Survivor 3: Conspiracies
By ISIS
Disclaimer and Notes: See pt 1
Aeryn awakened early the next morning to find herself warm and safe, cocooned in John's arms. When she had awakened him in the night to take over the watch, her teeth had been chattering despite the blanket she had draped over her shoulders. John had remedied the situation by climbing behind her and leaning back against the bed. He had then drawn her back against his chest and wrapped them both in a double layer of blankets. The extra blankets and their combined body heat had kept them warm throughout the night. When John felt Aeryn stir, he bent his head and pressed a quick kiss on her mouth. "Good morning," he whispered cheerfully, smiling down into her eyes.
Aeryn let herself relax back into his arms, loathe to leave his warm embrace. "Good morning, John," she said with a smile. Then she sighed and pulled herself out of his arms, shivering slightly in the chill.
John reached up and took her offered hand, moving stiffly. They stood staring at each other for a microt. Then John groaned."So what's on the agenda for today?"
"I think our first priority has to be to find a way off this deathtrap." She looked at him, her eyes serious. "Before any more of the Phageri attack. And before the next vote."
John nodded his agreement and turned towards the door. But Aeryn stopped him with a hand on his arm. "What?" he asked.
"You had better be seen leaving your own quarters, John. If the others suspect we're working together, they could band against us. Or vote against one of us."
John covered her hand with his and squeezed it, seeing the truth to her words. Then he climbed back through the hole in the wall and left his own room, meeting Aeryn in the corridor. He tried very hard not to look at her any more than at any of the others as they stumbled out of their quarters. Aeryn nodded curtly to him and to the rest of the contestants as they all stood eyeing each other suspiciously. She noted that the Nebari had fashioned a cloak for herself, presumably out of the dead Greshak's blanket. The Zenetan sported a Tavlek knife at her waist.
The last to arrive were the Scorvian and the Scarran. They openly exited the same room, the Scorvian with her clawed arms draped around the Scarran possessively. Urba laughed nastily at the expressions on the faces of the others. "What?" she snarled, her mandibles clicking ominously. "I got cold. Who better to warm you than a Scarran?" G'Maz laughed with her, a harsh barking sound, and leered at the others before heading off down the corridor. Aeryn looked at John then started after them.
"Who indeed?" a voice whispered in John's ear. He looked down to see the Nebari, Hedyona press herself against his side. "I got cold in the night too. I came to see if you wanted company but you weren't in your room. So whose bed did you warm last night, Human?" she asked with a smirk, then looked deliberately at Aeryn's back. "Fraternizing with the enemy, John Crichton?"
"I really think that is none of your business, Hedyona," John said, trying to keep his face neutral.
"Oh, but it is my business. I have no intention of becoming a meal for those disgusting eating machines. Vote with me tonight and I promise you I won't tell the others about your little tryst with Aeryn." The Nebari pressed herself against him once more. John grabbed her arms and pushed her roughly away, heading down the corridor after Aeryn and the Delvian who had moved to walk with her.
Aeryn felt the presence of the Delvian at her side but walked on, ignoring her. When Zenya put her blue hand on Aeryn's arm to slow her, she shook it off, spinning to face the mad priestess. "What do you want?" she demanded.
"Just to talk," the Delvian smirked.
Aeryn turned and headed off again down the corridor towards the relative safety of the central chamber with the others. "So talk!"
"I know who you are, PeaceKeeper. Or rather, ex-PeaceKeeper. How is Pa'u Zhaan?" The Delvian smiled as Aeryn paused in her step then continued on. "I recognise you from when you came to New Delvia. You and the Human." Aeryn slowed a bit. "I know about you and the Human. You're working together, aren't you?"
Aeryn finally stopped and faced the Delvian. "So what if we are, Zenya? G'Maz and Urba aren't hiding their relationship."
Zenya smiled unpleasantly. "Yes, but they didn't know each other before they got here. And they each know that one will turn on the other at the drop of a hat. As do we all." She paused, looking at the Sebacean with a glint of speculation in her red eyes. "But not so with you two. I remember how you were with each other on New Delvia. All of you on board Moya looked out for each other. You've even killed for each other if necessary, I hear. I remember the Human's loyalty to Zhaan, the risk he was willing to take." She smirked again. "Such selflessness has no place here -- unless I can use it to my advantage." Zenya grabbed Aeryn's arm again. "Vote with me. Work with me. I will help you both," she hissed, then released Aeryn's arm as the Sheyang and the Zenetan approached, eyeing the two females suspiciously.
Breakfast in the central chamber was a nervous affair. John and Aeryn kept a safe distance from each other. Hedyona noted it and smirked at John, sitting too close to him for his own comfort. Zenya looked deliberately from John to the seductive Nebari and back at Aeryn until the Sebacean was ready to smack the suggestive smile from the mad Delvian's face. The voluptuous Illonic glared at the Scorvian who sat close beside the Scarran, then she went over and began whispering to the hapless young Sheyang, pressing herself against the alien's rotund body, until John saw his eyes glaze over. Soon the pair were in deep discussion, casting occasional glances over at the Scorvian, who was growing angrier by the microt.
The sound of scurrying in the walls around them had the group on its feet, their petty machinations forgotten in the face of the common threat. They all stood, weapons drawn, waiting breathlessly for the Phageri to attack. When the sound died away, Aeryn slammed her pistol into its holster. "All right! I propose that we work together to find a way off this ship before those things kill us all!" she announced the the rest. Her sapphire gaze went from one to the other defiantly. John held his breath, waiting for a response, not daring to openly support her. Seeing his hesitation, the Nebari smiled triumphantly and slid her arms around him possessively.
The Scarran stalked over and faced her, letting his hot breath wash over her deliberately. "So, PeaceKeeper, you really do think you're in charge here!" he snarled and breathed on her again. Aeryn backed up instinctively to avoid the heat radiating from the creature. She looked away, trying to avoid his mind-controlling gaze. The Scarran smiled and breathed again, seeing her weaken.
John pushed the Nebari away roughly and leapt up to stand between the Scarran and the heat-sensitive Aeryn. He drew his gun and aimed right at the Scarran. "Back off, halitosis!" he cried. The Scorvian started forward but the others merely sat back and watched the drama unfold. The Scarran hesitated then stepped back with a snarl. John turned to face the rest of the group. "What Aeryn says is smart. We've got to get off this ship or we're all going to die. I'm beginning to seriously doubt whether there is a million credit prize to be had. Fulax lied to us about getting voted off. Maybe he lied about the money as well. I say we work together to save ourselves." He looked from one to the other, then turned his back on them to help a gasping Aeryn back to her seat at the table.
The others all sat in shock. It was clear that the possibility that they had been cheated in more ways than one had not occurred to them. John bent over Aeryn solicitously until she sat up, smiling at him weakly. The Scarran grunted at seeing her recover. The Scorvian bent towards him and hissed something into his ear urgently. Finally the Zenetan rose and spoke. "What you say has merit, Human. I agree that we should split up and search this ship to see if we can find a way off. Who is with me?"
The Scorvian stood up abruptly. "I will go with you, A'Nara," she announced. The Zenetan looked suddenly uncomfortable at the thought of being alone with the Scorvian. Zenya saw her hesitation and stated that she would go with the two females. Hedyona glared at John, who was clearly with Aeryn, then turned to Ramala, inviting the Illonic to join her. That left the Sheyang with G'Maz. The groups decided quickly what parts of the ship they would take then broke up, moving out into the bowels of the freighter with the ever present vidcams following.
***************
"So how are we going to find this frelling freighter?" Rygel demanded, between bites of his foodcube. The others had gathered in Command after a frustrating day spent running scan after scan of the multitude of ships and debris orbiting Adhafera. All to no avail. Chiana glanced at the chronometer which showed that the next installment of the show was due on in a mere half arn. She caught Zhaan's eye and the two shared a worried glance for their two shipmates, trapped on the freighter.
"Look, there isn't any more time. At least not before the next vote," D'Argo growled. "We'll just have to hope that John and Aeryn have been able to keep their heads down and haven't offended anyone." He caught the skeptical looks on the faces of his shipmates. "All right, I'm worried too."
Pilot's image suddenly appeared. "Excuse me, but I believe Moya and I may have a clue to locating this freighter." The others brightened at his words. Pilot replayed the opening credits of the day before's broadcast. In one of the images, the derelict freighter could be seen clearly. "Do you see that? The planet that the freighter is orbitting is not Adhafera." The others looked closely and saw a gas giant rather than the red continents and purple seas of Adhafera.
"You're right, Pilot!" Rygel declared. "So where is the freighter?"
Pilot showed them the charts of the two nearest systems. "There are no gas giants in the Adhafera system, but there is one in the Tri-Pallas system and two in the Gandalfan system."
"Can we narrow the search even further?" Zhaan asked hopefully.
"I'm afraid not," Pilot replied. "And we cannot scan them from here, not accurately. It will mean leaving orbit and travelling to the planets to search."
Zhaan stared at the charts and the captured image again. "Then we shall do it."
"After the broadcast," Rygel interrupted. The others looked at him in disgust. "Oh, stop looking at me like I'm some sort of Beelian Yard Rat. You want to know what has happened as much as I do. Besides, we may see other clues to narrow down our search."
Any objections the others had were drowned out by the beginning credits of the next episode. Zhaan bent her head and said a silent prayer to her goddess, echoed in the hearts if not the voices of her friends.
"Good evening, friends. Fulax here, with another exciting episode of Survivor." His hateful smile filled Moya's forward viewscreen. "Well, our players did not have a second encounter with the Phageri. However, conspiracies and plots abound, with alliances being formed, broken and reformed."
Moya's crew held their breath as the first segment showed the pairing of the Scorvian with the Scarran and the confrontation between Aeryn and the Scarran. The studio audience cheered when the Human pushed the clinging Nebari aside and leaped up to defend the beautiful PeaceKeeper.
"John is certainly popular with the audience," D'Argo commented.
"Was there ever any doubt he would be?" Chiana replied with a proud smile.
The vidcams followed the various groups as they split up to search the ship, each group frequently pausing in fear at the sounds of the Phageri streaming through the walls. After a commercial break, the show focussed on the fomenting plots. "She already voted against me because her people despise mine," Urba was saying to the Zenetan as they moved through the lower levels of the freighter cautiously, weapons drawn. The Delvian glanced back over her shoulder at them but said nothing.
"So what? It's no secret that Scorvians and Illonics are ancient enemies," A'Nara said dismissively.
"So what if she goes against you next? I believe the Zenetans often targetted Illonic shipping lanes." Urba moved closer to the Zenetan. "Why not get her before she gets you?"
A'Nara looked at the Scorvian blandly, but it was clear to the viewers that Urba's words were going a long way to convince the Zenetan to vote with her.
The screen switched back to Fulax who was nearly drooling with delight. A quick camera pan over the audience showed that they were rivetted. "Let's see what else Urba has up her devious sleeve, shall we?" The audience clapped enthusiastically.
The scene shifted to a shot outside the crew quarters. The Scorvian could be seen sneaking out of one of the rooms and into another, neither of which were the quarters she now openly shared with the Scarran. "What is she up to?" Fulax narrated. "Stay tuned to find out," he added as the screen faded out.
After the commercial, the vidcam showed the same corridor, the chronometer at the bottom of the screen indicating a time much later on the same day. The weary contestants filed slowly into their individual quarters after a futile search. Suddenly, there was a howl of rage and the Sheyang burst out of his room. "Someone has stolen my food supplies!" he shouted. "Who was it? Who was it?" he roared. He pushed his way into each room in turn, tossing through the occupant's belongings, despite their protests. Finally he cried in triumph, then turned and slammed the Illonic female up against the wall of her cell. "You filthy trelk! You stole my supplies! Weren't the ones you looted from Greshak enough?!"
Ramala struggled against the Sheyang frantically, her tentacles flying. "I didn't take them! Believe me, Bron! It wasn't me!" She fell to the floor, bruised and battered as John and Aeryn pulled the enraged Sheyang back. The Scorvian stood back, the camera catching the smug smile on her face. When the bell sounded calling the group to their next vote, Ramala's face paled in fear. "Please believe me! All of you! I didn't take the food!"
The contestants advanced slowly into the central chamber. The slot in the wall opened and their precounted sets of marbles appeared. Each of them took a bag until Aeryn suddenly threw hers down to the ground and faced the camera defiantly, her lips moving soundlessly, her refusal to vote obvious. John's hand hovered over his bag, then he too turned to face the camera mutinously The studio audience howled its disapproval. On board Moya, Zhaan covered her eyes in fear. Chiana moved closer to D'Argo for comfort.
Fulax smiled triumphantly. "I'm sorry, we still can't seem to hear you. However, I should remind you that failure to participate in a vote will result in death for all of you. So I suggest you pick up your marbles, Aeryn Sun, and get to your place." Aeryn glared at the camera for a microt more then picked up the bag from the floor and moved to her compartment. Each of the players dropped their marbles into the boxes with shaking hands, except the Scorvian who made no secret of the black marble she dropped into the Illonic female's box. When the last player moved into place, the boxes flew open. The Scarran had two black marbles, as did Aeryn. The Scorvian had one. The rest appeared in the Illonic's box. Somehow, the sound problem was repaired. Ramala's agonized scream drowned out Fulax's smug announcement. The others closed their eyes, unable to watch as the Illonic's compartment slammed shut and the Phageri flowed in. The studio audience screamed and clapped its approval as Fulax bid the viewers good night, promising more excitement the next night.
On board Moya, Pilot's face replaced the horrific images of the show. "Take us out of here to the Tri-Pallas system, Pilot," Zhaan said urgently.