"The Peacekeeper scan, is directly over us... now." "I believe we will survive the scan, it's the frelling cold that will claim me." "Why the yotz can't we have a little heat?" "Because the Karjik Pulse is attuned to energy sources." "We're chilled, but we're alive." "Well that depends on your definition." "That's not a Marauder scanning us." "That's Crais's full Command Carrier." "Nobody else is going to ask." "I'll ask Zhaan." "How come you're not frozen?" "My body temperature self- regulates under most conditions." "Pilot, how's the baby doing?" "Excuse me, but Moya is picking up something." "It appears to be... some sort of distress call." " Source?" " From one of the surrounding asteroids." "I'll see if I can isolate it." "Please!" "Please, please, please hear me!" "I'm stranded here, with my family and we're under attack." "Please help us!" "Please come quickly as soon as you can." "There's a creature here." " Could this be a Peacekeeper trick?" " Yes, that's entirely possible." "No, the transmission source is coming from an asteroid close by." "The signal is weak it is unlikely Crais's ship even heard it." "We can't escape this asteroid field without navigational aid." "Maybe this girl and her family have charts." "You're not seriously considering going down there, are you?" "For goodness sake, didn't you see that thing?" "You do not have to go down there, Your Flatulence." "Distress call directed at us." "How stupid is that?" "Unacceptable!" "There are over 20000 asteroids of sufficient size to block the Leviathan from our scans, sir." "Then we enter the field and change our angle of projection!" "If we do that, we sacrifice manoeuvreability." "I left orders not to be disturbed." "Of course Captain, but... as you labour, to recapture the Leviathan" "I thought I might offer a course of action it seems you have not considered yet." "Do you think a mother would abandon her child?" "If I was in command, Captain..." "I would concentrate..." "on the Leviathan's newborn." "Bombard the area with, multi- frequency signals... discordant stimuli..." "See if I couldn't make the offspring reveal itself, in panic." "And...its mother along with it." "Sir?" "Your orders?" "My orders stand, change our position." "The Peacekeeper scan has passed." "One, two, three, four to beam down, Pilot." "Officer Sun..." "I would appreciate, if you would stay aboard." " Alright, Pilot." " I suggest we deactivate our Comms just for safety's sake" "Now remember, minimum use of thrusters and keep plenty of rock between you and Crais." " Right?" " Got it." "This is the most miserable place I think I have ever been." "Where you see misery, D'Argo, I see the end of misery." "Well, to put things in perspective, Zhaan, you are the least thing on this asteroid that I am allergic to." "The big guy's got a point, my rashes have got rashes." "I assure you, the cure for all those ailments and much more, is also here." " So you keep saying." " Look around." "What don't you see?" "No animals, no aviary, no insects, nothing to compete with the flora, this magnificent place is the Goddess's pharmacognosia." "Hey don't forget, happy campers, the girl in the distress signal said," "" c r e a t u r e "." "Well, she's probably dead by now which is what I'll be if I don't get off this asteroid." "Are you picking up any being's scent?" "Zhaan, let me explain to you what's going on inside nose right now." "There's large pieces of green mucus and gunk..." "D'Argo, no, no, no, no." "Stop it with the Luxan poetry." "There's some healthy sounding sinuses." " Stick with me, D'Argo." " I'm there." "Go!" "Go!" "Hurry!" "Hurry!" "Hurry!" " Help me!" "Help me!" "Help me, please!" " It's alright, you're safe now." "Where are the others?" "Where's your family?" " You have to protect me." " No, listen to me." " Where are the others?" " It killed them all!" "Please, help me!" " They're dead?" " Please help me." "Please, please." "He got away, he knows the terrain too well." "My name is Zhaan, this is Crichton, that's D'Argo." " We are here to help you, dear." " What's your name?" " I am M'Lee." " Look, do you have any maps so we can find a way out of this asteroid field?" "Used to, all destroyed, all gone." " Please don't leave me behind here." " Let's go back to the Transport Pod." "Transport Pod?" "Is it well guarded?" " Come on!" " Well protected?" "If not, he will find it, he will attack it." "Please..." "Please..." "Please..." " Fire up the drive." " I'm on it." "D'Argo!" "Kill it!" " I told you this was a miserable place." " Where are you hurt?" "At the moment...everywhere." "It's gone, the access port is secure." " It ain't getting back in, we're safe." " And crippled." "I hit the second fuel pump, you hit the main thruster control." "Yeah, yeah, I'll fix it." "Are you okay?" "I have a broken terok... probably internal bleeding...but..." "I..." "Definitely...internal bleeding." "What is it, Pilot?" "What's wrong?" "Besides the obvious, a great deal..." "I don't know who else I can trust but you." "Trust about what?" "Aware that Moya's offspring isn't normal." "The Peacekeepers have altered its genetics, created a ship that is part Leviathan, part attack vessel." "We've all seen the baby's weaponry." "Moya is having, difficulty establishing a connection to her progeny." " How so?" " The offspring knows he is different." "There is tension between Moya and him." "What do you expect me to do about it?" "You were a Peacekeeper..." "You, better than any of us might understand, what's been done to him." "If, Moya were told, perhaps, she could solidify his trust in her, and us." "You want me to go aboard?" "Moya gives you permission to do so." "But does the baby?" "Unbelievable!" "Officer Sun..." "Pilot, what happened to radio silence?" "While you're on the offspring's command, I have a direct laser link between us." "The only way Peacekeepers could intercept is to be directly in its path." "This is astounding, Pilot..." "It's a complete synthesis of Leviathan and warship technologies." "I need more light." "I have light." "From the exterior, the offspring appears to possess a sonic ascendency cannon." "Yes." "The controls, are over here." "It would be advisable to locate the communications array, as this may be the method the Peacekeepers will use to locate us." "Communications array?" "Communications array... is in silent mode." "How did you manage to find it so quickly?" "I think I was supposed to." "Hello?" " What are you doing here?" " Admiring, your quarters, captain." "Quite opulent, even by 'captain' standards." "I've never understood the need of some warriors, to memorialise their conquests." "Does displaying this decaying flesh, remind you of past instances when you were powerful?" "Your branch of the service gives you special privileges, Scorpius, which does not include disrespect of rank." " I want you off my ship." " Of course you do." "Candidly, Captain... you have continually failed in all your duties." "Your vector for success has grown quite small." "Stray outside it and I fear this ship will soon be in need of someone else to command her." " Just swallow it!" " What?" " If you want to kill me, why don't you just shoot me?" " This herb will stop your internal bleeding." " Would you rather I cut you open, D'Argo?" " You are no surgeon." "Exactly!" "Now swallow!" " So, how many in your group, did you say?" " Forty one, originally." "We intended to colonise here, my father, my mother, two brothers." " And they're all..." " The creature gets ravenous often." "John, we need more kijmot root..." "D'Argo's injuries are not improving." "Right, one quick trip to the pharmacy coming up." "Out the door, turn left at the creature." "You smell different..." "You smell like out there." "Your olfactory senses are very good, I am also flora." "Yeah, right." " Say what?" " Didn't you know?" "Know what?" " You're a plant?" " I always have been, John." "Why, does it bother you?" "No, it doesn't bother me, I just never suspected..." "You're a vegetable?" "Everyone knows that Delvians are flora evolved." "Right." "Sentient floran life isn't that unusual, John." "I have cartilaginous fibres instead of bone, tuperadinous cellulose tissue, and regenerative fascia membrane." " The blue?" " Chloroplast tintation." "The yellow highlights are stomata for the transpiration of water." "That's why you like the light so much..." "Photosynthesis." "You okay?" "When was the last time you ate?" "I'm not hungry yet." "It's coming." "Zhaan!" "I'm almost finished, I've got what I need." "You'd better pick it up." " M'Lee!" "Dammit!" " You go after her, I've finished." "M'Lee!" "I'm sorry about your female, I was scared." " It's not your fault." " No, it was your fault." " You were meant to look after Zhaan, instead you..." " It was instinct, d'Argo." "You understand instinct, every single thing you do is based on it." " Besides, there was no indication that she'd been..." " Eaten?" "She won't be, the creature will take your friend to his eating grounds before killing her." "Eat?" "That's it!" "Tell me how to get there." "I can't, you...you just have to know it." " I'll take you." " No, no, no, it's too dangerous." " Let her take you, John." " I can smell him, before you ever know he's around." "I'm much better off than Zhaan..." "Go!" "Go...find her." "Fine, come on." "This way!" "Over here!" "This is where, the eating is done." "We'll be out of here as fast as we can." "Damned ugly leftovers." "Is there another place he could have taken Zhaan?" "You're alright?" "I'm...feeling...hungry." "Look, I'll get you some food as soon as we get back to the Transport." " Right now...you know, M'Lee..." " F o o o d." " F o o o d." " Do not go screwy on me here, alright?" "You gotta help me find my friend." "I...am...not... your enemy." "She...is." "You requested my presence, Captain?" "Did you suggest to my Bridge Officer, that we do not adjust our current position?" "Yes, your Bridge Officer and her Crew... seemed to appreciate the merits of my suggestion." "You have gone too far, Scorpius, you have directly questioned my command." "Your command, begs question." "If my actions were under examination, I would have been recalled." "You were recalled..." "Do you forget, that I have seen your memories... that I know of your insubordination... that I have witnessed, the execution of your Second Officer?" "When I bring in the Leviathan's offspring, it will forestall any of those charges." "Now, get out of my quarters." "I'll tell the Bridge Officer, we won't be changing our course." "I am sorry to have hurt you." "Yeah, a few words would have saved us a whole lot of trouble." "I find this atmosphere very thin, the slightest exertion leaves me unable to speak." "I had no breath left." "John, M'Lee is a calcivore, she's a feeder of bone." " So she was going to eat me?" " Yes." "Just your skeleton, the flesh is left to rot." " So what were you doing in our Transport Pod?" " Trying to warn you." "I know how the beast tricks her prey." " Yeah, she said you were the monster." " Oh yes, my parents believed so too, but it was just a phase all children go through." "Br'nee is a scientist, John." " Scientist?" " Botanistic Pharmacology." "Much like the beautiful Zhaan." "I am but a lay person compared to you, Br'nee." " Plants as medicine?" " Yes..." "My ancestors seeded this barren asteroid over 300 cycles ago." "I simply led the first team of harvesters." "What happened to the rest of your team?" "Sorry..." "Forget that I asked." "Twenty six in all..." "Including my mate." "There weren't supposed to be any predators here." "No animal life at all!" "They first encountered M'Lee in her dormant state, John, as we did." "She was cunning enough to live among us for some time, and to discover our weaknesses." " What are hers?" " Satiation." "After she's eaten her fill of bones, she reverts to the passive creature you experienced." "It's the only time she's vulnerable, when she becomes hungry again, she loses the control of the transition." "Yeah, been there seen that." "But we have numbers again and after she's eaten one of us, the others will have a chance to kill her." " Eaten?" " Yes." "Br'nee, that's a little unacceptable." "It's not your choice, I'm afraid." "It's hers." "Officer Sun...the Peacekeeper scan is sweeping this way again." "If you are able, you must reduce the offspring's energy signature to bare minimum." "Yes, Pilot." "Do you understand what's happening?" "Officer Sun...make him understand." "If they try to communicate with you, they are called Peacekeepers and you must understand they are not to be believed." "Look, it's true in a perverse way, you do come from them." "But so do I." "Look," "I wish there was more time for this, but there isn't any time." "You are going to have to decide, if you will trust your mother...us." "If you're going to trust me." " Howling's stopped." "What's that mean?" " Well at a guess, she's gone to see if your tentacled friend is out in the open by himself." "M'Lee prefers easy prey." " Right then." "Pick it up, Zhaan, we gotta go." " Okay, nearly ready." "These leaves and fungus will completely heal D'Argo's injuries." "I thought you wanted brocas seeds to arrest the infection." "I can't find any, unless I'm looking in the wrong place." " You are." " I take it you know a way back to our Transport?" "Yes a route M'Lee avoids, along the ridge line." "Then pick it up." "Let's go." "Brocus Histicalx." "Pick as many as you require." "By the goddess, I've never seen anything like it." "We couldn't transport all the desired samples if not for the capacity to miniaturise them." "That is a very impressive machine." "My aunt had one." "Come on Zhaan, let's go." "You must stay behind with your weapon it will scare M'Lee away." "If not, she'll descend on everything and destroy it all." "I'm not going to let Zhaan go alone with you." "And no way, will I let that beast destroy everything my mate died to help accumulate." "We'll be alright, John." "After she's with your friend, I'll return and together we can help transport all the vials onto your ship." "That is my one condition but it is non- negotiable." "Fine." "Go." "If you're not back in an hour," "M'Lee won't be the only one hunting you down." "Capice?" "M'Lee!" "M'Lee!" "I'm hungry, John!" "M'Lee!" "Take it outside, M'Lee!" "Us Southern boys don't make good eating, not without a fight." " M'Lee!" " I have to eat, John!" "And I'm it?" "I've been here the whole time." "I've heard what Br'nee said about me." "What?" "That you're going to devour our bones if you got the chance?" "He didn't tell you all of it, I need you to know the truth." "Is that before or after I supply your recommended daily allowance of calcium?" "His people brought my ancestors to this asteroid for a purpose." "To rid it of all herbivious life forms." "So, what are you saying, spiky?" "You saying there used to be plant eating life here?" "Thousands of creatures." "Plenty of food for my ancestors." "Plenty of food." "Until, there was nothing." "Br'nee's kind must have known that your people would eventually decimate the food supply." "They expected us to do their dirty work for them and be long dead by now." "Only their precious plants would remain." "How did you survive?" "M'Lee?" "In the end we only had each other." "And then Br'nee's people arrived..." " and they became prey." " I was hungry." "As you are now." "But I also know...after I satisfy myself on your bones and those of your friends and finally of Br'nee," "I will eventually starve to death anyway." "That's far enough." "So what did you have in mind?" "I will control my hunger and you will provide me access to a more permanent food supply." "You want me...to take you...with us?" "Br'nee knows where my kind lives." "Make him tell you...and then take me there." "You have got to be kidding me, right?" "Direct composite capability...enabled." "Vapour- isation charge...imminent." "Right..." "Here goes." "That's done it..." "The cannon is active." "I can't fully explain it, Pilot, but this ship and I seem to have reached a bit of an understanding." "Moya too, is encouraged." "Communication with her offspring is improving." "She thanks you, Officer Sun." "Amongst all these Peacekeeper systems, I feel quite at home." "We couldn't be happier." "Honestly." "You deserve a home where you're wanted." "Pilot, I'll be returning to Moya shortly." "Please let me know if any Peacekeeper scans are imminent." "Maybe you ought to stay there." "Maybe you and I ought to have a little one on one when I get back, Rygel." "Look, if you've got a problem with this then all you..." "You want to keep one foot out of your mouth, you may need it to run." "Look... what Slimy means is, if we get attacked, the only weapon we've got is that kid." "I am not dragging this ship into a conflict...not of its making." "Who said we had a choice?" "You know, I'm not an enthusiast of healers but this is remarkable." " Feeling better?" " I am completely healed." "My admiration, Br'nee." "I've been prejudiced in the past due to charlatans." "No offence taken." " What are you doing here?" " Surprised I'm not M'Lee food?" "I mean, my work is unguarded." "Swamp thing here ain't the Mr. Rogers scientist we thought he was." "You forgot to mention how your ancestors brought M'Lee's people here, didn't ya?" "It was the only natural way, to protect what we were growing here." "But M'Lee through you a curve, she survived" " She slaughtered my mate!" " With good reason, it sounds like." "Once I get my research out, I'll come back with a larger mission." " She'll be dead by then." " I cannot condone what his people did but for all this unparalleled flora to flourish it may not be entirely unreasonable to..." "To murder sentient beings in order to save a few stinking plants?" "How animal- centric of you, John." " Sorry, Zhaan, I forgot you're..." " I am a stinking plant?" "My Juka!" "I have heard stories of the existence of Delvians but to actually stand in the presence of one..." "Alright enough!" "No offence, but I say we take this tree hugger" " shove him out the Access Port" " Absolutely." "get the hezmana out of here." "I have charts, charts that will take us through the asteroid field." " Right, take me there." " No, John." "Considering the stakes, I'll go." "I think under the circumstances a cool head behind that trigger." "Wouldn't you agree?" " Be careful." " I will." "My report...to High Command..." " Shall I bother reading it?" " To what end?" "You'll hear it all multiple times at your inquest." "Disobeyed direct orders... murdered a fellow officer with premeditation... sacrificed 18 of your elite crew... in a pathetic quest for personal vengeance." "It's all in there." "You are unfit for duty by any measure." "I personally intend to see you stripped of rank and office." "So you can take command of my Carrier?" "I already have." "Get off my ship." "Why must you force me to display my physical superiority to your kind as well?" "If you want to fight anyone... attack your executioner." "Zhaan?" "Br'nee?" "Time's up." "Screw the happy plants, guys." "The Transport's repaired." " What the hell happened?" " M'Lee...surprised us." "Took Zhaan, I tried to..." " She took Zhaan, did she take her alive?" " I'm not sure." " I don't know." " Where would she take her?" "Rock wall, where I saved you from her." "M'Lee!" "..." "M'Lee!" "M'Lee...where are you, you little lying sack of spikes?" "You lied to me!" "You said you wouldn't hurt us, said you weren't going to eat any of us then you haul Zhaan off." "Bones..." "Son of a bitch!" "So...the baby's real dag- yo?" "Yes...whatever that means." " Is he fast?" " A major part of his design and function I imagine." " Faster than his mother?" " Yes, Rygel." "Fast enough to take you out of here, if the Peacekeepers get too close." "Listen, someone should escape this place" " carry our message to the outside." " What exactly is our message?" "That we don't want to die out here." "Very sensible." "Chiana, would you come here for a microt, please?" "Now let me get something straight." "Both of you." "Moya will not leave here without her offspring and he will not leave without her." "Where does that leave us?" "Very close to being thrown off this command if you don't shut your wakket hole." "Any sign of Crichton, Zhaan or D'Argo?" " Pilot's still checking." " Good." "Well if they're not here in an arn we go and look for them." "We?" "She must mean you." "Back already." "You made good time, do you have the charts?" "No!" "Don't kill me, please!" "I..." "I..." "I came to talk." "If you're no longer the feral beast... that means...you've eaten." "I won't hurt you, I promise." "I could not guarantee the same for you if you move towards me." "What..." "Who did you eat?" " No one." " Then why do you look like that?" "I used all my calcium to present myself in this way." " Why?" " So..." "You...you..." "You would listen!" "I'm..." "I'm starving to death!" "I...must...eat!" "You...must take me with you... or give me fo- o- o- o- d!" "I'm sorry but I have nothing to offer you." "Please...please anything...anything." "Except...there's a ship of beings out there, thousands..." "No one will regret their passing." "You can have as many as you can lay claim to." "But how do I...how do I get there?" "They are coming...soon." "as soon as we start the engines and blast off from here." "You...you...promise?" "Thousands." "I..." "I..." "I will control my urge." "So what's the plan, Br'nee?" "Find D'Argo, have him take you to your home world?" " You're back." " Yep." "You look a lot better." "I ingested some roots to repair my wounds." "Yeah..." "Must be a lot of interesting things in these bottles." "Did you get her?" "Did you kill M'Lee?" "Nope." "And Zhaan?" " Yeah, the blue plant." " Aren't you supposed to be looking for her?" "You know it's funny, sometimes I'm very, very slow." "Zhaan's a Delvian...plant, right?" "Not animal." "No bones." "Fibres instead of bones, so no calcium." "And M'Lee's got a great...nose... so what...would she want with Zhaan?" " Where is she?" " What are you doing?" "You faked those injuries!" "Where is she?" "I don't know what you're talking about." "Please, leave my specimens alone." "Zhaan!" "Okay, I can do this Zhaan, I can do this." "Damn, where is the button on this thing?" "I can do it." "I can do it." "Step away from my machine." " Why would you do this to her?" " She's a Delvian." "I have lived over 200 cycles, consumed by my life's work as a botanist." "Until today I could only dream of sampling such an incredible species." "She has a name." " It's Zhaan." " She is not dead, nor will any harm come to her." "She's in a test tube, Jack." "Through her, we might discover medical cures even, our future dreamers dare not envision." "Is that not a fair trade off?" "Not to her... and not to me." "I will shoot you!" "Nah, I don't think so." "Not without the Chakan Oil cartridge." "Run!" "She's mine!" "What the hell am I looking at?" "Justice." "Are you okay?" "Weird sensation." "Thankyou." "The SAS reports a confirmed location on one of the escaped Leviathan Transport Pods." "It's landed on one of the deep field asteroids." "Sir?" "Captain?" "Scorpius... has ordered several Marauder teams into the asteroid field." "Is it true what they say?" "That Scorpius can sense our fears and our weaknesses?" "I await your orders, sir." "My orders... are do as he says." "Zhaan, it's time." "Come on." "Crap!" "M'Lee!" "Starvation..." "M'Lee dear, I wish we could help you." "Zhaan, we have to find a way to take her with us somehow, some way." "No, not unless you're willing to sacrifice your shipmates one at a time." "D'Argo told me, there were others coming, called Peacekeepers." "I will try to hold on until then but I must eat something now!" "Bones..." "We have bones..." "Br'nee..." "There is much cruelty in the universe." "Yeah, we seem to have a treasure map to it." "Bon appétit." "The excellent trajectory charts you brought back, will allow us to negotiate our way out of this asteroid field." "Thank you, Pilot." "So...tell me about the baby." "John, he's amazing and...frightening." "The technology..." "It's such a waste..." "It's like nothing I've ever seen..." "You'll find your way back there Zhaan when insanity isn't chasing you." "I'll never go back there again and you know it." "Then those miracle plants will be found by someone else." "In the great scheme of things, it's all the same." "Point well taken." "When did our roles become reversed, sweet D'Argo?" "When you required it." "If your hand is still there in one microt," "I'll snap it off and use it as a good luck charm." "Officer Sun..." "Yes, Pilot?" "Moya has asked me, to relay to you how well she and her offspring, are communicating now, all thanks to you." "Pilot, I did what I had to, for the good of the ship." "Well, the ship has notified me that the offspring now needs a name..." "and she would be extremely honoured if you, Aeryn Sun, were the one to choose his name." "I want a three point grid search of every square dench of this asteroid." "Report any scrap of evidence you discover regarding the fugitives, directly to me." "Sir, we've found a survivor." "She spent time with the fugitives, and may have information, that 's useful to us." "Please, please, please help me!" "I'm all alone here, they killed my family, please." "Please!" "We must know when to be strong, and when to show compassion." "Thank you!" "Thank you!" "As a matter of honour, sometimes... we must be willing to give of ourselves."