[Coming back from Earth hadn't been easy. There had already been discussions to move forward into Tormented Space, but the negotiations hadn't started yet. John still has an itch -- several itches, as a matter of fact, that couldn't be scratched.
He remembers, distantly, hearing of Valdun and what rested there in the Uncharted Territories. He hadn't waited for someone to stop him from shipping off in the middle of making contact. In retrospect, it had been easy to cut and run while everyone was bickering over how to handle the prospective sellers of star charts. He goes before he can be confronted on what had happened on Earth's surface, before anyone can corner him into answering questions he doesn't want to answer.
Crichton had questions of his own, and things he needed to say to people he could no longer say them to. The only people who could assist him rested in the Uncharted Territories, on that mystic planet nobody seemed to want to talk about around him.
He had a feeling Stark would still be there with his answers...as well as a few others he had missed in the cycle of life -- one recently departed friend among them. Getting down to the surface under cover isn't as hard as he initially imagined, and disguising himself proves to be rather easy with all the cloaked beggars about.
DANGER DANGER
He remembers, distantly, hearing of Valdun and what rested there in the Uncharted Territories. He hadn't waited for someone to stop him from shipping off in the middle of making contact. In retrospect, it had been easy to cut and run while everyone was bickering over how to handle the prospective sellers of star charts. He goes before he can be confronted on what had happened on Earth's surface, before anyone can corner him into answering questions he doesn't want to answer.
Crichton had questions of his own, and things he needed to say to people he could no longer say them to. The only people who could assist him rested in the Uncharted Territories, on that mystic planet nobody seemed to want to talk about around him.
He had a feeling Stark would still be there with his answers...as well as a few others he had missed in the cycle of life -- one recently departed friend among them. Getting down to the surface under cover isn't as hard as he initially imagined, and disguising himself proves to be rather easy with all the cloaked beggars about.
John moves along the rusted streets. Alone.]