Measuring time in space was, as Harry found, hard. Unlike Earth, space didn't have reoccurring schedules of light and darkness such as day and night. At one point, you might pass a nearby sun, but that was the closest you could ever come to sunlight. According to Pilot, Moya used light gathered by nearby stars and filtered it to provide the various species on the ship with necessary nutrients. But that was the closest Harry ever got to feeling sunlight after several hours in the cold, black vacuum of space. He had been allocated a former prison cell to be used as a room, but was having a few difficulties with the advanced technology of Moya.
"How the hell does this work?" Harry growled to himself irritably, slamming his palm down on the device in front of him. As usual, nothing happened and Harry's face twisted in annoyance and frustration. "Stupid piece of crap,"
"Are we having problems?" An amused voice from behind him said.
Harry glanced over his shoulder and saw Aeryn leaning against one of the walls, next to the arched pipes that ran through the hallway. Her expression was neutral but Harry could see the faint traces of amusement in her eyes and the slightly curved lips.
"Yeah, I do." He snapped. "How come this ship, this living ship, can fly through space, but can't invent a simple doorknob?"
"A doorknob? What is that, and how could it be any easier than a door panel?" Aeryn asked incredulously.
"It's a small, round knob," Harry tried to explain. "You turn it, and the doors open."
"Why?"
"Because…there's a lever, or something and…maybe a paddle, or a screw, you turn it…and it…opens…because," Harry trailed off and Aeryn's bemused expression and sighed. "You know what, don't worry about it. I'll get into the room my way."
"Your way?" Aeryn asked.
"Watch," Harry said and with a smug grin, his wand appeared into his hand in a single practised movement. He held the slim piece of wood above the door and with a great flourish, tapped it. "Alohamora!"
The door groaned, making odd creaking noises, but the bars slid away, protesting loudly as they did. Harry raised an eyebrow, staring at Aeryn in expectation. She looked puzzled, but slightly amused, responding to his cocky attitude by pointing at the door panel. Harry frowned and turned around to see a whiff of smoke rising from the panel. Suddenly a cackle of energy sparked and he jumped back with a surprised cry. An odd smell filled the air as the smoke died down, the panel sparking one last time before going dead.
"Good job. I can see why your way is much easier than doing this," Aeryn said sardonically, and ran her hand over the door panel to the cell next door. The bars slid smoothly open, and Harry could only stare as she sauntered away. Sighing, he went into his once-prison cell turned room and regarded it critically. It was bare and empty, cold and unhomely, but there was a bed suitable for his size covered by a set of golden silk sheets, courtesy of Zhaan. He let out a small yawn and dropped down onto the bed, allowing his tired eyes to finally close as he drifted on into sleep.
A loud piercing blare shrieked through the ship, a mournful and screeching noise that shot off the hull of the ship and into the corridors. Harry woke up with a start, his cry of alarm drowned out by the incessant noise. He blinked rapidly, his eyes darting around his room and his hand immediately clasping his wand holster, drawing out the slim piece of wood with a flourish. Getting off his bed, he exited the cell with his wand raised in his right hand and his ear sandwiched between his left shoulder and left hand. His eyes were twitching madly as the noise vibrated through his skull, penetrating every single brain cell until Harry could literally feel his brain ache.
"What the hell is this?" He screamed as he marched down the hallway towards a pistol-wielding Aeryn, who was grimacing at the noise, her body tense and her eyes darting down the ends of the corridors, as if she were expecting immediate attack.
"I don't know!" She screamed back.
"Are we under attack?" Harry screamed the question, his eyes continuing to twitch madly.
"I don't know," Aeryn answered, drawing her lips closer to his ears. "And stop making that face at me!"
"I can't bloody help it!" Harry replied hotly. "It's the freaking alarm!"
The noise suddenly disappeared as quickly as it had come, leaving an odd ringing noise in Harry's head. For a moment, both he and Aeryn just savoured the silence, allowing their headaches to dissipate, but Harry suddenly frowned.
"It's not gone," He told the former Peacekeeper.
"What do you mean?" She demanded. "The noise is gone."
Harry pointed wryly to his still-twitching eye. "Yeah, but this isn't."
"What the hell was that noise?" Were Harry's first words as he walked into Command, where Zhaan worked diligently and D'argo paced angrily.
"We believe it is one of the numerous peacekeeper devices installed into Moya," Zhaan answered Harry calmly, her hands blurring as they flew over the control panel as she desperately tried to seek answers.
"You!" D'argo growled, unsheathing his blade and taking a menacing step forward. "What did you do?"
"Me? I didn't do anything!" Aeryn snapped back and as D'argo let out a small growl, advancing with his qualta blade ready, she raised her pulse pistol. D'argo halted, his eyes burning with anger, and Harry stepped in between the two of them, his wand in his hand.
"Okay, Sebaceans and Luxans," He placated. "Take a step back from each other and lower your damn weapons or I'll lower them for you."
"Do not presume to tell me what to do, sorcerer," D'argo spat out, but he grudgingly took a step backwards, lowering his blade slightly.
"Aeryn?" Harry said warningly.
Aeryn stared at him for a second, her eyes flickering back and forth from Harry and D'argo, before her pulse pistol disappeared back into her leg-holster and she straightened, studiously ignoring both Harry and D'argo and turning to the blank overhead monitor.
"Pilot," She called loudly. "What is it?"
The monitor shimmered as the crustacean-like alien appeared on the screen, his four arms visible in the foreground, pressing down pads and buttons. Although Harry wasn't an expert, he could have sworn that Pilot looked undecidedly worried.
"I am unsure. I was certain that I knew the location of all Peacekeeper technology aboard Moya," Pilot said. "While I was able to disable the internal alarm, something aboard the ship is broadcasting a long-range beacon."
"A long-range beacon?" Harry repeated to himself. "That's not what I think it is, is it?"
"Any Peacekeeper vessel within one-thousand Metra's will pick up on that signal!" D'argo growled.
"Where is this beacon, Pilot?" Zhaan asked calmly.
"I believe it is on Tier 7, near Moya's neural cluster. The DRD's are already searching as we speak. There is also an odd energy fluctuation near the holding cells. While it is, at this moment, not dangerous enough to cause Moya damage, it is growing at an exponential rate." Pilot informed the group.
"When did it appear?" Zhaan asked in concern.
"I estimate between three or four arns ago," Pilot answered. "Just as started you sleep cycle."
"So an Arn is like an hour, right?" Harry asked everybody. They ignored him, and he rolled his eyes, just as Rygel zoomed into the room on his hovering chair.
"Must you always rush in with that accursed Throne-Chair," D'argo grumbled.
"I am a Domineer of over Six Hundred billion subjects," Rygel said imperiously, puffing himself up proudly. "We do have standards to maintain."
"Very well then," D'argo said, grinning unkindly. "You can maintain your standards in Tier 7, where you can help us search for a long-range beacon!"
Rygel opened his mouth to protest but D'argo had already grabbed the end of his throne-chair, and his arguments were cut short as he was dragged forcefully from the room. Aeryn took a final glance at Command and trailed after them, leaving Zhaan and Harry alone.
"I will stay here and do what I can from Command," Zhaan told Harry, her blue multi-hued worried despite her appearance of serenity.
"I guess I'll go and look into this energy thingy," Harry suggested, shrugging his shoulders.
"Take this then," Zhaan offered, placing a small golden triangle in Harry's hand. He looked down at it, puzzled. "It's a comm. With this, those who possess one will be able to communicate with you anywhere on the ship. Do you not have such devices on your world?"
"Yeah," Harry said as he mimicked Zhaan's instructions, placing the comm over his right breast. "The Muggles have phones and radios."
"Muggles? Is your planet inhabited by two species?" Zhaan asked curiously.
"No," Harry answered. "Not everybody can perform magic, in fact, only a tiny percentage of the world's population has the ability. We keep ourselves hidden from the non-magical humans, the Muggles."
"Why?"
"It's…a long story, and I'd love to tell you about it later, but I've gotta…" Harry trailed off as Zhaan nodded.
"Go."
"Hey Pilot, can you here me?" Harry asked from outside the corridor of the cells, suppressing a yawn as he pressed down on the little triangle. There was a moment's hesitation, before Pilot's scratchy voice filtered in through the comm.
"Indeed I can. How may we serve?"
"Actually, I'm calling to see how I can help you," Harry answered with a small smile. Pilot reminded him of a house-elf, granted, a big, blue, ugly house-elf with four arms, and for a moment, Harry felt a wave of homesickness wash over him, but he forced it aside roughly. "Pilot, you said "we". What did you mean by that?"
"I am Moya's bonded pilot. We are linked, her sensations are my sensations, her feelings my feelings. It is a symbiotic relationship."
"Ah." Harry uttered.
Pilot spoke up again. "The energy fluctuations have increased dramatically. I do not believe that they are Peacekeeper in origin, though it is likely that the beacon may be amplifying the effects."
"Um…do you know where they started from?" Harry asked the Pilot.
"I first lost contact with a door panel four arns ago. The cell is not to far from your current location."
"A door panel?" Harry asked sheepishly, suddenly wincing. "Yeah, that was me. I couldn't open the doors, so I tried a bit of magic. It didn't work so well."
"You used magic?"
"It was nothing harmful or lethal," Harry found himself on the defensive. "It was a simple and easy little unlocking charm. First years use it all the time."
"Are you certain that this sorcery could not possible be the origin of this energy instability?"
Harry opened his mouth to agree, but frowned worriedly. What if magic was the cause? Sure, the charm was harmless on doorknobs and humans, but Moya was a little different than a human, and the charm designers wouldn't have ever seen an unlocking charm being performed on a gigantic living ship.
"It could be," He said at last. "I'll go down and have a look."
"Thank you Commander."
Harry inspected the disabled door panel with narrowed eyes, his eyes taking in the charred and dead appearance. At his feet, a yellow DRD, the same one that had 'greeted' Harry and had gotten one of its antennas half-broken off, made squeaking noise as it waited for instructions, it's broken stalk dangling by a thin piece of metallic fibre. Harry frowned and activated the comm.
"Pilot, I may need to take this panel off and see if there's any damage underneath it. Can you talk me through it?"
"Certainly."
Five minutes later, Harry removed the small curved metal shell from the panel and peered at the insides. A neat jumble of wires and dead lights met his vision and the DRD moved forward, scuttling across the ground and up the wall. A small yellow panel opened up and a thin claw-like appendage extended from the innards of the robot, inspecting the dead piece of machinery carefully.
"Pilot, is this Peacekeeper technology?" Harry asked in interest as the DRD started removing wires, using its small laser to sear through the protective coating and the claw to yank them out.
"Yes. Moya was not born with holding cells. The locking systems were inserted after her capture."
"Then how could the spell have gotten into her systems?" Harry asked thoughtfully, his brow furrowed. He let off a silent yawn as he rubbed his tired eyes, waiting for Pilot to respond.
"Moya is connected to the door panels by neural links, enabling her to power the devices. It also enables her to know the instant a cell door is opened, although, I have disabled that function, as it no longer seemed useful."
"You know, the more I hear about Moya, the more I'm impressed," Harry admitted. He shook his head as another yawn racked his body and covered his mouth with his hand as he took in a deep breath.
"Moya and I regret that we interrupted your sleep cycle and we apologise. Should you wish it, the DRD's can continue on without you."
"Pilot, this is probably my fault." Harry admitted, wincing at the possibility. "I have the responsibility of making sure I fix it."
The DRD continued to work, pulling out the last set of wires before zapping its laser four times, at the corners of the small metal panel. Harry smelt the sweet smell of ozone as the metal smoked, and crumbled away revealing Moya's skin. Harry hitched a breath as he stared at what lay before him, his mouth twisting in disgust. Instead of Moya's shiny brownish-orange skin, something black simmered below the surface, an oily substance that rolled with filth.
"Pilot, can you see this?" Harry asked hoarsely.
"Yes. The DRD is projecting the image to me as we speak."
"It's not normal, is it?"
"No. It is not normal."
Harry stared at the pulsing sickness beneath Moya's skin with revulsion. It was hard to believe that a simple unlocking charm had created such an infection.
"Is this…infection, responsible for the energy fluctuations?" Harry asked.
"Moya and I believe so." Pilot responded and seemed to hesitate. "Sickness within a Leviathan is extremely rare, and in all cases, the vessel dies. Moya is very frightened. She wishes to know if your sorcery can cure her."
"I can try. I know a few Healing Spells, but…" Harry left it hanging.
"We understand. Do your best."
Harry nodded slowly and motioned for the DRD to back off. Withdrawing his wand, he held it in front of him and, drawing in a deep breath, he carefully waved it through the correct pattern, weaving his magic into a potent Healing spell. The results were not what he expected. As a soft blue light radiated off the tip of his wand, it seeped forward into the infected pocket. The instant it touched the skin, Moya shuddered, the corridors moaning in protest as the dim blue light was absorbed by the infection. Black oily tendrils leaped from the wall, converting the blue light in microseconds. Harry cancelled the spell quickly and took a startled step back as the oily pus splashed to the ground, its food source gone. He looked back to the wall and saw that the infection had grown tremendously, and oily pus was dripping from the ruined door panel.
"Pilot, what was that shudder?" Harry asked.
"Moya…was in…great pain," Pilot spoke through deep breaths. "The moment…your magic…touched her, it started converting neural cells…ruined them…turning them against her…"
"Like a cancer!" Harry whispered in shock. His wand whipped through the air in his agitation and the infection bubbled furiously, straining to reach the powerful magical object. Harry ignored it and spoke into his comm with great urgency. "Pilot, why?"
"Moya…analysed this experienced carefully…your energy… contradicts her own…forces her Starburst energy…to mutate into the illness you see before you."
Harry swore loudly as he regarded the wall again, and carefully placed his wand in his holster. "What can we do?"
"The infection…has spread through…towards the central neural cluster…soon Moya's essence will be mutated and destroyed…there is nothing…we can do to stop it…" Pilot said between gasps.
Harry felt a growing sense of dread come across him. Disbelief and horror swept through his veins. No! He couldn't have done it! He couldn't have destroyed this ship, this living ship, this sentient being, Moya! His panic showed on his face as he pressed down on his comm.
"Pilot, can we cut it out? Drain off the infection or something."
"Not…feasible…primary neural links…kill Moya…already in great pain as it is…"
"There must be something!" Harry snapped in desperation.
There was no answer from Pilot, and Harry frowned in concern.
"Pilot?" He called loudly. There was no answer. "Pilot? Pilot! Shit!"
Five Minutes Earlier
At Tier 7, D'argo and Aeryn stood in front of a small triangular hole in one of the walls. Large tubular arches seemed to press the hallway out as the Luxan and Sebacean waited impatiently. Finally, Aeryn stepped forward and bent down, poking her head through the hole. Inside was a mass of thin organic pipes, twisted and turned. A slimy substance oozed from them as they throbbed with life. Seven thick organic pipes sprouted from the mess, Moya's primary neural links, and led off underneath the hallways into different sections of the ship. On one of the thick pipes, a circular device made of red and black metal had been hastily bolted in. Standing next to it was Rygel, who was examining it carefully.
"Rygel," Aeryn snapped in annoyance. "Pay attention. Now tell me, how many bolts are there holding it down?"
"Um…three," Rygel grumbled. He gave a huff and turned to face Aeryn. "I will demean myself into performing this servant task, but you must treat me with respect. I am Domineer Rygel!"
"Rygel, do your frelling job!" Aeryn said coldly.
"Or what?" Rygel asked smugly.
"Or I'll shoot you." Aeryn promised, and there was no hint of humour in her eyes, only deadly seriousness. Rygel gulped audibly and sighed with relief as the ex-peacekeeper ducked her head out of the hole.
"I was right," She said to D'argo. "It is a control beacon."
"And you never bothered to inform us of this because…" D'argo growled, trailing off as his hand flexed towards his blade.
"Because I was unaware that this vessel carried one," Aeryn answered coolly. "The beacon receives a signal from various transmitters inside Peacekeeper territories. After a period of time, it if has not received the signal, an event such as this one will occur."
D'argo frowned but relaxed his hands, instead folding them across his chest. "How do we remove it then?"
Aeryn pressed down on her comm. "Pilot, we have located the beacon. It is bolted into a pipe of some sort within a subsection of Tier 7. How best should we remove it?"
"You must be careful." Pilot cautioned. "That is Moya's central neural cortex. By removing that device, you may cause her great pain."
"She'll have to survive," D'argo growled. "Because we will not if this beacon continues to broadcast its signal."
"She may not survive, Ka D'argo, that pain may destroy her completely." Pilot answered seriously.
"I may be of assistance," Zhaan spoke through the communicator. "I am a Pa'u of the Ninth Level, which grants me the ability to share another beings pain. I will not be able to remove it completely, but I could ease Moya's burden. I will be down shortly."
"Moya appreciates your help." Pilot said. "I will be a moment; Commander Potter requires my full attention."
"Commander Potter?" Aeryn asked, raising an eyebrow.
"He does command his own vessel." D'argo pointed out.
"I would hardly call that white death-pod a vessel," Aeryn scoffed.
Suddenly Moya shuddered, the lights blinking on and off. The hallway rocked and Aeryn dropped to her knees, sticking her head back in the hole.
"What did you do?" She shouted angrily at Rygel.
"Nothing!" He hissed back. "I didn't touch anything!"
Aeryn pulled her back out and stood up, ignoring D'argo's growl of anger and puzzlement.
"Pilot?" Aeryn called out. Among the flickering lights, Pilot didn't answer any queries for several minutes. Aeryn and D'argo exchanged worried looks as Zhaan rushed down the hallway, her blue gown flowing behind her. Her eyes were worried as she halted to a stop before them.
"Moya is in great pain," She said urgently. "What did you do?"
"I didn't do anything!" Rygel snapped angrily, poking his greenish-grey head through the small vent and glaring at Zhaan.
"We managed to identify the beacon, but before we could remove it, this happened," Aeryn told Zhaan quickly.
"I must see what I can do to ease Moya's pain," Zhaan murmured thoughtfully, running a smooth hand over the corridor wall.
"Ease Moya's pain? You can do that?" D'argo barked incredulously.
"I am a Pa'u of the ninth level. I have the ability to share Moya's pain, ease her burden and take it upon myself," Zhaan said quietly.
"Will it hurt?" Aeryn asked.
"Yes. Is that compassion I sense in your voice, Peacekeeper?" D'argo answered for Zhaan, sneering at Aeryn darkly.
"No, I am merely concerned that she may not be able to do what is required of her," Aeryn answered back between clenched teeth.
Zhaan ignored the hostility between Aeryn and D'argo and placed a hand on the wall, moving her head closer until she touched the wall with her cheek. She let out a gasp of pain, her body wracked with shudders and her mouth open in a silent scream. The whites of her eyes turned dark blue as she shook with intense pain, allowing Moya to transfer some of her suffering into the slight Delvian priestess.
This was the sight that met Harry as he sprinted up to Tier Seven in a hopeless bid to save Moya's central neural cortex from the cancer that he had inadvertently created.
"What is she doing?" Harry asked quickly. "No, forget that. We're in big trouble."
"Do you know what is happening?" Aeryn asked him.
Harry nodded, his face one-quarter sheepish and three-quarters panic-driven. "Do you remember how I tried magic on that door panel?"
"You! You did this?" Aeryn exclaimed, her blue eyes flashing.
"It was an accident!" Harry snapped back. "The magic mutated something the energy that Moya uses for Starburst!"
"There would still be trace amounts left in Moya after the last starburst," Aeryn said slowly.
"And I have absolutely no idea what to do!" Harry finished with a hiss. "I stuffed it up even more by trying to use magic to heal the damage I had already caused!"
"We are going to die because of you?" D'argo hissed in rage. He unsheathed his blade and lifted it, taking a huge stride towards Harry, who lifted his wand. A flash of light burst from the tip, slamming into D'argo and sending him sprawling back.
"That's probably just made it worse," Harry muttered as small black fragments filled the air, being sucked into the walls. But he didn't even regard the fallen Luxan with a look as he put his wand back away, staring down at the vent where Rygel's head peeked out curiously.
"What's in there?" Harry asked.
"The Peacekeeper beacon," Aeryn answered. She bent down, her rich black hair falling over her shoulders, and Harry followed suit, sticking his head in the small vent and looking around. Inside was a massive net of slimy pipes, throbbing with life and pain. Seven thick pipes jutted from the mess, extending towards other parts of the ship. On one of them, a relatively large piece of machinery had been bolted down. On it, a small red light blinked repeatedly. As he gazed on Moya's 'brain', Harry suddenly had a thought and he withdrew his head carefully, thinking quickly.
"It might work…need the vent to be bigger, can't use magic though, just make is worse…" He muttered to himself, ignoring Aeryn and D'argo, who had staggered up in rage. Harry glanced down at the yellow DRD that and followed him and cocked his head thoughtfully. "Aeryn, could the DRDs have cut through this wall? Make it bigger so that I could get inside?"
"They would," Aeryn answered slowly.
Harry worked his mouth around, unconsciously imitating Luna, before he smiled. He turned around to face Aeryn and D'argo, the former ready to charge him again. "I may have a plan that could solve both our problems."
Twelve DRDs finished the last of the cutting with their small bright-red lasers, and a small piece of the vent fell off, widening the hole and allowing Harry to crawl through it. He moved forward at a crouch, approaching the beacon and squatting down beside it. He took a deep breath, the nervousness crawling through his veins, and glanced behind him. Rygel stood their awkwardly, a small laser-cutter in his hand. The small frog-like alien had complained bitterly until Aeryn had shoved a pulse-pistol in his face, which led straight into the hole after Harry.
"You ready Rygel?" Harry asked.
"I am."
"You know what to do?"
"Yes, yes! Just get on with it!" The Hynerian snapped angrily. "We don't have long left, if what you say is right."
Harry nodded in agreement and turned back to the beacon. Carefully, he placed the tip of his wand on the beacon and let his magic throb through the wand, but keeping it contained within the wood and feather.
Outside, Aeryn and D'argo recoiled as an oily black mass streamed through the walls, replacing Moya's warm bronze colour. The swarm of DRD's surrounding them squeaked in alarm, while Zhaan, her cheek still pressed against the wall and her eyes still blue, screamed loudly, a haunting and hollow scream that echoed throughout the corridors. The infection disappeared through the walls, travelling towards and into Moya's central neural cluster.
Harry had noticed that the infection had been attracted to his magic and had been counting on it to lure the infection to where he wanted it. As he had seen before, the infection was able to travel into Peacekeeper technology. By letting his magic pulse, he had attracted the cancer to the beacon, drawing it away from the other parts of the ship. As the black oily pulse swam through the thick neural pipe, Moya shook again. But the lure of the magic was apparently too strong, and the cancer did not linger, shooting past the vital cells and nerves and straight into the beacon. Harry quickly lifted his wand, still keeping it a few centimetres above the beacon as if filled up with cancer. The infection seemed infinite and never ending, and just as it seemed that the beacon could hold no more, Rygel yelled.
"The pipes, they're back to normal! There is no more blackness!"
"Now!" Harry roared.
Rygel moved forward with the laser-cutter, and a red beam of intense heat zapped forward, severing the first bolt. Moya shook in pain and outside, Zhaan screamed again. Rygel was sweating badly but moved around the beacon, severing the second and third bolts quickly and precisely. Zhaan screamed both times and her grip on the wall relaxed, sending her tumbling to the ground in unconsciousness. Harry quickly cast the levitation spell, mindful of the corrupting cancer which quickly turned his magic into disease, and with a flick of his wand, hurled the beacon through the hole.
Outside, Aeryn and D'argo watched as the beacon fell to the ground, black oily liquid bubbling madly from it. DRDs swarmed around it, zapping it furiously with their lasers and disintegrating the pus-like fluid as if streamed from the beacon, stopping it from being absorbed back into Moya.
"Is it working?" Harry called from inside the wall.
"I think so," Aeryn answered hesitantly.
"I believe so, yes," D'argo said, wrinkling his noise. "It smells." He declared flatly.
Harry sighed with relief and sheathed his wand.
"Moya confirms that while there is some damage, it is not irreparable. She is most relieved that the disease is gone." Pilot spoke to the group in Command.
Harry let out a deep breath he hadn't known he was holding. "That's great news," He said. Suddenly a thought occurred to him and he shot up in alarm. "Pilot, what about my module? That's got magic woven into the very fabric of its structure."
"That thought did occur to me, so I have scanned your module repeatedly. From the data that has been gathered, it appears that there is some kind of field confining the magic strictly towards your module. I am able to pinpoint sixteen points on your craft that the field originates from."
"The null-crystals," Harry breathed in realisation. "The null-magic field must have contained the wards strictly to my module."
"That is good news indeed," Zhaan said, leaning heavily on one of the consoles, her eyes flickering with weariness, but she smiled graciously at the news.
"What about my robes, my clothes?" Harry asked. "There are enchantments on them."
"I am able to detect a small amount of your energy source on your being, but it seems bound to the fabric, and Moya's starburst energy is not affected by it. However, I would recommend that you dispose of them shortly."
"It would be much safer," Aeryn agreed quietly.
"I agree with you pilot, but what am I going to wear?" Harry asked, gazing down at his robes. He would have to dump them, but first he would see if there was excess magic on the Manticore skin cloak. It had been extremely expensive and should be safe, since Manticore skin was extremely magic resistant.
"There should be clothes left over from the Peacekeepers. I will send the DRDs to investigate." Pilot hesitated. "Commander, you should also know that there is a similar field to that of your module in the Command, originating from Rygel."
Harry turned towards Rygel in confusion. "Why would there…" He started, before his face grew dark. The backup crystals! You stole them!"
"I thought they were valuable!" Rygel defended himself hurriedly as Harry angrily stalked over to his throne-chair. The Hynerian fumbled in his clothes, his four stubby fingers sifting through various trinkets, and pulled out a small dirty sack. Harry snatched the sack away and glanced inside, counting eight crystals. "You're lucky they're all here," He growled at Rygel. "Or I…"
"Or you would have what?" Rygel said arrogantly, but his arrogance faded as Harry bent down, clutching his arms in a tight grip.
"Has anybody told you that you look like an oversized frog?" Harry asked softly.
"A frog? What is a frog?" Rygel asked, glancing at D'argo and Aeryn for help as Harry came closer, but the two warriors merely watched impassively, although D'argo had a small smirk on his face.
"It's a small, slimy, amphibious Earth creature. Sometimes, we catch them and eat them, well, the French do," Harry answered and stood up, suddenly smiling mischievously. "Touch my stuff again, and I'll turn you into one."
Rygel gulped, and glared as D'argo burst out in chuckles. "That's not funny, Luxan!" He hissed. "As a matter of fact, I took those crystals because we are low on food cubes, and I need something to trade with when we reach the next commerce planet, something valuable!"
"Not these crystals," Harry said. "Unless you want this to happen again?"
"I'll find something else then," Rygel sniffed haughtily.
"Our scans show that a there is system with several potential commerce planets fourteen arns away," Pilot informed the group. "If you need sustenance, perhaps…"
"Thankyou Pilot," Zhaan said quietly. "Take us there."
"I don't know about you lot, but I'm tired," Harry said with a small yawn, blinking through wearied eyes. "I'm going to catch some sleep."
"Very well," Zhaan said. "I will wake you if you are still asleep when we arrive."
"Thanks," Harry said. "I guess it's good night, or morning, or whatever..."
Harry left, and was followed shortly by Rygel, D'argo and Zhaan, who all claimed weariness, leaving Aeryn alone on the Command Deck. She idly pressed a few buttons, dimming the lights throughout Moya and lowering the temperature, while Pilot gazed at her from his screen.
"Are you not tired, Officer Sun?"
"A little," She admitted. "But somebody should stay awake in case something else goes wrong."
"The DRDs are perfectly capable of monitoring the situation from here. If there is a problem, they will alert you all." Pilot told her. "But I do believe that Commander Potter's plan removed all traces of the cancer."
"Yeah," Aeryn murmured then snorted. "Isn't that amusing? First he started the problem and then he fixed it."
"Moya and I find him…interesting." Pilot told her.
"He is that," Aeryn murmured. There was a comfortable silence on Command for a minute before Aeryn sighed. "Pilot, can you imagine an entire planet of Harry Potter's? Of Sorcerer's and magic?"
"He told Zhaan that Sorcerer's like himself only make up a tiny fraction of the population of his home world," Pilot answered hesitantly.
"Still, there are people, an entire race, just like him," Aeryn said, and shook her head. "Pilot, I'm going to get some rest. I think I need it."
Harry lay in his cell-bed, twisted in his golden sheets, staring at the bronze ceiling. The lights had been dimmed and although Harry's eyes drooped with weariness, he couldn't seem to get to sleep. The last day had been amazing, frightening and exciting all at once. In the span of one or two days, he had been dropped from his comfortable, boring existence on Earth into the great, big universe, and everything he had ever known had been flipped upside down. He fidgeted restlessly in his bed, turning around to his side and snuggling in, his eyes staring blankly towards his cell door.
After a minute or so, a shadowy figure walked slowly past, stopping briefly at his door. Even in the poor light, Harry could tell that it was Aeryn, since it was too big for Rygel, too small for D'argo, and not the right colour for Zhaan.
"Aeryn," He said softly in greeting.
"Potter," She greeted back softly. "The DRDs are monitoring the situation. Pilot says that if there's any trouble, he'll alert us immediately."
"That's good," Harry murmured drowsily.
Aeryn stood still for a few seconds as Harry felt the sleep wash over him.
"I'll tell you what Aeryn," he said, his voice almost a whisper now. "It's been a long day."
"It has. We all need our rest," Aeryn agreed softly.
"Hey Aeryn," Harry said just as she was leaving. "I have an idea to help me use magic safely on the ship, but if it doesn't work, there won't be much I can do if we ever come under attack. Since you're a Peacekeeper, could you teach me how to use those guns of yours?"
"I had been planning on it," Aeryn replied.
"Thanks," Harry muttered just as he drifted off to sleep.