Challenge: 9. Eavesdropping - whether accidentally or otherwise, your character overhears part of a conversation... Whatever it is that your character overhears... how will he react?
Author's Note: Spoilers for like a whole lot of the series, set directly after Promises, episode 4:05 and episode 4:06 only some biology facts about Nebari, John being able to predict wormholes, and D'argo as captain, the rest of that frelling episode does not exist. No matter what happens, this is not the last part in the series, there will be more.
Summary: In the wake of the most devestating events since the sacrifice of Talyn with his Captain, Bilar Crais, the remaining crew of Moya grieve for their lost friend and family. Believing the worst has happened, Chiana makes a decision on an offer Nerri has made. After this decision, the crew of Moya proceed with their plans toward Hynerian space. Peace Keeper territory; the Sebacean armies are preparing for war as the armadas of three other species line up on their borders. In the midst of all this chaos, a revelation is made that will rock the foundation of all that they have been lead to believe. On an alien world, a Nebari awakens. All events have a purpose, a meaning for being. All have been leading to a single moment in time, a second that will be remembered for mellinia, the death of John Crichton.
Key Words: Nebari, Slash, Hybrid, Royal Planet
Story Note: Each *** is in a different time. An example of this would be that what is happening with Crichton does not happen at the same time as with Chiana. They will not match up until the next part.
Lyrics: "Banks of Claudy" by Loreena McKennitt.
________________________________________________________ The man checked over his clip board and sighed. These things should have been have been changed into personal displays along time ago, but the Military buget was controled by monkeys. Spending three thousand dollars to ship a toilet from the gulf coast to Kennedy Center was beyond ignorant. Somebody was embezzeling. Tossing the ancient writing impliment back in the wrack on the aging door, he opened it, and pulled out the tray.
"Well, looks like they weren't kidden, we got ourselves a real life alien." He cracked a smile at the body. "A real live dead one. Come on fella, gotta get you to the lab, those coats aint any more patient then the Marzies." About to lift the body on to the gourney for transport, he was stopped by a crashing sound. "What the fuck?"
He walked over to the other side of the room. Scattered across the floor were trays of autopsy tools. "All right, who is in here? Come out ya little bastard!"
The whirring of tiny motors echoed in the large empty morgue.
"Who is here? I'm warning you, I'm armed." He unholstered his billy club and spun around fast. Freezing in confusion, the orderly watched as the small floor buffer shot across the floor ducking behind a trash can. When it was no longer in sight, he walked over slowly. It was no longer behind the trash can. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw movements in the shadows of the coroner's office. "I got you now!" He stormed over to the office door.
In the door way he stopped once more. On the walls, ceiling, and floor, little lights blinked at him. One near his foot started to screech at him as it stung him. "What the fuck?" A chorus of screeches greeted his words.
"I do believe you have upset their feelings."
"What the hell?" The orderly spun around, bringing up his club to hit the person behind him.
"Now, that isn't very nice." The Nebari gripped his hand crunching the bones as it released the club. "Now be a good Sebacean and there will be less pain."
"Fuck you," the orderly screamed at the him.
"Why must they always resort to violent behavior?" Twisting the hand, the Nebari brought it up behind the orderly's back. "Where is your commander?"
"Fuc... ahhh!"
"Do not fight me, you are no match. This can go smoothly if you would only cooperate. Now, please, tell me where the person in charge resides."
"On the other side of that door is a hall, man. Take it to the left, the people there will take care of you!" In the next instant, the alien broke his neck.
"Thank you, now was that so hard?" Looking down on the now screeching DRD's, Julon smiled. "I assume you know what I am looking for." They clicked in unison. "Please lead the way." As he stepped over the body of the orderly he muttered, "weak species!"
The door cycled open as she came aware of the world again. Her throat was still sore from her last attempt at screaming for help. It was abundantly clear there would be no escape, just as Mele-on had said. There were no techs, Peace Keepers, or any others come into at least check her condition. Food and water arrived from a hole in the wall. Packets slid out the tiny portal which sealed immeadietly after they did.
She had walked the confines of her cell more times than she cared to remember. It was the same length every time. Six strides one way, six the other. All was uniformly done, even the placement of the air vents. She would expect nothing less from the Peace Keeper Bitch!
Twice now she had come, and twice she had gone. The first was to confirm her fears about John and any hope of a rescue, the second had been to tell her someone had betrayed her location to the Peace Keepers. Who, she would not say. But it could be any one of the resistance, they didn't have an actual secure membership. However the way she had said it made her thinks she would know who it was.
For two solar days she had scanned her memory, and come up with nothing. Who did Mele-on and she know. There were only a handful of people, and only two of those would betray her. Braca was dead, she knew him from a few encounters. John was dead, they had been together intimately. D'Argo was Hezmana knew where. Sparky wouldn't deal with the Peace Keepers if his life depended on it. Sikozu... had her own agenda, but hated Peace Keepers since Scorpius' betrayal, a woman scorned as John would say. And Wrinkles was dead, good riddance!
That left no one she knew.
Frell!
The main question was what did Grayza know about the Nebari? What was the relationship between her, and the Nebari. Clearly the woman hated them, but for what purpose? She had declared open war on them, out right genocide on all members of the Establishmet. There were some serious personal issues with that Sebacean. 'You know, if she had white hair... Frell me!'
Sebacean females have black hair!
Hybrid Nebari have blue eyes, and those violets Mele-on supported were pretty frelling close. No one had seen a hybrid before, yet everyone knew that they had blue eyes. How had she not seen it before? All Nebari naturally have black eyes, the blue in the hybrids is because their bodies lack a certain neural transmitter that allows them to see in energy patterns. "That frelling bitch is one of us!"
"How very clever." Mele-on's voice carried out into the cell as she stood in the now closing door way. "I suppose it has taken you long enough."
Chiana cocked her head as she moved closer to the Peace Keeper. "Yeah well, they always did say I was kind of slow. Then again, I never really thought about it before." Chiana circled the smiling Commandant. "The next question is how."
"It matters not..."
"Why not tell her?" The mocking voice rang out before Noranti shimmered into existance. "Personally, I find your history rather boring, but it was enough to make the Nebari forbid breeding with other races."
"Old woman?"
"Traskin Bitch!" Mele-on's question was overshadowed by Chiana's scream. "Where is my child? So help me, if you've harmed one hair on her!"
"Silence insolent child. Your threats have no effect on me, then or now. The same goes for you, Grayza, I am beyond either of your reaches."
Chiana walked up to the old woman and stared her in the face. "If I have to tear this universe apart, I will. Even if I have to go to the furthest reaches of Hezmana, you will pay for what you have done." She backed away, head cocked with smile. "Just thought I'd let you know."
"Think of me what you will, but I will do what I must. I live only to serve the divine one, and his will is the only one I answer to." Both she and Chiana turned to the clapping Mele-on. "What are you going on about?"
"It is not many that will continue on using the same worn excuses for almost six hundred cycles."
"It is not an excuse, and I have been in his service a lot longer than the paltry six hundred cycles since your birth. Abomination they called you, and only I when no one else was there, took care of you."
"Yes, and a fine job of it, you did." Mele-on stalked over to the other two women. "Go on, then, tell her all about my heritage. About the years of service to the greater good that supposedly a Divine One had set us upon. I find it amusing now that I was so naieve then. It is almost hard to believe that I was anything other than a Peace Keeper."
"The Abomination you are still. It is a shame I didn't kill you while I had the chance."
"Threaten me all you like, old woman, it makes no difference, as you are dead and your words but whispers in the wind." She laughed at the angry look from the old Traskin. "Did I tell you it was her that betrayed you? She still thinks somewhere inside me is young impressionable Nebari hybrid she can manipulate. What exactly she wanted you away from the Nebari for, I have no idea. It was a costly gambit, thanks to your little fighter squad I lost six carriers before it was over."
Chiana turned burning hatred on Noranti. "Why? You have done this to me twice. Haven't you caused enough suffering?"
"Yes, tell her, Noranti. Why did you practically give her to me?"
Noranti looked at her pleadingly. "It is not yet time for you to be reunited with the Nebari. Certain things must happen first. If you would but trust me..."
"Trust you! You killed my little girl!" Screaming in frustration, Chiana turned away. After another muted cry, she lowered her head to hide the tears.
"Ah, so the little healer was telling the truth." Grayza reached out a hand and cupped Chiana's face. "Don't think you are alone in this."
"Yeah, well what would you know," Chiana asked with more than a little resentful spite.
"More than you." She quickly removed her pale white hand from Chiana's face. Turning around, she walked to the edge of the room next to the bed. "Did you think you were the first one to have her life destroyed by this Trelkot? You are only her second Nebari victim. She has made a lifetime of interfering and destroy the lives of others. The moment I stopped believing her lies was the moment she took my own child away from me. In that moment I vowed to uncover her plots, and destroy everything she was working for. So far I have uncovered a great deal. Do you wish to hear them?" Her face never brake the amused tranquility as she spoke.
"Sure, why not?" With a twist of her body, she gestured for her to sit and tell.
Nodding once, she complied. "All my life, up to that point, I had believed I was a freak, something that had happened by accident. She did nothing to discourage this belief. My mother was born Zyloma Grayza of Dorelz Company, U-star Regiment. At that time, they were a on a recon mission to meet with a new species. One that might prove to be a valuable ally if only for their technology. Not much more was known about them." A faint smile curved her lips as she observed Chiana's rapt fascination.
"The Nebari at the time were closed borders empire, bent on discovering technology that would allow them to restore the balance of the universe. They believed that most races were a chaos that might infect their delicate sensibilty if they exposed too much of themselves. When an entire Peace Keeper Command Carrier with the full Vanguard appeared, they took it to be an act of agression. The entire fleet was destroyed by a Standard Host Vessel. However there were a few Peace Keepers that survived, as slaves.
"A Nebari Captain at that time had certain privilages. My mother was a pleasure slave that he claimed for his victory. She ended up falling in love with him because unlike the others, he was gentle with her. He kept her like one does a favored pet, and she enjoyed the treatment and lavish affection. Two cycles later she bore me, and he was transfered back to the home world, we went with him. Seems they had never heard of a hybrid child born. Nebari are genetically notorius for being incompatible."
Snorting, Chiana rolled her eyes. "Seems nothing changes with them."
"In that, I believe you are correct." Mele-on shifted her weight as she assumed a more comfortable position. "I was studied from the first monen of my life until I was sixteen cycles old. Then I was rescued by what I thought was a kindly old woman. She had taken me from my rooms one night as the entire complex had been put to sleep. Eager as I was to learn, she was willing to teach. She taught me everything about what I really was, about the Peace Keepers, and how to survive in the universe.
"You can imagine I was very grateful for her help. In fact I allowed her to talk me into seducing a young Sebacean Peace Keeper. We spent one night together, and I left the following morning. Five monens later the first symptoms of Nebari pregnancy struck. Another twelve monens after that, my daughter was born. Then she was snatched from my arms by that Frelling Bitch!"
Chiana jumped at the venom in the normally reserved voice.
Mele-on waited until she was sure her feelings were made clear before continuing. Though she had not changed her expression once, her voice now carried an under current of soul born hatred. "She left me on that freightor bound for the middle of Scarran space. I would spend the next six cycles drifting from one place after another like you did, my dear.
"In all this time, Zyloma had gone so far in her defection as to adopt a Nebari name, Kilna. She was accorded the respect and position that went along with being the mate of a high ranking Nebari. It didn't matter they had given up their child to be studied by a group of monsters. All she cared for was her new life. It would be the last thing she knew.
"When I found the Peace Keepers, they had no idea what had happened to the U-star." As she told this part, her voice returned to the normal air of someone who expects others to pay attention. "I informed them, and they were most grateful, even sent me along with a Command Carrier of my very own. My sire had taken his mate with him on a rare scouting expedition beyond Nebari space. Their fleet was destroyed, he was vivasected while still alive, and she I delt with personally. Being a recently created Regiment, I had the honor of giving them the name of what should have been my regiment.
"U-Tech was my creation, our first endevor was the disection of one of their ships. A lot of our present tech is based upon that design. This ingratiated me with the Supreme Council and I quickly earned the multifacited rank of Commandant. One of their most favorite new tech was the control collar. You see, I was the one that adapted the collar for Leviathans that we may harness them. Having spent sixteen cycles wearing one, I grew intimate with the technology."
Grayza smirked at the hateful glare from both of the other women. "You are wondering why I would do such a thing. Three hundred cycles ago a lover of mine detected a Traskin on a passing Leviathan. It seems she has been using them for her base of operations for generations. And they don't mind, in fact they go out of their way to protect her. In retaliation for a particularly violent rebuttle against our efforts to locate her, I institued the declaration that all Leviathans in Peace Keeper territory were to be collared."
"How could I ever think you were worth saving? You are an even greater monster than the Scarrans." Noranti looked her up and down in horror. "What did I let loose?"
Continuing on as if the old Traskin had not spoken, Mele-on had eyes only for the past. "Following this, I discovered on many Leviathans there was a secret compartment in which either she or her agents would ride. They sometimes left copies of their work in these compartments which the Leviathans would then ferry around the Galaxy like giant couriers. This had to be stopped and their cause discovered. After a great many Leviathans had been collared, the chambers stopped appearing. It seems their builders noticed I was on to them. No great matter, I had enough evidence to discover something about the Peace Keepers and their blood lines."
"No! You must not!" This time Mele-on did stop when Noranti called out to her.
"I will do as I please, you can not stop me."
"I won't have to." Noranti's image disappated as the ship rocked. All around them the cell started to shake. Lights in the ceiling grew so bright they exploded from the power surge. The food hole kept opening and closing shooting out food packets.
Chiana looked at them and smiled. "So it was all automated!"
Mele-on had scrambled to her feet and made her way along the shaking wall to Chiana. "Take no chances, I have learned from out mistakes."
Chiana release a high pitched giggle. "Well it looks like all your technology is going to get frelled all to Hezmana."
"Not before we finish and I get what I want!" Mele-on grabbed Chiana and forced her to look at her. "What I discovered is their blood lines were being manipulated, not by them, but another race. I never found out who, but to what ends I have only recently discovered. They are making them suseptible to Hybridization. The Sebaceans are only one part of this. There are other races, when I studied Crichton's DNA, he was also a part of it. When combined with Sebacean, it has an unusual side effect." She smiled when Chiana looked at her with wide eyes. "Yes, did you think I would not study what they were doing?"
"You are a monster!"
"No! I am only figuring out what the real monsters were up to. I didn't create the Humans, or the Sebaceans. This is something that has been there since the beginning." The room shook again throwing them against the far wall violently. "Two solar days ago Officer Sun gave birth two twins. One pure Sebacean a combination of Scorpius' DNA and that of Officer Sun's, no trace of John's DNA was found but in one place. The child had the ability to regulate heat! Officer Sun was also given this ability. Something else happened, the twin, it was pure Scarran. At first we thought it was completely Scarran, but we discovered after the birth that most of the DNA it has is John's and Aeryn's. Their DNA mixed and formed a base pattern for that of the Scarran child.
"It seems they each have the same Genetic pattern as the Scarrans, plus that which them uniquely Human and Sebacean. But that which would make them a Scarran instead of Human or Sebacean is dormant."
Chiana looked at her with wide eyes. "Are you telling me that John had the DNA to be a Sebacean or Scarran?"
"A primordial one, but yes. He has the base DNA, but not the genetic structure needed to produce the body forms."
"What does that mean," Chiana screamed at her as the entire room rolled.
"It means that we were created from the same base DNA. That which makes us unique is from the planets of our Evolution, but that which created us is not!" The room had stopped spinning as the Gravity centered around the ceiling. Crawling to Chiana, she forced the younger woman to look at her. "Now you know! What in the frell are you hiding that Noranti is willing to kill two thousand Nebari and half a million Peace Keepers to keep from them?"
"I don't know!"
"Then why are you with them?" Grayza's face contorted in disbelief.
"I'm not telling you..." Grayza gripped her face, forced her to look her in the eyes.
"Who was your last mate?"
"Get frelled..."
"Who did you last frell?" Mele-on lifted her from the floor by her neck. "Don't make me ask you again."
Tears stung her eyes as she shook her head no.
"It was Crichton, wasn't it." When Chiana froze, Mele-on dark smile returned. "Well it seems I got what I wanted after all. You have just given me the last piece I needed. Thank you, Chiana." Throwing the girl against the wall, she walked out of the cell as the door cycled open.
When it didn't close, Chiana shook off the pain in her body and stumbled towards it. Just before she reached it, a figure stood there to be haloed by the lighting. She tried to raise herself off the floor, but the cramps hurt in her abdomen crippled all attempts. "No..." The figure was joined by others. "No!"
"It's her!" Suddenly they piled into the room.
Chiana was about to protest when they picked her up, but she noted their outfits. "Helie..."
"Is waiting with our ships, your module has been prepped for launch is waiting for us. Can you walk."
Chiana shook her head slowly. "I think I can manage with help."
One of the males lifted her face. "Open your eyes." He gasped when she complied. Then suddenly he was smiling and clapping her on the back. "Congratulations. We can celebrate when we reunite with the rest of our Squad."
"Wha... what's happening?"
He smiled as he helped her limp to the docking bay. "You don't know?"
"I wouldn't be asking, you grebhol."
"Suit her up, she can find out for herself." He ran off to his own fighter as they entered the docking bay. Most of the bay was a smouldering ash from their weapons.
Chiana looked in undisguised wonder as the rest of her wing plus members of other wings jumped in their fighters. Three wing members stripped her of the prisoner's rags she wore, and put her back in her flight suit. When they put her helmet over her head, she started to react to their actions. "I can handle this part."
"Good, then get in your damn Module, this place is going to go up fast!" The wing member let her go and rushed to her fighter.
Chiana didn't stop to watch anything else as she climbed in the Module and sealed the hatch. It was completely intact, no damage. Memory returned, she had been about to ram when her module died. They had hit it with a singularity beam. The wing members had repaired the damage to the systems, she could tell by the few bare wires sticking out of some consoles. "Yeeeeehaaaaaa! Yai yai yai yai yai YEA!" She screamed again as the others repeated it over the comms.
Her module activated under her hands, and she locked control to manuel. "Helie, systems active."
"Follow my lead, full burn once we clear the ship's hull. Let's go!" The fighters lined up their formations as they followed Helie out of the cargo bay.
"Why?"
"Why, Chiana? We don't leave our people behind, we aren't the Peace Keepers or Establishment! When we saw your ship attack the Command Carrier and they used an up to now Nebari weapon to disable you, we knew they couldn't be allowed to live. We had to get you back, it was the last order from our leader, Soren."
"Soren is gone?"
"Yes, he risked his own life to disable the Carrier's weapons so the rest of us could get in and get you. The rest of our Squad is still intact and I am now in command. We need you."
Chiana thought on it a moment. "As long as you need me, I'll be here."
"Thank you. I know you lost more than most of us when the Transport blew."
She didn't respond.
Helie's voice crackled over the comms again, this time playfully reprimanding. "What is this I hear about celebrating?"
"Chiana's got little nipper in the works," came the playful sing song of the male Nebari from earlier.
"Goldan! Is this true, Chiana."
"I.. I dunno."
"It is, she has the first signs, her eyes were black, skin pale, and the cramps started." Goldan was laughing with the others of her wing. Many congratulations came over the comms.
"Yeah, thanks." Chiana remembered what Mele-on had said and shuddered. What would this mean for her child? It would also explain how Crichton suddenly became a Nebari, and that M'Lila was also part his. Tears came to her eyes as she followed the fighters. Behind them the Carrier exploded, but Chiana barely registered the fact or the cheers that followed.
Jim smiled as he rolled off of Resoh's back. "That is a shiatsu massage. Now if you can do that, I'll be yours forever."
Resoh looked up at him, head cocked. "You already are."
Quirking a smile, Jim laid back against the headboard, arms over his head. "Be that as it may, I am still not satisfied with your handling."
"This is a problem that must be resolved at the earliest conveince." He pulled Jim back to him by his legs. "You have yet to fully submit to my command."
"I told you only when you can guarrantee me freedom from this world."
Letting him go, Resoh sat up on the edge of the bed. "Are you that impatient to be shown the horrors of this chaotic universe?"
"You can't show me things I haven't already seen. People augmented by machines to be better soldiers, genetic plauges that control entire populations, fanatics that kill whole species out of the name of some god. The Human race is more creative than you give us credit for." Jim scooted to his side, resting his head on Resoh's pale bare shoulder. "Frankly, I wouldn't be surprised if you told me that the Humans were a long lost coloney of these Sebaceans."
"Be careful what you say. The Universe has a tendency to do the things we least want it to do." Resoh brought him around to straddle his lap.
"Always have to prove you are the stronger one?" Jim scooted around till he found a comfortable spot on the Nebari's lap. Looking Resoh in the eyes, he smiled. "Yes."
"Then remove these restrictive garments." He let Jim stand up.
Turning his back to the Nebari, Jim hid a smile. "No peeking!" He bent forward and lowered his boxer to his thighs. "Make it quick." Jim hissed when he felt the stink. When it was over, he stood up and glared at the slightly smirking Nebari. Rubbing the sore spot on his ass, he pulled up his boxers carefully. "Bastard, you enjoyed that."
Resoh stood up and picked Jim up in his arms. "You are now a member of my team, that brand is a symbol of that. You are now mine, and everything you say will to me from now on will be only respectful."
"Not on your life, you son of Hezmot!"
Resoh looked at the owner of the voice, and narrowed his eyes. "So you finally wish to confront the inevitble."
M'Lila stormed up to them and threw Jim from Resoh's arms. "You will die now, Establishment Relc sucker!" She slashed out across his middle with a piece of jagged edged metal.
Resoh backed out of the way, barely missing the blade. "You might as well give up, you will not win. Why fight that which you know is the right way? We are all Nebari, come home, and all will be forgiven."
"Forgiven! You are the ones who have done the harm, not us! For all that you have done, you will die!" With that, she made another swing of the blade.
Clapping from the door distracted them from their fight. In full Nebari Blacks, leather from neck to shoes, Julon stood in the door way. He stopped when they stared at him in shock. "Oh my, have I interupted your little game? I apologize for the distraction. Please, continue, it is most amusing."
"Who the Frell are you?"
"That kind of language is not necissary. We are civil beings, are we not?"
"Is this some kind of joke?" Jim was up and supporting a hurt shoulder. "I thought you were supposed to be dead."
"Oh, there is your misconception. I am quite alive, it was the previous host of this body that has vacated for me."
Jim gasped as the startling blues locked on his own identical ones. "It can't be."
"I assure you, it is. John Crichton is no more, I am all that is left. His memories, and all those emotions are still here, but he is not." Stepping into the room, he surveyed the mess. "I thought you would be more organized than this, Guide Resoh."
"I knew it!" M'Lila stared at them all with hate-filled eyes. "I knew John was working with the Establishment!" She charged Julon.
"I am afraid not, my dear." He caught her by the neck. "You killed him for nothing." At her startled look, he gripped her throat tight. "I was there, I saw what happened." The next instant, he grimaced as her neck seperated under his vise grip. "Dreadfully sorry, forgot my hybrid strength. Oh well, she was a Nebari killer, and we can't allow that to go unpunished."
"Quite right," Resoh agreed.
Jim looked at the Nebari before him and grimaced. "John?"
"Julon actually." He smiled at Jim and Resoh. "Best be dressed and ready to go, we have but a few microts before..." The room shook as the lights went out. "Sorry, miscalculated. Get ready, the ship will be here soon." He looked only at Resoh. "I am afraid I did not have time to restrain her, by the time I had planted the diversionary bomb, and ordered the ship to come, her people had already put their plans in motion. You have lost but one crew member, and her people three. It is best that we leave all of them here, your ship is damaged and we will need all the resources to make the jump."
Resoh scrambled to put his uniform on. "Our Jump engine was damaged when we were sucked into that gravity distortion."
"Who said anything about using a jump engine?" Julon left the room at a quick pace as the other two put on their clothes.
Jim looked at Resoh and sighed. "Do you have any idea what he is talking about?"
"I have a thought, but I do not like the implications."
"What?"
Resoh zipped his jacket. "Wait, I do not wish to disturb you."
"Like that puts me at ease." Pulling on his second boot, Jim followed Resoh out hopping. Once in the common room, he sighed as the other Nebari seekers entered. "Looks like we are all here. What now."
"Duck."
Jim gave Julon a scrunched look. "What?"
Julon smiled as he kneeled. The complex shook as the others quickly followed suit. "As I said, duck." The Star Runner came screaming to a halt above the building, the glass roof shattering. "Man, I'll never get tired of that. Cowboy diplomacy is the only way to go. We have a few microts before they figure out what the hell I have done, now get your emas on that ship!"
Jim watched in fascination as the Runner activated a light from the center that made a silver shaft to the floor infront of them. One by one the Seekers ran to that spot and floated up into the ship. Resoh smiled at him, grabbed his hand, and jerked him to the light. Jim felt a waitlessness as he floated up to the Star Runner. Once inside he was pushed out of the way as six more Nebari floated up.
Julon walked over to the light as several armed Humans ran in. He turned and smiled as Jack followed them. Cocking his head to the side, he waved at the older man.
Jack held up the necklace. "Did you leave this for me?"
"You'll need it more than me. Every man gets to be his own kind of hero, Jack, time to be mine. Still no rattlers, dad." He backed up into the light, and was sucked up into the ship. When he disappeared inside, the light turned off and the ship took off shaking the complex once again.
Jack watched with tears in his eyes. "So it wasn't over." Clutching the puzzle necklace, he turned and stormed out of what was left of the common room.
In the Star Runner, Julon saw a crowd at the command entrance. "Won't let you in?"
Resoh nodded once.
"Good, they still follow orders. DRD's, they sometimes have a mind of their own." His words were greeted with outraged clicks and squeals. "Okay, sorry guys. Time to let me have control of navigation." John slid into the pilot's seat and strapped himself in. "Oh, Resoh, you might want to tell your people to buckle up."
"Why, what are you doing?"
Julon laughed at the apprehension in Resoh's voice. "We are going to open a worm hole. So please lock your tray tables in the upright position and hold on to your emas, cause this is going to be a bumpy ride!" As they cleared the atmosphere, Julon smiled. "Time to go." He dove back towards the atmosphere accelerating their speed. Spinning towards the planety, he gunned the engines to full power.
"Stop, you are going to kill us all!"
Julon only laughed as the craft shook. He fired the main weapons at a point directly ahead. The ship shot into the energy backlash and disappeared.
Novia stood at the edge of the landing field, Sikozu at her side. "Are you sure this is a good idea?"
"Yes, Empress. I believe we have a can work together." Sikozu straightened up as the large bulk of the Peace Keeper tech landed in front of them. Several fighters and attack ships baring the royal crest landed beside it, guards climbed out. "Prepare yourself, Empress, this will not be pleasant."
"I know, but there is really no way around it."
"Unless you wish to disreguard my advice and blow them to Hezmana."
Novia laughed at Sikozu's antics, but silence when the Peace Keeper ship opened. The circular door rolled open with a whine. Six guards came out, weapons at the ready. "Lower them if you wish to live!" Her strict order met with no resistance as they dropped the pulse riffles. "Such mindless obedience, I would expect nothing less from our Peace Keeper cousins."
"Ah, Empress Novia, I had hoped we would meet again." The smooth cultured voice floated out from the hatch before Scorpius appeared. "And the Kalish trader, Sikozu, how wonderful it is to see you doing well."
"Can it, Scorpius. I have had enough of your sweet tongued lies." Sikozu smirked at his growl. "Where is she?"
"I believe you are refering to the Commandant. I am afraid she has been detained inside. It seems she has had a recent brake through and wishes to check her findings first."
"There is no need to make excuses for me, Commander Scorpius. I have completed that. This is something I would willing put aside my work to deal with." Mele-on came out of the hatch extending a hand to Scorpius to help her down from craft. "Thank you, Commander. Now as I was saying, thank you for allowing us to land on your moon, Empress."
"Shall we dispence with the pleasantries, I grow tired of games." Novia waited for Mele-on to nod. "Good, now I let you on my moon for one reason, you can give me something I want. I, in return, can do the same for you."
"It seems we are to be allies."
"Yes, but I want something more permanent." She walked to the Commandant with a confident stride. "We both know the Peace Keepers are doomed. The Sebacean forces are to fall under my control, and you will answer only to me. In return, you will have access to all our technowlogy and genetic research."
"I am impressed by your generous offer. But what makes you think I would have the power to hand over the Peace Keepers? And if I could, why would I?"
"Because, Commandant," Novia gave her a feral grin, "if you don't, there is a band of Nebari Resistance members in orbit that are celebrating their victory over your entire fleet. I would be more than happy to turn you over to them. They have put a bounty on your head, and the tech they offer in return is more than little tempting. Especially with the threat of the Nebari hanging over our heads. So what will it be, Commandant, me," she turned and pointed to the flashes of light in the sky, "or them. Choose, Commandant. Know that either way, my family will have the Peace Keepers once more under our control."
"Bravo, I do believe she has us in quite a bind. Whatever will you do, my Commandant?" In the next instant, Scorpius found himself on the ground, a smiling Commandant standing on his neck.
"I believe we have a deal, Empress."
Taking Mele-on's arm in her own, Empress Novia walked towards her transport. "It wasn't like you had a choice this time, Mele-on."
"I tried," Grayza offered.
"Yes, but I once again have beaten your forces." Novia looked smug in her triumph. "You were always so focused on your wants, that you lost sight of your goals."
"That is what I came here for, though now it seems I shall not have it the way I intended." Her voice continued on in the faintly amused tone. "Since you will need to know, I believe it best to tell you I have made some shocking discoveries about our species."
Novia nodded. "I suspected as much."
Sikozu watched in shock as the two women disappeared in the Transport.