Title: SEEING THE LIGHT

Author: by ISIS

Disclaimers: Farscape is the property of Rockne S O'Bannon, Jim Henson Company et al. I make no claim on them. I borrow only. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

Rating: G

Category: Drama

Summary: An accident challenges Aeryn to be more

Spoilers: slight for Till the Blood Runs Clear

Archiving: You're welcome to it; please tell me where it's at. (louiseboyden@earthlink.net)

Acknowledgements: Thanks as always to Quilt Lady for her great suggestions and criticisms.

Enjoy

***********

PART ONE OF FOUR

"So what have you done to your pathetic Farscape this time, Crichton?" Aeryn asked, her voice dripping with teasing sarcasm.

John leaned forward and put his mouth close to her ear, grinning wickedly. "Just wait 'til you see what this baby can do now, Ms Sun. You'll be very impressed." He let himself indulge in a quick sniff of her scented hair, then leaned back in satisfaction.

Aeryn snorted with disbelief. "I find the fact that this bucket of dren is still flying impressive enough."

John grinned again at her tone, knowing that she was more than impressed by his ability to adapt Leviathan technology to enhance his primitive craft. But he also knew she would never admit it. He reached behind him to monitor the new thrusters he had added. Then he opened the comm to Moya. "Pilot, can Moya tell me when the next series of solar flares is expected?"

Pilot's voice came back, ragged with static. "As closely as we can tell, in another quarter arn. But Moya's sensors are badly affected by the radiation."

"That's okay, Pilot. Close enough. Make sure Moya stays a safe distance away. The locals tell us that when this star goes, the fireworks are quite spectacular."

"Will do."

John could not help a final question. "Hey, D'Argo, how's Zhaan doing?" Aeryn turned around to glare at his smirking face.

D'Argo's disgusted growl came darkly over the comm. "She's enjoying herself immensely. The only reason she keeps voting in favour of your time-wasting experiments is to get close to suns with solar flare activity."

In the background, John could distinctly hear Rygel protesting loudly. He chuckled. "Hey, Big Guy, you should be the last one complaining. Ever since you and Chiana hooked up ...," he let his voice trail off suggestively. Aeryn reached around and tried to smack him, but he ducked. "Hey, it's true!"

"It's no one's business but theirs, Crichton!"

"Except when they keep defiling various parts of the ship, and getting caught at it!" Rygel griped. "Body breeders!"

John laughed out loud and Aeryn could not keep the smile from her face. "And how are you doing, Crichton?" D'Argo asked, changing the subject.

"I'm fine, D'Argo, just peachy." Ever since his near misses on the Royal Planet, the rest of the crew had been very attentive, sensitive to even the slightest change in his behaviour. John was flattered by their consideration, but sometimes found it smothering.

Except now. John looked at the dark head of the ex-PeaceKeeper in front of him as she steered the Farscape module into position. He knew one of the reasons that Aeryn was with him now was to make sure he would be all right. He certainly didn't mind being smothered by his beautiful Sebacean shipmate. Not in the slightest. In fact, he wished ...

Just then, his instruments registered the beginning of intense solar flare activity, shaking him out of his reverie. "Uh, gotta go, D'Argo. We'll start our run in a few microts."

"Good luck!" the Luxan said, and signed off.

"Okay, Aeryn, you better put on those solar filters. These flares are going to be pretty strong."

"I don't need you to remind me, Crichton. Have you got yours on?" Aeryn asked abruptly.

"Yes. Fashion eye wear courtesy of Furlow of Dam-Ba-Da." John monitored the flare activity, then reached down and placed his hand on Aeryn's shoulder. "Okay, begin the run."

Aeryn expertly pilotted the tiny module in the now familiar slingshot maneuver the Human had taught her. The tiny craft shot into the planet's atmosphere, its gravity amplifying the Farscape's speed exponentially. She pulled out just as waves of powerful light and radiation washed over the module from the system's massive star. John gasped as before him he saw once more the whirling blue vortex of the wormhole. For a microt, he was again overcome by memories of his previous experience with the phenomenon, but he quickly recovered, beginning to take his readings for later study.

"Can you get us any closer,Aeryn?"

"Why?" she demanded suspiciously, working to control the speeding craft.

John sighed. "I just need a closer reading. I have no intention of going in, Aeryn. Trust me."

Aeryn said nothing, but steered the module closer. John checked his readings, satisfied that he was getting the data he needed. Just as he was about to ask Aeryn to move them away, he thought he caught a glimpse of something at the far end of the wormhole. For a microt, he held his breath, not daring to believe he could actually see Earth. Aeryn turned to ask him a question, but he was too focussed on trying to identify the system he could clearly see through the wormhole's funnel.

"Crichton! I said check the rear thruster!" Aeryn's voice cut through his musings.

"Right," he replied distractedly. He reached forward to hit the thruster control. Unfortunately, Aeryn chose that very moment to turn impatiently and try to reach the control herself. John outstretched hand knocked her goggles flying. Suddenly the cockpit of the module was flooded with intense light as a second flare erupted from the star below them. John was blinded temporarily, even through Furlow's goggles. He heard Aeryn gasp, then the light faded. Blinking to clear the white spots still before his eyes, John looked around to see that the wormhole had disappeared. He quickly checked the instruments and determined that everything was fine.

"Wow, that was amazing!" John enthused to his silent copilot. "Ready to go home, Aeryn?" He leaned forward and hit the thruster control, seeing with satisfaction that it was all right. "Aeryn?" he repeated. The module lurched unexpectedly. "Aeryn?"

"John, take the controls," Aeryn said, her voice slightly panicked.

"Aeryn, what's the matter? Aeryn, talk to me!"

"Just take the controls, Crichton, and get me back to Moya!" she cried.

John looked at her perplexed. Then he spied the fallen goggles on the floor of the cockpit. "Oh no! Aeryn!" He reached around her and gently grabbed her chin, turning her face towards his. The sight of her blankly staring eyes started the rattlers churning in his stomach. Aeryn wrenched her face out of his hand and turned away from him.

John opened a comm to the waiting Leviathan. "Pilot, get us back on board immediately. And go rouse Zhaan. There's been an accident."

***************

Aeryn lay silently on the table in Zhaan's converted infirmary, stoically letting the Delvian pass the scanning instruments over her. Since her orders to John, she had said nothing, silently letting him lead her to the infirmary where Zhaan waited to treat her damaged eyes but roughly shaking off his helping hands as he tried to assist her up on the table. John had backed off after that, pacing back and forth in the entrance of the infirmary, biting at his thumb, waiting for the results of Zhaan's scans. He was barely aware of Chiana and D'Argo slipping in to see what had happened. Even Rygel hovered nearby, thankfully without comment.

When Zhaan set the scanner down and looked at the Human with sad eyes, he met her gaze with horror. Sensing a change in the activity in the room, Aeryn sat up. "What? What is it, Zhaan? How long will I be like this this time?" she demanded angrily.

Zhaan looked again at John and the others helplessly. Then she turned and tried to ease Aeryn back down on the table. "Lie back, my dear. Don't try to sit up quite yet," she said in a soothing tone.

"I'll sit up if I want to, Zhaan!" Aeryn exclaimed, pushing the priestess's hands away. "I'm not sick. I just caught another frelling solar flare in the face. So tell me, how long before I get my sight back?"

Zhaan sighed and stepped back, glancing again at her companions for support. "It's not that simple this time, Aeryn. This is the second solar burn you've experienced. And this time it was ten times stronger than on Dam-Ba-Da. There was no atmosphere to filter it out. Your retinas have been severely damaged."

"So what are you saying -- days, weekens, ... monens?"

"At least."

Aeryn turned her unseeing blue gaze in the direction of the Delvian's discouraging voice. "Never?"

Zhaan raised her eyes to meet those of her fellow crew members. She hesitated then replied, "Possibly. I'm sorry."

Aeryn sat saying nothing, the awful reality washing over her. John closed his eyes in despair, raking his hands through his hair. Chiana and Zhaan moved towards the stricken Sebacean in an effort to offer her comfort, but she angrily shook off their hands. She slid from the bed, placing a hand on its surface to steady herself, then she turned towards where she thought the door was. She took a few determined steps, then stumbled into the bed beside her own. "Frell!" she cursed.

John flew to her side, reaching out to guide her. At his touch, she pulled away, stumbling again. She spun around to face where he had been, her blinded eyes flashing with fury. "Don't touch me! Leave me alone!" She tried to make her way to the door again.

"Aeryn, please, let me help you!" John begged, distraught.

"Haven't you helped me enough, Human!?" she hissed at him with barely controlled anger. She tensed, instantly regretting her hurtful words but unable to take them back. John stumbled back as if she had hit him. In the awful silence, Aeryn stretched her hands out in front of her and slowly made her way forward, grasping the edge of the door. "Just leave me alone, all of you!" she ground out, before disappearing around the corner.

The others just stood in shock, unable to comprehend what their shipmate was going through. John slumped against the infirmary bed. Zhaan went to him and laid her hand on his shoulder. "John, give her time. She didn't mean what she said. She's in shock."

John shook his head. "No, Zhaan, she was right. It's all my fault. It's always my fault." He turned to face the others, his voice bitter with self-reproach. "I got her into this mess. I always get her into messes. How many time have I nearly got her killed? Now she's blinded. I deserve everything she said and more."

"Come on, Crichton, don't be like that," Chiana piped up. "Besides, Zhaan's no expert. We'll find a doctor. We'll get her eyes fixed. She'll be good as new in no time, right?" The young Nebari looked from one friend to the next optimistically.

Zhaan sighed and smiled sadly. "Yes, we'll do everything we can, Chiana. And you're right. I'm not an expert. The first thing we need to do is find a doctor who can treat this."

Heartened by a positive plan of action, D'Argo volunteered to work with Pilot to coordinate a search for a planet with a reliable medical facility. With a quick glance at John's bleak expression, Chiana followed the Luxan up to Command.

John turned to the blue Delvian priestess. "Truthfully, Zhaan. Do you think Aeryn's sight can be restored?"

Zhaan stared at him for a microt, then closed her pale blue eyes. "No, John, I'm afraid I don't. The damage is extensive." John dropped into a chair and let his head fall into his hands. "I pray to the Goddess that I am wrong."

"So what now?" John asked through his hands.

Zhaan dropped to her knee in front of the Human and took his head in her hands. "We help her even if she doesn't want it. We support her even if she fights us. And we never give up on her, especially if she gives up on herself."

John stared at her, then sighed, knowing the truth of her words.
***********

PART TWO OF FOUR

Aeryn made her way slowly down the corridor, sweeping the stick back and forth in front of her as D'Argo had shown her. She had been grateful to the Luxan for the cane, feeling more confident in moving around the Leviathan, though she had strongly suspected John's hand in its invention. But right now all the Sebacean felt was mind-numbing fear and despair.

As soon as the transport pod had docked with Moya, Aeryn had grabbed her cane and stumbled from the docking bay. The others had let her go, knowing she needed some time alone. She had allowed Zhaan to convince her to let the third doctor in as many weekens poke and prod her, only to repeat the prognosis of the previous two, that her blindness was untreatable, permanent. She had listened to his words, her face stony, revealing nothing of the turmoil she was experiencing. She had merely thanked him, interrupting Zhaan's questions about other doctors, and demanded to be taken back to Moya. She endured the flight back to the Leviathan, ignoring Chiana and Rygel's attempts to draw her out and Zhaan's inane, optimistic chatter. Inside, she felt as if she would explode.

Her groping hand found the lock of her room and she palmed it open, stumbling inside and closing the door behind her. Then she stood inside the entrance, feeling the panic and despair rising in her. Aeryn took a step forward and her booted foot slipped on something small and metallic. She fell painfully to her knees with a grunt. Her searching hand found the offending article and she picked it up, turning it in her slender fingers to identify it. It was her comm. The rounded pin had slipped from her fingers that morning and skittered across the floor of her room. Unwilling to suffer the indignity of being found on her hands and knees looking for it when Chiana showed up to guide her to the transport, she had left without it.

It was the final straw. With a scream of rage, Aeryn fired the comm across the room, hearing it clatter against the far wall with satisfaction. It was followed by the cane. Then she gave in to the frustration, desolation, and above all fear that had been consuming her since the accident. She reached around her, feeling for the privacy curtain each crew member had hung inside the latticework door of his or her cell. Tears streamed down her face as she pulled it from its fastenings, echoing the shriek of ripping material with a harsh cry of her own. She tore around her quarters, destroying everything she could get her hands on. The more things she threw to the floor, the more she stumbled; the more she stumbled, the more enraged she grew. Finally, she fell heavily against her overturned bed, and lay panting in fear and despair, her tirade over.

Aeryn felt waves of sickening hopelessness and terror wash over her. She knew she could not continue on in this condition, constantly at the mercy of the others, relying on them for her every want, a burden on them that they did not need in the danger they lived in constantly. If she had been a PeaceKeeper still, her path would have been clear to her, her death expected of her, so as not to lessen the strength of the unit. Aeryn felt the tears stream down her face and dashed them away from her sightless eyes angrily. She knew what she had to do.

As she groped around for her cane, Aeryn felt a wave of painful regret. She remembered her last words to John, spoken in shocked anger over three weekens ago. She desperately wished that she could speak to him once more, explain to him what she had to do, make him understand that it was for his own good, for all their sakes. But she knew that was impossible. He would stop her as he had when she had nearly died before. He would probably risk his own life for hers on another foolish crusade. Aeryn could not let that happen. Her seeking hands grasped the cane and she headed swiftly out the door of her wrecked quarters.

***************

John pilotted the Farscape module into Moya's docking bay and set it down beside Aeryn's Prowler. He signalled to Pilot that he was docked and then sat in the cockpit, his head in his hands. The last three weekens had been hell and it was all his fault. He had watched his vibrant, energetic Aeryn sink deeper and deeper into the Sebacean version of depression. His heart ached as he followed her silently through the halls of the Leviathan, always there behind her, desperate to catch her as she stumbled, frantic to speak to her and apologise to her, aching to take her in his arms and comfort her, reassure her that everything would be okay. But John knew that she rightly blamed him for this last predicament that he had dragged her into, so he simply stayed by her, ever her silent shadow.

This last visit had seemed to seal Aeryn's fate. John had stayed on after the others left to question the alien doctor further about Aeryn's case. The tall feline doctor had shown incredible patience, his striped tail swishing back and forth as he gave John truthful if not optimistic answers to his probing questions, his emerald eyes sympathetic. Finally, he had suggested another doctor, a colleague on a distant planet who might have had more experience with Sebacean physiology, particularly cloning and regenerating tissue. John thanked the doctor and climbed back into his module. He had flown back to Moya, knowing he could not let Aeryn drop further into despair. His mind raced as he tried to come up with possible ways to teach her to take control of her life again, even in permanent darkness.

Just as he was about to climb out of the module, Pilot's voice came across the comm, tinged with concern. "Commander, are you still in the docking area?"

"Yes, Pilot, what is it?"

Pilot hesitated, then answered. "Aeryn Sun is heading your way. She just ... just destroyed her quarters. Moya and I are concerned about her. She seems particularly distraught." Pilot paused again. "I know the prognosis was not good. I'm afraid she may do something reckless."

John sighed."Understood, Pilot. I'll try to speak to her, calm her down. Thanks." John closed the comm and left his module swiftly, apprehensive about his coming confrontation.

But he didn't have much time to worry about it. Aeryn burst around the corner of the docking bay door, moving with remarkable accuracy towards her Prowler. John saw the look on her face, the determined set to her jaw, and raced over to stop her. "Aeryn! Stop!" He placed himself directly in her path.

The jerk of her head was the only indication she gave that she had heard him. She ducked to one side then expertly evaded him, sliding past him, heading towards her Prowler. John lunged out and grabbed her arm, ducking to avoid the unerring swing of her cane, grabbing her other wrist and wrenching the stick from her grasp. Aeryn turned to him and screamed, "No! Let me go, John! Let me die!" Tears streaming from her eyes, she freed her arm and looped her leg around John's, pushing him to the floor and returning to her desperate flight.

John leaped to his feet and ran after her. He launched himself at her, grasping her around her waist and dragging her to the floor, rolling to take the impact of their fall. She fought him like a wildcat, clawing at his hands to free herself from his restraining arms. "John!" she shrieked hysterically. "Please, let me go!" She stretched out to grasp the bottom of the Prowler's ladder to try to pull herself out of his grasp, but John grabbed her arm and wrapping a leg around her struggling form, rolled her away from the Prowler, coming to rest on top of her. He finally managed to straddle her thighs and pin her arms down in either side of her tearstained face. But still she fought him, writhing desperately under him, trying to throw him off.

"Aeryn! Stop it! Aeryn! No!" John hung on for dear life until he felt the fight go out of her at last. She lay sobbing beneath him, her hair a tangled mass around her head. John waited until he was sure she would not resist, then he moved to kneel beside her, hauling her up into his strong embrace. Aeryn wrapped her arms around his neck in a stranglehold and gave in to the despairing grief that had been eating at her for so long. Her body shuddered as she was wracked by deep-wrenching sobs. John's own eyes filled with tears at the state to which she had been reduced. He held her tightly, rubbing her back and stroking her hair, pressing his lips to her temple to whisper soothing words to her.

Over her shoulder, John saw Zhaan appear, obviously alerted by Pilot. She gazed at him, silently questioning whether he needed help. John clearly saw the sedative injector in her hands. He met her eyes and shook his head slightly. Zhaan studied the weeping Sebacean in John's arms, then turned and left the docking bay as silently as she had come.

Finally, calmer, Aeryn lifted her face from his damp shoulder. "Please, John, let me get in my Prowler. Let me do this. It's for the best," she pleaded softly, her voice barely above a whisper.

"No, Aeryn, I won't let you do this! It's not for the best! That's just the PeaceKeepers talking! It's wrong!"

Aeryn's eyes filled with desperate tears again. "You can't condemn me to a life like this, John! I'm useless!"

John groaned at her words, "You're wrong! I won't let you die! I need you!"

Aeryn's sightless eyes flashed with blue fire. "You need me!" she scoffed. "What good am I? I can't see! I can't fight! I can't protect you! I can't protect Moya and the others! Useless!"

John groaned again, "No, Aeryn, I do need you! I lo...," he stopped, unwilling to complicate the situation by telling her that he loved her. "No! Besides, you're not useless just because you can't see." Aeryn snorted in disbelief. "Look, you nearly made it to your Prowler. How did you do that, huh?"

Aeryn stopped, "I know this Leviathan like the back of my hand, Crichton!"

"Right! And when I tried to stop you, how did you avoid me without seeing me?"

Aeryn frowned, "I could smell you, hear you, feel you!" "And even though you got turned around, you made it to the Prowler, how did you do that?" John pressed on relentlessly.

"I can see the docking bay in my mind's eye," she replied, turning her face away in confusion.

"And when I tackled you, Aeryn, you nearly got away? How could a useless blind person do that, huh?"

John was finally rewarded by the ghost of a smile crossing her lips. "Because, Human, I can take you ..."

"Blindfolded?" John said, then hastened on. "The point is, Aeryn, you very nearly overcame an opponent to achieve your goal. Just like you've always done. Just because you can't see, doesn't mean you're useless. Far from it. I can help you learn to do things again, to move without fear, to do things for yourself." He reached out and lifted her downturned face up to his. "Back on Earth, we stopped calling people 'handicapped' and started calling them 'challenged'. The Aeryn Sun I know and lo..., the Aeryn Sun I know would never back away from any challenge. Will you now?" He watched the myriad emotions flit across her face as she wrestled with his question.

Aeryn's mind was in turmoil at John's words. A part of her angrily thought he was merely delaying her, distracting her from her purpose, but another part of her desperately wanted to believe him, to stay with him however she could. Finally, she relaxed, letting her cheek press into his hand, loving the sensation of his thumb gently stroking her face. "All right, John, we'll try it your way," she sighed with resignation. She didn't have to see to know that he was smiling, that beautiful lopsided grin that had attracted her to him from the moment they met. Her eyes filled again with tears at the thought that she would never see it again.

John's thumb slid up to capture the crystal drop that spilled from her dark lashes. "Don't worry, sweetheart. Everything will be okay. I'll be with you every step of the way. Like you said to me on the Royal Planet, there's nothing we can't do together." Unable to refrain any longer, John leaned forward and brushed his lips lightly across Aeryn's. She responded to him immediately, her mouth warm and firm against his. John leaned back, then groaned and pulled her into his arms, kissing her with increasing passion, tasting the salt of her recent tears on her lips. Aeryn melted into him again, drawing strength from him until a discreet cough behind them had her pushing out of his embrace, her face flushed with embarrassment.

"Is everything all right, Aeryn? John?" Zhaan asked from somewhere behind her.

"Yes, Zhaan, it's fine. Aeryn was just upset at the last doctor's prognosis," John answered, deliberately giving Aeryn time to compose herself. " But she's all right now, aren't you, Sunshine?"

Aeryn let John help her to her feet, her impersonal PeaceKeeper mask back in place, unaware of the meaningful looks passing between the Human and the Delvian. "Yes, Zhaan, thank you for your concern. I'm fine now."

"All right, my dear." She felt Zhaan's cool hand take hers, passing her the cane before squeezing her hand in reassurance. Aeryn's mask slipped a bit, but she heard Zhaan's soft footfall leaving before she could say anything further.

She started slightly as John's hand reached out for hers and his strong arm slid around her shoulders. "Let's get you back to your quarters. I understand you have a bit of cleaning up to do." Aeryn looked down in embarrassment. Then she smiled ruefully, not in the least surprised that someone had informed John about her destructive frenzy. Instead she let the knowledge that the others cared wash over her and ease her fear of the future somewhat.

About two arns later, John met with the others in the central chamber for dinner. He had been loathe to leave Aeryn alone in her restored quarters, but she had fallen into an exhausted sleep as soon as he coaxed her to lie down and rest. She had looked so beautiful, so vulnerable lying there that John had wanted to lie down next to her, take her in his arms and try to make her forget the accident had ever happened. But of course, he couldn't. After contacting Pilot and asking him to place a DRD outside her quarters, John had made his way down to the central chamber.

"So what happened, Crichton?" Chiana asked anxiously, as he sat down, swallowing down the tasteless foodcubes.

"Aeryn tried to get to her Prowler and fly out of here. Good old PeaceKeeper Hari Kari," John declared ruefully, pushing his empty plate away. He caught the uncomfortable look on D'Argo's face. "What? Don't tell me you think I should have let her go?"

D'Argo looked at the others, "She is a warrior, John. She should be allowed an honourable death."

"Quite right," Rygel agreed. "Aeryn Sun would not appreciate being a burden to anyone." He yelped as Chiana's swipe caught him square on the back of the head.

"Can it, furball!"

"That's a load of dren and you know it, both of you!" John cried. "First of all, she's not dying! And second, she's not a burden. She's still Aeryn! Just because she's blind, she's not any less a valuable member of this crew!" He stared in disbelief at the skeptical faces around him. "I don't believe you people!"

Zhaan moved to calm the distraught Human. "Look, John, we're not saying that. We just want what's best for Aeryn."

"And that's letting her kill herself?"

"No, but ...," Zhaan began.

"No, Zhaan, you listen to me. All of you," John said, his voice dangerously controlled. "First, I don't want any of you to let on how you feel about her being blind." He glared at D'Argo and Rygel. "Not a word! I'm going to prove to you how wrong you are!" He took a deep breath and continued. "Secondly, I want you to help me, unconditionally. I have several ideas but I can't do it alone. There are some things I need made and then Aeryn and I will need your help with her training." John stared at his crewmates, his eyes blazing with determination. "Are you with me on this?"

Pilot's image appeared immediately on the viewscreen in the corner. "Yes, Commander. Moya and I are ready to do all we can to help Aeryn." The symbiont stared at the others challengingly.

Chiana looked at John's face and grinned. "Tell me how I can help, Crichton." He smiled tightly at her and turned to the others.

"You know I will do all I can, John," Zhaan said softly.

"As will I," D'Argo added with a sigh.

All eyes turned to Rygel. "What? Of course I want to help Aeryn. I was only -- what is it Crichton calls it? -- playing devil's advocate." He quickly steered his thronechair away from Chiana's angry swipe.

"Okay," John began, "Here's what I need." He launched into an extensive list of items, detailing the modifications and dimensions exactly. The others gazed at him in astonishment, encouraged by his obvious expertise. Chiana signalled a break by getting up and pouring everyone a cup of ras'laq, left over from their visit to the Royal Planet.

Finally, Zhaan had to ask."How do you know so much about this, John?"

John sat back, taking a break and sipping on his ras'laq."When I was in grade five, a girl transferred into my class. She had recently lost her sight in an accident. I volunteered to be her buddy, help her get her bearings and learn to be self-sufficient. I saw all the stages of her training, even helped her coach with her guide dogs." He grinned at the confused looks on the others' faces. "I'll get to those later. Anyway, Annie and I became really good friends. We kept in touch all though college. When I left Earth, she had just had her third child. She graduated top in her class from Harvard Law, had a thriving criminal law practise and a husband who adored her. She was even a world class swimmer, taking gold in the Special Olympics." He faced his colleagues. "She never let her lack of sight stop her from doing anything, and I'm not going to let Aeryn's injury stop her either."

"So tell us more about these 'kite docks'," Chiana asked, intrigued.
PART THREE OF FOUR

"That was much better. You were so much closer that time, Aeryn. Try it again," John said encouragingly.

"It was not better, Crichton! Stop patronizing me!"

It was day five of Aeryn's 'training' and things were not going well. John and Aeryn were down in an unused maintenance bay. Five days earlier, John had collected as many of Moya's unused comms as he could find, with Pilot offering to have the DRD's produce more. Then he had shown Chiana how to modify the tiny pins to give off a distinct pinging sound. D'Argo had complained that the sound was annoying, but John merely ignored him. He had then attached them to various objects, instructing Aeryn to move from one to another, following the sound. She had practised the exercise first in total silence, then in a room filled with the rest of the crew and several DRD's all making various sounds and talking at once. At first she had glared at the Human, or at least in his direction. But as she grew more able to distinguish the pinging from other background sounds, she had grown more confident. When she successfully completed seven different circuits without hesitation, the rest of the crew had cheered. Aeryn's face had broken into a reluctant, but triumphant grin.

John's next exercise was to have Aeryn follow a moving object with one of the pinging comms attached. He had pinned one to his clothes and led her throughout the ship. She had moved after him with increasingly sure steps, swinging her cane back and forth to ensure that her path was clear. She had grown so good at the hunt, that she even managed to get around in front of him. John had shouted with laughter as Aeryn tackled him, giggling happily at her new-found skill. It had made John's heart swell with joy to hear her laugh again. Their playful wrestling might have easily turned into something else, if Chiana had not come running, notified by an overprotective Pilot that Aeryn had fallen in the passageway.

When John had introduced the idea of the guide dog, Uncharted Territories-style, Aeryn had started to object. But John insisted. He had taken his favourite DRD, the one he had damaged his first arn on Moya, whom he had taken to calling L'il Blue. The tiny yellow robot with the blue electrical tape already followed him around like a puppy dog anyway. He worked with Pilot to make several modifications to its programming. Then he brought it to Aeryn.

At first she had been skeptical. John had shown her how to follow the little machine's pinging as she had the comm. Then he told her that all she had to do was tell the DRD where she wanted to go, and it would lead her there. Aeryn tested the device extensively. Even though she never said, John could tell she was impressed and pleased. He had then taught her to work with the other characteristics he had programmed. L'il Blue was modified to respond to her every command. It would retrieve her cane for her, scan for obstacles in her path, even attach the pinging comms to items. And crewmembers. Aeryn had enjoyed showing up at D'Argo's side in the Command and speaking to him as if she could see him, causing the Luxan to momentarily think her sight had returned. John had even given the DRD a special power source that allowed it to work independently from Moya and Pilot. "That way, you can take it down to planets," John had explained. Aeryn had hastily vowed that she would never be leaving Moya with such vehemence that John had let the matter drop. Finally, he worked with the Sebacean and her new 'guide dog' on communicating without sound. Aeryn learned how to recognise the extensive pattern of movements John had programmed. The biggest challenge had been to move through an obstacle course with only L'il Blue's bumps and nudges against her ankles to guide her. But after several tries Aeryn had succeeded.

That evening, John had offered to show a weary Aeryn to her quarters after a surprisingly fun dinner in the central chamber. Her hasty acceptance was testament to her exhaustion. She had accomplished a lot in the last four days, but it had taken its toll on her. John offered Aeryn his arm, taking her hand and placing it at his elbow. The rest of the crew bid the pair a good night, smiling at the sight of L'il Blue following the Human and Sebacean with Aeryn's cane in its grasp, looking for all the world like one of the obedient Labrador guide dogs John had described to them.

John and Aeryn moved silently through Moya's quarters, enjoying their time alone together. They walked slowly, not wanting the moment to end. But unfortunately they reached Aeryn's quarters all too soon. The Sebacean reached out unerringly and palmed open the door. L'il Blue slipped inside. Aeryn sighed and turned to follow. Then she faced back to where John stood. John's breath caught as she raised her beautiful face to his. "John, I ... I want to thank you for what you're doing." Hesitantly, Aeryn lifted her hands and placed them on either side of his face. "I'm sorry about what I said ... before. I know this was just an accident, not your fault at all." Her slender fingers traced over his face, revelling in the slightly whisker-roughened skin of his cheeks, then up and over his brow. One hand moved lightly down the ridge of his nose while the other traced around the shell of his ears before coming to rest on the back of his neck. Her fingers slid down over his face to rest lightly on his lips, tracing their outline. John could see the rise and fall of her chest as her breath started to come faster. Then she stretched up and replaced her fingers with her soft lips. John held his breath, afraid to jeopardize the moment by moving too fast. But as Aeryn's lips moved on his, he finally gave in to his impulses and slid his arm around her slender waist, drawing her up against him. His other arm wrapped around her shoulders, his hand tangling in her silky dark hair. Aeryn sighed and slid her arm under his and around his back, molding herself to his warmth. Their kiss deepened, grew more demanding, more passionate. At last, they eased away from each other. John stood gazing down into Aeryn's flushed face. He knew it would be so easy for him to take her back into his arms, to lead her the last few steps into her room and make love to her as he so desperately wanted to do. But he needed to know that she wanted to be with him out of love, not simply apology and gratitude for what he had done for her. So, aching for her body and soul, he released her and stepped back.

A brief look of confusion crossed her face, then she relaxed. John smiled, knowing he had done the right thing in his indescribable relationship with his Sebacean crewmate. He took her two hands in his and kissed the knuckles lingeringly. Then he bent to press a tender kiss to Aeryn's lips. "Good night, Aeryn," he whispered. He turned and headed down the corridor to his room. His last glimpse was of her with her hand pressed to her lips, a look of smiling wonder on her face. Then she turned and the door closed behind her.

That had been the night before. Now in the maintenance bay, things were very different. John had decided it was time to prove to Aeryn that she was not only self-sufficient, but also still a valuable member of the crew. However, as soon as he had broached the subject of combat and weapons at breakfast, Aeryn had shut down again. What he had taught her so far was all new and different. As soon as he had reminded her of her past skills, Aeryn felt inadequate and useless again.

But the Human was as stubborn as she was. First he had attached the pinging comms to her exercise equipment in the cargo bay. It had taken a few tries, but Aeryn had finally been able to hit the punching bag both with her fists and with kicks. Soon she was exercising with the same energy that she had before her accident. John watched her, marvelling at her impressive skill and stamina.

Aeryn was not as successful with the pulse rifle. John had modified a rifle so that it worked without its chakan oil cartridge, still able to deliver an energy pulse but without the explosive charge. He had set up a shooting range in one of the unused maintenance bays. To each of the targets, he had attached a pinging comm. Then he had invited Aeryn to join him.

As soon as he tried to place the rifle in her hands, she started protesting. "This is insane, Crichton! Even if I can learn to shoot with any accuracy, which I highly doubt, I would only be able to hit targets that ping." She stood with her hands on her hips, still in her exercise gear, her face flushed with frustration." What the hezmana is the value in that?"

John had studied her defiant posture with a grin. Even L'il Blue had taken up a stance at her side, as if resisting him too. "Let's just see if you can shoot first, Aeryn. Then we'll see about painting the targets." Aeryn had stared at him, her patented Human nonsense expression still deadly even with her sightless stare. "Just try it, Aeryn. You thought all the rest of it was nonsense too, but look how well you've been doing, how far you've come."

She had relented and taken the rifle. Then she had tried several times to hit the pinging targets. John had encouraged her, adjusted the pings, tried everything, but despite her previous expertise, she was unable to hit the targets. John was baffled. He even tried taking the rifle from her, closing his eyes and firing. He hit all the targets with his first shots. Aeryn's face had grown stony at that. She had grabbed the rifle from him and tried again, but missed every time.

"It's no use, Crichton!" She shoved the rifle back into his hands. "You'll just have to accept the fact that I will never be able to help in the defense of this ship and its crew." Aeryn turned from him, groped for a towel (which L'il Blue moved into her reach) and wiped her brow, sweating from her intense concentration.

John sat down, stunned. He stared at the rifle, at the targets and then back at the rifle. "I don't understand it! Everything else worked out so well."

Aeryn stood with her head cocked, listening to him. Then she sighed and crouched down, sliding over to sit on the floor next to him. "It's all right, John. You've helped me so much. You can't expect everything to be a success." She placed her hand lightly on his arm and smiled, leaning her shoulder against his. "Let's take a break. We've been at this all morning."

John put the rifle down and stood up, his face still confused. He reached down and gave Aeryn a hand up. "Good idea, Sunshine. Come to think of it, I'm a little hungry."

Aeryn smiled at him. "Me, too. Let me just go back to my quarters and change, then I'll meet you in the central chamber to see if Rygel left any foodcubes." She turned her head and called out, "L'il Blue?" and the obedient robot quickly slid over to pass her her cane.

John smiled at the ease with which she had settled into her new routine. "It's a date," he agreed then watched the former PeaceKeeper move confidently out the door, her 'guide dog' at her heels. He turned back towards the pinging targets, his expression contemplative then he hit the button to turn off the pinging and headed down to the central chamber.

Aeryn joined him a few microts later, clad once more in her leather vest and pants. She ably retrieved a tray of food cubes and moved unerringly over to join him at the table. They ate in companionable silence for a few microts then pushed their trays away. John reached for a pitcher of water he had brought to the table. He poured each of them a glass and placed one in Aeryn's hand. Then he sat sipping at the drink, lost in thought. Finally he spoke. "Aeryn, what did you used to do when you fired a weapon? What went on in your head?"

Aeryn paused, mid drink. "I don't know. I just raised the rifle and shot. It was automatic. Nothing went through my head." She sipped her water and placed the cup down next to her food tray at two o'clock (whatever that was?), as John had taught her.

"Okay, bad question. Think back to when you were first learning to shoot. What were the stages they taught you to go through?"

Aeryn stared straight ahead. "I can't remember, John. It was a long time ago. I was only four or five cycles old."

John choked on his water. "Four cycles!"

Aeryn looked upset and embarrassed. "John, PeaceKeeper training does not take into consideration childhood or age. As soon as a child is deemed physically able to hold a weapon, they are taught to shoot it. If the child does not grow fast enough or does not compensate for his or her size, then the child is demoted to the ranks of tech."

"And if the child still does not succeed?" John had to ask. The bleak look on Aeryn's face was answer enough. Even though he knew about the harsh life she had lived, times like this brought the reality back like a slap in the face. His heart ached for his beautiful Sebacean shipmate. At four, he had barely learned to tie his shoelaces. And he had been considered precocious.

"Okay, try this. There's a big old Scarran ugly coming right at you. Here's your rifle." He handed her her cane. "What do you do?"

Aeryn smiled at his scenario. "Okay. I take the rifle," she explained, grinning at the foolishness of the situation. " I sight it, checking the distance to the target." She pretended to do just that. "Then I take him out."

"Whoa, whoa, don't shoot!" Chiana smirked as she came into the room and caught them. Aeryn dropped the cane, embarrassed at being caught in the Human's silly game.

John smacked his head. "That's what the problem is!" he cried. Both Aeryn and Chiana turned to him in surprise. Caught up in the idea, John continued. "Back in the maintenance bay, how far away were the targets, Aeryn?"

"I don't know. The bay's only a few metras across."

"Right!" he shouted warming to his topic. "You didn't know. You compensate for the distance in the way you aim and fire. But you couldn't tell accurately enough how far the targets were away from you. All you could tell from the pinging was the location." He leaped up and planted a smacking kiss on Aeryn's startled mouth, much to Chiana's amusement. "Don't wait up, honey!" he cried. Then he raced out of the room, leaving a confused Sebacean and Nebari behind him.

PART FOUR OF FOUR

Moya's crew was headed back to the transport, their supplies waiting for them at the commerce planet's loading dock. It had been a good day of shopping. Zhaan had restocked her dwindling apothecary. Rygel had negotiated several delicacies as well as the staples and foodcubes. D'Argo had been pleased to find some excellent wood-carving tools and fine pieces of rare wood. Chiana had a very satisfied look on her face, testament to a number of probably illegal acquisitions. And John had found several pieces of equipment that he needed to possibly modify the Prowler to allow Aeryn to fly again. Ever since he had solved the problem of the pinging targets, modifying the comms so that they registered distance as well as location, he had been thinking of how he could expand the technology for the Prowler, turning it into a huge Uncharted Territory bat.The only shadow had been the fact that Aeryn herself refused to join them planetside.

The past three weeks had seen an incredible change in the blinded ex-Peacekeeper. She had returned so much to her former self that Rygel had actually started to complain about her superior manner and ass-kicking demeanor. But the rest of the crew knew that the little Hynerian was as pleased as they were that Aeryn had apparently overcome her blindness, becoming the valuable crewmember that John had promised. And they all marvelled yet again at the compassion and ingenuity of the primitive Earthman.

They were all so anxious to return to the Leviathan that they failed to notice the interest being taken in them by a couple of lurking figures.

"Are you sure that's them? Check it again," Foberos hissed as he studied the group.

"I'm sure," Mallon replied. He reached into his jacket and pulled out a small holographic generator. Triggering it with his thumb, he saw again the copy of the wanted beacon. "Okay, a Delvian, a Luxan, an Hynerian, and one called Crichton, right?"

"Yeah, they're all there, plus one." Foberos's bad teeth showed darkly in his leering mouth as he noted the lovely figure and seductive walk of the grey clad female. "If the PeaceKeepers don't want her, I'm sure I can find a place for her."

"Okay, so we call Amaxa?" Mallon asked, replacing the holograph.

"Yeah. They won't know what hit them."
***************

Back on board Moya, Aeryn had spent the morning first at her exercises, then at target practice. It had been her daily routine ever since John had showed her how to judge distances from the variations in the pinging comms. L'il Blue and a couple of other DRD's helped her reset the targets and Pilot monitored her progress. Aeryn smiled triumphantly as Moya's symbiont reported yet another perfect score, her fourth consecutive one that weeken. After a shower and lunch, she had decided to continue with her self-conceived exploration of Moya. As she had said to Crichton over three weekens ago after her aborted attempt to kill herself, she did know the Leviathan like the back of her hand. But now that she felt like a soldier again, she felt the need to relearn the Leviathan's passages and remote locations in her new state.

So that was how she found herself in the passages above Pilot's chamber when all hezmana broke loose.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?" Pilot's voice floated up to her mixed with fear and outrage.

"I am Captain Amaxa of the Zenetan ship, Harpakso. And you are now my prisoner, along with the Leviathan and its crew."

Aeryn stopped dead in her tracks, listening carefully, her heart pounding. L'il Blue waited at her side patiently.

"Where are the others? What have you done with them?" Pilot demanded.

"They are well, Pilot. They are being detained on the prison level on Tier Fourteen. You may speak to them yourself. They will not be harmed. They are too valuable to us alive. The wanted beacons say that the PeaceKeepers will pay a pretty penny for their capture, particularly this one called Crichton." Amaxa laughed greedily. "After we deliver them to the approaching Command Carrier, the Leviathan will be added to my fleet. I need a good ship for my smuggling operation." He laughed again, and Aeryn could hear the distinct sounds of two others joining him. "I don't usually deal with the Peacekeepers, but this Scorpius assured me that he has no interest in our tiny operations. He only wants this Crichton. The others are an added bonus."

"What about the Nebari, Chiana?" a nasty voice rasped.

"I didn't tell him names, Foberos, only that I had captured the Leviathan and her crew. I didn't ask and he didn't say." Aeryn could hear Amaxa's voice moving towards the door of Pilot's chamber. "If she's not worth anything to Scorpius, then she's yours." The pirate then ordered Pilot to set course for coordinates to rendezvous with the Command Carrier. "You and Mallon stay here with the symbiont; make sure he doesn't try anything. I'm going to check with Strepho and the others that our guests are all right." Aeryn heard Pilot's chamber door slide open and then back into place.

Aeryn dropped to the floor of the passageway, her heart pounding with fear. *The others have been captured. They are here on Moya, under guard on Tier Fourteen. Pilot is being held prisoner just below me. We are on our way to rendezvous with Scorpius's Command Carrier.* She fought hard to maintain control. *The Zenetans obviously don't know I'm here.* She shook her head. *Or they know I'm blind and do not consider me a threat,* a nasty voice added.

*Just because you can't see, doesn't mean you're useless.* John's words rang in her mind. *You can do this, Aeryn. It's only a useless bunch of Zenetan pirates,* she told herself. Her mind raced as she tried to put together a plan of action.
***************

"Crichton! Crichton, are you all right? Crichton!" Chiana's urgent call drifted across the passageway from the cell where their captors had thrown them upon reaching Moya.

John had foolishly resisted and been knocked to the ground with the butt of one of the pirates' rifles. He lay groaning, his arms wrenching in their sockets from the manacles biting into his wrists. He rolled over and saw with dismay that the pirates had taken no chances with the massive Luxan. D'Argo was chained to the cell walls by the rings embedded in his collarbone by the PeaceKeepers. "Man, oh, man, D'Argo. If we ever get out of this, I think you should seriously think about having those things removed. Our enemies are finding them way too convenient."

The huge Luxan glared at him, but said nothing. John rolled over to lie near the door. "Hey, everyone okay over there?" he called.

"Zhaan's still out from the drug they gave her, but Rygel and I are fine," Chiana replied. "Any sign of ...?"

"Pilot?" John interrupted. "No! I imagine they've got all the comms turned off." He could just see Chiana's anxious face through the cell door. He gave her a meaningful glance to which she nodded her understanding.

"What are they going to do with us, Crichton?" Rygel's haughty voice came floating across the hallway.

"If you must know, I'm going to turn you all in to some PeaceKeeper named Scorpius and make a bundle," a new voice replied. A heavily tattooed Zenetan marched arrogantly down the corridor towards them with two others, smiling triumphantly.

"How dare you attack this Leviathan?" Rygel began. "I am Dominar Rygel the Sixteenth of the Hynerian Empire. When my loyal subjects learn of this insult to my royal person ..."

"Save it, your Highness. I know exactly who you are." The pirate pulled out a hologram and replayed the PeaceKeeper wanted beacon transmission. "And to me, you are a gold mine. Except for you, my little beauty." D'Argo growled menacingly as the pirate reached into the bars towards Chiana. "I don't know who you are or if you are worth anything to the PeaceKeepers."

"My name's Chiana." Her dark eyes slid over to the other cell nervously and then she smiled seductively at the pirate. "I could be very valuable to you, if you just let me out of here."

The pirate studied her hungrily for a few microts, then laughed. "Perhaps you could, Chiana. But I think I'll wait to see what Scorpius says. Then I'll decide. My lieutenant Foberos has laid claim to you, but I think I'll pull rank on him." He smiled again at Chiana's frustrated expression as she flung herself across the cell away from him.

"Listen, pal," John began from his awkward position on the floor. "I wouldn't trust Scorpius to pay you anything. More likely, you'll find yourself on the wrong end of a frag cannon." He struggled into a kneeling position, wincing at the pain in his head.

The pirate crossed to the other cell, bending to study the one called Crichton with interest. "The name's Amaxa, Captain Amaxa. And what does this Scorpius creature find so valuable about you? You don't look dangerous or important."

"I have some information that Scorpius desperately wants," John explained.

Amaxa's eyes gleamed with avarice. "Well, maybe if you give me the information, I might consider letting you all go."

John closed his eyes in despair. "Man, I would if I could, but unfortunately it doesn't work that way."

"Too bad, then," Amaxa said, straightening up. "You and Gar stay here, Strepho, and keep an eye on our treasures. I'm going to check on our ship. If what this guy here says is right, I want to be away from here as soon as we get our money. If we have to leave the Leviathan behind, we will." The guards nodded and the pirate captain headed back along the corridor.
***************

"Okay, the first thing is to secure Pilot's chamber." Aeryn whispered to L'il Blue. She was glad of the tiny robot's presence, for a number of reasons. "Can you patch me through to Moya and Pilot?" The little machine pinged softly. "Okay, tell Pilot that I'm still free and right above him. I have my pulse gun with me -- thank goodness I strapped it on this afternoon, -- and I'm going to try to take out the guards in his chamber. If he understands, ping once." Aeryn waited, her heart lightened when she heard the single soft tone. "Good. Now here's what I need you to do. Go down to the maintenance bay and get as many of John's marking comms as you can carry. Go past the cells of Tier Fourteen if you can to let the others know I'm all right. Then I need you to attach a comm to each of the two pirates in Pilot's chamber. Can you do that?" L'il Blue pinged once. "Then get back up here. When you're here, I'll get Pilot to activate the comms and I'll take out the pirates." Aeryn took a deep breath as the little robot sped away. "I hope this works."

In his cell, John leaned against the latticed door, troubled about Aeryn. He was afraid of what the obviously lecherous pirates might do to her if they found her. He trusted her instincts, but he was a little worried about how she would react now that all their training exercises had become a desperate reality. As if in answer to his fears, he saw a little DRD slide slowly past his cell. It was L'il Blue. The DRD was moving purposefully towards the maintenance bay where he had set up Aeryn's target range. "Psst, D'Argo," he hissed softly. The Luxan raised his head, questioningly. John nodded slightly towards the little DRD with the blue tape on its light antenna. The Luxan met John's eyes, a spark of hope lighting them.

After what seemed an eternity, Aeryn felt the light push of her guide DRD at her ankle. "Is everything in place?" she asked. L'il Blue pinged once. "Okay, here goes." She took a deep breath to calm herself then stood and moved silently over to the opening into Pilot's chamber, praying that she was keeping out of sight of the guards below. Everything depended on her ability to take out both guards before they could alert the others. Just as she was about to have Pilot turn on the comms, she heard voices below. She pulled back and listened.

"Hey, Mallon, you okay here for a while?"

"Yeah, why?" the one called Mallon replied belligerently.

"'cause I want to go down and check on the Nebari. I don't trust that Amaxa not to steal her right away from me. She's too choice a morsel to leave alone for too long, you know what I mean?"

Mallon gave an ugly laugh, "Yeah, I see your point. But Amaxa will have your head if he catches you. He said to stay here, Foberos."

"What, it takes two of us to guard one Pilot? What's he going to do, run away?" The door was already sliding open. "I'll be back before Amaxa even knows I was gone."

Aeryn breathed a sigh of relief. Now there was only one guard to worry about. She moved forward again, then whispered to Pilot to turn on the comm.

"Hey, what's that sound?" Mallon cried, raising his rifle at Pilot.

"I don't know," Pilot said, looking flustered. "I think one of the DRD's is malfunctioning." "Well, make it stop. It's frelling annoying."

Aeryn leaned out quickly, judged the target location and distance, and fired. She was rewarded by the thud of a body and brief gurgling. Then silence except for the pinging comm. Aeryn holstered her pistol and reached down to pick up L'il Blue.

"Good shot, Aeryn!" Pilot said. He watched in horror as the Sebacean climbed up on the edge of the railing, then jumped into his chamber, coming to land beside the pinging body of the pirate.

"Okay, Pilot, we have to move fast. I need the DRD's to place comms on the pirates without them knowing it. Then we'll turn off all the lights. Can we make it pitch black, no emergency lights, no DRD antenna, nothing."

Pilot nodded. "Yes, I can do that."

"Good, with them in the dark, I have the advantage. As L'il Blue and I move around the ship, activate the comm on the pirate nearest us and I'll take them out, one by one."

***************

An arn had passed since L'il Blue had appeared and John was growing anxious. Suddenly he sat up. The Human watched with great interest as two DRD's slid down the corridor. In their clasp they each had one of his modified comm pins. *Atta girl, Aeryn. Go for it,* he couldn't help smirking as the robots tagged each of the two Zenetan pirates. One of the guards looked at the grinning prisoner suspiciously, then turned away with a grunt, aiming a kick at the departing DRD's.

A third pirate appeared down the corridor. "Hey, Foberos, I thought you were guarding the Pilot?" the one called Strepho said.

Foberos smiled, revealing his bad teeth in a feral grin. "I just came down to check on my property." He leaned against the cell door, leering in at Chiana. "Hey, sweet thing, ready to experience a real man?" he laughed raucously.

"Would that be you or Amaxa?" Chiana said, smiling seductively.

Foberos's face darkened and he aimed a kick at an approaching DRD. "What the frell do you mean, trelk?"

Over the pirate's head, Chiana could see John frantically shaking his head and nodding towards something. She looked down, dropping her eyes as if in shyness, to see the DRD Foberos had kicked at trying to place a comm on his boot. Her head jerked up.

"Well, if I'm given the choice ...," she moved closer to the cell door, pressing against it suggestively. She fought to keep from gagging as a wave of foul breath washed over her when Foberos leaned closer, reaching through the bars towards her. He was so distracted that he didn't feel the DRD attach the comm to his boot. Chiana's eyes slid over to see John nodding. "I think I'd rather have Amaxa," she declared defiantly, leaping away from the pirate's outstretched hand.

Foberos lunged to grab her but she was too quick. "Trelk! I'll show you!" He turned angrily back to his grinning comrades. "Get this door open!" he snarled.

Just then, the lights went out, plunging the corridor into complete darkness.

"Frell! What is it now?" Foberos's voice growled in the darkness. "Mallon! Mallon! Have that frelling creature get the lights back on! Mallon?"

"What's going on?" other voices came through the pirates's comms. "What happened to the lights?"

"You're in trouble now, Foberos. What the frell is going on in that Pilot's chamber?" Strepho reproached.

There were the sounds of footfalls and a few muffled groans as Foberos turned to make his way unsteadily back to Pilot's chamber. "I'm going to kill that frelling thing!"

In the command of his ship, a modified PeaceKeeper Marauder that had been caught in the Flax, Amaxa's first indication that something was wrong was the sudden babble of voices on his comm. He could distinctly hear Strepho and Pericks yelling something about the lights. Then outside in the docking bay he heard the sound of pulse gun fire. Amaxa, ever cautious, waited until the shooting had died down, then he grabbed his own pulse gun and opened the door silently. The bay outside the red-lit interior of the ship was pitch black and quiet. He stepped out and immediately tripped over the body of Leyt who had been standing guard over the ship. The Zenetan's dead eyes stared up at him out of his tattooed face. His pulse gun had been drawn but clearly never fired. Amaxa stared into the dark and listened carefully, but heard nothing. "Pericks? Pericks?" he whispered urgently but there was no answer. "Frell!"

He backed into the ship and hit his own comm. "What the frell is going on out there?"

Strepho's voice came back, tinged with panic. "Amaxa! Someone's turned out the lights. We can't see a frelling thing. And there's someone or something out there. I heard Pericks go down. I think it's heading this way!"

"Where are you?" the pirate captain demanded.

"On my way to Pilot's chamber," there was a thump and a muffled curse. "Frelling DRD's!"

"What about Mallon and Foberos?"

"Foberos is here with me. Mallon is not answering. Gar is back with the prisoners."

"Good. Get the frelling lights back on, if you have to kill this ship's Pilot to do it! I'll join Gar on Tier Fourteen. Stay sharp!" Amaxa was about to sign off when he heard what sounded like a pinging sound then another shot. There was a gurgling sound. Amaxa heard Foberos screaming hysterically, then the comm went dead. "Strepho! Strepho! Frell!" Amaxa began flinging things from the storage, hunting for a light. "Gar, are you there?"

"Yes, Captain," came the nervous reply.

"Look, I think whatever it is has taken out Strepho and Foberos. Pericks and Leyt are dead. Stay there. I'll join you. Then we'll force the prisoners to tell us what this thing is!"

The Captain grabbed the light and made his way warily back to the prison tier. He returned to find a very nervous Gar standing with his back to one of the empty cells. The Zenetan lowered his weapon slightly at the sight of his captain with a lantern, a look of relief on his face. "Look, Captain, let's get the frell out of here!" he cried.

"No! I will not be defeated because you are afraid of the dark. I'm going to find out what or who is doing this and I'm going to kill it with my bare hands!" Amaxa snarled. "Then we'll continue on as planned. Just think, Gar," he laughed, "All the more for the rest of us."

"It's no good to be rich if you're not around to enjoy it," Gar grumbled. Then he tensed as he heard something approaching down the darkened corridor. Amaxa swung the light around. Suddenly a dark figure burst around the corner. Gar raised his rifle and fired several times. When he stopped, the blackened figure of Foberos fell into the pool of light left by the lantern. As they bent over their fallen comrade, a pinging sound started to sound. "What the frell is ...?" Gar began, only to end in a death gasp as he was shot quite accurately in the back. He fell across the lieutenant he had killed as Amaxa scrambled back against the corridor wall with a curse.

He waited, listening in the dark, then raced over to the cell with the Human. He reached in and grabbed the creature out, holding his pulse gun to the alien's head. "Pilot! Pilot, can you hear me? I have your friend Crichton here. I'll blow his head off if you don't turn on the lights by the count of three. One ... two ..."

"Do it, Pilot!" a voice ordered from the darkness, and the lights came up. Amaxa stared at the sight of a beautiful black-clad PeaceKeeper moving down the corridor with a curious blue labelled DRD bumping at her ankles. She had her pulse gun trained on the pair of them with deadly accuracy.

"Well, well, well, what have we here?" Amaxa sneered, "The wanted beacon didn't say anything about a PeaceKeeper female. I wonder why not?" he leered. "Maybe, like Chiana, whoever's after you wants you all to himself." His eyes passed up and down over her slender figure lecherously. "Drop the gun or I kill your friend here."

"You would risk Scorpius' wrath by killing his prize?" Aeryn replied, her aim never wavering, her sapphire blue eyes intense.

"Quite right! Maybe I'll just maim him," Amaxa smirked, dropping the gun to press it into John's side. Aeryn heard him gasp with pain. "How about a painful and dangerous belly wound." He watched the PeaceKeeper carefully, his brow furrowing as he studied her continued straight ahead stare. He lifted the gun up to Crichton's head and then back down to his side again, realisation dawning on his tattooed face. "I don't believe it! You can't see, can you, you filthy trelk! Unbelievable! a blind PeaceKeeper! That's quite a novelty. I'll get quite a price for you on the slave markets!" Amaxa relaxed, no longer threatened. "Okay, girlie, drop the pistol and throw it over."

"Shoot him, Aeryn," John said.

"Shoot me, Aeryn? What and risk hitting your friend here? I don't think you will!"

"Shoot him!"

"Shut up!" Amaxa cried, swinging his gun up to strike the Human on the side of the head. He levelled the pistol at the PeaceKeeper again. "I said drop it !"

John suddenly realised what was wrong. "One point three metras, eleven o'clock. Fire!"

Aeryn's face registered her horror but she fired. John threw himself to the side as the pulse shot hit the Zenetan captain square in the face. He dropped to the floor, his eyes filled with surprise. Then he lay still.

Aeryn tossed the pistol aside and dropped to her knees, groping around in front of her. "John! John?"

"I'm here, sweetheart," he replied. L'il Blue moved forward to retrieve the keys from the Captain's belt. He glided over to the handcuffed John and opened the cuffs. John immediately crawled forward to Aeryn, wrapping her in his strong embrace. "You did it, Aeryn. You did it!" He cradled her head in his hand and lifted her face to his. "You did it, Aeryn. You saved us all!"

"I did, didn't I," she breathed, a radiant smile lighting her face.

Unable to resist, John bent and kissed her passionately, feeling her respond to him immediately.

"Hey, stop that! Get us the frell out of these cells, would you?" Rygel complained. "Body breeders!"

"Shut up, Rygel!"
***************

"Pilot DNA, you say? Astonishing!" The doctor finished his examination of the Sebacean woman's eyes. "Well, I would say you don't need my expertise then. Just let the Pilot regenerative characteristics do their work. Your sight should be fully restored in another three weekens, if your progress so far is anything to go by." Aeryn blinked at the soft grey light and blurred images in front of her. Then she put on the dark glasses she had taken to wearing to protect her regenerating retinas until they were fully restored. It also helped her to keep from bumping into things, walking as John had taught her when she was completely blind, with her cane and L'il Blue to guide her. Aeryn thanked the doctor and let Zhaan lead her out of his practice at the medical facility.

Shortly after the incident with the Zenetan pirates, Aeryn had started to see brief flashes of grey light and some movement. Zhaan's scan revealed that her retinas were regenerating. The Delvian had been cautious about being too optimistic, but today's report had been very encouraging. Aeryn felt better, but a little sad. She was going to miss L'il Blue's constant company. And John's special attention.

Later that evening, Aeryn sat with John on the terrace, gazing out at the stars. She had removed her dark lenses and could just make out the brighter points of light in the field of stars around them. She felt John gently tug at her hair and lay back against his chest with a sigh of contentment. He wrapped his arms around her and they sat together, enjoying the closeness. Finally, John sighed.

"So Zhaan tells me that the report was good. Three weekens and you'll be good as new," he began.

"Yes." Aeryn smiled softly. "You sound disappointed."

"No, no, I'm happy for you. It's just ..."

"What?" she asked, snuggling into his warmth. She felt John's lips gently press against her hair.

"Well, these last weekens, it's been so nice working with you, helping you, being with you." John admitted. " I felt that you needed me."

"I do need you, John." She tilted her face back towards his. "But I know what you mean. I'm going to miss it too." She grinned suddenly, lifting her hand to trace along his face. "Pretty soon, I won't have any excuse to touch you," she teased, then gasped at how much she had revealed.

Before she could pull her hand away, John had captured it, pressing a warm kiss into her palm. "It doesn't have to be that way, Aeryn," he said softly, kissing her palm again, more lingeringly this time."You don't need an excuse to touch me." He kissed her hand again, feeling her breath start to quicken. "Aeryn, there's something I've needed to tell you, ever since the Royal Planet. I ... I ...," he stammered, gazing down into her sapphire blue eyes.

Aeryn desperately wished she could see his expression, read his eyes. She twisted slightly, leaning back against his shoulder to face him more fully. "John?"

"I have very strong feelings for you, Aeryn," he said lamely, then groaned. "What's been happening between us has to do with a lot more than hormones. I ..."

"Shh," Aeryn whispered, smiling, finally putting him out of his misery. "I'm beginning to see. And I feel it too," she added. John smiled down at her before tightening his arms around her and lowering his mouth to hers.

L'il Blue glided onto the terrace, then backed away at the sight of the passionate couple, silhouetted against the stars.

FIN

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