Creature Comforts: Chapter 3
In her quarters, Jool bumped Tricket on her knee, singing an Interon lullaby and smiling happily. "Who's my little baby? You are! You are!" She cooed, tickling it under the chin.
"Didn't we dump that thing?"
Jool turned in horror; Chiana was standing in the door arms folded and a very smug expression on her face. "Well well! Looks like the little dren didn't leave after all, oh dear! I'll have to tell the others-"
"NO!" Squealed Jool "Please don't! They'll throw him into space!"
"Make it worth my while."
"What?!"
"If I have a little... encouragement, I might keep quiet."
Jool glared angrily "I will not be blackmailed by a little slut like you!" She held Tricket close.
Chiana smiled and her finger lazily danced towards her com "Oh John, there's something you might like to know-" She started. Jool lunged at her and knocked her to the floor "Don't you dare!" She hissed pinning her there.
"What's going on up there?" Came the reply over the com.
Chiana smiled meaningfully "Oh nothing John, Jool was just about to go and fetch me a drink" she said slyly "and do my chores as well, since she is so nice."
Jool glared and let Chiana up "You are so dead!" She muttered, walking off to do as she was asked. Chiana laid back in Jool's quarters and laughed "Chi? What the hell is-" John asked over the com again.
"Like I said, nothing."
Muttering to herself angrily, Jool stamped to the slues chamber to do Chiana's washing, she bumped into John on the way "Hey Jool, what's up? You look upset," he greeted.
"Frell off John, I'm busy," she spat.
"Sorry."
John walked away to his quarters, she'd probably still upset from Tricket, best thing is to let her deal with it. He opened the door, looked around to check no one was looking, went in and sat down on the bed. No one's around, he thought, good. He reached under the bed and got out the perfume bottle. He stared at it for a long time, the bottle made pretty patterns in the light as he turned it over and over in his hands. This is sad, he thought, really sad. I can't do this to myself, I'll go bonkers over all this.
But one little sniff's not going to do any harm. Just jog my memory.
He carefully unstoppered the bottle and very, very carefully let a drop onto his hand. He rubbed it in and took a deep breath of the scent. God, it was just like having her back. He closed his eyes and let the memories wash over him quietly. At least she's alive now. Okay she was with someone else, but at least it was with him... sort of... besides, they might not even be together! They might just be friends... and Rygel might give away all his possessions to needy children. They are probably having sex as he thought this! They are probably having a great time together! Hell, she's probably forgotten all about me!
He sat up, just one more sniff. Jog my memory a bit more... he carefully opened the bottle again and edged it towards his palm and the whole ship rocked violently. The room shook and John dropped the bottle and its contents. The scented oil splashed all over his hands in a sticky mess, the smell was no longer arousing so much as pungent. "Oh damn!" He cursed "What the hell just happened?"
A call came over his com "Commander! There is something wrong with Moya!" Pilot's worried tone was now even more panicked "I don't what it is, but she's convulsing! Her air vents are starting to block up!"
Oh this is bad.
"On my way Pilot!"
As John turned to run out the door, he saw something, wasn't sure what, dart rapidly through the air duct in the corner of his room "What the-?" He thought he imagined it at first, he crouched down to look in the duct and saw nothing.
Harvey, stop doing this right now!
"Doing what?" The every annoying neural clone appeared in view, sitting on John's bed. John turned angrily "You're frelling with my mind!"
"I am doing nothing, I think there might be something in there," the clone said calmly.
John glared "Might be the reason Moya's acting strange."
"Well done, there I was thinking you were completely brain-dead! There is light at the end of the tunnel!" The clone proclaimed sarcastically.
Never before had John been so tempted to shot himself in the head, just to get rid of Harvey. "Piss off Harvey," John spat and strode quickly to Pilot's den.
Jool had felt the rumble of the ship and the sluice chamber's air supply was becoming thin. Running out and sealing the chamber she released Tricket was still with Chiana in her quarters "Tricket!" She cried out.
She dashed maniacally to her quarters and saw Chiana. But looking around, she couldn't see Tricket anywhere. In a flash of anger and panic she advanced on Chiana with a look of fury in her eyes "Where the frell is Tricket?!" She cried grabbing the Nebari by the front of her shirt "Where is he?!"
Chiana, surprised by Jool's strength, glared "I don't know! He was here a microt ago-"
"You were supposed to watch him!"
"I didn't say that!"
"He's gone! He's probably lost, scared and alone, especially when the ship's acting fahrbot!"
Chiana stared in disbelief, how could this girl have her priorities so screwed up?! "Princess," she said calmly, brushing Jool off and then launching into hysterics of her own "You're the one who's fahrbot! Who give's a trunkas-eema about that little furball? Worry about us!"
"But Tricket-"
"Shut up! I'm going to see Pilot, you can stay here and look for the little dren, but I'm going to see what's wrong with Moya!"
Chiana strode off, leaving Jool alone in her quarters. She screwed up her face, that little trelk! How could she be so mean to Tricket? What had he ever done to her? Right! She was going to look for him, frell Chiana! Frell them all!
She found a torch in a pile in her room and stalked off through the ship looking for Tricket.
Chiana ran. Jool could die on some crazy mission to find her precious pet, but she wanted to live!
She collided with John on the way "Whoops!" He cried.
"Sorry John, but there's-"
"Yeah I know, Moya's gone funky on us, where's Jool?"
"She's-" Chiana stopped, as much as she hated Jool, if they found out that she had blackmailed Jool about Tricket, there would be trouble "Gone somewhere, I don't know where."
"Fine, Pilot's called her, she's probably on her way. We best'd be going to."
Chiana nodded and caught sight of John's hands, they were covered with a strange, sticky substance "Looked as if you having fun," She said coyly "thinking of someone special?"
John glared "Very funny," he said, wiping his hands on his shirt "let's get going."
They arrived in Pilot's chamber; D'argo and several DRDs were there. The Luxan looked up "You two see what's happening to Moya?"
"Yeah, she's having some sort of attack," said John "the whole place rocked like a Iron Maiden concert."
Pilot looked worried, but then he always did, "I am not sure what is happening to her," he said "she has convulsions at irregular rates and her air ducts have sealed up on the lower tiers and the pressure there is building up to dangerous levels. D'argo reported that she is secreting some sort of green slimy substance from the walls of his quarters."
"I nearly slipped over in it," agreed D'argo "it virtually covered the whole floor."
Crichton groaned "Sounds bad."
"It gets worse."
"How?"
"We have no idea what's causing it."
"Great."
"I believe it's an allergic reaction," supplied Pilot "the symptoms match with one."
"Well what's Moya allergic to?" Asked Chiana.
Pilot looked at his panels "Several things, they are listed in the forbidden cargoes."
"Like what?"
"Melih powder, zemhian flower spore, terleum serum…" Everyone had a feeling that he could go on for a long time.
John's mind whirred rapidly; did he bring anything on board? What about the perfume? Did that have anything in it? It couldn't do, Zhaan had perfume like it in her apothecary and it didn't effect Moya then. What was going on? What was causing it?
Then, from somewhere in the back of his mind, a little thought Harvey said quietly "What about the thing you saw in the air duct?"
"Hey, guys," he said aloud "what about live cargo? Is Moya allergic to any live cargo?"
"Live cargo?" asked Pilot.
"Earlier, I saw something in the ducts-"
"John…" said D'argo "you could be-"
"I wasn't wrong last time was I? I swear on my dad's life I saw something in the ducts!"
"Alright, they might be something in there, but what?"
John shrugged "I don't know! We didn't bring any live animals… on … board…" he trailed away.
D'argo growled "Oh yes we did!"
"But I saw her get rid of it! I saw her drop it off!"
They looked at each other; then again, Jool was determined and stubborn. She didn't give up easily.
John turned to Pilot "Tell me, is Moya allergic to carrots?"
"Yes," said Pilot consulting his panels "Moya is allergic to them, quite strongly in fact."
John took a deep breath, tapped his com and spoke in the sing song tones of those about to administer a lecture "Oh Jo-ol? Could you come up here please? Now!"
Jool panicked as she ran to Pilot's den, how the frell did they find out? Chiana must've talked! That little slut! She must have told them about Tricket! Jool got to the den and fell under the heavy, angry and smug gazes of the group. She lowered her head and walked nervously towards them. She looked up and the gazes remained as she spoke "Look, I'm sorry-" She began.
"Sorry? SORRY?!" Growled D'argo, advancing on the unfortunate Interon "That won't help the fact that there is a creature running around in the air ducts that is causing Moya to have an allergic reaction!"
"It might not be Tricket…" squeaked Jool.
"What else could it be?!"
"Well… Chiana knew about it! She tried to blackmail me!" Jool pointed to her accusingly.
They all turned to look at Chiana who cowered "Well… er…" she began.
"For the love of FRELL!" D'argo roared "You girls will kill me one day!"
"Whoa whoa! Time out grizzly!" John cried out, grabbing D'argo's arm "This isn't going to help either! Let's just clam down and-"
Just then, the ship rocked violently again, knocking Jool into D'argo, Chiana in Pilot's panels and John over the edge of the stand. When everyone had got their bearings, they realised John was gone. "John?" D'argo called.
There was a gasp and a groan from below D'argo's feet "Down here!"
They looked down into the chasm below Pilot's den, John was holding on for dear life and glaring up at D'argo "A little help here?!" He grunted.
The Luxan held out a hand to John and tugged him up with surprising ease. The nearly traumatised Crichton staggered on the platform and glared at the company.
"You alright John?" D'argo asked.
"That's it! I have had it! ," Growled John "When I find that little bastard I am so going to jettison it's furry little ass into SPACE! All those in favour say aye!"
"Aye," agreed D'argo.
"Aye-aye!" Chiana cried.
"No wait! You can't-" Jool cried out to the retreating backs.
Chiana patted Jool on the shoulders "Face it princess," she said with a smirk "You're out voted."
The hunt began. John and D'argo, armed with a pulse rifle and Qualta Blade hunted the top tiers and Chiana and Jool went to the lowest tiers that weren't sealed up.
Jool hurried ahead of Chiana, making clicking noises with her tongue and calling Tricket's name "Come here baby! Mommy's here! Come on out for me please!" She cried desperately.
Chiana rolled her eyes "Will you give it a rest!"
"NO!"
Chiana sneered "If you hadn't brought that thing on board we wouldn't be in this mess!"
"Well if you'd been a bit nicer to me then I wouldn't have brought him on board!"
"It's hard to be nice to annoying, screeching, whining little cry-baby!"
"You irritating, nasty, barbaric little TRELK!"
They stopped, glared at each other and took a deep breath "I think it is best," said Chiana calmly "if we split up."
"I agree," said Jool "You go that way and I'll go this way."
"Fine."
"Good."
"Great!"
They stormed off in opposite directions, muttering insults and the like.
"I think it's still in the air ducts," said John, cocking the rifle "probably hungry by now, how about if we set a trap?"
"Good idea, what about food cubes?" D'argo replied, brandishing the Qualta rifle "I saw Jool feeding them to it-"
"Crap!" The curse was followed by several blasts from the pulse rifle "I saw something in that duct!"
D'argo knelt down and looked into the duct "It's gone!"
"Damn, well at least we know where it is," he tapped his com "Jool? Pip? You there?"
Chiana was kneeling down by a duct; firing shots into it and didn't hear the call over the com. She stood up as the call came again "Chi? You there?"
"Yeah, I think I saw it in this duct and I'm just trying to-"
"What? I just saw it in this duct!"
"You must be imagining things."
"I don't think so…"
"I following this trail to a big duct, I can crawl in that way and get a better shot."
"Careful, the ducts are sealing up, you don't want to become the Uncharted Territories' first Nebari pancake."
"I know," said Chiana, wondering briefly what a pancake was.
She reached the big duct way, pulled aside the grating, brandished her pulse rifle and cried out "Alright you little son-of-a-trelk! I've got-" She stopped when she saw what was in the duct.
The karret was there alright, but it was lying on it's side and all around it were a least ten little pink shapes all digging their faces into the karret's side. At first, Chiana thought they were suckling, but when the pink shapes turned to look at her she stared in horror.
They were eating it!
The pink shapes focused, they looked like the karret except they were small and hair-less. They bared several pairs of shape teeth, dripping with blood and some of them were fighting over pieces of the karret. The one nearest to Chiana hissed at her.
Pulling herself together, she pointed the rifle towards the litter and fired several shots before they all scattered down the duct way. Chiana looked down the dark duct; she missed them all, dren!
Suddenly, Moya heaved violently and Chiana rolled out of the duct before the sides started to swell and close tightly into a little passageway. She panted for breath and tried to take in what she saw.
"Her highness is not going to like this!" She breathed.
