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Talyn; End Game; Father and Son;
“John, your sister would be thrilled to hear you voice. And you should talk to DK too. We have regular communication between here and Earth. Earth is setting up diplomatic relations with Ormaan, and there is a delegation from Earth here, now.”
“You’re right, Velorek, but how do I tell my sisters that Dad is being held hostage by my enemy?” John knew he would have to make the recordings, and he desperately wanted to talk to his sisters, and to DK. *Why did it have to be so hard?* He thought.
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“You really should talk to Velorek, clear the air.” John could see Aeryn carefully avoid all contact with Velorek, especially if no one else was there. “I like him. He’s a very decent person. Not what I’d expect from a Peace Keeper, even an ex-Peace Keeper. He was different even when you knew him before. Do you want me to go with you?”
“No, but you are right. I will talk to him.”
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“Velorek, may I come in?” Aeryn was more unsure of herself than ever. She wished she were fighting an entire army by herself instead. Velorek nodded. Before she could lose her nerve, Aeryn spoke, “I know what I did was wrong and completely self serving. I’m glad you are alive and whole. You tried to change me, but I didn’t understand. I didn’t understand my feelings, I was afraid of them. It took John two cycles teach me. I love him very much, and I understand what love is.”
“I can see that Aeryn. I accept your apology, and I forgive you. I was lucky and I managed to escape. Can you forgive yourself?” Velorek watched Aeryn cry as he asked her the last. “Aeryn, don’t be so hard on yourself. You didn’t know what you were doing then, not really. And if John is anything like his father, you are very lucky to have found him. How did you two get together?”
Aeryn took a deep breath and dried her eyes. “It all started over two cycles ago when John Crichton appeared in space near Moya and Crais’s brother crashed…..”
“Well, well John. Your father seems to be in some trouble.”
While Aeryn talked with Velorek, John tried to collect his thoughts. He doubted that either he or his father could escape Scorpius now. He needed a plan. Every plan he came up with lately turned to s**t. At this moment Harvey made his appearance. “Harvey, as far as I’m concerned it’s dumpster time.”
“Have some faith. I’m not Scorpy’s clone anymore. Besides, I still want my own existence, and you want me out of your head. Yes?” John found it interesting that Harvey picked the terrace on Moya for this discussion. Harvey continued after John nodded in agreement. “You will have to go to Scorpius alone. I am surprised he hasn’t sent someone to get you already. He won’t risk the Gammak Base, you know. You will agree to go, and you will go alone.”
“”Now just a minute, Harvey. I know once Scorpius has my father and me he won’t let us go. Why should I agree?”
“He doesn’t want your father, he wants you. If you don’t go, he’ll kill your father. But back to my plan. Once we arrive at the Gammak Base, you will let me take over your body. It will only be for a short time. I cannot tell you more because Scorpius will sense it in you, and for us to be successful, you cannot know the details.”
John reluctantly accepted Harvey’s offer, partly because he had no plan, and partly because any plan he could think of ended in death.
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“I don’t frelling believe this! You’re going along with that clone. You’ve really lost you mind this time!” Aeryn was wild. She knew from John’s look he was determined to go to Scorpius alone, his only companion the Scorpy clone in his head.
“Aeryn, I know it’s hard for you to understand, but he isn’t a clone anymore. His identity changed. Now he really is Harvey. Please stay here with Velorek and wait…” Velorek entered the room and interrupted John, “Braca is here. He wants you to leave with him alone. I will support whatever decision you make.”
Aeryn was not good at waiting, and that was exactly the position she was in. Since John had left on his mission she was sure he would not come back. Aeryn was in a foul mood as she walked into the lab where Andrea was working with Quonn. “Andrea, I can’t stand waiting like this. John shouldn’t have gone, but how could I stop him? And now Moya is leaving for Talyn, D’Argo says they’ll be back, but I don’t know. It feels like I’m going to be stranded here.” Aeryn paced around the lab as she talked.
“That’s probably how Jack felt when John left, only he disappeared. We’ve received some messages from Earth, and there is one for you.” Andrea said.
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“Hi Aeryn. You don’t know me, but I heard your voice with John’s message. I’m his kid sister, Emma. Please come to Earth to meet us. I’m dying to meet you. I always meet John’s girl friends. And we’ll be able to talk. They sent a bunch of translator microbes here, and we’re growing them. Soon, every adult who wants and can afford to will be able to get them. We expect most people will want them, except maybe some language snobs. We won’t need subtitles anymore, and the dubbing really stinks…oh for our movies. Uh, DK wants to say something. Please, please come, I want to meet you.”
“Hi Aeryn, like Emma said, you are welcome anytime. John’s my best bud, and any friend of his is a friend of mine. I already have the microbes, so I can understand what you and the others are saying. Gosh, I don’t know what to say. (Emma, be quiet, we’ll send another message soon.) I’ll just end it with an open invitation to visit anytime.” Aeryn heard Emma giggling in the background and thought, *Now I know where John gets some of his ideas things from.*
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“Andrea, what’s a kid sister and what’s a snob?” Aeryn was trying to piece Emma’s message together. Mostly it didn’t make sense to her. “Also, what are movies?”
“From what Jack has told me, Emma is a kidder. I guess she can’t be serious about much of anything. I’d love to have that attitude. Anyway, kid sister means she’s a lot younger than John, so I guess she learned it from him, not his father. Jack is reserved; I’ve never seen him joke. A snob is someone who thinks they are better than anyone else. You’ll learn about movies when you visit Earth.” Andrea said.
Velorek found Aeryn standing in a small garden staring at nothing. “You’re worried about John, aren’t you?”
“Of course! I’m sure he’s going to die. I never told you what Scorpius did to John. He put a neural implant inside John’s head to get at his wormhole technology and controlled John. Even after the chip was removed, his clone remained in John’s head. It doesn’t seem to control John, and John says Harvey’s not a Scorpy clone. Harvey is John’s name for the thing in his head. I don’t know what to think. Scorpius is evil. I am afraid, and I can’t do anything.” Aeryn sat down on a bench and put her head in her hands.
“I have no words that can comfort you, and I’m sorry. We have a more immediate concern, however. What can you tell me about Talyn? That was your father’s name, wasn’t it?” Velorek said
“Did you know Moya is the same Leviathan whose pilot you replaced? I didn’t. We accidentally freed a control device that was preventing her from conceiving. She gave birth to an armed son. Moya asked me to name him; I named him after my father. Why do you ask?” Aeryn said.
“Moya and Talyn are here.” Velorek said.
“You need to know something else. Bialar Crais is Talyn’s pilot. Crais is no longer Peace Keeper.” Aeryn told Velorek about Crais and Talyn as they went to the landing area.
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Crais and Velorek faced each other by Talyn’s transport pod. Velorek was surprised by Crais’ appearance. He remembered an arrogant commander in the prime of his health. Crais was obviously suffering from illness or injuries, and he seemed somewhat humble. Crais spoke. “You may be surprised to hear me say this, but I am glad my orders did not get executed. I am not the commander you once knew.”
“Aeryn has told me. But forgive me if I am skeptical. The very thing I was trying to prevent has happened, and now you are its commander. Are you wise enough?” Velorek said.
“I do not know. Talyn choose me, I could not be doing this if Talyn didn’t want me to be his mentor. I can only guide him. He is very strong willed and makes his own decisions. I am no longer Peace Keeper, and Talyn never was. He is a weapon, and he will never submit to the Peace Keepers.” Crais spoke with conviction, but there was doubt in his eyes.
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Gammak Base:
“Colonel Crichton, your son will be here within the arn. You are not to do anything. If he doesn’t cooperate you will both die painfully.” Scorpius spoke to Jack in a cheerful voice. Jack was not cheered.
“And you think the chair will make him cooperate?” Jack dreaded the moment of John’s arrival.
“John, I think it’s too dangerous for you to wait until after you see your father.”
“I gotta know if he’s okay, Harvey. Then you can take over. I promise.”
“No John, you won’t be quick enough. If we are to overpower Scorpius, he must not suspect. I need to be in charge.” John couldn’t argue with Harvey’s logic. Besides, since the neural chip was removed, Harvey had become more like him, and he did keep to the rules they agreed upon.
“Okay Harvey, do your best.”
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“Well Colonel Crichton, you see I will keep my word. John is here at the base, he will be entering in a microt.” Scorpius was looking forward to seeing the two Crichton’s together. He was also curious about the father and son dynamics he never experienced. The neural chip had shown him some surprising things wholly outside the wormhole data he sought. Mixed in with everything else was information on John’s family and his thoughts about them. Scorpius could not understand the feelings between John and his father, but he was ready to use it now.
“Why are we at the chair? If you want him to cooperate shouldn’t we be in your lab?” Jack tried to stall for time, he needed to think, but he could think of nothing that would save his son.
John walked in with Lt. Braca before Scorpius could answer (not that he was going to, but it was convenient). “Hello father, we’ll talk later when I’m done with Scorpius.” Jack was stunned at how calm his son looked and how grim he’d become.
Scorpius dismissed Braca and motioned to John. Harvey walked over to Scorpius and put his arm around his shoulder, “Scorpy, Scorpy, Scorpy, it seems you win, again. How do I know you will keep to your promise and let me and my father go?”
“Of course I win John, was there ever any doubt? You have my word I will let you both go once I get my information.” Scorpius was getting tired of the small talk and wanted to get on with the heart of the matter. “The wormholes keep collapsing, we cannot stabilize them. What are you holding back?” He growled the last.
“Scorpius, the neural chip got everything. How could I hold anything back? It got information I didn’t even know I had.” While Harvey was talking he grabbed the instrument to insert a chip and worked around to inject it into Scorpius. He found his target before Scorpius could react.
Jack watched his son; his behavior was so unlike what he had remembered. To his amazement, John placed a device on his head and held Scorpius firmly. Scorpius was in shock, he didn’t move. Then John spoke to Scorpius. “Harvey, are you in control?”
“Yes John. Go now and take your father. I will instruct the guards to let you go. You may take the scout ship you came in. Go quickly and take the instrument with you. You can contact me through it.”
“Dad, I will be busy for a while. Don’t interrupt me.” John instructed his father to get into the scout ship while he worked with Harvey to secure their exit. He also had to control the ship.
Jack said nothing. He did as he was told. The change he saw in his son was palpable. John had always been open and outgoing. The man next to him was grim. Only his physical appearance told Jack this is his son.
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Jack watched his son navigate past the Gammak Base and into free space. He wanted to touch him, talk to him, anything but sit there silently while John worked. After about fifteen minutes he saw John remove the device from his head and turn toward him. It was a transformation, his son, the one he remembered, appeared. Suddenly, they were hugging each other and they were both crying. “Dad, I thought…, I mean …, oh god.”
“It’s okay. I never gave up hope. I’ve dreamt of this moment, and yet, I despaired it would happen. You should not have come for me.” They were still holding each other tightly as Jack spoke.
“I had to.” John leaned back and both men looked at each other. “I read the letters. Thank you for bringing them. It was so good to hear from Emma, DK and Allison. And you, too. I’ve got a lot of catching up to do. First, there is someone I’d like you to meet waiting on Ormaan. Her name is Aeryn, my radiant Aeryn Sun. She is, she is the love of my life.”
“What happened when you came to the Gammak Base? You seemed different. I would not have recognized you but for your appearance.” Jack said.
“It’s a very long story. I don’t exactly know how to begin, so I’ll start with the ending, and then fill you in with the detail. What you saw when I walked in was my body being controlled by a neural being whom I’ve called Harvey. Harvey knows Scorpius intimately, but he is not Scorpius. He maneuvered Scorpius so that a neural chip was injected into his brain. The gear that I brought enabled Harvey to transfer from my brain to Scorpy’s brain. I can now communicate with Harvey through this device. I find it a sweet irony that Scorpius has a John Crichton clone in his brain.” John said.
“I would like to hear the entire story.” Jack saw the pain in John’s eyes when he spoke. “Whatever it is, you will always be my son, and I will always love you.”
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Gammak Base:
Braca watched as Scorpius raged. He had seen him angry, but never this out of control. It was time for him to find other allegiances, fast. He hoped his request for transfer had reached its intended destination and he would not have to wait long. He slipped out of the room before Scorpius could see him.
“Who are you? How did you get here? And where is here?” In his minds eye, Scorpius could see an image of himself facing himself.
“Ah, Scorpius, how nice of you to ask. My name is Harvey. You don’t know me by name, but I’m the one you abandoned in John Crichton’s mind six monens ago. You left me there; you broke your promise to me. Well, I’m back. You will not easily get rid of me. Oh, and where we are is not important, I picked a place John knows. And one more thing, John has the device now. He has control.” Harvey said.