Title: Back to the Uncharted Territories
Author: Paradox761
Email: Paradox761@mail.com
Website: members.tripod.com/~Paradox761
Disclaimer: Joss Whedon owns Buffy; SFC, Jim Henson Productions, and Rockne S. O’Bannon own Farscape; and Universal Pictures owns Back to the Future. No copyright infringement is intended, so please don’t sue. I don’t have any money anyway.
Summary: Sequel to “A Sympathetic Ear”, John Crichton finally makes it home only to discover that the life he left behind is no longer there. His father, DK, and Xander Harris are all dead. Then he meets an extraordinary man in a bar, a time traveler, with an extraordinary proposition. Will John risk it all to go back in time to save his father’s life? And what happens when the consequences are much worse than he ever could have imagined?
Author’s note: Takes place directly after the third season of Farscape, after that it’s an AU. Also, for the sake of this story, Farscape takes place in the near future (2017), and some of the modifications made to the DeLorean in the second movie, namely Mr. Fusion, came from further into the future then when the movie took place (2015). Also, some dialogue has been lifted directly from the Buffy episode “Grave”, no plagiarism intended.
Dedication: To Jordan and Jessica, my angels. May they rest in peace.
Special thanks to A. Grandt, greywizard, Wayne, Rob Clark, Danielle, Goblin, Calen, DaBear, Obi, Gareth, Troy, David, and Lafe for the feedback and support.
(Farscape/BtVS/BttF, Xander/Chiana, John/Aeryn)
Rated R for language and violence
Guest Cast:
Guy Pearce as Dr. Julian Martin Brown, PhD.
James Remar as Lakas

Xander stood and watched the rotating holographic images of John and his friends, accompanied by a narration detailing their last known whereabouts, as well as the ransom being offered for each. Excluding Jool and Noranti, who weren’t listed. Xander watched John, who stood with his arms crossed and no expression on his face. Finally, after the message was over, he spoke a single word.

“Grayza.”

“Apparently the fact that they haven’t been able to capture us all this time has become a source of embarrassment for the Peace Keepers,” D’Argo said. “Especially now that they’re trying to form allegiances in preparation for a possible war with the Scarrens.”

Xander’s ears perked up at that but he stayed silent.

John had his eyes closed and was shaking his head, like he was trying to will his problems away. “What is it with these frelling people,” he growled. “I no sooner lose one than I have another on my ass! First Crais, then Scorpy, and now this trelk!” He closed his eyes again and let out a sigh, calming himself. “Pilot, can you calculate a course based on Aeryn’s last known position and course?”

“What are you doing John?” D’Argo asked.

“We have to find the others,” John said. “They may not know about this yet, they’re in danger.”

“Agreed,” D’Argo said. “But Aeryn has a better chance of surviving on her own than Rygel and Chiana do, especially if she is with that mercenary group. We should go after them first.”

John clenched his fists, but he didn’t speak. Finally after a few moments, Xander broke the silence.

“He’s right.”

“I know!” John snapped. He took a breath. “I know,” he repeated, much more calmly. “Pilot, where were Chiana and Rygel heading?”

“A spaceport called K’Trell,” Pilot answered. “It’s several solar days travel from here.”

“Set a course,” John ordered. “And start scanning for the transport pod along the way.”

“Wait a microt,” Jool objected. “We’re talking about thirty solar days ago! They could have picked up a ride from anyone at that port, they could be anywhere by now!”

“It’s a place to start,” John insisted.

“Commander, Moya has detected a transport pod adrift here in the sacred burial space,” Pilot said. “It appears to be the one that Chiana and Rygel left in.”

“Pilot, are you sure? This place is swimming with Leviathan bits.”

“The power signature confirms that it is one of Moya’s pods, and since all others are accounted for…” Pilot drifted off.

“What’s the condition of the pod?” D’Argo asked.

“Fuel appears to be depleted. Navigation and communications are offline. Life support is on minimum power.”

“Deploy the docking web and bring it in,” John said, already heading back to the hangar bay, the others close behind.

Xander rolled his eyes. “More running back and forth,” he sighed. “Doesn’t this ship have an elevator or something?”

*

The group stood in the hangar bay, eyeing the pod nervously.

“I take it I’m not the only one who thinks that this was way too easy?” Xander said.

John nodded. “Could be a trap.”

Xander cast a glance toward D’Argo, catching his eye. A silent communication passed between the two, and they both drew their weapons simultaneously. John drew Winona a moment later.

“I’ll take point,” he said, walking toward the pod with Winona pointed downward at the deck. Xander and D’Argo followed close behind. John hit the controls on the hatch and it slid open with an audible whoosh, as the fresh air from Moya rushed inside the pod. John waited a few seconds outside of the open hatch, listening for any noise inside. An eerie silence filled the room.

John raised his pistol and lead with it as he stepped into the pod. Xander and D’Argo waited on either side of the hatch, weapons at the ready for an ambush. John scanned the interior of the pod slowly. Lit by only emergency lights, he could see wisps of smoke rising from some of the control panels. He strained his ears to hear anything, but the only sound was the slight hum of the environmental systems. Finally, he spotted a familiar shape in the darkness, poking out from behind the pilot’s seat. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he realized what it was. It was Rygel’s throne sled.

John waved the others in quickly before crossing the room towards the sled. Xander and D’Argo stepped inside and looked around the dimly lit pod. As John rounded the pilot’s chair, he spotted a small robed figure lying on the deck. Slipping Winona back into her holster, he kneeled down and turned him over. “It’s Rygel!” he called out.

Xander rushed over to where John was kneeling, while D’Argo continued to check around the pod. “Is he…” he asked, letting the rest of the question hang in the air.

“He’s breathing, but he’s unconscious,” John said.

“The pod is clear,” D’Argo announced. “There’s no one else here.”

“What about Chiana?” Xander asked.

John slapped the Hynerian lightly on the cheek. “Sparky, wake up!”

Rygel stirred and his eyes fluttered open. “Crichton,” he rasped out in a weak voice. “Never did I think that I’d be so happy to see you again.”

“What happened? Where’s Chiana?”

“They took her. I…I barely escaped.” Xander’s grip on his sword tightened until his knuckles were white.

“Who took her? Where? Rygel?” John asked. But he had already fallen into unconsciousness again. “Rygel!”

“He needs medical attention, John,” D’Argo said.

John just nodded, already picking him up. “Grab his throne sled.”

Xander put his sword away and grabbed the sled, following John and D’Argo out of the pod.

*

They were all gathered in a room that Xander assumed to be some kind of dining hall. Rygel was sitting on the counter, shoving food cubes into his mouth. While Noranti worked behind the counter, creating some kind of potion. According to her, Rygel’s only maladies were malnutrition and exhaustion.

“Thank the gods you found me when you did,” Rygel said with his mouth full. “The pod was almost out of fuel, I had to shut down most of the other systems just to keep life support running. Not to mention that I ran out of provisions ten solar days ago. I thought I was a dead Dominar.”

“Sparky, start from the beginning,” John said. “What happened?”

“Chiana and I were on K’Trell, in a casino. She had set up a meet with someone from the Nebari resistance, in hopes that they could take her to her brother. And I was looking to book passage on any ship headed toward the Hynerian Empire, and having a rather difficult time of it. Three arns passed, and still no one had shown up. Chiana was getting rather bored.” Rygel paused. “Firstly, I should tell you, there have been some changes with Chaina’s…abilities.”

“What abilities?” Xander asked, entering the conversation for the first time.

“For a while now Chiana has been experiencing these…premonitions,” John answered.

“Visions?” Xander asked.

“Yeah, I guess you could call them that. Little glimpses into the future.”

“Only it isn’t just the future anymore,” Rygel continued. “It’s the present too, only…slowed down. She gets blinding headaches afterwards, and loses her vision temporarily. Each time she does it, it lasts longer.”

No one noticed the expression of amazement on Xander’s face as Rygel explained Chiana’s abilities.

Meanwhile behind the counter, Noranti ladled her concoction into a glass and handed it to Rygel. “Drink this, it will help you regain your strength.” Rygel quickly complied.

“Wait a minute, Ryg,” John interrupted. “I thought you didn’t believe in Chiana’s visions.”

“I didn’t. Not until…” he drifted off. “There’s a cheat proof game at the casino, a mercury droplet bounces off an ion stream. There are thousands of possible outcomes.”

“So she won,” John guessed.

“Seven times in a row. She never did know when to quit.” He paused, taking another drink from Noranti’s potion. “They arrested her, and took her winnings.”

“So, she’s in jail on K’Trell, is that what you’re telling us?” Jool asked.

“Not exactly. She wasn’t arrested by the spaceport authorities, she was taken by casino security.”

“So?” John asked.

“Those establishments tend to take cheating very…personally. And they would be very interested in learning how she did it, especially with a game like that.”

“Gods, they’ll kill her, won’t they?” Jool asked, visibly upset.

“No!” Rygel insisted. “Once they learn what she can do, they’ll use her to cheat the other casinos.”

“Chiana wouldn’t tell them,” John said.

“These people can be very…persuasive.”

“You’re talking about torture,” D’Argo said.

“Among other things.”

No one noticed as Xander’s fists clenched, and his teeth ground together. No one noticed the slowly rising anger in the young man, until it exploded.

“And you just left her there!” he shouted, lunging forward and grabbing Rygel by the front of his robes, shaking him.

“Take your hands off of me!”

“You little toad, you just left her there and saved your own ass!”

“I had no choice!”

“Xander, stop!”

“There’s always a choice!”

“Stop that, this instant!”

“Xander!”

“You little…”

“Enough!”

D’Argo’s shout resonated throughout the room, causing everything to stop. Xander let go of the diminutive Dominar and turned away, trying to calm himself.

“There was nothing I could have done!” Rygel insisted. “If they had found out that I was with her, they would have killed me without a second thought. I was hardly in a position to break her out. The only choice I had was to escape and find help. That’s why I came back here to the sacred space, to find Moya. And why am I explaining myself to the likes of you! Crichton, who is this creature?”

“Rygel, this is Xander. He’s a friend of mine from Earth, he’s here to help. Xander, this is Dominar Rygel the sixteenth of Hyneria.”

Xander turned around. “You’re right,” he said to Rygel in a calm voice. “I’m sorry I lost it.”

Rygel looked from Xander to John. “Earth? I don’t understand.”

“It’s a long story, I’ll fill you in later. Right now we have more important problems.”

“What are we going to do?” Jool asked.

“We’re going to get her back, that’s what we’re going do,” Xander answered.

“Yeah, but how?” Jool asked. “We can’t just waltz in and say ‘Excuse me, but you have someone that belongs to us. Would you mind terribly returning her, thanks.’”

“We go in, kill everyone that isn’t Chiana, then we leave,” Xander said.

“I’m beginning to like him,” D’Argo commented.

“They have sensors at the door that can detect any kind of energy weapon,” Rygel said. “You’d never get inside.”

“I don’t need any energy weapons,” Xander said, drawing his sword. “This is all I need.”

Rygel snorted a laugh. “And they’d blast you into oblivion before you finished drawing it.”

“Rygel’s right,” John said. “We need a plan.”

*

“I hate this plan,” John said.

“That’s only because it doesn’t involve you shooting everything that moves,” Jool said.

“I know you don’t like being left out of the action, John,” Xander said. “But if the only weapons we can get in with are swords, than D’Argo and I are the best bet. Besides, you and Jool are a very important part of the plan.”

“The distraction,” John said, less than enthused.

“And the back-up in case the shit hits the fan.”

“Which, knowing us, it probably will,” D’Argo added.

“I still don’t like it,” John said. He paused. “But since it’s the only plan we’ve got, I say let’s do it.”

“Then we’re all agreed?” Xander asked. Everyone nodded except for Rygel.

“Personally I think you’re all farbot,” Rygel said. “But since I’m not a part of this plan, I could care less.”

“Glad to see you’re on board, Sparky,” John said. “Pilot, set a course for K’Trell.”

“Course laid in, Commander,” Pilot answered through the comms.

“Then there’s only one thing left to do,” John said.

“What’s that?” Xander asked.

“Teach you how to use a pulse pistol.”




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