Part II
On his way back to his room, John was spoken to by Pilot. "Commander Crichton?"
"Yes Pilot? Did you complete that scan?" His eyes were gradually getting better; he was now able to walk in a straight line rather than stumble all over the place.
"Yes I did."
John waited for a reply, and when he didn't get one, he forced one. "And? What did you find?"
"We picked up nothing. There are no abnormalities in the air."
This was a slight relief, but it also meant that he was still in search of an answer for his and Rygel's peculiar conditions, even if the effects were beginning to subside. "Okay, thanks Pilot."
"Of course, Crichton," and the link went dead.
After a few minutes of walking through the empty corridors of Moya, Crichton almost tripped up when a line of DRDs passed right across the floor, ignoring the fact that he was walking there. He didn't want to disturb Pilot again, but this was strange behaviour for the little machines. They usually acknowledged the presence of a member of the crew rather than disregarding it. Odd, but as Crichton was still not feeling one hundred percent, he didn't wish to make a fuss.
A short while later when he had almost reached the door of his chamber, he was intercepted by the Luxan warrior known as Ka D'Argo. He stepped in line beside John and walked with him the rest of the way to his quarters.
"You seen that woman the others brought on board?" he asked giddily.
"Yes, yes I did." God, how did he know D'Argo would mention her?
"Beautiful, isn't she?" He stopped at the door of Crichton's room and allowed him to go inside alone.
"I had a feeling you would like her, even if she is of a different species." John had taken a seat on the side of his bed and prepared to take a nap; he needed a little more recuperation.
D'Argo laughed. "Yeah, but even so she looks exactly like a Luxan."
John frowned. Eh? Was he mad? She looked nothing like a Luxan; she looked human. Perhaps he was misinterpreting what D'Argo was saying. Even though he had slept for hours, he still felt drained of all his energy. His brain probably couldn't take in fully what the warrior was saying. "Yeah, anyway I'm going to get some rest so could you close the door on the way out, thanks." He said nothing else after swinging his legs onto the bed and shutting his aching eyes.
D'Argo glared at the Human, but he did as he was asked nevertheless. With the door shut, he strode menacingly back down the corridor and went to see if there were any more jobs Pilot needed doing.
Meanwhile, Rygel was floating around his chamber on his throne. His illness had also begun to subside. He was no longer releasing as much gas as before, but there was still a build-up of mucus within his nostrils; he found it hard to breathe. Ever since he had left Crichton, he had been mumbling and cursing away to himself. He never took illness very well. It was not a common thing in the royalty of the Hynerian Empire.
"Blasted body! Either die or don't die, make up you mind," he was saying when his door opened. He turned to find another Hynerian staring back at him. It was a female; that much he could tell. She did not have a chair to float about on, so she used her feet. But even so, she was taller than the average Hynerian. Rygel lowered his seat slightly so they could really speak with her face to face.
"You must be that Enustas they were talking about. You're a Hynerian! But they told me you were a Lax…"
"I am a Laxae!" she said before he could go on.
"Then your species must be very closely related to ours." He then remembered his manners. "Allow me to introduce myself." He cleared his throat before going on. "I am Dominar Ry…"
"…Rygel the Sixteenth of the Hynerian Empire. They told me about you."
"Did they? How rude of them!"
The female laughed sweetly, and it was at this point that Rygel fully took in her immense beauty. Though she was of a different race, she appealed to him more than any of his other Hynerian wives. "Perhaps you could stay here a while, my dear," he pleaded with her.
"I'm afraid I only came to meet you, a Hynerian of such power and greatness. It was an honour." She began making her way back out into the corridor.
""Do come by again!" he called out but he got no reply. He let out a sigh of sorrow as she disappeared from view.