5.01 - The Fearing Mind

Chapter 6 - Home Alone

(18/6/04)

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Alright, now we're moving into a higher gear - I'm hopefully going to get a chapter done every day or two, and the story moves forward a notch. And if you think this is good, just wait until you see what I've got planned for further "episodes"...

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Chapter 6 - Home Alone

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All she could see was darkness. No shapes, no movement... absolutely nothing.

Chiana feared her eyesight was never coming back, and it was driving her hysterical.

Since D'Argo had left she had been worried sick. But at least it meant the Luxan still had his pride, one of his most redeeming factors, Chiana thought. She loathed him for hurting her as he left.

But she still loved him. And she had done far worse herself. What had she been thinking, to have an affair with D'Argo's own son, Jo'thee? Had she not valued their love at all?

And now she was lying on a bed in the medical bay, listening to things around her. Noranti was keeping herself busy analysing the pebbles left behind still, and Rygel and Stark had nothing better to do than try to help, and didn't particularly want to do anything else. Rygel had even said he didn't feel like eating.

And Pilot... Pilot was the worst of them. As well as the deep emotional scars of losing John and Aeryn, in particular Aeryn, he still had to reconnect himself to Moya. In the meantime, Moya was still in shock and pain from the Scarren attack.

All the same, Pilot assured them all that they would be able to lift off by the planet's next daybreak, or possibly midday at the worst.

Noranti busied herself nearby. "You're lucky that other DRD... 1812, did John call it? Anyway, you're lucky it found you. I'd hate for you to come to while still blind. You'd be banging into walls everywhere!"

"I can still take care of myself Wrinkles." Chiana retorted. Noranti suppressed a smirk. "I'm... I'm just blind. It's not a major affliction."

"And if you remain blind?"

Chiana felt she had to be strong, but did not feel strong anyway. "I'll make it. I've got D'Argo, and we've got that diagnosan that's near here. We'll go there, you'll see... you'll see... then I'll be fine."

Noranti sighed. "You remain a tower of hope, child. Yet towers can easily crumble."

"Zhaan was the same..." Chiana said. "You never met Zhaan, but when we were once separated from D'Argo, Aeryn and John, she started breaking down. Nearly... nearly condemned herself to death on a place called Litigara."

"Hope can easily be quashed." Noranti replied. "But when it is fulfilled, that, my dear, is the essence of life itself."

Chiana heard the familiar drone of Rygel's thronesled, and footsteps, indicating Stark was here as well. "Anything?" Stark asked Noranti.

"No, same as before." Noranti sounded flustered.

"Not even a small change?"

"No."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"So, nothing new then?"

"Correct!" Noranti snapped, then Chiana heard her footsteps carry on over to another worktable. "I've isolated that there are parts of Crichton and Aeryn in here, but it's all just skin and hairs. In fact, just about all of it is... well, I think it's molecules of this planet's atmosphere, but immensely compacted, and small parts of fibres from their clothes as well."

"What does that mean?" Rygel asked. "Could that thing have fired something to pull gravity around them, crushing them and parts of the atmosphere together?"

"I don't think so. If that had occurred, there would be far more pebbles."

Chiana heard a faint fizzing sound, then Pilot's voice. "Pardon my intrusion..." he managed. He must still be under great strain, Chiana thought.

"What is it Pilot?" she heard Noranti say.

"With Moya's hatches open, we continue to provide life support." Pilot said. They all knew this - with Moya recovering, and on a planet with atmosphere, they had decided to leave her two landing hatches open, to provide a breathable atmosphere inside the Leviathan without requiring Moya to extend herself doing the same job.

"Yes, and?" Rygel said, clearly impatient.

Pilot continued. "Two ships appear to have landed."

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1812 watched the creatures emerge from the two sinister-looking ships. Given that it was not bound to Moya's DRD signal, it was allowed to do whatever it wished. While the other DRDs were bound to helping Moya recover from the attack and help her re-establish a connection with her Pilot, 1812 acted as an overseer, helping the other DRDs when necessary.

But when Moya's Pilot had sent his communication through ship-wide comms and screens, 1812 had been able to pick it up, and had moved silently to the landing bay.

Now, a figure emerged from each craft, each large, humanoid bipedal creatures with deep-set voices. Each carrying a device with a large metallic jaw that could open and close.

"We have landed aboard the Leviathan." one said, presumably into a communicator, though 1812 detected no signals being sent. A voice could be heard emmitting from one of them, though it's lips did not move. "Excellent. Remember, all aboard must be killed, excepting the Pilot. Attack DRDs only if they pose a threat. And no damage must come to the Leviathan."

"Understood." the creature said once again. Then the two figures knelt, as if in a religious prayer. "May the fates wish us well in our mission to liberate this magnificent Leviathan." they both said simoultaneously, before standing again and marching towards Moya's main areas.

If DRDs could simulate emotions, 1812 would have been horrified. Though Moya was not it's natural home, having lost Elack, it had found refuge with Moya and still felt a need to protect her.

1812 raced off to consult with the Pilot.

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Now we're getting somewhere! Please keep checking for new chapters, and read & review!