¡Premiere [#1] 1999048 Moya and I had been captives for far too many cycles. The Peacekeepers had harnessed Moya with a Control Collar and modified her into a prison transport. But its last three prisoners -- Luxan warrior Ka D'Argo, Delvian priest Pa'u Zotoh Zhaan, and deposed Dominar of the Hynerian Empire Rygel the Sixteenth -- managed to escape their cells and take over Moya. Of course, the Peacekeepers sent many Prowlers -- their attack fighters -- after Moya, but D'Argo and Zhaan managed to release Moya's Control Collar so we could Starburst to safety before the Prowlers could destroy us. During our escape, we found ourselves with two unwitting passengers. One is Officer Aeryn Sun, a Peacekeeper captured during the battle. The other is John Crichton, of an unknown species called "human," whose small, primitive spacecraft arrived mysteriously in mid-battle; he claims a mysterious "wormhole" phenomenon brought him here from his home planet. To flee from the Prowlers, we had to Starburst before Moya was quite ready... and I'm sorry to say I lost track of our position. We came out of Starburst somewhere in the Uncharted Territories and we're still trying to determine a way back. We did, however, manage to locate a Commerce Planet where we could obtain supplies to repair Moya's battle damage. But we quickly discovered that Captain Bialar Crais had taken his Peacekeeper Command Carrier into the Uncharted Territories to recapture Moya -- and to exact revenge upon Crichton for accidentally causing the death of Crais's brother during the chaos of the battle. Crais, in a confrontation with Crichton, D'Argo, and Officer Sun on the Commerce Planet, also pronounced Officer Sun "irreversibly contaminated" by her extended contact with the alien prisoners and condemned her to death along with Crichton and the others. Crichton, D'Argo, and Officer Sun evaded capture and returned to Moya. But before we could Starburst again, we found ourselves facing the Command Carrier's deadly Frag Cannons with not even a Defence Screen to protect us... Crew : Ben Browder (John Crichton) Claudia Black (Aeryn Sun) Virginia Hey (Pa'u Zotoh Zhaan) Anthony Simcoe (Ka D'Argo) Jonathan Hardy (Voice of Rygel) Lani Tupu (Voice of Pilot) Cast : Christine Stephen-Daly (Lt. Teeg) Colin Borgonon (PK Weapons Officer) Damen Stephenson (Bio Isolation Man #1) Kent McCord (Jack Crichton) Lani Tupu (Capt. Bialar Crais) Murray Bartlett (DK) Written By : Rockne S. O'Bannon Directed By : Andrew Prowse ¡Throne For A Loss [#2] 1999048 Rygel had invited some Tavleks aboard to sell them transportation of their cargo, and he wanted to impress them with his royal grandeur. He asked me if he could borrow a crystalline component of Moya's nervous system because it resembled a large gem. Naturally I told him no -- because that synaptic processor controlled Moya's propulsion; without it, we couldn't even maintain orbit for long. But Rygel went ahead and took it anyway, thinking he'd replace it before I discovered it was missing. Unfortunately, the Tavleks weren't peaceful traders at all, but battle-scarred, renegade soldiers whose real business was seizing hostages for ransom. They came aboard in attack mode, firing energy bolts from their Gauntlets -- powerful weapons that locked onto their forearms and pumped in aggression-heightening drugs. Despite our best efforts, the Tavleks kidnapped Rygel, not knowing that his claims of being "wealthy royalty" had been highly exaggerated. Naturally we were unable to pay Rygel's ransom, but we needed that crystal back... so Crichton, Aeryn, and D'Argo went down to the Tavleks' planet to attempt to locate and free Rygel. To help even the odds, they took a captured Gauntlet with them... but when they attempted to use it, they discovered that its drugs made them reckless, hyper-aggressive, and more dangerous to each other than to the Tavleks... Crew : Ben Browder (John Crichton) Claudia Black (Aeryn Sun) Virginia Hey (Pa'u Zotoh Zhaan) Anthony Simcoe (Ka D'Argo) Jonathan Hardy (Voice of Rygel) Lani Tupu (Voice of Pilot) Cast : Api Bavadra (Nonk) Jeremiah Tickell (Kyr) John Adam (Bekhesh) Tim Mieville (Voice of Jotheb) Zoe Dimakis (Hontovek) Written By : Richard Manning Directed By : Pino Amenta ¡Back And Back And Back To The Future [#3] 1999048 Moya encountered an enormous alien cruiser that was subatomically disintegrating as we watched. All we could do was bring aboard a shuttle with two survivors: Verell (an elderly scientist) and Matala (his female assistant), who claimed they were in this remote sector researching deep space gravitational fluctuations. Because Verell and Matala were Ilanics -- genetic cousins and long-time allies to D'Argo's race, the Luxans -- D'Argo insisted we transport them to their scheduled rendezvous point. However, while rescuing Verell and Matala from their damaged shuttle, Crichton was accidentally exposed to a mysterious force -- and soon afterward found himself experiencing mental "flash-forwards" of some extremely intimate moments with Matala that felt very, very real! This did not sit well with D'Argo, who found Matala attractive. Crichton eventually realized he was getting unexpected glimpses of possible future events -- including the murders of Verell and D'Argo! He attempted to avert those future tragedies by changing events in the present, but succeeded only in creating worse and worse versions of the future... including his own death... and the destruction of Moya! Crew : Ben Browder (John Crichton) Claudia Black (Aeryn Sun) Virginia Hey (Pa'u Zotoh Zhaan) Anthony Simcoe (Ka D'Argo) Jonathan Hardy (Voice of Rygel) Lani Tupu (Voice of Pilot) Cast : John Clayton (Verell) Lisa Hensley (Matala) Written By : Babs Greyhosky Directed By : Rowan Woods ¡I, E.T. [#4] 1999048 I thought I'd disabled all the Peacekeepers' foul tampering to Moya's systems. I was wrong. Our recent excursion through part of the uncharted territories revealed a Paddac Beacon inextricably bonded to Moya's neural nexus. To our astonishment, this beacon had been automatically broadcasting a transmission of our exact location to any Peacekeeper forces in the area! With no quick way to disable this awful device, we immersed Moya in the swamps of a nearby planet, muffling the homing signal and buying us time to extract the beacon permanently. While Zhaan and Rygel attempted the delicate and painful removal of the mechanism, John, Aeryn, and D'Argo ventured out onto the planet in search of some Clorium to act as an anaesthetic for the makeshift operation. Unfortunately, the away party was not welcomed by the local populace. In fact, they quickly forced to split up and run for their lives. Of the local populace, only alone female named Lyneea seemed willing to help any of them. Back on the ship, I did my best to keep Moya conscious. Between Rygel's inept surgery and the gravitational pressure of her own immense weight, she was already inexcruciating pain. If the search party didn't return with that Clorium soon then Moya would surely die... Crew : Ben Browder (John Crichton) Claudia Black (Aeryn Sun) Virginia Hey (Pa'u Zotoh Zhaan) Anthony Simcoe (Ka D'Argo) Jonathan Hardy (Voice of Rygel) Lani Tupu (Voice of Pilot) Cast : Boris Brkic (Ryymax) Cayde Tasker (Fostro) Dominic Bianco (Alien Hunter #1) Heath Wilder (Alien Hunter #2) Mark Shaw (Alien Soldier #1) Mary Mara (Lyneea) Written By : Sally Lapiduss Directed By : Pino Amenta ¡Exodus From Genesis [#5] 1999045 To evade a searching Marauder scout ship from Crais' Command Carrier, Moya hid behind a cloud of what appeared to be asteroid debris. We didn't find out until too late that the "debris" was actually a swarm of alien lifeforms -- some of which invaded Moya. These lifeforms, called "Draks," possessed the ability to form replicants of Crichton, D'Argo, Aeryn, and Zhaan -- physically identical duplicates who quickly began to take over Moya for their own purposes. They adjusted Moya's environmental controls so that the temperature rose to a level dangerous to Aeryn; her species is unusually sensitive to heat. Aeryn soon became weak and delirious -- early symptoms of the Sebacean "Living Death," a type of brain fever that leads to a permanent coma. Feeling herself slipping away, Aeryn made Crichton promise to kill her if she indeed succumbed to the Living Death... When we discovered that the Draks had sealed off a deep chamber of Moya, we sent a most reluctant Rygel through the vents to reconnoitre. Rygel found, to our amazement, that the Draks had come aboard Moya to create a warm nest so that they could breed. But it wasn't until a Drak "stung" Zhaan and took over her voice and body that we could communicate with the Draks. Finding that the Draks meant us no deliberate harm, Crichton tried to work out a truce with them. However, with Moya's senses "blinded" by the Drak takeover, we had no way of knowing that armed Peacekeeper Commandos from the Marauder scout ship had also boarded Moya... and were killing every Drak replicant they could see. The Drak Monarch inhabiting Zhaan was understandably furious that the Commandos were murdering her children; she threatened to raise Moya's temperature further and kill every non-Drak aboard. It took all Rygel's negotiating skills to convince her that we were fighting a common enemy... and all Crichton's cleverness and bravery to deal with the invading Commandos... Crew : Ben Browder (John Crichton) Claudia Black (Aeryn Sun) Virginia Hey (Pa'u Zotoh Zhaan) Anthony Simcoe (Ka D'Argo) Jonathan Hardy (Voice of Rygel) Lani Tupu (Voice of Pilot) Cast : Chenoeh Miller (PK Commando #4) Damien de Montemas (Melkor) Geoff Barker (PK Commando #3) Jodie Dry (Kyona) Tai Scrivener (PK Commando #5) Written By : Ro Hume Directed By : Brian Henson ¡Thank God It's Friday, Again [#6] 1999045 D'Argo, in a typically Luxan hyper-rage, stormed down to the sun-baked planet Skykar where the population's sole activity was harvesting Tannot roots. After giving him ample time to cool off, the others went after him. Strangely enough, D'Argo had decided he wanted to remain on Skykar as a simple labourer. Considering the Luxan's normal temperament, Crichton and Zhaan instantly sensed that something was wrong. Before they could investigate further, however, the perpetually foraging Rygel ingested large quantities of Tannot root which somehow converted all the Hynerian's bodily fluids into deadly explosives. Aeryn, suffering from the Skykarian heat, was forced to accompany Rygel back to Moya where she and I worked on defusing the Hynerian's condition. As if his foul secretions weren't already bad enough, now Rygel's every pore had become potentially damaging to Moya's systems! Crichton continued to investigate D'Argo's strange behaviour and soon discovered that the Skykarians were nearly all drone-like automatons. With the help of a local woman named Tanga and her friends, Crichton learned of the adverse effects that the Tannot root was having on D'Argo, Zhaan, and everyone else on the planet. But what could Crichton do when he was just one human on an entire world of mindless labourers? And to make matters worse, Volmae, the Skykarian leader, had big plans of her own for Moya and her vast cargo holds... Crew : Ben Browder (John Crichton) Claudia Black (Aeryn Sun) Virginia Hey (Pa'u Zotoh Zhaan) Anthony Simcoe (Ka D'Argo) Jonathan Hardy (Voice of Rygel) Lani Tupu (Voice of Pilot) Cast : Angie Milliken (Volmae) Ken Blackburn (Hybin) Mark Slocum (Sykaran Male #1) Peter Baroch (Sykaran Male #3) Selina Muller (D'Argo's Girlfriend) Tina Thomsen (Tanga) Written By : David Wilks Directed By : Rowan Woods ¡PK Tech Girl [#7] 1999045 We discovered the Zelbinion, a Peacekeeper Command Carrier, floating dead in space... decimated long ago by unknown attackers. Finding the Zelbinion had a devastating effect on Rygel, as it was the first ship he was imprisoned upon -- and he had been tortured there by the sadistic Captain Durka. Aboard the Zelbinion was Gilina, a Peacekeeper technician sent by Captain Crais to salvage whatever could be salvaged. Gilina, a Sebacean like Aeryn (but without Aeryn's military training), soon became attracted to Crichton, and vice versa as well... causing conflict with Aeryn. But others were also interested in the Zelbinion; it and Moya came under attack by the violent Sheyangs, a scavenger species. Without weapons to defend herself, Moya was helpless -- so D'Argo, with Zhaan's help, had to overcome his insecurities and bluff the Sheyangs to stall for time. Our only hope for survival was for Crichton and Gilina to get the Zelbinion's damaged Defence Screen operational -- a task that became even more difficult when a Sheyang managed to board the Zelbinion to hunt them down... Crew : Ben Browder (John Crichton) Claudia Black (Aeryn Sun) Virginia Hey (Pa'u Zotoh Zhaan) Anthony Simcoe (Ka D'Argo) Jonathan Hardy (Voice of Rygel) Lani Tupu (Voice of Pilot) Cast : Alyssa-Jane Cook (Gilina) David Wheeler (Capt. Durka) Derek Amer (Teurac) Peter Astridge (Lomus) Peter Knowles (Evran) Written By : Nan Hagan Directed By : Tony Tilse ¡That Old Black Magic [#8] 1999045 I suppose it was Rygel who started all this when he came down with a terrible case of the Klendian flu. The regrettable quantity of the Hynerian's mucus, coupled with his rather insistent demands for relief, were all the encouragement we needed to detour to this out of the way market in search of a remedy. Or, rather, they went to the market, the rest of the crew, that is, leaving me on Moya to monitor the suffering Rygel. In that exotic bazaar, John Crichton encountered a mysterious fellow who seemed to have vast knowledge of the details of Crichton's past. Poor Crichton, with renewed hope of reaching his homeworld, I suppose, allowed this fellow to introduce him to his master, Haloth, who promised to make this renewed hope a reality. Generosity in the uncharted territories is a rare quality, however, and unfortunately this offer was far less generous than it seemed. As soon as Crichton moved to enter Haloth's residence, his spirit was literally torn from his body and captured inside Haloth's great hall, leaving Crichton's body outside, lifeless and alone. The crew, myself included, grew very concerned for John Crichton. Seeking the means to help him, Zhaan made contact with a local shaman named Liko who explained that Crichton's condition was due to the work of the evil sorcerer Maldis, known to feed upon the pain and death of others. Using his vile magic, Maldis had managed to take over the entire planet and now had his sights set on all of us. For John Crichton, it was even worse. Somehow, Maldis had managed to capture both Crichton and his sworn enemy, Peacekeeper Captain Crais, and now, for his own amusement, Maldis pit the rivals' souls against one another in a perverse deadly game. Meanwhile, Zhaan and Liko agreed to combine their powers in an effort to overthrow Maldis. Liko's style of training, however, centred around unlocking a side of Zhaan that could prove to be more dangerous than Maldis himself. While Crichton fought for his life against both Maldis and Crais, Zhaan, in an effort to help him, was forced to contend with her own dark nature. Crew : Ben Browder (John Crichton) Claudia Black (Aeryn Sun) Virginia Hey (Pa'u Zotoh Zhaan) Anthony Simcoe (Ka D'Argo) Jonathan Hardy (Voice of Rygel) Cast : Chris Haywood (Maldis / Igg / Haloth) Christine Stephen-Daly (Lt. Teeg) Grant Bowler (Liko) Jake Blundell (Lt. Om) Lani Tupu (Capt. Bialar Crais) Vic Rooney (Admiral Josbek) Wadih Dona (Tauvo Crais) Written By : Richard Manning Directed By : Brendan Maher ¡DNA Mad Scientist [#9] 1999045 NamTar's genetic experiments were discussed only in hushed tones by those who inhabited the seedier corners of the uncharted territories. His work was reputed to be as dangerous as it was brilliant. Had I known just how dangerous, however, I would never have agreed to our pilgrimage to his laboratories. NamTar and his assistant Kornata extracted quadra helix samples from D'Argo, Zhaan, Rygel, and Crichton. He claimed he could use these samples to provide star charts leading to their respective home worlds. They were overwhelmed. He was offering them their hearts' desire. But, alas, not without a steep price to pay. In exchange for these maps, NamTar required one of my four arms as payment. Zhaan, D'Argo, and Rygel readily agreed and, despite my extreme protests, brutally severed my arm from my body. It will... grow back. Eventually. Although I was forced to pay the price, the goods received were not all they were promised to be. Instead of providing coordinates to Zhaan's, D'Argo's and Rygel's homes (Crichton's world was beyond even NamTar's reach), NamTar's data crystal overwhelmed Moya information systems, seemingly by design. The only hope of retaining any data was to excise all but a single star chart, permanently erasing the information pointing to the other two home worlds. My three surgeons, it seemed, had some further "carving" ahead of them, only now the knives were pointed at one another. NamTar's true motives quickly surfaced. He wanted to incorporate my race's innate multi-tasking abilities into himself. In order to assimilate these traits, however, he needed a host body to act as intermediary. He tricked Aeryn Sun into becoming this intermediary, injecting her with my stolen genes, causing her to undergo a radical and potentially fatal metamorphosis. While Crichton pleaded with Kornata to help him stop this insidious experiment, the others raged around Moya -- each professing their sole right to be returned home. These three, caught up in their own selfish schemes, appeared ready to abandon Officer Sun to the mercy of NamTar's unnatural genetics. Facing enemies without and within, our future together as pilot, ship and crew seemed destined to end tragically... Crew : Ben Browder (John Crichton) Claudia Black (Aeryn Sun) Virginia Hey (Pa'u Zotoh Zhaan) Anthony Simcoe (Ka D'Argo) Jonathan Hardy (Voice of Rygel) Lani Tupu (Voice of Pilot) Cast : Adrian Getley (NamTar) Julian Garner (Voice of NamTar) Sarah Burns (Kornata) Written By : Tom Blomquist Directed By : Andrew Prowse ¡They've Got A Secret [#10] 1999045 Even when one escapes the Peacekeepers (and one almost never does), they still find ways to make things difficult. One recent systems sweep designed to ferret out any lingering PK devices was intended to protect us from harm but, as is often the case, this seemingly routine task precipitated some rather extreme and unforeseen consequences. While surveying Tier 21, D'Argo stumbled across a Peacekeeper retaining shield. In his haste to remove the offending object, the Luxan destroyed the shield and was blown out into space by the ensuing explosion. By the time we got him back on board, D'Argo had fallen into a state of interna-thermia. Though Zhaan managed to revive him, the Luxan's continued to suffer from perceptual hallucinations. Somehow, he had become convinced that Rygel, Zhaan, and Crichton were actually his family members -- Jothee, Lo'Laan, and Macton -- from his own veiled past. As if that wasn't concern enough, I was having perception problems of my own. The explosion had released an unidentified bio-mechanoid substance into Moya's body that caused uncontrollable system-wide shut downs. Moreover, my own body was not immune to the malfunctions. Cut off from my nutrients, I grew unable to perform my normal duties and soon lost consciousness entirely. Aeryn Sun took my place and was surprisingly successful at interfacing with Moya considering her own Sebacean physiognomy. But despite her valiant efforts, all of Moya's systems continued to falter. With the air rapidly thinning, a delusional D'Argo reliving his family tragedies, me still unconscious and even the DRD's working against us, the situation was desperate. The rest of the crew needed to discover the cause of the malfunctions and get Moya's life support systems on-line before our living vessel became our drifting tomb. Crew : Ben Browder (John Crichton) Claudia Black (Aeryn Sun) Virginia Hey (Pa'u Zotoh Zhaan) Anthony Simcoe (Ka D'Argo) Jonathan Hardy (Voice of Rygel) Lani Tupu (Voice of Pilot) Cast : Alison Fox (Lo'Laan) Grant Magee (Jothee) Written By : Sally Lapiduss Directed By : Ian Watson ¡Till The Blood Runs Clear [#11] 1999045 Crichton recently attempted to harness the unique gravitational forces produced by large solar flares to sling-shot his vessel, a technologically refitted Farscape One, into a proto-wormhole. But the wormhole proved unstable, causing a dangerous plasma leak aboard his ship. Not wanting to abandon Farscape One and the wormhole data it had recorded, John and Aeryn landed the damaged ship on a nearby planet at the Dam-Ba-Da Depot to enlist the services of a mechanic named Furlow. Anxious to put more distance between himself and our Peacekeeper pursuers, D'Argo grew ever more furious over the unanticipated delay. Zhaan, normally quite adept at calming the Luxan down, unfortunately had sequestered herself away to bask privately in the surplus solar radiation -- radiation which elicited in her Delvian metabolism some rather intense photogasms. On the planet, Crichton and Aeryn quickly noticed a Peacekeeper Beacon broadcasting bounties for the capture of D'Argo, Zhaan and Rygel. Others noticed it too, including two Vorcarion Blood-Trackers named Rorf and Rorg who were determined to claim the reward. In order to throw them off, Crichton pretended to be a bounty hunter himself. His aggressive bravado triggered a submissive reaction in the feral Vorcarions, allowing him to assume the tenuous role of lead hunter, provided he could keep up the facade. His plan would have worked had D'Argo, in his impatience, not charged down planet-side. The Blood-Trackers instantly caught the Luxan's scent and captured him. Now Crichton was compelled to join in the torture of D'Argo, lest his deception be exposed and he himself be taken captive. Zhaan, though sluggish from her solar-induced pleasure, followed D'Argo down to the Depot. While the Blood-Trackers hounded her, Aeryn uncovered yet another bounty hunter of a species unknown to us. During their ensuing confrontation, Aeryn was blinded. With more pursuers appearing at every turn, the crew needed to board Moya and slip away from Dam-Ba-Da Depot as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, none of them were in any state to make a break for it. Unless someone figured out a way to evade these bounty hunters for good, we seemed destined to fall back into the hands of the Peacekeepers once again. Crew : Ben Browder (John Crichton) Claudia Black (Aeryn Sun) Virginia Hey (Pa'u Zotoh Zhaan) Anthony Simcoe (Ka D'Argo) Jonathan Hardy (Voice of Rygel) Lani Tupu (Voice of Pilot) Cast : Jeremy Sims (Rorf) Jo Kerrigan (Rorg) Magda Szubanski (Furlow) Written By : Doug Heyes, Jr. Directed By : Tony Tilse ¡The Flax [#12] 1999045 As it is in the entire crew's best interests that Crichton expand his limited knowledge and become more self-sufficient, Aeryn endeavoured to teach the Human some basic piloting techniques using Moya's Transport Pod. We chose a remote system free of any apparent obstacles for Crichton's first flight lesson. However, the Uncharted Territories teem with hidden predators who regularly apprehend even highly accomplished pilots. And Crichton, while a most eager student, could not have been prepared to handle the Flax. Zenetan pirates in control of this region cast the Flax an enormous and undetectable magna drift mesh, throughout the sector and were proceeding to loot the vessels netted therein. We learned all this from a renegade Zenetan named Staanz. No longer allied with the pirates, Staanz had become a self-styled "garbologist," following the space currents and collecting what other ships threw away. Hoping for a big reward, Staanz agreed to guide D'Argo through the Flax to recover our trapped Transport Pod and stranded crewmates. But when D'Argo learned there was also a Luxan Assault Piercer snared in the mesh and due to be melted down for scrap within minutes, he altered the rescue plans and set a new course for the vessel. The Luxan hoped he might find map fibres aboard that vessel which could finally lead him home, although aware that the delay could mean life or death for Aeryn and Crichton. Unfortunately, Staanz was not quite the navigator he claimed to be and his ship too fell prey to the Flax. The situation was hardly better aboard the Transport Pod. The atmospherics system had malfunctioned, filling the interior with pure oxygen. In such an environment, the smallest spark or flare from a damaged console would ignite the ship and incinerate all inside it. Venting the oxygen and repairing the necessary lines was the obvious plan - except that the damage had left Aeryn and Crichton with only one working space suit. As if that were not bad enough, the pirate commander Kcrackic located Moya and boarded her in search of the renegade. It was left to Zhaan and Rygel to distract him so that D'Argo and Staanz could free themselves from the Flax and rescue Aeryn and Crichton... that is, if they could survive long enough to be rescued. Crew : Ben Browder (John Crichton) Claudia Black (Aeryn Sun) Virginia Hey (Pa'u Zotoh Zhaan) Anthony Simcoe (Ka D'Argo) Jonathan Hardy (Voice of Rygel) Lani Tupu (Voice of Pilot) Cast : David Bowers (Goon) John Bachelor (Kcrackic) Rhys Muldoon (Staanz) Written By : Justin Monjo Directed By : Peter Andrikidis ¡Rhapsody In Blue [#13] 1999045 Recently, the entire crew experienced strange dreams invoking emotional bonds from their past lives. Even Moya herself was not immune, imagining she heard the distress cry of another pregnant Leviathan and, without any warning, setting off in starburst to her rescue. Upon arrival, however, we discovered no pregnant Leviathan. We had in fact all been deceived by a small collection of Zhaan's people; Delvian missionaries who had sequestered themselves on a remote planetoid which they dubbed the "New Moon of Delvia". Fleeing their home to follow the spiritual teachings of their sage Tuzak, this isolated group sought out the wisdom and strength to oppose the corrupt Delvian regime who, with the aid of the Peacekeepers, had seized control back on Delvia. But something went wrong in the process. Trying to learn too much too fast, these missionaries lacked the discipline needed to handle their new-found power. Tuzak was the first to succumb to his dark impulses, going mad. Now the rest, led by his ambitious daughter Tahleen, were in danger of falling prey to that same fate. Unlike her fellow priests, Zhaan had taught herself a way to surrender to her sinister side while still maintaining her sanity. Desperate to learn this talent from her, Tahleen convinced Zhaan to join her in "Unity," a bond where their souls would merge and real knowledge could be shared. Sharing was not Tahleen's style though. She betrayed Zhaan, stealing more knowledge than our crewmate was willing to give. Zhaan managed to break the Unity, but not before Tahleen had ripped the ability to manage the dark impulses from her soul. Poor Zhaan, still adjusting from her difficult encounter with Maldis, was now exposed to all the anger that she had so recently struggled to quell. The others sensed something was wrong but before they could help two of Tahleen's students, Lorana and Hasko, used their powers to manipulate them, clouding the crew's thoughts with twisted hallucinations. Crichton fought especially valiantly, but eventually succumbed as Lorana convinced him that she was in fact his last earthly love, Alexandra. Unless the others could break out of their own inner struggles and come to her aid, Zhaan seemed lost, destined either to fall prey to Tahleen's power hungry appetite or to her own reawakened thirst for vengeance. Crew : Ben Browder (John Crichton) Claudia Black (Aeryn Sun) Virginia Hey (Pa'u Zotoh Zhaan) Anthony Simcoe (Ka D'Argo) Jonathan Hardy (Voice of Rygel) Lani Tupu (Voice of Pilot) Cast : Aaron Cash (Pa'u Bitaal) Darlene Vogel (Alexandra / Lorana) Grant Magee (Jothee) Kate Raison (Tahleen) Max Phipps (Tuzak) Michael Beckley (Hasko) Robert Supple (Young Crichton) Teleplay By : David Kemper Story By : David Kemper Ro Hume Directed By : Andrew Prowse ¡Jeremiah Crichton [#14] 1999045 Moya's pregnancy has affected us all. The Leviathan's priorities now revolve around her growing child, resulting in unusual "situations" arising without warning. The latest situation found Moya decompensating for a severe pressure build-up in her amnexus system by initiating a sudden starburst. Unfortunately, Crichton had just left Moya in anger and inadvertently abandoned him and his poorly equipped vessel, Farscape One, deep in the Uncharted Territories. Though it took a quarter of a cycle, we eventually traced Crichton to the planet Acquara. That he had managed to find a hospitable planet in such a remote area speaks highly of the Human's ingenuity. In fact, during our search for him, I have noticed that the entire crew has begun to hold Crichton in higher regard. When D'Argo and Rygel shuttled to the surface, they were anxious to be reunited with our missing crew mate and resume our journeys. They found that, while stranded, Crichton had befriended the local population and even caught the eye of Lashala, the daughter of the Acquarian ruler Kato-Re. Unfortunately, they also discovered that something on the planet was draining all energy from their mechanical devices. The Transport Pod was disabled, their weapons were useless, and all communications with Moya were cut off. As Zhaan and Aeryn tried to devise a means of helping those trapped planet-side, Crichton was unwittingly drawn into a romantic rivalry with an Acquarian named Rokon for the hand of Lashala. Rokon's mother Neera was convinced that Crichton wanted to become ruler of Acquara, a fate she desired for her own son. Neera persuaded many of her people that Crichton was a real threat to them. As tensions rose, the Acquarians uncovered Rygel, who'd thus far been hiding in fear. The Hynerian resembled their legendary saviour who they'd worshipped for generations. They believed this saviour was meant to "rise up and lead them into the light". Rygel, while being the deposed ruler of the Hynerian Empire, was no mystical saviour. But unless he could give the Acquarians what they were expecting, they would brand him a false god and kill him along with Crichton and D'Argo. Crew : Ben Browder (John Crichton) Claudia Black (Aeryn Sun) Virginia Hey (Pa'u Zotoh Zhaan) Anthony Simcoe (Ka D'Argo) Jonathan Hardy (Voice of Rygel) Lani Tupu (Voice of Pilot) Cast : Deni Gordon (Neera) John O'Brien (Kato-Re) Kevin Copeland (Rokon) Natalie Mendoza (Lishala) Tania Mustapic (Maid) Written By : Doug Heyes, Jr. Directed By : Ian Watson ¡Durka Returns [#15] 1999045 Each day we learn more about life aboard a pregnant Leviathan, though what we still don't know could fill the Uncharted Territories. For example, Moya has of late developed a tendency to starburst at unexpected and inopportune times, usually in response to a threat to her pregnancy of which only she is aware. Upon emerging from one such unplanned starburst, we inadvertently collided with and damaged a Nebari transport. Feeling obliged to repair the ship, Moya and I brought it aboard. Little did we know what dangers the occupants of that vessel would pose. The transport carried three in total: a Nebari official named Salis, a Nebari criminal named Chiana, and the infamous Peacekeeper Captain Selto Durka. It was Durka who had tortured Rygel for many cycles aboard the Command Carrier Zelbinion. When we found the remains of that vessel floating in space, Rygel was relieved to discover what we thought was Durka's dead body on board. Evidently the Peacekeeper faked his own death and fled the Zelbinion, only to have his escape pod apprehended by the attacking Nebari vessel. The Nebari are a species who prize conformity and discipline above all else. They mentally cleansed Captain Durka in a process which they claimed had entirely eliminated his violent tendencies. Chiana was destined for similar reconditioning although her crime, at least by her own account, was that she was too much of a nonconformist for the Nebari's serene society. Recalling the cycles of torture he suffered at Durka's hands, Rygel could not contain his anger and attempted to kill the Peacekeeper with a crude explosive device. The bomb was too poorly constructed to kill but the ensuing explosion shook loose the Nebari conditioning, giving free reign to the Captain's sadistic side. Amidst the chaos, Chiana escaped from her holding cell. The young thief was desperate to find the means to leave Moya and escape from the Nebari ship en route to retrieve her, Salis and Durka. When John discovered Salis' lifeless body in a corridor, no one was certain whether it was Durka or Chiana who had committed the murder. Before long, Durka had captured Aeryn and Rygel, bypassed all of my synaptic bypasses and placed himself in control of most of Moya's systems. With a madman at the helm, an unpredictable thief on the loose, a deadly Nebari vessel headed our way and Moya's pregnancy limiting her ability to starburst, the odds that any of us would live to see Moya's child born were long and growing longer each minute. Crew : Ben Browder (John Crichton) Claudia Black (Aeryn Sun) Virginia Hey (Pa'u Zotoh Zhaan) Anthony Simcoe (Ka D'Argo) Jonathan Hardy (Voice of Rygel) Lani Tupu (Voice of Pilot) Cast : David Wheeler (Capt. Durka) Gigi Edgley (Chiana) Tiriel Mora (Salis) Written By : Grant McAloon Directed By : Tony Tilse ¡A Human Reaction [#16] 1999045 The universe, in all its vastness, seems to be made up of only two types of lifeforms: those who leave homes and sometimes return to them, and those - like myself - who travel with our homes around us. All too well have I learned how creatures, rendered homeless, can be driven to take desperate actions. Still, when Moya came across a wormhole that appeared to lead to Crichton's home world, Earth, it hardly seemed irrational for the human to seize this best, possibly only chance of rejoining his species. After a moment of hesitation, Crichton piloted the Farscape One into the centre of the vortex, at which point we lost all contact with him. Seeing the Human disappear into that unstable wormhole proved... difficult for the crew. So when the small craft disappeared from Moya's sensors, Aeryn, D'Argo, and Rygel elected to venture out in our transport pod in order to take a closer look. Meanwhile, Crichton's homecoming was not as joyous as he had hoped. Landing on a landmass known as Australia, he was immediately picked up and detained by a team led by former associates, Wilson and Cobb. They distrusted Crichton for initially opening the wormhole (which had seemingly never closed) on his maiden voyage, questioning the motives behind his return as well as his very identity. The unexpected arrival of a transport containing three "alien" friends only caused their suspicions to worsen. Even with the help of his father Jack, Crichton proved unable to prevent the humans from drugging and imprisoning Rygel, D'Argo, and Aeryn. Suddenly, Crichton's idyllic dream of rediscovering Earth had evolved into a waking nightmare in which nothing less than his friends' very lives were at stake. Crew : Ben Browder (John Crichton) Claudia Black (Aeryn Sun) Virginia Hey (Pa'u Zotoh Zhaan) Anthony Simcoe (Ka D'Argo) Jonathan Hardy (Voice of Rygel) Lani Tupu (Voice of Pilot) Cast : Albert Mensah (Dialectic) Andy Cachia (Technician) Frankie Davidson (News Stand Guy) Gigi Edgley (Chiana) Kent McCord (Jack Crichton) Phillip Gordon (Wilson) Richard Sydenham (Cobb) Selina Muller (Woman On Beach) Written By : Justin Monjo Directed By : Rowan Woods ¡Through The Looking Glass [#17] 1999045 As powerful as Moya is, without a crew she is in many ways quite vulnerable. While the DRDs can attend to her basic needs, she is unable to, say, bargain with Zenetan Pirates or outsmart hostile Peacekeepers without the help of a resourceful crew. Beyond that, Moya and I both find great fulfilment in serving others and would be remiss if left alone. So when some of our crew recently contemplated leaving due to her temporarily reduced performance parameters, the insinuation hurt Moya's pride. She was anxious to prove her worth to them -- too anxious, as things turned out. In an effort to show that she could still protect us from capture Moya chose to starburst immediately. This was unwise. The energy required to sustain her growing child severely limited the output of Moya's power cells and the strain of a full starburst was too much for the nurturing Leviathan. She ran out of energy mid-starburst and crashed into... something. In the chaos that followed the collision, Rygel, D'Argo, and Aeryn went missing. While my sensors still detected them on board, we could find no trace of them anywhere. During his search for our missing shipmates, Crichton discovered the cause of this strange disparity. Moya had punctured through the seam between space-time and was partially stuck in the space between the dimensions of normal space. I was somewhat familiar with the "Dimensional Schism" hypothesis, but never imagined I would experience its jarringly real effects first-hand. Just as a single beam of light can be divided into a spectrum of colours, Moya herself had become fractured into four distinct dimensions. Our missing crew members were not gone. They merely existed aboard the fractured elements of Moya within these different dimensions. And they were not alone. Some sort of creature was attempting to manifest in each of these dimensions. As we tried to reverse Moya away from the rupture, this creature became more and more agitated. Judging from the apparent violence of its manifestations, this trans-dimensional entity was willing to go to great, even fatal, lengths to prevent us from escaping. Yet with each passing moment, Moya was splintering further apart. If the separate grew complete, we would quite simply cease to exist. Crew : Ben Browder (John Crichton) Claudia Black (Aeryn Sun) Virginia Hey (Pa'u Zotoh Zhaan) Anthony Simcoe (Ka D'Argo) Jonathan Hardy (Voice of Rygel) Lani Tupu (Voice of Pilot) Cast : Gigi Edgley (Chiana) June Salter (Voice of Trans-Dimensional Entity) Written By : David Kemper Directed By : Ian Watson ¡A Bug's Life [#18] 1999045 Peacekeeper control has the regrettable ability to spread, like an infection, to the remotest parts of the universe. Even the Uncharted Territories, though incredibly vast, are no longer free of that foul race's influence. A fact we all discovered when a lone Peacekeeper vessel leaking fuel boarded Moya in the middle of what we'd previously thought was deep space. Posing as a Peacekeeper Captain, Crichton managed to form an uneasy alliance with the four PK Commandos and discovered that they were en route to a secret Peacekeeper base less than 20 arns away. Their leader, Larraq, needed to deliver a mysterious crate to this base and proceeded to commandeer Moya from "Captain" Crichton to travel the last leg of his journey. The rest of us played along with the human's ruse; Aeryn, Chiana, and myself posing as his subordinates, and D'Argo, Zhaan, and Rygel pretending to be his prisoners. While Aeryn tried to glean more information from Larraq, Rygel and Chiana's curiosity got the best of them and they secretly opened the PK's crate. In doing so, they released an intelligent virus onto Moya that was virtually undetectable and, in its current "single infection stage," could take complete possession of another organism. But if this parasite was allowed to gestate in a single host for even an arn, it could lay several million spores and exponentially seize control of a whole galaxy. The Peacekeeper scientists, no doubt, intended to modify the parasite and produce a weapon capable of subjugating the entire universe. Within moments the virus had transferred hosts several times and caused the deaths of two of the four Marauders. It moved so quickly that none of us could be sure within whom it was residing. Larraq and Thonn, his second-in-command, were forced to accept help from Crichton's "prisoners" in order to find and contain the virus. But, with no way to trace the actual parasite everyone became a potential host and a potential threat. With time running out, we had to devise a means to control the virus before the virus itself gained control of us. Crew : Ben Browder (John Crichton) Claudia Black (Aeryn Sun) Virginia Hey (Pa'u Zotoh Zhaan) Anthony Simcoe (Ka D'Argo) Jonathan Hardy (Voice of Rygel) Lani Tupu (Voice of Pilot) Cast : Gigi Edgley (Chiana) Michael Tuahine (Rhed) Paul Leyden (Larraq) Richard White (Thonn) Zoe Coyle (Hassan) Teleplay By : Stephen Rae Story By : Doug Heyes, Jr. Directed By : Tony Tilse ¡Nerve [#19] 1999045 Aeryn's stab wound, inflicted by the recently deceased Peacekeeper Larraq, damaged her paraphoral nerve, resulting in the rapid deterioration of her body's toxin removal functions. A tissue graft from a genetically compatible donor was the only possible cure but unless one could be found in less than sixty arns, Officer Sun would die. Since Aeryn's hope for survival lay in obtaining a tissue sample from another Sebacean, we had no choice but to follow Larraq's former flight plan to a top secret Peacekeeper outpost dubbed Gammak Base. With Moya hampered by her pregnancy, this was not a prudent choice for the rest of us but prudence would do little to save our shipmate's life. As Crichton and Chiana approached the lunar-base in Aeryn's Prowler, the rest of us maintained a geo-synchronous orbit directly opposite Gammak Base, keeping Moya hidden from their detection. Crichton bluffed his way past Commander Tollona Javio and his lieutenant Heskon by posing as Larraq himself while Chiana played the role of Larraq's personal "server". Back on Moya, Aeryn's condition continued to worsen. In desperation, we connected her directly with the Leviathan, letting the ship's own immune system flush what toxins it could from Officer Sun's rapidly deteriorating body. While Crichton's ruse worked initially, he would surely have been discovered if not for the efforts of Gilina, the PK Tech who John had "befriended" on the Zelbinion. She was now stationed on Gammak Base and obtained a cloned paraphoral tissue sample from their medical facility without attracting any undue attention. But before Crichton could return to Moya with the sample, he crossed paths with Scorpius, a hybrid Sebacean scientist who detected the Human's unique energy signature and had him seized as an imposter. Trapped in Scorpius' evil Aurora Chair, Crichton suffered as the PK scientist and his assistant Niem literally pulled memories from his mind. As this telepathic inquisition revealed more and more (including scenes of the maniacal Captain Crais), John realized that his very memories could betray the lives of Moya's entire crew. With Chiana trying desperately to return to Moya with the tissue sample, John struggled against Scorpius and his probing Aurora Chair -- trying not to remember Gilina, Aeryn, and the rest of us; the very things that were foremost in his mind. One false thought could prove the end for us all. Crew : Ben Browder (John Crichton) Claudia Black (Aeryn Sun) Virginia Hey (Pa'u Zotoh Zhaan) Anthony Simcoe (Ka D'Argo) Jonathan Hardy (Voice of Rygel) Lani Tupu (Voice of Pilot) Cast : Alyssa-Jane Cook (Gilina) Anthony Kierann (Lt. Heskon) Gigi Edgley (Chiana) Imogen Annesley (Niem) Kent McCord (Jack Crichton) Lani Tupu (Capt. Bialar Crais) Paul Goddard (Stark) Stephen Leeder (Cmdr. Javio) Wayne Pygram (Scorpius) Written By : Richard Manning Directed By : Rowan Woods ¡The Hidden Memory [#20] 1999045 While maintaining our geo-synchronous orbit opposite the PK Gammak Base, Moya went into full labour rendering all her propulsion systems -- including starburst -- effectively inoperative. Even if the Leviathan had been able to move, Crichton was still Scorpius' prisoner in the base and no one in our crew (except perhaps Dominar Rygel) was prepared to leave him at the mercy of that hybrid Sebacean's memory-stealing Aurora Chair. A weakened Aeryn, not fully recovered from her paraphoral nerve graft, insisted on leading D'Argo and Zhaan in a rescue mission. Officer Sun infiltrated the underground compound while the others fortified the surface, preparing for their rapid escape. The presence of Captain Crais on Gammak Base was not something any of us had anticipated. Evidently, the PK Captain was summoned when Scorpius' torturous mental probing of Crichton revealed Crais' vendetta against the Human. With both Scorpius and Crais watching him, odds of rescuing Crichton seemed especially low. But with the PK Tech Gilina's ingenious manipulations of the Aurora Chair, Scorpius came to suspect Captain Crais himself of harbouring hidden memories and proceeded to turn his mental probes on the PK Captain. While Crais and Scorpius preoccupied one another, Aeryn managed to free John and his cellmate Stark from captivity. As, Gilina continued to sabotage the base's systems, Moya was having severe problems with her own birthing systems. The child had formed covered with weapons; a feature no Leviathan had ever possessed. These armaments prevented the baby from exiting the birthing canal normally. Unless Chiana could guide it clear, the confused baby would begin blasting its way out. When Scorpius realized that he'd been tricked, he sealed the base and began a systematic search for Crichton. Trapped in the compound, the escapees needed to find a way to the surface before the legions of PK guards found them. But even if they somehow made it out, there was no guarantee that Moya would be there upon their return. For despite Chiana's best efforts, our newborn Leviathan was still trapped in the birthing canal, and now fully primed and ready to open fire on its own terrified mother. Crew : Ben Browder (John Crichton) Claudia Black (Aeryn Sun) Virginia Hey (Pa'u Zotoh Zhaan) Anthony Simcoe (Ka D'Argo) Jonathan Hardy (Voice of Rygel) Lani Tupu (Voice of Pilot) Cast : Alyssa-Jane Cook (Gilina) Anthony Kierann (Lt. Heskon) Christian Bischoff (Bixx) Gigi Edgley (Chiana) Imogen Annesley (Niem) Lani Tupu (Capt. Bialar Crais) Paul Goddard (Stark) Wayne Pygram (Scorpius) Written By : Justin Monjo Directed By : Ian Watson ¡Bone To Be Wild [#21] 1999045 While hiding in an asteroid field from the scans of Crais' Command Carrier, Moya was forced to shut down nearly all her systems to avoid producing any noticeable energy signatures. Though the PK Carrier seemed unable to detect us amid the debris, we had no navigational aids with which to negotiate the dense field ourselves. When Moya received a muted distress signal originating on a small planetoid floating nearby we decided to respond hoping that whoever sent the signal could lead us out of the asteroid field and away from the Peacekeepers. Crichton, D'Argo, Zhaan, and Aeryn elected to investigate. I requested that Officer Sun stay behind, however, to use her knowledge of PK technology in assisting Moya with the ships unusually strained bonding process with her newborn child, a PK/Leviathan hybrid. The investigating team discovered that the planetoid, which they dubbed the Botany Asteroid, was covered with all manner of vegetation but seemed almost entirely devoid of animal life. In fact, the only two examples of fauna which they encountered were M'Lee, the female who'd sent the distress message, and a large beast who was about to kill her. They quickly saved M'Lee who revealed that her entire family had been massacred by this violent creature. Aeryn, meanwhile, was boarding Moya's baby whose PK lineage put the infant ships allegiances into question. With PK scanner sweeps constantly washing over him, we wanted to insure that the newborn wouldn't give away our position to Crais. Officer Sun seemed to develop a strong rapport with the baby but it remained unclear if that would be enough to convince him that Moya and her crew, and not the nearby Peacekeepers, were his real friends. On the Botany Asteroid, the investigating team were discovering that the situation was not as simple as M'Lee had wanted them to believe. The beast that had been terrorizing her was actually a botanist named Br'Nee. He claimed that M'Lee was the real monster and had murdered his family and eaten their bones. Crichton and the team couldn't tell who needed rescuing from whom. But they were sure of one thing, something had killed all the fauna on the asteroid and it would undoubtedly kill them too if they couldn't get to the real truth fast. Crew : Ben Browder (John Crichton) Claudia Black (Aeryn Sun) Virginia Hey (Pa'u Zotoh Zhaan) Anthony Simcoe (Ka D'Argo) Gigi Edgley (Chiana) Jonathan Hardy (Voice of Rygel) Lani Tupu (Voice of Pilot) Cast : David Franklin (Lt. Braca) Francesca Buller (M'Lee) Lani Tupu (Capt. Bialar Crais) Marton Csokas (Br'Nee) Wayne Pygram (Scorpius) Written By : David Kemper Rockne S. O'Bannon Directed By : Andrew Prowse ¡Family Ties [#22] 1999045 Even with the star charts that we recently inherited from Br'Nee, we were unable to slip past the Command Carrier patrolling the edge of the asteroid field. It was only a matter of time before the Peacekeepers homed in on Moya's energy signatures and descended on us. With nowhere to run, we were what Crichton referred to as "sitting ducts". Under these conditions, Rygel's loyalties (which were never certain to begin with) wavered and he fled to the PK Command Carrier hoping to trade the rest of our lives for his own. Perhaps we should have been prepared for this defection -- his eminence has been known to exhibit a penchant for self-interest that has been, in my case, quite literally disarming. Still, adversity had united us in the past and we had yet to face a fate more adverse than this one. The Hynerian may have succeeded in bartering our lives for his freedom had it not been for a shift in power on board the Peacekeeper vessel itself. It seems the formidable Captain Crais had lost his grip on his command of the PK Carrier, leaving Scorpius in charge and Crais fearing for his life under the Scarran-hybrid's new regime. Crais convinced Rygel that Scorpius intended to kill them both and together they fled back to Moya. Their reception was about as warm as could be expected. With old enemies on board and new ones closing in, Moya and I were beginning to doubt that her new offspring would survive long enough to acquire a name... Crew : Ben Browder (John Crichton) Claudia Black (Aeryn Sun) Virginia Hey (Pa'u Zotoh Zhaan) Anthony Simcoe (Ka D'Argo) Gigi Edgley (Chiana) Jonathan Hardy (Voice of Rygel) Lani Tupu (Voice of Pilot) Cast : David Franklin (Lt. Braca) Lani Tupu (Capt. Bialar Crais) Wayne Pygram (Scorpius) Written By : David Kemper Rockne S. O'Bannon Directed By : Tony Tilse ¡Mind The Baby [#23] 2000044 There were only four of us left on Moya and no one could keep from worrying. D'Argo, Aeryn, Crichton, & Moya's newborn child Talyn were all lost or possibly dead in the nearby asteroid field. In this preoccupied state, we inadvertently crossed the flight path of a hostile Sheyang vessel that attacked us with its Plasma Ribbon. Ill equipped to handle the situation, we barely managed to evade the Sheyang ship. It became quite clear to Moya and I that our own survival depended on discovering what happened to Talyn and our missing crewmates. Returning to the asteroid field, Moya heard the anguished cry of Talyn and rushed to protect her child. Instead of finding the young Leviathan hybrid, however, we discovered a lone PK Prowler carrying Crichton and his prisoner, Captain Crais. We were all pleased to find the Human alive and soon learned that D'Argo and Aeryn also survived the events surrounding the destruction of Scorpius' Gammak Base. Soon the entire crew was reunited. It was good to have them all back on board. Crichton explained that he had recently apprehended Crais aboard the young Leviathan hybrid. Crais was undermining Aeryn's natural bond with Talyn by systematically brainwashing the confused child into believing that Crais was his only true friend. So when Crichton forcibly removed Crais from his bridge, Talyn let out the desperate cry that Moya had picked up. As we honed in on Talyn, Moya found that her frightened child no longer trusted her. Too many people had been telling him too many conflicting things and now the scared ship refused to believe anyone but Crais, demanding that the PK Captain be returned to him at once. Aeryn might have been able to reason with the young Leviathan hybrid but there was no time. Scorpius' Command Carrier had suddenly emerged from hiding and bore down on us. Unless we delivered Crais to Talyn immediately, Scorpius would capture us all. Moya was faced with a terrible decision: sacrifice her only son to Crais or sacrifice us all to the Peacekeepers. Crew : Ben Browder (John Crichton) Claudia Black (Aeryn Sun) Virginia Hey (Pa'u Zotoh Zhaan) Anthony Simcoe (Ka D'Argo) Gigi Edgley (Chiana) Jonathan Hardy (Voice of Rygel) Lani Tupu (Voice of Pilot) Cast : David Franklin (Lt. Braca) Jennifer Fisher (Scorpius' Assistant) Lani Tupu (Capt. Bialar Crais) Wayne Pygram (Scorpius) Written By : Richard Manning Directed By : Andrew Prowse ¡Vitas Mortis [#24] 2000044 Commerce planets overflow with rumours and, during our recent visit to one, we overheard stories about an old Luxan named Nilaam who'd been living nearby for several cycles. D'Argo was determined to find her. With the notable exception of Aeryn Sun and the Peacekeepers, instances of Moya's crew encountering members of their own race in the Uncharted Territories are so rare that each one warrants further exploration. At the very least, D'Argo could commune with one of his own people. Also, it was possible that this Luxan might possess maps that could lead us all to more familiar systems. The rumours about Nilaam had left out one important fact however - she was an Orican. These legendary Luxan holy women are revered throughout the Territories for their spiritual powers. But, despite all her mystical strength, the aged Nilaam was on the verge of death when D'Argo, Zhaan, and Crichton found her. She wanted a fellow Luxan to assist her in her traditional "Ritual of Passing" to impart the additional life energy she needed in making her final ascension to a higher plane. For D'Argo this was the highest honour that a Luxan could receive and, after Nilaam's somewhat invasive interview of him, the ritual was performed. The ceremony had some unexpected results though. Instead of dying, the opposite occurred and Nilaam was rejuvenated. D'Argo, she said, had been bursting with life energy; enough to perform the "Ritual of Renewal" instead of the "Ritual of Passing". Now she was completely transformed and could continue her life as a young, powerful, vibrant Orican. As thanks, Nilaam offered to use her immense spiritual abilities to assist D'Argo and the rest of Moya's crew in realizing all our wishes. My only wish at that point was to understand what was going wrong with Moya though. Suddenly, the Leviathan's systems had mysteriously begun failing. Her amnexus fluid was freezing. Tremors were occurring on all her tiers. Her hull was starting to degenerate. Even Nilaam's awesome powers could not improve Moya's rapidly deteriorating health. In fact, the more the Luxan holy woman tried to help the worse the Leviathan's condition got. Unless someone could quickly figure out what was wrong, Nilaam's spiritual "healing" would decay Moya's body beyond all repair. Crew : Ben Browder (John Crichton) Claudia Black (Aeryn Sun) Virginia Hey (Pa'u Zotoh Zhaan) Anthony Simcoe (Ka D'Argo) Gigi Edgley (Chiana) Jonathan Hardy (Voice of Rygel) Lani Tupu (Voice of Pilot) Cast : Anna Lise Phillips (Nilaam [Young]) Melissa Jaffer (Nilaam [Old]) Written By : Grant McAloon Directed By : Tony Tilse ¡Taking The Stone [#25] 2000044 It seems that a life disc embedded in Chiana's abdomen had suddenly ceased functioning. This indicated that the life force linked to the disc, her brother's, had also ceased functioning. Distraught, Chiana sought solace from Crichton but the Human was busy tinkering with Moya's systems. While I admire Crichton's efforts to learn more about Leviathan technology, his exuberance temporarily shorted-out several key biomechanoid elements and effectively blinded both Moya and myself to what was occurring onboard. By the time system integrity was restored Chiana, confused and distressed, had already commandeered Aeryn's Prowler and slipped away to a nearby Royal Cemetery Planet. Officer Sun, Crichton, and Rygel (our resident royalty, as he ceaselessly reminds us) followed her in a transport pod. On arrival, the three discovered that Chiana had taken up with a local people who call themselves the Clansmen and live in underground tunnels below the gravesites. Chiana, still reeling in the aftermath of her brother's passing, was attracted to the young Clansmen's hedonistic lifestyle of drugs and danger. These people, led by one called Molnon, embraced life threatening situations, constantly testing each other with deadly rites of passage. These rites culminated in a ceremony called "The Gathering" where Clansmen would plunge into a subterranean pit relying on a voice activated sonic net to catch them at the bottom. While considered the highest honour among the Clansmen, the act itself was extremely difficult to perform and often resulted in their deaths ("taking the stone," as the locals put it). The task of clearing Chiana's head and bringing her back to us was left to Crichton and Officer Sun, as Rygel had chosen to devote his energy to oh-so-noble task of grave robbing. But Chiana, in her current state, was impervious to reason. Despite seeing one of the Clansmen named Das already fall to his death, she determined it was time for her to leap and risk "taking the stone," though whether to face death or embrace it was unclear... even to Chiana herself. Crew : Ben Browder (John Crichton) Claudia Black (Aeryn Sun) Virginia Hey (Pa'u Zotoh Zhaan) Anthony Simcoe (Ka D'Argo) Gigi Edgley (Chiana) Jonathan Hardy (Voice of Rygel) Lani Tupu (Voice of Pilot) Cast : Anthony Hayes (Molnon) Michela Noonan (Vyna) Natasha Beaumont (Janixx) Peter Scarf (Das) Written By : Justin Monjo Directed By : Rowan Woods ¡Crackers Don't Matter [#26] 2000044 I really must learn to trust my judgment. Then again, I am seldom consulted in matters like this most recent one, so I can hardly be blamed for what happened. The crew invited T'raltixx, a blind mechanic-type, aboard the ship with promises to make modifications to Moya that would protect us from Scorpius' pursuit. Crichton immediately expressed the fact that he did not trust T'raltixx, and I had to restrain myself from asking him why he thought it was acceptable to allow such an untrustworthy being aboard. Still, I must acknowledge that our new guest took great pains to appear innocent, at least at first. T'raltixx tested his modifications on Crichton's Farscape module, and to all observing it seemed that the module (as well as Crichton, who was opportunely sitting beside the module) disappeared from view. This technology would truly be a wonderful asset in our flight from Scorpius, and the crew was eager to outfit Moya with the adaptation. Meanwhile, Aeryn and Chiana returned from the commerce planet where they obtained one of the "Wanted: John Crichton" beacons Scorpius had left, in hopes of determining Scorpius' location so we could head in the opposite direction. Also on the commerce planet, Aeryn and Chiana were able to acquire some rudimentary food, though that acquisition - several crates of "crackers" - ended up causing more trouble than good. In order to perform the necessary modifications to Moya, T'raltixx had to take us to his homeworld, a trip which required our passage through five pulsars near his planet. He informed us that the proximity to the pulsars might cause personality shifts in "lesser beings," namely, the crew. The occurrence was pleasurable for Zhaan, who, as a plant-lifeform, experienced photogasms from the light. The rest of us, I'm ashamed to admit, fared less well. T'raltixx explained that our optic nerves were being affected, triggering brain activity which resulted in extreme emotional responses, mostly in the form of acute sense of distrust. And indeed we did begin to distrust everything and everyone around us. I found myself distrusting and even hating the crew. And throughout the ship, they too were turning against one another. These regularly companionable... well, tolerant shipmates picked up arms against one another, suspicious of everyone and willing to protect with deadly force their fair share... of crackers. Crew : Ben Browder (John Crichton) Claudia Black (Aeryn Sun) Virginia Hey (Pa'u Zotoh Zhaan) Anthony Simcoe (Ka D'Argo) Gigi Edgley (Chiana) Jonathan Hardy (Voice of Rygel) Lani Tupu (Voice of Pilot) Cast : Danny Adcock (T'raltixx) Wayne Pygram (Scorpius) Written By : Justin Monjo Directed By : Ian Watson ¡The Way We Weren't [#27] 2000044 The DRDs have ears. And despite the fact that they seem to ignore it, the crew does know this, I've heard Chiana remind them from time to time. Still, it doesn't stop them from commenting - often rudely, I might add - about me, or Moya, when they think we're not listening. I've tried to stop listening. I am aware it's not polite. This time, I knew there was something going on, I noticed the whispers and the closed doors, though I tried to ignore them. But I was not altogether surprised when Rygel brought me the tape. I was, however, altogether surprised when I saw what was on it. The days of my arrival aboard Moya I remember only when I am forced to remember them, I've tried to put them out of my mind. I would have been quite content never to hear the name Velorek again. But when Rygel showed me the tape and I saw Velorek again, and saw how he tried to care for me as I took my place aboard this Leviathan. I remember the pain so vividly, during the bonding. He said I would get used to it, that I would adjust to the pain of being artificially bonded to Moya. I have not gotten used to it. That was three cycles ago. Yes. The tape - a Peacekeeper surveillance recording - chronicled those days with detail I'd just as soon have forgotten. It also showed me details I might have actually forgotten, or perhaps never knew. One detail in particular. Velorek, the Peacekeeper assigned to oversee my bonding with this Leviathan, was accompanied by a female Pleisar soldier for whom he seemed to care, deeply. Someone I too have since come to trust and understand in ways I had not before with any biped. The tape showed her actions before I was brought aboard Moya, it showed how the Pilot before me was killed, and disposed of, and the cruel, crucial role that particular Pleisar commando played in this brutal ordeal. At times I find unfathomable what some will do under the orders of a Peacekeeper. Velorek was a persuasive individual, I'll admit, but the actions he requested of this commando were - she had to have known they were - pure evil. What kind of sentient being would allow themselves to become such a monster? And now it is too late. What's been done has been done. And this woman - our own Officer Sun - can never, ever be redeemed. Crew : Ben Browder (John Crichton) Claudia Black (Aeryn Sun) Virginia Hey (Pa'u Zotoh Zhaan) Anthony Simcoe (Ka D'Argo) Gigi Edgley (Chiana) Jonathan Hardy (Voice of Rygel) Lani Tupu (Voice of Pilot) Cast : Alex Dimitriades (Velorek) Lani Tupu (Capt. Bialar Crais) Melissa Jaffer (Voice of Female Pilot) Written By : Naren Shankar Directed By : Tony Tilse ¡Picture If You Will [#28] 2000044 One might think the crew would hesitate to let Chiana shop, after her purchase of an overabundance of crackers, but she and Rygel did insist upon visiting Kyvan's commerce ship. Still, despite what Aeryn might say, I lean toward blaming Rygel for visiting Kyvan. Perhaps that is unfair of me. But the events were quite upsetting, and it is useful to have someone to blame. Aboard the commerce ship, Chiana was given a portrait, as a gift. Her own face appeared in it, beside a rendering of a necklace she'd lost. I had assigned a DRD to locate that necklace, and, coincidentally or not, it happened to find it the moment Chiana returned to Moya with the portrait. We would have liked to believe it was a coincidence, that is, until the portrait altered itself to show Chiana breaking her leg. Seconds later, she tripped over a DRD and the image proved itself to be prescient. I found myself agreeing with D'Argo and the crew when they suggested destroying the thing before it caused Chiana further harm, but Chiana impetuously insisted upon watching it to see what would happen next. Crichton asked Zhaan to analyse a section of the portrait, in an effort to see what might have given it these strange properties. What Zhaan's analysis told her, we were not sure, but she became very frightened and told me and certain members of the crew that she might have to call upon us to do "exactly as she said," without question, at some point. I will confess to being frightened too, when I was informed, but I trusted Zhaan enough to comply. The next change in the portrait was truly terrifying; it showed Chiana consumed by fire. Poor Chiana, confident that the image would come true again, begged to be locked in the freezer where she was sure she could not burn. Not having a better suggestion, the crew asked me and Moya to allow this. I made certain that there was clean oxygen directed to the freezer, and I raised the temperature just enough that Chiana would not die from the cold. But while doing so, something... happened. Flames shot up inside the freezer. Chiana shouted for help, but I could not get Moya to open the hatch and let Chiana free. With the freezer door stuck between them, the crew watched Chiana scream, and burn. Unable to figure out what the malfunction was, there was nothing I could do to save her. And when we finally did get the hatch open... Chiana was gone, and the painting had already selected its next victim. Crew : Ben Browder (John Crichton) Claudia Black (Aeryn Sun) Virginia Hey (Pa'u Zotoh Zhaan) Anthony Simcoe (Ka D'Argo) Gigi Edgley (Chiana) Jonathan Hardy (Voice of Rygel) Lani Tupu (Voice of Pilot) Cast : Chris Haywood (Maldis / Kyvan) Written By : Peter Neale Directed By : Andrew Prowse ¡Home Of The Remains [#29] 2000044 The Human, the Sebacean, the Luxan and the Nebari all require to consume food and water orally to survive. Without it, they become weak, and they complain, their demeanour becoming cranky and unpleasant. The Hynerian, being perpetually cranky and unpleasant, became even more so recently as the crew's store of rations dwindled, depleted and disappeared. But perhaps the strangest response to the food shortage was the Delvian one. Zhaan's body, having gone too long without sustenance, entered a state of metamorphosis, and the plant-lifeform began to flower. Zhaan informed us that if she was not fed meat quite soon, her body would completely change and the budding process would kill her. To further complicate matters, the Delvian buds caused physical reactions in John, D'Argo, Chiana, and Rygel causing them to have difficulty breathing and to make a series of strange hacking sounds whenever they were in Zhaan's presence. Fortunately, Moya encountered in space the carcass of a Budong inside which a mining colony lived and worked. Among the residents of the carcass were some old friends of Chiana's... or, perhaps, old enemies. Still, with Zhaan dying and no time to nurse old grudges, Chiana brought John, D'Argo and Rygel over to the carcass in the hopes of procuring meat for Zhaan. Aeryn remained with me aboard Moya, but Zhaan started budding more and more. Aeryn thought that perhaps the Delvian would benefit from strong light, knowing that plants photosynthesize light into energy. However, the effect of the light caused the near-starving Zhaan to release a spray of spores into Moya's environment. These airborne spores caused an allergic reaction in Aeryn, and, even more seriously, began to cloud Moya's systems, preventing her from functioning properly. The spores grew denser in the air and Moya began to malfunction more and more. Even through her own physical reaction to the spores, Aeryn tried to help Moya, but there was little she could do. The only way to save Moya was to clear the ship of all the spores, which would require depressurizing the ship. Aeryn would remain in my chamber which would maintain the life support necessary for her to survive during the purge... but Zhaan was nowhere to be found and Moya was suffering. Aeryn hunted for Zhaan, but time was running out. I needed to release the spores into space and save Moya... even if it meant killing Zhaan in the process. Crew : Ben Browder (John Crichton) Claudia Black (Aeryn Sun) Virginia Hey (Pa'u Zotoh Zhaan) Anthony Simcoe (Ka D'Argo) Gigi Edgley (Chiana) Jonathan Hardy (Voice of Rygel) Lani Tupu (Voice of Pilot) Cast : Gavin Robins (Keedva) Hunter Perske (Temmon) John Brumpton (B'Soog) Justine Saunders (Altana) Rob Carlton (Vija) Written By : Gabrielle Stanton Harry Werksman, Jr. Directed By : Rowan Woods ¡Dream A Little Dream [#30] 2000044 The period of time shortly after the destruction of the Peacekeeper Gammak Base, when Moya was desperately seeking for her offspring, Talyn, was an extremely chaotic one, which is why this entry is out of chronological sequence. For the first 15 solar days after the destruction of the Peacekeeper Gammak Base, the Delvian, the Hynerian and the Nebari repeatedly and frantically demanded that Moya traipse from one star system to another in search of the missing Human, Sebacean and Luxan. During this time, Moya's insistence on continuing her search for Talyn became progressively more difficult to refuse. After 15 solar days, we had reached Litigara, the last habitable planet within range of Aeryn's prowler, but had found no sign of her, Crichton or D'Argo. During a visit to the planet surface, Zhaan managed to become entangled in some sort of minor traffic violation, for which she was told she would likely spend 10 days in confinement. However, Moya made it very clear to me -- and I made it clear to Zhaan, Chiana and Rygel -- that we would be leaving orbit in only three days. Zhaan was not content to follow the advice of her legal counsel, perhaps because she hoped to find a better one within the 90 percent of Litigara's population who were lawyers. Shortly thereafter, Zhaan managed to escape from her cell, but in her haste to rejoin Chiana and Rygel, she stumbled over a dead body and into a murder charge. With Moya's desire to leave growing stronger by the microt, and Zhaan's lawyer unwilling to defend her innocence, Chiana and Rygel rather impetuously volunteered to represent Zhaan. I could not help but lament their ill-considered decision when I subsequently heard that if they were caught lying or presenting a bad-faith defence -- which, so far as I could tell, was their only viable strategy -- they would be executed along with Zhaan. Apparently, the trial generated quite a stir on Litigara because the victim was a civil-rights advocate for the 10 percent of Litigarans who are not lawyers, and who are referred to rather disparagingly as utilities. And from what I could discern from Chiana's hysterical shouting and Rygel's pompous blather, the most likely culprits were the lawyers of the law firm that ruled the planet. Moya, unwilling to wait while her newborn travelled farther and farther, decided to break orbit and leave Chiana, Rygel and Zhaan on Litigara... Crew : Ben Browder (John Crichton) Claudia Black (Aeryn Sun) Virginia Hey (Pa'u Zotoh Zhaan) Anthony Simcoe (Ka D'Argo) Gigi Edgley (Chiana) Jonathan Hardy (Voice of Rygel) Lani Tupu (Voice of Pilot) Cast : Marin Mimica (Dersch) Peter Kowitz (Tarr) Sandy Gore (Judge) Simone Kessell (Finzzi) Steve Jacobs (Ja Rhumann) Jeremy Callaghan (Bartender) Written By : Steven Rae Directed By : Ian Watson ¡Out Of Their Minds [#31] 2000044 The first thing Moya realized was that she was being attacked. The crew decided that the only way to protect ourselves from our assailants was to engage the defence screen we recovered from the Zelbinion, so they did. The enemy continued to fire, their energy beams now hitting the defence screen. And the next moment I remember, I was coming back to consciousness... in Chiana's body. The sensation was very strange. I do not know how Chiana and the others are able to manoeuvre with seemingly so little effort in these clumsy forms; I was unable to even get Chiana's legs to respond. But the most painful part of the whole experience was the fact that I was severed from Moya. Hearing Moya in my head, and feeling her in my body is as natural as hearing my own thoughts, and without her, I felt very empty. I believe Moya did as well, for D'Argo, who had found his consciousness in my body, was shortly overwhelmed and terrified by the impulses and fear Moya was expressing to him. Meanwhile, Chiana's consciousness had inhabited D'Argo's body, and the young girl did not know what to do. None of us did. We were not sure how this body-switching had occurred, but the fact that D'Argo, Chiana and I were in the same room when the enemy ship fired on us seems to be part of it. Because, elsewhere on Moya, John, Aeryn and Rygel found their consciousnesses in the wrong bodies as well. Zhaan was being held prisoner aboard the enemy ship, and was therefore not affected by the body-switching. There, she learned that the aliens had fired on Moya in retaliation for an attack THEY had suffered. It seems that shortly before encountering us, they had been fired upon by another Leviathan. Talyn. The thought was terrifying. If Crais were using Talyn as an offensive assault weapon, what could his ultimate plans for the Leviathan child be? Though Moya tries to conceal her fear from me, I know she worries often about her son, and I knew that this news would be extremely painful for her to hear. It was almost unbearable to be severed from her and to be unable to share her pain and her terror. And, to have her share mine. However, our only hope of survival depended on Zhaan's ability to convince the aliens that Moya, unlike Talyn, had no weapons and posed no threat to them. If she were able to succeed in calling off the attack, then, with luck, we would be able to focus on getting back inside our own bodies -- before the separation between Moya and myself killed one of us. Or both. Crew : Ben Browder (John Crichton) Claudia Black (Aeryn Sun) Virginia Hey (Pa'u Zotoh Zhaan) Anthony Simcoe (Ka D'Argo) Gigi Edgley (Chiana) Jonathan Hardy (Voice of Rygel) Lani Tupu (Voice of Pilot) Cast : Angie Milliken (Voice of Yoz) Dominique Sweeny (Yoz) Lani Tupu (Capt. Bialar Crais) Nicholas McKay (Voice of Tak) Thomas Holesgrove (Tak) Written By : Michael Cassutt Directed By : Ian Watson ¡Look At The Princess, Part 1 - "A Kiss Is But A Kiss" [#32] 2000044 Commence recording. Aeryn Sun, Officer. Completing assignment as requested. I've never been very good with words, Pilot, so I apologize if this isn't exactly what you're looking for. But I'm going to try and give you the best interpretation of the events that took place, without allowing my own emotions to interfere with the facts. I'm fairly good at that, at least. John and D'Argo and Chiana and Rygel and I were on the Royal Planet; Zhaan was back on Moya with you. The Royal Planet is a strange place, Pilot. It's an outpost world for former Peacekeepers, and in many ways, the Sebaceans who live here are more like myself than any other Sebaceans I've met. It's nice to be surrounded by my own kind again, even if these Sebaceans spend their time drinking and kissing one another with no ambition beyond finding a mate. The Empress's eldest daughter, Princess Katralla, was apparently approaching her deadline for finding a mate with compatible DNA that she could marry so she could take her place on the throne. They use a kind of chemical that they place on their tongues when they kiss, and if the chemical tastes sweet during the kiss it means the DNA of the couple is compatible and they can mate and produce healthy children. Somehow, the Princess's DNA had been altered, making all the Sebaceans on the planet incompatible mates. I believe this is the work of her brother, who would be the next in line for the throne if the Princess were unable to marry. Her brother, Prince Clavor, appears to be working with a Scarran, though I'm not sure what their motives are. Anyway, this DNA-altering may have made the Princess incompatible with Sebaceans, but it apparently made her compatible with Humans. At least, she was compatible with our Human. John. D'Argo and Chiana and I lost contact with Moya at roughly the same time we identified Scorpius' ship entering the system. As far as we know, you and Zhaan fled the system when you saw Scorpius, but rather than pursuing Moya, Scorpius came down to the planet to look for Crichton. Meanwhile, the Princess and her mother were ecstatic; finally the Princess had found a compatible mate and would be allowed to take the throne. John didn't want to marry Katralla at first, even when they told him he had to. D'Argo and Rygel tried to convince John that it was the wise choice, especially with Scorpius on the prowl. D'Argo even cut a deal with Scorpius that the rest of us would be spared if John married Katralla. I firmly believed that we would be able to escape Scorpius, as we always have been. I still believe it, Pilot. But John seemed convinced by D'Argo's decision. Either that, or he actually developed feelings for this Princess, though I don't want to believe that's the case. Men are fickle, though, Pilot. And I'm not any closer to knowing John's feelings now than I've ever been. "Better wed than dead," Crichton said to me. I was almost ready to believe him, even when the Scarran -- convinced I was working for Scorpius -- decided to question and then attack me. I gave him a few bruises he won't forget, I'll tell you that. But I was almost ready to believe that marrying the Princess was the right decision for Crichton, and almost ready to give him up to her and adjust to the fact that I would never see him again. And then Crichton learned exactly what this ascension to the throne would entail. For eighty cycles, commencing immediately after the wedding day, the bride and groom would be turned to statues. Not an appealing prospect for Crichton, to be sure. And I wasn't convinced Scorpius would spare the rest of us, regardless; his word doesn't mean much to me. But if Crichton refused the marriage, it was certain -- Scorpius would have us all. Crew : Ben Browder (John Crichton) Claudia Black (Aeryn Sun) Virginia Hey (Pa'u Zotoh Zhaan) Anthony Simcoe (Ka D'Argo) Gigi Edgley (Chiana) Jonathan Hardy (Voice of Rygel) Lani Tupu (Voice of Pilot) Cast : Aaron Cash (Dregon) Bianca Chiminello (Jena) Felicity Price (Princess Katralla) Felix Williamson (Prince Clavor) Francesca Buller (Ro-NA) Gavin Robins (Cargn) Matt Day (Tyno) Nicholas McKay (Voice Of Cargn) Tina Bursill (Empress Novia) Wayne Pygram (Scorpius) Written By : David Kemper Directed By : Andrew Prowse Tony Tilse ¡Look At The Princess, Part 2 - "I Do, I Think" [#33] 2000044 Is this thing on? Testing, one, two, three. John Crichton, Commander, reporting for Pilot. Hey, Pilot. Aeryn said you wanted some fill-in-the-blanks for your journey logs, and since I was the one getting the crap kicked out of him for a good portion of this particular adventure, she thought I should be the one to give you the, uh, no pun intended, blow-by-blows. After the blows that I was a.) gonna have to get married, and b.) gonna have to be a statue for eighty years, I didn't really think it was going to get worse. I'm a frellin' idiot; you think I'd have learned by now -- it can always get worse. Me, I'm minding my own business, and all of a sudden a flock of Prince Clavor's thugs decide to make Christmas lights out of me. They're zapping me with some really gnarly stun guns, and I'm seriously outnumbered, until Jena, the prince's fiance, shows up and rescues me. Not... that I needed to be rescued. I mean, I'd have gotten my ass out of there eventually, but still, it was a nice gesture. Of course, it turns out she's a Peacekeeper operative and she thinks I'm one too, which is why she bailed me out. And she won't tell me her mission, but that definitely makes it easier on me because she totally buys it when I play into the PK commando role and tell her my "mission" is top secret too. Close call, though. After she leaves, I go find Clavor and explain to him, gently and maturely, that I'd appreciate it if he'd call off his henchmen and leave me the frell alone. Okay, so I may have slapped him a little bit. But these guys don't understand the subtle art of negotiation. So now Katralla's mad at me for accusing her brother, who in her eyes is a harmless, dumb, hack. At least she's got the dumb hack part right. I try and explain to her that Clavor and his little Scarran buddy aren't as innocent as she wants to believe, but she doesn't buy it until we look up and see this round, like, Obi-Wan orb floating in front of us. You know, like the thing Luke practised his lightsaber on? No, Pilot. Of course you don't know. Sorry. Suffice it to say, it was a big, round, shiny, scary thing that started to hiss toxic gas at us. The room fills up with the toxic gas, and I'm convinced I'm toast again, when Ro-NA, that little green servant chick, appears out of nowhere and helps us out of there. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Sparky... I mean Rygel... has done some sort of Dominar-style kung-fu on the Empress and has gotten her to help evacuate me from the planet so that at the very least I'll live till the wedding. They put me and the green chick on a transport ship which is supposed to take me someplace "safe"... ha! "Safe" apparently includes Scorpy's right hand jerk, Lieutenant Heskon, who was in league all along with Ro-NA and brought me up here as a little wedding present for Scorpy. I still can't believe that little green chick sold me out. After I promised her a toaster and everything. You can't trust anybody, Pilot. Take it from me. But at least I didn't need a bailout this time; I nailed that Lieutenant all by my wily lonesome. Scorpy considers my brain primo merchandise, right? So the lieutenant knew he couldn't off me, not if he wanted whatever it was Scorpy'd promised him to bring me in alive. So I hold myself hostage and I rock the house. Works every time. When you're dealing with total crackpots, anyway. So bye bye Lieutenant, bye bye green chick, and now it's just me on the ship. The ship... ahem... which is now firing, of its own accord, on the planetary defence satellites. So they are, of course, firing back. The ship is about an inch from demolished and I'm pretty sure that this is the last hurrah of John Crichton. There's nowhere to go, ship's breaking apart, and I'm about an inch from bonkers myself. And then I hear Scorpy talking to me, from inside my brain. Remember way back when when he said he'd leave me something to remember him by? Ha! Found it. Scorpy tells me to save my ass, and I'll tell you, I had half a mind not to do it, just to spite him. That, and the fact that the only way to save myself was to jump out into space. Out into space, Pilot. You know, where it's colder than Minneapolis in February and harder to breathe than a room full of women in Chanel perfume? Clock's ticking, ship's falling apart, and I've either got to jump and save myself for Scorpy or stay here and get blown to smithereens. Man, I am so frelling tired of making all the tough decisions. Crew : Ben Browder (John Crichton) Claudia Black (Aeryn Sun) Virginia Hey (Pa'u Zotoh Zhaan) Anthony Simcoe (Ka D'Argo) Gigi Edgley (Chiana) Jonathan Hardy (Voice of Rygel) Lani Tupu (Voice of Pilot) Cast : Aaron Cash (Dregon) Anthony Kierann (Lt. Heskon) Bianca Chiminello (Jena) David Franklin (Lt. Braca) Felicity Price (Princess Katralla) Felix Williamson (Prince Clavor) Francesca Buller (Ro-NA) Gavin Robins (Cargn) Jennifer Fisher (Scorpius' Assistant) Jonathan Hardy (Kahaynu) Matt Day (Tyno) Nicholas McKay (Voice Of Cargn) Tina Bursill (Empress Novia) Wayne Pygram (Scorpius) Written By : David Kemper Directed By : Andrew Prowse Tony Tilse ¡Look At The Princess, Part 3 - "The Maltese Crichton" [#34] Commence recording. Aeryn Sun, Officer. Concluding assignment as requested. First of all, for the record, I went climbing with Dregon because I needed to do something. Yes, fine, he is an attractive male. But I was tired of doing nothing, Pilot. Crichton had made his choice. There was nothing left there for me. So instead of attending the wedding, I went out to the cliffs and went climbing with Dregon. He claimed to be a skilled climber, but I should know by now not to believe every word an arrogant male decides to yammer on about. Two cycles with Crichton should have taught me that. But it's my fault and no one else's; I should have been more attentive. Because, that yotz developed a fear of heights halfway up the rock face, and instead of grabbing hold of the rocks to steady himself, he grabbed hold of my leg, and we both plummeted into to the river below. It frelling hurt, Pilot. I got sliced to bits on the rocks, got pummelled by the current, broke my leg on impact and got the wind knocked out of me several times trying to save Dregon from being washed away. And I don't know if his injuries were worse than mine, or if he simply didn't have the Peacekeeper tolerance for pain, but he complained so loudly and so often I truly would have killed him just to shut him up. But I am a trained Peacekeeper soldier and I knew we needed to be further inland to get help. Now, if limping on a broken leg while dragging a moaning Sebacean across the desert on a makeshift gurney sounds like an unpleasant way to pass an afternoon, from what they've told me, D'Argo and Chiana had it worse. And since you've asked for a complete account, Pilot, I will try and construct their rendition of the events here as well, since they have informed me they'd prefer not to think about it again. I suppose some events are not worth reliving. Apparently, after the wedding ceremony and the... bronzing procedure, Crichton disappeared. I'm not sure I fully understand it myself, but according to D'Argo, first Crichton's head was stolen from his body, and then later his entire body was reanimated and possibly kidnapped. Needless to say, everyone in the Royal Court was looking for him, though whether they wanted to crown him or kill him was up for grabs. So of course, in the chaos, Scorpius materialized and asked D'Argo where Crichton was. D'Argo didn't know -- no one seemed to know -- but the Scarran who'd been working with Prince Clavor used a kind of thought-extracting beam on D'Argo, forcing him to suggest they ask Chiana for Crichton's whereabouts. Scorpius and the Scarran set off, each hoping to find Chiana first and thereby locate Crichton. D'Argo, having to select the lesser evil, chose to accompany Scorpius, working with the assumption that Scorpius was less likely to harm Chiana, I imagine. The Scarran found Chiana and had her hung in chains, suspended over a pit of acid, when Scorpius and D'Argo located him. The Scarran had used Chiana to bait D'Argo and Scorpius, because he'd suspected that Scorpius was trying to foil his plans to take control of the Royal Planet. When he learned that Scorpius had no such plans, he figured his mission would go unthreatened, as long as Crichton himself didn't intervene. The heat of the room caused the Sebacean DNA in Scorpius intense pain; exposure to heat, as you know, causes us to suffer Sebacean Heat-Sickness, which is lethal. Scorpius is half-Scarran, though, and Scarrans crave heat, and feed off it. If it were possible for me to feel pity for Scorpius I would feel it now; the anguish he went through must have been tremendous. Having experienced it myself, I would not wish Heat Sickness on anyone. Perhaps not even Scorpius. But I still say perhaps, Pilot. With Scorpius incapacitated, D'Argo was unmatched by the Scarran. Chiana hung perilously over the acid, but D'Argo could not even attempt to rescue her, still trying to fight of the Scarran's advances. When one of the chains holding Chiana broke, it must have been a horrifying moment for all of them. Meanwhile, the Empress, having learned that her son Clavor was dead, ruled that every off-worlder -- starting with the Scarran and including all of us, down to Rygel -- would be put to death in retaliation. And still, no one knew where Crichton was. Crew : Ben Browder (John Crichton) Claudia Black (Aeryn Sun) Virginia Hey (Pa'u Zotoh Zhaan) Anthony Simcoe (Ka D'Argo) Gigi Edgley (Chiana) Jonathan Hardy (Voice of Rygel) Lani Tupu (Voice of Pilot) Hey, Pilot, Crichton again. Last time I talked to you I was doing my Han Solo impression, right? Frozen in carbonite -- or some sort of nasty metallic stuff, anyhow -- in possibly the most uncomfortable pose I've ever struck. I guess the process stung a bit more than I expected it to. Pity, too -- I had this great pose planned, and a frelling huge grin on my face thanks to D'Argo. Oh, you'll have to ask him about that part. So anyway, I'm chilling out, stupidly under the assumption that at the very least I'll finally be left alone in for the next eighty years, when Clavor and his Scarran compadre decide it might be fun to break my head off. Their logic is this: if I don't have a head, I can't be Regent, and if I can't be Regent, Katralla can't be Empress, so brother Clavor gets the throne. Now let me tell you, Pilot, being frozen was a weird enough feeling, but if you've ever had your head snapped off and dumped in a pit of bubbling acid -- which is what Lizard Face and the Boy Wonder did to me -- you'll start to change your definition of "weird feeling". So while my body's doing an Ichabod Crane back in the Royal Court, my head is bobbing along in the bubbly green acid, until someone comes and retrieves it. Oh, no, not Aeryn or D'Argo or Chiana or Princess Leia dressed as a bounty hunter, no, I'm not that lucky. This time, I'm bailed out by Scorpius. Apparently he'd been able to trace my DNA from the sample he took when he had me in that frelling chair, and that enabled him to find my head. Don't ask me how that makes sense. I just work here. So Scorpy takes me back to his little laboratory in the volcano, or wherever, with all sorts of ideas about extracting wormhole data, when what do you know, I'm rescued again. Only this time it's my new friend and repeat-offender savior, Jena. Jena gets my head reattached and defrosts me, but instead of leaving me in the Royal Court, she smuggles me out to her campsite by the river like it's some sort of army field trip. And I gotta tell you, Pilot, for a Peacekeeper, she's not bad. Her mission, undercover as Clavor's fiance, was to keep the Royal Planet out of the hands of the Scarrans at all costs, which is why I worked so nicely into her plans. And her heart was definitely in the right place -- the Sebaceans that sent her knew that if the Scarrans took control of the planet a lot of innocent people would be killed, and all she wanted was to make sure that didn't happen. It was a motive I could understand, anyway. And after the last several days, that was a refreshing thing to come across. And she took care of me, and what can I say? I'm a guy. She's a chick. All her... parts were in the right place. And after the way Aeryn had been treating me... it was just nice to spend time with someone whose heart was in the right place, and who wasn't afraid to express herself. You know, physically. As I said: I'm a guy. So after that, we went back to the palace to figure out what to do with Clavor, but we were lucky enough that the Scarran had done it for us. Of course, Jena had to play the weepy fiance, but you could feel the relief in the court that that jerk was dead. I had no intention of getting statue-d again, but I went to the hall to visit Katralla and Tyno -- the guy Katralla was in love with for real -- and say goodbye. I hate long goodbyes, Pilot. People always say something that makes you change your mind. This time, it was the Empress. She showed up to try and convince me to take my place with Katralla again, and when I told her no soap, she pulled out the big guns. Seems they do things differently down here, Pilot. I'd given a DNA sample when we'd decided to get married, and they'd somehow been able to use it in conjunction with Katralla's... ...and she was pregnant. With my child. A child who would grow up without a father unless I allowed myself to be frozen for the next eighty years. Cast : Matt Day (Tyno) Wayne Pygram (Scorpius) Tina Bursill (Empress Novia) Felix Williamson (Prince Clavor) Felicity Price (Princess Katralla) Bianca Chiminello (Jena) Aaron Cash (Dregon) Gavin Robins (Cargn) Jonathan Hardy (Kahaynu) Nicholas McKay (Voice Of Cargn) I have heard the accounts of the experiences the others went through during their time at the Royal Court. Next to that, the trials Pa'u Zhaan and I faced aboard Moya might seem insignificant. However, I will say without hesitation that these were among the hardest, most terrifying, and most painful days of my life. While the crew was on the planet, Moya identified Scorpius' ship entering orbit with us. We knew that Scorpius sought Crichton, and it seemed that the only way to protect the Commander was to lure Scorpius away, on the notion that Scorpius might think Crichton was aboard Moya, and pursue. Moya entered StarBurst for as short an interval as she was capable, but when she exited, Scorpius' ship was nowhere to be found. Realizing he had not taken our bait, Zhaan and I attempted to retrace our journey and return to where we had left our companions. Moya, however, had other designs. She had apparently picked up a familiar signal and began to track it across space, leading us to a glorious nebula of white light. The sensation Moya experienced upon encountering the light was... undescribable. She was exhilarated, filled with overwhelming sense of connection, of... I suppose I would have to call it... love. Moya recognized the race we had encountered, and she identified them as the Builders: her creators, her Gods, the entities who had imbued the originally non-sentient Leviathans with life and emotion. One of the Builders, who introduced himself as Kahaynu, transferred to Moya. Considering Pilots as unworthy to communicate with Gods such as himself, he chose to address his intentions to Zhaan. He informed her that the Builders had been made aware of Moya's offspring, Talyn, and he expressed their disapproval at a Leviathan's ability to produce a gun-ship. Zhaan tried to explain that it was not Moya's fault, but I could feel Moya's guilt, and her shame, in the presence of her disapproving creators. Kahaynu informed Zhaan that Talyn's birth was unacceptable to the Builders. Because of it, their race had made the decision. Moya would be "decommissioned". Killed. Myself along with her. And Zhaan, as our unfortunate cargo, would be left to die as well. Written By : David Kemper Directed By : Andrew Prowse Tony Tilse ¡My Three Crichtons [#35] I have heard both Officer Sun and Commander Crichton say, "shoot first, ask questions later". I am ashamed to admit that it is a philosophy I often agree with, especially when the safety of Moya is at stake. However, I cannot help but wonder if the circumstances of the last day would have been different had Aeryn not fired at the sphere. The sphere was small when it entered Moya, and it traversed the ship, hovering above each crew member in turn as if it were trying to learn something from the humanoids. When it reached John Crichton, it lingered there, and John, perhaps foolishly, told Aeryn to open fire on it. The energy from her phase rifle must have affected the sphere in some way, because at that moment the sphere grew to many times its initial size, big enough to swallow Commander Crichton inside. Crichton was as quickly expelled, but when he exited the sphere he was not alone -- a dark figure dashed by him and disappeared into Moya's corridors. The crew pursued the intruder, and Chiana found it, hiding in Commander Crichton's quarters, trying to put on the human's Earth uniform. It was an ugly, hairy beast, unable to communicate beyond more than a series of grunts, but Chiana tried to talk with it anyway. After some trouble, she managed to get the beast to tell her his name: John Crichton. While Zhaan confirmed the creature's identity with a DNA scan, Moya and I struggled against the sphere. From where it had lodged itself near Maintenance Bay 2, it was causing massive energy fluctuations that threatened to tear apart Moya. Crichton and D'Argo went to the maintenance bay to see if they could stop the energy fluctuations, but when they arrived at where Aeryn was keeping watch, the fluctuations had diminished somewhat. And the sphere expelled another version of Crichton. Moya and I barely had a chance to consider the implications of three John Crichtons aboard; we still had to fight against the sphere. It was again causing massive energy fluctuations that now seemed to be pulling at Moya, tearing at the ship and trying to carry us through into an alternate dimension. The Crichtons and the crew tried to help us find a way to counteract the effects of the dimensional pull, but Moya was already showing signs of serious strain. If she were pulled through into the alternate dimension, it seemed very likely that none of the us would survive. Crew : Ben Browder (John Crichton) Claudia Black (Aeryn Sun) Virginia Hey (Pa'u Zotoh Zhaan) Anthony Simcoe (Ka D'Argo) Gigi Edgley (Chiana) Jonathan Hardy (Voice of Rygel) Lani Tupu (Voice of Pilot) Written By : Gabrielle Stanton Harry Werksman, Jr. Directed By : Catherine Millar ¡Beware Of Dog [#36] I will admit, I was a bit dubious when Crichton began having hallucinations. Aeryn Sun informed me that the human species is unaccustomed to long-term space travel, and she proposed that our journey might be at last taking its toll on the commander. John Crichton seemed preoccupied, playing games with himself and talking with imaginary companions, and it seemed that Aeryn's theory had merit. First, the crew began to suspect that their food supply was contaminated with parasites. In an effort to track down and destroy these parasites, Chiana purchased a Vorc: a small, harmless creature bred to locate vermin and dispose of them. So when Crichton claimed to have seen a fierce creature in one of the access tubes, the crew and I felt certain it was merely a manifestation created by his prolonged exposure to space. Though they doubted Crichton's story, D'Argo and Chiana remained convinced that there was a parasite of some kind contaminating the cargo, and continued to use the Vorc in an attempt to track it. Perhaps it was their unwillingness to believe Crichton that prevented the crew from being prepared, but their first encounter with the all-too-real beast proved deadly. Rygel and Chiana found the beast first, and allowed it to corner them in one of the maintenance bays. They escaped unharmed... but when D'Argo came to their rescue, he did not fare as well. The beast leaped at D'Argo, and bit him, injecting him with poisonous venom. Zhaan studied a sample of the poison, and confirmed that if it continued to spread through D'Argo's system, the Luxan would assuredly die. With the spread of the poison slowed by immersing D'Argo in a cooling chamber, the crew bought themselves some time, though not much. Zhaan postulated that she might be able to synthesize an antidote, if she had a sample of the beast's DNA to work from. With nothing but the Vorc to guide them, the crew set out to find the beast... before D'Argo's time ran out. Crew : Ben Browder (John Crichton) Claudia Black (Aeryn Sun) Virginia Hey (Pa'u Zotoh Zhaan) Anthony Simcoe (Ka D'Argo) Gigi Edgley (Chiana) Jonathan Hardy (Voice of Rygel) Lani Tupu (Voice of Pilot) Cast : Wayne Pygram (Scorpius) Written By : Naren Shankar Directed By : Tony Tilse ¡Won't Get Fooled Again [#37] John Crichton, Commander, leaving a message after the beep. Pilot, you're not gonna believe this. Hell, I don't believe it. Or, rather, a year ago, I wouldn't have believed it. Now, after everything I've been through, I pretty much believe anything. Which is not to say that I was suckered for a minute. I mean, I believed it was happening, I just didn't believe it was... happening. Sorry I'm not making more sense, Pilot. But this particular acid trip kinda defies cohesive explanation. First, I woke up. Only I was on Earth, back home, in a hospital, and there was Dad, and D.K. talking about what a shame it was the Farscape experiment hadn't worked, and asking me if I was okay after my "accident". Pretty redundant for the Ancients, right? I mean, I've been through this before, I'm what they'd call a pro at spotting manipulated realities. So I nodded and smiled at Dad and D.K., got up from my hospital bed and strolled to the first ladies' room I could find. "Haven't been in here before," remember? I figured I'd step through the door and click my heels together and I'd be back in Kansas. I gotta say I was a little surprised when the door opened onto an actual bathroom. And, by the way, for posterity, ladies' rooms don't have those couches and those gold sinks like you see in movies. I don't know what everyone gets so excited about, and I'm even more confused now about the fact that women seem to like to go in fleets. There wasn't even an armchair. But I am definitely digressing. Fine, maybe it wasn't the Ancients this time. But it was definitely something; there was no way in hell I was really back on Earth. Especially when the Scarecrow and the Tin Man and the rest of you all started to show up. I mentioned the doctor, right? Aeryn? Well, not really Aeryn. But in the hospital I had this doctor who looked a hell of a lot like Aeryn, except she had better hair. And she introduced herself as Bettina Fairchild. Claimed I was wounded in an accident during the test of the Farscape module and I'd been out for a week. I try to call her bluff, see if maybe she's really Aeryn trapped in this lab maze with me, and she decides I'm nuts and sends me to a shrink to get shrunk. A blue shrink, Pilot. That's right; Zhaan. But of course it's not Zhaan. And the daredevil astronaut they introduce me to is D'Argo, but of course it's not D'Argo. And the stubby little cigar-chewing CEO isn't Rygel either. So I'm running around Earth looking for a way out, and instead I end up in a bar listening to none other but Scorpy and the Scorpytones with you, Pilot, rocking out on the bongos, or something. I chill out, have a drink, and who do you think pulls up a bar stool next to me? Scorpius. The real one, this time. At least, he says he is. He disappears before he can tell me much more, but he shows up again later, when I'm back in the hospital... which is another story that I won't even bother explaining. Point is, Scorpy's the only one who seems to get the fact that none of this is real, but for all I know, he could just be a more complex brand of trick. I mean, everyone keeps asking me when I'm going to attempt the Farscape experiment again -- it's not too much of a stretch to think that Scorpy'd brought me here so he could have front-row seats at the wormhole opening. He denies it, though. He says he's here to help me. He tells me I'm in a constructed reality -- like, duh -- but it's not the Ancients who are behind it. Scorpy tells me I'm the prisoner of a Scarran, who plans to kill me unless I take Scorpius' advice on how to beat him. That, or I could just spend the rest of my life here joy-riding with D'Argo and Chiana in their convertible, pretending this was really Earth. But with Scorpius as my only possible link to Moya and reality, what choice do I have? It's not like I'm keen on believing Scorpius, but it's that, death-by-Scarran, or Crichton in Wonderland. I'm not sure I want to know what's behind door number four. Crew : Ben Browder (John Crichton) Claudia Black (Aeryn Sun) Virginia Hey (Pa'u Zotoh Zhaan) Anthony Simcoe (Ka D'Argo) Gigi Edgley (Chiana) Jonathan Hardy (Voice of Rygel) Lani Tupu (Voice of Pilot) Cast : Kent McCord (Jack Crichton) Wayne Pygram (Scorpius) Lani Tupu (Capt. Bialar Crais) Carmen Duncan (Leslie Crichton) Murray Bartlett (DK) Thomas Holesgrove (Grath) Written By : Richard Manning Directed By : Rowan Woods ¡The Locket [#38] Today the Banik, Stark, the man Crichton was imprisoned with on the Peacekeeper Gammak base, returned unexpectedly to Moya to return the transport she had loaned him. It was pleasing to see another friendly face, even if, in Stark's case, it was only half a face, the other half concealed by the mask he wears. There are far too few friendly faces in the galaxy, it seems. Stark's was certainly quite welcomed. We were deep in the Uncharted Territories, continuing our search for safe avenues in which to hide from Scorpius and our other unfriendly pursuers. Moya came across a kind of nebulous net in space, and at first it seemed like a serendipitous discovery; inside the nebula we could be reasonably certain we wouldn't be tracked. Officer Sun decided to scout out the net before Moya entered, and she departed the ship in her prowler to analyse and report. Patiently, we waited. Eight arns later, when Aeryn had not returned nor contacted us, the crew and I grew concerned. We entered the net in the hopes of locating Officer Sun's prowler. I was somewhat dubious, and at first I feared the worst. But shortly after entering the net, Moya identified a kind of schism and from out it, thankfully, Aeryn's prowler emerged. We should know by now that fortune does not treat us so kindly. When Aeryn reboarded Moya, she was changed, greatly changed. Eight arns prior she had left us as a healthy, vital young woman. Now she was withered, wrinkled and greyed. She informed us that she had indeed aged; she had lived fifty-five years during the eight arns that passed aboard Moya. How this was possible, I do not know. But I trust Officer Sun implicitly, and when she claimed to have lived on a planet for fifty-five years, married, and was now a grandmother, I believed her without hesitation. Her granddaughter was waiting for her, she said. She needed to go back. Through the schism there was, she explained, an alternate dimension, in which there was a planet with a community she had joined. The schism would be closing soon, and if she were to make it safely through she needed to leave promptly. She said... she just wanted to see us one last time. I am truly glad she did. Commander Crichton insisted on joining her through the schism, and when he returned, alone, he confirmed her account. The schism did indeed open on an alternate dimension, and every eight arns that passed here meant fifty-five years on the other side. The schism closed behind Crichton, not to open again for another eight arns. Crichton swore he would return in eight arns to retrieve Officer Sun and return with her to Moya. She would have aged another fifty-five years in that time, but Sebaceans have long life-expectancies and she would likely still be alive. Hesitantly, the crew agreed to allow Crichton through. It is now two arns since Crichton left us. He did not return, as promised, before the schism closed, and we can only assume he is in the alternate dimension with Officer Sun. We will wait here for another six arns, in the hopes that they will return to us. If they do, then perhaps we can find a way to reverse the effects of the aging process, though it is my opinion that the prospect is grim. However, Moya is their home, and even aged, this is where they belong. So we will wait here for Crichton to return with Aeryn. And we will hope, and we will pray, that they both come back to us intact... and alive. Crew : Ben Browder (John Crichton) Claudia Black (Aeryn Sun) Virginia Hey (Pa'u Zotoh Zhaan) Anthony Simcoe (Ka D'Argo) Gigi Edgley (Chiana) Jonathan Hardy (Voice of Rygel) Lani Tupu (Voice of Pilot) Cast : Wayne Pygram (Scorpius) Paul Goddard (Stark) Allyson Standen (Ennixx) Written By : Justin Monjo Directed By : Ian Watson ¡The Ugly Truth [#39] Talyn returned to us as suddenly as he had left. Moya's relief was so strong that I found myself unable to sense anything other than her maternal instincts: her concern that Crais had treated Talyn well, her sheer joy at seeing her offspring once again, and her fear over the violent impulses she detected within him. Crais requested that several of us meet him aboard Talyn. He specified that our crew should bring no weapons, and he promised that the meeting would be conducted peaceably. Unbelievably, he appeared to be seeking our help. Shortly after Officer Sun boarded Talyn, followed by Crichton, D'Argo, Zhaan, and the former slave Stark, a Plokavians weapons trade ship approached their coordinates and opened communication with Crais. Just a few microts later, the Plokavian ship was destroyed -- shot by an energy beam coming from Talyn's forward cannon. The crew retreated to the transport leaving Crais and Talyn to starburst away. Meanwhile, a second Plokavian ship, determined to discover who was to blame for the destruction of their associates' vessel, incapacitated the group on the transport with a kind of shockwave and brought them aboard for interrogation. Chiana and Rygel felt we should stay and make an attempt to rescue the crew from the Plokavians -- a race known to be at once extremely violent and passionately committed to bringing about justice -- but Moya had alternate designs. As this brief reunion with Talyn ended so disastrously, Moya was more committed than ever to find him at all costs. So at her request I programmed a search pattern, on the infinitesimal chance we would be able to catch up with Talyn wherever his starburst had taken him. Back on the Plokavian vessel, the crew was captive atop a solitary platform high above a large open, empty space. One by one, each member was brought into the audience of the Plokavians and asked to recount his or her view of the events leading to the destruction of the weapons trade ship. If any of them attempted to lie, all would be executed -- but if the guilty party would confess, only that person would be forced to face death by dispersal. After the last testimony was heard, the Plokavians inquisitors came forward with their verdict. Each crew member's account of the events had been different, leading them to believe they were being lied to by the crew. With no one person willing to take the blame, the Plokavians decreed that only one thing could be done. The entire crew would have to be put to death. Crew : Ben Browder (John Crichton) Claudia Black (Aeryn Sun) Virginia Hey (Pa'u Zotoh Zhaan) Anthony Simcoe (Ka D'Argo) Gigi Edgley (Chiana) Jonathan Hardy (Voice of Rygel) Lani Tupu (Voice of Pilot) Cast : Lani Tupu (Capt. Bialar Crais) Paul Goddard (Stark) Peter Carroll (Gahv) Linda Cropper (Fento) Written By : Gabrielle Stanton Harry Werksman, Jr. Directed By : Tony Tilse ¡A Clockwork Nebari [#40] I am not sure if we will ever know if Stark was able to survive the Plokavian dispersal, but even beyond that sacrifice he left a great legacy aboard Moya. It was Stark who informed D'Argo that his son Jothee was alive, and it was this information that led John, Aeryn, Chiana and Rygel out in pursuit of further information regarding Jothee. However, to that end, Chiana entered into her own particular breed of... negotiation with some men who proved to be just a bit more than she could handle. After they returned to Moya, Chiana was certain Aeryn would express her displeasure at Chiana's uncanny ability to find -- or cause -- trouble. But when she came to confront Chiana, rather than being enraged Aeryn appeared calm, even apologetic for not being able to better protect the Nebari girl. This entirely uncharacteristic behavior from Officer Sun alerted both Chiana and John to the fact that Aeryn was affected by some sort of artificial influence, and when they saw the companion she had brought aboard Moya, their suspicions were confirmed. A Nebari female named Varla had come aboard the ship, and had mind-cleansed Aeryn and Rygel, leaving them in the same state of blissful idiocy we'd seen from Durka over a cycle ago when Chiana was first brought aboard. Varla incarcerated John and D'Argo while making preparations to clense them as well. Apparently their mind-cleansing drugs could not affect my particular physiology, so instead they cruelly locked me in a heavy collar with which they could control me and... kill me should I decide not to obey their wishes. Varla and her associate, Meelak, we learned, had come to try and gain information from Chiana regarding Chiana's brother Nerri, whom Chiana had believed to be dead when the life disk she carried in her stomach ceased to transmit. For the Nebari, despite their insistant espousal of a "greater good," for all, were carrying out serious and terrifying plot. Nerri, they said, was part of a resistance aimed to stop it. Chiana explained that many cycles ago, she, Nerri, and others like them were infected with a contagion during what they were told were "routine physical examinations". This contagion -- transmitted through intimate contact -- was to be spread throughout many alien systems in the area. When the Nebari were ready it would be activated, rendering all who were infected weak and defenseless against subsequent Nebari invasion. Soon the entire crew with the exception of Chiana and myself were mind-cleansed, leaving no one to stop Varla from her planned rendezvous with the Nebari fleet. Just when I was certain there would be no escape, Commander Crichton came to me and informed me that he had been able to break through the drug-induced mind-cleansing, and needed my help to rescue Chiana from the Nebari plot. It would not be easy, though, with Aeryn, D'Argo and Zhaan -- lulled into complacency by the mind-cleansing -- prowling Moya's corridors at the bidding of our unwelcomed guests, determined to stop any activity not supported by the Nebari. The DRDs had all been deactivated and if I tried to starburst away from the planned rendezvous coordinates, the horrid collar I wore would surely kill me. Despite John's best intentions, I feared Varla had us out-manuvered. Able to effortlessly destroy Peacekeeper Command Carriers, kill free will and now weaken the galaxy with a self-made plague, the Nebari were proving to be a more dangerous force than any of us had reckoned. In the face of that, what hope was there for a collared Pilot and a seemingly unbalanced human? Crew : Ben Browder (John Crichton) Claudia Black (Aeryn Sun) Virginia Hey (Pa'u Zotoh Zhaan) Anthony Simcoe (Ka D'Argo) Gigi Edgley (Chiana) Jonathan Hardy (Voice of Rygel) Lani Tupu (Voice of Pilot) Cast : Lani Tupu (Capt. Bialar Crais) Wayne Pygram (Scorpius) Skye Wansey (Varla) Simon Bossell (Nerri) Malcolm Kennard (Meelak) Written By : Lily Taylor Directed By : Rowan Woods