Talyn's confusion floods me even before the bombardment of questions begins. How did you get back?Where is Soraya? Why did Kateri just starburst away?

I have no time to answer him. "Talyn, seal this door and put me on the main comm."

He hesitates, his internal sensors scanning for the intruders. What he finds infuriates him, and he lashes out with pulse blasts from his interior weapons. The resistance officers return fire, and Talyn howls as his defenses are damaged. Stray pulse blasts rip into him, and through the link, I feel the energy sear his biomechanoid flesh. It is as if I myself were wounded.

"Put me on the main comm, Talyn!" I could end this situation if only he would listen, but he isn't thinking, merely reacting. I reach out to what I can find of his reason, desperately seeking a part of him that hasn't been lost to berserker rage. "Let me act as your captain for once! Allow me to speak for you, please."

After an internal battle, he relents, having calmed the hazmota that possess him in times like these. You're on the comm now.

Very good, Talyn. I run a hand along the wall, needing to make some physical gesture to convey my appreciation. Once, I would never have thought to congratulate someone on having followed a simple order. That was before I became my own tormentor, chasing Crichton across the galaxy in an attempt to evade the pain of loss. I understand Talyn's war with himself because I fight my own. Comrades in arms, we stand against the shadows in our own hearts. All other enemies seem weak in comparison.

I smile as I speak into the comm. "This is Captain Bialar Crais. In at most three hundred microts, Talyn's life support systems will be shut down. Airlocks will be opened until the atmosphere is purged from every chamber save my own. Any attempt to further damage Talyn will hasten the process."

"You'll kill all of them." Soraya stares at me in astonishment.

"Only those who choose to ignore my warning. Three hundred microts is enough time for them to board their own transport."

Some already have. It was a good idea. I sense his mixture of admiration for the plan and self-recrimination for not having thought of it. Before I can answer, his thoughts shift to something else. Kateri! She just sent a long range transmission. She says the Ancient is aboard the collared Leviathan, and she-- Kateri? No!

He begins preparing for starburst. He has closed his thoughts to me, driven by something more primal than our link, and far stronger. If he reaches Kateri's location without my guidance, his tactical programming will cause him to fire first on the two armed ships, allowing the collared Leviathan to starburst away with the Ancient. Normally, such a course of action would be optimal, but in this case, it will mean allowing the Peacekeepers to gain wormhole technology. I must gain control of Talyn, which means I cannot remain safely cordoned in my chamber. I have no choice but to share his peril.

I turn to Soraya and see she is still holding Lora's weapon. Holding Pelak's pulse rifle in front of me, I tell her, "Watch my back. I need to get to command."

She shakes her head, her eyes wide. "But what about the life support?"

I open the door and enter the empty corridor, motioning for her to follow. "If Talyn even remembers my order, I can override it from command."

I run to the lift, hoping she will follow and willing to take the risk that she won't. My warning to the resistance fighters appears to have been effective; the only sounds I hear are those of Soraya's footsteps and my own. Breathless, she enters the lift with me and leans against the back wall, panting. After we exit the lift, I head for the docking bay, where I seal the doors, preventing the resistance fighters who have already left from coming back. That should be all of them, since time is running out. If there are any stragglers, I will have to deal with them myself.

On the command deck, the bloody remains of three resistance fighters glitter with shards from a broken console. Soraya gasps and bends down to look for signs of life while I proceed to the main console and key in the first portion of a code to seize control of Talyn's weapons. He responds by lashing out like a cornered beast, and I am brought to my knees by the jolt of pain from the transponder.

I need all the allies I can find, so I call out to Soraya, "The bodies-- is one of them Terryl's?" If she can reclaim the transponder from him, perhaps she and I can overpower Talyn.

"No. He probably left for the transport."

"Then use this." I pull the transponder from my own neck and toss it to Soraya. "I need to take manual control of Talyn, and I need you to tell him to fire first on the collared Leviathan. Just that message. Can you do that?"

"Fire first on the collared Leviathan," she repeats, wincing as she pushes the transponder into place. "Oh, frell! He's not listening, he's gone insane!"

"Just keep repeating the message!" I try the code again, just as the familiar disorientation of starburst sets in.

Soraya seizes my arm in both of hers, shouting, "I'm sorry! He's making me!"

I shake her off and push her hard enough that she lands against one of the consoles with a reverberating thud. There is no time to examine her for injuries. I turn back to the main console. We have emerged from starburst into a could of floating detritus, and it is too late for me to seize control. Talyn has already begun to fire.