Loose Ends

Author: Mark Nixon
E-MAIL: marknix2000@hotmail.com
Rating: Errrrr let's say 12. (Pg-13)
Spoilers: Only if you haven't seen season three.
Summary: With the neuro-chip destroyed and equations from Crichton's brain with no answers, Scorpius is unable to advance with his wormhole research; he decides to capture Crichton once and for all.
Notes: This story takes place after the episode "Incubator".

The hanger bay of Scorpius's Command Carrier was filled with techs rushing around the bay. The Scarran/ Sebacean hybrid Scorpius waited in a laboratory next to the hanger bay with a constantly  twitching Ko-Kura Strappa.

Scorpius watched as the prowler noisily crashed in to the bay; the half-breed snarled as techs opened the prowler door only to be greeted by the running ooze of a liquidized pilot.

Scorpius gave an enraged look at Strappa  "Well. It seems another failed attempt! Strappa: I need to see you in my quarters, immediately"

Scorpius sat in a comfortable looking chair in his room a wormhole glistened outside the window taunting Scorpius of its limitless power. Strappa stood by Scorpius's window still twitching as he was ready to receive punishment. Instead Scorpius just smiled, an evil smile, reached into his pocket and took out a video chip, he placed it in a nearby table, a holographic image of a planet hovered over the table.

"Now Strappa," Scorpius said " This is a commerce planet, a well known-one as well. It is also a very small planet, now how do you think we could lure Crichton here?"

Strappa twitched  " We could send a Sebacean over.." Strappa paused to think.

"Yes?"

"Well we could send a Sebacean over, posing as a Scientist, then we could send out Beacons from this "Scientist" claiming he needs help completing his project on worm-holes" "So then we could simply ambush John..." Strappa smiled "A simple plan but could work none the less."

"Indeed, well then inform Lieutenant Bracca to gather his best men and set off to the planet and also, inform him of the plan."

Strappa left the room, Scorpius wondered over to the window looking at the Wormhole. "Crichton."

                                              *

John Crichton had been wondering around the Market for hours and so far no sign of the Scientist, neither D'argo nor Chiana had seen him. He started to wonder whether this had all been some kind of hoax but refused to give up hope of returning home.

"Chiana, any thing yet?" He called after tapping his Communicator. "Chiana!" He tapped his communicator again "D'argo I'm getting no answer from Chiana, you?"

"No so let's just find her and leave this frelling planet!" The communicator clicked off.

Crichton thought to him self "I need help. HARVEY!" he just saw blackness. "Yo Harvey!  Front and centre!"

John Crichton sat in an imaginary cinema, popcorn in hand, waiting for the neural clone imbedding in his mind to appear.

"You called," he looked at the screen with a puzzled look "John what film is this?"

"Terminator it's your kind of film, listen harv."

"You where wondering why Chiana hasn't answered your calls." he interrupted.

"Yes."

"John earlier what you saw landing earlier wasn't a simple merchant ship but a Peacekeeper transport pod."

"You mean Scorpy knows we're here?!?"

"Indeed, my suggestion is to leave immediately."

John ran for the exit of the cinema with a worried look upon his face, as he opened the exit the market place appeared, he tapped his communicator "CHIANA!" but got no answer.

"Crichton! I'm still not getting an answer from Chiana!" D'Argo called over the communicator.

"Me neither!" John replied, "Peacekeepers are here!"

D'Argo hissed "I'll meet you near the entrance of the Market!" then John heard a click as his transition ended.

John pulled his Pulse pistol from his leg and ran for the entrance almost immediately he spotted a trooper  -Peacekeeper. Luckily the Peacekeeper stood with his back facing John holding his Pulse Rifle; the peacekeeper remained unaware of John's presence as he crept slowly forward. With a bolt of red light John shot the solder and continued towards the entrance, there he met a frantic and enraged D'argo with his Qualta Rifle drawn.

"John I still have no frelling answer!" D'argo yelled

"Yo D its defiantly peacekeepers, there're crawling all over the place."

"Then we hunt these frelling Basteds down!"

Suddenly two shots where fired towards John and D'argo just missing them, instinctively the pair ran for cover behind a shopping stalls as the towns people ran in fear.

Two Peacekeeper Troopers approached firing shots at the stall, John And D'argo crouched behind it holding their weapons.

"D'argo you cover me while I run to that stall over there" Crichton instructed while pointing to a stall opposite their own.

The like a grasshopper Crichton hopped over to the opposite stall avoiding the blasts from the Peacekeeper Weapons. He crouched in his new position, as he drew his pistol he looked above the stall to see if it was safe to stand and fire but instead saw Harvey.

"Now John you've survived worse than this you can easily defeat them I mean look, there're directing all their fire at Ka D'argo!" Harvey chuckled.

"Go away!" John replied trying to see if his teammate was all right.

"How many Peacekeepers do you think are here John?"

"Do I care?  Go away harv this ain't the time for chit chat!"

"Now John seeing as I have Scorpius's personality I know how he thinks, so hear this, I wouldn't waste your time with these two: find Chiana and then kill the rest!"

Obeying the clone's orders reluctantly John ran down the pathway way from the attacking solders, Crichton tapped his communicator several times but got no answer from the teenaged Nabari.

"John are you there?" Aeryn Sun shouted over the coms.

"Aeryn!?!" The human questioned

"Yes John Talyn was investigating to beacons, they seem suspicious but we picked up your signal so we're coming down."

"But Aeryn." He was interrupted by Officer Sun turning off the communicator.

John thought to himself that "we" was probably Aeryn an the other Crichton, he really didn't like the fact Aeryn has had all this time with his other, but if he could be of some help then he couldn't stop them. Despite the small size of the market, Crichton could not find any sign of Peacekeepers, he ran by what seemed countless market stalls.

"John Crichton!" a horribly familiar voice shouted nearby. John Immediately drew his pulse pistol.

"Braca old boy why don't ya' come out and play?" The human answered.

"I must admit I am very willing to shoot you now," John turned around looking for Bracca, Pulse pistol at arm's length " but where would the fun be in that?"

"I thought your boy Scorpy needed my brain?"

Braca smiled "Yes well I ca shoot of your legs can't I?  Any way let's finish this human!"

Bracca jumped like grasshopper down from the top of a tall market stall holding a pulse pistol at arm's length aimed at Crichton, the two stared at each other still holding their weapons all the nearby merchants had ran away already.

"Hey hey folks what's all the commotion about?" With Pistol Drawn the second Crichton from Talyn Walked slowly in to the scene.

Bracca's eyebrows widened with surprise  "What trickery is this?" Bracca Split his attention between the two Crichtons his pistol aimed somewhere in between the two.  The surprise of being confronted by two Crichtons and the knowledge that his reinforcements were far to distant to do him any good, left him unable to make decisions

*

Most of the Peacekeepers where fighting D'argo, there were too many so D'argo had only managed to kill one.

"Peacekeeper eemas!" The Luxan Yelled as he managed to kill yet another Solder, as much as he hated to do it D'argo ran away from the fight, down the continuous rows of the market.

"John? D'argo? Help me!" The teenaged Nabari yelled over the coms.

"CHIANA! Where the Hazmana are you?"

"Some Peacekeepers jumped me they took me away but when one left to find you, I err "removed" the other, but I'm not far away from you I can hear the crossfire, please just help me." The com clicked off.

D'argo continued to run, suddenly a large blast of red light disposed of the pursuing officers, D'argo turned around quickly to be greeted by Aeryn Sun holding a large Pulse launcher.

Officer Sun smiled "Miss me?"

D'argo smiled it was good to see his old friend Aeryn but a warrior must never show emotion in battle "Where's Crichton; both of them?" He demanded.

"I don't know but on the way I killed two Peacekeepers, I found three bodies and just killed four the two Crichtons might have killed more but seeing as the Peacekeepers came in a transport pod: I don't think there can be much more solders around here. Where's Jool?"

"On Moya she refused to visit a common Market, let's find Chiana and the Humans before they frell this thing up!"

*

Bracca Ran as fast as he could, looking behind him, he couldn't see either Crichton but none the less had to get to the Transport pod as soon as possible. The Pod entered his sight "At last!" he said; while looking behind himself.

Cautiously Bracca entered the pod, all that could be heard was a slow bleeping, an alarm, someone had set the pod to self detonate. "FRELL!"

Bracca jumped out the pod but was still caught in the explosion he was wounded and thought of what Scorpius might do to him if Crichton escapes.

The Crichton from Moya walked up to the Lieutenant, Bracca's Uniform was no longer neat but now tattered, his hair was a mess and blood dripped from his nose.

"Bracca, I'm no killer I knew you'd escape in time. I'm going to let you live, you can wait for Scorpius to come and get you Talyn and Moya will be far away by then; just remember this day; what could have happened and what didn't."

Crichton shot Bracca's pulse Pistol, rendering it useless then walked slowly away towards his teammates.

Bracca lay on the floor he had failed his mission and a part of him didn't want to be rescued, he just looked at Crichton walking away and smiled. "Victory shall yet be mine human, just you wait."

 *

Crichton, D'argo, Jool and Chiana all sat in Pilot's den trying to convince him Talyn and Moya can't stay together without being caught by Scorpius.

"Moya wishes to stay with Talyn" Pilot argued.

John walked over to Pilot " We need to Starburst, so does Talyn unless Moya and Talyn want to become Peacekeeper Pets then we have to go"

"Moya agrees, we also see the risk and hope this time her and her child can reunite quicker."

Crichton stood at command talking to the other Crichton over the view screen.

"You took my stuff!" the Crichton from Moya argued.

"It's mine as much as it is yours!"

"How's Aeryn?"

Talyn's Crichton smiled "She's. Doing great."

The other Crichton closed his eyes for a moment "You know I didn't want to know that."

"We have to go now, the Command Carrier will be in weapons range soon. Bye John."

"Yeah c ya'." The screen flickered off, John leaned against the control stand a tear dropped from his eye and he dreamed of Aeryn.

Outside, Moya began to glow blue and enter Starburst, as did Talyn except yellow, and in a flash both great ships disappeared once again and so had Aeryn.

The End