TITLE: "ANTECEDENCE"

AUTHOR: Alison M. DOBELL

FANDOM: "Farscape"

PAIRING: John/Other

RATING: NC-17

STATUS: New.

ARCHIVE: Yes. Just let me know where.

FEEDBACK: Welcomed

SERIES/SEQUEL: SEQUEL to "HELPING HANDS"

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

"ANTECEDENCE"
A "Farscape" story
Written by Alison M. DOBELL

The Commandant's eyes narrowed. There was no humour or laughter in them now. Hovar Kan hovered at his shoulder. Poised like a weapon that had just been cocked. Crais knew this was dangerous. That his life could be severed at any microt if he said just one word out of place. "You were going to deliver up the escaped prisoners."

"They don't trust me."

"Yet they sent you here?"

The accusation was like the barb of an arrow seeking flesh. "They suspect a trap."

Darikos leaned forward a little. "Then why are you here?"

"To prove that it isn't."

The Commandant blinked. Crais was smooth, his deep rich voice calm and assured. He re-assessed his initial impression of the ambitious Captain. "What do you have in mind?"

Crais gave a small cold smile, his generous lips curving slightly then disappearing in his close trimmed beard. Darikos reminded himself not to underestimate this man. Perhaps his major domo had been right. "I think we should give them what they want."

Anger flared on the Commandant's face. Kan became the arrow trembling at the strain of the bow waiting only for the order to be released. The catgut string taut. A precision instrument of death shone in his cold eyes. "This is a trick for which you shall pay with your life!"

To his surprise Crais was not cowed. His brief humour fled and a dark cold brooding will bit off words with all the arrogant superiority of his race. "Do not take me for a fool, Darikos!" He thundered darkly. "I may bow and scrape to you when needs must but I answer a higher calling. Do you think me here by accident? That some fortuitous happenstance has brought me here, at this time, to this place?" He paused a microt and glared at the Commandant. His boldness so unexpected that Darikos hesitated, trying to make sense of what Crais was saying. After all, he could kill him any time. Crais lowered his voice, was calm and reasonable in tone once again. Even injected just the right amount of respect into his voice. "They expect me to fail but I will not fail. With your help I will bait a hook they cannot resist. Then you shall have your escaped prisoners, leviathan and all."

Darikos was wary, suspicious still but also more than a little intrigued. "And John Crichton?"

He snorted. Something cold, mean and dangerous surfacing in the dark of his eyes. Darikos recognised it as malice. In its' purest unadulterated form. It calmed him. "Crichton will be the bait."

"How?"

"I will bring him, the Hynerian and the *prohibited cargo* out with me. We will go to the leviathan. They will open their bay doors to us and take us in."

Darikos shook his head. "No! Crichton does not leave this base."

Crais smiled slowly. His eyes fixed on the Commandant's as if knowing a secret only the two of them shared. "Not even to achieve your *highest* objective, Commandant Darikos?"

He went cold. Suppressed a deep shudder. How had Crais known? How *could* he know? Unless he really *was* Special Directorate. Or something even higher up the chain of command and even more insidious. Darikos had excellent survival instincts but still he did not trust this man.

"Well?" Said Crais in a dark smooth voice that told him he was out of time. "Decide. I will abide by whatever decision you make. Either way you will not see me again."

Darikos would have loved to have got that last assurance in writing. Preferrably in his blood. "*If* I agree to this I have one stipulation."

Crais raised an eyebrow but said nothing. He was thinking, just one? The Commandant spoke like a man feeling his way by touch. Blinded by the sudden darkness into which he had been mentally plunged. "You must take Hovar Kan with you."

Crais was surprised and judging by the taut expression and the dark disapproval on his major domo's face so was Kan. "Why would I want an assassin with me?"

The Commandant's lips peeled back revealing very sharp teeth. "You do not. *I* do."

* * * * *

Rygel was frantic. He could find nothing that might indicate a lever, a switch. A control mechanism of any kind. He moved closer to the intervening bars. His eyes apologising to his friends for being unable to help them. Trying frantically to think of something. He noticed the female Crichton had called Sarah was stirring. Crichton was already awake, looking straight up
at the ceiling. Sarah pushed his vest up and stroked his chest but he did not look at her. Did not say anything. She rubbed her face against his cheek and whispered in his ear. "You are angry."

"You have no idea..." He muttered aloud. His voice strained.

"You got me excited, John. Stirred memories of my human self...."

He turned his head, looked at her, fury errupting in her face. "How dare
you blame what you did on me!"

She tried to hush him quickly but he was seething with indignation. The other females woke. Sarah put a hand over his mouth and moved her hips to frame his in a closer fit. The others automatically stroking him wherever there hands could touch exposed flesh. Anything to calm him. She hissed in his ear. "Either you calm down or we will rape you."

He struggled but they were too strong for him. Tears glistened and brimmed unshed in his eyes. She regretted what they had done to him but the restraints she had once had as a human had been undermined. The things they had done to her she would not wish on her worst enemy yet here she was doing some of them to him. He forced himself to relax. Anger warred with hatred in his eyes. Not hating her so much as what she had done to him. She kissed his ear gently, her voice stirring her breath against his ear. "I told you we had a plan."

He could not speak so he nodded.

"We have the mechanism. We can open the dividing bars at will."

He was so surpised he just looked at her. She smiled and kissed his cheek. Moved her hand so she could trail her lips over his as he mumbled into the heat of her mouth. His anger put on hold in favour of more information. "How?"

She was moving slowly on top of him, her actions causing the heat to rise and warm his cold skin. She licked his ear and enjoyed the feel of the shudder that trembled through him. "We've been here monens now. The Commandant likes to play games. You remember those tests they used back home on monkeys and squirrels?"

He tried to jump tracks to keep up with her thoughts. "I think so..."

A hand strayed across his chest, feeling the texture of his skin, drifting through the light hairs and toying with a nipple. He resisted the urge to yell at her. She smiled. Good. He was listening. "Well we're like the monkeys and squirrels, John."

"He's playing with us?"

"Oh yeah." She stole a kiss then sucked and nibbled her way back to his ear. "The smart ones find the mechanism, use it to their advantage to attack or mate with the other specimens in the next cage."

He looked horrified. She licked his ear again, slid her hot wet tongue slowly down the ear canal, gyrating her hips hard against his crotch, her fingers rolling and pinching his nipple. Feeling him stir involuntarily beneath her. Caught between horror and anger he was really feeling pissed off with her. Angry that his body was beginning to respond. He gritted his teeth. "Stop that.."

She sucked his ear and blew. He shuddered. Her smile made him quail inside. "Have to make it look good."

"Not to me you don't."

Anything else he wanted to say was lost as she kissed him, her hands sliding down to seek him out. He had his hands free of the others now and caught her wrists. Stopped the downward movement so she rolled her hips even more, increasing the contact and making him groan as she felt him hardening. He looked wounded. "That's not fair."

She teased him a little more then stopped and lay still. She licked his earlobe with her tongue, her voice drifting to him slowly. "I'm sorry, I couldn't resist." A sigh. "It's been so long."

"You said you had a plan?"

"All the cages have the same hidden mechanisms. As far as we know we're the only ones who have worked out what it is and how to use it."

"If the mechanism only operates the intervening bars between the cages how in hezmana does that get us out of here?"

She smiled, pleased with his grasp of the situation. Pleased with him. "You notice how long these corridors are?"

He nodded.

She toyed with his hair now. Only moving her hips a little so she could still feel him. Trying not to get too turned on by the scent of his maleness in her nostrils, the feel of him between her legs, the taste of this delicious man on her tongue. He could feel other hands on him but nothing too intimate. He blocked them out of his mind, concentrating only on her. His hands wrapping round her waist trying to hold her still. "The last cage has a special lock that releases the last door."

His eyebrows rose. "A way out?"

She nodded then kissed him again, slowly stroking his tongue with hers and tasting him on her lips. She pulled away so she could watch his expression. Look into the blue of his eyes and make sure he understood. "It's dangerous, John..."

He smiled. "Since when is anything in the Uncharted Territories ever easy?"

"The Uncharted Territories?"

He nodded and surprised her by giving her a brief kiss back. The only sign of affection he had given her. "That's where you are, honey doll. Halfway up the ass-end of Hell."

* * * * *

Hovar Kan was furious. Crais had been told to wait in another room while the Commandant conferred with his major domo. "You must not do this, sir! Bialar Crais is a traitor, not to be trusted."

"He is Special Directorate, Kan."

Kan spat. "He is no more Special Directorate than John Crichton."

Darikos eyed him thoughtfully. "You sound very certain."

"I *am* certain. I can smell Special Directorate and it does not have his stench. Let me kill him."

The Commandant was thoughtful. His mind working through a whole load of permutations. Picking out a set that appealed to him for reasons Kan did not have to know about. "I have made my decision."

"What are you doing to do, sir?"

"You are going to accompany the good Captain and those he has asked for back to the leviathan..."

Kan opened his mouth to protest. Close to bursting a blood vessel. Darikos hid how much the sight and thought of that appealed to him. Pleased to have found a way to solve two problems at once. "Stay close to Crais. At the slightest sign that he has betrayed us kill him and bring me back the leviathan and all on board."

Kan heard the steel in his voice. Was momentarily confused. "There is no reason to take such a risk..."

"Unless," Said Darikos softly. Something in his voice stirring the hairs on the back of his major domo's neck. "He really *is* Special Directorate."

* * * * *

Crais did not waste any time while he waited. He knew the room in which he stood would be bugged. There would be discreet little cameras and all sorts of other little sercurity measures built into it for the comfort of his host. He did not bother looking for tell tale signs. This room was in the wrong part of the base to be of any use to him but it would serve a purpose in familiarising himself with the quality of the camoflage in use. If he could not see it there was no use drawing attention to his interest by looking. He affected boredom and let his eyes drift slowly round the room. He did not allow his gaze to linger on any one spot. Satisfied that he had what he wanted he played out his role until they came for him. He could tell by the major domo's reddened face that his plan had been successful.

"Before I collect the *cargo* Darikos, I would like to see more of this impressive....*facility*."

Kan glared at him. Openly hostile. Darikos detected nothing but mild curiosity. Perhaps Crais was simply being polite but the Commandant did not think so. He was very proud of what he had accomplished and the chance to show it off to someone as highly placed as he suspected Crais was could not be passed up. He gave a nod and ordered Kan to arrange an escort of clash troops. "We never take *any* chances on this base."

Crais nodded and affected a look of stern approval. Within microts they were striding down corridor after tedious corridor, tier after frelling tier. Plus it gave him access to the parts of the base he was most interested in. Crais had seen enough after the first dozen cages but having asked it was incumbent on him to play along. It disgusted him. The creatures he saw were less than sentient in his eyes. Abominations in the food chain that should have been eradicated at birth. Darikos prattled on about the antecedence of each one. All of them having been plucked from that strange exotic planet called Earth. A breeding ground that should have been turned to squag millenia ago. The distant home of John Crichton. It chilled Crais while paradoxically exciting him with a rush of adrenalin that made him as close to punch drunk as he had ever come when stone cold sober. He hid his emotions carefully. Pretended to be impressed rather than revolted.

They were in the elevator. It was made of pure maddium steel and had Crais been claustrophic he would have thrown a fit. He asked a number of questions, nothing too complicated. Darikos was happy to supply the answers. When they finally came to a stop Crais knew they had to be right in the heart of the base. As far down as they could go without coming out of the other side. The Commandant gave him a look, his back straightening and his brisk stride full of pride. This then had to be the tier with Crichton on it. The Commandant's prize captive. Crais fell silent. Aware of Hovar Kan's eyes boring a hole into the back of his neck. They walked with measured strides, Darikos slowing as they neared the end of a very long corridor. His eyes went wide, fury and amazement on his face. He spun round on his major domo. "What is the meaning of this?"

Kan's mouth dropped. Looking into the cage he was alarmed to see that it was empty. "I... I don't understand, sir. He couldn't have got out."

Darikos stepped up to him, his face microdench from Kan's. "I want this facility searched microdench by microdench, lerg by lerg, tier by tier until you find them!"

"Are you saying," Saying Bialar Crais in an ominious tone. "That you have *lost* the prisoners?"

"No, of course not. But they should be in this cage, the one before the end." He turned back to Kan. "Go and do not return until you have them back in custody! Meanwhile I will review the tapes. They cannot have gone far."

Crais frowned but said nothing. Watched as Kan started to yell orders to his men, dividing the troops and beginning the intensive search for Crichton and his friends. Crais was impressed. He did not think he would be able to get out with such apparent ease. He had little trouble dropping a step behind Darikos as they left the tier, his hand clasping the wall as they waited for the elevator door to open. The Commandant's flushed face a gift from an angry God to Crais. At times like this he could almost kiss John Crichton.

* * * * *

Crichton's voice was strained. "Are you sure they're gone, Sparky?"

"Quite sure." Said the Dominar.

Crichton grumbled and muttered softly. It would not take long for them to realise the cameras had been tampered with and then all hell really would be set loose. They had a little time but not much. He glanced at Sarah. "Okay, what now?"

They were in the end cage. The one nearest the elevator but hiding in the ductwork above it. The occupants looked like primative chimpanzees and the younger ones could not resist swinging up close to their hiding place to peer at them through the cracks. Crichton wished the ducts allowed them to crawl out of this level and into the elevator shaft but thick maddium steel blocked them off from using it as a possible exit. He was beginnging to think they had only broken out of one cage to be trapped in another. Crichton rubbed Guy's head, soothing the gorilla with his voice as he began to become more and more unsettled. "Hey Guy, loosen up, we're getting out of here okay? Caw matan?"

Rygel smiled at the use of the Hynerian term. His smile widening when the gorilla made the sign for *okay* with his thumb and forefinger. An odd gesture but Crichton's hand signals had proved very useful not only in calming the big ape down but also in conveying his meaning to the less vocal captives whose cages they had momentarily invaded to work their way this far. Crichton wished he could free them all but there was no way and even less time. Perhaps they could come back for them? What they needed now was to get out of this duct into a corridor then find a way to switch off the current. If they could do that they could set up a diversion and make for Talyn. Hopefully before Crais had a chance to commiserate with Darikos and take off again. He would not put it passed that weasle to use their hard work to dump and run. Not that Aeryn and the others would not have something to say about that when he returned to Moya empty handed. He was stewing in his thoughts when the Dominar crawled along the duct and sat next to him. Sarah gave him a glare but Rygel ignored her. It was a very crowded duct.

"What's up, Sparky? You look like someone poisoned your marjols."

"It's Crais."

Crichton frowned. "Crais? What about him?"

"I was watching him when he left with Darikos."

Crichton did not ask why he was whispering. Kan was still in the corridor, systematically searching every cage. Eventually he would reach the one they were hiding above. "So what did he do?"

"He placed something against the wall of the elevator."

The human grinned in surprise. "Woah, my boy Crais! What did it look like? A communciation device? Come on Sparky, what did he leave?"

The little Dominar turned wide pearlescent eyes on his optimistic friend, his look glum, his voice sounding like a presentiment of doom. Hating to be the one to tell him. "It looked like a detonation device."

* * * * *

Aeryn was nervous. D'Argo was pacing up and down. Chiana was anxious. Only Zhaan looked calm, serene. It irritated Aeryn but reassured Chiana. D'Argo noticed nothing but the crawling passage of time. His warrior spirit longing to step into the heat of battle rather than hide like a cowardly hingemot. He was convinced that something had gone wrong. That Crais had sold them out. Aeryn sighed.

"What's taking so long?"

"It's bound to take time, D'Argo." Said Aeryn.

D'Argo stopped pacing and glared at the communication screen. "I do *not* like this, Aeryn."

"Neither do I D'Argo but we have to stay hidden until Talyn returns."

"And if he does not?"

For a microt no one spoke. Having D'Argo say out loud what she was secretly thinking did not help Aeryn. Chiana wrung her hands and looked at Pilot. "Hey, can't you pick up anything Pilot?"

Pilot's four arms were effortlessly gliding over Moya's controls. He shook his head slowly. "There is nothing to pick up, Chiana. Moya is not yet receiving any communciation."

"What about Crais?" Asked D'Argo. "Surely Talyn is in touch with Moya?"

Another shake of the clam shell. "I am afraid Talyn is silent as well." He raised his head. "They are still on the gammak base, Ka D'Argo, it would be unwise to attempt communciation of any kind from there."

D'Argo was nodding, he knew that of course but he was nervous. Suddenly there was a crackling sound. Four pairs of eyes turned to look anxiously at Pilot. No one daring to breathe still less speak as they heard the communciation channel arc and splutter into life. There was no monitor in
Pilot's Den but they had all wanted to be together while they waited for word and they regarded Pilot as much a part of the crew as the rest of them. Zhaan passed her hands in front of her face and over her head and prayed to the Goddess, Kah'leen. Their hopes lay in her hands now...

* * * * *
end