror stole over her face. "Oh no, I have to tell D'Argo!"

Panic flashed on Crichton's face. He gripped her arm, his eyes pleading. He shook his head slowly.

"You don't want me to tell him? John, he has to know. We have to get the other tooth out."

Crichton sat up and sidled off the bed, pausing to gently cradle the side of his face. "Don't tell."

"John..."

"No Pip....I mean it."

She looked at him for a microt then nodded slowly. The relief on his face almost made her laugh. "Okay."

He gave her a half smile, such love in his eyes. "That's my girl." He paused and swallowed. Man, he could use a good old fashioned spitoon right now. Either that or a generous shot of twelve year old malt. A bottle ought to do it.

"Come on, let's get you something for the pain then you should rest. Later on we'll decide what to do about that tooth."

He nodded carefully and let her lead him to their temporary quarters.

* * * * *

It was not supposed to happen like this. Having located a number of pockets of Sebaceans above ground, Aeryn and Patri had convinced them to back away from the caves. They hid up and watched as the Scarrans poured over the land and swarmed across the entrances. Aeryn could see Patri shuddering. She could not blame her. There could be no worse fate that falling into the
hands of the Scarrans. Patri was about to ask Aeryn what they were going to do now when she froze, a look of horror on her face. Aeryn turned to see what she was looking at just as she was hit with stun fire. She was unconscious before she hit the ground, Patri joining her less than a microt later. Within a half arn every Sebacean had been caught and rendered unconscious. The Scarrans grinned at each other.

"A most sucesssful hunt."

"Yesss," Said the leader of the hunt. "Load them on to the transports."

"What about restocking this place?"

"First we will take our catch back to the dreadnought. Once they have been sorted for the slave camps we can decide which ones will be the best breeding stock and return them to the planet. *After* they have been tested, of course."

The other Scarrans laughed. It was a sound completely devoid of mirth. A cruel light glinted in eyes that considered the application of pain and terror twin pleasures. Slaves did not last long in Scarran camps.

* * * * *
END