Destiny's ChildWritten and Edited by:
Aeryn Kelly (Aeryn-PKgirl)
mailt:Aeryn-PKgirl@angelfire.com
Copyright Aeryn Kelly December 12, 1999 - August 2, 2000
Author's note: This story takes place in my liar 'verse, which I like to call "Aeryn-PKgirl's-big-ball-of-Farscape-fun. Okay, this is set after TWWW, but ignores the whole Scorpy debachle. Oh, yeah, if J&A had sex at any time in the series, I'm changin' that too. This is set about five months after TWWW. Well I wanted John to be a father, but I didn't want them to do it voluntarily, and I didn't want Aeryn and him to have sex... yet. So I decided to do it this way. Well I dunno, just read it, and see if you like it ok?
Captain Tobias Doyle is named for Allen Francis Doyle of the series Angel, we miss you man.
Summery: John brings a child to Moya.
Rating: PG, PG-13 at the most.
Disclaimer: Farscape is not mine, it is owned by lots of other people who are very proud of it. I'm only borrowing them and I will return everyone when I am done. Well, I might just keep John around for a while. I do own Shyloh though, and this story. It's mine, mine, mine, mine! hehe! :)
Feedback: Do I need to beg?
John Crichton walked through the crowded marketplace. He had wandered off from Zhaan and was now searching through the people for her. He looked around like a kid in a candy store, he loved going to commerce planets and seeing different kinds of people all in one place. This particular planet was hot, and humid; Crichton was glad that he had asked Aeryn to stay behind on Moya.
As John walked he observed all, taking in the people, the interesting smells that surrounded him, the young Sebacean girl lying almost unconscious against a wall. John cocked his head to the side and walked over. The girl was about 6; she was very small, dirty, and sick. She looked as Aeryn had looked when she was suffering from Sebacean Heat Delirium.
"Little girl? Are you ok? Do you need help?" John asked softly. The girl opened her eyes when John touched her shoulder, but before she could respond her eyes rolled back in her head and she was unconscious. John looked around for anybody who may be her parents, then picked her up and ran, trying desperately to find Zhaan. In all his frantic searching he didn't see Zhaan right in front of him and ran into her.
"Zhaan, sorry, but you gotta help her. She's got that heat delirium, we have to get her cooled down." Crichton explained quickly. Zhaan ran a hand across the girl's forehead and nodded.
"All right John, are you sure you saw no one with her?"
"Yes I'm sure, she was alone. Come on." Zhaan gathered the items that she had bought and led John back to Moya's transport pod.
****
"Aeryn, get some cold water and ice that I can put the girl in. Hurry, we are almost there." John said as he laid the girl on the floor. He tried to fan her as best he could, and gave her some water that he had to help her swallow; she was still out cold, so to speak.
They arrived back at Moya and Crichton rushed with the girl to his quarters where Aeryn was waiting for him. He slid the small child into the icy water and waited. Her eyes opened in shock when her body was fully immersed, she cried out and splashed around for a moment in a futile attempt to get away. Her body started to go numb as she cooled down, the heat delirium fading into nonexistence.
"Crichton, where did you find her?" D'Argo asked, looking down at the cold figure floating in the water.
"She was just lying in the streets, she wasn't moving and it didn't look right."
"We should get her clothes washed and clean her up." Zhaan said, shooing them all out of the room. John was a little indignant about being forced out of his own quarters, but he went with Aeryn to the Galley.
"She'll probably be hungry. Bring her to the Galley when she's better ok?" John called to Zhaan.
"Yes John, I will."
****
"She is cute, I will admit that, but what use do we have for her? She would be another mouth to feed and this is no place for a child." D'Argo said.
"We can't return her to the planet. The same thing will happen again, only she may not be as lucky. She may slip into the Living Death before anyone notices something is wrong. There were children on that planet left unattended, I wouldn't be surprised if they were orphans." John replied.
"If no one else cared about her, then why should we." Rygel stated; he was then reprimanded by a smack to the back of the head by Chiana.
"Shut up frog boy, be nice."
"Why should I? You probably just want her to stay so that you can teach her to be a thief like you."
"No, I understand what it is like. I was all alone like her, and it's hard, especially when you are that young." Chiana explained.
"What about you Aeryn? What do you think?" John asked, laying a hand on hers.
"I don't know Crichton, we know nothing about this girl. D'Argo is right, we do not have enough supplies, and this is no way to grow up."
"Oh, so you would rather she suffer the Living Death than have her stay here? Is that it? Well I am ashamed of all of you that you cannot care about a scared and lonely little girl. I'm willing to split my rations with her if that is what it takes." Crichton said, giving them a disappointed look and walking out of the room.
"Good! More food for us! Just keep the little vermin... ow how dare you!" Rygel called after him, before Chiana hit him again.
****
"How are you feeling my dear?" Zhaan asked softly once the girl had awoken and the others had gathered around. The child smiled, and stretched, looking at her surroundings.
"I'm better. Where am I?" She said in a small voice.
"You're safe. You're on a ship, orbiting the planet we found you on." John answered.
"Are...are you Peacekeepers?"
"No, don't worry. You are safe." Aeryn answered.
"What's your name?" John said, kneeling down beside the bed and taking her tiny hand.
"Aeryn... Aeryn Shyloh." John raised his eyebrows and looked at Aeryn.
"What? It's a common name. It is just a coincidence."
"Did I miss something?" Shyloh said, confused by the odd look from John.
"Aeryn Sun, nice to meet you." Aeryn replied.
"Oh, hi. Are you gonna make me go back?" Shyloh asked softly.
"Do you have any parents? Anyone who cares for you?" Zhaan said, feeling Shyloh's forehead.
"I'm all alone, I just got to that planet. Then I realized it was too hot, I tried to find transport, but there were none leaving soon enough, and even then they were too heavily guarded. Then I couldn't find anywhere cool and...." Shyloh explained sadly.
"Are you hungry?" With a vigorous nod from Shyloh they were headed to the Galley. Shyloh rode in John's arms, her clothes had been cleaned, her body washed, and her stomach soon to be filled.
John smiled at Shyloh, then looked over at the other Aeryn and chuckled a little. Aeryn was watching the child with quiet fascination. Granted Shyloh's vocabulary and mannerisms were far more advanced than a 5 or 6 cycle old, but there was more behind her gaze.
"You are such a softy." John commented.
"What?"
"You, you've fallen in love with her already."
"No I haven't. I've just never been around a child, since I was one." Aeryn replied, scoffing at his implications.
"No, you want to keep her. You want to keep her here, with you. What is it about her you like so much? The name? The fact that she looks like you, you know, except for she's blonde? Are you partial to the helpless? After all, you saved me from Crais."
"I have not fallen in love with her. And her name has nothing to do with anything."
"Oh come on Aeryn," when both Aeryns looked up John got up and walked over to Shyloh and whispered in her ear. "I'm gonna give you a nickname. I'll call you Shyloh. That way we won't get confused, and you may have a better chance of staying with us if we seem more familiar. Besides, the way that Aeryn has been looking at you I think she's gonna side with us."
Shyloh nodded and smiled brightly, excited by the prospect of having a family, even one as odd as the crew of Moya.
"Come on guys, let her stay. She's small and she won't cause any trouble." John asked sounding like he was pleading with his parents to let him have a puppy.
"Actually, if you don't mind, I would rather stay with Aeryn." Shyloh spoke, her voice soft with caution. Aeryn looked up, stunned that Shyloh would have formed a bond with her so quickly.
"Um, all right, if you wish." Aeryn said uncertainly as Shyloh jumped up into her lap. Aeryn found her arms coming up protectively around Shyloh's small body. Everyone gave her a knowing smile and she looked back completely baffled. She had never been around children, and had no idea how to care for one. Fortunately Shyloh seemed somewhat capable of taking care of herself. Still something about the way that Shyloh was clinging to her vest told Aeryn that the girl just appeared strong, and eventually that facade would crumble.
****
"Can I sleep with you?" Shyloh asked.
"No, you can have your own room." Aeryn replied, leading her down the hall. Shyloh had Aeryn's hand tightly clenched in her own, and she tugged on it gently. "What?" Aeryn said, looking down.
"Carry me?" Shyloh looked up at her with pleading blue-gray eyes and Aeryn realized that this whole caring-for-a-child thing was going to be harder than she thought. Aeryn leaned down and picked up the feather light girl. Shyloh wrapped her legs around Aeryn's waist and her arms around Aeryn's neck.
"For a five cycle old you really like to be carried. Not that I would know, but I didn't like to be carried when I was a child. I guess it's because you missed most of your childhood."
"Yeah, I've been on my own since I was two. It was hard, but people are more sympathetic the younger you are." Shyloh explained. "Can I sleep with you tonight at least?"
"No, you stay in your room."
"Alright." Shyloh smiled at Aeryn; maybe this was the person who would take care of her for longer than a day. Shyloh hoped so, Aeryn was beautiful, and just the kind of woman she wanted for a mother. She had also noticed something between Aeryn and John. They seemed very fond of each other.
"Where are John's quarters?" Shyloh whispered. Aeryn pointed to a room on the other side of the hallway.
"Right there. Your room is halfway between his and mine. That way John can keep and eye on you too."
"Your idea?"
"His. Here we are." Aeryn said when they reached the door. The room had a blanket neatly folded on the bed, some colorful pillows, and Crichton standing by the window. "Crichton what are you doing here?"
"What? I'm not allowed to say goodnight? You getting territorial already." Crichton said, with mock anger.
"Lest we forget who she chose to stay with. She wanted to stay with me and...." Aeryn retorted.
"But you said..." Shyloh started.
"Not now. She likes me better, so leave her alone." Aeryn finished childishly.
"I am not a possession! Yes I want Aeryn to take care of me, but you don't own me. I'm five cycles old, and if necessary I can take care of myself. My choice, I decide." Shyloh said with an indignant nod of her head.
"We're sorry darlin', we just haven't learned to share yet. Do you mind if I say goodnight?" John said as Shyloh climbed out of Aeryn's arms. Shyloh looked down at the floor, not knowing whether to continue to be indignant or to give in to John's puppy dog eyes. Shyloh looked up and smiled.
"Yes, you can say goodnight to me. I like both of you. I don't want to be fought over. If you can't deal with that then take me back to the planet and I will survive somehow. Ok?"
"Yes, ma'am." John chuckled. "Hey Aeryn, she's already acting like you." Aeryn scoffed. John picked up Shyloh and laid her down on the bed. He unfolded the blanket and laid it over her. He tucked her in gingerly and sat on the edge of the bed. "Comfy?"
"Very much." Shyloh replied as she snuggled into the gold blanket. She was deliriously happy, having Aeryn and John take care of her was wonderful. And being warm, she was warm and safe and didn't have to worry about being hurt. She knew that Aeryn would make sure that nothing happened to her, and that was the most comforting thought. With happy thoughts filling her head Aeryn Shyloh drifted to sleep.
"She is rather cute isn't she? Asleep like that. She did look happy didn't she?" Aeryn said with a warm smile. John chuckled and moved to Aeryn's side and put his arm around her.
"You really are a softy. You've only just met her, and you already want to keep her for yourself. I can't say that I'm not jealous. Not only does she like you better than me, but you like her better than me." John said with a small pout.
"I do not. ' Cause I don't like you at all." Aeryn laughed. John chuckled and Aeryn rested her head on John's shoulder as they looked at the child lying in the bed beside them, dwarfed by the blanket covering her tiny body.
**** Three weekens later
"Come on, come on." Chiana said, pulling Shyloh behind her.
"Slow down, I can't see anything." Shyloh said as she crawled through the complete darkness. Moya groaned as Shyloh slipped along in one of the unexplored areas of Moya's systems. Chiana was teaching Shyloh the intricacies of Moya, every hiding place she had found in her months aboard.
"Why can't you see. It's plenty light in here." Chiana retorted.
"Maybe for you, you're a feline of some sort."
"A what?"
"A cat, John told me about them. They are from his Earth, they can see in the dark. They have lots of fur, and tails, they are small, and they walk on all fours. From what John told me, it is very therapeutic to pet them and stroke their fur."
"I dare you to pet me. Now come on." Chiana replied, still pulling Shyloh along in the slippery crawl space.
"Why do we have to go so fast? What is so urgent? Are you late for something?" Shyloh asked, finally freeing herself from Chiana's grip and settling down on what she hoped was a dry area. Chiana sighed and sat down as well.
"No, I just don't want this to take all day. I wanted to see John before he went to bed, or Aeryn got to him." Chiana grumbled, Aeryn was always getting in the way of her flirting, diverting Crichton's precious attention. Chiana growled at the thought of John and Aeryn together. //Huh, that bitch doesn't deserve him; she doesn't know how to treat him// Chiana thought. Shyloh assumed the confused look that she had often seen on John. What was Chiana so upset about? John and Aeryn made a great couple; they were very cute together. Well, not cute exactly, but interesting none the less.
"You should just leave John alone. I like you, so I'm gonna give you some free advice. John loves Aeryn, he can't admit the fact to her or himself, but he loves her. And no matter how much you proposition him, and rub up against him, he will still love her. Save yourself the time and embarrassment and leave them be." Shyloh said. She loved both John and Aeryn and liked they way they acted like her parents.
"I'm not going to be reprimanded by a five cycle old child. John may fawn over you, but you are just a baby."
"Oh, like you're the kind of woman he goes for? Ha! I've known him a total of 3 weekens and I can see that. You've been here almost a cycle and you haven't noticed. If anyone is a baby it's you. How dare you presume yourself the most attractive thing in the universe." Shyloh said in anger. Chiana had not only called her a child, but also taken her for granted. She was smart, and perceptive, and if she wanted any respect she was going to have to demand it. If Shyloh could have seen, she would have seen the completely dumbfounded look on Chiana's face. Then the look of utter contempt, and finally acceptance that Shyloh was indeed right. That wasn't going to change her mind though, she was wearing John down, it was just a matter of time.
"Come on kid, let's get out of here." Chiana pushed Shyloh in front of her and guided her out of the crawl space.
****
Aeryn looked over her Prowler, the only comforting activity she could think of. Shyloh was off with Chiana. She herself barely tolerated Chiana, but Shyloh loved her. They spent arns together, roaming around the ship. Aeryn hated to think what Chiana was teaching Shyloh. //Chiana and Rygel are thieves, hardly trustworthy people, but Shyloh is just a child. It's bad enough that she had to resort to stealing before, but she's with us now. She shouldn't have to be exposed to that anymore.// Aeryn thought with a shudder.
Later, after Aeryn had left, John was tucking in Shyloh.
"Hey Shy, you sleepy?" John asked, sitting on the edge of the bed and smiling down at her warmly.
"Yeah, Chiana and I went walking through the access shafts all day. It kinda wore me out."
"Alright then, sweet dreams."
"You too. Um, John. Wait."
"What is it?" John asked, petting her golden hair out of her eyes.
"Could you check on Aeryn? Something's wrong with her, but I don't know what it is. Maybe you could find out. I'm just worried about her, she seemed different, and she couldn't pick me up this morning." Shyloh said. John kissed her forehead, turned off the lights, and went in search of Aeryn.
Aeryn was not in her quarters so John checked the Terrace. He found her crumpled in an unceremonious heap on the floor. She didn't look like she had fallen asleep that way so he rushed over. Her skin was pale, paler than usual and pasty. She was ice cold and wouldn't respond when John tried to wake her. He was just about to call Zhaan when she opened her eyes and some of her color started to return.
"Hey, welcome back. What happened?" John asked, moving her so that her head was in his lap. She looked confused, disoriented, and scared. "Aeryn?"
"Crichton, what happened?"
"I asked you that. What were you doing?" John asked again, running a finger across her cheek. She was dressed in one of her tank tops and his Calvins and she was sweaty. He was dressed similarly, except he was wearing a white tee shirt, and he was cold.
"I... I remember watching the stars, then I turned to leave to check on you and Shyloh. All of a sudden the room started to spin and I couldn't focus on anything. Then the floor became very inviting. That's all." Aeryn said uncertainly, her voice quavering a little.
"You were out cold. Are you sure you're alright?" John looked worried.
"I'm sure John, I'll be fine. I just need to...." Aeryn said as she tried to sit up, but ended up falling back into John's arms.
"Aeryn you're not alright. What aren't you telling me? Shy said that you seemed different, and that you couldn't pick her up this morning. Now that would be logical for a normal 5 year...cycle old, but Shyloh is very small. So my conclusion is, after watching you for a while, is that you are sick. Got a cold or something?" John summarized.
"Well you would have found out eventually. It's Shyloh, she... she's so little. She's half starved. Now that she is here on Moya I think she should be able to eat. The others said that they didn't want to be inconvenienced by her, so I had to make a choice. She wanted me to take care of her, to be her mother, so I decided to... I had to sacrifice for her. You said that if we kept her here that you would share half of your food with her, well she eats more than that. I realized that the second day she was here. Who am I to deny her? So I...."
"You gave her all your food? Everything? When... what do you eat?" John said, extremely alarmed that Aeryn would starve herself.
"I had a small box of foodcubes, just for emergencies. I've been eating that for the past couple of weekens, rationing it out to one a day."
"Aeryn, please you can't do that. Look at you, you're a mess. At least let me...."
"No, I don't want anything from you. I am going to take care of Shyloh on my own, and this is the only way I know how. Pilot said that another commerce planet is not that far off; I will get some more food there. Until then, I don't need your help."
"Aeryn, no. I won't let you do this. Split my rations with me, please." John said, his eyes pleading, and his voice soft. He smiled sadly, silently begging her to listen to him. She shifted in his arms, suddenly uncomfortable under his gaze. She sniffed and hid her face in the crook of his arm. She sobbed quietly against him for several minutes before she pulled away. She wiped at her damp eyes and looked into his very stunned blue ones.
"I tried, I tried to take care of her. She *sniff* she's my responsibility. I failed." Aeryn whimpered. John sighed, seeing her like this almost brought tears to his own eyes. He sat there in disbelief. Aeryn never cried, she was too strong. It was probably the lack of food.
"Oh God, Aeryn, you can't be expected to do everything perfectly. You've taken great care of her so far; she loves you, and that is a great accomplishment. But this is no way to take care of her. She needs you to be strong for her, not sick. Please Aeryn let me help you. I hate seeing you like this." John said. He kissed her cheek lightly, rocking her in his arms until she calmed down. Aeryn sniffed a little and smiled weakly.
"Come on sweetheart, lets get you some food." Crichton said, pulling her gently to her feet and leading her to the Galley.
"Ok, but only until we get to that commerce planet that Pilot told me about."
"Of course." John chuckled.
****Two weekens after reaching the commerce planet
"Zhaan? Zhaan are you in here?" Shyloh called, peeking into Zhaan's quarters.
"Yes Shyloh, I am here. What would you like?" Zhaan's soft voice drifted to Shyloh's ears from the recesses of her quarters.
"Company. Chiana is off somewhere. John and Aeryn are fixing something. I can't find D'Argo, and I don't know where Rygel is."
"Well I'm glad to be picked last." Zhaan said with a smile.
"You weren't, I just figured you would be busy. Where are you." Shyloh replied, trying to see through the darkness of the room. Zhaan replaced her robe and appeared at Shyloh's side. "I was meditating, it's very therapeutic."
"Oh, I can go if I was disturbing you." Shyloh said.
"No, no, it's ok. What would you like to do?"
"Um, could you teach me how to be a Pa'u? Like you are?"
"Well, I'm not a Pa'u anymore. But you can meditate with me if you like." Zhaan purred, leading Shyloh inside.
"Ok, what do I have to do?" Shyloh asked excitedly.
"Sit down and cross your legs like this." Shyloh mimicked Zhaan and waited for her next instructions. "Now clear your mind, get rid of all the things that clutter your thoughts. The point is to be at peace. Let all your troubles disappear." Zhaan explained.
"Ok, I think I can do that." Shyloh said, staring out the window and focusing on a bright blue star. She didn't understand how she was supposed to free her mind, but she tried anyway. She breathed deeply and her little body started to relax. "Um, Zhaan? I don't have any troubles. And I'm not really tense." Shyloh said innocently. Zhaan laughed and put her arm around Shyloh.
"Well, I'm not going to give you any, so I guess you don't need to meditate."
"Ok, I think I'll go find D'Argo. Bye Zhaan, have fun." Shyloh got up and bounced out of the room to Command. Zhaan smiled, it was nice to have a child around. Such innocence, energy, and life were good for the crew. Having Shyloh around made them all forget about their predicament.
****
Shyloh sauntered into Command. D'Argo was hunched over a console and didn't notice her arrival until she placed a tiny hand on his.
"Shyloh, hi. Did you need something?" D'Argo asked looking up from the console for a moment.
"Not really. Just something to do. I'm kinda bored." Shyloh replied.
"Well, unless you like running diagnostics there isn't much for you to do here." D'Argo said, setting her on the edge of the conference table. Shyloh swung her legs back and forth and thought.
"It depends on what is wrong. I know how to do a lot of things. Diagnostics are not one of my favorite things, but I can get in to small places and fix stuff. If you want me to." Shyloh offered.
"Shyloh, how old are you?" D'Argo asked, sitting down.
"I'll be six cycles old in a couple of days. Why?"
"How is it you know so much about everything?"
"I study, every chance I get. That was about all I ever had to do. A Sebacean woman named Keiff watched after me for about a quarter of a cycle. She gave me a pad with pretty much everything you could ever want to know in it. I have been reading it since I was three, it was sort of a parting gift." Shyloh pulled out the pad from her pocket and handed it to D'Argo. He sifted through the files and was amazed. There were mechanics, a detailed history of every species he had ever heard of, and some he hadn't. There were extensive files on piloting ships, science, medicine, and psychology, everything anyone could ever need for any situation. He smiled and handed her the pad.
"Neat huh?" Shyloh asked, replacing the pad in her pocket.
"Yes. Why didn't you tell us it was almost your birthday?"
"Cause I knew you would make a big deal. So I'm six, I don't really care. And I don't want you to tell the others. No gifts, no celebration, not even a "happy birthday," got it?"
"I promise. But you really should tell Aeryn, or John."
"Are you kidding me? Tell John? He would make such a big deal out of it; I would go insane. I would just like my birthday to go by without notice. Ok?"
"I understand. I feel the same way." D'Argo said. "Now, unless you want to run diagnostics with me I suggest that you run along." D'Argo picked her up and deposited her on the floor once more.
"Bye D'Argo. See you at dinner." Shyloh ran off once again.
**** A weeken after Shyloh's birthday
Rygel hovered over the table in the Galley, sampling different dishes that were laid out for dinner. Shyloh walked over and put down another dish.
"Rygel," she scolded, "you can't wait three microts till the others get here?"
"It's their fault they are late." Rygel responded. He sat down and dipped his finger into something that looked like blue Jell-O. Shyloh giggled and batted his hand away. Shyloh went to get drinks and while her back was turned Rygel threw a handful of blue Jell-O at her back.
"Hey! What was that for!" Shyloh protested, wiping the sticky food off of her shoulder.
"That was for daring to scold me. I am a Dominar. You have no right." Rygel replied. Shyloh sighed and cleaned off her shoulder before setting out plates for everyone. Shyloh figured since she was six cycles old she should help out around the ship. She helped John, D'Argo and Aeryn when they fixed Moya, crawling into small places that the others couldn't reach. She trained with Zhaan, gaining more and more medical knowledge each day. She even spent time with Pilot, learning what he did all day. She felt pretty confident that she could keep Moya up and running. Shyloh giggled at the thought and sat down. She took a sip from her cup and the others sauntered in.
"Oh there you are. Took you long enough." Rygel grumbled.
"Were you worried about us frog boy?" Chiana teased.
"No, I was hungry. But the little mongrel said I couldn't eat until you arrived." Rygel responded, waving a hand at Shyloh. She gave him a derisive smile and brightened when John sat next to her.
Aeryn walked in a little later and sat down quietly, only Shyloh noticed her arrival. Shyloh cocked her head to the side and studied Aeryn's face. Slight annoyance, and worry. //I wonder what's wrong. John looked a little upset earlier. So did D'Argo. Something is going on, even Chiana was upset. I hate being a treated like a kid. It's probably because I am a kid. But I'm smarter than regular girls; I don't understand why they can't see that. I mean, I help out all day, haven't I proved that I'm more than just a child? Maybe it's something really bad, and they are trying to protect me. I wonder what it is. I guess I'll just ask John when he says goodnight.// Shyloh thought with a small sigh.
When Shyloh got into bed her mind was racing with questions. Aeryn came in and sat on the edge of the bed.
"You sleepy?" Aeryn asked, petting the child's hair.
"No, I wanna ask you something." Shyloh answered.
"What's that Shy?" John said as he walked in. He sat down beside Aeryn and put an arm around her waist.
"Somethin' is going on, and I wanna know what. Why won't you tell me? Why do you have to treat me like a child? I'm six cycles old now; I'm not a kid. I help you fix Moya, I make dinner, and I can take care of myself. I don't want to be treated like some baby. Protect me if you must, but at least tell me what you are protecting me from." Shyloh said vehemently.
"Woah darlin' back up. When did you have a birthday?" John looked confused.
"That is the thing you focus on? So I had a birthday, yes a week ago I turned six. My point is what is out there? What is everyone so upset about? Why are you all worried? And why not tell me?" Shyloh said, starting to get angry.
"Shy come on..." John started.
"Damn it Crichton, tell me!" Shyloh ripped the covers off of her body and stood defiantly in front of him, hands on her hips, eyes challenging him.
"Peacekeepers alright! There's a Peacekeeper ship heading this way. We don't know why they are out here. And we can't tell if they are from Crais' ship or if they are here to take us prisoner again! Does that answer your question? Huh? You satisfied? We are in danger! Happy now!" Crichton spat back at her, eyes full of repressed rage and fear. Shyloh looked into his wild eyes and flung herself into his arms. John held her tightly as Aeryn moved to encircle them both with her own arms.
"Do... do we have a plan? I mean, we can't just wait for them to kill us, or worse. We have to do something." Shyloh's voice quavered as she spoke, and her body shook with fear. She had learned at a young age to fear Peacekeepers, and had been on the run from them since her parents left her.
"We have a plan. Don't worry, we have a plan." Aeryn responded, smiling at Shyloh, trying to calm her fears.
**** Three weekens time away from Moya
"Officer Dafydd, how far away from the Leviathan are we?" Captain Tobias Doyle asked of his helmsman.
"About three weekens sir. Would you like me to increase speed?" Thakery Dafydd responded.
"No, that's fine. I doubt they even know we are here."
"Very well sir."
"Lieutenant Neeris run a ship wide diagnostic. And are we on weapons and supplies?"
"We are fully stocked sir." Neeris answered quickly, barely glancing at his console.
"Excellent, then we should be in good shape when we meet up with the Leviathan. Very good." Doyle said, pleased with the efficiency of his crew. They had been running recon missions for almost a quarter of a cycle and the crew had yet to disappoint him. Commander Alexia Sikes came and stood beside him, looking at the enhanced image of the Leviathan they were intercepting.
"What do you think Sikes? Any crew aboard? Or have we found ourselves an escaped Leviathan?" Doyle asked of his most trusted friend. Alexia shifted and considered his question for a bit.
"If there is a crew, which I doubt, they cannot be too smart. Trapping yourself aboard a defenseless ship is hardly logical. No weapons, and if I'm not mistaken, the readouts seem to indicate that the ship is pregnant."
"A pregnant Leviathan, way out here in the uncharteds. Now that is a rare find."
"A rare find indeed, but could we be so fortunate?" Alexia added, a tone of caution in her voice.
"We will see Commander, we will see." Doyle said. A find such as this would surely get him on good terms with his commanding officers back home. Wandering around in the Uncharted Territories had seemed like a punishment. For what, he did not know, but such a long time without finding anything of use had taken it's toll on him, and Alexia. The rest of the crew remained blissfully oblivious to the fact that Peacekeeper High Command had stopped contacting them. It had appeared they were on their own. For what reason neither Doyle nor Alexia were willing to hazard a guess. It was not their place to question, only obey. Maybe now they would have something to report.
**** One solar day until the arrival of the PK Marauder
"How long 'till they get here?" Shyloh asked, slipping into a dark black cryo-suit.
"A day. Now hurry up." Crichton said, hurrying her out of her quarters and to the cargo hold. Aeryn, Chiana, and the rest of the crew followed close behind.
"But John, what if we get captured. I don't wanna get captured."
"Calm down kid, this plan's, well I think it'll work." Chiana said, picking Shyloh up and continuing quickly down the hall.
"All right, then why do we have to go so fast?"
"The cryo-chambers and the devices that hide us from the Peacekeepers have to be working a day before the ship gets here. That way they would be harder to detect. We planned this all, luv." John interjected, taking Shyloh out of Chiana's arms.
"Yeah, without me." Shyloh pouted, a little disturbed by their fast pace and being passed from person to person. She hated being small.
"And you are how old?" Chiana asked.
"Six."
"My point exactly. You may be smart for a kid your age, but we are the adults and we make the decisions. Six cycles is not old enough to run a ship."
"And neither is however old you are. You don't run this ship. John, Aeryn, D'Argo and Zhaan run it. You and Rygel just watch. You know it, I know it." Shyloh retorted, sticking her tongue out at Chiana and tangling her little fingers in John's hair.
"Ok, it's gonna be D'Argo and Crichton, Chiana and Zhaan, and Aeryn and me sharing a cryo-chamber and a crate. Rygel will be by himself." Aeryn explained, looking at the cryo-chambers cleverly hidden in the bottoms of packing crates.
"As it should be." Rygel said, floating past them all and settling into his small cryo-chamber. They had cleaned out their quarters and rigged special compartments to hide their stuff from even the most sensitive nosed sent hound. The cryo-chambers had been placed two by two into unseen compartments in large crates, used for weapons and clothes storage. The crates they would be residing in for the next cycle and the places for their belongings had been similarly treated. To the casual observer Moya would be nothing but a Leviathan with some random cargo aboard, probably abandoned when it got pregnant.
"Everyone just stay calm. We will be in stasis for a cycle, if trouble arises Pilot can wake us up. We will be in good hands? Ok Aeryn? We'll all be fine." Aeryn explained. John set Shyloh down and hugged.
"See you in a cycle sweetheart. Sweet dreams." John said. Shyloh giggled and sat on the edge of the cryo-chamber she and Aeryn were going to share.
"John...." Aeryn started, before being silenced by his lips covering hers. Aeryn sighed and hugged him tightly. John brushed her hair out of her eyes and kissed her again softly.
"See you soon darlin'." John said, releasing her and stepping into his cryo-chamber. The chambers closed around the crew and Aeryn made sure that everyone was secure before climbing into her cryo-chamber.
"Come on Aeryn, there's only a few microts until the doors close and everything is activated." Aeryn said, motioning to Shyloh to join her. Shyloh climbed in and snuggled against Aeryn, curling her little arms around Aeryn's neck. They watched as the door closed above them and their cryo-chamber slid into place inside the crate.
"So now what?" Shyloh asked, snuggling closer to Aeryn.
"Now we wait until we fall asleep. Then when we wake up we should be safe. Assuming all goes to plan." Aeryn explained.
"And if it doesn't?"
"Then we are in some serious frelling dren."
****One solar day later
"Alright remember, we stay in radio contact at all times. I don't want to lose anyone. Lieutenant Neeris and Officer Dafydd you two search the crew quarters. Sargent Tenzin, you and Commander Sikes search the lower decks and the maintenance bays. I'll go to Command, see if this Leviathan is heading anywhere in particular. You all have your orders, now go." Captain Doyle said, watching them scatter before heading to Command.
The whole situation struck him as odd and concern for his crew plagued him. They had served him loyally, to replace them would be hard. They were a good crew, misguided at times, but that could be overlooked. Now he sent them to inspect the Leviathan for signs of a crew, anyone who could be in command of the ship. They had detected no life signs, but that did not mean there was no one aboard, it just meant they knew how to hide. This Leviathan also had a Pilot, and a name, Moya.
"Pilot, is there anyone aboard?" Doyle asked of the holo-image that appeared in front of him.
"No, there is no one aboard other than you and your crew." Pilot responded.
"Was there ever a crew?"
"A half a cycle ago Moya and I worked as a Peacekeeper transport. We were set free when Moya became pregnant, sir."
"Is it possible for you to lie to me Pilot?" Doyle said, only half believing his story.
"It is not prudent to lie Captain. But yes, it is possible. If you do not believe me check the ship's data stores, she has all the Peacekeeper activities on file." Pilot said, his tone even and portraying none of his uncertainty. Doyle walked over to a console and studied it.
"Where is Moya going Pilot?"
"Going?"
"Yes, where is she headed?"
"Nowhere sir, she is going deeper into the Uncharted Territories. Would you like her to be going somewhere?"
"No, that is fine for now.
****
"This is Neeris, sir. Dafydd and I are in the crew quarters. They seemed to have been occupied at one time, but no one is here now."
Very good Neeris." Doyle responded. He had been looking through Moya's data stores, reviewing the missions they had been on. Everything was in order, or seemed that way. Doyle wasn't sure what to make of it.
"Captain, there is no one on board, and besides some food cubes, no signs that there ever was." Sikes commented as she walked onto Command. "Permission to speak freely sir?"
"Of course Commander."
"Are you sure this ship is even worth our time? I admit it did seem promising, but now that we've had a look around. There's nothing here Toby. Lets go home. We can figure out why they stopped contacting us." Sikes pleaded.
"I don't want to come home empty handed Alexia." Doyle replied.
"I know sir. If this ship really was released once it got pregnant we should respect the wishes of our superiors and leave it here."
"No. We are going back to Peacekeeper space with the Leviathan. Pilot, prepare for starburst." Doyle commanded. Pilot's holo-image appeared before him.
"I'm sorry sir, but Moya will not be able to starburst for another forty arns at least. Her baby has taken up much of her energy."
"Very well, contact me when she is ready."
"Yes sir." Pilot said before disappearing. Pilot growled in frustration. Covering and lying to Peacekeepers was not in his purview. He wished Aeryn had stayed with him to help. Moya tried to comfort him, despite her own misgivings, and that made him feel a little better.
Pilot decided to wake Aeryn, Crichton, D'Argo, they were the warriors and this was a warrior situation. Doyle had changed Moya's course and was heading back towards Peacekeeper space. In forty arns he would make Moya starburst them closer still. Chiana, Zhaan, and Rygel would be safer in stasis, and Shyloh, well she was with Aeryn so there was no way to avoid waking her. He would hide their presence as best he could, but Pilot already had his hands full. Once awakened the others would be on their own.
* * * *
Consciousness came to Crichton slowly. His mind was foggy and when he tried to sit up his body wouldn't respond. That's when he remembered where he was. Crichton felt himself moving as the cryo-chamber slid from its hiding place and out into the cargo bay. The door opened and he saw a very disturbed Aeryn standing over him. D'Argo was just waking up as well and looked very upset about it.
"What... what's going on?" Crichton asked, standing up shakily. Aeryn reached out an arm to steady him as he stepped out of his cryo-chamber.
"The Peacekeepers. This Captain Doyle seems to think it would be a good idea to bring Moya back to the known territories." Aeryn explained, handing him a weapon.
"Back to the Peacekeepers. And we were helpless while this was going on. Brilliant plan Crichton." D'Argo grumbled.
"Okay, okay, I'm allowed to have a bad idea. Besides, you guys agreed with me." Crichton said, looking around.
"It.. it was a good plan John." Shyloh said, stepping out from behind a crate.
"Shyloh, you shouldn't be out here if there are Peacekeepers around. We have to get you back in the cryo-chamber." D'Argo said.
"Yeah Shy, it's dangerous." Crichton moved to pick her up, but she stepped out of reach.
"I can handle myself. Let me help." Shyloh pleaded.
"No. I will not risk you getting hurt." Aeryn said sternly. Shyloh clenched her jaw and stared defiantly up at Aeryn. Aeryn looked back, gaze even and intimidating. Suddenly Shyloh moved, ripping Aeryn's pulse gun from its holster and running out of the cargo bay.
"I *can* help, and I will." Shyloh said before disappearing down the hallway before the others could follow.
"Shyloh! Get back here... now!" Aeryn called, running after her and stopping when she realized it was futile.
"Well if anyone was on this tier they know where we are now. I suggest we hide. Shy is smart, she'll be alright." Crichton said.
"For how long?" D'Argo asked, looking down the hallway.
"Look, you wanna follow her and get caught that's between you and the Peacekeepers. I have confidence in Shyloh, she won't do anything stupid. We need a plan. I say we go up there." Crichton said, pointing to a ventilation duct above them. D'Argo nodded and they both turned to Aeryn, who was still looking after Shyloh, stunned that the child could have taken her weapon and gotten away without her being able to do a thing.
"Aeryn, we should get out of sight." Crichton touched her shoulder and she jumped. "Aeryn?"
"Yeah, we should go." Aeryn said distantly. D'Argo helped Aeryn and Crichton into the ventilation duct and soon found out how cramped it was. Aeryn was practically sitting in Crichton's lap and D'Argo was squished against the both of them.
"Hey, I never said it was roomy, I said we could hide here. Now Shy's gone, she probably has some plan of her own to help us, but we can't depend on that. We need to..." Crichton said before he was interrupted by the sound of heavy footfalls below them.
"Sir, I could have sworn I heard voices." A soldier said though the comms. Three pairs of eyes stared down at him, unblinking and unnoticed.
"What do you see Tenzin?" Another man said.
"Nothing sir. There's no one here." Tenzin explained.
"Keep looking, and have your hearing checked soldier." The man said gruffly and severed communications.
" 'Have my hearing checked.' I know I heard something." Tenzin muttered to himself. "Come on out! There's no use hiding. Unless you're a coward!" Tenzin shouted. Both Aeryn and D'Argo lunged toward the grate to the ventilation duct, but Crichton held them back. As Tenzin continued to insult them Crichton put an arm around Aeryn's waist just in case.
A quarter of an arn passed before they were able to come out of hiding. By then they had come up with a plan. Aeryn would be the ever so tempting diversion and D'Argo and Crichton would take the rest of them by surprise. It was a shaky and predictable plan, but what do you expect for a quarter of an arn, rocket science?
"Lets go. I assume Captain Doyle would be on Command... I will meet up with him there." Aeryn said, hefting her pulse rifle and motioning for the others to follow her.
"Um Aeryn... if you're gonna be bait I think you should consider a change of clothes." Crichton said. Aeryn looked down at her clothes, a black cryo-suit and underneath that a tank top and a pair of boxers, not exactly the best outfit. Aeryn nodded and went to the crate she and Shyloh had shared and gathered some clothes and looked at Crichton and D'Argo.
"You could at least turn around while I change." Aeryn said indignantly, laughing a little at Crichton's sly smile.
Aeryn took her hair out of its ponytail, brushed it, and made a tight ponytail again. She changed into a black sports bra, a light, black vest, and a pair of pants. She took a pulse pistol and carefully concealed it behind her back, hidden by her vest. She sighed heavily and walked over so the guys could see her.
"Okay, how do I look?" Aeryn asked, feeling more than a little self-conscious.
"You look fine." D'Argo responded quickly.
"Now that was a reflex wasn't it big guy?" Crichton laughed and studied Aeryn's appearance. "You look good, except...." Crichton reached up and removed her ponytail holder. He positioned her hair behind her ears and over her shoulders then smiled in satisfaction. "Much better." Crichton placed a gentle hand on her cheek and traced her lips with his thumb. "You're gonna knock 'em dead."
* * * *
Shyloh ran down a hallway. She was close to Command and caution would soon be necessary. She grasped Aeryn's pulse gun tightly in her little hands, she couldn't believe she had stolen it and gotten away. Aeryn was going to kill her when they finally met up again. Shyloh heard a noise and propelled herself against the wall, looking around for the source. A small DRD looked up at her. Shyloh sighed and kneeled down.
"Did you come to help me?" She asked. The DRD spun in a circle as an answer. "Alright, lets go huh?" The DRD chirped and followed as she sprinted quickly away.
From his chamber Pilot shook his head and made a silent promise to Aeryn that he would keep Shyloh safe.
* * * *
Aeryn had waited until the female had left Command before approaching Captain Doyle. He was standing hunched over a console, probably reading about Moya. Pilot had told her everything he had observed when he woke her up, but she still felt like she was flying blind. She wasn't trained to be nice, and she definitely was not trained to be sexy. She swore that she would never let herself be put into such a degrading position again as she walked closer to the Captain. //Time to turn on the charm as Crichton would say. I'm going to kill him for this.// Aeryn thought, tapping Doyle on the shoulder. The Captain jumped and pulled his gun on her. Aeryn tried to look as intimidated and scared as possible as he advanced on her.
"What are you doing here! No one is supposed to be on board! Pilot!" Captain Doyle shouted, actually startling Aeryn with his loudness and panic. Aeryn cringed, pulse gun still aimed at her head, as Pilot's holo-image appeared.
"Yes Captain?" Pilot asked, noting Aeryn's position and masking his worry.
"You said there was no one aboard but my crew. So who is she?" Doyle asked, pulling Aeryn into a headlock. Aeryn struggled a little, fighting off her urge to deck him, she still had to pretend to be weak after all.
"I did not know sir. Since Moya and I were released some malfunctions have occurred that my DRDs could not fix. The internal sensors in some areas are offline, she must have hidden in one such area." Pilot replied cooly, he was getting better at this lying thing by the minute.
"Why did you not tell me earlier?" Doyle gripped Aeryn tighter, beginning to look at her for what she was, a very frightened, very attractive woman.
"I did not think to. I'm sorry sir." Pilot looked down at his console to make sure everything was okay and then looked back up at a more than slightly annoyed Captain Doyle. Doyle wrapped an arm around Aeryn's waist and turned her around to face him.
"Alright Pilot, just don't let it happen again." Doyle said, waving Pilot away. When Pilot's image disappeared Doyle smirked at his captive. "So what's your name?" Aeryn's eyes widened, she hadn't thought of that. This man was a Peacekeeper, and if he had been in contact with High Command he would know her name. Aeryn thought fast.
"Nika.... My name is Nika Rikks." Aeryn replied meekly, thinking of a person she had once known. She struggled a little more, becoming more uncomfortable as Doyle caressed her cheek, trailing a finger down her neck before she reached up and caught it. Aeryn smiled weakly, desperately trying not to show him how good she was at a pantac jab. Doyle grinned at Aeryn pulled his hand away.
"Well hello, Nika. What are you doing aboard this ship?" Doyle growled in her ear, pulling her hard against him. "No one is supposed to be on board, and yet here you are." Once again Aeryn was caught unawares, she hadn't thought of a reason she was on Moya either. How would she have managed to stay out of Pilot's sight for so long?
"I.... I came...." Her mind was a blank, and Doyle was getting impatient. The Captain threw her to the ground, eyes dark. Aeryn fell limply, still trying to stay in character. What was witht his guy? He was scared one minute, horny the next, and then annoyingly mean. Aeryn wished she had heard what Doyle and the female had been talking about, it seemed important, but she could not get close enough.
"I don't care where you came from, or why you are here, there is nothing that I can do about it anyway. But what I can do is...."
"Stop! Let her go or I'll shoot you!" Shyloh shouted, pointing Aeryn's pulse gun at Doyle.
"Do you really want to take the chance of hitting her? You think you can kill me if you don't hit her?" Doyle laughed, giving Shyloh an expectant smile.
"If you hurt her, I *will* shoot you."
"Alright, take your best shot, kid." Doyle pushed Aeryn away and pointed his pulse gun towards the celing. Shyloh stood her ground, gripping the gun tightly. Shyloh looked into his eyes, seeing no fear, only mocking. She then lowered the gun, gasping when Aeryn rushed over to her and swept her into her arms.
"Please, don't hurt her, she's my daughter. We've stowed away on this ship so that we could get away from our planet. They wanted to kill us. We tried to contact the Peacekeepers to help us, but we couldn't. I'm so glad you're here, please take us with you." Aeryn spoke meaningfully into Shyloh's ear, hoping she would get the hint and play along, and apparently she did, her face immediatly turing to an expression of helplessness and pleading.
"To the Peacekeepers. You want to go to the Peacekeepers. That can be arranged, but you have to do something for me...."
* * * *
"John." D'Argo motioned to Crichton, pointing to Sargent Tenzin. He was still looking around, not aware that D'Argo and Crichton were slowly approaching. The plan was to capture the Marauder crew, but if need be, to kill them.
"Sneakin' up on him'll work, as long as he stays where he is." Crichton said, moving closer. D'Argo moved swiftly beside him, knocking Tenzin out with a blow to the head from his Qualta Blade.
"Well, there's one way to do it." Crichton said, putting handcuffs on the man. "So, what do we do with him now? I mean, the others are searchin' the ship, they're bound to find him."
"Hadn't thought that far ahead really. I guess we could just take them all as quickly as possible, dump him in one of our quarters."
"Where are the others?"
"I guess we'll just have to ask him. When he wakes up that is."
"We don't have that long." D'Argo grumbled, hauling Tenzin up over his shoulder.
"Tenzin? Tenzin, where are you?" Neeris called. Dafydd followed after, weapon at the ready.
"Two birds...." Crichton and D'Argo knocked them both out as they rounded the corner. "Ah... one stone." Crichton smiled with statisfaction as he handcuffed the officers and carried them to Rygel's quarters. Now all they had to do was find the woman, their Commander Sikes.
* * * *
Aeryn and Shyloh sat in a corner waiting, grudgingly, for D'Argo and Crichton to rescue them. Doyle had taken Aeryn's pulse gun away from Shyloh and banished them to the far corner of Command.
"Okay, so we wait for John and D'Argo to come with the crew, we get them all neatly tied up, then what?" Shyloh asked, shifting her position in Aeryn's lap.
"I don't know, Shyloh, perhaps you should ask Crichton. If they're ever going to get here. Can I please hit him, Doyle is driving me insane." Aeryn hissed. Shyloh giggled softly and shook her head. She agreed, Doyle was being very annoying. Doyle paced, back and forth, back and forth, back and forth, but it wasn't a contemplative pacing, oh no. Doyle already knew what he was going to do, his problem was he was bored until then. He couldn't very well play with Nika while the child was around, it was unseemly, but he had to do something.
"Commander Sikes where are you? We have two stowaways in Command and I want you to look after them until we get back to Peacekeeper space." Doyle said over the comms.
"Understood, I shall be there shortly."
Doyle sat down and stared out a window absently. Half an arn must have passed before he remembered that Shyloh and Aeryn were still in the room. Since the girl was there he decided to take the conversational approach. "So Nika, you two stowed away on this ship in the hopes that it would take you to Peacekeeper space. But how would you even get on the ship without Plot knowing, and how would you know that Moya was even here?" Doyle asked, forgoing casual and moving onto accusatory investigation.
"Well, we.. um...." Aeryn started.
"She had us." Crichton said, pushing Commander Sikes in front of him and into Doyle. He caught her before she fell, but dropped his gun and before he could get it back Aeryn, D'Argo, and Crichton had their weapons pointed at him and the Commander.
"Nika! Pilot, what the frell is going on?"
"Nika? What's with the name, Aeryn?"
"Aeryn? Aeryn Sun maybe?"
"That's right. You know me?" Aeryn said, getting a better grip on her weapon, struggling not to pay him back for pawing at her.
"I've heard of you, all of you. Captain Crais is looking for you isn't he? Yes... this all makes sense now...."
"Shut up! This is pointless.!" D'Argo growled.
"Alright then. So you have us all handcuffed, now what? You kill us? As I remember, you claimed to be innocent, how innocent will you be if you kill me and my crew." Doyle said, getting in Aeryn's face. Shyloh looked up at them all, a face off between her family, and this man who had tried to kill them.
"He's right, John. We can't kill him, any of them. They may have tried to do the same, but we're not Peacekeepers. The fact that they're alive now proves that. We have to let them go."
"No! We let them go and we kill ourselves!" D'Argo said.
"She's right... we can't kill them. That's not who we are, that's not *what* we are. We're better then them, aren't we?" Crichton lowered his weapon and circled Doyle.
"But what do we do with them? If we let them go he'll find Crais and give away our position." Aeryn looked at Crichton, seeing plainly the conflict behind his eyes.
"Well, well, well, Captn. Doyle. You've certainly managed to get this crew ruffled. 'Bout the only thing we can agree on is you get to live."
"I don't agree." D'Argo said under his breath.
"Can it, D'Argo. So, Doyle, sir, do you have any ide what we should do with you and your courageous crew?" Crichton's voice was so full of mocking that Aeryn almost laughed when Doyle puffed with pride at being called sir by an outlaw.
"You could let us go." Doyle said. "It would be the right thing to do."
"Now why didn't I think of that? That's right, the kid did it for me. Hey, you two think a lot alike, how about that. You know, just because we're not gonna kill you doesn't mean we can't do anything else. We could keep you locked up in one of Moya's cells. The five of you've been livin' together for so long, wouldn't want you to seperate you. Might get lonely." Crichton laughed. The rise and fall of pitch in his voice made hid taunting of Doyle all the more humilliating. The Peacekeepers had yet to master that.
"We could sell them as slaves at the next commerce planet, we're sure to get something worthwhile for them." Shyloh piped in.
"Now *there's* an idea! You'd still be alive, when you left at least, who's to say what will happen afterwards, but you'll be off our hands and out of our hair. Shyloh darlin', great work." Crichton patted Doyle on the forhead, a self-satisfied smiel firmly in place, and went to stand behind Shyloh. The girl had Doyle's gun trained on the unconscious Marauder crew, feeling very important.
"I told you I could help." Shyloh whispered.
* * * *
Once the rest of the crew was awakened they all agreed that Shyloh's plan was the best option, even Zhaan, defender of anything and everyone in the Uncharted Territories. The nearest place was a small moon twelve arns away, so whilst the others waited Shyloh strayed to Doyle's cell. They all had been put in the same cell, the other officers getting comfy while Doyle sat on the floor. He had his arms resting on his updrawn legs, head against the door to the cell, and his gaze directed down the hallway. Shyloh came from behind, sitting on the ground and leaning against the celldoor across from Doyle's.
"Hi." Shyloh said in a voice reserved for people she didn't know and was suspicious of.
"Hello, you're Nika...er... Aeryn Sun's daughter, aren't you. Doyle turned his head, but didn't hange his relaxed position.
"Not exactly, my mom died and then John foudn me and brought me here. My name's Shyloh."
"I am Captian Tobias Doyle. Why did you come here, Shyloh?"
"Just to talk, nothing else to do right now."
"Ah... come here." Doyle waved her over, reaching through the bars and patting the stop next to him on the other side. Shyloh sighed, making sure the pulse gun she still possessed was armed, and sat down. "You know Shyloh, you pretty much signed our death warrents. I don't mean to scare you, or maybe I do, but can you live with that." Doyle asked ominously.
"Yes. I spent three cycles of my life by myself, I'm six, so I got really used to worrying about me. If I were you I'd consider myself lucky. This is a ship of crimmials, and if they hadn't done a while mess of unconscionable things before, they've done them now. But you know why, because of Peacekeepers like you. Aeryn used to be a Peacekeeper, and maybe some part of her feels like a traitor, but she's genuinly sorry for the things she's done. Can you say the same?"
"No, I folow orders, I am guilty of nothing." He answered honestly.
"And that's why I don't feel bad about the possibility of your death. I don't wish you dead, maybe I should, but I don't. But if you happen to die on that moon, I won't shed any tears. Goodnight Captain." Shyloh smirked, going over her words in her head. She got up, ajusted her outfit, and went back to her room, leaving Doyle to his thoughts.
* * * *
"Aeryn?" Crichton asked softly. They were looking over Doyle's marauder, she was laying below it, looking at the hull and the change in colors of the battle wounds. Crichton moved to sit beside her, thouching her hand when she didn't respond. Awakened from her reverie by the contact she turned to look at him, a troubled expression on her face.
"What is it, John?" Aeryn spoke quietly, sitting up, but continuing to look at the evidence of battles the ship had been a part of.
"Are you alright? You look upset, darlin'." Crichton went to put a hand on her cheek, but Aeryn jerked away.
"Don't, Crichton. I'm fine."
"Aeryn, I think I've known you long enough to know when something is wrong. Talk to me, Aeryn, please." Crichton took her hand, cradling it in his own, and this time Aeryn didn't pull away.
"It's just, before I got involved in all this I was waiting for approval to join a Marauder crew. I could have been one of those people, John. It could have been me waiting for a group of crimminals to decide my fate. There was only one time that I regretted what I had done while I was a Peacekeeper, and that was what happened with Velorek. I know these people, Crichton, I was one of them." Aeryn ran her hands over the metal hull of the marauder, caressing it.
"The opperative word being "was". You're not one of them anymore. Do you think what they do is good? Do you still believe in blindly following orders?"
"No. No, I don't... but...."
"Then that's it. Those people don't care abotu right or wrong. They care about orders. And that's not you. Not anymore. Now you're just the beautiful Sebacean woman I've grown to care about very much." Aeryn leaned over and rested her head on Crichton's shoulder, having Peacekeepers around always bothered her ans she would be glad when they were gone. Crichton petted Aeryn's hair back out of her eyes, enjoying the softness of the raven strands.
"Thank you, John. Somehow, I feel a little better." Aeryn leaned over and pressed her lips to his for just a moment and left. Crichotn touched his lips as he watched her go. Neither one could sai it, but there was love there, and at times it seemed that was all that mattered.
* * * *
The commerce moon was small but bustling. No body would by five former Peacekeepers so Aeryn had taken Neeris, Dafyudd, and Tenzin and she and D'Argo seached for a buyer. Crichton took Shyloh and, pulling Sikes and Doyle on a chain leash with them, went in seach of someone in need of a Peacekeeper captain and his second.
"Hey, those two for sale or something?" A vendor called to them, indicating the handcuffs and the chain that Crichton was leading Doyle and Sikes around with.
"Uh, yeah actually. You interested?" Crichton moved closer to the vendor. As close as he dared considering the thing was an interesting combination between a lobster and a head of broccoli.
"They two are Peacekeepers?" The thing asked gruffly, looking them over and snorting.
"Used to be. So you want 'em?"
"They would be very useful. I do not have much payment, but maybe I could provide you with something for your ship. I have a wide range of different ships and parts. Would you and your child take a look?" The vendor said, stepping aside and showing them the entrance to his "ship yard." Shyloh nodded and looked up at Crichton who pushed the two officers in front of him and led Shyloh by the shoulder through the door.
Behind the shopkeeper's deceptively small counter was giant shipyard, there were several entire ships, along with random parts. Crichton picked up some odds and ends, mostly pieces for his module, while Shyloh ran ahead and examined the ships.
"Excuse me, are you really going to sell *us* for a couple of Leviathan components?" Sikes asked, raising her eyebrow incredulously.
"Yep, you're only worth a couple of spark plugs to me, but I think Aeryn'll want more than that." Crichton chuckled.
"John! John, come here quick!" Shyloh cried and Crichton raced to her head.
"Shyloh, what is it? Are you okay?" Crichton knelt down and looked her over, then followed her finger to where she pointed. "A ship? You almost gave me a heart attack because of a ship?"
"That's the ship I was raised on. My parents took it from the Peacekeepers when they escaped. I lived there for two cycles. It's... it's my home." Shyloh walked towards the ship and climbed inside it. It was a cargo vessel, similar to a Marauder, but bigger. Shyloh walked through the dark corridors, running her little hands along the walls. She remembered, she remembered everything. She came to a room at the end of the hall and instantly knew it was hers. She stepped inside, Crichton at her heels, and picked up a picture near the bed.
"My Gods, John, this was my mother." Shyloh's tiny fingers traced then outline of the woman in the picture. She looked like Shyloh's twin, only older, her blonde hair streaming down to her shoulders and her blue eyes sparkled with wonder as her daughter's did. A single tear fell on the picture as Shyloh looked at it; she remembered her mother, but had never been able to put a face to her. "John... I'm home." Shyloh whispered.
Crichton watched as the child explored her former room, tears pebbling her small face as she looked around. Shyloh tapped the console and the whole ship came to life. "The Phoenix." Crichton said, reading it off the bulkhead in front of him. Doyle and Sikes, having seen the wisdom of keeping quiet, just watched as Shyloh checked the Phoenix's systems.
"Uh, John, I think you're gonna want to see this." Shyloh pulled him over to the con and pointed at the readout.
"Maps...." Crichton whispered in astonishment.
"Crichton! Crichton, where are you?" Aeryn called from outside. Crichton ran to her, still trailing the Peacekeepers on the leash.
Aeryn, you gotta come see this." He said, grabbing her wrist, and then to D'Argo. "This ship, it has maps, man. Real, honest to God maps." Everyone went inside, murmuring. Shyloh watched as they examined the maps and looked around the ship.
"Uh, guys?" No response. "Guys?" Again, no one listened. "Guys!" Shyloh called, they all snapped to attention and looked down at her questioningly.
"What is it, Shy?" Crichton kneeled down and smiled at her, handing Doyle and Sikes' leash to D'Argo.
"What's going to happen now? Do we get to buy the ship? Doyle is worth this." Shyloh asked softly. Crichton looked over at Aeryn, then D'Argo. They shrugged and Aeryn turned to a station.
"Well the propulsion systems are beyond repair. They hull is damaged in many places. I really think we can only salvage the maps, Shyloh." Aeryn explained gently, kneeling beside Crichton. Aeryn reached out to pet Shyloh's hair for a minute and then thought better of it. The girl was still holding the picture of her mother, trembling a bit, eyes wild and yet sad. She was anxious, the hands clutching the picture becoming sweaty., She knew there was no way they could take the Phoenix with them, but it *had* been her home. Her parents had risked their lives to get the ship, had probably killed for it. Could she really just leave it there, in that horribly dirty place? The only home she had ever had for any length of time, except for Moya. She could leave it behind, unhappily, but she could leave. So long ago she had lived there, so long ago it seemed she had left. Her memory of the place would surfice. Shyloh had been getting flashes of her life on the Phoenix, now that she knew what it looked like.
"Shyloh?" Crichton said, breaking her from her reverie.
"Yeah?" Shyloh placed her free hand on his soft cheek.
"Is that okay? If we just take the maps. You can bring some of you and your parents' stuff if you want. It's yours now. We'll find something else to sell Doyle for. Alright?"
"Yeah, just... just give me a bit." Shyloh moved out of the circle of his arms and walked down the hallway, back to her room.
"Do you think she's okay?" Aeryn asked, unhidden worry in her voice.
"Mmmhmm, she'll be fine." Crichton murmured.
* * * *
Shyloh explored her parents room. Everything looked as though they were getting ready for bed when they had to leave. She was told, by the first person who had cared for her, Damien, that their escape pod had crashed on his planet. Her parents had been dead at the controls, she had been hiding under the table, instructed to do so by her parents. Shyloh had remembered all of this, Damien recounted it to her so many times there was no way she could forget. Her fingers ran along the sheets on her parents bed. Shyloh climbed in the bed, wrapping the blanket around her little body.
She could imagine her parents around her, holding her as the three of them slept. Her parents loved each other, their escape from Peacekeeper mentality of love and duty proved that. Shyloh had been thought about love, read about it, and seen it in some of her favorite people's eyes. Shyloh got up again, shaking off her depression. She looked around, picking up some of her mother's clothes, her father's Peacekeeper uniform, and even a hidden pulse pistol. Shyloh looked back at the bed, saying a silent goodbye to that part of her life, and then went to her room to pick up some pieces of her earliest childhood.
* * * *
Aeryn, Crichton, and D'Argo worked out the deal for Doyle and Sikes which included components for Moya, the Farscape module, and Aeryn's Prowler, including whatever Shyloh took from the Phoenix and the maps. The vendor nodded eagerly, leering at Sikes and pulling on the chain that kept them together. Shyloh came out of the Phoenix with a box in her arms, which Crichton quickly liberated from her.
"You ready, Shy."
"Yep, got everything." Shyloh hugged him around the waist, smiling brightly.
"Well, then lets go find Sparky and Chi and get out of her."
* * * *
When they got back to Moya and Crichton delivered her box Shyloh started to unpack her stuff. Everyone else was off talking about the maps and what was to be done with them. The family of Moya was being broken up, Shyloh could feel it. D'Argo would want to go find his son and the way they were acting together lately Chiana was likely to go with him. Rygel would want to reclaim his throne after a long time and Zhaan would want to return to Delvia. Shyloh had gotten used to having them all around they were her family. And they were going to leave her soon.
She sighed, strategically placing the recovered things from the box around her room. Even as she picked up a new item she held tightly to the picture of her mother, still not quite ready to let go.
Pilot turned the lights in the ship down, signifying the beginning of the sleep cycle. Shyloh heard the other's got to bed, Aeryn and Crichton, understanding she needed time alone, skipped tucking her in for bed. They must have reached an agreement, and without a word tossed her way Shyloh knew what that agreement was. Everyone was leaving, except Crichton and Aeryn, who's homes weren't on any map.
Shyloh laid down. Moya was quiet and the picture frame glinted in the dim light that filtered though the door from the hallway. Shyloh drifted to sleep, the picture falling out of her hand and breaking. Another one of Shyloh's families was breaking. Soon, everything would change.
The End