FIRMLY INFIRM

Moya – Infirmary:

In his unconscious state Krett could sense palms and fingertips running across his face and body, not unlike how his friend Rhy used to. Rhy was the one who massaged Krett's sore and aching throat and temples all those times during the pain. Although Krett could not picture this friend at all.

Of a sudden Krett woke behind his mask and the pupil-less red weed of his eyes retracted and shifted to focus. He was on his back looking up at a blur of white and blue.

'Please be calm, Krett?' Spoke a soft but firm voice.

'Is that you, Rhy?' Krett murmured.

'Can you see me?' The familiar voice asked and touched a finger to either side of Krett's jaw gently.

'Where have you been old friend?' Krett asked, sure it was Rhy, and wanted to reach out and hug his friend, but couldn't, because Krett was paralysed.

'...What do I look like?' The voice asked, now distorting slightly to sound distinctively feminine.

'You... Chiana, is that you?' Krett asked unconfidently.

'It is Zhaan. Do you remember Zhaan?' Zhaan's mature tone revealed itself.

He was deflated as he realised it was not Rhy's voice but the bald Delvian who had been kind to him.

Krett's vision cleared in an instant to see Zhaan's blue baldness looking down on him.

He briefly studied the new manacles and thick restraint straps.

'Release me.' He asked sternly, his tongue lashing out threateningly, when suddenly a four-muzzled weapon of some sort was thrust in his face.

Krett batted his eyes up and saw the wielder of the weapon was the black maned flesh thing, the one the others called Aeryn. Beside her was the similar one called, John, and the big hairy one.

Krett waggled his tongue at Aeryn and tensed his arms surely about to tear through these new restraints.

'Quit struggling, big boy.' Aeryn asked dryly, and to her surprise the cyborg let out a long gargling sigh and relaxed.

'Clever boy.' D'Argo commented, who was standing at the foot of the Ops table with his blade slung over his shoulder. 'Now you're not going to cause any trouble, are you?' He asked with typical belligerence.

'Why would I? You've helped me.' Krett sounded honest.

'Not as much as I would like to.' Zhaan said, 'Your suit insulates you against all our scanning equipment and your jaw was clamped shut during your unconscious period. So I was unable to examine you properly.'

'I'm perfectly fine. It feel's good to be aboard Moya with you people. You're fresh.' Krett answered honestly, though there was something about D'Argo that goaded him. Maybe it was those penetrating eyes or the aggressive body language and attitude.

'Well, it's good to have you back.' Zhaan said sincerely. 'You had some sort of fit brought on by mental trauma. Can you tell me more about what happened?'

'Who are you, my mother?'

'I'm concerned. I know how severe your mind pains are.'

'Really?' Krett pleaded ignorance. He turned his head to face Aeryn and poked his tongue out at her.

'Do that again and you'll lose it.' Aeryn aimed the rifle at his horrid tongue.

'Chiana was wrong, you don't have a sense of humour.' Krett chuckled to himself.

'So you know what humour is, but not who you are?' Crichton said sarcastically.

'I'm Krett...'

'I know your name, dren face, but what else can you tell us about you?' Aeryn cut him off, suddenly moody.

'Chiana?' Krett called out as he looked for her. 'CHIANA?'

'Greta! He's got a thing for Nebari…' D'Argo growled.

'Look who's talking.' John snorted a laugh at the Luxon.

'Chiana's not here at present. Moya is a vast vessel.' Zhaan explained.

Aeryn interrupted, 'How did you embrace Glax energy? What technology did you use?'

'That's probably what scrambled his brains.' D'Argo said as he began pacing around the Ops table.

'Glax? What are you talking about? Just tell me where Chiana is?' Krett said, confused and a little irritated.

'She wants nothing to do with you.' D'Argo spat.

'D'Argo!' Zhaan pulled the Luxon back, 'You're not helping.'

'I can tell you this D'Argo.' Krett said sternly, 'I find you to be an unlikeable and irrepressible bully, whose attitude is as bad as his breath?'

John, Zhaan and Aeryn were all amused.

'Now, use whatever it is you use to listen with behind all that hair of yours.' Krett stated sternly. 'I will not answer any more of your questions until I see Chiana or Master Rygel.'

'Master Rygel, eh!' D'Argo chewed his words with disgust.

Zhaan spoke into her comm badge, 'Rygel, where are you?'

Rygel did not answer.

'Chiana? Come in, Chiana?' Aeryn spoke into her comm.

Nothing.

'I'll go take a look-see what nook or cranny Chi is lurking in...' Crichton said as he left the Infirmary. 'While you make our guest more comfortable.'

Krett could feel his strength come back in one dizzying surge of energy. Behind the mask his eyes bulged and the red weed flushed the whites of his eyes.

Aeryn noticed Krett's tongue slip back into his grinning mouth with the smile aimed at her when all of a sudden Krett sat up on the Ops table, effortlessly tearing the thick restraint straps and metal cuffs apart. The table rattled and shook as the massive figure shuffled for comfort, rather than too leave.

D'Argo held the tip of his sword to Krett's sternum, ready to pierce him, as Aeryn jumped out of harm's way with her rifle poised to blast him also while Zhaan's skin surged a reddish-blue and sent her into a chemical educed silence.

Krett was not fully aware of the situation and how close he was to being pummelled by some heavy-duty weaponry. He was only concerned in finding Chiana and Master Rygel, who in his mind could prove his innocence. If these three aliens weren't going to help, then Krett would have to help himself.

'Get back down, NOW!' Aeryn ordered.

'Now!' D'Argo echoed.

'But I feel much better.' Krett admired his four outstretched sleek silver arms and clenched fists. 'Chiana and my Master will explain to you. They understand me.'

Krett swung his legs over the side of the Ops table and stretched his four arms into his apex dragonfly pose, which always loosened him up, looked glorious and rather intimidating, putting him head and shoulders above the crowd.

'Are you devoid of senses?' D'Argo snarled and jabbed the tip of his Qualta Blade against Krett's left shoulder, thought it did not even scratch or make a metallic clink.

Krett paused in thought of retaliation but concluded not too, these people were only scared, even the one with impressive nose.

'Please don't do anything, Krett. You are our guest, not our enemy.' Zhaan begged the silver colossus.

'Yet!' Aeryn added.

'Speak for yourselves!' D'Argo spat. 'This faceless frell reeks of villainy.' D'Argo was already out of patience and wanted to go on the offensive.

'What is it about me that you find so pleasing to hate?' Krett asked D'Argo conversationally.

'John told me of a Man Called Horse made of Trojan that offered only menace.' D'Argo incorrectly recalled one of John's earth stories. 'Now do I have to blast or hack you back to where you came from?'

Zhaan hissed and waved her arms for calm.

'I'm a menace, says the juvenile.' Krett chuckled and looked at the women expecting them to join in the laughter.

'Tell us what we can do to help you?' Zhaan said compassionately.

'At this precise moment, freedom, friendship and... Chiana.' Krett scanned the ceiling expecting the Nebari to be there. 'Especially Chiana.'

Zhaan could sense the sincerity in his tone as well as the pain that began to whirl in his mind, though he seemed unbothered.

'But your mind, the trauma, the pain... I sense residual tension bubbling beneath the surface?' Zhaan snapped.

Krett craned his neck to Zhaan and said, 'What about my mind?'

'Can't you feel the swelling? Even I feel it though much of your nature is blocked. It could be fatal!' Zhaan snapped emotionally and pushed Krett's friendly offered hand aside.

Aeryn was moved by Zhaan's desire to help the silver titan. D'Argo on the other hand was stewing on whether to attack the shiny hulk where he stood, if he could?

'Thank you for your assistance and concern, Pa'U Zotoh Zhaan, but your magical gemstones that I devoured in the prison cell only made me vomit over Chiana.' Krett expressed casually. 'And what a frightful mess that was for her. I must go and see her now.'

Krett moved towards the Infirmary door, barging past D'Argo, who reflexively jabbed his sword hilt against Krett's back. It felt like striking solid metal, though the material deformed smoothly like liquid rubber.

Krett slapped D'Argo across the face without looking, sending D'Argo crashing over the Ops table, causing him to unintentionally fire a shot into the ceiling and fumble the Qualta Blade.

Aeryn was about to blast Krett but Zhaan chopped her across the wrists forcing her to fire four simultaneous blasts into the floor, cutting an impressive gouge out of Moya.

'What the hesmana is going on?!' Pilot screamed out of everyone's comms as his face appeared on the infirmary monitor. 'Moya's words.'

Krett was already out the door.

D'Argo could only be heard howling in anger and perhaps pain behind the Ops table.

Aeryn stormed towards Zhaan, dragging the discharged and unwieldy Quadraq Rifle.

'You dare strike me, Delvian!' Aeryn snarled as she heaved the awkward gun up onto her shoulder.

'Let him go, Peacekeeper!' Zhaan insisted as she stepped in Aeryn's way.

'This is not your fight!' Aeryn stated coldly.

'This is not a fight at all. He comes in peace.' Zhaan stood firm, blocking the infirmary exit.

Moya – Infirmary Corridor:

'Pilot, where is Chiana?' Krett asked in a friendly manner but there was no reply.

He picked up a DRD and spoke into like a comm, 'Pilot, I have no quarrel with you. Where is Chiana?' There was still no answer. 'I'll find her myself then. CHIANA!' He strode off through the living vessel calling out the fascinating Nebari.

Moya - Infirmary:

D'Argo clambered to his feet, shunting the Ops table aside and shaking the cobwebs from his head with blood running from his mouth. He spat a broken tooth at the floor and wiped his mouth in his palm.

'Dren.' He snapped.

Bending down to retrieve his Qualta Blade, he coughed and spluttered up another bloody tooth into his hand, though this time it was a proud forefang. What humiliation.

'Frell!' D'Argo uttered bitterly at the fang.

Zhaan managed to grab one of D'Argo's tentacles before he could depart and span him round to meet her eye to eye.

'What do you hope to achieve?' Zhaan asked but D'Argo snarled and pushed her aside. 'No, D'Argo.' Zhaan called out but he was gone.

Zhaan sensed great peace and innocence in Krett but also lethal capabilities the kind of which even Ka D'Argo would struggle to deal with.

'Zhaan. Krett is asking me for Chiana's whereabouts.' Pilot panicked over the commotion.

'Aeryn, we've got to help Krett. Not this futile infighting.' Zhaan pleaded with the Sebacean.

'Don't you think I know that? I'm going to stop D'Argo before he does something stupid.'

Aeryn and Zhaan pursued D'Argo, while Pilot relayed the situation to Moya and new orders to the DRD's.

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