Ashan and K'Tahli embraced at the transport dock and boarded the twins. The interiors were a warm aqua green color, a flickering almost hypnotic light. They settled in and took a few moments to communicate with the pilots and the ships. They took a few moments to explain the situation, and communicate their appreciation. "You brought us back to the stars from the brink of madness at the hands of the Peacekeepers. We consider it an honor to take you where you need to go."

"It could be dangerous."

"Life is dangerous, friends. Choosing to ignore friends because of risk is lethal to our very being." The twins replied.

"Open your minds to show us who you are seeking, and we will direct our energies there." The pilots instructed.

Ashan closed his eyes and tried to clear his mind. His concern for K'Tahli made it difficult, but the symbiotic pilot seemed able to empathize and filter through to the story of the renegades on the prison ship. Denali swung around and went into starburst in search of the only renegades he knew of-Moya.



Ranjaa, the smaller twin leviathan, was trying to soothe her new occupant. The pilot had found some soothing music, an airy piece from the Delvians. K'Tahli had watched on the view screen as Ashan and Denali went into starburst. She felt like part of her self was torn away. It was not like the years they spent on their educations, going from planet to planet. They always spent a season home each cycle, and they always knew where the other was.

Something on the view screen caught her eye.

"Pilot? Can you tell me what that dark object right behind Denali was?" she asked aloud.

"It looks like a Peacekeeper ship, possibly marauder class."

"Where is it now? Can you track its energy signature?"

"It seems to be no longer in range."

"How can that be? They don't have a hyper speed capability in a ship that size?" In her fear, she had not spoken the words aloud. The pilot and Ranjaa seemed pleased that their occupant had adapted to communications so quickly.

"The ship must have stayed tight to Denali and followed him through starburst."

"Does Denali know?"

"He says he sensed something, but after coming out of starburst, his sensors did not pick up the marauder. Perhaps the intense flare activities from your home world and starburst have reduced the effectiveness of his scans?" The pilot offered.

"Is Ashan safe?"

"He seems fine." The pilot assured her.

"Can we follow them?" She asked, returning to speech. Worry was making her concentration fluctuate.

"Starburst is not a specifically targeted directional travel." Pilot responded, "But Ranjaa and Denali are twins, and have had many cycles to copy each other's starburst patterns. We can get very close."

K'Tahli leaned her head back and closed her eyes. As the energy built around her, she felt a moment of weightlessness as Ranjaa starburst after her brother.



Ashan and Denali came out of starburst and the pilot immediately began scanning the area. Denali allowed himself a moment of pride as they realized Moya was close by. The sensors also indicated a smaller, Peacekeeper vessel nearby. As quickly as the sensor scan picked up the reading, it was gone again.

"Keep scanning, pilot." Ashan instructed.

"Whatever it was, Sir, may have damaged our propulsions by the increased drag. We are unable to move."

"I will come down to the propulsions area and see if there is anything I can do." Ashan was not sure if his training as a healer or in mechanical systems would come into play, but either way he had to try.



"I am telling you, there was a marauder on the scans just a microt ago!" D'Argo bellowed.

John glared at D'Argo.

"Did you get up on the wrong side of the qualta this morning?"

" I am not hallucinating. Pilot!"

Pilot's image flickered into visibility.

"He is correct Crichton. But there is no Marauder in the scans now."

"Where did it come from? Or go to, that fast?" John asked Pilot.

"Unknown Crichton. Moya is detecting another leviathan. It seems injured."

"Talyn?" Aeryn asked, concern obvious in her voice. John glanced at her sideways.

Aeryn glared back with a look that told him this was NOT the time for petty jealousy. John never seemed to get past Aeryn's affection for Talyn without wondering how far that affection translated to Crais.

"No. It is a very small ship, smaller than Talyn. Moya thinks it is one of the twins."

"Wonder-twin powers, Activate!" John held his arm in the air "Form of.. a Marauder!!" John grinned at his own humor. No one in command shared his mirth. "Guess you had to be there."

"The twins? I thought the Peacekeepers had destroyed them because they were unsuitably small?" Aeryn queried pilot.

"Moya assures me they were set free. The Peacekeepers were certain that they would die on their own, pilotless and insane."

"But there's one out there, knocking on our door?" John asked.

"Moya is unable to communicate with him, but she assures me he is alive."

"He runty enough to net him in?" John asked

"What if it is a trap?" D'Argo countered, facing off to John.

"What? An army of Lilliputians?" John mocked.

"I am unfamiliar with the race you mention, Crichton, but no less this could be Peacekeeper treachery."

"I must admit I share D'Argo's concerns." Aeryn spoke up. " Pilot net the ship and bring it in. Send DRD's to scan for life forms. We will go to the cargo bay."

"As you wish." Pilot sent out the net and pulled in the small ship.



On Denali, Ashan felt the pull of the larger leviathan net.

"Pilot? What is that?"

"Moya is pulling us into her cargo bay. Your healing has helped Denali but he was unable to communicate no more than we mean them no harm."

"Denali is a bit more complex than my usual patients." Ashan apologized.

"We understand, and are grateful for the care already administered."

"You know this ship? Do you know its crew?"

"This is Moya. Escaped prisoners freed her from her control collar. We chanced coming here first, although in your mind the Peacekeeper that had defected was a Sebacean male. This crew's Sebacean is a female. I do suggest caution regardless."

"So noted." Ashan looked over the crew list pilot provided. The Nebari was a surprise, he thought back to his vision. There are many Nebari in the uncharted territories, it could be coincidence. He did not believe in coincidence.

"Pilot? There is an entry here I do not understand?"

"The human male? We are unfamiliar with this race as well. Again, we urge caution."

"Thank you. Can you contact Ranjaa and K'Tahli from inside here? Let me know they made it to Delvia?"

"Once you step out onto Moya, we must contact you through her pilot. But as soon as we know, we will send word."

Ashan fastened the front of his flight gear, gathered his hair into a strap at the back of his neck. Whether the grooming was nervousness or leftover fastidiousness, he was unconsciously accenting a resemblance to a less than welcome individual.

He hopped out of the small ship onto a massive hangar deck. The DRD's studied him, looking for weapons. Finding none, they reported to Moya and scuttled away to their previous tasks. He had spent a year studying leviathans, but this one was unusually beautiful. Or it was, until he stepped around the front of Denali and was faced with the business end of a vast assortment of weaponry.

"That is far enough buster." John said.

Ashan halted, and slowly placed his hands in front of him, palms up.

"Name, Rank and Regiment!" Aeryn demanded. The guttural tone she always adopted when she flashed back to Peacekeeper mode made Crichton take a second look at their visitor. He kind of did look very much like a PK. He looked very much like a certain nasty, moody PK. John shifted uneasily.

"I am not a Peacekeeper." He stated. The voice was low, confident, but did not hold the arrogance borne of command. " My name is Ferrian. Ashan Ferrian. I am a healer."

"Long way from home, aren't you? Did the little maps on your face tell you to make the left at Albuquerque?" John quipped.

"These?" He put his fingertips to his cheeks and forehead. The hand motion caused an immediate advancement of readiness on the weapons. He slowly put his hands back down. "They are personal markings, somewhat like the Luxan's here." He nodded toward D'Argo. D'Argo growled at being singled out.

"He looks like." D'Argo growled but didn't want to say the name that was on everyone's mind.

"Tall, dark and twisted." John finished for him.

Aeryn frowned. From her PK days she was used to rows upon rows of Sebacean men in flight uniform with hair pulled back, so the resemblance that John and D'Argo were arguing about was lost on her.

"What is your mission?" She again demanded from Ashan.

"In due time I will speak to your interrogation. May I query your ship's Pilot for word on my wife's transport? I am waiting for confirmation she made it to Delvia safely."

"Moya has spoken with Denali, and Denali says they did not go to Delvia."

"Then where are they?" He clenched his fists at his side. D'Argo tensed at the aggression in his tone, but John grinned.

"Can't keep your woman in line either? Join the club, pal. " John said, earning him a long suffering look from Aeryn. John had sized up the newcomer in his mind and he felt no threat from him.

Pilot broke back in.

"Moya claims the other twin carrying your mate has come out of starburst not far from our location. She is in communication with Moya's son, Talyn."

Despite pilot's assurances that she was safe, Ashan noted the shift in expressions when the leviathan's son was mentioned. As a healer, he was attuned to such shifts. The animosity was not openly expressed, but was there. Even the unknown species male was slightly concerned. Ashan felt at that point, this jokester, if he was sane, was his only real ally.

"I am here to avenge my family's murder." He began. A ripple of unease went through the group. "I was told that they were killed by an escaped band of prisoners aboard a leviathan." He went on to explain the PK captain's story, and his own distrust of him.

He searched their faces as he spoke. This group was part of whom he sought, but he sensed no duplicity in them. But he also sensed that they knew the Sebacean male he sought.

"So now that filthy Peacekeeper is taking Talyn and Rainne on killing sprees?" D'Argo was the first to speak.

"D'Argo, calm down." Aeryn put her hand on D'Argo's arm. The memory of Luxan Hyper rage was fresh, and she knew he had a strong reason to believe the worst of Crais.

"He's a nut, but wiping out a whole community is a bit much for the new and improved Crais." John said, as much to D'Argo as to the group.

Something that John had said seemed to click with Ashan, but the memory eluded him

"He is a former Peacekeeper. During his pursuit he was irrevocably contaminated, forced to abandon the Peacekeepers." Aeryn began. "He has found a mate, and seems to have seen the evil of his training. He was conscripted at near ten cycles, so perhaps his memories of his life and his family have helped him change." Her explanation made sense, but she spoke it without the ring of personal conviction. Ashan had no way of knowing that was because she had never known the family life as the other former PK had known.

"So he could still be capable of such violence." D'Argo felt he needed to reiterate.



Braca observed the leviathan, watched it pull in the ship. Taking a look at his sensors, he saw Talyn approaching. Not wanting to take on both crews together, he set off to intercept the Gunship.