The Uncharted Territories
Part 6 – Qujaga
Farscape is the property of the Jim Henson Company
I am not the Jim Henson Company
Lo'La floated gently on the waves, more than strong enough to support the three figures sat on top.
"It's so peaceful here". Jonah finally said. Never had she known it to be truly tranquil before, never truly at rest.
The Luxan warrior nodded even though he did not agree, it has been over ninety cycles, and still he could hear himself scream as he watched his friends…it had been over ninety cycles. His son would be a man now, is he a warrior, a merchant, maybe even a priest…no unlikely that he was a priest, a warrior seemed more likely. He had had that spirit within him.
Nykarene had segregated herself from the others, sitting on the other side of the ship and staring out in the opposite direction, trying not to notice the sick feeling developing in the pit of her stomach. Moya was dead, dead because of the Peacekeepers coming after her, dead because of her. Oh she had been responsible for death before, even killed with her own hands, but always in self defence and never an innocent life.
No one had spoken about it much in the day that had passed, the ship floating on the calm waters while Jonah and D'Argo both followed the horizon. D'Argo had told the Princess stories about her Father, some so unbelievable that Jonah was convinced it was farca. So much has happened in just the two cycles since they had left her world…right up to his death.
"I had always believed that he was alive, I don't know why…just a gut feeling". Jonah finally told the last surviving member of Moya's crew. "But I was wrong, I should never have left my home world".
"Had you stayed, you would never have known what you know now". D'Argo said.
"Am I better of for it, for knowing any of it?" The Princess bit back. "In the space of barely a week I have discovered my Father to be unreal, my real Father to be dead, come close to joining him, seen a pilot that has, been chased by Peacekeepers and watched a sacrifice. Now I'm stuck on a water covered graveyard with no food, no fuel, and drackik of tension".
"Welcome to the Uncharted Territories". Nykarene said sarcastically.
"I wasn't speaking to you?" Jonah said, not having calmed down in the slightest. "Your part the reason I'm in this mess…wooahh". The Lo'La suddenly capsized slightly, sending the standing girl sprawling across the hull and into the calm but freezing water below.
"Jonah". D'Argo stood, staring at the Princess's landing site. "JONAH!" There was still no answer. He made ready to jump in after her, but then the ship began to rise, as if it was being carried by something underneath.
From where she was sat, Nykarene could see that lights were surrounding the Lo'La, getting brighter as the submerged entity neared the surface, the ship dwarfed by its immense size. On the hull also lay Jonah, a paler shade than she had been upon entering the sea, but otherwise unharmed by her experience…save for the initial shock of finding herself on the bio skin hull of a submerged ship.
A few feet away from where she lay, a doorway appeared in the skin and from it emerged a bipedal life form about her height, their skin a bluish green like the sea, covered in scales and shining as if damp. After a couple of microts contemplation they spoke. "You are not the Bihoshen". The voice a strange mixture of male and female, echoing. It also sounded relieved.
"Bihoshen?" Jonah said.
"When your ship broke out atmosphere, we feared that the Bihoshen had returned from the stars to take our people. It has been fifty cycles since they last appeared, but still the fear of them remains". The Alien shook his head as if changing his train of thought. "Follow me". He beckoned back towards the entrance. Jonah immediately followed, though D'Argo and Nykarene were both apprehensive, the former not wishing the leave the Lo'La unattended, the latter simply not wishing to go into the unknown.
The 'city ship' was like a Leviathan in terms of structure, with bio skin walls and curved corridors. But it was a lot brighter, and a lot more welcoming, though with the looks they were getting of other inhabitants the trio soon realised that visitors to the community where rare…if ever. They were left in what must have been spare quarters for half an arn, though little conversation broke past the silent wonderment that had befallen the trio. Finally their liason to this new species returned and took them to a large council room, the council within fully convened it seemed. Introductions were made, each of the council members suspicious of the outsiders as none of them had seen a Bihoshen before, and so did not know what to actually look for.
Finally, after much description of the city and its culture to which only Jonha was really listening to, the explanation began. "The Bihoshen first came to our world over one hundred cycles ago". The council leader spoke. "They would bring their ships, never physically attacking anything, just taking prisoners back to the mist. Eventually they forced our people to move to the undersea in hiding…"
"What kind of 'Mist'?" D'Argo asked.
"The mist exists on the edge of our solar system. Some say it is the doorway to another dimension, a circle of infinity existing independent of normal space time".
"Like a Centre Halo?" Nykarene queried. The alien looked at her, not fully recognising the term.
"Perhaps". She said, before continuing. "We never saw the Prisoners taken again. The last I saw of my own Father he was turned into the neutralising crystals they use to carry us, prevent any resistance in transport. In total they took over a dozen of our people".
D'Argo started at this sentence… neutralising crystals. John and Aeryn had been crystallised by the ship, then collected in a form of docking web unrecognised by the scanners, the attacking ship disappearing before Moya could even react. They had thought their friends dead, even held a human 'Funerl'…had they been wrong?
"Has anyone ever returned from the Mist?" He asked, hopefully.
"Never".
Jonah suddenly felt from D'Argo's expression that that question would soon have a very different answer.
"We require certain supplies, fuel and weaponry mainly for infiltration and rescue. Would you be willing to supply?"
"Ka D'Argo you forget that our people also were taken by the Bihoshen. The aid you offer, though driven by Your own needs, is greatly appreciated by our people".
Both bowed, and then the Liaison left the trio alone in their quarters.
"If this mist IS a Centre Halo, our best course of action would be to get away from it, FAR away from it". Nykarene argued, though her efforts were futile. "Halos are very dangerous; people have become frozen in time for ever, unable to move, unable to die until someone finally comes along with the common sense to blow them up".
The Luxan silenced her with a glare. "If there is a chance that Crichton and Aeryn are in there, I will take whatever risks are met".
"Frozen in time, they wouldn't have aged. They would still be alive". Jonah said with sudden realisation. "We can rescue them, this planets people as well, the Leader's Father".
"A rescue of up to fifteen people from an independent time stream, without any recon or strategic information…in fact without even a PLAN".
Jonah and D'Argo nodded in union.
Nykarene placed her hands together as if in prayer. "Yesterday Goddess they called MY race insane".
"You may stay here if that is your wish". D'Argo informed her.
"I would if either of you knew dren about Halos". Nykarene, though resided to her fate, still decided not follow as the two friends made their way to the surface of the city ship, ready to oversee the supplying of the Lo'La for their journey.
"She's right about this being dangerous". Jonah said.
D'Argo was still adamant in his decision. "For nearly a hundred cycles I have believed my friends to be dead when they have not been. I abandoned them once; I will not make that mistake again". His voice seemed even deeper as emotion set in.
"You didn't abandon them, you thought they were dead".
"We ran like cowards after they died, didn't even think to investigate. If we had followed the fighter, found the base". To Jonah the Luxan seemed only a few steps from hyper rage or worse.
"From what you told me Moya was both severely injured and unarmed; you wouldn't have stood a chance against these Bihoshen". Jonah sighed. "We probably don't even stand a chance now".
"Maybe that's why I'm not afraid". D'Argo wondered with some amusement.
"What?" Jonah was startled by this sudden change of subject.
"Inside joke". D'Argo gave no further explanation as the door to the surface opened.
The Lo'La and it's three crew members left Qujaga at dawn, following the coordinated path laid out for them until they were looking at The Mist.
Both Nykarene and D'Argo recognised it for what it was, truly Center Halo. But this was different from any one before it; it seemed changed, artificially modified.
On one side sat a small disk of light, like a hole in the continuum that the Halo held within. "What is that?" D'Argo asked.
"The sensors say it isn't connected to this dimension". Jonah confirmed, though she was a little baffled by the readings the sensors were given her.
"It's a ship time vortex. When a ship passes through it one way it connects the Centre Halo to that time, compensating for the difference of passage". Nykarene explained. "I've heard of them but this is the first time I've actually seen one".
"So when a ship leaves the other way, it returns to the time of the last entrance".
"Yes, theoretically".
"Well that strengthens the idea of a base being inside". Jonah stated. "It has to stay connected to the…its…outside world".
"Time for visual conformation". D'Argo activated an external control and the ship fazed for a few seconds, before returning to normal. A little addition…the Lo La was cloaked, made invisible to sensors of vision as it passed through the vortex, and entered another time.