As the last of the smaller crafts were destroyed, a temporary peace settled over the ravaged planet. Up above, the three command carriers floated quietly in space. Chernov stood waiting in one of these for his guests to arrive. The two prowlers were dragged in fighting as the docking web did its work. Giant hanger doors closed off the only exit and the pilots stopped shooting. A group of soldiers ran up to the black ships and pulled up the hatches. A woman, obviously peacekeeper sat defiantly in each one. "Step out slowly." With pulse rifles aimed at their every movement, the two women stood and raised their hands.

"Officer Aeryn Sun and Captain Meryl Raynor." Chernov circled the two women and smiled with more than a hint of pleasure. Both of them stood still and stared forwards without making a sound. "Two soldiers with perfect service records. Look at you now." He leaned in close to whisper in Meryl's ear. "What they used to say about you behind your back." She turned slightly towards him but said nothing. "Maybe these humans have some sort of psychologically damaging affect on Sebaceans." Chernov shook his head. These two had been trained well in the art of holding back emotions. He would never get a rise out of them. "Put them in a cell. I don't want to have to worry about this now."

<<<<>>>>

John and Zelaya ran over to where the building used to stand and found nothing but a pile of rubble. The entire structure had collapsed on itself, leaving no trace of Tom or Bob. They started pulling away at the debris when someone walked into their field of vision. Zelaya caught the scent first. There was no mistaking its putrid smell. "Scorpius is close." John started to look up but she grabbed his arm and kept him down. "Don't look up." She continued to search and made no attempt to stand. John heard the footsteps right after she did.

Scorpius saw the two of them standing there and stopped momentarily. He considered picking up a weapon but decided against it. The woman was too fast for him to sneak up on. He started walking back the other way when she finally stood. "Scorpius!" The shout echoed through the ruined town and filled his ears. There was nowhere to run. He took another step but she was already there. "You can't kill me." The words were out of his mouth before he could even think of what to follow them up with.

<<<<>>>>

Bob watched the human's expression of wonder with amusement. He remembered the first time he had been down this shaft. Tom looked over at him and shook his head. "Where are we going?" The Nyid simply smiled and pointed at the wall. The elevator was moving quickly downward towards a concealed location below. The source of the planet's defenses came from that place as well as their hopes for survival. "What did the boy tell you about me?" Tom seemed surprised that he knew. "I didn't hear much of it. Got there too late." Bob nodded and stayed quiet for a moment. He would have to start at the beginning.

<<<<>>>>

Pilot brought his claw down on the comm button again with even more force. "Aeryn, Meryl, can you hear me?" There was no answer and the panic in his voice continued to rise. D'Argo watched him from the door with a questioning look. "Still nothing?" He lowered his head in frustration and frowned. "They could be jamming us again. Or..." Neither of them wanted to think of that possibility. "Just keep trying." The Luxan exited the room and headed back down to command. There were two very worried women waiting for him. Rygel was probably worried too.

Chiana looked out the window for what seemed like the hundredth time. None of them had any idea what was going on and there were five of their own still outside. "Calm yourself Chiana. It does no good to worry like this." Despite the Delvian's brave words, she noted more than a little shakiness in her voice. "Can you sense them Zhaan?" The older woman pondered this for a moment before responding. "I will try." She closed her eyes and pressed her forehead up against the glass. Rygel shook his head angrily. "How many times have we been in this exact same situation before? They'll be fine." He glanced out the window. "Probably."

<<<<>>>>

"Ok, let's hear it. Why can't we kill you?" Scorpius did not understand. He looked from one to the other and found only blank expressions. Zelaya licked her lips but said nothing. "I have something you want." He was regaining his composure. "The wormhole technology John. We can share it." Crichton smiled devilishly and nodded. "Yes, good. I will tell you-." John cut him off in mid-sentence. "What do you think Z?" She smiled viciously. "Sounds like he's resisting to me." Scorpius sensed there was pain coming. He closed his eyes and felt himself being dragged down the street.

John pushed open the first door he came to and peeked inside. Somehow, this building had escaped the full force of the attack. Only a little damage could be seen. But it was something else that caught his eye. A black structure in the middle of the room stirred his memory. He turned back outside. "Bring him in here. We'll have to do this the hard way." Zelaya dragged the hybrid in by his collar and dropped him in the waiting chair. Scorpius felt the familiar seat and opened his eyes. "John, you can't do this. No!" John pressed a hand over his mouth and wagged his finger. "Hush."

<<<<>>>>

The guards shoved them forcefully into the tiny cell and slammed the barred door shut. The room was dark and the sound of a video camera moving from side to side continued from somewhere. Aeryn began pacing as the other woman sat down against the wall and lowered her head. "I told you to shoot me down." Meryl looked up at her with a surprised expression. "You were serious?" Aeryn scowled at her and punched the wall. "It would be preferable to this." The younger woman just shook her head and ignored the ravings. She knew that despite Aeryn's tough words, she did not want to die. "Next time maybe."

Chernov sat back down in his chair and looked out at the planet below. The heavy loss of troops had disturbed him. But perhaps there was some advantage to it after all. He pressed down on the comm button and called in his subordinate. "Yes sir?" The Lt. was younger than most. Inexperienced and idealistic. He smiled to himself. That would pass. "Prepare a marauder for me. I will be going down to the surface." The man looked confused. "But sir, I thought you were going to destroy-." Chernov cut him off. "Did you not hear me Lt.?" The man nodded and left the room. Just as he passed out of sight, the general called him back. "Those two women we captured." He grinned. "Break them down while I'm gone.

<<<<>>>>

The elevator stopped moving and the doors slid apart. The two of them stepped out into a dark hallway. At the end of it, a thin line of light could be seen. "So they sent you out to find wormhole technology again?" Bob nodded and continued walking. "My ship was the last of the explorers." Tom moved his eyes over the place with equal parts amazement and nervousness. "What happened to your ship?" The Nyid's face darkened. "Destroyed by Regulators." This didn't make sense to the young human. "They killed everyone but me." Tom looked him in the eyes. "Why you?"

Bob placed his hand on the wall sensor and the door slid open. Behind it stood an immense room with the undeniable look of the Regulators. "The Regulators chose me for a very important task. They made me a spy." He pointed towards a small terminal over to the side. It looked like it came from peacekeepers. "It was my job to keep the peacekeepers from discovering wormhole technology." Tom began to see the connections. "Taking them down from the inside?" Bob laughed. "That's one way of putting it, yes." Something behind him caught the human's eye. "What is that?" There was a brown ship sitting in the middle of the room.

<<<<>>>>

Zelaya moved her hands over the black control panel and then looked up at John. "What is it?" He smiled back at her. "It's an Aurora Chair." She shook her head. "It reads memories and plays them on that screen there." John pointed towards a square monitor that sat against the wall. "Painful?" He nodded. "Just turn that dial." Scorpius watched the two of them act almost playfully. He felt the weight of the headgear against his forehead and growled. Any attempt to stand meant certain death. John's pulse rifle was aimed right at his chest and he knew the human would use it. "Are you ready Scorpy?" The hybrid said nothing. "Hit it Z." She turned the dial as far as it would go. Scorpius could not help but cry out.

<<<<>>>>

They had been sitting in the cell for just over an arn when the door was pushed open again. A pair of soldiers stood outside with pulse rifles aimed. "Medical testing. Who wants to go first?" Aeryn started to stand but Meryl moved faster. She watched as they dragged the younger woman out the door and shut it in her face. "Be brave." Aeryn slumped back down to the floor and felt the anger rise in her once again. It was a feeling she felt often. But not like this. What she was feeling now belonged to the old Aeryn Sun. She felt hatred.

<<<<>>>>

Zhaan pushed herself away from the window and put her hands against her temple. "You ok?" Chiana was by her side in an instant to offer support. She pushed the Nebari back and sat down at the table. "I am fine Chiana. Their spirits came to me." Rygel looked hopeful. "Are they all alive?" Zhaan looked up at him and wiped a tear from her cheek. "I sense great fear in all of them, except Tom. He is at peace." Her face did not show calm. "That could mean one of two things." Chiana understood and turned away. "He might be dead right?" The Delvian said nothing. There was nothing she could say at this point.

D'Argo walked quietly into the hanger and spotted the transport pod. He tapped his comm lightly. "Pilot, can the others hear us?" While he waited for a response, the Luxan pulled open the ship's door and stepped inside. "No, this is a private channel." He nodded. "I'm going down to check on the others. Don't tell Chiana until I'm gone." A burst of static came from the comm. "Alright. As long as you know what you're doing." The ship lifted off the ground and glided out into space.

<<<<>>>>

"A gift from the Regulators." Tom ran his fingers over the ship's outer covering as Bob talked behind him. "What does it do?" He could already guess. "It's designed for wormhole travel." Tom turned back towards him. "It must be amazing." The Nyid did not look fondly at it. "Do you have any idea what it's like to have that? To possess that which your people want most and yet not being able to give it to them." He shook his head. "That's what got me in this mess in the first place." Bob went back to the computer and started typing. Tom backed away from the ship and went to join him. "What mess?"

Bob turned around quickly and stared him in the eyes. "What I'm telling you now is important. So listen carefully." He pressed a button on the computer and a video came up. "This is the initial attack on my planet by the Regulators." Tom watched in awe as the giant brown ships descended to a huge city on the planet's surface. The same type of white energy that came from the guns outside bore down on the city and within seconds there was nothing but ruin. "The representative that came to your leviathan. What impression did he give you? Tom thought about it for a moment. "He seemed pretty peaceful to me." Bob frowned and pointed back to the images. "You got lucky."

<<<<>>>>

John watched the hybrid cry out in pain as the chair moved even faster. "How does it feel Scorpy?" Scorpius opened his eyes and leaned as far forward as possible. "I'm going to kill you Crichton. Mark my words-." Zelaya turned another dial and jumped back into his seat. "Is there something we should be looking for?" John looked up at her. "Search for wormholes." She type it in and immediately, the shiny blue creations appeared on the monitor. Scorpius fought it as best he could but there was no use. They would find the sequence and then kill him.

<<<<>>>>

Aeryn heard the voices coming towards her and stood quickly. She pressed her ear against the door and listened for any familiar sounds. The bars slammed backwards outside and then the inner shield was removed. She stepped back as Meryl was thrown into her arms. The two of them toppled to the ground. "Are you alright?" She asked again but got no response. Meryl appeared frozen in a forward stare. Her features stayed still as stones. "Meryl, answer me." The younger woman slumped down against the wall. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, she opened her mouth and whispered. "Do you think it was wrong for me and Tom to sleep together?" Aeryn was confused. "What?" Meryl looked up at her with sad eyes. "Do you?"

They stared at each other a moment before Aeryn could think of what to say. "Well, I um, I thought so at first. But what you told me before, about finding something new. Maybe it's something I just don't understand." She shook her head angrily. "No, the truth is I envy you two." It was Meryl's turn to be surprised. "Envy me? I've seen you every night for the past two weeks. Staying in John's room." Aeryn laughed. "He sleeps under the covers, I sleep on top of them. Fully clothed." Meryl smiled. "I've seen you two together. When he was gone, the way you acted when he came back." She sat up a little. "He loves you." Aeryn nodded slightly. "Yes, he does."

<<<<>>>>

Chernov was just stepping into the marauder when the call came in. "Sir, we've spotted a leviathan transport pod heading towards the planet." He jumped down to the hanger floor and pulled out his comm. "I'll get it." As he climbed in again, the ship rose off the ground and flew towards the waiting doors. The pilot sat quietly in the front. "Go after the pod." The man's helmet moved forward in acknowledgment.

<<<<>>>>

"They started out like that. Just taking the information and leaving." The image continued to play on the screen as Bob talked. "But not anymore?" Tom fidgeted nervously as the other continued. "Their attacks have grown increasingly violent as the years have passed. Thousands of people have died at their hands." The Nyid sighed heavily and looked towards the peacekeeper station. "My own efforts to capture the technology for myself have led to only more bloodshed." He faltered in his stance and Tom noticed once again the wound. "I have killed many people to stay one step ahead of both races. I failed."

Tom watched him execute a command on the computer and then step back. A small silver disc slid out of the machine and into Bob's hands. "Here, take this." The human raised his hands and took it. "What is this?" Bob stumbled back against the machine. "A data chip. It contains everything I have learned about the Regulators." Tom flipped it over in his hands and suddenly realized what was going on. "Wow, you've got the wrong idea here. I can't be that person. I can't just go after these people." The corners of the Nyid's mouth rose slightly in a half smile. "Nor would I expect you to." He allowed himself to slide to the ground. "But if you take that ship, they will come after you." Bob closed his eyes and lay still. "Bob?" A loud beeping noise made Tom jump. He took one last look at the Regulator ship. "I don't think so."

<<<<>>>>

"John, please, no more." Crichton motioned for Zelaya to stop turning the dial and she complied. Scorpius raised a hand to his cheek and felt tears. "I'll give it to you." All three turned to the monitor as a new image came up. A set of mathematical equations appeared on the screen and formed an order. The same order that he had seen on Feyd's computer. John smiled. "There it is." Zelaya tapped him on the shoulder. "Can I kill him now?" He was about to respond when a gunshot cut him off. Tom stepped into the room and dropped a pulse rifle on the floor. "Trust me, you didn't want that." John could only stare at the broken machine.

<<<<>>>>

"What is that?" Everyone on Moya rushed to a window as Pilot shouted out in fear. Chiana reached it first and searched the sky for whatever he had seen. Zhaan did not need to look out the window. She stood and tapped her comm. "It's a wormhole Pilot." Rygel moved over next to the Nebari girl. He gasped as the blue vortex opened up and revealed something even more amazing. Two Regulator ships, gigantic in size, burst out of the wormhole and towards the planet below. "Did things just get better or worse?" No one answered his question.