The Elephant Ep2.1 to 2.12  (Second Season Premiere)

by Neuroscpr

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The Elephant S2: From Here To Maternity
Ep2.1: Strangers In A Strange Land

        The ship blasted down the wormhole's twisted blue coil at tremendous speeds. Its two passengers had no idea of the crushing forces that supported this creation. An extension across an entire universe. John Crichton could do nothing but stare at the controls. His rudimentary knowledge of alien technology came up much to short to understand what he was seeing. All around him, computers beeped and whirred as the ship did its work. "Target in sight." The words froze him in his seat. He tried to stand up but nothing worked. "Come on John, snap out of it. You're home." He rose gingerly from his seat and looked out the small porthole. Far off in front of him, a darkness at the end of the tunnel could be seen. "Hello again."

        Tom watched the same situation unfold from a slightly different perspective. His guide in this time of uncertainty had returned. Bob stood beside him on the ship's roof and gazed with wonder at the planet that loomed ahead. "So that's Earth?" Tom looked over at the blue marvel and nodded slightly. "Aren't you excited?" The Nyid's face moved into an expression of confusion. "Am I going to live to see it?" The human scanned Bob's face for a reaction. There wasn't one. "Tom, there's no way that I can know that." Tom groaned and moved away from him. "I'm sitting outside a spaceship. My body lies frozen inside and yet I'm here with you. Forgive me if I don't have a frelling clue what's going on." His own words surprised him. He had said frell. A word he had heard many times but never picked up until now. "Disturbing, isn't it?" Bob smiled.

        As the brown ship rocketed out of the wormhole's gaping mouth, the shimmering blue background turned into infinite darkness. Familiar constellations dotted the space in front of them. John couldn't help but smile as Earth appeared in front of him. Not an illusion, not a trick. "Hey Tom, welcome home." He looked down at the frozen pod. There was no movement. "I just wish you could see this." The shipped rocked slightly as they came to a stop still high above the planet. "Wow, who hit the brakes." The computer answered immediately. "Waiting for further commands. Primary objective complete." John stared from the monitor and back to the view. It was right. What the hell was he supposed to do now? "Hi honey, I'm home."

>>>
IASA Headquarters, U.S.A. Division

        Jack Crichton had once been a great astronaut. A hero to millions across the country that viewed his work as a giant leap for all humanity into space. Now, he was nothing more than an advisor. An old shoe kept around for public relations purposes. "Hey Jack, how are you doing over there?" He looked up from his chair at the back of flight control into the eyes of his current adversary. Doug Milton, director of IASA and a pain in the ass. This man had taken away the last bits of dignity that remained in Jack's face. He remembered the meeting well. The young new guy in charge wanted to change things around here. "We must look to the future." The prick had said something like that. Just before he gave Jack a new assignment. "You get to introduce the real astronauts at press conferences." Ok, so he hadn't actually said that. "Canaveral! Can you hear me? This is John Crichton."

        John had no choice. He couldn't afford to land this thing out in the middle of nowhere. One tiny malfunction and both he and Tom would be stranded here forever. It seemed strange to see things that way. But nevertheless, the risk would have to be taken. "Canaveral, can you hear me?" The computer screen in front of him went black. "Computer, what are you doing?" The robotic voice answered immediately. "Searching for visual contact." John's eyes bulged as he realized what was happening. Static bursts filled the screen until finally a clear picture started peeking through. He would see what looked like the flight control room before it faded away again.

        "John! It's me! We can hear you." Jack rushed forward and pushed his nemesis out of the way. The confused Milton hit the ground hard and watched as the old man tapped away at the controls. The giant main monitors used to control space station diagnostics went black and then brought up a strange image. John Crichton stared back at them from whatever ship he was in. Jack could hardly breathe as his son's image looked down on him. Their eyes met briefly and both men seemed to choke up simultaneously. "Dad, is that you?" John felt a tear roll down his face. Suddenly a crashing sound from behind him interrupted the reunion.

        Tom's cryo-pod had come loose from its restraints. The heavy container slid across the room and smashed into the far wall. John forced himself away from the video screen and went to get it back. "Hold on dad, I'm coming." He was grabbing onto the front edge when something caught his eye. A circular slit cut into the brown wall. "Computer, what is this?" It responded. "Landing pod." John stared at the thing and then back to the screen. A choice he didn't want to make had presented itself. "John? Answer me!" With hands shaking, he shut down the link and turned back to Tom. "You better end up saving the world or something."
       
>>>

        Zelaya felt the forces of gravity begin to take hold on her. Ever so slowly, her escape chair began descending towards the planet below. She didn't recognize it but that was the last thing on her mind. A single thought kept ringing in her head. "Find Scorpius. Kill Scorpius." Holding on tightly to the restraints, she closed her eyes and awaited the fall. It didn't come. Zelaya realized fairly quickly that her direction had changed. Something was pulling her back up into the darkness. She glanced upward and saw something even more disturbing. The twinkling starlight that had previously dotted the horizon was now gone. An enormous ship was blocking her view. "Frell." A docking web slipped out and reached for her.

        The whispers in her ear had started almost immediately after the retrieval. Zelaya found herself hanging from a wall inside the mammoth vessel. The strange brown creatures moving about in front of her paid no attention. The voice was getting stronger. Once she had allowed herself to acknowledge its presence, it seemed to be gaining confidence by the microt. "Zelaya, do you remember me?" The voice had a face. "Bob? You're dead." At her words, every creature in the room looked up and started moving faster. "Don't speak out loud. Use your thoughts." Despite the oddness of the situation, she complied. "They've chosen you Zelaya." The Ferrian frowned angrily and glared back at him. "Chosen me for what?"

>>>

        Caught up in the moment, Scorpius had allowed his marauder to drift across space. He watched the destroyed gammek base as it passed by his front windows. There was nothing left. The hybrid had allowed himself to forget that Regulator ships were still patrolling the area. This would be rectified quickly. Upon spotting his tiny vessel, one of the brown behemoths flipped its direction and headed straight for him. Panicking, Scorpius searched the console for something to fight back with. A shiny object on the floor caught his attention. The bits of light that flashed through the window reflected on its smooth surface. The woman had dropped it.

        Scorpius picked the comm up and engaged it. The static-filled signal came through weakly but surely. "Yes, who is it? Zhaan? Rygel?" It was Ka D'Argo. The hybrid placed the device on the console and began tracking the faint voice. Moya was not very far away. "Survive this." He whispered the words of warning to himself and turned on the marauder's main engines. The small craft burst away from the Regulator ship and into the darkness.

>>>

        One of the creatures came forward with some sort of cutting device. Zelaya fought him but there was no use. He was much too strong for her. In a single slash, her long hair fell to the floor in a clump. "I'll kill you for that." Her threat was ignored. "He does not seem worried." She turned to face the Nyid with designs on his life as well. If he was even alive. "You still haven't told me what you want." Bob smiled that annoying smile of his and circled around her restraints. "I've come to give you something Zelaya. Something you will be needing very soon." She leaned as far forward as she could go and bared her teeth. "I don't like riddles. Just tell me what the frell you want." He did not back away. "Just a minute."

        The pain was excruciating. She didn't even bother to hold the screams back. The creature watched her with no apparent emotion as it drilled into the side of her head. Zelaya rocked from side to side as hard as she could. It reached a hand out and held her still. Bob moved up close to her and tilted his head. "No, those frelling-." She screamed again. The Nyid had two identical round scars on the side of his head. "Unfortunately yes. You are my replacement." Zelaya didn't respond to him this time. Her face sat frozen in a forward stare. "I'll be right back." Bob disappeared.

>>>

        The pod detached smoothly from its larger brown base and dove down towards the planet. Inside, John and the cryo-tube made a tight fit. He felt himself being banged around as the small module met with the forces of Earth's atmosphere. It got hot for a moment and then things cooled down considerably. "Destination?" The computer had apparently come along for the ride. John thought about it for a moment. He remembered the sweatshirt that Tom had worn every day since they had met. "Los Angeles. California." The navigating control panel lit up and highlighted the state on a world map. "Target acquired." The pod sped up.

        "Tom, I don't have much time left." The human opened his eyes and saw Bob laying beside him in the container. He scowled at the Nyid and rolled his eyes. "What, one last play on words before you leave?" Bob smiled while shaking his head. "If you survive this, find Zelaya." This got Tom's attention. "Her? She's still alive?" His ghostly companion nodded assuredly. "Yes, quite alive. She can help you when the time comes." Tom was confused now more than ever. "What about you?" Bob's face grew solemn. "You won't see me again. Unless of course you die."

>>>

        Aeryn Sun stared out into the vast outer hanger as the words rang over and over in her head. Turning slightly, she glanced over at the other woman. "Can you repeat that?" Meryl didn't bother looking at her. "I'm pregnant." The ex-peacekeeper felt the room start to spin. "One more time." Meryl frowned. "They told me I was pregnant." Feeling her legs wobbling, Aeryn allowed herself to sink to the floor. Sitting on her knees, she shook her head slowly. "How are you doing with it?" Meryl's question floated in the quiet air for a moment before being answered. Aeryn opened her mouth a little. "I'm having a little trouble." The ex-captain knelt down beside her. The smile on her face thinly masked the anger underneath. "Well then how the frell do you think I feel!"

        Zhaan watched the two of them act out their odd ritual while she stood silently in the background. A mystery had been solved for the troubled priestess. The presence of a new life was a child. Meryl's child. She smiled and stepped towards the women. "Congratulations." Meryl turned to face the Delvian with a horrified look on her face. "Thank you." The words came out much harsher than they were intended. Seeing her confusion, Zhaan stepped forward and took a little girl into her arms. Meryl tried to control herself but soon tears were streaming down her face. "I can't do this Zhaan. I couldn't even begin to-."

        "Forgive me for interrupting ladies, but there is a ship approaching." Pilot's voice broke the emotional moment and allowed all three of them to forget the crushing development. If only for a little while. Aeryn stood up an took charge. "What is it Pilot?" His answer came back immediately. "It appears to be a marauder. But that is not what worries me." Meryl, in no mood for delays, cut in. "What worries you?" This time there was a slightly longer wait before the response. "Something big."

>>>

        Zelaya didn't understand what was happening. She still felt her thoughts booming inside but the rest of her mind was strangely empty. Almost like echoes across a barren canyon. Her eyes darted around the room searching for something to hold on to. Something with feeling. The brown creatures watched her carefully. Their looks of approval worried her more than anything else. Then he was back. She couldn't see Bob anymore but his presence was definitely there. His voice shook her with tremendous force. "It's time to give you your gift Zelaya." She blinked rapidly and without warning the stillness was gone. The familiar cascade of ideas and emotions rushed back in. "Free will."

>>>
        Scorpius spotted Moya as her familiar form contrasted with the darkness of space. He picked up the comm and tapped it frantically with his gloved hand. "Please, someone answer me." There was nothing but silence for several moments. Finally, the Pilot's shrill voice came through strongly. "Who's there?" The hybrid tried to disguise his voice as much as possible. "I need help. Please, allow me to board." The transmission cracked and burst as he waited. The Regulator ship behind him was closing fast. For some reason it had not fired yet. "Hurry up already!" His Scarren growl rose to the surface.

        "Aeryn, the marauder is hailing us. Asking for assistance." She heard Pilot's question and looked to the others. Zhaan and Meryl stared back at her with blank expressions. "Your call." Aeryn tapped her comm. "Very well Pilot. Allow it to enter the hanger but seal all entrances to the rest of the ship." He acknowledged her word and sent it back to the marauder. Within seconds, it came tearing through the outer hanger and landed right where John's ship had been. She pulled out her pulse pistol and instructed Meryl to do the same. With guns aimed, they waited for the lone passenger to disembark.

        Scorpius peeked his head out the door and saw Aeryn Sun staring back at him. The look on her face made him consider chancing it with the Regulators. "Put your hands up and walk out slowly." He complied and stepped out into the hanger. Zhaan and Captain Raynor stood behind her with similar expressions. "What the frell are you doing here?" Scorpius breathed a sigh of relief as he realized that she was not going to just shoot him. "I will explain everything. For now, please just get us out of here." Aeryn narrowed her eyes and walked up to him. In one clean motion, she smashed his face with the butt of her pistol and sent him sprawling to the floor. "Pilot, starburst now."

        Moya's exterior began to glow as shafts of blue and white light extended outwards into the darkness. The leviathan jumped forward into the waiting rift and disappeared. The following Regulator ship stopped short of the point of departure. It sat still in space for several moments before changing directions and speeding off. "Did it follow Pilot?" Aeryn stood over the hybrid's limp body with pistol ready. "No, it broke off its pursuit after Moya's starburst." Scorpius exhaled. "Don't get too comfortable." Looking into her eyes, he was suddenly very afraid.

>>>

        John watched the surface grow closer through the tiny porthole in front of him. The view was now more like looking out an airplane than a starship. "Just hang on a little longer Tom." There was no response from his companion. He shook his head at the silly thought. "Talking to yourself again John?" Harvey's voice poured out from his own mind. The clone floated around outside the window in a lazy dance that distracted him. He didn't hear the siren go off. "Collision alert." The computer said it once before they slammed into the piece of debris. The pod was thrown to the side and spun like a top. On this uncertain vector, it careened towards Earth.

        The crash wasn't as bad as he would have thought. The engines managed to slow the pod before it hit ground. John felt only a small bump before hearing the computer's announcement. "We have arrived." The hatch blew open, letting in the dry desert air. John's eyes bulged as he looked around their landing site. No buildings, no Hollywood sign. All he saw for miles in every direction was desert. Then he spotted the golf course. "What the hell?" The cryo-tube slid out beside him. This was not Los Angeles.

>>>

        Doug Milton heard the knock on his door and stood up. "Thanks for coming Jack." The older man didn't answer him. Jack Crichton scowled at him and sat down in front of the large wooden desk. "I wanted to make sure you were clear about what happened." This got the old astronaut talking. "I know exactly what happened. My son is alive. He's somewhere in orbit and we have to get him down." Milton shook his head sadly. "You know that's not possible. It was a prank. Nothing more than a couple of hackers playing jokes." Jack stood, smashing the chair backward against the wall. "That's not true!" Doug smiled. "Who's to say what's true? We both have opinions Jack. Mine just happens to be official." Jack stormed out of the room in an violent rage.

        "Is he going to be a problem?" Milton nearly jumped out of his skin as the man walked out of the shadows. His name was Sam and that was all that Doug knew. "I asked you a question Doug." Milton shook his head nervously. "No, of course not. Who's going to believe a story like that?" Sam grinned and slapped him on the back. "I do."

>>>

        Meryl had let Aeryn take the monster to a cell on one of the lower levels. Pilot had told them that maximum security cases were held down their in special rooms. She sat alone now in her own cell looking at her reflection in the mirror. Checking to make sure that no one was watching, she stood and walked over to it. Lifting her shirt just enough to reveal her stomach, she stared at the flat surface and imagined what it would look like in eight months. The idea was too terrifying to think about. A knock on the door tore her away. "Can I come in?" Chiana was standing at the door with a similar expression. "Did you hear?" Meryl gazed expectantly at her. The Nebari forced a smile. "Yeah. Great huh?"

        Aeryn tossed him into the cell with a fresh pair of handcuffs around his wrists. She held her gun in his back the whole time. "Thank you for not killing me Aeryn Sun." The pathetic look on his face almost made her laugh. Despite the trouble that the Regulators had caused, at this moment she admired their work. "Don't get used to it." She waved the doors shut and locked them securely. Walking back up towards command, Aeryn took one last look at Scorpius. The sight of him made her ill. Yet there was something far more disturbing on her mind. It was her turn to come up with the frelling plans now.

The Elephant 2 Ep2.2: Frozen In Sunlight

        John let one of his legs slide slowly out of the ship. They felt rubbery and refused to cooperate for several seconds. Finally, in a show of force, he jumped out and hit the hard desert ground. Small pebbles crunched under his feet and harsh sunlight beat down on his face. He turned in circle to get a better look at the place. The only sign of civilization was a green poster down the road. He jogged forward until the white letters on it sharpened. "Palm Springs?" It said they were about fifteen miles from the city. "Miles not metras." John practically giggled at the thought. This was Earth. "We're home Tom." He ignored the complications of the statement and pulled the cryo-pod out.

        The sun was out in full force and the only thing keeping him from dropping to the ground was a cool breeze that slipped gently across the open spaces. Off in the distance John could see the tops of buildings beginning to appear. "Almost there." Dust swirled up around his knees as he walked. A far-off roar caught his attention. Turning back the way he had come, John saw a big eighteen wheeler heading his way. "Truck, that's a truck." He grinned like an idiot and ran out into the road. Waving his arms like a wild man, John flagged down the weary traveler. "Need a ride someplace?" The trucker looked to be about forty years old. With a dirty beard and large gut, he was a beautiful sight. "Yeah, I need to get my friend to a doctor." The man bent his head to the side and looked at the pod. "It'll fit in the back."

        The truck stopped about a block away from the hospital. John thanked the man and jumped out the passenger door. He walked to the back and pushed up the cover. The cryo-pod had stayed in place rather well. John checked the gages. Everything looked normal. "We're good!" He smacked the truck's side and it sped off. The trucker looked back at the odd-looking twosome and shook his head. "Tourists."

        Dr. Michael Gutierrez stepped out the ER doors and pulled a cigarette from his pocket. He sparked the old lighter in his other hand and lit the cancer stick. "Sweet heaven." Incoming patients passed by him with harsh stares. He shrugged the ill thoughts off and enjoyed himself. Then he recognized one of his own patients. "Hello Mr. Smith." The old man nodded curtly and pushed his heavy respirator behind him. Mike cursed himself for being an ass and dropped the cigarette into a nearby trash can. As he moved to reenter the hospital, something caught the doctor's eye. A strange looking man in leather was wheeling some sort of silver coffin up the ramp towards him.

        "Are you a doctor?" Mike stared at him for several seconds without uttering a word. John stepped forward and grabbed his collar. "I asked if-." He pushed him back and nodded angrily. "Yes, I am. Do you need medical assistance?" John shook his head and pointed to the container. Tom's frozen body stared upward from inside. "What did you do to him?" The doctor did not get a response. His rude inquirer walked past him and into the main entrance. "Hey wait!" Mike wanted to see this.

        John pushed past the doors and into the waiting room. Everywhere around him, patients and doctors moved about at a frantic pace. He could hear someone yelling in the background and nurses arguing with angry sick people. "This is Palm Springs right?" The doctor outside came in after him. "If you want someone to take care of your friend, get out of my way." He obliged and let the man have a look. Mike stared at the container with a confused expression before turning back to John. "How do you open this thing?" John stepped forward and pushed several buttons on the side console. A hissing sound erupted from inside and suddenly Tom was awake. "Ahhhh!" Tom lifted his head slightly to look around but doubled back in pain. "John? What the hell?" As he moved, there was no feeling in his lower body. Mike yelled to one of the nurses. "Call surgery. We need to get this guy up there right away."

>>>

        Zelaya opened her eyes and looked around. The Nyid had disappeared and apparently wasn't coming back. She turned her head from side to side, searching for any way to break free. After several microts of frantic movement, one of the creatures stepped into the room. It walked up to her and undid the restraints. She slid quickly to the floor and gasped for breath. The strain on her arms was finally gone. "Thank you." The creature did not reply. It reached a hand down to her and pulled. Zelaya stared at him for a moment. There was no point in trying to escape. It never opened its mouth but somehow she got the idea pretty quickly.

        She was led down a twisting hallway and into a much bigger room. Its ceiling rose high above her head and ended with murky blackness. Zelaya gritted her teeth as the head pains returned. They seemed to be getting weaker each time but the pain still remained. The creature spoke, breaking the silence and surprising her. "You understand the task?" She did. "Then you may go." A long and thin brown ship descended from the darkness above and stopped beside them. Its hatch opened up revealing an array of computer screens and buttons. "Downloading DNA file." The robotic voice was replaced by a green laser line that scanned over her body. "Welcome Zelaya." She looked from the creature to the ship. "Yes, um, hi."

>>>

        Gutierrez loaded the odd machine into the first available elevator and pressed the up button. "What's his condition?" Startled, he looked up to see one of the surgeons with a coffee mug in his hands. "Your nurses make better coffee." The surgeon pointed at Tom, noting the lack of case file. "I'm not exactly sure. He was just brought in outside. The skin coloration made me think of an internal problem." Even as he said the words, a shiny object on Tom's torn sweatshirt caught his eye. Mike pulled it off and tapped it with his finger. "He needs a blood transfusion!" He jumped back at the sound. "Did you hear that?"

        John heard the open channel and shouted back instructions. He wasn't sure if the doctor had heard or what the consequences might be. Right now there were more important things to worry about. He raced to the elevators despite objections from the front desk. There weren't any on his floor. Spotting a doorway marked "Stairs," John went for it and slammed the door as he passed. "I'm coming Tom. Don't die without me." He tore up the stairs as fast as he could go. Finally, after the stairs had seemed to go on forever, John saw the sign for surgery on the wall ahead. He pushed open the door just as Tom was wheeled into one of the rooms. Watching through the window, John tried to keep from looking away.

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2 weeks later

        Moya had been traveling peacefully through the uncharted territories for some time now. Depending on who you asked, this was a good thing. The only disturbances happened at night after the resident expectant mother had gone to bed. Aeryn didn't know much about pregnancy. For women in service, the process was usually a calm one. Special drugs were used to control the side affects and strengthen the unborn soldier. Meryl didn't have any drugs and they certainly weren't going to go looking for them. The pregnancy would be a natural one. Whatever that meant. D'Argo, the only person on the crew who had experienced such an event, had no ideas. "Lo'lanne had the drugs." He said the words with more than a hint of sadness in his voice.

        Meryl went to bed every night feeling fine. The process was not far enough along yet to manifest external changes. Her body felt heavier but according to the others, she looked the same. The sweating would start soon after her eyes closed. Then her entire body seemed to cramp up and she let loose with piercing screams. "Someone plug that bitch up!" Rygel's desperate pleas were ignored. Well, no one dared say otherwise. With Zhaan to the rescue, herbal mixtures were cooked up to soothe her. "Kill me Zhaan, please." Looking into her crazed eyes, the Delvian believed every word.

        Aeryn was looking in on one of these sessions when the call came. "Officer Sun, I have a message for you." She frowned at the creature's perplexing words. "From who Pilot?" While Meryl screamed in the background, she waited for a reply. "Him." Now she was angry. Aeryn stepped out of the room, grabbing her pulse pistol as she passed. Better to keep it away from her tortured friend. "I'm on my way." D'Argo saw her move with determination towards the lower decks. "I can't believe we haven't killed him yet." Aeryn shot him a menacing look before disappearing around the corner.

        Scorpius lay on the floor of his tiny cell and breathed what he considered his last breaths. He had lost count of the days quite a while ago. Down in the deepest parts of the leviathan, all he could hear were distant screams. "Just a little longer. Don't go like this." He cursed himself for ending up like this. The once confident man in charge reduced to a burning heap of pale flesh. The coolant system had gone unchecked for far too long now. The only reason he wasn't already dead was because of the lack of activity. Someone knocked at the door. "Scorpius? What is it?" Aeryn watched him sit up slowly through the bars and gave her silent approval.

        "I need help Aeryn." She scowled at him. "You will address me as Officer Sun or not at all." Scorpius nodded with amusement before collapsing back to the floor. "As you wish." Aeryn grunted a reply and let the doors open. Holding her gun out, she stepped inside. "What do you want?" The hybrid looked up at her through dead eyes. "My body temperature, it's much too high. I need a new coolant rod." At his words, she grinned mischievously and put her gun away. "I believe there is a solution to your problem." Scorpius felt strong hands grab him as he was picked up off the floor.

        Chiana was washing a new stain off her coat when the commotion started. The sound of Aeryn's commanding voice boomed in from the hall and caught her interest. "Chiana, please step away from the fountain." She was confused now. "Sure Pilot. Why?" Her answer came quickly. The dispenser began to rumble and shake slowly. Large and small chunks of ice poured out of its exit holes and filled the circular container. Scorpius marched in with a hand on his neck. "What the frell?" Chiana watched as Aeryn led him to the fountain and dunked his head into the ice.

        Scorpius felt the excruciating pain for a moment before sweet release came. He felt his head being thrown forward and then the smack of ice against his face. Now completely submerged in it, his temperature began to plummet. "Thank you." The words came out as bubbles under water. Officer Sun did not raise him up again. The air in his lungs began to fade and a new burning sensation took over. Outside, Aeryn finished counting and lifted him up. "What's the matter Scorpius? Peacekeepers are trained to hold their breaths longer than that." He spit out an ice cube and glared at her. "It's been a long time since the academy."

>>>

        "Sir, we've arrived." The peacekeeper ship soared forward through the darkness and neared the gammek base. It was destroyed beyond repair. Captain Grisham stood from his chair and looked out through the glass shield that protected him from space. He was more than a little disturbed. His ship, the Artanis, was a science vessel. The main structure was a giant glass globe surrounded by steel rings which housed labs and containment centers. Grisham wasn't worried about defense though. The arsenal at his disposal was more than enough to deal with any problem that arose. His crew should worry about him. "Bring us in for a close examination and start the scan."

        Lt. Ness, a veteran of more wars than any of his superiors combined, nodded in understanding and pressed the buttons. Immediately, a laser line shot out from one of the ship's analyzers and ran over the base. He looked up at his new commanding officer and noted the man's uncertainty. He liked Grisham, but the man was green. Kicked up after General Chernov's disappearance, Grisham was a tek dressed in captain's clothes. "Reporting one life sign sir." The Captain acknowledged him but remained quiet. Ness waited for a reply. "Shall I send a team down to investigate?" Jolted from his thoughts, Grisham shook his head in agreement. "Yes Lt., thank you."

        Zelaya stepped through the rubble doorway and into tek Feyd's lab. The place had been hit hard by her new employers but a few of the machines appeared to be intact. She stopped in front of the main computer and lifted its monitor up. The screen was smashed and no power ran to it. Picking up a shard metal that lay by her foot, she pried off the back cover and found what she was looking for. An emergency storage device. Used to retrieve data after an accident. Any cautious tek had one. "What do we have here?" Zelaya slipped it into the mini-computer she had brought along. A little green blinker came on. "Frell."

>>>

        Aeryn came back up to command after delivering her prisoner back to his cell. D'Argo was waiting for her there when she got back. He sat against the wall with a piece of paper in his hands. As Aeryn came in, he tucked it away and looked up. "Scorpius says the ice won't work for long. We need coolant rods." The Luxan grew angry at her words. "Do you hear what you're saying? He's not our guest Aeryn. Why don't you just kill him and get it over with?" Without warning, Aeryn pounced forward and grabbed his tentacles. Lifting him to his feet, she stared right into his eyes. "We agreed to wait for John." D'Argo shook his head. "But Aeryn-." She cupped a hand over his mouth. "Are you ready to accept that he's not coming? I'm not." She let him go and he fell to the ground in a heap. "There's a place nearby." Aeryn stalked out of the room.

        The transport pod's hatch stood open as some of the crew waited to depart. Aeryn and D'Argo were already inside when the call came. "Wait for us!" She glanced out the window and saw Chiana running towards them with Meryl close behind. D'Argo shook his head. "I can tell them to stay if you want." Aeryn saw the look in Meryl's eyes and decided to not to interfere. The woman hadn't slept in days. Her hair was a mess and the red rims around her eyes did not look good. Chiana, unofficial nurse, helped her up the stairs despite the ex-peacekeeper's insistence against it. "I can function on my own." The Nebari didn't back away. "Get the frell away from me or I'll kill you." This time she listened.

        The commerce planet was unlike most the crew had frequented in the past few years. Vast cities filled the landscape in all directions. Each one with its own towering black building in the center. These were the market places. Floor upon floor of stalls and specialty shops filled with anything anyone would ever need. The pod landed in the huge lot alongside and exited. Chiana looked up into the sky and gasped. "I can't even see the top from down here." D'Argo shot a look at her. "Don't get comfortable. We're only going to be here for an arn." She ignored his dark mood. "What's wrong with you today?" He turned to look at Aeryn. "I'm fine."

        While Aeryn and D'Argo helped their pregnant friend into the main entrance, Chiana scampered forward to browse. Feeling the weight of money in her pocket, she disappeared into the crowd leaving the others behind. "Chiana!" Aeryn shook her head angrily as the girl left her sight. "Let her go. She's just restless." She frowned and looked at D'Argo. "What's with the two of you lately? He didn't respond. Something across the room caught his eye. "Aeryn, do you recognize that species?" She followed his gaze. "Yes, I do." There was a loud snapping sound and then the entire floor was plunged into darkness. "Now what?"

        Chiana stopped in front of a stall and ran her hands over a pair of shiny blue crystals. "How much for these?" The merchant behind the counter looked her over and nodded. "One hundred ingots each." She pulled her hand away but didn't leave. There was something odd about the man. He was wearing the black cloak of a minister. Chiana was about to say something to him about it when another item caught her eye. "Is that a leviathan?" A stone tablet hung from the roof of his stall. Etched into it was a picture of what looked like Moya. "Yes, five hundred ingots." She reached out to touch it but her slapped her hand away. "No touching." Then the lights went out and gunfire echoed from somewhere down the corridor.

The Elephant 2 Ep2.3: Old Habits....
        The lights went out and instantly a panic erupted. Screams could be heard in all directions as frightened shoppers rushed to the doorways before they closed. Aeryn felt her Luxan companion's shoulder pass by her as she was thrust backwards. Feeling herself thrown to the ground, she closed her eyes and waited for the madness to pass. Finally, after the running footsteps around her died down, Aeryn opened her eyes. She was outside. The cool night air touched her skin and sent shivers down her spine. "D'Argo! Meryl!" There was no answer from them. She pushed her way towards the entrance and found the doors closed. Tugging on one of the handles, Aeryn realized something terrifying. She was locked out.

        D'Argo grabbed hold of Meryl's feeble arms as the stampede began. She fought him for moment but soon realized what was happening. "Where's Aeryn?" He looked her right in the eyes with a look of confusion. "She's not here." Meryl nodded slowly and turned to check the faces surrounding them. Plenty of different species swarmed around her but no Aeryn Sun. "Are you going to be alright?" His soft words helped to calm her a bit. She touched her stomach involuntarily before answering him. "Yes, fine." Gunshots erupted from somewhere to their right and a single scream rang out. "Attention! We know some of you have weapons. This man had one." One of the men with guns lifted up a body for them to see. "Anyone else want to try?"

        Chiana felt someone tug the edge of her coat and then she was behind the stall. The merchant signaled for her to stay quiet and pointed to a small hatch on the wall. "Follow me. Don't talk." She nodded and crawled in after him. The opening led into a long tunnel that ran inside the walls. There was enough room for them to stand. "What the frell is going on out there?" The man turned to her with a worried expression. "Terrorists, maybe religious extremists." His words did not comfort her. "What do we do?" He rolled his eyes. "Hide."

        There were at least fifteen of them. Acrenian gun runners armed with high powered pulse weapons. One of them, possibly the leader, stepped in front of the stunned crowd and raised his hands. "Now that I have all of you here, we will discuss the rules." His cohorts had rounded up everyone they could find. The once thriving stalls and shops were deserted and trashed. D'Argo and Meryl were among the ones stuck in the crowd. They watched nervously as the leader continued. "It is not our intention to harm any of you. We have come for your merchandise only." He pointed to the stalls behind him. "My men will empty out this floor and then leave you peacefully." The Acrenian raised his gun. "No heroics please."

        The power outage triggered a silent alarm that protected the building at all times. Inside a quarter of an arn, police vehicles had approached the commerce station from all sides and moved into strategic positions. Chief Blevins of the local military authority stepped out of his auto and walked onto the empty parking lot. "Start tracking down the stolen cars boys." One of his officers nodded from the driver's seat and tore off down the road. Blevins was about to check in with the other positions when he spotted a lone woman ahead of him. "You can't be here miss. This is a police situation. Aeryn turned to face him. "I hope you're carrying a gun."

>>>

        Two marauders left the open hanger doors of the Artanis and flew down towards the ruined gammek base. Grisham watched them go through his window on the command deck and nodded to Lt. Ness. "Have them check in when they reach the surface." Ness repeated the words into the comm system. "Yes sir." One of the pilots answered back immediately. "Sir, we're receiving a distress signal." The captain turned to see one of his teks approaching. "Apparently, the commerce planet Taos 7 has reported terrorist activity." Grisham sighed and nodded. "Lt, tell the team we will return for them shortly. Make a vector for Taos 7." The science vessel turned in place and sped off.

        Zelaya heard the commands being given to the away team through her earpiece. It picked up all surrounding comm transmissions with perfect clarity. She stuffed the mini-computer into her satchel and prepared to leave. A commotion stopped her dead in her tracks. Down the corridor, she could hear boots hitting metal. The first marauder had arrived without her knowledge. "You there! Stop!" Zelaya dashed away in the opposite direction amid pulse blasts. "We have a hostile entity." The soldier called into his comm again but there was no answer. The Artanis was already out of range.

>>>

        "How do you people get here so fast?" Blevins noted her peacekeeper uniform and quickly decided against throwing her out. Aeryn tried to remain civil while answering his questions. "I'm on vacation. Just happened to be here." He shook his head in disbelief. "Never in my life have I seen a peacekeeper on vacation." She nodded in agreement. "Well, I think it just ended." Aeryn pointed towards the building. "They're Acrenians, I'm not sure how many. At least three hundred hostages." Blevins relayed the information into his radio. "We've closed off the other floors so they're isolated down here." He pulled out his radio again. "Can someone get me a blueprint of the first floor?" The radio chirped. "Right away sir."

        Chiana poked her head out of the hatch and looked around. There weren't any of the gunmen outside so she slipped out. "You're going to get both of us killed." She ignored the man's pleas and walked out into the hall. All the shoppers were gone, leaving an eerie sight of empty stalls and fallen merchandise. "I'm just going to see what's going on." He stepped out of the hole and grabbed her shoulder. "Not without me you're not." Chiana nodded and led the way forward. As they looked around the first corner, one of the Acrenians spotted them. "You two! Hands up!" The merchant started to raise his but Chiana had already taken off. "Frelling Nebari." He turned and ran after her.

        Another officer in military uniform joined Aeryn and Blevins outside the main entrance. He brought with him a portable computer. "What are your orders sir?" He looked up at the young man and shook his head. "She's peacekeeper. Ask her." Aeryn, taken by surprise, fought to keep a straight face. "Just search the grounds for any possible escape routes." The soldier saluted her before walking back the way he had come. "I can't take command of this." Blevins looked up at her. "Don't worry, we called in reinforcements. Some pk assistance should be arriving in about five arns." Aeryn felt another chill run through her. "Wonderful."

>>>

        "They said it would take an arn." Rygel spit the words out angrily to the blue priestess in front of him. Zhaan shook her head and frowned. "Perhaps they haven't found any coolant rods yet. Best for us to remain patient." Her narrowed his eyes at her and floated towards the door. "Sometimes I wonder why I even bother talking to you." She brushed off the remark and returned to her rest. "Zhaan? He's asked me to tell you something." She stood up again at Pilot's words and went to follow Rygel. "What does it want Pilot?" The creature definitely felt uncomfortable relaying messages. "Scorpius says he will need the rods very soon." Rygel stopped in his tracks and looked at her. "To the ice machine." Zhaan smiled. "After you."

        Pilot chuckled to himself as he prepared the water fountain to process ice again. Something odd caught his attention. A comm transmission seemed to be coming in but he didn't recognize the location. Tapping the receiver, he waited for it to come through. "Pilot? Is that you?" Chiana's voice burst through the console's speaker and flooded his ears. "Yes, is there a problem?" Her words came frantically. "Find Aeryn. Tell her I'm ok for now." The sound of gunshots came through and then the link was broken. "Fre-." He stopped himself.

>>>

        D'Argo tried using his comm again but for some reason it would not go through. Angry shouts from his right sounded over the crowd. "You there, give me that." One of the Acrenians came forward and thrust a gun in his face. "Give me the comm." Before D'Argo could remove it, the gunman ripped it off and placed it in his pocket. "You too." Meryl had been sitting in a daze against the door. She lifted her head slightly and glared at the man. "Frell you." The Acrenian stepped forward. "Gladly." D'Argo jumped in between them. "Please, she's not herself." He took the comm off her jacket and handed it to the man. "Sorry."

        Chiana ducked behind a counter just as the materials on it were blasted to pieces. "Come out now, you can't get away." She searched the ground around her for some sort of weapon. The merchant motioned towards her from his own hiding place. "Do you have a gun?" He shook his head. As if suddenly realizing something, he reached into his coat and pulled a small object out. Chiana took it eagerly but was immediately disappointed. "What is this?" He shrugged. "A rock hammer." Etched into the hammer's handle was a name. "Carle?" He nodded.

        The gunman heard their whispering and tossed one of the stalls aside. He caught a glimpse of grey skin before it disappeared behind another stall. "I won't hurt you. Come now." There was a shrieking sound off to his left and then she was on him. Chiana swung the rock hammer with all her might and smashed it against his face. The man gasped as it made contact with his temple. "Ha!" She cried out again in triumph. He fell to the floor in a heap and dropped the gun. Chiana picked it up and charged the power source. "Now I have a pulse rifle."

>>>

        Sgt. Reese motioned for his crew members to stay back. "I will go ahead and approach it. The rest of you take positions and shoot anything that moves unless I say otherwise." They nodded and he stepped forward. Wielding his pulse rifle in front of him, Reese moved cautiously into the dark hallway ahead. Every sound echoed loudly in his ear. The one that disturbed him the most was what seemed to be hissing. Something ran across his field of vision. A woman. "Step out now and we won't hurt you." The words came tumbling out of his mouth before he could think of anything to follow them up with. "Leave now and I won't hurt you."

        Zelaya stepped out of the darkness and grabbed his gun. "Tell them not to fire." He nodded and motioned for the others to lower their weapons. "What is your rank?" She moved in close to him, smelling the beads of sweat that ran down his face. "Sgt. Reese." Zelaya frowned and shook her head. "Not high enough." The three soldiers heard him scream once and then nothing. All of them raised their guns as a woman in black walked calmly out towards them. There was blood on her mouth. "Rank please."

>>>

        Aeryn turned away from the chief as her comm started to transmit. "What is it Pilot?" His voice came through thick static. "Chiana says she ok." She froze as the words reached her ears. Chiana had gone off ahead, leaving D'Argo and Meryl alone. "She hasn't been captured?" Pilot confirmed her question. "So the only person inside the building in a position to do something is Chiana?" He didn't say anything. Blevins walked over to her with a questioning look. "You've got someone on the inside?" Aeryn sighed heavily and looked up at black tower. "Sort of."

        Chiana and Carle left the dead gunman's body hidden behind a stall and continued on down the corridor. The Nebari led the way with her new weapon held in front. Voices could be heard off in the distance. "Wait." She whispered the words to her companion and snuck forward to take a look. At least ten of the Acrenians sat in a cluster up ahead. Some of them where shouting. "We should just kill them and get out of here!" That didn't sound good. One man sat in the middle and listened quietly. He seemed to be the leader. "Denion, what do we do?" The man lifted his eyes slowly and answered. "Has 12 checked in?" The others were referred to by numbers. "No sir, he doesn't answer his radio." Chiana almost cried out. She turned and ran back towards the body. Sure enough, a radio sat nestled on its belt.

        Denion frowned at the sound of footsteps behind him. "Someone is watching us." He stood quickly and fired at the far wall. Carle dove back into the shadows where it was safe. "Aeryn, can you hear me!" He looked down at his radio as the message repeated itself. "Someone help me! I'm trapped in this frelling-." Denion smiled. "I will help you little girl. Tell me where you are." Chiana stared down at the device and cursed herself for being so stupid. "I'm right down the hall. Come over and get me." She searched the body for anything else of interest. A small red box was stuffed in the man's pocket. "Hmm."

        "Come and get me." Aeryn and Blevins heard the last of Chiana's transmission through his own radio. "She's talking on an open frequency. They can hear her too." Aeryn's last hopes died at that moment. "Well, Chiana's not exactly trained for this." Blevins was confused. "She's not a soldier?" She didn't bother to answer him.

        Gunmen 2 and 3 made their way down the dark corridor towards the source of Chiana's radio signal. 2 stepped forward ahead of his counterpart and raised his gun. Something was rustling in front of them. Chiana saw them first but did not fire. "What are you waiting for?" She glared at Carle and thrust the gun into his hands. "You wanna try?" He passed it back and shook his head. Suddenly one of the gunman was standing right over them. Chiana screamed as loud as she could, startling him and giving her a chance to move. The second one heard the blast of a pulse rifle and then his teammate went down. "You're dead little girl." A flash of grey shot past him up ahead and he fired. The Nebari shouted as the shot grazed her leg and knocked her down.

        Gunman 3 walked up to her and laughed. "A Nebari eh? I've never killed a Nebari before." He raised his pulse rifle but stopped when his flashlight hit her face. "You're very pretty." Bearing his teeth, he knelt down beside her. Chiana panicked momentarily but then regained her composure. She smiled back at him and licked her lips. Caught up in the strange moment, 3 did not see Carle sneak up from behind. The rock hammer crashed down on the back of his neck and he went down. "Thank you." Chiana breathed a sigh of relief and let herself fall to the floor.

>>>

        D'Argo sat down beside his distraught companion and put his arm around her. "How are you feeling?" Meryl looked up at him and actually smiled. "Better now, thank you." She stood up and paced back and forth in front of him. "Just need to move around a little." He nodded and let his gaze move around the room. The two nearest guards to him were arguing about something. Staying low, D'Argo slid towards them to hear. "Boss says there's a Nebari still loose. Tells me she's killed three guys already." The Luxan froze and for several seconds he had to fight to keep from laughing. Chiana was playing the hero. "Three men? There's still enough of us to finish the job." The other shrugged. "Just the ten of us now."

        A gun was fired several times into the air as Denion charged into the main lobby. He walked up to the two guards and pointed into the crowd. "Have you seen any more of them in there?" Both henchmen looked at him with blank stares. "Any more of what sir?" He slapped the man hard with his pulse rifle. "Nebari!" One of them finally understood. "No sir." Denion sighed and searched the room himself. Something caught his attention immediately. "There are security cameras here. Find the control room." D'Argo felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. They would know who had come in with Chiana.

        Aeryn watched the portable computer as Blevins brought up the first floor plans. "Doesn't look good." He glanced up and motioned for her to get closer. "The entire area is sealed off except from this front entrance. My men could only attempt a frontal assault." She groaned as the image of ill-trained boys in army uniforms came to mind. "If that's our only option, we might as well wait for the peacekeepers." Blevins shook his head. "Not if you want to save the hostages." Aeryn searched her memory for the protocol on terrorist situations. As if reading her thoughts, Blevins answered. "They'll go in shooting blind."

        Chiana sat down back inside the vent system and turned to her frightened companion. "You're not used to this type of thing are you?" Carle attempted a weak smile and shook his head. "I've never killed anyone in my life." She laughed. "I killed them." Somehow that didn't comfort him. "What are you?" Carle pointed at the rock hammer. "I'm a prospector. I survey uncharted planets out here for colonization." Chiana remembered her thought from earlier. "What's with the church clothes?" Now he laughed. "That is a long story."

        Denion ran through the security tape yet again to make sure he had seen it. "It's a Luxan sir." He looked up at his companion and nodded. "Yes, I saw him earlier. Had the tattoos of a warrior." The gunman was confused. "I thought they were all warriors." Denion groaned. "Don't say another word unless you want to get shot." He backed away from the video screens and headed out the door. "Go tell the others. We're leaving very soon."

        D'Argo heard the commotion before it reached him and stood with a hand on his qualta blade. "What are you doing?" Meryl stepped up beside him and reached for her own weapon. "No, you stay here." She glared at him with eyes that almost reminded D'Argo of his wife. "Are you questioning my combat skills." He grinned. "I wouldn't dream of it." She went for her pulse pistol but stopped when a shot rang out. Meryl watched in horror as D'Argo cried out in pain and fell to the floor. Denion walked over to him but she blocked the way. Before Meryl could say anything, a gun was pointed at her stomach. "I don't enjoy killing children." Reluctantly she backed away.

        Chiana heard the gunshot and flinched. She stood from her seat and went over to the open hatch. Peering down the hall, she could not see clearly into the lobby. The radio suddenly burst to life in her hands. "Nebari! You're friend has been shot." Chiana held her breath as the terrible possibilities ran through her head. "The blood is not clear." Her question was answered.

The Elephant 2 Ep2.4: Strange Attractions
       
        Chiana dropped the radio and stood up slowly. She looked down at Carle, who refused to meet her solemn gaze. "Come one." He grumbled something and shook his head. The Nebari considered pushing the matter but quickly decided against it. If it wasn't D'Argo out there, she'd probably do the same thing. "Take this. I don't need it anymore." She dropped the pulse rifle into his lap and walked out the door. Carle stared at it with confused eyes. "What are you going to do then?" Chiana shrugged. "I haven't thought that far ahead." She disappeared around the corner leaving him there, alone in the dark.

        Meryl gritted her teeth but stayed put as the Acrenian stood over D'Argo. Her hand was just centimeters away from the pulse pistol and it was becoming increasingly difficult to keep her fingers from extending. "It won't work." Denion looked up at her and smiled arrogantly. He raised is pulse rifle and pointed at her stomach. "Pregnant Sebaceans don't make for good soldiers." She narrowed her eyes at him but said nothing. "Not going to stoop to my level eh?" He nodded and glanced back towards his men. "Anything yet?" The two gunmen on the outside of the crowd shook their heads. On the floor, D'Argo's breath started to sound worse.

        Chiana stepped out into the hallway and was immediately met by one of the Acrenians. He smacked her across the face, creating a gash over her right eye. She refused to fall and just kept walking. The gunman pulled out his radio. "Sir, she's coming towards you. Should I shoot her?" She found the answer surprising. "No, let her come." He pushed her forward and kept his gun planted against her spine. "I'm watching you little girl." Chiana scowled at him. Up ahead, the lobby lights allowed her to see the frightened crowd. D'Argo was in there somewhere.

>>>

        Aeryn had kept her eyes on the front entrance ever since the shot rang out. If she could hear it, then the victim must have been close to the doors. Right where D'Argo and Meryl were. Blevins glanced over at her. "If you're worried-." His voice was drowned out by a large roar from up above. The two of them looked up into the sky and saw the giant vessel move into orbit above. "They're early." Aeryn frowned. "That's not a command carrier." Blevins nodded and picked up his radio. "Peacekeeper vessel, this is Chief Blevins of military authority." There was no response. A laser light shot out from the Artanis and scanned the building.

        Captain Grisham looked down at the scene with a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. He turned to his Lt. with eyes that said, "Tell me what to do?" Ness stared right back at his superior but made no attempt to give advice. "I will go down and assess the situation. Then we will decide what to do." Grisham hoped the other man understood what we meant. Lt. Ness agreed and glanced out through the glass windows. "What the frell is that?" Grisham and just about every tek in the room followed his gaze. Something they had not seen on approach came into view. "A leviathan?"

>>>

        Denion watched the Nebari enter slowly into the lobby and left the wounded Luxan. He walked over towards her with a satisfied look on his face. Suddenly, the gunman leading her cried out in pain and hit the floor. Chiana closed her eyes and waited for the kill shot. It did not come. Denion jumped out of the way as pulse blasts flew all around him. Carle, staying within range of his hiding place fired wildly into the room. Civilians and shoppers dove to the ground as shot flew over their heads. "Someone shoot that yotz." Seeing her opportunity, Chiana went for the small red box she had been holding in her pocket and raised it above her head. "Everyone freeze or I blow this place." Of course, she had no idea what the thing actually did.

        Meryl shook her head in astonishment as the girl put on her show and then glanced back down at D'Argo. All the guards were busy with the crisis up in front and had left them alone. Checking each side of her carefully, she let herself tip over sideways and fall to the ground. D'Argo roared with pain as her body crashed down over his wound. "Again!" She nodded and stood back up, keeping her eye on the guards. Meryl jumped up as far as she could go and sent the full force of her weight crashing down on him. "Ahhhhh!"

        Denion heard the shouts from behind him but didn't bother to turn around. There were more important things to worry about. The red box was not a bomb as the Nebari claimed. But for him and his men, it could be just as bad. "Give it to me and you can go." Chiana felt Carle sneak up behind her and crouch down out of range. "Thanks for the backup." He shrugged and pointed the pulse rifle at the nearest gunman. "Let everyone go and I'll consider it." The Acrenian snarled. "I'm not sure you understand the severity of-." A shot rang out. Carle screamed and rapidly fired his own gun. Chiana pressed the button.

>>>

        The marauder landed in the empty parking lot and four soldiers marched out. Leading the pack, Grisham walked up to the small command center where Aeryn and Blevins stood. "Who's in command here?" She pointed at the chief and he pointed at her. "You, you're a peacekeeper." The captain ignored Blevins and focused on her. Putting on his tough, authoritative mask, he tried not to let his mind wander. As his eyes ran over the female, a saddening thought came to mind. In his youth, he probably would have described her as beautiful. Now, the only word that came to mind was capable. "What is your name soldier?" Aeryn froze. She couldn't give him her real name. "Officer, um, Crichton." Grisham nodded.

        A loud mechanical whirring sound erupted from above them. All eyes shot up at the source as something odd happened. The area right outside the front entrance began to distort and finally collapsed. A large Acrenian fighter ship floated in place outside the doors. "Artanis, fire!" Aeryn tried to interject but it was too late. Multiple blasts from the science vessel soared down towards the ship and made contact. "Get down!" She wasn't sure who spoke. Every one of them dove to the ground as the ship exploded.

>>>

        Meryl stood to administer the heavy blow again when a loud booming sound stopped her in her tracks. Thousands of glass particles shot past her. "D'Argo!" Before he could answer her, she was lifted off her feet and thrown across the room. A fireball smashed through whatever was left of the doorway and sent bodies flying everywhere. Lying dazed on the ground, the Luxan could only watch in silence as everything around him heaved. Meryl hit something hard and fell to the ground. Her back hit first sending a shockwave upwards. "Meryl!" She turned her head slightly and found Chiana by her side. "You're bleeding." The Nebari touched her forehead and shrugged. "I'm more worried about you."

        Carle stood alone amongst the chaos as hostages ignored their captors and ran for cover. Up ahead, he saw the leader fighting to make it through the crowd. Suddenly they were face to face. He looked into the angry eyes glaring at him and dropped his gun. Denion grabbed him by the throat but stopped short of strangling him. "What are you wearing?" Before the Acrenian could get an answer, a pulse blast ripped through his chest. Chiana held her pregnant friend's pistol in hand. "You're welcome." Carle fell down.

>>>

        "Zhaan, we have a problem." The Delvian opened her eyes and nodded towards the screen. "What's wrong?" The table in the center of command lit up as a holographic diagram came on. A marauder was speeding towards them. "I have received a request to open the hanger doors. What should I do?" She considered their options for a moment and realized that they had none. Rygel entered the room but froze when he saw the projection. "Pilot! Starburst!" Zhaan covered up his mouth angrily. "You will do no such thing Pilot." The creature acknowledged her answer. "Open the doors and let them in."

        The marauder landed in the hanger and four soldiers exited. Lt. Ness stepped out last with a pulse rifle in hand. "The scan showed only two on board." His men nodded and headed out into the labyrinth of hallways and cells. Ness ran his hand over the warm metal of the leviathan's inner walls. "Pilot, answer me." He had been on many ships like this one. They were extraordinary. "Is there something you want?" He laughed at the creature's attempt at ignorance. "You know as I do that this is a stolen ship Pilot. I've come to collect it."

>>>

        Aeryn left Blevins and Grisham standing at the command center and charged towards the burning building. In mid-run, she pulled out her pulse pistol. Pushing a smashed door out of the way, she entered the building and found a scene of mass hysteria. Several bodies, most of them Acrenian, lay on the floor. The hostages seemed to have retreated into the inner hallways. "Chiana!" Something grabbed her leg. "Aeryn, is that you?" D'Argo covered his face as she thrust her gun down at the sound. "Sorry about that." She helped him up.

        Chiana heard her name called and stood to find the source. Out of the smoking front entrance, two figures made their way towards her. "Carle, keep your finger off that trigger." He nodded and dropped the gun. "Aeryn?" The ex-peacekeeper appeared in front of her with a wheezing Luxan in tow. Aeryn let him slide to the ground as she approached the Nebari. Chiana jumped forwards and threw her arms around her. "I'm glad to see you too." They smiled at each other. "Someone get me the frell out of here." Meryl waved an arm around from her position on the floor.

>>>

        Ness walked up to his men and gaze a quizzical look to them. "What's the problem?" He glanced down at the Hynerion and shook his head. "You won't get away with this! I have connections." The Lt. ignored his ranting and pointed at the closed cell in front of him. "Where's the other one?" One of the men nodded towards the door. "A Delvian sir. She's not coming out." Ness sighed and stepped forward. "It was good that you waited for me." He opened the doors and entered. Zhaan sat quietly at her bed and watched the peacekeeper walk in with no signs of fear. "Hello, can I help you?"

        The guards outside snickered as the Lt. stepped inside. "What do you suppose he'll do to her?" The other one laughed out loud. "These plants are all funny religious types. Lt's a big atheist. I heard he once blew up an entire convoy of nuns cause they wouldn't admit he was right." Rygel watched the two of them with growing alarm. He knew how calm Zhaan could be. But he also knew how maddening that was for others. The doors closed, leaving the three of them to wonder.

        "Are you a priestess?" Zhaan found the question odd but answered it anyway. "Yes, a tenth level pa'u. Ness sat down across from her and began rubbing his hands together. "You believe in a goddess, caretaker of all things?" She found his knowledge of her ways surprising. "Something like that, yes." The Lt. shook his head and almost laughed. He pulled the pulse pistol from his belt and placed it between them. "And if I shot you right now. What does that say about your goddess." Zhaan would not be steered into a debate. "If it is her will." This made Ness angry. "If I stepped outside and shot your friends, destroyed this ship." There was something strange about this man. She could sense it slightly but the feeling was confusing. "Is your goddess in the room right now?" Zhaan nodded. "I don't see her." She smiled. "Then perhaps you will let me show her to you."

>>>

        Chiana helped Aeryn load their two injured friends into the transport pod and then turned to face the merchant dressed in minister's clothing. "Thank you Chiana." Carle reached his hand out to her and she took it. "No problem. This stuff, it happens to me all the time." He laughed slightly and then pulled something from his pocket. "I found this in one of the Acrenian's bags. You should have it." Chiana looked at the tablet that she had seen earlier and smiled. "Great, thanks." The leviathan in the picture looked just like Moya. She would show it to Pilot later.

        "Sure you don't want to come with us?" The thought of another crew member on Moya was disturbing but it felt like the right thing to say. Carle shook his head. "No thanks. I've got new planets to see." They shook hands one more time before he headed off in the opposite direction. Chiana watched him go and thought of something. "Hey! Someday you'll tell me that long story!" Carle waved back and then disappeared into the crowd. "Let's go Chiana." Aeryn called to her from inside. "We have to leave before the peacekeepers realize who we are." She nodded and jumped inside.

>>>

        "We're leaving right now." Ness walked out the doors and met three pairs of suspicious eyes. "Sir, you've been in there for half an arn." The Lt. ignored him and walked back towards the hanger. The soldiers followed him with Rygel still chained up. "Let him go. This is the wrong ship." They didn't understand. "Do it!" One of them undid the latch and Rygel hit the ground hard but free. "Don't even think about trying that again!" His tiny shouts did not faze the three peacekeepers as they headed back to the marauder.

        Zhaan stepped out of the cell and went over to the confused Hynerion. He looked up at her as she finished buttoning up the robe. "What the frell did you do to him?" She blushed and stumbled with her words. "Forgive me, I um, lost control." Rygel watched her suspiciously as the Delvian rushed off down the corridor. He shook his head. "Oh my."

>>>

        Dr. Gutierrez stepped out of the patient's room and saw a flash of leather pass by him. Making sure no one was coming in, he chased after the strange man. John Crichton turned around as footsteps started following him and caught Mike in the act. "Wait, I need to ask you something!" He stopped and waited for the man to catch up. "What is it?" Mike looked around and noticed all the nurses staring at him. "Perhaps somewhere more private." John motioned for him to lead the way.

        They stood outside Tom's room in the ICU and glanced in through the windows. The young man had been in a state of coma for the past two and a half weeks. "I've seen you here everyday. You never leave the hospital and no one ever comes to visit him. John nodded but said nothing. "What's going on?" Neither one of them was willing to back down from their stances. Mike pointed at the sleeping patient. "We saved his life you know." John sighed and looked up at the man. "I'm grateful for that." The doctor shook his head angrily. "No, I want answers. The surgeon told me that something strange came up on the MRI. Something they couldn't explain."

        John considered pulling his pulse pistol out right there and shooting the nosy doctor. "I have no idea what you're talking about. He needed a transfusion, I brought him here." Gutierrez grinned. "To Palm Springs Medical? Cause we're the leading blood transfusion center in the country right?" The sarcastic tone was not lost on John. He glanced back at his friend again before opening his mouth. "Have you talked to anyone else about this?" The doctor looked hurt. "Of course I have." The look of alarm on John's face unsettled him. "What, is this some sort of big alien conspiracy thing?"

        Tom opened his eyes slowly and glanced around the room. It wasn't familiar to him and for a minute he thought that it was a dream. A small machine to his left started beeping. "Shut up." He smacked it several times but the damn thing wouldn't stop. Suddenly the door burst open and a nurse rushed to his side. "How are you feeling?" Tom smiled weakly. "Like I got stabbed by a million pieces of shattered metal." She did not understand. "Doctor! We have a situation here." Mike and John turned simultaneously at her words. The doctor made it in first but John had already spoken. "Tom, can you walk?" Despite the nurse's attempts to stop him, Tom threw himself out of bed and stood on wobbly legs. "Looks like it." Mike started to say something but he was hushed. John had pulled his pulse pistol out. "We're checking out now doctor."

        The lights were off and he could feel the nurse's frantic hands pulling at the cords around their wrists. "Stop fidgeting. I almost have it." She obeyed and he pushed hard. A snapping sound told him the maneuver had worked. Mike stood up and stretched out his arms. The two of them had been gone for a while now. "Get up, they're not here anymore." The nurse stood and ran for the door. He called out to her but she ignored his warnings. Following, he grabbed the door before it closed and stepped out into the hall. A man wearing a suit sat in a chair across from him. "Are you Dr. Gutierrez?" Mike nodded and shook his head angrily as he replayed the scene in his head. "My name is Sam. I work for the government."

Ep2.5: Down That Road Before

The sun shone brightly upon the desert sands as two weary travelers made their way down a lonely stretch of highway. They had been walking so long that the hours seemed to blend together into an endless parade of heat and dust. Neither of them wore a watch or carried any means of communications. One was dressed in heavy leather, sweating like an animal. The other had a pair of stolen jeans with a hospital gown covering his upper body. John Crichton and Tom Wells were a sorry sight to see. "Why didn't we just take the module?" The older man glanced over at his companion and shot him an angry look. "You think it's a good idea to fly space ships where people can see." Tom frowned and nodded his agreement.

"Wait, I think I hear something." Both of them turned simultaneously to look back in the distance. A tiny black dot on the horizon continued to grow bigger as they waited. John recognized the vehicle immediately. "No way." Tom didn't understand but followed him down the road anyway. At this point, he was prepared to take whatever he could get. The truck roared past them without any indication of stopping. John waved his arms wildly in the air as his companion eyed him with amusement. "I don't think he saw you." The eighteen-wheeler stopped suddenly and the door slid open. "You two again eh? What a coincidence." The driver smiled and motioned for them to climb aboard.

>>>

D'Argo opened his eyes and glanced around the room through tear-filled eyes. Every movement of his body sent another shock of pain rolling through him. Zhaan had said he was lucky to be alive. That the wound had hit several vulnerable spots. Then again, the Delvian hadn't seemed to be her usual calm self. "Feeling better already?" She entered the room and began checking him over. A hint of red still flashed in her eyes. Zhaan turned away when she caught him noticing. "It's nothing." The Luxan preferred not to talk and simply blinked. "Then I will leave you to your rest." She walked out of the room just as Aeryn was coming in.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there." The ex-peacekeeper sat beside her shipmate and looked over the bandages that were stained with clear blood. He grunted a reply and turned his head slightly. Aeryn understood and tried to appear calm. "Chiana did a brave thing. You should be proud of her." D'Argo didn't respond at all to that. He nudged her with his foot and tried to display his need to be alone. She seemed to get the picture and stood up. "I'll be around later if you want to talk." Aeryn sighed to herself when the stubborn brute didn't reply. If he wanted to ignore what was going on, who was she to say otherwise?

Meryl was doing considerably better than D'Argo. She sat quietly on her bed now, taking in the remains of Tom's valuables. He hadn't left much for her to take hold of. For now, a simple pen and paper would have to suffice. She considered writing him a note. "Frell." She threw it against the far wall and slipped down into a sleeping position. Peacekeeper captains weren't good at writing letters. Before she could think to do anything else, the reminder came again. Meryl felt the familiar strain on her body and then let out a piercing scream. "Ahhh!" Repeating the shout several times, she fell to the floor and smacked her head against the hard ground.

>>>
The Artanis soared through space on its return trajectory to the destroyed gammek base. After the Taos 7 incident, it was now time to focus on the task at hand. Grisham sat at his chair and pondered what had happened on the commerce planet earlier. Something about it was bothering him. The woman, Officer Crichton, had disappeared after going into the building alone. He had his men search the place but no trace of her was found. "Computer, I need a background check." The machine in front of him beeped to show its understanding. "Process Officer Crichton." A list of names ran down the screen as it tried to match the name to a file. "There is no Officer Crichton listed sir."

The captain frowned but quickly thought of something. He reached down and pulled the pin he wore off. It had the peacekeeper insignia on the front and a tiny camera on the back. Inserting the memory chip into the computer, he scanned through the images. Finally, the woman's face appeared on the screen. "Find facial match." This would take slightly longer. "Captain, the base is within sight. Scan?" He nodded at the tek and looked back at the computer. The word match flashed repeatedly on the screen. "Go ahead." Beside Officer Aeryn Sun's picture, a data file came up. Grisham was most surprised by the note at the bottom. "Irreversibly contaminated?"

He did not have much time to take in the information. After sending out the laser scanning line, an analysis of the base came through. Sitting at his post, Lt. Ness looked with confusion at the results. "Sir, we're registering one life-sign." Captain Grisham stood from his chair and walked over to him. "That's impossible. We sent two marauder teams." Ness pointed out through the glass windows. "Yes, both marauders showed up on the scan. But no crew." The lieutenant waited patiently for his superior to come up with a plan. Finally, Grisham nodded and turned back towards his chair. "I'm going down."

>>>

The truck rolled to a stop outside the entrance to a large residential community. "No trucks over three tons." Tom read the sign that he had seen thousands of times as a boy and forgot to breathe. The driver looked from him to John with a questioning look on his face. "You can drop us off here, thanks." The man nodded and watched as they climbed down to the street. He waved goodbye. "Nice knowing you." the door slammed shut and he sped off. John and Tom stood quietly on the sidewalk for a moment considering what to do next. An elderly woman walking past them stopped as the truck disappeared down the road. "What language was that?" They stared at her, not knowing what to say. "The truck driver, what was he speaking?" The two of them glanced at each other warily.

Rachel Wells stepped out of her small kitchen and sat down at the leather couch she frequented so often lately. Picking up the remote, she flipped through the television channels and sighed to herself. "So quiet." Two words that had been haunting her for months now. With no husband, no son, and no pets, it was just her now in this big house. Rachel finally settled on the six o'clock news and took a sip of her diet coke. "Police officials in Palm Springs today found the body of Dr. Michael Gutierrez. The man was apparently shot to death in his hospital office a few days ago. Police say the motive appears to be burglary as several of the doctor's files are missing. This man, a John Doe patient, is said to be wanted for questioning."

The aluminum can dropped from her hands and hit the ground. Its contents spilled out and stained the newly washed carpet. "What the hell is this?" The wanted picture on the screen was her son. Tom's beaten face looked back at her. He looked older than when she had last seen him. Something about they eyes was different too. Rachel picked up the phone but put it down seconds later. Who could she possibly call? "I'm losing my mind here." Just as she was standing from the couch, the doorbell rang.

>>>

Doug Milton stood up from his wooden desk as the news report came on. The same account of a murder in Palm Springs had just finished showing. He was about to leave the room when a ringing sound jolted him. Someone was calling. Picking up the receiver with shaking hands, he answered. "Sam?" There was some static from the other line. "Yes, did you see the news?" Doug gulped involuntarily. "You killed that man?" A cold laugh came through. "Of course not Doug. I'm not a murderer. John Crichton did it. I just helped myself to some files." The IASA flight director tried to remain calm. "Did you do what I asked?"

He nodded his head. "Everyone in the room has been spoken to. No one thinks the transmission was real." Sam relayed his appreciation. "That's good Doug. So there's absolutely no chance of this getting out?" Milton felt the breath leave his lungs in one quick rush. "Jack Crichton hasn't shown up for work in a week. No one knows where he is." Hearing the words, Sam tossed the phone down and stood to walk out the door. "This could be a problem."

>>>

Chiana watched the others come and go from D'Argo's room but didn't move one step closer to doing it herself. She sighed and considered what had happened between them lately. After the unpleasantness, there hadn't been any hope of something being salvaged. The Nebari blamed herself completely for everything. She just wasn't ready to settle down. Was she now? There was only one way to answer that question. The letter she had found gave her new confidence. Perhaps now was the right time.

Aeryn walked by the Luxan's cell but steered clear of it. She knew that he did not want to be disturbed by anyone right now. The ex-peacekeeper was about to continue forward when her instincts told her someone was there. Turning quickly, she threw her hands out and pulled Chiana out of her hiding place. "What are you doing?" The girl smiled sheepishly and pointed at the room. "I'm not sure if I can do it." Aeryn almost laughed. "The audacious Chiana not up to a challenge. Shocking." Chiana scowled at her and stepped forward a bit. "He can't talk much right now." She turned back to Aeryn and shrugged. "Maybe that's a good thing."

D'Argo heard the door slide open and footsteps smack loudly against the hard metal floor. By the sound of it, only one person could be walking in. "Chiana?" He forced the words out and groaned when the pain came again. She leaned over him and tried a half-smile that quickly faded into a frown. "Hi." Neither of them said anything beyond that. Both too scared of what the consequences might be, albeit for different reasons. The Nebari forced all her bravado to the surface and kissed him lightly on the lips. Because of his condition, she could not tell if he had responded. D'Argo felt the warm touch of her mouth and wanted desperately to return the gesture. Yet there was more than pain keeping him away.

>>>

Grisham lifted the dead soldier's head and noted the slash wounds on his neck. It almost looked as if something had taken a bite out of the man. "Who's there?" The noise had come from somewhere down the dark hallway. Too distant for him to tell from what. Despite him being alone there, an entire detachment of men waited patiently in the hanger for his word. Whatever killed him would not get out alive. "Why would I want to kill you?" The words caught him by surprise. She appeared out of nowhere. The woman in black smiled maliciously at him, revealing her pointed teeth. "You are a captain aren't you?"

He nodded slightly and motioned towards the tag on his uniform. The woman smiled again sending shivers down his spine. "My name is Zelaya. I believe we can help each other captain...?" He frowned. "It's Grisham." She was a Ferrian. That much he could tell by her mouth. It also explained the deaths of his men. "Why would I have anything to do with a woman who kills my soldiers?" Zelaya shook her head as if dismissing the question. "I saw your ship captain. You are a scientist yes?" Grisham nodded. "I have something that you would find very interesting." She pulled the mini-computer from her satchel. "Have you ever heard of wormholes?"

>>>

Rachel opened the door and had to blink several time before she could admit to seeing what she saw. Tom Wells, her son, was standing on the porch next to a familiar looking man in leather. The boy's face was littered with scars that extended down his arms and hands. He smiled but received no similar expression from her. "You better have a damn good explanation." John looked at her and then at him with amusement. "What the hell are you smiling at?" Rachel backed away from the door and let them in.

They sat next to each other on the couch for several minutes without speaking. Despite her best efforts, the loving mother inside was starting to rear its ugly head. Rachel turned and grabbed her son's large form. Tom hugged her back and almost felt tears run down his cheeks. He had missed her, even if it hadn't been apparent then. "Hi mom." She pulled away and smiled. Her eyes were watering and her voice was cracking up. "What happened? Where did you go?" Trying to come up with a suitable explanation, Tom stumbled over his own words. Finally, he looked to John. "Help me out here."

John Crichton looked into the eyes of his friend's mother and tried to explain it as best he could. Rachel watched him closely with suspicious eyes. He still looked familiar. "My name is John Crichton. I'm an astronaut." The memory snapped inside her and she nodded. "About three years ago, I was shot through a wormhole." He waited for her to ask what that was but the woman said nothing. "I ended up on the other side of the universe. In a world full of aliens and strange ships. Tom got abducted from his apartment building and we met out there." Rachel narrowed her eyes and let her mouth hang open. "That's a wonderful story John." She turned back to her son. "I don't know where you went or why you came back. I'm just glad you're home again." Tom smiled. "But you will tell me the truth young man."

>>>

Meryl had managed to crawl out of bed and walk around a little. She had been wanting to see how D'Argo was doing. He hadn't looked so good when they had left the commerce planet. As she approached his cell, the sound of someone running made her stop. Chiana appeared from around a junction and ran past her. The young woman seemed to be very angry about something. "D'Argo, can I come in?" A low grunt came from inside and she took it as a yes. The Luxan was lying face up on his cot with a pitiful expression on his face. "Can you talk?" He nodded slightly. "I don't understand anything anymore." His words were labored but understandable.

"You don't understand what?" He pointed towards the departing Nebari. "I see John and Aeryn, taking it slowly. They move forward and backwards without gaining anything but the bond remains strong." Meryl didn't know what to say to that. She just nodded and kept listening. "Then I see you and Tom. How quickly everything went for you. But you still love each other right?" She frowned. "I can only speak for myself." D'Argo practically ignored her comment. "Neither way seems to work with us. Fast or slow, she confuses me."

The ex-captain felt obligated to say something now. She sat down beside him on the bed and let the air flow slowly out of her mouth. "I'm no expert when it comes to these things. My relationship with Tom is, was difficult. But it was a relationship. You can't stay back because you're afraid." The Luxan almost smiled as she spoke. "Don't give up on it before it has a chance to grow." D'Argo shook his head. "You don't know what happened the last time." Meryl was gaining confidence now. "And I don't need to. You obviously care for her. Do something about it and quit sulking." She patted him on the shoulder and stood to leave. "Thank you Meryl." She nodded and left.

>>>>

Jack Crichton glanced down at the tape that sat in the seat next to him. It bounced up and down as his old truck made its way across the uneven country road. He remembered coming here with John. When his son was still a boy. Those memories were what kept him from turning back and convincing himself that it all had been a prank. A large farmhouse appeared in front of him. Jack stopped the car and grabbed the tape. Walking slowly, he made his way to the thick wooden front door and knocked several times. The owner would not want visitors but this couldn't wait.

Dk opened the door and found his best friend's father staring back at him. He considered slamming it shut and ignoring the angry shouts from outside. He didn't do that. "Hello Mr. Crichton. What can I do for you." Jack shook his head. "Cut the crap kid. Let me in." Dk stepped aside and let him pass through. "There's something you need to see." He followed the older man into his own living room and watched him put a tape in the VCR. John Crichton's face appeared on the screen through static and signal interruptions. "Canaveral, can you hear me? Dad, is that you?" The breath left Dk's lungs at an alarming rate. Jack recognized the feeling. "Tell me about it."

The Elephant Ep2.6:
Frelling Babies

The gammek base floated dead in space besides the giant science vessel. Aboard the Artanis, Lt. Ness sat at his console and waited for his captain to return. "Are you alright sir?" He turned suddenly and found one of the teks looking over him. "Is there something wrong?" Ness shook his head and waved the man away. "No, I'm fine." The truth was that he had no idea what was going on. Inside of him, a feeling was stirring. One that he had never felt before. Standing up, he walked closer to the glass windows and tapped his forehead against them. "Let me show her to you." He jumped back and stared at his reflection. "Blue?"

The console beeped and broke whatever strange vision he was seeing. Ness returned to it and pressed the comm button. "Yes, what is it?" His subordinate answered back right away. "We're having a problem with one of the experiments sir." He glanced back at the empty captain's chair and sighed. "Why are you telling me this? I'm not a frelling tek." There was a slight pause as the voice considered what to say. "Number six has asked for you." Ness frowned and rolled his eyes. "Very well. I'll be right there."

The cell door marked six stood away from all the other ones in this particular section of the ship. The other experiments, unwilling test subjects, went farhbot whenever they were brought near it. Whatever was in there, Ness did not want to see it. "What's the matter?" The tek nodded nervously and motioned for him to look at the computer. "His output levels have been dropping continually over the last few days." Ness almost hit the man. "So go in there and make him do it." The tek fidgeted from side to side. "That's just it sir. None of my men have been able to get inside. He's threatened to kill himself if you don't go." The Lt. turned to look at the cell door. "I'll end this."

It was merely a boy. No more than fifteen or sixteen arns of age. He was curled up in a ball against the back side of the cell. "You asked for me?" The boy looked up, revealing cold dead eyes that made the Lt. squirm. "Yes I did." Ness advanced forward and turned on the overhead lights. The black device on the boy's head, a control collar, allowed him to relax. "Have you seen it yet?" He did not understand. "See what?" They boy smiled and stood up. "The blue woman. You've seen her." Involuntarily, Ness's eyes shot down to his arms. "What the frell?" His black uniform had been replaced by blue scales. "Part of her is in you."

"Why?" Ness pulled his eyes away and focused on the boy. "What does she want me to do?" They boy smiled again. An expression that seemed to emanate warmth. A feeling that Ness was not used to. "My name is Kithara, and it is I who wants something from you." They walked up to each other slowly and the soldier took the boy's hand. "You need to get me out of here." Ness couldn't believe what was happening. "I will get you out right away." The words came from his lips but he didn't remember thinking them. "Follow me." The two of them walked out of the cell and into the bright hallway. Kithara shaded his eyes and continued forward. "Sir, what are you doing?" The tek ran up to them with a look of confusion. "Taking care of the problem." The man could only stare as they walked away.

>>>

Night had descended over Southern California but Rachel Wells was far from sleep. She sat quietly in her kitchen watching the two new arrivals. John Crichton, the supposedly dead astronaut, was sleeping soundly on her couch. His mouth opened and closed with each breath, making odd sounds against the leather. Tom, her son, stared back at her from his seat on the floor and nodded. "You going to tell me the truth now?" She said the words with more anger than planned. The look of hurt on his face was familiar. It was an expression he had used to get out of trouble far too many times. "You going to believe me?" Rachel didn't know if she could.

Tom stood and walked over to his sleeping companion. He pulled the pulse pistol softly from its holster and placed it on the table in front of his mother. "Do you know what that is?" She shook her head and tried not to look at the horrid black thing. "A ray gun?" He laughed and it felt good to hear that again. "It is mom. And it can prove that I'm telling the truth." Rachel sighed and picked the gun up. "So I can kill you with this?" Tom nodded. She pointed at the carpet behind him and fired. The pulse blast shot from the barrel and burned into the white floor. A line of smoke rose from its destination. "Oh God."

John jumped off the couch and went directly for his pulse pistol. It wasn't there. "What the hell?" He looked up and saw Tom's mother holding it with a look of shock on her face. "You could of told me before doing it." Tom shrugged and glanced back at her. "We were in outer space mom. Just like in the movies." Rachel's mouth hung open as she started to shake her head again. "No, it's not possible." An idea occurred to Tom. "Remember when I was little? You used to speak french to me even though I couldn't understand." She smiled and nodded her head. "It made you so angry." Tom continued. "Well, say something to me now."

Uncertainly, Rachel searched through her memory for something that her son would never be able to understand. She wasn't sure what this had to do with his story but whatever. "Je pense que tu as perdu ta tete." Tom nodded his head as she spoke with a goofy smile that only a mother could appreciate. "I haven't gone crazy mom. It's all true." He pointed at his neck. "They injected something in me. So I could understand all the different languages." John sat down beside her. "Translator microbes. We all have them." Rachel turned to him. "We?"

>>>

Meryl stood up from the sweat-soaked bed and tried her best to stay on two feet. With each attack it got harder and harder to recover immediately. Her body was moving into the next stage. Whatever the frell that was. "Do you need anything?" Pilot's voice came in softly over the comm. She had never realized that he kept a watch on her. "Thank you Pilot. I'm alright. Just need to walk around a bit." He acknowledged her answer and then left her in peace. Meryl opened the doors to her cell and stepped out into the hallway. The floor curved downward up ahead towards the tiers below. "Hmm."

She had been walking in darkness for some time now when the noises started. It had seemed that they were nothing but figments of her imagination at first. But Meryl could not deny their existence any longer. Something was down here with her. "Who's there?" She waited several microts but no one answered. Finally, she continued forward and around a corner. "Lights" The room lit up brilliantly revealing her location. She had gotten lost back there somewhere. "A visitor? How nice of you to come down."

>>>

Ness and Kithara walked into the ship's hanger leaving a trail of confused soldiers. Selecting one of the prowlers, the boy turned to him and nodded. "Thank you for your assistance Lieutenant. It is much appreciated." The confused peacekeeper stared back at him. "How did you know I would help you?" Kithara shook his head and grinned mischievously. "I'm afraid not. That information is for you to discover. The only thing I can tell you is this." He leaned in close to Ness's ear and whispered. "Your part's finished." Then, without another word, he climbed into the prowler and rocketed off into space.

Trying to figure out what had just happened, Ness didn't see the marauder approaching just as the prowler left. The hatch slid open and Captain Grisham stepped out with an odd look on his face. "Who was that Lt?" He turned towards his superior officer and tried to come up with something. "Just running a routine check sir." Grisham accepted the explanation and looked back towards the marauder. A woman was coming out behind him. She had short, wine-colored hair cut unevenly around her neck. Dressed all in black, she had a disturbing air about her. "This is Zelaya Lt. She'll be working with us." Ness watched the two of them walk off together. "Ferrian."

>>>

"So you have a positive identification on the patient?" Sam stood out in the middle of the desert with his headlights shining on the strange brown object. "Tom Wells? Ok, get me a location and I'll have him by tomorrow." He clicked the phone shut and walked out into the sandy area. Some kids had reported whatever it was a few hours ago. "A big brown...thing man." He shook his head as the conversation played back in his head. "Damn teenagers." Sam stuck his hand out towards the object and touched it with the tips of his fingers. "Amazing."

The outer part of it felt like metal. But no kind of metal he had ever seen before. His men would go insane when they saw it. He moved towards what appeared to be the door and tried to push it open. "----------." It was a robotic voice. Like something from one of those computer gone crazy movies. The problem was that he couldn't understand a word of it. "Come on. Just let me in." Sam kicked it with his foot and a clicking sound came out of it. "Thank you very much." He walked forward and was suddenly thrown back. "Force field. It figures." He pulled out his phone again.

>>>

Zhaan felt the presence immediately after it entered the room. She opened her eyes and moved out of the meditative stance. A young boy stood in front of her. His edges ebbed and flowed, making him appear like an apparition. "I am honored to be in your presence." She fell to her knees and bent down to kiss his feet. Kithara almost laughed at her presumption. He shook his head and backed away. "Get up Delvian. I'm not your goddess." Zhaan looked up confused and slowly rose to her feet.

"What are you then?" The boy nodded his head but said nothing. He walked around the room, taking in Moya's features. "If you have come-." He raised a hand to stop her. "I've come to deliver a message to you." Kithara stepped up to her and took her hand. "I would try to stop you, but you're going to do it anyway." Zhaan could only stare back. "Just know that it is not entirely your fault." He nodded once more to her and then disappeared. She still didn't understand. Glancing down at her hands, she was shocked to see them change before her eyes. Zhaan saw black gloves on her hands. Peacekeeper gloves.

>>>

Rachel finally let her son go to sleep. He and John were obviously tired after all they had been through. Unfortunately, she could not go so easily. They had stood by her, retelling the story of what had happened. She had taken Tom into her arms and thanked God that he was still alive. Reassured him that those deaths had not been his fault. But through the explanation, something was wrong. Tom seemed to be leaving something out. Rachel's mind raced through possible reasons for him to hold something back. Then she had seen it.

"Tom, I hope your rooms still-." She had not noticed that he was asleep. Tom had gone off to bed in his old bedroom. Rachel had made sure to leave it just the way he liked it. It was there that she noticed the difference. All of his life, her son had slept one way on his bed. He would lie down and spread his arms and legs out across the length of it. Now, he slept on one side of the bed. Leaving room for someone else. Tom had stirred after she gasped loudly. "What's wrong?" Rachel had trained her eyes on him angrily. "A girl huh? It all suddenly makes sense."

>>>

Scorpius stood at the door staring into the barrel of a pulse rifle. She had not even waited for him to try something. Meryl held the gun out, letting its edge barely touch the hybrid's ugly skin. "Let's get something straight right now. You don't look at me, you don't talk to me. Alright?" He smiled back at her but ignored the comments. The coolant container slid out of the side of his head, startling her. "Interesting fact, miss Raynor. This coolant system, it emits a low level of radiation. Harmless to you and I, but deadly for the child that grows within you." Meryl was surprised that he knew. At that moment, she was very tempted to pull the trigger.

"You dare-." The hand flew down swiftly and slammed into the back of her neck. Meryl gasped for air and then fell to the ground. The attacker gave her another blow to the face that knocked her out. "Who's there?" Scorpius peered into the sudden darkness, searching for the person. Zhaan stepped out of the shadows. "That was a waste of time. She would never have helped you. Not even for that creature of hers." He stepped away from the door and retreated into the cell. At any other time, this would have pleased him. But the fierce, red eyes staring back at him sent chills down his spine.

>>>

The sun was starting to come up, revealing a far more interesting day than the last to Rachel Wells. She awoke only a few hours after falling asleep and decided to walk off the strange feeling in her stomach. Unlocking the door quietly, she slipped out into the front yard and looked around. There was no one around but her. "I'm the one losing my mind." Rachel stepped out into the yard and started walking down the sidewalk. It was then that she heard the footsteps for the first time. The man seemed to come out from nowhere and stop her. He was dressed in a black suit with matching glasses. For a moment, she thought he was going to flash her with one of those memory things from that movie.

"Excuse me ma'am. Are you Rachel Wells?" She wondered whether it was a good idea to answer him but under the circumstances. "Sure, that's me." The man nodded his head slowly and reached into his jacket. Rachel held her breath as he did it but relaxed when he brought the hand out. One of those wallet credentials was in it. "My name is Sam. I'm a federal agent and I need to ask your son some questions." This didn't seem right to her. "Um, he's not here. My son disappeared a year ago. I don't know where he is."

Tom woke up as he heard the conversation through his open window. Looking out, he saw his mother talking to a man. "Frell." He ran out into the hallway and cried out to John. "Crichton, get up. We've got company." John rubbed his eyes and glanced around the room. His friend was moving frantically, pulling on some clean clothes. "What's wrong?" Tom pointed towards the window. Standing up, he went to it and checked outside. "Government guy. Used to see them when I visited my dad as a kid." The realization dawned on him. "Us, out, now!"

Rachel and Sam turned simultaneously as the door to her house burst open. Her two visitors ran down the steps and off in the other direction. "Close them in fast. I want them alive." As he said the words, a helicopter appeared from nowhere and took off towards her son. Police sirens could be heard in the distance. "I thought you just wanted to talk to him." Sam looked at her for a moment and then shook his head. "Something like that." She watched him walk away in the same direction as the others. "I feel like Agent Scully."

The community entrance came into view just as a helicopter roared over their heads. Tom looked at his companion and motioned for him to follow. Just as they arrived at the street exit, a group of soldiers turned the corner and froze in front of them. "Hands up!" John glanced back the way they had come and saw the other man with a gun raised. "John Crichton, what an honor to finally meet you." Tom ignored them and kept his eyes on the soldiers. "Fire!" Five triggers were snapped back and bullets erupted from their cartridges.

>>>

"Aeryn, we have a problem." She heard Pilot say the words and shook her head angrily. "When don't we have a problem?" Making her way towards command, she ran into D'Argo. The Luxan looked equally agitated. Together they entered the room and found Chiana pointing out into space. The transport pod flew by the window in what appeared to be a big hurry. "What's the problem?" The Nebari turned to them and shrugged. "I was able to scan the ship before it left the hanger." They all waited for Pilot to finish. "It is carrying two passengers. Zhaan and Scorpius." Aeryn looked at D'Argo. "How the frell did that happen?" He growled and toward Pilot's image on the screen. "Follow them."

Outside of Scorpius's open cell, Meryl struggled to lift herself off the ground. The blow to her neck had been very hard and perfectly executed. She had not been able to move for quite a while. But something much worse was bothering her now. Maybe this incident had triggered it somehow. All she knew was that it was getting very hot for her. Meryl's entire body was coated in sweat. Not the cold type she had become accustomed to. This one was burning hot and extremely painful. Topping it all was a terrible feeling of hunger in her stomach. "Frelling Zhaan, frelling Scorpius." She closed her eyes and let the pain take over completely. "Frelling babies."

The Elephant Ep2.7: The Earth Stood Still

Pilot sat nervously in his den as everything went insane once again in the tiers below. He shook his head in confusion at the news that had been delivered by his scan. Zhaan had freed Scorpius and escaped with him in a transport pod. "No, I don't believe it either." Moya was asking even more questions than usual. "Yes, I know it's not like her." He grumbled something to himself that he hoped she didn't hear. Then something caught the leviathan's attention. "Where?" Pilot scanned the area she was talking about. "Meryl?" He called her comm but their was no answer. "Is there a problem Pilot?"

Rygel cursed himself for asking the question. Now he was down in the deepest parts of the ship. Each cell he passed only reminded the Hynerion more of his own imprisonment. A low moaning sound could be heard repeatedly off in the distance. "Meryl? Is that you?" There was no response. He sped up his throne and turned a corner. A cell door hung ajar in the hallway in front of him. Darkness covered the ground, blocking his view. "Lights." Brightness filled the room instantly, burning his eyes and illuminating the fallen Sebacean. "What's wrong with you?" She turned her head slowly to look at him. "Frelling Hynerions."

Directing his throne over her, Rygel studied Meryl's tortured form. Her body was covered in sweat and a dark bruise wrapped around her neck. "I need food Rygel. Now!" He turned his head slightly and laughed. "Don't we all?" She was not amused. "Food." Touching her skin with the tips of his fingers, he felt the heat radiating off of her. "Does this mean that whole screaming thing is over?" Meryl nodded and finally smiled weakly. "Very well." Rygel reached down and grabbed the collar of her shirt. Fixing it to the side of his throne, he sped back the way he had come. Dragging one ex-peacekeeper close behind.

>>>

Grisham entered his private quarters and walked over to the window. The destroyed gammek base was just now leaving the range of his ship's view. Deep space was all that they would be seeing for a while. Behind him, Zelaya stepped inside and sat down in the captain's chair. Her eyes followed him curiously around the room. She laughed to herself. The man was doing everything in his power not to look at her. "I don't frighten you do I?" Grisham jumped. He shook his head and tried to hide the look of surprise. "No, of course not." He straightened his face and glanced at the mini-computer in her hands.

"You want the wormhole technology?" She slid it from the case and looked up at him. "There are some conditions that go along with this." Grisham nodded several times as he reached forward to grab it. Taking the machine in his hands, he tried to pick one question out of the millions that swirled in his head. "This is it?" The words seemed silly out loud. Zelaya smiled, revealing her pointed teeth. "You didn't think it would be that easy did you?" She slid off the chair and went towards him.

"This is a starting point, nothing more. It's your job to find the right sequence." Slightly disappointed, Grisham smiled anyway. This was still farther than he had ever gotten before. Seeing him relax, Zelaya continued her speech. "There is one condition. No exceptions whatsoever." The captain nodded rigidly and waited for her to speak. "This is for you alone. No one else must work on this." Grisham froze as she finished. A glazed look of terror filled his eyes. "Something you should know." She sighed. The man was even more of an idiot than she had anticipated. "There are five other facilities currently running wormhole projects." He walked over to his computer and brought up the data. Zelaya looked down at the information. Five sets of coordinates. Somewhere in space, several brown ships changed direction.

>>>

Scorpius turned in his seat and looked at the unlikely accomplice. The Delvian sat quietly beside him. Her eyes had softened slightly but the coldness was still there. It didn't really matter to him why she had done it. He was free now. Soon he would have the comforts of another gammek base. "Why?" The hybrid couldn't hold back the question any longer. Despite his thoughts. Zhaan glanced over at him and smiled. "Just doing my job." Scorpius had no idea what the frell that meant. "Where are we going sir?"

His eyes widened as he heard the words. "Did you just call me sir?" Zhaan nodded curtly. Scorpius shrugged and pointed towards the console. "There is a base not too far from here. No more than a few days." There was something else on the scanner. The leviathan, Moya, was following them. Just far back enough to avoid being seen by other ships. "Will they be a problem?" He smiled devilishly. "Probably."

>>>

Aeryn turned towards the doorway as the sound of footsteps hit her ears. Meryl walked in with Rygel by her side. Both of them were gorging on food cubes of every color and shape. "What the frell happened to you?" Despite the ex-captain's content smile, she still looked like a mess. "Just getting something to eat." Aeryn shrugged and glanced back at D'Argo. He was ignoring the scene and keeping his eyes glued to the space outside. "There is a vessel approaching." Pilot's voice broke the awkward silence. "What kind?" He didn't have an answer for her.

"I'm not sure. It could be anything." Aeryn and D'Argo looked at each other with similar expressions. Moya was no match for any peacekeeper ship. And if they stayed on this course, that was exactly what they would run into. "Just be ready to starburst Pilot." He acknowledged her request and left them alone. They waited like that for several microts. Finally, after a long silence, something crashed against the window. "Forgive me. It's only space debris." Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. "Aeryn, we can't keep moving towards Peacekeeper territory like this. Sooner or later, something's going to happen." She knew D'Argo was right. "Fine."

Aeryn strapped herself into the prowler's front seat and nodded to her friends down below. "I'll follow the signal until they stop." D'Argo did not seem sure. "And if Zhaan does not come peacefully?" She smiled wickedly. "Who said I was going to ask?" A loud thump caught her attention. Meryl jumped into the backseat and started to put on the seat belt. "Where the frell do you think you're going?" The pregnant woman smiled. "Stop me, I dare you." Chiana ran into the hanger and tossed a bag in. "Don't forget this." Meryl gave her thanks. It was filled to the brim with food cubes.

>>>

Rachel was ready to throw the phone against the wall. She had been trying for days now to get a hold of one man. "Hi, you've reached the offices of Jack Crichton. I'm not here right now so if you leave a mess-." She slammed it down on the stand. That same line had been repeated in her ears so many times that she was starting to hear it in her sleep. Looking back at the computer screen, she tried the IASA web-site. Sure enough, the former astronaut's name was present under personnel. Rachel's heart almost skipped a beat. An e-mail address was listed there as well.

>>>

Jack beside his son's best friend as the man raced his fingers across the keyboard. DK had been trying for quite some time now to the get the sequence just right. "How much longer?" The younger man glanced up at him with an angry expression. "Every time I stop to answer that question, it takes a little longer." Crichton got the picture and stepped back. On the screen, he watched a map of the space around Earth. Plotted there was an estimated guess of where John's transmission had come from. As the signal moved across the sky, DK tried to find a pattern of direction.

Watching the genius at work, Jack felt the familiar tug of sadness inside him. John and DK had been friends since they were old enough to walk. Their great science experiment had made both families equally proud. That was why this was so difficult. The supposed destruction of the Farscape module had taken something from the young scientist. He had quit his job months later and retreated to the family farm. Jack hadn't heard from him since. It was just too painful for the both of them. "I'm sorry about getting you into this. I know how much it hurts." DK looked up at him again and smiled wryly. "You should see what I usually do."

A beeping noise interrupted the conversation before it could begin. The space map minimized on the screen. Revealing the picture of a mailbox. "What happened?" DK lifted a hand to shush him and clicked on the incoming message. "Your office just got a personal e-mail. Janis rerouted it here." Janis was Jack's secretary back at IASA. They didn't like each other very much but apparently she was still doing her job. He didn't think he needed a secretary. "Just store it for later." DK ignored him. "Look at the name. Rachel Wells. Where do I remember that from?" He clicked the on it. "Jack, you better take a look at this."

>>>

John opened his eyes carefully and looked around the dark room. He took in a breath of stale air and coughed as tiny dust particles flew around. There was someone else in here with him. Taking off his vest, he grabbed onto one end and launched the other towards the object. "What the hell are you doing?" The lump turned around to reveal itself as Tom. The younger man shook his head and stood up slowly. "How long do you think we've been in here?" John shrugged and pointed to the wall. The only opening in the cell was a small slit on the door. "I think they're listening to us."

Beyond the door, a massive amount of activity was going on. Legions of soldiers and a few chosen scientists roamed the halls. The shipment had come in only hours before. Something that would put the whole program years ahead. A small brown, unidentified object. Recovered in the California desert and believed to be of alien origin. Not too far from the cell, a vast room had been set aside for the thing. Watching it from his seat at the control panel, Doug Milton felt goose bumps. "I still can't believe it." The nearest soldier turned slightly towards him. "Didn't y'all have that Roswell thing back in the forties?" Milton shook his head and laughed. "You watch too much sci-fi. This is the real deal."

Unfortunately, the real deal was refusing to cooperate. Several attempts had already been undergone to break the force field. Nothing had worked so far. The only thing that they had managed to do was activate some sort of car alarm. "Please step away from the craft or I will be forced to annihilate you." The message had come in some sort of alien language at first. Finally, after sending a lone soldier in to reply, the ship had altered the words. Milton was still having trouble believing it. Sure, IASA had been funding a program for years to search for extra-terrestrial life. To his knowledge, this was the first find. "Sir, we have a call for you." He picked up the phone. "Sam? Where are you?"

John walked over to the door and tapped lightly on the frame. The tiny slit moved to the side and revealed a pair of cold brown eyes. "What?" He put on his best smile and started to speak. "I think you've made a mistake. See, we're both human-." The lid shut loudly in his face. Tom came up behind him. "So much for your misunderstanding theory." Much to their surprise, the door suddenly swung open. Two soldiers stood there with machine guns trained firmly on them. "No sudden movement." Tom and John glanced at each other and then back at the men. "What? Is there a bee?"

>>>

Rachel almost jumped with excitement as her e-mail was answered. She was surprised to have it return so quickly. The heading on the message confirmed her biggest hopes. Jack Crichton understood what was going on. The mail opened up and she read it:

Dear Mrs. Wells,
I must admit that your story does seem a bit far-fetched. If not for the strange events that have been going on down here lately, I might have dismissed it outright. Here is what I know of the situation. Several weeks ago, a burst transmission was intercepted at IASA headquarters at Cape Canaveral. I was there to see it with my own two eyes. My son was on that transmission and I have been searching ever since for more proof. Apparently, you have delivered it. That both our sons found each other way out wherever they were is amazing. I'm sure you are just a happy as I am to learn of their survival. Hopefully, we can get together soon to discuss our next move.

Rachel felt the familiar sinking feeling in her stomach as she read the letter again. The excited tone in his voice made her regret what she had just done. The key bit of information that his son had been taken was left out. Cursing herself, she began to type a reply with the terrible news. "I'm sorry to have to tell you this..."

>>>

The Regulator escape pod stood majestically in the middle of the room as they were escorted in. John glanced back at his companion with a worried expression. Tom didn't feel any better about what was going on. There was a shout from across the room as a short man in a black suit ran towards them. Doug stared into the hard eyes of a man he had believed dead until only hours before. "John Crichton, it's a pleasure to meet you." John was confused. "Yeah, great." Tom walked up next to him and looked at the IASA official. "You're not going to autopsy us are you?"

Before anyone could say anything else, a familiar robotic voice broke the silence and startled the surrounding soldiers. "Welcome Tom. Are you well?" He turned towards it and smiled weakly. Milton, along with every other person in the room put their eyes on him. "It knows you?" Any attention payed to astronaut John Crichton was immediately transferred to Tom Wells. Creative Writing student and milk carton face. "I wouldn't say it knows me. We're acquaintances." No one laughed at his bad joke. "Guards!" Two soldiers ran up to their little group. "Ok Tom. Open it."

Tom looked to his more experienced companion. His face seemed to cry out, "Tell me what do you." John nodded slightly and waited for him to do something. The young man turned back to Milton and shook his head. "It'll take the two of us." Doug narrowed his eyes and glanced from one to the other. The demand seemed more than a little suspicious. "Fine. But we'll be watching so don't try anything." Tom frowned as if defeated and motioned for John to follow him. Together they walked slowly towards the ship. "Do you wish to deactivate countermeasures?"

>>>

The doorbell rang just as Rachel was about to finish the letter. She glanced over at the pulse pistol that John had left behind and went for it. Tucking it under her shirt, she walked over to the door and unlocked it. The man standing there looked more than a little familiar. "Hello Mrs. Wells. Do you remember me?" Rachel nodded suspiciously. "Sam right?" He smiled and moved forward. She blocked his passage. "Where the hell do you think you're going?" Sam continued to smile as he pulled the silenced gun from its holster. "I'm afraid you'll have to come with me." She considered struggling but ultimately decided against it. No matter what happened, she still had the ray gun.

DK and Jack stood frozen over the computer screen as they waited for Mrs. Wells to reply. Neither of them heard the door slam open. The sound of heavy boots hitting wood floors did not alert them either. What finally caught them off guard was the sound of a gun being discharged. "Hands up now!" The first soldier to enter the room barked orders and moved to the computer. He blasted a whole through it before returning his attention to the two men. "Is this about my son?" Jack's question went unanswered.

As they were dragged out into the front yard, a green truck pulled up and several more soldiers jumped out. A man in a black suit stepped out of the driver's seat and handed Jack a small cell phone. He took it and waited for the other line to speak. "Hello Jack. Do you know who this is?" The former astronaut growled. He knew exactly who it was. "Sam, you have him don't you?" There was only a laugh from the phone at first. "Yes, I do."

>>>

Tom almost whispered his reply to the computer. He was suddenly very aware of how small objects could tear through a human's soft skin. "Go ahead." The low humming sound that had gone on continuously without notice immediately stopped. There was a wave of released breaths around the room as the force field shimmered slightly and disappeared. He felt John tap him from behind as discretely as possible. "When I tell you, jump forward." Tom let their shoes smack together as a sign that he understood. "Computer, open the door."

Milton watched in amazement as a section of the brown spaceship detached from its home and slid down to the floor. From his vantage point, incredibly complex looking machines blinked repeatedly inside. "My God." One of the nameless scientists stepped up next to him and put a hand on his shoulder. "We've done it." An ominous silence followed as no one dared speak a word. The ringing of Doug's cell phone finally broke it. "Yes?" A familiar voice came through. "I've picked up everyone. What's going on down there?" He relayed the current situation as clearly as he could manage. "You idiot!" Doug had to pull the phone away to keep from hurting his ears.

Seeing the soldiers distracted, John lunged forward and crashed into his surprised companion. Both of them went sprawling into the ship's open doorway and landed on hard ground. "Close the frelling door!" Tom's voice came out weakly under the pressure of another body. It didn't matter. Sensing the anxiety in his voice, the computer reacted quickly and slammed the door shut. The two men grinned at each other and moved to the console. "Get us out of here." They waited excitedly for the computer to respond. "I'm sorry Tom. Flight is currently unavailable." Tom almost cried out in anger. "Why not?" John answered the question for it. "We're in a big, closed off room. There's no way out."

The Elephant Ep2.8: Just Like That       

The gammek base was equal in size to the one that Aeryn had seen weeks before. The security was just as tight as well. Ahead of their prowler, the transport pod turned towards the structure and began a descent. "They've locked on to both of us." Meryl leaned forward to look at the console and nodded. "What are you going to tell them?" Aeryn shrugged and didn't turn around. She was still trying to figure that part out. "Prowler, you have entered restricted space. Deviate or you will be shot down." The ex-peacekeeper sighed to herself and then clicked the comm reluctantly. "I am officer Aeryn Sun. Requesting permission to turn myself in." There was some confusion on the other line as the operator searched for her file. "Very well."

        Zhaan was not feeling very well. She sat in the back of the transport pod in a daze while her companion worked the controls. He had largely ignored her for most of the trip. But the feeling of being watched never went away. "Not entirely your fault." Those words kept ringing in her ear. Yet she couldn't remember where she had heard them. Flashed came to her with increasing frequency now. "Leviathan transport pod, state your business." Scorpius activated the comm and looked back at her once. "This is Scorpius. Requesting permission to land." There was no confusion on the other line. "Of course sir. The docking bay is ready for you." The pod dipped downward.

        The prowler touched ground with a soft thud as Aeryn cut the engines. In the back, her increasingly pregnant associate was quickly losing confidence. "Are you sure you know what you're doing?" She turned back to look at Meryl's bloodshot eyes. "We've done this before. We can do it again." The ex-captain grinned back at her. "The circumstances are slightly different now." Just as she said those words, the overhead hatch slid open to reveal their new prison. Several soldiers armed with pulse rifles surrounded the craft and ordered their exit. "Both of you. On the ground now!" They complied slowly. One of the soldier's eyes widened. "Captain Raynor, is that you?"

        Scorpius stepped out of the transport pod and glanced around the hanger. Another gammek base ready for him. He closed his eyes and there the sight was again. A sequence of numbers with far-reaching ramifications. Now all he had to do was insert them in a computer. The Delvian walked up beside him and looked nervously at him. "What is this place?" The hybrid smiled. "Our new home." Zhaan suddenly felt very dizzy. The words had triggered another reaction in her. She saw familiar faces. "Is there something wrong Zhaan?" Scorpius began to wonder if whatever had affected her was wearing off. "No, I'm fine."

        The soldier lowered his rifle slightly and stepped forward. He gazed at Meryl with impressionable eyes. A look, first of admiration, then of disappointment, ran across his face. Motioning with his hand, the man called the others forward. "I want you to look closely at her. Keep that picture in your mind. The face of a traitor." He shook his head angrily and walked away. The others just glanced at one another in confusion. Meryl tried to remain calm. The boy had served under her on the Hyperion. One might of called them friends. Aeryn noticed the look on her face and whispered. "It gets easier."

>>>

        Jack Crichton opened his eyes and peered down the road. The force of the sunlight was a strain on his eyes. They had been traveling down a deserted highway for some time now without stopping. It was a convoy of green army trucks filled with soldiers and prisoners. DK sat quietly beside him looking down at his hands. The excitement of learning that John was alive had begun to fade. Both of them had heard stories about IASA's program for dealing with these situations. Neither expected to see home again. "Do you really think they have him?" It was the first time DK had spoken since they left. Jack tried to appear hopeful. "I don't know."

        Sam glanced forward at the trucks in front of him and nodded to himself. At least this part of the plan was going smoothly. Family presence would now be very important if he was to get what he wanted. Milton's mistake back at the lab would delay the entire operation. It angered him to know that the fool had let John Crichton get the upper hand. "This is a violation of my rights. You can't do this." Rachel Wells gave him a look that would have killed a small child. "No one knows you're here ma'am. Probably wouldn't find anyone to believe you either." She smiled back at him. "So if I were to kill you, no one would know?"

        A single guard post sat out in the middle of nowhere waiting for a group of trucks to arrive. The soldiers on duty hadn't been given any idea of what the circumstances were. The ranking officer had received a simple phone call hours earlier. "Be at post 17 by six this morning. Watch for anything strange. Wait for trucks." As Sgt. Rios checked the area with his binoculars again, the green vehicles finally came into view. "Heads up boys. The cavalry's coming." He was standing up to meet them outside when the shaking started. At first it was only a slight tremor. Then the walls started to buckle.

        Jack saw the damage before anyone else on the truck. He stood up slowly and blocked out the sun with his hand. "My God." DK followed his gaze and shook his head in confusion. "What the hell is that?" The younger man knew exactly what it was but the sight of it still left much to the imagination. Sitting up ahead across the road, a big black eighteen-wheeler barred their passage. Down the line, Sam saw it too. He picked up his cell phone and dialed the guard post. There was no answer. "What now?"

>>>

        Rygel sped down the corridor on his way to command without any regard for other traffic. An annoyed Nebari jumped out of the way just before being knocked down. "What's the rush?" Chiana's mind raced with possible reasons for his hurry. Money and food came to mind. "Out of my way girl." He brushed her off and continued on his way. She shook her head and followed in pursuit. The two of them reached command together and found D'Argo standing beside a hologram of Pilot. Both of them looked equally distraught. "Is it true?"

        The Hynerion moved up to the window and looked outside. In full view of Moya's scanners, a odd-looking green vessel sat silently. He recognized the design immediately. As well as the royal seal that adorned its outer hull. "A Royal Hynerion Cruiser!" Pilot corroborated his assessment. "It has been hailing us for the past quarter arn." Rygel grinned happily and looked to the hologram. "By all means, answer it." The screen in front of them sparked to life. Chiana stepped forward to get a better look. "Wow. They're, um, big."

>>>

        John banged his head against the wall and cursed himself for being so stupid. "I should have thought of this." The computer in front of him beeped but said nothing. "No point in worrying about it now. Just try to figure something out." Tom was having trouble being the supportive friend. He was worried too, if not more. "Computer, is there any way for you to get us out of here?" They waited patiently for a reply. "Unfortunately no. Not without causing serious damage to the ship." John groaned and walked over to the door. "You don't think they'd shoot us if we opened the door do you?" Tom shrugged.

        Doug Milton was panicking. His one opportunity to go down in history was quickly becoming a lost cause. The force field had risen up again immediately after the two prisoners entered. Attempts to coax the computer system into letting them in had failed. An armed response was being planned now. "Sir, you have a call." He took the phone and put it up to his ear. Fully expecting another wave of yells. "Sam?" There was a clicking sound on the other end. "I'm still on the way. Something's come up." Before Doug could ask what, the line went dead.

>>>

        Aeryn and Meryl were ushered into a holding cell and locked away. The door slammed shut and took the last bits of light with it. "I don't suppose we'll get regular feedings." Aeryn turned to her companion and shook her head. She sat down quietly against the wall and felt the cool stone on her back. "Probably not a good idea to tell them you're pregnant." Meryl nodded in agreement and sat down on the other side of the room. They stared at each for several moments without saying a word. "You used to it yet?" Aeryn didn't understand.

        Meryl shifted in her seat and smiled slightly. The other woman stared angrily back at her. Waiting for a follow-up statement to what she had just said. She was still trying to figure that out herself. "Are you used to being alone again. Not having the burden." Aeryn almost laughed out loud. But she completely understood. Despite any sadness that had come with being without John, being alone was still much easier. The old soldier's instincts had fallen right back into place. That was not quite so easy for Meryl. She had an unending reminder of Tom stuffed inside her.

        Zhaan had been allowed to roam freely throughout the complex. This might have signified the depth of Scorpius's trust if not for the guards that continuously followed her around. She waved back at them and gave a polite smile. One waved back awkwardly. Walking down the rows of passageways, she finally came to one marked "Detention." Glancing back at her escorts, Zhaan changed directions and entered into the area. A line of cells ran down the corridor, finally ending in a large steel wall. Whispers could be heard from every room. Some out loud, others mentally dispatched. It was one of the latter that caught her attention.

>>>

        Sam jumped out of the truck and motioned for several soldiers to follow him. They moved in tight formation towards the eighteen-wheeler with guns drawn. Searching the area quickly, he felt sure this was a trap. The only question really nagging at the government agent was who. No one knew they were out here. "Sir, you better take a look at this." Sam walked over to the soldier. The man had pulled open the driver's side door. Strangely, a pair of black jeans and a white tee-shirt sat on the chair. There was no sign of the driver. "I want every inch of this thing checked." The soldier nodded and went to work.

        Rachel watched them from her seat in the car and prayed silently to herself. The weapon that John had left was still secured safely under her shirt. No one had bothered to search her before they left. She stood up and looked over at the two men in the vehicle in front of her. Rachel recognized one of them, Jack Crichton, from his things on tv. She could only guess who the other one was. With hands shaking, she pulled the gun out and aimed it towards the soldiers ahead. "That won't be necessary." Startled, she turned to find an odd-looking man standing next to her. He had not been there a second ago.

        The truck exploded without warning and charred the ground around it in an instant. Sam was thrown a few feet back and landed in the dirt. None of the soldiers even had a chance. Glaring up at the burning rubble, he realized how stupid it had been to search the truck. There must have been a bomb. Strong arms took hold of him from behind. Sam tried to turn his head but they wouldn't let him. There were at least two of them back there and they spoke in a language that he could not even begin to comprehend. "I work for the government."

        Jack stared in amazement as the scene unfolded before his eyes. The black truck had been blown up by someone. All the soldiers were gone. He looked over at DK. The younger man sat stunned beside him. "DK, wake up. We don't have time for this." They stepped down from the car and glanced in both directions. The woman in the truck behind them was gone. "Whoever did this must be helping John." Jack nodded. His son's best friend was finally taking the initiative. DK ran back to the other car and somehow disappeared before Jack's eyes. "What the hell?" He followed.

        The air seemed to ripple and curve for a moment before the area around him disappeared. Jack was in a dark room with burnt out light bulbs hanging from the ceiling. It took him a minute but the memory came back. This was an old training center from the early days. He had seen this place many times in its glory days. Now it was a wreck. Four people stood in the shadows ahead of him. DK stepped out and motioned behind him. "We have visitors." Jack didn't know exactly what that meant but it appeared he was about to find out. The woman came up next and extended her hand. "I'm Rachel Wells." He nodded in understanding. "Nice to meet you?" The two other figures let themselves be seen. "Hello Jack Crichton." He had to blink several times.

>>>

        Zhaan moved slowly down the corridor and then stopped in front of the appropriate cell. Sliding the food hole open, she peered inside and saw two women. Aeryn and Meryl stood from their respective places and walked towards her. "Is that you Zhaan?" The question rang in her ears for several moments before having any affect. The Delvian felt a weight leave her shoulders and a new force take over. Zhaan fell to the ground and clutched her forehead. The flashes had stopped. She sensed that the infection had gone away. "Not entirely my fault."

        Aeryn watched her friend appear and then fall from sight. She banged on the door several times to attempt contact. Finally, a low murmur rose from the floor. "Aeryn? Are you alright?" She looked back at Meryl and winced involuntarily at what she saw. "I'm fine but Meryl will need to eat very soon." The ex-captain stepped up to the hole. "Do you remember what happened Zhaan?" It took her a microt, but Zhaan did remember. "Can you forgive me? I was not in my right mind." Aeryn put a stop to the conversation. "Listen, we need to get out of here right now. Can you open the door from that side?" Zhaan checked for a lock to open. "No, there's nothing here."

>>>

        The Hynerions staring back at them on the screen were even taller than D'Argo. Built like Ogres, the crew pictured more than a little fearsome. "I don't understand. What are you all surprised about?" Rygel floated up towards the monitor and allowed them to see him. "I am Dominar Rygel the 16th." The one appearing to be the captain spoke up. "We know who you are. Our great monarch has taught us all about his wayward cousin." D'Argo and Chiana both inched closer to the manual starburst button. The situation did not look good. "He lies! I am the rightful ruler of-." The connection was cut off.

        "They are preparing to fire on us." Pilot's frightened voice echoed throughout the ship as Moya attempted an evasive maneuver. Everything lurched from side to side as she tried to get away. The cruiser opened fire and hit them directly several times. "Pilot! Damage report." Through the wavering hologram, Pilot read off the list of numerous problems. Chiana ran towards the console and pressed down on manual starburst. "I'm afraid starburst is unavailable as well." The Nebari groaned. "What can she do then?" His answer was not encouraging. "Moya can run away. Very slowly."

        Fortunately for them, the Hynerion Cruiser never got another shot off. An immense object on its way to other destinations sent shockwaves across the far reaches of space. The cruiser was thrown forward against its victim and passed by just barely out of range. "What the frell is going on?" No one answered D'Argo's question. Angrily, he charged out of the room and headed for the terrace. As he stepped outside, a large brown ship flew by overhead. He recognized it immediately. "Regulators." They ignored Moya and continued on to wherever they were going. "Pilot! Get us out of here."

>>>

        Doug Milton heard the alarms just like everyone else in the room. As soldiers checked their guns and prepared for whatever came, he sat calmly at the control console. "What else could possibly go wrong?" He could already feel the irony moving to smack him in the face. A loud pounding sound came from the outer doors. Screams of armed guards could be heard echoing in the distance. Suddenly, the doors gave and two men entered the room. They were dressed like truck drivers.

        John heard all the commotion too and inquired about it to the computer. "What's going on out there?" There was a low beeping noise as the monitor turned on. Tom slid over in his chair to see. Some sort of attack was taking place. Two familiar looking men were beating the crap out of their soldier detail. "Who do you suppose they are?" Tom's question was answered as a face came into view. "They guy from Palm Springs." John nodded and shook his head in amazement.

        Rachel stepped into the now quiet room with the pulse pistol in hand. The gun was stuck into the spine of her prisoner. Sam walked slowly in front of her with a sad smile on his face. Despite the massive failure of his operation, one inalienable truth had been confirmed. "We are not alone." Rachel didn't quite hear him. "What was that?" He didn't bother to answer. The battle ended quickly and pretty soon Doug Milton was the only man left standing. He was shaking uncontrollably as one of the truckers walked up to him. "Sit down." He obeyed.

        The very same man turned away from Doug and went over to the brown ship. Raising his hand in a circular motion, he activated something. The door slid open to reveal two confused humans. John and Tom stepped out and looked around. "Hi mom." Rachel nodded back at her son but stayed put. The truck driver walked up to John and put a hand on his shoulder. "Hello John. It is interesting to see you again." John shook his head. "And you are?"

        The burly facade was swept away in an instant and replaced by Jack Crichton. In that moment, John understood. "You?" The alien nodded. "Fortunately for us, your assessment of this planet was not comprehensive. We have found alternate means of surviving here." Tom walked up beside his friend. "These are the ones you told me about? The Earth simulation?" John couldn't respond. Something even more important had just entered the room. Jack Crichton, the real one, had arrived.

        Father and son stood face to face for the first time in too many years. Jack and John moved cautiously toward each other and finally embraced. "I'm so sorry dad." Fighting to keep from crying, the older Crichton shook his head. "You don't anything to apologize for. You're alive and that's all that matters." There was a coughing sound from behind them. DK looked into the eyes of his best friend and smiled broadly. "Good to see you again." John raced forward and took the man in his arms. Leaning in close to his friend's ear, John whispered. "It worked." There was no other explanation needed.

>>>

        Tom and Rachel had looked on for hours as John Crichton got reacquainted with his family. The three men sat together in a huddle of laughter and tears that expressed three years worth of emotion. "That must be incredible." Mother looked at son with a sad expression. "Your father was very proud of you." Tom smiled. "I know." The two visitors had retreated into the Regulator ship as they waited for the reunion to come to an end. They had seen the look in John Crichton's eyes. He was not meant for this place any longer.

        "You've got to come see the new shuttles being built." A simple statement of intent that shattered everything for John. The sad expression on his face was more than enough to worry his father and best friend. "I can't dad." Jack Crichton had never even allowed the thought to enter his mind until this moment. "What does that mean?" The conversation turned very tense. "You know what it means. I can't stay here." DK looked from one man to the other and saw the depth of seriousness. "You're going away again?" John nodded. "I have a life out there now. Commitments."

        "Her name is Aeryn Sun." Everyone turned to stare at Tom. He looked back at them and nodded with more than a little amusement. "And?" Jack stood and walked over to him. "What does that have to do with my son-." He froze for a moment and then turned back to John. "Damn John." His son nodded and stood. "I love her dad. Can't let that go." Jack was surprised to find that he understood what his son was saying. "No, I suppose you can't."

        Rachel turned a quizzical eye to her son. "Aeryn Sun huh? What about yours?" Tom tried not to show his surprise. "What are you talking about?" She shook her head accusingly. "I know you better than anyone. Anywhere. You've got a girlfriend." He lowered his head slightly and nodded. "I'll have to have a long talk with her about you." Tom looked up at his mother with a look of shock on his face. "What did you just say?"

>>>

        Tom, Rachel, and John said their last goodbyes and entered the not-so-alien realm of the brown ship. The computer, back up to full capacity, chimed in. "Welcome Tom." He thanked it and gave a shrug to his mother. She smiled and shook her head. As John stepped foot inside, one of the truckers called out to him. "Thank you John Crichton." He didn't understand. "For what?" The creature grinned. "For finding us a home." John stuck out his hand and the other took it. "You found Earth John. Now go find home."

        The roof fell away above them and cleared a path to the stars. The ship rose from its nest and shot upwards, leaving four stunned onlookers. Jack Crichton and DK watched with both happy and sad feelings as it grew smaller and smaller against the light blue sky. Within seconds it had disappeared into the darkness. High above the cities of Earth, an electrical disturbance erupted. A wormhole opened up and swallowed the three travelers. Taking them back to the uncharted territories of space.
       
The Elephant Ep2.9: Things Have Changed P1: Closer To Where We Started

Zhaan turned around to check on her escorts. They had stayed back when she entered the detention area. "Is someone watching you?" She shook her head at the question and then ran down the corridor. Sure enough, four soldiers stood quietly against the far wall and nodded when she peeked her head out. One of them lifted his comm as she retreated back into hallway. Zhaan didn't have time to worry about that now. There had to be some way to get Aeryn and Meryl out. "You'll have to hold on a little longer. I would attract too much attention right now." Inside the cell, Meryl gritted her teeth and looked to her companion. "I don't have a little longer."

Scorpius sat at the computer and typed furiously as teks moved around behind him. He had not said a word to them about what he was doing. Better to get it finished first. "Sir, we're picking up some large readings on the radar." He waved the man off and continued working. Nothing would distract him from this now. "I am nearly there." Each sequence appeared on the screen and locked in. Loud groans from the wormhole machine could be heard on the monitors. His creation was finally going to work. "Forgive me for interrupting again sir. The objects are getting closer."

Three Regulator ships flew out of the wormhole that had formed beside the gammek base and descended towards it. Moving in odd patterns, they approached but made no move to strike. The external defenses came on automatically and shielded the area. Confused only momentarily, the action seemed to anger the brown ships. One picked up speed and brushed past the base. The ensuing shockwave shook it violently and sent the inner confines into chaos.

Zhaan felt herself being thrown forward by an incredibly powerful force. Her head smashed against the cell's metal door and she fell to the floor. "Aeryn." Another wave came and pushed her across the hallway. This time the impact was much worse and the priestess blacked out. Aeryn watched the scene from her place at the door. It had taken all her strength to hold on to it. Her two friends had not been that lucky. Meryl lay face-up on the ground with an angry expression on her face. "Where have I felt that before?" Aeryn knew.

Scorpius growled furiously as the monitor in front of him flickered and then went out. Turning to the nearest tek, he reached out his hands. "What the frell was that?" The man's eyes were open wide and a look of fear crossed his face. "The large objects sir. They're here." The hybrid moved to the large windows that bordered the lab and looked outside. The sight was more discouraging every time he saw it. Brown ships of incredible size flew across his view. "Them again. How are this place's defenses?" The tek shook his head. "Not enough sir."

A brilliant explosion rocked the base as part of the exterior defenses were lost. The Regulator ships made quick work of the weapon structures and soon the shield was completely gone. Now open to direct attack, the gammek base was unprepared. Alarm bells rang in every corridor and lab. A frenzied mobilization had begun. Troops rushed through all the important labs and removed data stores. Scorpius sighed to himself as the computer equipment around him sparked and burnt out. "They're following me." The realization came much too late.

>>>

Moya raced away from the scene as quickly as her engines would take her. In his den, Pilot cried out several times as his share of the pain was given. "Will it heal?" The ship did not answer him immediately. She was much too frightened to think clearly. Many of the life support systems went on and off in short bursts. Moving his claws as fast as possible, Pilot fought to stabilize her. The comm systems were still working and soon calls were coming in. "Pilot! What's wrong?" He shook his head angrily. "What the frell do you think?"

Rygel sat quietly in his sled as chaos erupted around him. The view he was looking at lurched from side to side with each movement of the leviathan. He didn't care about all that. The words that the Hynerion crew had spoken burned deeply into him. "Wayward cousin." They had called him that. Feeling strong hands take hold of him, he turned and looked into D'Argo's concerned eyes. "What about you?" Rygel shook his head sadly. "I'm fine." The Luxan moved on to check on Chiana.

The Nebari skidded across the floor and came to a stop against the wall. The scar above her eye became aggravated by the fall. The feeling of stinging needles passed through her forehead. She glanced up to see D'Argo standing over her. The look on his face gave her a small spark of hope. "Worried about me?" He smiled. "I thought you could take care of yourself." Chiana shrugged. "Sometimes it's good to have a strong man around." Both of them checked the view outside and saw the Hynerion cruiser. It was severely damaged and sat idly in space.

"Moya is feeling better. It should be alright now." Pilot's words came just as the shaking stopped. The ship seemed to return to its stable position. "We're moving forward again." Chiana nodded her agreement and went to check herself in the mirror. No major bruises marked her face. D'Argo walked over to the silent dominar and put a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry Rygel. That could not have been easy." There was no response from the Hynerion. "Pilot, how is the other ship?" Moya's scanners turned on. "Weak life-signs only."

D'Argo turned back to Rygel. "If you want, we can board and look for maps, news reports." The little green creature looked up at him and gave a sad smile. "That will not be necessary. They are Hynerions. They would never let that happen." Just as he said the words, the cruiser exploded in a flash of consuming fire. The blast rocked Moya gently but caused no further damage. Rygel shook his head and left the room quickly. "I know how he feels." Chiana walked up to him and nodded. "Me too."

>>>

Aeryn helped Meryl off the ground and together they slammed against the door. It was far too heavy and strong for them to move. "Zhaan! Can you hear me?" There was no answer from outside. The Delvian still lay unconscious on the floor. "What the frell do we do now?" Meryl's question was interrupted by another wave of shaking. Everything seemed to turn sideways and then straight up again. A loud crunching sound came from behind them. Aeryn turned and noticed something in the back wall. Small fissures ran through the stone and converged at a single spot. "This way."

The wall crumbled quickly after their repeated attacks. Crashing through the stone pieces, the two women found themselves in a large room filled with machinery. Sparks flew everywhere and a low humming sound permeated the air. "Is this good or bad?" Meryl stepped forward into the room and looked around. "There's no one in here." Aeryn didn't like the sound of that. Any soldier was taught to stay away from dangerous areas during an attack. "Try to find a door. Someway out." The ex-captain nodded and went deeper into the maze of machines. Her hunger suddenly forgotten.

Zhaan opened her eyes and felt the pounding headache obstruct her thoughts. The situation came back to her quickly and she rose to her feet. There was no time to sit around now. She had to find a way to free Aeryn and Meryl. Walking over to the cell door, she looked through the hole and gasped. The back wall had fallen out to reveal a room beyond. "Aeryn! Are you out there?" No answer came back. The sound of footsteps down the hall caught her attention. Zhaan turned just in time to see a man in white lab uniform running towards her. "Who are you?"

"I am Pa'u Zotoh Zhaan." The scientist took a few moments to figure out exactly what that meant. He glanced down at her hands and noticed the lack of a weapon. This was good because he did not have one either. "What are you doing here?" Zhaan decided it was best to let him know. "My friends were accidently imprisoned. They have escaped from the cell and into the room beyond but I cannot contact them." Suddenly agitated, the scientist rushed to the door and looked inside. "They shouldn't be in there."

Aeryn heard her companion call out to her and responded. "Did you find anything?" The ex-peacekeepers both gave back negative responses. There was something wrong about this place and they could both feel it. "We shouldn't be in here." Meryl nodded her agreement and stumbled slightly in her stance. The hunger was coming back even stronger. "I don't suppose you found a stash of food?" Aeryn shook her head and glanced upward. "Did you feel that?" Before either could say anything else, an explosion went off somewhere nearby and a bright light filled the room.

"My name is Morris. I work in that lab." Zhaan did not understand his fearful expression. "Is it dangerous." He groaned. "This is a peacekeeper base. Of course it is." Looking back through the hole, the man gasped. "Something's wrong." The floor beneath started shaking again and the sound of an explosion rocked their ears. Trying to stay standing, they grabbed on to the cell door and waited. "Oh no." Morris saw the bright light first. It rushed through the broken wall and hit them with full force. The door fell away and threw them to the ground. Zhaan forced herself up into the lab and called out to her friends. There was no one there.

"Frell." Aeryn could think of nothing more to say. Somehow she was back here. Voices from down the corridor made her freeze in place.

John Crichton was walking down the hall towards her. That same goofy smile that always served to equally annoy and amuse her. He looked up and saw her. His face seemed to change instantly. The smile was replaced by a stern nod. "Hello Aeryn." The sheer coldness of the word stung her. As if there was nothing between them. Unable to hold back the emotion any longer, she leapt forward and kissed him passionately. John kissed back but suddenly pushed her away. "What the hell are you doing?" Aeryn's eyes widened as she noticed him more closely. He was dressed in the astronaut uniform.

Turning on her heels, she sped down the opposite way until he had disappeared from sight. Aeryn ducked into a crawl space just as something even more bizarre passed by. She saw herself walking down the hallway. Still dressed in pilot uniform, the other her had an angry look on her face. "That's me." The words felt silly out loud but still she repeated them several times. Past Aeryn shouted out something. "Crichton!" He came running towards her with a confused look on his face.

"What was that?" John stopped her and pointed towards his lips. "What was what?" Past Aeryn narrowed her eyes at him and waited for an explanation. He got even more exasperated. "You kissed me!" She balked. "I did no such thing." They continued to argue about it for several microts as Future Aeryn looked on amused. John made the expression that she remembered well. Almost as if every part of his face was moving in a different direction. Finally, the other two stopped yelling.

Past Aeryn put her hands up and pushed John up against the wall. "You were imagining things." Looking into her cold blue eyes, he consented. "You're right. I don't know what happened there." He shrugged and turned to go back the other way. "Can we go now?" She nodded and followed him.

Aeryn watched them go as the feeling of confusion began to die down. This much was clear. She had somehow been transported to the past. What she was supposed to do now was uncertain. Standing up, Aeryn went after the two of them as quietly as possible. Now she needed to know when exactly this was.

>>>>>

Zhaan looked back at the nervous scientist behind her. Morris stood quietly in the doorway while the scene in front of him returned to normal. The white glow vanished and left everything the way it had been. Except for one major problem. Aeryn and Meryl had gone away with it. There was no sign of them anywhere. "What just happened?" Zhaan shook the man roughly to wake him up. He blinked at looked at her. "I have no idea." She got angry now. "What do you mean you have no idea? It's your lab." Morris nodded dumbly. "Yes, but we didn't know what it did yet."

"What the frell is this?" The medical facility on home world as it had been many years ago. The sound of a man whispering to himself could be heard not too far off. Turning towards it, she saw something even worse. Kodetova, the man she had left for dead, was walking towards her. He was dressed in a surgery gown and headed for the door that she stood beside. "Delivery." Meryl read the name. "Dren."

Kodetova stopped to look at her. The stare of confusion on his face gave her more information. He didn't know who she was. "How did you get in here?" Her mind raced with possible things to say. "I've been sent to oversee the surgery." He shook his head. "I doubt that but it doesn't matter anyway. The procedure is complete." Angered, Meryl reached her hand out and took hold of his neck. "What the frell did you do?" Kodetova tried to speak but couldn't get the words out. She let him go and burst through the door.

A woman sat quietly on the surgery bed and lovingly brushed the child in her lap. Meryl pulled her pulse pistol out and stepped back into the waiting room. The speechless doctor on the floor looked up at her and raised his hands in surrender. "Please, the child could go at any time." Her thoughts froze as the realization came through. That was her in there. The woman was her mother. "Get in there right now!" Kodetova stood and ran into the room as she ordered. Meryl followed and picked a syringe off the operating table.

"I want you to stick this into her stomach and drain the fluid." Kodetova stared back at her with a look of shock and confusion. "You're mad. That would kill her." Meryl lifted the gun to his face and growled. "Do it." He nodded slightly and turned back to the woman. Lowering the needle, he licked his lips nervously. Meryl's mother watched the scene with a glazed look in her eyes. She must have been highly medicated. Kodetova inserted the syringe and began sucking out the liquid.

"How did you know?" He looked up at her again as the syringe filled with black abortive medicine. She kept her gun trained on him and didn't say a word. "The entire dosage has accumulated in this one spot. It would have killed her." Meryl allowed herself to smile at his words. "Would have." Suggesting that it was no longer the case. Her mother stirred a bit and looked from one to another. "Who are you?" Meryl had no idea what to say.

>>>>>

Zhaan and Morris tumbled to the ground as another quake shook through the base. Explosions and screaming could be heard off in the distance. The tired priestess looked to her companion. "How much longer can this place stay functional?" He did not appear to be as concerned. "If the attacks follows the same pattern as the others, we should still have an arn or two before it goes down. Maybe." She breathed a sigh of relief and glanced back at the empty lab. "Wherever you are, get back quickly."

"Hold on, I forgot my pack." She raced back the way she had come as Past Aeryn retraced her steps as well. Apparently she had moved faster in those days because the other caught up to her.

They stood there staring for several microts without saying a word. Just the awkwardness of the situation was enough to send the both of them into stunned silence. Finally, in one simultaneous movement, each pulled her respective gun. "What is this?" Past Aeryn was having more trouble than her future self. The two of them moved in a tense circle as Future Aeryn tried to figure something out. "You didn't get much sleep last night. This is a hallucination." Perhaps out of the need to disprove what she was seeing, Past Aeryn nodded. "Yeah, ok." Then, without another word she turned and went back the way she had come.

Aeryn sighed with relief as her younger self took the bait. Watching her run away, she couldn't help but feel sorry for the person she had once been. Emotionally closed off and ignorant to so much. This were different now. "You still have a long way to go little girl." The words made her smile. It felt good to smile. Then something clicked. The pack that Past Aeryn was carrying in her hand. There was only one event in her memory that jumped out. "The flax."

Racing towards the hanger with incredible speed, she crashed into stubborn walls and doors. The opportunity to stop a potentially dangerous situation had come to her. Sure, it had worked out the first time. But who knew how her presence might change things. Aeryn arrived just as the other two stepped into the transport pod. "John!" He didn't hear her that time. It gave the nervous ex-peacekeeper a moment to think. What would happen if she stopped this. That situation with John that she remembered so well. "You are the female of your species right?" It had been the beginning of something.

Aeryn watched the transport pod lift off the ground from her place in the hanger. It flew off down the cavernous outer hanger and into black space. Somewhere out there Zenetan pirates waited with sinister intentions. She turned and walked slowly back towards the room where she had arrived. "I didn't do it. Take me back now." Aeryn had no idea what she was doing but it felt like the right thing to say. Much to her surprise, a bright white light filled the room and she started to feel dizzy again.

>>>>>

Meryl opened her eyes warily and found herself lying on the floor. It was stained black by what seemed to be explosion residue. Within seconds of her arrival, Zhaan was there and whispering soft words. "Are you alright my child? The baby?" She shook her head. "I'm fine Zhaan. What about Aeryn?" The Delvian shook her head. "Nothing yet." Those two words brought back a memory of what had just happened. Meryl glanced around the room and then looked at herself. Somewhat sadly, she spoke to herself. "Nothing changed."

Aeryn felt several pairs of hands grabbing at her as she woke from the strange sleep. Looking upward, she saw Meryl and Zhaan shaking their heads. "What's wrong?" The priestess spoke up first. "We need to leave now." She nodded and tried to lift herself up. An odd memory floated out from her subconscious. "The flax?" Zhaan stared at her with a confused look. "What about it?" Aeryn waved the question off. "Let's get out of here."

>>>>

It had taken quite a while but they had found Moya before Meryl's strength gave out. The leviathan had been mildly damaged in some sort of encounter but none of the crew were anxious to talk about it. Zhaan had explained her odd behavior to the others and asked for their forgiveness. "But you didn't do anything to us Zhaan." She had insisted anyway. They had not pushed the issue. Soon after, Pilot had initiated starburst and whisked them far away from the range of peacekeepers. The gammek base was left to fend for itself.

Fully rested and fed, Meryl stepped out of bed after a long night's sleep. She walked over to the mirror and gazed silently at the slight change in her appearance. "I'm big." Her stomach wasn't anywhere near full capacity but a small growth had occurred. The curvature had risen a bit to accommodate the child growing within. Walking back to her bed, Meryl pulled on her shirt and captain's jacket. They didn't fit as loosely any more. Then she grasped her leather pants and started putting them on. "You're kidding me!" She tried repeatedly but the sides would not reach. "Aeryn!"

The Elephant Ep2.10: Things Have Changed P2: Here's To Goodbye

        "I'm sorry sir. They aren't answering." The tek shut off the comm and turned back to his captain. Grisham stared at him with a grim expression on his face. The fifth and final gammek base had neglected to answer their desperate calls. "Did you pick up any life signs?" The man's eyes betrayed his stern look. "We caught a few ships fleeing the scene but no one left on the base itself." The captain cursed himself for being so stupid. He had shown those locations to only one person since arriving in this sector. Only one woman knew exactly where each one was. "Zelaya!"

        She heard his shouts of anger before they came within view of each other. The Ferrian smiled innocently and tried to hide her disdain for the man. "Is there a problem captain?" Grisham grabbed her by the shoulders and threw her back against the wall. "You did this didn't you?" Zelaya made a hurt expression. "I've been here with you all this time. How could I possibly destroy five gammek bases." She cursed under her breath. He hadn't said what the tantrum was about. Grisham realized this too. "I don't know who you're working for but I want you off my ship." Zelaya shook her head calmly. "I'm afraid it's not that simple captain."

        Lt. Ness pulled out his pulse pistol and approached the two of them. Sticking the gun in between, he entered himself into the argument. "If the captain says you have to go, that's it." Zelaya turned to him and frowned. This man was not to be toyed with so easily. She got the distinct impression that he would shoot her right here if necessary. "I can handle this Lt. Please move along." Ness stared at his captain in shock. "Forgive me sir, but you're wrong." The words hung in the air for several moments as both men took them in. Finally, Grisham backed away and nodded. "Put her in a cell."

        Watching the captain walk down the hall, both Ness and Zelaya sighed. He turned to her with glaring eyes that showed no compassion. "Your business is finished here Ferrian." She listened to the cold words but was not affected by them. Turning to face him directly, she smiled. The rows of jagged teeth did not faze him either. "My business with your people is far from over Lt." Ness raised his gun a little closer to her face. "Cut the mystery act. I know a subversive when I see one." He led the way to detention and neither of them said another word.

>>>>>

        Reconnecting the brown module to its larger owner had been a simple process. The computer had run John through the steps without any major difficulties. In fact, it had insisted on doing the job automatically. "No, I want to learn as much as I can about this thing." Truthfully, he just wanted to get his mind off what had happened in the past few hours. As they entered the wormhole, John looked back one final time at the blue planet he was leaving behind. Somewhere down there his father was waving up at him. "Bye Dad."

        Tom smiled as he heard his friend mouth the parting words through the porthole. He glanced over at the woman that now sat beside him. Rachel Wells had not moved from her spot in the middle of the ship. She refused to even look out the window. "There will be plenty of time to see all that." The nervous look in her eye revealed much more of what she was really feeling. How could he blame her? Tom had embraced this new world after arriving in it. His mother did not have that luxury. "Thank you Mom."

        Rachel turned to her son and gave him a questioning look. "For what?" He smiled and moved over next to her. Pointing back the way they had come, he tried to say something eloquent. "For giving up your life. For coming with me." She almost laughed. Seeing the confused expression on his face, Rachel explained. "What life? The only one I knew ended the day you disappeared. My place is here now." Fighting to keep from getting sentimental, Tom gave up and embraced his mother.

        John slid over to the main computer screen and brought up the search program that he had used earlier to find Earth. Entering Moya's frequency and last location, he waited for something to appear. "Please hold." The machine's robotic voice was familiar and somehow comforting. "Thanks. I'll just wait here." Tom came up behind him and looked at the monitor. "Found anything yet?" He shook his head. "Your buddy's checking as we speak." A loud beeping sound erupted from the computer. Rachel jumped in her seat. "What was that?" John smiled broadly. "We're going home."

>>>>>

        D'Argo waved his flashlight around the dark room and nearly stumbled over an empty drum on the ground. "Pilot, which conduit is it?" The creature responded immediately from his den. "The fifth one on your right. It should not be hard to locate." Just as the words were spoken, a spark shot out from one of the cables. "Frelling. Found it." Pulling a tool from the bag on the floor, the Luxan began the repairs. "Whatcha doin?" Chiana's high-spirited voice came from the hallway behind him. D'Argo turned to her and pointed at the conduit. "What does it look like?"

        The Nebari ignored his rude comment and strolled into the darkness to get a better look. Seeing his look of exasperation, Chiana moved in closer and helped steady the tool with her hand. "Thank you." She nodded simply and said nothing. Surprised, D'Argo stopped working and turned to her. "What?" She appeared shocked by the accusation. "Can't I help you without some sinister ulterior motive?" He sneered. "No." Chiana shrugged and let go the cable. It slid back into place and sparked again. D'Argo jumped back as some hit his coat and sizzled.

        "No more games." She slid in closer to him and grabbed the edges of his shirt. The unusually agitated Luxan tried to back away but found himself trapped against the wall. "You've been avoiding me." He nodded slightly. "Yes, what of it?" Chiana wasn't going to let him sneak out of it this time. They would finish it here for better or worse. "That letter, it said things." D'Argo raised his hand and covered her mouth. "It also said I needed time." She was about to launch into an argument when Pilot's voice halted the conversation. "There is a ship approaching. You better get up here."

>>>>>

        "Is that not the most beautiful sight you have ever seen?" John smiled as he moved away from the window. His two companions moved up next to him to get a better view of Moya. Her golden skin radiated in the darkness of space and created a mesmerizing sight. "That's your ship?" Rachel found herself holding her breath as she gazed upon it. It was the biggest thing she had ever seen. She turned to her sun and waited for an answer. He ignored her and never took his eyes off the window. "I said-." Tom nodded slowly. "Yes Mom, that's our ship."

        "Pilot, can you hear me?" The three of them waited anxiously over the comm for the creature to answer back. A faint voice came through the static and asked a very simple question. "Is that you Crichton?" Rachel from one man to another. "What did he just say?" John smiled at her. "He asked if it was me." Pressing down on the respond button, he said hello to his friend. "Yes Pilot. It's John. Would you mind opening the doors for us?" Pilot was confused. "Of course. Why wouldn't I?" The hanger doors slid open and revealed the leviathan's insides. Navigating smoothly, John took them in.

        Rygel was the first to arrive at the landing area. Looking up into the outer hanger, he saw the tips of a brown ship speeding in. The long craft hovered over him and slowly touched ground. "Took your sweet time didn't you?" There was no one to answer him back. The Hynerion watched in amazement as the hatch slid open to reveal three humans sitting at a console. "That you Rygel?" John stepped out and glanced around the room. He took in breath of re-circulated air and grinned. "Oh, that feels good." Without warning, John raced forward and picked Rygel off his throne. "It's good to see you again too Crichton."

        D'Argo and Chiana had to put the conversation away for another time. Running as fast as they could towards the hanger, both could hardly contain their excitement. Two friends were home again. The Luxan entered first and saw the hug between Human and Hynerion. "You took longer than I would have thought." John looked up into the eyes of a relieved warrior and shook his head. "I'm here aren't I?" D'Argo laughed and ran forward. They embraced with enough strength to stop John's breathing. It didn't matter. He was excited to care.

        Tom walked out of the ship and watched the situation unfold. Hearing the familiar sound of the throne sled, he turned to find Rygel standing beside him. "Hello Rygel." The Hynerion backed away slightly as if expecting an attack. When none came, he relaxed. "Welcome back Tom." A high pitched shout from the door beyond caught both Tom and John's attention. Chiana crossed the room in seconds and took them in her arms. "I knew you'd come back." The two men looked at each other and smiled. "Pip, you have no idea how much I've missed you."

        Rachel was a little frightened to come out at first. The sound of several alien languages followed by English unnerved her a bit. "Tom! Can you come in here please?" Her son turned from his friends and walked back into the ship. Seeing her there, he frowned. "It's not as bad as it sounds. You'll be able to talk to them soon." She shook her head stubbornly. "You're not injecting me with anything." Tom didn't feel like arguing about it now. He grabbed her hand and pulled her off the chair.

        The three alien creatures stopped and looked at her strangely as she exited the brown ship. Rachel tried to turn back but her son wouldn't have it. "Just say hello. They'll understand you." Summoning up all her courage, she stepped forward and reached out her hand. "My name is Rachel Wells. Hello." D'Argo was the first to react. Understanding her fear and the intention of the gesture, he raised his hand and took hers. "She doesn't have the microbes yet?" Tom shook his head. The Luxan turned back to her and nodded politely. Chiana wasn't quite so tactful. She jumped forward and hugged the confused woman. Rachel looked at Tom. "Is this her?" He almost choked. "No, no. She's just a friend."

        It was at this point that John noticed the absence of two very important people. Looking around the room, he saw that both the prowler and transport pod were missing. "They had to leave the prowler behind." D'Argo walked up to him and explained. "The transport pod is down on the commerce planet. They went to buy some, um, things." He decided not to say anything just yet. Tom went over to them and left his mother with Rygel and Chiana. "Where are they?" D'Argo repeated the explanation.

        "I don't want to stay here alone." Rachel continued but Tom would not have any of it. He began to follow John back into the brown ship when she grabbed onto his shoulder. "You'd just leave me here with them?" Tom shook his head. "Believe me Mom. It'll be much worse down there. And you won't be alone anyway." She turned to see D'Argo and Chiana smiling back at her. "Great." Leaving her standing there, Tom stepped into the ship and let the hatch close down between them. "Don't be long." Rachel watched the ship take off nervously.

>>>>

        Meryl was seriously considering pulling out her gun. The merchant behind the counter was becoming increasingly unreasonable. "You just said they'd be forty ingots." He shook his head cheerily. "Yes, but larger sizes are more expensive. Eighty ingots." She growled angrily and started to shout. "Just pay him. We have plenty of money." Aeryn walked up behind her and lifted the bags of food she had already bought. "Is this enough." Meryl shook her head wearily. "No, more." She turned back and paid the man. "You got lucky this time." He smiled.

        Aeryn left her there and walked slowly down the maze of stands with the bags of food hanging at her side. The man had been following them for some time now. She hadn't said anything to Meryl about it. Better not to worry her now. Dressed in peacekeeper uniform, he was a sad sight to see. The clothes were shredded everywhere and covered in dried blood. She wondered what possibly could have happened to him. "You want these? Five ingots each." Aeryn nodded at the female vendor and opened one of the bags.

        The ship touched down just outside the marketplace as a crowd of onlookers formed around the area. Most of these people had never seen as ship of this nature before. John watched them through the monitor and sighed. "You feel like answering questions?" Tom shook his head and headed for the door. "Just plow through them." The computer's robotic voice came online. "Shall I initiate lock-down procedures?" The two men looked at each other and nodded. Better to be safe now. "Sure." The door slid open and Tom stepped out into the cool mid-morning air.

        Meryl placed the new set of clothes into her bag and checked the surrounding area. Her companion had apparently wandered off somewhere. "Aeryn!" There was no reply. Looking around the crowded street, she suddenly felt tired. Too much activity going on at once. Moving slowly, she headed down the line of stands while searching for a familiar face.

        Pushing through the crowd, the two humans reached the entrance to the marketplace and walked inside. At this time of day the area was filled with shoppers and sellers alike. John stood on the tips of his toes and looked around. Somewhere up ahead he caught a glimpse of black leather. "Come on. This way." Tom followed close behind as they made their way down the street. Finally stopping at a crossroads, John raised his hand and pointed forward. "You recognize her?"

        Tom followed his gaze and instantly his breath disappeared. Everything seemed to slow to a snail's pace as he took in the beautiful form in front of him. Meryl was walking away from them ahead as she looked over all the merchandise. Inexperienced in such things, he did not see what John saw. The older man shook his head in confusion and then finally smiled. "You notice anything different about her?" Tom turned to him. "A little tired maybe." John stopped him. "She has a kind of glow about her." Tom had seen way too many movies to let a statement like that get past him. He took off down the street.

        Meryl heard the sound of footsteps smacking against dirt and turned around to see what all the commotion was about. Due to the awkward way she moved, her shirt slipped up a little. "Frelling." She dropped the bag of clothes and ran forwards. Tom was standing directly ahead of her. The look of shock on his face was more than enough to rattle her. "You're, you're preg, pregnant? Meryl smiled sheepishly. Tom felt his legs give out and fell to the floor.

        She was beside him in an instant. Kneeling down, Meryl looked him straight in the eyes. The range of emotions crossing his face would not let her determine how he felt. Tom stared up at her for a moment. "It is mine right?" She narrowed her eyes at him and nodded. He lowered his head slightly and started to laugh. A smile spread across his lips and he stood up gradually. Standing face to face in the middle of the road, they both grinned nervously. Without the slightest indication, Tom sped forward and took her in his arms. "Oh God, I love you." He kissed her gently and then more passionately. She kissed him back with even more force.

        A little ways down the road, John stood happily watching the scene unfold. He had never expected this to happen but they both seemed to be dealing with it well. Just as he was about to go to them, a clicking sound made him freeze. The cold end of a pulse pistol touched the back of his head. "You said you'd be right back." John stammered a bit. "And you said you'd wait." He turned and found Aeryn Sun standing behind him with the beginnings of a grand smile on her face. "I'm sorry." She ignored the statement and pounced forward. The strength of her attack threw him to the ground and she fell along with him. "Does this mean I'm forgiven?" Aeryn pressed her mouth over his and smiled.

        Shoppers and merchants watched the two pairs act out their reunion and laughed at the absurdity of it all. Among them, another peacekeeper saw the confirmation that he had been hoping for. Ex-officer Benner pulled a data chip from his pocket and stumbled over to the woman that it belonged to. With each step his wounds shrieked painfully. Several internal ones that heralded his death were aggravated too. It didn't matter to Benner. He had a job to complete and would do so at any cost to himself. Reaching the happy couple, he coughed to signal his presence.

        Meryl pulled away from Tom and looked at the wreck of a man that stood beside them. Instantly, her hand went down to the gun on her belt. That proved to be unnecessary. "Meryl Raynor?" Even as he said the words, his strength gave out. Benner dropped to the floor in a heap. Leaning down to check him, Meryl gasped. "He's dead." Tom called out to the others. "What happened?" Aeryn checked the fallen man over and shook her head. "I saw him in the marketplace earlier." A small object in his hands glistened in the sunlight. Picking it up, the ex-captain glanced around.

        One of the stalls nearby was selling pk products that had been recovered from a crash in the area. Meryl had seen it earlier when she was looking for new pants. She remembered seeing old wanted beacon viewers on the table. Most of the time, those things were erased and reused. "Can I help you with something?" The man behind the counter smiled at her. She ignored the gesture and pointed to one of the objects. "That. How much?" He looked at her and then the viewer. "Fifty ingots." Meryl pulled the money out of her pocket and tossed it to him.

        The four of them stepped into a nearby restaurant and sat down at a dimly lighted table in the back. Meryl slipped the chip into its place and waited for the screen to come up. Somehow a feeling of dread was passing through her. As the video began, she felt something else. Tom had been holding her hand the entire time. She smiled at him and looked back at the screen that popped up. A man's face appeared there and began to speak. Meryl recognized it, but she couldn't tell from where. "Hello Meryl. I'm sure you must be very confused right now."

        The voice sparked something inside her. A memory that didn't seem to fit in with the others. As the fog in her mind began to dissipate, the man continued. "I want you to know first off that I don't blame you for what happened. It was as much my fault as it was yours." The solemn look on his face matched hers. "By sending this message, I put myself in considerable risk. But you needed to be warned." Meryl started to feel light-headed. This all made no sense. "It's your mother. She found you the same way I did. Very soon there won't be many places for you to hide. I suggest you start looking now." The screen went black.

        Tom replayed the message in his mind with more than a little confusion to go along with it. He looked at Meryl and saw the same expression amplified a million times over. "I thought you said your parents were dead." She wiped a lone tear from her cheek and looked up at him. Frowning, she pulled the chip from its place and snapped it in two. "Things change".

The Elephant Ep2.11: All Of Her       

"Crichton! Are you awake?" John snapped his head off the pillow and looked around. His sight was still blurry and he had to stumble awkwardly out of bed. "Yeah Pilot. I hear you." Rubbing his eyes, he glanced over at Aeryn. She wasn't there. No matter how far along their relationship had gotten, the ex-peacekeeper still couldn't relax completely with him. John saw the impression of her body beside his mess. On top of the blankets. "What's the problem?" Pilot seemed to be embarrassed about waking him up. "You'd better get up here John." Aeryn was standing at the door.

        The two of them entered command and found everyone else already there. Well, not exactly everyone. Tom was still down below trying to coax his mother out. "Moya has received a message from Crais." Pilot's face projected on the clamshell as he spoke. Aeryn gave John a look before answering. "What was the message?" The creature down at his claws. "He wishes to speak to you Officer Sun." She was surprised. "So why doesn't he?" Pilot raised his eyes to meet hers. "He wishes to speak to you on Talyn." John interrupted. "Am I the only one who finds this a little suspicious"

        D'Argo nodded his head in agreement. "You cannot go alone Aeryn. He might try something." She looked angrily at them both. "When did you come under the impression that I couldn't handle myself?" John put his arm on her shoulder. "We can't trust him. You know that." Aeryn frowned at him but agreed. There were too many past instances to account for. "Why doesn't he want to come here?" Rygel floated over to them. "I don't know. He was very adamant about meeting elsewhere."

        Aeryn climbed into the transport pod with a pulse pistol strapped to her belt. Behind her, she could hear two men debating. "I'll go with her. You have to stay here and look after the others." D'Argo growled at John. "You and Crais don't exactly have a great relationship. If this is a trap, your presence could make things worse." John refused to consider that. "If she's going, then I'm going. We're a package deal." Aeryn let a smile cross her lips momentarily as he said the words. "Are you coming John?" He ran over to board.

>>>>

        "Mom, I live with these people. They're my friends." Rachel looked up at him and shook her head angrily. "I can't even speak their language. Why should I go up there?" Tom fought to keep from yelling. He had explained the translator microbes to her a thousand times. The woman would not listen. "It won't hurt. The DRD just injects them and that's all." Alarm ran through her. "DRDs? Inject me?" Rachel stood from the bed and walked away from him. "No, I won't do it." The sound of boots hitting the floor made them both stop. Meryl stepped into the doorway. "Tom, I-." The two women spotted each other and froze. The ex-captain turned on her heels and left.

        "She's the one isn't she?" Mother looked at son with daggers in her eyes. When the two women had come aboard earlier, he had said nothing. "Yes, that's her." Rachel took the woman's features in and stood quietly for a moment. "What is her name?" Tom spoke cautiously. "Meryl." She spoke the name several times to get a feel for it. "Older than you?" He glared at her. "Only by a few cycles." Rachel shook her head. "What the hell does that mean?" He had forgotten that she didn't know all the terms. "Cycles are years." She was not pleased.

>>>

        "There he is." Aeryn pointed from her seat in front of the console. The huge black and red ship loomed in the distance. "He's targeting us." John wanted to something but kept his mouth shut. "Just a precaution Aeryn. Forgive me if I startled you." Crais's face appeared on the screen. He still wore his captain's uniform. A look that inspired fear in those he dealt with. "You didn't startle us." He caught the last part. "Us? I asked you to come alone." John moved into the man's view. "Terribly sorry."

        The transport pod entered Talyn's hanger doors and moved swiftly towards the landing area. Aeryn opened the hatch and stepped outside. There was no one there to greet them. She beckoned for her companion to follow. John looked around with suspicious eyes. Despite having been here before, the ship still put him on edge. "Are you sure he's not going to shoot me?" She shook her head at him. "No." They proceeded into the ship and headed towards command.

        Crais watched them enter with more than a little annoyance. "Are they carrying weapons?" Talyn responded quickly but he already knew the answer. She would never come to meet him without one. "Very well." The sound of a door sliding open came from behind. He turned to it. John and Aeryn stepped into command and found Crais standing there. "It is good to see you again officer Sun. He turned to John. "You as well Crichton."

        "What do you want?" Aeryn walked up behind the man and looked over Talyn's consoles. Everything seemed to be doing fine. The worry never really went away though. "There have been some developments that you need to know about." John looked up from his place across the room. "What kind of developments?" Crais nodded and flipped a switch on the control panel beside him. The sound of gunshots filled the room. Instantly, John and Aeryn both had their guns out and pointed at him. The captain was unsettled. Not because of their action but that Talyn had made no move to target either of them.

        The guns were put away as they saw what was going on. The screen behind Crais had lit up and was showing some capture footage. "A marauder squadron?" Aeryn was alarmed at the large numbers of them. Apparently, Talyn had been chased by the group. "Yes. Talyn is a formidable ship, but there were too many of them even for him." Crais shut the video off. "Squadrons don't out this far unless something important is going on." Aeryn made the connection before John did. "A convoy?"

        John didn't understand. "We've seen convoys before. They can be avoided." Crais shook his head. "These numbers are too large for only a convoy. That can mean only one thing." Aeryn finished his thought. "Someone important. A High Counselor?" John watched the two of them work together. It was more than a little disturbing. "Possibly. There is nothing in this sector of great value to the peacekeepers." Aeryn wasn't so sure. "There is one thing." Both of them looked at John. "What?"
>>>>

        Rachel followed her son into a room that she had not seen before. A long table sat in the middle with plates of food scattered on its surface. The very people she had been trying to avoid were now sitting there. D'Argo was the first to notice her. The woman's fear of him had been amusing at first but this was getting ridiculous. The Nebari beside him shook her head. "Don't let it go to your head. I don't find you frightening at all." He brushed off the comment and stood up. "You may have my chair." He still had manners. Rachel stared at him blankly. "She still hasn't gotten them?" Tom shook his head.

        "Pilot! Send a DRD down here now." The creature replied from his den. "I'll do it right away." Rachel turned to her son. "What did he just say?" Tom nodded. "He asked Pilot to send the translator microbes." She glared at him in alarm. "I told you no!" He tried and failed to hold back his anger. "They're not dangerous Mom." Rachel was fuming. "Yeah? Well that's what they said about airplanes." Tom stopped her from continuing. "We're not getting into that again."

        "Look at these people. How do you know they haven't been affected somehow?" Rachel pointed at all of them. She didn't know what the aliens were supposed to look like but they did look odd. "John, he looks much older than when he was on tv. How do you know it's not because of those things?" Tom shook his head. "He's been through a lot up here." Rachel continued. "Look at you. You've got scars all over the place. They should be healed by now." He tried to say something but she ignored him.

        Rachel looked around for another example. Someone walked into the room behind her. Meryl smiled wearily at everyone and took a seat at the table. "Her! She looks human. What happened to her?" Tom froze in place. His mother had picked the wrong person to investigate. Meryl did look tired and worn out. Her eyes were red-rimmed with bags under them. "Why, she looks like she's pregnant-." Rachel stopped talking and looked at her son. "Tom?"

>>>

        John sat down and watched the other two whisper to each other across the room. The console beside him beeped. "My thoughts exactly." This was followed by more beeping. Suddenly, Crais turned towards him and yelled. "What did you do?" John looked shocked. "I didn't do anything. It just started going off." The captain rushed to the console. "Talyn, what is it?" The sounds continued. "Where?" Aeryn glanced at John with a confused expression. Their host was acting very strangely.

        Crais ran to the window and looked outside. "I see it. Can you avoid?" Talyn answered him immediately. "It's aiming for us?" At this point, John was tired of waiting. He walked up next to the captain and followed his gaze. Off to their right, an odd-looking grey cloud was moving towards them. "What the frell is that?" Aeryn saw it too. Crais shook his head. "I don't know. But Talyn can't avoid it. The front edges of the cloud touched the leviathan and everything heaved.

        John hit the floor hard and felt someone land on top of him. "Get off of me!" Crais pushed himself away and stood. "Talyn, return fire!" Above them, the ship's main gun turned on and pointed itself at the cloud. Bursts of pulse fire erupted from it and punctured the object and then passed right through. Aeryn pulled herself off the sparking console and looked up. "It's not working." Crais motioned for them to follow him. "Come, there is somewhere safe we can hide." A round metal door outside command waited for them.

        Crais rushed to the hatch and swung it open. "Whatever that thing is, it won't get in here." John looked at him. "Airtight?" The captain nodded. Aeryn was still coming towards them as they slid inside. John went first, followed by his ex-nemesis. "Aeryn, hurry up!" She nodded and ran forward. The ship lurched without warning and threw her to the ground again. Rolling along the floor, Aeryn managed to spot the hatch before it slammed shut in her face. "Frelling!"

        John pushed his companion out of the way. "Why the hell did you do that?" Crais was just as worried. "I didn't. The hatch shut on its own." The pushed up against it but the cover did not move an inch. "This compartment is designed to stay closed until the danger is over. We won't be able to open it." John sank to the ground. "Is there anywhere else for her to go?" The look on Crais's face said it all.

        Aeryn slammed herself against the door to no avail. It would not move. She grabbed on to the handle just as Talyn shook to all sides again. The sound of a window smashing inward caught her attention. "Oh frell." Shards of glass flew across the room and over her. She dove to the ground and covered her head. Something thick and icy cold slid over her and she blacked out.

>>>>

        "You weren't going to tell me where you?" Rachel had him pinned against the wall. Stumbling over his words, Tom tried to find something smart to say. Nothing came to mind. "Eventually." She growled. "I can't believe this. How could you let her do this to you?" Meryl stood from her chair. "If anyone did this, it was your son! I never asked for this frelling thing." Rachel turned to Tom. "What did she say?" He swallowed involuntarily. "She hopes you two can be friends." The ex-captain was beside them in a second. "I did not say that."

        Rygel and Chiana watched with great amusement from the table. The Hynerion turned to her and laughed. "I think I'm going to like this one." D'Argo smacked him from behind. "This is difficult for all three of them. Be considerate." Rygel spat back. "When have you ever known me to be that?" Chiana came in between them. "Let's just shut up and listen." She slipped a food cube into her mouth and sat back.

        "Your father would be furious." Tom looked back at his mother. "He's not here and he wouldn't be if he was." Rachel shook her head. "Of course, because you are the authority here on your father." Meryl watched the two of them with a confused expression. "You two are both insane." Tom turned to her. "Sorry about this." His mother nodded this time. "You should be. What kind of responsible man impregnates an unmarried woman?" Tom sighed. "Things don't work that way here. She doesn't even know what marriage is." Meryl grabbed his arm and squeezed. "Of course I know what marriage is you yotz."

        "What did she say?" Tom stood between the two women and suddenly felt very claustrophobic. "She knows what marriage is." Rachel smiled. "Yes, and you know what that means don't you?" Tom shook his head. "What does that mean?" Meryl smiled as well. "I think she means we have to get married." He turned to her. "Do we?" Meryl didn't answer.

>>>

        A beeping sound from outside caught the two men's attention. "Did you hear that?" John nodded and moved towards the hatch. He started to pull the handle when Crais stopped him. "Wait, let me check with Talyn." They waited for the ship to respond. "Are you sure about this?" The look on Crais's face was not making John feel good. "What?" The captain turned to him and shrugged. "According to Talyn's sensors, Aeryn is still out there." John did not understand. "And?" He waited for something terrible to be said. "She's everywhere."

        The hatch slid open and two very confused men walked out. Sitting on the floor in front of them, Aeryn looked up and smiled. "Something's wrong." Crais glanced at him. "What do you mean?" John pointed at her. "She doesn't smile like that." Aeryn stood and walked over to them. "Did you guys feel that! It was amazing! She paced back and forth between them with astounding enthusiasm. "Let's do it again." Crais was shocked. "They've turned her into an idiot?" John shrugged.

        Crais left the two of them standing there and walked out into the hallway. Someone was kneeling in front of a sparking panel up ahead. "Who's there?" He raised his gun and stepped forward. Aeryn turned away from the mess and nodded at him. "I think I've fixed everything." She stuck her hand back into the panel and pressed a button. The lights suddenly came back on and the ship stabilized. "How did you know how to do that?" Aeryn stood and gave him a confused expression. "I just know."

        John watched her move in front of him and studied every step. It was her. Aeryn looked and moved the same way. But her attitude seemed to have changed. "What are you looking at?" She moved in closer to him and spread her arms. "Is this better?" He backed up slightly. "Crais! What the hell is going on?" John turned and saw him enter with someone else. "Aeryn?" She nodded and walked up to him. "What is the problem?" He stared at the both of them in disbelief.

        "You look just like me!" Aeryn turned to look at herself and nodded. "Yes, we must have split somehow. The chemicals in that cloud must have-." As they neared each other, something happened. John watched the edges of their forms blur and mix together. "What the frell are they doing?" Crais walked up beside him and watched. "They joined." There was only one Aeryn now.

        "On the ground now!" That was their only warning before the room was riddled with pulse blasts. All three of them dove to the floor as someone ran into command. Aeryn stood in the doorway with her pulse pistol in hand. "Don't shoot!" She ignored John's pleas and started firing. Crais shouted as a blast caught him in the shoulder. "Let's get out of here." He followed John and Aeryn out the other way. The woman behind them kept firing wildly.

        "Do you understand this?" John and Crais knelt behind a console and looked at each other with the same confused expression. "Ok look. We have a smart Aeryn and a enthusiastic Aeryn. Who's out there?" Crais peeked over the edge and was almost hit in the face. "I would say, aggressive Aeryn." John nodded. "Aeryn, go talk to here." The one beside them smiled. "I don't think that's a very good idea John!" He sighed. "Just do it." She stood and walked over to herself.

        Aeryn stopped firing her gun and looked at the woman that walked towards her. "Freeze!" The other Aeryn complied. "Move and I'll kill you." She reached forward to grab her and the mixing began. John stood up slowly and checked on them. Once again there was only one Aeryn left. "It worked." Crais followed his example. "So now what?" Aeryn raised her gun towards them. "Don't move." They dove to the ground amid shots. "Great. You've made the Aeryn trying to kill us smarter." John groaned.

>>>

        The DRD slid into the room unannounced and headed for the unfamiliar person. D'Argo spotted it first but made no mention of it to Rachel or Tom. He turned to Chiana. "Don't." She nodded and told the same thing to Rygel. "Mom, it's not that simple." Tom's mother would have none of it. "You said that already and it is that simple." I won't let you abandon this girl." Meryl looked up angrily. "I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself." Rachel did not understand a word of it. She was about to continue when a soft pricking feeling touched her leg. "Tom, it's done." Rachel turned slowly towards D'Argo. "I understood that."

>>>

        Aeryn growled as the two men maneuvered out of her line of sight. "I'm going to find you eventually. Let's just end this now." A flash of black caught her attention. She fired but missed John by half a metra. "Frell! I missed you." Behind the console, John continued moving towards the doorway beyond. Just as he reached the edge, something grabbed his leg. "Where do you think you're going?" Crais did not want to be left alone with her. John smiled mischievously. "To find Sexual Aeryn."

        John jumped out into full view of her weapon and scrambled towards the doorway. She was about to fire when another figure moved on the other side. "Crais!" The captain spotted her and ran as fast as his legs would carry him. Aeryn followed in pursuit. Now sweating, she grinned excitedly. "Your going down!"

        He waited behind the door for several seconds. Aeryn had chosen to go after Crais. John breathed a sigh of relief and stood up. The hallway ahead of him looked empty so he continued without much caution. Soon though, the sound of footsteps made him freeze. Pulling out his gun, he asked. "Who's there?" The question seemed stupid out loud. "It's me John." Aeryn walked out and looked around nervously. "Are you ok?" He reached his hand out but she jumped away. "I guess not." John took a step forward and she took one backwards. "I'm not going to hurt you." She shook her head. "You've said that before."

        Crais turned a corner and entered the maintenance bay. Two of them were in there waiting for him. "Aeryn? How do you feel?" The first one turned to him and frowned. "Crais? Are you alright?" She reached forward and gently grabbed his arm. "This looks bad." She helped him pull off his jacket. "Sorry about this." Aeryn tore a piece of cloth off and wrapped it around his wound. "Just keep pressure on it." Crais thanked her and smiled. "What about her?" Aeryn looked at herself across the room and shrugged. "She's good."

        John allowed for her to get some space. "Have you seen any other you's around here?" She nodded timidly and pointed down the corridor. "One down there." He continued on and quickly found himself facing another Aeryn. She turned to look at him and smiled. "John! I'm so glad to see you." She leapt into his arms and kissed him. "Me too." Aeryn hugged him and put her head on his chest. "Never leave me alone again." John tried to pull away but she wouldn't let him. "Ok, now you're starting to freak me out."

        Aeryn ran into the room and started firing. The first thing she noticed was another of the copies standing there. The pulse blasts went right through her. "Why won't you frelling die?" The other her walked up and pulled on the gun. "I want a gun!" She smacked her across the face. "Don't touch the gun." A sound behind her stopped the exchange. Aeryn turned just in time to see Crais shove something at her. All three of them collided and mixed in together. "Aeryn?" She looked up at him and raised her gun. "Don't shoot!" She stopped. "I can't do it."

        John managed to pry her off. "Don't you love me?" He sighed. "Yes, yes I do. And if you love me, come here." She followed him down the hall to where frightened Aeryn was. "Shake hands." Aeryn obeyed immediately and stuck out her hand. "Get away from me!" It was too late. The two of them mixed in together. "You ok?" She looked at him nervously. "Fine, just stay back." John nodded. "Wait here." She made no move to disobey.

        "Talyn, can you hear me?" The ship replied immediately. "Start locking down the different areas. I want you to box them in together." The two doors beside him slammed shut and the same sound could be heard throughout the ship. "Ok, how many are there now?" The numbers came through. "Only a few, that's good." Crais moved towards Aeryn and motioned for her to follow. "Come on. We're going to find the rest of you."

        John slid around the door just as it was about to close on him. The room must not have been in use because all the lights were off. The sound of someone breathing heavily came from somewhere in the darkness. "Aeryn, is that you?" He heard movement and then footsteps. "John, are you alone?" She stepped out from her hiding place and smiled at him. "I'm very happy to see you." There was something odd about the way she moved. "That's good because-." She shoved him against the wall. John watched in amazement as Aeryn pulled down the zipper on her vest. "I was getting anxious."

        Crais had found several more on his trek around the ship. One very confused Aeryn walked silently beside him. She had been very talkative after they had found her wonder side. Going crazy over every new part of Talyn she saw. Then thankfully they had found serious Aeryn. Now all was quiet. "Talyn, open the door." The leviathan complied and the door opened. The room was dark but he could see the shadow of two people on the floor. "Lights."

>>>

        The transport pod made its trip back to Moya in complete silence. John had sat at the controls with a huge smile on his face while Aeryn knelt on the floor with her head in her hands. Despite his initial attempts at conversation, she had refused to answer any questions. Especially those that John had about certain "Desires" as he had put it. "Pilot, would you mind opening the door for us." The creature complied and the outer hanger opened out to space. "We're here." Aeryn grunted something from behind him.

        D'Argo looked up as John entered the dining room. "What did Crais want?" The human sat down beside him. "Looks like we're going to have plenty of pk company soon." D'Argo shook his head angrily. "And?" John looked up at him in surprise. "That's it. Crais thought it might have something to do with the wormhole technology." The Luxan thought about that for a second. "Or maybe that brown ship you brought aboard." John shrugged. "We'll see."

        Aeryn ran into her cell and closed the door. Falling down on the bed, she closed her eyes and tried to focus. It was impossible. The delicate balance of her emotions and personality felt completely off. "I'm bi-frelling-polar." In the transport pod, one microt she had felt like killing John. The next she had wanted to hug him. A knocking sound from outside stopped her thought. Meryl was standing there with a worried expression on her face. "I suppose this isn't a good time to talk." Aeryn shook her head. "Ok, I'll see you later."

        John passed Meryl on his way down the hallway and noticed her worried expression. "How is she doing?" She shrugged. "I don't know." He continued forward towards Aeryn's cell. "She's resting. You might want to give her some time alone." John nodded. "What happened earlier? D'Argo said something but it didn't really make sense." Meryl waved him off and walked away. "Later."

        He stopped in front of her cell and looked in through the doorway. The privacy curtain had not been pulled so Aeryn was in plain sight. She sat quietly beside the bed with a painful expression on her face. John knocked. "Go away." Aeryn looked up and realized who it was. "Sorry, I thought it was Chiana again." He nodded and sat down across from her. "How do you feel?" She frowned. "Like a dozen different voices in my head are shouting at the top of their lungs." John tried to hide the amused expression on his face. Aeryn narrowed her eyes at him. "Don't say a word."

The Elephant Ep2.12: Last Requests

The system was small compared to those in the sectors that surrounded it. Left untouched by outside forces, the three planets that bore its name were wastelands. Barren fields that spread across the entire surface. Good only for mining colonies and isolationists. Uedo 1, 2, and 3 were unimpressive. Yet their source of light brought many curious visitors cycle after cycle. Lacking the bright yellow light of a sun, the system instead relied on a luminous white planet at its center. No creature of any race had ever seen the surface of Uedo 4. Covered in a layer of clouds impossible to see through, it remains a mystery to all who see it.

        Transport ships, including the one that Carle rode in, did well to avoid this center planet. Several accidents had already occurred in past years. Looking out the window on his right, he glanced down at the planet and shivered. "Nobody goes down there man. Don't get any ideas." Carle turned to find an attendant standing over his seat with a tray of beverages. "Thanks for the warning." He waved the man off and brought his stare back to Uedo 4. What the man had said was not entirely true. Someone had seen the surface of that haunted place. "I'm back."

        Stepping foot on the gravel floor of the planet was a strange experience for Carle. He had been to many places during his career. Several in times of war and famine. The prospector had seen many people die at the hands of Peacekeepers, Scarrens, and others. None had stirred him the way this place did. He lifted the hood of his coat over his head and walked into the small mining town where the starport was located. Carle couldn't risk someone recognizing him. The last time he had left this place, tense circumstances had been the reason. Up ahead he noticed an outdoor bar. Just the thing to calm him down.

        "Hey buddy, what can I get you?" The bartender watched him sit down and smiled. He didn't many customers these days. Carle looked to each side and then removed his hood. "Some Qelnic juice please." The man nodded in surprise. "That's pretty strong stuff for a guy your size." The prospector laughed. "In that case make it two." He looked up into the sky and caught a glimpse of Uedo 4 as it passed overhead. The memories flooded back clearly now. "Say, you a minister or something?" Carle glanced down at his clothes and smiled. "That is a long story my friend." Not so long really. He could still see the faces of a kindhearted minister and a little boy.

2 with a smile on his face. His first assignment after graduating from school. Still bright eyed and filled with adventurous notions, Carle had packed his bags and come to the barren planet. "We need someone to map out these grids. For the new mining facility we're putting up." He had accepted the job and jumped on the first transport ship that was leaving. The clouded specter that sat out in space had little affect on him that time. Things would change.

        Carle walked out of the terminal and looked out to the waiting vehicles beside the lobby. His new boss was supposed to be picking him up any time now. The white shining light that lit the planet took some getting used to. He had to wear goggles for the first couple days. "Are you Carle Venn?" The man sat beside a rusted hunk of metal and waved him over. "Yes, are you my ride?" The large gutted creature laughed out loud. "No, I'm your boss. Just wanted to make sure you made it." With that, he had been left to find his own way into town. "Well, I feel better already."

        It had taken him three arns to find the musty old geological building. The place looked like it hadn't been used in a hundred cycles. Perhaps longer. "It's about time. Seems to me that someone like you should know how to walk." Carle scowled at him and stepped into the cool room. His collar was soaked in sweat and dust from the trek over. "My name's Yuri. You'll have to change out of that uniform. It'll kill ya." He looked down at the academy clothes he was wearing and nodded. They were worn with pride but also frelling hot. "Is there somewhere I can change?" Yuri pointed towards a back room.

        Dressed in a simple short-sleeve shirt and light pants, Carle walked out into the light and surveyed his new surroundings. The rugged town ended abruptly behind his office and opened into wide open spaces. He could see nothing but glowing stones and dust for miles in all directions. "You can get started in the morning. Start over there." He followed Yuri's gaze towards a dip off in the distance. "It's a long climb down. Get some rest before you go." With those parting words, Carle had been left alone to start his job. "This is not what I expected." The man laughed even louder this time. "It never is."

>>>

        In the early arns of the morning, he had shaken himself from sleep and put on some fresh clothes. The replacement sun up above provided little heat and no light when it passed on the other side. An icy cold wind had picked up to batter him around. "Here we go." Carle stepped out into the darkness and headed towards the place Yuri had pointed at. The severe conditions grew only worse as he approached. The bag of supplies on his back wore him down quickly. Quickly losing optimism, he dropped to the ground.

        "Well this is a frelling grand canyon." The ground disappeared a few metra ahead and revealed something far more depressing. A huge hole in the ground with jagged peaks forcing themselves upward towards the heavens. Spotting what looked like a trail, he stood and continued forward. "What are you doing?" Carle froze in place and turned around. A small boy appeared from the gloom behind him. "I asked you a question." He almost laughed. "And I heard you." The boy shook his head. "Then answer it." Carle pointed towards the canyon. "Going on a hike."

        Carle watched the boy stare back at him for a microt or two before giving up. He turned and headed back down towards the trail. Something up ahead caught his attention. A sprinkling of white rocks sat on the ground in a cluster. "Hello, never seen anything like this before." He pulled off his pack and removed a container from inside. "Is it valuable?" The boy was beside him again. Carle looked up at him and shrugged. "That's what I have to find out." Apparently it was enough for the boy. "My name is Kithara. What's yours?"

        "Carle, nice to meet you." They shook hands awkwardly and then looked back down at the canyon. "Can I come with you?" He shrugged and started forward again. The sound of footsteps behind him was a bit reassuring. Someone would be there if he fell and broke his neck. They descended quickly and soon found the road got much narrower. "You ever been down here before?" Kithara stopped and considered the question. As if he had to choose whether or not to tell him the truth. "Once, but not this far." Carle was about to reply when the ground started to shake.

>>>>

        Carle had been in the local hospital for three days with a fracture in his arm and wrist. Mercifully, the doctor did have the proper technology to fix such problems. "Get lots of these out here." Truth was, the man worried him more than the injury. The lack of teeth and smell of liquor were enough to unsettle anyone. "What about the boy? Kithara?" There was no answer to his question. No one else had been brought in with him. "People imagine stuff out there sometimes." He couldn't believe that. The boy had been out there with him.

        "I ain't paying you to sit around in bed." Yuri smashed the door to his room open and sat down at the desk. The man did not like his work to go behind. Even if that meant putting an injured worker on the job. "The facility's going into production in a month and we still don't know where to put it." Carle rolled out of his blankets and stood carefully. He pulled his backpack over and removed the sampled he had taken before the accident. "Have you seen these before?" Yuri stared at them in disbelief. "Where did you find these?"

        The town had broken ground on their new project days later. Carle had been hailed a hero for his discovery. Everyone knew of how he had discovered diamonds in the treacherous canyon beyond recorded land. Risking his life to bring them home. He had enjoyed the popularity while it lasted. But like all things, it faded with time. Carle found himself frequenting the bars more and more as days went by. There was nothing to do here but mine. Not many women either.

        He wasn't a religious person in any way and at first the chapel had seemed like forbidden territory. Standing alone at the center of town, the structure looked ominous and cold to him. So it was with great anxiety that he stumbled into it one night. "Can I help you?" A man in black minister's clothes approached him with a warm smile. Carle nodded sheepishly before saying anything. "I was kind of looking for something to do." The minister grinned as if remembering some private joke. "There isn't much to do here is there?" Both men understood completely.

        "My name is Paul, and this is my assistant Kithara." Carle was shocked to see the little boy emerge from a room in the back. Upon spotting him, the boy had moved behind his keeper and frowned. "Yes, we met once before." Paul turned around. "You never told me about him?" Not a word from him. The minister looked back at him and shook his head. "Shy little thing." Carle nodded and shuffled nervously in his stance. "Well, I'm sure we can find something for you to do."

>>>

        Then came the day that everything went wrong. Not that Carle had become especially attached to the place. His work as prospector apparently ended with his discovery of the precious stones. A task that had taken him less than an arn to complete. Now he spent his days toiling in the chapel. Fixing things and talking with Paul. The little boy, Kithara, still refused to talk to him. As if something he did had scared the child off.

        He was in the chapel when the explosion tore through the windows and knocked him to the ground. A massive shaking that far exceeded the attack that had broken his arm. Books fell off their stands and chairs flipped over. Struggling to get outside, Carle threw himself out the doors and hit dirt. Off in the distance, he could see flames rising from the mining facility. The screams of injured and dying workers begging for their lives. "Oh frell." He ran towards the place and found himself in a wasteland.

        Burning bodies riddled the ground amid debris and collapsed buildings. The entire structure had fallen apart in one giant heap. The ground below parted and began to swallow up the charred remains. The sound of someone shouting came from behind him. "You bastard! This is all your fault." Yuri was screaming like a madman. Pointing his finger right at Carle. "What did I do?" The man shook his head in anger. "You said it was safe to build here." The young prospector was shocked. "I never said that. You never asked for my input." But the man would not be stopped. Yuri ran back into town screaming his name.

        Carle watched with growing alarm as all the lights in town turned on. His boss was pulling everyone outside and letting them know what happened. Someone coughed behind him. Kithara was standing there with a tortured look in his eyes. "You should leave. We are." The boy ran off towards the chapel and he followed. Tearing through the front doors, Carle felt the cool shade touch his skin. "Paul! Are you here?" There was no answer. "Kithara! Answer me!" No one did. He walked into the minister's office and glanced around. A set of freshly washed garments sat on a chair.

>>>>

        "When does the next transport ship arrive?" The man behind the counter looked him over suspiciously while pulling out the schedule. "Haven't I seen you before?" Carle shook his head frantically. "No, just passing through." The clerk nodded and checked the paper. "One should be here any minute." Carle bought a ticket and ran to the terminal. There was no one there but him. A chiming sound came through the public announcement system. "Boarding will begin shortly. All passengers bound for Uedo 3 please proceed to the docking bay."

        The large, black transport ship was sparsely populated and took off right after he boarded. Moving down the aisles, Carle put his hands up to hide his face. Some of the other passengers knew him from their visits to Uedo 2. Taking a window seat, he sighed with relief and glanced out into space. The clouded planet up ahead grabbed his attention immediately. "That's incredible." It looked much different from up here. The planet had a ghostly quality that unnerved him. "Excuse me. Is someone sitting here?"

        Carle shook his head nervously as Paul sat down beside him. The minister looked over his clothes and nodded slightly. "Don't worry about it. I have plenty more." He thanked the man and then turned his attention back outside. "I often myself staring at it. Captivating isn't it?" Paul leaned over and pointed at Uedo 4. The look in his eyes was one of wonder and respect. "You have any idea what's down there?" The minister shook his head. "I'm not that curious."

        The bad day had not yet ended for the inexperienced prospector. Apparently, he was destined to face death several times today. "Did you feel that?" Carle peeked his head over the seat in front of him and looked at the pilot's room up ahead. Paul followed his example but soon relaxed back into his chair. "Probably just a little turbulence. Nothing to worry about." The holy man spoke too soon. The ship rocked from side to side with tremendous force. Carle's face was thrown against the window. "Aren't we getting a bit close to that?" Smoky white clouds were already fogging up the glass.

        "Ladies and Gentleman, I am sorry to inform you that this ship has suffered a major malfunction. Please follow your attendants instructions for proper exit." Carle and Paul stood as lights began flashing on the ceiling. Large red arrows pointed towards the back of the ship. "What do you think happened?" Carle's question was answered by the PA system. "Frell it, I'm getting out of here." Every passenger froze in place as the sound of engines firing hit their ears. "You're kidding me." The pilot's section detached from the main structure and blasted off into space.

        Hurrying towards the back of the ship, they stumbled as it lurched again. The sickening sound of metal tearing came from all sides as the front compartment began to fragment. Carle turned momentarily and looked out into open space. "Whatever you do, don't turn around." The minister made no move to disobey. An explosion tore the front end free and unprepared passengers flew over their heads. "In here!" One of the flight attendants motioned for them to follow.

        They stepped into a thin metal room with round pods that ran up the body of the ship. Unfortunately, the rupture had sent many of them flying off into space empty. Only a few remained. "Get one while you still can." The woman waved farewell and jumped into one of the pods. It blasted off into the darkness. "Are you alright Carle?" He turned his head and found Paul staring at him. A look of worry crossed the minister's face. "This can't be happening. It's not possible to have this much bad luck in one day." The older man laughed. "Trust me, it is." An explosion from down the line threw them to the ground.

        "We have a serious problem." Carle lifted himself up and saw what the man was talking about. Only one pod remained intact. Even as they spoke, it began to twist and turn in its slot. Paul placed his hand on the prospector's shoulders. "Let's go." He stepped forward and slid the door open. "Paul, wait." He stopped and turned around. "We can't fit together in there." Carle felt his eyes tear up. "You go." The minister's words shocked him. "No way. I'm not living with this on my conscience. You go."

        The forces of space began to pull on their little compartment. Soon it would not matter which one left. Paul knelt down beside him and smiled softly. "Go Carle. I've led a good life. Seen many things. You still have a long way to go." Carle shook his head stubbornly. "Can't do it." He felt strong hands lift him up. "I'm sorry about this." Paul pushed him kicking and screaming into the pod. "Goodbye Carl."

>>>

        Carle couldn't breath. He lay on the floor of the pod in a heap of sweat and tears. Through the porthole, he could see the ship explode one last time. Pieces of debris shot out in every direction with incredible speed. "You bastard. Why did you do that?" Those were the only words he could manage. Standing himself up, Carle looked at the control panel. A small monitor displayed his descent towards the planet below. "It never ends." The planet below was Uedo 4.

        His view disappeared as the white clouds overtook the small pod. Violent shaking tossed him around like a doll on his way down to the surface. Fighting to get by the window, Carle glanced downwards. A bright light shot up towards him and blinded his eyes. "Aahhh!" He fell back into the cockpit and hit his head. Everything went black.

>>>

        The pod lay on its side with door hanging ajar. Beside it, Carle felt warm dust under his body. Opening his eyes slowly, he looked around the area. There was nothing. No buildings or signs of life. "Hello! Can someone hear me?" He stood up and walked forward with a hand to shield him from the bright light above. Something was moving up ahead. Carle moved towards it and tripped over a flat rock on the ground. "What's this?" He lifted it up and gasped. Engraved into it was a picture of something he had never seen before. Some sort of giant creature.

        "You shouldn't be here. There are rules against outsiders." He turned towards the sound and was shocked again. Kithara stood there with an odd smile on his face. "How did you get here?" The boy did not answer. He raised a hand to his lips. "Shh. Before they hear you."

>>>>>>

        "And then I woke up here. Laying beside a road sign outside of town." The bartender nodded his head in amusement. "That is quite a story you got there." He pulled the glass of liquor away. Carle smiled at him. Standing up from the bar, he headed into town on wobbly legs. Up ahead, a familiar structure came into view. The church sat in the same place it had been when he first came here. After the death of Paul, no one had bothered to take up the work. It sat alone and abandoned now.

        Carle opened the doors and stepped inside. Dust filled the air and he coughed several times. "You here?" There was a soft rattling from the back room. A small figure emerged with that same odd smile on his face. "What are you doing here?" Kithara asked the question harshly. He did not seem pleased. The prospector nodded slightly and sat down at a pew. "That curious huh?" He pulled open his black cloak and pointed at the red marks across his chest. "Do you know what this is?"

        Kithara let his mouth drop open a bit. Then he quickly regained his composure. "Yes, I do." The man smiled and continued. "My habit for getting into trouble, it hasn't gone away." The boy sat down beside him and they stared at each other. "I don't have much time left." Kithara sighed. "And you wanted to ask something of me?" Carle remembered how quick he was. "I've never told anyone what I saw down there." He let the statement sit in the air for a moment.

        "But you have shown the tablets." Carle was surprised. "You know about that?" Kithara shook his head and smiled. "I hear things." He waited for the man to continue. "A little while ago I met a girl. She did something for me. Saved my life." The boy nodded his head in understanding. "She recognized the figure?" That was starting to get annoying. "Ever since, I've had this feeling. That she was different. That I could tell her about you." Before he could finish, his body began to convulse. Kithara watched silently as blood slipped from his mouth. In a matter of seconds, Carle Venn was dead.

        "You heard his last request?" A figure moved from the darkness and nodded seriously. "We'll have to burn the body." Kithara understood. Outsiders who saw things not meant to be seen had to be removed by flames. "It was right of me to let him go last time." The figure shrugged. "Maybe." Together they picked up the body and carried it out back. Placing Carle on a slab of rock, they prayed silently.

        Fire danced and reflected in the boy's eyes as he watched an old friend turn to dust. Beside him, the figure watched quietly. "May I honor it?" There was a low humming noise as he considered it. "That choice is yours to make." Kithara turned and looked up at the clouded planet above. "Then I accept the responsibility." The figure stepped back into the shadows and disappeared. The boy remembered her face from the vision. It had been stored in the Delvian's memory. The name came to him. "Chiana."