From the Past Part 6

by Aeryn Slayer

All the normal Disclaimers
Rating: R.
Summary: As Aeryn's memories surface, Scorpius finds a new subject
Archiving: If you want it, please take it. Just let me know so I can check it out.
<<memory>>

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<<“Wake up Aeryn.” A gentle voice interrupted her peaceful slumber.
“Momma?” Aeryn sat up in bed as she looked up into the shadowed face of her mother.
“Aeryn, there’s something I have to tell you. Your father and I chose to yield a life. You were our choice, a way to show that we loved each other. You weren’t merely an accident or a genetic birthing to fill the ranks. You were created because your father and I loved each other and wanted you. We will always be proud of you and we know that you are going to be special. Not just as a Peacekeeper, but as so much more. No matter what happens tonight, remember that we will always love you. Now, you are going to go with your father, and he is going to take you to a new life. You’ll be happy there.”
“What about you Momma? Aren’t you going to be happy there too?”
Aeryn looked up at her mother’s battle-hardened face for an answer.
“I’ll always be with you Aeryn.” There was no need for her to know anything else at that point. She would find out soon enough.
~ Half an arn later ~
“Up you get, Aeryn.” Talyn ordered his daughter into the @#%$pit of the Prowler.
“Where’s Momma?” Aeryn asked as she looked around the empty hangar.
“Momma’s going to go in front of us.” It was the truth, and Talyn was always honest with his daughter.
“Okay Daddy.” Aeryn replied happily, unaware of what was about to happen.
Talyn climbed into the @#%$pit to sit in front of his little girl. He strapped them both in and started the pre-flight check. Aeryn sat quietly behind him, excited at the chance to go for a ride in the Prowler.
As they glided out into the vastness of space, Aeryn could see her mother’s Prowler out in front of them. They flew on silently for the next half arn or so, before Aeryn saw something further on ahead of them. It was big, blue and swirly. Aeryn thought it looked pretty.
“What’s that Daddy?” Aeryn asked curiously.
“That is where we are going, Aeryn. That will take us to our new home.”
Suddenly, beeps and lights went off all over the control panel. Talyn checked all the systems and said all the bad words he had told Aeryn never to use.
Aeryn was starting to get scared. Her father never spoke like this and he looked panicked.
“What’s wrong Daddy?”
“Looks like we have company. Stay very still and hang on for a micron.” Talyn tried to calm himself down as he searched for his wife’s Prowler.
“Lysia! Lysia! Can you hear me?” Talyn’s unnerved voice came over the comm.
“I see them Talyn. You’ll have to take Aeryn through the wormhole by yourself. Hurry though. It won’t stay open much longer.” Lysia’s equally worried voice replied as she checked her own monitors. She thanked every religious leader she had ever heard of that Talyn and Aeryn couldn’t see her face. From her sensors, she saw at least three armaments about to catch up to them.
Talyn also saw how many Prowlers and Marauders were right on their behinds. He accelerated towards the wormhole as he realised Lysia had been right. It wouldn’t be open for much longer.
“Marauder to Captain Sun’s Prowler. Please come in Captain.”
Talyn ignored the Marauder pilot’s request and pushed his Prowler as fast as it would go. He then checked his sensors to discover that Lysia’s Prowler was about to come under attack.
He turned around and looked at his daughter. Then he opened the channel to his wife.
“Lysia. I can’t leave you to be killed. I couldn’t do that to our daughter. Let us surrender. They may let us live.” Talyn pleaded as he realised the pointlessness of their efforts to escape.
“No! I do not want our daughter growing up with the life the Peacekeepers promises her. I want her to be free from our pasts. Go, now, before it closes. This is our last chance, Talyn. You know it’s for the best. If she can grow up with you, it’s better than having neither of us.”
Tears silently streamed down both of their faces as they accepted their fate.
Talyn took a deep breath as the decision was made. He flew straight for the wormhole.
“Good-bye my wife. I will always love you.”
“And I you my husband. Never let Aeryn forget me.”
With that, communications were cut and Lysia targeted the Prowlers closest to Talyn’s. She fired as fast as her weapons could handle, taking out all pursuing ships.
Talyn was reluctantly heading towards the wormhole when a frightened little voice spoke up.
“Daddy, what’s happening?” Aeryn asked cautiously.
“We are going to get out of here Aeryn. We are going to be safe very soon.” Talyn replied. He turned and gave his young daughter a reassuring smile. As he turned back around, the false smile was replaced by that of true fear. Spread out in front of them were a squadron of Marauders.
“Give up now Talyn. You wouldn’t sacrifice your daughter’s life, would you?” Commander Barn Pygral’s menacing voice asked from the leading Marauder.
“Barn! You traitor! You were my second in command. My friend. How could you do this to us? To me?” Talyn pleaded desperately.
“You are the traitor’s Talyn. You should have known you would never get away with this. However, you have one consolation. If you give up this foolhardy quest, and little Aeryn survives, she will not receive the punishment that you and Lysia are going to. Central Command has high hopes for her future.” Pygral answered with pleasure.>>
************************************************************

As quickly as the image had appeared, it faded.
“What happened?” Scorpius’ ominous question loomed in the air.
“She is blocking out the rest of the memory. All other blocks have dropped, but this one is being held up.” Niem answered as she searched over the control board.
“Break through it. I want that information now.” Scorpius remarked, angry at the interruption. He looked at Aeryn for a moment as Niem corrected some of the instruments.
“You truly are a remarkable specimen Officer Sun. It will be a shame to see you dead.”
“If she stays like this much longer, her mind will liquefy.” Niem informed him.
“May I make, a suggestion?” Crais asked, a disgusting smirk spreading across his face.
“What do you have in mind, Captain?”
Crichton snapped out of his trance, bought on by the shock on knowing Aeryn was so close to a wormhole. He looked at Crais, then Scorpius. He did not like the look on Crais’ face.
“Let me talk to Officer Sun, alone. I will ‘convince’ her to give up the memory.” The smirk grew as Crais’ eyes widened, as if looking at future events.
“No!” Crichton screamed, as Aeryn was unstrapped from the chair.
Scorpius looked to Crichton and smiled evilly.
“Captain Crais. You may ‘talk’ with Officer Sun, for a short time. Convince her to let us probe her mind freely for the remainder of that memory.”
Crais turned his gaze from Scorpius to Aeryn, his smile becoming more disgusting by the microt. Then, his focus came to rest on Crichton. Crais walked closer to the pitiful human and leaned in to whisper something.
“I will do whatever it takes to make her submit, Crichton. There are many things I have wanted from Officer Sun for a long time.” He chuckled deeply as Crichton fought against his two guards, desperately trying to get to Crais.
“Crais! You touch one hair on her head, and I’ll kill you myself!” Crichton threatened, his voice coming out in a strained growl as he continued to struggle.
Crais leaned in again, as he looked back at Aeryn.
“I’ll do more than touch one hair on her head Crichton. That is a promise.”
Crichton yelled every human or alien obscenity he knew as Aeryn was dragged away with Crais close behind. His personal gorilla guards pulled him back, through a different door. They lead him to a fresh cell, where they threw him unceremoniously over the new threshold. The door was closed before he could get up to smash his fists against it.
************************************************************

Aeryn barely knew what was happening. A memory from her past, long since buried away.
The chair turning off.
Somewhere, John had been yelling.
Powerful arms picking her up and dragging her off.
Being thrown to the ground. Opening her eyes, expecting to see the cell she shared with John, Aeryn was surprised to find herself in someone’s quarters. Next to her loomed the freshly made bunk. She tried to use it for support as she worked to get up. Just as her legs started to hold her weight, the door creaked open and slammed shut. Before she was able to turn and see who was behind her, Aeryn was shoved forward, landing in the middle of the bunk.
“Crais.” Aeryn whispered as she rolled over on the bed to face her captor. Her fear was as evident as his intentions.
“It seems we have some unfinished business, Officer Sun.”
Crais moved over to the bed…
************************************************************

John Crichton fought the solid bulk that stood between him and escape until he heard it. The screams. They were coming from near by. John recognised them immediately. He sank to his knees and pressed his head against the cold metal door, tears falling unrestricted while pleading frantically to every god he had ever heard of.
************************************************************

When the guards came, John didn’t struggle. He was so distressed at having to enter the room again, he was like a zombie. His body felt numb, and he was sure that if he had to see Crais… well, he didn’t know what he could do now. And what about when I see Aeryn, he thought to himself.
Before he had the chance to think about his thoughts on the subject, he was in the room, facing the chair.
Aeryn had been strapped back into it. The Peacekeeper jacket she had been wearing was gone, revealing the bruises over her arms and neck. Blood was drying on the gash on her forehead, and the cut in her lip. Her clothing looked tattered, but it wasn’t what got John’s attention. Her eyes. Aeryn’s eyes. John’s heart fell as he saw how blank they were. The normally blue-grey, looked faded and lifeless. John wanted nothing more than to go to her and hold her, in hopes of erasing what had happened, or at least pushing away the memory.
“Let us try again, shall we?” Scorpius asked, his voice devoid of any compassion.
He signalled Niem and the chair started its all too familiar hum.
Just as Crais had promised, the memory was no longer blocked, and played freely.
************************************************************

<<Talyn’s face dropped as he realised he had no choice but to surrender.
“Don’t give up Talyn!” Lysia ordered as she sped past her husband’s Prowler and aimed directly for the leading Marauder.
“No!” Talyn cried as he saw what Lysia was planning. She was going to take on the Marauder herself.
“Mommy!” Aeryn yelled as she recognised her mother’s voice.
“Don’t let my sacrifice be for nothing, Talyn. Take her through the wormhole. Now!” Lysia pleaded.
Talyn set his jaw as he moved the Prowler to go around the Marauder squad. He ignored all following transmissions from Pygral. He manoeuvred towards the wormhole.>>
************************************************************

All of a sudden, sparks started to burst out of the control panel under Niem’s hands. Aeryn cried out in pain as the chair ground to a halt.
“What’s going on?” Scorpius’ enraged voice boomed.
“There is a malfunction with some of the frakin components. They are short-circuiting the chair. I have to shut it down.” Niem answered cautiously, well aware that Scorpius wouldn’t be happy with the deviation.
Scorpius’ face twisted in rage at the inconvenience. He took a few deep breathes to calm down, then proceeded with a new plan of action.
“Take them back to their cell.” He ordered some of his guards.
 

TBC

Not long to go now, so I'll post some more VERY soon

AS