Commissioner Listrac had called a meeting in her quarters with Braca and Scorpius to discuss the plan for re-capturing Moya and her crew. Scorpius was the picture of relaxed unconcern as he sat across the table from the Commissioner, a smile of polite interest on his face. However, Braca could tell that he was tense; he had been becoming more and more so since Listrac had come on board. She was obviously someone he respected, but Braca had begun to suspect that the half-breed was also a little afraid of her, a fact that made Braca feel all the more nervous as he wondered what the outcome would be of the inevitable clash between his erstwhile commander and this enigmatic, but obviously ruthless female.
"What was the last known location of the leviathan?" Listrac suddenly demanded of Braca, breaking into his reverie
"Er, we informed them of the information gleaned from Katratzi that the Scarrens were going to attack earth"
"And you gave them this confidential information because?.." The question hung in the air. Braca squirmed somewhat in his seat. Fortunately Scorpius picked up the baton
"I used it to try and persuade Crichton to make a pact with the Peacekeepers"
"Which he obviously refused to do. Yet another attempt to coerce Crichton that has failed! We know Crichton is extremely protective of his planet. Presumably he made an attempt to stop the Scarrens by using his control of wormholes?"
"I think that most likely. It would appear that Crichton was successful in stopping them otherwise we would have heard about the Scarren's success by now. The Scarrens probably obtained the location of the wormhole to earth when we were on Katratzi. That wormhole would seem a good place to start looking for them. "
"I agree, but I want to make it very clear what our objective is with this mission. We all know that a war with the Scarrens is inevitable. It is now just a matter of when rather than if. Commandant Grayza's ill-advised attempt at a treaty with the Scarrens was doomed to failure before it started; war minister Aknar is not to be trusted, except to do something that will better her own ambitions and Staleek is too wily to make any promises he intends to keep with anyone other than the high commissioner. That being the case we must stop this endless waste of resource on the capture of John Crichton and the escaped prisoners and put a stop to the embarrassment to the Peacekeepers that they continuously seem to cause. Whilst the war is coming, we don't want to hasten it and Crichton appears to be a catalyst for unfortunate confrontations with the Scarrens which we must also put a stop to. Obtaining the wormhole knowledge is secondary." This last was said with a deliberate stare towards Scorpius
"We mustn't let the Scarrens get it!" Scorpius became very obviously agitated for a moment
"Yes, that is a given," she acknowledged "but we can ensure that they don't obtain it by eliminating John Crichton. If he won't co-operate then he and his associates must be eradicated quickly"
"The Scarrens may have another way of obtaining the wormhole information. Aeryn Sun is pregnant with a child that may very well be Crichton's. The Scarrens claim to have the technology to extract knowledge from foetal DNA"
"I am aware of their technology. We have developed something similar, so this is also a potential source of the information for us"
"We have? I wasn't aware of it!" Scorpius was surprised into replying. Listrac gave him an assessing look
"I'm glad that there are still some Peacekeeper secrets that are unknown to you Scorpius." The unwritten message was clear; She knew about his relationship with Staleek. He took a steadying breath to re-gain some of his control.
"The foetal DNA may provide all the relevant technical information that we still require, but I have learned from observing Crichton with wormholes that a lot of the understanding of how to control them comes from his feelings and intuition, not just from the technical equations that we might obtain from the DNA"
"So our first priority must be to persuade Crichton to give us his knowledge, otherwise we eliminate him quickly so the Scarrens can't obtain his knowledge. As a secondary option we can use Aeryn Sun's child to obtain as much information on wormholes as possible, but she and the other escaped prisoners must be eliminated as well"
"Surely we need to confirm whether the child is Crichton's first, Sir?" questioned Braca
"Captain Braca, it was your own ship's surgeon who carried out the DNA analysis and released the embryo from stasis. We now know that Aeryn Sun is carrying John Crichton's son"
"I'm sorry Sir, but I wasn't aware of that as I am not able to access any of the confidential medical records"
"You might not be able to, but I am."
Scorpius began to wander if there was anything that this woman didn't know. How he wished he was able to probe her mind, although he suspected that she would be extremely resistant to any interrogation. He could learn nothing from her energy signal, although there was something strangely familiar about it that he couldn't quite put his finger on. She was beginning to rise, obviously signaling that the discussion was at an end.
"I suggest that you set a course for the wormhole to earth, Captain Braca"
"Yes, Sir, but wouldn't it be quicker to go there in your ship, Sir?"
"Undoubtedly Captain, but this is it's maiden voyage and at this time the supreme council wishes to keep this new design as secret as possible. It will remain here." Turning to Scorpius she said "Scorpius, send the Kalish defector Sikozu to me"
"She is not a prisoner to be interrogated, Commissioner"
"I am very well aware of her status on this ship," she paused significantly, conveying a wealth of displeasure by simple silence, then continued, a polite smile on her face "I merely wish to speak with her about the leviathan and its crew. She spent a considerable amount of time with them did she not?" Her rather mobile right eyebrow lifted in polite surprise that her order was not immediately complied with. How this confrontation might have ended was not to be known as a guard appeared at that moment to whisper something in Braca's ear
"Sir, Ma'am, I mean, Sir"
"Oh, spit it out Captain"
"We have received a message from the crew of the leviathan. They wish to discuss a "situation" with Scorpius"
"Really? What type of situation?"
"I don't know. It is the Hynerian prisoner. He refuses to speak to anyone except Scorpius"
As Scorpius entered the command centre of the carrier Rygel's face filled the central view screen
"Dominar Rygel" Scorpius inclined his head politely, inviting Rygel to speak. Sikozu appeared quietly by his side, eager to hear what her erstwhile shipmate had to say
"I see that you are both well" began Rygel "Who would have thought she would be so stupid!" he said to on one in particular but just because he didn't like to be kept waiting
"What can we help you with Dominar?"
"I have some information that may interest you. Approximately two solar days ago Crichton and Aeryn were shot by an unknown alien ship. We thought they were dead but an analysis of the remains shows that their bodies are not there, so we are assuming that these people have some means of matter transportation. However, we haven't been able to find any trace of Crichton and Aeryn or their captors"
"And what do you expect of me?"
"I would have thought that was obvious Scorpius! Crichton is missing somewhere. He could have been taken by anyone. Even now the Scarrens could be torturing him for his wormhole knowledge. He destroyed another one of their ships you know; sealed up the wormhole to earth to stop them attacking his planet for their frelling flowers!"
Scorpius thought for a few microts. Off to the side, unseen by Rygel, Listrac gave him a discreet nod.
"Give us your co-ordinates Rygel and any information you have on Crichton's captors. We will be with you as soon as we can."