TITLE: "STATE OF FLUX"

AUTHOR: Alison M. DOBELL

FANDOM: "Farscape"

PAIRING: JOHN/CRAIS

RATING: NC-17. M/M. *SLASH*

STATUS: New.

ARCHIVE: Yes. Just let me know where.

FEEDBACK: Welcomed

SERIES/SEQUEL: SEQUEL to "WHERE ALL THINGS LIE"

The usual disclaimers apply. No infringement of copyright is intended.

"STATE OF FLUX"
A "Farscape" slash story
Written by Alison M. DOBELL
* * * * *

Jothee knew he was in trouble but still thought he could manipulate circumstances to suit himself. After all he did not care about Crichton but he did not want anything to happen to the rest of Moya's crew. If he could make a deal with Scorpius to deliver up Crichton and save his own skin he would have accomplished more than he could have hoped for. The whole gamble might yet pay off. Scorpius was watching him carefully, as if reading every thought in his head. He felt uncomfortable and that made him bad tempered.

"What did the human do to you?"

Jothee's expression was sour. This was not the way the negotiation between them was supposed to go. "That is none of your concern."

Anger flashed in the half-Scarran's eyes. "It is whatever I say it is!"

He swallowed. "I hate him."

"That is obvious. I want to know why."

"My father thinks more of this human than he does of me."

"Oh, I very much doubt that Jothee."

"You don't know, you have no idea what it's like!"

He seemed unaware how pathetic he sounded. His voice whining like a spoilt child. Scorpius could see little of the father's strength in the son. It was a good argument against cross-species contamination. The best he had come across yet. Not that the warning would affect his own appetites. "You are jealous then of Crichton?"

Jothee said nothing. His sulky expression was all the confirmation Scorpius needed.

"How do you intend to deliver Crichton to me?"

"You will release me back in the escape pod. I will activate the distress signal."

"There is no guarantee that Crichton will come for you. All Moya has to do is pick the pod up."

He smiled slyly. "I've tampered with the signal."

"How?"

Jothee smirked, suddenly excited, eager to show how clever he was. To exact praise even from an enemy. "Yes. His pathetic ship is primative, I have managed to reconfigure the signal to his ship's frequency."

"What good will that do?"

He was grinning openly now, feeling very superior. "Who do you think they will have to ask to translate the signal?"

"Crichton."

"Yes."

Scorpius looked dubious. "Once Crichton has confirmed it is a distress signal Moya will pick the pod up. It still does not isolate Crichton."

"No, you don't understand."

"Explain!"

"They will be wary, suspicious. Crichton will volunteer to check it out."

"How do you know that?"

"Because everybody keeps going on about him like he's some kind of hero. If he's all the things they say he is he'll feel that as it's broadcasting on a human frequency and he's the only human on board it's *his* responsibility to check it out. They won't want to bring it aboard unless they can check it is safe."

Scorpius looked thoughtful. "But it's still Moya's escape pod."

He nodded and said nothing. Scorpius thought about it, not wholly convinced it would work as Jothee predicted but it would definitely bring the leviathan back. He could afford to see what happened and if Jothee was wrong he would have the leviathan and her entire crew, Crichton and all. He could not fail. Not unless Jothee was trying to trick him. His eyes narrowed as he looked at the Sebaccean-Luxan half-breed. It seemed Jothee was the worse half of both species. A creature only a parent could love. Still. He must not be unkind. Not everyone could have the looks and undeniable charm he had. He gave a nod. "Very well, we try this your way. But I warn you, if this fails I will take the leviathan and everyone aboard her. Is that understood?"

Jothee swallowed hard, trying to sound and look more confident than he felt. "Yes. I understand."

* * * * *

He was upset and trying in vain to hide it. Crais's voice was soothing, his touch electrifying Crichton.

"I cannot stay here, John. You know that."

"What about us?"

Crais looked at him, trailed a light hand down the side of his face, leaned in to kiss his lips. They were standing in Talyn's command, both dressed and looking more than a little tense. Crichton was keyed up. Crais slid an arm around his waist to draw him close, his lips sliding up to his ear as he spoke, a hand caressing him to calm him down as his warm breath teased his ear canal. "Sssh, I'll see you again. As often as I can."

"But you're still leaving?"

"Yes. I must."

He pulled back and saw the tears in Crichton's eyes. The human could not hide his sense of grief, his loss.

"You knew this would happen, John."

"I know, but I didn't think it would happen so soon. I love you, Bialar."

"I know and I love you, but you have Aeryn now."

"How could you go?" He whispered, his voice agonised.

"You need to heal, John. Not just immerse yourself in me though I admit that I am flattered."

"Flattered?" The barely hidden rage surprised Crais. What was he angry about?

"John, you know how I feel."

"No, Bialar, I know how *I* feel. I only know how you *say* you feel."

"That's not fair."

"Neither is making me fall in love with you then leaving me high and dry when it suits your purpose."

"I am not leaving you high and dry."

Crichton bit his tongue, he did not want to argue. Did not want to let the tears that were threatening fall. He was not going to pretend he understood. Had no intention of pretending he was not hurt. He came back to the only thing he had to cling to. "I thought you loved me."

"I do." Crooned Crais softly, trying to hide his own hurt at the parting.

"Then why go?"

Crais touched his face, kissed him lightly, his thumb rubbing his cheek gently bringing Crichton so close to tears he could not speak. "I have to go. Talyn cannot afford to stay in one place too long, you know that. We are going to go deeper into the Uncharted Territories."

"You'll forget me."

Crais smiled, such a beautiful loving look that it broke Crichton's heart. He did not want to hurt Crais, did not want to be selfish, but he did love him. He had never been any good at goodbyes and this one was harder than most. "You'll be alone, Bialar."

"No, I'll have Talyn."

Suddenly he saw it all. <Oh God, he's been fucking the leviathan!>

Crais chuckled darkly and kissed him on the lips, his own lips lingering as he tasted him with his tongue. Gently plundering his mouth as he let his thoughts touch Crichton's. <What do you think you've been doing?>

Crichton's eyes widened. <Me?>

He pulled back so he could have the pleasure of watching Crichton's face. "What do you think that tendril was?"

Crichton paled slightly. "You said it was a feeder tube, a means of quenching my thirst."

"Yes, it feeds all your needs." He paused. "*All* your needs, John."

He remembered drinking from it, the fluid changing in consistency according to his needs, his desires. The way the tendril had snaked down to ease his passage for Crais to enter him when he was too tight. <Oh God, what had he done?>

Crais stroked his face, kissed him gently then hugged him. Crichton was not sure what to think, how to acclimatise to the knowledge. He should have guessed, should have realised, but all his attention had been focussed on Crais. Loving him had been the only thought in his head. He had done all his thinking below the waist. What must Crais think of him? What about Aeryn? <God, I am so screwed>

"Yes, John. In more ways than you can imagine."

He looked at Crais and saw that he was smiling. Such love on his dark face. He swallowed hard. "I'm gonna miss you so much, Bialar."

"As I will miss you, but we are still friends John, and I will be back this way again."

"What do I do in the meantime?" Said the little boy who kept watching his father leave him behind. The little boy who waited and waited for someone who never came. The little boy lost in a grief that had never been healed, never fully acknowledged and understood. The little boy who had never fully been able to forgive being left behind. Crying for the Moon.

"You get on with your life." Crais said softly.

Crais wiped the tears from Crichton's eyes, kissed him gently then urged him to go. He said goodbye to Talyn, refused to say goodbye to Crais just telling him he would see him. Then the door opened and Crichton left the leviathan. He stood and watch Crais prepare to leave Moya. Aeryn came and joined him as the ship left. Crichton was suprised she had not come to say goodbye earlier then realised she had been thinking of him. Wanting to give him the privacy to say his own more intimate goodbyes. He put an arm around
her and watched them leave, unable to keep the tears from forming. When they had gone he still did not move. Aeryn folded her arms around him and just held him while he cried. They rocked gently then Aeryn pulled back a little, needing to look at him, to check that he was alright. She wiped the tears from his face with her hand.

"I'm okay Aeryn, I won't break."

"I know this will be hard."

<Harder than you could possibly imagine> He thought. But he had no intention of saying that to Aeryn. "Aeryn, this feels so weird."

"Weird? How?"

"I'm a regular home boy, know what I mean? I don't date guys but Crais," He broke off, biting back his sorrow. It was still too raw. "I'm not even sure how it happened." He broke off. "I'm gonna miss him, Aeryn."

She nodded. "So will I."

He did not know what else to say. Slowly they walked together arm in arm. A kind of peace settling over them. They had almost reached the end of the docking bay when Crichton felt something bump against his shoe. He looked down and chuckled with delight. It was a DRD. He hunkered down to look at the little biomechanoid. Aeryn smiled and followed suit. "Hey, little fella. You following me?"

The little DRD rolled back and forth on his wheels and bumped him again. Crichton laughed. "Let's see if I've got this right? Once for yes, twice for no?"

The DRD rocked once. Crichton was laughing so hard even Aeryn had to smile. "John, the DRD is *not* talking to you."

He looked sideways at her. "How do you know, Aeryn?"

She shrugged. "It's mechanical, not sentient..."

"Semantics, Aeryn. He's biomechanoid, like Blue."

She raised her eyebrows. "Oh, and I suppose he's got a name as well has he?"

Crichton paused, looked at the DRD then looked back at Aeryn. "Well actually no, I hadn't gotten around to naming him...."

Aeryn gave him a triumphant look as if she had proved her point. Crichton frowned then turned back to the DRD. "I don't know your name, I only really got around to naming Blue because of the tape round his lightstalk. Do you have a name?"

Aeryn tried not to laugh then held her breath as the DRD rocked back and forth twice.

"Twice, Aeryn, that means no." He looked at the DRD again. "Would you like me to give you a name?"

The DRD rocked foward once, banging his shoe harder. Crichton laughed. "Yes! Once means yes, I feel we're getting somewhere here Aeryn."

Aeryn rolled her eyes, would have walked off and left him to it but he still held her arm. "No, watch. You'll like this. What shall we call him?"

"How do you know it's a him not a her?"

He thought about that and decided to ask the DRD. "Are you male?"

The DRD did not move.

"Are you female?"

Still no movement.

"There!" Said Aeryn as if that proved her arguement. "Not sentient. No gender."

"Woah, woah, Aeryn, not so fast. Do you have a gender?"

The DRD rolled forward twice.

"Oh, no gender?"

A single roll this time.

"Okay. Do you have feelings?"

A single roll. Another yes.

"What shall we call him, Aeryn?"

"You just heard, by your own method of deductive reasoning - which incidentally I don't agree with - that it's not male or female yet you call it *him*."

"What can I say? It's a guy thing."

"A guy thing? It's *not* a guy, it's a droid. D-R-O-I-D, droid."

"I can spell Aeryn."

"Good." Said Aeryn standing up abruptly. "When you learn to form sentences let me know."

He watched her stomp off and collapsed into a fit of the giggles. Who would have believed it? Aeryn Sun was developing a sense of humour. Okay so it was rudimentary but what the heck. Even life started at a bacterial level. There was hope for Aeryn yet. He sat on the floor and looked at the little DRD, his lightstalks waving gently up at him, expectently. "Now little fella, what am I gonna call you?"

* * * * *

Chiana was watching Zhaan closely. Ever since she had gone to speak to her in her apothecary she had been aware of the Delvian becoming more and more distant. It was not simply disconcerting, it was beginning to really annoy her. She had wanted advice about D'Argo, needed help to know how to win him back, and all Zhaan could do was stare off into the distance and mutter prayers to Kah'leen.

"Zhaan, are you listening to me?"

Zhaan seemed to have difficulty dragging herself back to the present. "Yes, Chiana?"

"About D'Argo."

She looked vague, confused. "D'Argo?"

Annoyed, Chiana bit back tears. "I came to you for help and you don't even have the decency to listen to me!"

Zhaan began to apologise. "I'm sorry, Chiana, I was..."

"Don't bother apologising, Zhaan. I'm going. I was a fool to think you'd want to help!"

"Chiana..."

It was too late. Chiana had gone. Zhaan felt guilty, upset to have failed her young charge, yet she was distracted. The air around her coalesced with his presence. Her expression took on a look of joy and bliss. "Stark?"

His voice was ethereal. Detached from the reality of the physical senses. <Zhaan, I'm coming to you. Prepare, prepare...>

"Prepare for what?"

He was fading leaving her distraught. "Don't go, Stark! Please, tell me what I must do."

<Soon, be with you soon....>

Then he was gone. Zhaan stood stunned, feeling his loss but stirred by his words. Stark was coming, he would be here soon. She had to prepare. But what did she have to prepare? Herself? The others? All she knew was that there was some kind of danger approaching. Stark was coming to warn them. She had to tell the others but was not looking forward to it. The others already thought her more than half mad. Only Crichton listened to her without judging. Since sharing Unity with him she had learned to appreciate the human more than most. Zhaan decided to offer up a brief period of meditation to the Goddess first then she would go and tell the others.

* * * * *

He was not keen to re-enter the life pod but it was the only way. Scorpius instructed Jothee and made sure there was sufficient oxygen to sustain him for twelve arns. Any more would be too suspicious, any less and Jothee could suffocate before anyone took the bait. Scorpius personally did not care what happened to Jothee but as a bargaining chip he was too valuable to waste. At least until he had Crichton.

The Nebari watched the launch of the little pod. After it had been carefully jettisoned in Moya's last known position they made a short starburst and settled down to wait. Zarok looked at Scorpius. "This is a feeble plan, Scorpius."

"That is why Zarok, I have the feeble subject who thought of it inside the pod. An elegant solution I thought."

Zarok bowed. "If the leviathan comes..."

"I will of course give her up to you. Once, I have Crichton."

* * * * *

Ka D'Argo was pacing command when Zhaan arrived. She was so agitated that D'Argo forgot his concern for his son to frown at her. "What is the matter, Zhaan?"

Rygel slid his thronesled closer, Aeryn following him. Curious to see what had got the Delvian so worked up. She was figetting with her hands, looking agitated. "Stop pacing up and down, Zhaan!" Barked Rygel in irritation. "Tell us what the yotz is the matter."

She paused. "Where are the others?"

"They are making their way as you requested, Zhaan." Said Pilot calmly from his image in the clamshell.

"Thank you, Pilot."

Crichton arrived with a DRD at his heels followed microts later by Chiana. There was no sign of Jothee.Crichton took in Zhaan's agitation. Exchanged a look with Aeryn that said
she did not have a clue what was going on. "Okay Zhaan, we're all here, what you got?"

She nodded at Crichton. "I have an announcement to make. A few arns ago Stark contacted me. He has contacted me again to say that he will be with us shortly. He has some information for us."

Rygel looked surprised. "Stark? Coming here?"

Chiana looked at her distracted face. "That's why you weren't listening to a thing I said..."

"Yes, Chiana, I'm sorry."

"What information?" Said D'Argo.

She shook her head. "I do not know but he says it's very important."

Just then Pilot spoke. "Moya says she is receiving a transmission."

Zhaan looked up, her face becoming calm. "That must be him."

Pilot looked up. "No Zhaan, it is not Stark."

Surprise registered on her face.

Aeryn was looking at Pilot. "Who is it Pilot?"

"Moya does not know, she cannot decipher the transmission."

"What do you mean she cannot decipher it?" Asked D'Argo, his voice dark and menacing. "What kind of ship is it?"

"No...ship, D'Argo."

Chiana looked confused. "No ship? But that's impossible...."

Crichton took a step forward, the little DRD at his heels matching his movement. "What does Moya have, Pilot?"

Pilot looked at him, the confusion clear on his face. "I do not understand. Moya says the transmission is similar to the one from your module."

"What? Are you sure, Pilot?"

He paused to listen to Moya before responding. "Moya is quite sure."

"Where is this transmission coming from?" Said D'Argo.

"Moya says it is coming from our last known location."

Rygel did not like the sound of it. "It's a trap. I say we starburst as far as we can away from here!"

Zhaan put up a hand. "No! We can't do that. Stark is coming. We have to stay here."

Crichton looked at Pilot. "Pilot, can you ask Moya to decode the signal. At least tell us what it says."

They all waited for his response. "It seems the transmission is a distress signal."

"That's it," Said Crichton making for the door. "I'm gonna go take a look."

Aeryn hurried after him. "I don't think that's such a good idea, John. It could be a trap."

He skidded to a halt and looked at her, anguish on his face. "Aeryn, how many people do you know who would be able to send a message like that? Do you realise what this means? It means someone else could be trapped in the wrong side of the galaxy like I was. This could be someone from home, Aeryn. I have to find out. I have to know."

"I agree with Rygel," Said D'Argo. "It smells like a trap."

Aeryn looked over her shoulder at Pilot. "Pilot, can Moya tell us anything else about that signal?"

"Only that it is getting weaker. But there is something else odd about it."

"Odd?" Said Rygel. "Such as?"

"I don't know how to explain this but the signal is coming from a life pod...."

"Oh God," Said Crichton. "They must have had to bail out, we don't have much time to retrieve them."

Aeryn put a hand on his arm to delay him. "Wait. Anything else Pilot?"

"Yes." He looked up, the shock clear for all to see on his face. "The pod comes from Moya!"

* * * * *
end