MATCHMAKER 6By: Jigs & Officer Don Feedback: Any and all comments welcome. Email: jigsaw4@a... or marks@c... Archiving: Please e-mail us first Rating: PG-13 Category: Action/adventure Warnings: Possible references to scenes from the Premiere through 'The Ugly Truth' Summary: John and D'Argo run into an old friend on a supply run.Disclaimer: Regrettably we have no claim to Farscape; we're just borrowing the characters for the SACC FanFiction Challenge 2000.
John was still muttering to himself as he opened the door
to his cell. Aeryn could light his fuse quicker than
anyone could. "Damnit!" He thought, can anything
possibly go right in this frelling end of the universe? He
ripped off his jerkin and slammed it into the bunk.
"Calm down, John," he chided himself. "Gotta think…."
With that he turned on the shower and waited for it to
warm up, taking the time to remove the rest of his clothes
and toss them in the corner of the room.
After beating the stuffing out of her punching bag, Aeryn
found herself aimlessly wandering Moya’s corridors. She
was furious, with John and with herself. // What the frell
is going on? When did I lose control of everything?// But
she knew exactly when - the day John Crichton walked
into her life.
Anger, jealousy, fear - were attacking Aeryn with a
viciousness she had never experienced. All these
unwanted feelings combined to create an enemy she was
ill equipped to cope with. Recreating was comfortable,
easy - it's what she knew. John was right about that even
if she didn't want to hear it. He evoked feelings in her
that she couldn't control, couldn't ignore, couldn't even
explain - they just were. She needed him, she realized,
and that scared her as much as anything. Aeryn Sun had
never needed anyone!
The pang of jealousy she felt when she caught John
kissing Gilina on the Zelbinion was infinitesimal
compared to this. It wasn't so much that he'd been with
Jena; she couldn't begrudge him that release after what
he'd been through, her more rational side reminded her.
She had pushed him away more times than she cared to
remember and really had no claim to John's affection.
But their relationship had grown more intimate since they
returned from the Royal Planet. She remembered the
compatibility test, and how offering that tiny vial to John
was the hardest thing she'd ever done - but she had to
know. After seeing him with his holographic child on the
Royal Planet, she knew children were important to him,
although they'd never discussed it. And John's
fearlessness in taking the test, it was almost like he knew
what the results would be. She was surprised and ecstatic
that it was sweet. Her head told her John's night with
Jena meant nothing, but her heart was another matter
entirely.
She hated being ambushed - she'd told John that before.
He should have told her about Jena. She might not have
liked it, but she would much rather have heard it from
him. Jena's obvious delight in relating the events of her
night with John irritated her more than their physical
coupling, and she seemed to know how Aeryn would
react even before Aeryn herself did. That bothered her -
she would have been prepared for the confrontation with
Jena if John had only told her. //Frell!//
How did this woman she barely knew manage to
undermine her control so effectively? Was she that
transparent? She couldn’t recall ever having this problem
when emotions weren’t crippling her defenses. She
needed to talk to John. She wasn’t happy with the way
they left things, and she was sure he wasn’t either. With a
determined stride she headed for his quarters.
+++++
The hot shower relaxed him and John wrapped a towel
around his waist as he stepped around the shower screen
only to find Jena lounging seductively across his bunk.
"How did you get in here? I know I locked the door."
His hostile tone pleased Jena. She was certain her plan
was working. "You aren't serious?" She grinned cockily,
"you think a simple lock can keep me out?"
"OK, so what are you doing here? I told you we weren't
compatible!" He didn't care that he was being incredibly
rude. His thoughts were preoccupied with Aeryn.
"You have to ask, John?" She said slinking over to him
and running her uninjured hand suggestively across his
bare chest.
John grabbed her wrist roughly and pulled it away. "Not
interested, Jena. You know that. So what is it you want?"
"Just a little fun…. Doesn't seem like Aeryn Sun will be
warming your bed anytime soon…." She leaned in to
nuzzle his neck.
"No thanks to you!" He growled, shoving her away and
reaching for a tee shirt. "You're kind of help I don't need,
thank you very much!"
"Don't blame me for your troubles," she purred, stalking
him like a panther, "I just thought you might need
some…companionship."
"John?" Aeryn called from the corridor as she
approached his cell.
Timing is everything, Jena thought. This will seal the
deal.
Before he could react, Jena grabbed his face and pulled
him into a searing kiss, just as Aeryn appeared in the
doorway.
"Well isn't this perfect!"
John tore his lips away, "it's not what you think, Aeryn."
Jena's possessive smile did nothing to vouch for the
voracity of John's words.
"But I do have eyes, Crichton!" Making a hasty retreat,
Aeryn turned and stormed off down the corridor. Furious
that she had been ambushed yet again.
"Get the hell out of here, Jena!" John shouted, grabbing
her by the arm and literally tossing her through the
doorway.
Jena laughed to herself as she straightened her clothes
and headed toward the galley. She was having a grand
time playing matchmaker. Kissing John Crichton again
was just an added bonus.
+++++
The terrace was dark, like John's mood, but he knew he
would find Aeryn here. He stood in the doorway, his
figure a mere shadow against the light from the hallway.
Aeryn sat near the star field, her knees drawn tightly to
her chest, staring ahead. He recognized the closed off
posture, through sheer force of will Aeryn was trying to
bury whatever she was feeling. They had to talk, even if
she didn't want to.
"Hey," he said softly. When she didn't respond, he
walked over to her and repeated the greeting, "hey…."
"I don't want to talk to you," she groused, not turning to
look at him.
John smiled sadly, "I know, but I need to talk. All I'm
asking is that you listen…will you do that?"
"Say what you came to say, then leave. Agreed?" Aeryn
was fighting to keep up her icy facade, but she was
beginning to melt from just his closeness. His effect on
her was more than she could overcome.
"Sure Aeryn…." Her anger deflated him, but he had to
try; he wouldn’t give up without a fight.
John sat down across from her, wanting to see her face as
he talked to her. This would be the deciding moment for
them. All they had been through together; everything that
had happened between them led them here. If all were
lost…well, he couldn't think about that now.
She refused to look at him, staring over his shoulder,
focusing all her thoughts on keeping her composure, not
allowing him to see the torment seeping into every part
of her. She concentrated on her breathing, waiting for
him to speak.
"Aeryn, I've never lied to you…you know that, right?" He
asked softly.
She nodded once, her lips pursed in a straight line, eyes
still avoiding his.
"Then you believe that I would never intentionally hurt
you?" It was a leading question, but he was trying to
make a point.
That brought her eyes to his, and what he saw there
devastated him. Her gaze was hollow, empty, and so
infinitely sad his own eyes filled with tears. He reached
for her hands and she pulled them away, not wanting his
touch to distract her from the pain. She could handle
pain, physical pain, but this was so much worse, cut so
much deeper, she didn't even know if she could survive
it.
"God, Aeryn," he choked out; his own fear gripping his
throat like a vise.
It took so long for her to even begin opening up to him,
and just when he thought there was hope, he crosses
paths with someone who could shake Aeryn's fragile hold
on her emotions, make her doubt those fledging feelings.
And more importantly to John, make her doubt him.
Unable to help himself he had to hold her, whether she
wanted him to or not. He had to feel her in his arms. She
fought wildly as he pulled her toward him, but he was as
determined to hold her as she was to break free. He was
relentless, refusing to let her slip away from him. The
emotional and physical strain eventually zapped her
strength and Aeryn fell against his chest, weeping
uncontrollably. All the years of training to gain that
impenetrable Peacekeeper control washed away like
water down the drain.
"Shhh…." He murmured, rocking her in his arms. "It's
okay, Aeryn." His voice was raspy; "it will be all
right…we'll make it right…." He whispered to her, trying
to convince him as much as her.
Aeryn clutched his shirt in her fists, sobbing into his
chest. Like a dam breaking, all the pent up emotions she
fought to suppress for so long were flooding her.
John cried with her, her torment affecting him viscerally;
he tried to console her, lovingly caressing her hair and
stroking her back. His thoughts were lost in the beautiful
woman in his arms that meant more to him than life
itself. Why would she have such a strong reaction to his
tryst with Jena? It didn't make sense…unless she cared
more deeply for him than he considered possible. An
ember of hope flickered deep in his heart.
"Aeryn," he whispered as her sobs finally subsided. He
lifted her face to his, her tear stained cheeks glistening in
the faint light. Quickly she closed her watery, reddened
eyes, embarrassed that he should see her so out of
control.
"Please Aeryn…open your eyes…look at me…." He
pleaded waiting for her to respond. Slowly she opened
them and met his gaze, surprised to see tears shining
there.
"You are the most important person in my life," he said
stroking her cheek. "And when I think that the only way
we found each other was through a freak set of
circumstances that brought us together here on Moya…."
He took a shallow breath, "I can't help but believe that we
are meant to be together." He paused a microt, "do
Sebaceans believe in fate?"
Emotionally exhausted, Aeryn relaxed into his embrace
as she considered the question. Her mind was still foggy
from the uncharacteristic crying, but she was trying hard
to follow what John was saying.
"Fate, it's the inevitability that certain events will lead to
a predetermined conclusion."
"What are you trying to say, John?" She questioned,
wanting to make sure she understood his meaning.
"I'm saying that maybe fate brought us to this point. That
there's a reason why we met the way we did, why we've
both changed…." He stopped to gaze lovingly into her
eyes. The moment of truth had arrived. He smoothed the
hair back from her face, "… why I have to tell you right
now that I love you.…"
Aeryn's eyes widened in amazement, she definitely
wasn't expecting that. "You love me?" She asked
doubtfully.
He nodded, "I have for a long time."
Looking away from him, her voice barely above a
whisper, she asked, "what does love mean to you?"
He smiled at her, "that's easy. I can describe it in one
word…."
She looked at him oddly.
"Love can be different things…but true love is very rare.
When two people love each other they want to be
together - need to be together…. When that person isn't
with you, there's emptiness, like a part of you is missing.
You want them to be safe…happy…." He stopped,
caressing her cheek as he gazed into her eyes.
"I thought you said you could describe love in one
word?"
He kissed her slowly, deeply, then smiled down at her, "I
can…Aeryn Sun."
"That's two words, John," she said teasingly, returning his
smile.
"Technically I suppose…but just one extraordinary
woman."
Love was still a mysterious concept for Aeryn. She
always comprehended things in black and white, and love
was so full of grays. Trying to understand, she asked,
"how can you love me after what I did?"
Her question stunned him, "what did you do?"
"You've always been there for me John, always…I wasn't
there when you needed me most."
"You've saved my life more times than I care to count."
"That's not what I mean…you…you needed me on the
Royal Planet, needed my support emotionally, and I was
too stubborn - too scared to…." She paused, gathering her
courage, "I couldn't admit that you were so important to
me…that I didn't want to lose you…."
"There are lots of things that scare me, Aeryn…Scorpious,
the Aurora chair…but losing you scares me most of all."
She kissed him gently, "but fear is an enemy, every
soldier learns this. And that’s what I am - a soldier -
that's all I ever wanted to be…all I thought I could be."
"But you've changed, Aeryn. You know you have."
John's voice was soft, but firm.
"Yes, I've changed because of you."
"That's not entirely true. If there wasn't some part of you
that wanted to change, it never could have happened. It's
something that came from in here," he said, placing their
joined hands on her chest, "from your heart. You're the
one who changed…you did it all."
"But it happened so fast. I am not trained to deal with all
this emotional dren…."
"No one is, baby," John smiled, wishing he could make
her understand that coping with emotions is a
never-ending process.
"It's just so hard, John." She sighed heavily, shaking her
head.
"It can be…but when it's right, when you find someone
you love, it's worth putting up with all the 'emotional
dren.' Some people look all their lives for real love,
Aeryn, and if you're lucky enough to find it, it is
amazing, makes you look forward to every day."
"That's what Dregon said, that all the good days make up
for the bad ones."
"Dregon Cassanova? He said that to you? When?" John
hadn't given that guy a second thought…until now.
"I'll tell you about it sometime. It's not important now."
Aeryn was not ready to explain the details of her trip to
the barren lands with tall, dull and available. She had
only told John that she fell off a cliff and broke her leg,
end of story.
"Okay, Aeryn, but I'll ask again…sometime."
Thankful that he didn't push her for more information,
Aeryn changed the subject. "You know when I was with
the Peacekeepers, I was ready for anything at any time. I
was a good soldier. But now, look at me, I can barely
function." She paused as the tears started to flow again.
"You can do anything, Aeryn. You just have to believe
you can…like I do." John stroked her cheek tenderly.
"How can I keep my edge in battle and cope with all
this!" She wiped at the tears as she continued, "you,
everyone on Moya depend on me to be strong in a crisis,
to defend us. What if I can't focus when I need to…what
if I can't control…."
He silenced her rant with a gentle kiss, tasting the tears
streaming past her lips. "You can, Aeryn. I know you
can."
She smiled at him, still amazed by his confidence in her.
"You're so sure…."
"About you? You know it, baby. You can defend me
anytime, Aeryn, I trust you to watch my back. I wouldn't
have it any other way." That made her smile, and John
smiled back, "maybe you will always be most
comfortable being a warrior or pilot, just like I'll always
be a scientist…." He took a breath and reminded her, "you
don't have to believe all that Peacekeeper training
propaganda any more Aeryn. You already are so much
more."
He bent down to kiss her again and she dissolved into his
embrace. Somehow, when she doubted herself the most,
she could always depend on John to remind her that she
could be more. As the kiss faded slowly he pulled her
closer.
"We all have different parts of our personality, Aeryn. It's
the blending of those parts that make us who we are." He
could see the lingering doubt in her eyes and continued,
"have I ever told you about roses?" He asked softly; she
shook her head.
"A rose is one of the most coveted flowers on earth. They
are spectacular in bloom, hundreds of vibrant colors,
every color you can imagine, all different sizes and types.
But they have one thing in common, their stems are
covered in sharp, prickly thorns."
"You're saying I'm a prickly thorn?" She countered,
deliberately misunderstanding his intent.
He cocked his head at her and smirked, "let me finish….
What I'm saying is that you're precious and beautiful, like
the rose, but that's only a part of you. You're also a
superior soldier, tough and strong, like the thorn, which
protects the fragile blossom.
"So you're the fragile blossom the big bad thorn has to
protect?" Her eyes twinkled mischievously.
"Aeryn!" He grumbled in frustration, "I'm trying to make
a point here."
"Well hurry up because I very badly want to kiss you."
John looked at her in complete wonderment. Aeryn
flashed that incandescent smile at him then captured his
lips in a passionate kiss.
"You never cease to amaze me, Aeryn Sun." John sighed
as they finally parted. "You understood my analogy right
from the beginning, didn't you?"
Aeryn smiled sweetly and nodded her head. As she
reached up to stroke his cheek, she answered, "but I like
the comparison, John. I always thought I could only be a
Peacekeeper…. It's who I was - it defined me. I think I'm
beginning to understand that I can be a woman, too…a
woman in love."
His pale blue eyes lit up as she said that. It was the
closest she'd ever come to telling him that she loved him;
he was ecstatic and his heartbeat quickened.
"With a little practice, maybe these different parts of me
can co-exist." She paused, her eyes moistening again as
she looked at him, "you've given me that, encouraged me
to see beyond the limits of my training."
"Aeryn, those parts have always been there…. It's just
these last two cycles gave you a chance to discover
them." He kissed her lightly, "I know it hasn't been
easy…."
"As long as I have you, I can make it," Aeryn snuggled
further into his embrace.
"You keep saying things like that and you'll never get rid
of me."
She frowned, "who says I want to get rid of you?"
Grinning, John replied, "well, earlier I was very glad I
wasn't standing in front of an open airlock. Actually
there's been a few times I was glad of that, when you
decided I wasn't your favorite person in the galaxy…."
"Sometimes my temper gets the best of me John, but I
promise I'll always make it up to you."
"Now that's a promise I'll hold you to." John rubbed his
cheek against her hair before kissing the top of her head.
"I'm not going anywhere, Aeryn. Wherever you are is
where I want to be."
Lovingly holding each other, the pair looked out into the
tableau of stars before them, lost in their own thoughts.
Jenavian Chatto smiled and moved out of the shadows of
the terrace entrance and headed to the maintenance bay.
It was time to return to her life of intrigue and deception.
This personal mission may not have been her most
dangerous, but it was one of the most satisfying.
John sighed, content to be with the woman he loved. He
wondered what Jena had intended telling Aeryn about
their night at the lake. He couldn't fathom why she would
try to split them up. What would be the point? He knew
Jena had no designs on him other than physical
gratification, and he'd made it quite clear that wasn't
going to happen again. And something else, why had she
saved his life on the royal planet in the first place? Not
that he wasn't grateful, but the more he thought about it
after he returned to Moya, the more it bothered him. It
was a question he would probably never have an answer
to.
The woman in his arms was suddenly heavier, and very
quiet. John noticed Aeryn's breathing was slow and
steady; her soft sighs told him she had fallen asleep. It
had been an emotionally draining day for both of them.
John smiled down at her and kissed her gently on the
forehead.
After standing carefully so as not to wake her, he bent
down and picked her up as gently as he could. "Come on
sleeping beauty," he whispered, securing her in his arms
and heading for her quarters. "Time for your leather-clad
knight to whisk you off to never-never-land." He smiled
at the thought - Lady Aeryn had a nice ring to it, as did
Sir John. "Aw well," he sighed, "dreams are free."
After putting her to bed and removing her boots, John
covered her with one of Moya's golden blankets and
tucked her in, making sure she was still sleeping
comfortably. He stroked her cheek and whispered, "I do
love you."
Aeryn smiled in her dreams as if she had heard him.
Admiring her for just a moment longer, John stretched
and yawned, realizing all of a sudden how very tired he
was. Exhausted didn't even begin to cover it. He quietly
tiptoed out of Aeryn's room and headed for his own bed.
He wasn't more than 10 metras from his door when Pilot
contacted him. "Commander Crichton?"
"Yes, Pilot?" John replied sounding as tired as he felt,
silently praying there was no emergency that required his
attention.
"I thought you might wish to know that Jenavian Chatto
is planning to leave soon."
"Really? Thanks, Pilot." John said, suddenly energized.
This might be the last chance he'd have to find out the
answers to the questions that haunted him. Sprinting to
the maintenance bay that housed the star darter, he pulled
his thoughts together.
+++++
As Jena entered the maintenance bay she looked for the
Farscape module and saw it sitting in the corner with its
canopy up. Quickly she climbed the ladder and placed a
small black box on the seat. Inside was the anti-heat
delirium drug, her last salute to John and Aeryn. As she
was climbing down John burst into the room at a dead
run.
"Jena!" He yelled, "what the frell are you doing in my
module?"
Jena smirked, "nothing…nothing at all," she replied
innocently. "When Aeryn told me you'd flown across the
galaxy in this *thing* I just had to have a closer look."
"I guess that's when you told her about our one night
fling?" John accused, not bothering to hide his hostility.
"What were you trying to do? Split us up?"
Jena fluttered her eyelashes and pouted, pretending to be
hurt, John just glared at her; "well your little plan
backfired - big time! We are closer now than we've ever
been. And if I have anything to say about it, we'll stay
that way!"
Laughing loudly, Jena asked, "are you that dense,
human? My plan was to get the two of you TOGETHER!
From your own admission, I was very successful,
wouldn't you say?"
John was stunned, that confession had just taken the wind
right out of his sails. There was more to Jena than met
the eye, like another Sebacean female he knew.
"Oh…ah…okay," John muttered. "Well…I have another
question for you. Why did you save my ass on the Royal
Planet?"
Jena smiled, "well aside from my insatiable curiosity
about you, that's a story worth telling. The Regent, you
remember him, the quiet man behind the throne? He
knew all along that Clavor was up to something. When
he found out his fool of a son was plotting to be the next
ruler with the help of the Scarran emissary, an alliance
the Regent couldn't allow, he asked the Peacekeepers for
help. He deduced, and quite correctly I might add, that
the Peacekeepers would be willing to help if it meant
preventing the Scarrans from having access to that
system.
"High Command sent me to the Royal Planet to make
sure Clavor didn't get what he was after. The Sebaceans
in that system might not like the Peacekeepers, but we
couldn't allow the Scarrans to succeed. No one counted
on you turning up from out of no where, the only man
who had DNA that was compatible with Katralla's
poisoned genes."
Jena smiled as John stared at her with a dumbfounded
look on his face, unable to speak.
So she continued, "The Regent, desperate to make his
beloved daughter happy, coerced Tyno to tell Empress
Novia that you could not undergo the statue process
again, which may or may not have been true, since the
process had never been tested on your species. That was
a good enough reason to convince the usually noble Tyno
to go along with the deception.
"The Regent's plan was made all the easier because he
knew Tyno and Katralla were in already in love. So he
prevailed on those feelings and suggested Tyno could
take your place so that he and Katralla could be together.
Although the honorable Tyno had misgivings about the
deception, you played right into their little scheme by
proposing the switch yourself. It was too perfect a
solution, and Tyno couldn't resist. He knew all you
wanted was to be free and back with Aeryn. Perfect
symmetry, wouldn't you agree?"
Jena grinned at John's astonished expression. She was
enjoying this as much as she did toying with Aeryn's
emotions. As the details of all these political gyrations
were revealed, John was certain that fate indeed was
flourishing in the Uncharted Territories.
"Privately, the Regent forced Novia to concede Clavor's
treachery in poisoning Katralla's DNA once he was found
dead and the Scarran had been dealt with. So, John, you
were simply an unwitting pawn in the Royal court's
political intrigue. You see, I did keep my promise to you.
You got what you wanted…you are free and back with
Aeryn."
For the third time that day John was totally at a loss for
words. His goofy smile couldn't hold his surprise at this
revelation. He shook his head in awe, "a simple thanks
just doesn't seem sufficient. I'm beginning to think some
Peacekeepers are like diamonds in the rough…you just
never know what you're going to get."
"Diamonds?" Jena didn't recognize the word.
"Diamonds are precious stones on my home world. They
aren't that much to look at when they are first brought out
of the ground, but once all the outer debris is removed
they are truly a thing of wonder. Each one is unique even
though they are formed in the same way. I'm beginning
to think some of the Peacekeepers are like black
diamonds, which are extremely rare."
Jena frowned slightly, not sure where this analogy of
John's was headed.
He smiled at her bewilderment and continued, "at first
you only see the darkness, but if you hold the stone just
right you can see the odd rays of color and it makes you
think there might be hope for it to become a beautiful
gem. Of course it has to be cut and polished just right,
but the black diamond can become something to behold."
A sly smile graced Jena's lips, and John thought she
looked pleased. He grinned at that and took her hands in
his. "What I'm trying to say is that you're one of those
rays of color. I've seen the same possibilities in Aeryn.
And the more I think about it, if I hadn't arrived here the
way I did things might have been very different between
Crais and me in the beginning. He might have even
helped me...maybe."
Jena stared at their joined hands then looked up into his
beautiful blue eyes. //Aeryn Sun, you are a very lucky
woman.// "So you no longer believe all Peacekeepers are
evil - that they can change?"
John laughed, "well not all of them, that's a bit like
asking a pride of leopards to change all their spots at the
same time."
The perplexed look on Jena's face told John she didn't
catch the reference. "Think of it this way, if the
Peacekeepers handle this Sak'kra thing right, other
races might just see them in a new way." John took a
breath, giving Jena time to consider what he said.
"You know, if you guys could only ease up on the
superiority complex, not to mention that irreversibly
contaminated philosophy about alien species…" John was
on a roll, "…oh and the domination-by-force approach to
intergalactic human relations, you might not be half-bad,"
he laughed loudly. "It's only an idea…but I live in hope.
Miracles can happen…I think we've proved that."
Before Jena could respond, John surprised her by
grabbing her in a bear hug, forgetting about the injured
ribs. When Jena groaned, he released her quickly. "Oops,
sorry," he offered meekly.
"That's all right, John. I enjoyed it…really." But the pain
on her face was evident, despite her smile.
John just shook his head, "right. Now get your butt the
hell out of here and back to High Command. Something
tells me a lot of lives depend on it."
"Yes, the sooner I get back with this information the
better. Hopefully we can stop the Sak'kras before
they set their plans in motion." She kissed John on the
cheek then climbed into her star darter.
Watching as the fast, little ship exited the massive
opening of Moya's hangar and sped off into the stars,
John yawned widely. It was finally time for some much
needed shut eye.
This was one of the good days, as it turned out, he
thought.
"Pilot?" John signaled the navigator on his comms badge.
"Yes, Commander?" He answered, looking up from the
countless controls before him.
"Jena's gone. I think, if Moya's ready, we should starburst
out of this sector. We don't need the Sak'kras sniffing
around looking for us."
"Moya and I definitely agree, Commander. Prepare for
starburst." Pilot returned to his controls and initiated the
starburst sequence.
As the glowing cobweb of starburst crawled rapidly
across Moya's hull, John held on to the bulkhead until the
great Leviathan exited the phenomenon. As he resumed
his route back to his quarters, he wondered what would
happen in the not too distant future. Would they soon
find themselves in the middle of an interstellar war? He
hoped not - sometimes things did work out right. Just ask
the Fates.
The End