Someone touched Rainne's shoulder gently. She opened her eyes, Stark was
standing in front of her.
"Hi Stark, I didn't hear you come in." she said uncrossing her legs and leaning forward.
"You.were meditating?" Stark asked as he dragged a chair from across the room and sat facing Rainne. "Good, Good."
"I was thinking about my nightmare I had last night. I do not know if it is memories trying to surface or something else. D'Argo woke me up." She briefly explained the dream to him.
"We will concentrate on the dream first. Ready?"
"Yes," she replied tentatively. "Will it hurt?"
"No, I promise." Stark took off his mask, the whole side of his face was aglow with a warm soothing golden light. Rainne was drawn to the light, unable to take her eyes off of Stark. He took both her hands in his. Suddenly she could feel Stark's consciousness join her own. "Show me your dreams, share your thoughts." Stark said through their bond.
She turned to look over her shoulder, the huge creature roared again. It slashed out at her, barely missing her back. She ran through a building she did not recognize. The creature roared again. This time she could feel the creature's putrid breath against her neck; this time when it slashed out it caught her right shoulder. She could feel the blood running down her arm. Her lungs felt as if they would explode. She stopped and faced the monster. It was massive, with an oily sheen. The wound on her shoulder burned as if acid had been poured on it. When the creature realized she had stopped it stopped also. Suddenly she had the urge to reach out to touch it, suddenly she was no longer afraid, she felt the fear and hatred leave her body like a flame; she closed her eyes but felt the flame strike the monster. She heard the monster scream as if it fell to the ground. When she opened her eyes again, there was a human lying there dead in front of her. He was wearing a jumpsuit. She did not know who he was but she knew that she had killed him
Stark watched the dream, probing as he went along. He could not tell if it was a memory or just a dream. He probed a little deeper but could find nothing. He probed into her short-term memory; he saw the last few days as she had seen them. He saw the dream again and what had happened between D'Argo and herself last night when he had come in and woke her up. Stark released her hands and put his mask back on.
"Nothing, empty, gone." Stark said. "Gone, gone, gone, all gone." He patted her knee. "Not a danger to us."
"Thank You Stark." She smiled, dismayed that it did not work. "Can you give me a tour?"
"Not at this time." Stark replied. "Wander around by yourself?"
"No." She replied. She did not want to get lost, run into anyone else, she had heard Aeryn and Stark talking about the others on the ship.
"Idea, oh yes an idea." Stark said, he seemed as if he was plotting something. Rainne was wary. "Wait here."
~~~
Stark opened the door to find D'Argo standing near it. "Ka D'Argo, I was just going to look for you."
"Yes?" he asked raising an eyebrow at Stark.
"Take Rainne on a tour." Stark asked. "No memories."
"Why me?" D'Argo asked. "Can't you get one of the girls to do it, Chiana or Jool. I am no tour guide."
"You can protect us if need be." Stark placed his hand on D'Argo's arm.
"What do I show her?" D'Argo asked, he had never been a tour guide before.
"Take her to meet Pilot, take her to the cargo hold where her ship is being dismantled, show her our home."
"Fine." He grumbled.
~~~
Rainne heard the door open. She was standing against the wall, it warm and comforting. She heard a deep voice say. "Rainne."
"Yes." Rainne replied as she turned to face the voice, while still leaning on the wall. Slowly she opened her eyes. She was surprised to see D'Argo standing there. His arms were tightly crossed and he looked very stern. She had never seen anything like him. Rainne was too tired the night before to really study him. He was tall, very tall. He had tattoos on his forehead, chin and muscular chest. He had braids in his beard and mustache. Rainne was shocked to see his crystal blue eyes, they seemed to see right through her. Very intriguing, she thought. Rainne especially liked hearing his deep soft spoken voice, she definitely wanted to get him to talk. "The walls are warm." She said trying to make conversation.
"Yes they are, Moya is alive. Would you like to meet her Pilot?" D'Argo replied
"Pilot?" There is a pilot, Rainne thought, John said this is a living ship.
"Yes he is the control center for Moya yet he is a sentient being himself. He is integrated with Moya so we will have to go to him." He said dryly.
"Okay."
Rainne followed D'Argo from the room and through many corridors, it seemed like forever before they entered into Pilot's chamber. Rainne hid behind D'Argo for a moment. She was momentarily stunned. She had never seen a being like Pilot. He was looking at her while all four of his arms seemed to be operating the large control panel. The other beings on the ship were all humanoid, even D'Argo, this one was different. Pilot spoke to her.
"Hello Rainne" Pilot said, extending one of his arms toward her.
"Hello?" She replied moving a bit closer, still not going to far from D'Argo. Pilot reached out a bit further. Rainne took Pilot's hand and shook it.
"Pilot." He replied
"Hello Pilot." She said. Pilot grabbed her arm gently, pulling her closer. Rainne looked back at D'Argo, he nodded yes, so she moved over to the console near Pilot.
"So you are a female human?" Pilot asked her. "Very different from Chricton, I understand."
"Just as annoying." D'Argo mumbled sarcastically.
Rainne looked at D'Argo before turning her attention back to Pilot. "Yes I am a human, I don't know much more though. I seem to have lost my memory. D'Argo is giving me a tour of Moya."
"Well it was very nice to meet you. Come down and talk with me some time. I am always here."
"Thank you Pilot." Rainne walked back over to D'Argo. "Well, where do we go next?" She asked, she was beginning to enjoy her little excursion, even if D'Argo was not much of a conversationalist, and was seemingly annoyed with her presence.
"I will take you to the cargo hold where your ship is being held and then on to the galley where we go to eat meals together." He turned and walked from the room. Rainne followed behind him quietly, she observed the way he walked, straight and tall. Rainne realized he moved with purpose and no fear. Maybe if she tried to emulate the way he carried himself she could crack his tough exterior. Rainne trailed her hand along the walls as she walked, they seemed to be metallic but they were soft and warm. She was trying to get past her reservations, she had seen so much in the last few days, meeting new creatures at every turn, yet remembering nothing from the time before they revived her. D'Argo did not speak to her as they walked. She wanted him to talk, his voice was deep and strong. It stirred something in her heart. Rainne could tell he did not want to be showing her around. She was not sure why Stark had asked him in the first place. Rainne did not notice that D'Argo had stopped, and she ran into him. It was like walking into a solid wall, before she even realized what was happening she fell backwards and landed on her butt, jarring her shoulder again, the pain momentarily stunned her.
"Sorry. I was lost in my thoughts." She said sheepishly, wincing at the pain in her shoulder, D'Argo bent down and offered his hand. Rainne took it, D'Argo pulled her up quickly with no effort. His hand was warm and at first she did not want to let it go. D'Argo pulled away.
"Please try to be more careful." He said. He led her into the small cargo hold where her ship was. There were little yellow robots all around it. They seemed to be inspecting it. "We have been inspecting your vessel trying to determine where you were from, and we were also looking for possible clues to help you with your memory. So far we have not found anything. Crichton has looked it over and as far as he can tell it is inoperable. He was wondering if it would be acceptable if he dismantled it?"
"Sure, I don't think I will be going anywhere, I don't even remember how to fly it." She smiled trying to elicit one from D'Argo, he just crossed his arms and stared at her. "Can I help? I don't have anything else to do. Maybe if I see something it will jog my memory."
"I think that will be acceptable. Would you like to stay here or would you like to continue the tour?" D'Argo asked her.
"I think I will stay here for a while if you do not mind." She replied. Rainne knew D'Argo wanted to get away from showing her around.
"I will be in the galley, it is just down the corridor on the right."
"Okay."
~~~
D'Argo sat toying with his food cubes. He was remembering the feel of Rainne's body against his when he picked her up the day they found her and today when she had run into him. He could still smell her sweet scent. Her odor was changing, becoming more feminine, less disinfected. There was something else about her that he perceived and it was disarming, something in the way she looked at him. Her constant smile and apparent curiosity. She was just a young woman, yet she was something else. D'Argo did not see Chiana come into the room. She plopped down next to him on the bench.
"Going to eat those cubes or just push 'em around for a while and beat them into submission?" Chiana asked as she grabbed one from the plate.
"Chiana." D'Argo snapped at her. He stood up and walked from the room. Chiana sat in stunned silence. He had not snapped at her in a long time. She knew he would never accept her again as a possible companion but he was never so rude.
~~~
Rainne was rummaging around in a container of items she found on the floor. The small yellow robots seemed to be removing anything not attached or very secure and were placing them in the container. The sleeves of the gown were too long and kept getting in her way. She grumbled in frustration as she pushed the sleeves up again. She looked around the room. She was about to give up and remove the gown when she heard footsteps. Rainne turned around to find D'Argo standing in the door.
"I think we can find you clothing more suited to what you are doing. Follow me." D'Argo led her out of the cargo hold and down the corridor. They stopped in front of a smaller cargo bay. He led her inside. It was a small storage area with clothing and other supplies. D'Argo pulled out a pair of pants, a tank top and another shirt with longer sleeves. "These will do until we can acquire some for you. I will stand outside the door while you change and then take you to the galley. Stark requested that you eat something."
"Okay." She replied. D'Argo left the room and closed the door. He seemed much friendlier, almost fatherly, but not quite. Rainne quickly changed and stepped out of the small room. D'Argo looked her over. The clothes fit her like a glove, she was a bit uncomfortable, with the closeness of the fabric and what it revealed, but at least the sleeves were not in the way. She had the robe over her arm.
"Better?" he asked, smiling for the first time.
"Yes. Much. Thank you." Rainne hugged him quickly. The huge warrior backed away from her. "Sorry." She whispered
"Let's go to the galley now and then you can take the robe back to Stark." D'Argo replied, trying to avoid her touch again.
"Hi Stark, I didn't hear you come in." she said uncrossing her legs and leaning forward.
"You.were meditating?" Stark asked as he dragged a chair from across the room and sat facing Rainne. "Good, Good."
"I was thinking about my nightmare I had last night. I do not know if it is memories trying to surface or something else. D'Argo woke me up." She briefly explained the dream to him.
"We will concentrate on the dream first. Ready?"
"Yes," she replied tentatively. "Will it hurt?"
"No, I promise." Stark took off his mask, the whole side of his face was aglow with a warm soothing golden light. Rainne was drawn to the light, unable to take her eyes off of Stark. He took both her hands in his. Suddenly she could feel Stark's consciousness join her own. "Show me your dreams, share your thoughts." Stark said through their bond.
She turned to look over her shoulder, the huge creature roared again. It slashed out at her, barely missing her back. She ran through a building she did not recognize. The creature roared again. This time she could feel the creature's putrid breath against her neck; this time when it slashed out it caught her right shoulder. She could feel the blood running down her arm. Her lungs felt as if they would explode. She stopped and faced the monster. It was massive, with an oily sheen. The wound on her shoulder burned as if acid had been poured on it. When the creature realized she had stopped it stopped also. Suddenly she had the urge to reach out to touch it, suddenly she was no longer afraid, she felt the fear and hatred leave her body like a flame; she closed her eyes but felt the flame strike the monster. She heard the monster scream as if it fell to the ground. When she opened her eyes again, there was a human lying there dead in front of her. He was wearing a jumpsuit. She did not know who he was but she knew that she had killed him
Stark watched the dream, probing as he went along. He could not tell if it was a memory or just a dream. He probed a little deeper but could find nothing. He probed into her short-term memory; he saw the last few days as she had seen them. He saw the dream again and what had happened between D'Argo and herself last night when he had come in and woke her up. Stark released her hands and put his mask back on.
"Nothing, empty, gone." Stark said. "Gone, gone, gone, all gone." He patted her knee. "Not a danger to us."
"Thank You Stark." She smiled, dismayed that it did not work. "Can you give me a tour?"
"Not at this time." Stark replied. "Wander around by yourself?"
"No." She replied. She did not want to get lost, run into anyone else, she had heard Aeryn and Stark talking about the others on the ship.
"Idea, oh yes an idea." Stark said, he seemed as if he was plotting something. Rainne was wary. "Wait here."
~~~
Stark opened the door to find D'Argo standing near it. "Ka D'Argo, I was just going to look for you."
"Yes?" he asked raising an eyebrow at Stark.
"Take Rainne on a tour." Stark asked. "No memories."
"Why me?" D'Argo asked. "Can't you get one of the girls to do it, Chiana or Jool. I am no tour guide."
"You can protect us if need be." Stark placed his hand on D'Argo's arm.
"What do I show her?" D'Argo asked, he had never been a tour guide before.
"Take her to meet Pilot, take her to the cargo hold where her ship is being dismantled, show her our home."
"Fine." He grumbled.
~~~
Rainne heard the door open. She was standing against the wall, it warm and comforting. She heard a deep voice say. "Rainne."
"Yes." Rainne replied as she turned to face the voice, while still leaning on the wall. Slowly she opened her eyes. She was surprised to see D'Argo standing there. His arms were tightly crossed and he looked very stern. She had never seen anything like him. Rainne was too tired the night before to really study him. He was tall, very tall. He had tattoos on his forehead, chin and muscular chest. He had braids in his beard and mustache. Rainne was shocked to see his crystal blue eyes, they seemed to see right through her. Very intriguing, she thought. Rainne especially liked hearing his deep soft spoken voice, she definitely wanted to get him to talk. "The walls are warm." She said trying to make conversation.
"Yes they are, Moya is alive. Would you like to meet her Pilot?" D'Argo replied
"Pilot?" There is a pilot, Rainne thought, John said this is a living ship.
"Yes he is the control center for Moya yet he is a sentient being himself. He is integrated with Moya so we will have to go to him." He said dryly.
"Okay."
Rainne followed D'Argo from the room and through many corridors, it seemed like forever before they entered into Pilot's chamber. Rainne hid behind D'Argo for a moment. She was momentarily stunned. She had never seen a being like Pilot. He was looking at her while all four of his arms seemed to be operating the large control panel. The other beings on the ship were all humanoid, even D'Argo, this one was different. Pilot spoke to her.
"Hello Rainne" Pilot said, extending one of his arms toward her.
"Hello?" She replied moving a bit closer, still not going to far from D'Argo. Pilot reached out a bit further. Rainne took Pilot's hand and shook it.
"Pilot." He replied
"Hello Pilot." She said. Pilot grabbed her arm gently, pulling her closer. Rainne looked back at D'Argo, he nodded yes, so she moved over to the console near Pilot.
"So you are a female human?" Pilot asked her. "Very different from Chricton, I understand."
"Just as annoying." D'Argo mumbled sarcastically.
Rainne looked at D'Argo before turning her attention back to Pilot. "Yes I am a human, I don't know much more though. I seem to have lost my memory. D'Argo is giving me a tour of Moya."
"Well it was very nice to meet you. Come down and talk with me some time. I am always here."
"Thank you Pilot." Rainne walked back over to D'Argo. "Well, where do we go next?" She asked, she was beginning to enjoy her little excursion, even if D'Argo was not much of a conversationalist, and was seemingly annoyed with her presence.
"I will take you to the cargo hold where your ship is being held and then on to the galley where we go to eat meals together." He turned and walked from the room. Rainne followed behind him quietly, she observed the way he walked, straight and tall. Rainne realized he moved with purpose and no fear. Maybe if she tried to emulate the way he carried himself she could crack his tough exterior. Rainne trailed her hand along the walls as she walked, they seemed to be metallic but they were soft and warm. She was trying to get past her reservations, she had seen so much in the last few days, meeting new creatures at every turn, yet remembering nothing from the time before they revived her. D'Argo did not speak to her as they walked. She wanted him to talk, his voice was deep and strong. It stirred something in her heart. Rainne could tell he did not want to be showing her around. She was not sure why Stark had asked him in the first place. Rainne did not notice that D'Argo had stopped, and she ran into him. It was like walking into a solid wall, before she even realized what was happening she fell backwards and landed on her butt, jarring her shoulder again, the pain momentarily stunned her.
"Sorry. I was lost in my thoughts." She said sheepishly, wincing at the pain in her shoulder, D'Argo bent down and offered his hand. Rainne took it, D'Argo pulled her up quickly with no effort. His hand was warm and at first she did not want to let it go. D'Argo pulled away.
"Please try to be more careful." He said. He led her into the small cargo hold where her ship was. There were little yellow robots all around it. They seemed to be inspecting it. "We have been inspecting your vessel trying to determine where you were from, and we were also looking for possible clues to help you with your memory. So far we have not found anything. Crichton has looked it over and as far as he can tell it is inoperable. He was wondering if it would be acceptable if he dismantled it?"
"Sure, I don't think I will be going anywhere, I don't even remember how to fly it." She smiled trying to elicit one from D'Argo, he just crossed his arms and stared at her. "Can I help? I don't have anything else to do. Maybe if I see something it will jog my memory."
"I think that will be acceptable. Would you like to stay here or would you like to continue the tour?" D'Argo asked her.
"I think I will stay here for a while if you do not mind." She replied. Rainne knew D'Argo wanted to get away from showing her around.
"I will be in the galley, it is just down the corridor on the right."
"Okay."
~~~
D'Argo sat toying with his food cubes. He was remembering the feel of Rainne's body against his when he picked her up the day they found her and today when she had run into him. He could still smell her sweet scent. Her odor was changing, becoming more feminine, less disinfected. There was something else about her that he perceived and it was disarming, something in the way she looked at him. Her constant smile and apparent curiosity. She was just a young woman, yet she was something else. D'Argo did not see Chiana come into the room. She plopped down next to him on the bench.
"Going to eat those cubes or just push 'em around for a while and beat them into submission?" Chiana asked as she grabbed one from the plate.
"Chiana." D'Argo snapped at her. He stood up and walked from the room. Chiana sat in stunned silence. He had not snapped at her in a long time. She knew he would never accept her again as a possible companion but he was never so rude.
~~~
Rainne was rummaging around in a container of items she found on the floor. The small yellow robots seemed to be removing anything not attached or very secure and were placing them in the container. The sleeves of the gown were too long and kept getting in her way. She grumbled in frustration as she pushed the sleeves up again. She looked around the room. She was about to give up and remove the gown when she heard footsteps. Rainne turned around to find D'Argo standing in the door.
"I think we can find you clothing more suited to what you are doing. Follow me." D'Argo led her out of the cargo hold and down the corridor. They stopped in front of a smaller cargo bay. He led her inside. It was a small storage area with clothing and other supplies. D'Argo pulled out a pair of pants, a tank top and another shirt with longer sleeves. "These will do until we can acquire some for you. I will stand outside the door while you change and then take you to the galley. Stark requested that you eat something."
"Okay." She replied. D'Argo left the room and closed the door. He seemed much friendlier, almost fatherly, but not quite. Rainne quickly changed and stepped out of the small room. D'Argo looked her over. The clothes fit her like a glove, she was a bit uncomfortable, with the closeness of the fabric and what it revealed, but at least the sleeves were not in the way. She had the robe over her arm.
"Better?" he asked, smiling for the first time.
"Yes. Much. Thank you." Rainne hugged him quickly. The huge warrior backed away from her. "Sorry." She whispered
"Let's go to the galley now and then you can take the robe back to Stark." D'Argo replied, trying to avoid her touch again.