It was the same dream again. A loud explosion followed by terrifying silence. Then the bodies came. Flying all around him and slamming into the windshield. He saw their horrible faces, covered in blood. And then everything went black. A dark figure stood before him holding a gun. He felt the stabbing pain in his chest and saw the brief flash of light. He fell to the ground in pain, slowly losing consciousness.

0377 could not see who was in the cell with him, but he could smell them. He had just begun to pull himself from sleep when the sound of someone breathing had caught his attention. He was not alone. Opening one eye, he surveyed the area around the bed. A figure in red stood over him, watching him sleep. It was the big one, D'Argo. The creature's immense size and frightening growl made him tense up all over. He shut his eye and fought to keep from breathing hard. It was too late. "You're awake?" D'Argo's soft voice betrayed his menacing look. 0377 blinked rapidly and nodded. As the Luxan stepped closer, he grasped at the wall behind the bed and pulled away. D'Argo smiled. "You flatter me. It's been a long time since someone on this ship recognized how fearsome I can be."

John turned the neurochip slowly in his hands. He had to fight the urge not to smash it right there in the prowler. It had been the cause of so much pain and suffering. But he couldn't destroy it. The chip might be the only chance he had of ever finding home. Aeryn turned back to look at him. "Are you alright? You've been quiet since we left the planet." He noted the concerned look on her face. It never failed to make him feel better. "I'm fine. Just thinking." She shook her head and once again concentrated on the controls. Moya showed up on the scanner and a hundred different thoughts assaulted her at once. "You don't think they're giving him a hard time do you?" Behind her, Crichton didn't answer.

"John tells me that you're a writer." 0377 nodded slightly and tried his best to make eye contact with the other man. "Back home I was." D'Argo stood from his position alongside the bed and began pacing around the room. He seemed to be nervous about something. "Is there something you wanted my help with?" The young human had no idea what else to say. Especially when he was talking to an alien from outer space. Rubbing his hands together, D'Argo turned back to 0377. "You've met Chiana?" Once again, 0377 just nodded. "There was something between us once." Both men looked at each other uncertainly. Neither knowing exactly what to say next. One was terrified about revealing something so personal and the other wondered how exactly those two fit together. "I can't talk about it with her face to face. I thought maybe you...." 0377 thought he knew what D'Argo wanted but kept quiet. He had long ago learned the value of just listening.

The prowler landed softly in the hanger. The two inside were happy to get some fresh air after such a long trip in the cramped ship. Aeryn watched John wander slowly away from her with the chip twirling slowly in his hands. He had ignored her completely since getting it. She had thought that he would be happy. "Are you sure you're alright?" He waved his hand at her. "I'm going to go see if Pilot can get anything off of this." With that he disappeared around the corner. Aeryn thought momentarily about following but quickly changed her mind. For once, it seemed that John Crichton didn't want to talk.

0377 pulled out the pen and paper that John had given him. "What did you want to say to her?" He looked up at D'Argo and could see the pain in his otherwise stoic face. The Luxan opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out. "How about we start with: Dear Chiana?" D'Argo nodded in agreement, his eyes glued to the floor. 0377 wrote the words as legibly as possible. He had to steady his hand to keep it from shaking. "What the frell does that say?" They both looked down at the paper simultaneously. "It says Dear Chiana." D'Argo shook his head angrily. "I can't read that and she won't be able to either." He stood up and walked quickly to the door. "This was a mistake." 0377 couldn't believe what he was about to do. "You can teach me if you like." D'Argo turned to face the human with a confused look on his face. "Teach you what?" Almost mumbling the words, 0377 said, "Teach me to write in your language." They both stood there without saying a word.

<<<<>>>>

Meryl watched her companion stir wildly in his seat. She wondered what he could possibly be dreaming. Sargas still hadn't woken from when he knocked him out. The ship had left Roton 9 arns ago. The command carrier was not too far away now and she had to get their stories straight. There was no room for error now. "Wake up!" She shouted at him while shaking his limp form. "W-where am I?" He opened his eyes and squinted at her. "Captain, what happened?" She prepared her most unemotional stare and spoke. "You're friend Braca shot you and left your body for the raiders to find." He looked at her with disbelieving eyes. Wiping a small trail of dried blood from his lip, he sat up straight in his seat. "I'm going to assume that you were acting in the best interests of the peacekeepers." The accusatory tone of his words stung her hard. Neither spoke another word as they approached the command carrier.

<<<<>>>>

"Are you sure?" Aeryn cut the transmission as John walked into the room. His hands were empty and he seemed to be back to normal. "I gave Pilot the chip. He said that he would check it out." She watched him carefully. He said nothing and she strangely felt obligated to instigate a conversation. "So you met 0377's Meryl?" John seemed to welcome the change of subject. "Yes. She saved my life. I couldn't believe it at first but it was her." He moved closer to her. "She kind of reminded me of you when we first met. But then again you didn't kiss me until we had known each other for a while." Aeryn's face turned red and then quickly back to normal. "She what?"

0377 let out a huge sight of relief and sat down on the bed. D'Argo had left a few minutes ago and everything seemed to have gone on well. "Four down, three to go." He looked over at his pen. It had felt good to write again, even if it was about such a sensitive issue. The idea of Chiana and D'Argo still seemed strange to him but obviously a lot had happened before he had arrived. A soft tap on the door broke his stream of thought. Aeryn Sun stood in the doorway with a grin on her face. It had been strange to have her welcome him as a friend after his experience with other peacekeepers so far. He was very grateful for that. "I have a message for you." She stepped into the room and sat beside him on the bed. Without waiting for him to reply, she kissed him softly on the cheek. "A friend of yours gave this message to Crichton. He thought it might be better communicated by me." 0377 looked at her in disbelief. "How did you? How did you find her?"

Pilot terminated the last transmission and returned to his console. His connection to Moya told him that the scanning was complete. He sighed heavily as the information scrolled across the screen. It was time. "Crichton could you come see me please?" The message went unanswered for what seemed like an eternity and Pilot began to wonder if he was doing the right thing. Suddenly the comm burst to life as John's voice came through. "I'll be there in a second. What's going on?" Pilot tried to keep his voice from revealing anything. "Just come down please." He shut off the receiver and returned to work.

Aeryn watched him leave the room. There seemed to be a nervous energy in each step that he took. John hadn't said anything about Pilot's summons but she could tell that something was bothering him. His usual confident tone was replaced with a quiet whisper. As he disappeared from her sight, she turned around to look at the stars. Rubbing her hands together, she stood and followed silently behind him.

Zhaan felt his presence before she saw him. The young boy that had arrived a few days ago now stumbled upon her lab. For his sake, she pretended not to see him and went about her work. "You are Zhaan?" Surprised, she turned to see him standing within range of the light fixtures. The fear in his eyes was replaced with a wide-eyed wonder as he took in the exotic creations that were littered on the tables. She stepped towards him slowly and his hands in hers. "These are not a warrior's hands." They were soft and gentle to the touch. "Yet I sense you hold much guilt." Without taking his eyes off of her, he nodded. Their moment was interrupted as Aeryn walked into the room. "Its time."

"What's happening Pilot?" John stepped into the den doing his best not to show the fear he felt. The immense creature before him ignored his presence and continued to work. "You did want to see me-." Pilot looked up, his eyes fixed on the man before him. "Are you familiar with the process by which Moya starbursts commander?" John, now confused, shook his head. "Can't say that I am, no." Pilot nodded. "She creates a hole in time and space that allows her to jump from one point to another instantly. With limited distance and predictability of course." Lifting the neurochip from the console, he continued.

"If Moya were to adjust the procedure to fit the specifications on this chip, she might be able to produce the wormhole you seek." They both remained silent for several seconds. Finally, it was Crichton who spoke first. "But?" Pilot frowned. "But what?" John rubbed both hands against his forehead. "It can't be that easy. It isn't normal for a Leviathan to do that. It would put her in danger." Pilot cut in. "True, it would pose substantial risk but-." John shook his head. "No, I don't want Moya hurt on account of me." He turned to walk away.

"You exasperate us John Crichton!" John froze in his tracks. Pilot had used his first name. He turned to face the giant creature again with an astonished look on his face. "Time and time again your erratic behavior has wracked both myself and Moya with worry. But, you have always done what was necessary to protect us. Risking even your life at times. We do not know if this is a trait that exists in all human, but it does in you. Moya and I wish to return the favor." John couldn't believe what he was hearing. "What about the others? Are you willing to risk their lives too?" He felt a hand touch his shoulder. "John." Aeryn was standing there. Behind her, old and new friends alike nodded in agreement. "Speechless? I don't believe it." Her teasing words went unchallenged.

<<<<>>>>

Meryl stepped out of the ship and her feet hit the metal ground firmly. There was something wrong. She could sense it immediately. The usually busy hanger was empty and silent. Not a single soldier was in sight. "Do you notice something lieutenant?" Sargas dropped down next to her and looked around. "There's no one here." Stepping out into the main corridor, she glanced in both directions and found it empty as well. She pulled the pistol from her belt and continued down the path. Coming to a junction, one of the wall screens in front of her came to life. Scorpius's horrid face filled the screen. "Captain Meryl Raynor. On behalf of High Command I inform you that your ship and crew have been reassigned. Your are hereby sentenced to death on the charge of treason." His familiar smile appeared. "Goodbye captain."

"Sargas wait!" He turned to find Meryl running towards him with a look of fear on her face. "Get back in the prowler." Not understanding what was going on, he obliged and then helped her in. "We're leaving." Without waiting for a reply. She gunned the engines and guided the ship back out the hanger doors. From his marauder, Scorpius watched with interest as she made her escape attempt. "Shall we pursue sir?" He looked up at Braca. "No. She won't get far."

<<<<>>>>

Aeryn sat on the workbench in the maintenance bay and gazed out at the stars. She smiled to herself as the memory of John's shocked face replayed in her memory. It had felt good to give him back something he had shared with her so many times. The tiny sound of a boot touching ground caught her attention. He was behind her. "I've known that you were going to ask me for some time now." She turned to face him. "I just didn't know what I was going to say." John smiled and she responded in kind. "Aeryn, I-." She put her hand over his mouth and shook her head. "When I can see it with my own eyes through this window, then you may ask me." Patting him softly on the shoulder, she stood and left the room.

"Commencing starbust people. Hold on to something!" Pilot prayed silently to himself and pressed the ignition switch. He felt Moya's fear and added it to his own. He had no idea what was going to happen next. The effects of the process took hold of him and he had to fight to hold back the tears. "Pilot!" John grabbed the creature's head and held it up. The eyes remained closed for several seconds. Slowly, Pilot felt the pain subside. "I'm alright. Moya's alright." They both stared out at the sky around Moya as it began to form a shimmering blue vortex. All around the ship, the crew watched in astonishment. The wormhole remained intact and Moya began to move rapidly forward. John hugged Pilot and shouted with joy.

"Something's wrong." Pilot turned to look at his companion with renewed fear. "The wormhole isn't stable. Its starting to break up." John watched in horror as huge gaps began to form. "We don't have much time!" The ship rocked violently as the vortex exploded outward in an enormous blue wave.

"Sir, we're detecting a large electronic disturbance in your area." Scorpius stared angrily at Chernov's image on the monitor. "Does it match our data?" The other man's face turned grim. "It matches perfectly sir. Someone has created a wormhole." A blue flash brought Scorpius's attention back outside. A wave of blue was cutting quickly across the horizon. He spotted a small black object that stood out in front of him. "Raynor!" He pounded his fist on the table as the prowler was hit by the wave and disappeared.

"What the frell is happening?" Meryl watched as every instrument on the panel in front of her malfunctioned. Sargas grabbed her shoulder and motioned towards the sky around them. Everything had suddenly turned blue. "Do you have any idea what that is lieutenant?" He shook his head wildly. "I've never seen anything like it." Another ship crossed in front of her. It was a leviathan. The space in front of the two ships began to blur and expand forward. Meryl felt the breath leave her lungs as the leviathan collided with the phenomenon and disappeared. The edge of the prowler met it as well and the world around her smeared in black and blue.

The view outside the window returned to normal and Moya stopped shaking. "Is everyone alright?" John shouted the words into his comm again and again. One by one, everyone reported in. Gripping Pilot around the neck he said, "We made it! Oh God we made it!" One of Pilot's arms tapped him lightly on the shoulder. "Crichton, is that Earth?" He looked up and out the window. His skin turned pale and he felt his throat dry up. "No, its not."

Aeryn lifted herself off the floor and ran to the window. Looking out at the giant planet below, one thought stuck firmly in her head. She recognized this place and it was definitely not Earth.