TITLE: "BONA FIDA"

AUTHOR: Alison M. DOBELL

FANDOM: "Farscape"

PAIRING: No specific pairing.

RATING: PG-13.

STATUS: New.

ARCHIVE: Yes. Just let me know where.

FEEDBACK: Welcomed

EMAIL: AlisonMDobell@aol.com

SERIES/SEQUEL: SEQUEL to "OUT OF THE MOUTH OF BABES"

WEBSITE: http://www.carlajane.50megs.com/Ali00.html

SUMMARY: "Chiana makes a discovery that forces her friends to accept the unthinkable."

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


"BONA FIDA"
A "Farscape" story
Written by Alison M. DOBELL
* * * * *

D'Argo was furious almost to the point of hyper rage when he found Chiana. The young Nebari sat huddled on the edge of the market. Even from a distance the Luxan could tell that she was crying. His steps slowed. His anger abating as he felt fear creep into his heart. "Chiana!"

She looked up, her tear streaked face so lost in sadness that his great heart ached. All fury gone he knelt beside her. His deep voice gentled by her grief. "What happened?"

"I couldn't find him."

He raised a hand to gently wipe the tears from her face. "Then why are you crying?"

She looked down and took something out of her pocket. As it caught the light the breath in his lungs froze. It was Crichton's com badge and it was covered in blood. He gripped her shoulders and looked at her hard, willing her to answer quickly. "Where did you find this?"

"B...back there."

He looked where she pointed. The only thing in sight was the edge of a massive foreboding forest. The distance from the market to the outskirts of the forest was several arn away. "You went....in....there?"

Even from a distance it cast a shadow over his heart. Chiana nodded and shivered.

"Chiana, did you see a body?"

She glared at him but seeing his concern swallowed her irritation. After a microt she shook her head. D'Argo nodded thoughtfully, thinking. "Then he might not be dead."

Chiana put a hand on his arm. Her eyes soft and full of sorrow. "D'Argo, you don't understand."

"Then explain."

She swallowed. "I..uh, I've been talking to people you know? And when I asked about the forest they got agitated. Upset. They were frightened D'Argo."

He frowned. "Why?"

"All they would tell me was that anyone who goes in never comes out. At least. Not alive."

"There is something in the forest?"

She nodded. "Yeah, and it doesn't just kill you. Apparently whatever lives in there eats your flesh, drinks your blood and leaves nothing but bones."

For a microt they just stared at each other then D'Argo laughed and shook his head. "You have been listening to too many stories, Chiana."

But Chiana was not laughing. She moved back a little so D'Argo could see what she had been crouched over when he found her. He looked down and his eyes widened in shock. The bones had been picked clean but they looked humanoid or Sebacean. "You found the bones with the com badge?" He asked softly.

Chiana nodded, fresh tears running down her face. D'Argo sighed sadly and laid a hand over the pile of bones as if he could somehow touch the spirit of his friend and bless his passing. It was a hard blow and he was not looking forward to taking the news back to Moya. Chiana looked at him. "What do you we do, D'Argo?"

"We take his remains back with us."

She looked shocked but D'Argo was insistent. "We *have* to, Chiana. The others will not believe it unless we show them what you have found. And his spirit will not rest until we can give him peace."

"Peace?" Her back arched. A look of disbelief on her face. "What kind of peace can John have? Those, those creatures in there killed him and ate him, D'Argo! You think taking his bones back to Aeryn will give him peace?"

D'Argo was visibly upset but tried to calm her. "Chiana, we cannot leave him here. He is our friend and I will not leave his remains on this foul planet. He may have died here but by all the Gods that ever lived he will *not* remain here."

Chiana started crying again. He folded his arms around her and rocked her slowly. His own grief overcoming him.

From the shadows of a stall the girl watched. Eyes wide and solemn, taking in everything that passed between the white faced girl and the tentacled man. Saw the Luxan remove his cloak and gently lay the bones in it. He folded the cloak with care as if the contents were precious to him. Then the two strangers bore their burden away with heavy hearts. She waited until they had gained some distance from her and followed. Not taking her eyes off them until they reached the transport pod, boarded and took off. For several microts she stood and considered all she had seen. Only when she was satisfied they would not return did she turn back. Back towards her home among the trees.

Within the curtilage of the Forest of Tannar, Ishinn watched the craft gain height then disappear into the upper atmosphere. He waited for the girl to join him and listened in silence as she recounted all she had seen and heard. Satisfied, he gave a grunt and nodded. She had done well. He breathed his first clean sigh. A relief that brought rays of joy to his heart. He would have fought without question but was just as glad not to have to kill the strangers. They did not know the ways of his people and enough blood had been taken. The girl darted on ahead to spread the news. He glanced across at his clan-mate and stopped to feast on some wild berries.
A good day had just got better.

* * * * *

Aeryn, Jool and Rygel were waiting for them when the transport pod landed. The impatience on Aeryn's face faltered at the obvious distress of her friends. Jool hurried forward thinking one of them was injured. D'Argo waved away her concern. His heart too heavy. Chiana looked at Jool then burst into tears. The Interon flashed a look of alarm at Aeryn and Rygel and tried to comfort the Nebari.

"What happened, D'Argo? Where is John?"

He looked at Aeryn, tears in his eyes. Rygel had an awful feeling that something terrible had happened.

"D'Argo, what do you have in your cloak?" He said slowly.

D'Argo lay his burden on the floor of the landing bay and knelt slowly beside it. Aeryn put a hand on his shoulder, not understanding what was going on but knowing that both he and Chiana were very upset. She crouched down next to him and looked into his eyes. "Tell us what happened."

He swallowed hard. "It's John."

"What about him?"

D'Argo could not keep eye contact with her. It was too painful. He looked down at the folded cloak and kept his eyes averted. "He is dead, Aeryn."

For a microt no one moved or spoke. The shock stunned them. Aeryn was not sure she could breathe. There *had* to be some mistake. "What?"

The Luxan forced himself to raise his eyes to meet hers. He handed her Crichton's bloody com link. "He is dead. Killed when he entered the Forest."

Aeryn stared at the link. She had gone completely white. "Who killed him?"

"We do not know."

Aeryn tried to get her mind to function. Details. She needed details. "You saw this?"

He shook his head. "No. Chiana found what was left of him."

Looks of horror passed between Rygel, Jool and Aeryn. Rygel could not believe what he was hearing. "What was *left* of him?" He whispered in a shocked voice.

D'Argo answered Rygel without taking his eyes off Aeryn. "They killed him then ate him. The only thing they left were his bones."

Aeryn looked down at the bundle at D'Argo's feet. Stunned. Horrified. She looked at him again. Her voice trembling with emotion as she forced the words out of her mouth as tears gathered in her eyes. "Is that...?"

"Yes, Aeryn." He said softly. "We brought John home. Back to Moya."

The silence fell so heavily it hurt their ears but no one wanted to speak. Jool was wailing and Aeryn could feel herself choking up inside. The pain as her heart constricted was like a vice. She thought of the last time she had seen him. The angry words so stupid and petty. Her refusal to go with them. D'Argo had been right. She had been sulking, determined to win the argument no matter what. She could not even remember what they had been arguing about. Aeryn wished she could take back the words. He had not deserved them. She reached out and laid a shaking hand on top of the bundle, dipped her head in grief and began to cry. Tears rolling down her face. Eyes closed to block out everyone and everything that stood between her and the only man she had ever truly loved. Gone. Lost. Murdered.

* * * * *

Eleven solar days passed in a pattern of light and shadow that went unnoticed and unremarked as the poison worked its' way out of his system. Weak and fevered, his spirit fought to keep its' tenuous hold on life. Ishinn took up watch over the human so that Bish could sleep. Then they
swapped and so the time fell into a routine that worried the boy the longer it continued. He looked at Sangut as the eleventh day dawned. "Why does he not stir, Sangut?"

The warrior shrugged. Looked down at the human and watched the boy's gentle hands change the binding on his wound. He reached out and touched the human's face. "He is not so hot, Bishyin. A good sign."

"He will live then?"

Sangut considered the boy for a microt then smiled slowly, a gentle look in his eyes that was rare to see. "Yes, little chief, he will live."

Normally the term would have been resented but Bish hardly heard him. He nodded for Sangut to leave him and sat cross legged next to Crichton. He wondered what to do then remembered something Rana had said about the human telling her words of nonsense. He had made her laugh and that seemed to have pleased the human. Bish smiled briefly and decided now was as good a time as any to tell Crichton about the tales of his people. Rana came in with a bowl of water and he indicated for her to wash the sweat off the human's face and neck. She nodded and began to wash his face. Bish thought about what he should say and decided to follow in the footsteps of the Onamaga, his father. Now long passed into the arms of the Moon, his presence among them still joined in flesh and blood. His thoughts a fire that lit their hearts and guided them still.

"I will speak to you of the Sun and Moon, that our world made peace with in the first hours of Tannar. When the Sun God flamed across the early heavens he searched and searched for a place in which to find rest. Cycles he searched but the Uncharted Territories was a baleful place, violent races at war over nothing but the air they breathed. So Father Sun moved on. He
passed places without number where he saw many things but nothing stirred his heart enough to call home. Then across the thunder of a new sky he saw a pale light glowing, her gleaming face beckoning. He was transfixed and tried to hurry but the solar winds would not be bested and as he drew nearer she retreated, the surface of a new world glowing in the half-light between them.
Father Sun wept for the pale light, her silvery tones haunting him in the shadow of the formless world. As he crept around the planet's mass, he glimpsed her ever fleeing before him and decided he must woo her for his love. So Father Sun looked at the surface of the planet and it was barren. A pale world with no life. A land untouched by the warmth of the Sun. So he
rose in the sky and brought forth his light and warmth and as he did so life was breathed into the soil, the air and the seas. The Moon watched from her shy orbit and rested on the curve of the new world. Taking a look at all that Father Sun had created she was much moved. She crept into his shadow in the twilight and as he beheld the beauty of her true face he was lost. They discussed how they could meet between night and day and bring forth abundance to populate their new world. Mother Moon shook the debris of eternity from her silvery face and the pieces fell and formed mountains, the dust between fell as seeds to clothe the world and thus was the Forest born and the world awoke." He paused, sure he had seen a flicker pass across Crichton's face.

"Rana, did you see?"

She smiled at her brother. "Yes, Bish. I saw."

"If you're gonna tell a story Bish it had better have a happy ending."

Bish smiled and laughed as the human opened his eyes. "You live!"

Crichton smiled back. "Yeah, I live. You promised, remember?"

"I remember."

Bish took the bowl from Rana. "Some food, Rana. John must be hungry."

Crichton tried to sit up but Bish put a hand on his shoulder and shook his head. "Rest today my friend, tomorrow we shall see."

He lay there and looked up at the waving Panapa leaves, the gentle rock of the huge tree oddly comforting. It was making him sleepy so he looked at Bish. "How long have I been here?"

"Eleven solar days."

A look of alarm flashed over his face. "I have to get in touch with
Moya."

Bish shook his head, his voice quiet but clear. To Crichton every word sounded like a bell tolling in the distance, separating this life from the one he had known before he woke. "Your ship left several solar days ago."

"They left?"

The boy noticed his surprise and wondered at it. Maybe the others had been right. Had they not taken the steps they had more would have come and a war would have been imminent. He did not like to think of Crichton being from a violent race but Rana had seen different species come from the same craft he had. It puzzled him but offworlders were often strange. A life for a life, that was his compact. The human had protected him from Inshinn's arrow and he would protect the human in return. He noticed Crichton seemed upset.

"These people, the ship, they are friends?"

"Yeah, friends."

"They are not like you, John."

"What do you mean?"

"You are from Ert, you are not-Sebacean."

He nodded and waited.

"The white faced one and the warrior came looking for you then they left."

He had to mean Chiana and D'Argo. Well at least *somebody* had come looking. Part of him was disappointed that it was not Aeryn. Knowing her, she was probably still mad at him. "How long did they stay?"

"A solar day and night."

He closed his eyes. Anything could have happened. Maybe Moya had wanted to Star Burst or someone else had turned up in orbit like *real* Peace Keepers? Yeah, that had to be it. They would be back. No way would they leave him here. He thought about Aquarra and how long they had searched for him and began to relax. They would be back. All he had to do was make nice with the natives until they did. How hard could that be?

"What happens now, Bish?"

Bish grinned as his sister re-joined them. She had a big purple fruit the size of a melon in her hands. Crichton caught the look on Bish's face and laughed. Oh yeah, right. He was going to pig out on the most addictive fruit on the frelling planet! Who said good things never happened to John Crichton?

* * * * *

D'Argo tried to calm Aeryn down but after the tears had come the rage. The quest for vengeance. He paced Aeryn step for step trying to talk sense into her as she raided the armoury for the biggest baddest weapons she could frelling well find. "Aeryn, this will *not* help John!"

"No, but It'll make me feel better sending whoever killed him straight to hezmana." She had to stop suddenly as the Luxan blocked her path. "Get out of my way, D'Argo. I mean it!"

He knew she did but he did not budge. "Aeryn, John would not want this."

She tilted her head at him, sparks flying from her eyes as she kept her voice low and deadly. "I see, so you speak to the dead now do you Ka D'Argo?"

He felt his temper rising but bit it back with an effort. "I cannot let you do this, Aeryn."

Aeryn moved round him and paused. "You cannot stop me, D'Argo."

He let her walk a couple of steps away from him, enough to think he would let her go then flicked out with his tongue and watched her drop to the floor unconscious. He bent down and gathered the Sebacean in his arms. "No, Aeryn, I cannot and will not let you do this. I have already lost one friend, I do not want to lose another."

* * * * *

Rygel, Chiana and Jool were in the apothecary. Rygel had the bright idea of checking to see if the blood on the com link was really Crichton's. Jool did the tests in absolute silence and Rygel and Chiana hardly dared to breathe when she told them she had finished. Their faces fell when she confirmed it was his. The Dominar was alarmed to see Chiana slump as if all the life had been drained out of her along with the hope. He wished there were something he could say but there was nothing. All of them were in shock, dealing with their grief in different ways. Rygel slid over to Chiana on his thronesled, his leathery face sombre with concern. "Chiana..."

She waved a hand at him to fend off whatever he was going to say. "Hey, it's okay Ryge. I just need to be alone for a while."

He nodded sadly and watched her leave. Jool gave the Hynerian a steady look. "I thought you didn't like Crichton?"

He looked genuinely surprised at her comment. Emotion made his voice unintentionally gruff. "Not like Crichton? He may be annoying and unintelligible most of the time but he was my friend." He paused a microt, realising just how true his last words were. "And I will miss him." He added quietly. Before Jool could say anything further he left. The Interon shook her head sadly. She had not been part of Moya's crew as long as the rest of them but she could understand and share in their grief. She had been expecting Pilot's sorrow but not the depth of sadness she felt from Moya. Even the little DRDs seemed to be in mourning. Jool shook her head and tidied up the apothecary. They needed to move on. Something told her it would be what the human would have wanted.

* * * * *

When Aeryn Sun woke she was in her quarters lying fully dressed on top of her bed. She lay there for a microt trying to remember what had happened. Oh yes. Ka D'Argo had knocked her unconscious with that frelling tongue of his. She would hang him with it if he ever did anything like that to her again. She sat up, feeling stiff and cold. How long had she been
unconscious and where were they?

She decided to go straight to Pilot. Not only would he tell her what she wanted to know without question but he would be sympathetic. Understanding without prying. She activated her com. "Pilot?"

"Yes, Aeryn?"

"What time is it?"

"We are in the middle of the sleep cycle."

"Thank you. Who is on command right now?"

"Dominar Rygel."

Aeryn smiled to herself. Rygel. Perfect.