There was no sound in space as the two objects neared. The last the planet surface could detect of the smaller craft was just before it entered the shadow of the moon, but from there it seared on relentlessly. Moya veered, a blue spark at her tail, a ballet of two ships where her dance partner did not move to any music, or listen to any rules. It went straight for the heart.
Sound returned, briefly then, in a shattering rip of metal versus bone. The Scarran Drone ripped through Moya's hull and buried itself deep between her ribs. The sudden pain was enough to stop Starburst, the blue spark fizzed, lit up and was absorbed into nothingness.
Two decks were exposed to the elements, or lack thereof. Giant doors swung shut as the air was sucked out of Moya's internal system and cast into space, DRD's buzzed bravely to hold on to any surface, until the atmospheres and pressures leveled.
Slowly, Rygel's voice over the comms faded as the air supply did on that deck. "D'Argo! Can you hear me? D'Argo! Stay where you are D'Argo! Just keep your sister safe! Fess will come for you! He'll get you to safety! Can you hear me D'Argo? Can you..."
As the sound waves lost their grip on the air, the vibrations died now, and silence returned. And then the lights went out.
In the dark, the light of the fourth moon beckoned from the gaping hole in Moya's side. Then there was a hiss and a metal plate detached from the drone. From the inside, there came a reptilian claw reaching for the side, and finally the silhouette of a long-necked Scarran, ripped and armored, who slowly rose up from the wreckage. His hand reached for the door.
"Unauthorized Scarran vessel," Commander Losthan spoke at the view portal. "We detect your presence. State your intent."
General G'dishi's Command Carrier relayed to them the image of the newly arrived Scarran Decimator into orbit around the planet., but so far, other than maintaining speed and distance from the other ships on the other side of the planet, it sent out no communications and made no move to send a landing party to the surface.
"They're bluffing," Deccan spoke. "They're trying to intimidate us. The Scarran Hierarchy is no doubt merely upset they've been excluded from this meet. They want in."
"And if we don't let them, they'll force their way in. You know how Scarrans are," Lothan snapped back. "Oh, wait, you don't. All you care about is those damn Pilots. You stick to your pets, and I'll deal with the defense of this facility, Commander."
"As it should be, Commander." he reluctantly agreed.
Deccan didn't need to be reminded of his duty, but to be put in his place in front of the whole staff of the control tower was an unnecessary shaming. To be equal in rank meant their authorities and interests often clashed, but never did Deccan see him so agitated before.
Ten cycles ago the Scarrans conquered half of all Peacekeeperdom during the Peacekeeper War, which they reluctantly abandoned after the armistice was signed under Eidelon 'persuasion'. But the peaceful brainwashing of the Eidelons did not prevent the inevitable border conflicts and petty skirmishes over disputed regions and planets the Scarrans refused to give up. With their military advantage and natural brutality, the Scarrans often just did as they pleased with no concern for the consequences. Most of them were bitter about the end of the war, and bitter that they had to replace their victory with a forced armistice, so they settled for a planet or two.
Of course, in the end, the greatest winner of the Scarran Peacekeeper conflict was the Nebari.
"If you'd like," Nerri spoke calmly as he stepped into the light, "I could always contact my vessel and tell them to take care of the problem for you."
Lothan turned, almost expecting it to be a joke, and all other eyes were now on Nerri as well. It would take multiple Command Carriers to take on a single Decimator, and this Nebari spoke about it as if he were offering to remove their rodent problem.
"I know from experience what wild animals Scarrans can be like. It might be better if we were to remove this factor from the equation, before they're allowed to do cease all the attention for themselves."
Lothan still stared.
"Scarrans have a knack for the dramatic. They like to posture and emit strength, lacking the finesse and self-control of the Luxan, or the discipline and commitment of the Sebacean."
Nerri nodded his head to Deccan, as if to acknowledge that, yes, indeed, he did compliment the Peacekeepers just now.
"Kill them, or invite them, would be my advice," Nerri spoke. "But I grow tired of waiting..."
And again his eyes caught Deccan's eyes, as if to impart a message of impatience to someone he knew was busy working on the Pilot project. However, Deccan could proceed yet, not without the approval of the Elder Council.
Lothan ordered his communications officer to continue to hail the Scarrans in orbit.
"Scarran vessel...!"
When Deccan understood why the Nebari liaison had left the tower, he followed his example. It was pointless to wait for a response from the Scarrans because they were going to do whatever they wanted anyway.
There was no-one in the elevator when he activated the console, and when he stepped inside he couldn't help but worry for the future. Events here might escalate out of control, and it all started with a simple plan to help the Pilots. Bringing Scorpius here might have been a mistake, he realized.
Nerri had been right. Scarrans bring drama. It's in their blood. Their fire.
"Commander Deccan," a voice rang over the comms, calm, and almost a whisper.
"Scorpius."
"Are you alone?"
Deccan pressed a button on the wall and the elevator came to a sudden standstill.
"I am."
"Any news on Moya?" Scorpius asked.
"No, nothing yet. The moon's orbit is making it difficult to get a clear sensor reading."
"Inform me when their Pilot contacts you, but whatever you do..."
Deccan listened.
"Do not tell Crichton."
"Sir?"
"When the dust has settled, I will deliver the news personally. But before that, nothing reaches him. Do you understand?"
"Perfectly, sir."
"Good," Scorpius said. "Now double the guards monitoring the Command Node."
"I already did, sir."
"Your conduct is impeccable, commander Deccan. I will not forget that."
Compliments from Scorpius were always smooth, like liquid, but there was something about the sound of his voice Deccan detested.
"Thank you, sir."
"Send out a distress call! Just do something!" Rygel yelled, but Pilot refused.
"Moya would deal with a single Scarran, rather than risk a control collar from the Peacekeepers!"
"They wouldn't dare! Scorpius wouldn't let them!"
Rygel's throat was getting sore from all the shouting. Nervously he peered down his hoversled to see whether he wasn't hovering above the bottomless chasm.
"We...we have to contact Scorpius! Contact Crichton!"
"I've tried," Pilot admitted. "But the moon is blocking all our signals!"
Rygel mulled over all the options, quickly. Fess had already gone out to find the children, but he was a hunter and his knives could never pierce a Scarran's tough skin. He'd get burned before he ever got close enough to even try.
"Where's the Scarran now? Do we have a reading on him?"
Pilot checked his internal sensors, co-ordinated the DRD's, and as he did, it didn't take long to find him.
"He's on the lower decks... the Maintenance Bay..."
Rygel turned to the large doors that isolated Pilot's den. They were impossible to burn through. No-one but Pilot could open those doors, but there were other ways of getting inside, and Rygel knew them best.
The comms chirped. "Pilot!"
He sounded desperate. Rygel couldn't say he really liked Fess, nor could he say he had known him long enough to make a proper judgment, but right then he was better than nothing.
"Fess! Fess, where are you?" Rygel said.
"I'm at the children's quarters. I can't hear anything and the doors are locked. I need you to open it."
"I can't" Pilot said. "Someone's activated a manual override."
"Clever kids," Fess said.
Time wasn't on their side, and Rygel knew it. The crew's quarters wasn't close to the Maintenance Bay, but they had to find the kids and take them somewhere safer. Hide them. Somehow, he valued their wellbeing more than his own, and it scared Rygel a little when he realized that. He had something to lose, and more importantly, something they could take away from him. As long as he was capable, he was not going to let that happen. He was those children's godfather. It was his responsibility to keep them safe.
"D'Argo! Can you hear me?" Rygel tried. "Fess is waiting outside your door! You have to let him in!"
"D'Argo!" Fess hissed at the door, pressing the palm of his hand against the cold smooth oblong.
With his tongue, he tasted the air. It split into two parts, attached at the stem at the bottom of his mouth, and it moved like two large red tendrils. He could taste their scents, but they were old. If they had holed themselves up inside, he would've sensed their fear or smelled their distress. This didn't add up.
"They're not here."
"What?" Rygel said.
"I'm a tracker, remember? I don't smell them. They must've gone into the service tunnels."
"Are you certain?"
"Pilot, how about the DRD's? Have they seen anything?"
"No," Pilot replied, and Fess considered this.
"These kids were trained well," he said to himself. "Really well."
D'Argo knew the stakes. The kid might probably even be better off on his own. Now none of them could tell the Scarran where they were hiding, not even if they broke under the Scarran's mental probing.
Still, there were more ways to flush them out of the bowels of this ship... More unpleasant ways...
"CREW OF MOYA."
The Scarran's voice was deep, like a bubbling lava pit, and his breaths were heavy and slow. Somehow he must've found a comms unit in the Maintenance Bay. Now he had a direct line to Command, and the rest of the ship.
"SURRENDER TO ME NOW, AND YOU WILL NOT BE HARMED."
Fess pretended to consider it for a moment.
"As if we're going to believe that."