Part I

Crichton awoke to a stinging sensation in his eyes. He immediately clenched his eyelids and rubbed at them with his thumb and forefinger. He swung his legs over the side of the bed and held his head in his hands. Slight red patches had begun to develop around his eyes and he could feel a small amount of swelling. What was it this time? The pollen of some intergalactic plant? The chilli powder of some otherworldly Con Carne? Whatever it was, his body was not taking it very well. It felt like he was having a mild allergic reaction. Of course it was only a matter of time. Going into the deep reaches of space without any inoculations; he was surprised he had lasted this long.

He did not move for several minutes, and it was only when he heard the telltale sound of a hovering seat that he forced his eyelids to part. Who knew what Rygel would do with his stuff if he knew he was half blind.

Rygel grumbled when he rounded the corner and saw the state John was in. "You think you feel bad?"

John didn't have the energy to reply to the Hynerian with a sarcastic comment.

"Ever since that Enustas girl came aboard, I've felt exceedingly ill." It seemed that the Rygel was also having some kind of reaction. Crichton did not realise the severity of it until the Hynerian let off several batches of Helium, one after the other. By this point in time, John had gotten used to the odd release or two, but this was something else.

And then something clicked in his mind. "Enustas? Who's Enustas?" John's voice was extremely high pitched; an effect of excessive helium intake. He managed to lift his head now as some of his energy had been replenished.

"Zhaan and Chiana picked her up from the planet they just visited," Rygel murmured.

"They've been down to a planet! How much have I missed? How long have I been asleep?" he cried. He stood abruptly and almost toppled over, but he was able to balance himself after a few moments of swaying.

Rygel's voice perked up a bit. "Don't ask me. It's not my job to count how many arns sleep you get!"

"In your case Sparky, it could be counted as a rhetorical question." Crichton began taking a few steps towards the door, but he was unable to walk in a straight line.

Rygel just looked up at the human. He obviously didn't understand the word 'rhetorical'. "Well, I feel terrible. I'm off to my room to die in peace." He started floating away, before stopping and turning once again to John. "Should I actually die, don't touch my carcass with your unworthy hands." He turned and made his way down the corridor, calling back to Crichton, "and don't touch my stuff either!"

John couldn't help but laugh to himself over the Hynerian's paranoia. Not everyone was like him; not everyone insisted on taking other peoples' things. He continued his chuckling as he walked down the corridor in the opposite direction.

After encountering no one for a while, Crichton decided to find out where the rest of the crew was. "Pilot, where is everyone?"

"Oh, Crichton! You're up then," said the unmistakable voice of Pilot.

"Yeah, how long was I out?" he said as he passed through the cargo bay. There was no one there either.

"At least ten arns. You sounded extremely tired when last I spoke with you."

Strange; Crichton could not remember speaking with him. He must have been exhausted. "Anyway Pilot, going back to my first question, where is everyone?"

"D'Argo is just checking on a mechanical fault in the upper tier. Rygel as you may know has retired to him room. Officer Sun, Zhaan and Chiana are stationed on the bridge with the new arrival."

"Okay, thanks Pilot." Again he had to rub his eyes. "Pilot, have you picked up any anomalies in the air by any chance?"

"I'm not sure. I can run a scan if you wish. But, why do you ask?" he asked innocently.

"I don't know. My eyes are stinging like hell. It feels like I may be having a nasty reaction to something."

"Yes, Rygel mentioned something similar. He seems to believe it has something to do with the Laxae, Zhaan and Chiana returned with. "

"How could it be? She's not another plant is she?" John said cautiously.

"I don't believe so."

"Okay then Pilot. Run that scan and get back to me with what you find." And with that the connection was cut.

Now that he knew where he was going, it didn't take him long to reach the door to the bridge and pass through it. Just as Pilot had said, Aeryn, Zhaan and Chiana were there, along with another creature he did not recognise. The first thing John noticed about her was her attractiveness. She looked Human or Sabacean, but there was something about her which told him she was neither, something he couldn't quite pinpoint. She had long brown hair, beautiful green eyes, and a curved figure. She wore a tight, leather bodysuit which showed off her body well; why would she wear something so sexually seductive? She smiled at him as he came in, a smile which almost made his knees buckle under him.

The other females in the room stared at John, and at the dopey expression he was displaying. He had forgotten about the stinging his eyes. He could not bring himself to blink and disrupt his view of this utter beauty.

Zhaan walked over to him and blocked his line of sight. The trance for broken, for a time; he was able to think clearly.

"What is the matter, John?" she asked in her usual, calming tone.

"Who is she?" His eyes were directed at the floor. He felt deterred from looking at any other woman.

"A poor, old woman we picked up on the planet below."

"Old!" he whispered with emphasis.

"Yes. She asks that we may take her to the nearest commerce planet and drop her there, so she can earn herself a living. There was very little for anyone to do on her planet, let alone make enough money to live comfortably."

John was confused. Why were they saying she was old when she was so blatantly younger than he was? It was at that point that the stinging in his eyes returned. He closed them and rubbed viciously. "Sorry, I'm not feeling so well."

"Go back to your chamber John. Perhaps you will feel better later." Zhaan gave John a slight nudge in the direction of the door and John took the hint. He got out of the room and made his way back to his quarters.

"Sorry about that. That one's a bit weird at times." Aeryn then corrected herself, "all the time in fact."

"No problem. I see such cases often," Enustas replied in a frail voice, and when no one was looking in her direction, she smiled slyly to herself.