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The light from the scanning device added an odd caste to the sleeping human's features. Satisfied at what she saw on a nearby screen, Zhaan nodded to herself.

"How is he?"

Zhaan glanced up at D'argo's words, noting the concern in his eyes. "Surprisingly well, considering what's happened to him." Zhaan replied, touching John's brow with the palm of her hand. "His fever has dissipated, though I am not sure why."

A sound at the door drew their attention to a tired looking Aeryn Sun. Alongside her stood an obviously angry Kev'ran.

"Is it still in him?" Aeryn asked grimly.

"That is what I was about to ascertain." Zhaan replied, making an adjustment to the scanner as she turned back to the sleeping human.

"If the Sarhan is still present, you must kill it." Kev'ran warned, earning a baleful look from Aeryn.

"If it is still within him, *we* will decide where to proceed." Aeryn said icily.

The Sou'Kha bowed his head with a smile that was anything but sincere. "Of course."

Zhaan eyed the Sou'Kha, her own suspicions growing about the man, before focusing her attention on Crichton. Carefully scanning the human from head to toe she kept her eyes focused on the screens.

After a few moments study she focused the image on the human's torso, barely suppressing a gasp as she noted the strange creature attached to the human's lower spine. Two large tendrils twined their way up the spine to the human's neck and skull, while several smaller ones seemed to attach themselves to the human's cardiopulmonary system and digestive tract.

"It is a Sarhan." Kev'ran stated. "We must kill it now."

Zhaan lifted the injector the Sou'Kha had given her shortly before Crichton had been found, the purplish viscous fluid inside sloshing. "Is there anything more we need to know?"

"The Sarhan react violently to the darshan. It's connection with the hosts mind must be severed first or it will use the host's body to attack those that threaten it." Kev'ran replied.

"Since there doesn't seem to be much difference between our species you'll want to inject it here, at the jugular." Aeryn gestured to the side of her neck. Zhaan merely nodded and leaned over the human.

A flash of blue eyes shocked Zhaan. She stepped back with a gasp as Crichton grasped her wrist in a surprisingly strong grip and twisted it violently, actually making her drop the syringe as he pushed her away.

"Crichton."

John finished sliding off the bed turning to see Aeryn had her pistol aimed at him. "Don't move."

A small smile came to John's face. "Aeryn, you wouldn't shoot your only Erp-man, right?" The phrase brought a confused look to the Peace Keepers face.

"You certainly sound like Crichton." She replied, her weapon never once wavering despite the turmoil she felt.

"That's what the Sarhan do, Sun." Kev'ran warned. "No more games, Sarhan!"

The smile was instantly gone and Zhaan backed away at the new presence she felt join John Crichton's own. Powerful. Old.

"Who are you?" The Delvian asked.

The human's blue eyes fixed on her, an alienness that was not Crichton's unique being hidden therein. "We are Advarpeyn, Host of the Tredek Prime. We mean you and your compliment no harm."

"Where's Crichton?" D'argo demanded.

"We are here." The human replied. "We're OK, big guy."

"There is nothing...Oh-Kay...about this. Why did you seize control of him?" D'argo growled. When the human merely smiled in amusement, the Luxan growled. "Answer or I shall kill you to free Crichton."

"We did not merge unwillingly. The fusion was consensual." Came the calm reply.

"Consensual? You mean John allowed you to take over his body?" Zhaan asked in disbelief.

The human nodded. "When we spoke with him through Arg'ah, John Crichton came to understand. We needed to continue the quest. He is the one prophesied so long ago. He..I..*We* are Advarpeyn."

"Ridiculous!" Kev'ran snapped. "The prophecies are stories..lies...told to keep the Sou'Kha slaves to the Sarhan."

"Perhaps not, Father."

Kev'ran turned to see his granddaughter standing there holding a strange device of obvious antiquity. "What are you doing here, K'ris?"

The little Sou'Kha bowed her contritely at her elders anger, but held out the device. "I found this amongst Arg'ah's possessions. I think you should see."

"See what?" Zhaan asked, accepting the device.

"Advarpeyn. The first Advarpeyn." K'ris replied solemnly, touching a small disk in the center. It slowly hovered from Zhaan's palm and a burst of light filled the room to reveal image and sound.

A child's laugh filled the room as a small sebacean or human appearing boy with brown hair and blue eyes was scooped up in to the grasp of larger male who began tickling the small child.

'Advar, please stop that.' Came a female's admonishing voice. The male turned with a bright smile and said something that was lost in the collective gasps of surprise throughout the chamber.

"It can't be." Aeryn murmured in disbelief.

*****

A hand grasped the holodevice, erasing the image of Advarpeyn to reveal the identical features of John Crichton. A air of sadness hung around the human as he stared at the device in his hands.

"Advarpeyn was a species that called itself the Sarhes. He was a kind man, like most of his kind. A scientist. Not unlike your John Crichton. Together we became Sarhan." He looked over at Kev'ran with a slight frown. "Unlike what the Sou'Kha would have you believe, the Sarhan were not monsters. Not until the Treh came."

"Invaders?" D'argo asked, knowing by the tone the human had used he was probably correct.

A dark look crossed the human's face. "Murderers would be more accurate, Luxan. They slaughtered mercilessly, eventually resorting to destroying our world. Only a few thousand Sarhan and Sarhes escaped the carnage."

"But the stories..." Zhaan started.

Crichton shook his head. "They are true. Do not think me to say we are innocent of what happened later. We are not. Understand our rage made us insane. Billions of us died for no reason other than we existed. And for that we slaughtered trillions more in revenge over the thousands of cycles that followed."

"When Sarhes Advarpeyn died from wounds suffered by a Treh attack, I transferred to another body and swore to avenge him. I and the other Sarhan took the names of our dying hosts and made them our own so we would never forget what happened."

"Over the centuries we began to forcibly take over the bodies of warrior races, races who could help us destroy the Sarhan and their allies. From these ill conceived fusions came the horrors your legends and stories speak of. In they end they destroyed us, until only a few hundred Sarhan remained."

The human sighed and gestured to Kev'ran. "We had come to rely on the Sou'Kha to aide us. They were loyal servants, even when the Treh came to Zladren 3. When the time came we transferred ourselves to a few select Sou'Kha for safe keeping, only to have them try to destroy us."

"You wanted to enslave us!" Kev'ran shouted.

"You knew we were searching for the prophesy." The human snapped back.

"And millions died in that search. Million of my people." Kev'ran retorted in fury.

"As did a number of Sarhan." The human sighed in annoyance. "The Host must continue. We will continue."

"Not if we stop you." Kev'ran lunged towards the human, only to be jerked back by Aeryn. A single look from her ended his struggle.

"You believe Crichton is the one foretold in your prophesies?" D'argo asked.

"Yes." A small grin came to the human's face. "We believe it is a bunch of BS, but Crichton listened and then gave himself to us."

"You sound like him." Aeryn noted.

"We are Crichton. Crichton is us. It is the way of the fusion."

"You mean it is the way you seize control. You learn everything about your victims and then supplant their personality with your own." Kev'ran snarled.

"Silence." Aeryn snapped. Kev'ran instantly obeyed. "Why didn't you discuss this with us first?"

Crichton's blue eyes narrowed. "It isn't your concern." He replied arrogantly.

"Anything that affects one of us affects all of us. Crichton knows that." Aeryn replied.

"We knew you would not understand." The human visibly tensed, closing his eyes as a ripple passed trough the side of his neck. "We are leaving."

Instantly Aeryn and D'argo's weapons were pointed at Crichton. A mocking grin came to his face as Zhaan stepped between them.

"Perhaps we can resolve this peaceably." She said.

"How?" Crichton asked.

"If you joined with Crichton once, you could remove yourself and then return later could you not?" Zhaan asked.

"Yes."

"Then remove yourself from him and let us speak with him. If he confirms what you have told us then we will help you rejoin with him." Zhaan said.

Crichton blinked rapidly, cocking his head to the side as if surprised. Zhaan felt the alien's presence probing her gently and allowed it to see that she was speaking the truth. "You would do this? All of you?"

"Yes."

Zhaan instantly felt the presence withdraw, leaving her light headed for a moment.

"Very well."

"I wont let this happen." They turned to se Kev'ran now flanked by two more Sou'Kha armed with weapons.

"Father, what are you doing?" K'ris asked in surprise.

"Doing what these fools can not." Kev'ran nodded to the guards.

A squeal of surprise froze them, as Crichton clasped K'ris close to his chest. A feral grin twisted his face. "You want Us, you have to kill your blood first."

"Crichton, what are you doing? " Aeryn demanded.

"Wait! There is no need to harm the child." Zhaan pleaded.

"Shut up!" Crichton jerked K'ris neck, causing a cry of pain from her. "Drop the weapon or We will snap her neck."

"Then you will die." D'argo growled.

"But not before she does."

"Kev'ran was right about you. You are a monster." Aeryn stated, resolutely holding her weapon steady.

"Drop them or We will kill her." Came the growled response. "We just want of this ship. She will be released before We leave."

"How can we trust you, when you hold an innocent hostage?" Zhaan asked.

"We have what We need. She is no importance to Us. We leave. She lives." Crichton snorted in amusement. "What's it to be?"

Slowly the others lowered their weapons to the floor. All save Aeryn who stared Crichton down with a cold look.

"Aeryn." Zhaan said softly.

The tip of the pistol wavered, then finally lowered as Aeryn placed it on the table next to her.

"Crichton always did think you were smart." The human grinned, jerking his head towards the far wall. "All of you, over there."

They quickly complied, Crichton scooping up the pistol in his free hand and steeped into the hall, activating the chambers doors to seal.

"We have to stop him. You two, follow me." Aeryn pointed to the two Sou'Kha and headed towards a large vent.

"Pilot, inform the Sou'Kha we may need their help." D'argo called out looking at Kev'ran, who merely nodded once in approval.

"On it."

"I shall stay here. I fear there will be casualties." Zhaan said simply. "What about Rygel and Chiana?"

"It is best to keep them out of the way for now." D'argo replied. "Let us hope they do not run afoul of Crichton."

*****

Chiana was strolling through the passageway, bored when Crichton ran headlong into her knocking her to the floor.

"Watch the frell where you're...." She gulped at the very large barrel of a Peace Keeper pistol aimed at her. "....going." She looked up into Crichton's face and saw something in his eyes that frightened her. Deeply. She barely even registered the small girl with him.

She backed up slowly, her hands raised. "Whoa.  Look we can work this out right?" She swallowed as his hard expression didn't change.

A thump from the wall distracted him for a moment. Chiana dashed for the adjacent corridor. At the last possible second she dived, narrowly dodging the short burst of weapons fire.

A moment later Aeryn came around the corner with two of their alien visitors on board. "Where'd he go?" She panted out.

Chiana pointed down the hall and instantly the trio were gone, leaving the young Nebari wondering if she wouldn't have better odds of survival by going back to her people.

*****

Aeryn rushed into the landing bay, calling for the two Sou'Kha ahead of her to stop. Whirling around at the light hissing sound behind her, she caught a glimpse of D'argo's shocked look as the entrace sealed itself shut.

"Pilot, open the doors to the cargo bay!" She called over the comm, trying to ignore D'argo's bellow of rage and the loud bang of his fist on the door.

"Crichton has somehow bypassed the controls. Working on it."

Aeryn heard a cry from somewhere in the bay. She was certain it hadn't been Crichton. "Work faster." She muttered softly, looking at he maze of Sou'Kha crates stored there with trepidation.

John had helped loud these crates and what he knew the alien creature inside him now knew as well. Of greater concern to her was the human's knowledge of Moya's passageways and tunnels. Places even Pilot and Moya could not detect. She could almost kick herself now for not taking his ability to hide more seriously.

"D'argo, see if you can access the bay through one of the atmospheric shafts." She ordered into her comm.

"Chiana's already checked one, it was blocked by a security gate." D'argo's voice instantly replied. "Stop Crichton. We'll find our own way in."

Aeryn silently stared at the containers, finally choosing the easier of three possible routes based on Crichton's mass and that of his captive. Speed was of the essence now.

A few microts later she came across one of the two Sou'Kha who had preceded her, his neck at an odd angle. Beside him lay a shattered vial of the darshan solution. Shaking her head she continued on without a second glance.

A loud crash actually made her jump. She could hear the sounds of a scuffle. Slinging her rifle over her shoulder she climbed atop the crates, looking for the source of the disturbance. A moment later she was rewarded with a head of Crichton's head for the barest of moments before another crashing sound followed by a cry of pain.

Using the crates as stepping stones she arrived in time to see Crichton land a military precise and powerful blow that sent the Sou'Kha sprawling to the floor. A move she had taught him, she dimly realized.

"Crichton." She called out, swinging her rifle up.

Instantly her turned the presence of a hazardous materials container preventing him from falling backwards in his haste. The pistol he has taken earlier aimed steadily at her. Blood trickled from his nose and several cut and scrapes that the tattered remains of his shirt did little to hide.

Several hentas to his left she could see K'ris hiding, fear obvious on her face.

"It's over, Advarpeyn. Let the child go."

"Aeryn, you have to listen to me."

"It won't work this time, Advarpeyn. Release the child now." She barked. She frowned to herself. 'It sounds so much like him.' And that thought angered her even more. She started to squeeze the trigger, knowing Crichton would understand.

He raised his other hand as if trying to calm her. "There's something you need to know! Something the Sou'Kha haven't told you!"

She hesitated at his tone. She knew it was the alien, but it sounded so much like Crichton. His movement, his voice, his eyes. The Crichton she knew.

A sudden blur and the Sou'Kha below her tackled Crichton, slamming him into the container. The blow elicited nothing more than a grunt of pain as Crichton pistol whipped the alien.

She had her opening.

John looked at her wild eyed as she fired. "Aeryn, no!"

Amazingly her shot missed as Crichton dove to the left. An instant later the container he had been leaning on exploded, sending Aeryn tumbling to the floor. A rain of fragments from the container covered her, causing her to cough violently for several moments.

Groping for her pulse rifle she cursed to herself as she realized she'd lost it in the fall. Through the haze of smoke and dust, she could see Crichton rising to his hands and knees, much of his lower back and legs covered in blood.

she quickly looked around searching for a weapon to use before realizing she still had the darshan injector Kev'ran had given her. She gripped it tightly as she realized this was her last chance to save Crichton's life. And maybe her own.

She quickly ran over to Crichton, grabbing his arm to give him the injection. She gasped in surprised as she felt her head snap back from Crichton's surprisingly strong blow. Staggering back a few steps, she shook her head to clear it only to find Crichton watching her with wary, pain filled eyes, his breath coming out in gasps.

"Don't. Aeryn."

She ignored the part of her that screamed to listen to him, trust him. It wasn't him anymore, she reminded herself. Wasn't the human she had come to care about.

She moved back in, slightly surprised that he was able to deflect her pentak jab but satisfied that her kick to his injured lower back crumpled him to floor in a howl of pain. Steeling herself against the unexpected rush of guilt and pity, she yanked his head back, readying the injector.

The look of terror in his eyes halted her for a moment.

"Aeryn, please. Please listen to me." He whispered. Begging. "Please..."

"I'm sorry." She whispered back, plunging the injector into his neck.

*****

Aeryn wasn't sure how long she sat there, holding the human as he spasmed and twisted in pain. Trying to prevent him from adding to his injuries.

The convulsions seemed to be killing him, but she knew there was nothing she could do but be there. To watch and wait, listening to his ragged, uneven breathing and feeling his temperature soar to what was surely dangerous levels, even for a human.

The only bright spot she could find was the fact that he had fallen unconscious soon after the first spasms began. His early screams of pain had torn at her very soul.

The sudden appearance of several DRDs startled her as she realized she could hear D'argo and the others.

"Aeryn?" The Luxan's voice boomed.

"D'argo, over here! Hurry!" She called out.

An instant later the Luxan was there, momentarily blinking in surprise at the damage the explosion had done before kneeling next to the sebacean and human.

"Get him to medical." She ordered, knowing the strong Luxan was the better choice to get the injured human there as quickly as possible.

D'argo merely nodded, picking up Crichton in a surprising gentle way. "Zhaan, we've got Crichton. He's injured."

"Understood. I'll be waiting for you." Zhaan's clam voice replied.

Aeryn closed her eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath. She realized suddenly how tired she felt. Light coughing drew her attention to K'ris who had remained were she had hidden during the entire fight.

Rising the sebacean quietly walked over and picked up the young girl, noting she had not suffered even a scratch. K'ris and Aeryn simply stared at one another for a moment, as if in understanding.

In silence they left the bay together.

Onto the Epilogue
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