TITLE: "IN TIMES OF NEED"

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 "DILEMNA"

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

"IN TIMES OF NEED"
A "Farscape" story
Written by Alison M. DOBELL

Crichton had not laughed this much in cycles. The sight of Chiana fully dressed and covered in soapy bubbles and soaking wet was too good. Kari and Jack had run off and made themselves scarce. Chiana was less than pleased with his reaction. Fuming she advanced on him, murder in her eyes. Nerri actully feared for the human's safety but he did not back off. He was laughing too hard to even duck. The blow cracked him on the side of the head and sent him flying. Alarmed, Nerri went to pick him up. Chiana's angry voice stopped him.

"Don't you *dare* Nerri! This is between me and John. If you want to do something useful find Kari and Jack."

He hesitated. Looked at where Crichton was sitting on the floor nursing a swollen cheek. Crichton gave him a nod and he made himself scarce. Chiana sloshed over to him and hunkered down to face him, getting him wet too in the process. "Aren't you going to get up?"

He shook his head and continued to cradled the left side of his face. "Uh uh, eas..ier to s..stay here."

"Don't think I won't kick you just because you're already on the floor."

He nodded carefully. He was not laughing now. Chiana realised he was was too quiet and tilted her head wondering if she had actually hurt him. She reached out a wet soapy hand and tried to pull his hand away from his cheek. He moaned in pain and wriggled back. Alarmed, her anger forgotten she knelt beside him. "I really hurt you, huh?"

"Mmm mmh."

When he still would not let her see she sighed and put a hand on his right shoulder to stop him wriggling out of reach, then gently pried his left hand away from his face. The bruise was already coming out along with a large swelling. She tilted her head and was about to touch his cheek but he batted her hand away. She paused and gave him a steady look. "Come on, we better go and get it looked at."

He let her help him to his feet and Chiana silently vowed to make it up to him. On the way to the apothecary they met Nerri with two very sheepish children in tow. "What do you want me to do with them?"

Nerri was careful not to look at Crichton. Chiana tilted her head at Kari and Jack then looked at her brother, an impish smile dancing in her eyes. "Wash them!"

* * * * *

The caves were deep and pretty extensive but it could not hide the fact that they were trapped on this planet. Aeryn sat apart from the others, nursing thoughts that did little to cheer her up. Head in her hands she cursed her luck. Cursed Crichton. Maybe she should have just stayed aboard Moya and faced the music? But it seemed every time she came up against an emotional challenge, she ran away. Anything that touched her heart too closely was to be avoided. If she had not pushed the human away from the beginning they might be together now. Instead she had lost him and now here she was running away again. Aeryn lifted her head and looked at the men,
women and children who had come here hoping for a new life. A world without Peace Keepers. Without war. What had they found? A prison by any other name was still a prison.

She was trying to remember what Patri had said about the duration of the near dark. Trying to work out how long they had left until the Scarrans came. When the true day began it would mark the beginning of the half cycle hunting season for their worst enemies. Scarrans from many sectors would gravitate here, eager and thirsty for the pleasure of the hunt. Those that survived and were caught intact would be taken to the slave camps or used to bolster falling numbers on one of the other six planets used for this purpose. What a total greebol she had been. If only she had taken her prowler rather than have D'Argo drop her off in the transport pod. But she had left the prowler aboard Moya so as not to arouse Crichton's suspicions. Why the absence of her prowler aboard Moya would arouse even curiosity from him after five cycles was beyond her. He probably would not have noticed anyway. But the others had insisted and she had been only too happy not to do anything that might make him take a closer look. It seemed such a pointless thing to do in hindsight. She sighed and put her head in her hands. Wished Zhaan had not made the ultimate sacrifice for her. How sad she would be to see that gift of life squandered like this. She was unworthy and they had lost Zhaan for nothing.

* * * * *

Nerri could tell there was an undercurrent of tension on board Moya. It was subtle but with so many cycles in the resistance he had learnt to pick up on the tiniest of clues. It was often all he had. If Crichton and Chiana noticed neither gave any sign. He had no idea what it could be. Knew the crew were glad to see their old friends and the way in which they had opened their hearts to the children had pleased Nerri very much. So what was wrong and was it something he should worry about? He also had the uncomfortable feeling that the crew wanted them to leave soon. Surprisingly, having seen the trouble their actions had caused both Kari and Jack were subdued and oddly compliant when he washed them, not letting them finish their showers until he was satisfied they were both well and truly clean. As they dried off his attention was caught by Kari's words. A solemn look on her usually mischievous face.

"We are sorry."

He looked surprised. "You? Sorry? What dictionary did you steal those words from? It was not a Nebari one."

Not a crack. Not a ghost of a smile. He frowned. Looked at Jack. He looked shame faced.

"What is it?"

Jack wriggled. Carefully began to dress in his clean clothes. "We made them fight. They *never* fight."

Nerri smiled gently. "Everybody fights."

Kari shook her head firmly. "Not mom and dad."

Jack looked like he wanted to cry. "It's our fault."

He smiled at the use of the earth titles for their parents. It used to irritate him but soon he had learnt to see them as terms of affection as well as status. "Perhaps if you tell them how sorry you are, how much you love them, it will make things better."

The children looked at him with a spark of hope in their eyes. Nerri laughed. "Just give them an arn or two of peace first, caw matan?"

They smiled at his use of the Hynerian phrase and knew exactly where they wanted to go and who they wanted to taunt in the meantime.

* * * * *

D'Argo had been alarmed when he had asked Pilot for Crichton's location and was told he was in the apothecary. Cursing himself for letting the hapless human out of his sight he went straight there. Chiana had him sitting on a table, head turned to the light while she tried to see into his mouth. There was an angry looking bruise swelling his left cheek. "What are you doing, Chiana?"

Because she felt guilty for hitting him, Chiana's voice was irritated. Defensive. "What does it look like I'm doing, D'Argo? Now go away."

"Not until I know what happened."

Frustrated she turned to glare at him. "We had a fight, okay?"

He looked puzzled. A fight? A finger of fear slid close to his hearts. Surely they did not know? He looked at Crichton but the human would not meet his eyes. Chiana looked unhappy. Miserable. Guilty even. He looked at Crichton again. "Why were you looking in his mouth? The bruise is on his face."

Chiana was uncomfortable. "I....I think I loosened one of John's teeth."

The look he gave her made her quail inside. "*You* did this to John?"

"I was angry, okay? Don't you ever get angry?"

"Yes, but..." His voice trailed off. A troubled look in his eyes. "What were you fighting about?"

"Nothing. It's personal."

He did not like the sound of that. D'Argo changed the subject back to the injury itself. "Did you take the tooth out?"

Chiana shook her head. "He won't let me put my hand in his mouth."

"Hrrmph." He tilted Crichton's head back and looked him in the eye. "John. I am not going to hurt you but I need to see inside your mouth."

The human hesitated a microt then opened his mouth. D'Argo could not see anything. "Chiana, I need a light."

She passed him a light filament and carefully D'Argo peered around inside John's mouth. "Where does it hurt?"

"Mmm hmnnhh mh."

D'Argo drew back and scowled at him. "That is not very helpful. I do *not* want to remove the wrong tooth."

The alarm on Crichton's face was comical.

"John. You are in pain. You have a damaged tooth. It will not repair and every time you put something in your mouth to eat it will hurt you. Do want to remain in pain?"

He thought about that and shook his head carefully.

"Then you must show me which tooth it is and I will remove it for you." He paused, lowered his voice a little. "It will hurt but it will be over very quickly. I have done this many times for my son."

Crichton nodded reluctantly. D'Argo looked at Chiana. "I will need something to fasten onto the tooth."

She nodded. All anger and resentment gone. Like Crichton she just wanted it over with. She paused at the table, leaned in and gently stroked his right cheek, a small smile on her lips, her voice soft and apologetic as she tilted her head at him. "I'm sorry, I expected you to move out of the way."

He looked at her. Could not smile back. Could not tell her it did not matter, he loved her anyway. But Chiana saw it in his eyes. So loving. So understanding. So forgiving. She brushed a gentle kiss on his good cheek and moved away. Finding something that looked a lot like pliers she handed them to D'Argo. There was a hesitant look in her eyes. "Shouldn't we give him something for the pain?"

"What for, Chiana? He is in pain now, this will fix it for him."

That was when Crichton knew this was going to be a bad idea.

* * * * *

It was hard when nobody understood and nobody really cared. He knew. He had seen it in their eyes. Tears blinded him in the field of light. Sparkling clusters of luminescent orbs so tiny they were like fireflies in the darkness of space yet together they swelled to absorb him. His heart ached, every cell of his being in pain. Every thought burning him with memories and the gentle echo of his beloved. Gone. All Gone. Dead. And for what? He did not trivialise her sacrifice but he did question what good it had accomplished. No one knew. No one. It was so hard to be the one who remained. To be the one who had to be strong. Not just for himself but for her. In memory of Zhaan.

He had been so angry. For the longest time all he had wanted to do was destroy them. Send their selfish souls straight to oblivion. The madness had come and taken him. It was with him still but her memory forbade him from succumbing to that dark temptress however much it hurt him to resist. Effort. That was all she was asking of him now. He had already surrendered everything else.

* * * * *

Dominar Rygel XVI of Hyneria was most definitely not amused. He had been busy contemplating his eventual return to Hyneria. Unseating his treacherous cousin and claiming back his throne. In his mind's eye he had an army of Luxan warriors, fleets of Peace Keeper vessels, gunship leviathans, hordes of savage earthmen and Nebari scout ships. Naturally his armada was led by a Hynerian war vessel with himself at the helm. The right of his cause gave power to the war they rained down upon his enemies. His armada was merciless, delivering death and destruction upon his foe. Their outrage at what had been done to their beloved Dominar the only thing that propelled them onward with almost religious zeal. His smug smile was wiped off his face by an annoyingly familiar refrain.

His eyes popped open. It was those pleeking annoying children of Chiana and Crichton's. Yotz. Why could they not leave him in peace? He turned and his large frog-like mouth dropped open in surprise. For once rendered speechless. Kari and Jack had been rumaging in his royal wardrobe. While he had been busy *daydreaming* they had been busy dressing up. The sight of Kari in his royal robes was enough to almost stop his heart with rage. That she turned her bright and smiling face on him as she made that bartantic racket simply added insult to injury. And Jack. His eyes widened even more, the exotic fur cape wrapped around his shoulders reduced the position of
Dominar to a spectacle of ridicule. At last he found his voice. It boomed. Loud, long and angrier than a budong with heartburn.

"Chiana! Crichton! Get your frelling eemas down here this microt! Before I kill and eat your children!"

* * * * *

They were running. The last of the near dark was almost taken with the arrival of true day. Patri was alarmed but also apologetic as they ran for the caves. "This has never happened before."

"What has never happened before?" Snapped off Aeryn, trying to keep her mind on running and looking everywhere at the same time. She only had one charge left in her pulse rifle. She did not want to die because she did not understand something.

"The true night always follows the near night. I have never known the near night go to true day. We should have had arns to prepare. Now we have no time at all!"

Aeryn could tell she was starting to panic. This would not do. It would not do at all. "Patri, you have to stay calm. You cannot think if you become hysterical."

Patri could hardly believe Aeryn's words. "How can you be so cold? I thought you were no longer a Peace Keeper?"

"I am no longer a Peace Keeper. That is true. But I also acknowledge that sometimes my training is of benefit. If I can remain calm in battle I stand a chance of surviving."

The girl nodded. "You are right, but we are trapped too far from the caves Aeryn." She hid behind rocks, dragging Aeryn in beside her. "Look! They are sealing off the caves!"

A look of horror stole over Aeryn's face. She knew what they were going to do next. It was a trademark of the Scarrans. "There are people in there?" She said urgently to Patri.

Patri nodded, misunderstanding her. "Yes. They are safe."

Aeryn shook her head then shook Patri. "No. Not safe."

"What do you mean? The caves are deep, extensive."

Aeryn nodded slowly, never losing eye contact with her. "Yes, and so are Scarran resources."

"What are you saying?"

"I am saying Patri, if this is one of the seven planets the Scarrans use for hunting they know this place well."

Patri nodded.

"They know the cave systems. Every tunnel, every cave. Every opening back to the surface."

Slowly her eyes widened as she started to see the picture. "Then they are waiting at every exit?"

Aeryn shook her head. "They don't have to."

"I don't understand."

Aeryn pointed. "Look. What do you see?"

"It looks like some kind of explosive."

"Yes, only it is not designed to blow up the tunnel system. It sends a small charge deep into the tunnel system then there is a soft explosion. The contents are an air born powder, so fine it is like a mist."

"A mist?"

She nodded slowly. Her taut expression conveying her fear. "It's a poison, Patri. It affects the nervous system of Sebaceans. Induces the Living Death."

Horror and anguish swept across Patri's face. She would have run out across the clearing if Aeryn had not stopped her. Her strong arms wrapped around the Sebacean and holding her to her chest as she cried. Aeryn's hand over her mouth, her lips next to her ear as she hissed instructions. "Relax. Not a sound."

Only when Patri appeared to calm did Aeryn cautiously take her hand away. Eyes that blazed with suspicion and hatred glared back at her. "How can you let them do this and do nothing?" She spat.

"What do you want me to do?" Aeryn held up her pulse rifle. "I have only one pulse charge left, Patri. You can see how many Scarrans there are."

Patri shook her head slowly. "I was wrong to trust you, Peace Keeper."

"Patri, you're wrong. You *can* trust me."

Aeryn moved towards her, Patri backed away, a hand raised in warning. "Stay away from me! If you really want to help Aeryn Sun, I suggest you use that last charge on yourself. I never want to see your face again."

* * *
end