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On Moya, near a wormhole
They didn't tell him when Scorpius was on Moya. The others agreed, and rightly so, that telling Stark that Scorpy was back on board with an offer from the Peacekeepers was just asking for trouble.
He didn't find out about it, or the subsequent spacing of both Scorpius and his Kalish companion, until Rygel arrive at his quarters, chortling. Stark managed a slight smile when Rygel related the story, but didn't comment. Spacing them with suits on was hardly enough, even with the bomb. Disappointed in the lack of reaction, Rygel turned his thronesled and floated off, muttering about inferior species.
**
They didn't tell him much of anything, actually. Not until they needed him for Crichton's grand plan. Crichton's plan that was going to shut the wormhole to Earth forever. Crichton's plan that might get everyone killed. Stark was trying not to think of how that described nearly every plan Crichton had ever had.
It was simple, they said. He'd flown Talyn once. He could fly Moya while Pilot was in the transport pod. He was quiet, at first. He didn't snarl that they'd done everything in their power to try and keep him from flying Talyn that time, even though he'd been trying to save them all. Even the poor trapped woman. He'd tried to save all of them and Crais had threatened to slit his throat for it. To be fair, that wasn't the real reason Crais had threatened to kill him, but the threat had been the direct result of it all. But Crais was dead now. Talyn was dead. The other Crichton was dead. He hadn't saved anyone. He hadn't even managed to save himself, and he'd miserably said as much to Crichton.
"You can save my whole world from the Scarrans, Astro," Crichton said in response. Stark offered a half-hearted smile at that. They both knew better than to think this would guarantee the safety of Earth. There were never any guarantees in their lives. But the words still helped. So he agreed to the plan. Agreed to help them close the wormhole to Earth, determinedly avoiding the thought that this might mean he could never get back to the island. Agreed to fly Moya. He'd even agreed to the parts of the plan that involved Scorpius, not that he'd had much choice.
But it had been too much, what Pilot had tried to show him. Too much too fast, and he hadn't been able to see what Pilot was doing fast enough. And now Chiana was blind, maybe for good this time, because she'd watched Pilot and slowed what she saw down enough that she could help Stark could do what needed to be done. He was supposed to be helping and now all he'd done was hurt another friend. Again. But at least nobody had died this time. Not yet, anyway.
The old woman drugged him to sleep once it was over. He'd started babbling to Pilot, moreso than usual, and she'd blown some dust into his face and Stark had slept for a long time after that. He was now trying to avoid the old woman entirely. The rest of the crew had figured out she should be avoided long ago.
**
At least it had worked. The wormhole was closed. None of them were dead. Chiana was blind, but she was alive, and she hadn't yet decided whether she needed to blame the Banik for what had happened or not. And they were safe on this water planet. Safe, and resting. Safe. For now...
[So, that post apparently took 5 months to write. o_0. Okay. There is no excuse for that. This brings us almost to end of season 4. Except for the really traumatic bit at the end. As opposed to all the traumatic bits in the middle.]
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