Family Matters 1
By ISIS
Disclaimers: Farscape is the property of Rockne S O'Bannon, Jim Henson Company et al. I make no claim on them. I borrow only. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
Archiving: You're welcome to it; please tell me where it's at. (use above email address)
Acknowledgements: Thanks as always to Quilt Lady for her great suggestions and criticisms.
Zhaan turned once more to her former crewmates, her smile tarnished by the tears in her lovely pale blue eyes. She caressed John's cheek tenderly. "I will miss you, John. You and I shared a bond that will never be severed." John returned the caress gently, catching the tear that trailed slowly down her blue cheek on his finger. "I cherish that bond, Zhaan." Then he grinned his infectious Human grin. "Besides, it's not good-bye. Moya now has the coordinates to Delvia in her data stores. We'll be by to see you so often you'll be sick of us."
Zhaan could help but laugh at his words. "You are welcome anytime, John. You and Aeryn, and Pilot and Moya. I look forward to our next encounter." The beautiful Delvian priestess reached up and kissed her Human companion on the cheek. When her eyes lighted on Aeryn, standing aloof from the emotional leave-taking, she leaned in to whisper in John's ear. "Please, take care of her. She needs you."
John met Zhaan's wise gaze with a deep understanding in his own eyes. He nodded and then turned to join the Sebacean at the transport pod. They both paused once more to wave back at their former shipmate, then climbed aboard the transport, steering it out of the blue atmosphere of the Delvian homeworld and into the dark space beyond. Soon the familiar bulk of the Leviathan Moya filled their view screens and they felt the clench of the docking web as it guided them back into the living ship that had been their home for more than three cycles.
Only that home was now decidedly empty. In the past six monens, many dramatic changes had occurred aboard Moya. First, Chiana had simply disappeared one night, taking a transport, presumably in search of her brother and the Nebari Underground. John and the others had searched frantically for their mercurial Nebari friend, but to no avail. True to form, Chiana had covered her tracks well. John had been particularly upset by her defection, afraid that he had let her down somehow, feeling her loss as a brother himself. However, events had kept them from lamenting her loss for too long.
Working on the information supplied by Stark, D'Argo had managed to locate and free his son Jothee. The crew of Moya had experienced a few anxious weekens as the slave dealer from whom they had rescued Jothee pursued them through the Uncharted Territories relentlessly. But in a final confrontation on a remote planet, D'Argo had ended the vengeful Sheyang's threat to his son once and for all. After that, D'Argo had decided to leave Moya at a commerce planet that boasted a large population of expatriate Luxans, vowing to try to restore his relationship with his abused son. The end of their travels together had been hard, but the rest of Moya's crew understood that Jothee needed the stability of a quiet planet to recover, not the turmoil of pursuit through the universe, living from one day to the next in uncertainty. D'Argo had vowed to one day find his friends, clasping their hands in an almost painful grip. Then he had stood by, his son at his side, his Qualta Blade on his back as the transport left the farming planet.
They had lost Rygel next. After a frantic starburst to escape a Nebari ship, Moya had found herself in the midst of a large fleet of warships. The crew had been stunned at the numbers of ships, flying into the Uncharted Territories from the direction of PeaceKeeper controlled space. Aeryn had been urgently trying to determine how long it would take before Moya could starburst away once more, when Rygel had floated up to the Command on his throne chair, hissing in disbelief when he saw the vast fleet surrounding them. Having identified the ships as part of the Hynerian Royal Fleet, the former Dominar had insisted that they contact the flagship Rygel. There had been a few tense microts for the crew before the Captain finally returned their hail, his face registering his shock and then pleasure that his search was finally over.
Later that night, over a sumptuous meal, (sumptuous, at least, by Hynerian standards), Captain Gamus had informed his restored Dominar of the extensive search that had been undertaken by his loyal subjects after they had deposed his treacherous cousin twenty cycles earlier. Rygel accepted their adoration and joy as his due, thankful to be restored to his hereditary state. The next day, the remaining fugitives bade a sad farewell to their tiny, autocratic shipmate. Rygel had imperiously bestowed honorary Hynerian titles on them all. Then he had paused to magnanimously offer Aeryn a home on his imperial planet. Her eyes had widened in shock at his offer and Rygel had winked at John unseen. Then, escorted by an honour guard, Rygel the Sixteenth, obviously beloved Dominar of over six billion souls, had boarded the flagship that would return him to the throne from which he had been so cruelly deposed over a hundred and fifty cycles earlier. The trio of fugitives had watched the magnificent fleet depart with heavy hearts, sorry to lose the annoying yet endearing Hynerian.
Then it had been Zhaan's turn to return home. A chance encounter with other Delvians on a planet frequented by religious pilgrims had given Moya the coordinates to Zhaan's lost Delvian homeworld. Starbursting into the system, Pilot had nervously monitored the communications. Zhaan had been delighted to learn that the escalating war between the Nebari and the PeaceKeepers had forced PeaceKeeper High Command to withdraw all occupation troops from worlds such as her own. A coup by loyalists had quickly overthrown the PeaceKeeper puppet government. Zhaan's reappearance had been fortuitous, ascribed to the Goddess herself. The ravaged Delvian people desperately needed a spiritual guide, and Zhaan had been persuaded to accept the role.
The best part of all had been the removal of Scorpius's hidden personality chip from John's head. After several monens of psychotic episodes involving the Scarran half-breed, John had finally allowed Zhaan to join with him in Unity in an effort to find the source of his disturbing visions and increasingly erratic behaviour. The Delvian had succeeded in determining the source of Scorpius's seeming control of the Human but she had been unable to rectify the situation until their return to Delvia. The highly advanced doctors on the Delvian homeworld had removed the chip once and for all. The Human had awakened to find both Aeryn and Zhaan hovering over him anxiously. John had practically wept at his freedom from the tortured existence he had been living for so long.
After leaving Delvia, Aeryn and John found themselves rattling around in the massive Leviathan ship like two parents experiencing the empty nest for the first time. It had taken them a few solar days, but soon the skeleton crew had settled into a monotonous but regular routine. Moya still required regular maintenance and both the Prowler and John's Farscape module occupied their respective pilots' time. Finding the central chamber suddenly lifeless, John and Aeryn had taken to having their meals together with Pilot in his chamber.
It was during one of those meals that Aeryn had looked up suddenly to find John's eyes fixed on her, a strange expression on his face. "What?" she asked with a soft smile.
John returned her smile, his eyes crinkling appealingly. "Nothing. I was just enjoying looking at you."
Aeryn met his grin with a slightly embarrassed chuckle. "Well, that's good,Crichton, because it looks like I'll be all you have to look at for quite a while." She glanced up at the massive symbiont working Moya's controls above her head. "That is, if you don't count Pilot."
"Oh, Pilot only has eyes for Moya." John gazed at Aeryn, his expression growing speculative. Aeryn bent to retrieve their dinner trays, unnerved by the warmth in John's eyes and the direction the conversation was taking. John suddenly reached out and took her hand, "Aeryn, I ..." She looked up, startled, her sapphire eyes glowing. He tried again to say what was in his heart but at the nervous look in Aeryn's eyes, he stopped. "I ... I'll help you with that," he ended lamely. John piled the last of the cutlery on the tray and lifted it, then reached down to help Aeryn to her feet, grasping her hand in a warm grip. They stood for a microt, hands linked, staring at each other. Then each self-consciously moved away from the other, going back to their regular chores. Neither noticed the considering look that Pilot gave them as they left his chamber with a friendly wave.
They cleaned up the remains of dinner in companionable silence, then John turned to Aeryn with a grin. "So what's on the agenda for the evening? A game of chess? Golf perhaps?" His face fell when Aeryn looked at him nervously again.
"No, John, I think I'll retire early, if you don't mind. I feel a little bit tired," she lied, unable to meet his eyes.
John looked so disappointed she nearly changed her mind. "Uhh, okay, Aeryn. Pleasant dreams." He watched the Sebacean woman walk out the door of the central chamber, and an ominous feeling settling over him.
Aeryn wandered slowly down to her quarters, her mind in turmoil. She knew very well how John felt about her, and if she would only admit it to herself, she returned his feelings. But something inexplicable held her back. She hung her head in despair as she reached her lonely quarters. As the door swung closed behind her she leaned back against the doorjamb. *What the frell is the matter with me? Why can't I just tell him how I feel?* She recalled her conversation with Dragen as they lay injured in the middle of the Royal Planet's barren lands. *Am I afraid of the pain?* she asked herself. *I've never feared pain before, so why is this different?* A nagging voice in the back of her mind told her that she felt unworthy of the Human's love. She sat down on her bed dejectedly. *Is that it? Am I punishing myself for Velorek even now?* She sighed as her mind went back over that painful incident. *No, I believe I've made my peace with that. What is it?* she smacked her hands on her thighs in frustration. *You are afraid of being left behind, even now when it seems so unlikely that John will ever find his home,* she told herself. *There are only the two of you now. You cannot even tell yourself that you are self-conscious about showing your emotions. Take a chance, Aeryn.* she tried to convince herself, but something still held her back. Too upset now to sleep, Aeryn flung herself out of her quarters, and headed towards the terrace, hoping the sight of endless space would dwarf her problems.
John lay on his bed in his chamber, his hands linked behind his head, lost in thought. Aeryn's comment about not seeing anything but her for a long time got him thinking. He went back over their strange, often rocky relationship in his mind. It had been a long tug of war, sometimes growing closer then separating as if in some bizarre dance. He sighed and rolled over on his stomach. He knew how he felt about her, that he had loved her for some time now. And he was fairly sure she returned his feelings. He just wasn't absolutely sure and that was the crux of his dilemma. If he moved on his feelings and she didn't reciprocate them, life on the Leviathan would become a living hell. He thought that perhaps always wondering if she loved him was better than knowing for sure that she did not.
A quarter of an arn later, the door to the terrace swung open and John came in silently. After trying unsuccessfully to sleep himself, he had wandered down to Aeryn's quarters, worried by her strange behaviour after dinner, telling himself that he just wanted to make sure she was all right. When he found her door open and the room empty, he had started to search for her in earnest. He walked onto the terrace and his heart leaped at the sight of her. Aeryn stood facing the beautiful starscape, her arms crossed almost protectively in front of her. Her head cocked slightly, the only physical indication that she knew John had entered the room. She waited for his flippant "Hey!" but it never came.
John walked onto the terrace, staring at the picture that Aeryn made standing tall and alone, silhouetted against the stars. He moved forward without a word, coming to stand close behind her. She did not turn to acknowledge his presence. Slowly, carefully, John reached out and wrapped his arms around the Sebacean. After an initial startled jerk, he was encouraged when Aeryn leaned back against him with a sigh. He tightened his embrace and brushed his cheek against the silky softness of her dark fragrant hair. Aeryn snuggled more closely against him and her hands came up to caress his forearms unconsciously. "John ...," she began, but he reached up and pressed a silencing finger to her lips.
"Shhh, don't say anything, Aeryn. Just let me hold you."
Confused but feeling so comfortable in John's arms, Aeryn let her head rest against his shoulder, relaxing further into his arms. They stood like that for a long time. Then John turned his head to nuzzle her cheek. Her warmth and delicate scent filled his senses, driving him on. After a microt's hesitation, he bent his head to trail soft kisses along her jaw line to her earlobe, nibbling gently. Aeryn shivered at his touch but did not protest. Instead she tilted her head slightly, a silent invitation. Encouraged, John pressed his warm lips to the satiny skin of her exposed throat, his tongue tracing increasingly erotic circles on her neck. Aeryn felt her pulse quicken and lifted one of her hands to thread through John's soft hair, the other moving more urgently along John's encircling arms as her body responded to his increasingly arousing kisses. She sighed his name microts before one of his hands came up to gently cup her jaw, tipping her head back so that he could claim her mouth in a deeply passionate kiss.
John's heart sang at Aeryn's unrestrained response to his kiss. Her lips parted beneath the pressure of his mouth, her tongue sliding out to dance with his. He felt the vibration of her moan as his hand caressed the long slender column of her throat. Her hand cupped the back of his neck holding his mouth to hers, urging him to deepen their kiss even more. He felt her other hand slide up to grasp the zipper of her vest and slowly pull it down. Then she guided his hand inside the open garment to cup her warm breast, teaching him how to massage her. He tore his mouth from hers to bury his face in her neck with a groan of longing."Oh God, Aeryn, I need you. I want to be with you so much." He wrapped his strong arms around her more completely, pulling her back against him so she could feel the hard evidence of his arousal. "Please, let me love you. I want to make love to you." She gasped as he crushed her tighter into his embrace.
She twisted out of his arms suddenly, turning to face him, her eyes dark with passion and need. She stared at the strange Human who had come to mean so much to her, more than she was willing to admit even to herself. Her hands came up to frame his beloved face as she stared up into his eyes. For a microt they stood, searching each other's faces for the solution to the quandary of their mutual need and love. Then Aeryn smiled up at him. "Yes, John. Please, yes!" she pleaded in an urgent whisper. She sighed with longing as he pulled her hard against him, matching his hungry kiss with a hunger of her own.
His hands moved insistently up and down her spine. His hips ground into hers. For a moment, he considered taking her right there, but he stepped back, his breath coming in sharp gasps. Aeryn reached out to him blindly, feeling bereft by his withdrawal. John grasped her hands in his and looked down into her eyes with love and desire. "No, baby, come with me," he whispered with a smile. He led her from the terrace and they made their way swiftly back to the crew quarters, pausing every now and then to kiss eagerly. When they reached John's quarters, he palmed open the door and pushed Aeryn through, pausing for a microt to close the privacy curtain. Then he turned back to her. Their inhibitions were shed with their clothes and they fell naked on John's bed wrapped in each other's arms. After that, there were only sighs and murmurs and cries of pleasure as they consummated again the love that had been growing between them since they first met.
John awoke early the next morning, feeling as if a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders. Then he grinned to himself, stirring slightly. *The weight hasn't been lifted, only shifted,* he couldn't help but joke. He looked down to where Aeryn lay heavily across his body, her head pillowed on his chest, her arms holding him as if she would never let him go, her legs entwined intimately with his. He smiled contentedly, letting his hand slip down to gently stroke her tousled hair. He lay back, his mind drifting back over the night before. The beautiful Sebacean woman had finally let down her guard, showing him the passion and love that he had hoped she felt for him. He recalled her final drowsy words to him as she drifted off to sleep. He looked down at her again, lying so trustingly with him, sleeping so peacefully. "I love you, John," she had whispered so softly he was almost sure she had not meant him to hear it. But he had. And his heart sang.
Aeryn murmured slightly in her sleep and started to stir. John had a hard time keeping himself under control as the wakening Sebacean moved sensuously against him. Her left hand began to trace slow, enticing patterns over his chest. One of her long legs brushed erotically against his thigh. She pressed herself against him and buried her face in his neck, nuzzling him with a sigh. *Now for the moment of truth,* John thought nervously. Aeryn suddenly came awake with a startled jump and lifted her head up to gaze into John's smiling eyes in shock. "Morning," he said with a lazy smile, letting his hand slide down to trail long, slow caresses up and down her spine. For a microt, she stared down at him, her expression unfathomable, then her face relaxed into the most radiant smile.
"Good morning, John," she replied and lowered her mouth to his, kissing him with incredible longing.With a groan of relief, John responded to her immediately, wrapping his arms about his lover once more, rolling over on top of her to make love to her again.
That night had broken down the last walls between them. Though she never said it out loud again, John finally knew that Aeryn loved him. And he loved her, fully, completely, feeling fulfilled for the first time since he had arrived in her part of the universe. Their lives changed dramatically. Their days were still spent in routine and scheduled duties, but their nights were magic with passion and shared love. And their new-found intimacy gave their days a special quality, of shared smiles and promising looks. John was amazed that two people who spent so much time together could still have so much to say to each other. John spent arns just talking to Aeryn. He would have thought that he had told her everything there was to say about his life on Earth by now , but unbelievably, she still asked him about DK, his father, his family, growing up, even getting him to repeat some of the stories he was sure he had told her before. For John Crichton, somewhere in the universe, life was finally good.
One night as Aeryn lay sleeping in his arms, deliciously spent after their love-making, another idea formed in John's mind and heart. His eye fell on the flash of red silken material he had dug up from his trunk earlier that day, a reminder of the Royal Planet and all that had occurred there. His mind shied away from the thought of the daughter he would never know, not due to be born for another seventy-nine years. Then his thoughts returned to Aeryn's approach with the compatibility serum and the sweet kiss that had followed. John had never given up on the thought that he would someday return to Earth, but as the cycles passed, the likelihood grew more and more remote. *Maybe it's time to just admit that my life will be lived out here in the Uncharted Territories,* he thought. *Maybe I should be concentrating on what kind of a life I want that to be.* He closed his eyes. *A home, a wife, ... children.* Those things still meant a lot to him, he realised. *A home ...Moya? A wife, a mate ... Aeryn.* He smiled. *Children?* seeing in his mind's eye a little girl with a serious expression, violet eyes and long dark hair. Or a tow-headed boy with a mischievous look in his grey-blue eyes. His heart warmed to the idea and he finally drifted off to sleep, a happy smile on his face, his dreams filled with pleasant family images.
Their arrival at a primitive commerce planet a few days later offered John and Aeryn a respite from Moya and a desperately needed change of scene. Without a word to each other, John and Aeryn had pilotted a transport pod down to the relatively barren surface of the planet that boasted a simple market. John had taken over the job of keeping track of the ship's provisions from Chiana and he mindlessly ordered the delivery of their needed supplies to the docking bay where their transport awaited. He was about to signal Aeryn that his job was done when a glow caught his eye.
Aeryn located her Human shipmate staring openly at a PeaceKeeper wanted beacon that clearly described his appearance. She hissed urgently and pulled him away from the holographic image that promised wealth and recognition to the first creature to turn the fugitive Human John Crichton in to Scorpius. Aeryn had dragged the cursing Human away and back to the transport pod. They had flown quickly back to Moya and were underway as soon as they docked. John left the transport pod hastily, without a word. Aeryn stared after her distraught shipmate but stayed behind to secure the cargo they had acquired on the planet. When she gave Pilot the word that starburst could be done safely, she went off in search of the Human. But to no avail. John had made himself unavailable. Unsure what to do, Aeryn made her way the quarters they now shared and waited for John to come to her.
She didn't have to wait long. The Human entered the converted cell, his eyes fixed on Aeryn with desperation. She stood at his entrance and was immediately swept into his arms. She wrapped her arms around him in a comforting embrace, holding his trembling body against hers in a desperate attempt to wipe the hunted look from his eyes. "Aeryn, sweet Heaven! Please don't let me go!" he said, his voice shaking with emotion. She led him to the bed and sat down with him, stroking his back in long, soothing caresses. When he calmed, she pulled slightly away from him, looking into his eyes with concern. "John, what is it? Please, my love, tell me."
John's eyes widened at her words and he bent down to place an affectionate kiss on her lips. "You do love me?" he asked.
Aeryn blushed slightly, then drew a deep breath. She stared intently into his eyes. "Yes, John, I do. I have for a very long time." She reached up to gently caress his cheek. "I'm sorry I was unable to tell you, but I'm glad I have now." John wrapped her once more in his arms. "Now tell me what's wrong, John? Was it the wanted beacon on the planet?"
"In a way," John's voice was muffled against her shoulder. He lifted his head and stared at her. "I'm not afraid of Scorpius any more, thanks to Zhaan and her Delvians. But I had hoped that the escalating PeaceKeeper war with the Nebari would keep Scorpius from hounding us." He took a deep breath and took Aeryn's hands in his. "I ... I was hoping that ... our lives had ... had settled down enough for us to ..." he stopped, afraid to say what was in his heart.
"To what, John?"
John gazed at her, his eyes full of love and longing. "I love you, Aeryn. I know PeaceKeepers don't marry but in my heart, you are my wife."
Aeryn smiled radiantly at him, "I love you too, John." She kissed him gently. "And I'm happy that you think of me as your wife." Her eyes darkened with fleeting sadness. "You're right. PeaceKeepers don't marry. The concept of mating is unknown to us. But if it means wanting to be with one person for the rest of your life, then you are my husband, John." The radiant smile returned to her face. "Is that what upset you?"
"No, Aeryn, I ... I want us to be a family, and I want us to have a family, Aeryn. I want to have a child with you," he said softly. Then he grinned crookedly, "Well, actually more than one."
Aeryn sat back stunned at his words. "I don't know what to say, John."
John pulled her close again, "Don't say anything right away. I'm sorry I brought it up. I thought everything was going to be quiet for a while. But the wanted beacon brought it all back." He turned his face away from hers, embarrassed by the tears that formed. "It was a pipe dream. I can't even contemplate bringing a child into our world of pursuit and uncertainty." He hugged her again for comfort. Aeryn held him close, letting him draw strength and solace from her presence. Finally, he pulled away from her with a weak smile. He stood and held out his hand to her. "Enough self-pity. I believe we have supplies to secure."
Aeryn worked beside John to unload and store the supplies they had purchased, but her thoughts dwelt on John's request. *A child?* she mused. At first, unbidden, the ingrained PeaceKeeper hard-line against inter-species breeding raised its ugly head. But Aeryn soon dismissed that old doctrine, knowing in her heart how narrow-minded and racist it was. *Me, a mother? I couldn't,* she told herself pessimistically. Her thoughts returned to the brief encounter she had had with her own mother. *I have no role model, no one to help me. Not even Zhaan.* She looked up to find John studying her, a worried look on his handsome face. She smiled to reassure him and ordered him to move a crate imperiously. His crooked grin satisfied her fear that he knew what she was thinking of. She stood watching him, seeing again his reaction to the child projected for him and Katrella on the Royal Planet. *John would help,* she told herself with a smile. *He would be a very good father and he could teach me to be a mother as he has taught me so many other things.* Her heart started to warm to the idea as she imagined a dark-haired boy with John's teasing eyes and crooked smile. John stood up and caught her watching him, flashing her that smile that made her heart leap.
"All done here," he stated, then bent to pick up a box of supplies he had separated out from the rest. "Hungry?"
Aeryn grinned at him, "Yes, why?"
John smirked at her then kissed his fingers in a strange Earth gesture. "Vell, mademoiselle, vor your dineeng plezhoor, I vill prepaire zee most exquieezeet meal you have evair had," he replied, affecting a bizarre accent. Aeryn gave him her patented Human nonsense look, but still let herself be led to the central chamber.
Later that night, Aeryn lay in John's arms, sated by the surprisingly good dinner he had prepared. She thought again of his request and finally made up her mind.
"Yes," she said, as if he had just asked her the question.
John looked down at her in confusion. "Yes what, Aeryn?"
Aeryn tilted her face up to his, "Yes, John. I would like to have a child with you," she said, simply.
John held his breath in shock. Then he sat up, pulling her up to face him. "You mean that? You really want to have a child with me, Aeryn?"
Aeryn smiled at him, happy now in the certainty of her decision. "Yes, John. I really do. I've thought about it and I do." Her eyes darkened. "I'm afraid, very afraid. I had no mother growing up, no one to show me what a mother should be like." She gazed at John, her expression serious. "But I love you, John, and I know how much you want children. My mother told me that I was the product of my parent's caring. I too want to share this with you." She watched the Human's face light up with love and delight. "I think I've wanted to since we left the Royal Planet. When the time is right, John, I want to have your child."
John pulled her to him, kissing her tenderly. Finally raising his head, he gazed down into her loving eyes. "I love you so much, Aeryn. And our child will be the luckiest child around to have a mother like you."
Aeryn's eyes teared up at his compliment."Thank you, John. No one has ever said anything so beautiful to me before." She smiled happily up into his tender blue eyes.
Suddenly he grabbed her and tumbled her down into the bed." To Hell with Scorpius!" he ground out.
"John!" she gasped as he lowered himself down on top of her, his need very evident.
John wagged his eyebrow suggestively. "Well, now that we've decided, there's no sense in waiting is there? I think we'd better get started right away," he leered exaggeratedly.
Aeryn met his wicked grin with a seductive smile of her own, "Yes, I think you're right," she said, pulling his mouth down to hers.
The next few days, Aeryn had to smile as John warmed to their 'little project', as he had taken to calling it, with the same enthusiasm that he showed everything else. They had decided to inform Pilot of their plans, happy with the symbiont's positive response. Pilot had even offered Moya as a form of counsellor to Aeryn once she was pregnant. John had questioned the former PeaceKeeper relentlessly, trying to gain whatever knowledge he could about Sebacean reproductive methods. Aeryn had been upset that she knew so little. It was not a subject that was discussed or even made public knowledge on board PeaceKeeper vessels. Prevention of pregnancy had been the strict responsibility of the males.Those females chosen to breed were simply artificially impregnated and then never seen again, transferred to breeding ships and seldom returned to their original units. But John had calmed her fears, scouring the data stores in Moya's memory banks for its sparse information on the subject. The couple found themselves missing their former crewmates. John had even suggested returning to Delvia to consult with Zhaan. Aeryn had agreed to the plan, but told him to wait until they were sure she was in fact pregnant. Despite the compatibility serum, Aeryn still feared that her physiology would not allow her to have a child by a Human.
Everything was going so well, until an unexpected starburst, to avoid a collision with a rogue asteroid, brought everything crashing down.
End of Part One