It had been six days since the pointless battle against the incoming peacekeeper convoy. The warship had stayed in the area hoping to get word from Kezia that the task had been completed. When nothing happened, General Quelnor ordered his crew to set course for the home world and forget this had ever occurred. He sat peacefully at his desk now, going over important documents left unattended. The sound of heavy feet broke his concentration and announced the visitor's arrival. One of his aides was at the door. "Sir, we have captured someone trying to enter the ship undetected." Quelnor waved the man away. "Why should I concern myself with this?" The aid stepped aside and allowed the prisoner to enter. "She says you know her sir." Zelaya grinned through the muzzle they had placed on her.

She tried her best not to reach across the table and rip his throat out. The Scarren general had taken off her restraints and ushered the confused aid out. "He's dead then?" Quelnor shook his head in disgust. "Incompetent as always." Zelaya lost it. She leapt up and got halfway there before he turned and knocked her down. He raised his hand and the familiar force flowed out and held her in place. "You Ferrians are so volatile. It's no wonder there aren't more of you around." She said nothing. "I will let you go. Unless you have something else to say?" Zelaya stood up and pulled a photograph from under her clothes.

"It's not possible!" He stared down at the photo before him and all breath left his lungs. It was distorted and unclear but one thing was certain. The man lying dead in the picture was Scorpius. Quelnor looked up at the Ferrian and smiled. "He did this?" She nodded. "With help." He rose from his chair and looked out into space. "When command hears of this..." Zelaya cleared her throat. "You will give Kezia the recognition he is due?" He laughed and nodded in agreement. "Kezia will go down in history for this." That was all she needed to hear. Without another word, Zelaya turned and left the room. She was allowed safe passage back to her ship. An odd looking contraption with the symbol IASA on the side.

Crichton looked up at her as she pulled back the hatch and jumped into the back seat. "Did it work?" Zelaya nodded happily and motioned for him to start the engines. "You don't think it was a mistake? Lying to a Scarren general?" He considered the question for a moment while looking down at his holstered pulse pistol. "Very soon, it won't matter."

<<<<>>>>

10 Days Later

The planet came into view just shortly after the first of them had woken up for another day. Moya had been peaceful and quiet since the day of the attack. Those who usually stirred up trouble felt no strength to do so. The newest member of the crew had been given the chance to settle in without incident. Despite her frightening qualities, she spent most of her time in a cell alone. When Zelaya did venture out into the ship, she was never more than a few feet from John. Pilot saw it before the rest of them but did not say a word. The shouts would come soon

John rose quickly from bed and started pulling on his close. He looked back at the sleeping Aeryn and smiled. She lay fully clothed above the covers with a slight frown spread across her lips. The tough soldier had not left his side since that day. Aeryn was taking care of him. It felt good to say that. The comm went on and he immediately left the room. There was no need to wake her just yet. "What is it Pilot?" The answer came back quickly. "Moya has reached the planet Crichton. We should be in orbit in a quarter of an arn." John shook his head. Time to go to work again. "Thanks Pilot."

Meryl had awakened earlier than usual and left her companion asleep in bed. She had taken the opportunity to walk the halls of Moya without any distractions. It was becoming a ritual with her. One to give her calm before another unpredictable day. But there was something different about it today. As she passed the kitchen, a lone plate sat conspicuously on the table. Untouched food cubes adorned it. Meryl stepped inside and put the plate away. Footsteps could be heard running down the hall. She turned to see a wave of hair turning the corner.

<<<<>>>>

Scorpius tasted dirt in his mouth and spit it out in disgust. "How have I come to this?" He whispered the words to no one in particular and shifted in his uncomfortable seat. He had lost count of the days early on and that only made the waiting worse. The Nyid had dropped him in this hole and apparently forgotten about it. Wooden planks above his head blocked the sun and allowed only tiny slits of light to permeate through. There was a rustling sound from up there and his eyes were suddenly blasted with sunlight. "How are we this morning?" Bob smiled down at him. "Frell you."

"No, not today I'm afraid." Bob disappeared for a moment before coming back with a large bag of ice cubes. He poured them into the small hole allowing a few to cascade over the hybrid's head. "I'll never tell you the sequence." The Nyid continued to smile without a hint of worry. This had the opposite reaction on Scorpius. Why was he so confident. The cooling effects of the ice served to calm him a bit. He leaned his head back against the wall and closed his eyes.

<<<<>>>>

The decision of who was to stay aboard or go down to the planet was always a difficult one on this ship. No one liked being left behind. It was finally decided that John, Aeryn, and Zelaya would go. Better to keep the risk to a minimum. After much deliberation, Tom managed to get himself on the pod as well. "I've spent time with Bob. I can help you." It had worked and now the four of them were speeding down towards the Nyid's home world. For such an enormous planet, it sustained very little life. The result of a cataclysmic attack by strange forces hundreds of cycles ago.

There were no major cities to speak of. Only small towns connected by long rambling trails that crossed through the remaining forests and mountains. The pod landed quietly outside one of these and its passengers climbed out. John looked around the place. "Like a needle in a haystack." Tom smiled back at him, happy to hear an old earth expression. "We're not that lucky." Bob could be anywhere in the universe for all they knew. It seemed logical to start with his home.

The marketplace was crowded and the shouts of merchants bargaining could be heard everywhere. Reluctantly, Zelaya agreed to ask around with Tom while the other two went off in a different direction. She glared over at the younger human and scowled. He lacked the only redeeming qualities that Crichton had. Stuck on a manhunt with a writer! She shook her head and followed him into the fray. Tom knew the woman behind him wasn't very pleased. He tried to ignore her pointed looks and focused on the task at hand.

<<<<>>>>

Bob put the finishing touches on the device and stood back. He had been collecting the parts secretly every time a chance had presented itself. It held nowhere near the power that Scorpius's aurora chair had, but the substitute would have to do. He looked over at the hole and shook his head. The hybrid had not cried out once since his abduction. Nothing less should have been expected. He walked over and kicked the cover away with his foot. "You're going to kill me when this is over aren't you?" Bob would have preferred not to answer that question. Unfortunately, he was obligated to do so. "Yes, I think so."

<<<<>>>>

Sam had spotted the two odd looking people in the marketplace immediately. They had left the even stranger looking pod on the other side of town. He was burning up inside with anticipation. His master, Joel, had not permitted him to leave the post just yet. He would have to wait until the older man wasn't looking. "Can I help you sir?" Joel was distracted by a customer and Sam seized the opportunity. He ran out into the crowd and towards them.

"You looking for someone?" Aeryn ignored the little boy and kept on walking. "We don't want to buy anything." John tried a more gentle approach. The boy shook his head and laughed. "I don't sell anything. Just wanted to help you out." John considered this for a moment before kneeling down beside him. "What's your name?" Sam smiled and told him. Behind them, Aeryn shrugged and walked back to listen in. "Do you know who Bob is?" It was a longshot but who knew. Sam's eyes bulged. He put his hands over his mouth. "Doesn't everyone?"

Aeryn pulled him aside immediately. "You're taking the word of a little boy? He's no older than ten." John started to say something but Sam interrupted him. "I can't lie. Tell you the truth always." He smiled with pride. John looked back at her and shrugged. Aeryn turned to the boy. "How do we know you're talking about the same Bob?" Sam looked at her as if she were crazy. "Nyids only give names once. There are no other Bobs." He led them into a nearby building. "Come, we'll talk in here."

<<<<>>>>

They had been going about this for a while now without any clue. "This is pointless. We aren't going to find him here." Zelaya kicked a barrel beside her and cursed. Tom shook his head and continued looking. "You aren't a very patient person are you?" She growled, revealing her deadly rows of teeth. He stared for a moment but didn't flinch. "You're trying to impress me. Is that it?" She closed her mouth again and walked past him. He watched her go and wondered which was worse. An alien woman or an earth woman. Tough call.

<<<<>>>>

The needle was in his arm before Scorpius could do anything about it. The syringe released its fluid into his system and he could already feel the numbness taking over. The last thing he felt was a pair of hands dragging him out of the hole. "You're heavier than you look Scorpius." Bob grunted and pulled with all his might. It took every last bit to get him out of there and into the chair. Scorpius blinked his eyes several times but vision was still blurry. He could just make out the Nyid standing in front of him. "What now?"

<<<<>>>>

"I will tell you as accurately as possible. No one knows the exact details but I have heard stories from other Nyids that believed them to be true." Sam sat in front of them in the sand with a stick in his hand. He was drawing circles as he spoke. Aeryn looked doubtfully over at John as the boy continued. The human ignored her stare and paid attention. "After the great fall, our people were left poor and defenseless. The other races took our lands and property. A decision was made by the government to send out a research team. A group whose sole purpose was to find wormhole technology again."

<<<<>>>>

Bob turned the dial and the machine began to spin. Scorpius sat up in the chair and looked around. It took him a moment to put together what was happening. "Where did you get this?" Before the Nyid could respond, the realization came. "Chernov. He's the only one who could get this." Bob ignored him and set about putting the headpiece in place. Scorpius couldn't move but he tried anyway. "Despite the general's efforts, the peacekeepers will come looking for you." This time the Nyid stopped working. "I believe you."

<<<<>>>>

"Bob was the last one to be sent out. None of the others had ever returned from their journey. It is believed that they were killed by the same race that took our empire away." John looked at Aeryn and a spark of recognition passed between them. "The Regulators?" Sam looked at her with surprise. "You have seen them?" She nodded. The look on the boy's face was one of amazement. "What I wouldn't give to have been in your shoes. To see something like that!" John interrupted him. "About Bob?" Sam apologized and returned to the story.

"Bob came home about twenty cycles ago. He told stories of amazing races with awesome power. Of a powerful organization called.....peacekeepers. Yes, that's it." Aeryn smiled. The boy's innocent tone tore down her grim defenses. To hear something so terrible from her past being spoken of so simply. "He said they offered to help him." Sam's tone turned instantly serious. "But the help came with a price." John had to interrupt him there. Tom and Zelaya were passing by outside. "Hey! In here!"

<<<<>>>>

Bob felt the nervous excitement run through him again. After so much work and suffering, he would finally get what he was after. He thought back to all the terrible things he had done in the past. Tried to convince himself that they were all worth it. The people he had killed, the knowledge he had stolen. Working with the peacekeepers had taken its tole on him. Now he would get his people's dignity back. Bob turned the dial faster and watched his victim begin to squirm.

Scorpius howled in pain for the first time since the machine had been turned on. The monitor spun through millions of images that seemed incomprehensible to the confused Nyid. "Stop fighting it. You how it works Scorpius. Eventually it will break through." The hybrid refused to fall victim to his own creation. His Scarren growl burst out and he pushed himself upward. Bob jumped back as the restraints snapped and fell to the ground. Still numb, Scorpius rushed him and the two fell to the ground. "You frelling-!" Bob pulled out his pulse pistol but couldn't fire it safely. A shot went off accidently.

<<<<>>>>

Aeryn let the other two in and stepped back to follow them inside. Just as she was about to close the door, a familiar sound caught her attention. The sound of a pulse pistol going off. She pulled her own out instinctively and walked out into the street. The door slammed shut but she did not call out to the others. Another door burst open down the street and for a moment Aeryn thought she was seeing things. Scorpius had crossed half the distance between them before he recognized her. She lifted her gun but he was already dashing off in the other direction.

"Wait! Don't shoot him!" Bob came out the door next with a hand clutched to his stomach. Blood was soaking the man's coat and he appeared to be in pain. Aeryn kept her gun trained on him despite his weak appearance. "I should kill you right here." He started to say something but stopped short. An eery silence had taken over the marketplace. Aeryn turned around and found the merchants and shoppers all looking off into the distance.

Sam was still taking in the new arrivals when the door burst inward. Aeryn ran in with gun drawn. John and Zelaya jumped up and pulled their own weapons. "Aeryn, what's going on." She looked out the door and then back at them. "We're leaving right now."