The Elephant Season 3: Eight Directions
Ep3.1: Nightfall

The only sound she could hear was the dripping of water from a distant ceiling above. Rachel ignored the cave's structure and focused on the object before her. She had been staring at the body for what seemed like days now. Her son's lover lay cold and dead on the slab of rock. Meryl's face sat in a simple gaze upward. The eyes frozen and unnerving. At the older woman's request, the monks had all left and given her time to ingest the past day's events. Rachel still couldn't quite hold on to a coherent thought. They all seemed to fly past her in a blur. The only memory she remembered came back hazily. Taking her son's child and carrying it to Moya.

"Mrs. Wells?" The question startled her terribly. There was something strange about it that she couldn't quite pinpoint. "How do you know that name?" Suddenly the world switched around on her and she was no longer in the damp cave. A long room with sad grey walls stretched out in front of her. Bright white lights blinded her eyes and forced her to take a step back. Rachel still recognized this place. "Mrs. Wells? Are you ready?" She looked down and saw that the body was still there. But it wasn't out in the open anymore. A black bag sat on the table with a human figure tucked inside. "Yes, go ahead."

The man looked far younger than she. His suit hung limply on his thin shoulders. The blue and red emblem read, "International Airlines." Rachel couldn't for the life of her remember his name. He nodded slightly and moved to unzip the bag. "Is it going to be bad?" She didn't need to wait for the answer. The sound of a zipper riding noisily down its path made her shiver. She hadn't seen him since the day before. Her husband had finished packing the suitcase and quickly run out the door. "You'll miss your flight." Rachel mouthed the words now as his twisted form was revealed. "Oh God."

As the supervisor watched on uncomfortably, she broke down for the first time. Kneeling down slowly, Rachel laid her head softly on the man's cold stomach. His tattered shirt, the only thing blocking her skin from the carnage. "It's him." She could remember now that he had always been warm. The feeling of his hands on her shoulders. The tears flowed without restraint. A deep pain filled her stomach and then the scene disappeared. Meryl's face replaced that of her husband's. The still eyes holding a familiar expression. "Damn you both!" She repeated the curse several times. "Now I have to fix it all again."

<<<<>>>>

Aeryn couldn't get to sleep after all that had happened in the past few hours. Death and violence she was used to. But this constant waiting and mourning took time to adjust to. John was much better at that than she was. He lay in the temple now, his mouth slightly gaping open on the hard bench. She had taken the first opportunity to get out of there. That feeling of claustrophobia had returned tenfold. Aeryn had forced it to. Her relationship with John Crichton couldn't be set aside. But they were going into battle soon. She would have to be able to separate the two sides. "Does my home make you uncomfortable?" Kahaynu stepped out of the shadows and frowned.

They had called him the deity at first. The word hadn't gone over well with either side. He didn't want what came along with it and Moya's crew did not deal well with authority figures. Zhaan had corrected them soon after. "Have you decided yet?" Aeryn cut through any small talk he might have in mind. It was important for her to be informed. Kahaynu smiled and shook his head. "You are the warrior? Aeryn Sun?" At that moment, the ex-peacekeeper felt a pang inside for being defined as such. She wasn't sure she wanted it anymore.

"I am. But I asked you a question." The man nodded solemnly and motioned for her to follow him. Aeryn didn't know what else to do. They moved quickly out of the temple's enclosure and walked into the open air. Greys and whites painted the landscape on all sides. A layer of clouds blocked out the space above. Kahaynu pointed up towards it. "I understand that you believe your mission is important. That you all feel obligated to stop those things." Just as he spoke, a brown ship flew above the canopy. Its outline barely visible. "Then why not help us?" Aeryn was already a step ahead of him.

"Our mission here is important too. Creating these ships is my race's gift to the universe. Life forms of peace and hospitality not war. If allowed to help you, they would lose that." The two of them were eye to eye now. Aeryn saw the odd movements in his face. She could remember enough of her training to know that he was keeping something back. "You used that line before. With Zhaan. What else?" Kahaynu became nervous for a second before composing himself. "That ship up there can pass through anytime it wants. It saw what happened to the peacekeepers and has kept away. But it doesn't always work like that."

<<<<>>>>

Whittling. Tom had never learned how to do it properly. Something about cutting away at a wooden stick with a tiny knife didn't seem worth the effort. But nevertheless, here he was doing it better than expected. The day had pressed on and the clouds above had begun to darken. He didn't really notice it at first. Then again, he hadn't really been noticing anything lately. Too many jumbled thoughts in his head to turn outward. They wouldn't let him go that easily. "Do you always think like that?" The human recognized a child's voice. Kithara stepped up beside him and frowned. "Like what?"

They boy shrugged the question off and sat down. Looking out over the scenery that he saw every day, they both remained quiet and took it in. That never lasted very long though. "What do you suppose it feels like to be dead?" Tom didn't really feel like talking. A laughable thought anyway. It seemed that he really did even when he said he didn't. "I always thought it would be peaceful. Like floating in a pool of water and looking up at the sky." Kithara smiled at his own use of dramatic language and rubbed his toes together. The sensation made him feel good. "Seriously?"

It felt good to be distracted. If even for just a moment. Tom could still picture the scene perfectly in his head. The figure stepping slowly out of the darkness. "Should they try and save the baby?" There had been no feeling anywhere in his body, as if someone had come along and shut it off. "Uh-huh." That was all that he had been able to manage. His mother had grabbed him then. Like the times when had been just a small boy. Her embrace choking the life out of him while miraculously draining the pain. It didn't work that way anymore. "I'm going to go for a walk." With those words, Tom had left the temple and stepped outside.

Kithara listened to the human's growing despair with heavy sadness. His own design allowed him to feel more than one should. Such had been the case with the Pau. This was much different though. Zhaan was a wise and capable woman struggling with her emotions. This one was just a boy inside. Physically older but vastly younger in mentality. "Say something!" Surprised, they boy turned to face Tom. "What?" Tom shook his head and rubbed a spot of moisture from underneath his eyes. "Do you hear that?"

<<<<>>>>

The glass exterior of the machine was a sharp contrast to the temperature inside. Tom's limp face was plastered against it. The cold surface numbed his face but could not wake him from sleep. That was resolved differently. "Should I wake him?" Zhaan's worried voice broke through the haze and registered only slightly with him. A piercing siren was blasting alongside his ear. "He might not get another chance." A set of footsteps sounded out the door leaving the Delvian alone with him. "Tom, wake up. There's been a complication."

Zhaan could not predict what a child born of human and Sebacean lineage would be like. She had personally carried the infant from the monk's outstretched hands to the device where it now resided. "By the goddess, you are beautiful." The little girl's father had been unable to speak. He stood as if the air itself was heavy enough to lift him. John and D'Argo stood on both sides. Ready to catch him if he should fall. Looking into his eyes then, she'd realized that he already had.

Warning signs were flashing all over the incubator. The machine had been loaded into Zhaan's lab and prepared to hold a newborn baby. It only seemed right for it to be born on Moya. "What's happening?" Tom was still groggy from his sleep. The double-vision wasn't helping much either. He noticed something immediately though. "Why isn't she moving?" His companion did not answer at first. She pulled open the lid and checked for a pulse. Zhaan applied every technique she knew. Unfortunately, she didn't know that many. "It's not working."

Tom sank to the floor and covered his face with his hands. He cursed himself for putting so much hope into a lost cause. The monks had insisted that it wouldn't work. His friends had been stubborn for him then. But they had been wrong. "I'm so sorry Tom." Zhaan could hardly get the words out herself. She had suffered loss before but this she could not imagine. Too much for Tom to handle, she thought. "Did the two of you choose a name?" The human turned to her and shook his head slowly. "Not yet."

<<<<>>>>

He could smell her. Rygel had grown used to the awful stenches of his fellow crew mates. Now they blended together evenly into a nauseating wave. No, this smell was different. One he couldn't pick up automatically. "Who's in here?" Floating onto the terrace, he looked from one corner to the other. "You there! What are you doing?" The Ferrian glanced up at him through narrowed eyes and snarled. Zelaya didn't seem to be in the mood for visitors. "Go away Rygel. This is private." The idea of something secretive going on only intrigued him further. The Hynerion stepped forward cautiously. "I've been on Moya longer. You don't order me around."

Her teeth were beside his neck in less than a microt. The confused dominar had not even seen her move. "Unless you want very unpleasant things to happen, I suggest you leave." Looking into her eyes then, Rygel noticed something different from before. There had always been an animosity in this one that amused him. Now there was nothing. Neither warmth nor cold. They looked like dead eyes to him. "Fine! Have your frelling privacy." He turned his throne around and sped off the terrace.

Zelaya dropped to the ground and lowered her face into her hands. She hadn't wanted to hurt the Hynerion. Even at his most annoying, she didn't hate him. But something was calling her to be alone. The terrace was just high enough on Moya for her to see far off into the distance. Some of the low-flying clouds shielded her view from above and created a grayish glow. "Enough! I'm tired of listening to this dren day and night." The Ferrian's mouth dropped open in astonishment as he stepped out of the shadows. Kezia's giant form looked impossible to conceal. He had been trained well in life and death. "Have you come for me?"

The dead Scarren looked down at the pathetic creature before him and smiled. "You don't sound surprised." She looked upwards and their eyes met. "This place plays tricks on people. I expect to wake up soon." Both of them knew she was lying. Kezia kneeled and lifted her up. They stood face to face for several microts without speaking. "You should have waited. I was coming to you." There was a look of uncertainty on Zelaya's face as she spoke. "What did I ever do to earn your devotion? We worked together for a short while."

"You were more than a co-worker to me, Kezia. I cared about you." She closed her mouth and waited patiently for a reply. The Scarren seemed dumbfounded. The surprise quickly turned to anger. "You're still that silly girl. Even beneath this mask." He grabbed her shoulders and pushed her against the wall. "Nothing to hold onto. So you made a saint out of me?" Kezia raised his hand but no force came out. He had momentarily forgotten. "You're wrong. There was something. Even if you didn't feel the same way." Zelaya wriggled free from his grasp and fell to the floor. The look of disgust on his face pained her.

Kezia looked around wildly. He had never seen a place like this before. Something about it had brought him here. Nevertheless, forces were now drawing him back. "Forget about me. Find someone else to idolize." She watched him fade out slowly. The feeling she had been carrying with her all this time, the only feeling, was replaced by something darker. Anger so hot it burned inside. Zelaya looked up into the cloud cover and spotted a Regulator vessel passing by. She did indeed have something else to live for. "When I'm done, you and I will finish this conversation."

<<<<>>>>

The first rumblings of consciousness were stirring inside the heavy Luxan. He lay quietly on the stone steps of the temple. A cold pain in his back finally did the job. D'Argo opened his eyes slowly and found them blurry. Strangely, he felt saddened by his lazy actions. A warrior was trained to sleep only partly. One must always be ready to rise for battle. But here he was, tired and worn out from the past day's events. Just a man with his big sword and tendency towards growling. "Chiana?" D'Argo felt the absence of her in his arms. The young Nebari must have slipped away while he slept.

Chiana's eyes widened as she spotted the man in black for a second time. She was sure of it now. He was a peacekeeper. "What the frell?" That was all she could muster right now. Her head still groggy with sad thoughts. There was still one thing she couldn't figure though. How had one of those bastards gotten on the planet. The clouds above were supposed to block out any intruders. "Alright Chi, just calm down and assess the situation." Her mouth twisted into a smirk. She turned to look at the sleeping Luxan behind her. "I'm even talking like em now." Chiana stepped forward into the light.

Once his eyes got accustomed to the dark lighting, D'Argo was able to make out the room's layout. Something was moving up ahead. "Who's there?" The figure didn't answer. It did not take very long for him to realize who it was. Not many people walked the way Chiana did. He had noticed that since the first time they met. "Chiana, wait!" Her slender figure stopped in the doorway's bright glow and turned around. A look of apprehension was on her face. "D'Argo, we've got a problem."

John Crichton shivered and pulled the leather coat tighter around his body. This damn planet was frelling cold. "Aeryn?" Of course, she wasn't there. He had figured that. Officer Sun wasn't one to lay around in bed all day. She was probably off doing reconnaissance or something. John scolded himself for that momentary feeling of doubt. He had lived with that for far too long in the old days. Things were different now and he needed them to stay that way. "That's my g-." Before he could finish mouthing the words, a pair of strong hands grabbed him. D'Argo's furry face obstructed his view. "John, get up now."

Chiana couldn't wait for her male protectors to get back. She moved stealthily into the hall and lifted the pulse rifle that D'Argo had left her. Any baddies that came out would get blasted. Despite her commanding appearance, the Nebari was trembling slightly. She'd killed a few people in her lifetime and it was always bad. Never got easier. Of course, she wouldn't admit that. "Come out with your hands up." Chiana scowled. The words sounded so stupid out loud. "I'm unarmed. Please don't fire." The plea startled her. Peacekeepers didn't give up that easily. It had to be a trap. Up ahead, the man in black stepped into the hall.

"Are you sure she saw a peacekeeper?" John pulled out his pulse pistol and followed D'Argo out of the temple. The Luxan mumbled something under his breath and then turned around. "If Chiana says there is." Crichton shrugged. "So is that a yes or a no?" The humor was lost on his companion. They continued into the hallway.

"I know how this looks." The man in black lifted his hands slowly and nodded his head. He never took his eyes off the rifle. "What? That you're a peacekeeper? That you've come to kill us?" Chiana wasn't used to this approach. She kept watching for the others. "I'm not a peacekeeper. I'm not even Sebacean." He kept his hands up and took a step forward. He motioned downward as if to show that he wasn't carrying any weapons. "So what are you? Human? We've been finding more of them lately." The man looked confused for a second before shaking his head. "No, not human. If you'll just let me explain-."

The great Crichton and D'Argo came upon the scene with guns drawn and ready to fire. John saw Chiana's raised weapon and did the same. "Chiana! What's going on? Who is this-?" The big Luxan beside him ran forward and slid his Qualta blade into a fighting position. Startled, the man in black lowered his arms. That was all they needed. "John wait!" Chiana's pleas were drowned out by the gunfire. A smoky haze settled over the area.

<<<<>>>>

"Did you hear that?" Aeryn turned away from the deity and struggled to get a better view of the temple. They were far enough away from it now to lose it in the fog. Kahaynu whispered something before going silent. He had been afraid of this. The warrior in Aeryn assessed the situation quickly. She realized something now. The frelling builder had been leading her away from the temple! Loud pops filled her ears and bright flashes could be seen in the distance. Kahaynu took a step back but he was too late. "Tell me what the frell is going on!" Aeryn pulled the pk knife out from under her vest and held it to his neck. "Now!"

"My brethren, the ones I had to discuss your proposal with, they voted against it." The ex-peacekeeper froze for a moment. The cowardly look in the deity's eyes only made her angrier. "So what are they going to do?" Kahaynu swallowed involuntarily and looked past her at the temple. "They're going to take Moya away from you." Aeryn dropped him and started running back towards the building. She reached for her gun and remembered. It was on Moya. "John!"

<<<<>>>>

"Did you mean that?" Rachel lifted her head from the young woman's stomach and looked up. She was too far beneath the temple to hear any of what was going on. All she saw was the little man dressed in a heavy cloak. One of the monks she had sent away. "I'm a mother. Of course I meant it." This seemed enough for the monk. He walked over to her and held out his hand. The woman didn't understand. There were so many things she didn't understand. It was too tiring to worry about now. Rachel took his hand and stood up.

"Are you willing to take this as far as it can go?" The question seemed silly and repetitive to her. Rachel just wanted to hear what he had to say. The monk waited patiently for her reply. "Yes, yes, yes. I told you." He nodded solemnly and pointed towards a hole in the cave wall that led farther downward. Rachel looked at him and then at the opening. A soft grey glow emanated from somewhere inside. She clenched her fists and took a step forward. "Now what?"

<<<<>>>>

Off to the side of the temple, Moya hovered just slightly over the planet's rocky surface. Her currents passengers oblivious to what was going on outside. Pilot sat quietly at his control panel and watched with confusion as his outer scanners shut off one by one. "Moya, what's wrong? I can't see outside." The normally talkative ship wouldn't answer his calls. This didn't bother the creature all that much. It probably had something to do with the planet's atmosphere or something. He was concentrating on the human in front of him.

Tom sat on the walkway that ran from the door to Pilot's den. His legs hung limply over the edge. The darkness below was more than a little frightening for the human. He had never been afraid of heights but this chasm was a bit daunting. There were plenty of other things to think about though. "Do you know what this is, Pilot?" The multi-armed creature looked up and spotted the pulse pistol in his hands. "Yes, but I suspect it has some deeper meaning for you." Tom smiled and nodded his head. "You're right."

He held up the pistol and let light from the room reflect on its cold metal surface. "This is the gun I used to kill her." Pilot didn't understand. The others had told him that Meryl had been killed by peacekeeper soldiers. "I thought-." Tom waived the question off. "I know. But it's still my fault. I should have just let the bitch shoot me. Meryl might still be alive." Pilot didn't know how to respond to that. With few exceptions, the crew of Moya had never really come to him for comfort. This human seemed to be begging for it.

"It gets easier." The words were out of Pilot's mouth before he even knew what they were supposed to mean. He waited expectantly for Tom to reply. The human looked him in the eye and shook his head. "How can I? This place, this ship. It seems like there's always some terrible tragedy waiting to happen. I can't live like that." The two of them sat quietly for a short time. Neither wanting to speak but both grasping for something to say. "John, the others. They keep telling me that I'll adapt. This is a violent universe and all that crap." Pilot knew what he was talking about. "Well, I don't want to adapt." Tom stood and dropped the pulse pistol over the side. "I can't." Pilot nodded and closed his eyes. He heard no more words from Tom and was thankful. The grief he was feeling was already too much to handle. Especially with Moya's pain compounding on his own. "Pilot? He opened his eyes and found Zhaan standing where Tom had been. The human was no longer there. "Yes? Hello Zhaan. I'm sorry. I'm just not feeling very well." The Delvian frowned. "I don't any of us are feeling very well right now." She looked around the den. "Have you seen Tom?" Pilot's eyes widened. "You mean he wasn't here a moment ago?" Zhaan shook her head. "I haven't seen him since the baby..."

Chapter 2