Boarding a Leviathan was a somewhat new experience for the crew of the Andromeda.
Trance seemed to be in a world of her own, and Bekka had to nearly drag her through several tiers
towards Pilot's wide and open domain. Once there, however, she seemed to snap out of her
daydreaming and gaze at Pilot with a warm smile on her face.
"It's beautiful. And...she's alive?" she asked.
"Moya is indeed a living ship, yes." Pilot seemed somewhat reluctant, though it was the black-
clothed figure stood nearby that fully broke the ice first.
"So you are the ones who claim that you are from some other place in the Universe, is that so"
he asked.
"Who're you?" Trance asked, taking an instant dislike to him.
"My name is Scorpius, my child. Don't be afraid, my appearance is somewhat more intimidating
than the creature beneath it." he seemed to force a smile, though it was clear that it didn't suit him
too much. Trance deliberately let Bekka stand between them.
"Don't believe that for a microt." said another voice from behind them. The source seemed to be
the slug-like creature hovering towards them in some sort of floating contraption.
"You do me a great injustice, Dominar." Scorpius bowed just slightly, a mocking smile on his
pale expression.
"Dominar?" Bekka asked quizzically.
"Dominar Rygel XVI, rightful ruler of the Hynerian Empire." the floating alien replied
authoritatively.
"Oh, I'm sorry, your Highness..." Trance bowed quickly. Bekka simply raised an eyebrow, arms
folded across her chest.
"There's no need to stand on ceremony, my dear. Dominar Rygel's influence extends only as high
as that flying throne of his." Scorpius commented. Rygel drifted towards him, eyes narrowed in
annoyance. "And please, Dominar, spare us your insightful rhetoric for today. We have far more
interesting matters to attend to." he turned and moved slightly closer to Bekka. "I'm told that your
ship easily dealt with a Skarran destroyer, despite the fact that they are now on board Moya. I'm
eager to hear more about this 'Slipstream' technology you have"
"Huh!" Rygel grunted. "The only thing I'm sparing in right now is food"
"Maybe you should show me what you people eat around here?" Trance asked brightly, not really
interested in talking Slipstream with Scorpius, who still scared her. Better to hang around with this
royal alien, she felt, than with some creepy man. Rygel's wide maw curled into a beam.
"Why certainly, just follow me, my dear..." he answered, turning and floating towards the exit.
Trance followed, leaving Bekka to Scorpius' questions.
"So, what are these Skarrans like?" Rommie asked Aeryn, making conversation that wasn't
particularly wanted or cared-for.
"Big. Not particularly friendly." Aeryn answered, hefting her pulse-rifle over one shoulder.
"Like him, you mean?" Tyr indicated D'Argo, who glared. He was surprising even himself with
his self control, given the situation.
"Tyr..." Rommie sighed. "We're supposed to be helping these people, not antagonising them"
"You want me to say sorry?" he asked, not expecting much of an answer.
"Might be nice for a change." she replied. He gave her a look, then followed Aeryn towards the
hallway. D'Argo pushed past him quickly, Qualta-blade in hand.
"I don't see why we should help these people anyway. It's their own problem. I say let them deal
with it." Tyr added to the growing list of complaints.
"Works for me." Aeryn responded from outside. Resigning himself as Rommie strode past him,
Tyr reluctantly followed.
"We're helping because it's the right thing to do, because Dylan told us to, and because we're
half of the reason why these people have attacked this ship." Rommie explained, already taking her
Force-lance in one hand, carefully following Aeryn's lead.
"It's a bad idea." he repeated.
"Look at it this way, you might get killed. Then some good would come from the encounter"
D'Argo commented.
"We'll see about that." Tyr cut-back.
"Shut up. They're just up ahead, around the next bend." Aeryn hissed.
"Get into cover." Rommie indicated to the slight alcove of Moya's corridors. Sulking again, Tyr
took up position, readying his own weapon.
"Let's just get this over with." he muttered.
From around the corner, a trio of extensively armoured and helmeted Skarrans skulked,
appearing altogether menacing in the back-light. It didn't take long for them to sight the poorly-
hidden defenders, and start to train their weapons on them. Aeryn fired first, catching the closest
Skarran with a direct hit and knocking him back and down. D'Argo and Rommie added to the
firefight, and finally Tyr gave-in and let them have it. The second Skarran staggered back under the
force of the barrage, though the third lashed-out, striking Aeryn clean into the wall and out cold.
Before more energy-bolts could hit him, the Skarran released something from his clawed hand, an
energy wave of some kind that Rommie and Tyr had no prior knowledge of. Tyr could feel it take
him in it's grip, too strong for him to resist or pull-away from. He groaned as he dropped his
weapon and staggered under it's grasp. Before, however, the Skarrans could act on their
advantage, however, D'Argo lunged from his cover and tackled the Nietschean full-on, physically
dragging him out of their hold.
"Get off me, creature!" Tyr grunted, attempting to escape D'Argo's grasp. The Luxon simply
responded with a scowl and rolled clear of more Skarran fire. Seeing them in danger, Rommie
moved forward, blocking a blow from the Skarran trooper and slamming a palm into it's body. The
force of the Android's strike was enough to knock the alien reeling over the corpse of his
colleague. She turned and delivered another pummelling to the third Skarran, who found it difficult
to defend against such an onslaught. Rommie straightened, turned to D'Argo and Tyr, and simply
said,
"Are you two done rolling-around"
"For an android, you have a remarkably twisted sense of humour." Tyr answered, then turned to
D'Argo, who was rising from the deck. "And you, if you touch me again"
"So much for Nietschean honour." Rommie commented.
"So like I was saying, there's nothing wrong with ships' crews working together, y'know?
I mean, I'm always saying that we should be helping those less-fortunate than we are, but it's hard,
and Dylan's always chasing the women. Not like me, I'm the one who puts everything back
together when they've made a mess." Harper was rambling. He wasn't so much nervous in front of
Chiana, but more like attempting to hit on her whilst working on fixing the rest of the Andromeda's
damaged systems.
"Is that right?" Chiana answered rhetorically.
"Hell yeah! Sometimes it's hard being a diplomat and a genius all in one lifetime." Harper
twirled one of his tools, then fumbled it into the open circuitry he was working on.
"Harper..." Rommie's holographic form appeared opposite him, causing both Harper and Chiana
to jump at the sudden materialization.
"It wasn't me, I swear!" he blurted.
"I hope you're doing that carefully. I'd hate to think of all the mishaps that might occur if you
accidentally caused a power-surge." she commented.
"You wouldn't. You'd miss me." he answered, clearly still taken off-guard.
"Miss you making a mess of my systems?" she asked with raised eyebrow.
"Okay, okay, I'll be careful..." he relented unhappily as Rommie faded from view. He glanced
over at Chiana. "See what I have to put up with"
"You poor thing." she smiled, peering over at what he was doing.
"I won't even tell you about the long hours, the misreatment, the"
"Harper." Rommie's voice warned.
"Alright!" he whined, shutting-up and getting back to what he was doing.