The Music Box
A revengefull Alien takes over the crew.
Mild violence
By CeRell
John handed Aeryn the hockey stick he had created.
"All right now, ready, set, go." He said and hit the hockey puck toward his goal. Aeryn blocked it. The puck ricocheted off the wall. John deftly caught it in mid air with the blade, and lobbed it into his goal. He did a tiny circle of victory dance.
Aeryn stood flatfooted holding the stick out at arms length. "This game of yours is a waste of time, Crichton."
"Yes, Aeryn, that’s what it is designed to do…Waste time when there is nothing else to do."
"I would rather waste my time doing something else than this."
John shook his head at her…"You’re missing the whole point."
"Apparently so, as I don’t want to find your point."
"Aeryn, you said you’d give it a try."
"I did, and I don’t like it."
"You have to learn to play."
"Why? What is the point?"
"Like I said, you’re missing it."
She looked at him in exasperation. She simply could not understand him. She knew humans grew up playing these games of his. Knew they derived satisfaction from them, but for the life of her, all she found was they were a painful waste of her time. Anything, simply anything would be a better idea.
"I’ll go work on my Prowler."
She went to walk off. John grabbed her upper arm. "We’ve been over your Prowler with a fine toothed comb. Hell, we’ve even worked my Module over from stem to stern. We’ve cleaned the guns! Aeryn, you need to learn to relax."
"No, there you are wrong. I’m most content to work in my spare time, Crichton. It’s logical. It’s worthwhile, it’s valuable time spent." They stood looking at each other in irritation.
John’s com badge crackled. "Crichton," Pilot’s voice sounded. "We have a vessel requesting boarding."
Aeryn smiled. "Something worthwhile to do." And headed for the maintenance bay. John shook his head and shot her a fond amused look and put his sticks back in his room.
"Who is it?"
"A Nebari, Crichton. Didn’t give me a name, but her ship is damaged. She requests our assistance."
"Have her dock, Pilot, and contact D’Argo and the others. We’ll meet in the maintenance bay. Aeryn and I are on our way."
Everyone stood with their pulse rifles hanging down. Better to be safe than sorry. All were looking forward to the relative excitement of a newcomer.
"Where’s Rygel?" Chiana asked Zhaan as they walked in and noted he was missing.
"Eating." They smiled indulgently.
"You should ask Rygel to join in your games, Crichton. All he has to do is hoard his goods and eat."
John gave her an lopsided grin. "He might be good at chess if his arms were longer."
She flashed him an amused smile. Crichton might be irritating, but he usually could make her laugh.
The craft settled to the floor of the maintenance bay.
"Looks sleek, a very fast, highly maneuverable craft." Aeryn eyed it appreciatively.
"Looks Nebari," added Chiana apprehensively. "I’m getting a b-a-d feeling about this."
The door opened and down the ramp stepped a gray skinned, dark haired Nebari. Her skin had a markedly wrinkled appearance. Not the normal smooth Nebari skin. The gray and dark blue cloak loose and flowing. Her countenance was amused and pleasant. Her gray wrinkled hands clasped in front of her. Long dark sharp talons for fingernails curled barely seen into her palms.
Chiana stood frozen. "Hezmana." She whispered and started to shake. John took a step to her.
"You know this woman?"
"It’s my half sister, CeRell. We are in deep dren here, John."
CeRell glided up to Chiana. She was a head taller than her lithe sibling and much more solid and broad of body. She had about her a veiled but obvious powerful ambiance. Chiana seemed to cringe into herself looking markedly smaller. John stepped closer and put a protective arm around her.
"Isss that anyway to welcome familyeeeh, Chianaaah?" CeRell smiled widely, her face lit up with amusement.
"I’m soo pleeeased to seeeee you I have beeen searching sooo long." Her speech was slow, much like Chiana’s but much more drawn out. Each syllable savored, tasted and delivered with amusement and clearly a dangerously false note of friendship.
"How did you find me?"
"It’sss common knowledge where you were."
John had an eerie feeling he had met her before. But where, he had no idea. But definitely he was getting the feeling that the dren was hitting the fan. A lot of dren in a BIG fan.
"In answer to your quesstion. I have come to inquire asss to the location of my Music Box you sstole so long ago."
"I don’t know what you are talking about." Chiana answered pulling herself up and boosting herself with a desperate attempt at confidence and defiance.
"Ahhh The last time you and Neri left you took with you a small music box ornate with jewels. This you took from my room. It’s sad you don’t remember. Sad for your companionssssss. It would have brought you much credits for your journey. It’ssss vital you remember, Chianaaah. This wasssn’t any jewelry box but a key to a certain item I had been developing. With the coming ’planss’ it is imperative I find this box…"
"We sold all the items we took at the next commerce planet. I have no idea who it was that might have bought it…"
"Then I will have to help you rememberrrr. Yes. Put your weaponssss down please."
Everyone dropped their weapons at her smiling request. Each was clearly fighting and trying their best to keep possession of their guns. But still, each gun fell with a clang onto the floor. CeRell pulled out several chains.
"My dearessst Chianaaah. Pleassse chain your friends hands..."
Chiana, moving awkwardly as she fought against the mental force CeRell was clearly using, grabbed the chains and proceeded to chain up each of the crew.
"Tightly…Chiannaaah…"
When she finished chaining Zhaans hands, Chiana kicked the guns against the wall. CeRell motioned for her to come and stand in front of her. She looked into Chianna’s eyes deeply. Tears begain to roll down Chiana’s face.
"Ahhh…" CeRell chuckled with obvious glee. "Very veerrryyeee goood. Ahhhh…Chiannaaah…Good."
She turned her dark expressionless eyes to D’Argo. Chiana crumpled in a limp heap holding her head in obvious pain. John sprang forward to try to catch her.
"Everyeeeone to your kneessss."
They all dropped with resistance to their knees, clearly struggling against an invisible force.
D’Argo began twitching.
"Sssoo you are D’Argo. You could have picked a better mate Chianaaah. This Luxan is alreadyee growing tired of you. But you were mearly passing time with him weren’t you. And the one you love, this sebacean."
John’s face showed the strain he was under as he tried to resist her.
"No…human., John Crichton. Ah a new species. Yess..you are right, Chianaaah. He thinksss of you as a sisterrr…" She laughed low with clear amusement. She ran a loving claw along John’s jaw. "And John Crichton" She paused looking intently at John . John was struggling then his head dropped forward to his chest. "Lovesss Aeryn Sun…"
She turned her attention to Aeryn who had a clear look of fear in her eyes. Pain washed over her face as CeRell turned her intent gaze upon her dark head. "This Aeryn Sun lovess, " She laughed with complete amusement. "Though she doesn’t admit it, even to herself, Aeryn Sun loves John Crichton. Excellent!" She continued on to Zhaan. "No passionssss here to use…Zhaan…I will have to find a use for you. And the missing Hynerian, perhaps I should simply kill him on sight."
"Why are you doing this?" Chiana cried.
"Why Chianaah. You nearly ruined my life’s work with your theft, you shall pay just like Neri and his friends paid."
"YOU killed Neri!"
"He couldn’t lead me to the Music Box. Sadly, he and his friends couldn’t hold up to the interrogation."
"Why didn’t you make another?" Chiana angrily responded.
"Oh I did. But in the meantime I lost credibility with my superiors. Thus the reason I am now free to wreck my revenge on my siblings." She smiled. "And the original box is the only box I can use to pilot the ship I created. So you can see. The quicker I find that box, the sooner I’ll be out of your life."
She turned back to John. "Yes, John Crichton. You might call me a freak. I was but a genetic experiment of my father. Whom, I believe, you know intimately. I am half Nebari: Chiana, her brother, Neri, and I shared the same mother. I was created before she escaped to Nebari. Small universe, isn’t it? Yes, you are correct, John Crichton. You are quick and most intriguing. My father was Scorpious. Half sebacean," She nodded kindly at Aeryn, "and half Scarren." She looked back at John. "You know him so well, because he implanted a mental microchip in your brain. I either have to kill you or take it out. Zhaan, perhaps your talents will come in helpful here. I shall hate to kill you before enjoying you, John Crichton."
"No, Aeryn Sun. I was raised in a laboratory. Sterile, lifeless, empty…Much like I am now that is true. When my gifts didn’t show as a child, I was sold into slavery, to traders. My talent grew I learned to use it and escaped. I fled to Nebari where I learned my craft, creating Nebari gunships. My talent continued to grow." She smiled looking at them affectionately. "And here I am. Meeting you all. Everyone to your feet. It is time to start."
As she herded them to Moya’s prison cells she stated. "Chiana I shall leave you free to roam the ship and remember about the original music box."
"But Aeryn Sun, it is not so much a music box, as it is a key to my masterpiece. A gunship to surpass all gunships. The music, you see, resonates with the jewels; the resulting harmonics are the key to controlling the ship. The box I seek I created to harmonize with my electrical brain impulses-allowing me, the pilot, to control all the ships sections, mentally. It took my entire lifetime to create that one box. To find the exact blend of jewels. The second box I created runs the ship, but only manually by the pilot..So you see, I must have that original box."
They reached the cells. "Zhaan, John Crichton, you stay with me. We have things to accomplish. Ahh, D’Argo that is delicious. No you can’t kill me; I have total control over your body. Such thoughts won’t get you anywhere. Oh..now that would have. I hadn’t thought of that. Chiana-you have learned a lot in your time with these beings. Of course you will stay in a cell…I can’t have you running about the ship, undermining my plans…" She motioned D’Argo, Chiana and Aeryn into the room. "Oh, thank you John Crichton, everyone hand over your com badges"
CeRell pocketed the liberated coms and moved off with John and Zhaan. Aeryn moved to the door.
"He’s had a mental chip in his brain all this time?" She gasped in horror as she watched them march down the corridor.
Once in the kitchen she had John lay face down on the counter. "You will feel under the skin at the base of his skull…You’ll just barely feel the chip…You will cut it out."
"I can’t. I‘m not a surgeon; I’m a healer."
CeRell shrugged her shoulders. "Doesn’t matter. He’s not a patient; he’s a victim. Start cutting or I’ll do it for you but I’d rather he stay alive for a while longer."
Zhaan hesitated and picked up her knife. "I’ll need my hands free."
"No you won’t."
She went to get her herbs.
"No need for that."
"But he’ll need pain killers!"
"The pain won’t kill him, proceed with the operation. I don’t have much time, the Hynerian is loose."
Zhaan’s body staggered awkwardly over to John. "You can’t force me to do this!" She cried out.
"Oh but I can!" CeRell laughed. "I can make you do anything I wish. Haven’t you noticed?" she added softly. She found she liked Zhaan; her innate calmness; her subtle strength.
Zhaan’s hand slowly, jerkily moved to the back of John’s head. "All right! I’ll do it. Leave me alone!"
CeRell tilted her head.
"John I’m so sorry." Zhaan whispered.
"Just get it out." John growled as he reached over his head and grabbed the edge of the table.
His scream of pain as she dug for the chip was heard back in the prison cells. Aeryn’s hands turned white as she gripped the metal slats of the door. D’Argo wasn’t aware of the blood dripping from his hand as the metal cut into his palm where he gripped the door. Chiana clung to D’Argo’s arm fear pinched her face.
Zhaan pulled the tweezers from the wound and dropped the metal disk on the table. CeRell picked it up.
"Well father, this little ploy is over. Say goodbye to Scorpious, John Crichton" She dropped it on the floor and crushed it thoroughly under her heel.
End Part 1