"DEALS, PROMISES AND LIES"

Written by Alison M. DOBELL

PAIRING: JOHN/CRAIS series

RATING: PG-13.

STATUS: New.

ARCHIVE: Yes. Just let me know where.

FEEDBACK: Welcomed

SERIES/SEQUEL: SEQUEL to "SOME KIND OF HEAVEN"

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

"DEALS, PROMISES AND LIES"
A "Farscape" slash story
Written by Alison M. DOBELL

Despite all the things going wrong Bialar Crais knew a happiness that was completely disproportionate to all reason. He simply did not care. Crichton was with them, in one piece and in critical condition admittedly, but he was here on Moya. He had been so stunned when he first saw him in the apothecary with Rygel that all the air seemed to have been sucked out of his lungs. Nothing worked. He watched Aeryn as she knelt beside the doomed human, clutching his hand and fighting back tears. He could not move. He was dimly aware of Chiana's voice softly talking to Rygel. Sound warped around his ears and reality had no meaning. Not until the first salvo of gunfire hit the side of the leviathan sending the ship into a sudden dip, did he come out of his state of shock.

Pilot's agitated voice sailed over the com. "Moya is under attack!"

"Can we go to StarBurst, Pilot?" Asked Crais. He had reached the other side of Crichton's bed and laid a gentle hand on his forehead, needing to touch him, to feel his warmth and convince himself this vision was real.

"Moya regrets she cannot go to StarBurst. Zhaan and D'Argo are still down on the planet surface and Talyn is incapable of going to StarBurst in his condition. Moya will not leave him."

Aeryn looked up at Crais. "I still have my prowler..."

He shook his head, immediately dismissing the idea as untenable. "It would be suicide, Aeryn. We need a plan not someone else to bury."

She shot him a furious look and he realised what he had said. His look was full of contrition. "I am sorry, I was not thinking."

Crais looked at Crichton, his look tender, so full of love. He leant forward and kissed his forehead then stood up. Aeryn frowned at him. "Where are you going?"

"Someone needs to go to command. John needs to rest and that is the one thing I cannot do for him, but I'm frelled if I am going to allow Moya to be blown to pieces and everyone else with her."

Aeryn nodded. She did not want to leave Crichton. Not just yet. Seeing her hesitation he put a hand on her shoulder. "Stay with him, Aeryn. I'll call you if I need you. It would be good if he regains consciousness in the meantime not to be left alone."

She nodded, grateful. "Thank you, Crais."

He gave a short nod then walked slowly over to check on Rygel before leaving. Chiana was still crying, her face tilted sorrowfully. The Dominar no longer responding. Her hands holding a wad of bandages around the metal shard stemming the blood from his wound. He did not look good.

"How is he?"

She shook her head, not trusting herself to speak. His heart was touched with compassion for the Nebari girl. Whatever he personally thought of Rygel, he would always be grateful and in his debt to him for bringing Crichton back. That had taken more courage and ingenuity that he thought the
Dominar possessed. Once again he had been proved wrong.

"It was a very brave thing he did, Chiana." He said softly.

She looked at him and nodded back. He patted her shoulder then left. The only good thing about being a sitting duck was that they were still there when Zhaan and D'Argo made it back in the transport pod. How they managed to dock without getting blasted to hezmana was anybody's guess. Aeryn felt an intense sense of relief at the return of the Delvian P'au. Zhaan quickly
examined her patients and got to work stabilising their conditions. Her expression was grave. Aeryn felt her heart miss a beat. "Well, Zhaan? Can you save them?"

Her worried eyes flicked from Crichton to Rygel. Both in critical condition. She remembered the advice of the runes. "We have to take them down to the planet surface."

Chiana's head jerked up as if she had just been shot. "Are you bartantic? In case you haven't noticed we're under attack from a leviathan gunship crewed by Scarrans and are unable to StarBurst!"

"Exactly! And Moya would not StarBurst if she could because of Talyn."

Chiana opened her mouth and shut it again. Zhaan had a point.

"At least let us use this situation to try to help Crichton and Rygel."

"And if they blow the transport pod to pieces?"

"Then," Said Zhaan, "You won't have to tell me I told you so."

Chiana frowned. "Why's that?"

"Because I shall be on the pod with them."

"I'll come with you," Said Aeryn.

Zhaan nodded. "Good. Now I need to convince Crais and D'Argo that this is the only solution."

* * * * *

Raknor was furious with Mirkot. The Sebacean tried to calm him. "We have opened fire on the leviathan as you ordered."

Heat rippled from the Scarran Commander's mouth. "You call that pathetic display an attack?" His voice darkened further, the deep echo of it turning Mirkot's blood to ice crawling in his veins. Aylsa was likewise alarmed but trying to soothe him. "And what of the gunship?"

"It is obviously injured."

"Obviously." Sneered Raknor, waiting for his answer.

"I thought you wanted to capture the gunship?"

"First," Said the Scarran. "The mother must become so terrified for the offspring that she will surrender in order to save him from destruction." He paused a microt. "She will not do that if the only one taking the assault is herself. She will consider it her duty to rather be destroyed than do that. Therefore you must target the gunship, hit it enough to cause it great distress without killing it."

Mirkot boiled with rage. It. He had called the leviathan gunship an 'it'. Revulsion and anger filled him along with sorrow and shame that they were being forced to do this. Aysla was distressed which meant that he was distressed as well but he could not afford to show it in front of Raknor.
Suddenly Mirkot's expression changed. The Scarran noticed. "What is it?"

Mirkot tilted his head, listening to Aylsa. He looked up at the Scarran Commander. "Another ship has arrived out of StarBurst."

Raknor called up the screen. He wanted to see for himself. "It is a Peace Keeper Command Carrier!" He said in surprise. Then his com channel activated and a familiar and hated figure filled his screen. It was Scorpius.

"You will break off your attack on the leviathan immediately!"

Steam literally rose off the Scarran, no attempt made to disguise his hatred. "Do not interfere, Scorpius! This is *my* kill."

Scorpius spoke in a mild cultured voice but his eyes were a deep smouldering well of rage and hatred. His softly spoken words hid a deadly steel. "Incorrect. The human John Crichton is mine. You shall not have him!"

"I want the ship!"

"Then perhaps we can reach a compromise."

While they argued neither noticed a small transport pod detach from the beleagured leviathan and descend to the planet surface. Mirkot noticed but said nothing. He was not predisposed towards helping either of them. His sympathies were all with the leviathan and her crew. Only the need for self preservation of himself and his beloved Aylsa prevented him from doing anything about it.

* * * * *

As predicted, Crais hated the idea. His stream of vitriol raising a few eyebrows but little else. They had expected him to refuse, to rant and rage, but to cry? His distress affected Aeryn. She had become close to him, closer still because of Crichton. She was not doing this to hurt either of
them.

"Can't you see Crais, this is the only way to give them a chance?"

He looked at her with reddened eyes, his cheeks wet, hands trembling. Not yet fully recovered himself he could not bear the thought of losing Crichton permanently. "Please, Aeryn, don't do this. Don't take him from me."

She held his hands, a rare emotion called compassion shining in her eyes. "Crais," She said gently. "Neither John nor Rygel will survive a few arns if they stay here. You have your answer every time you look in a mirror."

He looked dazed. "What?"

"Look! You have been re-made." She said gently. "New skin has been grown, much of the damage has been repaired and Talyn too is on the mend. Before, you could only survive in a gel tank now look at you. You can walk, talk, and every day you grow stronger. Think about it! Would you wish less for John? For Rygel?"

Tears rolled down his anguished face. He knew Aeryn was right but it still hurt him. How could he let go? Zhaan said nothing. She waited. Patience and understanding shining like twin lights to guide him to the right decision. Even D'Argo had come round to their argument. Was he the only one who could not bear the loss?

"It is their only chance." Whispered Aeryn softly.

In the end it was that which broke him. Unable to speak he nodded then hung on a console for support as he watched them go. D'Argo helped them load Crichton, Rygel and Zhaan's supplies on to the transport. He wanted to go with them to protect them but Zhaan insisted that his place was with Crais. They had to defend Moya and Talyn. There was no one else. D'Argo nodded, recognising that it was likely none of them would survive this latest confrontation. He wondered where Chiana was. Had been surprised she had not been here to see Rygel and Crichton off. He found her later, crying in her quarters.

"Chiana, I was looking for you."

She had her face averted but he could hear the tears in her voice. "They're going to die aren't they?"

He crossed the room to her and put a hand on her shoulder. Her white pixie face lifted slightly, tilted at an angle to look up at him through her tears.

"We do not know that, Chiana. Zhaan has visited the Rekalas and says that the portents are good but only if she can get them both to the surface within the next few arns. If she leaves it any longer they will die and so will we."

She sniffed and made room for him to sit next to her on the bed. He put an arm around her and she took comfort in his presence. They both felt miserable. Helpless. The hopelessness of the situation bearing down on them. Chiana looked at him. "So, what's the plan?"

He gave her a confused look. "Plan?"

It brought a brief smile to her lips, thinking of Crichton. "John always had a plan."

He snorted lightly in affectionate distain. "John's plans usually got us into more trouble than they got us out of."

"Yeah, but some of them worked. Right?"

He looked at her. Opened his mouth to disagree then closed it again without speaking. She was right. They needed a plan.

* * * * *

Raknor watched the image on his screen carefully, suspicious and distrustful but intrigued. "How do I know you will give me the gunship?"

Scorpius smiled. "Because you have my word. Once I have Crichton in my custody you may take or destroy whatever you like of the leviathan, her remaining crew, and the gunship Talyn."

The Scarran looked at him for a few microts. "Why is the human so important?"

"That is my business."

"If we are to work together I want to know what makes him so valuable."

"It is enough for you to know that he is part of an experiment I have been conducting. I cannot finish it without him."

"You say he is injured?"

A flicker of concern on the half-breed's face made Raknor frown. Intrigued. Scorpius never worried about anyone. Yet this human had obviously become an obssession with him. "Yes. Humans are not as....resilient as Sebaceans or Scarrans."

Raknor considered his options and came to a decision. Let the half-breed have his secrets. Once he had the gunship he would blow Scorpius and his Command Carrier out of the sky. Whether John Crichton survived or not was immaterial. He nodded. "Very well, Sscorpiuss," He hissed the name. "but do not try to trick me."

"You have my word."

* * * * *

Once on the planet surface, Zhaan and Aeryn contacted the medical facility recommended by the Rekalas. Within an arn of landing they had Rygel in a sterile chamber and began to operate to remove the metal shard. The second medical team were less confident with Crichton. None of them had ever seen a human before.

"What species is this, P'au?"

Zhaan inclined her head gracefully. "He is Human."

"He looks Sebacean but he has bacteria in his body which is unknown to us. And his DNA..." The chief diagnosan looked at her with open curiosity. "Is very strange."

Zhaan explained the strange double helix and then pointed out the similarities between Human and Sebacean, the layout of the organs and so on. "We have no human blood. And the damage in his head..." The diagnosan looked sad. "This procedure..." He waved at the top of Crichton's head as
he looked down at him on the examination table. "Is very complex but there are also parts that are very crude."

"I do not understand, Venig."

He took a bubbling breath. "This Hu-man has been operated on several times. Look. These lesions tell a traumatic story. If we tamper in here we could finish what someone else has begun."

"What is that?"

"Kill him or leave him paralysed. Brain functions reduced to the bare minimum. Life but not life."

Zhaan and Aeryn both looked shaken. "And if you leave the implant where it is?" Asked Aeryn.

Another wet sigh. "His body may heal but the memory will be permanently scared with trauma. He may have fits, blackouts, mood swings. He may become too violent or irrational to be worth saving. His mental state would only get worse with time."

Zhaan controlled her flash of anger at the idea that Crichton might not be worth saving. <Goddess give me strength> "He is a friend Venig. Anything you can do for him you do for me."

He looked at her for a microt. "My price may be too high."

"Name it."

He flicked an eye over to where the first team were working on Rygel then looked down at the human. "What you ask is possible but the Hu-man may die before we can stabilise him."

Zhaan nodded. She had been expecting that. Aeryn bit her lip and watched Zhaan hand him a phial not unlike the one Rygel had used earlier. The pale gold liquid seemed to illuminate the little bottle. "What is this?"

"It is Irikidium and contains liquid gold. Barum tincture and nansid root."

If the creature had eyebrows he would have lifted them but the effect of his facial muscles was the same. Surprise. "The cost of this alone would feed a nesting of my people for thirty monens." He gave Crichton another look. "Very well, P'au Zotoh Zhaan, I accept. My price is Unity with you plus thirty rekids of Zerlot Crystals."

Zhaan bowed gracefully and ignored the shocked expression on Aeryn's face. The Rekalas had warned her so she was prepared but it was still something which made her skin crawl. Unity with a Firatag of which Venig was an elder would forever sever her ability to follow the Delvian Seek. Unlike other kinds of shared experience, the Firatags left self seeding membranes in any partner they bonded with, leaving a permanent psychic link which disrupted certain Delvian functions unless the bonded Firatag were present and agreed. To Zhaan, it was like a form of slavery. She bit back her feelings of disgust and calmed herself. She was not doing this for herself. She was doing if for Rygel and Crichton. "I agree, Venig."

Zhaan handed him a cloth bag containing the crystals. He neither opened the bag nor weighed it but passed it to an assitant. "We will complete Unity afterwards. Is this agreeable to you, P'au?"

"Yes."

Venig bowed to her and she and Aerynn were escorted outside the surgery to wait. Zhaan's eyes were luminous with unshed tears but Aeryn's eyes blazed with astonished fury. She waited until they were alone. "What the frell do you think you're doing agreeing to Unity with that creature?"

Zhaan was mildly amused at Aeryn's outrage. "Would you rather see Crichton and Rygel die?"

"You don't know that they would die, Zhaan."

Zhaan said nothing. A thought occurred to Aeryn. Her voice was much quieter this time. "Or is that what the Rekalas told you?"

In the pained silence of the Delvian P'au, Aeryn Sun had her answer. As they waited she could not help but wonder how much she would have been willing to sacrifice.

* * * * *

Crais was ready to bounce off the walls. Only his weakened state prevented him from doing serious damage to Ka D'Argo. The Luxan was not in the least apologetic.

"At least I have a plan! If it were not for you we would not be in this frodank position in the first place. Do not dare to accuse me of making things worse. Any failure will be because of your stupidity not my courage."

His face reddened close to apoplexy, the veins on his neck standing out like braid. His expression one of thunder. Chiana quickly tried to intervene. Both men ignored her.

"You speak to *me* of courage?" Crais seethed.

"Yes. Something Crichton has shown time and time again and which you appear to lack."

Chiana flinched at D'Argo's words. <Oh frell> This was not the way things were supposed to go.

"Ka D'Argo," Said Crais forcing the words out slowly to keep his temper as much in check as possible. "I do not consider ramming a leviathan gunship to be an act of courage. I do not even consider it a GOOD idea!"

Just then Pilot's voice interjected. "A Peace Keeper Command Carrier has just appeared out of StarBurst. It appears to be communicating with the leviathan gunship."

Crais closed his eyes. Could things possibly get any worse? Ka D'Argo turned to the screen. "Show me, Pilot!"

Their disagreement forgotten, D'Argo and Crais looked at the screen together. Chiana hoped the two vessels would open fire on each other then perhaps they would have the opportunity to escape and come back later for Rygel and Crichton. In silence the three of them watched and waited to see what would happen, half expecting to be hailed. No communication was sent to Moya. The microts slipped passed in tense silence. Chiana could not bear it, she started to fidget uncomfortably. "What the hezmana are they doing?"

Just then both ships turned to face them, one on either side of Moya. As if in answer to Chiana's query, the two ships opened fire at the same time.

* * * * *

END