The Elephant: Eps 1 - 11
By Neuroscpr
The Elephant Ep1
Tom Wells stared up at the stars. Or how many stars you could see on a hazy evening in Los Angeles. He wanted so much to see those stars up close. The dream of a little boy long gone that had not left. He looked at the glasses in his hands. Without them he could hardly see anything. A permanent reminder that he was stuck on this planet forever. When humanity finally did venture out into that infinite blackness, he would watch it on television. So here he was, on the roof of his apartment building. He was twenty now. A grown man with an impossible wish. An empty notepad lay in front of him. If he couldn’t go to the stars, they would come to him. In his mind at least. He shook his head, frustrated. There would be no writing tonight. He stood to leave when out of the corner of his eye, something flashed. The brightest light in the sky had gotten bigger. He watched, partly with fascination and also fear. It continued to grow until his view of downtown had disappeared completely. Panicking, he thrust himself towards the fire escape. As he grabbed onto it’s metal rails, the structure gave way and he tumbled over the side. Tom Wells never hit the ground.
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John Crichton felt content for the first time in too many months. He sat quietly against the wall in the maintenance bay humming softly to himself. Aeryn Sun, his love, worked diligently at the workbench in front of him. After the destruction of her prowler, they had gone to great lengths to find another one. It was a horrid thing. The hull was burnt and misused. The paint eroded away. But she loved the hunk of metal more than life itself. He would find her each day, toiling over it like a mother with her child. She noticed his gaze upon her and looked up. "What are you staring at?" He grinned. "You know what I’m staring at." She blushed lightly and went back to work. Crichton stood up quickly and moved towards her. Reaching her side, he pulled his head in next to hers. "Not now John. I need to finish this." She said the words without looking up. "Just one," he begged. She looked up at him, smiling warily. "Alright, but then I have to get back to work." He kissed her softly. She returned his affection, the tool in her hand falling to the floor. "Crichton!" Pilot’s shrill voice suddenly filled the room. John groaned as he stepped back. "What is it Pilot?" His words were tainted with annoyance. "Forgive me for interrupting but Talyn is here. And Crais wants to talk to you." John looked at Aeryn, puzzled looks on both their faces. "Me?"
When they arrived at the hanger doors, Talyn had already connected with Moya. D’Argo and Chiana had arrived as well. "Looks like the gangs all here." John looked fondly at his shipmates. "Where’s sparky and Zhaan?" D’Argo grunted, "They’re on their way." The doors began to slide slowly open and Bialar Crais appeared at the entrance. Dressed in his peackeeper captain’s uniform, the man cut a menacing figure. The crew watched him carefully as he stepped inside. Ignoring their icy glares, he walked forward to meet them. "Hello all." His greeting was met by simple nods and Luxan growls. "I should have known not to expect a warm welcome. But nevertheless-." John cut him off. "What do you want Crais?" The ex-peackeeper nodded. "I’ve brought you something John. Something, I suspect, will be of great interest to you." D’Argo’s patience gave out. "Why would we accept anything from you!" Crais ignored the outburst. "I do not expect warm welcomes. Yet I do remember certain instances where-." Aeryn opened her mouth for the first time. "What did you bring him?" "To the point as always Aeryn. Yes." He motioned towards the open hanger doors. A young man walked in. To Crichton, he seemed to be no more than nineteen or twenty. He stepped forward cautiously. Every step seemed to be carefully planned. They all eyed him with great interest, Crichton especially. The man was wearing a black peackeeper flight suit but under it, a dark blue sweatshirt could be seen. Printed on its front, were the letters U.S.C. John ran up quickly. The man did not back away. "What do those letters mean?" The other looked at him, a confused look on his face. "University of Southern California." John could not speak. All the color drained from his face as he stared at the man. "You’re human?"
A table had been set up in the central chamber. Six pairs of uneasy eyes stared back at him. The two in the middle, Crichton and Aeryn, watched him closely. His every gesture and movement was met with careful analysis. A grin spread slowly on John’s face. "So many things I want to ask." He leaned heavily against the table. The most trivial questions kept floating to the top. "Who won the superbowl this year?" The young man looked amused. "You’ve been out here for over three years and you want to know who won the superbowl?" Noticing Crichton’s stunned face he answered. "The Ravens." Shocked, John stammered. "Baltimore?" Both of them laughed at the absurdity of the situation. The others held blank expressions. Unable to hold back the emotion, John lunged forward and hugged the frightened man. He held him there for what seemed like hours. Finally pushing away, a new question filled his mind. "How did you get here?"
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He awoke suddenly inside a dark cylinder-like chamber. The walls around him beeped and chirped as lights flickered on and off. A large window opened up in front of him and he realized for the first time where he was. Millions of stars shown brightly in front of him. Attempting to find a familiar constellation, the fact dawned on him that these stars were different. A small video screen burst to life as he moved himself around. It was a cockpit. The screen was instantly filled with the face of a stern looking man. "Follow my instructions exactly or you’re ship will be detonated." Panicking, he searched frantically for a way out. On each side of him he saw hundreds of other crafts like his. "I’m flying an airplane." The voice reacted to his words. "A prowler to be exact." What looked like a rifle scope appeared on the window’s surface. It locked onto a larger vessel that floated in front of him. "Destroy the designated craft and you will remain alive. Fail and we will detonate your ship." The same threat as before. The other prowlers began to move towards the target. He noticed what looked like a joystick in front of him. Grabbing onto on of the handles, the ship responded immediately. His view suddenly turned upside down as the prowler rolled to the left. The video screen popped up again. "Destroy the-." He shook his head in frustration. "I get the point."
The controls were astonishingly easy to learn. After a few more flips and rolls, he had the hang of it. Moving towards the target vessel in front of him, he realized that it was firing back. Wave after wave of prowlers were destroyed as they attempted to attack. He noticed gun turrets were positioned along the ship’s roof. Pulling the prowler into a dive, he shot straight up at the enemy. "How do I shoot?" A red button on the console in front of him began blinking. He pressed down on it several times. Instantly, four torpedo-like objects shot from below him. He watched in astonishment as they closed in on their target. Suddenly two of the rockets exploded in mid-flight. Another gun turret had appeared from the bottom. Unfortunately, it could not handle four shots at once. The second two rockets impacted with the moving gun and it erupted in flames. The fire spread quickly upward and within moments the entire vessel detonated. Fascinated, he did not know whether to cheer or cry out. What had he just done. He did not have much time to ponder this. The view around him began to fragment and disappear.
The man from the screen stood before him. He felt an unnatural weight on his shoulders. A large black collar was wrapped around his neck. "Well done. Very good move for a first try." He stared up, frightened by the dungeon-like look of the room. The collar contained miniature screens like the one on the ship. "That didn’t just happen?" The man smiled at him. "It did indeed. You were controlling the prowler via the collar but the mission was in fact completed." He shook his head. "I destroyed that ship?" The man nodded. "And the attack regiment it contained. You saved us a great deal of time." He motioned to two guards that stood rigid against the wall. They came forward and picked up the confused pilot. "Everything will be explained in time."
"Heard you hit em good!" The soldier eyed him with keen interest. "Where am I?" They did not answer him. As the trio rounded another corner, a vast hall came into view. He could see hundreds of men and women like the soldiers. As well as many strange and grotesque looking creatures. The soldiers put him down in a stool. "Eat while you still can." Those were their last words before they turned on their heels and left. He sat there confused for several moments as everyone around him voraciously downed their meals. A bowl of colorful cubes was placed in front of him. Picking one up, he popped it into his mouth. It tasted good. Surveying his surroundings, it occurred to him that he wasn’t wearing glasses. Turning to the nearest human-looking person, he asked, "is there something on my eyes?" The woman, annoyed at being interrupted, gave him a funny look. "What color are they supposed to be?" Confused, he said "Brown." She laughed. "Nope. They’re grey now. Must have fitted you with new ones." She turned back to her food. Stunned, he lifted a finger to his right eye. It felt the same. "New ones?"
He felt rough hands grip his shoulders. He turned to find a new set of soldiers standing behind him. "Time for debriefing." They did not bother to say more as he was dragged from his plate of food.
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"You were actually abducted from Earth?" Crichton’ hopes of finding his home resurfaced. The young man nodded. "Right off the roof of my house." Aeryn had a question now. "High Command makes the decision to randomly recruit only in emergency situations. Why were you abducted. He looked at her. She reminded him of those soldiers on the ship. "You were a peacekeeper?" She nodded slowly. "Not anymore." Her manner did not seem like that of the soldiers. There was a more relaxed way about her. "This is what they told me at the debriefing. A convoy of three command carriers was sent to put down a rebellion in the solar system where we were orbiting. The Auriga, the Daggoth, and the Hyperion." Recognition flashed on Aeryn’s face. "I know those ships. I dreamed of serving on the Hyperion as a young girl." He continued. "Apparently, the Auriga was ordered to destroy the resisting colony. But the captain, a man named Draculic that I never met, refused. He turned the ship around towards deep space but the other two ships cut him off." Aeryn cut in. "He disobeyed orders?" He nodded. "Because of it, the other two ships were ordered to destroy him and his entire escort. Most of the original crew resisted their captain’s choice and surrendered. They were all slaughtered. Out of capable pilots, Draculic sent out probes in all directions. I was taken by one of these probes. I was forced to protect his ship from the Hyperion and the Daggoth.
Everyone listened attentively as he told the story. Even D’Argo seemed to calm down. The human had been a prisoner of the peackeepers. Just like him. John held up his hands. "Ok, lets back up here a minute. With all this confusion, we didn’t ask what your name was." The young man stared at him blankly. He slowly pulled up his sleeve to reveal a large black tattoo. The numbers 0377 were printed there. Aeryn looked at Crichton. "That code sequence is for prisoners of war." They looked to 0377 for an explanation. He nodded.
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The ice cold metal chair was very uncomfortable. In front of him, the stern looking man eyed him with great interest. "My name is Lt. Zasz. You are the last of the test pilots to arrive. There is not much time to explain what has happened to you. All that you need to know now is that you will fight or die. Do as you are told and perhaps you will live to see your home again." Thoughts of home circled through his head. How he had wished to be among the stars. Now all he wanted was to see L.A. again. The stern man continued to speak. Some sort of battle was going to take place. He was going to fight in this battle. Seeing his lack of attention, the man stepped forward and smacked him hard. The sting of the blow sent immense pain through his face. "I’m going to die."
The march had been brief. He stood now in what appeared to be a large hanger. Hundreds of planes like the one he had used were lined up. As the soldiers pushed him forward, he saw the same beings that had been in the mess hall. Had they all been taken like him? Arriving at his designated Prowler, he was ordered inside. The cockpit was familiar to him now and orienting himself took little time. As he snapped the restraints into their locks, a wall on the far side of the hanger began to rise. Billions of stars greeted him as the door to outer space was opened. One by one, each prowler before him blasted out into the darkness. When his turn came, he accelerated forward and out.
The incredible sense of freedom and excitement did not last long. Before him, the scene was a frightening one. Two massive spaceships loomed just within view. He noticed what seemed like thousands of smaller crafts floating around them. The same video screen appeared with the stern man once again giving orders. "Destroy everything you see before you. You must not allow any harm to come to the Auriga or you will be detonated. ‘Fight or die huh." He steered his ship towards the fray and prayed to God.
Laser blasts were being fired in all directions. He hardly had time to maneuver around one when another appeared. He watched in awe as the two opposing battleships sent wave after wave of blasts. It was a losing fight. He could see the number of pilots dwindling. The prowlers were destroying each other while the three largest ships remained dormant. Heading away from the main attack area, he flew unopposed towards the Daggoth. Its enormity was spellbinding. It filled his entire window. Firing multiple shots at its hull, he watched as the rockets did little more than light up the area around the ship. He couldn’t do this alone. A large explosion jolted him from his mission. He turned to see the Auriga in terrible shape. A direct hit from the Hyperion had crippled its left side and the massive craft was steering itself towards the prowlers. Plowing through the field, it destroyed as many of its own fighters as of the others.
Turning back to the Daggoth, he searched for anything that might be susceptible to his attacks. How could he possibly make a difference in this fight if he didn’t know where anything was? The video screen flickered for the final time. Stern man’s face was bloody and shout could be heard behind him. "Direct your craft towards the Hyperion now!" Frightened by the man’s wild shouts, he cried out "What?" The prowler suddenly jerked and changed direction. Frantically, he tried to regain control of the vessel. It was now pointed at the Hyperion. This was the largest of the three ships and it was fully engaged with the Auriga. A flash of light cut across space and closed around him. He felt the prowler change directions again. The Daggoth had caught him in a tractor beam. Using all the force that his small ship could muster, he managed to pull away from the tractor beam. Looking down at his screen he saw strange symbols flashing. It did not take much thinking to figure out what was going on. A countdown had been activated. He searched frantically for some sort of stop button. Finally, in frustration he yelled out "Eject!"
Nothing happened at first. Then with a soft whine, he heard movement below him. The seat exploded upward and smashed through the windshield. He managed to click his helmet into place seconds before his body was floating in outer space. He watched in amazement as his prowler hurtled aimlessly in front of him. A large box-like container was attached to the ship’s bottom. Smashing against the Daggoth’s hull, the prowler exploded and its pieces were dispersed. But something was still there. The container had attached itself to the larger ship. A bright flash of light filled the area around him. The Daggoth exploded in a gigantic fireball that extended in all directions. He looked on in horror as the Auriga also exploded. The two ships sent chunks of debris catapulting through space. He was almost hit by shards of metal and mangled corpses. Bile shot up through his throat as he recognized the stern man floating alongside him. A hideous stare fixed on his face.
Slowly but surely, he could feel a force moving him towards the Hyperion. He watched in fear as it’s massive hanger doors opened to welcome him.
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A harsh shaking snapped him back into the moment. Crichton and Aeryn sat motionless in front of him. "You destroyed the ship?" Aeryn’s face was fixed in disbelief. 0377 nodded his head slightly. The guilt returned without mercy to torture him again. "I didn’t realize...." His voice trailed off as he lowered his head. "You should get some rest." John was concerned for this poor man. He knew from personal experience that being torn from your home and forced into a strange situation could be very difficult. "Aeryn, let’s go find him a cell." She nodded and they helped the stranger up from the table. Finding an empty room nearby, they laid him down and turned the lights down low. "Thank you," he whispered as they left.
The gun appeared from nowhere and fired into him. He could see the blood gushing from the wound as his body was racked with pain. "Ahhhhhhh!" 0377 awoke suddenly from the dream. He was lying on the floor of what looked like a cell. His body was covered in soft orange blankets that shined with the light in the room. He stood up cautiously to survey his surroundings. Something laying next to him on the floor caught his eye. A small metal device in a sort of rounded shape. He picked it up and shook it. Nothing happened. Tapping it lightly with his finger, a humming sound began emanating. "Yes?" Pilot’s voice came out of the comm, causing him to jump back. "Hello?" He could think of nothing to say. "Is there something you wanted?" Pilot’s voice seemed slightly amused. "Um yes. Is there somewhere that I could wash my clothes?" He sniffed himself quickly and decided it was a good idea.
0377 walked silently into the room that Pilot had indicated. There was a large fountain in the middle of it with filled with water. Believing that he was alone, he walked quickly up to it. He was stopped short when he saw the grey woman kneeling in the water. He could not help but stop for a moment and take in her comely form. The others had called her Chiana. "Enjoying the view?" Crichton appeared behind him and slapped his back softly. The grin on his face was infectious and 0377 could not help but laugh. Aeryn Sun came in behind John but said nothing. She walked across the room and sat down. He could see her angrily attempting to wash something from her vest. At this point, Chiana realized that she had company. Turning to face 0377, she winked at the confused human. The devilish look on her face was disconcerting. He smiled back. "Can I wash my clothes here?" She stepped out of the water and came towards him. Inches from his face she stopped. "Let me get those for you." She purred the words more than she spoke them. He stood frozen as she took them from his hands and walked slowly back to the fountain.
"Don’t worry about it." John shook his head as he said the words. "Its always nice to have someone." 0377 looked at him, a painful expression on his face. "What?" Intrigued, both Aeryn and Chiana were now paying close attention.
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His arms and legs were firmly chained to the wall. He was standing up straight, unable to move. In front of him he could see several men in black and red uniforms discussing something of great importance. Finally one turned to him. "My name is Lt. Sargas. You have been captured by the command carrier Hyperion. "Why?" The question seemed silly. He was perfectly aware of what he had done. "You destroyed the Daggoth young one. Killing over two thousand soldiers in the process. Not to mention that you were working with the traitor Draculic." The Lt. looked him over carefully. "It is lucky for you that we cannot yet identify your species. Otherwise you would probably be dead by now." Sargas smiled at the look of fear on the young man’s face. "You have not ident chips that name you. Consider 0377 your new name. You are now a prisoner of the Peacekeepers." With those words the Lt. walked quickly out of the room. Two men dressed in what looked it black mechanics uniforms stepped up to him. They began applying small electrodes to his body. "Is this going to hurt?" 0377 was sweating now. One of them looked him coldly in the eye. "Yes."
Lt. Sargas returned a short while later. Standing close to 0377 he spoke. "I will ask you a question. If you fail to answer, the teks will blast you with energy. If you respond, perhaps we will let you live." He stepped back a safe distance from the wall. The two teks began flipping switches on the large machine that had been brought in. It started to hum ominously. "We can take a sample of your blood and match it to a species. But perhaps you will save us the trouble. What species are you?" 0377 remembered what the man had said earlier. If he wanted to live for now he would have to keep quiet. "What species are you!" He said nothing. "Very well." Sargas motioned to the teks. A red electrical charge burst out the machine and hit him. He felt a strange tingle throughout his body but no pain. Looking at Sargas, he realized that this was supposed to hurt. Doing his very best acting, he began to convulse and scream. "Ahhhhh. Please no more!" The Lt. waved his hands and the blast stopped. "What species are you?" 0377 snarled, "Go to hell!" The electricity shot out again. It was more powerful than before but still painless. He fought to keep from laughing as the tickles ran through his body. "Noooooooo!"
"You are stronger than you look 0377." Sargas watched him closely. What could have been a look of admiration crossed his face. "Take him to the holding cells. He cannot resist forever. A pair of soldiers entered and unhooked him from the wall. They carried him down into the deepest parts of the ship. A chamber the size of a prison on Earth was waiting for him. Everything was written in strange symbols. He could not make out any of the words. The small convoy finally reached a large black desk. A large man in a red uniform sat behind it. "Number!" The voice was cruel and unnerving. "0377 sir." The man nodded his head and pointed to the left. "Cell 1028. Last one on the left." He went back to his work as they passed silently.
The metal bars slammed shut in front of him and he flinched involuntarily. Realizing for the first time just how bad his predicament was, he shouted back to the guards. "Please you’ve made a mistake!" Stupid words really. He could not think of anything that could get him out of this mess. Surprisingly, one of the soldiers turned and came back. He grinned horridly and smashed the butt of his rifle into 0377's jaw. Falling back hard against the cell’s floor. He lost consciousness.
Sometime later he woke up. Groggily, he opened his eyes and realized that someone was kneeling over him. It was a woman. "Good. I thought for a moment that they had put a corpse in here with me." She leaned back from him and sat against the wall. His eyes adjusted to the light enough so that he could see her clearly. She was beautiful. Shoulder-length black hair that cascaded down her face and clear green eyes that.... She slapped him hard across the cheek. "What the frell do you think you’re doing. I will not be looked at like that by the likes of you." Her voice was angry but the look on her face seemed perfectly calm. "I’m sorry but I-." She shook her head. "You’re not sebacean are you." He groaned softly. "No, I’m human." She looked confused. "I do not know that species." He could see scars on her arms and face. "What did they do to you?" She eyed him cautiously. "Torture. I disobeyed a direct order from command. It is the customary punishment." Shocked, he inquired more. "That doesn’t bother you?" "I disobeyed orders. The punishment fits the crime." She backed off into a dark corner of the room where he could not see her. "Now leave me alone. I was trying to sleep."
Despite her words, it was she who instigated the conversation a few minutes later. "Why are you here?" He looked up from his thoughts. She was still in the darkness. "I destroyed a command carrier." Her face appeared out the shadows. "You?" She said the words almost laughing. "How could you have possibly-." Noting the look in his eyes she stopped. He had his head in his lap and his hands over his eyes now. "What’s wrong with you?" He glanced over at her. Tears had formed in his eyes. "I killed over two thousand people." She smirked, "You couldn’t have done it all by yourself." He shook his head. "I crashed my ship into the Daggoth. There was a bomb strapped to it and the whole thing exploded. I had no choice." Standing up now, she said, "They were your enemies. Would have done the same to you. So why feel bad about it?" He smiled. "Its called remorse. You feel bad for doing something wrong even if you didn’t mean to." "I am not familiar with that." Confusion settled on her face. "A human emotion?" "Something like that." He raised his hand to her. "What’s your name?" She ignored the hand but responded. "Meryl. Yours?" He frowned. "0377."
He fell asleep not long after that. Later, when he woke up again she was gone. Meryl. He let himself imagine just for a moment what it would be like to touch her skin. Shaking his head, he growled to himself. "You have seen way too many movies man." She was obviously a soldier and he was nothing but a frail human prisoner. He let the thought leave him and concentrated on something more important. How the hell was he going to get out of here.
He was awake when they brought her back. The two guards tossed her in harshly. If not for him, she would have hit the ground hard. Holding her up, he realized that she had new scars. "What did they do to you?" Her face was soft for a moment. "Punishment fits the crime." She whispered the words without much conviction. "That lines starting to get old," he whispered back. He placed her in the dark spot on her side of the cell and returned to his. They both fell asleep without saying another word.
A loud mechanical roar woke them both up a few hours later. Massive generators lined up against the wall began whirring and dispersing warm air. "What’s happening?" Meryl sat up, tilting her head to see out the window. "Different species are affected by different temperatures. They change from hot to cold periodically to wear us down." He stood up and walked to the door. "What affects sebaceans?" She groaned. "The heat." As the hot air filled the room, they both began to sweat. 0377 could see that she was beginning to look sick. "Are you going to be alright?" She looked up at him. "No."
Meryl was visibly shaking now. The sweat poured down her face and into her eyes. He was concerned now but stayed away. "At least take off the jacket." She was wearing prison issue overalls and a jacket. He stepped towards her. "No. I can do it myself." She struggled with the jacket but could not manage to pry it off. "Here, I got it." He grabbed the edge of her sleeve and pulled it slowly from her. As the jacket came off, he pulled at the collar. Attempting to remove it completely, his hand accidentally brushed her uncovered shoulder. She looked up at him in alarm. They stayed that way for what seemed like hours. Just staring at each other. He felt the texture of her skin for just a moment before she pulled away and knocked his hand off. "Thank you." She said nothing else.
He sat back against the wall. Something had happened there. He knew it. There had been no intention on his part to do it but something had happened. 0377 smiled to himself for a moment before closing his eyes.
The situation changed drastically within the next several hours. The heaters had stopped and the air had returned to normal. Meryl had quickly reached for her jacket and retreated into the darkness. Without him asking her, she said "Its called heat delirium." He nodded. "Does it hurt much?" "It is incredibly painful but the affects dissipate as quickly as they arrive." 0377 felt a small chill run through his body. The air was getting colder. Within minutes he was shivering uncontrollably. "The cold is bad for humans?" she asked. He nodded. Meryl removed her jacket quietly and tossed it to him. He looked at her, the same stare as when they first met. "Is this an act of friendship?" Her eyes narrowed and her mouth twisted into a frown. "Ok, I’ll consider it pity then." She nodded slowly. "Yes, pity."
She disappeared again as he slept. But this time she did not return when he woke up.
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"Wow." Crichton stared amazed at the man in front of him. All the feelings he held inside gushed to the surface as he examined what had just been said. He had felt something like that with Aeryn. Not at first, but it had happened. He turned towards her but she was busy with her vest. "I know how you feel." 0377 spoke the words as softly as he could. The look in John’s eyes told him that they were both thinking the same things. Looking up at Aeryn Sun, he realized that it must have been just as difficult with her.
"Frell, what is it with humans and peacekeeper gals?" Chiana’s comment broke the heavy silence that had settled on the room. Everyone turned to look at her but said nothing. Aeryn’s eyes narrowed as she watched both John and 0377. They seemed to get along rather well. There was a certain comfort between the two of them. This scared her but she didn’t know why. "Well, thank you Chiana." 0377 stood and walked out of the room. "I have some things I have to do." His words came out hollow. Disappearing out the door, he left three bewildered crew members.
He dropped onto the makeshift bed. Feeling the cold metal against his skin he closed his eyes. She was there in his mind. That face. John and Aeryn gave him a slight glimmer of hope. Perhaps if they could work it out, so could... He pushed the thought out of his head. "I should have said something more." A knock at the door interrupted his thoughts. Aeryn Sun was standing in his doorway. An uncertain look plastered on her face. "May I come in?" He nodded quickly. The woman made him nervous. She was beautiful but that wasn’t the only reason. Meryl had the same black hair. The same harsh expression. He could see it in Aeryn and it brought back painful memories. It had felt good to tell his story to someone else.
"Why are you looking at me like that? Stop it!" Her face turned angry as she shouted. 0377 backed up against the wall and shielded his face. "I’m sorry, I’m sorry!!" She shook her head. "I am with Crichton." She muttered the words a few more times. "Yes, I know." Aeryn was confused. "Then why did you look at me like that? John looks at me like that." He smiled despite the hurt. "Its just that you remind me her." Her face softened a bit. "Meryl?" "Yes. Your face, it has much in common with hers. I didn’t mean it that way. On earth, when we think someone is beautiful, we let them know. It doesn’t automatically mean that we want to be with them." She laughed and he could definitely understand what Crichton saw in her. "You go around staring at every woman like that?" "Not all."
Aeryn spotted something on him. "Blood?" 0377 looked down at his pants. There was in fact a small stain of blood. "Yes...."
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She had come back two days later. The waiting and wondering had almost driven him mad. To meet someone like that and then just have them disappear. The guards brought her in as before. Her body seemed limp and weak. He set her down gently on the ground and touched her hair lightly. She shuddered a bit but did not push him away. She smiled for just a moment and then her face settled into sleep. He watched her like that for a while, not wanting to upset the look on her face. His eyes soon too began to shut. The world went black again.
Sirens were blaring throughout the chamber. Red emergency lights turned the cell into an eery storm of noise. Meryl was fully awake now. She seemed very agitated by what was happening. 0377 stood up and walked to the bars. "What’s happening?" His question went unanswered. Then the man from the front desk came on over the loudspeakers. "Escaped prisoner! Send reinforcements now!" His heart began racing. The blood in his face drained as he realized that this might actually be his chance for escape. Meryl joined him at the door. "They’ll never get out alive." Her words were grim and her expression serious. Loud footsteps could be heard charging down the hall.
"Over here!" 0377 shouted as hard as he could over the sirens. The frenzied man had passed by quickly. His face was riddled with scars and his hair appeared to have been burned. He was wearing the same prison uniform as Meryl. The escapee didn’t seem to hear 0377 at first but then turned. "We don’t have much time!" 0377 could hardly respond. "Please, just get me out." The man looked at him for a moment. His eyes glowed for a moment and then he shouted back. "Alright, stand back." He pulled a small grey card key from his pocket and inserted it into the door. Suddenly a pistol was against his head. "Hands in the air!" 0377 turned in shock to see Meryl holding the gun. She whipped him hard in the face with it and he went careening into the cell. The other man stood frozen. "Its y-yo-you?" Her face turned angry as she slammed her foot in his crotch. "Yes, its me." 0377 could not believe what he was seeing. Who was she? Meryl looked down at him for a moment. "Why?" She kicked him hard and he lost consciousness.
Lt. Sargas looked down at the sleeping human with interest. "Did you get everything you wanted from him captain?" Raynor shook her head. "No. The escaped prisoner interrupted the process. He knows what I am now." Sargas frowned. "Shall we try other methods?" She smiled. "Nothing else is necessary. These humans are gullible creatures. All I need is some time alone with him." He nodded and left her chamber quickly.
He stirred slightly. The pain was almost gone now but his jaw was still sore. 0377 opened his eyes and found himself somewhere new. The cell was replaced by a large chamber with massive black and red banners draped across the walls. In the middle sat a large throne-like chair. Meryl was sitting there, watching him. "You’re awake now?" He groaned loudly. "Did you have to hit me twice?" She laughed at this. Getting up from her chair, she moved quickly across the room and helped him up. He looked briefly into her eyes. They were cold now. The softness had disappeared. "Meryl, why did you do that?" She showed no signs of emotion. "You will address me as Captain Raynor from now on. Is that understood?" He nodded. ‘You didn’t answer my question." Even her voice seemed harsher now. "I did what I had to do. You were not responding to conventional methods." 0377 blinked rapidly. "The scars, they’re gone." Her hand shot involuntarily to her face. "They were not real." He stepped back. She could see the hurt in his eyes. Something about that look bothered her. "No, I won’t believe that. You can’t just fake what happened in there." Her eyes narrowed. "Can you honestly say that you felt nothing?" His directness made her nervous. This puny figure in front of her was challenging her word. "I did what I had to do." 0377 stepped towards her. "You said that already." He grabbed her hand and she did not push him away. In the harsh light of the room he could finally take in how amazing she looked. That cold stare disappeared for a moment and he thought he could see something warm. Something deeper. "I am a Captain. You can’t just come in here and expect me to give that up for a simple attraction." He could not contain the smile. She had said attraction. "Is that all it was for you?" She looked confused again. "I, I - ."
"Captain Raynor!" Lt. Sargas burst through the door. "We are under attack!" She pushed past 0377 and ran to him. "I want visuals now!" The human watched in awe as one of the walls disappeared to reveal a view of the space outside. An enormous black and red ship was destroying the smaller prowlers protecting the Hyperion. It rushed past the escort fleet and came in beside the command carrier. "We have the pilot online captain." Sargas looked at Raynor. He turned to look at the confused prisoner for a moment before returning his attention to the screen. Raynor growled angrily at him. "Well connect us Lt." She motioned for 0377 to keep back. A cruel looking man wearing a captains uniform appeared on the screen. His black hair was pulled back into a tail behind him. His face looked grim. "Order your ships to cease their attack or I will be forced to fire on you directly." His stare betrayed no sign of weakness or fear. "It is a bit presumptuous of you to order me Crais." Raynor matched his confident tone. "Ah, Captain Raynor. I see they’ve given you your own command carrier now. I applaud you. I seem to remember you being the youngest captain to date." His voice reeked of condescension. "I hope you are not mistaking youth for inexperience Bialar. I will fire on you if necessary." That was all that 0377 saw of the conversation before the guards dragged him out of the room. This was beginning to become annoyingly repetitive.
>>>>
"We never got to finish that talk." He looked at Aeryn. The sympathy in her face made him feel a bit better. "Perhaps you will someday. We can change you know. I am living proof of that." She was surprised at how easily the reassuring words came. She recognized herself less and less these days. "Peackeepers you mean?" She smiled. "Yes." The comm on her vest came to life. "Aeryn? Where are you? I need your help with something." She frowned. "I’ll be right there John." Turning back to 0377, she said "Humans seem so soft and weak. When you tell me of all the things that have happened to you and everything that John has gone through. . John’s been tortured for so long. I don’t know how he kept going." 0377 patted her softly on the back. He knew. "It was you." She stared back at him. The words burned deeply into her. That this man who had been with them for a few short arns could tell her such intimate things was perplexing. "It’s the way he acts around you. Can’t you see it?" She smiled broadly. "I think I can." He pulled something from his sweatshirt pocket. "I had forgotten that this was here." It was a small box with black material running through it. It reminded her of the tapes that John used to talk to his father. "I want you to give this to Crichton."
John Crichton was in the maintenance bay. Old prowler parts were strewn across the table and he was hard at work with one of them. He did not hear her enter. Aeryn walked slowly up to him. He looked up as she stopped. The kiss was warm and unexpected. They both smiled as they drew back. Sitting down next to him, she pulled the tape from her pocket and placed it on the table. "What was that for?" She grinned sheepishly. "Does there have to be a reason?" John laughed. "No, I suppose not." She pushed the tape towards him. His face filled with surprise. "Is that what I think it is?" She shrugged. "I don’t know myself." He pulled the old tape recorder from his toolbox and snapped the cassette into place. He looked at her, a little boy’s smile spread across his face. John clicked the play button.
"I thought that you’d be loving me. I thought you’d be the one who’d stay forever.... But now forever’s come and gone and I’m still here alone."
It was music. John laughed loudly. "Oh man that is music!" Aeryn covered her ears. "It sounds like noise to me." Her face was twisted into a frown. "No that is definitely Earth music. Not exactly my favorite song but it will do!" He turned the volume up louder and stood up. "Aeryn Sun, may I have this dance?" She looked up at him. Either with joy or skepticism, he couldn’t tell. "I couldn’t possibly dance to th..." He took her hand and dragged her from the chair. They fumbled for a moment before joining together. Her arms were wrapped around his neck and his own around her waist. "You’re doing great." She smiled despite the uncertainty. Keeping from stepping on his toes was becoming an endurance challenge. Aeryn put her head on his shoulder and they moved slowly to the melody.
0377 watched them quietly from outside the room. The wonderful scene in front of him filled him with hope. There seemed to be something inherently right about what was happening. Those two were meant for each other. He could not keep his thoughts from drifting to Meryl....
<<<<
It was a different cell this time. He had been moved to a new wing of the prison. The guard threw him in roughly. The cold sting of the floor smacked against his skin. A rustling sound came from the corner. "Who’s in here?" The question came out in a weak gasp. 0377 picked himself up and sat against the wall. "I am." A short man covered in blood stains appeared from the darkness. "You’re the guy that escaped!" It was the man that Meryl had captured. He was badly bruised and beaten. "Yes, that was me." Something flashed in 0377's memory. "Why did you help me? What was that thing you did with your eyes?" The beaten man nodded. "My race, the Nyid, are blessed with the ability to see truth. When my eyes flashed, I was able to see that your plea was sincere. Unfortunately I did not see your companion." "I am sorry about that. I didn’t know." The man moved quickly over next to him. He displayed an agility that did not fit an injured person. "My name is Bob. And yours?" "All I know is 0377. That is the only name I have now." Bob laughed. "How would you like to get out of here?" He pulled a small grey chip from below his coat. "I always carry a spare."
The sirens were blaring again as the guards reached cell 05. The bars were hanging open and the prisoners were gone. Down the hall, Bob and 0377 were running for their lives. "Which way is the hanger?" 0377's frantic question was almost lost in the noise. "To the left. Hurry!" They raced forward as fast they could. Mobilizing guards were everywhere. "In here!" Bob pointed to a large set of doors. He pushed his card into the slot and after a moment of tense fear, the doors swished open. Row after row of prowlers was waiting for them. "There’s a ship out there. If we can get to it, the captain might help us." Bob nodded quickly. "whatever you say."
The lone prowler burst from the hanger into open space. All around them, other ships were battling frantically to escape the enormous vessel. "Try hailing it on the radio." Bob tossed the microphone towards 0377. "Captain of the large black and red ship! We have escaped the command carrier. Can you assist us? Please!" Their plea was met with silence. It had been a mistake. The man on the video screen looked just like the peacekeepers. Why would he help them? The radio sputtered to life, jolting them from the scene outside. "This is captain Bialar Crais. I will inform you only once that Talyn will fire if you attempt to attack us." The voice was calm. No trace of anxiety or fear. "We have no intention of harming you. We need help! They’ll kill us!" Crais’s face appeared on the monitor. He seemed to be considering the request. "Why would I trust you?" Bob thrust himself forward. "Trust me. Any worthy captain knows that Nyids do not lie." Crais nodded. "Very well, but I warn you, Talyn will be watching you closely."
"What the frell just happened?" Captain Raynor shouted down at her Lt. Sargas looked up at his angry superior officer. "Two prisoners have escaped captain. We believe they have entered the Leviathon. "Why would Crais help them?" She ignored his answer and ran out of the room. "Where are you going?" Sargas followed close behind her. She did not bother to turn around. "Protocol dictates that all escaped prisoners be captured and executed." He nodded. "Yes, but why are you going? We could easily send a regiment in to do the job. Or just destroy the ship. " She stopped and slammed him against the wall. "Never question me."
A lone marauder shot out of the hanger doors and towards the Leviathon. Deterred by the intensity of the other ships, Talyn failed to notice the tiny vessel approaching.
0377 and Bob stepped slowly into the massive craft. The walls looked similar to the command carrier but something was different. They seemed alive. "Do not move." Crais’s cold voice could be heard before they saw him. He stepped slowly forward with weapon in hand. "We aren’t carrying any weapons." 0377's assurance went unanswered. Crais came forward and inspected the two odd-looking men. "Get inside quickly." He turned and walked back to into the ship’s main area. 0377 could not help but think that the man was still watching every move they made. On the ceiling, strange looking objects followed them as well. Something else was keeping a close watch on them. Bob ran forward to meet Crais but 0377 stood quietly. Talyn was amazing to behold. He touched the walls and felt a warmth emanating from inside.
Sargas had insisted on bringing a small contingent of soldiers. They stood ready to enter the ship at her command. She did not motion to them. Finally she turned. "I will go in alone. Come inside only if I instruct you." Sargas was confused. "But captain.." She was already outside the ship.
"0377!" He turned at the sound of his number. She was standing there. Meryl was standing there. She held her weapon at shoulder height, pointed directly at him. "Come to me now." He obeyed quickly and stepped forward. As he reached the end of her gun, she lowered it. Surprised, he looked quizzically at her. "I’m not going to hurt you." He wanted to believe her but his guard was still up. "Are all humans like you?" The question was odd and it threw him for a moment. "No. There are many different forms." She smiled. "If I let you go, will you promise to make me feel this way again?" Now he was really confused. "How...?" She did not wait for him to finish. Meryl wrapped her arms around 0377 and kissed him. The warmth of her lips on his made his body go limp. The emotions swirling inside both of them were intense. She fired the gun point blank into his chest. It was set on low, meant to stun not kill. He crumpled into her arms and she threw him into Talyn’s waiting hanger. She next turned the gun on herself. Blood burst from the impacted area and she fell quickly to the ground. Dragging herself back towards the marauder, she pressed the comm button. "Sargas! Get in here!"
As the startled unit of soldiers dragged their captain back into the ship, Talyn severed the connection and starbursted away. Lt. Sargas looked down at his wounded captain. "Captain Raynor, are you alright?" She frowned at him. "Frelling humans are stronger than they look." He nodded, though he could not help but question what had just happened.
Crais looked down at the pathetic form. "She didn’t kill you?" 0377 opened his eyes wearily. "Not this time." The confused ex-peacekeeper looked back to where Raynor had been. He could not believe that the same woman that had previously threatened to kill him had just now spared this thing. "Why?" 0377 waved his hand. He did not want to talk about it now. Crais reached for his gun. Suspicion had taken over. "Please, I’m a human. I can’t hurt you." This startled Crais even more. "Human you say. I think I know someone who can help you."
>>>>
0377 walked slowly back to his room. He examined with infinite wonder the gargantuan creature that he was moving through. Something swelled inside of him. He felt hope again. Truly a human emotion.
Lt. Sargas watched her wake up slowly in the bed. "Captain, it is good to see you recovering so quickly." She scowled at him. "Thank you for your concern Lt." He could not shake the feeling that something was wrong with her. She had not been acting normally lately. Ever since the human had arrived. "It may not be my place to say so captain, but I had noticed that you have not been yourself lately. Perhaps the human has abilities we have not yet learned of." Anger spread across her face. "You are correct Lt. Sargas. It is not your place to say so." He nodded. There was nothing more he could do here. "Whatever it was, I’m sure it will go away soon." She ignored the comment and signaled for him to leave. He bowed slightly and retreated, letting the door slam loudly as he exited. Meryl Raynor looked down at her leg. It was healing quickly. Yet the wound held a deeper threat. By creating it she had made a choice. She looked back at the door as it slammed. "I don’t want it go away."
The Elephant Ep2: Fall To Pieces
They spotted each other in the crowded hall. The two men in black walked quietly towards their usual table. The sound of a thousand different conversations going on at once filled the room. Lt. Sargas reached the table first and looked his old comrade over. A friendly rivalry had built up through the years between these two. Competition was encouraged among peacekeeper recruits to keep them on their toes. True friendship was condemned as a weakness. "Its been a long time Bracca." The other eyed him cautiously. After assignments had separated them, neither had instigated a meeting. Until now.
"Yes it has. I did not expect to hear from you. My superior was not pleased at my asking for a leave of absence now." Sargas frowned. Bracca had been serving under Captain Bialar Crais the last time that they had spoken. "The half-breed Scorpius?" Bracca nodded. "I would advise you not to use that term. Sometimes I fear that he can hear what I say even when we are separated." Both men chuckled at the thought. "He has much to do, and not much time to do it in." An attractive young sebacean waitress walked up to the table. "Anything to drink gentlemen?" She didn’t even bother to look up at them. Both waved their hands. "Not now." Sargas’ tone had turned serious. "Speaking of superior officers, how is your Captain Raynor?" Sargas stiffened in his seat. "What? Has the cold bitch got you on a short leash?" Bracca’s smile disappeared when he saw the troubled look on his colleague’s face. "That’s the problem. She has been acting rather strangely lately. Ever since we brought the human on board." It was Bracca’s turn to gain interest. "Human?" Sargas nodded. The friendly meeting was over.
<<<<>>>>
0377 looked down with pride at the comm badge attached to his sweatshirt. Crichton had given it to him only a few minutes ago. His expression of gratitude had not been understood by Aeryn or John. They did not see what he did. As the sparse amount of light that entered the room reflected on the small device, a feeling of comfort fell over him. He might be in the middle of nowhere, but at least he had found friends. This led him to think of the others. 0377 had still not said more than two words to the other four members of the crew. They had not embraced his presence like John had. Somewhere in this giant ship they waited.
"That frelling merchant lied to us!" Aeryn’s shout broke John’s concentration and he dropped the small prowler part he had been working on. "What happened?" She grunted something to herself and tossed a large black box to him. "That is the acceleration drive container." He did not understand. "And?" Aeryn shook her head in frustration. "There’s no acceleration drive in it!" She pounded her fist on the table. "The ship won’t fly without it." John stood up. "Hey Pilot! How far is that commerce planet we passed?"
<<<<>>>>
The marauder approached quickly towards the open hanger doors. It came surrounded by a dozen prowlers. Each flown by the most capable pilots in the fleet. The whispers had been going on for days. "Scorpius is coming." She had heard the rumors, not wanting to believe them. The half-breed’s alleged discovery of wormhole technology had been heavily reported throughout the peacekeeper sphere of influence. He was an important man now. If you could call him a man.
Meryl Raynor hid her fear well as the small convey docked. It’s passengers disembarked quickly and entered the confines of the massive carrier. "Captain Raynor. So wonderful to finally meet you." Scorpius strolled casually up to her. Both knew full well the underlying seriousness of this meeting. "Correct me if I am mistaken, but commandeering a command carrier from a renegade peacekeeper does not make you a captain." He frowned at her cold reception. "As a superior officer, I will be shown the proper respect that comes with that title." Scorpius smiled briefly. "Of course captain." He straightened up and saluted her.
She turned and began walking in the opposite direction. "What is the nature of your visit here?" He had to catch up quickly to hear what she was saying. "It has come to my attention that a human prisoner was captured by this ship." She nodded but continued to walk with increased speed. "Captain, it was my hope that we could work together." She stopped abruptly and turned to face him. "This ship and it’s crew are at your disposal Scorpius." She waved her ident chip at the wall. The door to her private chamber slip open quietly and she stepped inside. "I was hoping to discuss the details of-." The door slammed shut in his face. "Thank you Captain." He turned and left.
Lt. Bracca appeared silently by his master’s side. "Lt., does the captain usually wear her hair down?" The younger man did not understand the question. "I could not say." Scorpius turned away from him. "Find out."
Sargas watched with growing alarm as the two parted ways. True, he did fear for the integrity of this ship. A compromised captain could get them all killed or at lease demoted. But the feelings of betrayal churned within him. She was his captain. It was her command that had pulled him from desk duty at a derelict outpost and placed him among the stars. Now it was his actions that had brought that monster on board. Scorpius’ reputation was well known. He did not follow the same rules that most peacekeepers did. His secret experiments gave him great leverage with the council. And now Scorpius was here. Lt. Sargas wondered how much longer he would serve under Captain Meryl Raynor.
She hit the ground hard as the door slammed shut. The feeling of claustrophobia was building fast. Meryl ripped the collar from her neck and breathed a deep sigh of relief. She could still feel his terrible eyes watching her. Scorpius was on her ship. He wanted to know about 0377. The one thing that she could not talk about. Moving to her private computer, she typed in Scorpius’ name. A sebacean/scarren hybrid, his past assignments were classified above her rank. There was one thing of interest that she could see. The profile held a link for a wanted beacon. Curious, she played the message. A man’s face appeared on the screen. She had never seen it before. "Reward for the capture of John Crichton, a human. Reward for the capture of John Crichton..." She shut it off. "A human?"
His black boots smacked loudly against the metal floor as he walked. Scorpius found what he was looking for. A large room full of electronic gadgets and roaming teks appeared in front of him. The control center for the entire ship was held within these walls. Over the backs of the eager young workers, he could see thousands of files being reviewed and stored. Finally, he came upon the screen he was after. A short female tek was running through the prison video system. "My dear, may I have a look?" She turned to him and was shocked by his horrendous features. Struggling to maintain her composure, she nodded. "Thank you very much."
Bracca peered at the holographic image before him. It held the female captain in full view. Her hard expression denied any indication of feeling or warmth. Her hair was tightly knotted behind her and every inch of her uniform was impeccably maintained. He studied her face. She was beautiful, but she hid it well. The officer that had shown him the file entered the room. "I wouldn’t get any ideas sir." Bracca frowned at the man. "Does she always look like this?" The officer was confused. "Of course. How else would she look?" "Her hair, is it always up like that?" The man nodded his head. "Never seen her any other way." Terminating the image, Bracca turned and left the room.
<<<<>>>>
"What do you think of him?" The question was met with silence. Finally Aeryn turned to John. "What do you mean?" He could see the slight hesitation on her part. The transport pod moved quickly through space on its journey back to the commerce planet. "Can’t this thing go any faster. At this rate, we’ll be there in five days." She narrowed her eyes at him. "I’m getting readings from some unidentified objects nearby. I don’t want us to stumble onto a peacekeeper vessel." He nodded in agreement. "Just speed up a little."
As the transport made it’s way around a planet, a large ship came into view. "You see! That’s what I get for listening to you." The massive grey command carrier seemed to be drifting aimlessly in space. "Aeryn, look." The entire left side of the ship was blown away leaving an immense gash. "There are no readings coming from it. No radar detection. Its dead." The carrier was moving down towards the planet. Its bottom edges were beginning to glow as they penetrated the atmosphere. Aeryn guided the transport along the destroyed ship’s hull. Debris floated around them. "We should get out of here before the raiders start showing up. There’s nothing left in there." He nodded quickly. "Let’s just get back to the commerce planet."
The market place was busier than usual. As John and Aeryn made their way through the crowded streets, buyers hid their purchases and cast glances at them. "We’re being watched." They motioned silently to each other with hands placed firmly against their holsters. John tried to keep calm. "We don’t want any trouble. Let’s just stay cool." She moved her hand from the gun and nodded. "Cool." A strange pattern began making itself clear. Everywhere they looked, store shelves were packed with peacekeeper merchandise. John could see everything from pulse rifles to towels with military insignias on them. Aeryn paused to inspect a large black chair. "This is a captain’s seat." They realized what was going on. "The derelict ship?" "They’ve stripped it." A loud argument caught their attention. Two red aliens with purple tentacles were yelling angrily at a small creature. His name was Krik.
"How wonderful to see you again my friends!" That was as far as he got before Aeryn grabbed him by the neck. She slammed the hollow box down on the table. "You cheated us Krik. Now give us back our frelling money!" The tiny being wriggled and moaned in her grasp. Finally, she dropped him. "My apologies, but I have no idea what you are talking about." She reached for the gun again but Crichton stopped her. "We can’t just blast him Aeryn." She turned her attention to the human. "Do you have a better idea?" The merchant’s face still did not flinch. He wasn’t going to give back the money. John leaned forward and whispered into his ear. Krik’s eyes widened as John reminded him that he was dealing with an ex-peacekeeper. "I cannot pay you back in cash, but." Aeryn advanced towards him. "There is a wreck out on Roton 9. I have been assured that many valuable items have not yet been taken. You might find what you are looking for there." She looked at Crichton with an unsatisfied stare. He put his arm around her. "Let’s go check it out. If there’s nothing left, we can come back and you can go a few rounds with him."
<<<<>>>>
Sargas struggled to pull himself into the small crawlspace. Wires and blinking lights surrounded him on all sides. Through the large oval screens he could see hundreds of prisoners tossing and turning in their cells. Finally, he reached the room that he had been looking for. The human’s cell had been restricted until further notice by Scorpius. Sargas knew why. What had transpired between Captain Raynor and the human could be written off as an attempt to gain information. But in light of current events, he doubted that it would be seen that way. He remembered precious little from his days of tek training. It was a basic requirement at the academy. Yet it was also easily forgotten. The small recording device stood silently in place. It had to be removed.
Scorpius sat frustrated at the console. He was tempted to have the woman continue the search but stopped himself. He needed to see firsthand what had happened in that cell. Unfortunately, there were over a thousand compartments in the prison chamber and millions of arns of data. Bringing up a search for recently deleted files, he found what he was looking for. A recording device had in fact been on during the events. Opening it, Scorpius found himself looking at a blank screen. "Aaahhhrr!" The primal roar escaped his lips and he pounded furiously on the table. The terrified tek moved quickly back as he stood from the console. "Get back to work." As he rushed angrily from the room, he felt the temperature on the coolant rod begin to rise.
John Crichton’s file was even shorter than Scorpius’. Her fingers flew quickly over the keyboard as the small bits of information scrolled by. "A human of unknown origins. Home world unknown. Last Known Location: Leviathan: Moya; Uncharted Territories. Accessories: Officer Aeryn Sun, Captain Bialar Crais." The message ended and repeated again. Meryl felt her knees grow limp. Crais had taken 0377. Was it possible that he was with this Crichton? She pulled her jacket back on and ran to the door. If she could find John Crichton, then maybe she could find 0377. And the only way to find Crichton was through Scorpius. The door slammed shut tightly as she left the room.
Bracca stopped and breathed deeply as the heat worked its harm on his body. The tek crawlspace was hotter than a desert. Sweat dripped down his face in waves. Reaching the right screen, he tugged at his comm. "I’ve found the cell sir." There was no reply. He grumbled to himself. "Your welcome sir." Pulling at the thin metal cover, Bracca found the machine slot empty. "Frelling.." He stopped himself as a small snap caught his attention. Pressing a button on the wall, the entire corridor lit up. Up ahead of him, a shadowy object was scurrying in the opposite direction. "Freeze." He shouted the warning only once before pulling out his gun.
The warning shot missed Lt. Sargas’ head by mere inches. If not for the confined environment he knew, it would not have been a warning shot. He pushed himself faster and forward. A second shot landed nearby. The wall sizzled and sparked as buttons exploded outward. The lights flickered once before going out completely. Now he had a chance. Throwing himself against a thin panel, Sargas fell out of the humid space and into a main walkway. He blinked his eyes rapidly to adjust to the bright lights. A large pair of black boots stood directly in front of him. Looking up, he saw Scorpius’ ugly face smiling back at him.
"You what?" Her face turned bright red as the hybrid attempted to explain. "Where is my lieutenant Scorpius?" They stared coldly at each other. Neither breaking the gaze or giving up ground. "He was attempting to withhold evidence captain. The logical step was to imprison him." Meryl stepped forward, pushing him against the wall. "You are not to make that decision without informing me!" His confident grin disappeared. She gripped the coolant system’s cover and twisted it sharply. Scorpius howled in pain. "You cannot treat me like this captain. I am a guest on this ship and will be treated with the proper respect." His tone never grew angry or loud. She wondered what infuriated her more. His overstepping of authority or that damn smirk. She turned to the nearest officer. "Tell the warden to put Sargas in my chamber." Turning her attention back to Scorpius, she said "I want to be informed of your actions. Is that clear?" His eyes narrowed and he turned his head slightly to the side. "Perfectly captain."
Meryl watched him head back towards the prison. What was he up to now? She racked her brain for any more clues that led to 0377. The recording device had not been found with Sargas. Perhaps Scorpius would search for it in the tek corridor. Turning back for one more look, she found the abomination staring right back at her. For the second time since she had left the human on Talyn, Meryl Raynor feared for his life and her own.
Scorpius looked back at the woman with deepening interest. He could see the coldness in her eyes and yet there was something else behind them. The smell of it had awakened his senses. It had excited his usually calm thoughts. For all her bullying talk and serious threats, Meryl Raynor feared him and he liked it.
<<<<>>>>
The transport pod landed softly on the dried ground. Aeryn had picked a spot safely away from the prying hands of merchants and raiders. They exited the ship quickly with guns drawn. "Do you think there’s actually something left?" Crichton’s question went unanswered as Aeryn moved past him. A rise in the terrain up ahead gave them a good vantage point over the area. Heading towards it, she pulled out binoculars. "I can see someone-." Her words were cut short as a prowler flew by overhead. Both of them dropped to the ground as the menacing craft passed above them. "I guess there is." John had answered his own question. "Come on." She wasn’t going to slow down now. With a head start over him, Aeryn ran forward towards the downed carrier.
He watched the pair with increased interest. Scanning the woman first, he quickly learned that she was sebacean. Yet the male was not. The energy signature was distinctly different. After searching his thoughts for a similar sign, he found it. The one called 0377! Bob stood and walked covertly towards the transport vehicle. Feeling it’s strange skin, he ran his hands over the door. This was a leviathan transport. He stepped inside and looked around. The chamber was practically empty. Nothing of value except for the pod itself. Reluctantly he sat down at the controls and started the engines. The ship floated up quickly and he guided it easily away from the planet’s surface.
"What the hell!" John ran as fast as he could towards the departing transport. Reaching the landing spot, he watched in frustration as it disappeared in the sunlight. Aeryn came up behind him. She raised her pulse rifle up to fire. "No wait. If you knock it down then we still won’t have a ride." She nodded and turned back towards the command carrier. "I suppose now we have no choice but to find a prowler."
<<<<>>>>
The prisoners listened in terror as the ghostly form of the man in black passed by their cells. He had been there for quite a while now, watching over them. Scorpius eyed the frightened people eagerly. Some of them, he knew, had been captured from the Auriga. It was possible that he would find answers here. The warden, a large named Draxler, walked up next to him. "What can I do for you sir?" The scarren/sebacean hybrid turned slowly towards the man. "Where are the captured soldiers?" Draxler shuffled his feet and said nothing. Seeing the warden’s reluctance, Scorpius reached his arm out and put it around the man’s shoulders. "Warden, I understand that your captain may have given you questionable orders. I must see those prisoners." Draxler kept his mouth shut. He knew better than to disobey the captain but Scorpius was right. There was no reason that he could think of to deny access. Scorpius smiled. "I won’t tell a soul."
Meryl watched angrily from the control room as the infuriating serpent headed towards the cells. She would have that frelling warden’s head. "Notify me if he removes anyone." The young tek at the console nodded his head. "Yes captain." She walked back to her chambers. Once inside, she pulled her jacket off. It seemed to be getting hotter these days. "Captain, I-." She turned in surprise to find Sargas standing in the middle of the room. Both of his legs were chained tightly to the floor. "You had me put in here." She frowned with increased dissatisfaction. "What were you doing in there lieutenant?" Her eyes met his briefly. There was fear on both sides. "I was only doing what was best for my captain." Meryl walked quickly to face him. She was now mere inches from his face. "Let me be the judge of what is best." She raised her hand towards him and he closed his eyes. Clenching his teeth, he waited patiently for the blow. Instead, Sargas heard the chains being unlocked. He opened his eyes and saw her looking at him. "Next time, don’t get caught." She whispered the words almost playfully before turning and leaving the room. Sargas did not know whether he felt relief or apprehension.
The cell door squeaked and moaned as it was pulled open. The sudden light pierced through the darkness and burned their eyes. Twelve soldiers, ranking from ensign to officer, had been waiting in total blackness for days. In a peacekeeper prison, the only thing to look forward to is death. As their eyes met with the hideous creature at the door, they knew the time had come. Scorpius slithered slowly into the cell. He stepped around the famished bodies and whistled quietly to himself as he searched for the right victim. An older looking man, with the uniform of a major, sat solemnly against the back wall. His face held a look of infinite sadness. Scorpius raised his finger towards him. "That one." With those words he turned and left the room. Two armed guards entered and dragged the man out.
The interrogation room on the Hyperion was like any other in the peacekeeper fleet. Inside its walls, it held some of the most painful machinery known in the universe. I you knew something that interested them, you wouldn’t leave this room before spilling everything. Major Majel knew this. The two guards strapped him into the metal chair that he himself had used many times before. Hundreds of electrodes ran from the chair to a large black device that stood attached to the wall. When activated, the machine sent small shots of electricity running through the body. Once inside the skin, the force attached itself to internal organs. This allowed for them to be shut on and off by the simple click of a button. Majel’s thoughts were interrupted when the one called Scorpius entered the room. He was not alone.
"I hope you weren’t planning on going forward without me." Meryl moved out of the shadows and into Scorpius’ line of sight. "Captain Raynor, I was just about to call you." She shook her head. "Just get on with it." Grinning, he began preparing the chair for the interrogation. Turning back towards Raynor, he was suddenly struck with an idea. "Captain, would you mind terribly running the electrode device?" She looked down at the large black box. "I am not a tek." Seeing that he had no intention of giving in, she moved towards it suspiciously. "Very well." Scorpius turned back to the prisoner. "Let’s begin."
Meryl turned the nozzle nervously as the major yelped in pain. He was very strong for a man of his age. She thought of her own father for a moment. Wherever he was. "Captain, more please." She increased the power. "Alright, alright. I knew about him." Scorpius raised his hand. She turned the machine off. "What did you know about him?" The major panted and groaned. "I was in charge of modifying new pilots for battle. My team worked on his eyes." A bead of sweat trickled down her face. This man could lead Scorpius to something important. She saw the look in Major Majel’s eyes. He was defeated. He could hold nothing back now. Meryl’s attention focused on the nozzle in her hand. All she had to do was turn it. "Where did you find him?" Scorpius hissed the words as he circled around the prisoner. "Where?" This time the major had no answer. "I don’t know. They brought him in off a probe but that’s all I know." She turned the nozzle.
"Aaaahhhh!" Majel screamed and shuddered in his seat. Scorpius looked back at Meryl. Her face was frozen in a look of shock. She did not stop the electrical flow. Her eyes blinked rapidly. "That is enough captain." Scorpius’ soft toned voice snapped her back into the situation. "Yes." She turned down the power. But it was too late for major Majel. He was dead. Scorpius grabbed the man’s head and felt for a pulse. With that, he let the limp body fall. He stood and left the room. One of the guards waiting outside entered. "Should I dispose of the body captain?" Meryl nodded. She felt numb all over. Leaving the guard to stare in confusion, she ran out of the room and past Scorpius. "Shall we bring in another one sir?" Bracca appeared from nowhere as usual. "No. I believe it’s time to investigate the source."
She practically tore the shower door off its hinges. Stepping inside, she turned the water on and let it run down her face. A nauseating feeling had settled inside her stomach. Meryl ripped the uniform from her body and let it fall soaking wet to the floor. She dropped alongside it. Before she could realize what was happening, tears poured out of her eyes and mixed in with the water. Thinking back to those hours in the cell with him, one word stuck strongly in her memory. "Remorse."
The Elephant Ep3: The Source
SECRET GAMMACK BASE: 18 SOLAR DAYS AGO
"Commence ignition sequence." Chernov spoke the words quickly into the intercom. He backed away from the console and looked out into the blackness of space. A hand fell suddenly on his shoulder. He shivered as Scorpius’s cold fingers touched his skin. "It will work this time general, I can feel it." Chernov turned to face his commanding officer. The creature staring back at him was more hideous than anything he had ever seen. There was a time when the hybrid would not have been allowed to approach a man of Chernov’s rank. But things were different now. A bright blue glow filled the room and all conversations came to a halt. The shimmering vortex cut majestically through space. The general smiled as it continued to swirl. "Its holding sir." Scorpius frowned as he moved to get a closer view of the computer readings. This was as far as they had ever gotten. "Send in the probe."
At the push of a button, the lone probe burst out into space. As it flew across the front windows of the gammeck base, three black numbers could be seen clearly across it’s side. 377. The small rectangular machine aimed itself directly at the wormhole and was engulfed by the blue creation. The mood inside the control room was tense. All eyes were on Scorpius. His face showed no signs of emotion. "Sir, we have a clear reading of the probe’s position." The tek stood and walked over to a large map built into the back wall. A tiny red dot made its way across the image. Within seconds, the mark had left the known area of the map and stopped. "Where is it?" Both Scorpius and Chernov now held grim expressions. "Its off our charts sir. We have no information on that-." The red dot disappeared.
"Frelling!" The general slammed his fists down on the console in front of him. This was going nowhere fast. "When high command hears of this...." He froze in mid-sentence. The red dot appeared once again. "Its on a return trajectory. The probe should be in sight within two microts!" Everyone turned back to the wormhole. Something was wrong. Scorpius watched with growing anger as large gaps in the vortex’s walls began to form. Through one of these holes, the probe came into view. "There it is!" The teks were all patting themselves on the back. A breakthrough after so much work. "Silence." Scorpius snapped at the celebrating teks but kept his eyes glued to the scene. The gap in the wormhole was closing around the probe. With one final blast of energy, it enveloped the machine and dispersed. No one dared to speak. Finally one tek’s voice broke the quiet. "I’m getting zero readings sir." Scorpius glared at him.
<<<<>>>>
PRESENT:
Scorpius awoke with a start in his chair. Looking around, he realized where he was. The marauder had left Raynor’s command carrier four arns ago. The last remnants of his dream brought his thoughts to the human. When Bracca had first informed him of its presence, it had seemed too good to be true. After losing the probe, high command had been watching him very closely. This was his chance to get back in their good graces. Upon learning of the human’s code number, 0377, his hopes had been confirmed. Now all he had to do was follow the trail to the probe.
Meryl watched the marauder disappear from sight. With Scorpius off the ship, she had regained her composure. But something was still worrying her. After spending a short time investigating 0377, Scorpius and his lieutenant had left in a hurry. She couldn’t help but wonder if he had found something that she hadn’t thought of. Clicking her comm, she said "Do we still have the marauder on radar." The response came back quickly. "Yes captain. Scorpius is still within range. Anxiously, she switched to Sargas’ channel. "Lt., meet me in the hanger now."
"We’re being followed sir." Bracca pulled off the earpiece and turned towards Scorpius. "A lone prowler left the Hyperion less than a quarter arn ago." Scorpius smiled to himself. "That would be captain Raynor. Let her come. This is as good a time as any to get rid of her." At the mention of her name, his blood boiled with anger. The coolant system had been misbehaving ever since she had put her hands on it. The incredible pain that had come along with it had infuriated him. He had wanted so much to break the little bitch’s neck right there. But he could not. Meryl Raynor had to believe that she had the upper hand. Now that she was following them, Scorpius was sure that she would lead them right to the human she was protecting.
<<<<>>>>
Bob pulled the transport pod alongside his ship. Letting it settle into a planetary orbit, he crossed over onto the larger Nyid vessel. He watched sadly as the tiny pod settled into its path and drifted away. "Forgive me 0377. He closed the hatch and entered his ship. Within seconds, he lost sight of the planet.
"Sir, I’m picking up the Leviathan transport pod." Bracca watched excitedly as the small red beacon appeared on the radar. Scorpius moved up beside him to see. "Change your course heading accordingly." He settled back into his seat and raised the cover of the monitor in front of him. General Chernov’s face filled the screen. "Have you made any progress general?" The man’s sullen look revealed the answer. "No sir. We haven’t been able to hold integrity past half an arn." Scorpius nodded slowly. "I will have the probe soon. Then we will be seeing each other again." Terminating the link, he brought up another transmission. "Have you done what was asked of you Bob?" The pitiful creature nodded.
<<<<>>>>
"Moya, can you hear me!" John shook the comm angrily before shoving it back into his pocket. He and Aeryn hadn’t been able to get hold of anyone for the past few hours. Looking back over towards the wreck, he saw the raiding party moving back towards it’s ship. "What’s going on?" Aeryn turned to look at him. John shrugged. But something has them scared. Every last one of them seems to be leaving." He smiled to himself. "Nothing like imminent danger to get you ready for a salvage operation." She ignored him and began running towards the downed carrier.
Inside the confines of the ship, darkness replaced the smoldering heat of the sun. Aeryn surveyed her surroundings carefully. Everything had been stripped from its place. It seemed almost sad to see such a strong machine brought down. Behind her, John stepped inside. "Do you see anything?" She shook her head. "Everything is gone in this part of the ship." She continued forward. "The hanger should be up that way." Her finger pointed into complete darkness. Pulling out her pulse rifle, Aeryn led the way.
Every step they took gave way to loud groaning from the floor below. The structure was falling apart. Shadows bounced off the walls and made them seem alive with movement. Crichton shivered slightly as he moved close behind Aeryn. He tried to hold on to her shoulder but she shook him off. A roaring sound came from somewhere above their heads. "What do you think that was?" She looked back at him. "I don’t know."
The marauder passed quickly over the crash. Scorpius looked down at the ruined carrier and his hopes sunk. The vessel had obviously been stripped and looted. "Land there." He pointed at a secluded spot away from the wreckage. "Sir, the prowler should be arriving here within a quarter arn." Scorpius nodded to his lieutenant. "Then we better hurry up." He stood from his seat and pushed open the exit hatch. Outside, the blistering heat hit him immediately. Stepping back into the ship, he grabbed the box of extra coolant rods and jumped out. Bracca popped out behind him and the two of them headed for the command carrier.
Sargas watched his captain carefully. She seemed to be her old self for a moment. That determined look in her eyes was quite familiar to him. During the course of their work together, he had seen it many times. Whatever her intentions were now, he knew she would get the job done. Casting his eyes down at the crash, he recalled the day of the battle. It had been quick. The Auriga had posted a rather futile response against the Hyperion and Daggoth. Sargas was still bewildered as to how the Daggoth had been destroyed. Over two thousand soldiers killed in an instant. "I’m landing." Her words shook his thoughts away. Pulling a pulse pistol from the storage compartment, he prepared to disembark.
She watched him closely. The decision to bring Sargas along might have been a mistake. Meryl was still unsure of what she was about to do. She knew that Scorpius had to be deterred from finding 0377, but how far would she go to prevent it. What would Sargas do? He sat behind her now, pistol in hand. From this point on, she had no idea what she was doing. The prowler landed on the opposite side of the crash from Scorpius’s marauder. Grabbing hold of her pulse rifle, she stepped outside.
"Bingo." John smiled and patted Aeryn on the back. She had found the hanger. As they made their way through the torn wreckage, one thing became clear. The hanger had suffered major damage in the crash and pieces of prowler and marauder were strewn about the room. Under the debris, it appeared that some of the ships were still intact. "I’ll check that side." Aeryn moved past him and headed for the far side of the hanger. John watched in amazement as she lifted huge pieces of metal out of her way. Leaning over to inspect his side, a loud crash caught his attention. "Aeryn, did you hear that?" His question was met with silence for several seconds. Then her reply came from farther away than he had thought. "Yes."
Bracca blasted away at the damaged section of wall that stood in their way. Scorpius waited impatiently as he felt the cool air beckon him from inside. "Just about there." Bracca stopped firing and the metal wall crashed to the ground. Together they stepped inside with guns drawn. "Stay close behind me lieutenant." Scorpius pulled a small box from his black parcel. Switching it on, a map of the ship appeared on the tiny screen. A blinking dot signaled the coordinates of the probe.
Meryl and Sargas broke through the outer wall and stepped into the ship. "What exactly are we looking for?" The lieutenant looked to his captain with uncertainty. She had no response that would calm his suspicion. "Just search the ship for anyone. Contact me if you find anything interesting." He looked confused. "We’re splitting up?" She nodded. Pulling the pulse rifle from its holster, she walked past him and disappeared into the darkness.
"John, over here!" She motioned for him and he came running. Aeryn found a small hole in the hull and peered outside. "What do you see?" It took a moment for her to adjust to the light but there was no mistaking what she saw. "A marauder." John pulled his pistol out and walked back to the hanger doors. "Should we hide or go seek?" She pointed towards a prowler near the back. "I think that one still works. Let me see if I can get it started. You check around outside." He nodded. As he pulled open the door, she stopped him. "John, don’t go too far." He noted the look of concern on her face. "I won’t." With that he turned and made his way out the door.
"Did you see that?" Bracca stopped and pointed his gun towards the spot where he had seen it. "See what Lt.?" They stood quietly for a moment and listened. "Someone passed by in front of us. I’m sure of it." Scorpius frowned and stepped forward. "The radar unit detects nothing. Proceed." Noticeably shaken now, Bracca nodded and continued.
John struggled to breath. He hadn’t been sure at first but the voices had confirmed it. Scorpius was here. He began to reach for his comm but stopped. They were too close and would definitely hear him. Moving very slowly, he rushed back to the hanger.
Sargas aimed his pistol and fired. The shadowy figure in front of him fell over and cried out. He watched nervously as another figure stepped forward and bent down over the first. "Bracca?" A beam of light cut across the wall in front of him and he had to duck to avoid it. "Frell!" He whispered the curse to himself. He had not intended to shoot Bracca. Turning back the way he came, Sargas wondered what was going on.
Scorpius looked down at his Lt. Their eyes met for a moment and he shook his head slightly. Bracca nodded slowly and did not move from his spot on the ground. Stepping over him, Scorpius pulled his own gun out and continued.
Aeryn heard the gunshot clearly. Tapping her comm lightly, she whispered "Crichton, are you ok?" There was no answer. He would have to fend for himself for a little while. She turned her attention back to the prowler. A few more adjustments and it would be ready to fly.
Meryl watched Scorpius enter the storage chamber. The points finally connected as she realized what he was after. The probe that had brought 0377 to the battle. Why would Scorpius want it? She would ask him. Moving as quietly as possible, she followed him into the room. The shot flew past her head, missing it by mere inches. "Captain Raynor, I would advise you to leave before you damn yourself any further." She stepped into his field of vision with her gun drawn as well. "Somehow I didn’t think you would listen. She fired. Unprepared for her immediate action, Scorpius fell to the ground in pain. Clutching his shoulder, he felt a warm fluid trickle down his hand.
John heard the footstep a moment too late. "Freeze!" He turned slowly and found the face of a stranger. He felt momentary relief. "Who are you?" Sargas didn’t answer at first. "Drop the gun." John had no choice. He let the pistol fall to the ground and raised his hands above his head.
With her gun aimed directly at him, Meryl walked quickly into the chamber. "You’re finished Raynor. I wouldn’t bother returning to your command carrier. When high command hears of this, you will be executed." She looked down at the monstrous creature with no sympathy. But his words did strike a chord. She had just sealed her fate. There was no way out of it this time. "And if I kill you now? Who would ever know?" He smiled at her cold words. "Your life was over before we even met. I knew exactly what you had done." He pointed at the captain’s badge on her uniform. "You’ve lost everything Meryl." The anger boiling inside her could not be held back any longer. She fired into his chest. Scorpius closed his eyes and lay still. But his hideous smile remained. Meryl leaned down and pulled something from his parcel. Then she left the room.
"Captain, over here!" Sargas called out to her. He held his gun up to Crichton’ head with enthusiasm. Capturing the escaped prisoner would put them in good graces with command again. But Lt. Sargas was not prepared for what he saw. Meryl had her rifle pointed directly at her former lieutenant. "What are you doing?" The shocked and betrayed look on his face pained her. "Let him go." He shook his head furiously. "I can’t do that and you know it." Grabbing onto Crichton by the collar, he turned his gun on Meryl. They stood there unmoving.
Crichton couldn’t believe what was happening. The two peacekeepers stood eye to eye with guns drawn. He had never seen either of them before and yet they seemed to conflicted over him. "Who are yo-." They cut him off. "Shut up!" It suddenly came to him that 0377 had told him of a female peacekeeper captain. "You’re Meryl?" The woman turned to him with a look of recognition. "You’re John Crichton?" They both nodded. The other man however, remained confused. "What the frell is going on?" Sargas and Meryl heard the footstep. Two guns fired at the same time. Bracca was thrown off his feet. He hit the ground hard and shouted in pain. "Bracca!" Sargas lowered his gun slightly and that was all that she needed. With incredible speed, Meryl’s gun met his jaw and he fell alongside the other lieutenant.
"Where is Scorpius?" John’s mind raced with possibilities. This could be his chance to kill the bastard. "Scorpius is dead." He looked at Meryl with amazement. "Are you sure?" She nodded and extended a gloved hand out to him. John looked at the hand, not sure what to make of what he saw. As she uncurled her hand, it revealed a small container. Through its clear shell, John could see the neurochip. "How did you find this?" She glanced back towards the way she had come. "He had it on him. I thought it might be important." Her serious expression broke momentarily. "0377, he is with you?" John could do nothing but nod. "Then give him this." She leaned forward and kissed him softly on the cheek. Then without another word, she picked the other man up and pulled his limp body over her shoulder. They disappeared into the darkness, leaving John to consider what had just happened.
"Aeryn!" He yelled her name into the comm. "I’m here John. The prowler is ready. Meet me out where we first landed." He smiled broadly. "You are not going to believe who I just met." There was no answer from her side. He shrugged his shoulders and made his way out of the ship.
Once Crichton’s footsteps had faded, Bracca pushed himself up from the floor. Feeling around inside his coat, he pulled a flat piece of metal out. It sizzled with heat from where the two blasts had hit it. Standing up, he walked over to the storage chamber. Scorpius stood against the wall with a smile on his face. "You let him have the wormhole technology?" The hybrid turned to face Bracca. "It doesn’t make any difference. Without this, he won’t get any farther than we have." In his hands, Scorpius held the flight computer for probe #377. "We have what we came for."
The Elephant Ep4: The Gift
It was the same dream again. A loud explosion followed by terrifying silence. Then the bodies came. Flying all around him and slamming into the windshield. He saw their horrible faces, covered in blood. And then everything went black. A dark figure stood before him holding a gun. He felt the stabbing pain in his chest and saw the brief flash of light. He fell to the ground in pain, slowly losing consciousness.
0377 could not see who was in the cell with him, but he could smell them. He had just begun to pull himself from sleep when the sound of someone breathing had caught his attention. He was not alone. Opening one eye, he surveyed the area around the bed. A figure in red stood over him, watching him sleep. It was the big one, D’Argo. The creature’s immense size and frightening growl made him tense up all over. He shut his eye and fought to keep from breathing hard. It was too late. "You’re awake?" D’Argo’s soft voice betrayed his menacing look. 0377 blinked rapidly and nodded. As the Luxan stepped closer, he grasped at the wall behind the bed and pulled away. D’Argo smiled. "You flatter me. It’s been a long time since someone on this ship recognized how fearsome I can be."
John turned the neurochip slowly in his hands. He had to fight the urge not to smash it right there in the prowler. It had been the cause of so much pain and suffering. But he couldn’t destroy it. The chip might be the only chance he had of ever finding home. Aeryn turned back to look at him. "Are you alright? You’ve been quiet since we left the planet." He noted the concerned look on her face. It never failed to make him feel better. "I’m fine. Just thinking." She shook her head and once again concentrated on the controls. Moya showed up on the scanner and a hundred different thoughts assaulted her at once. "You don’t think they’re giving him a hard time do you?" Behind her, Crichton didn’t answer.
"John tells me that you’re a writer." 0377 nodded slightly and tried his best to make eye contact with the other man. "Back home I was." D’Argo stood from his position alongside the bed and began pacing around the room. He seemed to be nervous about something. "Is there something you wanted my help with?" The young human had no idea what else to say. Especially when he was talking to an alien from outer space. Rubbing his hands together, D’Argo turned back to 0377. "You’ve met Chiana?" Once again, 0377 just nodded. "There was something between us once." Both men looked at each other uncertainly. Neither knowing exactly what to say next. One was terrified about revealing something so personal and the other wondered how exactly those two fit together. "I can’t talk about it with her face to face. I thought maybe you...." 0377 thought he knew what D’Argo wanted but kept quiet. He had long ago learned the value of just listening.
The prowler landed softly in the hanger. The two inside were happy to get some fresh air after such a long trip in the cramped ship. Aeryn watched John wander slowly away from her with the chip twirling slowly in his hands. He had ignored her completely since getting it. She had thought that he would be happy. "Are you sure you’re alright?" He waved his hand at her. "I’m going to go see if Pilot can get anything off of this." With that he disappeared around the corner. Aeryn thought momentarily about following but quickly changed her mind. For once, it seemed that John Crichton didn’t want to talk.
0377 pulled out the pen and paper that John had given him. "What did you want to say to her?" He looked up at D’Argo and could see the pain in his otherwise stoic face. The Luxan opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out. "How about we start with: Dear Chiana?" D’Argo nodded in agreement, his eyes glued to the floor. 0377 wrote the words as legibly as possible. He had to steady his hand to keep it from shaking. "What the frell does that say?" They both looked down at the paper simultaneously. "It says Dear Chiana." D’Argo shook his head angrily. "I can’t read that and she won’t be able to either." He stood up and walked quickly to the door. "This was a mistake." 0377 couldn’t believe what he was about to do. "You can teach me if you like." D’Argo turned to face the human with a confused look on his face. "Teach you what?" Almost mumbling the words, 0377 said, "Teach me to write in your language." They both stood there without saying a word.
<<<<>>>>
Meryl watched her companion stir wildly in his seat. She wondered what he could possibly be dreaming. Sargas still hadn’t woken from when he knocked him out. The ship had left Roton 9 arns ago. The command carrier was not too far away now and she had to get their stories straight. There was no room for error now. "Wake up!" She shouted at him while shaking his limp form. "W-where am I?" He opened his eyes and squinted at her. "Captain, what happened?" She prepared her most unemotional stare and spoke. "You’re friend Braca shot you and left your body for the raiders to find." He looked at her with disbelieving eyes. Wiping a small trail of dried blood from his lip, he sat up straight in his seat. "I’m going to assume that you were acting in the best interests of the peacekeepers." The accusatory tone of his words stung her hard. Neither spoke another word as they approached the command carrier.
<<<<>>>>
"Are you sure?" Aeryn cut the transmission as John walked into the room. His hands were empty and he seemed to be back to normal. "I gave Pilot the chip. He said that he would check it out." She watched him carefully. He said nothing and she strangely felt obligated to instigate a conversation. "So you met 0377's Meryl?" John seemed to welcome the change of subject. "Yes. She saved my life. I couldn’t believe it at first but it was her." He moved closer to her. "She kind of reminded me of you when we first met. But then again you didn’t kiss me until we had known each other for a while." Aeryn’s face turned red and then quickly back to normal. "She what?"
0377 let out a huge sight of relief and sat down on the bed. D’Argo had left a few minutes ago and everything seemed to have gone on well. "Four down, three to go." He looked over at his pen. It had felt good to write again, even if it was about such a sensitive issue. The idea of Chiana and D’Argo still seemed strange to him but obviously a lot had happened before he had arrived. A soft tap on the door broke his stream of thought. Aeryn Sun stood in the doorway with a grin on her face. It had been strange to have her welcome him as a friend after his experience with other peacekeepers so far. He was very grateful for that. "I have a message for you." She stepped into the room and sat beside him on the bed. Without waiting for him to reply, she kissed him softly on the cheek. "A friend of yours gave this message to Crichton. He thought it might be better communicated by me." 0377 looked at her in disbelief. "How did you? How did you find her?"
Pilot terminated the last transmission and returned to his console. His connection to Moya told him that the scanning was complete. He sighed heavily as the information scrolled across the screen. It was time. "Crichton could you come see me please?" The message went unanswered for what seemed like an eternity and Pilot began to wonder if he was doing the right thing. Suddenly the comm burst to life as John’s voice came through. "I’ll be there in a second. What’s going on?" Pilot tried to keep his voice from revealing anything. "Just come down please." He shut off the receiver and returned to work.
Aeryn watched him leave the room. There seemed to be a nervous energy in each step that he took. John hadn’t said anything about Pilot’s summons but she could tell that something was bothering him. His usual confident tone was replaced with a quiet whisper. As he disappeared from her sight, she turned around to look at the stars. Rubbing her hands together, she stood and followed silently behind him.
Zhaan felt his presence before she saw him. The young boy that had arrived a few days ago now stumbled upon her lab. For his sake, she pretended not to see him and went about her work. "You are Zhaan?" Surprised, she turned to see him standing within range of the light fixtures. The fear in his eyes was replaced with a wide-eyed wonder as he took in the exotic creations that were littered on the tables. She stepped towards him slowly and his hands in hers. "These are not a warrior’s hands." They were soft and gentle to the touch. "Yet I sense you hold much guilt." Without taking his eyes off of her, he nodded. Their moment was interrupted as Aeryn walked into the room. "Its time."
"What’s happening Pilot?" John stepped into the den doing his best not to show the fear he felt. The immense creature before him ignored his presence and continued to work. "You did want to see me-." Pilot looked up, his eyes fixed on the man before him. "Are you familiar with the process by which Moya starbursts commander?" John, now confused, shook his head. "Can’t say that I am, no." Pilot nodded. "She creates a hole in time and space that allows her to jump from one point to another instantly. With limited distance and predictability of course." Lifting the neurochip from the console, he continued.
"If Moya were to adjust the procedure to fit the specifications on this chip, she might be able to produce the wormhole you seek." They both remained silent for several seconds. Finally, it was Crichton who spoke first. "But?" Pilot frowned. "But what?" John rubbed both hands against his forehead. "It can’t be that easy. It isn’t normal for a Leviathan to do that. It would put her in danger." Pilot cut in. "True, it would pose substantial risk but-." John shook his head. "No, I don’t want Moya hurt on account of me." He turned to walk away.
"You exasperate us John Crichton!" John froze in his tracks. Pilot had used his first name. He turned to face the giant creature again with an astonished look on his face. "Time and time again your erratic behavior has wracked both myself and Moya with worry. But, you have always done what was necessary to protect us. Risking even your life at times. We do not know if this is a trait that exists in all human, but it does in you. Moya and I wish to return the favor." John couldn’t believe what he was hearing. "What about the others? Are you willing to risk their lives too?" He felt a hand touch his shoulder. "John." Aeryn was standing there. Behind her, old and new friends alike nodded in agreement. "Speechless? I don’t believe it." Her teasing words went unchallenged.
<<<<>>>>
Meryl stepped out of the ship and her feet hit the metal ground firmly. There was something wrong. She could sense it immediately. The usually busy hanger was empty and silent. Not a single soldier was in sight. "Do you notice something lieutenant?" Sargas dropped down next to her and looked around. "There’s no one here." Stepping out into the main corridor, she glanced in both directions and found it empty as well. She pulled the pistol from her belt and continued down the path. Coming to a junction, one of the wall screens in front of her came to life. Scorpius’s horrid face filled the screen. "Captain Meryl Raynor. On behalf of High Command I inform you that your ship and crew have been reassigned. Your are hereby sentenced to death on the charge of treason." His familiar smile appeared. "Goodbye captain."
"Sargas wait!" He turned to find Meryl running towards him with a look of fear on her face. "Get back in the prowler." Not understanding what was going on, he obliged and then helped her in. "We’re leaving." Without waiting for a reply. She gunned the engines and guided the ship back out the hanger doors. From his marauder, Scorpius watched with interest as she made her escape attempt. "Shall we pursue sir?" He looked up at Braca. "No. She won’t get far."
<<<<>>>>
Aeryn sat on the workbench in the maintenance bay and gazed out at the stars. She smiled to herself as the memory of John’s shocked face replayed in her memory. It had felt good to give him back something he had shared with her so many times. The tiny sound of a boot touching ground caught her attention. He was behind her. "I’ve known that you were going to ask me for some time now." She turned to face him. "I just didn’t know what I was going to say." John smiled and she responded in kind. "Aeryn, I-." She put her hand over his mouth and shook her head. "When I can see it with my own eyes through this window, then you may ask me." Patting him softly on the shoulder, she stood and left the room.
"Commencing starbust people. Hold on to something!" Pilot prayed silently to himself and pressed the ignition switch. He felt Moya’s fear and added it to his own. He had no idea what was going to happen next. The effects of the process took hold of him and he had to fight to hold back the tears. "Pilot!" John grabbed the creature’s head and held it up. The eyes remained closed for several seconds. Slowly, Pilot felt the pain subside. "I’m alright. Moya’s alright." They both stared out at the sky around Moya as it began to form a shimmering blue vortex. All around the ship, the crew watched in astonishment. The wormhole remained intact and Moya began to move rapidly forward. John hugged Pilot and shouted with joy.
"Something’s wrong." Pilot turned to look at his companion with renewed fear. "The wormhole isn’t stable. Its starting to break up." John watched in horror as huge gaps began to form. "We don’t have much time!" The ship rocked violently as the vortex exploded outward in an enormous blue wave.
"Sir, we’re detecting a large electronic disturbance in your area." Scorpius stared angrily at Chernov’s image on the monitor. "Does it match our data?" The other man’s face turned grim. "It matches perfectly sir. Someone has created a wormhole." A blue flash brought Scorpius’s attention back outside. A wave of blue was cutting quickly across the horizon. He spotted a small black object that stood out in front of him. "Raynor!" He pounded his fist on the table as the prowler was hit by the wave and disappeared.
"What the frell is happening?" Meryl watched as every instrument on the panel in front of her malfunctioned. Sargas grabbed her shoulder and motioned towards the sky around them. Everything had suddenly turned blue. "Do you have any idea what that is lieutenant?" He shook his head wildly. "I’ve never seen anything like it." Another ship crossed in front of her. It was a leviathan. The space in front of the two ships began to blur and expand forward. Meryl felt the breath leave her lungs as the leviathan collided with the phenomenon and disappeared. The edge of the prowler met it as well and the world around her smeared in black and blue.
The view outside the window returned to normal and Moya stopped shaking. "Is everyone alright?" John shouted the words into his comm again and again. One by one, everyone reported in. Gripping Pilot around the neck he said, "We made it! Oh God we made it!" One of Pilot’s arms tapped him lightly on the shoulder. "Crichton, is that Earth?" He looked up and out the window. His skin turned pale and he felt his throat dry up. "No, its not."
Aeryn lifted herself off the floor and ran to the window. Looking out at the giant planet below, one thought stuck firmly in her head. She recognized this place and it was definitely not Earth.
The Elephant Ep5: Home Grown
The prowler spun aimlessly through space as it departed the wormhole. Meryl looked down at the planet below and a familiar feeling of dread formed. She had not seen this place since turning fifteen. All the terrible memories came floating back to the surface. "Captain, are you alright?" She turned in her seat to find Sargas watching her with concern. A small gash on his forehead dispensed a trickle of blood. "I’m fine. How’s your head?" He touched the spot and flinched. "Its not too bad." Looking out through the ship’s porthole, they watched the leviathan hover ominously over them. The blue light had disappeared.
Aeryn stared down at the planet with both awe and fear. She wanted to believe that it wasn’t really there and turn away but her legs didn’t seem to agree. Not moving from her spot, she tried to speak into her comm. No words came out. After what seemed like arns, a hand fell across her shoulder and she shuddered. "Aeryn, are you ok? You look pale." John was standing there. His presence comforted her but the apprehension was still there. Some form of order began to reestablish itself in her mind. "Are the others alright?" He nodded and looked at the planet. "Do you recognize it?" She turned away from him. "Yes, I do."
The pounding in his head had lessened considerably. Something about the blue glow that had filled the room minutes ago triggered his memory. There was a familiar picture in his mind that he just couldn’t get at. He stood up from his place on the floor and looked around. The ship seemed to be ok. There was debris scattered everywhere and the lights were out. He walked carefully down the corridor. He had learned to take every step with caution on this ship. Just as he was about to round a corner, a crackling sound caught his attention. Entering command, he noticed that a projection had come up over the table. It took him a moment to recognize the face through all the distortion bu there was no mistaking it. "Meryl, what are you doing here?"
John tapped his comm. Aeryn didn’t seem too keen on talking about what was bothering her. "Hey Pilot, anything new?" There was silence for a moment. The transmission seemed to crackle and break up but the voice came through. "There is a ship approaching. It seems to have been pulled through the wormhole with us." John moved up to the window to get a better view. Aeryn was already looking. She pointed to the left of them. "It’s a prowler. Looks damaged." The black attack ship appeared tiny in proportion to Moya. It hurtled through space without any apparent course. "Should we go after it?" His question went unanswered. "Its Meryl!" 0377's shout came over the comm. John looked at Aeryn with concern. "Pilot, where is he?"
Pilot scanned the ship with urgency. He was not sure exactly what was going on but there was no room for mistakes. "He’s in the hanger." He watched as Aeryn ran out of the maintenance bay to intercept the boy. "Wow, Aeryn where are you going?" Crichton’s voice rang out all over the ship. Aeryn slapped at her comm in one rhythmic motion as she headed towards the hanger. "He knows how to fly prowlers remember!" Crichton picked up the pace. "Oh frell."
She made it the hanger just as 0377 jumped into her prowler. "Where do you think you’re going?" He turned to look at her and his expression was deadly serious. "Meryl says that her ship is being pulled down to the planet. I have to get her out of there." Aeryn hesitated for only a second. A docking web could mean only one thing. "Fine, but get in the backseat. I’m driving." As he pulled himself over the division and into the back, she climbed in and engaged the engines. The last thing she saw before closing the hatch was John rushing into the room. Watching the ship lift off the ground, Crichton could only shake his head.
Meryl saw the prowler exit through the leviathan’s hanger doors and make its way to her. "Help is on the way." Sargas stared with alarm as the ship pulled alongside them. "Are you sure that we can trust them?" She met his questioning glance for only a second. "Oh, I see. He’s with them." She didn’t respond and he returned his attention to the prowler. "This is Aeryn Sun. I’m going to try to knock you out of the web’s grasp." Meryl began pressing buttons on the console. "Understood. I am engaging side thrusters now."
0377 watched in amazement as Aeryn maneuvered the ship with ease. Far better than he ever could. The prowler tilted sideways and away from Meryl. Then in one sweeping motion it swung back and rammed the other craft. At the same moment, Meryl switched on the thrusters and the small ship was thrown out of the web’s hold. "Thank you Aeryn Sun." Meryl terminated the transmission and started checking for damage. "You do realize who that is don’t you?" Once again she ignored Sargas’ question. "So now we’re double-crossing superiors and consorting with escaped prisoners and criminals." She grinned but he didn’t see any humor in the situation.
"Pilot, how are they doing out there?" John ran back from the hanger as fast as he could. He didn’t want to miss anything that was going on outside. "Officer Sun has successfully removed the other prowler." Pilot’s voice did not sound happy. "There is a new problem. The docking web is now targeting us." John pounded the wall with his fist. "Son of a-. Can you break free Pilot?" The answer came back immediately this time. "Moya is much bigger than a prowler Crichton. She is too large to maneuver out of its grasp." Looking out the window, John could see that the planet was now taking up the entire screen. They were getting closer and fast.
"Identification code please." The robotic voice came through the radio on both prowlers. The moment that they had entered within range of the planet’s scanners, targeting systems had locked on. "Aeryn! Use codename: Sargas, Del." The reply came quickly. "Acknowledged." She turned her attention back to the warning transmission. "Identification code please." Nervously, she complied. "Raynor, Meryl." The voice on the other end stopped momentarily. "Raynor, Meryl, Captain, Disavowed." She held her breath. "You are cleared for re-entry." She looked at Sargas who only returned her confused expression. "What?"
John had assembled everyone in command. It was D’Argo, Zhaan, Pilot, Rygel, Chiana and him on board now. "What do you mean we’re being pulled in?" D’Argo growled the words more than said them. His vow had obviously not been forgotten. "There’s nowhere for us to go." John pointed out the window. "Aeryn and 0377 are out in the prowler and we lost the transport back at the crash." Zhaan stood up from her seat. "What about your module John?" He shook his head. "It would only seat two of us. Plus, we can’t leave Pilot alone." They both nodded uncertainly. Pilot’s face appeared on the vidscreen. "Moya wishes for me to communicate that she would understand if you leave." John shook his head. "We’re not going anywhere." D’Argo grabbed his shoulder. "So what’s your plan once we reach the surface?" "Um, plan?"
Aeryn felt a tap on her shoulder. "What is it?" 0377 pushed his head forward and next to hers. "Do you know where we are?" She sighed heavily. "It’s the Sebacean home world." He was obviously rattled by the statement. "And we’re going down there." Aeryn shrugged. "Its been abandoned for many cycles. There’s only a small contingent of military left and a medical facility. The rest is just farmers and pacifists." 0377 looked down at the planet with concern. He was still nervous about being so close to peacekeepers. Glancing at the one right in front of him, he could not help but smile. If only for just a moment.
Meryl followed close behind the other prowler. She kept one eye on the space in front of her and the other on the enormous building that could already be seen. "What do you think they will do to us?" Sargas’ question struck her as incredibly shortsighted. "We’re not going to turn ourselves in." He slumped down in his seat. His mouth was twisted into a frown and he said nothing. "I’m sorry for getting you into this." He laughed. "Are you? That makes me feel much better capt-, Meryl." He didn’t see her as a commanding officer anymore. Somehow that hurt more than she had expected. "Very well."
<<<<>>>>
As Moya descended towards the planet’s surface, the weight of gravity began to take its toll. Zhaan attended to Pilot as John and D’Argo tried to get a closer look at what was approaching beneath them. An immense grey building appeared from out of the clouds. Longer than the leviathan, it dwarfed any other structure on the horizon. John noticed something much more troubling about it. It was undoubtedly peacekeeper. The giant glass dome that made up the roof began to separate. Inside, a chamber large enough to house Moya awaited their arrival.
"We go out fighting." D’Argo pulled his qualta blade from its sheath and headed for the entrance. John ran to catch up. "No, no. If we start shooting first, they’ll kill us. Its just three of us. We have to surrender for right now." The Luxan shook his head furiously. The anger in his eyes was not subsiding. "Just trust me this time. We’ll get through this." They stared each other down. Neither willing to give in. Finally, D’Argo lowered his blade. The doors opened and a squadron of soldiers swept in around them.
There was something peculiar about the situation right from the beginning. The soldiers had corralled them out of the ship with calm. Not one of them had raised his hand to strike. John and D’Argo were told to stand against the wall and wait. "What the frell?" John whispered the words. He did not dare arouse any suspicion. "They haven’t even pulled their guns out." D’Argo shook his head. "That’s impossible." But it was true. The soldiers turned their backs on the two of them. A man of medium height and stocky build in a long white lab coat entered the room. Without acknowledging their presence, he walked up to the nearest guard. "Go get the Delvian and the Hynerion." The uniformed soldier nodded and ran into the ship. "My name is Dr. Kodetova. You are in my custody until Scorpius’ emissary arrives."
John pressed his face against the cool glass door. "I told you." D’Argo growled at him. "You were guessing." They smiled at each other. "What are you two so happy about? We’re still in a cell." Zhaan and Rygel did not share their relaxed attitude. Even more mysterious than their detainment was the fact that they had all been placed in the same cell. The cell looked more like a hospital room than a prison. Escape would have been easy. But there was still Moya to think about. As John moved towards the chair next to Zhaan’s, a knocking at the door caught his attention. Dr. Kodetova stood on the other side of the glass with a smile on his face. A small square of the clear door slid to the side. "Where is Meryl Raynor?" The question surprised them. "She was with you when our scanners detected your ships. Where is she now?" John could do nothing but shrug.
<<<<>>>>
The two prowlers were hidden carefully inside some thick shrubs and their passengers were safely on the ground. The group of four moved covertly through the wooded area. "Have you been here before?" 0377 watched with curiosity as Meryl pondered the question. "Yes." She said nothing more and sped up to join Aeryn up ahead. It amazed him how similarly they walked. The same militaristic stride and posture. They seemed ready for battle. The other one, Sargas, followed close behind with his gun drawn. 0377 had the distinct impression that he was being escorted.
"Did you hear that?" Neither woman waited for a reply. They flanked out in different directions. Sargas grabbed 0377 and dragged him down behind a tree. Putting a finger to his lips, he shook his head. Up ahead of them, a lone man strolled through the forest. He seemed not to realize that four pairs of eyes were watching him at that moment. 0377 wrestled free from the older man’s grasp and stood up to get a better view. The laser blast came very close to decapitating him. Meryl dove from the bushes and knocked him to the ground.
"What do you think you’re doing! The words came out harsher than she had intended. She had to remember that he wasn’t one of her subordinates. "Damn. I’m sorry. I’m just the lowly human remember." The words stung her. She slammed him hard against the ground. "No! You’re more than that. I’m not here for just a lowly human!" She let his shirt go and he hit the ground with a thump. Ignoring his questioning gaze, she returned her attention back to the stranger.
"Friend or foe?" The man had now been joined by six others. While he held a peacekeeper pistol, the others carried sticks and small daggers. "I would advise you to surrender peacefully. You are after all outnumbered." Several more men and women stepped out behind them. They were cornered from all sides. Based on their appearance, 0377 could tell immediately that they were Sebaceans. Yet they were not dressed like peacekeepers. "They’re a farming community." Meryl spoke the words without turning to face him. "Stand up." The four of them stood and dropped their weapons.
The village was not far from where the confrontation had taken place. It was small and made up of modest looking homes. On all sides, vast fields of crops could be seen. Aeryn, Sargas, and 0377 began to look around the area. Meryl went directly for the leader. "Do you get any peacekeeper patrols out here?" He met her stern gaze with a casual smile. "Nice to meet you too. My name is Alec and no, patrols do not usually come out this far." He beckoned for her to follow and walked to a small building in the middle of town.
<<<<>>>>
Kodetova opened the door and immediately the three prisoners stood. "Don’t be fooled. If you attempt to break free now, this chamber will fill with poison gas and kill you." He pointed to John. "You, come here." John stood and walked over to the door. "Why me?" Kodetova smiled. "I have dealt with their kinds before. You appear to be of reasonable temper." Without another word, he turned and left. Crichton was unsure of what to do. He decided it would be best to cooperate for now.
"Scorpius is very interested in your band of escapees. One does not ask questions, but I can still be curious." The man spoke in a soothing yet increasingly annoying tone. "You mean you don’t know." John found it hard to believe that this man had not heard. It seemed everyone else had. "Those of us out here on the abandoned planet are not very well informed." The conversation was becoming increasingly confusing. "Abandoned?" Without stopping, Kodetova answered. "It was High Command’s opinion that a centralized peacekeeper population on the home world was dangerous. We have many enemies that would benefit far too much from destroying this planet. The decision was made to disperse."
"You said that Scorpius was sending an emissary. Does that mean he isn’t coming himself" John stopped walking and waited for a response. The doctor simply nodded. This was some sort of game for him. It was making John more and more angry. "Fine, I’ll bite. Why isn’t Scorpius coming?" Kodetova finally stopped and turned around. He was enjoying this. "He was born here."
<<<<>>>>
The room was covered completely in darkness. Meryl could barely make out the shape of a table in the middle of the room. "Hold on one microt." She watched him stumble across the room and switch on the light. It appeared to be a miniature command center. Maps of the region covered the walls and peacekeeper machinery took up all available space. "Salvage from downed ships. We’ve got to protect ourselves." She nodded and ran her fingers over the cool metal consoles. The confident feeling of being at the helm of a battleship resurfaced for a moment. That was all gone now.
"Our companions are being held in the medical facility." Alec nodded. "Most peacekeepers that pay us a visit don’t arrive on foot. You are rebels?" She smiled and shook her head. "No, we just had a small difference of opinion." He walked over to an open spot on the floor. Pulling on a chain that lay nearby, he uncovered a small hatch. "In any case, you are not with them. And if you are not with them, then you are welcome here." He dropped down into the level below. "Thank you." She followed behind him.
This room was far more familiar to her. Racks of pulse rifles and pistols lined the walls. Portable radar units made up piles on the floor. Meryl gazed with warmth at a pair of high-density energy blasters. A fond memory from her days at basic training. "I don’t understand." Alec walked up beside her and looked around. "We are pacifists, not fools." He lifted one of the guns and handed it to her. "What you are suggesting is very difficult. The facility will have to be destroyed." He winked at her. "We welcome the chance to rid ourselves of it."
Dusk had fallen over the village. 0377 sat beside Aeryn and Sargas in one of the small houses. He noticed that Meryl had not returned after leaving with Alec. He stood from his spot against the wall and walked out into the cool night air. She was standing guard just outside the village perimeter. It reminded him of the sentries he had seen in old war movies. Coming up behind her, he could see that her gaze was fixed on a large building in the distance. A strange smile was frozen on her face. "They told me about your plan." She did not reply. "What-." She raised her hand to stop him.
"I grew up there." Her words surprised him. Meryl did not turn around. "Soldier’s manual, chapter four, edict seventy three: Procreation among peacekeeper ranks is allowed and encouraged. Impregnation while on active duty is strictly forbidden." She continued to stare at the facility, despite the fact that it was quickly disappearing from view. "They inserted a nine inch needle into my mother’s body. They injected her with abortive poisons. My mother is dead and I am here with you."
The gaze finally broke and she looked down at her feet. 0377 stepped up and put his arms around her. He was amazed to find that she readily embraced him and placed her head on his shoulder. Meryl was shaking slightly now. He realized that she was crying. She muttered something to herself and then looked up at him. "Frell, I hate crying."
The Elephant Ep6: Children of the Revolution
The first rays of sunlight had just begun to fall over the little village. Four shadowy figures moved into and out of the center building with supplies in hand. Not a word was spoken among them. 0377 watched the two women in front of him with substantial amounts of fear and awe. They moved systematically, like robots. No questions were necessary between them. He put down the bundle he was carrying next to the others. Each one was filled with more weapons than he had seen in his entire life. Everything from small pistols to what looked like a rocket launcher. As the last shipment was carried out, the four gathered together.
Meryl was in charge here. There was no questioning that. The others could see clearly the amount of resolve she had. Pulling them all into a huddle, she discussed the plan. "Aeryn and I will go in through the front. Once we’ve cleared a path, Sargas, you and 0377 will come in after us and find the prisoners. Sargas nodded and turned to gather himself some weapons. "Isn’t knocking on the front door a little dangerous? I’ve seen enough movies to know that." Meryl didn’t bother to answer. Seeing his confused expression, Aeryn felt a strange need to provide comfort. "She knows the risk. But it has to be done."
<<<<>>>>
"I suppose another diagnostic check might be necessary." Pilot groaned and began pressing buttons on the console. Since the first day he had been implanted in Moya, there had always been plenty of people to keep him busy. He was all alone now. There was nothing to do now but stare at the wall and run yet another check on the ship. Looking down at a scurrying DRD, Pilot wished to himself that the little contraption knew how to talk. A slight crackling sound caught his attention. It sounded as if one of the comms had been activated. "That’s impossible. There’s no one else here." But obviously that wasn’t true. He had just felt something drop and hit the ground hard on one of the tiers below him.
The freezing cold mist swirled around John’s legs and he cursed himself again for not bringing his coat. The chamber reminded him of the diagnosan’s lab back on the ice planet. But there was something distinctly more sinister about this place. The walls were lined with glass containers, both large and small. Inside he could see tiny creatures at different stages of development. Some looked Sebacean and the others were anybody’s guess. "I think you’ll find this very interesting Crichton." Kodetova flipped a switch on the wall and part of it disappeared. John felt like someone had just punched him in the gut. He stepped forward and put his hand against the glass. "It can’t be."
Pilot felt every footstep as it hit the ground on the way to his chamber. Whoever it was had avoided every attempt he had made to get a view. The comm channel came on again and he heard the faint sound of someone breathing. "Who’s there?" He held is breath and tried to quiet Moya down. Her voice kept ringing with alarm inside his head. "If I knew who it was, I wouldn’t have asked." Finally the footsteps were at his door. It slid open slowly and he caught a glimpse of a black boot. "Pilot, you alone?" He breathed a huge sigh of relief. Chiana walked up next to him. "What’s wrong? You don’t look so good."
The creature on the other side of the glass was worse than anything else he had seen in this house of horrors. It was smaller than the length of his arm and yet the face left no doubt. There was a little baby Scorpius staring back at him. "Is it alive?" The doctor chuckled to himself and patted John on the back. "Of course he is. High command is very adamant about this type of situation. Always have an extra." John tapped the glass lightly. Common sense told him otherwise, but he was sure that it had just smiled at him. The man in uniform stepped out from his place in the shadows. "Can we get down to business now Crichton?" John turned towards the man. "What do you want?" The man smiled. "My name is General Chernov and I have a proposition for you."
<<<<>>>>
"They’re parasites you know." Aeryn and Meryl stood just outside of the facility’s detection range. Both women were covered head to toe in weapons. Each carried a high density energy blaster. Aeryn checked her cartridge and slammed it back into place. "They grab onto you whether you want them to or not. And when they’re finished, you’ve either gone soft or you’re dead." Meryl shook her head. "But you love him." Aeryn turned to look at her. "Yes, I do. And I’m beginning to see the same look in your eyes." Meryl turned away. "I don’t know." She aimed her gun towards its target and began to walk forward. "Its time."
""There are those of us in High Command who wish to see Peacekeepers cleansed of their imperfections." John smiled devilishly. "You mean Scorpius." The man nodded. "He has the wormhole technology and that makes him very powerful. Too powerful for a person such as myself to challenge him." Both of them knew where this was going. "He has one weakness that we know about. You, John Crichton, are the only man who has ever hurt Scorpius directly." John stood and turned his back to the visitor. "You want me to kill him? Why would I agree to that?" Chernov knew he had the human's attention now. "Because you hate him as much as we do. And, we would also be willing to overlook certain crimes commited by you and your comrads." Before John could respond, he noticed something peculiar. "Hey doc, did that thing just move?" Kodetova moved forward to see. "No, the whole building is moving."
"WE ARE UNDER ATTACK - THIS IS A FULL ALERT." Alarms blared all over the building. Kodetova rushed into security control and brushed past the guard on duty. "What the frell is going on?" The young tek in front of the monitor spoke quickly without taking his eyes from the screen. "There are intruders attacking the building sir." The doctor growled angrily. "How many?" The tek turned slowly towards him with a confused look on his face. "Two." Kodetova pushed him out of the way and checked the camera view. "Meryl?"
Chernov tossed John back into the cell. "If you survive this, Kodetova knows where to reach me." With those words, he turned and left them there. John turned towards his friends. "Crichton, where have you been?" Zhaan stood and started checking over him. D'Argo eyed him carefully. "Did they torture you?" John shook his head. "No, no. They just wanted to talk. Listen we've got bigger problems right now. Someone is attacking the building." Rygel poked his head out from behind the much larger Luxan. "Then get us the frell out of here!"
<<<<>>>>
"Do you see anyone Chiana?" Pilot tried in vain to reach the stubborn Nebari. He had warned her not to go up there. Finally, her voice came through over the comm. "No Pilot, there's no one out here. All the guards are gone." He smiled. "Well then get back inside." He sensed the latch being shut up above him and began preparations.
They were at the doorway now. Or at least what was left of it. The entire front entrance of the facility was burnt and smashed to pieces. "Shall we?" Aeryn nodded to Meryl and the two of them stepped inside. A long corridor awaited them. Large metal pillars made it difficult to see the other end. "There's a metal door at the end of this hallway. If we can get through it, I know the rest of the way." Meryl ran out in front of her companion. Within seconds of her movement, a barrage of energy blasts flew around her. She was stuck behind a pillar. "Um, Aeryn, I think we have a problem." Aeryn pushed herself over to take a look. The door at the other end of the hall had opened. More soldiers than she could count were filing out.
0377 and Sargas watched the commotion from outside. "How does it look?" Sargas pulled on the oculars. "Hold on. I can't see them yet." There was a loud boom and smoke billowed out of the front entrance. They stood from their hiding spot and moved towards the facility. "I'm going to go check on them." 0377 nodded as the older man stepped through the ruined doors. Looking around him, he couldn't help but notice that the area was eerily quiet. Except of course for what was going on inside.
"How many grenades do you have?" Aeryn yelled over to Meryl from her spot behind the rubble. Meryl opened her pack and sifted through the contents. "I've got fifteen." Aeryn pulled out two pulse pistols. "Throw them out." Meryl knew not to ask questions. She did as she was told. In one fluid motion, Aeryn threw herself around the pillar and ran after the bag. The soldiers ahead of her had their guns raised. Thin red lines darted across her body but not a shot was fired. As the bag reached the other end of the hallway, she fired.
Sargas was just getting past the debris when he heard the noise. He rushed inside and found Meryl kneeling up ahead. An immense cloud of smoke filled the rest of the large room. He could see pulse blasts illuminating the inky blackness. "What the frell is she doing?" Meryl motioned for him to join her. "She went out there a few microts ago. I don't know if she made it." The smoke began to dissipate and a strange quiet settled over the room.
Pilot reassured Moya once again that it would be alright. Chiana sat beside him, holding on with all her might to the console. The room began to shake violently. "She pulling at the restraints!" He had barely gotten the words out when a loud snapping sound filled the chamber. "She's free!" The shaking leveled out and Moya began to rise. The next sound they heard was the smashing of glass above their heads. The ship rose out of the facility and into open air. Chiana turned to the distraught Pilot. "What do we do now?"
"That's it!" D'Argo stood up and ran for the glass door. "I will wait no longer." John did not open his mouth. With one quick slam of his fist, D'Argo smashed through the door and stepped outside. He fell into a fighting stance but there was no one to fight. The entire area seemed to be empty. Zhaan and Rygel rushed to his side. John walked out slowly. "You three go get Moya. I have to go pick something up." He turned and ran in the opposite direction. Zhaan looked at D'Argo with confusion. All he could do was shrug.
Aeryn was sure that she had been hit. She found herself lying on the floor, surrounded by bodies in black uniform. Her gun lay just out of reach but it didn't matter. The cartridge inside was dead. She coughed a few times and tried to lift herself up. Blood was trickling from a wound on her leg. "Meryl! Are you alright?" The shout came back quickly. "Yes, and you?" Aeryn lifted herself off the ground and walked back to meet the others. She saw Meryl and Sargas huddled together behind the pillar. "Where's 0377?"
0377 tapped at his comm furiously. He hadn't been sure at first, but then again what else could it be. Moya had risen out the facility and was now hovering above him. "Hey kid, is that you?" He recognized Chiana's teasing voice. "Yes. Are you all up there?" He waited for the reply and started walking towards the front entrance. "We got D'Argo, Zhaan, and Rygel. But John's still inside. How about you?" He looked into the destroyed lobby. "I'll have to get back to you on that."
"That had to have been most of the guards. We should be ok from here." Aeryn, Meryl, and Sargas stood at their hiding spot behind the first pillar. A noise from behind them caught their attention and instantly three guns were drawn. "Hey, its only me!" 0377 stepped out the shadows and joined them. "I have good news." They eyed him suspiciously. Three peacekeepers and a human. "Moya's free. Everyone's onboard except for John. They said he's ok though." Aeryn was immediately concerned. "What do you mean he's not on board?"
John rushed into the chamber and looked around. Everyone seemed to have cleared out in a hurry. He searched the walls frantically until he found it. The small button that Kodetova had pushed. The wall section dissolved to reveal baby scorpy floating in the clear solution. John grabbed the container and lifted it out of its place. The damn thing was heavier than he had anticipated and the creature inside rolled from side to side. "I wouldn't." He froze as he heard the words. Kodetova was standing behind him, pulse rifle in hand.
"I'll go get him." The others stared at Meryl in confusion. Aeryn shook her head angrily. "No. He's my responsibility. I'll get him." Neither woman budged. "Aeryn, I know this place. Let me find him." 0377 put his arm on Aeryn's shoulder. "She's right. You could get lost." Reluctantly, she agreed. "Alright, but don't take too long." She walked back towards the entrance with Sargas in tow. 0377 turned to Meryl. "There's something else isn't there?" She refused to look him in the eye. "I have something personal to finish."
The container sat on the floor next to John's boots. Kodetova walked over and searched him for weapons. "You weren't seriously considering that offer were you?" John stared forward and said nothing. "You'd never get to him. He's smarter than you are." The doctor placed the gun against John's temple. "What was in there that he wanted so-." He froze in mid-sentence. One of the elevators outside had just opened its doors. "Kodetova!" It was a woman's scream. Both men looked at each other with completely different reactions. John smiled wickedly. "Ooh, he's got a problem." Kodetova smacked him hard with the rifle.
The first gun blast very nearly hit John in the head. Kodetova turned towards the sound, leaving John unwatched. A much larger rifle than the doctor's appeared in the doorway. The hand attached to it was Meryl's. She nodded towards John. "Get out of here. They're waiting for you outside." John picked up the container and ran out of the room. Kodetova did not try to stop him. "Its been a long time doctor." Her words were soft but her face wasn't. It was curved into a vicious scowl that would have frightened the bravest man. "I never hurt you Meryl. I took care of you." His words came out meek and flat. "Drop the gun."
0377 was waiting by the door when John stepped out of the elevator. "What the hell is that?" He pointed at the strange creature in the container. John shook his head. "I'll explain later." The younger man looked back towards the elevator. "Where is she?" John stopped. "She's finishing something." 0377 pressed the up button and stepped inside. "Hey, where are you going?" He didn't answer.
Kodetova was pressed against the wall now. The gun lay on the floor, out of his reach. Meryl was advancing slowly. She lifted her rifle up to the height of his head. He closed his eyes. She smashed it into his jaw with enormous ferocity. The force of the blow sent him crashing through the glass shelves he leaned against. Kodetova tasted blood. "This is for fifteen years!" She hit him again and again, eventually knocking him to the ground. His face was covered in blood. He was used to the sight of it after so many years. But not his own. Kodetova's shoulders slumped and he lay still as she continued.
As Meryl lifted herself up again, she saw him. 0377 stood in the small doorway watching the horrific scene with wide eyes. She stared at him, angry that he had to disturb her now. "You're just going to kill him?" He whispered the words but she heard them perfectly. Looking down at the sorry excuse for a man, she dropped the rifle. 0377 held his breath as she walked away from the bloodied thing at her feet. He saw something frightening in her eyes as she walked past him. He turned and followed.
Sargas was waiting for them outside. He led them to a clearing not far from the facility. The two prowlers were waiting there. He jumped into one and 0377 climbed into the other. Meryl stood in front of them. She was exhausted, both emotionally and physically. There was blood on her hands and she wiped it off on her pants. Looking up, she realized something. Both men were expecting her to leave with them. On one side she saw Sargas, and the familiarity that had been with her always. On the other she saw 0377, and the uncertain. She stepped forward.
"Freeze!" None of them had seen the soldiers approaching from behind. It was too late now. Two of them grabbed Meryl. She had no weapon and their grip on her was strong. She looked back at the two men in fear. "Get out of here!" She shouted it several times but neither budged. The soldiers didn't go after them. They wanted her. Meryl watched on the soldiers pull out his gun. The last thing she saw was it gliding towards her face. Then there was only darkness.
The Elephant Ep7: Dead Again
Darkness. She had felt the blow to her face and then nothing. Meryl opened her eyes wearily and tried to stand up. She found herself lying on the floor of a cell. But not like any cell she had ever been in before. The ground was a carpet of dirt and the walls seemed to be made up of different sized stones. There was very little light and a nauseating odor coming from the other side of the room. Something moved off to her right. She caught the shadowy outline but no features.
"So, you’re alive." The creature leaning over her was a female. The girl had to be about seventeen or eighteen. Just old enough to carry a pulse rifle. It amused her to think that she had been the one standing over the body more times than she could remember. Now the situation was reversed. "Where am I?" Her throat burned as the words came out. Using what little strength she had, Meryl lifted herself off the ground. "You’re in prison. What did you do?" Meryl didn’t reply. There was someone else in the room with them. Lying against the far wall. She walked over. "I wouldn’t do that!" It was too late. The man was dead. As she moved closer, signs of a savage beating were all over his face. "Alec."
The door slid open slowly and a beam of light cut across the dark room. Meryl and the girl shielded their eyes and moved away. "Bring her forward." A guard in black uniform entered and grabbed Meryl by the neck. He tossed her towards the opening. It took her a few moments to adjust to the light. Dr. Kodetova stood over her. His face was badly bruised and scarred but he was smiling. "Leave us." The guard nodded and stepped outside. Kodetova kneeled and pulled a syringe from his case. "This is to make sure you don’t get any ideas." He grabbed her arm and injected the liquid inside. Instantly, she felt her body go numb. The only thing keeping her up was his hand on her back.
"We’ve known about their weapons stash for some time now. Although we didn’t think they’d be stupid enough to try anything." He pointed towards the dead man. "That is, until you came along." She felt the anger swell inside of her again. "You killed them?" Kodetova shook his head and laughed. "Of course not. But examples have to be made. Their leader, and you unfortunately." The anger subsided slightly. A more sickening feeling settled in its place. She was going to die.
<<<<>>>>
0377 watched the village from a hilltop not far away. The oculars that Sargas had lent him gave a perfect view over what was going on. The center building had been destroyed. In its place now stood a large platform. On it sat two black chairs. He shuddered as he pictured what they were for. Each one came with a neck holder attached to the back. He could see needles protruding from the inside of them. They were going to execute someone. His comm crackled to life. It was John. "Hey, are you ready for us yet?" He took one last look down at the village. "Not yet."
<<<<>>>>
Aeryn stared at the hideous creature from behind the glass. Her first instinct had been to shoot the thing and move on. But John had not allowed it. She heard him enter from behind. "Did you talk to him?" He nodded. "0377 says to wait a little longer." She frowned. "And you trust his instincts?" John tapped the glass with his finger and then turned to face her. "If you were down there, I wouldn’t be messing around."
<<<<>>>>
He pulled his hand away and she hit the ground hard. There was blood in her mouth and the metallic taste made her choke. "You had so much promise Meryl. I am more than a bit disappointed." Kodetova stepped back and closed the door. Darkness filled the room again and her eyes readjusted. The girl was by her side in an instant. "You’re Meryl Raynor?" Meryl nodded and closed her eyes. "I heard about you at the academy. You got over a hundred kills in the Curulan conflict!" Memories of bloodshed and chaos resurfaced. With what little strength she could muster, Meryl pushed herself away from the girl and towards the wall.
"They’ll be coming for us soon." She awoke to find the girl sitting next to her. Watching her with what seemed to be reverence. "My name is Delia." Meryl looked at her with tired eyes. "What are they killing you for?" Delia looked away in shame. "I’d rather not say. It would lower your opinion of me." Meryl actually laughed at this. "Believe me, nothing you could do at this point would lower my opinion of you." They watched each other carefully. Finally, the younger woman seemed to relax. "I wouldn’t kill a child. It was stupid me, but the frelling thing reminded me of my brother." Meryl reached out her hand and put it on the girl’s shoulder. "I’ve done much worse."
<<<<>>>>
Sargas was not with 0377 on the hillside. Meryl Raynor had commited treason. She would pay the price now. He didn’t like it. She had been a very important person in his life. He valued her leadership and the relationship they shared. But he could not interfere with peacekeeper commands. Sargas was a soldier. He would stay only to see the deed finished. "You are Lt. Sargas?" The words caught him by surprise. An odd looking man in rags stood in front of him. He recognized him immediately. "You’re the Nyid prisoner who escaped." Bob grinned and nodded. "I cannot lie." Sargas smiled back. "So what are you doing here?" Bob reached a hand into his coat. "I’ve come to kill you."
<<<<>>>>
0377 heard the gunshots and ducked behind a bush. Was it possible that someone had seen him? He didn’t think so. He pulled his own gun out and looked back towards the village. The farm workers were all assembled outside. Guards corralled them around the center platform. 0377 noted that there were not that many guards. From his spot on the hill, he counted ten. Tapping his comm, he said "It’s almost time." Standing up, he ran down towards the village as quietly as humanly possible.
<<<<>>>>
The footsteps grew louder as they approached the cell. Meryl tensed up immediately as she spotted the boots in the small space between the door and the ground. Delia noted this as well. She turned to Meryl with her strong face gone. "I don’t want to die like this." Meryl hugged her. "I’ll be right beside you." She felt warm liquid touch her skin. The girl was weeping into her chest. The door crashed open loudly and a pair of soldiers barged in. Meryl stood and brought Delia up with her. "Will you go peacefully?" The question seemed odd coming from a man holding a pulse rifle. She nodded.
Delia was shaking as they exited the tiny hut and into the dry outdoors. The sun was shining brightly and it blinded them. Meryl turned to her companion. "Give me your hand." The girl was confused at first but quickly complied. Hand in hand they walked slowly towards the center platform where Kodetova was waiting. They both saw the chairs. A basic execution device. Meryl had seen it done before. You sit down and the operator pushes the needle forward and into your neck. The kill shot acts quickly. Delia’s hand was sweating. "You’re a peacekeeper. Die like one." Meryl heard her mutter the words again and again. She told herself the same thing.
As they reached the platform, Kodetova shook his head. Meryl stared right back at him without flinching. She wouldn’t let him see her cry. Delia was ripped from her grasp and pushed into a chair. Then it was her turn. They sat side by side. Meryl reached for Delia’s hand again and the frightened girl took it. They held on to each other firmly as the operators prepared behind them. Meryl closed her eyes and whispered to herself. "A peacekeeper must die with dignity." She clenched her teeth. "I will not cry out."
Her thoughts turned to all that she was leaving behind. She remembered the first time she had stood on the bridge of the Hyperion. The first time she had seen it in action. The ceremony where High Command had added the word captain to her title. Then she saw him. The human stared back at her in her thoughts. The innocent face that had ended her career. The strange emotion she had felt when he touched her shoulder in the cell. "Frell." She tried to hate him with everything she had but it wasn’t enough. Meryl was going to miss the pathetic little creature.
"Ready." One the operators had spoken. She couldn’t tell which one. Kodetova walked in between the two women. "Proceed." A low electronic hum began sounding from one of the chairs. Delia cried out in pain as the needle pierced her skin. "Meryl?" She heard her name but did not dare to open her eyes. The grip on her hand tightened for a moment and then went limp. Meryl could not hold the tears back any longer. She felt one trickle down her cheek as something hit the ground and brushed her foot. "I’m going to enjoy this Meryl." He whispered the words into her ear. She tried to hit him but her arms were fastened to the chair. The needle burst into her neck.
Meryl opened her eyes momentarily and saw Kodetova smiling back at her. The sun burned brightly behind him. She tried to spit but her mouth held no saliva. She closed her eyes to block the light but something beat her to it. A shadow blocked out the sun for a moment before passing over her. She felt her hair fly up around her face. The wind had picked up. Angry shouts could be heard around her. An immense roar came from above and the sound of footsteps slamming against dirt. She couldn’t help herself. Meryl opened her eyes.
The area around the platform was deserted. Soldiers and villagers alike had run off. Kodetova was nowhere to be found. Meryl leaned forward and felt the needle slide slowly out of her neck. She didn’t know if the kill shot had been injected yet. Someone stepped in between the sun and her. A hand reached out and touched her cheek. "I’m not too late am I?" Despite the overwhelming pain she felt, Meryl smiled. 0377 began pulling the restraints off. "Sorry." He stopped and looked at her. She tumbled forward and into his arms. Without the restraints to hold her up, she slid down and hit the ground. He stood over her body. "Meryl?" She did not respond.
"It’s too late for the both of you, boy." 0377 turned to find Kodetova standing behind him with pulse rifle aimed. "You’re ship has my entire squadron chasing after it. But I did not stray too far." Without another word, he fired point blank at 0377's head. The body dropped down next to one he had come to rescue. Kodetova stood over the two with a satisfied grin on his face. The moment of triumph ended quickly. A footstep caught the doctor’s attention. "Its you." Bob nodded to him and stepped forward. He looked down at the bodies. "You were given instructions doctor." He ripped the gun out of Kodetova’s hand. "These lives were not yours to take." There was a flash of light from Bob’s side and Kodetova fell to the ground dead.
<<<<>>>>
A foul odor tore him away from the dream. Tom found himself lying in a pile of trash bags and smelly rain water. The broken pieces of a fire escape lay beside him. He looked around and realized what had happened. He had fallen from the roof. Putting his hand to his forehead, Tom felt something warm. His hand was covered with blood. The sound of footsteps approaching caught his attention. His mother walked out from behind the trash bins. "Tom, what the hell are you doing out here! You haven’t been here all night have you?" The look of anger changed to concern. She stepped over him and leaned down. "Mom, what are you doing?" She slapped him hard.
She pulled herself from the deep sleep. Meryl was laying on a small cot in Moya’s infirmary. Zhaan stood over her with a wet cloth. "Am I dead?" The blue woman smiled warmly. "No quite. Though it did take quite a while for all those depressants to wear off." She thought back to the shot that Kodetova had given her in the cell. "Very potent." Zhaan’s words were soothing. Meryl turned her head to look around the room. 0377 lay in the cot next to hers. She saw the bandage on his head. "Is he dead?" She did not want to hear the answer. This time Zhaan’s expression was not as pleasant. "We hope so."
Meryl stood up carefully and moved to his side. She had been waiting long enough. "Wake up." She spoke the words softly and he did not respond. "Wake up!" Louder now but still no response. She waited for Zhaan to leave the room and then slapped him hard. "Mom, what the-." He shook violently and covered his face with his hands. She tried to steady him as best she could. "0377, it’s me, Meryl." He looked at her strangely. "My name’s not zero-three-. Who are you?" She stared at him angrily as he babbled incoherently. There had to be some way to shut him up. She leaned forward and kissed him. He blinked several times. "Oh, right." He lifted himself up and sat beside her.
<<<<>>>>
2 HOURS LATER:
John sat in between the neural clusters with one of the sensors that Pilot had given him. "What are you doing?" Aeryn walked in and knelt beside him. He turned away from his work. "I’m just checking Moya’s integral systems to make sure nothing was damaged during starburst." She smiled. "So you’re not calling it a wormhole." He put down the device. "Moya can’t tell where the wormhole will take us. We could try it a thousand times without ever finding Earth." She leaned forward but stopped when Zhaan entered the room. The usually calm woman seemed annoyed. "What’s the problem blue?" She turned to them. "I need my lab John. They’ve been in there for almost two arns now." He looked at Aeryn.
They stood outside the lab. The door was shut and locked. John shook his head. "I can’t believe this." Aeryn was confused. "What do you mean?" He knocked on the door gently. "They’ve known each other for what, a few weeks?" He saw her angry expression and shut up. "I don’t understand what would bother you about them-." She stopped herself. "Oh." John tried not to look at her. Aeryn didn’t let it go. "You can’t be sure that they’re doing that." He motioned for her to come closer. "Listen." She put her ear to the door and blushed involuntarily. John smiled triumphantly. She turned to him. "I guess some people have to be more patient than others." Without saying another word, she turned and left.
The Elephant Ep8: It’s Not As Easy As It Looks
"We are within range sir." The worn out tek looked up at her superior with satisfaction. She had been manning the console for days without reprieve. The planet came into view on her monitor within seconds. She felt his cold hand on her shoulder and tried not to shudder. "Thank you. Your service is no longer required." Scorpius watched the young woman nod quickly and scurry away back to her barracks. "Weakling." He looked at the planet below with nervous anticipation. It had been a very long time since he had been home. "Braca, prepare the marauder."
The immense command carrier settled into its orbit above the Sebacean home world. A lone marauder left its hanger on a vector towards the medical facility below. Scorpius noted with alarm that wisps of smoke were billowing out from openings all over the building. The glass shield that served as a roof was totally destroyed. As if something gigantic had torn through it. He didn’t need more than one guess to figure out what that had been. The leviathan. He rubbed his fists together in a vain attempt to ease the anger boiling inside him. "Crichton."
The facility lay in ruins. The researchers had all fled or been killed in the crossfire. Soldier’s corpses were strewn all over the floor and blinking computers awaited instructions. It was an eerie scene to behold. He stepped through the ravaged entrance and into the main lobby. His black boots smacked loudly against the hard floor. An unsettling quiet filled the room. Scorpius looked around with dismay. "An entire building wiped out by four escaped prisoners." The words left his lips softly and almost sadly. Braca walked up behind him, a grim look on his face. "Our scout team found the doctor." Scorpius turned around angrily. He was in no mood to wait. "Where?"
Kodetova’s body lay grotesquely over the execution chair. His impeccably clean lab coat was stained with crimson blood. Scorpius lifted the head up gingerly. An unusual wave of sadness passed through him. In some twisted way, this man had been his father. He dropped the corpse back into its final resting place and checked the young girl beside him. "Was she connected?" Braca pulled open her uniform collar and checked the ident chip around her neck. "No sir. She was scheduled to die before they had arrived." Scorpius gazed at the other chair with curiosity. "Who else was meant to die here?" Braca flipped through the manifest until he found the information. "You’ll find this interesting. It was Meryl Raynor." The half-breed was not amused.
They returned to the facility one last time before departing the abandoned planet. There was one article left for Scorpius to collect. He stepped into the lab marked cold storage with a bit of unease. It was never comfortable for him to see the tiny creatures. They reminded him too much of his own infancy. Finding the small switch, Scorpius pressed it and watched as the wall disappeared to reveal his treasure. The space was empty. His mind raced with possible reasons for what he was seeing. "Lose something?" He turned slowly. The voice was one he recognized only too well.
<<<<>>>>
Aeryn stood frozen in front of the door to Zhaan’s lab. She had been standing there almost an arn now without moving. The earlier discussion with John had rattled her. She had to know for sure. Finally, gathering as much composure as she could muster, she tapped her comm. "Pilot, open the lab door." There was a moment of silence before he responded. "Crichton has asked me not to do so Officer Sun." There seemed to be amusement in his voice. This annoyed her even more. "Do I have to come up there?" Before she could say another word, the door slid open slightly.
She could hear the sound of breathing coming from the other end of the room. Aeryn found the two fast asleep on their cots. Fully clothed, she noticed. She shook her head angrily. "I’m going to kill you John." Tom stirred as she said the words. Seeing that the bandage had slipped off his head, she replaced it gingerly. It made Aeryn smile to see the two of them like this. She had not been as fortunate. At first, anyway. "You couldn’t help yourself could you?" The voice startled her and she almost shouted. Luckily, it was D’Argo. The big Luxan smiled and stepped up next to her. He noted the content look on the sleeper’s faces. "I envy them."
John woke up with a start inside his cell. He found himself alone. A humming sound had driven him from sleep and back to reality. The container sat not far from his bed. He would have kept it somewhere else if not for the prying hands of others. The little creature inside would probably be blown out an airlock. John watched it and lazily traced his hand over the glass. The words kept ringing in his head. "I have a proposition for you." He hadn’t been able to get it out of his mind. A little voice inside beckoned him.
"You are a foolish creature John. But not that foolish." The Scorpius clone gazed lovingly at the tiny replica of itself. It was dressed in hospital scrubs, hovering over the container like a mother with her newborn baby. "If you go after him, he’ll kill you this time." John pretended not to listen but the clone was right. The very idea was crazy. Not to mention that the others would never agree to it. "Can’t blame me for trying." He stood up and waved the doors open. "Watch the baby. I’m going to go talk to the neighbors." It rolled its eyes and turned away as John left.
They were all assembled in command. John stood in the center with eight pairs of eyes watching him closely. Aeryn watched him with unease. Somehow she this had to do with what had happened to him in the facility. He had gone back for that disgusting creature and she still did not know why. "D’Argo, do you remember when they took me away for a while?" D’Argo nodded but said nothing. "Well, they wanted me to meet somebody. A peacekeeper called Chernov." Meryl stepped forward from her place in the back. "General Chernov?" She shook her head. "I’ve met him. He’s a snake in a uniform." John saw the look on Aeryn’s face. But he had to tell them.
"You’re frelling insane!" Aeryn stared at him with eyes that shot daggers. "I know it sounds crazy but-." She shook her head angrily. "But what? It’s worth it? I don’t think so." She turned and stalked out of the room. John looked to the others but their faces revealed no support. He ran after her. "Aeryn wait!" He grabbed her arm and made her stop. "Get your hands off of me." She growled the words through gritted teeth. Before he could apologize, she grabbed his shirt and tossed him against the wall. "The John Crichton I know would never do this. He wouldn’t be that stupid." She let him go. His eyes pleaded with her. She didn’t understand. He needed to do this. "Don’t." Her face was soft again. The look of disappointment hurt him. "Please." She stepped away from him and ran down the corridor.
<<<<>>>>
Scorpius slammed Bob against the wall with every bit of strength he had. "Where is it!" The Scarren growl he had always tried to hide rose from his throat. "Do you have any idea what I can do to you?" The Nyid only stared back. His face devoid of any fear or emotion. "No, but I do know something much more important." Scorpius wrapped his hand around the man’s throat. He was in no mood for games. Bob leaned forward slowly. "I know half-breeds can’t reproduce. I know you need that creature." The grip loosened and he fell to the floor coughing. A smile spread across Bob’s face. "And you’re going to need me if you want it back." Scorpius stepped back and frowned. "Talk."
Braca waited patiently outside the facility. He had been instructed by Scorpius not to enter. The marauder sat beside him with engines ready. He spotted someone walking out the front entrance and raised his pistol. "Stand fast." The other kept coming without slowing down at all. As the features came into view, Braca relaxed. It was the Nyid. "I told you to stop." Bob looked down at the gun and shook his head. "I’ll see you again." Leaving the puzzled soldier, he jumped into the marauder and took off. Braca tried to stop him but was immediately cut off. "Let him go Lt." Scorpius came up behind him. "We will wait for another transport."
<<<<>>>>
"You’re doing it wrong!" D’Argo groaned and grabbed the pen out of Tom’s hand. "It goes the other way." Tom looked up at the angry Luxan with the same expression. "Well how am I supposed to learn with you stopping every five minutes to shout in my ear?" They stared at each other for several seconds without speaking. Finally, D’Argo pulled the paper they were bickering about away. He read through it. The slightest bit of admiration poked through. The human was actually picking up the language very well. "This is not what I said." He looked accusingly at the writer. "You’re not exactly the most eloquent person D’Argo." Once again they glared angrily at each other. "We’ll finish this later." D’Argo said the words and stormed out of the room.
Meryl heard the entire conversation from outside. She had first-hand experience with Luxan hyper-rage. The doors suddenly spread open. She backed away and watched as D’Argo ran past her. In one quick movement, Meryl grabbed his arm and spun him against the wall. Surprised, D’Argo tried to retaliate but the hold was too strong. "You would do well to mind your manners with him." He laughed. "What are you? His mother?" She released the grip and he turned to face her. "The boy needs to toughen up. His kind don’t survive long on the run." He was right and she knew it. "Just don’t press too hard."
John sat against the wall and stared at the bag he had packed. It contained everything from spare parts to gun cartridges. He had made his decision. Scorpius would die and his friends wouldn’t have to live in fear any longer. Rygel had already been to see him earlier. Not surprisingly, the little Hynerion had approved of his plan. As long as his royal highness wasn’t in any immediate danger. The sound passed very quickly and he almost missed it. Someone had entered his cell. Turning towards the door, he found Zhaan sitting on the bed. "So, you’re off to kill yourself." He saw genuine concern in her eyes. "I have to do this blue." Her face took on a sad look. "Revenge is a powerful emotion John. You once helped me fight the darkness I held inside. I can’t help but worry that you have succumbed to your own." John took her hand in his. "I’m worried too."
She had tried going a few rounds with the punching bag but it didn’t help as much as it used to. Now she sat in his module. She could smell his scent and it only made things worse. Aeryn rubbed her eyes and checked to make sure no one was looking. She was losing him and it hurt more than she had ever thought it could. "Frell." Whispering the word made her feel good. Shouting it was even better. "You could disable it you know." She recognized the voice immediately. "Go away Chiana." The young Nebari leaned against the module and sighed. "Not this time."
"What could you possibly say to make me feel any better?" They stared at each with determination. Neither willing to give up any ground. Chiana sat down beside the module. "I’ve been where you are right now." Aeryn shook her head and laughed. "I highly doubt it." The younger woman was now angry. "My brother is out there right now fighting a war. He could be dead or alive, I don’t know. He left me behind because I wasn’t strong enough to stand with him in the beginning." Aeryn saw the sadness in her eyes. "He just wants to protect you Chiana." Chiana frowned. "Yeah, well I wanted to protect him too." When Aeryn didn’t respond, she continued. "You have to let him do this Aeryn. No matter how crazy it sounds." She stood and walked towards the door. "Whatever choice you make, be sure about it. You don’t need any more regret."
John and D’Argo walked into the hanger. The human had said his goodbyes to everyone except Aeryn. He hadn’t been able to find her. The hanger was empty and his module sat alone in the corner. "Are you sure you won’t take the prowler?" John shook his head. "You’ll need defenses John." D’Argo’s worry was obvious. John patted him on the back. "I’m taking the module. It deserves to be there when I kill him." The Luxan sighed heavily. John threw his bag into the back of the module and started checking the systems. "John, I...." They looked at each other for a moment without speaking. "I know you can’t go with me. I understand." D’Argo nodded and stepped away. "I’ll see you again John Crichton." John buckled himself in. He took one last look at his friend and said "That’s a promise."
The doors to space opened slowly as the Farscape 1 module lifted off the ground. It glided smoothly through Moya’s massive hanger and out into the darkness. John settled comfortably into his seat and flipped off the switches for takeoff. Something caught his attention as he looked out at the stars. A familiar scent lingered inside the cockpit. He inhaled deeply and searched his memory. It came to him quickly. The smell of Aeryn’s hair. Turning back to get one last look at Moya, he noticed something lying on the floor. It was his tape recorder. Lifting it, he realized that the record button was still on. He rewound the cassette and pressed play. "John, I wanted you to know..." He listened to Aeryn’s voice and felt a lump form in his throat. He had left without saying goodbye.
<<<<>>>>
2 WEEKS LATER
It had been difficult finding this place. His Sebacean features had opened many doors and also shut a few. But he was finally here. The Gammak Base was much larger than the one he had escaped from. Security was very tight and he had only been able to bribe himself into the main lobby. John had been waiting there for hours, hoping to catch a single glimpse. The opportunity came finally as he was preparing to leave.
The area had been cleared off all personnel only moments before. John had managed to escape detection but things did not look good. The main entry doors opened and a small entourage of soldiers stepped out. Behind them walked Scorpius with his red headed nurse alongside. Just as the guards passed his position, he jumped out with guns blazing. In the confusion, two soldiers went down. John stopped and looked around. One of them had let loose a smoke grenade. As he waited for the mist to clear, loud footsteps could be heard. A black object broke through and knocked him down.
Rubbing blood from his nose, John stood and plowed through the smoke. There was no one there. He smashed his fists against the wall in confusion. "What the frell!" He heard a light tapping and turned towards the sound. A clear screen had come down across the main doors. He could now plainly see the hideous hybrid. Scorpius stood smiling behind his shield and waved. "Impenetrable John." Crichton ran up and slammed himself against it. The wall did not budge. Some of his blood had rubbed off. He cried out in frustration which only made the other laugh. Pressing his face against the screen, John spoke. "There will be a next time." Scorpius nodded. "There is always a next time John." Then the half-breed turned and walked away.
John lowered his gun and stepped away. He waited for the armed guards to arrive but none did. He realized that Scorpius was going to let him leave. Just as he was about to do so, another tapping sound caught his attention. Scorpius had stopped and turned around. In an almost genial tone, the monster shouted back to him. "Tell your leviathan that I will be seeing her very soon."
The Elephant Ep9: My Enemy’s Enemies
The bottle hit the ground and shattered. John stirred and finally awoke from his restless sleep. Rubbing his head, he stood and looked around. "Frell, my head." The room was dirty and cramped. The small bed barely fit him and his legs hung out over the edge. A banging noise caught his attention. The couple next door were going at it again. The walls shook and dust fell from the ceiling. Pulling the curtains away from the window, he looked outside. The sky was grey and what he presumed were rain clouds loomed overhead. "Welcome to my worst frelling nightmare." John stumbled and landed hard on the bed. He wondered what Aeryn and the others were doing right now.
Kezia watched the human with unusual curiosity. The others had been right. It looked like a Sebacean but the behavior was obviously wrong. This creature moved lazily and with little coordination. It seemed stupid and child-like. It would be best to approach the human now. Stepping from his place in the shadows, he lunged forward. Then something completely unexpected happened. John Crichton reached for his pulse pistol and fired at him. Reeling from the surprise attack, Kezia ran for the window and jumped. Hitting the ground hard, he stood and hastily hid. The human was more resourceful than it appeared.
John stared at the broken window in shock. Something had just jumped out. Something big. Pulling his coat on, he ran for the door and headed outside. Taking the stairs two at a time, he wondered how anyone had been able to find him here. As he passed them by, all sorts of strange creatures watched in alarm. Gun wielding peacekeepers didn’t venture around these parts very often. Reaching the front door, John burst through it and out into the street. His attacker was gone and the road was empty. "Now what?"
<<<<>>>>
Aeryn raced through Moya’s winding hallways with incredible speed. Talyn had just connected to its mother and she wanted to be there when Crais boarded. Finding the room empty and the doors still closed, she stopped and put on her most apathetic face. "Pilot says he’ll be here any second." She turned and found Tom sitting at the far end. He was staring off into space with an awe-filled expression. "Are you anxious to see Crais as well?" She couldn’t fathom why but the question had to be asked. He stood and walked over to her. Looking up at the doors, he said "Crais brought me here. I have to at least thank him for that." Aeryn smiled. He was even more innocent than Crichton had once been.
The doors slid open and Bialar Crais stepped inside. Seeing Aeryn and Tom before him, he tried his best to appear friendly. "Officer Sun and 0377. Hello again." The boy seemed to want to say something but his lips didn’t move. Aeryn spoke for him. "It’s Tom now. He has his name." Crais nodded. The look on her face was priceless. Beneath the uniform stare, he could easily see worry. It was almost endearing. "I suppose you wish to know about Crichton." She nodded eagerly. "Is he alive?" Savoring his moment of domination, the ex-captain smiled. He pulled a chip from his pocket and handed it to her. Without a word, Aeryn Sun ran from the room and to the nearest viewer. That left Crais and Tom standing alone together. "So..."
She jammed the tiny chip into its port and watched. The video started with an indication of its serial number and designated location. Then the scene began. She watched the pathetic attempt in horror. John’s technique was dangerous and stupid. Aeryn cursed him for behaving so foolishly but never took her eyes from the screen. The video lacked sound, so she could not hear what had been said between the two adversaries. "Has he done it?" D’Argo came up next to her and restarted the image. "No, but he did almost get himself killed." He laughed slightly but his grim expression did not change. "I should have been there with him." She turned and looked him in the eyes. "Then you’d both be dead right now."
They watched each other with unease. One far superior in strength and cunning yet deficient when it came to simple conversation. Tom worked up the courage and finally spoke. "I wanted to thank you." Crais had no idea how to respond. It took him several moments to comprehend what the human had just said. "For what?" Tom shuffled his feet and started again. "For bringing me here. For saving my life." Seeing the boy’s emotional face was definitely unnerving. He had been taught to associate such expression of gratitude with weakness. "You are quite welcome." Aeryn walked into the room with the chip in her hand. "I appreciate this." She handed it back to him. Crais nodded and turned back towards Talyn. He could tolerate no more of this.
<<<<>>>>
John stumbled across the small plaza and towards the tavern he had left only a few hours earlier. He had no intention of getting drunk this time. Now was the time to gather information. The shady types that frequented this place did not let much get by them. If someone was after him, they would know. He knocked three times on the thick metal door and waited. A small slit opened up and two beady eyes stared back at him. "Ah, the lunatic." John nodded. The door swung open to reveal a smoke-filled room. Just as he was about to enter, something caught his eye. A customer sat at the counter who had not been there the night before. A Scarren.
Kezia looked up at the commotion by the door and found himself staring back at his prey. He stood in alarm and raced towards it. Crichton turned and ran as fast as his legs could carry him. Ripping the pulse pistol from its holster, John waited for the giant creature to emerge. He did not have to wait long. The Scarren stormed out into the street and searched angrily. Finding each other, hunter and hunted stared each other down. John aimed and Kezia raised his hand. "Put your hand down and I won’t shoot." It was a desperate plea but he had to try.
The air in front of the outstretched hand rippled and steamed. John started to pull the trigger when he noticed something odd. Just as quickly as the effect had begun, it disappeared. The Scarren’s eyes bulged and he looked up at John. "I am weak." Kezia advanced on the human but the pulse pistol was too much for him. "I know you’ve got thick skin. Want to see how deep my pulse fire goes?" John saw fear in the other’s eyes. The monster dropped to its knees and lowered its head. "I am a failure. Kill me." John lowered his gun and stepped back. He was surprised at how easily the Scarren had given in. "Who are you?"
<<<<>>>>
Meryl pushed the door open quietly and stepped inside. The chamber was vast and dark. She could make out the immense creature amid the flashing lights from its console. "Pilot?" He looked up from his work immediately. She noticed that there seemed to be nervousness in his eyes. "You are Meryl?" His voice was low and he didn’t meet her gaze. "Yes, I wanted to meet the much venerated Pilot." He smiled and nodded. "Your uniform, you are a captain?" She looked down at the her clothes and frowned. "Not anymore." Pilot tensed up as she came closer. He remembered his first experiences with Aeryn. "Have you ever commanded a leviathan?" Meryl understood what he meant.
Chiana stood outside Pilot’s den with her ear up to the door. She heard the sled before it appeared from around the corner. "Shhh." Rygel nodded and positioned himself next to her. "What are we listening to?" She pointed inside. "Meryl’s talking to Pilot." He laughed. "He doesn’t have her by the throat does he?" She swatted him with her hand. The whispers from inside were getting harder to hear.
"When I was a girl, they experimented on me. Like this ship. I have never been involved with special projects." Pilot looked at her, surprised. "This is my first time stepping foot on a leviathan." Her words seemed sincere and he was sure that she had been warned about what had happened. "I appreciate your concern." Meryl looked back at him. She could think of nothing more to say. "Was there something else?" His question broke her concentration. "Am I bothering you Pilot?" He shook his head. "No more than the others do." She smiled. "Then I will leave you to your work."
<<<<>>>>
John sat across the table from the Scarren and waited. Kezia downed the stiff drink and placed it in front of him. "My name is Kezia. I am a former covert operative for the Scarren government. Currently in exile." John looked at the creature’s size. "A covert operative?" Kezia laughed and nodded. "Your hotel room is only as big as this booth. I’ve been there all night." They watched each other closely. The other customers in the bar glanced over in confusion. You didn’t typically see Sebaceans and Scarrens dining together. "So, why are you after me?" Kezia frowned and looked down at his drink. "Since my exile, I’ve been searching for a way to return. Word travels fast out here. You are a valuable commodity to my people." It was John’s turn to frown.
"So, you bring me in and they give you back your job." Kezia nodded and pulled a small disk from his pocket. "Old friends tell me that you know much about Scorpius. Information that could be very helpful." John took a sip from his drink and smiled. An idea had just occurred to him. "I have a proposition for you." The Scarren furrowed his brow and said nothing. Leaning in close, John whispered. "What would your bosses say if you brought in Scorpy’s head on a stick?" Pulling back, Kezia grinned. "Tell me more."
<<<<>>>>
Bob found the module right where the old woman said it would be. This was very discouraging. If she was right about that, then other things might be true as well. He noticed someone loitering in the plaza ahead. Raising his arm, he called out to the man. "Have you seen this man?" The fellow was obviously drunk but he nodded. "Yep, seen him just a few microts ago. Came out of the bar with a big Scarren." Bob was confused. What was John Crichton doing with a Scarren?
John and Kezia stepped out of the bar and into the grey morning light. "I’m going to go settle the bill." John left his companion and walked over to the old building where he had slept the night before. He climbed the stairs two at a time. His demeanor changed when he saw the door. It stood wide open. Someone was in his room. Pulling out a pulse pistol, John burst into the room. There was a man sitting on his bed. Bob turned calmly. "John Crichton, I don’t believe we’ve met."
<<<<>>>>
Aeryn let loose on the punching bag with all her strength. It flew back and forth as she pummeled it from all sides with fierce kicks and jabs. Sweat poured into her eyes and stung them. She stopped momentarily to wipe her brow. "Care to try those moves on a real person?" She turned at the words and found Meryl standing in the doorway. She smiled. "If you think you can handle it." Meryl nodded and pulled off her jacket. They advanced towards each other. Although brought up in the same society, both had very different fighting styles. Aeryn licked her lips and attacked. This was going to be fun.
Tom and D’Argo sat in the kitchen with plates of food cubes in front of them. A loud crashing sound caught their attention. "Did you hear something?" The Luxan’s refined senses picked up the noises well. Human ears did not work so well. "No, what?" D’Argo stood and moved towards the sound. "There it is again." Tom walked up to him. "I don’t hear anything." The older man laughed. "I forgot about human senses. You’re all deficient." Tom shook his head and remembered something Crichton had told him. Looking down at a hole in the wall, he said "Don’t flush hazardous materials down the waste tunnel." D’Argo blinked and turned to the wall. "Well, maybe not all of your senses."
Meryl felt sharp pain in her back as she was slammed against the wall. Aeryn was not letting up. A punch flew out and the ex-captain was just able to dodge it. Aeryn’s fist hit the wall with tremendous force and she fell down. Meryl dropped down next to her. "Ready to quit?" They both smiled and shook their heads. Jumping up, Aeryn grabbed the other woman’s leg and threw her against the punching bag.
Tom was the first to enter the room. The sight before him was a strange one. D’Argo came up behind him and peered inside. "What the frell?" Aeryn and Meryl stood in front of each other with fists ready. "What are they doing?" D’Argo put his hand on the younger man’s shoulder. "Relaxing."
<<<<>>>>
"You’re Bob?" John was amazed. The man sitting in front of him was the same person who had helped Tom to escape. "How did you find me?" Bob smiled and beckoned for John to sit beside him. "I’ve been keeping close watch on the situation. I heard that you were around these parts and decided to come see for myself." John shook his head. Looking out the window, he could see Kezia standing down below in the street. "There is another reason that I am here John." The Nyid’s voice had turned serious. "What?" Pulling a video disk from his pocket, Bob stood and walked over to the viewer that he had brought with him. "I regularly employ the use of a seer. Her name is Gilda and she is never wrong."
"Psychics in space?" John laughed. He stopped when the other man’s expression grew darker. Bob started the file and instructed John to watch. The image seemed to come from some sort of handheld camera. A small date was imprinted in the lower right corner. "When was this?" John’s question went unanswered. He soon realized why. Whoever was holding the camera had come upon a crashed ship. A leviathan. Its outer skin was thrashed and oozing some sort of brown substance. The operator stepped inside and found something much worse. A body was lying face down on the ground. Blood was everywhere. It came from a wound in the person’s back. A knife wound. John gasped as he realized who the person was. "Aeryn?"
"What the hell is this!" John turned to his visitor and shouted the words again. He grabbed Bob by the neck and threw him against the wall. "Who did this." Bob reached out his arms and cried out. "Let me explain please!" John stopped his attack and stepped away. "I told you. The seer showed me this image. It hasn’t happened yet." Turning back to the image, John once again looked at the date. "When does it happen?" Bob lifted himself off the floor. "According to that, we have three days." Before another word could be spoken, John Crichton was out the door and running towards his module. "Where are you going? Kezia stared at the human in confusion. He followed.
<<<<>>>>
Chiana ran down the hall as fast as she could. D’Argo had said that Aeryn and Meryl were fighting. She didn’t wanted to miss anything. Rygel followed close behind in his sled. "Wait for me girl. What’s the rush?" She didn’t bother to answer. As they passed by John’s empty room, a humming sound caused them to stop. "Do you hear something?" Rygel sped past her. "Just your annoying voice." She opened the doors and stepped inside. The container was in full view. "What the frell is that?" Rygel came back and looked. "Aeryn!" The former peacekeeper heard the shrill yell and was distracted. The punch caught her straight in the face and she went down.
"What is it?" They were all standing outside John’s cell looking at the creature inside. Aeryn kicked the container with her foot and watched its contents move from side to side. "Crichton brought it back from the facility. I’m not sure." Meryl walked up beside her and studied it. Fresh bruises adorned both their faces. "Aeryn, tell me something." She frowned. "Does that thing look bigger to you?"
The Elephant Ep10: They Grow Up So Fast
Tom finished getting dressed and stood from the bed. He rubbed his eyes and turned to look at his companion. "Can I ask you something?" Meryl was lacing up her boots on the other side of the bed. She turned towards him. "What?" He hesitated for a moment. The words were on the tip of his tongue but somehow he found it difficult to use them. "Are you happy?" She frowned and walked over to him. "I’m not sure what you mean." His stomach turned. A positive response would have been much more comforting. "Its been three weeks since you got here. We come in here, do....that, and then nothing. You hardly even acknowledge our relationship when we’re with the others." Meryl was mystified. "This bothers you?" Tom sighed and reminded himself who he was talking to. "We’ll talk about this later."
Aeryn hid herself as Tom stormed out of the room. The look on his face reminded her of someone. She had heard the short conversation. Looking in through the doors, she could see Meryl standing over the bed, obviously confused. The younger woman felt her gaze and looked up. Their eyes met for a moment and a sense of recognition passed. "They’re not like us." Aeryn almost whispered the words. Before Meryl could respond, she turned and headed town the corridor.
<<<<>>>>
John pushed the module as fast as it could go. He glanced at the timer for the third time in as many minutes. The ship just couldn’t match the speed he wanted. A blip on the radar caught his attention. Something big was coming up right behind him. "Crichton! What are you doing?" The hoarse voice was easily recognizable. The Scarren had followed him. "Not now Kezia." There was no response at first. Then an enormous shadow fell over the module. He could the tips of a large ship pulling up alongside. "Just because I agreed to your plan doesn’t mean I trust you." The vessel pulled in front of him and they almost collided. "Get out of my frelling way!" A door opened up on the back of Kezia’s ship and he felt a docking web grab hold.
The module landed softly inside the much larger craft. John threw the hatch open and climbed outside. The walls were cold grey steel with dangerous spikes pushing out from all directions. He was reminded of his first time on Moya. This was completely different. Kezia’s voice came on over a loudspeaker system. "I’m watching you Crichton. Follow the doors to command." John obeyed and stepped inside. He found Kezia sitting in the cockpit, pressing buttons with incredible speed. "This ship can go three times as fast as yours. Where do you want to go?"
<<<<>>>>
The water inside the container had grown increasingly warmer. The machine had its own regulatory system for an emergency such as this one. The creature felt the tiny cables attached to its skin begin to pull away and fall to the bottom. Opening one eye at a time, it met the new world that awaited. The increase in size allowed it to touch the bottom and still reach above the water level. Air forced its way into his lungs, bringing relief from the burning sensation. Yes, the creature was a male. He reached his hands out of the container and began to climb out.
D’Argo smelled the terrible stench from his place on the bed. Chiana and Rygel had insisted that someone keep watch on the container at all times. He had no intention of volunteering but Aeryn of all people had insisted. Something about giving the others some private time. He opened his eyes and looked around. "What the frell?" He jumped off the bed and ran over to the container. Its contents had spilled out and the creature was gone. Tapping his comm, he signaled to Aeryn. "Our little friend has escaped." There was no response. "Aeryn!" He could hear something rustling on the other end. "I’m going to kill him." He shook his head. "Crichton."
"Its going to need a cold environment." Aeryn lifted her pulse pistol and moved stealthily down the corridor. This little problem had her jumping at every sound. How could she kill what she couldn’t find? "How do you know that?" D’Argo’s voice came in over the comm. "Because Scorpius does." There was a short silence. "And how do we know that this thing has the same needs?" She rolled her eyes and turned another corner. "Have you got a better idea?"
Meryl walked into command and found Rygel sitting alone in front of John’s chess set. "Aeryn and D’Argo were looking for you." She did not realize that he knew she was there. "For what?" He waved his hand at her without looking up. "How should I know?" She sat down across from him and reached out her hand. Just as the tips of her fingers reached his face, Rygel pulled back in disgust. "How dare you touch me without asking." She ignored him. "I’ve never seen a Hynerion before." He was shocked. "And you call yourself a captain." Meryl stood from the table and headed for the door. She stopped short and turned around. "How well do you know Chiana?"
The creature could feel the heat rising inside of him. Like a burning that wouldn’t subside. He had attempted to drink the fluid from the container but it was too warm. They were stalking him. He could sense it. Robotic animals about half his size were lurking everywhere. One had come close enough to stab him with some sort of organism. He could feel it moving through him now. Something was moving close by. Footsteps. A woman with a gun. She had not seen him yet. Detection had to be avoided at all costs. That was the only thing he was certain of now.
<<<<>>>>
John sat as co-pilot for the giant Scarren. Not a word passed between the two. He glanced over a few times and found Kezia staring off into the space. The urge to talk was there but John couldn’t think of anything. Finally, after the silence became overwhelming, he opened his mouth. "So, why are you in exile?" Kezia grunted and kept his eyes on the stars in front of him. "I blew my cover. Wasted years of careful planning by my superiors." The silence didn’t last long this time. "How did you blow your cover?" Kezia made no attempt to answer the question. He looked up at the readings over his head. "Did Scorpius have something to do with it?" John was guessing but it seemed to fit. "Frell him." Kezia smacked the panel in front of him.
Bob maneuvered his small ship into the gaping doors of the Scarren vessel. He had been following it for arns now, waiting for just the right time. Opening the hatch, he listened carefully for any movement outside. There didn’t seem to be anyone waiting for him. Just as his feet touched the cold metal ground, an electronic signal went off in the cockpit. "Not now!" He dove inside and answered. He prayed that his presence had not been uncovered. "Is there something wrong?" The face on the vidlink was one that he had come to know well. "Not at all General. Everything is under control." Chernov frowned as he saw the surroundings of Bob’s image. "What are you doing in a Scarren ship." Bob smiled. "Long story."
Kezia arched his ears outward as the sound reached him. "Did you hear that?" John shook his head. "No, of course you didn’t." He stood up and made his way out of command. "Don’t touch anything." The human nodded and turned back towards the stars. Kezia opened the door and looked around. The area seemed to be clear. "Computer, scan for life-forms." He waited patiently as the system went over the entire ship. "None detected." He continued forward. Working as a spy, he had met more than one race that could escape detection. A footstep up ahead echoed towards him. Kezia growled.
<<<<>>>>
"Pilot, have you picked anything up yet?" Aeryn repeated the question into her comm before charging into yet another empty room. Pilot’s voice came through. "Yes, Officer Sun. One of my DRD’s has come into contact with an unknown creature. "And?" She stepped back into the lighted corridor and waited. "It injected translator microbes. What else were you expecting?" She groaned and continued forward. "Keep looking." His answer came back immediately. "I will Officer Sun."
He pushed himself out of the maintenance hatch. It took most of his strength just to pull through. He was growing larger every microt. His feet froze as he realized what had happened. The woman was standing just ahead of him. Her gun was held out in a defensive position. He tried to make as little noise as possible. Retreating back into the wall, he was met by another of the mechanical creatures. "Ahh!" He could not help but scream. Aeryn turned and looked right into the eyes of the disgusting creature. She had seen those eyes before. Without hesitation, her gun went off.
"Aeryn! Did you get it?" D’Argo ran down the corridor towards the scene of the blast. He found her crouching next to the maintenance hatch with gun in hand. "I hit the frelling thing but it got back inside." She poked her head through and looked around. "Its gone." D’Argo punched the wall in frustration. This situation seemed all too familiar.
He felt the wall shake as the creature outside pounded against the wall. Current events had forced him to come to a conclusion. The beings outside were going to kill him. If he was to survive, then he would have to strike first. The mechanical animal that lay beside him was dead. It had been much easier than he had imagined. Ripping the small needle from its head, he continued down the passageway.
Meryl knocked on the door and waited for a reply. The young Nebari inside heard the knock but was hesitant to answer. Her quiet times were few and far between. But curiosity soon took control of her. She walked up to the door and let it open. The sight that waited for her was a surprise. The new peacekeeper woman was standing there. Chiana couldn’t believe her luck. Every time a new female came onboard, it had to be warrior or an enemy. The only other female she could talk to was Zhaan. And that didn’t even happen much any more. Imagine her surprise when the Sebacean spoke. "Can we talk?"
Rygel moved his throne around the room with graceful precision. The food cubes that awaited him at the other end would serve as a worthy prize for his efforts. He grabbed the box off the shelf and tore it open. The hard squares tumbled down his throat and dissolved in the stomach acids. He was about to swallow another when the sounds came. Something was moving inside the walls in front of him. His memory went back to the dreadful creatures that had infested Moya all those cycles ago. "Not again."
<<<<>>>>
Bob watched the Scarren enter the hanger with alarm. The mere size of it was enough to frighten the bravest warrior. He stepped carefully back into his ship and waited for the monster to come closer. Kezia sniffed the air and looked towards the back of the hanger. A strange vessel sat where none had been before. He walked up and opened the door. The cockpit was empty. His confusion did not last long. The intruder was standing right behind him. Before he could turn, a large metal pipe crashed down on his head and fell to the ground unconscious.
"John! I’ve come to rescue you." Crichton turned in his seat and found Bob standing in the doorway. "Rescue me from what?" The Nyid stared back at him in confusion. "The Scarren." John jumped up and ran past him. He found Kezia lying on the floor with his mouth wide open. He slapped the dozing creature across the face and he stirred. "Kezia, wake up!" John looked up at Bob and groaned. "He’s with me." Bob made his best attempt at looking surprised. It had been difficult to justify the words he had spoken to Crichton before. But in their own way, they were the truth. Kezia gradually opened his eyes. "What?"
<<<<>>>>
Meryl sat down beside the excited Nebari and looked at her hands. "What did you want to talk about?" The older woman eventually met the other’s gaze. "Rygel said that I should talk to you about relationship problems." Chiana grinned from ear to ear and tried her best not to laugh.
"He said you had extensive experience." Meryl felt insecure, but she would not run away from this. "What’s the problem?" The girl looked at her eagerly. What could it hurt. "It’s Tom. He seems to be upset because all we do is have sex."
Aeryn and D’Argo were walking down a corridor on tier six. D’Argo stopped and put his ear to the wall. "Did you hear that?" She turned around and listened. "That’s impossible. There’s no one else on this tier." But then she heard it too. "Someone laughing. Chiana. It must be echoing from down below." They shrugged and continued on their way.
Rygel stared at the wall in frustration. Something was definitely moving inside but he couldn’t tell what. Moving his throne a bit closer, he attempted to get a better look. The sounds stopped and he breathed a large sigh of relief. Turning his back on the wall, Rygel returned to his eating. It was too late when the sounds started again. The creature had jumped from its hiding spot and collided with him. Rygel hit the ground hard and lost consciousness. The creature looked down at him momentarily before jumping on the throne and taking off.
Aeryn heard one of the other comms go off. The sound of steady breathing came through clearly. It sounded like Rygel. "What is it?" Her Luxan companion looked at her with a questioning glance. "I think his majesty activated his comm while rolling over in bed." He laughed and continued forward. A low humming noise was coming from the corridor beyond theirs. "Speaking of Rygel." Aeryn ran to get a look and caught the throne turning a corner. The thing on it was definitely not a Hynerion. "D’Argo!" She fired her pistol but it was too late to hit anything. With incredible speed she took off after it.
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Three men stood together inside the hanger. Kezia and Bob watched each other with distrust. John stood in the middle trying to mediate. "He sneaks onto my ship and expects me to welcome him with open arms?" Kezia growled angrily and lifted his arm. Once again the rippling affect came out but soon disappeared. He grumbled something to himself and turned away. "I was only doing what was necessary. Crichton took off without finishing our conversation." This time John was the angry one. "What else do you know?" Bob smiled and pulled the viewer from his bag. "This may not happen if we get there in time. See, the image has already changed." John stared in amazement. Moya was no longer destroyed. She floated aimlessly in space and Aeryn was still dead.
Kezia ripped the viewer away. "This is all superstitious nonsense. For all you know, the seer could have been swindling you." The words did not provide much comfort for John. He had learned one important fact in dealing with new things. The more impossible it seemed, the more likely it was to be true. "So how do we keep it from happening?" Bob frowned and looked back at him. "Get there as quickly as possible." Kezia groaned. "I’ll go see if we can get any more speed."
<<<<>>>>
He felt the heat of the pulse blasts but did not dare turn around. The being that were hunting him could catch up easily. The floating device he had obtained was not very fast. Something flashed before him. A streak of blue against the golden walls. It was another woman. He swerved to avoid her but she had other plans. The throne hit her head on and he was thrown to the ground.
"Zhaan!" Aeryn caught up to the confused Delvian and checked her over. "Are you alright?" The calm priestess nodded. "Perfectly all right Aeryn. What is going on?" The soldier looked back at her with surprise. "You mean no one told you?" Zhaan shook her head. "It has been so long since I meditated completely. I locked myself up here away from everyone else." Aeryn kneeled down beside the creature. It was still awake and almost her height now. "Did it say anything?" Before Zhaan could answer, it started coughing and looked up. "Don’t kill me please."
Meryl stood to walk out the room but Chiana told her to stop through choking laughter. "I’m sorry, please don’t go." Suspiciously, she sat back down and once again stared at her hands. Whatever courage she had built up was barely keeping her there now. "What else does we want to do?" The question struck her. "I don’t know. He didn’t say." Chiana shook her head. "That’s the problem with these humans. They talk and talk but never say anything important." Meryl smiled for the first time. "How do John and Aeryn deal with it?" This almost made Chiana break out into more laughter. "They don’t."
All the different conversation on Moya came to a halt as Pilot’s voice broke through the fray. He seemed agitated. "Aeryn, D’Argo...There’s something big approaching. It’s surrounding us!" The entire ship shook with violent force as a shimmering blue light came in through every window and porthole. Aeryn tapped madly at her comm. "What is it Pilot?" There was no answer. She raced to the nearest window as fast as she could. A wormhole had opened up right beside them. With a flash, the phenomenon disappeared as quickly as it had formed. Something had come through. "Frell me." A blast hit the ship and all power went out.
The Elephant Ep11: The Regulators
"How much longer?" John looked nervously from the viewer to Kezia. The Scarren rolled his eyes and frowned. "You’ve asked me that question ten times in the last arn." Seeing his companion’s obvious agitation, John chose to ignore it. "Humor me." Kezia turned to the human in confusion. "What?" The other shook his head. "How long?" Punching up the radar on the computer, he checked. "Approximately two arns." They kept quiet after that and placed their full attention on the space outside. In the back, the third member of this temporary crew was nervous.
Bob paced back and forth in the hanger. He could not decide whether to leave or see this thing through. The crew on Moya had to be saved. That much was certain. But would it do any good for him to see to it himself? A light argument had broken out between the two men in the cockpit. After that, the entire ship had been silent. Bob took in the terrible beauty of the room. Its design was meant to instill fear in all who saw it. At that moment, he hoped it would work.
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Aeryn watched in amazement as the space outside seemed to curve and then straighten itself out. The lights came back on with incredible power. She was blinded by their strength. "Pilot! What’s going on!" She covered her eyes and dove to the ground as the entire ship lurched. "All my control, restarted. All internal systems are out of alignment!" His voice boomed throughout the ship and forced her to cover her ears as well. After a few moments, the lights seemed to stabilize and return to normal. Aeryn looked back outside and saw a flash of energy depart from the gigantic ship. "Notify me when they board!" She ran towards the hanger. "Officer Sun, they are already here."
Meryl and Chiana picked themselves off the ground and sat on the bed. All of the Nebari’s things were strewn around in the cell. "What the frell was that?" Chiana shook her head and tapped her comm. No one answered. "This is Moya. You better get used to it." She headed for the door and left her confused visitor on the bed. Meryl watched the girl go and tried her own comm. There was nothing. Not even static. She followed Chiana outside but was too late to catch up with her. She was about to walk back to her own cell when she saw it. A brown streak shot down the corridor. "What now?"
D’Argo and Zhaan let each other go and tumbled to the ground. It had taken their combined strengths to stay standing. He raised his qualta blade and inspected the area. "No damage." Zhaan reached her hand out and touched his face. "But you are bleeding." He felt for the blood and smacked it with his hand. It came out clear. "Just a scratch." They stood and walked slowly down the corridor. As they reached a junction, the priestess held out her hand and stopped the warrior. "There is something here D’Argo. I can sense it all around us. All around Moya."
Tom ran into the kitchen and found Rygel lying asleep on the floor. He hesitated a moment before poking the green creature with his finger. "Wake up sweet prince." He shook his head and brushed the old memory away. "I am a Dominar, not a prince." Rygel stirred and looked up at the surprised human. His eyes darted around the room in fear. "Where did it go?" Tom looked around and saw nothing. "What?" Standing himself up, the little Hynerion brushed the dust off his coat and frowned. "Where is my throne?"
He opened his eyes and searched for the woman. She and her gun were gone. No one remained in the passageway except for himself. A strange blue glow was the last thing he remembered. And then everything had started to shake. Picking up the sled, he quickly realized that it was much too small for him now. He tucked it under his arm and looked in both directions. With no idea where anything was, either side would be a gamble. He picked one at random and started walking.
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Bob felt it not long after they had come within an arn of the leviathan. He understood the necessity for expediency but something much more troubling had presented itself. From the beginning, he had assumed that Scorpius’s creation was the danger that the crew was facing. But it seemed that something new had interjected. A presence strong enough for even his primitive sensors to pick up. For Crichton’s sake, Bob hoped that no one on Moya would be quick to use violence.
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Aeryn charged into command with her pulse pistol ready. The creature standing inside was much larger than the baby they had been searching for. It wore some sort of organic cover suit that prevented her from seeing it completely. But there was definitely something under there. It raised a hand and her instincts took over. The pulse blast bridged the gap between the two of them in seconds. Aeryn was shocked as the impossible happened. Once the shot reached the creature’s vicinity, it vaporized into a thousand different sparks and disappeared. The hand rose to point at her. She prepared herself for the blow.
Pilot watched in desperation as the creature placed Officer Sun under some sort of trance. He attempted communication but it had cut off all lines to the comms. All he could do now was watch. While he waited for speech to become available, Pilot entered the creature’s image into Moya’s memory. She had never seen anything like it and as far he could tell, no other leviathan had either.
Aeryn watched the battle in her mind. She saw herself attack the creature with all her might and find it not enough. Whatever it was had amazing force and easily overpowered her. A knife appeared in its hand and it drove it into her back. She saw herself die. The creature released her from the vision and dropped its hand. Aeryn watched with her mouth hanging open as it turned its back on her. She let her gun fall to the floor and walked forward to meet it. As she raised her own hand to signal it, the creature turned and spoke.
Zhaan felt the pain that Aeryn would have felt if the situation had gone differently. She saw the scene play out in her head and breathed a sigh of relief when it showed her the true outcome. D’Argo tapped her on the shoulder. "Zhaan, are you alright?" She smiled warmly and took his hand in hers. "We have a very important visitor. I must go to welcome him." She took off happily down the corridor without waiting for the confused Luxan to reply. "What now?"
Meryl entered the kitchen and found Tom and Rygel arguing. "What happened?" They looked up at her with the same bewildered expression. "The comms aren’t working." Tom stood and allowed her to sit in his place. She gave him a strange look and sat down. Rygel laughed to himself said nothing about it. "The last I heard, that frelling mutant had escaped its crib. Then everything went farhbot." His words held little grace as usual. Meryl nodded and looked out the window. Something was blocking the view. She stood quickly and ran to get a closer look. "That’s the biggest ship I’ve ever seen." The other two joined her.
<<<<>>>>
"Are you sure?" John looked down at the screen again. Moya had been registering for half an arn now. And then, without any indication, the ship just vanished. Kezia nodded and looked out into the darkness. "If its still there, we should be able to see it soon." John frowned and looked back towards the other man in the back. Bob seemed awfully calm. "Could they have starburst?" He turned back to the Scarren and shook his head. "I don’t know. They didn’t know we were coming." Bob finally came up to the cockpit and looked outside. He turned to John with hesitation. "They are still there."
"You’re telling me that there’s a ship out there so big, that its keeping Moya off the screen?" Bob nodded and ignored the two men’s looks of disbelief. John sighed. Something completely impossible was being told to him. What else was new. He thought of another question. "How do we get around it?" Bob wasn’t so calm now. "We don’t. Just wait until it goes away and hope that your leviathan is still there." This did not comfort John at all. The last thing he wanted to hear was that they would have to wait even longer.
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The divided crew joined once again outside the doors to command. All they knew was that one of their own was inside with whatever had come aboard. "I sense it inside." Zhaan had calmed down considerably. Aeryn’s spirit could still be felt strongly inside the room. She was alive and well for the moment. Meryl gripped the doors and attempted to pull them back. "There’s no use." D’Argo’s tone was that of a warrior defeated. He knew only too well how stubborn Moya’s structure could be. She let go and put her hands on her hips. "So we wait."
The translator microbes could not even begin to decode what the creature said. All she heard was a jumble of sounds. It tilted its head at her and a look of impatience spread across its face. Reaching its hand out again, the vision began. Aeryn saw Moya as she had been not too long ago. Starburst was being engaged but something else happened. She saw the wormhole open up around the ship and engulf it. Then the phenomenon burst outward and disappeared. The scene evaporated and she was back in command. The creature shook its head. Aeryn understood.
D’Argo watched in amazement as the doors opened up in front of him. Aeryn stepped out with a large brown creature in tow. Neither of them said anything. They just walked past and down the corridor. "What is happening Aeryn?" She stopped and turned around. "We screwed up D’Argo." Without another word, she led the giant creature away. Tom looked at the confused Luxan. "Should we follow?" He shook his head. "No, I will. You go see if Pilot’s alright." He ran after the other two and left everyone else standing there.
Tom and Zhaan entered Pilot’s den and found him as he always was. "Are you hurt?" He asked the question more out of politeness than anything else. Pilot was obviously ok. "Yes, fine. Moya is frightened but stable." Tom circled around the console and stepped up next to him. "Can you see what they are doing?" Pilot nodded and punched the visual up on the screen.
Aeryn led the creature into the neural cluster and then stood back. It moved towards the jumble of wires as if it had been there before. Moving quickly, it dove its hand into the chords and a bright flash of light appeared. In the den above, Tom and Zhaan watched in horror as Pilot’s eyes stopped moving and turned white. "What’s happening to him?" Tom shouted the question again. "I’ve never seen anything like it." Zhaan’s own experience could not prepare her for what she was seeing. Then, without warning, Pilot’s eyes returned to normal. "What was that?" He murmured the words and shook from side to side.
D’Argo ran into the neural cluster with blade drawn. "No, stay back!" Aeryn waved him away and pointed towards the creature. She knew there was no point in fighting. As she spoke the words, it turned to her and began to glow. After several seconds, the glowing stopped and it walked towards her. "Your ship can no longer use wormhole technology." Aeryn nodded but couldn’t open her mouth to speak. "Do not attempt this again." The creature seemed to fluctuate and then disappeared altogether. Aeryn and D’Argo were alone in the neural cluster.
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John shouted to the others. The ship or whatever it was had vanished. The space in front of them was clear and Moya registered immediately. "You are lucky John Crichton. They are not always so forgiving." Bob looked down at the confused human and smiled. "I will explain soon." Kezia watched them both with both amusement and annoyance. He had grown tired of secrets and lies. "Your ship is hailing us Crichton." The comm system crackled to life and Pilot’s face appeared. "Commander, what are you doing on that ship?" John smiled. "Don’t worry Pilot. Open the hanger doors." Pilot obeyed and Kezia steered the ship inside.
<<<<>>>>
They spotted each other immediately as he disembarked. Despite the rush of angry emotions, Aeryn let him take her in his arms. "I’m glad you’re not dead." He said the words softly. She looked up at him. "Why would I be dead?" He shook his head and pulled her close. She was just closing her eyes when Kezia stepped out. Her gun was out instantly and trained on the Scarren’s chest. "Aeryn, wait!" She glanced over at John. "What?" He grabbed her gun and lowered it. "He’s with me." She relaxed and Kezia breathed a sigh of relief.
They were all assembled in command. Tom and Bob had said their hellos and now everyone’s attention was focused on the reluctant Nyid. He watched them watching him with anxious curiosity. "What was that?" Aeryn asked the question that they all had in mind. Bob nodded and thought about where to start. "Wormholes have existed since before any of our races inhabited this universe. It is a highly volatile power that gives great superiority to any one who possesses it. There are beings out there whose history spans farther back in time than anything we can imagine. They have wormhole technology. They understand its ramifications." John understood immediately. "Like the Ancients." Bob nodded.
"Wishing to keep the us from gaining this dangerous force, they created a species whose sole purpose was to prevent such an occurrence. Unfortunately, with so many of us, that is not always easy. And to make matters worse, certain elder races have leaked this information." He looked at John. "The Ancients, for example."
The others stared back at him with shock and disbelief. They all found it impossible to believe that higher powers were controlling their destinies. On this ship, such forces were not looked upon well. Bob continued. "The Nyid were not always the poor people we are today. Our reign once spanned across hundreds of planets. But our ability to maintain this empire relied on one thing. The discovery of wormhole technology. Without it, our ships could not travel fast enough or far enough. Everything was fine until the Regulators came. They took Wormholes from us and left the Nyid empire destroyed. Now we are merchants and slaves."
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He felt himself growing bigger. The process was almost complete. Somehow the clouded fog in his mind had begun to fade. A single name kept repeating itself in his head. "Scorpius." Who that was and what it meant, he could not discern. But finding out was the key to his survival. He looked at the big ship sitting in the hanger. It looked fearsome. "Find Scorpius." He would board this ship. He would find Scorpius.
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The Scarren vessel floated beside Moya. Two of its three passengers were already on board and waiting for the third. John Crichton and Aeryn Sun stood side by side in command. They watched the ship move slowly across the window. "You are going with them?" She faced away from him. Looking in his eyes would break her uneasy composure. "Yes. I’m going to meet up with them in a few arns." He tried to get her to turn around but she wouldn’t. Aeryn was determined not to let him get the upper hand. "Why don’t you go now?" John frowned. "I was hoping to spend some time with you." She laughed at this. "What makes you think I want to spend time with you?"
Chiana and Rygel sat together in the kitchen. They had been there for over an arn but neither had said anything. What the Nyid said had stirred old questions. Finally, Chiana broke the silence. "Do you think they actually-." The Dominar shook his head and looked out into space. "I don’t know. I don’t want to know." She reached out and scratched his head. He almost purred. They both looked up as Zhaan entered the room. "You two look troubled." She smiled at them warmly and sat down. She might be just the person to comfort them.
Meryl and D’Argo walked quietly down the corridor. Everyone seemed to have split up into their own groups. These two had no where else to go. "Why don’t you go find Tom?" He didn’t really want to be alone. But her mind was not on the conversation they had been having. "He went off by himself. I will not follow him around." They smiled at each other and continued walking. A low noise down the corridor caught their attention. It seemed to be coming from the first cell on the right. Meryl pushed the door open and looked inside. Crichton’s tape recorder sat on the table. It was emitting some sort of distorted sound. Tom moved to it in ways that they had never seen. "Is he dancing?" She frowned and turned to her companion. He returned the gesture of confusion. "No."
Pilot fought with all his might to remember what exactly had happened. Moya was perturbed as well. Something had been taken from them. Something important. He searched the data logs and found no record of what the creature had done. "No, I don’t remember either." The leviathan was persistent and would not quiet down. "Of course I would tell you." Nothing either of them had ever seen could explain it.
John knocked on the door and was immediately allowed in. Pilot was happy for any distraction after all that had happened. "What’s the matter with you?" Neither of them were particularly happy. "Are you leaving us again?" Pilot’s question caught him off guard. He did not realize that it would affect him. "Yes, in a little while." The other nodded and continued working at the console. "Listen, Pilot, if us using the wormhole technology on Moya hurt you somehow....I’m really sorry." Pilot looked up in surprise. "Wormhole? What is that?"