Eating Me

by Anne Dobbs

Summary: just before John and co. baorded Rovhu, and up to her pilots death.

The Xari surrounded him. Grinning stupidly. Only crazy animals, but with a taste for flesh.

Rovhus Pilot shivered, they were hungry. Again. He braced himself for yet another attack ; he didn't fight back anymore. It had been a few monens since the peacekeepers left. Poor Rovhu floated in spaced, crying for help, she hated the control collar, now she was vonerable to attack from Sheyangs, not that there was anything worth taking. The Xari had been chewing on her for some time now. So alone, noone even knew she was there. Rovhu went into despair, she seldom spoke to her pilot anymore, they were past caring about eachother anymore. She wanted just to be free again, and with other leviathans; and he wanted to go home.

After time, Rovhu began to forget what it was like to be free, to be happy. She lay in space and gave up, no longer struggleing with her collar, she just flaoted in space. The eternal peace of death became inviting. And she slept while the Xari continued to eat her, soon the damage was too great, even if the collar came off somehow, she would die anyway. She bearly noticed the battered transport pod dock, and they would free her from Kaarvok, she could starburst and die.

Rovhus pilot sat in his chamber, Rovhu screamed out in agony but he just didn't care. the Xari were busy wrecking his consell yet again. He only had one arm left now and Kaarvok always made them leave it. Shot were fired. This terrified him, and he opened his eyes just the Xari ran off. Some subacean stood in the doorway. Rovhus pilot started to scream and lash out. He no longer saw any hope, and anyone on the ship, in his mind everyone wanted to hurt him (or eat him). The subacean said he was called Crichton, a human, and he had no inytension of hurting him. That came as a shock.

JOhn had tried to comfort him, and reasured him, but Rovhus pilot's do not have faith. He couldn't do what John asked him to do, neither did he care. Living had become a teadious chore, a cruel punishment, death, however, seemed to be inviting, something Rovhus pilot would welcome. And it couldn't come soon enough. Being alive had become to painful to endure and Rovhus pilot had spent most of half a cycle either asleep or being eaten. He hated ther Xari and Kaarvok, and he hated living.

Kaarvok said the worst threat, he told Rovhus pilot that he was going to kill him. This was the one thing he wanted, to finely be at peace. Last thoughts. Blinded, paralised, then he'd forgotten even who he was.....And the darkness crept in, quiet and restful at last. Rovhus pilot slipped away. Finely he could be at peace, he no-longer had to suffer the endless attacks of the Xari.

Rovhus pilot opened his eyes. Damn! still alive! No, wait, what happened , he was sitting next to his cycle, and over the other side was his fresh corpse! Crichton appeared to be trying to wake him, but no luck, he left the room.

There was a subacean holding his claw. "lets get out of here Lorerarius. " She said. She'd called him by his name?

"who the frell are you?" He asked her

"Gilina Reneaz, you don't know me but Crichton does. Rovhu will be coming here soon."

Gilina took him to Reetlash, a planet he hadn't heard of. In one of the rooms a pilot was in a coma, she breathed slowly, as she was on a heart-lung machine. The peacekeepers had nearly killed her, but failed.

"Tye!" said Lorarius.......