BETRAYAL
 

by ISIS

Disclaimers: Farscape is the property of Rockne S O'Bannon, Jim Henson Company
et al. I make no claim on them. I borrow only. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
Rating: PG
Summary:  One of the crew betrays Aeryn to the Peacekeepers. With disastrous results
Spoilers:  Slight ones for"The Way We Weren't ", "Taking The Stone" and "Mind the
Baby"
Archiving: You're welcome to it; please tell me where it's at.
(louiseboyden@earthlink.net)
Acknowledgements: Thanks as always to Quilt Lady for her great suggestions and
criticisms.
 

Enjoy

---

The massive, Peacekeeper Command Carrier slid menacingly through the Uncharted
Territories. Its silent passage and graceful maneuvering belied the sinister purpose of its
mission and the relentlessness of its pursuit. From the direction of Peacekeeper-held
space, far distant, a high speed transport appeared, dwarfed by the Carrier. As per
procedure, three Prowlers were dispatched to meet the arriving ship, once it had
transmitted its recognition code. They escorted the long-awaited transport into the
docking bay of the Peacekeeper vessel.

When the transport had completed its docking procedure on the Command Carrier, its
new Commander, Scorpius himself, went to meet its much-anticipated cargo. Lieutenant
Braca trailed along with him as well as his ever-present and ever-silent female attendant.
Scorpius watched in satisfaction as a frightened alien was removed from the transport
and brought to stand before the Scarran scientist.

"Welcome to my ship, my young friend," Scorpius purred. The prisoner's eyes darted
around his surroundings in terror. "You have no idea why you were brought here, do
you?" Above the gag, the youthful eyes fastened on Scorpius' leering face. "We don't
really want you, my boy. We want your father." The eyes widened in astonishment, then
darkened in fear and the youth had the nerve to actually struggle against the restraining
hands of his guards. A quick touch from an electric prod stopped his movements. With a
silent gesture, Scorpius dismissed the guards and their prisoner. He was dragged away
to the cells in the bowels of the ship.

Scorpius and his attendant exchanged a silent communication. She bowed her head in
acknowledgement of his unspoken request and returned to his quarters, to meet him
later. Lieutenant Braca shuddered inwardly, remembering the time he had come upon
the attendant replacing some vial in the Scarran's head. Scorpius caught the expression
on his second's face and for a moment Braca's heart stopped, waiting for the inevitable
censure. But the Scarran merely smiled and headed back to his quarters. Lieutenant
Braca let his held breath out in a sigh of relief, then saw that Scorpius had paused and
was obviously waiting for him. He hurried over to walk with him out of the docking bay of
the massive Command Carrier.

"What is the purpose of bringing that creature aboard?" Lieutenant Braca asked boldly,
encouraged by Scorpius' previous lack of comment at his earlier mistake. "By all
accounts, he doesn't even know his father; they've been separated so long."

"He may not know his father, but,  by all reports, his father knows and values him. And I
intend to use that connection to force the father to bring me what I know and value."
Scorpius stopped at the corridor leading to his quarters. Lieutenant Braca paused,
awaiting his orders. "Contact our spies in the Uncharted Territories, all of them. Tell them
to get in touch with the father wherever he is seen and tell him we have his son. I'm tired
of chasing the Leviathan and her crew. This plan will make them come to us instead."
Braca bowed in acquiescence and headed to the Command. Scorpius smiled to himself
as he headed towards his waiting attendant. **John Crichton will be in my chair and
revealing what he knows about wormholes very shortly.**

******************************

Moya's fugitive crew was enjoying a much needed stopover at a quiet but well-stocked
market at yet another backwater planet in the Uncharted Territories. They were all feeling
pleased at the success of their negotiation for food and supplies and had mutually
agreed to treat themselves to a welcome break for personal shopping. Chiana and
Zhaan had headed off to the fresh herbs and plants at one end of the market. Zhaan was
interested as always in adding to her collection of medicinal herbs as well as restocking
those that had been used up treating the crew member's various ailments and injuries.
Chiana, fast becoming the ship's most accomplished chef,  was intrigued by the vast
selection of culinary herbs available. Already her mind was racing at the tasty
possibilities for meals. Aeryn informed the group that she wished to return to a data
crystal dealer who might have some promising information, and possibly maps.
Skeptical of the data dealer's helpfulness,  D'Argo and Rygel each expressed a desire to
simply wander around.

When the group started to split up, John was torn between his desire to shop alone for a
gift he wanted, and his need to stay with Aeryn. Since their traumatic discoveries around
the surveillance recording, and Aeryn and Pilot's subsequent revelations, John had been
keeping a close eye on the ex-Peacekeeper. He was still worried about her after her
uncharacteristic emotional break-down in the cargo bay, and made it a point never to be
too far from her. She had been unusually subdued, even after her **reunion** of sorts with
Pilot, and the Human was concerned. **You never received a firm answer to your
question, either,** he thought to himself. **Be truthful. You still want to know how she feels,
about Velorek, and about you.** Added to that was the renewed sense of suspicion the
rest of the crew felt towards their Sebacean crew mate, isolating her further. But John
also wanted to get a gift for Aeryn, something to lighten her mood. John found himself in
a quandary.

D'Argo noticed the torn expression on the Human's face and took pity on him. As the
member of Moya's crew who was most aware of the bizarre relationship between John
and Aeryn, he was starting to recognise the signs of the turmoil that the Human felt. John
obviously wanted to be away from Aeryn for some reason but was afraid to leave her
alone. Having no particular shopping to do, D'Argo spoke up. "I think I'll join you, Aeryn.
The data dealer's collection was extensive and you will need some help to evaluate its
contents and see if anything is particularly useful."

Aeryn looked surprised but pleased at his offer to accompany her. John cast a grateful
glance at his Luxan friend. "I have some shopping to do as well," he said evasively. He
nearly groaned out loud when Rygel expressed his intention of joining the Human. Rygel
had nothing in particular to shop for but he had no intention of joining Chiana and Zhaan
in the herbal market. And he was still very resentful towards Aeryn and the way the rest of
the crew had simply accepted her explanation of the events depicted on the recording.
So the Human was to only one of the crew left for him to hook up with. He missed John's
pained look as he steered his throne chair after Crichton.

John headed briskly off in the direction of a weapons dealer that he had passed earlier.
He had seen a beautiful jewelled dagger that he felt Aeryn would appreciate. As he went,
he considered his financial situation. **Not bad,** he thought. **With some careful
bargaining, I might just be able to swing this.**

Behind him he heard Rygel protesting at his haste. "Crichton, what's the hurry?" the
Hynerian objected. "The others won't be finished for quite a while yet. We have lots of
time!" Rygel hovered up close to him when he was stopped by the press of shoppers in
the market. The Dominar's face took on a suspicious expression. "You wouldn't be trying
to lose me, would you? I thought you might appreciate some help with negotiations. You
Humans don't seem to be very good at it."

Crichton groaned inwardly, then checked himself, reluctantly, realising the truth of Rygel's
words. "Okay, Sparky, you can help me. But I don't want any comments afterwards. And
not a word to Aeryn about this. I want to surprise her."

Rygel's face darkened at the mention of the Sebacean. It grew even darker as the two
approached the weapons dealer and it became clear what John intended to purchase.

"Not another weapon!" Rygel complained bitterly. "She'll kill us all in our beds one night
and with weapons that you bought for her!" He looked over John's shoulder when he
picked up the beautiful dagger. "Oh wonderful, Human! Buy her something that can be
easily concealed. Isn't the pulse rifle bad enough?"

John finally lost his grip on the anger and resentment he had been feeling towards the
Hynerian ever since he stole the recording from D'Argo's room and showed it to Moya's
Pilot, nearly causing the death of them all. With a polite but curt nod at the weapons
dealer, he turned to the hovering Dominar and pushed him roughly towards a nearby
alley.

"That's enough, Fluffy!" he exploded. "I know you went to Hell and back with the
Peacekeepers, but Aeryn is not one of them any more. So get over it, okay!" Noting the
interested gazes of passersby, John's voice lowered. "She offered her life to Pilot to
save all of us, even your sorry ass!"

Rygel harrumphed indignantly. "A treacherous Peacekeeper ploy, Human, and you fell for
it!"

John looked at the Hynerian in anger and despair. "This is neither the time nor the place
for this, Rygel. If you're going to stay with me, keep your mouth shut about Aeryn!"  he
warned, waving his finger threateningly in the air in front of Rygel's face. Then he turned
and stalked out, back towards his interrupted negotiations with the weapons dealer.

On the other side of the market ,Aeryn turned to D'Argo awkwardly. "I do appreciate your
company, D'Argo, but there is something I need to get that I couldn't say in front of John.
Do you mind if we make a detour before going to the data crystal dealer?"

The Luxan warrior smiled reassuringly at his nervous crew mate. "Certainly, Aeryn. I don't
mind." He followed her to a dealer of trinkets, his curiosity tweaked. When he saw her
pick up a strange object on a chain, he understood immediately, and his heart warmed
towards her. "It's a fine gift, Aeryn. He'll really appreciate it."

She turned to him with a hesitant smile as the dealer wrapped up her purchase. "Do you
think so?" she asked, desperately seeking confirmation.

"Yes, I do. I know how much the original meant to him." D'Argo paused, remembering its
fate. "And this one, coming from you, will please him even more," he added honestly.

Aeryn's beautiful eyes glowed with pleasure at his words. Accepting her purchase from
the dealer, the Sebacean and the Luxan headed off happily towards the data crystal
dealers' collection.

******************************

Dysan couldn't believe his good luck when his eyes beheld the object of the
Peacekeepers' message right in front of him. His three hearts swelled with thoughts of
the untold riches he could earn when he passed on the rather cryptic message that had
been included in the coded instructions to all the Peacekeeper spies in the Uncharted
Territories. He followed the fugitive, being careful to keep out of sight. He waited patiently
for an opportunity to contact the father, so as not to arouse the suspicions of any of the
other crew members. To his delight, the group split up, with only one other fugitive
accompanying his quarry. He followed discretely.

Finally the opening he had been waiting for presented itself. The fugitive's companion
was momentarily distracted by a merchant. Dysan moved forward silently until he was as
close as possible to his objective. "Scorpius has your son, fugitive," he whispered. His
listener stiffened and started to turn towards him. "No, don't turn around! Just listen. The
Peacekeepers have your son on Scorpius'  Command Carrier. He's alive now. How long
he stays that way depends on you." He waited.

The fugitive answered quietly, his eyes on his shopping companion. "What does he
want?"

"John Crichton!" came the whispered answer. The fugitive again appeared ready to
address the speaker directly."No! No contact after this! I'm just the messenger. If you
want to see your son alive, you will bring John Crichton to these coordinates within two
solar days." Dysan slipped a piece of parchment into the fugitive's hand. " After two solar
days, if Scorpius does not have the Human in his possession, your son will be killed. Do
you understand?"

"Yes!"

Dysan slipped away before the fugitive could turn to identify him. He smiled to himself as
he returned to his quarters to contact the Command Carrier that the mission had been
accomplished. Then he headed off to the local establishment to celebrate his good
fortune.

******************************

The entire crew of Moya returned to the Leviathan in the transport pod. Chiana and
Zhaan spent the whole time enthusing over their purchases, sharing ideas and
comparing notes on prices and quality. John watched Aeryn as she expertly if
distractedly piloted the pod back to the orbiting Leviathan. He was pleased with his
intended gift for her and mused over the best time and place to give it to her. She turned
her beautiful eyes towards him and caught him watching her. The ghost of a smile
crossed her face and then she avoided his eyes. Her  smiling evasiveness had John
confused and definitely intrigued.

Aeryn flew the transport back to Moya automatically. Her attention was divided between
the happy chatter of Chiana and Zhaan and her plans for John. The gift she had
purchased for him was carefully tucked in the inner pocket of her leather vest. She looked
at him and caught him watching her. A slight smile lit her face as she anticipated the
pleasure he would feel at her gift. The smile grew wider at the Human's bemused
expression. All she had to work out was when and where to give it to him. She was lost in
the possibilities as she docked with Moya.

Chiana, Zhaan, Aeryn and John were so pleased by their individual purchases that they
failed to notice the rather subdued demeanors of the Hynerian and the Luxan. D'Argo
had returned from the futile examination of the data crystals frustrated and dejected. His
dark mood had quickly transferred to Rygel who complained loudly when he and Aeryn
explained that the crystals did not contain any useful material, being either outdated or
covering areas of the Uncharted Territories with which they were already familiar. Zhaan
had tried to draw the two into her conversation with Chiana early in their flight, but to no
avail. Frustrated and unwilling to let their bad moods dampen her high spirits, she left
them to their morose thoughts. When the transport finally docked, D'Argo and Rygel were
the first to depart in the direction of their quarters.

John had gently pulled Aeryn aside when they had finished unloading the transport.
"Aeryn, would you meet me on the terrace after dinner tonight. There's ... ah ... something
I want to gi ... to show you," he stuttered. Aeryn looked at him in astonishment then smiled
radiantly as John resolved her dilemma. John's heart burst at the sight.

"Of course, John. I'll be there after the evening meal."

Aeryn had only just made it back to her quarters when the communication came. After
listening in annoyance to the voice on the other end, she reluctantly agreed to the
request. "Pilot, it seems someone messed up. I'm going back down to the planet to
correct the error. Please prepare the transport pod. I want to be back in time for the
evening meal."

"Very well, Aeryn. Should I inform the others?"

"No, Pilot. We should be able to rectify the situation before anyone knows we're gone.
Let the guilty party remain anonymous."

"That's very generous of you, if I might say so. I hope the  ... ah ... **guilty party** realizes
the enormity of his debt to you."

Aeryn grinned at Pilot's words. "Don't worry, Pilot. I intend to exact every cent in returned
favours." She signed off and with a sigh, pulled on the jacket she had just happily shed.
She extracted the small package she had purchased for John and hid it under the pillow
on her bed with a soft caress.Then she left her quarters to meet her passenger in Moya's
docking bay.

******************************

Aeryn paced impatiently back and forth in front of her Prowler. The distant lights of the
city only served to accentuate the remote location of her **passenger's** meeting with the
merchant who had apparently sold them a contaminated barrel of foodcubes. Aeryn
smiled when she realised the extent of the cover up she was currently participating in.
**He owes me now,** she thought. ** 'Big time' as John would have put it.** She amused
herself for a time imagining outrageous ways to collect. When she noticed the darkening
of the sky, she yelled furiously, "How much longer do we wait for this cheating merchant? I
wanted to be back on Moya for the evening meal!" She waited for a reply. When none
was forthcoming, Aeryn ducked around the nose of the transport,  looking around for her
companion. "Hey! where did you get to, you cheating propacto?" Looking around, there
was no sign of anyone. Aeryn started to get really concerned and turned to go back into
the transport to retrieve her pulse pistol which she had foolishly failed to strap on. "Where
are you,...?"  She stopped when she found herself nose to nose with the barrel of a
Peacekeeper pulse rifle.

With a sudden gasp, Aeryn backed away from the Peacekeeper and hit her commlink
with Moya. "Pilot! Starburst! Now! There are Peacekeepers ...!" was all she got out
before the barrel of the rifle hit her, knocking her to the ground, unconscious.

******************************

"What is the meaning of this treachery!?" Scorpius himself confronted the father of his
prisoner. "You've brought me Aeryn Sun. My message specifically stated the Human,
John Crichton." The Scarran touched the unconscious form of the ex-Peacekeeper with
his foot in contempt. "I have no need of her!" Scorpius suddenly signalled to his second
in command. "Braca! Locate and detain the Leviathan Moya! She should still be in orbit!"

Braca's voice came across the commline, a tinge of fear in his tone. "Sorry, Sir. The
traitor got off a message to the Leviathan before we could subdue her. By the time we
traced the signal, Moya had starburst." Braca waited anxiously for his superior's reply.

"Incompetence! I want the soldiers responsible executed, immediately!" Scorpius then
turned his angry gaze on the father of his prisoner. "As for the prisoner, execute him as
well, in full sight of his pitiful father here." The father in question cringed before the ugly
gaze of the Scarran. Scorpius kicked Aeryn's unconscious form contemptuously. "And
throw her in for good measure."

"Wait!"

Scorpius turned in astonishment at the imperious tones of the formerly cringing traitor.
"You have something to say before your execution, Hynerian?" he said softly, menacingly.

"Yes," Rygel stated, something of his old bravado back in his tone of voice.  "You're
throwing away a perfect opportunity to lure the Human to you."

Scorpius paused at his words. "Continue."

"John Crichton is in love with this female," he said, indicating Aeryn on the ground. "Use
her to lure him to the Command Carrier. He will come to save her. He will risk his life for
her. He's done it before. On your own Gammak base."

Scorpius looked at the treacherous Dominar in front of him, weighing the truth of his
words carefully. Sensing that the Scarran was unconvinced, Rygel continued. "Put her in
that dreadful chair of yours."

"The Aurora Chair?" Scorpius asked surprised. "Why would I do that? There's nothing in
her memory that I require."

"It's not her memory that will bring Crichton to you. It's her pain. Whether you like it or not.,
you have created quite an effective instrument of torture there," Rygel offered.

Scorpius bristled at the Dominar's description of his beloved device. "That was not my
intention, Hynerian," he stated, an expression of almost hurt coming over his face. "The
Aurora Chair was invented to extract memories from reluctant prisoners."

"Whatever," Rygel said dismissively. "Crichton still has nightmares about his
experience." Rygel looked down at the unconscious ex-Peacekeeper. "He will do
everything in his power to rescue her from the same torment."

Scorpius followed Rygel's eye down to Aeryn's still form, a speculative look crossing his
face. "Perhaps you are right, your Eminence." Rygel's ear brow perked up hopefully.
"However, how will the Human know we have Aeryn in the Aurora Chair?"

Rygel thought for a moment, "Broadcast her image out into space. Moya will surely pick it
up. Then all you have to do is wait."

Scorpius smiled nastily, revealing his bad teeth to the apprehensive Dominar. "I believe
you have hit on the solution to your problem, Dominar Rygel. You have just saved your
life."

"And my son's?" Rygel asked in fear.

"Once I have John Crichton, we will speak of that again," Scorpius replied. With a
dismissive gesture he indicated that the prisoners were to be taken to the cells. Four
guards surrounded the Hynerian in his throne chair while Aeryn was dragged along by
two others.

ohn was just exiting his quarters in anticipation of a fine evening. He had his gift for
Aeryn hidden in his boot. He was headed towards the central chamber with a jaunty step
when the sudden lurch of starburst flung him against the bulkhead. When the starburst
ended as abruptly as it had begun, he picked himself up off the floor and raced to the
Command, arriving half a microt before D'Argo. Chiana and Zhaan were not too far
behind.

"Talk to me, Pilot!" he demanded. "Why did we just starburst?"

Pilot's worried countenance appeared on the clamshell commscreen. "I received an
interrupted message from Aeryn. She said something about Peacekeepers and told
Moya to starburst immediately."

John's heart sank at the symbiont's words. "Aeryn? Where was she?"

D'Argo interrupted," Have we been boarded, Pilot?"

"No, the message came from the planet. Aeryn and Rygel returned to the planet in the
transport pod about two arns ago. They were due back when Aeryn's message came
through."

"The planet?" John cried. "You mean, we just left them behind!"

Pilot looked upset at his words. "It was what she said to do. I believe Aeryn and Rygel
have been captured by the Peacekeepers."

"Well, we've got to go back. Pilot, have Moya return us to the planet immediately," John
ordered.

"Wait!" Zhaan's voice rang out. "Pilot, disregard that order!"

John turned to Zhaan with an incredulous look on his face. "The Peacekeepers have
Aeryn. And Rygel."

"I understand that, but charging back there won't help them," Zhaan said quietly. "Aeryn
told us to starburst. She gave up her freedom to save us. Don't let her sacrifice be in vain,
John."

John felt his heart constricting at Zhaan's use of the word 'sacrifice'. Some of what he felt
must have shown on his face because Chiana stepped forward to comfort him. "We will
do everything we can to get them back, John. But Zhaan is right. We need to plan our
moves." The Nebari looked up at D'Argo to confirm her words.

He nodded his agreement then added, "We will get them back. Agreed?"

John looked unmollified but recognised the wisdom of caution. "Agreed."

******************************

Dominar Rygel found himself in the unenviable position of being once more held prisoner
in a Peacekeeper cell. **At least they allowed me to retain my throne chair this time,** he
thought to himself. Aeryn had been dumped into the cell opposite his. Despite his
protests, he had been refused further contact with Scorpius. **This definitely didn't turn
out the way I planned,** he thought to himself in despair.

When Scorpius' agent had first approach him in the market, Rygel had been skeptical.
But then he had thought back to his days as Dominar of the extensive Hynerian empire.
He had produced many offspring with his several wives. But the one he had called his
**son** had been a special child to him, even if he had not been heir to the Hynerian
throne. Many times during his exile he had wondered what had happened to the delightful
male child who had been the spitting image of himself as a youth, except for the delicate
eyes. **He had his mother's eyes** Rygel recalled yet again.

In the cell next to his, Rygel heard a body stirring. "Who's there?" he called out half in
curiosity and half in fear.

"It's me, Raltan, son of Rygel the Sixteenth of Hyneria!" the voice answered imperiously.

"Ralty? Is that you?"

"Dada?" came the quiet reply.

In her cell deep within the Command Carrier that had once been her home, Aeryn Sun
stirred and groaned as she regained consciousness. At first, she opened her eyes and
experienced a stabbing pain in her head, the result of the blow that had knocked her
unconscious. Taking more care, she slowly opened her eyes to the light and examined
her surroundings. Then she sat up, fighting dizziness and nausea. Ignoring the throbbing
headache, she assessed her situation. And found it lacking.

Hearing the stirring in the opposite cell , Rygel watched as Aeryn rose slowly and
painfully to her feet. He waited for her to acknowledge his presence. It wasn't long in
coming. "Rygel? Are you there? Are you all right?"

The Dominar's heart twisted in guilt at her words. **She is truly concerned about my
well-being,** he thought for a second, then his memories of Peacekeeper torture took
over. **No, she is a Peacekeeper!** he told himself. **Remember that!** "Yes, I'm here,
Aeryn," he replied coldly.

"What happened? Where are we?" she asked, her voice low with pain.

"We're on Scorpius' Command Carrier. The Peacekeepers arrested us on the planet. My
meeting was obviously a set-up."

Aeryn put aside her fear and asked, "Did Moya get away? I sent a message ..."

"Yes, I think she got away," Rygel replied softly. "Good thinking."

Aeryn's eyes closed in relief. Rygel watched the myriad emotions cross her face, so
unlike the Peacekeepers who had tortured him in the past. **No, she was probably one
of them, laughing over his pain with her fellow officers,** he told himself, watching the
Sebacean female with contempt.

"Dada?" the soft voice came from the cell next to his. "Is that you? What's happening?
Why was I brought here?"

Rygel groaned inwardly as Aeryn's attention was drawn to the other prisoner.

"You're Hynerian!" she exclaimed. Her beautiful sapphire gaze turned accusingly to
Rygel. "Rygel? What's going on? Who is this?"

Rygel decided to be truthful. "This is my son, Raltan."

Aeryn closed her eyes again, this time in defeat. "The  meeting wasn't a set-up, Rygel,
was it?" she said quietly. "It was a trap."

Rygel looked at the beautiful Peacekeeper female in front of him. "Yes, you deserve to
know the truth. The deal was John Crichton for my son here." Rygel ignored the gasp of
surprise from the cell next to him. "But I couldn't bring myself to turn the Human over to
Scorpius. So I gave them you instead." He looked at the bars of his cell ruefully.
"Obviously, it wasn't enough," he said, clearly accusing her of not being valuable enough.

Aeryn almost smiled at her Hynerian ship mate's discomfort. Then her expression
sobered. "I know you think I had some part to play in your torture, Rygel. And frankly, I
don't blame you for your suspicion and hatred." She smiled grimly. "But please believe
me when I say that I did not participate in your torture, or in the torture of any of the
prisoners aboard Moya."  She paused, lost in thought. "I did, however, participate in the
slaughter of Moya's original Pilot, and in several other unspeakable deeds. So my
punishment at the hands of the Peacekeepers is justified,"  she said with resignation.

Rygel looked at his ex-Peacekeeper ship mate with concern at her quick submission. He
watched as she sat down on the cot in her cell. She closed her eyes, accepting her fate.
**This is so unlike her,** Rygel thought, his own guilt building. **Maybe I was wrong about
her.** Then another more chilling thought crossed his mind. He needed her former fire
and determination if they were ever going to survive and prevent Crichton's capture.
**Crichton,** he calculated. **If she won't act to save herself or me, she will act to save
Crichton.** "Don't be so quick to give up just yet, Aeryn!" the Dominar said harshly. Aeryn
looked up sharply at his tone. **That's it, my girl. Get mad.**"Scorpius wants John
Crichton, not you. So you're the bait."

Aeryn's eyes flashed dangerously at his words. "What do you mean, Hynerian?" she said
softly, getting to her feet. "What have you done to John?"

"I haven't done anything. I didn't give him to Scorpius, if you'll recall. However, I did
happen to mention that John would be willing to risk his life for yours." Aeryn drew in her
breath in an angry hiss. "So he's going to put you in the Aurora Chair to force John to
rescue you."

Aeryn wrenched the doors of her cell in frustrated rage. "You traitorous slug! You might as
well have given them John! Frell! You know he will do exactly that!" She slammed around
her prison like a caged animal, her mind racing for some way to prevent John's capture.
Finally she took a few deep breaths and looked angrily at her former ship mate. "Well?
Have you got any more bright ideas, your Eminence?"

Rygel looked carefully around his cell for some method of escape. "Give me time. I'll think
of something."

At the sound of approaching feet, Aeryn glared at Rygel. "You had better," she
threatened, "Or I swear I will change that statement about not torturing you as soon as I
can get my hands on you!" She stepped back from the door of her cell when Scorpius
arrived with two heavily armed guards.

"Ah, you're awake, my dear," he said pleasantly. " I'm sure Dominar Rygel here has
explained our plans for you." Scorpius still looked pained. "I never intended my memory
extracting device to be used as a mere instrument of torture, but if it will bring me
Crichton, then I will be happy to have it serve double duty." Aeryn shivered despite herself
at his tone. "Besides, I understand you have been quite close to the Human." Aeryn
glared once more at Rygel. "You may have some information regarding wormholes within
your memory. I may actually extract something useful. Take her to the lab," he ordered,
and Aeryn was led away.

"What about our deal, Scorpius?" Rygel called out.

"Our deal is only a deal if I get John Crichton." Scorpius snarled. "No Human, no deal. So
you had better hope this plan of yours works." The Scarran turned on his heel and
headed off to his laboratory.

"What have you done, Dada?" came a saddened voice from the cell beside Rygel's.

"What had to be done to save you, Raltan," Rygel replied.

"But you've obviously sold out your friends and companions. How could you do that? The
father I remember was a Hynerian of loyalty and principle. This is not you!"

Rygel bristled at the accusation. "I am no longer the Hynerian you knew; the father you
remember. Circumstances have forced me to act as I do to save myself and those I care
about. It's all about survival, Raltan. You do what you have to, to survive," he said sadly.

******************************

Unable to remain in the command as the others considered various options for rescuing
their captured crew members, John wandered down to the crew quarters. He found
himself in front of Aeryn's quarters. With a sudden need for some connection with her, he
opened the door to her quarters and stepped in. The room was a neat as ever. As
always, there was hardly a sign that anyone lived there. Unlike the rooms of the others,
including John himself, Aeryn had no personal items or decorative touches adorning her
spartan quarters. But that in itself was as much Aeryn as Rygel's ornaments, Zhaan's
crystals or Chiana's trinkets.

The despondent Human sat down on the neatly made bed and let his hand trail slowly
over the gold blanket and the pillow. Suddenly, the awful thought that he might not see her
alive again struck him. He grabbed up the pillow and buried his head in it. The scent that
was so uniquely Aeryn's was so faint on the material that John nearly felt that he was
imagining it. He breathed it in deeply and fought to control the rattlers that were dancing
in his stomach. "Please be all right," he prayed. "I can't do this alone. I need you." He
stayed that way for a while, clinging to the pillow as desperately as if it was Aeryn herself.
Then he took a few deep controlling breaths and replaced the pillow neatly on the bed.
As he did so, his hand brushed something small and metallic, buried under the pillow.
Reaching under, he drew it out. And his heart nearly broke.

Aeryn had somehow managed to find a replica of his father's puzzle ring on a chain. It
was not a puzzle ring in itself but the design and the chain it hung on were very similar to
the good luck charm that had been lost when he and D'Argo were drifting in space
following the destruction of Scorpius' secret Gammak base. He held it up to the light and
let it dangle.

"She was so happy to find that down on the planet," D'Argo's deep voice came quietly
through the door. "I think she intended to give it to you tonight."

John looked at the chain and started to put it back. Then feeling the need both for its
connection to Aeryn and the good luck it had come to represent for him, he slipped it
over his head and let it slide down under his shirt to rest over his heart. D'Argo watched
him carefully, then spoke.

"John, there's been a communication about Aeryn."

The Luxan's quiet tone made John look up sharply. "She's not dead, is she?" he asked in
a choked voice. He rose from her bed and raced towards the Luxan.

"No, but ... Scorpius does have her. And ..."

John was already headed towards the command. He turned abruptly at D'Argo's
hesitation."And?"

"He's got her in the Aurora Chair, John. He's torturing her. To draw you out."

John sped even faster to the command. "Pilot, show me this transmission!"

Zhaan tried to prepare him, "John, wait! It could be a trick."

The viewscreen was filled suddenly with the image of Aeryn strapped into Scorpius'
dreadful memory extracting device. Behind her, another female technician controlled the
strength of the extraction. Aeryn's face was contorted in pain. John watched helplessly as
the procedure continued relentlessly. Then the image was replaced with that of Scorpius.

"John Crichton. As you can see, we have the traitor Aeryn Sun and we are performing the
same procedure on her that you so obviously hated when you were with me at the
Gammak base. You know the unfortunate side effects that accompany the procedure.
The difference here is that we have no need to keep her alive throughout the extraction.
So unlike you, she is experiencing the highest levels. It may kill her." As if to prove his
point Aeryn's cries of pain could be heard in the background. Zhaan began praying
quietly as Chiana cursed and D'Argo raged helplessly. "If you hope to save her life, you
will give yourself up to me, John Crichton. You will be at the following coordinates in ten
arns. Otherwise, she will die." The image blanked as the transmission ended abruptly.

"Pilot, get him back! Tell him I will surrender! Tell him to stop it and let Aeryn go!" John
cried desperately.

"I am unable to do that,"Pilot replied reluctantly. "The transmission is a broadband one.
The Peacekeepers do not know where we are so they are sending it out all over."

"Well, can you trace it back, locate them?"

"No, I'm sorry."

John turned to his crew mates. "Now do you see that we have to go back. Scorpius isn't
Crais. He doesn't care about the rest of you. He only wants me." John's face fell as he
pleaded with his fellow fugitives. "Please, let me go back and save her." He looked
carefully at each of their faces. "She would do the same for me, for any one of you. You
know that."

Pilot was the first to speak." Moya and I want to return and rescue Aeryn."

Chiana spoke up next, "I'm with Crichton. Let's do something."

Zhaan was the dissenter. "John, you're right. Aeryn would give her life for any one of us.
Especially you." John's heart twisted at her words. "I know you want to rescue her, but
Scorpius might kill her before you get there. For that matter, she may be already dead.
We know how treacherous he is. Aeryn would not want to have died in vain."

D'Argo agreed with Zhaan. "She's right. We have no proof that she is alive. It could just
be another trap."

"I have to take the chance that he is sincere in his offer. And even if Aeryn is dead, I need
to know." The expressions on the faces of the others showed him that they shared his
feelings. "You know I'm right. We have to try." He turned back to Pilot's image. "Take us
to a position that is within transport distance of the coordinates that Scorpius sent."

"Right away, Commander Crichton."

******************************

Rygel was examining the walls of his cell very carefully. Unlike the Leviathan, there were
no hidden passageways behind the walls. He cursed vehemently.

"What is it, Dada?" Raltan's timid voice came through the wall.

"I am trying to find a way out. But this cell is nothing like the one I had on Moya. Or the
Zelbinion for that matter." Rygel hissed at his son. "But all prisons have a weakness. We
just have to find the weakness in this one."

"Father, what about the do..." Raltan began.

"Shut up!" Rygel interrupted. "Someone is coming ..."

The two Hynerians waited apprehensively. The two guards from before appeared around
the corner of the passageway dragging a shaking Aeryn Sun between them. With a brutal
push, they shoved her into her old cell and watched in satisfaction as she collapsed in a
heap on the floor. One of them took the time to aim a vicious kick into her stomach,
causing her to curl into a fetal position."Stupid tralk traitor!" he cursed, as his companion
smirked. Then they closed and locked the door and left her.

"Aeryn? Aeryn!" Rygel called to the ex-Peacekeeper as she lay gasping on the floor.

"Dada, is she all right? What have they done to her?" Raltan demanded, his young voice
filled with fear.

"The Aurora Chair," Aeryn ground out, fighting to control herself against the pain and
nausea. "Thank you very much, Rygel!"  she added bitterly. She curled up on the floor
again as a wave of shaking overcame her. "Frell, Crichton. How did you ever stand this?"

Rygel again felt guilt at his actions when confronted not only with their effect on Aeryn but
the potential pain he would inflict on the Human. He also knew that Scorpius would not
keep his word. Anyone who could invent such a malevolent machine could not be trusted.
"Frell!" he cursed at his own stupidity. "We've got to get out of here!" He began again to
examine his cell.

"Dada?"

"What, Raltan. I'm a little busy right now," Rygel said impatiently as he darted from one
side of his cell to the other.

"What about the door itself?" The young voice came through the cell wall. "The weakest
part has to be the entrance."

Rygel hovered in front of the cell door, a look of consideration on his face. "You're right,
my boy!" He called over to Aeryn who had managed to drag herself into an upright
position. "You used to live on this infernal vessel. Do you remember anything about the
locking codes?"

Aeryn groaned at the effort to remember. Then her expression brightened. "I remember
that some of my squadron discovered that there were a finite number of locking codes,
so they moved them around from one area to another on a regular basis. But there is no
way of knowing where these codes might have come from."

"That's all right, just give me some of the possibilities. It will reduce the number of codes I
will have to try," Rygel said, his voice growing more confident. "And my son, Raltan can
help. Remember when we broke the code on the kitchen stores lock?"

Raltan's voice came through tinged with amusement. "It only took us a half arn. It was fun"

"Well, use the same procedure. Aeryn will give you the parameters." Father and son
were soon hard at work, eliminating possibilities.

"Chiana, there's no other way," D'Argo declared reluctantly in the face of the Nebari's
objections. John was busy preparing the Farscape module for his trip to the coordinates
at which he would surrender.

"Chi, I have to do this. Remember how you felt when you took the dive off the cliff at the
cemetery planet. You had to prove something to yourself. Well, I have to do this. For
myself. And Aeryn."

"But you and Aeryn both tried to stop me!" she exclaimed, her voice breaking with
emotion. "I can't let you do this, Crichton." She tried to throw herself into his arms,
sobbing now.

John gently hugged her and met D'Argo's sad eyes over her head. "Hey! " he said
dipping his head down to meet her tear-filled eyes. "I came back before. I can do it
again," he promised with a crooked grin. Chiana gave a him a watery grin of her own
then turned away. "I'm going to hold you to that, Human," she threatened. "Or else ... "
She went over to join the Luxan who put his arm around her in comfort. Despite his fear at
what would happen next, John had to smile at the obvious connection growing between
the Luxan and the Nebari.

"Goddess be with you, John," Zhaan said quietly. "And with Aeryn and Rygel." she
added.

John smiled at her, "I'll get them back, Zhaan, if I'm able. I'll come with them if I can. But I'll
send them on to you if I can't." He paused, not quite sure how to phrase his next request.
"Ah, Zhaan?"

"Yes, John."

"If I don't make it back, and Aeryn does, could you ... ah ... help her? Keep an eye on
her?" He looked down at the floor. "I know your relationship has been a bit strained lately,
but I think you are the best one to help her ... adjust ... to her new life here on Moya. I know
you've helped me so much."

Zhaan's eyes glistened with tears at his words. "Yes, John. I will help her." She pressed
her cheek against his. "But you're the one she really needs. Come back with her." She
released him and watched in pain as he climbed into his primitive module and prepared
to give himself up to Scorpius.

The Farscape module shot through space towards the coordinates that Scorpius had
transmitted. John Crichton steered it expertly, his mind deliberately blank. He refused to
consider either the possibility that Aeryn was dead or that they would be separated
forever by Scorpius. He reached inside his shirt and grasped the good luck charm,
raising it to his lips. Then his eyes opened in fear and wonder as the Command Carrier
itself loomed large in the distance.

A quick scan of the area revealed a reassuring lack of Prowlers. **It looks like old Scorpy
kept his word.** He opened the coded channel that he and Pilot had established before
he left. "I see the Command Carrier. There doesn't appear to be any Prowler activity.
How are you guys doing?"

"We're fine, Commander Crichton. No Peacekeeper activity."

"Well keep scanning. I don't trust that Scarran monster as far as I can throw him. But it
doesn't look like he's sent out any ships after Moya."

"We're detecting nothing, John," D'Argo's voice came through the comm.

"Well, that's a positive sign for Rygel and Aeryn. If he keeps his word about not capturing
Moya then maybe he will keep his deal about releasing Aeryn and Rygel once he has
me." John began his final approach to the Command Carrier's docking bay. "I'm going in.
Keep this channel open. I will send Aeryn and Rygel back if I am able." John cut the
communication abruptly and piloted his craft into the massive docking area of the
Carrier.

Once his module was secured next to what was obviously Moya's transport pod, he
opened the hatch and climbed cautiously out. He was met immediately by Scorpius,
backed by four Peacekeeper guards with pulse rifles trained on him and a new female
assistant, the one John had seen in the transmission.

John ran forward, knowing the guards could not shoot, and grabbed Scorpius, planting
an exaggerated kiss on his forehead. "Scorpy! I'd love to say I missed your ugly puss, but
to be truthful you're the last creature I want to see right now!" He watched the expression
of disgust cross the Scarran's face with satisfaction.

Scorpius pushed the Human away from him with a shudder. Then he smiled nastily.
"Such bravado!" he sneered. He signalled to the guards who grabbed the Human's arms
roughly. "Well, let's not waste any time shall we?" He turned and headed down a corridor.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Wait just a minute, Scorpy, my man!" John objected, throwing off
the guards' restraining hands. "We had a deal here. Me for Aeryn!"

Scorpius turned slowly towards his prisoner. "You are so right, John." He turned to the
nearest guard. "Kill the Sebacean female!" Then he turned away.

John's heart froze at his words. Then he tried his last ploy. "Kill her! So she's still alive?"

"Yes, though not for long. Now that you're here, I have no further use for her."

"How quickly do you want this information?" John asked.

"I want it now!" Scorpius growled, his voice low and unrecognizable. The Peacekeeper
 guards looked uncomfortable at the transformation. Scorpius made an obvious effort to
control himself then said more quietly, "I need the information as soon as possible,
Human. High Command grows weary of the pursuit."

"Well, let me make ya' a deal, Scorpy. You let me see Aeryn, and release her and Rygel,
and I will not resist your comfy chair -- not at all," John offered.

Scorpius turned back towards him, his expression skeptical. "Why should I make any
deals at all with you. You have nothing to bargain with."

"You know I can resist the Chair. Maybe not forever, but long enough to make your
superiors start to wonder about your effectiveness. Not to mention the risk you run that I
might just up and die without revealing any of what the Ancients placed in my brain about
wormholes. Me dead? Then where would you be, eh Scorpy?" John taunted the angry
Scarran. "So whadda ya say, Scorpy? Aeryn and Rygel for all that."

"Very well, you may see her," Scorpius agreed reluctantly, his voice again deep and
alien.

"And you'll let them go?" John pushed.

"Yes, yes! I'll let them go. They are worthless to me. Then you'll submit to my Chair without
resistance. Agreed?"

"Agreed."

On the other end of the open coded comm, D'Argo instructed Pilot, " As soon as Aeryn
and Rygel are aboard, we starburst."

The guards led John through a confusing series of passages to what was obviously the
detention level. Scorpius trailed along behind them, his impatience with the deal obvious.
The little procession stopped in front of a cell. The guard nearest John reached forward
and entered the code. The door swung open to reveal Aeryn lying shivering on the floor,
her eyes red rimmed and unfocussed. John raced into the cell immediately and pulled
her into his arms. Aeryn's eyes filled with tears at his appearance.

"John, no! You didn't!" she cried.

"Yes, I did. Anything for you, my love," he said, pressing his lips to her hair. She wrapped
her arms around his waist and clung to him as if she would never let him go. When she
raised her tear-stained face to his, he lowered his head to kiss her tenderly. She
responded to his kiss desperately, revelling in the feel of his strong arms around her.
When he lifted his mouth from hers, she lost control, sobbing bitterly. "Hush, my love,"
John said, pressing his cheek to her hair. "You're going free. That's all that's important to
me."

"I won't leave you, John...," Aeryn began, looking into his eyes.

"Yes, you will, Aeryn. I need you to live. I need to know that you are alive somewhere.
Scorpius won't kill me. I'm too valuable to him," John kissed her again, tenderly. "And the
others need you, Moya and Pilot, Zhaan, Chiana and D'Argo. Even Rygel," he said,
looking at the Hynerian in the opposite cell. He felt the Scarran stirring impatiently behind
him. Pulling Aeryn once more into his arms, he reached down into his boot and carefully
extracted the dagger he had hidden there. He passed it to Aeryn out of sight of the
guards. She quickly concealed it in her own boot. Then he lost himself once more in her
sapphire gaze. "This time isn't good-bye either, Aeryn." He bent once more to kiss her,
then was dragged roughly from her by the waiting guards, whose faces clearly registered
their disgust at the sight of a Sebacean  kissing an alien. Aeryn pressed against the bars
of her cell watching until John was out of sight, then she collapsed in a heap on the floor
of her cell.

Across from her, Rygel watched the parting of his two crew mates with sad guilt. Then he
became more determined than ever to discover the locking code.

Scorpius signalled to his assistant that the Human should be taken to the laboratory
where the Aurora Chair awaited. He stepped aside to let the procession continue on then
he drew one of the guards back from the group. When the Human was out of earshot, he
hissed, "When  I have what I need from the Human, I want you to kill the prisoners. Wait
here until I signal you that I have extracted his memories." The guard nodded once to
indicate he understood then awaited his orders at the entry to the cellblock containing the
Hynerians and the ex-Peacekeeper.

Back in the cells, Rygel and his son worked feverishly at the locking codes while Aeryn
kept watch, her emotions now once more under control. Every now and then, at a
whispered warning from Aeryn, the Hynerians moved back from the doors as a guard
wandered through. When the coast was clear, they began again. Just when Aeryn was
ready to tell them to try something else, Raltan made a breakthrough, "Yess!" he hissed
as the first three symbols of the locking code on his cell were accepted. "Dekka, dekka,
prano"

Aeryn thought for a moment, then brightened. "That was the code for the recycling area.
There were only ten doors there. Keep working at it. You can do it." she encouraged her
cell mates.

The two Hynerians entered code after code, dismissing combinations as they reduced
the possibilities further. In his cell, Raltan heard his father curse as the code he had
entered was rejected again. "Just like old times, eh Dada? I remember how frustrated
you would get at lock code breaking." He grinned despite their danger. Aeryn watched
the little Hynerian, so like Rygel in appearance and demeanor and yet so different as he
worked at the door of his cell.

Rygel merely harrumphed at his son's reminiscences. Aeryn couldn't resist a dig at the
Dominar that had put them in such a perilous position. "Better hurry up, Rygel. It looks like
Raltan is going to beat you to it." She smiled as Rygel's fingers flew over the keypad
faster.

There was a click and the cell doors popped open up and down the corridor. Rygel
smiled triumphantly. "Nobody beats Rygel the Sixteenth when it come to lock breaking."
He stepped out of his cell and beheld his son face to face for the first time in one hundred
and fifty cycles. "Not even his beloved son." The two Hynerians embraced until Aeryn
hissed at them.

"There's no time for reunions now. Once the lock code was entered, the central computer
would be alerted to the opening of the cells. The guards will be on their way." She
headed off down the corridor, signalling for the two Hynerians to wait. Then after making
sure the coast was clear, she frantically motioned for them to follow her.

Rygel reached down and drew his son up onto his throne chair with him as he had so
many times when Raltan was young. The chair wobbled slightly then adjusted itself to the
added weight. The Dominar then steered it to follow the Sebacean.

Aeryn was moving cautiously down the corridor, tensed and awaiting the inevitable
guards. Suddenly, one of the guards that had taken John away leaped out into the
passageway and aimed his rifle at her. She crouched and his first shot went over her
head. She was about to charge the guard, recognizing him as the one who had so cruelly
kicked her in the cell when a swift green blur flew by her. Rygel charged the guard in his
throne chair, knocking him to the ground. The pulse rifle flew from his hands and Aeryn
quickly retrieved it. For a microt her training kicked in and she aimed at him with the
intention of killing him. Then with a quick flick of her thumb she reduced the charge on the
rifle  and merely rendered him unconscious.

She looked up to see two pairs of Hynerian eyes watching her. Rygel's were questioning
and slightly contemptuous. Raltan's were pleased at her actions. Rygel harrumphed and
turned away from her obvious weakness. But Raltan was clearly intrigued by her actions.
Aeryn looked around her, quickly getting her bearings. Then she indicated the grill above
her head. Rygel flew up and he and Raltan swiftly removed the panel. Aeryn leaped up,
grasped the edge of the opening and swung herself up into the dark duct. Rygel and
Raltan hovered up and into the vent. They had only just returned the panel to its position
when several heavily armed Peacekeeper guards pounded into the corridor they had just
vacated. They hauled the unconscious guard roughly to his feet and listened to his groggy
and unsatisfactory explanation. He was summarily dismissed and the guards fanned out
into the adjacent corridors in a patented Peacekeeper search pattern.

As the trio moved through the ducts of the Command Carrier towards Scorpius' lab and
John, Raltan could contain his curiosity no longer. "Why didn't you kill that guard back
there, Officer Sun?" he asked quietly.

Aeryn paused momentarily at a junction in the crawl space then turned to the right. After a
moment, she answered the young Hynerian's question. "All my training said to kill him,
not to leave an enemy behind. And I should have killed him for his cruelty to me back in
my cell. But sometimes people change for the better," she said, stopping and
deliberately looking at Rygel. He met her accusing gaze blandly, saying nothing. Raltan
watched the silent exchange between them with interest. Then Aeryn turned back and
crawled a bit farther.

Her face went white at the sound of John's cries of obvious pain. She paused and looked
down into the laboratory where she had herself been so recently strapped into Scorpius'
Aurora Chair. John was once more in the vile machine. Despite his promise not to resist,
the procedure was painful. The Ancients had buried the information on wormholes very
deeply in John's subconscious. Aeryn tensed when she heard Scorpius instruct his
assistant to increase the power, and John cried out again. She was ready to charge into
the room, firing, when Rygel placed a restraining hand on her arm. She looked angrily at
him.

"We need a plan, Aeryn. Or John dies along with us," he explained. The Sebacean was
frustrated but recognised the wisdom of the Dominar's words. Three pairs of eyes
peered into the laboratory, scanning for some opening or opportunity to rescue their
Human companion.

Suddenly, the opportunity presented itself. Lieutenant Braca came hesitantly into the lab
and spoke quietly to Scorpius. The Scarran exploded in rage.

"What? How?" he motioned imperiously at his assistant who reduced the power on the
chair, giving John a respite from the pain.

Braca's voice floated up to the listeners in the vent. "I don't know how, but they're
definitely gone. I have several patrols out looking for them now."

"The height of incompetence!" Scorpius ground out, his voice once more heavy and
alien. "Find them!" He turned back to his assistant, "We will continue momentarily. I need
to deal with this situation personally." With a last look at his victim, he marched out the
door with Braca trailing after.

Aeryn turned back to her companions, "We go now!" she said and quietly removed the
grillwork. When the assistant turned her back to examine some of the data they had
already collected, Aeryn lowered herself silently into the lab. Rygel and Raltan slipped
into the lab unheard, but the assistant suddenly turned around. Before she could raise an
alarm, Rygel charged her and knocked her flying, losing Raltan as he went. Aeryn raised
her rifle to take her out, but this time, Rygel's manoeuvre was successful. The assistant
lay unconscious on the floor.

Aeryn went immediately to John and released him from the chair. When he was free she
pulled him up. Her arms around him prevented him from falling to the ground as he was
struck with vertigo induced by the extraction. Then he smiled weakly at her and wrapped
his arms around her more tightly. "You're more radiant than last time," he said. Aeryn met
his smile with a happy one of her own, then strained to support him as he crumbled into
her arms once more.

"John!" she cried in alarm when he went white as a sheet and collapsed. But he took a
few deep breaths and cleared his head. Recovering, he grinned down at her. "I'm okay."
He looked around him, then added. "Let's get out of here. My Farscape module is in the
docking bay beside the transport."

The escapees climbed back up into the vent and crawled frantically through the maze of
ductwork until they found themselves poised above John's module in the Command
Carrier's docking bay.

"What now?" Rygel demanded. "Even if we can get to the ships, we'll be shot out of the
sky as we escape."

"No, we won't," John replied confidently. "Scorpius needs me alive. I'm betting on the fact
that he would rather let me go and chase me later then risk having me killed during an
escape."  John grinned wickedly at his fellow fugitives. "So if you all just stay close to me,
we should get out of here just fine." He removed the grill panel and dropped to the floor
below. Aeryn swiftly followed.

And gasped as a pulse gun was thrust into her side.

"I knew you would come back here, Human," Scorpius declared confidently. "And the
escapees would be with you. All I had to do was let them 'rescue' you and I would have all
of them." He looked up into the open panel. "Dominar Rygel! Time to give yourself up!"
he called.

John watched in horror as Scorpius pulled Aeryn's pulse rifle from her hands and
threatened her with the gun. Above them, Rygel sighed and raised his hands, preparing
to surrender.

"Dada, No! We have to fight somehow!" Raltan hissed.

Rygel sighed again,"No, son! It's called survival. We fight, we could die. We surrender,
we're alive a little while longer." Rygel moved his hand over the throne chair's controls,
preparing to float down and give himself up.

"No, I won't give in!" Raltan declared and leapt from the chair. Then he jumped through
the opening, landing squarely on the back of the guard nearest John. John grabbed the
pulse rifle from the guard, ducking to avoid the weapons fire that erupted everywhere.
Aeryn took advantage of the distraction to bend down and retrieve John's dagger from
her boot. Spinning around, she quickly turned the tables on Scorpius. When the smoke
cleared, Scorpius found himself held prisoner by John and Aeryn. Braca started forward
but was stopped when Aeryn pressed her dagger against the Scarran's throat, drawing
blood.

"No, no, my friend. Get back or your boss with the bad teeth here gets dead." John said.
He turned and smiled at Aeryn. "We all go free, no pursuit. Or Scorpy here is mincemeat
and you get promoted." John pondered his statement, looking at Aeryn who was glaring
at him. "Okay, so maybe I shouldn't have mentioned that last bit." He turned to reassure
Aeryn when his eye caught sight of Rygel hovering over the still form of his son."Oh no!"

Aeryn turned slightly to follow his eyes and saw the sad sight of Rygel trying to stop the
bleeding in his son's abdomen. She tightened her grip on Scorpius, "Don't even think of
trying anything. I would love to kill you right here and now."

"So what's it to be? Braca? Scorpius?" John demanded.

"Let them go!" an imperious voice answered. The female assistant stepped into the
room, took in the situation and took control. Scorpius communicated to her and she
turned and flashed something at Braca who had grown pale. He quickly signalled to his
guards to withdraw. John watched the whole thing then looked over at Aeryn who was
also confused, but pleased. Then he cried out to Rygel, "Quickly, get Raltan and get on
the transport. The boat is leaving." Then he called to Scorpius' assistant, who was now
clearly in charge. "Have your men get my module on the transport!" The assistant glared
at the Human's demands but signalled abruptly to her guards, who obeyed reluctantly.

"Any sign of pursuit and we kill him. " Aeryn instructed, watching as John helped Rygel
move the still form of his son onto the transport. She let the tip of her dagger draw blood
once more. Scorpius hissed in anger and pain, but said nothing.

"There will be no pursuit, " The assistant said and stepped aside as Aeryn backed into
the transport with Scorpius. She swiftly pushed him into a seat and gagged him, then
bound his hands and feet before taking her place beside John at the controls. The
transport lifted off and away from the Command Carrier. Once they were safely on their
way, Aeryn glanced  at John and left her seat to join Rygel in caring for his mortally
wounded son.

"Hang in there, Raltan. Zhaan is a marvel. She'll have you fixed up in no time," Rygel said
huskily.

"No, Dada. I think this is it. I'm going to join our illustrious ancestors. I never thought I'd get
there before you, though." Raltan said, then groaned as a wave of pain washed over him.
 

Aeryn knelt at the young Hynerian's side. "Thank you for what you did. You saved us all. It
was very brave," she said sadly.

Raltan smiled, a look so much like Rygel's. Then he turned to his father." Dada, please
remember what you used to value. Survival is important, but not at the cost of your
self-respect. I love you, Dada." He tensed with a groan, then lay still.

Rygel said nothing at the death of his beloved son, only hovered nearby, holding the limp
hand in his. Aeryn knelt beside the two of them helplessly, not knowing quite what to do;
how to offer comfort to the Hynerian. They stayed like that for several microts as John
piloted the escaping transport away from the Command Carrier, then Rygel quietly
began the Hynerian Ritual of Passage. He stopped every so often, as his voice choked
up. When he completed the Ritual, he turned to Aeryn. "You may remove him now," he
said, in a very controlled voice.

"Are you sure, Rygel. Don't you want to give him some sort of funeral, or ritual or ... on
Moya?" Aeryn asked uncertainly.

The little Dominar bristled for a moment at her denial of his request, then his expression
softened. "No, Aeryn. I have released his soul from all material restraints. This is just a
shell now. He is with our illustrious ancestors now. Happy and free from all concerns." He
turned away.

Aeryn lifted the small body and placed it gently in a small empty packing crate. Then she
put the crate in the airlock and with a final look at Rygel who was turned away, jettisoned
the body in its make-shift coffin.

She returned to take her seat beside John who looked at her in concern. "Are you okay?"
he asked softly.

Aeryn gave him a weak smile, but her eyes glistened with unshed tears. "Yes, I'm fine."

"And him?" John glanced around, indicating the silent Dominar.

"I think he'll be okay when we get to Moya." Aeryn took a deep breath to calm herself then
continued. "What are we going to do with him?" she asked, with a nod back at the bound
and gagged Scarran.

John's eyes hardened when he too looked at the being who had put him so through so
much pain. "Much in all as I'd like to space the bastard," he said harshly, "I think we'd
better get him into an escape pod and dump him before we reach Moya. I know D'Argo
and the others will not be so generous. But thePeacekeepers kept up their end of the
bargain, and I gave my word."

Aeryn looked at him for a moment, wanting to disagree with his decision but knowing
how much his word meant to him. Finally, she nodded and rose to remove the Scarran to
the escape pod. When Moya's welcome outline appeared in front of them, her docking
bay doors open to receive them, John hit the release button of the pod with much more
force than necessary. The pod drifted away from the transport as it entered the
Leviathan. Shortly after Moya had starburst away safely in a flash of blue light, the beacon
of the pod activated.

Several arns later, a furious and frustrated Scorpius was retrieved by his Command
Carrier.

******************************

The next day, just after a somewhat joyous evening meal, with Moya's crew complete
once more, Aeryn stood in her quarters, a perplexed look on her face. She was just about
to move when the sound of Rygel's throne chair interrupted her train of thought.
Surprisingly, the Dominar stopped outside her door.

"Ah, Aeryn?" he asked uncertainly, "Could I come in?"

Aeryn spun around in shock at his request and opened the lock on her quarters. "Yes,
Rygel. What do you want?" she said as the Hynerian floated into her quarters, his eyes
taking in the spartan room with a mixture of curiosity, potential avarice and then disgust.

"How do you live like this?" he blurted out. Then looked at her in surprise.

"Is that what you came here to ask me?" the Sebacean replied in annoyance. "Because
if it is ... ?" she added, deliberately opening the door again.

"No, no, ... I ... no!" Rygel said, uncharacteristically flustered. He looked up to see Aeryn's
blue eyes fixed on him, clearly waiting for an explanation. He gulped then dove in. "I ...
wanted to know why you didn't ... why you haven't ... told anyone what I ... what I did... back
there."

"You want to know why I didn't have the others space you for yet another betrayal?" Aeryn
ground out. Rygel said nothing, waiting. Aeryn sighed, then turned away from him. "There
are a number of reasons. First, I still feel guilty about what happened with Pilot. He has
forgiven me, but I can't forgive myself. As I said before, I deserve to die for what I did."
 She looked at the Hynerian, then away. "Second, I ... I understand your hatred of
Peacekeepers, now more than ever. What Scorpius did to me, in that chair, made me
understand only a part of what you and the others went through all those many cycles. I
thought I knew. Peacekeepers undergo **torture resistance** training," Rygel's eyes
widened at her candor. "But it was nothing like what I experienced in the Chair." She met
his gaze openly now. "If what I feel for Scorpius is only a fraction of what you feel about
Peacekeepers, I wonder that you can stand to be in the same universe with me let alone
on the same ship." Rygel said nothing, but his eyes softened slightly. "And finally, there's
Raltan. I understand that you did what you did for a loved one. I would do the same for
Jo... for someone I loved." She stopped, embarrassed at revealing so much to the one
member of the crew with whom she had the least connection.

Rygel hovered beside her, considering her words. Then he smiled. "So I guess we're
even." He grinned suddenly. "Actually, I was prepared to bribe you, but this new
information will be just as useful. I guess we're even."

Aeryn looked up in shock at his callousness then smiled when she realised he was
teasing her. Mostly. "Yes, We're even. I won't say anything to the others if you won't
breathe a word of my **weakness.**" She reached out her hand in the Human's strange
gesture. Rygel recognised it and grinned. They shook hands and then laughed at their
contamination by yet another Crichtonism.

"Hey, is this a private party, or can anyone come in?" John called through Aeryn's open
door.

Rygel looked at the Human and then back at Aeryn who was standing stiffly apprehensive
in the middle of the room. The Hynerian smirked then directed his throne chair out into
the hall humming contentedly. Aeryn released the breath she had been holding in an
audible sigh of relief. John turned from watching the Hynerian float out of sight to cast her
a strange look. "Is everything okay, between you two?" he asked, concerned.

Aeryn smiled at him reassuringly. "Yes, Everything's fine." She turned to look once more
around her quarters, searching for something and growing more worried and upset when
she couldn't find it. John watched her for a moment then it dawned on him what was
wrong. With a smile he said, teasingly, "Did you lose something, Aeryn."

Aeryn straightened the blankets and pillow on her bed and moved to check through her
sparse collection of clothes once more. "Umm, what?"

Jon moved over close behind her and let the ring on the chain dangle just out of her line
of sight. "I said, did you lose something?" he whispered in her ear.

She jumped at his sudden nearness and turned, what she was going to say lost when she
saw the gift that John was holding. Her eyes widened then darkened with some
unreadable emotion. She looked up at him, saying nothing.

"I found this when you were captured. D'Argo told me you bought it for me." He dropped it
into her hand. "I'm sorry that I took it, but I thought I might never see you again, and I
needed something of you with me, to keep you alive ..." He stopped.

Aeryn stared at the chain in her hand and then smiled at John. She reached up and he
ducked his head to let her slip it around his neck. Then he slid his hands around her waist
and drew her to him as she wrapped her arms around his neck. The kiss they shared
was warm and tender and promising. He tightened his arms around her as if he would
never let her go and the kiss deepened into something more, something that neither of
them was prepared to put into words.

Finally, John raised his head and smiled down at Aeryn, feasting on her slightly flushed
face and breathless glow.  "I had a gift for you too. The dagger that I gave you on the
Command Carrier. I bought that on the planet for you. It's still in the transport pod. I can go
and get it for you ..." he stopped when Aeryn tightened her grip on his neck and pressed
more closely against him, promising.

"Later, John," she said and drew his lips down to hers once more.

Out in the corridor, Rygel hovered unseen and unheard by the couple embracing in
Aeryn's room. After several microts of shameless spying, he grinned and hovered away,
humming tunelessly to himself.

FIN