"Light thinks it travels faster than anything but it is wrong.

No matter how fast light travels,

it finds the darkness has always got there first,

and is waiting for it."

- Terry Pratchett, Reaper Man

THE VINDICATOR APPEARED in a welter of blue arcing light and this time the transition felt… odd, a sharp biting end to the ball-bearing feeling of the transition, as if it were done, finally finished. The scanner mounted on the control console chimed, the first time it had, then went dark.

"I think you may be home," Iain told her. He felt jittery as the ship coalesced fully around them. No, he thought, quashing that anxiety, I have the Mesh, it'll protect me until I acclimatize.

Aeryn flashed him that smile he already thought of The Smile, and he found himself smiling back without thinking.

'Proximity alert,' the SI stated flatly, 'vessel approaching. Intercept in fifty microts."

Aeryn blinked and turned back to the controls.

This is technically my ship now, she thought, that bringing a tight smile to her face, this magnificent thing is mine. Iain scanned out behind her.

"It's another Vigilante," he declared, "and it's definitely on an intercept course."

'Incoming communication request.'

Aeryn accepted and the familiar face of John Crichton - pirate - coalesced on the forward portal.

"Right," he said without preamble, "can't wait to hear this story."

Aeryn just nodded as the Vengeance pulled alongside.

"Frankly, I don't think I'll believe it, either," she said, glancing back at Iain who just arched an eyebrow at her, "but I think it's important."

On the screen, Crichton simply nodded.

"You're probably right. Let's talk it over."

Aeryn agreed.

"Be right there - after we shower and eat."

THE VENGEANCE DOCKED WITH THE VINDICATOR and Aeryn and Iain went over to Crichton's ship, both refreshed after a wash and some food. Aeryn suddenly felt very weary, the last while rearing up with a thudding suddenness that threatened to drop her into sleep where she stood. Glancing over at Iain, she could see the lines around his eyes that showed her his mind was also insisting on it. She laid out all that had happened to them in as much detail as she could recall, and she kept it factual, even the actions of his dopplegangers. Between Iain and Crichton there seemed to be a wary distrust, though she expected that. Crichtons jealous of Crichtons?

Typical.

"This is why I wanted nothing to do with the damn things," Crichton said when she'd finished, "and why I had to shut Johnny down."

"Believe me, I see the wisdom in that now," Aeryn agreed. She had nodded to Shiv and had it returned, but as she'd spoken of her transitions, she'd met the gaze of a woman that looked a little too much like her standing behind Crichton, clothed in the Vengeance's livery. She merely watched and had said nothing.

"Oh," Crichton finally caught where Aeryn's gaze had been going, "that's Nexus." A small smile. "You two have a lot in common."

Aeryn indicated Iain.

"As do you two."

"Perhaps," Iain countered, not liking the guy, not liking his confidence or demeanour at all.

"Yeah, 'perhaps'," Crichton echoed.

"Did you find out what happened to Moya, to…?" Aeryn asked and Crichton explained it all in terse sentences.

"They think they're better off and so do I," he finished, "let 'em have it."

"Yes," Aeryn found herself happy for them, "I'm glad."

"So, what now?" Iain asked. He'd crossed his arms, taken a position just behind Aeryn and Crichton noted it, amused. He stood where Shiv usually stood, just behind her right elbow.

"That's up to Nexus," he told his guests, half-turning to get her attention, "isn't it?"

The woman started then stepped forward.

"It comes down to the Maliform," she said and then sketched out a brief history of the creature and his actions. When she'd finished, she watched Aeryn sigh and Iain frown.

"Seems like most Crichtons can't leave well enough alone," he said, his voice heavy with disdain.

"Preachin' to the choir, here," Crichton told him with some attitude of his own.

"That's beside the point," Nexus broke in, irked by the display of 'maleness', "when I shifted Crichton here, I created a Schism, and it's still propagating through this universe." She crossed her arms. "At the moment, it's likely the only thing that's keeping the Maliform from doing anything more than forcing an extrusion into this Divergence. We should be very thankful for that." She puffed out a breath. "Although that's relative, of course."

"So, what do we need to do?" Aeryn asked, comparing differences in her head.

"We need to find the loci of the Schism and seal it somehow. Before the Maliform finds it. This Divergence is weakest there."

"Any ideas where we look?" Iain asked.

"I have one or two," Nexus told him with a tight smile, "except…"

"'Except'…?" Aeryn's tone said she didn't like the sound of that.

"They'll be quite incredibly dangerous to get near."

"So, what else is new?" Crichton asked, his gaze on Aeryn. She nodded knowingly.

"Right, so let's get started?" Iain began. "If this Maliform is all she says he is…"

"Crichton." Shiv's quicksilver tones cut across the comms.

"Go ahead."

"The SI has intercepted deep-band spectrum wide alerts on all channels." There was a long silence from her then. "Something terrible has happened."