Title: TOUR BUS

Author: 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: romantic comedy

Summary: Moya is pressed into service as a tour bus for the Uncharted Territories¹ hottest band.

Spoilers: none to speak of

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 THREE

"Are you sure that this is such a good idea, Rygel?" Zhaan asked skeptically, as she accompanied the deposed Dominar of Hyneria down to the docking bay. Her long blue robes swished around her ankles as she moved purposefully through the corridors of the Leviathan Moya that had been first her prison and was now her home.

"Of course, it's a good idea!" the floating Hynerian exclaimed. "These musicians are worth their weight in currency. Their manager Milban assures me that Vortex is one of the highest grossing bands in the Uncharted Territories."

Zhaan remained unconvinced by her mercenary shipmate's claims. "But can they pay?"

"Good universal currency!" Rygel boasted. "All we have to do is transport the band and its crew to its next three concerts and we will receive enough currency to keep us in foodcubes and supplies for the next two cycles."

"What do the others say about this?" Zhaan asked.

"They're extremely happy to be doing this," Rygel insisted, with more bravado than truth.
***************

"I don't trust this Milban and I don't trust Rygel," Aeryn stated emphatically, as she and Crichton, D'Argo and Chiana made their way down to the docking bay to greet their latest passengers.

"I'm with Aeryn," D'Argo agreed darkly. "Not only are they musicians, but their manager is Hynerian. Put two Hynerians in a room together, negotiating, and I get very nervous about the outcome."

"Ah, come on, you guys, this could be fun. Haven't you ever dreamed about being a rock star?" John Crichton replied. The vacant looks on the faces of two of his companions was enough to convince him that they again had no idea what he was talking about. He sighed and followed them into the docking bay to meet the transport carrying what Rygel assured them was the hottest band in the Uncharted Territories.

Beside him, Chiana was bursting with excitement. "I'm with you, Crichton. I saw Vortex perform on Rompuz 7. It was the draddest! I can't believe I'm actually going to meet them face to face!" Her face was glowing with anticipation as the transport door opened slowly. Glancing at his other two companions, John saw that they had merely raised their weapons higher.

An Hynerian drifted out, his thronechair ornate and high tech, obviously a later and more improved model than Rygel's. He raised his hands immediately. "Please, no interviews, no pictures, autographs, vids. The band is only interested in getting to their quarters and resting up for ... " He stopped his obviously rehearsed speech when he saw the two weapons trained on him by D'Argo and Aeryn. "Uh, what is this?" he asked uncertainly.

"Merely a security precaution," Rygel assured his Hynerian counterpart, as he positioned his own thronechair between the transport and his two shipmates. Casting a glare at the two armed fugitives, he extended his hand in greeting to the band's manager. "I am Rygel the Sixteenth, Dominar of the Hynerian Empire.

The other Hynerian examined him suspiciously, "YOU are the Dominar! I thought the Dominar was named Bishan!"

Rygel's gaze darkened considerably, "Bishan is an impostor. I am the true Dominar!"

"Whatever!" The younger Hynerian dismissed his planet's politics with an impatient wave of his hand. "It does't matter to me. I have renounced my citizenship. As have all the members of the band. We are free spirits in the Uncharted Territories; free to explore our personal and artistic freedom."

"Great! Woodstock here we come!" John said sarcastically. Then, with a speculative glance at Aeryn, he added, "Though free love may not be such a bad idea."

His Sebacean colleague merely glowered at him, not lowering her weapon a dinch.

"What exactly does that mean?" D'Argo demanded impatiently.

"It means we have no passports, no papers, not even the slightest idea where our homeworlds are, and we're proud of the fact," a new voice added. A new figure emerged from the transport. The first word that came into John's mind was elf. All right, tall elf.

Vortex's lead musician was a tall, slender bipedal creature. His skin glowed with a faintly greenish tinge. His long, flowing hair was white blonde, cascading freely around pointed ears pierced and decorated with several gold hoops. His features were very refined and delicate. Piercing slanted emerald eyes glowed above sculpted cheekbones and sensuous olive lips. He wore a shimmering golden vest and a pair of tight auburn leather pants. He moved with a confident grace, taking in Moya's docking bay with a mixture of calm and caution. Beside him, John heard Chiana sigh with awe.

"Isn't he the draddest?" she breathed. John looked at her with confusion, clearly not seeing the attraction. Then he turned in sudden fear to Aeryn, checking her response to their new passenger. He relaxed perceptively to see that the only reaction she exhibited was one of suspicion and disgust.

The elfin musician stepped gracefully from the transport and languidly assessed his surroundings. His green gaze settled on Chiana, who was standing apart, her eyes fixed on the handsome features of the lead musician with adoration. His eyes swept over her slender form appreciatively and he smiled ingratiatingly. Chiana sighed with pleasure and stepped forward. The musician took her hands in his and raised one to his lips. "Raf Triconian, formerly of the planet Hegemonos. And who do I have the pleasure of meeting?" Chiana melted visibly in the face of his gallantry.

"I ... I'm Chiana," the Nebari stuttered, overcome at meeting her idol. "You are so dradd! I've been a fan of yours simply forever!" Behind John, D'Argo growled menacingly. "I saw your performance on Rompus 7 with my brother Neri. It was the most amazing thing I'd ever seen. You rocked!" John smirked at Chiana's use of Earth slang, which clearly confused the alien musician. "Would you please give me your autograph?" Chiana pleaded, pulling a transparency and stylus out of her bodice, to Raf's great interest.

The manager Milban hovered quickly between the two. "I said, no autographs!"

"What's the problem, Milban? I think I can afford to give this lovely lady an autograph, since she is a member of the crew that will see us to our next concert stop." Chiana sighed again when he focussed his emerald gaze once more on her, kissing the back of her hand again. "Definitely a most lovely lady!"

"Raf! Where are you? Why won't you help me down?" a pouty voice asked from within the transport. Raf's eyes darkened with annoyance and he kissed Chiana's hand quickly before meeting her eyes apologetically. Then the tall thin musician started to turn back to the transport pod's hatch. Before he could reach the door, a scantily clad female appeared in the entry, her pause carefully calculated to place her at the best advantage for photos. John marvelled at her appearance. She was primarily humanoid with a striking figure and features. The only alien aspect was the pair of coiled and polished opalescent horns that graced either side of her head, similar to a mountain goat. Her hair, or mane, was a beautiful auburn colour flowing around the horns and down her back, and her eyes were a golden brown. Her gold and auburn colouring was highlighted by the shimmering gold skirt and bodice that she wore, carefully draped and slit to reveal a tantalizing expanse of thigh, midriff, and bosom. She looked around the docking bay and pouted prettily to see that she was not the centre of attention. Tottering on impossibly high heeled shoes, the alien surveyed her surroundings with a mixture of calculation and helplessness. Her gaze landed on John and her eyes gleamed with speculation. Deliberately starting down before Raf had reached her, the female let out a shriek and stumbled on the stair. As the closest, John moved quickly to grab her around the waist to steady her. She looked up at him with a mixture of speculation and appreciation.

"Thank you, ....?" the alien female whispered, letting herself fall into John's supporting arms.

"John. John Crichton."

"I'm Shiona," she replied breathlessly.

"Just Shiona?" John asked, giving her one of his engaging grins.

"Yes, just Shiona," she replied flirtatiously. "But you can call me Shy for short." The female pressed herself suggestively against John. He coughed uncomfortably and deliberately stepped away from her. He didn't dare look at Aeryn, who still had her rifle trained on the newcomers.

"Ah, I wouldn't exactly call you 'Shy'," he sputtered.

"Frelling trelk!" Aeryn muttered under her breath, drawing Raf's attention to her for the first time. John noted the way the elf's eyes widened in appreciation at Aeryn's dark beauty. His green eyes travelled assessingly up and down her slender form in its black leather vest and pants. Then he plastered an insincere smile on his face and stepped forward to the Sebacean. "I don't believe we've been introduced. I'm Raf Triconian. I'm the leader of Vortex. And you are?"

"Not interested in the slightest," Aeryn replied scathingly. "If you wouldn't mind, please move out of my line of sight," she said, hefting the pulse rifle. Raf stepped back in shock. Aeryn's reaction was not one he had experienced lately, if ever. His green eyes darkened dangerously.

Beside him, John heard the female draw in her breath. A quick glance at her face showed him how pleased she was by Aeryn's rejection of the elf. He was not too displeased at her rejection himself.

Whatever might have happened next was interrupted by the appearance of the remaining band members. The Vortex equivalent of a bassist, Zel, was clearly an Illonic, which caused D'Argo to draw in his breath in surprise. The drummer, Etric, was a frenetic alien whose appearance John could only describe as raccoon-like. He was a small creature, whose face and neck was covered in grey fur, delineated with the characteristic darker mask. His eyes were bright and intelligent and his speech was rapid and filled with jokes and laughter. He never stopped moving, drumming his fingers or hands on the table or tapping his foot incessantly. John could not help but like the creature.

The group was completed by the languid and unexpected appearance of two 'roadies', expatriate Tavleks who helped the band move and set up their equipment. John nearly laughed out loud to learn that the ugly red-skinned brothers' names were Friq and Fraq.

The confusion of the group's initial docking past, Rygel and Milban launched into careful negotiations regarding the placement of the group's equipment. On hearing that the band required not only quarters but rehearsal space as well, Rygel upped the price by what he considered an outrageous amount. His face registered consternation when Milban agreed without question. As the Hynerian manager directed the roadies to remove and set-up the band's instruments and sound equipment in the empty cargo bay next to the one Aeryn had appropriated for her exercise room, Rygel completed the final introductions of the crew to the band members. Then the imperious little Dominar led the newly arrived passengers out of the docking bay and to their new quarters.

Etric chose to stay behind and help with the set-up of his precious drum set. With a quick grin, he smiled at Moya's crew and then turned his attention to his instruments. Zel kindly and quietly offered to take his luggage to his room for him, and bent to lift the two satchels and follow Rygel. Zhaan offered him a hand but he smiled briefly at her and shook his head, his fleshy tattooed tentacles flying.

Seeing no further need for her pulse rifle, Aeryn quickly set the safety back in place and turned to leave. Raf moved swiftly to intercept her on her way out, but her no-nonsense stride had her out the door before he could join her. Feeling somewhat foolish at having been ignored again, the elfin musician turned to see Chiana gazing at him with adoring dark eyes. Smiling and feeling more in his element, he stretched out his hand to her. "I would love it if you would show me to my quarters, Chiana."

The Nebari's eyes widened in shock then she grinned and joined him. "It would be my pleasure," she said breathlessly, cocking her head to look up into his eyes flirtatiously.

"And my bags?" Raf said. He turned to D'Argo who hovered nearby, clearly not pleased at Chiana's reaction. "Would you mind?" Without waiting for an answer, the Hegemon elf took Chiana's hand and followed Zel out of the docking bay.

D'Argo growled so dangerously that John put out a restraining hand on the enraged Luxan's arm. "This is definitely not a good idea!" D'Argo ground out under his breath.

"It's only for couple of weekens. And we really need the currency," John whispered.

D'Argo met his eyes, unconvinced of the wisdom of their plans. He bent and grabbed the leader's bags, slinging them roughly over his shoulder.

Shiona emerged once more from the transport with the last carryall to add to her enormous pile of luggage. Her eyes glittered dangerously to see that she had been left behind by the rest of her band and Moya's crew. With a plaintive call after Raf, she stamped her foot in frustration. Then she sighed and turned pleading eyes to John. "Could you help me with my things?" she asked wistfully. "I seem to be forgotten here."

John smiled again at her, recognising a spoiled female when he saw one. Not wanting to have her view him as a personal servant, he said quite deliberately, "Choose the two most important bags. Then I'll get your roadies to take the rest to your quarters." He stood back and waited. Shiona' eyes glittered dangerously again, but seeing the Human watching her carefully, she smiled and indicated the two largest bags. Then she thanked him prettily enough and headed out of the docking bay after the rest of the group. D'Argo smirked at John despite his anger and they worked to get the heavy bags down to the quarters that had been assigned to the band.

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

The trip to the first concert location, on a remote commerce planet called Plethron, took two solar days and three starbursts. During that time the crew tried not to let their passengers disrupt the routine they had fallen into, but the band members more often than not interfered. Shiona especially made increasing demands not only on her fellow band members and crew, but on Moya's shipmates as well, mostly John, to whom she stuck like a leech. Aeryn's expression was one of tight anger most of the time, despite John's efforts to avoid the clinging singer. The ex-PeaceKeeper spent more and more time taking her frustrations out on her exercise dummy, all the while listening to the music that poured from the cargo bay next to hers as the band rehearsed incessantly. D'Argo too was not pleased. Chiana spent an inordinate amount of time down watching the rehearsals and fawning all over Raf. The tall elfin Hegemonian seemed to accept Chiana's near worship as his due. But John had noted jealously that the leader's slanted green eyes strayed frequently in Aeryn's direction, whenever she was in the same room with him. The fact that the Sebacean ignored the handsome alien was obviously a new experience for him. Typically for Aeryn, she was completely unaware of his interest in her, a situation that John was quite happy with. All in all, rather than being a welcome distraction, the band Vortex was only increasing tensions in the already tense atmosphere aboard Moya.

The one thing that Moya's crew could all agree on was that the band was good. Very good. Their sound was unlike anything that John had heard before, not that he had heard a lot of music in the Uncharted Territories. There had been the rather techno music in the PeaceKeeper officers' lounge on the Gammak base and the insipid disco on the Royal Planet, not to mention the Grateful Dead clone that had appealed to the %%%% stoned D*Argo and Zhaan, but Vortex was another sound altogether. Shiona's voice was resonant and surprisingly deep, given the breathy, high, little girl speaking voice she affected. Etric's percussion was more like a sampler than a drum set. He seemed able to produce the most amazing sounds from his instrument, and there wasn't a rhythm too fast or too syncopated for his skill. Zel, on bass, came alive when his elaborately stringed instrument was in his hand, transforming him from the quiet, reserved being he was with the crew to a masterful showman and virtuoso instrumentalist. But it was Raf that John had to admire the most. The elfin lead's long thin fingers coaxed the most beautiful melodies and riffs from his guitar-like instrument, and his rich baritone voice complemented Shiona's contralto perfectly. The band's repertoire ranged from frenetic dance music with throbbing rhythms and powerful harmonies, to delicate, soulful ballads. And the band was adept at singing in a variety of languages, each one carefully attuned to the rhythm and style of the music they produced. John found himself frequently drawn to the cargo bay turned rehearsal hall. He was not surprised to see Pilot's image in the viewscreen listening to the rehearsal as he manipulated Moya's controls with ease, his four arms seemingly moving in time to the music.

One evening, after yet another dramatic exit by Shiona after a fight with Raf and Milban, Raf had turned to Aeryn with an oily smile on his face. "Would you care to join me on the terrace, Aeryn. I understand it is a favourite place of yours and I have yet to see it. I would love it if you would show it to me." The elfin being leaned over, deliberately invading Aeryn's space.

John felt his anger rise. *Hey, that's my girl!* he wanted to yell, but all he could do was sit silently and fume at the musician's obvious flirtation.

His anger quickly dispersed, however, as Aeryn stared at Raf as if he had lost his head. Then she dismissed him. "Sorry. I have to go down and check my Prowler, then change the chakan oil cartridge in my rifle. Perhaps Chiana would be interested." Aeryn rose abruptly, replaced her tray, and marched out of the room, her dark ponytail flying.

The rest of his band and the crew coughed or turned away to hide their amusement. Raf stared after her, a dark look of angry embarrassment on his face. Then he smiled, though it did not reach his eyes. His eyes, glittering with resentment, moved deliberately over to D'Argo then Chiana. He turned to his eager young Nebari fan. "Is Aeryn right? Would you be interested in showing me Moya's lovely terrace?" he asked, leaning in close to the white-haired Chiana.

"Yes, Raf, yes, I would. Aeryn's loss is my gain." Chiana had the grace to let her eyes slide somewhat guiltily towards D'Argo and then back to Raf's handsome face. She stood and held out her hand. "Shall we go?" The Hegemonian smiled again and took Chiana's hand, leading her from the central chamber.

John looked over at the stricken D'Argo. *Oh, man, Chiana! You're playing a dangerous game here.* The Human knew that things had not been going well between the Luxan and the sometimes capricious Nebari. He studied D'Argo's face, almost relieved to see hurt there rather than the ever possible hyper-rage.

Before he could say anything, the usually quiet Zel spoke. "Not to worry, my friend. Raf is all talk."

D'Argo gave the Illonic a sad smile. "Yes, but Chiana is not." Zel had the grace to look embarrassed, then he smiled at the Luxan. "Females!" His comment clearly included John Crichton as well.

"Yeah, I hear you!" John said with a wry grin.

The next microt his comm sprang to life. "Crichton! I could really use your help down here." Aeryn's voice came through imperiously.

John met Zel's eyes, rolling his own. Zel grinned and even D'Argo had to smile. "Sure thing, Aeryn. I'll be right there," he replied. He quickly cleared his tray and headed out to meet the Sebacean. As he moved out into the corridor, he heard Zel begin to question D'Argo about his Shilqulin. D'Argo answered him eagerly. *That's a good man there,* John thought to himself as he sauntered down to meet Aeryn.

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

"I have made contact with Dropo Ard," Pilot informed the waiting Milban. The rest of the band and Moya's crew had gathered on the Command as soon as Pilot had informed them of their proximity to Plethron.

"Excellent, Pilot. Can you put him on screen?"

"Right away!"

Pilot's image disappeared to be replaced by that of a purple-skinned being with wild blue hair that would have been a dead ringer for Don King if he hadn't sported the conspicuous third eye in the middle of his forehead. "Milban! Baby! Welcome to Plethron! How are you, my good friend?" The creature enthused, waving three ring-covered hands, his glittering suit almost blinding.

"Dropo! I'm well. Are you ready to be blown out of the water by my friends here?" Milban said, hovering in front of the screen.

"Frelling right I am! We've got a sold-out show!" Milban shared a satisfied look with the other members of the band. "I'm so glad you were able to find transportation! I guess you got that little cash flow problem solved, eh my friend?"

At his words, Rygel glided forward to confront the other Hynerian. "Cash flow? What the hezmana is he talking about?"

Milban waved the Dominar away urgently. "Later. I'll explain later," he hissed urgently. "What problem, Dropo, you liar? Vortex is raking it in."

Dropo smiled insincerely. "Well, you've definitely made a killing here. When will you be landing, setting up?"

"Immediately. The band wants a sound check and then time to relax. You've got the rooms ready for the group, their roadies and security?"

"Security?" John mouthed to Aeryn. She shrugged at him, as bewildered as he was.

"As you requested. Or shall I say demanded?" the Plethronian laughed, a smug, insincere sound. "We'll see you when you land," Dropo said before signing off.

As soon as the screen darkened, Rygel gave D'Argo a sign. The Luxan reached over and hauled the Hynerian manager out of his thronechair. The sled dropped to the floor with a thud. Rygel hovered over, his face in the other Hynerian's. "What's this about a cash flow problem?"

Staring up into the enraged face of a Luxan, Milban had the grace to look scared. "Uhh, okay. I was a little less than honest with you about the state of our finances."

The band members hovered nearby, clearly as interested as Rygel. All but Raf, who seemed to be trying to back out of the room, attempting for once to go unnoticed.

"You had better tell us the truth, you Hynerian slug!" D'Argo threatened, shaking the already trembling Hynerian.

"It's ... it's not a ... a problem," the Hynerian stammered. "Once we do these three concerts, we'll be solvent again. I swear!"

"But what about the profits from the rest of the tour?" Shiona demanded.

Milban looked over at Raf, then back at the band members. "They're ... they're gone!"

"Gone?!" Shiona shrieked. "How!?"

Milban looked over at Raf again. He pointed his finger at the leader who was trying to disappear. "It was Raf!"

All eyes turned to the elfin being. He closed his eyes and sighed. "Look, it wasn't really my fault. How was I supposed to know she was only fourteen cycles? She looked at least twenty!"

Zel stepped forward, a disappointed look on his usually serene face. "So what happened, Raf?"

The lead musician's green eyes opened, filled with resignation. "This female kept throwing herself at me, back on Saltyn 4. She was at every concert, sending me notes, pictures. Then she showed up in my room. I swear, I thought she was old enough!" He closed his eyes, remembering. "It turns out that not only was she underage, she was the niece of Saltyn's President. It took every cent we had to buy her off. Otherwise, we would have all landed in jail for a very long time."

Shiona was the first to react. She marched over to Raf and smacked him across the face. Then she stormed out. Raf met the eyes of his fellow musicians, almost pleading for forgiveness. Zel moved over to D'Argo and spoke softly. "I'm sorry, my friend. I guess he's not all talk after all. " Zel nodded to Etric and the two left the Command. Raf looked after them sadly.

Rygel hovered over to Milban, who still dangled in D'Argo's grasp. "So what does that mean for us? You promised us hard currency and a lot of it."

Milban struggled and D'Argo let him drop to the floor. The Hynerian manager pulled himself upright. He recovered his thronechair and hovered over to face Rygel and the others. "You'll get your money. But you have to follow through with the entire deal. The band will be well paid, and their cut is half the profits as well. But they don't see a cent until after they've finished the last concert, on Lensh 12." Milban looked from one of Moya's crew to the other.

"I say we dump this dren right now!" D'Argo growled. Aeryn looked like she was ready to agree with him.

But John held up his hand. "We still need the currency, people. Remember the Budong. We don't ever want to go hungry like that again." He looked over at Zhaan who nodded. Chiana seemed ready to stay the course as well.

"You guarantee we'll get paid?" Rygel demanded.

"You have my word on it!" Milban replied. "If not, we forfeit our equipment and the last demo tapes we've made. You can see that they're worth money," he hastily added, when the crew gave him a look that clearly indicated how much they valued his word.

"You better be telling the truth, pal, because we're not exactly interested in going into the record biz," John threatened.

Milban sighed and wiped his sweaty brow in relief. "So, we've got a deal?"

"We'll renegotiate based on profit projections, but I think we can come to some alternate arrangement," Rygel said with a smirk.

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

"So tell me again how it is that we got roped into providing security for the band," John complained.

Aeryn cast him a glance. "Rygel says if anything happens to the group before their last concert, we don't get paid. So it's in our best interests, as well as theirs, to make sure they survive to the end of their tour." Aeryn hefted her pulse rifle and surveyed the crowd of screaming fans. The concert had just about finished. Vortex was wowing their fans with their grand finale, a spectacle of music, lights and special effects. John was a little disappointed that he had had to watch from the sidelines. It had been a long time since he had been able to let himself go at a musical extravaganza the likes of which Vortex obviously was famous for.

The crowd of fans screamed as the last notes died out. Shiona, clad in a very revealing outfit, ran off the stage, followed by Zel and Etric and finally Raf. The multi-racial crowd in the open-air arena screamed for more as the last traces of smoke dissipated. The band took a microt to wipe their sweaty faces and down a few gulps of water before going back out to tantalize the crowd with a final encore from their latest vid, hastily assembled from the live performances of the tour so far. Hawkers were already in place in the lobby, with copies of the disk ready for sale.

Aeryn's face clearly showed her disapproval of the whole pop music scene, to such an extent that John could not help teasing her. "So, you don't like their music?"

"It's not that," Aeryn said, her eyes moving over the crowd of screaming and largely youthful fans. "I don't understand why they scream. They paid good money to be here. How can they hear the performers if they keep making so much noise?"

John smiled, his heart a little saddened by what Aeryn had been denied through her regimented life with the PeaceKeepers. "It's all part of the experience, Aeryn. Those kids out there probably know the music better than Raf and the band. They are just revelling in their youth and freedom."

Aeryn stared at him uncomprehendingly. "Did you go to concerts like this, back on Earth?"

John smiled in memory. "Yeah, I did. You'll have to remind me to tell you about them sometime." Then he saw the sad look on her face and instantly regretted his words. He reached out to place a consoling hand on her arm.

Just then, the band members started to emerge from their dressing rooms. A large number of screaming fans had started to assemble at the stage door. "Okay, heads up, Aeryn. This is where things can get a little dicey." He checked out the distance from the stage door to the waiting transport.

Aeryn removed the safety from her rifle and hefted it, ready to fire. "No, Aeryn! They're just kids. No shooting!"

Unfortunately, Raf chose that microt to try to get to the waiting transport. Several fans surged forward, trying to get an autograph or souvenir of the evening. Aeryn moved forward to intercept them, protecting Raf. John cried out in horror as Aeryn was overcome by the surging multitude of screaming fans, most of them female. "Aeryn!" John drew his gun and fired into the air. Unbelievably, it took a couple of shots before the crowd finally dissipated somewhat. A bruised and battered Aeryn emerged from the crowd, her arms scratched and her clothes torn, her eyes flashing fire. John saw that Raf and the others managed to reach the transport unscathed. Then he reached around and hauled Aeryn into the transport behind him and locked the door. They could clearly hear the thumps and bangs as the rabid fans hurled themselves against the transport.

"Are you all right?" John asked, his hands passing over the Sebacean, lightly checking for serious injuries as she sat back in one of the passenger seats.

Aeryn glared at him, her blue eyes blazing in her beautiful face. "Just kids, you said, Crichton!" She tried to pull her torn vest together again. "Next time, I shoot to kill!"

She started to get up to pilot the transport back to Moya, but John pushed her gently down. "No, I'll fly." He grinned as her face clearly showed what she thought of that idea, but she relaxed back into the seat with a groan. *She must be more hurt than I thought,* John mused. He gave her one more glance then moved over to the controls, beginning the launch sequence.

Raf came to kneel in front of her. "Are you all right?" he asked.

Aeryn looked at his handsome face and sighed. "Yes, Raf, I'm fine. Thank you for asking." She stared at the elfin alien in dismay. "Is it like this every time?"

Raf grinned ruefully. "Yes, ever since we made it big."

"How do you live like this?" the ex-PeaceKeeper asked in horror.

"Actually, it's what we've always dreamed of." He leaned over and gave Aeryn a soft kiss. "Thanks for your efforts to protect us." He smiled, the expression making his face more handsome. Then he leaned down to her again.

Aeryn accepted the elfin creature's second kiss with an embarrassed air. Her eyes slid to John's jealous gaze then she closed her eyes, seemingly surrendering to sleep as the transport flew back to Moya. None of them noticed Shiona's murderous stare.

PART TWO OF THREE

Milban and Rygel saluted each other with a glass of ras'laq. "Here's to the music business!" Rygel grinned.

"And here's to Moya and her crew!" Milban declared.

"Tell me again, what was the take?" Rygel said, fairly drooling over the figures.

"Over twenty thousand universal credits!" Milban replied with a gleeful smirk.

"Unbelievable!" Rygel said in wonder. He looked up as John and D'Argo entered the central chamber, his eyes speculative. "Why don't you people have any talent?" he mourned. "Look at the money to be made." He turned to the Human. "I've heard you sing. Are you sure you couldn't do what Raf does? And what about that Shilqulin of yours, D'Argo?" Rygel's acquisitive tendencies made him reckless.

Milban smiled at the Dominar's futile attempts. "It takes a bit more than that to put together a winning band, Your Highness." His chest puffed out. "I humbly suggest that Vortex's success is largely due to their superior management."

John and D'Argo looked at each other and rolled their eyes.

Rygel merely snorted in disgust at his artistically-challenged companions and glided away.

"Where's Raf?" John asked idly.

"I saw him with Chiana," Zel replied, casting a somewhat sympathetic glance at D'Argo. "I guess Raf was going down to the rehearsal hall to practise.

Etric came in just in time to hear Zel's answer."No, he's meeting with Aeryn," he corrected, sitting down and beginning to tap a complicated beat pattern on the table. The two Tavlek roadies, Friq and Fraq followed him in, going immediately to the side to fill their plates. Etric continued, "He asked her to teach him some defensive moves so that what happened down on Plethron won't happen again."

Friq and Fraq snorted suggestively at each other. "Defensive moves. That's a new line."

John felt a twinge of jealousy flow through him. "And Aeryn agreed?"

Etric stopped his frenetic beats and looked at the Human in astonishment. "I guess so. He was dressed for exercises. Chiana said she was going along to watch."

"Watch what?" Shiona asked, coming into the chamber. She was dressed very provocatively in a low-cut, clinging top and satiny pants that left little to the imagination. Both Friq and Fraq leered at her, but she ignored them. "Watch what?" she repeated impatiently.

"Raf has asked the PeaceKeeper to teach him to defend himself against our more rabid fans," Zel explained.

"Really?" Shiona replied nastily, taking in John's thunderous expression with a gleam of speculation in her eyes. "Raf is willing to risk injuring his hands? I don't think so!"

Milban's head shot up at her comment. "His hands? Injury! No! Someone's got to stop that PeaceKeeper. If he gets hurt, no more concerts. No more concerts, no more money!"

"I'll go down and tell Aeryn it's not a good idea," John said already halfway out the door. His jealousy had dissipated somewhat with the knowledge that Chiana was with the pair, but he still didn't like the idea of Raf 'putting the moves' on Aeryn, as the roadies seemed to think.

He moved quickly through the corridors, but suddenly someone grabbed his arm from behind and swung him around to push him up against the wall with surprising strength. John found himself trapped between the bulkhead and Shiona's voluptuous body.

"So, your little soldier girl has deserted you for Raf," she breathed. Her fingers began to walk up his chest. "I'm not surprised. Raf has been intrigued by her since we came on board. It was only a matter of time before she gave in to him. Raf always gets what he wants."

John tried to push the singer away as gently as possible, but she was stronger than she looked. "Uhh, look, Shiona, I'm sure there's nothing going on between Raf and Aeryn. You have nothing to worry about."

Shiona slid her arms up around John's neck and began to pull him down to her. "That's too bad, because I was really looking forward to consoling you." She reached up and kissed him hungrily.

John pushed her again and this time she let go. Somewhat angrily, the Human grabbed her arms and moved her rather roughly out of the way. "Look, Shiona, I'm really NOT interested." He glared at her and then turned and headed towards the cargo bay.

"Okay, Human, run off after your little PeaceKeeper trelk!" Shiona hissed to herself furiously. "But Raf will have her and then you will come to me!" Unused to being rejected, the singer stalked off in the opposite direction.

John heard the sound of Aeryn's practice dummy being hit as soon as he rounded the corner. Aeryn was demonstrating a kick for Raf. Chiana was nowhere in sight. Unbeknownst to her, the smirking musician was ogling her body rather than admiring her technique. John felt jealous rage flow through him again. "Hey, Aeryn!" he called, pleased to see Raf jump nervously.

Aeryn turned and gave him a bright smile, typically oblivious to Raf's true intentions. "Crichton! What's the matter?" She bent down to grab up her towel and mop her flushed face with it. Several strands of her hair had come loose from her braid. For a microt, John just stood smiling, admiring her. When she came up and waved her hand in front of his face with a grin, he remembered himself. "Is something the matter? Is there a problem with Moya?"

"No, nothing like that. What are you doing?" he asked, trying to sound casual.

"Raf asked me to teach him some moves to defend himself," Aeryn said, giving the alien a quick smile.

"After yesterday, I think it would be a good idea," Raf said, smiling. He took the towel from her hands and draped it around Aeryn's shoulders, his long-fingered hands lingering on her skin, bared by the black singlet she wore. "I can't always count on having someone like Aeryn here around to protect me."

"Did you forget we had planned to replace the ... uh ... the rear ... uh ... rear thruster on my module today?" John stammered.

Aeryn looked at him in confusion but before she could answer, Chiana came in with a jug of water and some cups. "Here's the water you asked for, Raf," she said eagerly. "Oh, hi, Crichton. Did you come down to watch too?"

John glared at her. "No!"

Chiana took in John's jealous glare. "Oh!" Then she turned to Raf. "Well, anyway, the others told me to tell you they want to start the rehearsal in a quarter arn."

Raf smiled at Aeryn ruefully. "I guess the lesson is over. How about this afternoon?"

"If Aeryn's free," John piped up. The Sebacean looked at him in astonishment. "That rear thruster could take a while," he added lamely.

Raf smiled insincerely at the Human, amused by his apparent jealousy. Then he turned and left the room, with Chiana trailing along after him.

Aeryn turned away from John, collecting her shirt and straightening her equipment. Finally, she came to face him, her face inscrutable. "We didn't plan to do any work on your module, did we, John?"

John looked down, embarrassed at his feeble excuse. "No."

"So why did you lie to Raf?"

"I don't like you spending time alone with him."

Aeryn looked at him, then her expression softened a bit. "I can take care of myself, John."

"I know, but ..."

Her eyes hardened. "But you don't trust me!"

John looked at her in horror at the suggestion. "No, Aeryn. I trust you. I don't trust him." He reached out and dared to touch her face softly. "He has a bad reputation. I don't want you to get hurt."

Aeryn stared at him for a microt, then she smiled. John returned her smile, letting his thumb lightly caress her lips. Aeryn closed her eyes and pressed her cheek into his warm hand. "Thank you," she whispered.

"For what?" John asked, moving closer to her, his eyes on her mouth.

"For caring."

John's breath caressed her cheek moments before his mouth lowered to hers in a tender kiss. "You're welcome." He moved back from her. Then, unable to resist, kissed her again. Passion flared between them immediately. Aeryn's arms slid up around John's neck and she pressed herself against him with intense desire. John's hands slid down from her face to encircle her body, molding her even more completely to him, caressing the soft skin bared by her exercise outfit. For several microts it was only the two of them, their passion and their unspoken love. Then John pulled back while he was still able to maintain control. He gazed down into Aeryn's lovely eyes, seeing his own desire mirrored there. He sighed and stepped back from her. She echoed his sigh. John smiled and draped his arm around her shoulders. Together they left the cargo bay, knowing they had duties to fulfill. Neither of them noticed the concealed figure of Shiona, shaking with rage at what she had just observed.
***************

"So tell me, your Highness, how did you come to be aboard Moya?" Shiona asked. She had brought the Dominar a particularly rare and enticing delicacy that she had picked up on Saltyn 4. The Hynerian gourmand was devouring the treat, his eyes closed in near ecstasy.

"It's a long story but the gist of it is, Zhaan, D'Argo and I managed to escape the PeaceKeepers about two cycles ago. We had all been falsely imprisoned."

"How horrible for you!" Shiona exclaimed. "Such a handsome and wise ruler! Your people have been truly deprived of your loving guidance by your incarceration."

Rygel stared at the enticing female in front of him for a few microts, unsure of the truthfulness of her words, then he smiled imperiously. "Indeed! It's a pleasure to have a being such as your lovely self recognise that fact."

Shiona reached out her hand and traced along Rygel's sensitive earbrow. "And Chiana?"

"We rescued her from her own people, the Nebari. They wanted to mind-cleanse her -- their supposedly merciful method of dealing with non-conformists." Rygel shivered delicately under the attractive singer's ministrations.

"What about Crichton and Aeryn? They're both PeaceKeepers. Aren't they your enemies? I don't understand how they came to be here," Shiona lied.

Rygel sighed, tipping his head towards Shiona, encouraging her to continue her arousing caresses. "Crichton's not Sebacean, he's Human. From some backward planet called Earth." He sighed with pleasure. "He and Aeryn escaped from Captain Crais back on some commerce planet. She's been deemed irreversibly contaminated. It means death. And John is running from some maniac Sebacean-Scarran hybrid called Scorpius. Supposedly, the primitive being stumbled onto a secret that the PeaceKeepers have been trying to solve for cycles." Rygel sighed again with intense pleasure, his meal largely forgotten.

"So, there's a reward out for him? How awkward!"

"You have no idea!" Rygel confessed. "The Human gets us into more trouble than he's worth!"

Shiona caressed Rygel's earbrow again, sending the Hynerian into shivers of rapture. "You are truly a patient and compassionate Dominar. I can only hope that Bishan rots for what he has put you through." Shiona rose suddenly and turned to leave. "Enjoy your meal, Dominar Rygel. You have earned a little pleasure." She blew the Hynerian a dramatic kiss and left the room. Rygel stared after her and then returned to his meal with a sigh.

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

"Okay, we'll have to be particularly vigilant down here," D'Argo advised his crewmates. "It seems there have been recent sightings of PeaceKeepers on this planet."

"On Aydomai? Why?" Rygel asked.

"The Peacekeepers used to maintain an outpost here, twenty cycles ago. Perhaps, with the threat from the Nebari or the Scarrans, they have reactivated it," Aeryn suggested. The crew of the Leviathan had agreed to meet in the Command while their irksome passengers prepared to transport down to the surface for their second performance on the tour.

"Maybe D'Argo, Zhaan and I should do security tonight. Scorpius has wanted beacons out all over the place for John, and Aeryn attracts too much attention by being a Sebacean," Chiana suggested.

The rest of the crew nodded. John and Aeryn looked at the others and agreed. "Okay, but make sure the band gets up here in one piece. We've got one more concert and then we're home free," Rygel insisted.

There was some objection from the band about not having John, and especially Aeryn, to watch over them. Raf was particularly vocal, claiming he needed Aeryn's PeaceKeeper skills to keep him safe from his increasingly rabid fans. Milban tried to deduct money from their agreed upon price, but Rygel neatly outmaneuvered him, saying that he was lucky the crew had not dumped Vortex back on Plethron, after they found out that the Hynerian manager had bargained in bad faith. Milban quieted, even going so far as to tell Raf to be silent rather abruptly. The pouting alien climbed into the transport. Rygel smirked at his two crewmates as the doors closed on the docking bay, pleased to have gotten the upper hand. Then he floated off, claiming he needed a nap after the rigorous negotiations he had just participated in.

John turned to Aeryn expectantly. She met his eager gaze blandly. "What, Crichton?" she asked.

"Well, other than Rygel, we've got the whole place to ourselves." John moved closer to her. "Back home, this would mean all sorts of opportunities." He leered at her suggestively. "Cracking open a bottle of wine, throwing a romantic movie into the VCR, snuggling on the couch ignoring it." He waggled his eyebrows at her. "What do you say, Aeryn?"

She continued to stare at him, then her face broke into a reluctant grin. "You are indeed the strangest creature." Her smile turned wicked. "You find me a boddleovween, a fee-seer, and a crutch and you're on, Crichton." She turned and left him, but not before she gave him a decidedly comehither backwards glance.

John smiled widely as he watched her go, then he headed off to make his plans for his evening alone with his Sebacean shipmate.

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

Down on the planet, Shiona was making some plans of her own. After the rehearsal and sound check, which had gone rather badly due to the flaring tempers of both Raf and Shiona, the group had headed back to their hotel rooms for some much-needed rest before that evening's concert. Shiona hung back in the lobby until all the others, including the hovering Luxan and Delvian, and the Nebari had retired to their rooms, then she moved out, coming up to the creature that served as a servicer for the hotel guests. She gave him her most seductive smile."Perhaps you can help me, Sket," she said, bending closer to him to read his name tag, letting her enticing scent waft over him.

The servicer's rather prominent nose twitched in his face and his eyes nearly glazed over. "Wha ... what can I do for you, Miss ... Miss ...?" he stammered.

She straightened up and moved even closer to the nervous creature. " Shiona! I need to find someone here. It's very important and could be worth some money to you, if you know what I mean." She smiled up at him alluringly, seeing his pale face darken in what passed for a blush with his kind. "Or maybe you don't want money?"

The creature gulped. "What can I do for you?"

"Can you put me in touch with the PeaceKeepers?"

The creature gulped again, nervous but now for a different reason. "What would a lovely lady such as yourself want with them?"

"Well, I have some very important information for them about two very dangerous fugitives. I don't want to see anyone on your world hurt. While I don't particularly like them, the PeaceKeepers are the best people to deal with these maniacs." She smiled up into the trembling servicer's eyes. "So where do I find them?"

The servicer grimaced, then gave the lovely singer the directions to the outpost the PeaceKeepers currently maintained. For a microt he considered offering to take the information to the PeaceKeepers himself, but then he thought better of it. He was not prepared to risk his life, no matter how tempting the female appeared to be. Shiona pushed him out of sight of the main lobby and kissed him ardently. "Not a word to anyone about this, Sket. This will be our little secret."

The bemused servicer could only nod. With a triumphant smile, Shiona walked off down the street.
**************'

"So you're telling me the Leviathan with the fugitives John Crichton and Aeryn Sun is in orbit around this planet?" Captain Tysop Orm stated, coming around from behind the desk at which he spent most of his days.

Shiona could hear a tinge of excitement in his voice. *The frelling propacto probably hasn't had anything of importance happen to him since he was posted -- demoted -- to this backwater outpost,* she thought. *This can work to my advantage.*"Yes," she said out loud, casting the PeaceKeeper a seductive glance. The Captain's uniform showed just enough disarray to indicate that he had let some of his strict discipline go during his 'exile'.

"I've got to get in touch with the nearest Command Carrier," he said, moving over to the communications system. "Perhaps it will be Scorpius himself," he mused out loud.

"Then he will send his elite troops, who will commandeer the Leviathan and drag the criminals away. Be sure to leave your name. I'm sure Scorpius will get around to thanking you some time. After the troop leader who actually delivers his prize to him, I mean," Shiona replied suggestively.

Captain Orm paused and looked at the singer suspiciously. "What do you mean?" he asked, his face dark.

"Nothing. Just that the one who actually puts Crichton in the hands of Scorpius will the one to benefit from his gratitude, shall we say," she responded. Shiona moved over to lean across the desk, offering the PeaceKeeper an irresistible view of her charms. "Just as the one who lets him get away will face the Scarran halfbreed's fiercest wrath." Orm glared at her, his hand hesitating over the comm. "We will only be here until after the concert, a matter of four arns at the most. Is that enough time for Marauders to get here and apprehend the fugitives?"

Orm stared at the female and then sighed. "No. I have no idea how close the nearest Carrier is, but I would suspect more than six or seven arns. This planet and its neighbouring systems are of no interest to High Command. This is merely an outpost, established to report any unusual alien activity. We don't even have a full Marauder crew here."

Shiona leaned closer. "Then why don't you listen to my plan. Crichton and the others are extremely nervous here. Even your pathetic little base is too much of a PeaceKeeper presence for them. But on Lensh 12, our last concert venue, there is no threat of PeaceKeepers at all. Their guard will be down. It will be easy for you to avoid the local authorities and round up the whole crew. They will probably all come down for the final concert, both to listen and to make sure they receive their proper payment. They will walk right into your trap and you will then have Scorpius' much sought after prize in your hands. You can deliver John Crichton personally." She smiled again, seductively.

The PeaceKeeper eyed her, still suspicious of her motives, but warming to her idea. "And what do you get out of this, my lovely Shiona?"

"I get revenge. On that PeaceKeeper trelk Aeryn for stealing my lover and the Human John Crichton for rejecting me," she replied, her face hard and her eyes bitter. "And the rest of them for ignoring me."

Orm stared, for a microt feeling sorry for the hapless objects of the singer's hatred.
***************

"Thirty thousand units of universal currency!" Rygel breathed, clearly in Hynerian heaven. "For playing a few songs? Unbelievable!"

The crew and passengers were gathered for a celebratory breakfast in the central chamber. Chiana and Zhaan had outdone themselves, providing the crew's favourite dishes and Vortex's somewhat finicky meal choices.

Milban looked at his supposed Dominar, a superior expression on his face. "That's nothing! The group Ket-stran made twice that much at every one of their concerts last year. Vortex is just getting started!" He raised his glass of Ygergic juice and saluted his clients. The rest of the group joined his toast and the room was filled with happiness and satisfaction.

"So, how did you two amuse yourselves last night?" the irrepressible Chiana asked John, her eyes sliding suggestively over to her Sebacean crewmate.

He gave her a maddeningly neutral smirk. "Wouldn't you like to know, Chiana?" the Human replied. Then his eye caught Aeryn's across the table and Chiana fairly crowed with delight at the slight reddening of the ex-PeaceKeeper's cheeks. John saw the Nebari's expression and hastily stepped in. "Don't tease her, Chiana," he said quietly, meaningfully. "Things are good with us. Don't ruin it."

The Nebari gazed at her Human crewmate, then leaned over and gave him a friendly peck on the cheek when Aeryn wasn't watching. "I won't, John. You two deserve to be together," she whispered.

"Just like you and D'Argo?" John couldn't resist asking. Chiana met his gaze, her dark eyes troubled, but she said nothing.

Just then, Aeryn got up, her gaze deliberately avoiding John's. She silently cleared her eating space, then left the room without a word. She appeared to be unaware of the eyes that followed her; Raf's filled with speculation, Chiana's amusedly considering and John's full of desire. John winked at his friends, shared a smile with Zel and endured an enthusiastic thumbs-up from Etric, then he went after Aeryn. None of them noticed the look of pure poison that Shiona cast at the departing Sebacean and her Human shadow.

Raf quickly cleared his own tray and prepared to follow the ex-PeaceKeeper. Shiona bristled at his obvious pursuit. "Raf, darling, haven't you forgotten something?"

The Hegemonian elf turned back to his former lover impatiently. "No, Shiona, I don't believe I have." The rest of the band rolled their eyes at each other, detecting the signs of yet another battle between the two volatile artists.

"You promised to play that new song you had written for me," Shiona pouted prettily. "I thought you wanted to get it ready for Lensh 12?"

"Well, you thought wrong, Shiona," Raf declared rather nastily. "I've decided that your voice is all wrong for the song."

"All wrong!" Shiona cried, her voice rising several decibels. "Who else are you going to get to sing it?"

Raf looked her over, his gaze insulting. "Well, maybe, it's time to add another singer to the group. Or replace the one we have. I need someone with the talent to complement my music!"

Milban groaned audibly. The rest of the group looked at the exit with intense longing.

"And who did you have in mind?" Shiona demanded. "Maybe your precious PeaceKeeper trelk? She's obviously quite talented in bed, but is that really what audiences want?"

Chiana's face darkened in anger and D'Argo growled angrily, but before anyone else could react to Shiona's insults, Raf reached across the table in fury. Shiona leaped back and hit his hand away with a resounding slap. "Don't touch me, you frelling Yakfa!" Her insult hit home as Raf's face flushed a deeper green. Shiona stormed out of the central chamber.

Milban groaned again. "Spare me from egocentric artists and jealous females."

Zel stood up and went over to the still enraged Raf. "Maybe you better go after her in a few microts, Raf." He placed a calming hand on the elfin being's arm. "We will be at Lensh 12 in only 4 arns. We really need to go over the music, especially that new song you added. And for that we need Shiona."

Raf looked at the others who all nodded. He sighed in resignation. "All right. I'll give her some time to cool down, then I'll go and tell her I apologise. But I meant what I said about getting another singer. Shiona has caused nothing but trouble this tour. She's too difficult. We're making it big, finally. We need reliable professionals, not petulant children!" He turned on his heel and stormed out. The irony was not lost on anyone that his exit and behaiviour were very nearly identical to Shiona's.
***************

Unaware of the drama that had unfolded in the central chamber after his exit, John Crichton went down to his quarters to clean up after breakfast. He endured the able teeth-cleansing of the caterpiller-like dentic, marvelling again at the efficiency if not pleasure of the experience. He took a moment to check his face in the mirror, then grinned at himself and headed out in search of Aeryn. There was a bounce in his step and he was still basking in the warm glow of his intimate evening with his Sebacean crewmate.

As he passed the cargo bays, John heard the sounds of the band rehearsing yet again. He checked Aeryn's exercise area, but found it empty. He whistled along with the music floating through the Leviathan's corridors as he headed down to the maintenance bay. Sure enough he heard the unmistakable sounds of someone working on machinery .

But, amazingly, he heard something else. Someone was singing along to the band's rehearsal. It was Aeryn. John paused and moved silently into the maintenance bay. He leaned against the wall, listening to the rich contralto voice. And he smiled.

Aeryn was very good. She knew every song. Her voice throbbed with emotion as she sang the beautiful ballad that Raf had added to the band's repertoire. She continued to work as she sang. John was fairly sure she wasn't even aware she was singing. He stayed out of sight for several more microts, listening as Aeryn worked her way through two more songs. Then he couldn't stand it any longer. He started to clap as she finished the last song.

Aeryn jumped, startled by the sound. Then she stared at him. "What?" she demanded.

John came over very close to her, smiling gently. "I was applauding your singing."

Aeryn stared at him again, this time in embarrassment. "I was not singing!" she denied.

"Yes, you were, sweetheart, and ya know what? You're really good. Better than Shiona, if you ask me." John reached out and caressed her cheek. Aeryn looked down, embarrassed again. "Hey, don't be embarrassed. There's nothing wrong with singing."

Aeryn's eyes flew to his." Yes, there is, at least for a PeaceKeeper!" She put down the tool she had been holding and leaned back against the Prowler. "I can't believe I was actually singing. It must be hearing the band rehearsing so much." She looked up at John. "I used to sing all the time as a child. It took them cycles to break me of the habit." She looked back at John again, her eyes filled with infinite sadness. "But it wasn't their beatings that stopped me."

John flinched at the thought of Aeryn's stark and abusive childhood. He could see that there was something in her past that she really needed to share with him. He took her hand and ran his thumb over the back of her hand. "What did stop you, Aeryn?" he asked gently.

The Sebacean looked down at the floor and sighed. When she looked back up, her eyes were glistening with unshed tears. "I had a very good friend when I was about seven cycles. Timon and I were inseparable. I was smaller though and had to work extra hard to keep up with the training. He used to cover for me when I made a mistake. He helped me when I stumbled. He got me through most of that cycle's training." John folded her hand in his, listening. She took a deep breath and continued. "Unfortunately, the trainers caught on. By then I had started to show some aptitude for flying, so instead of punishing me, they beat Timon. But the corrector went too far. Timon endured the pain for four nights, not telling the trainers how badly he was injured. I tried to get him to tell them, but he wouldn't. He didn't want them to think him weak. Finally, the last night, he was writhing in agony. I went to him, sneaking out of my bed to try to convince him to get help. But he wouldn't. And he wouldn't let me go either." Aeryn looked down again, overcome. "All he asked me to do was sing to him, to try to ease his pain and help him sleep."

John reached out and pulled her into his comforting embrace. "Did it work?"

"Yes, he died peacefully in his sleep." Aeryn met John's compassionate gaze. "But I haven't sung another note until now." She stared up into his eyes, clearly looking for something. A confused expression crossed her face. "I wonder what's changed?"

John cupped her face in his hand, letting his thumb stroke the soft skin of her cheek. He smiled at her tenderly. "Maybe last night?" he grinned as Aeryn blushed somewhat, then her eyes grew wicked.

"And what was so special about last night?" she teased.

John smiled then his expression became very serious. "Everything, Aeryn. Everything." He searched her eyes, seeking and finding his own thoughts mirrored in her sapphire gaze. "I enjoyed being with you very much."

Aeryn smiled up at him, a bit shyly. "I did too, John." She gave in to the gentle pressure of his hand and let herself be drawn up into his passionate kiss. For a time, they were lost in each other, with the distant sound of music wafting around them.

Suddenly, the music ended rather discordantly. There was a piercing shriek. John and Aeryn flew apart, and as one, raced out of the maintenance bay towards the sounds of further screams. When the screams ended rather abruptly, they drew their pistols and moved cautiously into the cargo bay.

The sight that greeted them had them holstering their guns and staring in shock and dismay.

The band was frozen in a horrified tableau. Chiana stood guiltily at the mic with Raf beside her. An angry D'Argo, his Shilqulin Medusa-like with broken strings, stood over the unconscious form of Shiona. Milban hovered in the corner, wringing his hands in dismay. Rygel looked like he had been struck by lightning.

Zhaan hurried in right after John and Aeryn and went over to kneel beside the stricken singer. "What happened, D'Argo?" she asked anxiously.

The Luxan growled and lifted his precious instrument, running his hands over the Shilqulin to look for further damage. "The trelk tried to destroy my Shilqulin!"

"Why?" John asked, moving over to kneel beside Zhaan. he could clearly see the darkening mark of D'Argo's lashing tongue on her neck. Other than that, she appeared to be unhurt.

"She was angry that D'Argo and I were sitting in with the band," Chiana piped up. She walked over to D'Argo, checking the Shilqulin and placing a calming hand on his arm.

"The stupid fapootah was jealous again!" Raf snarled, looking at her still form in contempt. "We only asked Chiana and D'Argo to join us to fill in the time until she deigned to show up for rehearsal." He cursed disdainfully. "I already apologised to her once. There's no way I'm doing it again!"

"But you have to, Raf!" Milban pleaded. "The concert is in less than four arns. Pilot tells me we will be in orbit around Lensh12 in less than an arn."

Zel moved over to his angry bandmate. "Raf, for the good of the group, do whatever it takes to get Shiona to sing tonight. This is the last concert. We get paid, finally and then we can talk about replacing members, but we need her tonight."

"Yes, yes, listen to Zel," Rygel urged.

"I'm sorry, Milban, but whether Raf is willing to convince Shiona to perform tonight or not is moot. She will be unconscious for at least the next three arns," Zhaan said sadly. She helped John lift the singer into his arms. "She will be in no condition to sing even if she awakens in time." She and John left to take Shiona to the infirmary. Aeryn cast a disgusted glance at the whole lot of them then followed after.

"So what now? What about our agreement, our fees?" Rygel demanded. He looked from one worried face to another. "O Frell!"

Zel and Etric shared a look and then Zel looked at Chiana. "What about Chiana filling in?"

Raf stared at him in surprise. "Chiana?"

His words were echoed by an equally surprised Chiana. "Me?"

Zel walked over to the young Nebari, "Yes, why not? You were doing really well before Shiona interrupted. You know all the music. Your voice is a little lighter than Shiona's but I think we have time to compensate for that. What do you say, Raf?"

The elfin leader studied at the Nebari, a look of speculation on his face. "You know, Zel, you may just have something here." He walked around her. "Shiona's costumes could be altered to fit, especially in some areas," he said with a leer. D'Argo began to growl again, but Chiana restrained him, starting to get nervously excited by the idea. "You certainly know how to move. I think we have a plan. Will you do it?"

Chiana looked up at him, her eyes dancing, "Yeah, it will be fun!"

"Okay, let's get started!" Milban ordered, wiping his brow in relief.

PART THREE OF THREE

"ETA to planet Lensh 12?" Orm demanded.

The inexperienced pilot he had pressed into flying the ancient Marauder checked his instruments twice before answering. "Three arns, I think."

"You think?" Orm snarled.

"Well, the Marauder's tachometer has not been functioning correctly for some time now, so I can only guess at its accuracy."

Orm sighed and cursed again the cruel fate that had placed him on that remote forgotten outpost. He looked around at the rest of his so-called troops in dismay; one was so young he was practically still teething, one was so inept he would have been declared mentally deficient if he hadn't had some connection to someone in High Command, and a third was no better than a mindless idiot, hooked as he was on Dardanian Ecstasy powder. The other fifteen were not much better.

Orm sighed again, a sense of doom growing in him. He should never have let that Shiona talk him into not reporting the fugitives to the nearest Command Carrier. The punishment for failure would far outweigh the reward for success.

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

John stood with Aeryn backstage, watching as the roadies completed the set-up on the massive stage of the Lenshian Royal Arena. John was still gaping in wonder at the sheer size of the thing. Milban smirked at the primitive Human, declaring that it was considered one of the premier venues, built to hold over two million spectators. Huge screens dotted the stadium and spectators could also purchase virtual reality glasses, to give them the feeling of being up in the front rows. John could only imagine the possibilities.

"And it's sold-out, "Rygel added with an avaricious gleam. "Even the Emperor and his family will be here tonight." He looked over at the suspended Royal box, a nostalgic look on his face.

"Does he have any daughters?" D'Argo asked.

"Yes, three apparently, all huge fans of the band."

"Well, keep them away from Raf or there go all the rest of your profits," John replied with a grin. Milban's eyes widened in horror and he looked around to locate his predatory lead musician. But Raf was caught up in the last preparations for the rehearsal and sound check. Even now, John could see a few privileged souls in the audience, who had paid extra to be able to witness the sound check.

He turned to Aeryn with a smile. She was extremely uncomfortable that they had had to leave their weapons behind, by Lenshian law. Even now her hand hovered nervously over the place on her thigh where her pistol usually resided. "It will be okay, Aeryn. Calm down." Her eyes flashed blue fire at him, then she sighed. "The concert will be over in three arns, we collect our money and it's good-bye Vortex."

She sighed again, then smiled reluctantly. "You know, Crichton, I might even miss them."

John bristled in unreasonable jealousy "Really!"

She caught his reaction then grinned. "I mean the music." Her smile grew wider as he relaxed.

"Well, Sunshine, now that I know what a good singer you are, I expect at least a few private concerts," John whispered, daring to lean forward and steal a quick kiss.

Aeryn blushed at his teasing and hit him.

The exit of the roadies from the stage signalled the beginning of the rehearsal. Raf and the others spent a bit of time tuning their instruments and playing a few fragments of several songs to check the volume and balance of the mics and amplifiers. Then Raf put down his instrument and walked over to where Chiana stood, a dressmaker frantically trying to alter one of Shiona's wispy dresses. "You ready, Chiana?" he asked with a slight smile.

She looked at him and nodded. John noted that the Nebari was looking a little pale, if that was possible. He gave her an encouraging thumbs up as she went out onstage. Etric and Zel gave her reassuring smiles as Raf retrieved his instrument. They played the intro to the first number. Chiana gripped the mic in her shaking hand. When it came time for her to sing, she opened her mouth.

And nothing came out.

"That was your cue, Chiana," Raf said, a little impatiently.

"Give her a break, Raf. She's never done this before," Zel said softly. "We'll give you the intro again, okay Chi?"

Chiana gulped and nodded. The band repeated the opening chords and still nothing emerged from the Nebari's throat. The music faded away. Chiana stood transfixed in fear. Then she dropped the mic and fled from the stage. D'Argo caught her shaking form in his arms and hugged her to calm her. She buried her face in his chest and wailed, "I can't do it! I can't do it! I thought I could but I can't!"

"We're doomed!" Milban cried.

"We're broke!" Rygel sobbed.

Raf threw his instrument down in disgust and marched over to the weeping Nebari. Zel got there in time to temper the Hegemonian's anger. Raf took careful control of himself and spoke to her softly. "Chiana, what's wrong? You were amazing in rehearsal up on Moya."

"There are people listening! So many people!" she mumbled.

"You're frelling right there are, girlie! They're the ones who are paying. They're the source of the profit!" Rygel declared. "Think of the money, Chiana. Sing for the money!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, stage-mum!" John interrupted. Rygel and the others gave him a familiar confused look "She's suffering from stage-fright." He took Chiana's arm and turned her to face him. "Look, Pip, much as I hate to admit it, his Royal greediness is right. No concert, no money." Chiana looked at him and sniffed. "Try this. Pretend the audience is all naked."

Chiana gazed at him in growing horror. "That's supposed to make me feel better, Crichton? You think of Rygel naked and see how confident you feel!" John looked at her and sighed, seeing her point.

"Look, Chiana, you'll just have to do it. Remember how scared you were when you jumped into the pit on the Royal Cemetery planet?" Aeryn declared. The Nebari looked at her and nodded. "Well, you had something to prove then, you have something to prove now. Prove to yourself that you can do this too."

Chiana stepped back from D'Argo and straightened up. "You're right, Aeryn. I can do this." She turned and marched towards the stage. John and the others smiled, but their smiles faded as Chiana froze in place before stepping out from the wing. Then she turned and threw herself into D'Argo's arms again. "No, I'm sorry, I can't do this! I'm sorry!"

Milban groaned, echoed by Rygel. The band all turned away from the weeping Nebari in despair.

"I'll do it," a voice piped up.

All eyes turned to Aeryn in shock. She had a look of determination on her face.

"What?" Raf asked.

"I said, I'll do it. I'll sing." Aeryn faced the group defiantly.

Rygel was the first to react. "No offense, PeaceKeeper, but I didn't think voice lessons were part of basic training."

At the bleak look that crossed Aeryn's face, John reached over and smacked the Dominar so hard he nearly tumbled out of his thronechair. "That's enough, your lowness!"

Raf smiled ingratiatingly at Aeryn. "I appreciate the offer, Aeryn, but we need someone a little more accomplished than ..."

John marched over to stand beside Aeryn, taking her hand in his, unseen by the others. "Don't be so quick to turn down her offer. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised," he said, squeezing her hand reassuringly.

Raf sighed and went out on stage to try again. The others trailed out after him, their faces filled with skepticism.

"Are you sure about this, Aeryn?" John asked her quietly.

"Yes. It will be a fitting tribute to Timon, after all these cycles," she replied with a sad smile. Then she went out on stage.

The band repeated the intro to the first song yet again. After a slight hesitation, Aeryn began to sing. The mouths of the musicians gaped in shock then turned into wide grins as the ex-PeaceKeeper wowed them with her beautiful contralto voice, rich with resonance and emotion. Their tentative playing grew more confident as they responded to the passion and skill of the singer and soon the arena was filled with an incredible synthesis of sound, rhythm and voice.

Backstage, Rygel nearly fell out of his thronechair again, this time in amazement. "Fapootah! I don't believe it!"

D'Argo and Chiana stared at their Sebacean crewmate then turned to John, who was smiling triumphantly. "Incredible! I didn't know Aeryn could sing!" Chiana gaped.

"I did," John declared boastfully, then he glared at the suggestive smirks from his crewmates. "Get your minds out of the gutter, guys!" He watched proudly as the rehearsal continued. Aeryn even forgot herself enough to sway to the rhythms of the more up-tempo songs. At one point, during an instrumental interlude, she cast John a shy smile. The Human smiled back, happy to see that she was clearly enjoying herself.

When the last notes of the last song ended, there was a microt of silence, then the small audience burst into cheers and applause, as did the musicians and roadies. Aeryn put the mic down and smiled slightly, then left the stage. She walked right over to John, who desperately wanted to take her in his arms and kiss her, but didn't dare embarrass her with such a public display. Instead, he stood by her as the band flew off stage, raving about her performance.

Raf did, in fact, grab her and kiss her resoundingly, but Aeryn pushed him firmly away. John bristled again, but relaxed as he realised it was the artist in Raf and not the lustful male that was kissing her. He was simply pleased to have found someone to interpret his precious music. "Wow! If you can do that again, Aeryn, we'll be a resounding success!"

Aeryn just smiled at him confidently. "Yes, I can do it again, Raf. Don't worry. It was kind of fun."

Milban spun in his thronechair, until he was nearly out of control, then he trailed Aeryn back to the hotel, clearly intent on convincing her to join the group permanently.

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

Shiona stirred and groaned. She turned her head and groaned again, this time because of the painful bruise on her throat. Memory came back and she stiffened, then opened her eyes to see where she was. Her fury grew as she found herself dumped rather unceremoniously on a bed in some hotel. For a microt, she thought the band and Moya's crew had simply abandoned her. She reached over and commed the front desk, reassured somewhat when they informed her that the members of Vortex and their security had not yet returned to the hotel, though they were expected in about a half arn. Shiona put down the comm with a smile then checked her chronometer. She scrambled out of the bed to keep her rendezvous with the PeaceKeeper Captain Orm.

She reached the rendezvous location, across the square from the arena, just as Orm and his troops moved into sight. Passers-by eyed them curiously, but thankfully did not seem to be able to identify them as PeaceKeepers, who were very unwelcome on Lensh 12. Shiona waved to the group and settled back into her chair at the sidewalk cafe as they approached. Orm instructed his troops to wait and went over to meet with the singer.

"So glad you made it!" she smirked, sipping at her ras'laq.

Orm took the chair opposite her. "So where are they and when can I arrest them?" he demanded without preamble.

"Patience, my dear Captain Orm. I have a few groundrules to lay first, or I turn you in to the Lenshian guards." Orm glared at her but said nothing. "You don't do anything until after the concert is over. I need the currency that we will be paid, but it won't appear until after the concert. So do not disrupt it in any way! I'll get you backstage, lure Aeryn and John over to you and you can arrest them from there." Orm grunted in reluctant agreement. "Second, nothing happens to the band. Our careers are taking off. I need them. Just John Crichton and Aeryn Sun, agreed?"

"Yes, they're the only ones of any value. The bounty on the other fugitives was lifted when Crais turned traitor." Orm nodded. "Anything else?" he asked sarcatically.

Shiona's eyes flashed with anger, but she smiled triumphantly. "No, that should be all." She got up from her seat and started to walk away. "Oh, would you be so kind as to pay the bill?" she threw back over her shoulder with a laugh as she left. Orm grumbled but did as she asked, then joined his troops to get in place.

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

John stood backstage with Aeryn watching the last of vast crowd filter into the enormous stadium. He kept glancing at his Sebacean crewmate, checking for any sign of stagefright or regret. Finally, she turned to him with a sigh, "Okay, John, what is it?"

"I'm just nervous for you," he admitted.

Aeryn smiled and touched his hand. "I'll be fine. I told you, it was kind of fun. And I meant it."

"Well, this crowd is definitely in for a treat!" John said vehemently. "I'm very proud of you."

Aeryn met his warm gaze and was momentarily lost in it. Then she smiled back at him. "Thank you, John."

At that microt, Milban glided over, anxiously checking on his lead singer. "Are you sure you won't consider it?"

Aeryn glared at the hovering Hynerian. "No, I told you. I'll sing, but there's no way I'll put on one of your frelling costumes. I refuse to look like a trelk."

Milban sighed, his eyes passing over her slender form clad in her usual black leather vest and pants. "Too bad. You would have had the males eating out of your hands. Some of the females too."

"It won't matter what they're doing because they'll never see me again!" Aeryn stated emphatically.

"I wanted to talk to you again about that too," Milban added, a pleading tone to his voice. "Are you sure you can let a possibility like this pass you by? Fame, fortune, the adoration of most of the Uncharted Territories?"

Aeryn sighed. "Yes, I can. And I will."

"We'll see how you feel after the concert. It can be a pretty potent rush!" Milban said smugly as he floated away.

"I could be your manager," John whispered, leaning in close.

Aeryn turned and hit him lightly. "Don't you start!" John laughed at the look on her face.

Whatever he would have said next was interrupted by a flourish of some trumpet-like instrument. The thunder of over two million beings rising to their feet was defining. John peeked out to see a transport deliver the Lenshian Royal family to their highly secure floating box. The Royals waved to their subjects before settling into their seats. Then at a signal from the Emperor, the concert began.

Raf had decided to begin with a purely instrumental number, to get the crowd warmed up before dropping the bombshell that Shiona was not singing. The noise of the cheering crowd was deafening. Vortex plied them with pulsing rhythms, compelling harmonies and spectular theatrics and the crowd ate it up. At the end of the number, the crowd rose to its feet as one, screaming for more.

A sweating and somewhat nervous Raf stepped up to the mic. The sound of predominantly female screaming drowned him out for several microts, but finally, at his request, the crowd settled down a bit. "My dear friends. We are more than overjoyed to be here in your beautiful arena, performing for the best fans in the Uncharted Territories. And at the request of your most beloved ruler!" The crowd roared its approval of his flattery. Raf saluted the Royal Family. A big screen behind him broadcast the delighted smiles on the faces of the Emperor's three rather plain daughters. When the crowd settled somewhat, Raf continued. "However, my friends, I have some bad news for you. Our wonderful lead, Shiona, is indisposed. She so desperately wanted to be here on stage for you, her loyal fans, but her illness was too serious." A groan of disappointment rose from the arena. "Not to worry!" Raf said hastily. "Because we are extremely lucky to have found a singer of such incredible talent that you will still see the quality show that Vortex is noted for." He turned and held out his hand to the wings of the stage where Aeryn waited. Realising what he was about to do, Aeryn shook her head in warning, but it was too late. "I'd like you all to welcome Aeryn Sun!" Aeryn sighed and shared a glance of resignation with her crewmates. Then she walked out on stage.

"Why don't we just call up Scorpius and give him backstage passes!" D'Argo growled.

John noted the camerabots hovering everywhere, broadcasting the concert all over the Uncharted Territories. Then he hit his comm. "Zhaan, Pilot, better be on the alert up there. Raf just announced Aeryn's name. I'm sure the PeaceKeepers will pick up on it soon."

"We will be vigilant. Thankfully, PeaceKeepers are not welcome on Lensh 12. If worse comes to worst, you can always ask the Emperor for asylum," Zhaan replied.

"Right. Great, another Emperor!" John groaned, then turned back to watch the concert.

At Aeryn's obviously Sebacean appearance, combined with her PeaceKeeper black and somewhat military bearing, a dark rumble started through the crowd. Some even went so far as to boo. On the screen behind them, the Emperor's face darkened dangerously. Raf hastily pulled the strap of his instrument over his head and signalled the band to begin. Seemingly ignorant of the hostile audience, Aeryn calmly walked over to the mic and faced them defiantly.

In the wings, Rygel covered his face in despair. "We're all going to die!"

Then Aeryn started singing. The ugly murmuring in the crowd soon died away as the ex-PeaceKeeper's rich tones wafted out over the arena, throbbing with emotion as she sang one of Vortex's number one hits, her new interpretation of the song raising it to the height of classic. The crowd grew silent then cheers began as Aeryn's voice rose in pitch and volume towards the climactic ending. As the last note died away, incredible silence reigned, then the crowd went wild. Aeryn turned and cast the rest of the group a smile, sharing their looks of relief. Then they launched into the next song and the rest of the concert.

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

Shiona flashed her badge at the backstage guard who looked at her with surprise. She motioned to Orm and two of his PeaceKeepers to join her, smiling at the confused guard. Then she slipped into the arena.

Confusion crossed her face as she heard the distinct sounds of one of Vortex's opening numbers. Orm caught her expression and pulled her back roughly. "What? What is it?"

"It sounds like the concert has started. But that's impossible. They couldn't possibly begin without me!" The enraged singer hurried through the organised confusion of the backstage towards the wings. Orm followed her, signalling to his escort to stay back.

Shiona flew through the backstage until she was in sight of the wing. Unbelievably, she heard the distinct sound of one of her featured numbers, But there was another voice singing it, someone really good, She listened to the performance for a few microts, rage and frustration growing within her. *Frell them! They've found someone to replace me already!* she thought. She caught a quick glance of John Crichton watching the show from the sidelines and her expression hardened even further. *Well, there's one of my targets.* She looked around and saw Orm hurrying towards her. She frantically motioned for him to back off, which he thankfully did. Then she moved towards the stage, careful not to attract any attention, but burning with curiosity as to who possessed the decidedly talented voice.

Shiona moved stealthily through the crowd of roadies, technicians and hangers-on to take up an unnoticed position just inside the massive curtain-like structures of the arena stage. She leaned out and nearly lost her control at the sight in front of her.

Out there on the stage, singing her songs, seducing her fans, performing with her friends, was the second object of her enmity. Shiona nearly gave herself away as waves of black hatred washed over her at the sight of Aeryn Sun taking her place in what should have been the most important concert of Shiona's career. The singer wanted to fly out on stage and tear the mic from the ex-PeaceKeeper's hands, throw her to the ground and tear out her heart. But she kept her anger in check, knowing that soon she would have her revenge.

Taking several deep breaths to control herself, she slipped back to where Orm was waiting and outlined the plan she had concocted.

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

The concert was nearing its end when John caught a movement out of the corner of his eye. He turned in time to see Shiona in conversation with a Sebacean. John moved closer. Unseen by the pair of them, he openly eavesdropped.

"The concert is nearly over," the Sebacean was saying. "When do I get my prizes?"

"Patience, Captain, patience," Shiona answered. "I will try to lure John Crichton over to you in a few microts. It shouldn't be too hard. The creature's an idiot. Then when Aeryn comes offstage, I will tell her you have captured Crichton. She will try to rescue him and you will have the pair of them. It will be up to you what you do next."

"I have the Marauder hidden not too far from here, in an old abandoned spaceport," Orm smiled. "Then it will be on to Scorpius and my richly deserved reward."

Shiona dismissed the ambitious PeaceKeeper with a wave of her hand. "And I will have my old life back. Once I tell Raf and the others what I am capable of, they will be too afraid to cross me again."

John moved away, his mind racing. He quickly scanned the backstage and his heart sank as he recognised several more PeaceKeepers, clearly uncomfortable in their civilian disguises. He moved over to where D'Argo and Chiana waited with a hovering Rygel. "Time to go, folks," he said.

"What? We haven't been paid yet!" Rygel objected.

"What good will currency be if you're confined to a PeaceKeeper prison?" John replied, pointing out the PeaceKeepers he had already identified. Onstage, Vortex had begun their final number, Raf's new song.

"Good point," D'Argo commented. "We will make our way to the transport." He hit his comm. "Zhaan, has Moya detected any PeaceKeeper vessels?"

"No, D'Argo, nothing."

"Well, there's a unit of PeaceKeeper soldiers down here. They're working with Shiona. Chiana, Rygel and I are going to the transport. John will get Aeryn and join us. Make sure Moya is ready to starburst as soon as we dock." He ended the communication abruptly. "Get Aeryn off that stage. We're leaving now!"

John moved over to the wings as the others left. He tried desperately to attract Aeryn's attention, but she was too caught up in the song to notice. John could not help but admire her as she closed her eyes and put all her heart and soul into the lovely melody. The crowd was again silent, spellbound.

John saw Shiona approaching him, a determined look on her face. "John! How did you like the concert?" She pressed herself up against him. "I must say I was surprised to hear Aeryn taking my place out there. She certainly has hidden depths!"

John looked over her head to see several PeaceKeepers approaching. "What the frell have you done, Shiona?" he demanded, pushing the singer away.

Shiona's face darkened with almost insane jealousy. "Only reclaimed what is mine. Removed a threat. And taken my revenge on a stupid primitive and his frelling trelk!" she cried, her voice rising. She saw that John knew about the PeaceKeepers and smiled triumphantly. "There's no escape, Crichton. They're all over the backstage and covering all the exits."

John pushed her away and turned back to the stage. The audience was roaring its approval of Aeryn's performance and demanding more. Knowing he had to reach her, John raced over to the lighting panel, knocking a technician aside. He reached up and pulled the main switch, plunging the entire stage area into darkness. Tripping in the dark, John made his way out onto the stage where he had last seen Aeryn. He grabbed her hand, not pausing to explain and tried to pull her back off the stage with him. Suddenly the lights came back up. Caught in the spotlight, John turned to the rest of the band.

"PeaceKeepers, Raf. We've got to get out of here!"

The elfin musician nodded his understanding. John looked from one side of the stage to the other, but realised that the PeaceKeepers had both ways covered. He looked at Aeryn then at the front of the stage. She nodded. Together, they leaped off the stage into the audience. The crowd went wild. Hands grasped at them, fans called Aeryn's name and autograph books were thrust in their faces. John held Aeryn's hand tightly as he pushed his way through the crowd. Finally, he reached the exit. The fans around them turned back to the stage where Vortex had launched into their first encore. Suddenly, he found himself face to face with a grinning PeaceKeeper. Behind him, Aeryn gasped. Her hand was torn from his grasp and he turned to see that a second PeaceKeeper had her, a knife held to her throat.

"Well, well, well. Scorpius's prize I see." The PeaceKeeper studied the Human, his expression showing that he was clearly unimpressed. "There must be more to you than meets the eye." Then he turned to Aeryn, who struggled in the other PeaceKeeper's grasp. "And you!" he snarled. He slapped her across the face. John started forward, but a third PeaceKeeper pressed a pistol into his side. Aeryn's eyes blazed and she shook her head, silently begging him not to resist. "Associating with aliens! Acting like the traitorous trelk you are! Singing! Demeaning our entire race by your very existence!"

Aeryn stared at him defiantly, but said nothing. He slapped her again, then signalled for his men to move the fugitives out. Just then another roar went up from the crowd.

"And let's hear it again for our lovely and talented singer, Aeryn Sun. Aeryn, where are you?" A spotlight swept over the crowd, guided by Zel, searching. Finally it came to rest on Aeryn. Raf's eyes opened wide when he saw the PeaceKeepers with her. Behind him, a subdued Shiona stood nervously. Then Raf spoke. "Well, it seems that not everyone liked your singing, Aeryn. My friends, I'd like you to meet Captain Orm and his men. PeaceKeepers." The air was filled with boos and hisses. Orm looked around him nervously as several fans surged forward. "Captain Orm is trying to arrest our lovely Aeryn. What are we going to do about it? Are we going to let that happen?"

"No!" With a roar, the crowd surged forward again. John and Aeryn were torn from the PeaceKeepers and passed through the audience back up to the stage. Zel reached down to pull John up, while Friq helped Aeryn. The crowd cheered and applauded. Aeryn bowed and smiled, accepting their adulation graciously. John watched with delight as the Emperor's own guards hauled a bruised and battered Captain Orm and his men out of the angry crowd and led them away. More guards rounded up the PeaceKeepers backstage. Raf and the rest of the band saluted the Emperor once more, then left the stage.

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

The rest of the evening of the concert was pleasant, if sad. After the arrest of Shiona, Captain Orm and the rest of the PeaceKeepers, the fugitives had made preparations for a hasty departure, fearful that the broadcast of the concert would bring Scorpius down on them. At the reception following the concert, the Emperor had graciously offered them sanctuary, but Aeryn had declined, explaining their ongoing search for D'Argo's son and the crew's homeworlds.

Then had followed the sorrowful leave-taking. After all that had happened, Moya's crew all felt that their passengers had become friends. Milban made a final attempt to get Aeryn to stay with the group, echoed by Raf, but she smiled again and shook her head. Zel had quietly wished D'Argo well in his search for his son. With a teasing grin, Etric had presented Chiana with a copy of the vid of her rehearsal on Moya and her aborted attempt to sing in the sound check. Raf shook hands with John, leaning in to make him promise to take care of Aeryn. Then, with a wicked gleam in his eyes, he pulled the ex-PeaceKeeper into a passionate embrace, kissing her soundly. Aeryn pushed him away, preparing to protest, until she saw the musician glance deliberately at John and with an equally wicked gleam, grabbed Raf and kissed him back. As they returned to the transport, Aeryn met John's thunderous expression with a look of bland innocence.

Several days later Moya glided through the Uncharted Territories two starbursts away from Lensh 12. After a rather rowdy meal at which Rygel, ecstatic over the vast amount of money they had made, entertained them with story after story from his days as Dominar, John went in search of his Sebacean crewmate. He found her at work on her Prowler, updating the tracking system with technology purchased with her share of their earnings. He leaned against the door and smiled as she hummed away contentedly. Finally, he walked in.

Aeryn turned to him with a radiant smile. "Say, I know you!" John cried. "You're that famous singer, the one from Vortex!" He pretended to be overcome. "Man! I don't believe it! I'm actually meeting my idol! I've seen every one of your concerts!" Aeryn grinned at his silliness. John rummaged around in his pockets. "Can I have your autograph?" He ran over to her, holding out a transparency and a stylus.

Aeryn laughed. "You idiot!" she retorted, hitting his shoulder playfully.

John grinned at her. "Hey, get used to it. I'm sure we're going to be running into your fans all over the Uncharted Territories."

"I don't have any fans! I sang one concert. No one will even remember in a few monens!"

John moved closer to her. He wrapped his arms around her, enjoying the way Aeryn relaxed into his embrace. "Well, you'll always have one fan. And I think this fan deserves a kiss."

Aeryn leaned back away from him, a teasing look on her face. "Oh, you do, do you?"

John pulled her closer. "Yes, I do!" When she continued to avoid him, he added. "Better pay up or I'll tell Rygel how much money is to be made in selling autographs. He'll have you signing everything he can get his hands on."

"That's blackmail, Crichton," Aeryn objected, but she leaned into him, her eyes fixed on his mouth.

"Whatever works," John said, before claiming her smiling lips.

FIN

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