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Written by: LeatherGirl
Archive: 9 July 2001
Summary: This is way too big to summarize. Read it and be entertained! And if you're familiar with my writing style, the title is more than enough to summarize this fanfic!
Rating: R for mainly strong language, a little sexual content, and some violence
Category: Drama/Action/Adventure
Spoilers: Everything up to Eat Me, S3.
Disclaimer: I wrote this fanfic purely for entertainment with no intentions of making a profit off of Farscape, Jim Henson Productions, Channel 9, and the amazing creators of this show or anybody else involved. When you have fun creating, money is no object. Ka'ru is a fictional character of my own creation. As for the many scientific impossibilities found in this fanfic, frell them because this is science FICTION after all!
Author's Note: This fanfic has to be the largest writing project I have ever challenged myself into producing. I actually felt further away from Farscape than I have been in the past when writing fan fiction, thus making it even more difficult to breathe life into the well-known characters. Real life issues also strayed me away from this fanfic, many of the issues dealing with inner struggle. I bring the final piece to you as my heart and soul. Please read it as a whole and respond with feedback. Even though completion and joy of writing is satisfying by itself, feedback is the ultimate satisfaction in order for me to truly see if my efforts paid off.
Thanks to the following beta-readers for helping me out: pkbarb, jilacosa, and johryn.
Special thanks to the creators of Farscape for a unique look into the world of a universe we may never know.
This story was somewhat inspired by Stephen King's latest novel, Dreamcatcher. If you loved The Stand, this one is even better!
Ka'ru hissed into Scorpius' face, standing before him on the control deck of the battle ship. The half-breed had been trying Ka'ru's patience since the Scarran officers had captured him. Scorpius was always working against Ka'ru, even when they had declared a truce. Ka'ru already sensed some of his very own high-ranking officers steering towards a mutiny, which most likely had been suggested by Scorpius. Nevertheless, as an equally hideous, unforgiving soul, Ka'ru was impressed. In the unfortunate event that Scorpius carried out his plan of mutiny, Ka'ru knew how to strike back. He could be just as evil and conspiring as Scorpius, if not more so.
Scorpius retained a grin on his face even with Ka'ru's nearly unbearable breath smothering him. The heat emitting from the Scarran was both satisfying and sickening. The inner struggles of the temperature war within Scorpius were failing him the longer he stayed on this ship. He had to act now or Ka'ru would succeed in dominating the game.
Ka'ru is not your commandeer for much longer, officers. He is a menace; a being that cares only for his own agenda. He will not fight for your lives. He will use each and every one of you to get what he wants, no matter what the penalty. Free from this monstrosity and merge with me. I will care for your future. I will give you everything you need. Create history as the team of brave officers who declared mutiny against the great Ka'ru. Be the officers who conquered a whole galaxy and captured the most hunted man in the universe. Declare mutiny, my friends. Ka'ru deserves to die. Scorpius glanced around at the officers on deck, smiling evilly and observing, as they appeared to hear the message he was mentally sending to them. Several officers had stopped manning their stations. They gathered together, speaking quietly and glancing disrespectfully towards Ka'ru.
Scorpius looked to Ka'ru to see the commandeer staring hungrily out at the two helpless ships before them. The Scarran fighter ships had already begun their false advance towards the galaxy. Their official objective was to eliminate both Talyn and Moya, then the galaxy. Scorpius had only one problem with this plan. He did not want to see Talyn and Moya scathed for it meant the demise of John Crichton.
"What is the importance of this John Crichton?" Ka'ru suddenly confronted Scorpius. Scorpius nearly jumped in surprise and reared back, suspicious of the Scarran. Had he read his thoughts? Impossible. This Scarran wasn't intelligent enough. Scorpius retained his composure and stepped forward with curiosity.
"Perhaps you can tell me. After all, you have been hunting him for his knowledge, have you not?" Scorpius questioned. Ka'ru hissed angrily and took another step towards Scorpius. His radiating skin sent waves of heat in Scorpius' direction. Scorpius began to grow weak from the heat and struggled to keep his composure.
"Knowledge? We have little interest in the primitive human's mind...only for what he knew of your research. We've been interested only in what you are trying to develop on that so-called 'secret' Gammak Base. Unfortunate for you that we seized it." Ka'ru smiled. Scorpius grinned back. Ka'ru had no clue as to the importance of John and his brain. His source was safe...for the moment.
"You don't even know what you have in your hands, Ka'ru. My Gammak Base is simply a decoy for idiots of your stature. Any information you retrieve there will be for nothing. My scientists are simply researching advanced pulse technology at that base." Scorpius scoffed. He was growing somewhat angered by this Scarran's idiocy. How could such an unintelligent being rise to be the most respected Commandeer of his race?
"You're studying wormhole technology." Ka'ru stated simply in return, undermining Scorpius' lies. Perhaps Scorpius had been underestimating his opponent. He was shocked and outraged inside, but his physiology allowed for extreme control of emotion on the outside. Scorpius narrowed his eyes in suspicion.
"Maybe I am." Scorpius admitted dryly. "You still haven't confided to me about the research you have been conducting on your own. How did you create the wormhole we traveled through to get here?"
Scorpius stepped up to Ka'ru, defying the extreme heat emitting off of the Scarran. He glared into Ka'ru's angered face and waited patiently for an answer. Ka'ru slowly coiled his long, scaly fingers into fists. The coarse black hair running up his spine began to stand on end. His eyes began to glimmer with hatred. Ka'ru had met his match.
"What do you mean?" Ka'ru growled, his temper escalating. "You were the one who created the wormhole. We were unwillingly pulled into it. Our research had failed, every attempt had ended in a pathetic black hole."
Scorpius grew puzzled. He looked to Ka'ru with sincerity in knowing the Scarran was speaking the truth. He temporarily forgot about the mutiny he was creating with the officers in Command.
"Then who did?" Scorpius asked, almost ecstatic by the thought of the mysterious wormhole being created by an unknown source. Both Scorpius and Ka'ru turned to look out the view screen towards Moya and Talyn. They came to a conclusion that they knew who did. This would become the reason for the two to form an alliance.
"How do you suggest we capture and retrieve the knowledge we seek?" Ka'ru questioned.
Scorpius tilted his head slyly and smiled at Ka'ru. Ka'ru didn't need mind-reading skills to realize what Scorpius was thinking.
"I suggest we ask for it in person." Scorpius smiled.
*****
Voices. Thousands of voices of lost souls screamed into his mind. They tortured him day in and day out. Stark could only guess when his absorption of pain and death would finally take its toll on his mind. The easing, comforting thoughts he once possessed had disintegrated into only a few, disjointed flashes of calmness.
Stark longed for the calm. Yet the evilness creeping into his soul from the numerous deaths he had "experienced" scarred him deeply. His physiology allowed for sensing the demise of other souls across the universe...mainly those he was closely related to biologically or mentally. And all was crumbling down now that his center, Zhaan, was gone from his life. Stark was no longer a stable being.
Traveling throughout the silent halls of Moya while the crew struggled with the issues at hand, Stark was battling his own issues. He was finding it harder and harder to keep his mind at bay. The voices were constant. Only days earlier they had been whispers. But now, now they were screaming. The pain and torment riddling their voices was deafening. How much longer would it be before he snapped?
Peace of mind.
A solemn whisper filled his mind. Alerted, Stark flattened himself against the wall of Moya. His heart began to race. He searched the barren hall up and down with his nervously twitching right eye. Only a couple of DRDs on their routine patrol occupied the hall. Stark stepped away from the wall and continued on in caution.
Peace of spirit.
Stark released a cry. He immediately braced himself against the wall once again. Frightened, Stark glanced around the hall, swearing his eye was playing tricks on him. Had that door down the hall opened a dench?
"Who...who's there?" Stark uttered a shaky whisper.
The screaming voices in his head that had become background music were now silent. Stark stole a brave step away from the wall.
"Zhaan?" He whispered in a barely audible tone.
Peace of soul, Stark.
Stark jumped in surprise. It was Zhaan. He glanced over his shoulder, swearing he had felt her breath grace his neck. Stark was shaking with fear but his heart leapt with joy. Zhaan had not appeared to him since shortly after her death monens ago and then again as they were tumbling through the wormhole recently. But where was she now? Why could he only hear her and not see her?
Stark began to think of what she was saying as well. What had Zhaan meant by all this? He remembered now the last sweet words Zhaan had spoken to him as she died.
Stark cried out in vain but to no avail. Zhaan was gone, along with Stark's sanity. Stark knew he could no longer control the voices, the torment, or the infectious insanity controlling his mind. Not after losing Zhaan, his only refuge from himself.
"Zhaan, my love. Please accept my offer to be with you for eternity. I no longer have purpose here. Please...please Zhaan! Let me be with you, my sweet." Stark begged, dropping to his knees. He spread his arms out and looked around, hoping to see Zhaan materialize before him.
Goodbye my love.
Stark cried out in vain.
"NO ZHAAN! Don't leave me!" Stark fell to the floor and began to sob. He knew she was gone now.
After a few microts, Stark began to calm considerably. He straightened with a look of realization. Deep within, swirled a new feeling; one he hadn't experienced before. But it was extremely familiar...almost like the feeling he had experienced in Unity with Zhaan. Perhaps it was really the Delvian herself filling his existence. Energizing him and molding him into the essential asset she had once been to the ever-violent lives of the crew. Whatever the feeling was, whatever Stark made himself to believe it was, he felt ready. Stark felt confident once again that he could and indeed had taken the place of Zhaan as a peaceful, healing member of the crew on board Moya.
*****
A small swing set rested in a lonely little park. The tall green grass around the set rippled in the gusty wind. The two rusted chains holding the aged rubber seat of the last swing croaked as they swayed back and forth on their supportive hooks. The faded red, white, and blue paint job on the bars of the swing set told of the many years of sun it had endured. A small child appeared nearby, holding an old muddy Tonka truck, similar to the one John used to own as a kid. The child had sandy blond hair and deep blue eyes. He wore dirtied blue overalls over a white shirt with unfamiliar cartoons printed on it. The child was frozen where he stood, staring up into the dreary low clouds of the cool summer day. Curiosity and fear paralyzed his face.
The senses were all so real, John imagined himself into the memory. He circled around, his leather clothes sealing to his skin against the wind. He shivered from the cold bite in the air and rubbed his arms to keep warm. John breathed in deeply, smelling the rich Earthly scents he had long ago forgotten. He temporarily forgot all about Moya, the Uncharted Territories, and everything that had been threatening his existence to this point. He relaxed and smiled at the sight of the little boy. He reminded John so much of himself as a child.
The small boy did not seem to notice John's sudden appearance. He only continued to stare up into the sky, his face almost forming into a pout now. John could hear a small drone far away. The sound was similar to that of a plane engine but oddly out of this world. He searched the skies, looking off towards the blanket of woods decorating the landscape before him. He could see nothing but the dreary clouds and intense green of the flora around him. Even in such a depressing environment, John felt happiness and renewal. He was home once again. He cared not how he got here or how long his stay would be, he only cared for the simple things he had so often overlooked.
The child began to moan and point towards the sky, his eyebrows and lips turned down in a full pout. He cried in fear and dropped his toy truck. John whisked around to face the boy only to see him run away towards the complex of houses behind them. John heard the drone grow louder and turned back to the skies. He saw nothing yet. Maybe the child saw something he couldn't. Either way, John didn't want to stick around to find out. He was getting an eerie feeling about this place and he no longer wished to be here.
John searched the skies for a moment longer and looked back to where the boy had been standing. The Tonka truck lay in the grass, its yellow paint standing out in the tall green blades around it. John walked over to it and scooped it up, smiling at the memories of playing with the model when he was young. He twirled the toy around in his hands, observing its every feature. The mysterious drone above the clouds grew stronger. John didn't bother to look this time. He knew there was nothing to see yet.
John paused a moment, hoisting the flatbed of the toy truck up on a whim. He was both shocked and devastated to see something he had not imagined would be there. Engraved deep within the base of the flatbed were the shaky letters J C. John instantly dropped the Tonka truck and stood away. His mind was already incorporating things into these memories yet he refused to believe...that truck had belonged to the unnamed little boy...not him.
John stumbled back a few steps and saw something out of the corner of his eyes. He shifted around and faced the first oncoming wave of alien ships racing through the clouds to a lower level, preparing to fire at will. The deep auburn skin of these alien ships reminded John of Moya, and his mind was reminded as if forgotten, of his life in the Uncharted Territories. John followed the ships with his eyes as they passed low overhead, the heat from the ships nearly singing John's face. John stumbled a few more steps and spoke into his comms, which unbeknownst to him, was no longer pinned to his coat.
"Moya, Pilot...anybody...do you read me? I need help! The Scarrans...they're attacking Earth." John shouted. More and more ships began to emerge from the clouds, filling the skies above. John's heart raced and he thought of the little boy. He was probably hovering under his mother's arm in the farthest, darkest corner of their house, shivering in fear and crying for their lives. John had to do something.
A sudden ball of fire shot through the air and struck the nearby swing set. John threw himself to the ground as the swing set disintegrated and the ground beneath sprayed outwards. John grasped the sweet grass around his head and clenched his teeth. He would not allow this to happen to his own planet. After all, he was the sole reason the Scarran ships had come to this galaxy and even recognized this planet as a threat. John thought of his father, DK, his sisters, and all of humanity. He would not allow a civilization that had lasted thousands of years to die like this.
John hoisted himself upwards as a continuous raid of fireballs smashed into the Earth around him. He barely flinched at the flying debris around him as he stood to face the oncoming ships. He paid no attention to the splintering houses and screaming victims behind him. He zeroed in on the ships and raised both his arms. He was going to defeat these Scarrans if it was the last thing he did. John held out his palms and screamed at the top of his lungs. He closed his eyes. Everything stopped instantly.
John opened his eyes. He was standing in Command, his crewmates staring at him in bewilderment like always. Had he just done all that on Moya, believing he was on Earth? John's cheeks grew red with embarrassment. Stark entered into Command and noticed the silence and confusion among the crew. He walked straight up to John and grasped the perplexed human's shoulders.
"John, you must stay focused. Don't allow these images to take over your mind. Listen to me and me only." Stark began, his tone serious and his eye saner than ever. How had he known about the images and disjointed flashbacks he had been experiencing? John wondered briefly. John wrinkled his brow at Stark's sudden change in attitude and attempted to look at the reaction of his crewmates. Stark grabbed John's chin and refocused John's gaze onto him.
"What are you doing, Stark?" Aeryn questioned, stepping forward in alarm. D'Argo followed suit, feeling protective of his friend.
"You have to go out there in your module...redirect the Scarrans away from your galaxy. They cannot reach Earth. Don't allow them to do this, John. I don't know how many more souls I can guide into the afterlife if they succeed in destroying your planet." Stark ushered. John could not sense if this was Stark speaking, or some other source. For a moment there, he had appeared to be speaking on the same level Zhaan had often used with John.
"I won't let him do that, Stark. This is fahrbot. Release him and let us talk." Aeryn negotiated. Stark turned to stare at her with the same intensity he had shown John. A brief look of confusion crossed Aeryn's face.
"Stark, listen to yourself. There are over a thousand fighter ships out there. John would not have a chance to...." D'Argo stated but was cut off.
"Don't listen to them, John. I know what needs to be done." Stark urged, shaking John as he spoke.
"Why don't you relax, Stark? We've got things under control." Chiana lied, stepping forward. Stark looked to her as if she were fahrbot.
"Stark's right." John uttered, almost shocked by his own words. Everyone looked to him. Stark released his grip on John.
"Believe me or not if you want to. But I know and John knows that I'm right. Zhaan has somehow...re-energized my soul. I am thinking clearer than ever and I feel at peace. I am here as guidance to you on behalf of Zhaan's wishes. Please don't deny her last gift to you." Stark stated. He was, true to his words, saner than ever. He appeared relaxed and even his color was back to normal. This change in Stark was convincing enough for the crew. They nodded their approval.
"I'd hate to see a normal day on this ship." Jool muttered. Everything up to this point had been intense and bewildering to her. Rygel hovered near her and nodded with a laugh.
"It can actually be quite boring around here. That's why I started up my hobby of snurching early on." Rygel commented.
"John. You're not seriously considering this, are you?" Aeryn questioned, stepping up to the human. John turned to see fright in Aeryn's eyes. She wasn't ready to lose him yet...and he wasn't about to leave her.
John thought of the little boy he had seen in the dream-like state he had been in. He could see the exploding houses and the fleeing injured humans. He envisioned the frightened little children, cowering into the smallest spaces they could find. He thought of his father staring up at the Scarran ships, smiling with the thought that John had been lucky after all, not to see Earth end like this. John could not let this happen to Earth.
"Pilot, prepare my module for a long journey."
*****