Title: Enter The Cleavage
Author: Paradox761
Email: Paradox761@mail.com
Website: members.tripod.com/~Paradox761
Disclaimer: Joss owns Buffy, SFC owns Farscape, and I own nothing. No copyright infringement is intended, so please don’t sue. I don’t have any money anyway. Also, some dialogue has been taken directly from the episodes “Homecoming” and “Grave”. No plagiarism intended, they’re just flashbacks.
Summary: Intent on discovering the origins and ramifications of Chiana's visions, Xander and Chiana take the DeLorean through time and space to visit of all things, an Oracle. But when they're intercepted by Grayza's Command Carrier, Xander will find his first encounter with the Peace Keepers to be an unpleasant one. Will he be able to survive the Aurora Chair? What will Grayza discover in his mind? How will he and Chiana escape?
Author’s note: This story is a sequel to Back to the Uncharted Territories, which in turn is a sequel to A Sympathetic Ear. Special thanks to A. Grandt, Rob Clark, dragon_hulk, Jason Hill, Ghostrider, DaBear, greywizard, MagnusXXZ, and C.J. Whittaker for the feedback. It’s much appreciated.
Dedication: To Jordan and Jessica, my angels. May they rest in peace.
(BtVS/Farscape, Xander/Chiana, R)

(1/5)

The bell over the door of the Magic Box rang as Xander pushed the door open. As he looked around the inside of the store, it struck him that it was different from the last time he had seen it. The glass in the display case at the counter was in tact, as was the cash register. Around the store, there were shelves neatly lined with books and other assorted magical items. There were no weapons or clothes strewn about haphazardly. No cat box in the corner. But what stopped Xander dead in his tracks, was the table. The large circular table that they always used for researching, behind which sat Willow and Tara, looking through some books.

He was dreaming, he realized that now. Which was strange, because he so rarely realized that he was dreaming in the middle of a dream. And it had been a long time since he had dreamed of his friends. But so far it seemed pleasant enough, so Xander decided not to look a gift horse in the mouth. He walked over to the table and took a seat.

“Ladies,” he said pleasantly.

They both looked up and smiled. “Hey Xander,” Willow said. “I was wondering when you were finally going to stop by.”

“It’s good to see you,” Tara said.

“It’s good to see you guys, too,” he returned. “So, what are you working on?”

“Your immune system.”

“My…what?”

“Among other things, like your self-confidence problem,” Tara added.

“Which reminds me, I wanted to talk to you about Chiana,” Willow said.

“About Chi…what?”

“I know that you’re worried about her, and that’s understandable, she’s been through a terrible ordeal. But you don’t need to be worried about showing her affection. She knows that you’re not Lakas, she’s not going to think that you’re trying to take advantage of her. And nobody else is going to think that either. They all know how much you care about her.”

“And how much she cares about you,” Tara added. “Which is why when you shy away from touching her, it hurts her. It makes her feel like you don’t want to touch her because of what Lakas did.”

“No, that’s not true!” Xander insisted, shaking his head vigorously.

“We know that,” Willow said. “And logically, she probably knows that too. But that’s how it feels. We just wanted to tell you that it’s okay to want to be affectionate with Chiana.”

“And it’s okay to go slow,” Tara said.

“Right. Just…not this slow.”

“I…okay,” Xander said. He looked back and forth between Willow and Tara for a moment. “I’m…confused.”

“Xander!”

By the time Xander looked up to see who had called his name, he was tackled by ninety pounds of eager slayer. She wrapped her arms around him and squeezed tightly. He could hear Willow and Tara laughing.

“Okay, Buff…oxygen becoming an issue.”

Buffy giggled. “Not here it isn’t,” she said, climbing off of him. “It’s just so good to see you again.”

“It’s good to see you, too,” Xander said, smiling. Looking up, he saw Giles standing behind her. “And you, G-man.”

Xander expected Giles to frown, or glare, or tell him not to call him G-man, or clean his glasses, or something Giles-like. What he didn’t expect was for the older man to smile and reach out to shake Xander’s hand. “Xander,” he said.

“Okay…back to being confused.” And then something occurred to him. “Oh God, I’m not dead, am I?”

Willow stood from her seat and walked over to him. “No Xander, you’re not dead. You’re just dreaming.”

Xander stood up. “I don’t understand.”

“You will,” she said. “Eventually.”

Xander reached out and pulled Willow into a hug. “I miss you so much, Wills,” he said. “I miss you all.”

“I know, sweetie. But we’ll be together again. We’ll all be together again someday. You just have to remember that.”

“I will,” Xander said, fighting back tears.

Willow pulled away from the hug and looked him in the eye. “You have to wake up now.”

Xander shook his head. “I don’t want to.”

“I know. But you have to.”

Xander opened his eyes, just as the word “No” crossed his lips. He sat up and looked around slowly, realizing where he was. In his quarters aboard Moya. The dream had been so vivid, so real. Even now, he could remember everything. Every detail about the dream, from the words Willow had spoke to him, to what everyone was wearing. And he never remembered his dreams. His hand unconsciously reached up and wrapped around the amulet that hung from his neck. It was slightly warm to the touch. In fact, Xander’s whole body felt warm. Like…Willow’s arms were still around him. Like he could feel how much she loved him.

“What a weird dream,” he mumbled to himself. He looked down at the bed next to him and saw Chiana sleeping, her arms curled around the blanket. She looked so peaceful, so vulnerable. So…beautiful. He thought about what Willow and Tara had said in his dream, as he reached over and brushed some hair away from her face. He leaned down and kissed her gently on the forehead. She stirred slightly, but didn’t wake up. Xander climbed out of bed as quietly as he could and started to get dressed.

*

John stalked through the corridors of Moya, irritated to say the least. He had been back aboard for nearly three weeks now, along with Xander. And they still hadn’t been able to track down Aeryn, or the group of mercenaries that she was supposed to have joined up with. He had just gotten back from a short trip in his module to a commerce planet where they had heard rumors of the mercs presence, but no luck. No one seemed to know anything about rogue Peace Keepers in general, or Aeryn Sun in particular. John was starting to wonder if they would ever find her.

He was walking toward the gymnasium, where Jool told him Xander was. She said that he had something he wanted to talk to him about. John found himself thinking again about how well Xander seemed to be adjusting to life aboard Moya. He took all of the weirdness in stride, and did his best to learn as much as he could about everything he could. Everything from the technology around them, to the interstellar politics of the region. John knew how he felt. It had been the same when he first arrived here. Things that were so simple and commonplace to these people, were completely foreign to him. It took him ten minutes to figure out how to open a door. It was immensely frustrating, and Aeryn and D’Argo certainly didn’t help matters by constantly loosing patience with him. It had taken a while, but the bizarre bunch of fugitives grew into a family, John included. And now Xander was a part of their family too, and all he wanted to do was to be able to contribute something. To be of some use to the people who were kind enough to take him in.

John knew that it also had a lot to do with Xander’s so-called destiny. Somehow, his presence here is supposed to prevent a war between the Peace Keepers and the Scarrens. Not knowing how exactly he is supposed to do that has been another source of frustration for him. John and Xander explained everything they knew to the others once they had some down time, and were met with varying degrees of shock and disbelief. Xander took it in stride though, and John couldn’t help but admire the younger man’s strength.

Xander was even beginning to make friends among Moya’s crew. Chiana and himself of course, but also D’Argo. The two found that they had much in common, and John has seen them more than once just sitting around and swapping war stories. He even saw D’Argo laughing the other day. It took him almost a year to get the Luxan to laugh, and Xander had done it in two weeks. And considering Xander’s burgeoning relationship with Chiana, D’Argo’s ex, that was quite a feat. They both took comfort in having a fellow warrior to talk to. Someone who understood them a little better than the others. John had seen a similar dynamic between D’Argo and Aeryn, but with Aeryn’s general mistrust of aliens, it was a much slower process.

Xander had also befriended Pilot. He was one of the few people who didn’t get annoyed with Xander’s constant questions. In fact, Pilot enjoyed the extra company. Xander would spend hours there, sometimes talking, sometimes just meditating while Pilot went about his work. In fact, Pilot’s den became Xander’s favorite place to meditate. He said that the shape and the sounds of the room reminded him that he was inside of another living being, and he found that very peaceful. Almost like being inside the womb again. John had never really been one for meditation, so he just took Xander’s word for it.

John walked into the gymnasium and found Xander and D’Argo there. They were standing side by side, each holding swords. They were moving slowly, in near perfect unison. Which considering that both of their eyes were closed was quite impressive. They went through strikes, blocks, and parries, all at slow speed. It reminded John of tai chi in many ways. He knew that Xander and D’Argo were training together, but somehow he never pictured that Xander would be teaching D’Argo something.

There was something unusual about what John was watching. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it, something was just…off. But after a few minutes of watching the pair, he finally figured out what it was. Xander was holding D’Argo’s qualta blade, and D’Argo was holding Xander’s sword. The two had been moving so fluidly and synchronized, that John hadn’t even noticed at first.

When they finally finished the routine, they opened their eyes and John started clapping. They turned, noticing his presence for the first time. “Very nice,” John said.

“John,” Xander said in greeting. “Any luck finding Aeryn?”

John shook his head, looking dejected. “Afraid not.”

“We will find her, John,” D’Argo said.

“I know, it’s just…frustrating. So, what are you two up to?”

“Oh, D’Argo has been kind enough to teach me some things about Luxan fighting techniques, so I thought I’d return the favor. Show him a thing or two about martial arts.”

“I think I am beginning to see the appeal of focusing on yourself instead of your enemy. Concentrating solely on form like that, I found the experience very…intense,” D’Argo said.

Xander nodded and turned back to John. “Luxan techniques focus solely on the technical. Disabling or killing your enemy as quickly and efficiently as possible. I wanted to show him that martial arts center more on the mind and the spirit. That exercise is about focusing on form, and nothing else. Once you learn the motions, it almost becomes more like meditation than practice. And soon, the moves become second nature. You don’t even have to think, just react.”

“D, how come you never showed me any Luxan fighting techniques?” John asked.

“Why haven’t you shown me any of these…martial arts?” D’Argo returned.

John shook his head. “The only fighting style I know is brawling.”

“What is brawling?”

Xander answered. “It’s basically the absence of style and technique. No holds barred, fighting dirty. Sucker punches, biting, scratching, eye gouging. Anything you have to do to win.”

“That does sound like how you fight,” D’Argo said with a smile, turning to John.

“Funny,” John said with a sarcastic smile before turning back to Xander. “I’m afraid I never bothered to learn much about martial arts. What style do you use?”

“It’s a combination of a lot of things. Tai kwan do, jeet kune do, a few different sword techniques. I just take what works for me. Any edge I can get, you know?”

“Yeah, I get that. So, why did you switch swords?”

Xander looked down at the qualta still in his hand, like he had forgotten he was even holding it. “Oh, I just wanted to give it a try.” He turned to D’Argo. “It’s much lighter than I thought it would be.” He handed the weapon back to D’Argo. “It’s an elegant weapon, thank you for letting me use it.”

“Your welcome. Thank you for letting me use yours. It’s well balanced, you take excellent care of it. Truly, a warrior’s weapon.”

Xander nodded his thanks as he took his sword back and slipped it into the scabbard on his back.

“So, Jool said that you had something you wanted to talk to me about,” John said.

“Actually, it’s something I want to talk to everyone about. I wanted to wait until you got back. Let’s get everyone together in Command.”

*

“What is this about? I’m a busy man you know,” Rygel griped. They were all gathered in Command. John, D’Argo, Rygel, Noranti, Jool, Chiana and Xander.

“No you’re not,” Chiana said. “We were just playing cards.”

Rygel grumbled, but he didn’t say anything. Xander smiled but he held his tongue. Things were still a little strained between him and the Hynerian. The money he had brought back from the casino definitely helped to smooth things over though, and Rygel was at least civil to him most of the time. Or as civil as Rygel ever got, according to John.

“I wanted to talk to you all about Chiana’s visions,” Xander started.

“What about them?” John asked.

Xander cast a glance toward Chiana before continuing. “She’s been telling me more about them, about what she sees. And I think I might know what they are, and where they’re coming from.”

“How?” Jool asked.

“I had a friend on Earth with similar abilities. Hers didn’t leave her blind though, they just gave her excruciating headaches. And she didn’t have the ability to slow down the present, she only saw glimpses of the future.”

“So what makes you think that it’s the same thing?” John asked.

“Cordelia’s visions came from The Powers That Be. They were sent as a way to guide her and her friends to people that needed their help. They were champions, warriors in the battle between good and evil. Almost all of Chiana’s precognitive visions so far have warned her about impending danger, either for her or someone around her. And then there’s me.”

“What about you?” John asked.

“The reason I’m here, this whole destiny thing of mine to prevent this war. It’s possible that the Powers are giving Chiana these visions to help guide me, to help guide all of us.”

“Wait, I’m confused,” Jool piped in. “Who exactly are these Powers you’re talking about?”

“I’ll explain it this way. Somewhere between free will and the divine plan, lies The Powers That Be. They are the men behind the curtain. Their job is to nudge us along, keep us going on the right path. Some of the more important players in the game get extra special attention, to make sure they don’t mess up.”

D’Argo, Jool, and Rygel were looking at Xander like he had just grown a second head. Like he just told them that Chiana’s visions came from the Easter Bunny.

“Are you farbot!” Rygel exclaimed. “You don’t actually expect us to believe that dren, do you?”

“Look, I don’t know anything about any of your species culture or spiritual beliefs, and frankly I don’t care. I’m not trying to convert you, and I’m not telling you anything that I haven’t seen with my own two eyes. On my planet, there are creatures that are believed to be only myths and legends. That’s what I believed too, until I saw them with my own eyes. Vampires, demons, werewolves, ghosts, witches. I don’t know if any of those words will translate into anything you will understand, but it doesn’t matter. I know from John’s stories that you’ve all seen some pretty unbelievable things yourself. All I’m asking is that you keep an open mind.”

No one said anything for a moment, letting Xander’s words sink in. Finally, Chiana spoke. “What do you think about this, Wrinkles?” she asked, noticing that the old woman didn’t look nearly as surprised as the others.

“It’s nothing that I haven’t already speculated myself,” Noranti answered. “Everything happens for a reason, Chiana’s visions must serve some purpose. Xander’s path is a difficult one, it only makes sense that since he his here, we all must play some part in it.”

Rygel snorted. “Of course she is going to agree with him, she’s as farbot as he is.”

“What do you find so hard to believe, Rygel?” Noranti asked. “There is one thing that almost all religions across the galaxy believe, and that is that there is some kind of higher power, whatever the role that it may have in our lives. Is it so implausible that it’s all the same? That the gods you worship are the same beings as those that D’Argo believes in, or Chiana, or myself.”

“I don’t worship anything!” Rygel spat. “The Hynerian gods do not demand worship, only…compensation.”

John turned back to Xander. “Why are you telling us all of this?”

“Two reasons actually. The first is that ever since I first met you, Aeryn, and Chiana, I’ve wondered if all the things that I’ve come to discover are real, exist anywhere else in the universe. If there are other planets that have vampires and demons and witches, or if they’re just centered on Earth. So far, Chiana’s visions are the first clue I’ve had that those things do exist out here. That the Powers’ reach extends beyond Earth.”

“And the second reason?”

Xander frowned. He looked over at Chiana again with a worried expression. “The gift of the visions comes with a price, and I don’t just mean temporary blindness or splitting headaches. Cordelia suffered permanent neurological damage, and her body even began to manifest elements of the visions.”

“Meaning what?” John asked.

“Like if she saw a guy getting clawed to death, claw marks would appear on her body.”

John cast a glance at Chiana. She looked upset, but not really shocked. He could tell that this wasn’t the first time she was hearing all of this. Xander must have brought it up with her first. “What happened to her?”

“She received a visit from a higher being that she believed to be her friend. He told her that humans were never meant to get the visions, that they weren’t strong enough to withstand their effects. She was given a choice. Either they would change the timeline so that she never got the visions, and she would be given her dream life as a famous actress. Or they would change her, make her part demon, so that she would be strong enough. She chose to keep the visions, to help her friends.

“Later they found out that the whole thing had been a setup from the beginning. Everything from her receiving the visions in the first place, to her ascending into a higher plane of existence. It was all so a demon could take control of her body and take over the world. But that’s a story for another time.

“What I was hoping was that someone here would know something about…something. Enough to lead us to someplace where we could find out more about the visions. And whether or not Chiana is strong enough to withstand them without…permanent damage.” Xander walked over to where Chiana was standing and put an arm around her. She was clearly looking scared and trying to hide it. “But there’s no reason to believe that she isn’t strong enough. From what I’ve learned, Nebari are a little tougher than humans generally.” He was trying to reassure Chiana, but Xander was still clearly worried.

“If we were back on Earth, what could we do?” John asked, looking for ideas.

“We’d have a lot more research material available to find out more about the visions,” Xander said. “We could consult practitioners of white magic, or try and find a spell to summon an answer from the Powers.” Xander paused. “Or we could just ask an Oracle, they have a hotline to the Powers.”

“Oracle?” Rygel repeated. All eyes immediately shot to the former Dominar.

“Do you recognize the word?” Xander asked, a glimmer of hope in his voice.

“What is an Oracle?” Jool asked.

Xander walked over to Rygel as he answered Jool’s question. “They’re servants of the PTB, the most direct connection from their plane to ours. Cosmic middlemen. Rygel, do you recognize the word?”

“Yes,” Rygel said. His attitude had considerable changed since the last time he spoke. There was a reverence in his voice that none of the others had ever heard before. “There was a time in the history of the Hynerian Empire when the power of the clergy rivaled that of the Dominar. There was an elite class of priests, all of them claiming that they had insight into the realm of the Gods. The people worshiped at their temples, bringing offerings for the Gods.

“It was during the reign of my ancestor, Dominar Rygel IV, when things changed. He was not happy sharing his power with the church. He believed that the only thing his subjects should be devoted to was him. He attacked them politically, denounced them publicly. After a few hundred years, the church’s power was nonexistent, and almost all of the priests were either dead, imprisoned, or in exile. Our true religion became something that was done in private. But one member of the clergy survived unharmed. He and a few followers fled Hynerian space, and settled on a distant planet, called Meloni. There they built a temple, the only temple dedicated to the true Hynerian Gods that still exists. Thousands of Hynerians still make pilgrimages to Meloni each cycle, to bestow gifts upon the Gods, and ask what the future holds for them. This priest, the last of his kind, is known simply as…The Oracle.”

John looked to Xander. “What do you think?”

“The word translated, and the description sounds about right. Oracles do typically demand an offering for their counsel,” Xander said. “It’s a place to start. What do you guys think?”

“I’m skeptical,” D’Argo said. “But if there’s even a chance that this Oracle can give us some insight into Chiana’s…condition, than I believe it’s worth looking into.”

John nodded. “Agreed.” Jool and Noranti nodded as well.

“What about you, Pilot?” Xander asked. “What do you and Moya think?”

Pilot’s image appeared on the clamshell monitor in Command. “Moya and I agree. We’ll help however we can.”

“It’s settled then,” John said. “Do you know how to get to this Meloni, Sparky?”

“Of course I do,” Rygel snapped, maneuvering his throne sled over to one of Moya’s consoles where he could pull up a star chart.

*

After Rygel helped Moya locate Meloni on her star charts, they set a course and were on their way. Roughly ten arns later, the crew of the Leviathan stood in Command looking at a small blue-green world on the viewer.

“Pilot, are you sure you aren’t picking up any other ships in the area?” Rygel asked again. “There are almost always groups of Hynerians here, there should be a few ships in orbit.”

“Moya is still not picking up any other ships,” Pilot answered.

“I’ve got a bad feeling about this,” D’Argo said.

Xander and John shared a look. “He had to say it,” Xander muttered.

“Pilot, magnify the coordinates for the temple I gave you,” Rygel said.

The image on the screen changed to a closer view of the planet’s surface, and what they saw caused everyone standing in Command to gasp.

“By the Gods!” Rygel exclaimed. “It…it can’t be. Pilot, are you sure those are the right coordinates?”

“I’m afraid so Dominar. I’m sorry.”

“I don’t believe it,” Chiana muttered.

On the surface of the planet, where the last temple dedicated to the true Hynerian Gods once stood, there was nothing but a smoking crater.

“The weapons signature I’m detecting appears to be Peace Keeper,” Pilot said. “I’m afraid I’m not detecting any life signs on the planet.”

Xander just shook his head. “Why can’t anything ever go smooth?”




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