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The story is set in the future Scarran-Sebacean war. This war is envisioned as the great, climactic event of the series, in which the long arcs converge to create the series finale.
Bialar Crais had never felt more helpless in his life. Three Scarran cruisers and a Dreadnought had just taken up escort positions around Scorpius’ transport. Crais knew the fleeing vessel must be destroyed before it reached the safety of the Scarran command base. Failure to do so would mean disaster for the Peacekeepers and the Sebacean race! But how could Talyn possibly endure the power of those warships long enough to succeed?
“Suggestions?” asked Crais, turning towards the weapons console.
Aeryn Sun thought briefly, then replied, “If our information is correct, they’re headed here,” indicating the fifth moon of the approaching gas giant. “If we slingshot around the opposite side of the planet, we can surprise them before they reach the moon. Even if they do see us coming, we should still be able to take him out.”
“If they see us, we probably won’t survive,” said Crais. “Even so, Scorpius must be stopped. Talyn, prime your weapons for attack!
“Officer Sun, take maneuvering. I will man the weapons console.”
“Yes Sir,” replied Aeryn. As she strapped herself into the Command Chair she said, with a tight smile, “John Crichton once said something about ‘Rattlers in the stomach’ when facing a dangerous situation. I think I finally understand what he meant.”
“Rattlers, yes, rattlers indeed,” said Crais. He adjusted his own harness and turned his attention to the weapons console.
He finished the initial setup quickly. Then there was nothing for him to do until they reached the firing point, nothing to do but wait… and remember.
………
Just under a quarter cycle ago the Scarrans had launched simultaneous attacks on all major Peacekeeper strongholds. They paid dearly for their victories, but in the end, Peacekeeper High Command was obliterated and the remaining Peacekeeper units were engaged in desperate rear-guard actions while attempting to regroup.
Some units went to reinforce the larger Sebacean colony worlds. Others were falling back to the Uncharted Territories to join up under command of Admiral Nedar, the last surviving Peacekeeper Flag officer. The Admiral had taken his Command Carrier and a handful of escorting vessels to a secret research station where Scorpius and his team were working feverishly to develop a useable wormhole weapon.
(Scorpius! The very thought of the Scarran-Sebacean hybrid filled Crais’ mind with revulsion and cold fury.)
Upon hearing of the Admiral’s arrival in the Uncharted Territories, Crais had contacted Nedar and offered his services. The Admiral’s reply was blunt, “Crais, I am familiar with your history. You ignored the orders of Peacekeeper high command for purely personal reasons. Worse, you murdered a fellow officer to conceal your offense! By any standard, you deserve only death. These are desperate times, however, and your combat record suggests you may be of use to me. I therefore accept your offer of service. Since you were never formally charged, you will maintain the rank of Captain, conditional upon performance befitting that rank.
“Captain Crais, there are more units currently en route to this location, but it will be some time before sufficient forces arrive to adequately defend this base, let alone to permit any meaningful action against the enemy. You are authorized and instructed to recruit any and all who are willing and able to help us against the Scarrans.
“Don’t be concerned about ‘contamination’ or purity of lineage. We need anyone who will fight! Tell them from me that if they serve with honor, they shall be treated and accepted as equals and that promotion will be on the basis of performance and ability, not on pedigree.
“And, Captain, if you acquit yourself well, and survive this war, we will speak no more of your past.”
………
Twenty arns later, aboard Moya, Crais spoke to Aeryn Sun and John Crichton, “The need for trained officers is critical. Our only hope is to keep the Scarrans off balance with hit-and-run tactics while Scorpius works to complete a useable wormhole weapon.
“Officer Sun, you are the only person other than myself who has worked with Talyn. He remains… unpredictable, and lacks the experience to operate independently in a campaign of this nature. I will need your help if we are to be successful.”
“Count me in,” Crichton interjected. “If Aeryn’s going, so am I!”
Crichton volunteering to help the Peacekeepers, thought Crais, how ironic. True, the Admiral had said “anyone”, but is an attack ship the best place for him? More specifically, given Talyn’s dislike of the human, might he not be a liability?
“Commander Crichton,” said Crais, “Your offer is appreciated. However if you truly want to help, I really think you would be more valuable working with the technicians on wormhole research. If you were to…”
“Oh no!” said John, “Not Scorpius! No way I’m going to let that freak frell with my mind again! I don’t trust him, and I don’t think you should either. Who knows what he might do with that kind of power, or what his true loyalties are?”
“Captain Crais!” Pilot’s voice filled the room, “Talyn has received an urgent message for you from Admiral Nedar.”
“Put it through,” said Crais.
The signal was weak, with occasional bursts of static. In the background, the sounds of shouted orders and the thumping of the command carrier’s weapons were punctuated by the dull, shuddering impacts of weapons fire upon failing shields.
“Captain Crais,” the Admiral’s voice was ragged, and his face bleeding, “Scorpius has betrayed us!
“Two arns ago a Scarran cruiser entered this system and began firing upon the research station. I gave chase in my command carrier, but they led us into an ambush, four cruisers and a Dreadnought! We destroyed one cruiser but the rest have enveloped us and are pounding us to pieces!
“A message from the station reported that Scorpius had wiped the database, destroyed the back-ups, blown the airlocks, and left in a scout ship with a prototype Wormhole Device! He has contacted the Scarrans and intends to deliver the device and it’s plans to them!
“Crais, there is no time! I have sent his last known position, course and speed to your ship along with the probable location of the Scarran base. You have total authority! Do whatever you must to defeat the enemy. But Scorpius must be stopped before he…” the recording ended in a blast of static followed by silence.
“There is no more,” said Pilot, “but Moya reports a faint distress beacon which Talyn says comes from the direction of the research station.”
“The time for discussion is over,” Crais said sharply, “I must leave now if there is to be any hope of stopping Scorpius! Commander Crichton, you are now the only person who can possibly continue the wormhole research. I cannot risk you on a combat mission! If your offer of assistance is genuine, take Moya to the research station. Search for survivors. Discover what you can and use it to further your research. I can promise you all possible assistance.
“Officer Sun, I desperately need your presence on Talyn. It may mean the difference between success and disaster. Will you come?”
Aeryn turned to Crichton, “John…”
“Aeryn,” he said, taking her by the shoulders, “I know you could never allow your people to be slaughtered or enslaved by the Scarrans. Your breeding, all that you are, calls you to your duty. Go! Do what you can, what you must. And when this is over…”
For a brief moment, their eyes locked and Aeryn gently touched his cheek. Then she turned to Crais and said, “I’ll have my gear at the transport directly.”
“Magnificent!” said Crais in admiration as Aeryn left the compartment, “She is the epitome of what a Peacekeeper should be.”
“I suppose she is,” said John, his voice thick with emotion, “and more, so much more!”
“You misunderstand me, Commander,” said Crais, “That ‘More’ you refer to is exactly what the Peacekeepers need; have needed, for a long time.”
“Then you take good care of her, Crais. You bring her back safe!”
“If it lies within my power, I will,” Crais replied gravely, then added, “What will you do now?”
“I’ll take that rescue mission,” John replied, looking in the direction that Aeryn had gone. “I can’t just sit here and wait!”
“Then we’d best get underway,” said Crais, straightening his uniform jacket.
John hesitated, and then extended his hand. “Good luck, Captain.”
“To us all, Commander.” Replied the Sebacean, taking the proffered hand. “Even if we manage to stop Scorpius, you may well hold the future of my race in your hands.” Crais saluted, then turned and marched quickly to his shuttle.
………
Luck! Crais thought, as the gas giant receded in their wake. I certainly hope Crichton’s is better than ours.
There had been a Scarran patrol, three corvettes, screened from Talyn’s sensors by the planet’s nearest moon. Talyn had destroyed them all, but not before they sounded the alarm. Now the enemy was fully aware of their presence and ready to fire as soon as they came within range. To make matters worse, the Dreadnought appeared to be preparing to take Scorpius’ vessel aboard.
There would be time for one shot. One shot, he knew, and then they would die.
“Officer Sun…”
“Almost there, Captain,” she reported, “We will be in weapons range of the near cruiser in sixty microts. We should have no difficulty avoiding their fire until we reach our attack position. From that point we’ll have no more than ten microts in which to aim and get off as many shots as we can before they hit us.”
“That will be sufficient,” Crais said. And then, more quietly, “Officer Sun… Aeryn, I want you to know that I consider it a privilege to have flown this mission with you. I can think of no greater honor, save one, than to die at your side in battle.”
“The privilege is mine,” said Aeryn, but then she asked, “Sir, what would be the greatest honor?”
“To die of old age,” he replied. “in your arms.”
In stunned silence Aeryn turned to look at him.
“They are firing,” Talyn informed them via the neural link.
………
Talyn’s evasive maneuvers were so violent that his internal gravity could not compensate. Time and again Aeryn and Crais were thrown painfully against their harnesses as the salvos from the first cruiser roared past. And then it was time. Talyn ceased maneuvering and bored straight in for the attack.
Crais swore under his breath. He could not get target lock. The range indicator fluctuated wildly and the image of Scorpius’ vessel appeared to shimmer. Suddenly a bright spark appeared which grew into a rapidly expanding, writhing blue funnel, which immediately engulfed not only Scorpius’ ship, but the Dreadnought and the cruisers as well.
“Wormhole!” he cried, but Aeryn had already seen it and turned to evade the vortex, which was consuming everything in its path. She dove Talyn towards the moon, which held the Scarran base, whipping around and away at tremendous speed even as the maelstrom swallowed it whole. But it was not enough. The immense forces of the wormhole were shaking Talyn, threatening to tear him apart, and Crais’ mind was filled with she ship’s cries of pain and fear.
The weapons console exploded with a blinding flash, driving him back in his seat. In the distance, he heard Aeryn’s voice crying out, “Now, Talyn! Starburst now!” Then… nothing.
………
The climb up from the darkness was slow, but gentle. Crais opened his eyes to see Aeryn Sun sitting by his bed, smiling, her dark tresses falling loosely about her shoulders.
“Welcome back, Captain,” she said, “Talyn said you were coming around.”
“How long has it been?” he croaked.
“About 96 arns,” said Aeryn. “I had to keep you sedated until you were out of danger. A piece of the weapons console went through your suit and into your chest, just missing the heart. With help from Talyn and a couple of modified DRDs, I was able to remove it and patch you up well enough to get you back to Moya.”
“What’s our status?” Crais asked.
“Initial repairs are completed and we are en route to a rendezvous with Moya at the research station. Talyn has weapons control, but the console needs to be rebuilt. Overall operational readiness is 70% but should be near 90% by the time we reach our rendezvous point.”
“Commander Crichton reports that the base is not nearly as damaged as it appears from the outside. They have found almost 200 survivors, including a fully equipped medical team. He also says and that he has recovered a number of items he describes as ‘interesting’.”
“What of the Scarrans?” he asked.
“Talyn’s scanners recorded the total destruction of the Scarran base just before we Starburst out.” Aeryn answered, “There’s been no sign of pursuit. By the way, there’s a message for you… from Scorpius.”
“Scorpius? But he’s…”
“Dead. Yes,” said Aeryn, “but he sent this just before his ship was destroyed.
Scorpius’ familiar features hovered just above the viewer. “My dear Captain Crais,” intoned the voice, “I have been aware of your pursuit for some time but have not informed my Scarran escort because I do not wish your destruction. Rather, my goal is the destruction of the Scarran base of operations, which, I calculate, will set their timetable back at least one full cycle. It is my hope that this will be sufficient time for John Crichton to master the wormhole technology and develop a device that will thwart the Scarran plan of genocidal conquest.
“Sadly, the weapon I carry cannot be activated remotely with accuracy. To destroy a specific target requires that it be focused and activated manually. Nor was there time to solve the targeting problem before the inevitable discovery and destruction or capture of our facility.
“When I heard of your offer of service to Admiral Nedar, I advised him to accept it. I then inserted a hidden message into his reply to you, which contains an encrypted file in my personal code. This message is addressed to Crichton and will be activated by a long-range signal that will be emitted by the weapon when it is used. (Oh, I left other messages for him, but I think this is the one most likely to be delivered first). The residual neural clone, which Crichton still carries, can provide the decryption key.
“The file contains information about the location of the back-ups of the files I erased and of a portable Aurora Chair, which I believe he can use as a tool to unlock the wormhole information hidden in his mind. If he can do that before the Scarrans recover, they can be defeated for all time!
“Once all this was arranged, I contacted the Scarran high command and offered to deliver the wormhole technology to them, for a price. The fools! After all they had done to me, they believed I would hand over the key to victory!
“I regret the loss of Admiral Nedar and his command carrier. I did not think he would fall into so obvious a trap, but no matter; without the wormhole device, he was doomed to fail, and with it, you can win despite his loss. Now I must go… Farewell.” The image faded.
“So he wasn’t a traitor after all,” said Crais.
“No,” replied Aeryn, “ though I’m not sure he was a patriot either. Whatever his motivation, he gave us a chance of survival and even of victory.
“One more thing: You’re being hailed as a hero, and Admiral Nedar’s surviving officers have decided to offer you his command. Most of the inbound Peacekeeper units have formally accepted that decision; none have challenged it.
“Now, rest. Conserve your strength… you’re going to need it. We’re ALL going to need it!”
“Yes, of course,” said Crais. “Please dim the lights when you leave. Don’t hesitate to call on me if the need arises.”
He watched Aeryn as she rose and left the room with the fluid grace and beauty of a predator at ease, but always ready for action. Then he lay back, closed his eyes, and was alone with his thoughts:
She’s right. We have a chance. The task will be arduous, and the battles many. Great courage will be required and, upon the brave, great honors will be bestowed.
And I, who became an oath-breaker and murderer, once declared her “Irreversibly contaminated”. What a fool I was!
Am I any wiser now, thought Crais. I came to my position through chance and misfortune. Can I hold that position? If I hold it, can I lead us to victory? And if I can, might I not then earn the greatest honor of all… if I am worthy? Oh please, let me be worthy!
Crais’ body relaxed and his breathing slowed. Talyn drove towards the rendezvous while Aeryn Sun busied herself repairing the weapons console. Aboard Moya, John Crichton pondered the message from Scorpius. In their councils, the Scarrans took stock of their losses and laid their plans of conquest. And as the vast, irresistible torrent of events swept them all towards an unknown Future, Captain Bialar Crais, Commander of Peacekeeper forces in the Uncharted Territories, slept peacefully in the eye of the storm, and dreamed of long, dark hair.
The End
