Legal stuff: I don't own B5, and therefore am not JMS. Thank god.

Spoilers: If you didn't watch the series dunce.

Archive: only with my permission

Feedback: God yes, feed my ego!

**************************

Lennier looked across the table to the young blonde, with increasing sympathy. She had given her name as Greer, Anne Greer, and she was looking to him and his companion as her last hope. She was appealing to them for help in finding her father who was lost up in the northern reaches of the planet, Alpha Pegasi 9.

The planet was completely frozen over, an ice cube Pris had said. The colony was one of the first established, and was already falling apart. The government, already long corrupted, was thrown into chaos by the civil war. Unemployment ran rampant, along with it's usual symptoms: crime, hunger, homelessness.

It was meant to be a stop-over, but unfortunately they had been unable to pay off the security to get onto the next transport, being flat broke and all. Now they were stuck, staying in a condemned dormitory with about a hundred other people with no other place to go, and had this morning been shooed out by security.

Most of the colony was centered on the equator, which was the only place approaching warm, the northern and southern plains were considered off- limits to everyone, but scientists were taking advantage of the governments apathy to do geological surveys. It was dangerous, because there was no one to rescue them when things went wrong.

Which is what had brought Greer to them.

"I have a small transport pod, it's capable of making the trip but..." she looked down, as if embarrassed.

Pris, who had been very quiet throughout the young lady's story, finished for her, "you can't fly it."

Greer nodded, "I can fly it space through short distances, but not through atmosphere as intense as the northern territories. Can you?"

Pris chewed on her lip, and Lennier knew that she was mulling it over, she wasn't sure. He spoke up, "I can fly it."

Greer smiled brightly, "Oh good, I can pay you each 500 credits now, plus 500 when we get back."

Pris' eyes widened, "Really," she looked suspicious. Lennier had to admit he found it puzzling as well, what was, as the human would say, 'the catch'?.

"I know," said Anne, "it's a lot, but they mean a lot to me and no one else will help me."

"Why not?" Lennier asked.

She squirmed slightly, "I think they're afraid."

"Of what?" Pris asked.

"I don't know." Pris didn't seem convinced. "The weather's bad up there. Maybe it worries them."

Pris still looked suspicious. She looked at Lennier, as if she felt it were up to him. He nodded his consent.

"Great!" Anne said, "Thank you so much!" She reached into her bag and pulled out two cards. "Here's the first 500. You can get what you need, and I'll meet you at the sector three docks in two hours." she got up, but before she left she said, "I feel better already."

Later, they were standing in a small market, getting some thermal clothes, food, and anything else they might need.

"Did you believe her?" Pris asked while trying on some gloves.

Lennier looked up at her, "About what?"

"About people being afraid of the weather."

He thought about it, "I find it very hard to believe that the people of this planet would be scared enough to pass up 1000 credits."

Pris nodded slightly, gave her card over to the vendor, and then put her purchase in her bag. She was deep in thought, something was bothering her.

"You think she was hiding something."

She stared up into his eyes, "I know she was hiding something."

"What?"

"I don't know," she chewed on her lip, "that's what's bothering me. However," she said with more confidence, "we need the money, get off this snowball."

Lennier considered this for a moment. She was right, they were desperate to get out of here. He had briefly considered signaling the rangers, who tended to be patrolling everywhere now a days, but he had dismissed it. He was a traitor, there was no reason for them to come and help him.

At least, he thought, he wasn't on his own anymore.

TBC...