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Rated: R (for sex, violence, and language)
Summary: When the Moya crew find some Peacekeeper rebels they were seeking, they learn that Aeryn Sun and her cadre have been captured by Scarrans and they are desperate to rescue her. Meanwhile, Jane is up to some tricks of her own, which Scorpius finds infuriating.
Spoilers: Everything up through Dog With Two Bones and a small amount from Crichton Kicks.
Disclaimer: Not mine, just borrowing for a while and I promise to return them as I found them, only slightly damaged. ;D
Acknowledgements: Many thanks to three people who greatly helped me with this fic. First, I must thank Arzosah for her remarkable talents in being able to sort through my questionable punctuation, shaky grammar, and the occasional homophone blooper. Next, I want to thank Owlman for his guidance on writing the torture scenes and really getting the eeewww factor up there. And last, but by all means not least, is cretkid’s help and support for overall continuity, voice, and advice on the old dialogue vs. narrative issue. Any problems and issues left with this fic are all my doing and not theirs. They tried to steer me in the right direction, but sometimes I just wouldn’t budge.
Note: I wrote Jane Doe a while ago (started before season 4 and finished shortly after S4 started. As a result, this fic takes a ninety degree turn from where we left everyone in Dog With Two Bones.
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Master Race
John felt the exhaustion in every fiber of his body, and yet he couldn’t sleep. There were those damn rattlers again. He got up from his bed and threw on his sweats and padded out into the hallway towards the central chamber. Moya was utterly quiet. The corridors were devoid of the usual buzz of the DRD’s. Then he remembered the DRD’s were assigned to watch Ben Ard. ‘This should please Scorpius’ John thought. ‘At least now he’ll get some privacy.’
When he reached the central chamber, John poured a stiff drink and set up his chessboard. He took a swig of the Qatzal and shivered slightly. ‘Not Blanton’s, but not bad’, he thought. He made his first move. He looked up to see Scorpius staring down at him. It gave him a start. “Don’tchya knock when ya come in?”
Scorpius poured a drink for himself and sat down opposite John. “The Scarran... he is hiding something,” Scorpius said.
John looked up and saw concern in Scorpius’ expression. “Did he lie? Maybe he’s lookin’ to capture you. Do ya think he invented the rebels?” John asked while he stirred the Qatzal with his index finger.
“He told the truth... about the rebels.” Scorpius paused before he continued, staring at an unknown point and then bringing his gaze to peer into Crichton’s eyes, “I do not believe he was looking for me. He does not trust us, and I do not trust him.”
“Is that because he’s Scarran?” John asked.
“I do not believe so. I have been examining... the information he has provided and I have minutely reviewed what he told us and what his energy signature has shown me.” Scorpius said. He finished his drink before continuing. “He is hiding... something. I do not know what it is. I sensed he told the truth when he talked about the Scarran rebels.”
“I’ve got rattlers too, if it’s any consolation.” John paused before asking, “Why didn’t you say anything before?”
“I had to be confident... ” Scorpius said, “that my senses were true, that I am not saying this because he is Scarran.”
John got up and headed for the corridor and stopped to add, “I think we should head for a rebel planet. Maybe they will have the skinny on our Scarran friend.”
Scorpius rose and faced John, putting his gloved hands on his hips, “And if they don’t, will that prove... anything?”
“Dunno,” John said, and then left.
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Aeryn Sun huddled in the coolest bit of her cell. It was still too hot. ‘Stupid, stupid, stupid!’ she thought. ‘We walked right into a trap.’
She put her forehead against the metal door, hoping it would help drain some of the heat away. It did, a little. She knew her captors were wearing her down, making her pliable. She was isolated from her squad and had no idea how many were still alive, if anyone yet broke under torture, and when it would be her turn in the box. As it was, the cell resembled a box. Aeryn could not stand erect, the ceiling was so low that she had to keep her knees and head bent. It was too small for her to lie down on the filthy floor; she could touch the opposite walls with her elbows extended. She was sure she had been here less than a day, and already she was hot, thirsty, filthy, and sore in her joints for having to maintain cramped positions.
The coin toss and her stubborn pride were the beginning of her long slide down. Before she would have said it was her being made ‘irreversibly contaminated’; but then Crichton showed her a different life. The rebels were thrilled to have her and being wanted throughout the galaxy was no different from any other soldier who joined the rebel cause. There was no other place she could go... except Moya, and Aeryn was on her own mission, she had to prove... ‘Prove what?’ Aeryn laughed. It held no humor.
She heard footsteps approaching her cell and scuttled a few denches away from the door. A small trap about halfway up the door opened and a glass bowl filled with water was pushed through. Of all the things that Aeryn imagined would happen, this was not one of them. Before Aeryn could react, the bowl crashed to the floor and shattered. The water pooled in small puddles. Because of the filth and the broken glass, Aeryn dared not slake her thirst. She returned to her position by the door and waited.
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John walked into Pilot’s chamber where he could talk with him privately. As he entered the chamber, he could see someone else was there in front of him. ‘Great,’ he thought, ‘now I have to wait in line.’
He was about to leave to wait on the other side of the door to give them privacy when Sikozu turned around. She gave a quick intake of breath when she saw John, exclaiming, “I thought I was alone. When did you get here?”
“Just,” John said, “let me know when you’re done, I’ll come back.” He raised his hands in apology for having interrupted and started to turn.
“No need to leave, Crichton,” Sikozu said, “I’m done.” She walked past John and left through the door that he had come in.
“Yes, Commander,” Pilot sighed. He did not look up from his tasks. His claws were rapidly attending to Moya.
John positioned himself in front of Pilot, placing his hands palms down on the surrounding shelf. “Were you able to retrieve any information about Rebel bases when we at Renlar?”
“Yes, Commander,” Pilot said. “We are headed there now.”
John was puzzled, it wasn’t like Pilot to take the initiative. “Oh... “
“D’Argo asked first,” Pilot explained, “then Scorpius, Chiana... “
John interrupted, “Never mind, I get the picture.”
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Despite her terrible thirst, the heat, and her muscles cramping, Aeryn fell into a stupor, her exhaustion was so great. She didn’t hear the foot steps or the lock tumbling in the door. She fell out into the hallway when the door opened, and she jerked awake. She did not move right away. Sprawled on the floor as she was, was the first time in many arns that Aeryn could fully stretch out her muscles. It felt good.
A guard yanked Aeryn to her feet, looking as though he enjoyed her discomfort from his talon like nails raking her skin and drawing blood. Grabbing her arms, the guard cuffed her wrists behind her back and shoved her roughly forward. Aeryn lost her balance, her muscles refusing to cooperate, and she fell flat on the floor, avoiding hitting her face only by arching her neck at the last minute. The guard pulled her up by the hair and shoved her forward again. This time, Aeryn didn’t stumble.
On exiting the prison area, the guard led Aeryn to the left and down to a chamber where the walls, floor and ceiling were solid metal. A pole was welded to the floor in the middle of the room directly beneath a glaring light that gave off waves of heat. The pole was about two motra’s high, just a few denches taller than she. The guard grabbed her arms and removed the cuffs only to put them on again once he placed her arms behind her on either side of the pole. He left and didn’t bother to lock the cell door. Aeryn was unable to take advantage of it.
As her eyes acclimated to the blinding light, Aeryn noticed the walls were spattered with blood. Since the pole was ten motras from a wall in any direction, she guessed the force of the torture was great. ‘Well, I’m ready,’ she thought.
After a while, a Scarran entered. “Tell me where the Rebel base is,” she hissed, “and I will end your suffering.”
Aeryn remained silent. She watched the Scarran remove a Tantorr whip. “Good, I hoped you wouldn’t say anything,” the Scarran continued, “it would deprive me of such delicious pleasures.” She grinned and adjusted a control on the whip.
Aeryn felt the sting of thousand vipers on her arms and then each leg with each strike of the whip. She didn’t try to control her cries, she needed her energy to block the mind scans.
The last whip stoke started just below her ear and ran down her throat, across her collar bone, detouring each breast to run down the front of her vest. The pain exploded in Aeryn’s brain from the moment the whip touched her jaw as it slid down her neck. She heard herself scream and saw her tormentor smile with pleasure. Then she felt the terrible heat as the Scarran tried to pry information from her. She held fast to a single thought, ‘You will learn nothing, you will learn nothing, you... ‘.
The Scarran repeated the whipping, this time from behind, using the pole to amplify the sensation. Again Aeryn felt the terrible heat of the mind scan and chanced mockery in her thoughts, ‘Is this the best you can do?’.
“Your screams tell me otherwise,” the Scarran roared. “Tell me Aeryn, my sweet,” she whispered, “how long you can hold out? We will break you body and mind. It will give me much pleasure.”
“You are so brave,” Aeryn derided. “It takes a lot of courage to torture me tied up like this and I can’t fight back.”
To Aeryn’s utter shock, the Scarran removed the cuffs, freeing her from the pole. “Now you can fight back,” the Scarran said. “Let’s see what you are made of.”
Aeryn spun around and attacked the Scarran, hitting her with a chop to the neck which the Scarran quickly stopped by catching her wrist and pinning her to the floor. “I see you are a weak pathetic example of the Sebacean race,” the Scarran said, keeping Aeryn pinned. Again, she attacked with the whip and her mind scanning heat.
‘I have been tortured, kept in a filthy, cramped cell, deprived of food and water. This is not an accurate measure.’ This was Aeryn’s last thought before the Scarran knocked her out.
She came to in her cell. Everything hurt, even her hair hurt. She could see angry welts on her arms and chest. She gingerly touched her jaw and felt the welts she could not see. Exhausted, she fell asleep.
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Jane was finding it increasingly difficult to think of herself as male, or to contemplate becoming one. She had now occupied the female body for four months, and was feeling female, including the attraction she felt towards Ben Ard. She knew this was potentially dangerous, but that was part of the thrill.
She waited for him to leave his quarters where he was picking up what he needed for the meeting they were all going to attend. Jane learned from Sikozu that the Peacekeeper rebels confirmed he belonged to the Scarran underground, the See’tig. The rebels also provided them with information about a Scarran prison camp. Jane grabbed Sikozu when she, John, D’Argo, and Ben returned from their meeting with the Rebels. They were the only ones to meet with the rebel leader. The bad news, Jane learned, was Aeryn Sun a squad commander, and the rest of her squad had been captured by the Scarrans and were being held in the camp. The Rebels did not know how many had survived the ill fated raid, nor if any of the survivors were injured at the time of capture. They were sure that this cadre would be tortured for the information they had about the rebels. The squad had been in enemy hands for one day, and they were trying to figure out how to rescue their comrades without losing any more men. Ben volunteered to be the Scarran “finder” enabling their entry to the camp. With Pilot’s and Moya’s concurrence, they decided to use the leviathan to reach the Scarran prison camp. The rebel commander also sent a complement of ten of her best Special Operatives, some specialized equipment including weapons that could disable Scarrans, tiny flying spy cameras that were no larger than a bumble bee each called, unsurprisingly, spybots, and a retooled Stryker the rebels had captured in a previous encounter.
“Hello, Jane,” Ben said with some surprise in his voice. “I didn’t expect you to be waiting here.”
“Were you expecting maybe Noranti?” Jane retorted.
Ben stopped mid stride and cocked his head to one side, asking, “Who?”
Jane put her hands on her hips, elbows akimbo. “Our three eyed wonder, the cook. Look, I was teasing, just teasing.”
“That’s her name? Her food’s the worst I’ve ever tasted. You should space her before you’re all poisoned,” he said only half jokingly. “I am on my way to the meeting. Is there something you wanted to say?” He began walking through Moya’s corridors.
Ben marched through the corridor so quickly that Jane had to run to catch up to him. “Wait a microt!” Jane panted. “Yes, I wanted to thank you for everything you are doing. I know we have not made it easy for you and we have not made you feel welcome. I want you to know that this is not how I feel.”
The Scarran stopped and turned to Jane, looking directly into her eyes. “How do you feel, Jane?” He rested his hand on her shoulder as he spoke.
The direct question left Jane a little flustered. She stammered, “They didn’t b-believe you. I did. I’m glad you were able to prove your loyalties. And, and I like you..” She put her right hand over his hand and caressed it. Jane moved in closer to Ben.
He removed his hand from Jane’s shoulder and stepped back a little. “Later,” he said, “we’ll talk later. Right now I must review what we have learned and then we must determine how to rescue the rebels from the camp on En’ka. Come.”
Neither was aware of Scorpius near by. They continued on to the Central Chamber where they met with the rest of Moya’s crew. Scorpius entered microts after they did. His look passed from very dark to neutral as he took a seat.
Within a few microts, everyone was jammed around the large table. Some had to stand. John had never seen it this crowded. Duize, the Special Operative commander, placed a map of the camp on the table and pointed to the security points guarding the perimeter. “As you can see, the perimeter is heavily guarded, we can’t hope to gain entry by force.” She paused, looking around the room and then continued, “Ben Ard has agreed to masquerade as a Finder bringing prisoners to the camp, that’s us and you, Crichton.
“When we are in, we will release these,” Duize pointed to the spybots, “and then separate and silently disable as many Scarrans as possible. We must even the odds as much as we can.” There was no dissension.
“Once we’ve located our men, we will get them and ourselves out of there as fast as possible. The entire operation should not take more than a quarter arn. D’Argo, how long can Lo’La remain in stealth mode?”
“I can stretch it to a half arn, maybe a bit longer if needed,” D’Argo said.
“Good, be ready to accept up to six of us. It will be tight, but the Stryker should be able to hold the rest. We will reconvene in the maintenance bay in half an arn for a dry run. Are there any questions?” Duize concluded.
Both Sikozu and Scorpius spoke up at once. Duize put her hand up and signaled to Scorpius to speak first. “Ben Ard can’t do it alone, he’ll require an assistant to manage his ‘prisoners’. I can disguise myself,” he said.
“Agreed,” Duize said, and nodded to Sikozu.
“I should go as well. The Kalish are known to work with the Scarrans,” Sikozu argued.
“But only as administrators,” Ben said. “I think it would be better if you didn’t go, Sikozu.”
The plans finalized; Scorpius was added to the list, Sikozu was not. The participants quickly left to prepare for the next phase. John was a little slower off the mark and he noticed he was not the only one still there. Scorpius and Jane were engaged in a heated discussion. Scorpius was preventing Jane from leaving by blocking the doorway. They were talking in low voices; John couldn’t hear what they were saying, but their body language radiated anger. Finally, Jane spoke with enough volume that John could hear her clearly say, “Do not meddle in my affairs, Scorpius, you do not own me. Now please allow me to leave and do not follow.” Scorpius glared at Jane as she went out into the corridor.
“Whazzup?” John asked.
“It is Jane,” Scorpius growled.
“What about her?” John asked.
“She is... interested in Ben Ard,” Scorpius said while pacing around the table.
“What?” John asked in disbelief. He stood in front of Scorpius to stop his pacing. “No, no don’t explain,” John held his hand up. “I know whatcha mean. I just can’t believe it.”
“Yes-s-s,” Scorpius hissed. “This is a much too dangerous affair for her. But she refuses to listen to me. Does she not know what the Scarran can do to her should he choose?”
“I bet she does, Scorpius,” John said, shaking his head.
“What are we to do?” Scorpius asked.
“What do ya mean ‘we’, kemosabe?” John asked, and then seeing Scorpius’ pained expression, added, “Okay, okay! I’ll try to talk to her but first, we get Aeryn out of that camp.”
“It will be several arns before we reach En’ka, surely you’ll have time, John.”
“Maybe... after the dry run, if there’s time, and if I think of it.” John stood up and left.
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This time Aeryn was ready when she heard the guard’s footsteps and did not fall out of her cell when he opened the door. The guard led Aeryn to the right down a short corridor and placed her in the first room on the right hand side. This room was clean. It was large enough to hold two chairs and a table with a little room to spare. The guard left her standing and locked the door. She did not move, but remained standing, with her wrists still cuffed behind her back. As she waited, Aeryn realized the room was cooler, almost comfortable for her. ‘What is going on?’ she thought, ‘are they planning on torturing me with [i]nice[/i]?’
Time crawled. After what seemed to be arns, but in reality could not have been more than half an arn, a Scarran entered followed by a second carrying a tray of food. It smelled delicious. Aeryn was faint with hunger and thirst, and her standing in one position for that length of time added to her discomfort. ‘Are they going to fatten me up?’ she wondered.
The second Scarran left the room and closed the door after placing the tray on the table and setting out two place settings. The first Scarran walked over to Aeryn and removed the hand cuffs. “Sit down,” he ordered, pointing to one of the chairs. She obeyed. He took the chair opposite her and began eating. “Eat,” he ordered. Aeryn ate. There was something off about the food, and she feared it was drugged. She stopped eating after the first couple of bites. The water tasted fine, and she drank it down in nearly one gulp.
The Scarran ordered Aeryn to eat again. “It doesn’t taste right. I can’t,” she said.
Without warning, he was next to her, scanning her mind. “It is not drugged,” he said. “Eat or I will force you to, and that won’t be pleasant.” Aeryn’s defenses were down, she had been unable to block that scan. She ate.
Once she finished all that was on her plate, he rose and darkened the room. From somewhere behind her, he turned on a device that she had not noticed. A scene unfolded before her of one of her team members being tortured. “R’wul,” she gasped and averted her eyes.
The Scarran grabbed her and pulled her out of the chair and made her walk around the image, forcing her to look. “This is what we will do to each one of your team until you give us the information we seek,” he hissed. “Watch!”
Aeryn watched as R’wul was systematically tortured. He died a very slow and painful death. Aeryn was stricken, but there was still more to watch. Two other Scarrans entered the room and efficiently dismembered R’wul’s lifeless body. Most of the body was filleted and stored in a freezer, but some was brought into the kitchen where it was prepared. To Aeryn’s growing horror, she watched as a tray was prepared with two meals and brought to her. She watched herself eat R’wul. She vomited.
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John was the last person to join the rehearsal in the maintenance bay. Duize held up a leg iron and scanned each face. “Arnie,” she said, “help me show how this is used.”
Arnie grabbed another leg iron and clamped it onto his right leg just above the ankle. He then did the same for Duize and connected them. They walked a few shuffling steps then Duize signaled by pointing straight down with her right hand. In a microt, they both flicked their feet and ankles up and slightly back. The leg irons flew apart and into each waiting right hand. Duize and Arnie stood facing the rest. They were holding the leg iron part in their right hands, the attached chain in their left.
“Right,” said Duize, “this is actually a weapon. The leg iron is really a low energy pulse pistol. It is only effective at very close range, and will only do damage if you shoot him in the neck or the vulnerable areas of the head. Ben, are you willing to take a shot in the chest at say, one motra? I promise, it won’t hurt you.”
Ben hesitated for a microt, and then agreed. To his dismay, John heard Duize ask him to do the shooting. ‘I guess I’m going to have to learn how to use it,’ he thought and took the weapon.
She placed him about three paces in front of Ben, and showed him how to hold the weapon and which button to press and then stepped away. John aimed at Ben and pressed the button. He felt a small kick, about a quarter of what Winona delivered. Ben didn’t move a muscle. ‘Man, she’s right,’ thought John. ‘I only know I hit him ‘cause there’s a mark on his clothes.’
Ben looked down at the mark and the corner of his mouth quirked up into a crooked smile. “You are correct,” he mused, “it only tickled a little.” He took one long stride to John and stared him down. “I can read your mind! Can’t you block my scan?”
“So-o-o-o, is this a problem?” John asked, somewhat taken aback.
“Yes,” Ben and Duize said simultaneously, Ben continued, “I’m limited because my gland has been removed, and I had no difficulty reading your thoughts. You’ll cause the mission to fail, you can’t go with us.”
“But... “ John started to protest.
“Ben’s right,” Duize said, putting a hand on John’s arm, “the only hope you have of our saving Aeryn is for you to stay on Moya. But how could you have been a Peacekeeper soldier and not be able to block a mind scan?”
John shook her hand off his arm and turned to face her down, “Because I’ve never been a Peacekeeper,” he said and stomped out of the room in disgust.
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Jane caught up with Ben Ard just outside his quarters. “Can I come in?” she asked.
Ben stopped at the doorway and stared at Jane. “If you want to talk, we should go somewhere else, somewhere a little more private.”
Jane nodded. “I know a good place where we will not be interrupted.” She said and continued, “It’s what John would call the bowels of the ship, not even the DRDs go there much.”
Ben followed Jane down through many twists of Moya’s corridors until they arrived at a cramped space where many of Moya’s conduits converged, and then spread out again. “What is this place?” he asked.
“I’m not really sure,” Jane said, panting slightly from the dash down the corridors. “I was bored one day, and decided to explore Moya, you know, try to map her out, when I found myself here. In terms of atmosphere, it is the opposite of the terrace, but it is really private. I call it the nexus.” Jane moved close to Ben, and pressed her body against his. “I’m really attracted to you and I like you. Don’t you feel anything for me?” Jane asked, forcing a response.
“Yes,” Ben said in an almost inaudible tone. “You are beautiful to me and I want you. But we must not. It would be too dangerous, for both of us.”
Jane reached up and clasped her hands behind Ben’s neck and drew herself up to him and kissed him full on the lips. Ben, hesitated, and then returned her kiss. She felt his heat rise with his sex. She felt herself respond. She tore at her clothes and stood naked before him. Then, Jane got down on her knees and pulled at his pants. He undid the clasp and stepped out of them. It took less than ten microts for Ben to remove the last remnant of his clothes. Jane stared at him and felt damp between her legs. She wanted him. ‘Why doesn’t he touch me?’ she thought. The tension was unbearable.
“Lead me,” Ben whispered. “I’m afraid of hurting you.”
Jane took his hands and studied them. “I’m glad you keep your nails short.” She whispered, placing his palms over each breast. Her nipples grew hard under his touch. She traced her fingers on his breast, tenderly massaged his nipples between the pad of her thumb and index finger, and then worked her hands out in larger and larger circles. As she caressed his skin, she felt an old scar on the outside of his pectoral muscle. At her touch, Ben stiffened. Jane looked up to see a shadow of pain cross his features and then his expression took on a practiced blankness. “W-what is wrong? Have I hurt you?”
“No-o-o-o, oh goddess no!” Ben said, stepping back a little. “It’s from when the Peacekeepers removed my heat gland. It happened a long time ago, I-I guess it’s still a sore point with me.”
Jane cupped his hands in hers, gently rubbing the base of his thumbs. “I’m sorry,” she said with more feeling than she realized she had. “But you don’t hate us, Sebaceans, I mean.”
“No,” Ben said. “Wrong is wrong, and what the Scarran hegemony is doing is wrong.”
They stood looking at each other and then Ben shivered. The moment was gone. “I think we should wait,” he said.
Jane reluctantly agreed and watched as he turned to get his clothes. She let out an involuntary gasp when he exposed his back to her. There were four long and deep scars that ran from his right shoulder diagonally across his back ending just above his waist. These, too, were very old scars. “Did the Peacekeepers do that too?” She carefully and gently slid her right hand over the length of the scars.
Ben laughed. “No... no, that was from an accident. I crashed a racer and almost died. They look nasty, but that was nothing compared to the rest of my injuries. I just never bothered to get the scars removed.”
They got dressed and left the nexus. They never noticed the DRD that monitored them.
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John cornered Jane in the central chamber as she was grabbing something to eat. She had just turned from the chiller when John put his hands on either side of her shoulders effectively blocking her in. “Your brain must be fried more than we thought. What the hell are you doing with our Scarran?”
“Wh-what do you mean?” Jane asked, making her expression as blank as she could.
“Don’t play innocent with me, Missy!” John said, his voice rising with anger. “Pilot showed me your little seduction act with him. I gotta give him credit for the restraint he did show.”
“How dare you spy on me!” Jane shouted, sloshing some of the water out of the cup she held.
“I wasn’t spying. A DRD got the whole thing on tape,” John said. “Look, I think you should cool your heels for a while and see if that is what you really want. A few weeks more or less won’t make much difference, will it?”
“Um,” Jane mumbled.
John stepped back and cupped his right hand on her chin and gave her the best ‘pretty please’ look he could muster. “That’s all I’m askin’, just a couple of weeks until we get some things sorted out, hmm?”
“You and your blue eyes get away with a lot. Yeah, okay, I’ll cool it as you say.” Jane sighed and walked over to the table and sat down to eat.
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Aeryn was back in her cell, huddled against the door. She still felt sick. All her training had not prepared her for this. She was ready to endure physical pain, even to death. She was able to resist the Scarran’s mind scan. But she didn’t know how long she could hold out and watch each member of her team be killed and then be forced to eat them. She wished she could die.
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John watched as the others prepared for the mission. It was killing him that he couldn’t go, but in his mind he knew they were right. His heart, however, wasn’t cooperating. He went to Scorpius to help him get into his disguise. He also wanted to talk to him. “Do you still think Ben Ard is hiding something?”
“Yes,” Scorpius said, “but I’m confident he is See’tig.”
John picked up the hood Scorpius needed for his disguise and examined it. “You could be walking right into a trap.”
“John... I didn’t think you cared,” a small smile quirked at the corner of Scorpius’ mouth. “I sense he is hiding... something personal. Now, help me with that hood.”
John had forgotten that he was holding part of Scorpius’ disguise. John thought the disguise, which consisted of a long black cape that hid Scorpius’ body suit and a black hood that prevented anyone from seeing in because of its one way optics, made Scorpius resemble Darth Vader. The hood was fairly heavy because of all the electronics. He could see why Scorpius availed himself of help putting it on. “Uh, what’re ya supposed to look like?”
“A Mont’l.” Scorpius said.
“And they work with Scarrans?” John asked.
“Sometimes,” Scorpius turned away and walked over to the Stryker.
John went over to D’Argo who was to leave immediately after the Stryker in Lo’La. “Hey Big D, I want to come with you.”
D’Argo put his hand on his friends shoulder and shook his head, “Sorry Bro, the decision’s been made. Besides, you won’t fit if I have to bring anyone back.”
Stymied, John stormed out of the maintenance bay.
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The Stryker landed just outside the prison camp at En’ka. Duize’s squad got out, Ben Ard leading, Scorpius in the rear. They approached the main gate and halted in front of the guard. Ben spoke, “I have more prisoners for Commander Raj Nik.” Looking beyond the gate, Ben could see the towers on the main prison, which had great advantage of being able to survey the entire complex. The gate itself consisted of a small guard house with communications, weaponry, and an array of administrative detail that would make the most dedicated of civil servants go cross eyed. There were two guards on either side with their rifles aimed, presumably to kill.
“It is not on our manifest. I will need to check with Raj Nik.” The guard dutifully reported.
“That is because we have just made the capture not six arns ago, you would not know of it. Just tell Raj Nik that Lek Par has the package he requested. Do not change a word.” Ben Ard said.
The guard nodded and contacted the prison commander, delivering the message exactly as instructed. It took ten microts for them to be cleared to enter.
“So far, so good,’ thought Ben, as he watched the rebels shuffle in, Scorpius in the rear, supposedly driving them.
The camp was surrounded by a double chain-linked fence, each topped with concertina wire. In addition to the guard posts at the entrance he could see a guard tower with a three hundred and sixty degree view. Ben knew the guard post at the entrance would be no problem, but the tower would have to be taken if they were to be able to leave. For that, they were counting on D’Argo to blast it out of existence. In addition to the tower, there was a small administrative building that also served as headquarters for the prison camp, and a separate building that housed the prisoners and specialty rooms. Ben was all too familiar with those specialties. Injured and weakened as he was after the Peacekeepers removed his heat gland, he still was able to escape, and limped as directly as he could back to his own people. He did not expect their reaction to him. He no longer fit with their concept of perfection, of a worthy member of a master race. He was crippled, imperfect. He was thrown into one of the prison camps where he learned of the See’tig and of the Peacekeeper rebels. He also gained first hand knowledge of the Scarran torture techniques and their secret little codes to get around paper work. He spent the better part of a cycle at the camp before he was released. It now gave him and the rebel squad the advantage they needed to rescue their comrades. He knew the basic layout common to all Scarran prisons, and where to find the prisoners.
Their first stop was the administrative building. Ben left Scorpius outside minding the ‘prisoners’ while he entered to take care of the paper work and get access to the prison.
As much as he wished to dispense with the administrative personnel, Ben allowed them to assign a guard to take them to the prison. He would deal with them on the way out. They marched over to the prison, the Scarran guide in the lead. Once they were in the building, it was pretty much as Ben remembered. There were two guards stationed at the entrance. He assumed more guards would be strategically placed along the cell corridors. He quickly glanced over to Duize, and on her signal, the rebels freed themselves of their shackles and simultaneously became armed. Ben grabbed the guard stationed in the prison, and with a fiber garrote, the only weapon that could not be scanned, quickly killed him. He saw Duize wrap the chain around the other guard’s neck, and while squeezing, discharge the weapon directly into his ear. This killed him instantly.
Scorpius signaled Ben. He had released the Spybots the microt they entered the prison building and knew where to find most of the rebel squad. They all dashed down the corridor following Scorpius. On entering the quadrant, they found two more Scarran guards. They were more alert than were their deceased compatriots, and managed to signal headquarters before they were killed. The team was in the cells and had the keys, but time was running out. Leading the way, Ben ordered all prisoners be freed. They would not take everyone, but they could use their help in rescuing their own and free them at the same time. As the last prisoner was released from the quadrant, Scarran reinforcements arrived. While they now had superior numbers, the Scarran guards had superior weapons. The weapons they took from the dead guards were toys compared with the fire power the Scarran guards had. Furthermore, their position could prove lethal, trapped at the end of a dead-end corridor, with only cells on either side. Crichton would have called them sitting ducks.
Scorpius rolled a grenade like device past the rebel squad to the Scarran guards. It didn’t immediately go off, but instead gave the lead Scarran time to pick it up and raise his arm to hurl it back to the rebels. It chose that moment to explode. Despite the force of the explosion, the prison remained relatively undamaged, with only a door or two blown off its hinges. The Scarrans were not as lucky. They were all killed. The resulting shock wave temporarily deafened the rebels and prisoners alike, and those nearer the explosion were knocked off their feet. Duize scanned the prisoners for the captured squad. She found all but Aeryn and R’wul. “Where are Aeryn and R’wul?” she asked Pepe, the rebel closest to her.
“I don’t know,” Pepe said, shaking her head, “they were separated from us right away.”
“We have to free the rest of the prisoners,” Ben said as he started moving back down the hall. “Pepe, take your squad to Administration and disable their communications.”
Pepe looked frantically at Duize. “H-he’s a Scarran!”
“He’s See’tig,” Duize said, explaining everything. “Take this weapon and go.” Duize handed Pepe the weapon she had captured from the guard.
Ben followed as Pepe’s squad left for administration. “We have to split up and open the remaining cells,” he said, directing his now swelled force down the remaining corridors.
Each group was accompanied by at least one member of the attack squad. He quickly chose a corridor and dashed down the length. The only one to follow him was Scorpius. He felt a chill run down his spine as he could not see any guards at the post. He signaled Scorpius to flatten himself against the wall. He couldn’t talk to Scorpius, so he showed him what he wanted to do using sign language that he made up on the spot. Ben hoped Scorpius would understand enough. He silently handed Scorpius the weapon he had captured.
Then, he wrapped the garrote around his left hand and made his way along the wall until he came to the opening. Scorpius stayed five steps behind him. As he expected, the two guards were hiding behind the opening, waiting to pounce the microt he bolted in. He did not disappoint. Large, even for a Scarran, Ben was able to hold off one attacker while putting the other between him and Scorpius. Scorpius did not hesitate, but fired the weapon immediately. The guard caught it full in the chest, killing him instantly. Because he was hit from only one motra distance, the exiting charge knocked Ben down, leaving Scorpius to face the second guard. Scorpius fired again, but the pistol was empty of charge. The guard smiled and aimed his pistol directly at Scorpius’ head. Ben grabbed his ankles as he pulled the trigger, causing the charge to fire into the ceiling, ricocheting harmlessly. Scorpius pounced on the guard, driving his knee into the guard’s throat. Ben recovered and drove a spike he had picked up from the explosion through the guard’s eye deep into his brain. He was dead in ten microts.
Ben contacted D’Argo while they hurried to the cells. “We’ll be done in about one hundred microts, hit the tower now.” He guessed Pepe and the rest of the squad had disabled communications. Regardless, he couldn’t wait. They would be ready to leave as soon as the remaining prisoners were freed. The tower had to be neutralized.
Each prisoner but one ran out of the cell as Ben or Scorpius opened the door. She remained huddled in the center of the cell, shaking and sitting in her own filth. When she didn’t move, Ben reached in and dragged her out, and then carried her over his shoulder.
The ground shook, throwing some of them off their feet. Ben managed not to fall on his ‘package’ by grabbing a door that partially blocked his way. “The tower is destroyed,” Ben shouted to the prisoners. “Everyone get out now.” They all scrambled out into the yard.
D’Argo had landed Lo’La in the middle of the yard. He had the two outside guards pinned with his Qualta Blade.
By now the prisoners had raided the arsenal, and most had weapons capable of felling any Scarran. One walked up to D’Argo and shot each guard in the head. They died instantly. Some, who had not seen Ben with the other rescuers, were making menacing moves towards him. Duize immediately stood in front of him. “You’ll have to kill me first,” she shouted. “We couldn’t have saved you without his help. He’s on our side.”
One by one, the ex-prisoners lowered their weapons. Someone shouted, “What’s he doing with Aeryn?”
“She refused to leave,” Ben shouted back. “I had to carry her.”
Ben was immediately aware that D’Argo had moved next to him. “Give her to me, I’ll take her in Lo’La,” D’Argo said, almost too softly for Ben to hear.
Ben handed Aeryn to D’Argo. D’Argo caught Arnie’s eye and signaled him to follow. “Are any more coming with me? I want to get back to Moya as soon as I can.”
“No, let’s go,” Arnie replied, “There’s enough room for both rebel squads on the Stryker. The remainder are Peacekeepers, they should be able to get help themselves.”
“Don’t go to Moya immediately, D’Argo. We need you to hold the Peacekeepers off so we can get to the Stryker. It can’t be helped, but they out number us and they have weapons,” Ben said, and then nodded towards Scorpius. “Go with them.”
D’Argo carrying Aeryn, Arnie, and Scorpius headed for Lo’La while Ben and the two rebel squads separated themselves from the rest of the freed prisoners. Once Lo’La was in position, they slipped past the gate and into the Stryker. By the time any of the Peacekeepers noticed what was happening, D’Argo had them pinned, preventing any from following Ben and the rebels.
As they were headed for Moya, Ben noticed they were much more subdued than he would have expected from liberated prisoners. “I thought you’d be celebrating, why the long faces?” He asked.
“R’wul and Lemay are missing,” Duize said. “I’m told they are dead.”
Pepe stepped forward, “That’s true. We heard R’wul was killed the first day of our imprisonment and Lemay was killed when we attacked administration, he was the point man.”
They continued the journey in silence, each left to his own thoughts.
----------------------
John watched as everyone debarked from the Stryker, eagerly searching the faces for Aeryn. When he saw that Ben Ard was the last one off, he ran up to him and grabbed his arm and stared into his eyes. The look he got back was not encouraging. He felt a knot in the pit of his stomach. “A-Aeryn, where’s Aeryn?” he stammered. “Is she all right?”
Ben shook his head a little before answering. “She’s with D’Argo, on Lo’La.” He didn’t elaborate further.
“Alive?” John squeaked.
“Yes,” Ben said, “but prepare yourself, we had to carry her onto the ship.”
Relieved that Aeryn would be with them soon and alive, John let go of his breath. He hadn’t realized he’d been holding it. “How bad?” he gripped Ben tighter.
Ben gently pried John’s hand open, “I don’t know. She refused to move, but you’ll see for yourself in a few microts.”
At that, they all heard D’Argo’s voice as he commed Pilot. They left the maintenance bay allowing Lo’La to land. John was the first to run back inside. D’Argo came out first, carrying Aeryn. John took her from D’Argo and ran with her to the med-area. “Jool, follow me,” he shouted at her as he ran past.
John placed Aeryn on the pallet and got his first good look at her. He could see angry welts covering much of her exposed skin, including some on her face and throat and some bruises on her arms and shoulders, and her knuckles were skinned and scabbed over. None of these injuries looked particularly dangerous. It was the dead look in Aeryn’s eyes that shook John to the core. “Baby, it’s going to be alright,” he cooed, stroking her matted hair. “You’re home now.”
Aeryn didn’t move.
“Physically, she seems to be intact,” Jool said, putting away the instruments that she had used to examine Aeryn. “There is nothing really that I can do for her, except give her water and clean her up,” Jool wrinkled her nose at the smell. “And then we should let her rest, maybe that’s all she needs.”
Aeryn moaned.
“Baby, it’s me, John. Speak to me, please... “ his voice trailed off as she struggled to sit up. He held her hand and put an arm around her shoulder to help her up.
Her look was now one of a frightened animal. Her eyes darted around the room, stopping first on Jool and then on John. “John, oh no-o-o-o! Where am I?” she moaned.
John hugged her to him, whispering, “Safe, on Moya.” He coaxed her head to his shoulder, gently stroking her face.
Suddenly, Aeryn pulled away from John and half stumbling, half falling, aimed for the sink. She retched before she got half way there and collapsed on the floor, shaking. There was nothing in her stomach. Both Jool and John ran to her and helped her stand. Jool got some water and tried to get Aeryn to drink, but she pinched her lips shut and turned her head in protest.
“It’s water,” Jool said. “You must drink, you are dehydrated.”
“Drugs, she needs drugs,” a new voice chimed in. No one had noticed Noranti entering the room. “I’ll make some up for her.”
“No!” John and Jool shouted in unison.
Noranti shrugged and left, mumbling under her breath.
Aeryn’s next words were a knife through John’s heart. “I want to die, just let me die.”
“Shush-h-h-h, talk to me, we can work through this. I’ll do anything, but I won’t let you die, baby,” John nearly cried the last.
“Please,” Jool interjected, “let me or John or both of us clean you up. I know you’ll feel better, and then you must eat.”
“I’m never eating again!” Aeryn said.
“Why not?” John asked, shaking his head in disbelief.
“Because, I ate R’wul, they made me eat R’wul.”
John and Jool looked at each other, both frowning, “Talk to Noranti about those drugs, I’ll clean her up,” John sighed. He then turned to Aeryn, “Listen to me, it’s not your fault. We’ll work this out, trust me, we’ll work this out.” He carried Aeryn into the shower.
---------------------
Jool found some clean clothes for Aeryn to wear while John cleaned her. After, they convinced her to drink some water. Aeryn appeared to have revived some and was sitting up when Noranti came in with a tureen filled with some steaming broth.
“You must drink this soup,” Noranti said, sitting down next to Aeryn, dipping a ladle into the broth and handing it to her. “It’s a curative.”
Aeryn turned her face away avoiding the proffered soup and frowned.
“It’s made of some herbs and water, Aeryn,” Jool said, “I watched Noranti make it. Drink, you’ll feel better.”
“What difference will it make? Leave me alone,” Aeryn said.
“It’s not just you, you know,” Noranti said, “you must think of John; you must think of your child.”
“Who told you?” Aeryn snapped.
“I learned it from you,” Noranti replied. “Have some soup.” She again placed the full ladle in front of Aeryn.
Aeryn complied. She sipped at the ladle gingerly. When the contents of the first ladle full stayed down, Aeryn hungrily sought more.
John stood up. His clothes were still wet from helping Aeryn with her shower. “Aeryn, I’ll be right back, I want to get into some dry clothes.”
“Hurry,” Noranti said.
Jool stopped John at the entrance, “The soup is doing its job, but I don’t think Aeryn should be left alone tonight.”
“Yes, give me a few microts, I want to stay with her tonight,” John said. “I don’t want Noranti to be the only one with her either.” He dashed for his room and dry clothes.
------------------
John woke with a start. It took him two microts to remember he had fallen asleep in a chair watching Aeryn. After she had eaten Noranti’s soup, she had calmed down enough for John to walk her back to her room. He tucked her into bed and watched her fall asleep. She had a slight smile on her lips. What ever Noranti had cooked into the soup had made a world of difference in Aeryn. Exhausted from not being able to do anything but wait and worry, he had fallen into a fitful sleep. He had a crick in his neck, his back hurt, his legs were tingling from having their circulation cut off, but he had never felt better for Aeryn was looking directly into his eyes and smiling at him.
He stood up and pulled Aeryn to him and they just stood there for a few microts hugging each other. “I missed you terribly,” he said, his voice choked with tears.
“I am so sorry, John,” she said, her voice muffled in his chest.
“Me too,” he said, and added “Are you really pregnant like Noranti said? You aren’t showing, and it’s been what, a cycle since... ”
“It’s complicated,” Aeryn said. “Right now, I’m hungry. I’ll tell you all about it later, I promise.”
“Okay, I’m hungry too. And there are some people you need to meet.”
“Right,” Aeryn said, leading John to the central chamber.
Jane bumped into them as they rounded the first corner.
“Excuse me, I didn’t see you,“ Jane said and added before John could speak, “You must be Aeryn Sun. I’ve heard so much about you.”
Aeryn’s eyes narrowed. “Who are you?”
“Uh,” John interjected, “I want you to meet the Neural Clone formerly known as Harvey.”
“Harvey!” Aeryn exclaimed, “B-but... “
“He’s right, but my name is Jane,” she said, sticking her hand out in greeting as John had taught her.
Aeryn just stood there looking bewildered. “How? What happened?”
“It’s complicated,” John said. “I’ll explain later... I promise.”
---------------------
Everyone was crowded in the central chamber when Aeryn walked in, followed by John and Jane. They made room for them at the table as everyone else had already eaten. Noranti brought them some food.
While they were eating, Duize asked, “Aeryn, were you able to block their mind scans?”
A shadow crossed Aeryn’s features and she stopped eating. John spoke first, “Jeez, do you havta ask her now? Can’t it wait?”
“No, we’ll be back at our base in a couple of arns, and we need to know if we have to relocate. I was just going to look for Aeryn when you came in.” Duize said. “Aeryn, think. Was there any time when they could have gotten information about us?”
“I passed out once, and they knocked me out once, but I don’t think they got anything because they tried to scan me after both,” Aeryn replied.
An awkward silence fell over the room. Jane picked her plate up and snuggled up to Ben. He absently put his arm around her. Arnie glared at her and sneered, “You are out of your mind. It’s disgusting the way you let that Scarran paw you.”
Anger flared in Ben’s eyes, but he said nothing and quickly removed his arm from Jane.
“Is that what y’all think?” John asked, his own anger rising. “Cuz if it is, you are no better than the Peacekeepers yer rebelling against. If it wasn’t for Ben, you wuddna been able to rescue anyone. I can’t believe you’d dis him like that!”
“But he’s not Sebacean,” Arnie protested.
John dramatically smacked his head with the palm of his hand, “Duh, how stupid of me to think you would be different from the other Nazis. Well, look around folks, the galaxy is full of non-sebaceans, including me.”
“Hunh?” Pepe said. “How come you look Sebacean?”
John scratched his head thoughtfully. “Dunno, jus’ lucky I guess.” He saw Aeryn smirk. “Listen up folks, and listen good, you need each other. You gotta work things out, and do it before we reach the base.”
Duize got up and walked to John’s side. “A word with you in private.” She nodded her head in the direction of the door.
“Speak, it’s your dime,” John said as soon as they were out of earshot.
“You have to understand John, most Peacekeepers and ex-Peacekeepers alike were raised on command carriers. They were not exposed to other peoples except as enemies, or to protect as a so called weaker species. They’ve had to radically change their viewpoint just to work with the See’tig. When they see Ben as a partner in a raid, they see See’tig, but when they see Ben put his arm around a Sebacean woman, they see a Scarran, and they...”
“...see red,” John finished for her. “Yeah, I get it. You’re wrong, though. You shouldn’t go easy on them. Get the culture shock over in one fell swoop.”
“That’s not my call, but I’ll think about it,” Duize said. She started to walk back to the others, stopped, and faced John again. “Is it true? Are you really not Sebacean?”
“Yeah, it’s true. Ya gotta problem with that?”
“No-o-o-o, it just surprised me, that’s all.” Duize said.
The room was in an uproar when they both returned. It was impossible to get a word in edgewise, so John put his thumb and index finger in the corners of his mouth and produced an ear splitting whistle that silenced everyone. “Now that I have your attention, y’all need to decide a few things.” John looked around the room and caught Aeryn’s eyes. When she nodded, John added, “Now I’m gunna facilitate this and give you all a chance to speak, but don’t say anything until I let you. Is that clear?” He saw everyone nodding in agreement. “Aeryn, you have something to say?”
“Right,” Aeryn began. “I’m staying on Moya and not going back to the base. This is my home. I’m resigning my position immediately.”
All the rebels began talking at once, but as quickly as they started talking, they stopped. John nodded to Duize to give her the floor. “Are you sure Aeryn? You are a valued member of this team, we need you on it.”
“I am very sure,” Aeryn said.
“Now I gotta question for y’all,” John drawled. “How do you and the See’tig keep in touch? Do you guys send each other postcards or somethin’?”
There was a smattering of confused conversation among the rebels and then the room got quiet again. Ben Ard spoke after a slightly elongated pregnant pause. “There is no contact. We are completely independent.”
“Are you enemies like the Peacekeepers and the Scarran Empire?” John asked. He looked at first Ben, and then Duize; they both shook their heads no. “So-o-o-o, what we have here is a failure to communicate,” John drawled.
“But, I’m just a field commander,” Duize said, “what can I do?”
“What you can do is tell anyone who will listen how you couldn’t have saved your friends without Ben’s help. What you can do is promote this alliance.” John said.
John looked around the silent room. Everyone looked uncomfortable. “Okay, I know when I’m not wanted. You’ve got half an arn to work it out.”
John and Aeryn left together and headed for Aeryn’s quarters. John broke their silence, “Okay, let me tell you about Jane... “
Aeryn put her fingers on his lips, interrupting, “No, first I must tell you... about, about being pregnant.” They entered her quarters and sat. Aeryn began.
---------------------
They were both glad to miss the reunion at the rebel base. Aeryn was especially relieved that she didn’t have to fend off the commander’s pleas for her to stay on. Duize had all the information they needed from the raid and the prison, and she was grateful that her presence was unnecessary.
“I suppose we should see who’s left,” John said. “It would be nice if for once we had some luck, and both Ben and Scorpius went with the rebels.”
“Do you really think there’s a chance?” Aeryn asked.
“Nah,” John said, “but I can dream, can’t I?”
Aeryn and John entered the no longer crowded central chamber where they found Ben, Scorpius, and Jane so intensely focused on one another that they entered unnoticed. It wasn’t until they sat down that Scorpius switched his gaze from Ben over to them.
“You still here, Scorpy?” John asked, “I thought fer sure you’d stay with the Rebels.”
“I received information from the Rebels. Every one of us is wanted by the Peacekeepers. The wanted beacons are everywhere,” Scorpius said, ignoring John’s question.
“And your point is?” John said.
“We... can’t stay in the Uncharted Territories,” Scorpius said.
“Uh huh, and where do you suggest we go? Peacekeeper space?”
“Tormented Space, John,” Ben said, joining the conversation. “The See’tig have bases there. I’ll be able to return to my people.”
“You can’t be serious,” Aeryn said. “People get swallowed up there. I’ve never known anyone to return.”
“Can it be any more dangerous than dodging bounty hunters and other riffraff?” John asked. “And anyway, maybe there, I won’t be known, that’d be somethin’”
“Oh, it’s dangerous, but in a different way,” Ben said.
“How?” John asked.
“It’s called tormented because there are a lot of space anomalies.” Scorpius said.
“Anomalies!” John exploded. “You mean wormholes, well, forgeddabodit!” John folded his arms across his chest.
“I need to return to a See’tig base,” Ben reasoned. “This may well be the safest way for all concerned.”
“Bottom line, it’s not my decision alone, we’ll have to ask the others,” John said, and then stood and spun on his heel and pointed to Scorpius. “And only if you take him with you.” He strode out of the room. Aeryn left with him.
John had gotten to the first bend in the corridor when Ben caught up with him. “John, wait up! Scorpius won’t be welcome.”
“Oh?” John said, raising one eyebrow.
“He’s un-pure, he’s half Sebacean, Ben explained.
“I can’t friggin’ believe this!” John shouted, “you’re all goddamned Nazis. What difference does it make who wins? Yer all the same. Pure this! Pure that! Pure racist crap is what it is! He didn’t pick his parents. His mother was forced, raped by a Scarran as part of your breeding experimentation and now yer holding it against him. The way I see it, you guys owe him big time!” John stormed off to the maintenance bay, boiling with a rage that his tirade didn’t dissipate.
Still seated at the table, not ten motras away from John’s confrontation with Ben, neither Jane nor Scorpius could miss John’s rant. Scorpius studied Jane’s face, seeing doubt and hurt cloud her eyes. He put his gloved hand over her bare left hand and spoke in a soft voice. “You’ve made it quite plain how you feel... about Ben Ard. Please reconsider, or... at least wait until you gain more experience and can make a clear decision.”
“I already promised John I would... and like you, I keep my promises,” Jane said. She stood up and headed for her quarters, leaving Scorpius alone in the central chamber.
Aeryn leaned her hip on a wall near the work bench where John was rifling through his tools. “John, what is a Nazi?”
John looked up from the bench where his eyes had been focused and looked at Aeryn. He didn’t want to answer the question, and pretended he didn’t hear her. “Hunh?”
She pushed away from the wall and touched his hand with hers. “A Nazi. You called the Peacekeepers Nazi’s and now you called Ben and the Scarrans Nazis. It doesn’t sound complimentary.”
“It isn’t. About seventy-five years, uh cycles, ago a group of people thought they were better than anyone else on the entire planet, so they called themselves ‘the master race’ and slaughtered over six million of their fellow citizens for not being ‘pure Arian’ as they thought they themselves were. They were called Nazis.” John said.
“What happened? Are they still around?”
“No, there was a bloody world war that lasted over six years before they were defeated. Unlike the Peacekeepers, they didn’t prevail.”
“Hmm, before, when I was a Peacekeeper, I didn’t see anything wrong with thinking my race is superior. But we didn’t go around slaughtering innocent people, John,” Aeryn said, a small shiver ran down her spine. “Which leaves us with Scorpius... “
“Yeah,” John said, “but I have an idea...”
---------------------------
John looked around the table as everyone was eating and decided it was a good time to announce the deal he worked out between Ben and Scorpius. Pilot attended via the clamshell. John rang a knife against a glass half filled with water to gain everyone’s attention. As soon as the room quieted down, John stood up. “As everyone either knows or guessed, there are going to be a few changes here. First, we are headed for Ardmon where there is a See’tig base to drop Ben off. He is going to arrange for Scorpius to be a liaison between the See’tig and the rebels. This means we must go through Tormented Space, Pilot. Does Moya agree?”
Several microts passed while Pilot conferred with Moya. “Yes, Commander, Moya agrees.”
“Drad!” Chiana said. “But what makes it tormented?”
“Wormholes,” John answered. “It’s full of wormholes.”
Rygel’s head snapped up and a marjool hung on his lip. “Yotz! Crichton you’re obsessed with wormholes.”
John threw his hands up in disbelief. “Haven’t you heard a word I’ve said, Sparky? I mean, besides wormholes?”
“Excuses, that’s all they are,” Rygel said. “You don’t listen to me, you never listen to me, why should I listen to you?” He dove back into his food.
“Will the See’tig go along with this, Ben Ard?” Sikozu asked.
“I think I can convince them, but until we get there, we have no way of knowing.” Ben said.
“Scorpius,” Sikozu commanded, “you need me. The Scarrans have always worked with Kalish. I will go with you.”
“Me too,” Jane said. “You could use me when you’re with the rebels.”
“No, yes, oh yes, I must join you too,” Noranti said.
John stood there grinning from ear to ear, amazed at how quickly so many problems had just been solved. “Scorpy’s Angels” erupted from his mouth like lava from a volcano.
---------------------
Furlow squinted at the suns shining down on Mallowhead. ‘Perfect’, she thought. It had taken her nearly six monens to recreate the equations for her prototype and to find this facility on Mallowhead. Even though Crichton and the Ancient had destroyed her work on Dam-Ba-Da, she still had Crichton’s original tape and still had her memory, which was very good indeed.
After Dam-Ba-Da, Furlow knocked around the galaxy, working for her food, transportation, and meager wages. She scrimped and saved what she could until she came across Grunchlk in a cryopod on the Ice planet while crewing for a scavenger ship. She was the only one who followed the trail of dead bodies, dried blood, and food stains to Grunchlk. She carefully noted everything about the place and went back to the scavenger ship, reporting that the only things of value she found were the dead bodies, and they had been stripped some monens before they got to the planet. She backed her report up with a vid-chip to prevent them from doing their own investigation. They believed her.
After they left, she debarked on the first commerce planet they came to, and with her meager savings, rented a ship. She returned alone to the Ice planet, found Grunchlk, thawed him out, and fixed him up well enough to travel. He led her to the fortune the Diagnosan had stashed away. They found their way to Mallowhead, a rather insignificant planet in an insignificant system in Tormented Space. They bought a derelict factory, retooled it and built a skunk works.
Grunchlk was even greedier than she, which took on an air of magnificent proportions. She planned to finish the job that Scorpius had started, but he was able to convince her that she needed him for his abilities to bargain. Together, they would rake in the dough. Furlow discovered he was sweet on her, she supposed for her charm, not to mention having saved his life. So Furlow plied all her feminine charms on him. ‘Now I’m the one who hasn’t max’ed out, Crichton. All being a hero got you was dead.’ She laughed at this last thought as she got ready for her date with Grunchlk.
