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Part 9 Bialar Crais Although Bialar had heard him approach, he
did not turn around. He listened as John Crichton stopped in front of his cell.
"When we get back Earth, Talyn will come
back for you, Bialar." Bialar's military mind spun, how could he
use this moment to his advantage? He slowly rose from his table. "What do you
care, Crichton? John averted his eyes from his one time
enemy, now his uneasy ally. John searched for the words. But failed… Empty…
Hollow… Dead… was all he found. The
bitter search angered him. "Look, all I know is Aeryn will bring him
back!" John breathed deeply as if to muster the
strength to leave. He turned slowly from the one occupied cell on
Moya. "Crichton!" Bialar knew that, with Talyn less than
cooperative, he needed another plan. Here was his opportunity to act. John stopped and only turned back half
way, not looking up at Bialar. "Nine cycles ago I went home to the world
from which I was conscripted…" Bialar's stare passed through Crichton. "to see…" Bialar turned to ice as he remembered seeing
them, his family, now under the jurisdiction of his carrier. "There is a saying
in Peacekeeper training: ‘Never look back. Never go back. What lies in front of
you is your life.’" He carefully looked up at him and saw the sadness fill
Crichton's expression for a brief moment. John cleared his throat. Bialar's words seem
to echo in his empty soul. "I guess I just have to find out for myself, won’t
I?" The sadness evaporated, replaced by a small vengeful grin. "Goodbye, Bialar
Crais." Bialar remained mired in his own memories of
his homecoming, not noticing Crichton's exit. His plan had failed. It was time
to think of another. He had to get back…Talyn no matter what the cost. Clan
Tribunal Petra stood on the raised central pedestal
of the tribunal chamber. Along the far wall of the large circular room sat the
Council. The past three days had been worse than she could ever imagine.
Everyone wanted answers. Why did her brother wish to steal the Castra?
None of them would accept her ignorance of his schemes and all but Gorran
felt that she had some part in Starret's plan. Being the highest surviving member of her
Clan, she was responsible for the actions of all in her clan. This was an
archaic system but with everything that had been lost in their insurrection, the
rites of the individual were first to fall. The Council had completed testimony but
still there was a need for vengeance. Blood must flow to sooth the grieving.
They needed closure. The man who caused this tragedy was dead, dissected by the
very ship he was trying to steal. The Council chamber was overflowing with
members of the clans that were slain by Petra's brother. It was impossible for
her to ignore their hateful comments. During the continued questioning, she
looked to Gorran for strength. She glanced at Gorran. His smile was reassuring.
She looked back to the Council as Narra rose. Narra stood from her position at the center
of the Council. "Slavic Petra Helrec. I wish to thank you
for you presence in these matters.” Narra looked at the scared girl standing
before her. Who were they to judge her
for the actions of the others? Narra hated this above all else: blind
prosecution of one person to make up for the sins of another. Trenton's words
came back to her. We as a race are dead.
There is nothing else left us but vengeance! The ghostly words rang
true. Nara had to clear her throat as she
continued. “Before we enter deliberation on the punishment on your clan, you are
allowed final statement to the Council.” Petra turned away from the Council. Her
words were for the clans of those her brother killed, not the Council who were
about to judge her. She scanned the angry faces. “I, Slavic Petra Helrec, stand
here as the representative of the Slavic clan. I will accept the will of the
Council and of the Gods. I am sorry for the actions of my brother and will take
complete responsibility for those actions.” She raised her hand to her heart and bowed
slightly. Petra turned back to Narra. Petra would not give them the pleasure of
seeing her beg for forgiveness. Gorran moved from the side of the chamber
and climbed onto the pedestal next to Petra. He spoke softly, his voice
reassuring, as he had done so many times before, during their flight from the
Peacekeepers. “Don’t worry. I won’t let anything happen to you.” “Captain Reht, what do you think you are…”
Narra spoke with an unusual air of anger. Gorran spoke over the Chancellor. “I am
keeping you from making a mistake, Madame Chancellor!” He turned to face the
crowd. “That all of you are making!” He glanced back to Petra as she pleaded with
him to get down. “Relax, Petra, I know what I am doing.” Gorran was in uncharted waters here like he
had been on the Castra fleeing for their lives. It was the same thing, yet did
he have the ability to help Petra? He pushed the uncertainty aside as he
continued. “Madam Chancellor and members of the
Council, you are about to deliberate the fate of this woman whose only crime is
being the sister of the lunatic Slavic Trenton Helrec. Trenton killed the
support team on the Castra. Not Petra! Trenton tried to steal the Castra. He
threatened your life, Madam Chancellor, or have we forgotten so quickly?” Gorran
stumbled over those words. It pained him to make the accusations, but as much as
Narra meant to him, he could not allow Petra to be treated this way. “I knew he was unstable, yet your Council…
in fact my father… forced his assignment as my second in command. I knew he was
dangerous. That makes me guilty. Even I did not realize what he was capable of,.
I knew he was unstable. I did nothing to stop him. Narra fought the anger and betrayal she felt
inside her. "Captain Reht, you are not on trial here." She found it impossible
to look into his eyes as she spoke. "In reality Petra is not no trial here
either. But as with Clan law, she represents the Slavic Clan and in doing so is
responsible for the actions of one of her own.” “Madam Chancellor, I implore you… do not
allow this to continue. This barbaric judicial system is wrong!” Narra composed herself. “Captain Starric
Gorran Reht, this is not the time or the place to discuss Clan Law. Now leave
the stand or I will have you forcibly removed.” “Narra, don’t do this. Petra is the only
other person who can operate the Castra.” Gorran stepped forward as if to shield
her young officer. “She has witnessed the fold and has survived. Petra has
served the Council well.” His voice was going hoarse as he shouted
over the rising murmur of the crowd. A loud voice pierced Gorran's speech. “Then
you will train another, Gorran!” Gorran's father shouted from the side of the
Council chamber. Gorran's blood turned cold and he felt the
knot in his stomach tighten. “No, father, I will not.” The rumblings of the
audience quieted. He turned to face all of them who had just a few days earlier
welcomed them as a returning heroes. Only now they looked on with anger.
“I will not command the Castra
again!” Narra scanned the shocked audience trying to
balance her own anger and what was needed to defuse the situation. “Captain
Starric Gorran Reht, your threats will go unheeded. The will of clan law will
not be disrupted by extortion.” Narra felt her stomach turn and her mouth
went dry. “Guard, remove Starric Gorran Reht and place him in custody.” She
watched Gorran was removed from the Tribunal chamber. She turned to the Council.
“It is time.” The Council withdrew to the small chamber
off the central structure. Narra did not speak as Gorran father's continued his
mindless rant. She stopped at the entrance to the deliberation chamber. “Starric
Tau Reht, I have found that I am no
longer in need of your Council. "Guards," Narra beckoned. The guards flanked the old man. "Please
escort Advisor Tau to his hearth." “Narra… How dare you? A Starric has always
been a Prime adviser to the chancellor of Casival. I will bring this to the
Council myself!” Narra stepped closer to the old man. She
spoke calmly and quietly. “I do this because of the blind hatred you have for
your own son.” Her voice became loader as she continued.
“It was you that forced Gorran to accept Trenton as his first officer onboard
the Castra… It was you who rallied the Council to adopt the old ways!" She
pointed back to Petra, standing alone at the center of the tribunal chamber. “We
are about to sentence an innocent woman to death! Thanks to you, Tau!”
She paused, seeking to control her emotions.
She found it ironic that it was Tau who had taught her to control her reaction
as she was doing at this moment. “My hands are tied in that matter but I can at
least remove you from causing more damage.” The old man shoved off the two guards. “I
will find my own way home.” He turned from Narra and started walking away. He
stopped once. “You will need me again, Narra.” He laughed
slightly. “You are still just a scared child!” Former Peacekeeper Ulric Selton John walked into the apothecary. He found
Ulric sitting on the medical table across from his wife. John stopped in his
tracks. For a moment the numbness that he had been feeling was replaced by a
heavy heart as he realized that he had been in the same situation only a year
ago with Aeryn. He had felt the loss and insecurity as he had kept a similar
vigil over her prone form. Seeing Ulric in nearly the same spot was almost
overwhelming. John remained in the doorway, unable to enter and unwilling to
leave. Ulric's stare remand on Enra. “John, are you
coming in or not?” He turned to face John. “I take it you are coming to say
goodbye.” Even now John found it hard to look at
Ulric. It was too strange that they looked so much alike. “ Ya, uh, Ulric, I
am…” He stepped closer. “I am sorry, Ulric…” For the first time, John realized Ulric was
wearing his red and black commander’s uniform. He pointed. “What's with the
jacket?” “John” Ulric squirmed in the worn collar of the Jacket. “I am going with you.” He tried to crack a smile. “End of
conversation!” He granted him a bitter smile. “No, Ulric.”
John approached the motionless Enra. Her pale skin gave her the look of death.
The only sign of life was the slow rise and fall of her chest as she breathed.
“Your place is here with your family.” “John, I swore to look after you.” Ulric
moved next to John. He looked down at his unconscious wife. He took a deep
breath as his own concern for Enra clouded his resolve. “I promised your
father.” “Ulric… John exhaled slowly trying to stop
the anger that seemed to return at every encounter with the former Peacekeeper.
“No… You can’t! You have to take care of Jack. What if I caused irreversible
damage in Enra?” John kneeled down next to the Vladic. He
brushed her cheek with the back of his hand. Numbness took the place of the
regret and anger and he found himself wishing to feel the regret once more. Any
emotion was better than this complete emptiness. “No, Ulric, I won’t allow
it.” “Once I know you are safe,” Ulric stepped
back from the bed, “I will bring Enra back to her people. They must have a way
of helping her.” "Then if you believe that you have to do it
now. You can’t go getting yourself frelled in Peacekeeper territory trying to
save my ass." "You can’t understand, John." "I can’t? I know you are empty from his
loss. My father was more to you then you will admit to yourself. He was someone
you cared about.” John stood. The slow tide of anger filtered through the
numbness. He grabbed Ulric by his jacket and pulled him closer. “You can’t face
it. Enra is sick and you can’t face the chance of loosing her. You would rather
go getting yourself killed trying to help me… Well Uli” John's voice was on the
edge of yelling. "No thanks! You have to look out for Jack!” Ulric felt the brief reflex to break John's
neck for grabbing him flicker through him. He had lost enough of those trained
reflexes to allow the human this moment of vented anger. As Ulric listened to
John's rant he was mired in guilt. John was right. Enra had known but would
never have embarrassed Ulric by revealing it. But John did not care. He was so
much like his father, always reacting to the first emotion that came to him,
stating whatever was on his mind. “Are you done? You are right.” Ulric felt
his throat constrict with the words. “I will take Enra back to the
Vladics.” John released the former Peacekeeper. He
regarded Ulric. "Thank you, Ulric.“ John tried again to smile but failed
miserably. “You know, you meant a lot to my Dad.” “What do you mean?” Ulric was puzzled by the
comment. "You mean Enra never revealed the Memory
Image things to you?" John frowned. “There are certain subjects we never shared
in the rapture. She knew better than to show me Jack's memories." “Well, Ulric, I think when this is all over
you should see them. Its important to know family.” John smiled and hit Ulric on
the shoulder as he walked out of the apothecary. “Goodbye, John.” As Ulric stood in the quiet
chamber, he somehow knew he would never see John Crichton again… Pip John walked slowly to the access conduit
that connected Moya to Talyn. He could only manage to look a few feet ahead at a
time. The curving passageway gave him vertigo if he looked off to the distant
hatch of Talyn. John was surprised that Talyn never linked directly with Moya
through the terrace as the other Biomech had in the past. He thought it was
Crais's doing. Ya,
having that guy as your father could make any kid anti-social. As John
continued onward, he saw her waiting for him. “Where have you been girl? I’ve
been looking all over for you.” "Well... I wasn't ready." Chiana slouched
slightly. She could not look John directly in the eye. "Look Pip." John bit the back of his thumb
as he leaned against one of the hard warm ribs that protruded from the wall of
the conduit. He felt guilty. He felt in some way responsible for her as he tried
to figure out what to say. The uneasy silence was broken. She smiled
slightly. "I am no good at this old man... So let make it short, ok?" Her voice
was just above a whisper. She moved closer to John, her body shifting from side
to side. "Chiana, I wish you could come with us..." As he spoke the numbness returned giving him the blissful relief from the pain of leaving her. "Nah, a world full of you. What fun would
that be?" Chiana slipped forward and kissed John longer and deeper that for
which he was prepared. He pushed her back, smirking. "Hey, now!"
Chiana giggled slightly as she stepped back,
letting John by. "I know. Not before the big game." John would not look back at her. He didn't
want her to see the smile she had left him with. "Hey, take care of D'Argo for
me." "Please! That drennit can take care of
himself." Her tone suddenly lost its flirtatious edge. "John I didn't
kill...Salis" John stopped dead in his tracks, for all
that he expected Chiana to say, this took him by surprise. He turned to her
slowly but she was gone. He let the words out to an empty hallway. "I know
Pip... I know # John entered Talyn and looked through one of
the docking ports at his home. Moya majestically stood out in front of the
stellar nursery. For all his time on the leviathan he never got used to seeing
her from the outside. “Saying goodbye to Moya?” John was startled. “Zhaan! I was looking for
you.” She smiled sadly at him. “Well, you don't
have to say goodbye just yet.” John tilted his head slightly. “Waddaya
mean?” Aeryn walked in with a Pressure suit and the large Peacekeeper equivalent
of a duffle bag. She tossed the bag as a sign that she was
not happy. She had heard his question from the docking port. "She's coming with
us." "What? Why?" John looked Zhaan who merely
smiled then back at Aeryn. Aeryn smiled sarcastically at Zhaan
"Although she is misinformed, Zhaan wants me to have my options open when the
time comes." John erupted in a smile at the blushing
Aeryn. "I get it." Then turned he turned back to Zhaan. "That way Talyn won't be
alone traveling back to the Uncharteds. Zhaan I never took you for a little old
match maker." "Old I would accept, but I am merely trying
to give Aeryn more options." She tipped her head slightly to Aeryn, picked up
her own bag and headed for her quarters. John stood there looking at Aeryn as he
tried to think of something to say. Her stare remained on the passage Zhaan had
just walked down. She finally looked back at John, "Don't look at me like that.
No, I will not change my mind." She turned and headed for the command tier.
John followed her. "Hey, it wasn't my idea! So don't get pissed at me. I can't
help it if Zhaan's sticks her nose where it doesn't belong..." "What does her nose have to do with it,
John?" "Oh Ha Ha. You know exactly what it means!"
He tried not to smile at her. "Don't try and play that stupid human bit with me.
It's getting way too old." When she finally stopped and faced John, she
was smiling. "It may be old but..." Her smile faded as she continued. "I am
going to miss it." His own mirth evaporated. He looked at Aeryn
as if really seeing her for the first time. "Ya..." He had to swallow hard to
continue. "Me too... Ok enough with the mushy dren. I
wanna go home. " Aeryn stood in the center of Talyn's control
node. She requested the course. Talyn obeyed Aeryn without question. She sensed
the way he harbored feelings against John. She understood Talyn's purity
protocols had been embedded deep in the gunship. It was a constant internal
battle the ship must maintain. Talyn broke from his moorings and silently left
his mother behind. Trap! The battle in Enra's subconscious continued.
The white-skinned creature's control did not wane. He released wave after wave
of hideous demons from her past, real or imaginary, it did not matter. Enra felt
she was lost. She would never regain consciousness. No, this creature knew how
to wage war here. As she recovered from the onslaught of images he would mine
something worse from the depths of her subconscious. It was not till she heard his voice that she
was able to even focus on anything but the images Scorpius dredged up. At first
it was only a vague impression, but as she concentrated, it became stronger.
Enra tried to call out to the voice's owner but Scorpius's control ran deep.
Her mind by itself was not strong enough to
break free. Yet this warm familiar voice continued to calm her as the hideous
corrupt images faded to black The new specter's voice strengthened, drowning out
that of Scorpius and weakening his control. Soon the nightmare images were gone,
replaced by dead silence and blackness. Was
this what death is? She asked not expecting a response. No,
Dasvalla Enra Talis this is
peace… The voice was too
familiar but Enra could not accept who it was or that it was real. The warm
voice continued. Enra tried to focus on the source but blackness was all that
she sensed. You once gave me memories I had forgotten Enra. I am here to
repay that wonderful gift. Enra
watched as long lost memories of her youth on Casival returned like they had
only happened yesterday. The flood of memories began to flow into patterns of
pivotal events in her life. Enra watched her Biomech project came to
life. She felt the same excitement. It was as if she were there again at the
beginning, the first to unlock the secrets of Biomechanoids. She watched with
forgotten excitement at the birth of her first attempt of adapting the
technology and then the pain of having to put it down. Enra passed through the painful memories
of leaving the Defender program. She had allowed the Government to fund her
research till she discovered they had not only wanted the ability to starburst
but to twist it into some hideous weapon. She left the program and all her
life's work behind. Enra’s heart grew heavy with the loss and knowing that if it
were not for her initial successes the Defenders would have never been built.
As she tried to dwell on this shame, the
memory melted away replaced by her final project: the biomech space elevator.
Its organic shape was like that of a tree trunk slowly growing to the surface of
Casival. She felt the tugs of pride as the Biomech rooted into the soil of
Casival unleashing a new era in Casivillan History.. It all came crashing down with the
invasion by the Peacekeepers. Enra witnessed her own capture by these violators.
Within a matter of arns they laid waste to her people. Her heart sank into
bitter despair. Those memories suddenly faded away. They were replaced by images
that were not her own yet she knew them all. Enra witnessed the argument between Jack
and Ulric over allowing her to live or die. She saw John Crichton saying good
bye to his father. She watched her son's birth through his eyes as if he had
been there to watch it. The warmth she felt was
overwhelming. Finally something made her address the specter that
was reawaking these memories. Enra spoke out into the darkness. "How can this
be?" She was fearful of saying his name as if some how it would cause his
specter disappear. She looked deeply into the blackness beyond
the flood of memories. She could make him out, his silver hair and ever-present
smile. Enr,a what you unlocked in John's
memory was not real. The memory was placed there by that creature. For the
first time Enra saw an anger in Jack’s eyes she had never known. It was brief
but haunting. You must warn him.
A warmth filled her she as she tried to
concentrate, fearful that if she was not careful she would lose her connection
with the ghost from her past. "How can this be? You're dead!"
There was a slight chuckle in his voice as
he continued. Enra that would ruin
everything if I told you...She could make out his warm smile in the
darkness. Thank you, Enra. Thank you for
everything that has been and has yet to be… “Jack! Wait! I don’t understand! JACK!!!!
“ A sharp pain shot from Enra's legs to her
head. She screamed, both hands clutching at the bed linens. Enra sensed she was
not alone. As she struck out at the darkness she felt his arms capture hers and
pull her close to him. She felt his beard on her forehead as she looked up, her
vision returned. His image was blurry at first but she knew who it was. She
spoke his name as she pulled herself tightly into his chest. “Ulric...”
Enra could feel his heart beat as she
tightened her hold on him and she began to sob. The nightmare was over. Once again, somehow, Jack Crichton had saved
her life. "John... where's John..." Enra's fingers dug
into Ulric's back as she spoke. “Enra, relax. He's gone. The Rapture freed
his memory. You did it.” He cradled her softly. "No Uli! No! It's a trap!" Enra pushed Ulric
from the side of the bed. She sat up surprisingly fast. “What? How?" Ulric grabbed her by both
shoulders holding her still against her protests. "Frell! Enra are you sure?" A sick feeling
came to Ulric as he looked into her eyes. He fell quickly into Peacekeeper mode
to assess the situation. Enra broke his stare. The thought of her
ordeal sent a chill down her spine. She had to concentrate, to describe what
happened. "This creature, Scorpius, he has some how gotten control of John's
subconscious." "How?" Ulric never questioned Enra, till
now. Enra pushed Ulric away and tried to swing her legs over the side of the
bed. "How he has control I don't know. That's not important. When did he
leave?" She was about to tell him of her
conversation with Jack but realized by his questioning he doubted her. Bringing
up a conversation with someone who has been dead for almost three cycles was a
story for another time. Ulric looked at the kronos on the far wall.
"16 arns ago." She sighed deeply as if trying to catch her
breath. She looked up at Ulric now standing in front of her, the stone faced
peacekeeper shell fully deployed. She smiled weekly at her lover. "We have to go
after him." "No! I will take care of that. You are in no
shape to travel." Ulric tried to block her from standing ."You need to
rest." "I have been sleeping too long." She tried
to stand from the bed but her body shuddered under her own weight, screaming in
agony from the attempt as wave after wave of nausea pounded at her. "How long
have I been out?" "78 arns. I was preparing the marauder to
bring you back ho... To the citadel. He stumbled as the memory of a happier time
fleeted though his memory. "The Marauder? How did John travel into
Peacekeeper territory?" Ulric smiled "Talyn. At least if he gets
into trouble the gun ship will give him a better chance than a marauder. Enra,
you have to stay here." He gently tipped her chin up to look into her eyes.
"This is my task, Enra. You have to watch Jack." Enra's hands wrapped around Ulric's. She
smiled, sadly, tears filling her eyes. She had to clear her throat. "You will
come back to me, Ulric Selton." Ulric smiled, ignoring the uneasy feeling in
his stomach. "I will come back... End of conversation!" He pulled his hand from her grasp and placed
it in front of her palm up. "With all that I am, I love you." Enra raised her hand to Ulric, her palm
still shaking slightly. "With all that I am, I love you." Ulric kissed the palm of her hand as she did
the same to his. She was stunned by his offering. She did not draw blood. She
didn't need to. They were of one soul, as her grandmother would have said.
Ulric reluctantly pulled from their embrace
. “I have to get the ship ready. I will get Chiana to bring Jack down when he
wakes. He has missed you so." Ulric started walking to the hatchway and stopped,
turning back to face Enra he smiled mischievously. "We both have." Observation Lounge Barry floated at an eating stall in the
observation lounge of the ISS. He found this place a humorous contrast to the
rest of the station, with its large windows overlooking earth and its padded
neutral walls covered with wood trim. This space, until recently, was what paid
for the operating budget of the space station. Even in the climate of world
economic collapse there were plenty to pay the hefty bill for a ride into space
and an afternoon of earth watching in true luxury. But that was before… Its only purpose now
was as a medical. The cardiac monitor beeped quietly in the background. The ISS
had minimal support systems for medical emergency beyond stabilization and
treatment for decompression injures. Barry looked at the troubled soul that lay
locked in his sleeping bag. The IV-pump whirled as it regulated his electrolyte
balance. He smiled at the irony, for some reason he was elected to be the MD on
the ISS. He had been a lifeguard in his youth. How that made him most
appropriate was beyond him. He spoke aloud, "Report." The Automatic
Electro-Defibrillator: part cardiac monitor and part defibrillator, replied in
a stern feminine voice as it gave the essentials of Ray's
condition. It was not designed to be autonomous but under these
circumstances they had no choice. Its automated system could tell
Barry what to do if another attack were to occur. It could administer
cardio stimulation unattended, but if CPR was needed it could do nothing
but raise the alarm. Barry spoke to the Houston medical team
every hour. He was reviewing his notes for a meeting with
the command staff and the president that he was not looking forward
to. He checked the time. "Shit! Fifteen minutes!" Barry's attention strayed
from his work as Ray stirred. His eyes were mere slits at first, then he
struggled in his sleeping bag as his disorientation waned. Ray squinted at
Barry. “Jesus, Ray, you really know how to get attention around here.” He
smiled at the older man. Ray smiled weekly, then his expression
turned cold. His focus sharpened. Ray’s voice was a rough whisper.
"Jack!" Barry smiled "No, Ray, its Barry... Poor
bastard!" The doctors had said that a certain amount of disorientation is common
after a heart attack like that. They couldn't determine the effect till he was
awake. "Now rest you’re gonna need it." "I know its you, Barry...” He scoffed at his
associate. “But I saw him!" Barry moved closer "Who? Ray, who did you
see?" Ray looked around the galley trying to see if there was anyone else on
deck. Barry could tell these simple actions were a burden on Ray. " Look
Ray if you don't settle down I will have to sedate you." "Look, I don't know how, but I talked to
Jack... Jack Crichton!" A warm smile filled Rays face as he spoke, his
rough voice made it hard to understand him. Barry, in the time he had known
Ray, had never seen him smile like this. Ray was a man now living with mistakes in
his past. Everything from his humor to the way he talked gave a feeling of the
heavy load he now carried. Barry one time mused that he saw Ray like the
ghostly apparition Jacob Marly who was to spend eternity under the heavy chains
that he had forged in life. The irony was that Ray very much aware of the burden
he was carrying. And, if Barry didn’t screw up, he was still alive. "OK.. Ray
now please settle down." Barry moved over to where he had been
working. He shuffled through the collection of data pads, telemetry data and
meeting notes. He found the pad holding the recommendations for treatment from
the physicians at Huston fastened with Velcro to the far end of the converted
dinner table. He quickly reviewed the information on a recommend sedative. He
floated back to the IV pump and removed one of the metal vials from the storage
compartment. “It was amazing, Barry! He’s alive!” Rays
body convulsed with the raspy chuckle. “He didn’t die…” Barry quickly cross-referenced it with the
information on his data pad. “ Its ok Ray I remember a Christmas party I went to
once where… Well let's save that story for another time.” That's all he needed,
to kill Ray by accident. Barry fumbled for the port to insert the sedative. The
IV pump pulled the small metal vial in. There was a slight hiss as it
administered the correct dosage. "No, Barry, listen to me..." Ray’s
voice weakened slightly with every word. "I spoke to him, just as you
are standing there." Barry could see Ray’s body loosen as the sedative did its
job. "He gave me a message! We can't attack the first ship though the...
the wormhole... It’s John..." Rays eyes seemed to roll up into his
head as he slipped from consciousness. Barry patted him on the head, "Goodnight,
Ray, sleep tight." He went back to his data table. Barry wished he had taped
this. He would never let Ray live this one down. Jack Crichton was talking
to him! Right, and the next thing you know, Yuri Gagarin and Amelia Earhart will
be flying though the wormhole. Sorry, Ray, this is like a bad episode of Star
Trek. Holding Cell Petra sat against the metal wall of her tiny
cell directly across the corridor from Gorran's. She would not look at him. She would not
talk to him. Gorran had been placed in a much larger holding cell with others
who had committed minor offenses to the laws of the Citadel. Gorran surveyed the group from time to time.
There were a few he had known when they were all on the Castra. After their
escape there were many who could not handle the loss. The first quarter cycle
after their escape, nearly a hundred committed suicide. The ravage of their home
world was too much for them to bear. The loss of family and friends were
barriers many could not overcome. Those who did work through the pain and loss
of that time were lucky. There were many who picked up nasty chemical addictions
to numb the loss of loved ones and to erase what they had seen. Chemical
dependence seemed to be flourishing here in the Citadel. He counted more then
fifty in the holding cell with him. Gorran did not move from his spot as he
watched Petra. Gorran knew she was furious with him for
putting his own career in jeopardy just for her. He smiled. She was always
thinking of others and of the greater good. The door at the end of the corridor opened.
Four guards walked into the narrow passageway. The first came for Petra, asking
politely. She did not argue. She just followed them out of the Cell area. Gorran
followed to the corner of his holding cell. Still Petra would not look at him.
Gorran's questions to the guards went unanswered. Shortly the guards returned for Gorran. This
time they had their pulse batons drawn. The young heavyset lead guard stood in front
of the door. He seemed nervous as he sized Gorran up. “Please, Captain Reht,
step away from the door.” Gorran did not question his authority as he
was locked into standard Peacekeeper restraints. He found it ironic that much of
their equipment and weaponry were Peacekeeper tech. The guards directed him to the tunnel
opposite the holding cells. The commander stepped forward. “Sorry, Captain Reht. We did not want the
others in the refuse pool to see us giving you special treatment.” He moved
forward and removed the restraints. Gorran was surprised. “What's your name,
Commander?” The young heavy set man smiled and looked
back at his younger officers. “I am Volks Traddus Seti These are my associates
Volks Delph Stone, Volks Gurlin Nasset and Volks Fin Corrett.”
The three guards smiled and shook Gorran's
hand. One told a humorous story of meeting Gorran on the Castra when he was only
ten cycles. After a time they dismissed themselves leaving the commander alone
with Gorran. Gorran scratched his head as he spoke. “What is the meaning of
this, Traddus? Where's Petra?” He smiled at Gorran “Come with me, sir, and please call me
Tradd. Only my mother calls me Traddus.” The guard turned and headed down one of
the many prefab concrete hallways that ran under the arboretum in the citadel.
“If you ever need anything, sir, com link to channel two three nine – it’s my
personal link.” “Ya sure Tradd…” Gorran was completely lost
as he surveyed the tunnels. "Please, its Gorran. None of this sir dren is
needed." They stopped at the entrance of a large door. Tradd ran his ident in the scanner next to
the large doors. "It is the least I can do for the man that saved me and my
famil…" He was cut off by the sound of the heavy doors parting. Tradd did not
move forward. “They are expecting you, sir.” He stammered. "Gorran." “They who?” Gorran looked puzzled at the
guard. The heavyset guard moved to the side of the
doorway. “Please, Gorran, they are waiting.” The guard seemed to be slightly
anxious. Gorran stepped carefully though the door.
Petra and Narra stood by a huge hearth. It was Narra's Hearth. Gorran stumbled
though the opening, scanning the large room. “What the frell is going on?” He looked back
in time to see the Tradd's smiling face as the door closed behind him. Plan
of Action Enra walked slowly. Since she had woken, all
she had wanted to do was move, walk, do what ever it took to shake off the nasty
memories that Scorpius exposed her to. Jack would not leave her side and now
scurried ahead playing some impossible game of tag with the DRDs. Or could it be
that he was playing with Moya herself? She just smiled at her son, waiting for
him to come running back in her direction. She made her way to the command tier and
found D'Argo staring at the stars on the main view plate. He either did not hear
her approach, which was highly unlikely, or was elsewhere in thought. “He touched many people, Ka D'Argo.” She
moved silently up next the mountainous creature. “Yes he did, and now we are going to stop
him from his goal.” His voice was deep and gravely. “What would you have us do? Allow him to be
the puppet of that monster Scorpius”? She was surprised by his anger at the
decision to go after John. D'Argo turned slowly and just stared at Enra
for a time. “No. I know what it is to have only one goal and have it taken away
from you.” He tilted his head slightly and smiled. “It as if a part of you dies.
You more than anyone can understand that.” “Yes, D'Argo, I do.” Enra reached out and
squeezed his hand. “ But we all have to make something of what the gods give us
in our travels.” “Spoken like a true Vladic.” D'Argo's rough
laugh echoed in the command. Enra looked back to the rear hatchway. She
moved closer to D'Argo. She spoke in a quiet tone trying to control the volume
of her voice as she did. “Is Moya
capable of a tight band coms in the Gigahectar range?” D'Argo was obviously surprised at the
question. “Yes, she uses it to speak to Talyn so that the Peacekeepers can’t
track it.” He squinted slightly. A suspicious scowl came to his face.
“Why?” "Ulric and Crais are about to depart
correct?" She continued to glance back at the hatchway. “Yes"
D'Argo seemed uneasy by these questions. His tone was much sharper this
time "Again, why?" “D'Argo, I have friends that can help John.
They have a very powerful ship that could easily make it in and out without
being detected." "That’s impossible. Not even a flax shield
can do that." He scoffed turning away from Enra. "Only a leviathan in deep
starburst could travel that distance and not be detected.” Enra just smiled at the Luxan. “Yes Ka
D'Argo.” She was more ashamed of the knowledge than proud. He turned back to her.
“Impossible!” “Once Ulric and Crais are gone. We will
contact them and you will see it is more than possible.” She moved forward
again, this time with a look that D'Argo had never seen before. “Not a word of
this to Ulric… Do you understand?” Just as he was about to protest, Ulric's
voice could be heard in the corridor outside the Command tier. John and he might
look alike but his voice was completely different. “Chiana, I understand that he
was to remain in the cell but I need him… So get your gray ass down there and
open the cell.” Ulric walked into the Command tier as if it
were his home. He was surprised to see Enra there. “End of conversation!”
He keyed his com closed, stopping the
continued arguments of Chiana. “What are you doing here Enra?” Enra could not look directly at him. A
slight sick feeling tugged at her, seeing him in his command jacket. “I needed
to get out for a walk. I couldn’t just lay there all day.” She seemed to
overreact, setting off an alarm in Ulric. Her voice found a more serious tone.
“Why are you dressed in your old command jacket? I thought you said you would
never wear it again? “Well, if we are stopped what should I wear,
Banik clothing? But that doesn’t matter…” He looked suspiciously at the two of
them, “What is going on here?” A smirk came to his face as he slowly turned
from Enra to D'Argo. D'Argo squinted slightly. He moved forward
and towered over Ulric. “She was here asking for information about Scorpius. We
have had many dealings with him in the past.” He looked slyly back at Enra who
had obviously been holding her breath waiting for his response. Ulric was going to question him further but
did not have the time. “We leave in 900 microts. I have to go down and let Crais
out. It appears Chiana wouldn’t do it for me.” D'Argo smiled, “Good girl.” Ulric looked slightly annoyed at the Luxan
“Ka D'Argo, as always, it has been interesting. We will meet you at the
rendezvous point in one weeken. Take care of them for me.” He looked at Enra with a fear she was not
used to seeing. Then he started to walk back to the hangar. Enra quickly
catching up to him. D'Argo stood and watched them leave “Good
Luck Ulric.” They traveled to the central corridor on
tier seven. “Stop for a moment Ulric.” Enra moved close to Ulric and clasped his
right hand her fingers passing over the missing digits. She raised his hand to
her lips and kissed his open palm. Ulric embraced her. He whispered into her
ear words he seldom used. “I love you Enra. All that I am is think to you.”
She did not look at him, could not look at
him. All that mattered now was that he was leaving her. Selfish anger passed
though her as she pulled from their embrace. “I will meet you in the hangar. I
need to find Jack.” Enra moved from him, her eyes cast to the floor. As in most
cases Ulric stood there perplexed by her reaction. Once she was gone he headed
to retrieve Crais. Jack stood quietly on the transport hangar.
He would not speak to Crais. He knew what the man had allowed Talyn to do to his
father. Jack did not understand, but Moya did and soothed his anger. Jack
watched his father say goodbye first to Chiana then to his mother. He felt sad
seeing them together. It was as if they were saying goodbye for the last time.
It upset Jack and he ran forward to both of
them. Ulric picked his son up and comforted him. Jack grabbed franticly at his
father pleading him not to go. Again Jack could not understand the blind fear
but knew it was there waiting to consume him and his father. Ulric consoled his son. He cradled the
sobbing boy for as long as he could then placed him in his mother's arms. He
kissed Jack's forehand and whispered in his ear. "Always sing for me, Jack. I
can hear you no matter where you are when you sing." He turned from Enra and Jack knowing that if
he lingered any longer he would not go. Jack watched as his father, dressed in his
black and red uniform, disappeared up the ramp. Then suddenly the ramp itself
moved into the belly of their marauder. The hatchway sealed and they moved back
into the maintenance bay as the doors closed. Jack Selton knew that was the last
time he would ever see his father. Call
from the past Enra met D'Argo on the command tier. It had
taken three arns to get Jack to settle down. Her own fears about the safety of
her husband were sidetracked by her son’s reaction. D'Argo watched her set the coordinates, his
arms folded in contemptuous disbelief. She could tell he was impressed with her
mastery of Moya's systems. Narra woke to the sound of a guard tapping
on her door. She rolled over and looked at her Kronos. “Mark three! Frell! Now
what.” It took her a few moments to realize where
she was. She shoved Gorran's leg off her and got up. She found something to wear
in the mass of strewn clothes on the floor. The guard knocked again. “I'm up!” She yelled louder then she had
meant. She moved to the hatchway and raised her hand to release the lock. She
looked down at the palm of her hand. The dark purple marks ached slightly. She
smiled as she closed her hand into a first and keyed the lock. The hatchway
opened. Gorran stirred in the sudden brightness in the room, he lay there trying to let his head catch up to his body. “What time is it?” His questions went unanswered. He grinned as
his brain finally caught up to where he was. He rolled onto his back. Narra had
been furious at him for taking the stand and causing the scene in the tribunal
chambers. Still, he was here now. She
was obviously not that upset. He grinned again. Yes she is. Gorran chucked to himself.
He thought of ways of making it up to her. Suddenly he heard the sound of door
opening and a conversation taking place. He sat up and looked to the hatchway. A
house guard was in deep conversation with Narra. He looked at Gorran two or
three times. It was only then that Gorran realized he was naked and he tried to
pull the linens up. When to door closed Narra retuned to the bed. “Get up, Gorran!” she demanded!” He propped his head up on one arm as he
watched her dressing. “Look. So what? The guards now have something to talk
about off duty.” He looked down at the deep purple marks on the palm of his
hand. A smile came to his face. It had
been so long. “What? Is the chancellor not allowed to have
guests?” Narra’s expression did not change. “Gorran
we received a transmission… Get up we have to go to the ops post.” It was more the seriousness of her tone and
the worried look on her face than what she had said. Gorran got dressed quickly.
He was unable to find one shoe as Narra walked from her chamber. He followed
quickly behind, the cold stone floor of her hearth helping to wake him
further. The worried communication officer looked up
at the two of them as they entered the cramped control center. He smiled slightly at Gorran as he
realized his shirt was miss- snapped and one of its tails was sticking out
through his trouser front. He grinned at the communications officer and just
shrugged as he tried to compose himself. Narra did not bother to introduce Gorran. He
knew most of them. They had served under him during their escape from the
Peacekeepers. Narra’s cold voice snapped Gorran to attention from his game of
remembering all their names. “Open the transmission!” The image slowly formed. Gorran was certain
of who it was. “Enra!” He whispered.
"Very well Dasvalla Enra Talis. What is the
meaning of this call?" Narra was more than anxious, although the transmission
was a tight beam point-to-point, there was still the remote chance of
detection. "I am in need of a favor." Gorran was still amazed at the steady tone
Narra could maintain regardless of the situation. "What kind of favor? You are a
long way from us Enra…" "My husband is in need of assistance and I
wish you to send the Castra to look after him." Gorran finally broke into the conversion.
"Enra this is Gorran. I am sure you can understand the need to keep the Castra
hidden. The risk is too great." Narra stepped in over Gorran's comments.
"Enra, where is Ulric now?" Enra seemed to shift her position slightly
and she struggled to say. "He is heading to the Drathor Prime system
078-547-009." Gorran looked at Narra. He whispered. "It's
deep in Peacekeeper territory." Gorran could see the anguish in Narra's eyes
at his statement. She moved closer to the transmission plate.
She raised her hand to the plate itself. "I am sorry, Enra. There is no way we
could chance sending the Castra into Peacekeeper territory.” Gorran placed his hand on Narra’s shoulder.
He looked into Enra's eyes. Her cool expression gave him no clue to what she was
feeling. Yet he knew more. Flashes of her came to him as some of the memories
from their rapture flashed in his mind. “Enra, I wish there was something we
could do.” Enra smiled. It was not what Gorran
expected. She then spoke calmly her hands clasped in front of her. “Gorran, were
you able to breach the memory core shunt in the Castra?” Gorran's hand tightened on Narra's shoulder.
"How do you know about the memory shunt?" This time it was Enra who moved forward. "I
know many things, Starric Gorran Reht.” She leaned back and glanced at D'Argo
briefly before turning back with an almost mocking tone. "So have
you?” Narra became alarmed. She turned to Gorran.
"Could she know this from the Rapture?" "No. I would recall." Gorran turned back to
the projection. "No we have not." "That is a pity then. There will be no more
Defenders made. You need the growth lattice stored in the memory core to build
more ships." Gorran was shocked at her knowledge of the
Castra. He sat down next to Narra and pulled up the data files on Enra. They showed she was a second class Biomech
engineer. No security clearance. No military service. There was no way she could
know that much detail of the ship. "How do you know this, Enra?" Enra looked at him a sadness filled her as
her expression. "Poor Gorran, captain of the most powerful ship in the universe
and you don’t know how to use it.” Her sarcastic tone soured his
stomach. "Enra, what is this? Why are you…" Narra’s
tone softened. She felt the guilt for many things in their fight for survival
but their treatment of Enra, her Peacekeeper mate and half breed son always
haunted her. "I need help, and the only way to get you to
help me is to barter for it. You sicken me Narra!" Enra stood. She had looked
back to a Luxan who had been in the room with her. She then turned back to the
viewer. “I know how to remove the memory core shunt.” “Impossible!” Gorran blurted. Unlike Narra,
he grew tired of Enra's behavior. This was not the same woman he had linked with
in Rapture. Narra silenced Gorran and turned back to the
screen. “Alright, Enra. Go ahead. Tell us how.” "In your files, pull up the name Glav Enra
Tralis.” Gorran cross-referenced the file. He didn’t
need to. He knew her work all too well. The chief architect who had left the
development of the defender class before the birth of the Castra. He riffled
though the data. Looking for any remaining images of her. There was a news
conference and standing there in the image was Enra. "By the gods! He whispered. Looking from the
still image back to the smiling Enra on the screen. “Its you! Narra it's her.
She designed the frelling beast!” Narra was far more reserved then Gorran. She
studied the image for a moment and looked back at Enra. “I still need
proof.” Enra sat back down. She thought, what could
she provide them to show them that she had intimate knowledge of the Castra?
"Gorran, you are the linked to the ship? Are you not?" "Yes, I am." He blocked out the others who
over the years had tried the Fold and died in their attempt at linking with the
ship. "You have the neural cluster active now,
right?" Gorran was surprised by the question. "No,
Enra, the neural synaptic cluster is extracted at the end of every
interface.” "What!" Enra was amazed. "Gorran, you mean
you go though that hell every time you enter the fold? Why?" Gorran was amazed. The idea that he did not
need his synapses attacked every time he enter the fold was an amazing concept.
“How else can it be done?” Enra laughed sadly “Gorran, I am sorry. I
could have saved you much pain. When you enter the fold, place both hands on the
yellow scanners on either side of the hatchway.” She thought back to the design.
"The Castra will then set the Fold chamber to your specific needs. Once the
scanners are no longer illuminated you may perform the Fold sequence. Once you
are fully integrated, a single-word command will save your synaptic profile and
allow the interface to stay in you. See, its simple really.” Gorran felt the hair on the back of his neck
stand on end. "The command. What is it? He realized after he had said it that he
sounded like a pleading fool. Enra looked softly at him. “I am sorry Gorran…” She leaned forward.
“…just say 'Join'.” Gorran laughed. "That’s it? No! By the gods
it can’t be that easy! I have been…” he smiled at Narra who for the first time
this morning was smiling as well. “Join! That’s all there is to it?" Narra turned back to Enra. “If this works we
will contact you. Give use three arns.” She looked back at Gorran who headed out
the door and to the nearest transport he could get his hand on. “Once I have conformation that it works then
I will allow you the use of the Castra. With the understanding that if anything
happens, it will return here.” Enra smiled, “Thank you Chancellor. I will
await your confirmation.” Enra turned off the transmitter and looked
at the Luxan still standing behind her. “Well, Ka D'Argo?” The was a thick gravely laugh as he spoke.
“That was amazing!” Enra stood from the table. “I would say you
owe me an apology.” “Yes, I do.” He said no more, they both
laughed. Enra shifted back in her seat as she felt a sense of accomplishment.
Uli would have a help now. John had Ulric and if Ulric only knew that the
Vladics were coming to watch out for him, he would have her head. Now if they
would get home quickly she could rest. One's future is the other's past… Barbara stood from her chair as the
introductions as pleasantries ended. “ First off boys, how's Ray
doing?” Barry was surprised about her sincere
concern. “Well, he was awake a little while ago.” He looked back to Ray sleeping
peacefully. “Seemed a bit daft when
he woke, but that’s to be expected. The doctors said he might be
disoriented.” “What's the game plan for getting him
home?” Barry looked back to DK who was working on
one of the many data pads floating free in front of him. He seemed oblivious to
the meeting DK was supposed to be participating in. “We need to stabilize him first then we will
see about getting him home. Right now re-entry wouldn’t be the best thing for
him… So I am told, Barbara.” “I am sure you are making a wonderful doctor
Barry.” She granted him a slight smile. “So now lets review these findings of
yours.” DK finally looked up from his data tablets
and started rattling off their theory of the Crichton Anomaly. They presented it
in a format designed for the politicians to understand, although DK would fall
back into Quantum mechanics and would have to be brought back to explaining it
in fourth graders terms. Barbara passed behind them, her worthless
Cabinet who couldn't get past how the public would judge them. They spent their
efforts not on the problems at hand, but on how to deal with Opinion Polls. Spin
doctors, the lot of them, truly worthless except for her moral compass, Bob. She
kept her eyes peeled to the monitor that filled the far wall of the conference
room. “So you are trying to tell me that they are
from our future? What is this Barry?" She watched as the two of them they floated
in the spacious interior of the ISS observation lounge. "This would explain why they look so much
like us Madam President. In fact this should strengthen my position that they
are not invaders but explorers" "Bull!" Barb walked back to her chair. She
had known too may snakes in her career. She wordlessly smiled at her vice
president, then turned back to the screen. "No Barry, I will not subscribe to
your interpretation of them." She looked back Bob who nodded approvingly at
her. "So gentlemen. Our next course of action
is? DK looked up from his data tablet, only
giving half his attention to the meeting, "Madam President, first we got to get
those nukes out of the way. Who knows what could happen if we formed an anomaly
near one of them… it could, in theory, set it off.” Barb looked back to the VP who smiled smugly
at her. "Then we should place them in an orbit near the ISS in case we need
them." DK looked back to Barry." His face turned red as he broke into the
conversation. "We can't use them as a weapon near the anomaly. DK has shown
what…" "Barry!" The President raised her voice
uncommonly loud for her. “If we are going to go down. We are going down
swinging!" DK looked up from his data pad. He pushed
off from his Velcro anchor so he could get up closer to the others. "What if the
Peacekeepers don't know that the worm hole is temporal in nature?" Barbara sat in back down as the weight of
the question crushed her in her chair. “Then DK, not only are we're fucked! But
they fucked themselves as well" The
Passage The marauder shuddered under the constant
acceleration. “Ulric, if you keep this up there is no chance of getting out of
this alive.” Bialar spat. “If we don’t stop this you may loose your
precious Talyn. Now sit down and shut up!” Ulric didn’t look up from the flight
controls. “Where the frell are they?” The tracker locked on to the small Biomech’s
signal. As the Marauder approached, it decelerated. Bialar might be right. He
might have damaged the Hetch drive in his haste to find them. Ulric could smell
through the enviro controls and the sweet smell of over-heated metal and
silicates. Once in range he sent a tight beam link to Talyn. “John, it’s a trap!” "What are you doing here, Ulric?" John asked
calmly. "John, head back! They are coming, we don’t
have time! Your memory of the message isn't real, John!" John was startled by the sound in Ulric's voice. “Who's coming? We haven't seen one patrol?” Aeryn looked at John, puzzled. “Nothing on long rang or short rang
scanners other than their Marauder. ” “Ulric, we are almost ready to insert. I
can’t stop now.” Ulric called to Talyn directly. He wanted
nothing to do with Ulric and made that quite obvious in his link. Crais stood at
Ulric’s side holding him up. He was disoriented by his attempted communication.
“That was foolish, Uli, let me.” Ulric looked at Crais “You mean you can
communicate from this distance?" “I don't know, but Talyn and I are still
linked." He closed his eyes and called to Talyn. Pulse rounds struck the rear of the
Marauder. With the frag explosions the event horizon erupted behind them. The
energy from the frag cannon had doubled the size of the opened passage. The dead
Marauder slowly fell towards the collapsing wormhole. The blue distortion caught
the Marauder like a fly in a spiders web. “Ulric!” John yelled into the coms. He
watched as the ship fell towards the expanding whirlpool. “John …. Get out… trap… they…” The marauder was gone pulled in by the
retracting space-time of the event horizon. "What’s happening, Aeryn?" Zhaan moved up
next to Aeryn. She smiled sickly at her. "We have been shadowed here. Six
marauders approached in a kill pattern." "It’s a trap!" Aeryn snapped as she passed
John. Aeryn moved to the center of Talyn's
command. “Prepare for StarBurst.” Talyn’s floor pulsated with
objection. “Wait, Aeryn, we can’t leave!” John
moved from the console to the center on the command deck. "We have no choice. Your module cannot
withstand a near miss from one of those marauders.” She tried to be as
compassionate as she knew how. “We have no choice.” He looked back at the shimmering whirlpool.
He watched as his last chance to go home slowly collapsed. “Get us out of
here!” “Talyn, StarBurst!” She held her breath,
expecting the gut wrenching disorientation but nothing happened. “Talyn, if we don’t escape they will capture
you and you know what they will do with you.” The lights dimmed in the core of
the command. “Thank you, Talyn."
Hollow Victory Sela watched Teasa Lan’s reaction as the
biomech was pulled into the worm hole. The commander stood mouth agape, watching
helplessly as her prey fell into the strange blue funnel.. “Track them! Teasa commanded. The team of
marauders flew closer to the distortion as the Biomech fell beyond the event
horizon.. “Deploy a coded tracking beacon!” Sela, who had plans of her own, relished the
fact that Lan had failed in her orders. She allowed a baleful smile as she
replied,. “Beacon away, Commander. But what of Scorpius’s orders?“ She looked back down at her
controls. Teasa headed back to the small cabin that
housed the AutoDoc “Set course back to the Sano!” Sela gave the command to her Delcar wing to
depart. In unison, the marauders turned back in the direction of the command
carrier, Sano. As her Hammond side marauder activated its Hetch drive, the
fading blue distortion exploded back into life. Sela fought for control with the mouth of
the dimensional funnel. She watched helplessly as her lead ship collided with
the marauder on her Hammond side. Both ships descended into the shimmering blue
vortex funnel. Unlike the rogue marauder and the Biomech, her ships strayed too
close to the wall of the distortion and became fiery streaks as the mouth of the
dimensional beast still gained on them. “Argus! Kets! No!” The loss of two of her
own made her fight the gravitational forces that much harder. The remaining
marauders slowly climbed from the edge of the dimensional event. Sela Tyron
closed her eyes as she mourned the loss of good and capable solders. She looked
back at the stunned tralk, Lan. Sela stared at her. Sela knew Scorpius
wanted the human alive! For that matter Sela would have liked him as well, but
for the express purpose of killing him herself. It would have helped to quench
the bitter loss of Jarred. Just the thought of his name sent a chill down her
spine. In a way, Sela owed Teasa something. The killer of Jarred was now dead
himself. That was a victory in itself, no matter how small. No, only if she saw
him die would she feel some satisfaction.
“Your orders, Commander Lan?” Teasa sat back in her command chair. She
adjusted her uniform as if it mattered and then looked back at Sela. “Get me
Scorpius!” Returning visitor Ulric woke first. The smell of the fire
suppression system was a welcome odor. If the hull was maintaining the
atmosphere and the fires were out, they could survive for a time. He felt
strange, then as his head cleared he realized what was wrong. The gravimetric
emulators were off line. The small command area of the marauder was bathed in
red light. It started coming back to him what had
happened. Frell! Ulric started trying to see how bad their situation was when he
heard the groggy sounds of Bialar slowly waking from their little collision.
"Where the frell are we, Uli?” he said,
holding his head with both hands as a continuous trickle of blood streamed from
his forehead. "I don’t know. You better do something about
that." “No time.” Bialar wiped the blood from his
face and turned to the console. “Dead. All dead here. Do you have
anything?” “Damage control is off-line. Backup flight
controls are functioning. Navigation is frelled. No position sensors." Ulric retracted the acceleration chair
from the control node and floated slowly up to an access panel on the
ceiling. "We are blind as a Trung mullet. I am
overriding blast shields. We can at least get a visual of our location."
He found the override and pulled the
connection. The blast shield that covered the front of the command deck slowly
lowered into the hull. The blinding light from the world beyond took them by
surprise. Their eyes slowly adjusted to the blue world's brilliance beyond.
Bialar squinted at the planet before them.
“Frell. That’s a little too close. We had better make a course correction or we
will be permanent visitors to that little world.” Ulric knew the world. He had been here once
before, in a ship no better off than theirs right now. Ulric closed his eyes and
listened. Silence nothing. There were no
sounds of Biomechs. They had not yet been created. The creators of all that
he knew lay before them. “This little world is known as Earth.” “Earth! Uli that’s…” Bialar remembered his
first meeting with Crichton and his explanation of his travels. A sadness came
with it along with the thoughts of Tauvo' death. “Yes Bialar. That’s John’s home world.”
Ulric noticed the hulk of another marauder. Its frame spun slowly. It had been
ruptured from inside perhaps some heavy artillery had gone off in the turbulent
passage here. “Well, we don’t have to worry about them.” “I don’t see any trace of Talyn?” Bialar
listened closely. He could feel the life signs through his bond with the ship
but Talyn was unresponsive. He called again. Nothing. Bialar opened his eyes.
“Talyn is here, but he is not responding.”
He worried about the damage the wormhole might have caused. “We must find
him!” “Yes, Bialar, in good time. Right now let’s
see if we can keep from slamming into earth at Hetch three.” Ulric returned to
his station. He fought the damaged drive system for nearly an arn. They were
stably in an elliptical orbit above earth, but it was temporary. The marauder’s
drive was virtually gone; they were captured by the blue world and already the
forward transparency clear-plaz was
now filled with the world they orbited. Ulric looked to Bialar. His expression told
the entire story. Bialar smiled. “I am not looking forward to having to deal
with an entire world filled with Crichtons.” “Look on the bright side, Bialar, we
probably won’t survive re-entry.” The two men laughed. Bialar laughter faded. “How long do we
have?” “Two, three orbits then we are heading in.”
Ulric debated contacting the Warship himself but after the last time he knew
better than to try. “Do you know anything of this world,
Uli?” “Very little other than the stories that Jack told me. They will not treat us well here, Bialar. They have never made contact with any other race before.” Ulric realized that there is a chance that they might be able to find help. “Tags!” he said out laud. “What” Bialar questioned “What
tags? “When I was here last, we tagged three
individuals: Jack Crichton, Ray Wilson and Lisa Dallas. That’s it!” Ulric
floated from his seat again and pulled a large case from the storage area near
the AutoDOC. “Uli why, for the glory of all, would the
humans help us?” Bialar bitter tone surprised Ulric. “Because, Bialar, that’s the way humans
are.” He tried to sound censer. Ulric
knew of many of the bad things that humans had done in thie history. But Jack
always spoken of hope. And right now that’s all they had. He fumbled with the controls of the hand
scanner as the marauder circled the earth Talyn Fall Talyn screamed as he struck the edge of the
strange conduit. For once he screamed for his mother but heard nothing in
return. He was alone. The vortex had claimed most of his sight, yet he felt its
pull. The small gravity well of the world pulled him towards it before all that
he was faded to unconsciousness. He dove deep into the upper atmosphere, the
blinding heat helped masking the pain. He made two complete orbits of the world
before shooting out into the cool darkness of deep space. As the last of his
senses dimmed he called one last time to his mother… No he was alone… He would die here
alone. Aeryn pulled herself up the wall of the far
side of the command tier. All of Talyn's illuminations were out. Not even backup
worked and there was a lingering heat that made her nervous. She made sure to
stay clear of the outer hull. She saw a small gray world with no atmosphere its
pock-marked surface had seen many collisions in its time. “John! Zhaan are you alright?” By the gray
light of this tiny world she found him. John's crumpled body lay motionless near
the front transparencies. She called. He did not answer. She touched him but he
did not move. Aeryn knelt over him. He was still breathing. It was only then she
realized she had been holding her own breath. She turned him carefully her hands
cradling his head. She felt the wet warm matted hair. John had a large gash
above his ear. The blood that now covered the left side of his head looked black
in the gray light cast from the world they were approaching. She could never get
used to the human's naturally cool body temperature. But now more so Aeryn
focused on one thing, his life. Aeryn called out in the darkness again
“Zhaan! I need help!” The dead quiet of the Command tier pounded in her
ears. Aeryn remember the training John had given
her so long ago. She moved close and listened to his breathing it was slow and
uneven. A nervous chill flowed through her. She never knew him to breathe like
this. She pulled his arm that had been pined under his body. Aeryn held his
wrist and felt for a pulse. She had to concentrate, her hands were shaking. If
she had time, she would be ashamed of her inability for calmness in this crisis.
“Don’t think. Act!” She yelled, feeling for
John's pulse again. Aeryn ground her teeth, as she moved her hand against the
human’s impossibly cool skin. His pulse was there but it was wrong. It was
erratic. The pulses were close together then far apart. Aeryn knew from her own species that
autonomous organ control could be effected by damage to the brain. “Frelling
human …” Once again her thoughts betrayed her. Aeryn
had made up her mind that it just could work for them, yet in this instance she
felt like a lost little girl incapable of doing anything. Aeryn stood to get the medical kit when she
noticed that the tiny gray lifeless world was much lager now. “Frell! Talyn we are headed on a collision
course.” John’s injuries would have to wait. She stood at the center of the command and
called again to him… Nothing. Aeryn moved to the rear wall of command and
violently pulled the cover off Talyn's synaptic cluster. “No Talyn!” Aeryn was certain that Talyn was severely
damaged. Her mind raced. They had no time for the DRDs to make enough repairs to
wake the ship. She remembered the underdeveloped pilot's chamber. She might be
able to take rudimentary control from there. Aeryn was started by Zhaan ghostly
appearance in the dim light. "Zhaan where the Hezmana!"
Zhaan dug through the small medical kit,
surveying what she had to work with. “I will see what I can do.” She looked
Aeryn reassuringly. It was only then that Aeryn saw that she to
had been injured as well. Zhaan's right shoulder was impossibly
misaligned with respect to her neck.
“Zhaan your…” “It will be fine. I will tend to it in time…
Now go!” Looking back briefly enough to see that the cratered gray world they were descending towards now filled all the boward windows of Talyn. |
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She spoke first. "From the Clan Dasvalla, I, Enra Talis,
wish to speak to you Lady Chancellor." She bowed her head in
reverence. 
Aeryn reached over and patted the wall support near the
core. As the energy pulse grew form his tail, Talyn was about to slip between
dimension when it happened: the energy from the StarBurst shell that was
encompassing Talyn expanded into the mouth of the wormhole. Like an angry
creature it consumed the battleship. Talyn was now unwillingly headed for
Earth.
Zhaan was holding her head as Aeryn guided
her to John. "He’s hurt… badly.” Her voice cracked and trailed off. "I am
heading to the den to see if I can keep us from slamming into that
planet."