Listen up cause this is important. The direction I'm taking this season allows me to follow the sci-fi format. The last four episodes will be consist of a three parter followed by the season finale. Needless to say, those four eps will have a lot of important stuff. So the four eps that precede them are of the set-up variety. They won't be as action packed or whatever. You understand

The Elephant Ep2.17: That Number Again

"I don't have time for this now Chiana." Aeryn jumped up into the neural cluster with a bag of instruments dangling off her shoulder. The command carrier would be there soon and she had to make sure nothing frelled up when Moya starbursted. The Nebari glared up at her and put her hands on her waist. "But you're the only one I can talk to about this." Aeryn lowered her head slightly. "I doubt that very much." A shower of sparks rained down as the ex-peacekeeper touched the wrong wire. "Frell!"

"It's D'Argo. He's got this crazy idea in his head." Chiana attempted to climb up beside her listener but was continuously blocked. Aeryn's boot came down and knocked her hands off the clusters. Finally gaining a perch, the younger woman came up under her. "He said no sex." This got Aeryn's attention for a moment. She dropped down and faced Chiana. "That does not sound like D'Argo." They both stepped off the platform and headed into the hallway. The Nebari trailed slightly behind as her companion put space between them.

Aeryn tapped her comm and waited for Pilot to reply. "Have you finished?" His nervous voice came back through the tiny device. They had all seen this situation come far too many times not to be worried. "Yes, everything checks out fine." Chiana circled around her and raised her hands. "D'Argo said he was willing to try again. But not like before. He wants to follow your example." A look of shock crossed the woman's face followed by a fit of laughter. "D'Argo said that?" Chiana nodded her head slowly. "Well, take what you can get."

Zhaan entered the hallway and interrupted their odd conversation. She headed straight for Aeryn with a concerned look on her face. "We must get out of here quickly. That ship brings death." The two blank stares from Chiana and Aeryn only served to anger her more. "I know how that sounds but you must believe me." A humming noise came from behind the little group. Rygel made his appearance in classic style. "I don't care what the frell she's talking about. Just get us out of here." He waited for a reply.

"I've been trying to contact the others. They seem to be preoccupied as well." Pilot ran his claws over the console with tremendous speed. His passengers wished to leave as quickly as possible. He had to make sure that could be arranged. Moya's voice crept into his mind again. "You're excited?" The creature was becoming annoyed faster than usual. "Yes, you did very well." Pilot forced her from his thoughts and concentrated on getting a message down to the planet. "Crichton, can you hear me?"

<<<<>>>>

John looked up into the sky as something big crossed the sun. It definitely wasn't Moya. "What's going on?" He turned to his worried companion. Rachel followed his gaze but did not know what she was looking at. The ship flying overhead was unlike anything she had ever seen. It looked nothing like the inviting leviathan. "Peacekeepers." Crichton jumped from the bench and yelled for the other two to notice him. She could only watch in astonishment. "This was a great idea Rachel. You should be proud."

The two of them stood together without speaking. Tom could feel her warm tears against his skin. Something terrible had happened in there. "Are you going to be ok?" Meryl looked up into his eyes and nodded slightly. "Eventually." Before either of them could say something, shouts came from behind. Both turned towards the sound. John was racing towards them with his arms up in the air. "Do you hear what he's saying?" Meryl shook her head. "I'm not sure I want to."

"Peacekeepers!" John shouted the words until his mouth began to burn. Thankfully, he had reached the pair by then. Fighting for breath, he collapsed on the ground with an angry look on his face. Meryl bent down over him. "What's wrong?" She looked up before he could say anything. "Peacekeepers?" Tom stared at her and then ran off to get his mother. The others went after him. "Mom! Get up. We have to leave now!" Running as fast as he could, the young human tried to keep from panicking. Then again, what was the point in that?"

Rachel stood as the group of three reached her. John and Meryl had their guns out and ready to fire. "How bad is this?" None of them bothered to answer her question. John pointed towards the transport pod. "Let's go." In an attempt at formation, Meryl led the two unarmed members of the team while Crichton took the rear. With her gun held out, she headed for the hatch. None of them saw the dark cloud that exited the command carrier overhead. The cluster of prowlers dove towards the planet's surface uncontested.

<<<<>>>>

Helen watched from her place beside the window as the fighters took off. "Madam High Counselor, there is another matter that needs your attention." General Lyle stood from his command chair and motioned towards the display screen. A leviathan had just come into view of the ship's scanners. "Is it one of ours?" He nodded and brought up the licence number. "It's listed as escaped with prisoners on board. The vessel has been the target of a search for some time now." Helen nodded slightly but said nothing. Her full attention was placed on the woman that waited below.

"Your order?" Lyle held his breath after saying the words. Angering a woman of her temperament was never a good idea. She turned to him and smiled. A look he had come to know well. "Let us conduct this business first. Then you may focus your attentions on the leviathan." The general nodded and took down the display. The prowler squadron came back up immediately. They were nearing the planet at that very moment. "Meryl, how long I've waited to see you again. This will be interesting. No matter what the outcome." No one heard her speak.

<<<<>>>>

Meryl neared the transport but stopped short of climbing aboard. Something was bothering her. An odd noise that sounded very familiar to her. "Prowlers." She turned to the others and raised her arms. "Get back-." The explosion threw her towards them before the words finished coming out. Tom, Rachel, and John dove to the ground as pieces of golden pod cut through the air as deadly weapons. The ex-captain brushed the dirt from her face and looked around. They were stranded.

"Over here!" Tom stood beside what appeared to be an abandoned building. He motioned for them to follow him inside. Rachel did as she was told without hesitation. The other two were not so quick to do so. Meryl walked over to John and helped him off the ground. "You actually think they won't look in there?" The man shrugged and pointed up towards the sky. "What choice do we have at this point?" She nodded and headed into the dark structure. The four of them entered and found a small closet against the wall. Bunching in together, they waited for something to happen. Rachel felt her heartbeat growing faster. "What now?"

The prowler pilot felt the ground as he lowered himself above it. He checked the various instrument panels and then pushed open the hatch. Sunlight poured in from the arid climate outside. With pulse rifle in hand, he exited and searched for the target. "I am at my designated position. No sightings yet." The comm device on his belt crackled as the message was transmitted back to the command carrier. "Find them. Do it quickly." The High Counselor's words were not comforting.

Four people in a confined space did little to calm their respective worries. Boots hitting ground could be heard through the paper-thin walls. It was coming from all sides. Soldiers would come bursting in soon with weapons aimed. "John, this is crazy. We can't just sit here." Meryl reached for her own gun but he knocked it away. "You do that and we all die. Wait." Reluctantly she nodded. The other two people beside them said nothing. Tom and Rachel were not trained for this. They kept silent.

<<<<>>>>

"Madam High Counselor, we're receiving a message from the Velorion." The nervous tek pulled the transmission printout and handed it to her. Helen read the paper over and frowned. Some sort of unidentified object had been sighted close by. "Any visuals yet?" He shook his head. "Nothing direct. Long-range scanners are ineffective." She growled and crumpled the sheet up in her fist. The last thing needed now was a distraction. "We'll deal with it later." Lyle looked up from his chair at the words. He would never say this out loud, but the woman's judgement was impaired.

"Do you have something to say?" The general's expression gave away more than he had realized. Helen walked over to him and placed a gloved hand on his shoulder. "No Madam. I have nothing to say." She smiled at him as an awkward thought entered her mind. If Sil were here, the girl would have much to say. "I won't chastise you General. Speak bluntly." Lyle swallowed involuntarily. "Perhaps we should investigate the new problem." The gun was out before he even realized it. It's cold metal edge smashed into his cheek. "Forgive me, I slipped."

<<<<>>>>

Aeryn ran into the den and looked into the worried eyes of her friend. Pilot shook his head sadly and pointed to the display he had brought up. In it, peacekeeper ships were descending quickly towards the planet. There were dozens of them with one common factor. No one was firing. "Have you gotten through to them yet?" Pilot shook his head again. "I've been sending out a repeating message since the carrier arrived. Commander Crichton has not answered it." She wiped a bead of sweat off her forehead and nodded. There had to be something she could do. "No, there isn't." The creature had read her mind.

"Any news?" D'Argo stepped into the hallway and found his Hynerion crew-mate floating nearby. Rygel growled as he passed by the much larger man. "Nothing from the surface. Nothing from the peacekeepers." The Luxan returned the gesture and then sighed. Situations like had become normal for him at this point. Yet the feeling of despair never went away. "Has Aeryn left yet?" Just as the words left his mouth, a comm went off. "You know me too well D'Argo. I'm still here." Aeryn's voice sounded even worse than his.

Chiana and Zhaan entered command and moved over towards the window. The ships passing by were of little concern to the Delvian. She was only trying to keep busy. Disturbing images of death and destruction passed through her head. A priestess wasn't made to see such things. "You ok Zhaan?" The Nebari looked her over with due concern. They were a family and that meant looking out for each other. "I'm fine child. Just keep your mind on the situation at hand." Chiana wasn't so sure but there would be no further discussion. She glanced out the window again. The view was terrifying.

<<<<>>>>

The footprints had been there all along. Right under their noses. An officer, brought down by one of the prowler pilots, spotted them and grinned. This would be easier than he thought. "Hey, anyone want to give me a hand here?" He looked up and realized that his group had already moved on. He was on his own. Kicking in the door, the officer entered the dark building and raised his gun. "Come out now and you won't be shot." Not a sound came from the area ahead. This would have to be done the hard way.

Tom heard the shout and tensed up. This had been his idea and now was too late to fix it. The faces of his companions registered the same fears. "Sorry." Meryl and John both turned towards him and raised a finger to their lips. Any noise would give away their positions instantly. Loud coughs could be heard from right outside the door. The soldier was only a few steps from finding them. Feeling a familiar burst of courage, Tom pushed himself forward. Meryl saw what he was doing and grabbed his shoulder. "Don't." He turned his head slightly. "Trust me, I've done this before."

The officer heard the words and turned directly to the closet door. It moved back and forth a few times before stopping. Then a man's head stuck out and looked at him. A pair of arms came next. "I surrender." Tom watched the soldier nervously for any signs of attack. There were none that he could see. The officer nodded and motioned for him to come out completely. "Keep your hands where I can see them." Tom obeyed every command. "Officer Bale to base. Can I get a description of the subject please?" The human had not expected this. "Female, black hair, green eyes-." That was more than enough.

<<<<>>>>

"What do you mean she wasn't there?" Helen stared into the man's watery eyes and sneered. Her straight, white teeth practically glowed in the brightness of the room. He tried to look away but she wouldn't let him. "We found some local merchants and a male visitor. He had no identification." The last part of his report interested her. She turned to Lyle and raised her hands. The General nodded his head. "Yes, the initial incident involved a young male. Classified as Human, I believe." Perhaps something had been salvaged from this after all.

Officer Bale worked up his courage and began to open his mouth again. She smiled and turned back to look him in the eyes. "Was there something else?" He nodded excitedly. "The man, he gave up a number when I questioned him. No name, but a number." This did not sound strange to Helen. Peacekeeper prisoners were often given id codes. "What?" Bale gulped before continuing. He might live through this after all. "0377, Madam." High Counselor Raynor's smile widened. "We have a lead."

Lyle walked up beside the two of them and interrupted. "Forgive me Madam, but the other situation." Without even turning her head, she spoke. "We are leaving now. Some prowlers may stay and deal with the leviathan. Meryl will come after this man. I want to be ready when she does." Helen put an arm around Officer Bale and led him out of the command center. There were things to prepare for. Lyle looked back to the crew. "You heard her, launch the fighters."

<<<<>>>>

Aeryn guided the transport pod safely back into Moya's giant outer hangar. Pilot had come through on the comm to warn her moments before. The command carrier was leaving but it wasn't taking all its ships with it. A group of prowlers were already moving towards them. "I'm almost there. Prepare starburst." Meryl stepped up beside her in an angry rush. "What do mean, prepare starburst? We can't leave him." The ex-peacekeeper looked the ex-captain in the eyes with understanding. "There is nothing we can do now. We'll figure something out on board." The words did not do much good.

D'Argo was waiting for them when the golden ship landed. Pilot had warned him and the others about the incoming prowlers. "Alright Pilot, they're inside." The outer hangar doors closed tightly as streams of blue and white light spread throughout the exterior. John stepped out of the pod and walked up to the Luxan. "Man, I hate meeting like this." D'Argo nodded somberly and looked over at Meryl. "That human of hers, I can't decide. Is he the bravest or the stupidest creature I have ever met." John grinned. "I think a little of both."

Pilot saw the shots before anyone else on Moya. Prowlers had already entered the space around them and began firing. The ship rocked violently as bursts hit along the upper areas. "Aeryn, Crichton, we have a problem." The screen in front of him went dead. Pilot repeated his message several times before they answered. "This is John, what's up?" The creature sighed. "Starburst is offline." The obscenities that came through were not encouraging.

<<<<>>>>

Tom felt as if he was spiraling down into an infinite abyss. His body was weightless and almost floating. Whatever they had given him, it was wonderful. "Wake up 0377. You have a visitor." The number and an unidentified injection knocked him back into reality. He looked up and saw a woman sitting across from him. Her face looked very familiar to him. "Do you know who I am?" Her voice sounded familiar too. "Frell." That was all he could manage as the realization came into his mind. Helen smiled. "I thought so."