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Aeryn takes revenge, John and D'Argo talk rules, and Jena and Chiana talk shop.
By the time I stepped out of the shower, there was clothing on the bed, waiting for me. As D'Argo had promised, it was Peacekeeper issue -- black and red leathers.
As I shrugged into them, I frowned in annoyance. Whoever had picked them out had done a very poor job. The underclothing was too small, the outerclothing too large. I looked a fright. The tight inner layer would flatten my curves, the baggy outer layer would hang loose, avoiding anything resembling a cling. Not exactly the best costume for my purposes.
Those purposes were simple enough. Although Scorpius had issued orders that Crichton be taken and turned over to him, I had no intention of doing so. What's more, I had the backing of Special Directorate on that. If Scorpius knew... the thought of the half-breed's reaction if he found out was absolutely delicious. My duty on this ship was straightforward. Get to the next Peacekeeper outpost, and get off. And in the meantime, convince John Crichton that I wasn't his enemy. Which would have been considerably easier if the clothes had fit.
Then again -- I wasn't a soldier. Soldiers classified weapons in simple, obvious categories. Guns, explosives, blades. I'd never yet met a soldier who understood that clothing could be a weapon, too.
If they'd given me skin-tight leathers, I would have twisted my hair up tight and gone in with authority. But this -- I could definitely work with this. I ran my fingers through my hair, leaving it long, tousled, damp. A bite of the lips for color, a pinch to the cheeks for the faintest blush.
Jool came to fetch me for dinner, and I saw her eyes narrow in displeasure at the sight of me. I knew what she saw. The face I presented was young, fresh, looking all the younger for the shapelessness of the clothes. I looked like a street urchin. Stranded, dependent upon them for help. Harmless.
I had the sudden thought that the bad fit of the clothing hadn't been a mistake, but rather a deliberate calculation. Well, if it was, she had been outmaneuvered. Which was to be expected. Judging from her open display of flesh, she understood the power of attraction, but none of its subtlety. In this situation, I much preferred my hidden assets -- especially effective since the man in question had already enjoyed what lay beneath the shapeless costume. It actually added a layer of intimacy between us -- my body was something that only we shared, a gift denied to the others. Something this girl might eventually learn -- *never* underestimate the appeal of exclusivity to the male ego.
Whatever conversation they'd been having died as we came through the door of the center chamber; I saw their heads come up as we entered. D'Argo looked taken aback. Aeryn Sun didn't look at me at all. Crais was studying me, his expression speculative. Rygel gave me the merest glance, then turned back to his plate. Chiana was grinning, wide, enthusiastic. Crichton smiled, his expression reassuring. As if I needed reassurance. But I allowed my step to falter slightly, cast a nervous-seeming glance around the room, then squared my shoulders. An open seat next to Crichton, one next to Chiana. Well, well...
Without preamble, Jool pushed past me and slid in next to Crichton, glaring at me. Any doubt I had about the clothing was gone. "Well, we're here," she announced, sounding annoyed. "What are we going to do with her?"
"Drop her off at the next system," Rygel put in. "As we agreed."
"Right," Chiana said. "But that doesn't mean we have to treat her like dren until then."
"Doesn't it?" the Hynerian sneered. "It's *her* fault we're eating food cubes tonight."
"Yeah, and we've never eaten food cubes before," Chiana countered. "Relax, toad, there's always another commerce planet. Come on, Jena. You can sit next to me."
I was somewhat surprised at the Nebari's enthusiasm. D'Argo growled, and I wondered if her open invitation hadn't been more to annoy him than anything else. But I smiled in gratitude, and slid in next to her.
"So you really are a disruptor?" Chiana started in immediately, her whole attitude fascinated, eager. "What... so what do you do?"
I considered. "Just what the name says. I disrupt things. Preferably Scarran plots."
"That's why you were on the Royal Planet?" Rygel questioned. "To keep an eye on the Scarrans?"
"Yes." I wouldn't get into the larger patterns, the tapestry of political connections and networks. I wouldn't expose our plans for the Uncharted Territories, but I could tell them things they already knew -- it would compromise nothing, and still make me seem more open, trustworthy. "If Clavor had assumed the throne, he would have allied with the Scarrans, and started a war. It was my responsibility to make sure that didn't happen."
"And what were you doing on Tendaris?" D'Argo asked.
I smiled. "That's classified. Sorry."
"So," Chiana tilted her head, looked at me curiously. "You probably know a lot about Peacekeeper operations, huh? Say, locations of ships, things like that."
I gazed back, gauging her. Most Nebari unsettle me, with their placid stares and their unthinking conformity. This one, however, was obviously not most Nebari. And now she was asking about deployment of Peacekeeper vessels.
"Chiana," Jool said quietly, "She's a Peacekeeper."
"But she might be able to help," Crichton said. I looked at him; his gaze was measuring. "She may have information we need."
I kept my expression impassive, but felt a chill up my spine, that familiar tingle that tells me I've stumbled onto something. What was going on on this ship?
"Crichton," Crais' tone held warning. "Jool is correct. She is an active Peacekeeper agent. She would not act counter to Peacekeeper interests." I looked at the former captain; he still had that cool, speculative look on his face. "Disruptor training is quite thorough, all towards one end -- to engender trust. Politics, diplomacy, assassination... quite extensive seduction techniques." A slight smile creased his lips. "It is to be expected that you might be taken in by her."
"You'd be a fool to trust her," Sun advised. "Tell her nothing."
I looked back to him, making my voice soft, rich, a deliberate contrast to her cold contempt. "What is it that you want to know, John?"
He studied me for a moment longer, then nodded slightly. "I want to know where Scorpius is." I could hear the reaction from around the table. Crais blew his breath out in disgust, D'Argo snorted in displeasure. I registered them all, but kept my gaze earnest, appealing -- and locked on Crichton. He didn't look away, either, only smiled reassuringly. "I'm not asking you to do anything that would compromise your position, Jena. I just want to stay as far away from him as possible. We've been doing good, so far, keeping our heads down, but I don't want to stumble across him in a dark alley by mistake."
I turned it over in my mind, looking for the flaw. It made sense, going by what I knew, both from personal experience and from Command. Crichton *had* been running from Scorpius on the Royal Planet. He'd want to know where Scorpius was so that he could stay away from him. The alternative was that Crichton was seeking Scorpius out, and that idea was ludicrous. And it was clear from his companions' reactions that Crichton had revealed more to me than they wanted him to, so I must have the truth of it. Despite their misgivings, he trusted me, which could only help me. My helping him would make me more of an ally, especially if I seemed to be risking my own position to do so.
So, if they were aware that I knew that Scorpius wanted Crichton -- they had to suspect that I knew *why* he wanted Crichton. I could use that. Time to lay some groundwork of my own. "All right," I said. "I can provide you with information on Scorpius' whereabouts. But in exchange, I want some information from you."
"From us?" Crais questioned. "What could we possibly tell you?"
"The Scarrans are highly disturbed," I said calmly. "It seems that one of their dreadnaughts has gone missing above a planet called DamDaBa. It was the victim of something that long-range sensors describe as a spatial anomaly not unlike a wormhole. Either it was a naturally forming phenomenon and the Scarrans were just unlucky -- or it was deliberate. I want to know which one."
"And you think *I* know?" Crichton's tone was quiet, careful.
"I think you might." I didn't, of course. I knew for a fact that Crichton had been far away from that area during the time in question -- I didn't care how far a Leviathan could starburst, it was impossible for a man to be in two places at once. But where Crichton was -- or had been -- wasn't the point. I needed to get him thinking about wormhole technology. Specifically, wormhole technology in the hands of the Scarrans.
I matched his careful tone with my own, making it as non-threatening as possible. I leaned forward, indicating confidence, appeal, intimacy. "You know Scorpius has issued orders that you be taken back into custody. I need to give Peacekeeper Command something, John."
Crichton shrugged. "Sorry to disappoint you, Jena, but the one and only time I was ever at DamDaBa was nearly three cycles ago."
"There *is* someone based there who knows a lot about wormholes," Aeryn Sun said, her voice cold. "She managed to steal most of Crichton's research."
"Oh?" I frowned. This was news to me.
"Yeah," Crichton seconded after the barest moment of hesitation. "If the Peacekeepers are looking for someone to go after for what happened at DamDaBa, she'd be the one." He paused, glanced at Sun, who didn't meet his eye, then continued. "Her name's Furlow. I haven't seen her since I was there, but I don't doubt she's still alive and scamming. She's good at that."
"We can provide you with a description," Rygel said. "Down to the last wart on her ugly face."
I looked around at them, still not quite sure that I wasn't missing something. But Rygel was merely smiling amenably, Sun was blank, unreadable, and Crichton -- Crichton merely looked sad.
My mind was racing. My brief hadn't indicated any free agents with even the beginnings of wormhole technology running loose. The thought was chilling. My instincts told me that Crichton and Sun were telling the truth, about his visit to DamDaBa, about this Furlow. Their story made sense, and I was getting what I wanted -- so why did I feel like I was the one being played? I wondered if Scorpius knew about Furlow, and if he did, whether he had withheld the information from Command, or whether it was Command who had withheld it from me.
"All right," I said, looking straight at Crichton. "I'll take that. Scorpius' last known location, in return for a description of Furlow and all the details of your last encounter with her."
"My last encounter with her," he agreed. "Done."
*****
"...I *tried*, D'Argo. She won't talk to me."
The voice was loud, unexpected, and I quickly drew back into the shadows. I'd just given Jool the slip, and was savoring the rare luxury of being completely unobserved. I didn't want to give that up yet. Besides, you can learn the most interesting things by just listening.
"John, she hasn't talked to you in a monen."
They'd stopped, just around the corner from me. Which meant that I was stuck until they decided to move on.
"Yeah, but this is different. Now she's just pissed off. And I don't-"
"I believe she is angry because she didn't know."
"Yeah, well... She knows I don't kiss and tell. And don't try to tell me she hasn't appreciated *that* little character trait-"
"John, you do not understand. She is not angry because *you* didn't tell her. She is angry because *he* didn't tell her."
"So she's taking it out on me?"
"It does make sense."
"No, it doesn't. It doesn't make any sense. None of this has ever made any sense."
"John, if you had been there-"
"But I wasn't there."
"*If* you had been there, you would *not* have told her."
"So she blames me for him not doing something that I wouldn't have done if I'd been in a position not to do it, which I wasn't?"
"It does makes sense, if you are not too stubborn to see it."
"All right. So answer me this, big guy. If I'm supposed to shoulder the blame for the stuff that he did wrong, how come I don't get brownie points for the stuff he did right? Isn't there some sort of rule about that?"
There was a long silence, and then quiet laughter from them both. "No, my friend, there is not," D'Argo said. "And if there were, you would have broken it anyway."
They moved away, and I waited as their footsteps retreated. I could actually feel the puzzled crease in my forehead. I had never heard a conversation that made less sense in my life.
"So." I whirled at the voice behind me, automatically dropping to a defensive stance, then relaxing with a sheepish smile as I recognized the Nebari girl.
I hadn't even heard her approach. There was definitely more to her than met the eye.
She was grinning at my response. "Sorry," she said, not sounding a bit sorry. "Didn't mean to scare you."
"Not likely," I said with a smile, then shrugged. "I got lost. All the corridors look the same."
"Yeah, it takes a while." Her neck arched slightly. "Too bad you won't be here long enough to learn your way around. *Some* people might be disappointed to see you go."
"Some people?" I didn't let my expression falter, just gazed at her, trying to figure out her angle. "You, perhaps?"
"Perhaps. You're... intriguing. You remind me a lot of..." she trailed off.
"Of?"
"Of me." Again, that delighted, open-mouthed smile.
I smiled back. "I'm flattered. I think."
"I'm sure." We faced each other. "You seem to be used to being flattered."
"As are you."
"Yeah, well, it's easy to get things like that, if that's all you're after." Ah. A shift in the conversation. "Especially from men." She took a step closer, one shoulder rising, her head angling almost to meet it. "You could probably get almost anything you wanted from a man."
"Hmm." I raised an eyebrow. "And why do you think that is, do you suppose?"
"You know why. Because men are stupid," she said, and I laughed out loud at the swift change in tactics, from insinuation to bluntness. Effective. "You tell them something, they believe it. You don't tell them something, they never suspect. Nice to meet another woman who understands that."
"I'm not shy about letting a man know what I want."
"I've noticed that." She grinned. "Well, I'm not shy either. So... John's my friend. Doesn't stop him from being a man. Doesn't stop him from being stupid."
I regarded her with amusement. "You don't seem to think very highly of him."
"Oh, no," Chiana countered. "I think *very* highly of him. Who I don't think highly of is anybody who would hurt him."
I put every drop of warmth, of sincerity, into my tone. "I'm not trying to hurt him, Chiana."
"Trying and doing are two different things," she said, and I was well aware of the ambiguity of her words. That I could hurt him without intending to, or that there was a difference between attempt and achievement that did not necessarily lie in intent. The confrontation gave me the quick thrill that comes with a challenge.
So far, I'd let her lead the conversation. Time to take charge. She'd taken it from a needle to a blade. Time to take it from a blade to a pulse pistol. I took a step closer to her, tilted my face to match her own odd angle. "So what *exactly* are you saying, Chiana?"
She grinned, matched my escalation with her own. Pulse pistol to detonation grenade. "That I know you. Better than you think. Whatever it is you want from John... if you hurt him, you've got a ship full of people here who are going to take it... badly."
"Oh?" I raised a cool eyebrow. Detonation grenade to frag cannon. "So I assume that Aeryn Sun is a target for your displeasure, too?"
For the first time, she looked uncertain, drawing back slightly in surprise, and I seized the advantage. "She won't even look at him, Chiana. And you're threatening me if I hurt him? Doesn't John deserve more than that? Some... pleasure?"
"Yes, he does." Her uncertainty vanished. "And if you understood the first word of that conversation you just overheard, maybe you'd be in a position to help him. But since you didn't, you aren't." The smile was gone from her face. "Is that clear enough for you, Jenavian?"
She'd given me more than she knew, and I knew how to play this now. Time to take it back down to a needle. I lowered my chin, looked at her with sympathetic resolution. "Whatever there is between John and me is just that -- between John and me. If Aeryn Sun had any sense at all, she would be in his bed right now. But instead, she's pushing him away. And you can't blame any woman with eyes and a brain for being right there to catch him. But I'm not a fool, and I'm not stupid -- I know that if she gave him a chance, he wouldn't look twice at me. For all our flirtation, I'd be forgotten in a microt."
"Yeah," she purred. "But as I said... men are stupid."
"Then it's up to us to look out for their best interests, isn't it?" I retorted.
"Don't you mean *Peacekeeper* interests? You'd hand John back to Scorpius-"
"Scorpius." I allowed a sneer of disgust, and she looked surprised. "Scorpius is a monster." I spoke quickly, with a tone of quiet intensity. "What he did to John was obscene. And for nothing. Violating his mind -- never thinking that altering the mind alters the information he's trying to retrieve. He likes to think of himself as efficient, when all he is is cold-blooded. I would *never* let Scorpius have John again."
She looked at me for a long moment, then grinned. "So, which it is that bothers you, huh? That Scorpius is cold-blooded? Or that he's inefficient?"
I didn't answer her, turning on my heel, setting off at a deliberate pace.
"Hey, Jena, where are you going?"
I turned back, letting my impatience show. "Back to my quarters. We *are* finished, aren't we?"
She laughed. "I thought you said you were lost." And with that, she was gone.
Frell.
