Disclaimer: And now, as an adept of the obvious: Farscape is owned by the grand high Mucky Mucks and the Jim Henson Company, I'm just mangling the characters a bit :) I'm making no money off this. No copyright infringement is intended. Any similarity to any other story is coincidence.(and there is similarity to "Long December")

Title: The Harvest
Genre: Farscape ficlit; Chiana character piece; spiritual/melodrama
Rating: PG for Farscape swears.
Timeline: Two years after the Peacekeeper Wars
Summary: Chiana is on Hyneria with a small farm that she's built. She's still not really over D'Argo's death, but someone has just arrived to help her heal.
Author's Notes: Story breaks are indicated by boldface and an ellipsis. Dreams are indicated by purple text.


Harvesting the Hatha
Dreams
Sleepless
Haunted
A’hadis



Chiana finished setting out the last of the meal that she had prepared for breakfast just as Yael entered the room.

“I need to go to R’utha today. The dharmajas fruit still needs some time, and we could probably take a day for the rest of the chiagos fruit. If that’s all right with you?”

Chiana looked up and nodded quietly and then sat down and waited for him to join her at the small wood table. When he did, they ate quietly and Yael helped her to clean up before he left with a simple goodbye…


“How is she, Yael?” D’Argo asked the question carefully, his heart in his voice.

Yael sat at the wooden table in the café where D’Argo, John, Aeryn, and little D’Argo sat waiting for him. The smells of food and the thick coffee-like drink of the Hynerians filled the air and the Delvian priest took a deep breath, inhaling the wonderful aromas. The patrons were all off-worlders; Sebaceans, and Luxans. They filled the warm café with the heady vibrations of life, and this too, the Pa’u drew in happily before he answered quietly.

“She has begun A’hadis. I warn you though, Ka D’Argo, you must be patient. This may take arns, or monens, or it may even take cycles. Each person travels on the path of A’hadis at his or her own pace.”

John set a sympathetic hand on D’Argo’s shoulder as the Delvian priest mentioned cycles.

“Cycles,” the Luxan warrior whispered low.

“But it is begun, Ka D’Argo,” Yael said gently…


After Yael left, Chiana made her way out into the fields and trees of her small farm. The bright light of the twin suns glowed down upon her, warming her shoulders and glimmering in her short hair. She wandered aimlessly, her hand occasionally brushing the rough bark of a Mallorean tree, slipping through the long leaves of the dharmajas trees, or plucking one of the sapphire fruits and savoring its sweet juices.

Eventually, she reached the small spring waterfall that feed the pond below. On impulse, she stripped out of her garments and ducked beneath the cool water. For a moment, she simply reveled in the feel of the water sluicing down her gray skin and through her soft hair. Then, again, on impulse, she dove from the waterfall into the dark water of the pond below. When she emerged, she was surrounded in the pink chiagos fruit.

Seeing the fruit floating peaceful on the surface of the waves, Chiana thought about Zhann. And thinking about Zhann, allowed Chiana to remember all that the Pa’u had taught her about seeking enlightenment, compassion, and truth. She popped a small grape sized fruit into her mouth and chewed slowly as she swam and then waded out of the pond.

“Memory Garden,” she whispered to herself.

Still unclothed, she wandered to the field of stubble that had been bearded w’taeh. As she brushed her fingers through the soft stalks of blue and bronze, she thought of Jool. She remembered the annoying and vibrant Interion and smiled. She may not have always gotten along with Jool, but she had become family nonetheless. And there were definitely times when Jool had given Chiana a run for her money in the wild and crazy department. Chiana smiled and wandered next through a grove of Mallorean trees on her way to the dharmajas grove.

She thought of Rygel, and her memories of His Royal Frogginess made her snicker. Rygel had shown her how to always snurch the best out of life. And he certainly knew how to not only just survive, but to survive for a purpose.

“And maybe there’s more to life than surviving day to day just because you can,” Chiana whispered. “Enjoy where you’re at, and enjoy where you’re going.”

As she reached the purple fruit trees, her mind wandered to John and Aeryn. She smirked when she saw the bright fruit. She had been the one to introduce the couple to the fruit. She had done it without their consent of course, but afterwards, she knew that they were more than happy to pick some up on every commerce planet that they could.

John had been a big brother to her when she needed it, even when she didn’t want it. He had been the first to give her a chance, and never gave up on her, no matter what. And Aeryn, even at her most prickly, had always looked after her. And together, they had shown her that love could overcome an amazing amount dren.

Finally, Chiana wandered over to the field of rich soil where the hatha root had been harvested. The dark soil was warm and soft beneath her bare feet. There were so many memories and conflicting emotions connected with D’Argo, that Chiana’s mind simply skipped about in a giddy whirl. She was almost surprised when her mind didn’t settle on grief, but on a sense of well-being and love.

Yael was right, D’Argo wouldn’t want Chiana to be mired in pain, guilt, and grief. He had always loved the girl that was bright and alive and free. For the longest time, she had thought that living D’Argo’s dream would take all that away, only now was she beginning to see that it was no longer just D’Argo’s dream. Maybe it wasn’t the life that she had imagined for herself, but no one had ever said that dreams couldn’t change; people couldn’t change.

“Besides,” she smirked quietly, “it’s not like I can’t snurch the best out of life wherever I am…”


Chiana sat beneath a purple dharmajas trees and watched the long beautiful leaves as they danced in the breeze of the cooling afternoon.

“D’Argo would’ve loved this,” Chiana whispered to no one.

Her mind flashed back to the images that Yael had shown her. She knew that they had been more than just visions. Chiana knew in her heart, that the images had been a piece of D’Argo; the real D’Argo. She didn’t know how that could be possible, but she couldn’t shake the certainty.

“I’m sorry D’Argo. I did die when you did. But, I’m alive now,” Chiana whispered into the warm breezes…


The next day, Chiana waded through the deepest part of the pond, gathering the last of the chiagos fruit. A couple of yards away, Yael did the same. Chiana watched him carefully beneath lidded eyes.

Ever since the Pa’u had shown her the truth with images of D’Argo, Chiana had felt something shift inside. She hadn’t realized just how much pain and guilt she had been carrying around, so used to the weight had she become. Now, she had begun to feel that weight lift. It was happening slowly, but it was happening.

Chiana shook her head and turned back to her work, reaching quickly for the banta basket that was trying to float away from her. She swept her thin reed net through the swirling waters and scooped up more pink grape-like fruit.

“We should be done by the end of the day I think,” Yael offered from where he was harvesting.

Chiana nodded and made an sound of agreement.

For at least an hour then, they worked in simple silence. Finally, Chiana called for a break and they both waded to the shore. Next to baskets full of fruit, they laid out a small lunch. After several moments, the young girl finally spoke.

“You said that you were helping me because you are a Pa’u, but how did you know that I needed help?”

“The Goddess moves me,” Yael replied.

“Hmm, the Goddess, right. Are you sure that a certain froggy little Dominar didn’t say anything to you?” Chiana asked perceptively.

“He may have told me where to find you, but other forces lead me,” the Pa’u answered.

The gray girl considered the Delvian carefully but said nothing further as they continues their lunch. Once they were finished and everything was packed back away, they got back to work. Yael had been right, and they were indeed done with the harvest by the end of the day. Exhausted, they stumbled back to Chiana’s stone cottage and to their respective beds…


Yael stood next to the small bed where Chiana slept peacefully. Gently, he reached out to her thoughts and into her dreams…

Chiana stood in a space between the dharmajas trees, surrounded by the falling sapphire colored fruit. She closed her eyes and tilted her head back as it began to rain lightly. She opened her mouth to catch the sweet raindrops, something that she hadn’t done since she was a kid so long ago with Neri. Slowly, she began to twirl, arms wide.

That’s when she heard his voice.

“Chiana?”

She stopped twirling and opened her eyes, looking for the proud Luxan warrior that had called her name. And there, walking towards her through the trees, was D’Argo.

She didn’t stop herself. Chiana ran through the alley of trees and launched herself through the air and into D’Argo’s arms. He caught her with a small “oomph” and spun her around, laughing with her.

“You’re alive,” she said firmly to something beyond this manifestation of D’Argo. “You’re alive…”


Chiana stood staring at the purple fruit trees, watching their long graceful leaves blow in the light breezes of the early morning. She had an expression of absolute wonder and surprise on her face. Before Yael had even stepped up even with her, she spoke, her voice tinged with the same wonder of her expression. “I like this life.”

“I like this life,” she repeated, as if surprised that the words had come from her mouth.

For a few moments, the two stood watching the dharmajas fruit fall lightly into the carefully placed baskets. They fell with quiet sounds into the padded baskets, and Chiana smiled freely for the first time in what seemed like a hundred cycles.

Then she turned to Yael. “I’m going to find D’Argo now. Can you start on the harvest?”

FIN