by: CeRell

"It’s the way of the peacekeepers, Crichton." Aeryn responded, annoyed.

  "Yea, well, seems to me that they are way too quick to off their personnel."

"As I told you, it preserves the integrity of the forces. It’s a policy that keeps them strong." 

"Strong? More like brainwashed." 

"Brainwashed?" "Yea, brainwashed. Fed propaganda from the moment they get their hands on you."

  "Crichton, peacekeepers don’t just live a way of life, they ARE the military." 

"I guess so. You are right, but I still don’t understand how you can be so for an organization that will off you in a microt. For no real reason." 

"It’s the peacekeeper way." 

"Doesn’t make it right, Aeryn. You weren’t irreversibly contaminated. Yet Crais was quite happy to eradicate you." "It was the choice of my commander. He decided I was so I must have been." "It’s blind devotion." John had to add. "It’s unwavering loyalty." 

"Whatever." John, like Aeryn, had grown tired of the argument. The boredom of the their trip back from the Commerce planet was weighing heavy on them. They were grasping at anything to pass the time. Aeryn thought back to her old life as a peacekeeper. Had she been content? Yes, she decided. She had been. As much as now? She looked at John. No. She definitely was more content now in this life on Moya. She was still part of a group, still living for the greater good. But no longer answering blindly to command. They were their own command. And that, she savored the feeling, that was better. Being in control of their own destiny, responsible for others as well as themselves. 

"Another question." John said. Aeryn looked at him wondering where his mind was going next. "What is the peacekeeper way in battles? Have they had wars before?" 

"You mean what can we expect with the Nebari conflict? They’ll send in massive amounts of troops, large compliments of armament. Many battle ships. They’ll seek to overwhelm strategically speaking. Subversion is used heavily." 

"Spies?" 

"Yes. Operatives are sent into the different cultures to become a part of the local climates and report back "

  "How long do these missions last?" "Last? It’s a lifetime. It’s quite an honor, Crichton, to give your life for the peacekeeper movement." John thought back to the special operative, Genovia . She’d been willing to marry Clavor. Though she had drawn the line at becoming a statue for 80 cycles. "I guess I can relate to giving your life for your country. Back on earth the Japanese, their highest honor was to give their life, the komakozie pilots in World War 2 did a lot of damage." 

"There you see? The way of the peacekeeper is not so different." Aeryn concentrated on her screen. "We have a vessel approaching." 

John quickly checked his screen. "Oh Dren." 

"It’s a Marauder. Crichton don’t fight them. Let me handle everything. Just go along. Follow my lead." 

He looked at her. "You think we have a chance here?"

  "Remote. If we can appear non threatening maybe, possibly." She looked out the view screen. "Here’s our story. We are headed back to Polonik Prime, where we live. We are husband and wife of two years. We’ve just come back from the Commerce planet." 

"Unidentified vessel. Halt and prepare for boarding." 

"Prepare to dock." Aeryn answered in a gentle voice that drew John’s quick attention. The commandos entered the pod alert with their guns leveled at them. Aeryn whispered. "Dren." 

One of the commandos stepped forward from the behind the front four with a widening smile on his handsome face. "Well, if it isn’t Aeryn Sun. Then this must be the John Crichton." He looked John over. "Savess. I’d say it’s good to see you, but unfortunately for me it’s not." Aeryn quipped. "You became irrevocably contaminated for this?" He smirked at John. He reached in a side pack and tossed her two handcuffs. 

"Put on the jewelry and lets discuss old times." He motioned for them to exit the pod and they entered the Marauder craft. The pod was set adrift as the Marauder headed back to it's original course. "Contact Scorpious. We have a surprise for him." They were handcuffed to a support in the back of the ship and left alone while the small group attended to private business. "Who was that?" "Savess, we served together for a few cycles." 

"Any chance he’ll cut us some slack?" Aeryn looked at him in disbelief. "He’s a peacekeeper. A commando. The best of the best, Crichton. We’re frelled." Savess sauntered back into their compartment and sat down. His dark hair falling over his brown eyebrows as he stared at Aeryn. His deep blue eyes appreciative. "I see you’ve been taking care of yourself. You’re looking good. I heard you were flying prowlers with the Pulsar regiment under Captain Crais. I knew you’d get what you wanted. It was only a matter of time. And talent. Then I heard that you turned renegade to run with escaped prisoners of all things. I’m sad to see for myself it was true." 

"You never know what life will bring. Sometimes you don’t have choices, Savess." "Choices? You always have choices, Aeryn. What I can’t believe is you threw everything away to become a criminal. What the Hazmona happened?" "Do you really care?"

  "No. But I am curious. What could possibly induce the great Aeryn Sun into leaving her regiment, knowing all those she’d been serving with would be demoted and given the most mundane menial work. Yet she takes off with this, human is it?" "She didn’t have a choice." John stated coldly. "Tell me Aeryn." "I got caught up with the prisoners. By the time I was able to escape and contact captain Crais he deemed me irrevocably contaminated." "That can’t be it all, Aeryn. If anyone would have accepted the living death, it would have been you. Miss lives for the cor, weren’t you." 

He said with contempt. "Do anything to anyone to advance, that was our Aeryn Sun." John could see her controlling her anger, her hurt. Her face was contorting as she struggled to maintain her air of calm acceptance. "I did what I had to do in those days, Savess, just like I do now." "You have done quite well at alluding capture, I’ll give you that." 

He stirred on the box. "But what I can’t figure out is how you managed to drag Captain Crais down with you. Even for you , that was low." John jumped in heatedly. "She had nothing to do with that. Crais was after ME. He got his own butt tossed out. Aeryn had no part in that." "Oh..ho…Aeryn. So that’s the way of it." He looked from her to John. "Have you any idea how quickly this one will turn on you? Likely not. When you turned me in, I was demoted. I just now managed to rise to Marauder duty. I’ll be captaining my own marauder after this capture. In the end, you did me some good after all, Aeryn. I’ll have to thank you for that." "I didn’t make you steal. It was my duty to turn you in." "I didn’t steal anything! I was sold the…" 

"Sensors read approaching ship!" a voice from the front of the craft interrupted him. He sprang from his seat and bolted up front. "It’s the baby Leviation! Prepare to fire! Evasive maneuvers! Send out the distress signal!" A blast hit the small marauder . The commodos were thrown about the front compartment violently. Sparks flew as wires shorted out. Aeryn was thrown into John whose head slammed into the support beam. A second salvo set the command center ablaze. Several commandos caught fire as they tried to put the flames out. Aeryn saw Savess, trying in vain to put the flames out as he rolled screaming on the floor of their compartment. Desperately Aeryn struggled to rip the handcuffs from her wrists. "Savess! Help us!" Savess with a dying cry managed to toss the handcuff keys to her. She struggled to reach them; they stopped microns from her outstretched toe. 

John snapped back to consciousness, saw her dilemma and managed to push the keys closer to her with his foot. Burning her fingers with the overheated keys she managed to unlock their handcuffs and both bolted to the front compartment. John managed to reach the communications panel and opened the comms. "Attention Talyn! This is John Crichton and Aeryn Sun. Can we come aboard! Crais? Are you there? Hurry the hell up, we’re on fire over here!" "Crichton? What the Hazmona are you two doing on a Marauder? Prepare for docking." 

John and Aeryn ran for the docking door and gratefully opened the seal to fling themselves coughing and gasping onto Talyn’s deck. "This explains the drifting pod." Crais stated as he stood over them observing their desperate attempts to breathe. "Can you get us to Moya?" John gasped. "There are other Marauders out in this sector." "Sadly no. Talyn and I are going to Starburst. I will, however, drop you off at your pod." "That’s big of you Crais." "Thank you, Crais." Aeryn answered. "No bother." He smiled oily. "How is Talyn doing?" "Talyn and I are getting along fine. Here’s your pod. Do hurry." They docked with the pod and quickly climbed aboard. Through the view screen they watched Talyn starburst to the relative safety of other space. 

"Pilot, do you read me?" John asked into the comms. "Yes, Crichton." "We just ran afoul of a Marauder. Can you rendezvous with us at these coordinates? We need to get out of this neck of the woods." "Changing course now. We should reach those coordinates within the quarter arn." "Thanks Pilot." "He’s grown." Aeryn said sadly. "They seem to be getting along ok. Talyn still has an aggressive posture." John added. "Yes. Moya will be pleased to hear we’ve seen Talyn." They sat in silence as the pod moved through space at top speed. "Aeryn."

"Hum?" 

"Did you know Savess well? Was he someone more than a follow peacekeeper?" She turned and looked at him. "Are you asking: was he someone like Valorek?" John just looked at her. "He was someone I recreated with, yes. For a short time. He stole a fellow crewmates belongings. I was questioned, I told our superiors what I witnessed." John gave her an appraising look. Aeryn’s temper flared. "We didn’t blindly lie for each other. When we are questioned we are conditioned to answer quickly and honestly. It is the way of the peacekeepers." 

"I’m glad it’s not our way." John replied quietly. He reached over the console and grasped her hand. "So am I, John. So am I." She squeezed his hand and held it tightly as the image of Moya's safety began to grow larger on the view screen.