A/N: Now we get to move onto other things besides an evil alien focused on
Fayt's innards. Ehehe…what an interesting word….-cough- err yeah...anyway….I
haven't really gotten to Adray yet on the game…so I have no idea if I've gotten
his character right. I kind of have the Lando Calrissian and Han Solo thing
going on with Cliff and Adray, and I don't think that's right…but anyway…I tried
I tell you! -whimpers and curls into a ball-

Disclaimer: I do not own anybody really…if I did, I would send Albel to kidnap
Anthony Garcia and I would get to hug Anthony all day long. Err…you didn't
just read that. -pales-

"Hey, Fayt, Cliff's-" Mirage frowned slightly at the boy lying on the floor.
"What happened to you?"

Fayt scowled and pulled himself off the floor, looking disgusted. "Nothing. I'm
fine."

Mirage looked worried. "You're all wet. What's wrong?"

"Nothing!" Fayt said angrily. He pointed a finger towards the door. "Tell Cliff
I'll be there in a minute."

As soon as Mirage left, Fayt uselessly shook a foot, slime dripping off him,
although he was still covered in it. With a snarl, he kicked at the generator,
causing the light to come flooding on. He stalked back toward the main room.

"Fayt, Mirage said she found you on the floor. Were you sleeping on the job?"
Cliff asked sternly.

Fayt gave Mirage a venomous look. "No, I was too busy getting my fucking mouth
fucking violated by a fucking alien sticking its fucking tongue down my fucking
throat!" Fayt seethed with rage.

Cliff looked amused. "You were playing tonsil hockey with an alien?"

Fayt growled in frustration and clapped a hand to his forehead. "Kissing? Does
this look like a kiss to you?" He waved his arms wildly, sending droplets of
transparent slime over everything.

Cliff seemed to notice Fayt's condition for the first time. "Gross. How'd that
happen?"

Fayt desperately sought to keep his temper as he told his story. "…and then it
melted on me!"

"Mirage?" Cliff asked.

"The scanners show no traces of any life forms on board, besides us. It could
have been an android, but it still wouldn't make any sense. Nothing we know of
can melt and reform itself like that."

Cliff frowned thoughtfully. "Well, keep a small sample of this gunk for the
science lab to analyze and wash the rest off."

Fayt sighed. "The lab shouldn't be optional. I didn't fix the generator."

Cliff looked puzzled. He gestured towards the lights. "Yes you did."

"No, I mean the main generator."

"Oh."

"But, Fayt," said a very confused Mirage, "all systems are operational."

Fayt gaped at her. "How could they be? I didn't do anything."

Cliff ignored Fayt's comment. "Woo-hoo! Communication is back. Let's get this
baby to Nexus for repairs." He rubbed his hands together gleefully.

"Nel, patch us through to Nexus," Cliff commanded.

"Yes, sir." Nel dutifully flipped the switch.

Cliff picked up the microphone. "This is the Eagle, contacting Nexus Planetary
Control tower. Do you read me, Control Tower?"

"Loud and clear," a voice answered.

Cliff let out a whoop of joy. "This is Gnarr freighter 62006, the Eagle."

There was a slight rustling of papers as the traffic controller checked the
registration authenticity. "Yes, Captain Fittir, continue your transmission."

"Well, we seem to have come down with engine trouble. Requesting authorization
to land at Nexus for repairs."

"Nexian shuttles will be perfectly happy to escort you to your final destination
instead of having to stop for repairs," the voice said smoothly.

"Naw, Nexus is on our trade route. Besides, a ship welder here's an old friend
of mine."

"As you wish. Clearance granted."

Fayt sighed as Cliff began piloting the ship towards the planet's surface. Cliff
looked at him briefly. "Take a shower, and if you don't feel well afterwards, go
see the nurse."

"Rosetti?" Fayt scoffed. "Never. She's too flighty and excitable."

"Well, I hope for your sake you'll be fine without having to see her."

Fayt cursed Cliff under his breath as he climbed carefully into the shower
chamber, still wary, but remembering the life scanners said the alien was gone.
"I hope it got ejected from a trash chute," Fayt said savagely. He stayed inside
the shower until he could feel the impact of landing.

Fayt stepped out, wearing the loose cotton shorts and t-shirt he generally wore
under the company uniform, which was in the wash room next to the main airlock.
Cliff had insisted on scouring it of all traces of slime.

As Fayt made his way to the wash room, he ran into Sophia, the ship's navigator.
She gave him a nervous smile. "Uh, going to get your suit, Fayt?"

"Yeah," Fayt said sulkily. He read the doubt in her voice. She thought he was
crazy. He scowled. "That bastard slime scum."

Sophia looked about to argue, but she abruptly stepped back with a frightened
cry, looking at Fayt with horror.

"What is it now?" Fayt asked irritably.

Sophia pointed to a thick pink film over one of Fayt's shins. The boy prodded it
and it foamed up and then slid down into Fayt's socks as a liquid.

Fayt made a face and ripped off the sock, throwing it at the wall. "Fuck! Can
this get any worse?"

Cliff had heard the commotion and checked to see what was wrong. Sophia
explained it to him.

Cliff gave Fayt a concerned look. "I really think you need to check into the
hospital unit. Who knows what that beast did to you? It could have given you
some strange disease or infected you with parasites. Anyway, Peppita is a
capable girl. She'll run tests and find out what's wrong and see about a cure.
In the meantime, I don't want you leaving the ship, especially if this stuff
turns out to be contagious."

Fayt sighed heavily, noticing the rest of the crew already in their company
suits. "Fine, fine. I'll stay on the ship."

Cliff grinned. "Have fun while we're gone."

Fayt scowled and flipped him off with both middle fingers. He was getting so
sick of this ship.

Cliff greeted his old friend Adray Lasbard with a cheerful thump on the back. He
had explained the problem to the enterprising craftsman, who immediately
clambered on the outside of the ship until he reached the engine. Adray put an
ear to the ship and listened until he diagnosed the problem. Then he decided
that Cliff needed a new part for the engine, which he would happily install.

"And just in case that one breaks too, I threw in another spare, and some parts
for that old generator, along with the agreed cargo."

Cliff grinned. "Adray, you spoil me."

Adray looked over contemplatively at his daughter, Clair, a girl of twenty, with
a delicate face and long silvery braids. "Well, perhaps you could buy off my
daughter Clair? She goes cheap as a wife these days."

That earned Adray a slap from Clair. "Dad, cut that out! I'll find a man on my
own."

Cliff sighed. "No thanks. I'll pass."

Adray turned hopefully to Nel. "I do not care about her being married as much as
that she is away from here in good hands. Besides, she'll be able to find a
husband on her journey to other planets. Couldn't you please buy her, as a
friend?"

Nel shook her head. "If the captain said no, it means he doesn't want her on the
ship."

Adray sighed unhappily. "My Clair will be an old maid."

The crew disappeared back into the ship after helping Adray load the new cargo
onboard. Cliff announced the next planet on their route and Sophia plotted their
course.

They were nearly halfway to the next planet when Mirage announced, "Captain,
scanners pick up an alien life form onboard."