Title: The Good Commander
Author: MissAnnThropic
E-Mail: miss_annthropic@yahoo.com
Spoilers: Fractures
Summary: John Crichton has become the warrior circumstances demanded him to be.
Disclaimer: None of it's mine. I'm just a sad little fangirl that spends her days writing fanfic and watching taped episodes of her favorite shows :(


"Orbital defenses are failing, General Tranguard!"

Chaos in the control room faded to nothing as the heaviness of the words sank in. Orbital defenses failing... they were the best protection Earth had against the space onslaught; after that, they had only fighters to stave off the attack, and they'd seen the ineffectiveness of their fighter planes against the space crafts long before. Once the orbital defenses were gone, Earth was doomed.

The ground shuddered and rocked as yet another pulse blast got through the antimissile defenses... they were never designed to fight off those kind of hits. They had only been made decades ago with protection against Earth-capable weapons in mind; they never planned on fighting off these kind of interstellar foes.

General Tranguard struggled to the main console, grabbing its edges with a white-knuckled grip as he barked, "Show me the feed from the number two orbital platform."

The technician frowned, face pale, "Orbital platform two is gone, General."

"Then get me another one! Just show me what's going on up there."

The technician moved his hands over his controls, and over the grid pattern of information came a live video feed of the battle being waged overhead.

The peaceful black of space was marred by metal and energy. Clunky Earth orbital defense platforms spinning in orbit, targeting systems taking aim and firing upon the sleek, black ships darting among them, trying to avoid the fire and return it. For a while, the score had been pretty well matched, but the Earth forces were losing ground... the black and red vessels were designed for tight combat, and their superiority was becoming evident.

Still the attackers were nameless and faceless. The humans had never seen their foe, only heard the language once upon first contact. They had been sent a tight-beam long-range message that contained a foreign language that none of the linguists could make sense of. Soon after, attack forces had arrived. Earth had been in a battle to keep their home ever since.

The black fighters volleyed and cut precision aerial turns that no Earth forces could match, and even the most optimistic could see that humans were forestalling an unavoidable outcome. Humankind was doomed... they were fighting with their last breath.

"Sir... the wormhole..." the technician's tired voice wafted up to the General's ears, broken and resigned.

That damned wormhole. The first hint of it came eight years ago when IASA astronaut John Crichton accidentally opened it up in a test flight. They had thought it was an isolated incident, and any further duplication of the maneuver was banned until more research was done to insure no more people would lose their lives. The spatial phenomenon had been quiet for years, but seven months ago the wormhole reappeared, and the black forces started coming through. Those forces were bent on destroying Earth's defenses... what would happen afterward was anyone's fatalistic guess.

In any instance, Earth and humanity were on the brink of defeat and quite possibly extinction.

The general closed his eyes, not even wanting to see what the blue passageway would expel next. Another wave of fighters, more reinforcements to beat down the human effort of resistance that Earth could not fend off.

General Tranguard opened his eyes and leaned over the control console to the orbital recorder always positioned to pick up video of the location of the wormhole.

The liquid blue funnel shuddered and rolled in space, waiting to spit forth its deadly cargo.

The wormhole swelled and paused, and from the aperture exploded another ship.

General Tranguard felt his stomach harden and heart grow cold. This was like no ship they had ever seen before... possibly the final wave of attack to bring Earth to its knees. It was moments from that fate already.

The ship that had emerged from the wormhole looked like a weapon itself. It was black and red, like the small fighters flitting around taking out orbital defenses. It was huge, larger than any attack vessel the Earth defenses had seen yet. The ship made the general think of a large dagger with its center structure pointed like a tooth and the stern carrying a spade shaped tail-like design. On either side of the main body were flanking sinister 'wings' looking no less like claws or teeth, sweeping back to meet the spade tail section and complete a dark and streamline deadliness.

The moment it emerged from the wormhole, it stopped and hovered in space, as though regrouping... gathering energy for an attack on Earth. It looked as though it deserved the sensation of a harbinger of death that it invoked in all those in the command station who laid eyes upon it.

The small fighters stopped their attack, and for a brief second that felt like hours no one in space moved. A stale-mate raged, and then action exploded just outside the Earth's atmosphere.

The black fighters grouped together with remarkable speed and skill, turning to face the new menace to humanity.

General Tranguard thought of his children, his new grandbaby... and prayed it was quick for them.

The dagger ship easily and smoothly rolled into position facing the others who were making a break for the wormhole. A desperate attempt, but for what?

The dagger ship suddenly let loose its power, as awesome and frightening as all those in command shuddered to suspect it might be.

Enormous firepower issued forth from the ship, streaking with mindless speed toward its targets... the black fighters.

General Tranguard gripped the console again, heart racing. The newcomer ship was destroying the black fighters, not Earth! What could it mean?

Within seconds, the massive black and red ship destroyed every last black fighter that had been so recently beating the last of Earth's defenses to enfeebled slag. Within a scant ten seconds the only foreign object left in space was the dagger ship, silently baring its metaphorical teeth in space with its mere presence. It was the barer of death for them all...

"Uhh... uh... General..." the technician stammered.

General Tranguard closed his open mouth, looking over slowly at the technician, mind still reeling and clamoring to assimilate what had just happened.

The technician swallowed, "We're... being hailed."

The General blinked in shock. Who... how?

The General nodded toward the large room's main screen, indicating it should be routed there if they were lucky enough to get a visual communique this time, and tried to stand tall and strong to face this ship's crew... either their saviors or the warrantors of their ultimate demise.

The screen with tactical data on it stuttered and blinked out.

No one was prepared for what they saw when the image was replaced... a human standing on the bridge of some kind of ship, presumably the death chariot hovering poised above their planet. The ship was as red and black on the inside as the outside, just as ominous and menacing to the eye. The human being in the center was almost the equal of his ship. His midsection was out of range for the visual feed, but his shoulders and chest were garbed in a dark black jacket, almost a uniform of some kind. His face was weary and hardened, a soldier; General Tranguard would recognize a fellow one any day. His sky blue eyes were piercing and steely, short-cropped brown hair beginning to show salty gray at the temples. The man's face may have been soft and childlike once, but a deep scar on his left cheek marred the innocent of his face.

Everyone was dumbstruck, staring at the human on the screen, and they all jumped when the man spoke, "We are not your enemy. Stand down your orbital defenses or we will be forced to take them out to protect ourselves."

Of course. The orbital defense platforms had targeted the new enemy in the absence of the black fighters.

The General blinked and spoke haltingly, "You... speak English. Who are you?"

The man's eyes grew harder, "Your weapons are charging; stand down or we will fire. We're not here to attack you, but we cannot allow our ship to be harmed."

The General nodded feebly, turning to the technician at the orbital platform controls. It was pointless to fear betrayal now... taking the defenses off-line would not mean their ultimate demise because the platforms were useless to save them, anyway. Better to take a chance than lose them in certainty, and the general had a hunch this man was to be trusted... or maybe it was just a desperate last hope.

"Stand down the orbital platforms."

The technician nodded, working at his controls. General Tranguard looked back at the screen at the human man.

The unknown man looked to the side, probably checking to see that the defenses were indeed breaking target lock. He nodded imperceptibly in approval when they did.

General Tranguard stepped forward, "I am General Victor Tranguard of the United States Armed Forces. Who are you?"

The man met the general's gaze directly as he answered, "I'm Commander John Crichton."



****



General Tranguard stood on the long, practically abandoned, runway at the Kennedy Space Center. The man who claimed to be the lost astronaut had agreed to meet on planet at the Cape Canaveral location. The general had arrived with a guard of seven soldiers, the director of the space center, and Olivia Crichton, the real John Crichton's sister. The missing astronaut's sibling was present for insurance, in case this really was THEIR lost Commander Crichton. The real Crichton surely wouldn't launch any attacks if his sister was in the target crowd.

A bulky space vessel, obviously something similar to a shuttle craft, sat on the tarmac of the Canaveral runway about sixty feet away, having landed a minute ago and thus far remaining motionless.

The door opened and soldiers filed out. Like a military operation, they lined up and stood to the side of the open doorway... waiting. The Earth soldiers locked their guns up on their shoulders at the ready, though there was no doubt they could not equal the others' weapons. General Tranguard would say the 'aliens'' guns, but they were human. All of them, human.

The door grew still, and then he came.

Stepping down on to the ground, moving with slow diligence and alertness, was John Crichton. He stood looking over at his troops then at the gathering of Earth soldiers, appraising and studying the comparative advantages of both sides. He was dressed head to toe in the leather clothing that must have befit an officer in whatever force Crichton had joined, for the others in black uniforms stood at attention for him.

Crichton looked over his sentries, then turned to look back at the shuttle just as a second image emerged. This time a woman, another officer if the leather outfit was indeed a sign of rank. Her dark hair was pulled away from a sharp face, eyes just as quick to assess their surroundings.

Crichton faced her a moment, then turned and looked at the group of humans waiting to greet them. His eyes moved to Olivia in the crowd and he had a definite, if somewhat muted, reaction to her. Despite the callous and tough persona he presented, the hint of a smile cracked his lips at sight of his sister. The possibility that this was an impostor diminished.

Crichton and the woman strode toward them. The woman carried some manner of rifle with her, untrusting eyes intent upon the crowd they approached. As he got closer, the general could see that Crichton himself had a gun strapped to his outer right thigh, as did the woman with him. 'These two definitely mean business' the general thought with a stirring of unease in his gut.

Crichton stopped before the group, eyes resting on the general in all his brass, greeting flatly, "General Tranguard."

The general nodded, "Commander Crichton..."

John nodded.

Tranguard shook his head, "You understand this is a unique situation... we all thought you died eight years ago."

Crichton nodded again, eyes moving away from the general to rest on Olivia. She could not believe this was her brother... much less alive, but a military soldier. The multitude of questions she had to be asking herself about her lost brother, where he'd been and what he'd done in his absence, were evident in the look on her face. The uncertainty was just enough to keep her from rushing into her brother's arms... that and the cold exterior he now possessed that was wholly unfamiliar to her.

Crichton smirked faintly at her, "Hey, Olivia."

Olivia smiled hesitantly, "Hey yourself."

The woman officer beside Crichton, who'd been keeping a gun on the armed guards, at last spoke... but her words were not English. She spoke the same strange tongue that their attackers for months spoke.

Eyes grew wide and the general shot a quick and purposeful look at his guards.

Crichton saw it coming and in a motion whose speed more befit a reflex reached down, retrieved his gun, and jerked it up to be poised at the general's forehead.

Everyone froze.

Crichton's eyes were unreadable, and he looked at the general's guards and clipped tersely, "You hurt her, I shoot him."

They shifted uneasily but held their fire, understanding Crichton's threat perfectly. Their weapons remained locked on the woman and the woman's gun remained locked on them but no one acted to fire.

Crichton stepped closer to the general, gun still trained between his eyes, "General, there's an explanation for everything, a very long one that I don't have time for right now, but this woman and the others with me are not the enemy."

"But... she..."

Crichton nodded, "Yep... she's the same species as the people who were attacking you... but like I said, it's a long story." He stepped even closer, inches from the general as he narrowed his eyes and continued, "I came back to protect you, to protect Earth. You might not believe me, but it's the truth, and you can't afford to lose an ally right now. Now, if you're going to insist on your monkeys aiming weapons at my people, I can leave right now... withdraw my ship and my troops and disappear back through that little wormhole. But can you really afford that, General?"

The general looked over at the woman, standing ready to attack, and the others with Crichton by the shuttle who were similarly ready to start shooting if their officers were gunned down. Whoever this was, whatever had become of John Crichton, he was right. Earth was doomed without some miracle, and one had hopefully been dropped on their doorstep. He couldn't afford to let it end like this.

General Tranguard nodded, lifting a careful hand to order his guards to lower their weapons. They did so.

Crichton lowered his gun, stepping back, "Good choice, General."

The woman with Crichton did not relax her weapon, and Crichton didn't ask her to. Either they were the same rank or she outranked him. She spoke again carefully to Crichton in the tongue of the enemy.

Crichton shook his head in response, "No, I don't."

Olivia gaped, resisting the urge to back away. She'd wanted to retreat the second her brother pulled a gun on the general. Her brother wasn't a fighter, he didn't take lives or make threats. He was gentle, kind... not this person before her.

Crichton turned back to face the crowd, eyes falling again on Olivia. He gave her another faintly friendly look, then addressed the general again, "General Tranguard, this if Officer Aeryn Sun, formerly of the Peacekeepers."

General Tranguard did not react, instead asked, "You said she was the same species as our attackers. She's... not human?"

Crichton shook his head, "None of them are. They're a species of alien known as Sebaceans... look, it's all a very long story..." he trailed off, eyes growing distant, the same distance that came to the woman's eyes at the same time. After a second they looked at one another and nodded, then Crichton turned to the humans, "The wormhole's stability has collapsed and folded... it's closed for now."

Tranguard frowned, "How do you know that?"

Crichton responded, "Our ship just told me. I don't have time to explain, we have planning to do."

"Planning?" Tranguard prompted.

Crichton sighed, "The enemy you fight is not the same we're battling. The forces you're fending off are a secondary threat to a greater enemy we've been battling in space, the Scarrans. My people and I are planning to mount another attack on one of their bases."

The director of Canaveral spoke up for the first time, "A bigger threat than the guys we've been dealing with? How do you expect to fight them if they're worse than what we've seen?"

"Our ship, Talyn... he's a unique combat vessel with massive firepower. I know it's all a lot to take in at once, but you've unfortunately been drawn into the fight."

Olivia inched closer, "How?"

Crichton looked at his sister, face growing softer and voice not as hard as he answered, "Keeping it short, Earth has come under the crossfire. The Sebacean and Scarran war has expanded to include wormhole technology and the battleground as a result has exploded exponentially. I'd hoped Earth wouldn't get involved, but the war has pushed farther than anyone has expected... you've become a strategic occupation point. I'm here to stop that from happening."

The general understood military tactics and joined in readily, hungry to understand at least one thing that had been thrown at him in the last hour, "So there's two factions out there trying to take over our planet because of its position?"

Crichton nodded, "As I'm sure you can understand, General, I can't afford to be away from my ship for long; I have to get back, but I'm willing to take you back to Talyn with us... if you agree to my terms."

The general asked slowly, "What conditions?"

Officer Sun spoke again to Crichton, looking over at Olivia in the crowd. Olivia wanted to pull back from the stare, even more unsettled by the alien woman than she was by her own brother who'd come back practically a total stranger.

Crichton sighed, "No... our plan's not changed.

"General, before coming I had intended to take back my father and Daniel Knox... now that the military is involved I know damned well you're not interested in letting civilians leave without some kind of official escort. I remember your procedural B.S. like it was yesterday, and I also know you'd want a military official to assess the ship I came on; if you bring my dad and DK, I'll allow you to board our ship."

Tranguard frowned, hating to have his thoughts pinned so precisely, and challenged, "Why would I want to be on that ship so badly?"

Crichton smirked, almost disconcertingly, "You don't want to know why Earth's come under attack?"

The general frowned, trapped. "What if they don't want to go with you?"

Crichton nodded, "If I know them like I think I do... they'll come."



****



Retired Colonel Jack Crichton stood in the Kennedy Space Center with his lost son's best friend, DK, waiting. They had both been accosted in their respective homes and practically brought under military arrest to Canaveral. They had no idea what was going on, but when they saw each other they were a bit calmer to know they were not alone.

They were both in the flight prep room when General Tranguard came into the room.

"Gentlemen," he jumped right into his speech, no pleasantries or greetings wasted, "you've been brought here because you were both requested. I don't know if either of you has caught word of what's been going on within the last couple of hours with the orbital attacks by the black forces, but an hour and twenty-seven minutes ago, a new ship we've never seen before came through the wormhole and destroyed all of the ships attacking our defenses."

DK and Jack looked at the general in surprise, checking with each other to make sure they heard right. Ret. Colonel Crichton spoke up, "Who?"

"A friend... at least they claim to be. The captain insists he's here to protect Earth from those forces trying to take over, and he's offered to take me aboard his battleship, but he won't allow me to go unless you two consent to go aboard. This is completely voluntary, of course; you would be in contact with alien technology and alien beings and that is understandably disturbing. If you decide not to go, the captain has assured he will respect your choice and not hold it against you."

DK frowned, "Wait... why would this captain request us?"

General Tranguard stepped back, crossing his arms with a sigh and answered, "Because the captain of the warship is John Crichton."



****



"John..." Aeryn caught his attention from the door of the transport pod where she stood guard. Crichton rose and moved over to where she sat, looking out the door. The armed guard was back, and with the general was DK and his dad.

"I knew they'd come," Crichton whispered, moving to exit the transport pod. Aeryn grabbed his arm, purposefully letting him know that he needed to keep his head, keep on his toes. The quick grab was all he needed and nodded, pushing aside his jacket to have his pulse pistol at the ready if things went south.

Aeryn nodded, letting him go.

Crichton dropped down out of the transport pod, walking to meet the group approaching.



****



Jack and DK almost stopped in their tracks to actually SEE John Crichton coming toward them. He looked different, but it was him beyond a doubt. He looked like he'd been through the east side of hell, but he was alive... that was a lot more than they were certain had become of him only hours ago.

They stopped before one another, the general and guards standing to one side as the friends and family reunited. Crichton had made no pretenses about liking the military involvement, and knowing the soldiers in the ship were watching them like hawks, the general made sure he and his guards were clearly in view and away from Crichton.

Jack blinked, stammering, "John... is that... is that really you?"

John nodded, "Yeah, it's me, Dad. I'm sorry to just drop in without calling first," he smiled faintly in teasing. Even his smile was strained, forced, as though he'd not genuinely smiled in a long time.

Jack stepped forward and wrapped his arms around his son. He thought he'd lost him eight years ago; now he was alive and in his arms. Jack never wanted to let go... ever.

DK stepped up to them, patting John on the back high upon his shoulders, "John, man..." then stopped when something metal touched his fingers. He frowned, "What's that?"

John pulled away from his father to answer his friend, who'd felt the spider web contraption on the nape of his neck, "Neural transponder... links me directly with my ship."

Jack gaped, "Your ship. So it's true... you're a captain."

Crichton grimaced, "Not exactly. It's a very long story. Look, I know this has gotta be weirding you guys out, but Aeryn and I shouldn't be off of Talyn for long. If it's okay with you, we can head on up."

Jack nodded, and DK could only shrug and follow suit. General Tranguard followed after them to the transport pod, leaving the guards behind.



****



Aeryn stepped back from the door, coming to a state of alert attention and ready to shoot anyone who made a wrong move. Crichton looked at her, and once the three men were inside he introduced the two new ones, "Aeryn, this is my dad, Jack, and my friend, DK. Guys, this is Aeryn Sun."

Jack and DK nodded, surprised beyond returning the verbal courtesy. They had been warned about aliens, and instead came aboard a ship full of humans.

Aeryn kept her gun ready, not trusting the new guests.

Crichton spoke directly to her, "Aeryn... Dad and DK aren't going to attack us..." then he looked at the general, "but keep a guard on him if you want."

"I'd prefer to keep guards on all of them."

Crichton frowned, "Aeryn, please..."

Aeryn glowered a moment, then nodded in relent and motioned for the general to have a seat where the others in the transport could watch him.

DK sidled up to John, "Man, what language was that?"

"Sebacean... it's the tongue of her species."

"Species? You mean as in 'not human'?"

Crichton nodded, "Exactly," and shouted toward the front of the transport pod, "we're secure, Kavyn, take us back."

"Yes, sir."

Jack looked around at the soldiers seated in the transport pod, each with a weapon and a deathly gleam in their eye. "Son..." he moved a step closer to John, speaking, "maybe you should start telling us what's going on."

Crichton pulled out his gun, causing both DK and Jack to startle backward, but John only reset the power setting on the weapon from maximum to a smaller output. "Later. Aeryn."

Aeryn worked her way through the crowd over to Crichton and stood beside him, eying his guests before speaking, "We had no reports of any rogue Peacekeeper take-over squadrons near the insertion coordinates."

John nodded, "That means we have to reconsider the loyalties of our informants."

Aeryn frowned, "At this point it doesn't matter... Scarran forces are closing in on the insertion vector coordinates; whatever Peacekeeper force there IS will be gone when they get there."

Crichton pushed away from her council, dejected, "Yeah, and so will my home."

Aeryn frowned sympathetically, looking over at Jack Crichton and DK standing meekly and harmlessly as they gawked at everything around them. She disliked Crichton's insistence that he bring them up to the ship. They were noncombatants; they would be useless if something happened. Then again, technically, Crichton was a noncombatant. He'd never been indoctrinated into any military force, just adopted by the defector and peaceful Sebaceans as the leader of their resistance against the Scarran threat.

Aeryn turned away, hating to think about what it was they were doing and what was happening in her end of the universe. It was easier to live day to day and not think about it. John did the thinking, because no one else wanted to. It was an awful situation everyone was in, and in part Crichton felt responsible. If he'd not come through in a wormhole the war might never have happened like it did. It might have been worse for one species or the other, but it would never have come to such scale as it now reached.

Talyn communicated to her questioningly through her neural transponder, worried about their combined absence. She reassured him they were on their way back, and he was relieved at the news. It had been traumatic for him to lose one captain; he'd been concerned about sending both of them down into unknown dangers. It had been a dangerous situation for the humans on Earth, more than they could have ever known. If the humans had shot her or Crichton down on the planet, Talyn would have panicked or just plain got mad and retaliated. They wouldn't have had to wait for Peacekeeper or Scarran occupation to decimate their numbers.



****



Jack watched his son, unashamed to stare at the man who was so unlike the person who'd left Earth eight years ago. John Crichton stood near the front of the transport pod about to break out of the Earth's atmosphere, looking for all the world like a hardened soldier. His eyes were steely and cold, face set in grim determination, body toned for combat, face bearing scars from some past battle.

Jack stood, moving unsteadily toward his son. The others were seated to keep steady in the turbulence of exiting the atmosphere, but Crichton stood firm, used to the sensation. Jack had to grip the wall as he made his way over to his son.

John saw his father coming and frowned, reaching out to steady his dad and pull him forward. At the stranger's proximity to their leader a few of the soldiers nearby tensed and brought up their guns... until Crichton held up a hand to them for them to desist.

They complied and sat back, merely keeping watch over the guest near Crichton.

Jack shook his head, fighting to stand alongside his son, "John... what's happened to you? These... 'people'... what are you to them?"

John sighed, looking over the troops in the pod with them as he said, "They're... just Sebaceans who've pledged their loyalty to me."

Jack's confusion was clear in his expression. "What happened to your face?" he asked, reaching up to touch John's scar. John moved as though to flinch away, then held himself still as his father's fingers touched the old mark.

"Scarran claw grazed me in a hand-to-hand a few cycles ago."

"Scarran... that's the bad guy, right?" Jack doubted he'd be able to catch up on what it was his son was doing in the other end of the universe. Since when did his son have troops loyal to him? When did John become a military leader, a captain of a warship? Nine years ago Jack would have said they were all occupations that his peaceful scientist son could never be fit for.

John nodded, checking out the window nearby, searching for sight of Talyn. He wasn't in visual range yet. As an unconscious motion, he dropped his hand down to his thigh to graze his fingers over his gun, making sure it was on him.

Jack shook his head, "Good god, son... what have you gotten yourself into out there?"

John looked at his father, meeting his eyes and for once since they were reunited Jack could see sorrow and pain in the cold blue eyes that his son had kept carefully neutral and guarded. John dropped his eyes, looking around to see that none of his men were in listening distance, and whispered, "I screwed up big time, Dad."

Jack frowned in confusion, father-mode kicking in as he saw his son in pain. He wanted only to reach out and comfort him as he used to when John was a little boy, when the biggest worries were the bogey man and the common cold.

Crichton put out a hand to brace himself against the wall of the transport pod as it rocked exiting the atmosphere, "This war is my fault."

Jack's mouth cracked open, eyes widening and looking at his son, unable to comprehend what John was saying. How could his son be responsible for an interstellar war... for the threat to Earth?

Crichton felt Talyn through his transponder stir in excitement and overwhelming relief to see the pod returning, and Crichton looked out the window. Just as he expected, he saw Talyn hanging in space and drawing closer as the transport pod neared. Crichton responded through his transponder, 'good to see you too, boy', and could sense Aeryn's own reassuring greeting in return to Talyn's contact with her. It was a strange experience to be bonded together, the three of them, through their thoughts. But in another way, it wasn't so odd. Even before Talyn, Crichton and Aeryn had a closeness and understanding, a likeness and compatibility of thoughts and motives that only served to calm Talyn when he accepted them both as captain after Crais's death. The agreement of thoughts between them had been reassuring to Talyn as he recovered from losing his first captain. Aeryn had been a great comfort to him and a big help in getting Talyn to accept and get used to the human taking the Hand of Friendship.

John looked back at his father, waving him toward the window. Jack struggled to look out the window with his son, shocked by what he saw, a massive warship like nothing he'd ever seen or imagined, "My..."

"Dad... meet Talyn."



****



They entered the command of Talyn and instantly a cascade of chirps and beeps came upon them. Aeryn smiled, one of the few she allowed herself lately, and touched the red circular neural console overhead, "Hello, Talyn."

DK, Jack Crichton, and General Tranguard followed the errant human and strange alien woman, watching in shock as the ship's lights and sounds responded to their entering the command room.

Talyn chirped. Crichton smirked, "You too, Talyn..." and turned to look at his friends, "Talyn, these people are guests, and they're not dangerous or here to harm any of us. This is General Tranguard, Daniel Knox, and Jack Crichton."

More chirping, this time slightly faster in alarm.

"I know, Talyn. Jack is my father, my real father this time."

Talyn acknowledged, standing down his readied systems to drop his intruder guns.

Crichton turned to the three humans, dismissing the Sebacean guards that had accompanied them. DK looked around at the ship, wide-eyed, "Man, John... this ship is something."

Crichton nodded, "He is that, nothing like him in the universe."

General Tranguard looked at the weapons prepped in the ceiling of command, "This thing is armed to the teeth. Who built it, these Sebaceans?"

Crichton frowned, checking with Aeryn (who gave no answer), and replied, "Not exactly... he's a hybrid ship. He was born with weaponry as a genetic experiment by the Peacekeepers."

Jack blinked, "What do you mean 'born'?"

Crichton stepped toward one of the consoles, checking a readout, and answering, "Talyn is a living ship."

The general startled, stopping in his tracks and looking around. "You mean this thing's a living creature?"

Aeryn looked over at the three guests, wary, and turned back to her work. Crichton knew she was just trying to distract herself from having to interact with them... she didn't agree with having them aboard. As long as Earth was not involved in the war, John had been content to not see his family and friends again for their protection. But now that they were in the war anyway, John wanted to finally see his family again, and Aeryn was allowing him that. It just didn't mean she had to like it.

Crichton nodded, "That's right, General."

DK moved toward one of the consoles in fascination, "Amazing..."

Aeryn's sharp reprimand in her language and drawing of her gun halted DK dead in his tracks. Talyn grew concerned and confused... one captain telling him they were friend, the other treating them as foe. He chirped and groaned in protest, demanding an explanation.

Crichton looked quickly at Aeryn, "Aeryn..." then calmed, "it's all right, Talyn."

Aeryn realized her wariness had caused Talyn confusion and put her pulse pistol away, adding herself, "Yes, Talyn, everything is all right."

Talyn calmed, relaxed to find consensus.

DK, still in his spot, asked, "Uh... can I move?"

Crichton nodded, speaking again to Talyn, "Talyn, prepare some translator microbes for our guests." He turned to the three humans, "We're not going to get much accomplished if we can't understand one another. We're going to inject you with translator microbes... they'll allow you to understand the others."

DK stepped back toward the other two humans, "You have them?"

Crichton nodded.

An incoming transmission surged to the forefront of both Aeryn and Crichton's senses as it reached Talyn. It was a distress call from a Leviathan... Moya.

Their actions required no discussion... in a split second it was unanimous.

Without a word, they moved into action. Crichton rushed to the navigational console, taking the manual controls that Talyn had instantly transferred to him so he could perform the maneuver to reopen the wormhole, a delicate combination of knowledge and intuition John Crichton knew by heart. Aeryn went to another station, priming Talyn for partial starburst.

"Aeryn!" Crichton called.

"Ready."

Crichton pulled Talyn into a roll, positioning him along Earth's atmosphere, and when the trajectory hit just right, when atmospheric disturbance refracting off Talyn's hull pitched just right with solar rays from the sun, the shimmering blue funnel erupted into being right in front of them.

"Talyn..." Aeryn prompted.

Talyn groaned and complied, tail and back of his wings sizzling with electricity as he entered the first stage of starburst.

Crichton flew Talyn straight for the opening in the wormhole.

Talyn's starburst built and grew in intensity. His wings shifted and moved, first tipping back to make contact with his tail, then tucking into his body as the starburst effect rippled over his entire body.

Microts before starbursting, Crichton flew Talyn into the wormhole... perfect timing.

They were rocked by the impact as Talyn was sent hurtling through space, or maybe more correctly hyperspace, before Crichton regathered himself and took hold again of the manual controls, guiding Talyn into a position and trajectory that was much easier on the ship and his passengers.

They shot through the blue passageways, like falling through the proverbial rabbit hole at blinding speed, then just as suddenly were out again in normal space. Exploding into an entirely new area of space, the blue disappeared and stars returned.

Talyn's excess energy surrounding him from the partial starburst had been bled off by the walls of the wormhole. He came through looking normal, wings extending back out for normal flight.

"How far..." Crichton began.

"Seven hundred metras," Aeryn shouted back.

"Who's..."

"Peacekeepers."

Crichton glowered, "Talyn, prime weapons," and returned control of navigation to him. There was little that had to be told to the ship now... Talyn would go to protect Moya, and it was all the encouragement he needed that both his captains agreed completely with his actions. Talyn took off toward his mother's call at his maximum hetch speed.

"John!"

Crichton turned at his father's call, surprised to see them there. In the heat of the action, he'd forgotten about their guests.

"What just happened?" DK asked, shocked.

"I'm afraid you've just been dragged into your first space battle. Grab hold of something, don't touch anything, and keep quiet," he all but ordered.

Crichton turned his back on them, not having the time to bother with them, and asked the ship, "What was Moya's condition when she called?"

Talyn relayed the sensation she'd sent to him... pain.

"John," Aeryn prompted when she felt Talyn's long range sensors touch the objects in the distance. They had a habit of doing that, talking and alerting one another when there was really no need... what one felt from Talyn the other did, too. John concentrated on the feed... one large Leviathan mass, Moya's call signature, and small ships. Prowlers. Maybe a Marauder.

"What the..." DK's stunned voice came from behind.

Crichton looked back to see his friend, holding on to a console and staring out the front view port. Crichton looked up at what his childhood friend was looking at and saw in the distance through the window a dot of gold-brown and flitting yellow bolts of light from weapons fire.

Talyn's anger and urgency boiled through them all.

Aeryn relayed to him calm... calm and collection in battle to improve performance, and Talyn listened. Crichton felt Talyn calm down, and he did too, determined instead on saving their mother ship... mother to them all in so many ways.

Talyn came upon the melee quickly, bringing weapons online and fleetingly asking if he was cleared to fire. He would have anyway despite orders, but Aeryn and Crichton together permitted him 'fire at will'.

Talyn's massive firepower was unleashed on those Prowlers that dared to fire upon Moya. Seven were destroyed before the squad thought to fire back. The sharp pricks of pain only angered Talyn further and his strikes became more ruthless. When he was younger, four of five cycles younger, taking on a Prowler patrol might have been dangerous to his health, but Talyn had grown beyond that. He was a powerhouse, and Prowlers could do little to harm him.

The Prowler pilots soon learned this and retreated, spinning off into space.

"Talyn, stand down weapons," Crichton ordered.

Talyn acknowledged and did so, sonic ascendancy cannon withdrawing.

"How is she?" Crichton stepped up behind Aeryn at her console.

Aeryn frowned, "Injured... I can't be sure to what extent."

They both felt Talyn's concern as he contacted Moya directly, Leviathan (more or less) son to Leviathan mother. Moya responded joyously to Talyn's presence, but her happiness was tempered by pain.

Crichton took control of Talyn's crew communications while the young ship spoke with Moya, contacting the larger ship's occupants, "Pilot... Pilot, you guys okay over there?"

Pilot's voice came over the communications system, "Commander... we are grateful you're here."

Crichton nodded, "How's Moya?"

"She is... in pain."

Aeryn stepped past Crichton to go to another console, "Why were you attacked, Pilot?"

Pilot's voice, tired and weary, came over the communications system, "It appears that the Peacekeeper patrols discovered we were... harboring defectors."

"How many?" Aeryn stopped to ask.

Pilot answered, "Four."

Crichton exchanged sad looks with Aeryn. For her own safety, Aeryn and John had protested Moya's involvement in the war. Those aboard her had insisted upon helping, and Moya had gone along with their decision willingly.

Crichton sighed, "Well, as long as we're here we can take them off your hands. Is everyone else all right?"

Pilot responded after a moment to check, "Everyone has reported in. If they are injured I'm not sure, but they are alive."

Both Aeryn and Crichton felt a great relief at that, and Talyn broke from his exchange with his mother to momentarily share in their relief at the health of Moya's crew.

Crichton turned to his guests, finding them all as wide-eyed as deer in the headlights of an oncoming truck. He sighed to himself, wishing they somehow could have been left on Earth. This was the last place he needed their inept nagging... then he stopped to think about what he just did. So that was what the others felt about him when he first got to Moya so many cycles ago.

Crichton considered the three humans, head cocked, then went to a side wall panel and pried loose from a hanging DRD the translator microbe shots. Talyn had better things to do than worry about the three humans, so he took them to the guests himself.

Crichton held up the three vials, "This will hurt at first... it'll pass." Before anyone could protest, Crichton depressed one syringe into DK's throat.

DK gasped and shuddered, clenching his eyes against the pain. After the initial wave passed he coughed and looked up, glowering, "Damnit, John... what do you think you're doing?"

Crichton eyed his friend seriously, "Look, DK, I'm too busy to babysit you all the time, and without these I'd be the only one who could, because I'm the only person you understand."

Aeryn looked back at them, frowning, "You sure you should do that without the DRDs?"

DK blinked in alarm, "Whoa, I just understood that. Well, I think I did... what the hell's a DRD?"

Crichton ignored his friend, returning to Aeryn, "Seems to work fine without them."

Aeryn shrugged, looking back at the consoles.

Crichton gave the next one to his father, who had prepared himself for the shot and gripped the console as the microbes worked their way to his brain stem. The last injection was to General Tranguard.

Crichton threw the empty syringes aside, a DRD moving to clean them up, "There... in case anyone's unclear, we just went through the wormhole in response to a distress call by a ship under attack... that ship out there," he indicated out the window the gigantic vessel in front of Talyn.

Crichton's eyes narrowed, "I'm sorry you got dragged into this, but now that we're here, we're going to help that ship in any way we can. I know you probably can't help, but you'll have to stay out of the way."

Jack was staring out at the massive golden-brown ship, dumbstruck, "What is that, John?"

Crichton felt a resurging affection for the ship that was in question. Moya, their home away from home, mother to them all from her original crew. Talyn felt Crichton's fondness for Moya as he thought of her and responded in a feathery, agreeable sentiment to the emotion.

"That, my friends, is Moya. She's Talyn's mother."

General Tranguard was shocked, "That ship is the mother of this one? She's enormous... is this ship going to be that big?"

Crichton shrugged, "We're not really sure how big Talyn will get, but he's still a child now."

DK whistled, "That's some kid, then."

Crichton turned to Aeryn, "Aeryn, I'm gonna go over there and see if I can do anything for Moya."

Aeryn nodded, then threw back, "Take those three with you; I don't want to watch them."

Crichton nodded, "All right, come on then, you'll get to see Moya up close and personal."



****



They were met in the hangar bay by two Sebaceans bearing weapons and a seven-foot-tall tentacled alien with a sword. As soon as they saw it was indeed Crichton coming aboard, the trio of aliens lowered their weapons.

DK, Jack, and General Tranguard froze in their step at the sight of the large, orange, tentacled alien.

Crichton walked right up to him, "Hey, D'Argo... good to see you again."

"It is good to see you as well, John."

The two Sebaceans holstered their guns, approaching Crichton. "John Crichton," one of them spoke, "we have risked our lives to come join with you; we pledge our lives and allegiance to you." The Sebaceans stood before Crichton at distinct military attention.

Crichton nodded, "We'll need all the help we can get... thank you for your sacrifice. You'll come back to Talyn with me when I go, but right now I'm here to repair this Leviathan. Will you help me do that?"

The other Sebacean replied, "We've come to give our service to you in good faith. Order us and we will abide."

Crichton nodded, looking over his shoulder at the three humans, and continued to the Sebaceans, "All right, contact the Pilot and see what you can do, and one more thing... this ship is important to myself and Officer Sun... take great care when you work on her."

The two soldiers nodded, "Yes, sir," and backed off to go to their work.

D'Argo smirked, "They fall at your feet to follow your commands and they barely know you."

Crichton sighed, "They're fresh from lifelong military service, D... takes them a while to get used to not being mindless soldiers anymore."

D'Argo nodded, looking up at the humans, "Who are they?"

Crichton looked over his shoulder at them again, pointing them out, "DK, my father, and Earth General Tranguard."

"Earth? Then they have..." D'Argo began.

Crichton nodded glumly, "Yeah... they've started attacks on Earth."

D'Argo reached out and rested a strong hand on Crichton's shoulder, "I am sorry."

Crichton nodded, "Thanks, big guy. So how badly is Moya injured?"

D'Argo hissed, "Peacekeeper dren. She will be all right, Pilot says. Chiana is on tier four doing repairs and Rygel and Jool are on tier three."

Crichton nodded, "Well, I guess I'll give Chiana a hand on tier four," he turned to beckon his followers, "gentlemen."

They followed after him, giving the large orange alien a wide berth.



****



"Hey, Chi... could you use an extra set of hands?"

Chiana looked over her shoulder at who had whispered the question, though she would know his voice and smell anywhere. If things were in better times, she would have smiled.

"Crichton... I could use some muscle; help me pull this out."

Crichton grabbed the end of a seat wedged into a cracked portion of Moya's inner hull. With a heave, they dislodged the chair and threw it aside. Almost in obligation, or because the contact was needed, Chiana wiped her hands and with a matter-of-fact demeanor put her arms around Crichton.

John hugged her back, knowing the strain these times were having on everyone. He sighed, taking comfort in the arms of family, as he'd adopted the crew of Moya as family long ago.

He pulled back, looking at the damage to Moya, "DRDs should be able to patch it up good as new."

Chiana looked over at the three who were trailing Crichton, frowning, "Who are they?"

Crichton introduced them, "My dad, my friend DK, and General Tranguard, this is Chiana. Chiana, everyone."

She nodded, weary, and looked back at the damage. She frowned, near tears, and said in a strained voice, "Moya isn't designed to take this, Crichton... she shouldn't be doing this..."

Crichton touched her face, calming her as only Crichton ever could, "Hey, Pip, I know... it's okay. We're going to take care for her, all right? Can you be strong for Moya? She needs us all."

Chiana nodded, fending off her pending tears.

Crichton touched her chin lovingly, smiling and prompting, "Come on... let's get back to work."



****



Crichton and the gray woman worked in silence together while the three humans hung back, wanting to stick close to the only other one of their species but taking the warning to stay out of the way to heart. Jack was bumped in the shoulder and turned to see one of the soldiers that had pledged their lives to his son in the hangar earlier. He was burdened with coils of tubing and cords, fighting to keep hold of them all.

Hesitating a moment, unsure, Jack pulled half the load from the young man's arms and moved to follow the soldier. The man nodded appreciation, leading Jack Crichton to a place not far away where the ship's wall was opened and wires exposed.

They both dropped their loads, the young man nodding, "Thanks."

Jack nodded, "No problem."

The man dropped to his knees and began to work on the exposed wiring. He frowned, then pointed toward one of the cords, "Could you hand me a three mecron?"

Jack just grabbed the cord it looked like the kid was pointing at, handing it over. It must have been right, because the young man started working with it.

Jack looked over his shoulder, able to still see his son from where he stood, and turned back to the young man, "What's your name?"

The man frowned, "Resik," and returned to his work. John had called him a soldier in the hanger bay, but he looked barely old enough to be driving (if they drove out here)... too young to be pledging his life to anyone in military service in the middle of a war, and far too young to be pledging himself to his son. John Crichton was his boy, he should never (in Jack's mind) be making life and death decisions with other people's lives.

Jack squatted down near him, looking again over at his son, "Resik... what are you doing here?"

Resik stopped, confused, "I'm here to join the fight on the side of John Crichton."

Jack frowned, still unable to comprehend how his son had raised an army. That wasn't his John. "Why did you come to John?"

Resik laughed, "His reputation."

"It proceeds him?"

Resik snorted, tossing aside a tool and digging into the wall, "By a million metras... you haven't heard of him?"

"What did you hear about him?"

Resik sighed, "Well, I heard that he took down a Shadow Depository, a platoon of Peacekeepers, took out a Gammak Base, frell, scorched the entire moon, put off an attack by the Sheyangs, killed that guy Scorpius in hand-to-hand combat... even single-handedly destroyed a Scarran Dreadnought."

Jack was stunned speechless by the tales of his son's exploits.

Resik, obviously in something akin to hero worship, kept going, "He's the greatest warrior there's been in a long time. One of the greats; he's not even dead yet and there's stories about him. We all want to be him. Peacekeepers tell stories about him, about meeting him some day. He is a soldier... the perfect soldier."

Jack looked over his shoulder at his son, kneeling on the ground with the gray woman fixing the ship. The LIVING ship. His son, a warrior, soldier... killer? It wasn't his John, but he'd seen it himself. And could he really expect his son to be captain of a gunship like 'Talyn' without being willing to kill?

Resik stopped, "What's your name, anyway?"

"Jack... Jack Crichton."

Resik paused, eyes darting back to Jack. "Crichton?" Resik's eyes moved to John Crichton down the corridor.

Jack nodded, still trying to digest his son being a soldier. The young soldier's shock before him went without any due notice.

"Are you related to John Crichton?"

Jack sighed, wondering for the first time in his life if he should be ashamed to admit it, "I'm... his father."

Resik's eyes bulged, "You're John Crichton's father?"

Jack nodded.

Resik was shocked, "I'm sorry for any disrespect I may have shown earlier, sir, I didn't know... THE John Crichton's father. You must be a grand soldier."

Jack shook his head, muttering, "I'm no soldier," and stood to return to his son... or what once was his son, but had become some kind of military icon and leader out here in the this unknown part of the universe.



****



They returned to Talyn at what had seemingly been deemed ship-night, even though there was no change in lighting... no day and night.

"Commander Crichton," General Tranguard insisted as they stepped back on to Talyn. "I think it's time you explained a few things."

Crichton sighed, irritated. Talyn caught Crichton's irritation and inquired about it, but John only related to him images of pesky Vorcs running amok through ship's systems making that annoying noise they were practiced at. Talyn chirped and responded with humor; Aeryn often said it was the greatest travesty of Crichton's bond to Talyn, infusing him or introducing him to John's brand of humor.

Crichton turned to look at the humans, so wide-eyed with wonder and faces so innocent. God, had he ever been like that? These people... his best friend, his father... they were looking to walk into a pulse blast with those naive gazes in their eyes. Had he once been so innocent, so painfully weak and vulnerable?

John closed his eyes, rubbing them with his fingers. Somehow, when he imagined this conversation, he always thought it would be easier.

Crichton nodded slowly, "All right... the galley."



****



Aeryn was in the galley when they arrived, probably having picked up from her third party connection to Crichton through Talyn that John would be heading that direction. She suspected that, persistent as humans apparently were, their guests would have stood for no further delays in the explanations Crichton had promised.

She sat in a back corner, eyes sharp and wary on the three strangers as they filed in, each looking a moment at her in uncertainty before doing their best to ignore her presence.

Crichton followed them in, looking up at Aeryn and tense features relaxing a bit... as she always did to him. She nodded in his direction, snapping her elbow and tossing a fruit to him. He snatched it out of the air, looking down at it. He smirked to himself. It was some kind of fruit he'd discovered on a planet cycles ago that tasted almost exactly like a pear. It was a comfort food for him ever since, a taste of home when things out here started to get to him. He would have to thank Aeryn later for finding one for him now... he would need it.

Crichton set it down on the table for the time being, bringing up a hand and running his thumb over his bottom lip. It was the only John Crichton behavior that Aeryn, DK, and Jack all recognized.

Crichton moved toward the dark end of the galley, favoring proximity to Aeryn, and said, "Talyn, engage privacy mode."

Talyn chirped in reply and the doors to the galley shut and locked tight.

Crichton settled himself on a seat, quiet a moment before looking up at his family and the one strange military officer. He truly disliked the general's presence; although, his experience with military force out here had been less than positive.

He regarded those of his species a brief microt before launching into his explanation. "The war... the Scarrans and Sebaceans have been at odds with each other for generations. In the last twenty cycles, the balance of power started to shift toward the Scarrans; they're a mean frelling species and outnumbered Sebaceans nearly ten to one. Peacekeeper Command tried to find a super weapon, something to bring the balance of power back in their favor, and naturally to blow the Scarrans out of the water. The Peacekeeper half-breed named Scorpius decided that that advantage was wormholes..."

Aeryn rose from her perch by Talyn's window, moving over to Crichton and standing over his shoulder, still shrouded in shadows but now a dark figure looming over him as he spoke. It disconcerted those listening, but it brought a great strength to continue in Crichton.

He took a deep breath, "When I came through the wormhole that brought me here... long story short, Scorpius found out how I got here and captured me to extract the information. I had been..." he gestured futilely, growing agitated by the memory of what he'd endured at the hands of the half-Scarran, "given the key to wormhole formation by another species called the Ancients. They were just trying to help, but it blew up in everyone's face. Scorpius managed to rip the knowledge from me and figured out, eventually, how to create stable wormholes. It didn't take him long to start using it to launch attacks against the Scarrans. Of course, advantages like that never stay on one side. Someone sees chance for profit and... it all goes to hell. The Scarrans got hold of the wormhole technology the Peacekeepers had, and now..."

Aeryn touched his shoulder, sitting down on the stool next to him and purposefully pushing a tray of food cubes in front of him.

Crichton allowed the distraction, smirking as he picked one up and ate it slowly.

General Tranguard frowned, "So these two factions, Scarrans and Peacekeepers? They're fighting a hot war with something that allows them to instantaneously be on their enemy's doorstep?"

Crichton looked up at the general, cold eyes shadowed by the dark light in the galley.

DK and Jack were far more concerned with Crichton the person, what had happened to HIM. Jack leaned closer, "John... I heard some disturbing things on that other ship from Resik."

Crichton cocked his head at his father.

Jack caught the question, "Uh... one of the boys that pledged his life to you. He told me things about you. Are any of them true?"

Crichton tensed, face growing stony and guarded as he returned, "What did he tell you?"

Jack glanced in concern at DK, "That you killed a lot of people... destroyed some kind of depository, destroyed a moon base, killed Peacekeepers, that guy Scorpius... and took out a Scarran Dreadnought by yourself, whatever that is."

Crichton did not react, Aeryn growing still and icy.

Jack prodded, "Is it true, son... have you become..."

"A murderer?" Crichton finished pointedly.

Jack sat back, unable to cope with the implications or say the words himself in accusation.

Crichton nodded as he picked up another food cube, "Most of those things we did as a group, a team... the depository, the Gammak Base, the Peacekeeper soldiers; but I did kill Scorpius myself... and," he threw a strange look at Aeryn beside him, "I... took out the Dreadnought myself, but the price I had to pay, the cost on others was... too high..." Crichton grew quiet again, letting a tense silence settle over them.

"This ship," Tranguard broke in. Crichton looked at him.

"This incredible weapon... are you the captain?"

Crichton's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly, "In a way. Aeryn and I are co-captains, we both have neural transponders connecting us to Talyn. At first, Talyn had one captain, an ex-Peacekeeper captain named Bialar Crais, but four cycles ago he was killed by a Peacekeeper rouge force. Talyn was distraught... he was still a baby and Crais's guidance, misguided though it was, was all he'd known. Aeryn already had a connection to Talyn, she took the transponder and became captain, but after what happened to Talyn when Crais died we decided that to have two would improve the odds that there would always be someone to take care of Talyn. When he gets older, he may not even need either of us anymore... but he's just a kid now."

DK thought aloud, "So this transponder thing, it lets you control this ship?"

"Not so much control... Talyn has a mind of his own. It's more to offer guidance; he does what he wants if he doesn't like what we're telling him to do. Aeryn and I... persuade him to do things if it doesn't make sense to him at first. He trusts us to know what we're doing, but he'll disobey us if he feels like doing it."

Jack looked at Aeryn, "She has one too, so you, her, and Talyn are like... a triumvirate?"

Crichton nodded, "Exactly... with Talyn usually getting the final say."

Jack sighed, "What about these boys? These kids coming to fight for you, die for you, in this war?"

Crichton's face grew hard again, "I never set out to raise an army. When the war with wormholes broke out, Sebaceans from Breakaway Colonies and Peacekeepers defecting just came to me. They'd heard about the things I'd done and... offered to follow me in the fight if I chose to enter it."

"Then why did you get in on the war?" Tranguard asked.

Crichton glowered, "I was in this war from the beginning. From the moment I came through that wormhole eight cycles ago I was involved... and responsible. If I'd died in that test flight no one would have known that passing through a wormhole and living was possible. I lived, and in doing so ensured everything happening that has."

General Tranguard frowned, "These are civilians and defectors you're leading? You're a rebel faction leader?"

Crichton laughed coldly, barking in cool disregard, "There is no rebel faction. There's nothing left to rebel from. Don't you understand? It's all fallen apart. THIS is chaos, the word incarnate right here. The Peacekeepers are fighting a losing battle, the Scarrans are killing millions, and the rest of us are just trying to stop the slaughter any way we can."

Jack supplicated to his son, "John, just... what is it you're trying to do exactly?"

Crichton took a deep breath, setting his jaw. Aeryn saw his temper flaring and reached out, touching his arm. Crichton felt her cool fingers on his hot skin and it brought him back to reality. He took another deep, calming breath this time, nodding faintly at her and returning his eyes to the three across the table as he answered, "Restore the balance of power."

"How?" General Tranguard pressed.

Crichton licked his lips in thought, "Wormhole formation requires certain... certain planetary and solar activity conditions to be catalyzed. Scarrans and Peacekeepers have each set up bases around planets that meet the conditions for wormhole creation; we're neutralizing those bases."

"For the Peacekeepers or Scarrans?"

"Both."

DK raised his hands, "Wait a minute, let me see if I understand this... you're fighting a two-front war? You're against the Peacekeepers and the Scarrans?"

Crichton nodded.

"John," Jack whispered, "that's suicide."

DK frowned, "Didn't any world history from the World Wars stick?"

Crichton blinked slowly, tilting his head faintly in the direction of Aeryn, as though to draw strength from her. She frowned at the drain this meeting was on him and spoke for the first time directly to the human visitors, "Peacekeepers and Scarrans are alike in that they are both dominating, cruel forces in this part of the universe. To favor one's victory over another would ensure the subjugation of untold numbers."

Crichton interrupted, "They're both Nazi Germany; any one winning would still be Nazi Germany winning. The only way to return any systems here to peace is to keep them at each other's throats. I know it sounds crazy, but they have to keep fighting... they just can't fight on this scale with this impunity."

General Tranguard frowned, "There must be another way. To allow both to stay in power will lead them to the inevitable return to this level of conflict."

Crichton's eyes shot over to the general, "You've been here all of seven arns and you think you can reason out this war's problems? General, no offense intended, but you are in way over your head."

The general bristled.

Crichton stood, leaning over the table. "You see this?" he ran a finger down his facial scar. "The Scarran didn't use a weapon, no tool or implement to do this, this was his bare hand. And you're lucky if it's cuts and bruises you come away with. You're more likely to come out of the meeting with your brains turned to mush. Not that the Peacekeepers are a great deal better... maybe you'd like to hear about the Aurora Chair. Can you imagine having your entire life ripped from your brain, memories stolen and displayed for all to see like some cheap peep show and you unable to do anything about it?

"This war has to end in a stalemate for both sides... the only way to keep innocent people safe is to make sure they're busy doing these things to each other. Peacekeepers and Scarrans can mind-frell each other into oblivion for all I care, but I will NOT stand to have innocent people, everyone on EARTH, subjected to the horrors either group will inflict upon the populations if one group arises victorious."

A heavy silence fell over the group, three humans gaping at John Crichton in horror at what he'd just said, Aeryn quiet in recognition of the shock this was to the peaceful, naive little humans. Crichton was just 'seeing red' as he called it... so angry at everything the Scarrans and Peacekeepers had done to him, everything that had turned him into the murderer that so appalled his family now.

Aeryn decided this was enough. She stood, stating in her most no-nonsense voice, "This is finished," and told Talyn to unlock the doors.

Crichton sat back in his seat, eyes growing distant in thought as guards came to show the guests to their quarters. As they left, Aeryn turned to Crichton, studying the scar on his face. It was so simple now, but he'd barely survived the confrontation... so many times he'd been so close to dying. In a way, once, he did die.

Crichton sighed in resignation, dropping his face into his hands. During the day he did such a good job of being the leader he was asked to be... never wanted to be, but was expected to be. He had become all the warrior that Aeryn had set out to make him cycles ago, but at night it weighed upon him, the things he'd done. It didn't help to have his father and best friend from Earth show up and call him a murderer. He already thought of himself as one. Crichton had never been able to kill without regret. He'd just come to accept that sometimes it was necessary.

She met his eyes, trying to reassure him with an understanding expression. At one time, she may have gone to him, touched him, kissed him... but that was a time long ago. After the other Crichton died, things had never quite been the same.

Crichton nodded faintly at her silent gesture. She turned to retire for the night, confident he would be all right until morning, when he became the fighter again.



****



DK was wandering the great ship's halls, unable to sleep. He was too overwhelmed by sensory overload to sleep, and he discovered he was not under guard. When he tried to leave his quarters no one stopped him, though he noticed a guard stood post by the general's quarters.

It was amazing these people weren't human; they looked so like them. There were women and men on this ship, just like Earth communities. It was hard for him to remember that these were all soldiers... some spurred by will to do battle and some trained to kill. This wasn't a Princess Cruise, and the captain of this twisted Loveboat was his previously-thought-dead best friend John Crichton, astronaut.

Right... at this point, that seemed to be the least of what he was.

"DK," a voice startled him from behind.

DK spun to find Crichton standing behind him, considering him calmly and a little curiously, "Couldn't sleep?"

DK smirked, "Are you kidding? I'm on a living spaceship. I won't sleep for a week."

Crichton's lips twitched ever so slightly in a smirk.

DK studied his friend. He looked so different, but at the same time he was so John Crichton.

"John... can I ask you something?"

Crichton nodded slowly, greeting a soldier moving past in the hall. "Before you..." DK couldn't believe he was saying this to his John Crichton, "go into battle... do you get rattlers?"

Crichton shook his head at the strangeness of the question, beckoning DK to follow him to an open storage room, "No. D'Argo once told me that perfect calm before a life or death situation brings the certainty of death, but there's... a strange calm before the dren goes down. It's like swimming underwater."

John sat on a crate, motioning for his friend to do the same. DK settled on a crate as well, pensive, "I can't believe this is you, man. You were... so different..."

Crichton crossed his arms, "You change to survive."

"You couldn't have stayed the same?"

"And live, no. This is... a much harsher place than where we're from. We have paradise on Earth. For all our little problems, it's nothing compared to this."

DK made a face in thought, "I don't understand something... if these Sebaceans and Peacekeepers are the same species, how come they don't combine forces? Why are any of them coming to you?"

John considered his answer before trying to explain, "There are some people who would, quite literally, rather die than work with the Peacekeepers. They're not Mr. Popular out here... besides, not everyone who comes to join me is Sebacean, and Sebaceans are very strict about aliens intermingling with their kind. They wouldn't accept alien help because it's alien... as crazy as it sounds, this group is the only way some people can find to fight. Everyone recognizes the necessity for the Scarrans and Peacekeepers to be reeled in. Since they're busy fighting each other and destroying countless innocents in the process... we're the only ones who can stop it."

DK looked down at his hands, astounded that his friend was involved in any of this, this galactic war, when he remembered John Crichton as the boy who spent weekends camping with him out by Sawyer's Mill. "I... missed you," DK muttered earnestly.

Crichton was quiet a long time, then whispered, "I missed you guys, too."

DK shook off the moment, asking more lightly, "What's it like to be linked to a ship like this?"

Crichton smirked faintly, "He's an incredible vessel. Aeryn sees his beauty more than I do, but she was raised Peacekeeper... this is natural to her, all this weaponry. Talyn and I didn't get along at first. In fact, he tried to kill me, or so I've heard."

"So you've heard?"

Crichton sighed, "Long story."

"Why did this big guy try to kill you?"

Crichton smirked, "You'll appreciate this... because of a woman."

DK smiled, "You're kidding."

Crichton shook his head.

DK chuckled, "Maybe you're not so different from the Crichton I knew after all... so what's the story?"

"Crais, Talyn's first captain, hated me. We were both jonesing for the same woman. Talyn didn't know me, he knew only what Crais thought and felt of me, so needless to say he didn't like me."

DK smirked, "What was this woman's name you were fighting over?"

"Aeryn."

DK blinked, "You mean, the woman you... the other captain?"

Crichton nodded.

DK shook his head, "Damn... how weird is that? So this guy Crais told Talyn you were the bad guy... and he believed that?"

"He had no reason to think Crais would lie to him. He was a baby, DK, a little kid. You know how they are."

"So how'd you get to be linked to this ship if he hated you?"

Crichton scuffed the floor idly with his boot, "Well, Aeryn took the transponder first, and everything she felt and thought about me Talyn received, cleared my name so to speak. It showed him a vastly different image of who I was, and he accepted me as a captain... with a little coaxing from Aeryn. Talyn adores Aeryn; she was the one who wanted me to be linked to Talyn. She said that 'despite your stupidity sometimes, you have good intentions and instincts, and Talyn needs that'."

DK smiled, "Still flying by the seat of your pants, I see."

Crichton nodded solemnly, "Pretty much."

DK considered a moment, then asked, "So... at the time when all this happened, did you love Aeryn?"

Crichton looked up at him, "I DO love Aeryn."

DK blinked, a little surprised. DK had never imagined John finding someone he was as head up for as Alex. He shook it off, "So... are you two, you know... an item?"

Crichton frowned, "No. It's... complicated."

DK nodded in thought, "Yeah... I'm not sure I could get physical with an alien, either."

Crichton's brow furrowed, "What she is has nothing to do with it. There are... bigger problems that we've never been able to overcome."

"This war can't be helping matters much."

Another silence ensued.

DK looked a long moment at his friend, finally asking, "John... how long have you had this wormhole stuff figured out?"

Crichton thought a moment, "The knowledge was given to me about seven cycles ago, but it was something I had to figure out on my own. I didn't unlock it myself until about four cycles ago."

DK frowned, "Okay, back up a minute... what the hell's a 'cycle'."

Crichton looked at him blankly, then it dawned on him and he corrected, "Oh... a year."

DK nodded, "So you've known how to do this for four years... so why didn't you come home?"

Crichton met his friend's eyes, but did not answer.

DK asked slowly, "When this war is over, if it's ever over, what are you going to do?"

Crichton answered plainly, "Talyn needs me, and Aeryn might not admit it, but she does too... and I've made a promise to never leave her."

DK looked down at the floor, "You never planned on coming back... did you?"

Crichton replied, "At first I did. When I first got here that's all I cared about, finding a way home. But this became home, those people on Moya turned into my family. You said it yourself, I'm not the same anymore. I've changed, and I wouldn't fit in on Earth anymore."

DK shook his head, "You would... I know you would."

Crichton closed his eyes, "DK... please... I wouldn't. Frell, DK, I'm a mass murderer, a soldier with tales of alien deaths to glorify my name. Where do you see that fitting in back home?"

DK was quiet.

Crichton stood, "Don't worry... as messed up as this seems, it's gotten normal. It's familiar and it's home. I'm going to grow old out here, and I'm going to die out here... with Aeryn. I can live with that."

"John."

Crichton stopped at the door, turning to look back at his friend.

DK swallowed, "What if you get killed out here?"

Crichton thought only a moment before answering, "Then I get to die my own kind of hero."

DK's face fell in dejection.

Crichton smirked faintly, "DK... it's okay. Not many people get to do that."

DK watched silently as Crichton left the storage room, disappearing around to red-tinged corridor. He had to accept that he'd lost his best friend; in so many ways his best friend since childhood was gone. In his place was this battle-weary soldier leading a revolt against an interstellar war. No; Crichton was right. Where was there room for that on Earth?



****



Aeryn Sun was up early the next morning, thinking about the humans. When it was just John all those cycles, it became so easy just to think of him as John and not the human. Having more on board... it was a painful reminder of what John had lost, even in sight of all he'd gained. Innocence and clear conscience traded for a jagged scar on his face and blood on his hands. Seeing what John once was in the faces of DK and Jack... it made her see just how much Crichton had lost being out in the Uncharted Territories.

He used to be an explorer, pilot, astronaut... now he was the leader of their little fighting force against enemies like Scarrans and Peacekeepers. If she'd stop to think about what it would cost him, she might have stopped him from taking on the responsibility, but she'd only seen the greater need at the time. The right thing needing to be done, and she'd not stopped to consider the right thing for Crichton.

Although, if she asked him about it, he would have just summed himself up dismissively with one word. 'Irrevocable'.

She found him in the galley, somehow knowing he'd be there. Talyn had no terrace like Moya did, and this place had become the human's substitute place for thinking. John was perched on the window ledge, staring out at Moya nearby. He had that distant look in his eyes again, a depth and vastness that seemed to see clear through to another star system.

She approached him where he sat, so familiar in his perch. He'd sat in Moya's center chamber like that, and as soon as Talyn grew big enough to have one he'd adopted the same seat. His eyes flitted to Aeryn when he caught her movement, an almost invisible smile flickering across his lips before he looked back out at Moya and his face returned to its serious, grim set.

Aeryn stepped up to his side, looking out the window at Moya's hulking mass with him.

Crichton grunted faintly under his breath at her.

Aeryn asked softly, "Are we doing it today?"

Crichton sighed, closing his eyes. Aeryn saw his thoughts crossing his face. He didn't want to decide. He didn't want his word to be the one that sent anyone to their deaths. But everyone looked to him to decide... even her. When had she started looking to him for orders? Maybe when he'd found a mission that she believed in. Maybe when she discovered that, for all their misgivings, Crichton's plans DID usually work. Maybe when she realized that the time had come for any action, no matter how suicidal or fool-hardy, because no one could afford to do nothing anymore.

He didn't ask to be the leader. He'd unintentionally made a name for himself in the Uncharted Territories, and when the war broke out people looking for a way to fight back came to him, wanting a leader... someone renowned for doing incredible things that were thought impossible. He'd taken the role they expected of him, and his problem was he was too good at it. His decisions continued to bring them victory (while some people did die in the process), and it only brought more selfless devotion to him. His troops were willing to die at his word, and so often John Crichton hated that.

Aeryn leaned closer, close enough to feel his body heat and smell his unique scent, a smell she knew down to her subconsciousness. She dipped her head forward, touching her forehead to his temple.

Crichton's eyes closed more deeply, and with a relenting sigh he inclined his head toward her. Aeryn was his saving grace. Just when he thought he wasn't going to be able to do this anymore she came to him and breathed new life into him from such simple contact as that. Sometimes it kept him going for a weeken, sometimes it barely lasted the day, but always it was enough to take him through one more solar day. He took a deep breath, reveling in the touch of her, taking what he would need to make it through one more solar day.

Aeryn pulled away gently, opening her eyes and waiting.

Crichton kept his eyes closed a moment, then opened them and nodded with definitiveness, "Yes... we go today."



****



General Tranguard blinked in surprise as the great ship Talyn banked away from his mother, turning to head in the new direction provided to him by his captains. "You don't mean... you're going to take out one of those bases you talked about NOW?"

Crichton kept his steely eyes forward, answering in a deadpan voice, "Actually, it'll be in about four-hundred microts."

Tranguard flustered, "This is unacceptable. I demand you return us to Earth. You have no right to take us into this."

Crichton's face showed no relent, "It was unfortunate you were stuck on board, and for some of you I'm very sorry for that," he looked over his shoulder at his father and DK, "but we're not going to move back our timetable to drop you off; we can't afford to. You wanted to dictate a course of action for this war, General; don't you want to see what it's like first?"

Tranguard chewed on his lip anxiously, "I most certainly do not. I demand you take us home. You will not engage an enemy with civilians aboard."

Crichton looked at the general, eyes pinning, "Is that in the Geneva Conventions, General? They don't exist out here... there's nothing you can do."

General Tranguard looked toward the back of the command where Jack and DK stood back watching, both looking as scared as the general was... only he was more vocal about it.

"I won't be party to this; you can't make us accessories."

Crichton shrugged, "Fine... we can lock you in your quarters if you like."

Tranguard growled, "I won't stand to be locked up..."

Crichton spun around without warning on the general, gun drawn and quickly under the general's chin. Gasps from three on the command who were unprepared for such an action filled the air.

Crichton glowered, "I am a VERY busy man, General, and I don't have time to listen to your whining. Now I don't want to hear a single word out of you from now on... is that understood?"

Tranguard swallowed and glared at Crichton, "Are you going to shoot me, Commander?"

Crichton smirked darkly, "I'm a murderer, remember, General? Why don't you try your luck?"

Tranguard blinked.

Crichton nodded, turning again to the consoles and holstering his weapon. DK and Jack Crichton exchanged looks, uncertain. The gentle John Crichton they'd known ceased to exist, but could he be completely gone? Was it possible that that soft and kind Crichton still existed somewhere inside this steely military leader? Right now, it didn't seem like it was possible.

"Scarran fighters sighted on long-range sensors," Aeryn reported for the benefit of the rest of the crew... Crichton sensed it from Talyn as well as Aeryn did. The rattlers in his stomach twisted and hissed, but he knew that would pass... once they were a little closer.



****



The Scarran base swarmed with small fighters, prepping for the battle to defend their orbiting station to guard their wormhole-related planetary interest in the space body.

Crichton stared out at the approaching enemy, stomach calm as a windless sea. He spoke evenly, "Prowlers deploy."

On his command, the stolen Prowlers from defected Peacekeepers spilled forth from Talyn's hangar, coming to life and banking around the gunship, flanking him in preparation for the dive into combat.

Crichton nodded calmly, ordering, "Attack."

Aeryn looked away from the vectoring Prowlers, "Talyn, prime weapons."

Talyn chirped lowly in compliance, cannons and gun turrets coming on-line to full power.

The Scarran fighters pulled away from their base, arching toward the approaching gunship.

The Prowlers streaked toward the attacking Scarran fighters, and almost on cue both sides started firing. Within seconds, a tense but calm area of space turned into a war zone.

Talyn groaned and swerved to the side, missing a stray pulse blast... Crichton could feel Talyn's drexom pumping through his systems even as adrenaline ran through Crichton's.

Aeryn looked to Crichton, and they met eyes. They conferred for a split second, then nodded in agreement. Crichton looked upward at the ship's ceiling, "Talyn... take that base out."

Talyn groaned and chirped deeply, accelerating at breakneck speed through volleying fire toward the hovering base in the distance. As Scarran fighters turned their attention to the major threat, Talyn's smaller guns shot them down with ease, never slacking his pace toward the goal.

Everyone on the command grabbed hold of something to steady themselves as Talyn seemed to completely forget the loose creatures within him as he used every maneuvering capability open to him to slip beyond the fire of Scarran fighters and reach his target.

Aeryn was hunkered over a console, holding on for dear life, Crichton behind her and holding himself down as well as bracing Aeryn from loosing her grip and falling. DK and Jack Crichton were anchored to the floor as best the could by sitting with their feet hooked into tubing for Talyn's systems. Tranguard, however, was not anchored... he was moving.

Tranguard was struggling to one of the consoles, fighting his way to it and trying amidst the bucking of the ship to hit some of the controls, desperate to stop their attack and get out of danger.

Crichton saw his actions in the corner of his eye, and his response was instantaneous.

Crichton released one hand from the console anchoring him, whipped out his gun, and with one shot sent General Tranguard to the floor.

DK and Jack gasped, shocked, at the body on the floor of the gunship's command. John holstered his pulse pistol and returned to his position of combat readiness, seeming to forget the man he'd just killed.

"Talyn!" Crichton urged. They were near enough to the base, already defense weapons systems were taking shots at them.

Talyn complied, lowered his cannon, and fired.

Lightening quick pulse cannon blasts streaked toward the base, hitting their mark and seeming to hold their breath for a moment before exploding in a dazzling display of light.

Talyn rolled and banked, making an almost precision turn away from the disintegrating base. Crichton strained to keep hold of the console, gritting his teeth with extra effort when Aeryn's grip momentarily slipped and the only thing holding her in position was Crichton's bracing frame.

"Prowlers! Defend and retreat; return to rendezvous coordinates!" Crichton struggled to shout as soon as his insides stopped rolling from Talyn's maneuver.

The Prowlers' tactics changed, instead of offensive going on defense, covering a retreat back to their prearranged coordinates where Talyn would be waiting to retrieve them.

Talyn chirped, and without needing to be told opened fire on the remaining Scarran fighters he passed on his way to the coordinates himself, providing assistance and cover to the retreating Prowlers.

Crichton acknowledged his correct move, touching Aeryn's back to assure himself she was steady, then turned to another console, stepping over Tranguard's limp hand. He stopped to consider beyond Talyn's excitement in the heat of battle to assess damage. There was pain in his side and underbelly, probably from repeated sustained fire. Talyn would recover, but once his battle-high wore off he, Aeryn, and Crichton would be in considerable pain.

Crichton read the console readouts, looking over at Aeryn, "Prowler casualties?"

Aeryn squinted to read the figures, "Thirteen Prowlers shot down; the Scarran fighters are retreating."

Crichton nodded, glum. Thirteen was heavy, but acceptable... about what he could have expected from this kind of assault. He hated that thirteen people were lost, but there could be no helping the deaths incurred in the battle. He'd just have to try and do better, make smarter choices, not give the same orders to sentence thirteen more soldiers to death next time.

Talyn calmed down, the fight being left behind and Prowlers beginning to converge on his position to return to dock.

Crichton turned, looking down at the body of General Tranguard. He frowned to himself, thoughtful. He looked up and called over two of the Sebaceans working nearby, "You two... get him to one of the transport pods."

"Yes, sir." They gathered up the lifeless form and carried it out.

Crichton turned to look at his father and friend, finding their faces appalled, aghast, frightened, and shocked.

Crichton's heart fell, though he was not really sure why.



****



"So that was... what you do," Jack Crichton stammered, clearing his throat.

John dropped his eyes, head and spirit downcast. They had left the area when they sensed a Scarran Dreadnought on its way. Talyn was powerful, but he was no match for a Dreadnought. Someday, they would have to find a way to deal with the Dreadnoughts, but for now that task could be put off for another day.

Talyn had taken them back to the place where a wormhole to Earth could be opened up, and Crichton had maneuvered Talyn through the wormhole again while Aeryn kept him at partial starburst. They found it was the only harmless way for a Leviathan to pass through a wormhole. The intense energy and radiation in the walls of a wormhole that had made Moya sick the time she was trapped in one could be deflected if the ship was coated in the energy net for starburst... it bled off in the walls of the wormhole but served as a buffer for the ship. The Leviathan emerged depleted as though it had completed a starburst, but it was not weak and disoriented as a natural state Leviathan that had tried to traverse a wormhole would be.

Now Talyn hung over Earth, restoring his energy for another starburst out through the wormhole while Crichton said good bye to his father and friend.

"You'll have to explain to Earth what is going on out here, and that I'm going to do everything I can to keep them from coming back for you," Crichton briefed with almost stoic detachment.

DK stepped forward, smiling weakly, "You know, you could come with us... or come back after this war is over."

Crichton looked over at the body of Tranguard arranged on one of the benches in the transport pod. He shook his head, "I can never come back, DK. If I wasn't one to Earth before, I'm a murderer now. I can never come back... and you know that."

DK dropped his eyes, saddened and certain that Crichton was right.

Jack touched his son's shoulder, "What happens now?"

Crichton looked up at his father, "We'll go back and keep fighting. We'll find the Peacekeeper base that's setting up on the other end of this wormhole to take Earth and we'll take them out. After that... we'll just keep fighting as long as we have to... as long as we can."

DK asked faintly, "When will we ever see you again?"

Crichton answered firmly, "If we do this right, you'll never see me again... me or anyone else through that wormhole."

Jack nodded, stepping forward and enveloping his son in a hug. John closed his eyes, burying his face in his father's shoulder one last time. He knew this was coming, but somehow he felt he should have been more ready than this.

Jack stepped back to let DK hug his best friend one last time.

Crichton pursed his lips, shocked that after all the weathering and deadening he'd been through in the last eight years, that he could still feel something so strongly... that loss could hit him this hard.

Crichton pulled back, stepping away and meeting both their eyes. He knew this was the last time he would ever see them, no matter what ended up happening.

John sighed, turning to Resik, who happened to be the one picked to fly them down to the planet. "Take care of them," John ordered feebly.

Resik nodded, "Yes, sir," and climbed into the piloting seat.

Crichton waved one last good-bye to his father and friend, then stepped out of the transport pod and closed the door.



****



Aeryn found Crichton in the hangar bay, staring at Talyn's closed doors. The transport pod had left a quarter arn ago, but still he remained here.

She stepped up beside him, "Hey."

John was quiet a long time, barely answering back, "Hey."

Aeryn looked up at him, returning, "Hey."

Despite rules, Crichton said nothing.

Aeryn looked at the doors herself, glancing back at Crichton. It was something especially hard that could hit him with such impact these days, but this was one of those things... and one of those days.

She frowned in empathy, knowing all too well what it was like to leave behind a home and know you would never be going back. She stepped a half-step closer and rested her head on his shoulder, bringing back floods of memories of better times... of comfort and proximity that had once existed before the war.

Crichton sighed heavily, closing his eyes and dipping his head to touch his cheek to the top of her head. They remained so a moment in time, frozen and timeless as the countless other instances when they had drawn from each other in the exact same way.

John took a deep breath, inhaling that smell that was solely Aeryn, and from it he took the strength to make it through one more solar day.



END