altered

An Altered State Of Mind
by Janne
Summary: Aeryn and Crichton encounter an old enemy at a commerce planet and have to battle both an old enemy and a newly found one.
Spoilers: Some parts of Nerve, The Hidden Memory, and all episodes involving the evolution of the J/A relationship.
Disclaimer: The Farscape concept, theory, characters, and overall universe is not the property of me, but rather of Fox Studios Australia, Jim Henson Co, Sci-Fi Channel, and Nine Network Australia. This story is strictly for entertainment purposes and no copyright infringement is intended.
Author’s Note: Please be aware as you read this that this is the first ever fan fiction I’ve written. Read with that in mind. Also, I’d love to hear what you think about it, so don’t hesitate to e-mail me. I don’t mind if you use it, all I ask is that you give credit to me where credit is due. And with all that said, please enjoy.
Archiving: If you want it, I only request that you ask me first, then keep my name and e-mail address with it.

“Officer Sun, you will never escape from me. I’ll always be there. Lurking where you can’t see, attacking when you least expect it. Death will always be around- you can only delay it. Let yourself be warned- it is coming!” Scorpius hissed in her face as she stood staring at the Aurora Chair. Her head was spinning, when out of the shadows he came. John Crichton stepped from the darkness and a feeling of relief swept over her like a wave, when suddenly he raised a pulse rifle and fired, hitting her square in the stomach. She looked down into a void of blood and dropped to her knees, looking up into his eyes. Those eyes that she’d looked into so many times were changed. Where there was once warmth and love now held a glow of passion, but a terrible, angry passion. She could see in those eyes certain happiness as she lay there bleeding. She was terrified beyond words.
Aeryn woke in a cold sweat, deeply disturbed of the images that had just flashed before her eyes as she slept. She’d been having dreams of Scorpius capturing them a lot lately, but this one was the most vivid- and horrifying. She turned to get out of bed, careful not to wake John, who was asleep next to her. He always looks so peaceful. I couldn’t wake him up and trouble him with my own problems. She went into her bathroom and looked into the mirror. She couldn’t sleep, so she splashed some cold water onto her face and decided to go see what Pilot was doing; to find out what was going on out in space. As she exited, John came over to her.
“What’s wrong? Couldn’t you sleep?” he asked her slightly confused, rubbing his eyes and wondering why she was out of bed in the middle of what passed as night on Moya.
“No, I couldn’t. Go back to sleep. No sense in us both being tired tomorrow. Go on. I’m going to see how Pilot’s doing.”
“Are you sure? I can go with you. Or we could just stay here and talk if something’s bothering you.”
“No, that’s fine John- nothing’s bothering me. I just want to go for a walk, that’s all, “ and with that, she left.
He went back and sat on the bed. Ever since she had come aboard shortly after him, she put on a no-nonsense attitude, never showing emotions. He had gradually shown her that it was all right to feel for people and things. She had eventually started telling people, usually him, her feelings. He loved her so much, and she was beginning to return that love to him. He wanted to go after her, to comfort her, but he knew he shouldn’t. You can’t save her all the time, Johnny. She’s gotta do some of that herself, he told himself and reluctantly went back to bed.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
“Pilot, what are you doing?” Aeryn asked as she walked into his chamber.
“Oh, well, nothing, Officer Sun. May I ask why you are here in the middle of the night?” Pilot asked with a little concern.
“I couldn’t sleep and wanted to talk to someone, but didn’t want to wake anyone up, so I knew that I could talk to you.”
“I see. Moya and I are happy you chose to stay with us, but we are worried as to why you can’t sleep,” She quickly turned her gaze toward him, trying not to remember the dream.
“Just a bad dream. I’d rather not talk about that, if you don’t mind.”
“Very well Officer Sun, but I should warn you, Moya and I aren’t much company.” Realizing that, she smiled and left. She went back down the corridor to hers and Crichton’s quarters. He looked asleep, but she knew he wasn’t. He did this often when he wanted to fool her.
“Come on John, I know you’re not asleep.” She watched him a few paces from the bed, her arms crossed, smiling, and waited for him to respond. He turned over and smiled at her.
“Man, you get better at that every time. I’ve got to think of another rouse. So why couldn’t you sleep? A bad dream?” he asked sitting up. Aeryn moved toward him with a distant look on her face. He suddenly got concerned. He moved to face her and motioned for her to sit next to him. “What’s the matter Aeryn? You know you can tell me.” She looked at him and leaned on his shoulder and started crying. Not very much, but Aeryn Sun, no-nonsense Peacekeeper soldier, was crying. He comforted her, cradling her in his arms, kissing her head. She finally stopped, but didn’t lift her head. After several moments, she finally lifted her head and wiped the remaining tears from her head.
“Aeryn, on Earth, we talk about what is bothering us and it makes us feel better.” Aeryn looked at him and nodded.
“Is this another Earth custom?”
“Only if you’ll talk to me. If not, then it isn’t.” Aeryn flashed a small hint of a smile.
“That’s my girl,” John said as he turned to look at her a little better.
“I had a dream,” she said, pausing to gather herself, then continued. “I had a dreadfully frightening dream. I’m just a little shook up and would rather not talk about it,” she said. Crichton was puzzled at her obvious distress.
“Aeryn you’ll be all right. Please, tell me what happened.”
“It was really frightening, I’m sure it was just a bad dream. It was nothing, really.”
John sensed that Aeryn was holding something back, but he didn’t press her further. “Aeryn, you know I would never let anything happen to you. I love you too much.” She looked up at him, secretly relieved to hear him say that. Crichton wrapped his arms around her and embraced her. She felt so safe, like no harm could ever come to her. He finally lifted her head to look at him and kissed her. And then they went back to bed.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
In the morning, the two were awakened by the sound of D’Argo on the comm. “I think you two had better get down here, now.” They both rushed out of bed and got dressed. They ran down to Command, wondering why they’d have had to be down there in such a hurry. D’Argo and Zhaan were already down there, Chiana came in as they did and Rygel shortly after.
“Alright Pilot, whatcha got?” John inquired as he and Aeryn took their places around the Command console with everyone else.
“Well, Moya’s sensors have come across a commerce planet in the vicinity, and it has been brought to our attention that we are in dire need of supplies.”
“Ah, thank you Pilot. We appreciate you telling us immediately,” Zhaan said rather relieved that it didn’t have anything to do with the Peacekeepers. Since Crais had left with Talyn and Scorpius was spending even more time trying to capture Aeryn and Crichton, they were all a little jumpy.
“I guess Aeryn and I should go down and get some supplies. We can take a transport and be back in a few arns,” John piped up.
“Pilot, did Moya scan for any Peacekeepers in the area?” D’Argo asked.
“Yes, she did, and her sensors don’t show any Peacekeepers in the area.”
“Good. We can go now- no sense wasting any time,” Aeryn said as she turned to leave, taking John by the hand in a gesture that he was to follow her. He did and they went into the Maintenance Bay.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

“John, where are you going?” Aeryn asked with a hint of playfulness in her voice. He had gone up ahead and was behaving like a kid.
“It reminds me of the forests near Cape Canaveral. They were almost exactly like this.”
“Did you behave like a child on Erp when you were in the forests?”
“Earth, Aeryn, it’s Earth! And no, I didn’t, but since I haven’t seen a forest in a while, I thought I’d savor it,” he said a bit sarcastically.
“Actually, we were just at one,” Aeryn teased.
“Is that sass? Are you giving me sass, young lady?” he asked jokingly, flashing his broad smile at her. She laughed and ran to catch up with him.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
As the approached the city, they walked around taking in all of the local culture.
“Rustic charm. We used to have a lot of that back home, but never in big cities. You had to go visit the middle of nowhere to find that.”
“Rustic charm?”
“Although I guess this falls into that category,” he said, not really noticing her question.
“Come on John, we need to find a place that sells our supplies.” He followed her through the square’s many side streets and through the maze of natives trading and buying in the outside market.
“Come on Aeryn, aren’t you gonna find this place?”
“Well, yeah. Here it is, right passed this cart,” and she made her way over to the shop. Right as they were about to enter the shop, two Peacekeeper soldiers saw them. They were big, rugged guys and instantly knew the female as the traitor, Officer Aeryn Sun. As Aeryn and John entered, they followed, making sure that they didn’t see them. John and Aeryn bought their necessary items and left, careful that they didn’t run into anyone. They headed off in the direction of the transport, and the soldiers followed. As they got to the outskirts of the town, John switched paths and entered the forest. Aeryn followed him and the soldiers closed in. They made their move, careful that the townspeople wouldn’t hear anything. They came up behind them and jabbed their pulse rifles into the backs of their necks, knocking them out cold.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Aeryn woke up with a throbbing pain in the back of her neck and a welt the size of her fist on it. She was a little dazed and looked around confused. Just then John woke up.
“God Aeryn, you damn Peacekeepers. Everything has to hurt, huh?” he said, this reminding him of their ordeal in the flax.
“Shut up human. And stand up. You are a sorry sight indeed. Anyway, we have finally found the traitorous Officer Sun and the fugitive John Crichton. Will you two please join me for a walk?” He motioned for them to follow him. Aeryn got up and helped John up, as he was a little dizzy from the incident. They followed Scorpius down a few corridors and then were shown into a room that looked frightening familiar to John.
“Ah man, did you not get the hint when I left the last time?” John asked half-heartedly.
“Oh yes, I believe this room looks a bit familiar to you, doesn’t it?”
“Oh, thanks Scorpy! I really appreciate bringing in the familiar surroundings, I mean it brings just a little taste of home.” Scorpius looked at John but ignored the comment. He proceeded to his explanation.
“This is my wonderful invention, the Aurora Chair, of which you know well, Crichton. Fortunately for you, I’ve mad a few… modifications.” He was walking around the room this whole time and finally stopped near Officer Sun, who was near the console in between two guards. She stood there, fearful but careful not to show it. Instead, she switched into Peacekeeper-mode and stayed motionless, distant. After several microts, he shifted his gaze back to Crichton.
“I still want the wormhole information, Crichton, and since you’re not willing to give it to me, I will need to make you more cooperative.”
“Oh come on Scorpius, you don’t really think anything will change do you? I’ll never give you that information, mainly because I don’t know how it happened, but hey, that’s secondary.”
“Ah, but I believe I can change your state of mind. I have changed the Aurora Chair, improved it actually.”
“Really? Improved? How exactly?” John asked a little annoyed and more than a little curious.
“Well, I’ve altered the design. It no longer extracts memories, but rather implants them. Then, I can make you more... cooperative.”
“Oh, you plan on implanting memories that would make me trust you? On Earth we have a saying for that- in your dreams!” Aeryn smiled slightly but suddenly changing so Scorpius wouldn’t catch on, but was secretly proud of John.
“Well, actually the device hasn’t been tested, but since you were a great guinea pig last time, I’m sure you’ll do the second. Anyway, I would love to have Officer Sun view this. I’m sure it would be a great… learning experience.” Aeryn looked at him, uncertain as to his real motives of letting her stay. She very well knew that there were a limited number of witnesses when the Peacekeepers tortured people, and they were usually required techs and high commanding officers. She was uneasy as to why he was letting her stay- she had a gut feeling that didn’t sit right. Suddenly, Scorpius turned on the machine and Crichton’s chest, heaved, his head was wrenched with pain, and it took all he had in him not to spit out his insides. Aeryn almost had to look away; she couldn’t bear to see him this way. On the screen in front of John were images of John and Scorpius on rather good terms (as good as you can get with Scorpius). There were images of John reporting to Scorpius and Scorpy trusting John with certain information. Then Scorpius turned off the machine and John collapsed into the chair, motionless.
“Oh great, I think I killed him. Oh well. Bring in the next one!”
“You don’t even care?” Aeryn asked, astonished. Scorpius whirled around, surprised that she would be concerned with Crichton’s well being. “I mean, you killed your only chance at knowing the wormhole technology. It’s a pity.” She quickly recovered and hoped that he bought it, and that he didn’t notice the sweat building up on her forehead from the adrenaline rush. Just then Crichton stirred and looked up.
“Ah, I see I didn’t kill him. That’s good- very, very good. So Crichton, what do you feel?”
“I hate her!’ he yelled getting up and coming at Aeryn with a maniacal look in his eyes. “She’s evil!” He turned to Aeryn and continued with his ranting. “You left me for dead! I ought to kill you!” She was backing away from him, but he kept moving towards her. Scorpius then realized what he’d done.
“Crichton, do you feel anything for me?”
“Ah Scorpy, sorry to disappoint you- I did disappoint you, right? - But the only thing I feel is rage. Deep, anguished rage. Toward my favorite Peacekeeperette.” He said that with a bit of a laugh at the end and moved around the chair and came at Aeryn from the other side. She was caught off guard and moved quickly, turning around and kicking him, then turning around bolting out the door. She raced down the hallway and looked around for a way out. Come on Aeryn, find a way out. Look! You know Peacekeeper Command Carriers like the back of your hand! She kept telling herself. Her eyes darted around the narrow corridor, searching for a way out. Right as she spotted the air duct entrance, the alarm sounded. She pounced up, pushed the vent's grille into the duct, and pulled herself up, all in fifteen microts. She quickly put the grate back and waited until the next unit passed her. Don’t want to trip them up and give yourself away, now do you?
They passed and she made her way back to the room where Scorpius had John.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
As she came upon the room, she realized that Scorpius was talking to John. She moved slower, careful not to give herself away, since, as John was always quick to point out, Peacekeepers were heavier than they looked and weren’t very stealthy. She came up to the grate and peered out, cautious to stay in the shadows.
“Tell me what you know Crichton! I will not hesitate to kill you!”
“Yes, I’m sure you would, but except for one slight problem- I know something you want! At least, you think I know something. But you’ll never know. Now, I have some female Peacekeeper ass to kill, so if you’ll excuse me, I must be going.” John turned to leave, and a suspicious smile came across Scorpius’s face.
“Yes Crichton, you go and find Officer Sun. Hunt her down- kill her even. But be sure to bring her back.”
“Yeah, whatever.” Aeryn sunk back into the vents and was appalled at what she’d just heard. John would never kill me, would he? He loves me, doesn’t he? I mean, we don’t always get along, but we have something. Then it came to her. THE CHAIR! Of course! She thought to herself. The effects of the chair must have been compromised because of his difference in physiology. He being a human and not Sebacean reacted differently to the effects of the Chair and Scorpius didn’t think of it. Then she turned around and made her way in the direction that John went, hoping she’d find him before he made it too far away. I have to find him and get him back in the Chair. I have to get him back. She quickly made her way through the ventilation system, stopping every fifty microts or so to see if she could hear any soldiers following her or if they knew where she was. She turned about 200 meters then stopped as she saw John standing right in front of the vent, his back to her and obviously waiting for her to happen upon him. He always was a terrible bounty hunter. She said remembering the last time he’d played bounty hunter. She smiled briefly at the memory, but shook it off, returning back to the present. How do I get him to come with me without him killing me? She thought to herself. Great. I should’ve frelling thought of that before I came to get him. OK, I could push the grate out at him, knocking him off his balance, then knock him out, pull him up to the vent, and drag him back to the room with the Chair and hope that Scorpius isn’t there. She decided that was the best strategy and waited, waited for his concentration to falter. Suddenly, when she saw him look away slightly, she shoved her feet out with all her force and he tumbled to the ground. He turned around, fuming, and raced at Aeryn. She winced, then hit him with a Pantak Jab. Sorry John. Maybe one day you’ll understand why I had to do that. She thought, pulling him up into the vent.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Aeryn dragged Crichton’s limp body through the air ducts back to the room. She stopped every few minutes to take a breath, pausing to look at his body, just sitting there, so helpless and vulnerable. You are perfect. So compassionate, so loving. You give so much of yourself, never asking for anything in return. I never saw it, but you are perfect. I was blinded by Peacekeeper training and by my own stubbornness, but you are the best man I could hope to find- even if you aren’t Sebacean. She gazed at him, wiping some of the sweat away from his eyes. Then she picked up his body and dragged him on. As she neared the room, she slowed, trying to hear if Scorpius was still there. As luck would have it, he wasn’t- he was out trying to find them. She looked through the slightly open door to make sure no one was coming, then pushed out the grate the same way as she’d done to get Crichton. She lowered herself and then Crichton, strapping him into the Chair. She crept to the door and closed it, locking it behind her. She rushed over to the console and was trying to find the switch to reverse the effects, when he started to wake up.
“Ah, the radiant Aeryn Sun,” he said, half-laughing,
“Yes Crichton. I’m going to get us out of here, but now I need to start the chair. This may hurt a bit.” Then she pushed the button, and he started to heave, screaming like a raving lunatic. She heard footsteps and stopped the machine, hoping that would be enough. She ran to the Chair and strapped him.
“How do you feel, John?”
“Damn, Aeryn! You lied again! That hurt like hell! What is it with you people and pain? How the frell did you get the name ‘Peacekeepers’?” he said, getting up.
“Oh be quiet John. I’m glad you’re alive and well.” She smiled at him and helped him up.
“Me too. Let’s get out of here.” He took her hand.
“Uh, John, that’s the problem. I don’t know how to get back down to the planet and the Prowler. The only thing we could do would be to steal a Marauder or something and hope they don’t catch us on our way back to the planet. But, that’s a lot of guess work.”
“Well, that’ll have to do. We need to get out of here- now!” He motioned to the door, where she could now hear the Peacekeepers attempts at opening the door. “Thank God for Scorpius’s ego.” She knew it was only because Scorpius didn’t like to be disturbed when he was torturing prisoners, and therefore put a lot of security into the door that enclosed his precious Aurora Chair, that they were alive. She pulled him to the vents and hoisted him up, then followed him. They left, leaving no evidence they’d been there, except Aeryn had purposely left the controls set at the opposite setting.
“So he’ll know we fixed you,” she said with a twinge of vengeance in her voice when he asked her about it. They made their way to where Aeryn hoped was the Docking Bay. She stopped; making sure that no one was around. As she was looking, she felt a tug at her shirt.
“Thank you for saving me- again. I just hope we make it out of here,” John said to her.
“Well, I believe this is the second time I have rescued you from Scorpius, and we got away last time,” she said with a mysterious hint. He cocked his head and smiled. Aeryn smiled back and turned back, but he pulled her arm.
“Here’s to history repeating itself,” he said and kissed her. She was taken slightly aback, but did not fight it. After he broke the kiss, she lingered a few microts, then turned back around and exited the vents. They seemed to be in a back hallway.
“Where are we?” John whispered as he jumped down.
“Right behind the Docking Bay, I hope,” Aeryn said as she surveyed the walls.
“Hope? Uh, Aeryn, I really don’t think now’s a great time for guessing. I’m gonna be Scorpy-meat if I get caught again, not to mention what’ll happen to you. You need to be sure.” He looked at her, and she looked at him. They stared at one another. It was the moment of truth- live or die. If she made one false decision, they both were killed, she probably more painfully than he. She looked at him, then the door, then him again. She bit her lip and took a deep breath.
“This is it.”
“You sure?”
“No. But if we stay here, we will get caught, and this is our only chance.” She started for the door when he blocked it.
“Let me go first.”
“Is this another Earth custom?”
“Well, yeah. I mean, when a guy and a girl go into battle or think they might die, the guy usually goes first.”
“Why?”
“It’s a dignity thing. And pride. But mostly it’s because guys like to feel like they did something to protect the girl.” She stayed, then moved aside, allowing him to go first. He smiled a reassuring smile, and she smiled back. Then, he opened the door.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
John opened the door and peered out. The Docking Bay was almost deserted. There were only a few techs left working on the ships. Aeryn thought this was rather odd, considering that there were two prisoners loose somewhere on the Carrier. “John, this is strange. Shouldn’t there be more guards? I mean, c'mon; two prisoners have just escaped. Usually they aren’t this loose about security anyway, let alone during a security breach.”
“Maybe they’re short staffed. I don’t know Aeryn, but I always say don’t mess with a good thing,” John whispered harshly to her.
“I’m just saying to watch your back.”
“That’s what you’re for,” he said smiling.
“Yeah, but who watches mine?” He turned around and gave a her a look that seemed to say Don’t go there, Aeryn. Then he quickly turned away. They cautiously made their way to a Prowler that had a minimal number of techs working on it, and started to go to the side where the hatch was, conveniently on the side facing away from the rest of the bay. This isn’t right. Peacekeepers never dock this way- for this exact reason. It’s a trap, she told herself, but tried to shake away the feeling. It was still with her, though, and bothered her. As Aeryn started the opening sequence of the hatch, the feeling kept wrenching at her. It was getting worse and worse, when finally she twisted around and grabbed her pulse pistol from her side.
“Whoa Aeryn, put that thing away before you hurt someone!” John said putting his hands up in the air.
“Get behind me John, and don’t make any sudden moves.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Just do it.” He did, and when he was behind her, he turned around and saw Scorpius with about fifty Peacekeeper soldiers.
“Damn, do the good guys never get a break?” He watched as Scorpius walked towards them, no gun in hand, or for that matter, anywhere on him. Aeryn noticed the same thing.
“Where’s your weapon, Scorpius?”
“Well, it seems I have forgotten it.”
“Yes, it does, but you also always have soldiers around you. Did you forget them too?” Scorpius laughed and wandered over to the Prowler’s hull, resting his arm on it.
“It seems I have,” he said, carelessly leaning his head on the hull as well. Aeryn sensed something wrong and turned around to see about thirty guards behind them.
“You will retreat, or Scorpius is dead!”
“Their orders are to kill you- both of you. And you know how Peacekeepers carry out their orders Officer Sun.” She did. They followed their orders no matter what the cost. She realized they didn’t care whether Scorpius died or not. She glanced at the hatch, and noticed it was open. John followed her gaze and saw the open hatch too. Just then, the Carrier lurched, as if being shot at.
“What is going on?” Scorpius demanded through his comm.
“It seems that a Prowler has fired on us, Sir!” said the officer, a little surprised that a Prowler would be attacking one of its own.
“Return fire!”
Aeryn smiled, and, turning to Scorpius, said, “As much as I’ve loved chatting, we really must be going.” John made a dash for the hatch and she followed. She followed him backwards, shooting at the soldiers to keep them away. Most of the soldiers were busy regaining their balance, but some were shooting at her. She turned to enter the hatch and was shot in the leg by a soldier, who was then thrown to the floor by another lurch. She took this opportunity and leapt into the Prowler while John shut the hatch. They started her up and headed for the door.
“How are you gonna get out John?” Aeryn asked a little worried, as she couldn’t see what was going on from her position on the floor stopping the bleeding.
“I’m gonna do it the old fashioned way. Shoot.”
“Transports aren’t meant for maneuvers, John!”
“Well this one had better be!” He shot a few rounds and burst a hole in their Docking Bay door, and flew out.
“Whoa! That was close!”
“John, let my drive. We’re going to have to maneuver the crossfire between the Prowler and the Command Carrier. You can barely drive it, let alone maneuver it!” She moved to the driver’s seat while John moved to the other seat. She flew low below the Carrier and under it. She came around broadly and made for Moya’s Docking Bay, when she noticed other Prowlers and Marauders being launched to follow them.
“So, who’s flying the Prowler?” John asked, wincing slightly as they narrowly missed running into a Marauder.
“Probably D’Argo. I’ve been teaching him to maneuver mine. I must say, he was never this good during the lessons.”
“Would you have let him?” he asked with a playful smile.
“Of course not!” she said with a laugh.
“We’re going to have to shake ‘em!” John said holding on tightly.
“I know. Hold on!” She made for a false entrance then came back around, forcing the Marauders to follow, drawing them into a trap. D’Argo hit all three of them and swept low to avoid hitting a Prowler. She then went up behind the Carrier and went above, coming down on top of the Prowlers and went right over them, docking in Moya without a problem.
“Starburst Pilot!” Crichton yelled into his comm as he and Aeryn made their way to Command, eyeing D’Argo docking in behind them.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
“They’re on board. Commencing immediate starburst.” Pilot said over his comm to the rest of the crew at Command. Crichton and Aeryn rushed into Command. They were relieved to see their crewmates, and to be alive.
“We’re so relieved that you made it out all right,” Zhaan said, coming to meet them at the door and hugged both of them.
“So are we! Thanks for the diversion, by the way. Well Pilot, let’s rock and roll!”
“Yes Commander. Starbursting now.” The crew prepared for the starburst. After they were out of the area, they asked Pilot to run a sensor sweep just in case the Command Carrier followed them.
“The sensor sweep didn’t pick up any PK vessels in the area. We’ve escaped- for now.”
“Thanks Pilot,” John said, leaving Command followed by the rest. Aeryn was the last to leave, staying at the console and staring out into space. John saw her there and waited just inside the archway for a few microts, then started to leave.
“That was a difficult mission,” Aeryn said, not shifting her gaze. John turned around and walked over to her and stood next to her.
“Well, I’m sorry that rescuing me was so physically strenuous. Next time I’ll try to make it a bit easier for you,” he said jokingly. She continued.
“That’s not what I meant. I grew up with those people; they were my family. I fought with them, and I would have died in a microt for them. Now, that has all changed. The Peacekeepers are no longer my family, and I now realize how differently my attitude toward them is. I guess I always knew I was a traitor and would be treated as one, but I still hoped I could go back to the only life I’ve ever known.” She stopped and turned to John and finished. “When Scorpius took advantage of your unfortunate reaction to the Aurora Chair, it made me mad. It also frightened me.” She stopped, expecting a human quip, but none came. John simply sat there, listening, waiting to comfort her. “I was so afraid you would fall victim to him and that you would give in to your instincts. I hoped you wouldn’t kill me, that you secretly, deep down, remembered what we had. The look in your eyes when you tried to kill me in the room was so terrifying. It was filled with rage. Rage that was brewing inside you, getting hotter and hotter, just waiting to explode. And I thought that moment to explode had come.” She waited for him to respond.
“Aeryn, I love you and would never, ever harm you. Nothing anyone could say would make me kill you. I love you way too much to allow anything bad to come of you. I would go to the ends of the Uncharted Territories to be with you. You know that right?”
“Yeah, I know. I love you too. I wouldn’t let anything happen to you. I mean, I crawled through the vents of a Peacekeeper base. That has to tell you something, huh?” she said laughing.
“Well, Peacekeeperette, you’re turning into a real Bruce Willis.”
“Bruce Willis?”
“Never mind. He’s an actor in a movie called Die Hard where he had to crawl through the ventilation system of a skyscraper to rescue his true love.”
“You’re right, he is kind of like me.” He smiled at her, took her hand in his and kissed her.
THE END