Rainne was directing the DRD where to use the laser to cut through the hull
of her ship, since returning to Moya she decided to help John again, she
and Crais were beginning to explore their relationship but were certain
they did not want to reside on the same ship, yet. She did not see D'Argo
approach. She was talking to either herself or the DRD, he was not sure
which. D'Argo stepped closer.
~~~
"So little DRD do you have any suggestions on where I might find the one piece that will unlock these memories?" She asked the DRD. It wasn't much company but at least it did not talk back. Rainne pulled back the piece of metal that the DRD had just loosened and found more wires. No markings. The dismantling of her ship was not going well. She had found nothing. Aeryn and John had taken some items to repair his module and to make modifications to the module and Aeryn's prowler. All of a sudden Rainne had the feeling someone was watching her.
~~~
Rainne turned and saw D'Argo. She blushed, unsure of how much he had heard, she did not know that D'Argo had seen she and Crais a few days before and they did not know that D'Argo was aware that they were spending more time together. Crais tried to avoid the Luxan when he visited Rainne on Moya.
"D'Argo." She said softly.
"Rainne."
"Can I help you?" She asked.
"Stay away from that filthy peace keeper." Was his reply.
"I already told you, I will not." she countered. She hoped that he did not know that Crais had come to her when she had called for him, and she and Crais had both realized in that instant that they loved each other. Rainne had not told D'Argo of the memories of Dorian yet. She had not seen much of him since the day she had tried to leave. Someone had told him that she had taken off in a transport pod and ended up on Talyn with Crais and he was unhappy about it.
"That Peacekeeper will never make you happy." He growled.
"That former Peacekeeper makes me very happy." She shouted back at him. Rainne threw the piece of metal in her hands. "Do not push this D'Argo." She whispered. "I know you do not like him but my feelings for him are different." She closed her eyes trying to calm herself. She could feel her hands getting warm. "On the other hand, you follow me around, tell me what I can and cannot do. Who I can spend time with. Every time I go to Talyn you find a reason to call me back." Rainne retorted, her voice becoming louder. She was no longer able to control herself. "You never ask why I go there or what I go there for." Her temper was flaring, the feelings made her want to scream. How could she explain to him that she realized he had deep feelings for her but she did not share them. How could she explain that Bialar needed her and she needed him. That Talyn seemed to be the key to unlocking the memories that Stark could not access. D'Argo just stared at her. "What if I go there to recreate with Crais? Is it any of your business? I am not a prisoner; I am not your mate. Sometimes I wonder if I even want to be your friend." Rainne snapped. As the last word left her lips, she realized she had hurt him deeply.
D'Argo sneered at her. "I was told to look after you when you first arrived. I will tell you where and who you can spend your time with. I do not like you associating with Bialar Crais. He is a dangerous man. You do not know what he has done in the past." He spat at her, Rainne watched as his features began to change from hurt to anger.
"I don't know what I have done in the past." She countered; not wanting to argue anymore. Rainne turned away from D'Argo as she attempted to leave, he grabbed her arm. "Leave me alone. Let me go." Rainne said as she struggled.
"Rainne, I am only trying to help you, to protect you. Remember what happened the last time you went somewhere against my best wishes." He growled, grabbing both of her arms. He backed her roughly against the wall. Rainne struggled to get free. Her vision was beginning to blur. The nightmare came back to her full force, it was D'Argo she had been dreaming about.
"No you are not. Let go.you are hurting me." Rainne protested as D'Argo pushed in closer. He tried to kiss her but Rainne turned her head. D'Argo growled .
"You will be my mate, I saved you while he was off mooning over you. Crais cannot make you happy. He can not love you." D'Argo said as he shook her. "He does not understand love, he was a Peacekeeper." Rainne tried pulling her arms away by moving to the side, D'Argo used his considerable bulk to pin her against the wall. He tried to kiss her again, Rainne was unable to avoid him. He countered her every move. She had never seen him act like this before. Her hands were burning.
Crais walked in as Rainne was struggling, he had come to see her and she was not in her quarters. Crais had come to the cargo hold, naturally assuming she had forgotten the time, as she was known to do.
Crais saw D'Argo attempting to kiss Rainne. When D'Argo caught Crais' scent he looked back toward the door. D'Argo hissed at him but Crais stood his ground. Slowly Crais reached for his pulse pistol.
"Unhand her Luxan." Crais said firmly. He could see the fear on Rainne's face and he noticed her hands were glowing a faint blue, he also recognized the Hyper Rage in D'Argo's expression.
"I will not, this is between Rainne and I. If you know what is good for you, you will leave now Peace Keeper." D'Argo snarled.
"D'Argo stop, you are hurting me." Rainne cried out again. She pulled one arm free and tried to strike him in the chest "Let go." He captured her hand again before it made contact. Rainne was beginning to hyperventilate and she was sobbing at the same time.
Abruptly the room changed.
"You are our prized specimen, only missing one thing." The doctor said as he shoved her toward the guard. "Physical strength. However, your descendants will not have that imperfection." With that, he exited and closed the door, locking it behind him.
Rainne looked around terrified. The guard was leering at her and growling; he removed his remaining clothing as he moved toward her. She jumped back, having been trained in martial arts. She was smaller and faster.
Rainne could hear someone screaming her name outside the room. It sounded like Dorian. She made the mistake of turning toward the sound; the guard grabbed her and threw her onto the crude mattress on the floor. She remembered screaming. She could feel her hatred and fear building as the guard tried to rip her gown off. She squirmed but he was too heavy. She put her hands on his chest.
She heard someone calling her name.
"Rainne." Crais said. "Rainne." He repeated. She looked at him. He had his weapon leveled at D'Argo. "Come over here now." He said coolly. D'Argo growled at both of them. It was then Rainne realized that D'Argo had let go of her. He was growling and hissing but he had let go of her. She quickly did as Crais asked. "Go into the corridor and down to the galley. Ask Chiana to come to me here, ask Stark, Aeryn and John to go along with you to the transport pod. Once they are at the pod, tell them to enter and wait for me to return. If they question you, simply say, hyper-rage."
"Yes Bialar." She replied quickly following his orders.
~~~
Within a few microts Crais, John, Stark, Aeryn and Rainne left Moya. No one said anything. Rainne rubbed her arm where D'Argo had been clutching it. It was still stinging. Rainne was embarrassed to look at any of the others. She kept her face toward the view screen.
Once they returned to Talyn, Crais escorted Rainne to his quarters without saying a word. When they arrived, he removed his jacket and tossed it on the table. Rainne removed her over shirt and was gently massaging the bruises forming on her forearm; silent tears ran down her cheeks. Crais walked over and sat beside her, she turned away from him ashamed. She was unsure of what had happened. Had she caused D'Argo's reaction in some way?
"Rainne." Crais said quietly. He grabbed her chin and forced her to look at him. "Rainne this is not your fault."
"How can you be sure?" She asked him. "Do you know why the argument started?"
"No, I was hoping you would explain it to me."
"I was in the cargo bay alone." she stopped.
"And." Crais prodded.
"I caught him spying on me." She replied, watching his face for a reaction. His features did not change, however she noticed the clenching of his jaw.
"What were you doing?" He asked.
"Talking to myself and the DRD." She said turning away ashamed. "He asked me to stay away from you. I tried to explain that I would not, I tried to explain about Dorian and he ignored my comments. Then I just lost it. He yelled at me for coming to Talyn. He follows me around. He still tries to tell me who I can and can not spend time with." Rainne stood up and moved away from him, she started pacing, staring at her hands. "I started yelling at him and he just changed." Rainne trembled recalling how powerfully D'Argo had clenched her arms. Crais stood and encircled her gently in his embrace. "What did I do wrong?" she asked into his shoulder.
"C'thha, you did nothing wrong. It is the Luxan hyper-rage. He is powerless to control it once it starts. Different things trigger it. Perhaps it was the chemistry between the two of you. Perhaps he noticed the chemistry between us. Perhaps it is just being closed up on a Leviathan for so long." He released her and held her hands in one of his own.
"Why did he release me? I don't remember it happening." She asked looking up into his mysterious dark eyes.
"Your hands began to glow and your face changed..." Crais wiped a stray tear from her cheek. "You need some rest; it has been a grueling evening for you." He released her hands "I will leave you now. I will sleep in the bunk just outside the door if you need anything."
"Thank you Bialar."
"You are welcome. I know that you brought nothing with you, you may take one of my shirts to sleep in if you wish." He replied as he opened the door and stepped out.
~~~
"Crais. How is she?" Aeryn asked when she passed him in the corridor. She had a cup and plate of food cubes with her.
"She was very frightened, and she has a large bruise on her arm." Crais replied. "She is resting now. That beast could have hurt her if I had not shown up just in time."
"I don't think D'Argo would hurt her on purpose." Aeryn said.
"Well Rainne did not know that did she." Crais retorted. Quickly gaining his composure, he realized he was taking it a little too personally. "Sorry Officer Sun. It has been a lengthy day for all of us. I hope the accommodations will be appropriate for you and Crichton."
"We will manage."
"Good night."
~~~
Once Aeryn was gone, Crais opened the bunk. It was then that he noticed that Talyn was unnaturally silent. He closed his eyes and concentrated, Crais realized that Talyn was trying to communicate with Rainne. He pressed his finger to the transponder and spoke to Talyn. "She will be fine Talyn. She is not that badly injured. It is just a bruise. Please let her rest. Yes I will be staying right here to protect her." He removed his shirt and pulled the binding from his hair before lying down on the bunk. He closed his eyes and tried to rest. He could see Rainne in his quarters through his link with Talyn. He noticed she was lying on the bed in one of his shirts and her underpants. She appeared to be asleep but she was tossing and turning. Crais asked Talyn to turn off the surveillance cameras and rest. Talyn lowered the lighting in the corridor. Soon Crais fell into a fitful sleep.
Rainne 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. Rainne 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, Rainne 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 it fell to the ground. When she opened her eyes again, D'Argo was lying there dead in front of her. He was wearing a jumpsuit. She knew that she had killed him
Rainne screamed. Talyn called out to Crais. When he entered his quarters, Rainne was struggling in the blanket.
Rainne awoke to Crais' voice. "C'Thha. Wake up. It is only a dream." She opened her eyes.
"Bialar?" She said hesitantly.
"Yes I am right here." He pulled her closer. "It was your nightmare, was it not?"
"Yes." She cried. "What have I done? What happened to me? Why can't I remember?"
"I do not know. These are things we will not learn tonight." He paused. "Would you like me to stay in here with you until you fall asleep again?" he asked.
"Yes." She replied as she lay back on the bed. Crais pulled the blanket over her. He stretched out on the top of the blanket and pulled her closer.
"Rest easy. Hopefully the dream will not bother you again." He said as he nuzzled her hair. Soon they were both asleep.
~~~
"So little DRD do you have any suggestions on where I might find the one piece that will unlock these memories?" She asked the DRD. It wasn't much company but at least it did not talk back. Rainne pulled back the piece of metal that the DRD had just loosened and found more wires. No markings. The dismantling of her ship was not going well. She had found nothing. Aeryn and John had taken some items to repair his module and to make modifications to the module and Aeryn's prowler. All of a sudden Rainne had the feeling someone was watching her.
~~~
Rainne turned and saw D'Argo. She blushed, unsure of how much he had heard, she did not know that D'Argo had seen she and Crais a few days before and they did not know that D'Argo was aware that they were spending more time together. Crais tried to avoid the Luxan when he visited Rainne on Moya.
"D'Argo." She said softly.
"Rainne."
"Can I help you?" She asked.
"Stay away from that filthy peace keeper." Was his reply.
"I already told you, I will not." she countered. She hoped that he did not know that Crais had come to her when she had called for him, and she and Crais had both realized in that instant that they loved each other. Rainne had not told D'Argo of the memories of Dorian yet. She had not seen much of him since the day she had tried to leave. Someone had told him that she had taken off in a transport pod and ended up on Talyn with Crais and he was unhappy about it.
"That Peacekeeper will never make you happy." He growled.
"That former Peacekeeper makes me very happy." She shouted back at him. Rainne threw the piece of metal in her hands. "Do not push this D'Argo." She whispered. "I know you do not like him but my feelings for him are different." She closed her eyes trying to calm herself. She could feel her hands getting warm. "On the other hand, you follow me around, tell me what I can and cannot do. Who I can spend time with. Every time I go to Talyn you find a reason to call me back." Rainne retorted, her voice becoming louder. She was no longer able to control herself. "You never ask why I go there or what I go there for." Her temper was flaring, the feelings made her want to scream. How could she explain to him that she realized he had deep feelings for her but she did not share them. How could she explain that Bialar needed her and she needed him. That Talyn seemed to be the key to unlocking the memories that Stark could not access. D'Argo just stared at her. "What if I go there to recreate with Crais? Is it any of your business? I am not a prisoner; I am not your mate. Sometimes I wonder if I even want to be your friend." Rainne snapped. As the last word left her lips, she realized she had hurt him deeply.
D'Argo sneered at her. "I was told to look after you when you first arrived. I will tell you where and who you can spend your time with. I do not like you associating with Bialar Crais. He is a dangerous man. You do not know what he has done in the past." He spat at her, Rainne watched as his features began to change from hurt to anger.
"I don't know what I have done in the past." She countered; not wanting to argue anymore. Rainne turned away from D'Argo as she attempted to leave, he grabbed her arm. "Leave me alone. Let me go." Rainne said as she struggled.
"Rainne, I am only trying to help you, to protect you. Remember what happened the last time you went somewhere against my best wishes." He growled, grabbing both of her arms. He backed her roughly against the wall. Rainne struggled to get free. Her vision was beginning to blur. The nightmare came back to her full force, it was D'Argo she had been dreaming about.
"No you are not. Let go.you are hurting me." Rainne protested as D'Argo pushed in closer. He tried to kiss her but Rainne turned her head. D'Argo growled .
"You will be my mate, I saved you while he was off mooning over you. Crais cannot make you happy. He can not love you." D'Argo said as he shook her. "He does not understand love, he was a Peacekeeper." Rainne tried pulling her arms away by moving to the side, D'Argo used his considerable bulk to pin her against the wall. He tried to kiss her again, Rainne was unable to avoid him. He countered her every move. She had never seen him act like this before. Her hands were burning.
Crais walked in as Rainne was struggling, he had come to see her and she was not in her quarters. Crais had come to the cargo hold, naturally assuming she had forgotten the time, as she was known to do.
Crais saw D'Argo attempting to kiss Rainne. When D'Argo caught Crais' scent he looked back toward the door. D'Argo hissed at him but Crais stood his ground. Slowly Crais reached for his pulse pistol.
"Unhand her Luxan." Crais said firmly. He could see the fear on Rainne's face and he noticed her hands were glowing a faint blue, he also recognized the Hyper Rage in D'Argo's expression.
"I will not, this is between Rainne and I. If you know what is good for you, you will leave now Peace Keeper." D'Argo snarled.
"D'Argo stop, you are hurting me." Rainne cried out again. She pulled one arm free and tried to strike him in the chest "Let go." He captured her hand again before it made contact. Rainne was beginning to hyperventilate and she was sobbing at the same time.
Abruptly the room changed.
"You are our prized specimen, only missing one thing." The doctor said as he shoved her toward the guard. "Physical strength. However, your descendants will not have that imperfection." With that, he exited and closed the door, locking it behind him.
Rainne looked around terrified. The guard was leering at her and growling; he removed his remaining clothing as he moved toward her. She jumped back, having been trained in martial arts. She was smaller and faster.
Rainne could hear someone screaming her name outside the room. It sounded like Dorian. She made the mistake of turning toward the sound; the guard grabbed her and threw her onto the crude mattress on the floor. She remembered screaming. She could feel her hatred and fear building as the guard tried to rip her gown off. She squirmed but he was too heavy. She put her hands on his chest.
She heard someone calling her name.
"Rainne." Crais said. "Rainne." He repeated. She looked at him. He had his weapon leveled at D'Argo. "Come over here now." He said coolly. D'Argo growled at both of them. It was then Rainne realized that D'Argo had let go of her. He was growling and hissing but he had let go of her. She quickly did as Crais asked. "Go into the corridor and down to the galley. Ask Chiana to come to me here, ask Stark, Aeryn and John to go along with you to the transport pod. Once they are at the pod, tell them to enter and wait for me to return. If they question you, simply say, hyper-rage."
"Yes Bialar." She replied quickly following his orders.
~~~
Within a few microts Crais, John, Stark, Aeryn and Rainne left Moya. No one said anything. Rainne rubbed her arm where D'Argo had been clutching it. It was still stinging. Rainne was embarrassed to look at any of the others. She kept her face toward the view screen.
Once they returned to Talyn, Crais escorted Rainne to his quarters without saying a word. When they arrived, he removed his jacket and tossed it on the table. Rainne removed her over shirt and was gently massaging the bruises forming on her forearm; silent tears ran down her cheeks. Crais walked over and sat beside her, she turned away from him ashamed. She was unsure of what had happened. Had she caused D'Argo's reaction in some way?
"Rainne." Crais said quietly. He grabbed her chin and forced her to look at him. "Rainne this is not your fault."
"How can you be sure?" She asked him. "Do you know why the argument started?"
"No, I was hoping you would explain it to me."
"I was in the cargo bay alone." she stopped.
"And." Crais prodded.
"I caught him spying on me." She replied, watching his face for a reaction. His features did not change, however she noticed the clenching of his jaw.
"What were you doing?" He asked.
"Talking to myself and the DRD." She said turning away ashamed. "He asked me to stay away from you. I tried to explain that I would not, I tried to explain about Dorian and he ignored my comments. Then I just lost it. He yelled at me for coming to Talyn. He follows me around. He still tries to tell me who I can and can not spend time with." Rainne stood up and moved away from him, she started pacing, staring at her hands. "I started yelling at him and he just changed." Rainne trembled recalling how powerfully D'Argo had clenched her arms. Crais stood and encircled her gently in his embrace. "What did I do wrong?" she asked into his shoulder.
"C'thha, you did nothing wrong. It is the Luxan hyper-rage. He is powerless to control it once it starts. Different things trigger it. Perhaps it was the chemistry between the two of you. Perhaps he noticed the chemistry between us. Perhaps it is just being closed up on a Leviathan for so long." He released her and held her hands in one of his own.
"Why did he release me? I don't remember it happening." She asked looking up into his mysterious dark eyes.
"Your hands began to glow and your face changed..." Crais wiped a stray tear from her cheek. "You need some rest; it has been a grueling evening for you." He released her hands "I will leave you now. I will sleep in the bunk just outside the door if you need anything."
"Thank you Bialar."
"You are welcome. I know that you brought nothing with you, you may take one of my shirts to sleep in if you wish." He replied as he opened the door and stepped out.
~~~
"Crais. How is she?" Aeryn asked when she passed him in the corridor. She had a cup and plate of food cubes with her.
"She was very frightened, and she has a large bruise on her arm." Crais replied. "She is resting now. That beast could have hurt her if I had not shown up just in time."
"I don't think D'Argo would hurt her on purpose." Aeryn said.
"Well Rainne did not know that did she." Crais retorted. Quickly gaining his composure, he realized he was taking it a little too personally. "Sorry Officer Sun. It has been a lengthy day for all of us. I hope the accommodations will be appropriate for you and Crichton."
"We will manage."
"Good night."
~~~
Once Aeryn was gone, Crais opened the bunk. It was then that he noticed that Talyn was unnaturally silent. He closed his eyes and concentrated, Crais realized that Talyn was trying to communicate with Rainne. He pressed his finger to the transponder and spoke to Talyn. "She will be fine Talyn. She is not that badly injured. It is just a bruise. Please let her rest. Yes I will be staying right here to protect her." He removed his shirt and pulled the binding from his hair before lying down on the bunk. He closed his eyes and tried to rest. He could see Rainne in his quarters through his link with Talyn. He noticed she was lying on the bed in one of his shirts and her underpants. She appeared to be asleep but she was tossing and turning. Crais asked Talyn to turn off the surveillance cameras and rest. Talyn lowered the lighting in the corridor. Soon Crais fell into a fitful sleep.
Rainne 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. Rainne 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, Rainne 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 it fell to the ground. When she opened her eyes again, D'Argo was lying there dead in front of her. He was wearing a jumpsuit. She knew that she had killed him
Rainne screamed. Talyn called out to Crais. When he entered his quarters, Rainne was struggling in the blanket.
Rainne awoke to Crais' voice. "C'Thha. Wake up. It is only a dream." She opened her eyes.
"Bialar?" She said hesitantly.
"Yes I am right here." He pulled her closer. "It was your nightmare, was it not?"
"Yes." She cried. "What have I done? What happened to me? Why can't I remember?"
"I do not know. These are things we will not learn tonight." He paused. "Would you like me to stay in here with you until you fall asleep again?" he asked.
"Yes." She replied as she lay back on the bed. Crais pulled the blanket over her. He stretched out on the top of the blanket and pulled her closer.
"Rest easy. Hopefully the dream will not bother you again." He said as he nuzzled her hair. Soon they were both asleep.