Commander Moxan was not pleased.
Not
at all.
"What is the meaning of this?" he asked as he
witnessed luitenant Bracca set up a strange contraption or device in
the middle of the huge hallway.
"This is my Aurora Chair."
Scorpius suddenly answered as he walked casually towards the confused
and frightened Moxan.
Scorpius knew that Commander Moxan feared
him, and he used it to his advantage.
"Aurora Chair?"
Commander Moxan asked. "What is it? Some kind of
interrogations-device ?"
Scorpius looked at him.
Commander
Moxan was smarter then he looked.
"No commander," Scorpius
said chilling. "My Aurora Chair is much more then that."
Several
scientists and doctors in white, leather coats carried the
unconscious body of John Crichton on a stretcher to the Aurora
Chair.
As Scorpius made his final modifications to the improvised
Chair, the surgeons placed Crichton in the chair, and strapped him
down as Scorpius requested.
"That'll be all." Scorpius said
to them and they moved away from the chair, only to watch from the
sidelines how this experiment will progress.
If something should
go wrong, they could intervene immediately and stop the
experiment.
Just like Scorpius wanted them to do.
Crichton was
far too valuable to die.
Scorpius would do anything to prevent
Crichton taking the wormhole-knowledge to his grave.
Luitenant
Bracca leaned towards the unconscious Crichton and grabbed his head
softly.
"I know you can hear me, Crichton." he said, and
smiled.
He had waited for this moment so long.
It would've
been more fun if he were conscious, but an unconscious Crichton would
do just fine for Bracca.
"We finally got you." Bracca
whispered in Crichton's ear.
"Now let's see how you escape
out of this one."
He let go of Crichton's head and joined the
scientists standing besides the machine, watching how Scorpius
activated the machine and put some kind of headset over his head and
eyes.
The process had begun.
As D'Argo, Rygel and Chiana
stepped out of the Transport Pod and entered the structure in front
of them, a large facility which was entirely carved out of the ice, a
strange looking creature welcomed them.
"I hope the landing
wasn't too uncomfortable?" he asked.
All three of them
couldn't stand looking at the creature for too long, because the
creature was hideous and smelled disgusting.
"It was all right."
D'Argo answered. "Can we skip the small talk and go straight to
the business?"
"Splendid." The creature said and pointed
them to the large doors in front of them.
They entered a large
room were tables and chair were also entirely carved out of ice and
were part of the structure.
"It's freezing in here." Chiana
said.
She was wearing her warmest and fattest coat and clothing,
but it didn't mean a thing in this cold environment.
"You'll
get used to it." The creature told her kindly but nasty.
As he
smiled to her, Chiana quickly looked away.
"My name is
Grunchlik." The creature spoke.
"I am a servant of the
Diagnosian, but I consider myself also his friend and
manager."
"Manager?" Rygel said to him.
He didn't look
forward negotiating and talking about business with this ugly looking
and disgusting person.
But he would if he had to.
"As the
doctor cannot understand a word of any alien language beside his own,
he relies on me to discuss business with his clients."
He sat
down at the head of one of the tables and D'Argo and Chiana decided
to do the same.
Rygel floated besides Grunchlik and listened to
his every word.
As a Dominar, he did not like to be so close to a
creature like Grunchlik, with no respect for him or anyone of noble
birth (Rygel considered Grunchlik a peasant the second he saw him),
but if he were to have any successful bargain with this person, he
had to know with whom he was dealing with.
"Can he not use
translator-microbes?" D'Argo asked.
"No," Gruncklik
answered. "The Doc is very allergic. To all kinds of things.
We
decided it was for the best that he did not take them."
"Can
we meet the Diagnosian?" Chiana asked.
"All in due time,
sweetheart." Grunchlik said to her, smiling his nasty flirtatious
smile at her, which made Chiana look away immediately.
"The Doc
is busy right now, working on another patient of his, but he will see
all of you when he is done."
Suddenly a high pitched alarm went
off.
The crew looked around to see where it came from, but it
appeared to come from the watch around Grunchlik's arm.
"Excuse
me," he said. "I think the Doc needs some assistance. Please make
yourselves comfortable whilst I am away."
He stood up,
apologising for his sudden departure, and left their sights as he
opened and closed the doors.
"Do you think we can trust him?"
D'Argo asked Rygel.
"I think he is a slimeball and a filthy
slug," the Dominar concluded.
"But I think that when money is
concerned he will do us no harm."
Miles above them, on Moya,
Aeryn Sun lay agonised on her bed, seeing visions of Crichton and
Zhaan flashing before her eyes.
And her mother...
"Aeryn..."
a voice suddenly said.
Aeryn opened her eyes fiercely, thinking at
first her mother was calling her again, just like in the dream she
always had.
The dream that turned out not to be a dream...
But
as she turned her head she noticed Crais standing in front of her
quarters and opening the doors.
"I have been comming you," the
fugitive Peacekeeper captain said to her as he slowly entered her
quarters. "...but you did not answer."
"I was sleeping."
Aeryn said.
She lied.
She turned and twisted under the sheets
of her bed, but could not find the rest she eagerly wanted.
"I
just wanted to ask you something." Crais said as he watched Aeryn
got up, still covered in the sheets of her bed which she clutched in
her fists.
"But this is not the proper time." he suddenly
said. "I will wait until you have made yourself decent. I am sorry
if I woke you up."
As he turned around and wanted to leave
Aeryn's quarters, Aeryn stopped him.
"Wait." she
said.
Through her voice Crais heard the strength of her former
self. The old Aeryn Sun.
"You did not wake me." Aeryn said. "I
couldn't sleep anyway...
What did you want to ask me?"
Crais
sighed. He was relieved that he was allowed to speak to her.
"It's
about Talyn." Crais said.
"He refuses my help...his
emotions...his anger...they have become to much to endure.
I ask
your help, officer Sun."
Aeryn nodded.
"I will see what I
can do." she said. "I would do everything in my power to help
him."
"Talyn knows. That's why I know that he will accept
your help."
Aeryn smiled at the Peacekeeper captain.
It has
been a while since she had smiled.
"Now if you will excuse me,"
Aeryn said. "I'd like to freshen myself up."
"Yes of
course." Crais said. "I will wait for you at Command."
"Thank
you."
Crais left her quarters, but Aeryn did not move.
As
the sheets fell off of her body it became clear that Aeryn went to
bed with all of her clothes on. Even her boots.
She wiped away her
tears and put her hands through her hair.
"I love you..." a
voice suddenly said.
It faded away in the silence that
followed.
She recognised the voice.
As Crais left the
corridor which lead to Aeryn's quarters and headed for Command, he
was stopped by Jothee.
His angry gaze pierced right through
Crais.
"What were you doing in Aeryn's quarters?" he
asked.
Jothee has never trusted a Peacekeeper, and he wasn't
going to start now.
Crais smiled and turned his head.
"That's
none of your concern, boy." he said.
"Perhaps. But I would
still like to know."
Crais sighed.
"I had a brief
conversation with officer Sun. Is that what you wanted to know?"
"Was
staring at her through her door, for at least an arn, really
necessary if you just wanted to talk to her?"
Crais left the
corridor without saying anything.
