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Quiet Time
Time: Not long after Meltdown
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Part One: Getting Away From It All
APPARITARUS – A COMMERCE PLANET…
LATE AFTERNOON, LOCAL TIME…
Aeryn looked around the crowded street and frowned. “John, why are we here? We have work to do on Talyn.”
John led Aeryn through the crowd and sighed. He thought, What’s the old cliché? The more things change… John had to admit to himself that no matter how much Aeryn had changed over the last two and a half cycles, there was still a part of her that was still a Peacekeeper, the part that had trouble with the concept of a vacation.
“Look, Aeryn, all I wanted was to get away from Talyn for a little while. As you’ve said, he’s a magnificent ship, but he ain’t the size of Moya yet. There aren’t a lot of places to go for privacy.”
Aeryn stared at the back of John’s head. “So you decided to leave Talyn?”
“It’s called R&R, shore leave…whatever. It’s a vacation. Besides, I don’t know about you, but I don’t think I can stand Rygel floating in on us again.”
Despite herself, Aeryn felt a smile crawl onto her face. “All right, that was annoying…but the look on your face was worth it.” Though she tried not to, Aeryn started laughing.
John glanced back at her. “Fine. Laugh while you can.” He looked around at the buildings that lined both sides of the street and frowned. He made a show of studying the array of signs that identified each building, watched the wild assembly of beings that passed them, then stepped closer to Aeryn. “Um, Aeryn? Can you read these signs?”
Aeryn stared at John and again started laughing. “What are you looking for?”
“An inn or a hotel. Anything with a comfortable bed, a good bar and a descent restaurant.”
Aeryn looked over the signs and started walking. “This way.” She stopped after a few steps and looked back down the street. She suddenly felt very suspicious, and she could almost feel eyes staring at her.
John noticed immediately. “Something wrong, baby?”
“I don’t know. It felt like someone was watching me.” Aeryn surveyed the crowd then shook her head. “Your paranoia must be rubbing off on me.”
John continued to stare down the street. “Uh-huh. Hey, what do you mean I’m paranoid?” He started after her. Soon, they disappeared into the crowd.
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He backed into the shadows, disappearing from sight as the Sebacean woman turned and looked in his direction. She searched for several microts then turned and disappeared into the crowd, the male close behind her.
Ever since he had first spotted her, disembarking from a travel pod, he had been entranced by her, by the way she moved. There was an easy, almost predatory grace in the way she walked. That her hand was never far from her holstered pulse pistol was even more enticing.
He knew what had to be done, and knew he wouldn’t have to wait long.
His hand dipped under the cloak he wore and produced a small communicator. He adjusted the frequency then spoke in a quiet voice. “Are you there?”
“I’m here,” an equally quiet voice replied. “What do you have for me?”
“The male you were looking for. I believe I’ve located him. I’m ready to discuss terms. I’ll meet you at the agreed place.” He switched off the communicator, looked again into the crowd and was gone.
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John slipped low on the padded bench, closed his eyes and felt himself finally begin to relax. It had seemed to him that they had been going non-stop since he, Aeryn, Rygel and Stark had been forced to remain on Talyn after the near disaster on Kanvia.
He didn’t want to think about his twin on Moya.
Next to him, Aeryn shifted uncomfortably. “Is this all you want to do?”
John opened his eyes and turned to Aeryn. “Just relax, Aeryn. Unwind a bit. Why? What did you have in mind?”
Aeryn shrugged and reached for her drink. “Your people do this often? Just sit around and do nothing?”
“Not many. Most work their tails off just trying to survive.” John reached for his own drink. “It was starting to seem to me that most people have forgotten how to relax.” He took a long sip of the thick, greasy liquid. “This is like drinking thirty weight,” he said as he noticed a short, slender being heading for them. “Oh, now what’s this about?”
The being stopped at their table and leaned close. “You’re John Crichton, aren’t you?” Her voice was high-pitched and almost squeaky. “You’re John Crichton and she’s Aeryn Sun.”
John threw a quick look at Aeryn and shook his head. “Who?”
“Crichton, John Crichton! I’m Ixa, and I’ve been looking for you.”
Why can’t I even go on vacation without people coming after me? he thought. “Nope, not me. I’m not Crichton and she’s not Sun.”
Ixa looked suspicious and leaned closer. “Oh really? Then, if you’re not Crichton and Sun, who are you?”
Before John could reply, Aeryn said, “I’m Sundance, he’s Butch. Now go away and annoy someone else.”
Ixa stared at them then mumbled something that sounded obscene, turned and walked away.
John watched her then turned to Aeryn. “Butch and Sundance?”
“First thing I thought of.” Aeryn looked at her glass then stood. “I’m going to see if they have anything else besides this.” John nodded and watched her walk up to the bar.
John sighed and closed his eyes again. So who’s looking for us now? Who’ve we pissed off this time? A new retrieval squad using some outside help?
He heard heavy footsteps and knew that someone other than Aeryn was approaching. Before he could open his eyes, John felt a large hand grab his shirt and lift him off the bench.
John’s eyes snapped open as he was slammed against the wall. As his eyes cleared, he found himself staring at the face of a Rolvarian.
“Hey, Sommie! How you doin’?” Instead of answering, Somrela pulled John away from the wall and again slammed him back. “Get your stinkin’ paws off me, you damned dirty ape!”
“I have lost much because of you, Crichton,” Somrela said. “Because Traven failed to carry out his orders, I was stripped of position and cast out.”
“Well, life’s a bitch. That’s what you get when you try to blow people up.” John squirmed, trying to break Somrela’s grip. At the bar, Aeryn noticed what was going on. She came up quickly behind the Rolvarian and jabbed him once in the lower back. Somrela gasped and staggered back, releasing John.
Somrela glanced at Aeryn and shook his head. “Of course you would be here as well.” He considered the pulse pistols that were suddenly aimed at him. He shook his head slowly and started to shuffle away. “Our business is not finished, Crichton.”
“I bet it is.” John didn’t relax until Somrela was out of the bar. “Why is nothing ever easy?”
“You attract trouble.” Aeryn holstered her pistol. “I’m going to make sure Somrela doesn’t decide to come back.”
“I’ll come with you.”
“No, you stay here and relax. You need it more than I do.” Before John could protest, Aeryn turned and marched from the bar. He stared at the door then shook his head and returned to his table.
Ixa approached quickly, anger on her face. “You lied! You said you weren’t Crichton!”
“So I lied. So what? What do you want, anyway?”
“I wanted to warn you. People are looking for you and Sun.”
“Thanks for the newsflash. I’ve already been reintroduced to Somrela.”
“Not the Rolvarian. Someone else. Someone who wants to have Sun all to himself.”
John sat up and leaned close. “Wants Aeryn to himself? What’s that supposed to mean?”
Ixa glanced back at the door. “Stupid! It means you should probably make sure she’s okay.”
Hit by a sudden wave of concern, John leapt from the table and ran for the door.
Out in the street, John looked around wildly, unable to spot Aeryn in the crowd. She was going to follow Somrela, he thought. But which way did she go?
Ixa’s voice came from behind him. “Maybe you want to go that way.” John looked in the indicated direction, spotted an alley and started running.
The alley was empty of people, but a small bundle sat in the middle of an intersection. Jogging to it, John found Aeryn’s pulse pistol and comm. He picked them up and started feeling a sense of dread come over him. “Aeryn…”
There were footsteps behind him. John turned and saw a Luxan approaching. After getting over how much he looked like D’Argo without tattoos, John said, “Hello. Have you been around here for a little while? I’m looking for a Sebacean woman. About my height, dark hair…”
The Luxan opened his mouth, but instead of speaking, his whip-like tongue snapped out. John tried to dodge, but the stinger on the tip of the tongue caught him on the side of the neck.
John stared, feeling consciousness slip away. As he crumbled to the ground, he muttered, “Oh sh…”
