Rating: PG
Spoilers: Die Me Dichotomy

Chapter 1

He stared down at his hands, his dirty hands. Through the shattered image that was his memory a voice from high school English floated to the top. A man named Macbeth and the knowledge that no amount of water could wash his hands clean of what he had done. Yet he did not know what he had done. The burning inside grew till it was unbearable. He could sit still no longer.

As he walked the halls of the ship, strange paranoid thoughts filled his head. The others dared not look him in the eyes and some even turned to avoid him. The feeling of isolation was familiar to him. Something to hold on to during all the madness.

He had been in that cold surgical room. He had seen the diognosan die. The memories were supposed to be gone and yet shards of them still cut deep into him. Images rushed him from all sides and things he had never felt before boiled to the surface. A woman whose name he didn't know was the only sight maintained. Her name may have faded but the emotion that came with her could not. He felt deeply for this woman. He would give anything to see her again. He had never felt this way before and it frightened him. He who had always been strong, the rational one. In his position these feelings were unacceptable.

A knock at the door. "She's here." He looked up from the darkness to see a familiar face. He knew this one's name. "Who is here." The visitor looked perplexed. "Aeryn Sun." That was her name! He remembered now. He could not let his happiness show. "Is there something wrong?" "No not all, take me to her."

Aeryn Sun was dead. At least that was how she felt. Sebaceans feared the heat but the cold she felt inside hurt more than any delirium in the medical journals. She remembered everything. Crichton had killed.... No, Scorpius had killed her. She kept repeating it inside her head. In those last few seconds in the air, she had thought, "What comes next?" She had only known the promise of her upbringing. Death brought darkness and nothing more. She had hoped to find the light that Crichton had spoken of once. Instead she was here again. Back where she started. That must not have been true death. The thought of a higher being controlling her actions did not sit well with the ex-soldier. On the battlefield death was certain. If you were lucky, you might get to choose how it happened. The other was far too complex.

With her name, the memory fragments had begun to come together. He had hurt this woman. That thought brought intense pain to his mind and he tried to focus his attention elsewhere. He dared not speak her name aloud. It brought with it too much baggage. As much as he tried to push these new feelings aside, they were changing him. The risk he had taken to get what he wanted had been a mistake. He had not expected this. She was not far away now, he could sense it.

She sat in the darkness waiting. The one thought that comforted her aching mind was that she had finally told him. She had opened herself up to him in his moment of need. She had dared to hope that his response would be the same. But it hadn't been him. Something evil had grown inside his fragile brain. He could not even remember what she had said. At least she had said it. Never in her life had she expressed such a feeling. Not to family and certainly not to those lovers of the past. It had filled her with rage. She hated and loved the man at the same time. How could she ask him to speak truthfully with her when he had no choice in the matter. His weakness had grown until it consumed him. She had been a fool not to see it, not to fix it sooner. They might still be together right now. She laughed at herself. Words of hope and regret from a peacekeeper. Not anymore. What was she then.

He stood outside her cell. So anxious to go in and yet he did not dare. Her love was not for him. He did not deserve it. He had killed her. He knew and yet he could not remember. He could see her silhouette through the darkness. He ran his fingers across the bars. They were cold as ice. But they were getting warmer.

She could not see or hear anything outside. Yet she knew he was there. Watching her. She wondered why he did not come in but did not summon him. He could wait as long as he liked. So could she.

His companion had come again. His ally in all of this. "Why don't you go in and talk to her? Isn't that what you wanted?" He scowled and motioned for the other to go. This man had been the closest thing he had to a friend. Yet at the moment he hated him. Why?

She was surprised to find that her patience was not as strong as it had once been. The waiting was driving her mad. "Is it your plan to wait until I die of boredom?" she shouted into the darkness. "No, why would you think that?" The voice sounded almost frightened. Her anger got the best of her. " Well it wouldn't be the first time you tried to kill me, would it?." She regretted that. Her temper could only worsen the situation.

The visitor had returned. "Are you sure you don't want me in there with you?" Before the idiot could interfere again, he reached out and pushed with all his might. The man went sprawling against the wall. He backed away. "I will go in alone."

He was ready now. The hope that swelled through him felt unnatural and it unnerved him. "Door open." He stepped inside.

His sudden entrance caught her off guard and she scurried against the wall. He knelt down beside her and ran his fingers through her hair. She tensed all over. "Don't touch me." Hurt, he backed away slightly. "I am so sorry Aeryn, can you ever forgive me?" Bewilderment filled her face. He put his hand on her cheek. She let him.

She felt the tips of his fingers touch her cheek. They were very warm and she could see that he was sweating. He brought his face towards her, leaning in for a kiss.

He was spellbound. There did not seem to be any logical cause for his actions but he could not stop himself. As he went in to kiss her, she tilted her head slightly to the left and looked past him into the hall.

She could see the man outside in the hall. She recognized him. He could not move from his irregular position on the ground. He seemed to be trying to speak but couldn't. His eyes bulged as he looked back at her.

He was going to kiss her. She turned her glance back to him and smiled. He was about to question her when she started to laugh. He retracted his head. What was she doing.

Aeryn Sun did not think twice before she slammed the man in front of her with everything she had. Her punch had connected perfectly with his jaw and he was unable to pick himself off the ground. She leaned down and forcefully extracted the cooling rod from the side of his head. His mouth roared in protest. She felt the rod's burning heat on her hands before she smashed it against the wall of her cell. Stepping over him, she dashed out of the cell. Lt. Bracca stared up at her, pleading for help. She ignored him. She ran down the hall away from this place.

Scorpius could not move. She had knocked the wind out of him. "Why?" was all he could say. As the heat levels in his body continued to rise and the pain became excruciating, all he could see was John Crichton. Damn him.

Chapter 2

John Crichton and only John Crichton sat in his cell on Moya. It amused him to think that it was the first time he could honestly say that. Since sitting in the aurora chair, he had never been alone. The chip had always been there, waiting. It was gone now and it had taken with it a heavy price. The woman he loved was gone. Just saying that made the hairs on the back of his head stand on end. He loved her. There had been other women in the past, but none like Aeryn Sun. The strength that he had felt came from her. Without her, he was lost. He thought of how they had met. She had lost everything too. But they had always had each other. Now it was just him and that was terrifying. As he thought, the strand of hair he had taken from her at the funeral swished slowly against his skin. His last link to her. The last physical part of her.

The memories. Seeing her face in his mind had brought him terrible sadness. He had wanted so much to throw them away, to forget. But if he did that, all of her would be gone. The memories stayed, reminding him always of the single greatest thing he had found out here. The tears swelled in his eyes as he walked out of his cell. He needed a distraction from the hell that waited in his thoughts.

Bialar Crais also grieved the loss of Aeryn Sun. He had not known her like Crichton had but it did not take much to convince you of her value. Moreover, Talyn had cared for her. The headstrong leviathon had chosen Crais as its captain but her as its mentor. He could not convince the youth to forget about her and he could not convince himself. It was for both their sakes that he must do this. As Crichton disappeared from view, he slipped silently into the abandoned cell.

The strand of hair lay unmoving on the table in Crichton's cell. The information it contained deep inside its smallest molecules offered many possibilities. Crais knew much about advances in peackeeper technology and all that was needed these days was a hair sample.

The cold muzzle of Crichton's gun pressed against Crais's temple. He was impressed at the human's ability to move stealthily. Not too long ago, when his skills had been properly honed, a single sound would not have escaped him. But that was a long time ago. "What the hell do you think you're doing," Crichton asked angrily. Somehow Crais knew that the wrong answer could get him killed. Crichton's voice suggested he had just stopped crying. He could not remember the last time he had cried. "I only want to help you John," he said in his most soothing voice. "By stealing that? You don't really expect me to trust you do you." Crais relented. Perhaps he owed something to this man. "What if I told you we could bring her back." Crichton's stern expression broke momentarily. He pushed Crais up against the wall. "Talk" "With that strand of hair. I know someone who could help us."

Chapter 3

A race like the peacekeepers is bound to accumulate a great deal of prisoners. Remote prison facilities can be found just about everywhere in the known universe with some extending even into the uncharted territories. One such facility is Penal Colony 0377. Located on the remains of a war-torn planet, it serves an elite class of criminals. Traitors and defectors with enough political connections to keep them out of the common public end up here. They are allowed to carry on civilized activities or work to advance peacekeeper technology. One such prisoner is of great interest to Bialar Crais and John Crichton. He possesses knowledge that no other Sebacean has. He is also supposed to be dead.

Velorek looked over his home for the past four cycles. It was not the most terrible place to end up. He was allowed to continue his experimentation under the close eye of his jailors. Of course, none of his theories had been proven right during his stay. He had made sure of that. He had vowed never to give another weapon to the peackeepers and he was keeping that promise. He had been incarcerated for preventing his team of scientists from creating the first ever peacekeeper/leviathon hybrid. A ship he knew would lead to great bloodshed. Depending on the day, he looked back on his escape from a death sentence as a good or bad thing. At least he would have been free of this life.

The day was like any other for the prisoners on 0377 except for one thing. A highly decorated captain was due to arrive sometime that afternoon. But Captain Lerron's command carrier had mysteriously fallen out of contact for several minutes.

Soon after the ship had come back online, a lone transport pod arrived at the prison. Two men exited the craft and were escorted into the inspection area. Crais and Crichton passed the weapon detection system easily. They needed no weapons. An enormous battleship capable of destroying the entire colony waited just out of radar range. Captain Lerron and his assistant were quickly ushered into the inner labyrinth of the prison and directed towards the tek labs on the lower levels. The nature of their visit was highly classified. No one dared to ask and most wouldn't even look them in the eyes. Anyone with the clearance to enter here had great status with the council.

Velorek watched the progression move towards his place of residence, their every step captured on the video screens. Cameras had been hidden throughout his lair to alert the wardens of any illegal activity. Unfortunately for them, their mouse was well informed when it came to surveillance. A hardworking and honest Velorek projected on their screens while he enjoyed complete secrecy. He had recognized Crais immediately. The other with him was unfamiliar. The oddity was that his scanners only detected one sebacean in the corridor. He waited patiently for their arrival.

"Your ident chips please," the warden asked. No tricks today. Both had the proper access, courtesy of Lerron and his lieutenant. "Thank you gentlemen." The warden and his entourage of armed guards headed off in the opposite direction. "Why did they let get all the way in here before checking?" Crichton asked. "No escape." The steel door in front of them slid open and they entered.

A cramped lab space, stacked from floor to ceiling with equipment opened up in front of them. Beeping lights flickered everywhere. The room was pitch black. "Hello again Captain Lerron, you must tell me how you managed to shrink an inch height since we last saw each other." Velorek appeared out of the darkness. "Or should I say Captain Crais." Crais's face showed anger but he restrained himself. "If you knew it was me, why did you not alert the warden?" Velorek smiled, "I wanted to see your face as they carried out the sentence for traitors." "I am no less a traitor than you Velorek," Crais said. "Yes, but which one of us is in prison!" Velorek snarled back. Crichton could see the two would be wrestling on the floor if they continued. "Listen Velorek, we risked a lot coming here. We need your help." Velorek laughed, "Why would I help you two." "I spared your life once." "Don't give me that, if it wasn't for my last name, the remains of my body would be floating in space right now." He reached to the wall and pressed the intercom button before either of them could stop him. "Warden, Bialar Crais is in my cell." Crichton lunged out with his gun and knocked Velorek to the ground. Sirens began blaring throughout the facility and red warning lights lit up the lab. "Its too late Crichton, we'll have to do this the hard way." Crais tapped the comm on his shoulder. "Talyn now!"

Thirty six floors of heavy metal and peacekeeper bodies was suddenly blown to pieces as the hybrid leviathon tore a mangled hole into the deepest parts of the facility. In the lab, the three men watched in awe as the roof above them was torn away to reveal a path to the surface. Talyn activated its docking web and they were lifted off the ground towards the ships open hanger doors. Once inside, Crais ordered immediate starburst and the immense youth disappeared as the facility exploded and dispersed its inhabitants across the galaxy. "Was that necessary?" Crichton asked. "Talyn, has a tendency to overdo things." Crais replied as they headed towards Moya.

Chapter 4

Velorek awoke with a start. He was in some sort of command room. What appeared to be peackeeper weapons technology was riddled all over the floors and wall of the room. The layout seemed familiar. The anger swelled inside him as he realized where he was. He stood in the very vessel he had given his freedom and his life to stop. The ultimate weapon for the peackeepers. A leviathon with peacekeeper weaponry. How could this have happened, and why did Crais have it? When he had been taken to prison, the teks still on the project had no clue as to what they were doing. They must have discovered the birth control device he had installed in Moya. The old feelings of guilt rushed back. He should have done something more. With "Talyn" as Crais had called it, the peacekeepers would be unstoppable. But something was not right. Crais and the other man, Crichton, were on the run. If they had stolen the ship, there was still a chance to keep it out of the wrong hands. Worse hands than Crais anyway. Velorek remembered his old superior officer well. How could a fool like Crais pull this off?

Crichton watched Velorek from a distance. The man was chained to the wall in the command room. He had been against the restraints but Crais had insisted. After what happened at the facility, precautions had to be taken. He had hoped to reason with Velorek. From what Aeryn had told him, Velorek was against peacekeeper weapons. Using Talyn to rip into the facility probably reduced their chances of getting him to listen. He had to try. This man was his only hope.

"My name is John Crichton, I'm an astronaut. For the past two and a half cycles I have been chased by two insane military commanders. One of whom is on Crais." Crichton hoped that some trust could be built. Velorek looked confused. "You say Crais was chasing you and yet here the two of you are. Why would you trust him?" "We've settled some of our differences. Plus, we have bigger problems now." Velorek was not convinced. "What do you want with me?"

Two and a half cycles ago, I arrived in this part of the universe. I was shot here from a planet called earth through a wormhole. When I got here, my ship collided with a prowler. The pilot of that prowler was Crais's brother. Crais caught me but I was able to escape on a leviathon called Moya with four others. A Luxan, a Delvian, a Hynerion, and a contaminated peacekeeper. We've been on the run ever since. First from Crais, and then from a Sebacean/Scarren half-breed." Velorek frowned. "Scorpius?" Crichton nodded. "I have heard many things about that thing. His interest in wormhole technology has left behind many casualties." Crichton began to hope. Maybe they could work together after all. "Scorpius put a neural clone in my head to extract the information. I escaped his base and destroyed it. But he didn't give up." Velorek shook his head. "I can't remove those chips. They were completed after my arrest. I can't help you." Crichton continued, "I already got it out, at great cost to someone very important to me." "If you don't want it out, then why did you come looking for me?"

"The contaminated peacekeeper was Aeryn Sun, Velorek." Crais was back from his work. "I believe you will remember that name."

Velorek felt the ground begin to spin under him. He had not of her for a long time. A rush of memories, painful ones, flooded in when he heard her name. How was it possible that she had ended up on Moya. Ironically, he knew, she had helped to kill its former pilot. She had also turned him in to Crais in exchange for a higher rank. As much as he had wanted to, he couldn't hate her.

"How did Aeryn end up with you?" He could see that her name evoked a strong response in Crichton. For a moment it seemed as if he was crying. His face hardened up quickly though. "She defended me when Crais found us. And for that, she ended up a prisoner. Velorek was confused. This did not sound like something the Aeryn Sun he knew would do. "That doesn't sound like her." Crichton smiled at that and Crais added, "I believe you would have Aeryn Sun a very different person than when you left her Velorek." Velorek's chest tightened up. "Would have?" Crichton's face darkened. "When we found out about the chip, I was already under its control. When I escaped, she went after me and I killed her." Crichton turned away and even Crais seemed broken by the words. His own reaction to the news was stronger than he would have thought. "I saved this," Crichton said holding up a lock of black hair. Velorek finally saw. "I understand. I will help you for her sake, and only that." Behind them, through the window, Moya came into view.

Chapter 5

The mood on Moya was a somber one. The opinion on Crais's plan had been greatly divided. All other conflicts had been stored for later use until this one was resolved. Everyone had been ready to scatter when Crais and Crichton had presented their idea. "We want to break Velorek out of prison and get him to clone Aeryn." None of them believed it was possible but Crais had insisted that it could be done. Zhaan had greatly opposed the idea. She believed that Aeryn was gone and that cloning her was wrong. "It would not be the real Aeryn. A substitute." She might have pushed further if not for John's sake. She could see that losing her had destroyed him. He needed this and she would not stop him. Chiana and Rygel had accepted the idea immediately. Any Aeryn, even a clone, would be preferable than nothing at all. D'Argo had said nothing at the meeting. His emotions could be very well hidden when he wanted them to be.

Pilot's voice filled the ship, "Talyn is back and they have him." Pilots own feelings were also mixed. Velorek had connected him to Moya, both a blessing and a curse. He missed Officer Sun and hoped for the best.

Once Talyn was connected with Moya, it passengers made their way onto the mother leviathon. Crichton, Crais, and Velorek had brought someone back with them. Aeryn Sun stepped onto Moya for the first time in her life. She was amazed by the enormity of the ship. The others had assured her that she knew this place but she did not remember. She did not remember anything. She had woken up on an operating table. Beyond that, her mind was blank. As she stepped forward into the ship, her feet still felt like rubber and she tumbled forward. Both Crichton and Velorek reached for her. The concern on their faces showed her that she apparently meant a great deal to them. She knew only their names.

Zhaan, D'Argo, Rygel, Chiana, Jothee, and Pilot stared at her amazed. The woman they had come to care so deeply for was here again. She looked exactly the way they remembered. Though the harsh frown of a peacekeeper soldier was absent. Her face seemed soft and her eyes full of energy. This was what Aeryn Sun could have been had she not been born into a soldier's world. She did not approach them and kept one of the men between her and them at all times.

Chiana, without thinking, ran forwards to greet her. As she attempted to hug her, Aeryn screamed and backed up against the wall, fear showing in her face. Chiana was perplexed and yet amused. The tough-as-nails grunt she had come to know was replaced by a frightened little girl. She could not stop the smile from spreading across her lips. "I didn't scare ya did I." She laughed to herself but shut up quickly when Crichton gave her an angry stare. "Sorry!" Aeryn, building her courage, stepped forward and put her finger on Chiana's grey skin. Her own skin was soft and gentle. Not a soldier's hands. "Can I look around?" she said, a pleading look on her face. "Sure, go ahead. I have to talk to everyone alone for a minute." Aeryn grinned, a bit unnaturally it seemed to Crichton, and she headed down one of the corridors.

Everyone sat around the table. Crichton had something important to tell them. "John, that wasn't Aeryn," Zhaan said, treading carefully. "That's what I wanted to talk about Zhaan. Aeryn is Aeryn. But she's a clean slate right now. She has no memories. She's basically the model for the Aeryn we know." Crichton waited until the idea sank in. "In order for her to be our Aeryn, we have to give her the memories." Rygel cut him off. "And how exactly are we supposed to do that!" Velorek spoke up. "Before the Aurora Chair that Crichton endured, the original design only allowed for memories that were freely given to be shown. Without blocks or hidden memories, the procedure is painless. I would have to hook us all up to the machine and download the memories into her brain."

Aeryn had not strayed far from the room. She knew they would be talking about her and she wanted to listen. She heard every word and the thought frightened her. They wanted to put something in her brain! Who were these people and what twisted things did they have planned for her. A new feeling grew inside her. One that seemed to come naturally. She distrusted these people. If she allowed them to play with her brain, they might hurt her. She decided to play along for now and see what happened.

"We would give her all our memories?" D'Argo asked, finally speaking up. "No, only those that had something to do with her." "So technically we can choose which memories to give her." Velorek understood. "Yes only what you want her to know." He seemed a bit nervous. "So we could remove all her peackeeper memories," Rygel said. The thought had been on everyone's mind. Rygel was the only one who would say it, not surprisingly. They could take away all the guilt and pain she had felt from her days as a peacekeeper. But would it still be Aeryn? "We can't do that," John said. "She deserves to know everything." Zhaan and D'Argo agreed. "Who a person is depends on their experiences. To deprive Aeryn of her past would take a part of who she is," Zhaan said.

Chapter 6

When John had found her, she was huddled into a ball on the floor. She looked up as he entered her cell. Somehow she had found the same one that the real Aeryn had lived in. Her eyes were filled with doubt. He sat down beside her. She looked up into his eyes and he could not keep the smile from coming. She was there. No matter how many misgivings he had about the idea of cloning her, they all disappeared when he looked into her eyes. She smiled back at him and leaned against his shoulder. They sat that way for a long time. Each thinking hard about something. She could not help but trust this man even though her instincts told her not to. "I lov.." He had started to let the words roll out of his mouth when Velorek entered the cell. "I have to prepare her." His face was stern and Crichton could tell that he had a lot on his mind too.

Velorek waited until Crichton had left to sit down beside her. She was amused by how similarly the two men treated her. Her feelings towards them were different though. With Crichton she felt a warmth. His smile was infectious. But with Velorek, she felt a familiarity. She did not know him and yet they seemed to share something. She was finding it very difficult not to trust them.

Velorek looked into her eyes. He still loved her. Aeryn had betrayed him and given him a death sentence. How could he still care for her. Just sitting next to her sent excitement coursing through him. Her companionship had kept him going when he was working against the peackeepers. Their relationship had not been a warm one. He had loved her and hoped she felt the same. When he learned of her treachery, the evidence to the contrary had been great. But it didn't matter. His feelings were real even if hers were not. Now he was here with her again. Could they have a second chance? He knew that was impossible. When she got her memories back, it would be John she loved. "Its time to go," he said.

Chapter 7

Aeryn #2 walked behind Velorek into the lab that had been set up. He left her to set up the machine and prepare the others. They were all there, all looking at her. She knew they saw someone else. She was not the person they knew and they were going to fix that. Would she be happier as that person? The big scary looking one, D'Argo, walked towards her. "You can trust us." He smiled at her for the first time since they had met. She calmed down.

Then she saw the machine. A big black contraption with scull caps and electrodes running to a large central unit. She did not know anything about technology but it looked frightening. All the fears and doubts she held could hold back no longer. Before D'Argo could reach out to her, she pulled his gun out of the holster and pointed towards all of them. She stood between them and the machine. Velorek stood tensely behind the machine. "Get away from me all of you!" They backed off immediately. "I don't know what you plan to do but I'm not going to let you!" The fear she felt was extreme. The survival instinct inside her was too strong to suppress. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Crichton take a step forward. "Aeryn wait!" She panicked. "I am not Aeryn!" She turned the gun on the machine and fired.

The machine exploded. The blast filled the room for a moment, knocking everyone down. She lay face down on the ground behind the wreckage. She felt strong arms life her up. Velorek looked down at her with a grim look on his face. "Do you want me to get you out of here?" She nodded. She had to trust him. "Follow me." They ran out of the room and towards the hanger while the others fought to put out the fire.

John managed to make his way through the wreckage. His worst fears were confirmed. They were gone. He shouted over the roar of the flames, "They're both gone!" The answer came back from the other side. "Go after them John. We'll finish here." He dashed out of the room and towards the hanger.

Velorek found the hanger with relative ease. The schematics of Moya were still burned into his brain. Aeryn followed right behind him. Inside he found the transport pod, Crichton's module, and a prowler. He motioned towards it and Aeryn jumped into the back. He began to climb up when he felt the cold tip of a pulse rifle against his skull.

Aeryn Sun #1, the original, held her gun firmly in place. She had just gotten back and now her prowler was being stolen before her eyes. "What the frell do you think you're doing." He looked bewildered at her words. "Tell your friend to get out of my ship!" she commanded. He could barely form the words. "You don't remember...." He stopped himself. It would only complicate things further.

John rounded the corner and burst into the hanger. His sudden entrance momentarily distracted her. Velorek knocked the gun out of her hands and tossed her to the floor. He climbed into the prowler and started its engines. His Aeryn waited nervously in the backseat as he lifted off the ground and guided them out of Moya's entry doors.

Crichton ran to Aeryn on the ground. "I'm not going to hurt you, trust me!" He was comforted to see that she didn't try to get away. "I sincerely doubt that you could John," she said and lifted herself up a bit. The pain in her stomach did not allow her to stand. John looked over her, noticing very quickly that Aeryn had somehow managed to change clothes in the few minutes that had just passed. "What are you staring at, haven't you ever seen a dead person before?" She smiled despite her bad joke. He recognized that smile. It was his smile. "Aeryn?" His legs failed him and he slid down next to her on the ground. What is wrong with you?" she asked again. "Tell me your name," he said. Barely able to breathe. "Aeryn Sun, who else would I be." He searched his mind for something that only she would know. Before he could open his mouth she kissed him. A long slow kiss that confirmed his deepest hopes. "Oh baby I'm so sorry," he said as the tears rolled down his cheeks. "I meant what I said in the neural cluster," he said. She was tired of the games. "I love you too John".

Chapter 8

John Crichton awoke with a start inside his cell. Darkness filled the room and he could see nothing. The nightmare that had played out in his mind each night was gone. The dream had ended differently tonight. He felt whole for the first time out here in the uncharted territories. She was alive. The words brought warmth to his defeated form. He repeated them over and over, letting the feeling of calm wash over him. As he spoke them out loud, the object of his thoughts stirred slightly against his chest. "Wow," was all he could say. He looked down into her eyes. They were so very peaceful. The hint of a smile beginning to form. The fear inside him was not gone completely, nor was the guilt. But knowing that the person he loved most in the world was lying beside him melted everything else away. If only this moment could last forever.

Aeryn Sun was awake. The rhythmic beating of his heart against her cheek brought waves of happiness she had never felt before. She had brought herself back from the dead for this moment. The feeling of his eyes looking over her was pleasing. She smiled as she heard him whisper to himself, "She's alive." One little nagging thought still waited at the edge of her mind. Who was that man in the hanger who had stolen her prowler. John had been reluctant to say anything so she did not ask. Nothing could ruin this for them. But the woman in the prowler, if just for a second, had looked at her. Something was wrong with what she had seen. For a moment she thought she had seen herself looking back. That wasn't possible she knew. She snuggled closer to the man she loved and forced herself to sleep.

D'Argo sat quietly at the dinner table staring at a plate of crackers. A heavy burden had been lifted off his shoulders. With John a mess and the others in a state of mourning, it had been up to him to keep the illusion of control on Moya. The pain that had torn him apart for losing Aeryn had been excruciating. He cared more deeply for her than he had realized. They shared a bond that only two warriors could. Now that she was back, he could lower his defenses a little. He knew that at this very moment she and Crichton were lying on the floor of his cell asleep. He had left them that way. The thought made him smile. They way they looked at each other reminded him of Lo'lann. He had loved her that much, if not more. But she had gone and not come back. There was no second chance for them. He looked up from his meal to see Chiana sitting across from him. A sad expression on her face. Things between them had not been the same since Jothee had arrived. He wondered if he could love her like he had loved Lo'lann. She smiled and he thought that he could.

Chiana had entered the room silently to find D'Argo face down in his food. She asked herself how she had come to love the brute. He was handsome she knew. And he could even be charming when he wanted to be. But she had told herself, "You're on the run. No time to settle down or fall in love." She had broken her own rules. Never before had she felt so content with another person. Solitude was safer for a thief. The fast-paced life she lived left no room for constants. He had changed her without even realizing it. Since his son had arrived, she had not felt the same feelings from him. Was he worried about her and Jothee, or was he worried she would say no. She reached her hand across the table to him and he took it. Neither wanting to move or speak.

Chapter 9

Velorek had maneuvered quickly out of Moya in the prowler. He did not think that they would follow him. He could not believe what he had done. Checking behind him to make sure, he saw that she was still there. She smiled back at him, a look of uncertainty on her face. He knew that she was not the real Aeryn Sun and yet it didn't matter. He had loved her, but she had not been meant for him. Perhaps with Erin, as she had insisted he call her, he would find what he was looking for. The thought of helping her to build her own identity was incredible. He would take care of her. They could do whatever they wanted.

Escape would not be as simple as he had anticipated. As the prowler moved past the massive planet that Moya had been hovering over, a terrifying site came into view. An entire fleet of peackeeper command carriers, marauders, and prowlers loomed in the space before him. He could see that the armada had positioned itself all around Moya. How had they found him. Before he could turn the ship around, a docking web entrapped the prowler and began to pull them in.

Lt. Bracca watched his captain with unease. Ever since the woman had escaped custody, Scorpius had been acting very strangely. An essential rule of peacekeepers was to report any and all instances of insubordination. There was too much riding on the search for wormhole technology to let it be sabotaged by the half-breed. He had contacted the council and informed them of Scorpius's behavior. They had entrusted him with the duty of keeping the creature in line. A job he would have preferred not to have. If Scorpius ruined things now, it would be both their carcasses blown into space. He would not let that happen.

Scorpius was well aware of his subordinate's secret activities. He trusted no one and his lieutenant was beginning to outstay his welcome. The one thing that the fool had done right was to attach a homing beacon to Aeryn before she had escaped. She had led him right to the location of the leviathon. His commanding officers expected him to destroy the ship and it's crew. He would like nothing more than to tear the flesh from John Crichton's pathetic body. He hated himself for not having killed him at the diognosan's. But Aeryn could not be harmed. She had to be extracted before the others were destroyed.

"Captain, we have an unidentified prowler moving towards our position," a young tek said. "I'm picking up one sebacean male and an unregistered female." "Bring them to me," Scorpius said and descended towards the lower hanger.

A barrage of soldiers waited outside the hanger doors with Scorpius as the prowler was brought in. Two people in black were brought kicking and screaming before him. "Name and rank!" shouted one of the soldiers. "Don't bother," Scorpius cut in. He knew exactly who they were. "Velorek, how nice to see you again." Velorek stared angrily into the monstrocity's terrible face. "Frell you." He was led away by the soldiers. Scorpius turned his attention to the woman. The smile faded quickly from his face and he choked on his words. Aeryn Sun was standing before him.

Chapter 10

Crichton's comm badge burst to life, waking him and Aeryn from their restful sleep. "Crichton! Scorpius is here." The words brought them to full attention. They ran as quickly as possible to Command. Everyone else was already there, looks of fright on their faces. Through the window, they could see the extent of peacekeeper presence. Dozens of ships surrounded them from all sides. Escape did not seem likely. Crais's voice came over the intercom. "Talyn believes that he may be able to clear a path." Before any of them could respond, Scorpius's hideous face appeared on the screen before them. "I would not recommend that approach. There are over fifty targeting systems now locked on to your position Captain Crais," he said the last words with more than a bit of sarcasm. "Any attempt to escape will result in complete destruction of Moya and the hybrid." A wicked smile formed on his lips as he continued. "I have Aeryn Sun."

Aeryn face filled with shock as she saw her face appear on the screen. She turned angrily towards Crichton, whose face matched hers. "What the frell is that?" she managed to say before Scorpius began to speak again. "Allow me to board the ship and retrieve what I want and perhaps you will live through this Crichton."

John felt the world begin to spin out of control again. It was bad enough that now he would have to explain everything that had happened to Aeryn. But what did Scorpius mean. He already had the wormhole technology. What else did he want from them.

Scorpius had known the moment he laid eyes on the clone that she was not the real Aeryn Sun. For a brief moment he had considered taking her and leaving. But she had not recognized him. This thing was not real and was not the object of his obsession. Which meant that the real Aeryn was still on Moya. As long as the council believed that Crichton still had the wormhole technology, perhaps there was still a chance to get her back.

Aeryn pushed Crichton up against the wall, a little harder than he was used to. "When this is over, Crichton, you will tell me exactly what happened while I was gone." He could only nod, his ability to speak suddenly taken from him. Her faced showed more confusion than anger. Hopefully she could look past this.

"Is it possible that the neural clone didn't get the right information?" John looked at D'Argo and shook his head. "I saw it in my mind. Whatever he wants, its not the wormhole technology." Aeryn seemed to connect something in her mind. "He wants me." Everyone turned to look at her. "What?"

"When I woke up after the accident, I was in a cell on Scorpius's command carrier. He came to see me and the only reason I escaped was because he let his guard down. He tried to kiss me." John was shocked. "Why would he want to kiss you?" She gave him an angry look. "That's not the point John. He was not the same around me. Maybe we can use that to our advantage." They did not have much time to think it over.

Chapter 11

Scorpius held Erin and Velorek in chains inside the marauder that was making its way towards Moya. Lt. Bracca was piloting the ship in the cockpit, though he could hear every word spoken through the intercom system in the back. "If you help me get what I want, there is no reason for me to harm either of you." He spoke in Velorek's direction but never took his eyes off Erin. "What do you want?" Velorek still could not figure that out. Scorpius smiled. "When I am safely aboard this ship with Aeryn Sun, I will let you go." Velorek laughed. The humor in this dark situation relieved some of the stress. "The neural chip! It works both ways doesn't it." Scorpius's face darkened. "You got your information but you can't get Crichton out of your head now can you." He could not help but laugh. Scorpius grabbed the frail sebacean's neck and squeezed tightly. "I have no qualms with killing you Velorek. I suggest you not try my patience."

The pieces finally came together for Lt. Bracca. The half-breed was more than a liability now. He was a threat to the peackeeper directive. If Scorpius continued to act irrationally, he would have no choice but to kill him. He pulled a small gun from beneath his coat and smacked a cartridge in.

On Moya, everyone watched with fear and interest as the marauder slipped in through the hanger doors and docked. They waited silently at the door, guns poised, to great whatever might come through. The doors finally slid open to reveal Velorek and Erin. They stood unchained with grim expressions on their faces. "Velorek?" Aeryn could not believe what she was seeing. He was dead. She had seen to that. But then again, wasn't she dead too. Even more surprising was the woman beside him. She stepped forward slowly towards her and reached out her hand. The frightened clone backed up and grabbed onto Velorek. Aeryn didn't know why but this angered her. She reached out to grab him when Scorpius stepped through the doors.

"I understand that you all must want to kill me right now." His playful tone was not returned by the crew. "You're not getting off Moya alive Scorpy," John said as he raised his gun towards him. "I hate to disappoint you John but if I die here, so do all of you." He motioned towards the mass of ships floating close by. "They have orders to fire if my vital signs drop." He pointed to the cooling rod on the side of his head. As he walked forwards and into Moya, every pair of eyes followed his movement. "Give me Aeryn Sun and I will leave. Refuse and you all die." John couldn't believe his ears. "What the hell is going on here." He stared angrily at Scorpius as his mind filled with hundreds of different ways to kill him. Without warning, Scorpius tumbled to the ground and let out a deafening roar. Moving quickly, John and D'Argo raced forwards to grab him. "Aeryn! Get a rope." She searched quickly and found one. They tied him up and leaned him against the wall. "We don't have to kill you just yet." Crichton grinned. Scorpius's mind was raging out of control.

Pilot watched from his den. He was amazed at what he saw on the screen. They had finally caught Scorpius. He hoped that now they could get safely out of this mess for good. He heard the footsteps before he saw the man. Lt. Bracca stepped out from behind Pilot. "I don't believe I've had the pleasure," he said holding a gun up to Pilot's head.

Chapter 12

Pilot couldn't believe he had allowed the sebacean to get past his detection systems. He had been so wrapped up in the situation on his screen that he hadn't noticed Lt. Bracca making his way towards the den. "What do you want?" He was sure that he knew what Bracca's demands would be but he felt obligated to ask. Bracca smiled, "I want you to fill that chamber with poison gas." Pilot was shocked. "But Scorpius is down there too. You would kill them all." The expression on Bracca's face did not change. Pilot understood what was going on. "I will not." He gave his sternest look and went back to work at his controls. "Do not tempt me Pilot. I have no problem with killing you." Pilot smiled back at him. "If you kill me, this entire ship will plummet to the planet below and crash." Bracca was no longer smiling.

"Pilot!" Crichton shouted but received no answer. Something was going on up there. He turned back towards Scorpius. "Is there someone else on Moya?" Scorpius just looked back without saying a word. Aeryn slammed him across the face with the butt of her rifle. He opened his mouth and spit out a pair of yellow teeth. "That was completely unnecessary. I will answer your question. Lt. Bracca has your Pilot with a gun to his head." Scorpius's smile faded as the lights suddenly flickered out and Moya careened to the side, throwing everyone against the walls.

Bracca held on for dear life to the edge of Pilot's chair as Moya lurched to the right. "I told you," Pilot said. A small stream of blood trickled from one of his arms. "Stabilize her now!" Bracca pointed his gun into Pilot's eye. "This shot might hurt a little more." Before he could fire, the ship turned in the opposite direction.

Scorpius opened his eyes and found himself still tied up. He was lying face down inside the hanger. The door to the marauder stood open in front of it. Inside he could see the tips of a Qualta Blade. The Luxan's weapon. It had been found with Aeryn's body and had been confiscated by the soldiers at the scene. If he could reach it, then he could break out of his restraints.

Aeryn saw Scorpius wriggle towards the marauder and followed him. She reached for one of his legs when Moya froze in her descent. She was thrown past Scorpius and into the marauder. He reached the blade and she watched as he cut easily through the restraints. She felt his cold hands grip her waist as he hoisted her into a seat. "I believe that will conclude my business here." He laughed to himself and head for the cockpit.

Crichton watched helplessly as the marauder lifted off the ground and sped for the open hanger doors. He yelled into his comm, "Pilot! Close the outer doors."

Pilot could still see the tips of Bracca's fingers as the sebacean held on for dear life from the catwalk. He answered Crichton immediately. "Closing now."

Scorpius watched in horror as the doors in front of him began to close. Aeryn had seen this too. She stopped moving towards him and headed to the back of the ship. He reached out for her but missed. It was too late to stop the rampaging attack vessel. "Crichto...." He did not have time to finish the word as the ship collided with the firmly closed doors. Aeryn jumped from the open back door as the rest of the marauder piled itself neatly into the wall. She landed harshly but safely on the ground and ran back towards her friends.

Bracca still held a firm grip on the catwalk in Pilot's den. He looked down to find nothing but darkness. The deepest sectors of Moya lay beyond the black and he knew that he would not survive the fall. He pooled all his strength into his arms and began to hoist himself up. He had managed to get his arms completely onto the catwalk when he heard a low beeping noise. He watched in horror as a lone DRD rolled quickly towards him. It stopped just out of his reach and a small probe extended out of its upper body. The probe moved cautiously forward and released a small shot of electricity into Bracca's outstretched hand. He felt his hand go numb and let go of the catwalk. From his seat, Pilot watched as the man's arms slipped out of view.

"Lt. Bracca is dead," Pilot said over the intercom. The crew was relieved to know that Pilot was safe but there was still one rat to take care of. "Pilot, are you still reading a vital sign from the marauder?" Crichton knew it took more than a crash to kill the stubborn monster. "Yes, I am receiving a faint signal in the wreckage." Crichton, Aeryn, and D'Argo closed the gap between them and the marauder quickly. John was first to enter and see what had happened.

Scorpius lay painfully on the floor of his ship. A slab of the bulkhead had come undone and crushed one of his legs. He could not move. The Qualta Blade had impaled itself through his left shoulder. Crichton leaned down towards him. "You're all out of lives Scorpy." He smiled back at Crichton despite the intense pain he felt. "This was not how I thought this would end John. I am more than a bit disappointed."

D'Argo came up behind John and reached for his weapon. "This belongs to me." He yanked the blade out of Scorpius's arm, spilling blood across the floor. Scorpius continued to look at Crichton. "I'm dying John. I suppose it would only be fair to return this." He reached out with his good hand and placed the neural chip in John's hands. It was strange. Scorpius felt the physical pain and yet it did not bother him too much. He could see Aeryn behind the other two. She watched him slip slowly into death with a stern expression on her face. He would never have expected her to mourn for him. Yet she did not seem pleased either. He saw her motion towards John. "End it," she said.

Crichton handed the chip to D'Argo. "Give this to Pilot. See what he can do with it." D'Argo left John and Aeryn standing over Scorpius. He would have enjoyed seeing him die but knew there was still work to be done. Peacekeeper ships still hovered above them waiting for the chance to pull the trigger. As he rounded the corner and left the awful sight behind him, he heard a single shot being fired.

Chapter 13

High above, inside Scorpius's command carrier, the same young tek that had informed him of Velorek's capture now saw his vital signs slip to zero. She felt no sympathy for the half-breed. Another captain would be along shortly to take his place. But there were still orders to be carried out. She informed the surrounding ships that Scorpius was dead. Every targeting system in the fleet prepared to fire.

Moya's data systems had not made any sense of the information contained on the neural chip. It was the latest in Peackeeper technology. Not something that leviathons were particularly familiar with. Although the idea was objected to at first, the information was transmitted to Talyn. Perhaps the hybrid would have better luck.

The attack order was given and hundreds of missiles were detonated across the darkness of space towards the leviathon and its offspring. Not one of those missiles hit its mark. Mere seconds after they were fired, a shimmering blue vortex formed around the smaller of the two ships. Both it and the mother disappeared before thousands of disbelieving peacekeeper eyes. The secrets of wormhole technology disappeared with the two ships.

As Moya descended into the wormhole, Aeryn Sun stepped out of the ruined marauder. She had seen enough bloodshed in her life. Maybe now she and John would... She didn't get to finish her thought. Velorek and Erin appeared before her. They did not see her. She watched as they slipped into the transport pod. As Velorek leaned over to close the door, she stepped into his view. They stood there for a moment in silence. Before either of them could say anything, Erin poked her head out to see what was happening. Aeryn knew she had wronged this man. They had loved each and she had thrown it all away. As much she disliked the idea of letting her mysterious twin go, something inside told her that he deserved to be happy. Who was she to deny him that again. "Go," she whispered and walked back towards Crichton. She turned her back as the pod lifted off the ground and flew out into the wormhole. It disappeared instantly from view. Wherever it had gone, it would be far away from here.

John Crichton walked up beside her. "About the.." She put a finger on his lips and shook her head. They did not need to talk about that. It was time to concentrate on themselves. She reached for his hand and he took it. They walked hand in hand all the way back to the main hall where their friends were waiting. As they reached the entrance, John looked down at their hands, expecting her to let go. She grabbed him tighter than before and they stepped inside.