"So you, um, eat people?" John looked over at the woman sitting across from him. She was dressed all in black. Just like the man in the bar. She smiled and nodded. Zelaya was beautiful, at least when she didn't open her mouth. The rows of pointed teeth erased the peacefulness of her face. "Why?" The question made her giggle. "Because they taste good." He backed up a little farther in his seat. "So, why haven't you eaten us?" She pushed a strand of dark wine colored hair off her face and revealed cold black eyes. "I'm not an animal. I can control my urges." She stood and walked back into the hanger. The other one was in there. The creature she had come aboard with. They were calling him Fred.

Kezia sat in the captain's chair and ignored the conversations going on behind him. "How have I come to this?" He wondered out loud. How had a royal spy of the highest rank come to share company with the strange creatures back there. John Crichton he could stomach. The human was as resourceful as the peacekeepers. And not half as annoying. The other two were the ones who had him worried. Fred, as Crichton had started calling him, was nothing but a child. He had no idea what was going on. The woman, Zelaya. Kezia was afraid to fall asleep with her on board. Her race was registered on the computer. The Ferrians had been wiped out over a hundred cycles ago. She was of the last ones alive. He shivered and tried to concentrate on the stars.

<<<<>>>>

Meryl strolled down the hall in a state of being she had never experienced before. She felt lighter than usual and her feet seemed to move almost rhythmically. She found herself humming one of the tunes that Tom enjoyed so much. A noise caught her attention. Someone was coming up ahead. She heard the Nebari's familiar voice and turned to duck out of sight. It was too late. Chiana spotted her and ran forward. "What are you so happy about?" Meryl smiled mischievously and said nothing. Refusing to give up, the younger woman followed close behind as she walked down the hall. "Come on , tell me."

D'Argo heard the two women bickering from far down the hall. He had been searching for Rygel for some time now without success. Apparently someone had stolen Aeryn's pulse pistol. There was only one person on Moya who sprung to mind. "Have you found him yet?" Aeryn's voice came in over the comm. She was angrier than usual. "I don't see what all the fuss is about. You have another one don't you?" She did not respond. Then Meryl and Chiana came into view. The peacekeeper was smiling broadly. "What are you so happy about?"

Zhaan had been sitting quietly inside her cell for some time now. She had sensed the pain only a short time ago. Her gifts allowed her to find the source, but apparently that person was fighting it. She heard footsteps outside and stood. "Aeryn, is that you?" The figure stopped and turned towards her. "Yes Zhaan. What is it?" She opened the door and stepped outside. "Do you know where the others are?" Aeryn shook her head with recognition. "Everyone but Rygel. He's been missing for a while now." The panic rose quickly inside Zhaan. "We must find him. Now!"

"You look well." Tom smiled back at Pilot with unusual enthusiasm. "Yes Pilot. I'm doing quite well thank you." He jumped up and sat on the console. The giant creature smiled back and returned to work. "Have you found Rygel yet?" The question brought a frown to Pilot's face. "Unfortunately no. He's turned off his comm and the DRD's can't locate him." Tom slipped off the console and walked towards the door. "I guess I should go help look." He waved goodbye and stepped out. Pilot watched him go with unease. "Innocent."

<<<<>>>>

"Hey Fred. How's it going?" The boy stopped his examination of the ship and looked up. "Is that my name? Fred?" John smiled and shook his head. "Sure." The other nodded and turned back. Fred sensed the human's eyes on his back. "Did you want something?" John, surprised by the directness of the question, thought quickly for something to say. "Why are you looking for Scorpius?" This made they boy turn around again. "I don't know. His voice, in my head, calling me." John almost laughed. "I know the feeling."

Zelaya slipped quietly into the cockpit and sat beside the Scarren. He noticed her immediately but said nothing. Her breath was very warm and its effect on his skin was pleasing. "Are you afraid of me?" He stiffened in his seat and stared forward. "No, I'm just cautious." She laughed at that and moved closer to him. "I knew a Scarren once. He was a very strong man." Kezia gulped involuntarily. "What was his name?" Zelaya moved backwards a bit. "I never got a chance to ask." He grabbed his shaking hand. The spy business didn't suit him anymore. "Why is that?" She smiled, revealing the hideous set of teeth. "He had to leave unexpectedly."

A beep on the radar forced them to end the awkward conversation. A ship was going to pass very close within a few moments. Kezia quickly pushed a series of buttons on the console and then waited. The space around them rippled and fluctuated. "What did you do?" He smiled proudly. "We are now invisible to their sensors." John passed through the door behind them and stepped inside. "What's going on?" Kezia hushed him and pointed out the window. A large peacekeeper vessel was passing by in front of them. "It's a prison transport for maximum security inmates." John nodded. "Our kind of people."

<<<<>>>>

Aeryn slammed on the doors to command to no avail. They weren't budging. "Pilot, can you open these doors?" While she waited for a response, Zhaan pressed her forehead against the wall. The obstruction melted away in her mind and she could see Rygel lying on the floor. His chest was secreting blood slowly. "Do you see something?" The two women looked at each other with concern. "Our little green friend is dying." Aeryn pounded on the doors again and shouted to Pilot. "I'm doing the best I can Officer Sun. The door seems to be locked from the inside."

Rygel heard the loud shouts from outside and tried to speak. All that came out was saliva and obscure sounds. He could not respond. The wound on his chest was getting worse and he could already feel the numbness setting in. Hynerions were built small but strong. He was not sure how long his body could last. Zhaan's thoughts entered into his mind where he could speak freely. "How do you feel Rygel?" Her soft words served to calm him. "I told you never to come in here." He could feel her pull away immediately. "No, don't go please!" Her presence returned. "We will be there soon."

Tom stared down the dark shaft with doubt. "Why am I doing this again?" D'Argo shook his head angrily. "This shaft drops down into command. I don't fit so you have to go." The younger man nodded without conviction and lowered himself in. "Wouldn't Chiana fit better?" D'Argo would not wait any longer. He grabbed Tom's head and shoved him in. He disappeared into the darkness but his shouts could be heard long after. The sound of something hitting the floor rose up seconds later. "See how easy that was." The Luxan stood and walked down to meet the others.

"I think I broke my ass." Tom opened his eyes and found himself staring up at the ceiling. The world seemed to spin for a moment before he regained his composure. Someone else lay close by. He half turned and saw Rygel lying still not too far from him. "Rygel are you alright?" The little head moved but no word came. He stood carefully and walked over to his fallen comrade. Tom touched the Hynerion's face and felt warmth. Rygel did not stir. "I thought you didn't like people touching you." One of the eyes opened slowly and looked up at him. "At this point....I couldn't care less." They both laughed and the small one coughed loudly.

The doors opened in front of Aeryn but she didn't flinch. Tom stepped out and allowed her and Zhaan to pass through and help Rygel. Zhaan bent over the ailing creature with infinite care. She pulled open her medical bag and pulled out some bandages. "I've had far too many patients lately." Her expression was grim. Rygel coughed again and tried to smile. She shook her head and smiled back. "Be brave. This is going to hurt." Tom and Aeryn watched her pour a clear anesthetic over the wound. "Oh you evil bitch! What have you done to me?" He cried out in pain several more times before calming down.

Meryl and Chiana heard the screams and came running. They arrived on the strange scene too late for the Hynerion's shouts of pain. He had passed out and was sleeping soundly. Zhaan lifted him up gently from the floor and carried him out. "He'll need to rest in the lab for a while." No one said anything as she passed. Meryl's blood boiled as she realized who had done it. Only one person could have. She raced down the hall and beat Zhaan to the lab. Sargas's body still lay covered on one of the beds. She pulled back the sheet and punched him in the face repeatedly. "I assure you my dear, he is dead." Zhaan restored the cover and ushered her out the door.

<<<<>>>>

John and Kezia stared out at the passing ship with minds racing. "It's an old model. The new ones can see right through my shield." John stepped closer and smiled. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" The Scarren stood and faced his partner. "A little practice never hurt anyone." Zelaya watched the two of them with growing amusement. She too understood the opportunity that had arisen. She stood and raced past them into the hanger. Fred was once again standing against the wall. His attention wrapped around another piece of machinery. He turned at her entrance. "What's going on?" Zelaya smiled. "Lunch."

Captain Powell, of the peacekeeper vessel Ingram, stormed out of his tiny office and raced towards engineering. He had been given this post just over two arns ago and it still hadn't grown on him. The quarters were dark and cramped. There were no technological advances evident on the Ingram. It had survived over thirty conflicts and now stood as a sign of peacekeeper might. The truth was that it was falling apart. The few inmates held within its walls could have easily escaped by now. The only reason they didn't was because any type of assault would probably blow the reactor and kill them all. That's why the latest report was strange. Something had hit the ship from outside. Something big.

Kezia navigated his ship over the Ingram with little care for the other ship's safety. More than once, the trademark spikes of a Scarren ship had scraped against the other vessel's hull. The two flew almost as one now. One right over the other. The other three were in the back now. John and Fred carried pulse rifles. "Here, take this." John tossed a pistol to Zelaya but she refused it. "I don't need that." She flashed her teeth and headed for the exit hatch. "I'll go in and check the layout. When I'm done, you three come in after me." Without another word, she pulled open the hatch and jumped down into the other ship.

Powell was just down the hall from engineering when he heard the sounds. Something was walking on the outside of the ship. He could hear the footsteps banging loudly against the hard exterior. The noises stopped by one of the hatches to his left. The wheel starting turning slowly and he raced back into one of the compartments nearby. He had just closed the airtight barrier before the door to space opened. "No one could survive in space for that long without a suit." Powell wondered if this was some sort of test. Looking through the porthole, he quickly realized that this was no test.

Zelaya floated into the old ship with mouth firmly shut. The space environment did not affect her body like other species. She shut the door quietly and headed down the hall. A lingering scent caught her attention. There was someone nearby. A Sebacean. Spotting the porthole, she moved over to investigate. Powell watched her come towards him with equal amounts of astonishment and dread. The woman was gorgeous, unlike few he had ever seen. Then she smiled and he could barely contain the screams.

<<<<>>>>

The two ex-peacekeepers sat across the table from each in silence. It was the first time that they had been truly alone together in some time and there were questions to be asked. Aeryn stared at her new shipmate with nervous energy running through her. Chiana had been whispering things in her ear that could no longer be ignored. Meryl sat quietly with that maddening smile on her face. Aeryn frowned and tried to form the question politely. "You slept with him?" Meryl nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, many times." This was incredibly confusing for Aeryn. John had never pushed it for obvious reasons. "It doesn't bother him that-." The younger woman waved off the question. "We've come to an understanding. Sex can be far more interesting than you and I ever realized." Aeryn choked on the food cube she was sucking.

<<<<>>>>

Powell fired his pulse rifle into the hatch and sent it flying against the other wall. Caught by surprise, Zelaya went with it and was knocked senseless for a moment. The energized peacekeeper ran away down the hall and into engineering. He was shocked to find it completely empty. The timer on the wall read notification of shift change. Powell turned back towards the monster woman and found her gone. He searched for some method of singling her out. A blue and red button on the wall caught his eye. Just as he pressed it, Zelaya appeared beside him and opened her mouth.

The entire ship was suddenly bathed in bright blue light. Kezia could see it pouring out of every window and porthole. He activated the comm. "What's going on down there?" There was no response. Zelaya looked down at herself and saw red. She was glowing red against the blue background. "Heat Sensors." The sound of boots hitting metal caught her attention. The new shift was coming in. "Kezia, do something quickly!" He responded immediately. "What?" She repeated the frantic demand. Not knowing what to do, he did the first thing that came to mind.

The officer on duty at the radar station was shocked to discover the Scarren ship floating right alongside them. Within seconds, he had pressed the alarm and sirens were blaring throughout the ship. Soldiers moved to their battle stations with exact coordination. Pulse fire erupted from the side turrets and sent Kezia's craft careening away. John and Fred picked themselves off the ground and raced to the cockpit. "What the hell is going on?" Kezia shrugged and pointed to the other ship. "They fired on us." John cursed to himself. "Well fire back!"

Zelaya slipped out into the hallway as covertly as possible and hid in one of the empty compartments. She felt the ship shudder several times. "Kezia, what are you doing?" His response came back through heavy static. "I fired back." Before she could say anything else, a loud explosion smashed the window beside her and sent everything flying sideways. Zelaya tasted blood in her mouth and gulped it down quickly. Something was wrong. Her feet weren't touching the ground anymore. A dead soldier floated serenely down the corridor as she looked on. "Idiot! You blew the gravity drives!" Kezia frowned and checked over the schematic he had pulled up of the enemy ship. "That thing really is old." She cursed him several more times before the signal went dead.

<<<<>>>>

Scorpius looked out the window of his gammek base and out into infinite darkness. The test was running again. Within moments, the familiar blue vortex would appear and hopefully not fragment into oblivion. "You may begin General." Chernov cursed the hybrid quietly and ordered the test. An urgent distress call cut him off in mid-sentence. "We are under attack! Scarrens!" The general quickly changed tactics and moved to answer the call. "General, we are in the middle of something." Scorpius's ice cold glare met his own angry one. "We can't just let them die." Scorpius ignored him. "Continue the test."

The wormhole formed gradually in front of them and held. Scorpius started lifting his hands in triumph, still half-expecting it to collapse at any second. One of the teks in front of him turned and smiled excitedly. "Sir, integrity is at one hundred percent and holding strongly. He relished this moment and could almost feel the warmth levels rising within him. The tek's face became suddenly grim. "What's wrong?" He was afraid of the answer. "Something is coming through sir. Its size is off the scales." Everyone in the room looked up into the wormhole and saw it. A blast hit the base and the front windows exploded.