"JEREMIAH CRICHTON" "Why is it always my fault?" "It's not always your fault, just almost always your fault." "Now give that ammiox a bit of a twist, will you?" "Not that far, about half as much." "Whew." "You know, Pilot said that this... blockage was a... bi-product of Moya's pregnancy." "Which was probably caused by you firing that chemical burning Earth pod in the transport hangar." "Well, you don't have to worry about that, that was the last of my fuel." "I'm totally dependant on your technology, now." "It is not my technology, it's Leviathan technology." "D'Argo, I don't give a rat's ass what you wanna call it." "It's your end of the Universe, it's your technology!" "It sure as hell ain't mine!" "John." "Is something wrong?" " Yup." "I'm fed up." " Fed... up?" "Do..." "Oh, I'm sorry." "Is this gonna be another translator microbe hiccup?" ""Oh John, you're fed up." "Does that mean you've had too many food cubes, today?"" "It was cute." "It was vaguely, vaguely amusing the first six billion times." "Something clearly is troubling you, John." "Perhaps I can..." "So, what?" "I'm..." "you're-you're gonna help?" "Is that it?" "Maybe." "Before, when you were a priest." "But guess what?" "You resigned." "Crichton, I don't understand, what you're talking about!" "I'm going for a drive, I'm hitting the strip, I'm going crusing." "What's going on?" "I'm getting some space, Aeryn, and I'm not talking about the space outside the ship." "Look, this is hardly the time for Human nonsense, Crichton." "Oh!" "God!" "That is it!" "You are so damned smart!" "There is no time for any stupid Human anything!" "And I'm sick of it, Aeryn!" "I'm sick of Napoleon the Fourteenth," "I'm sick of Blue, I'm sick of Tentacle Boy and guess what?" "I'm sick of you!" "I'm sick of this whole turd-burp end of the Universe." "Crichton!" "I need you down here, this backwash is building up too fast!" "Moya is experiencing an extreme increase in her amnexus systems." "She senses that her fetus is at risk." " She's de-compensating." " De-compensating?" " Oh no!" "That means she's going to..." " Prepare for immediate Starburst." "John." "What's he doing?" "We must warn him!" "Pilot, get him back on board!" "No time!" "You guys are buggin' out on me?" "!" "I hate Starburst!" "Oh, God, I am a dead man." "I wasn't sure who to bet on!" "You or the Shakloom." "I wasn't sure myself." "You share with me?" "In Acquara, the offering of food by a man to a woman, signals his fondness for her." "How do you take it?" "Boiled or barbequed?" "What's that?" "It is a map of the sky." " Did you make that?" " Yes." "By the ancient charts of the Timbala." "It is a gift for you." "No." "Lishala, I uh....." "That's beautiful." "Thank you." "I um... thought you might show me where your home world is." "My home world..." "Well, let's see." "On this map....... right...... about......" "There." "Lishala." "Your father demands you return to the village." " Is it my father that demands it, or you, Rokon?" " When would you ever do as I demand?" "When you learn to ask nicely." "You can teach him that." "I see you took a Shakloom." "Too bad." "A baby." "Don't take them smaller than this." "This is Lashala's map of the sky." "Why did she give it to you?" "Well, I guess she thought it might help me..." "find my way home." "She's never given me such a gift." "Rokon, you don't need a map to get home." "You know you'll never go home." "Not from Acquara." "You're probably right." "But this is the first place I've been that makes me feel I can live with that." "But the question is, can Acquara..." "live with you?" "The Grondeer wants to see you." "Be there at high sun." "So." "Another green planet." "In yet another unnamed system." "Crichton must have landed somewhere." "Moya's Starburst data says that this planet is on an exact reverse trajectory." "Along with every other system we've been through, in the last quarter of a cycle." "D'Argo, we have to admit to ourselves." "Whatever happened to John is his own doing." "He shouldn't have left Moya in a time of crisis." "We drove him to it." "All of us." "You've become so cold." "Cold, perhaps." "But also practical." "We all grow weary of this search." "And it places us in greater danger of being discovered by the Peacekeepers." "I still care about Crichton." "The only reason this search still drags on, is because of the guilt in your own hearts." "My hearts are private places." "Stay out of them." "Aeryn, you have a voice in this, too." "Fine, I say we keep looking." "For now." "You know, D'Argo." "There will come a time when we may have to acknowledge that Crichton has met his destiny, and we are just not part of it." "Then I will wait for you to tell me when to abandon the search." "When we abandon Crichton." " Alloway, Masata." " Alloway, Masata." "Ah!" "My honored guest has arrived!" "Shei, Shei na!" "Shei, enough!" "Allowaaay, Masata." "Alloway, Masata." "You learn our ways, John Crichton." "Aw, they're not so different from my own." "Go." "I want to talk in private." "Come." "Sit." " Beside you?" " I know." "It's a privilege awarded only to my best hunters." "I wouldn't wish to dishonor them." "But by refusing, you dishonor me." "Come." "Sit." "We have much to discuss." "You see?" "Not a bad place to sit." " So, you said we have... much to discuss." " Yes." "For instance... the impulsive flights of my daughter's heart." "You see the way she comes alive when she looks at you?" "When I look at her," "I see a friend." "But if it should become more than that," " you need to understand that..." " Kato-Re." "I deeply... appreciate the way your people have welcomed me." "But, I chose to build my home way from the village, because I do not want to interfere... in your ways." "Amongst our people, it is the female who chooses which male she will mate with, for life." "It may be out of your hands, dear Crichton." "Oh." "It appears the Grondeer has invited the stranger to sit beside him." " When was the last time he invited you?" " Only once." "When I asked his permission to attract Lishala!" "It is obvious that Lishala feels culleh for the stranger." "And now he sits in your rightful place!" " I am not blind, mother!" " Oh, not blind!" "But perhaps... weak?" " I am first among the hunters!" " As my son, you are more than any hunter!" "You are part of the Priestan lineage, and someday you could be Grondeer of Acquara." "I've seen to that." " But only if you marry Lishala." " I want to marry her!" "But not for your reasons!" " How can I control the way she feels?" " I'm talking about rule of all of this!" "And you can't even master the heart of one foolish girl?" "You will do what ever is necessary to insure that no one stands between you and our family's destiny." "Do you understand?" "That is the worst pod landing I ever experienced!" " Where did you learn to fly?" "!" " We lost all power." " We dropped the last twenty units." " You're telling me!" "Pilot, we're heads up on the planet." "We caught a glimpse of Crichton's module during our last pass." "I acknowledge, D'Argo." "Excellent news." "I will inform the others." "In the meantime, Moya's having trouble pinpointing your signal." "Can you activate your homing identity, and reconfirm your signal?" "Pilot." "Pilot!" "Communication's been terminated." "Another power loss." "Something's draining all power." "D'Argo!" "Where're you going?" "Huh?" "I insist you wait for me!" "It's a simple matter, Aeryn." "Either you or I jet down there to try to pick up a visual, where we lost contact." "We didn't lose contact, Zhaan." "Contact was severed." "D'Argo confirmed that he found Crichton's module, then he was gone." "Which is why we must act quickly." "Not without more data." "We're already down one transport pod, let's not make it two." "They could be hurt or need medical attention, or even re-enforcements, Aeryn." "You were a lot more agreeable as a peace loving priest." "As I assume were you, as a Peacekeeper pilot." "I didn't give up my calling." "You did." "My personal decision to put aside the spiritual Seek is none of your business." "I warn you fairly Aeryn, do not go there." " Is that a threat?" " I will only tell you once." "There are lines that we should never cross." "Now, I strongly suggest we concentrate on the problem at hand." "Mm?" "First rule of engagement:" "before you go into battle, know your enemy." " It is not a battle, Aeryn." "It is a rescue." " From what?" "There should be some sort of thermal register from the pods propulsion systems, but there's nothing." "Well, then I suggest we find out why." "Fine." "Because if we don't..." "we're all we have left." "Alloway Masata." "Just passin' through." "Is there a problem, here?" "Rokon." "What's the deal?" "Dammit..." " Rokon!" " I know you do not mean to be an enemy." "But you interfere with our ways." "I'm not... tryin' to interfere, I'm just trying to live my life, alone." "Then why do you poison Lashala's heart?" "Rokon, you and Lashala... you've got nothin' to worry about from me." "But I have to be sure, I have nothing to worry about from Lashala." "You smell like dren." "You look like dren." "Get the hell away from me." "We came back for you." "That supposed to be a good thing?" "You'd rather those guys have danced all over your face." "Huh." "Yeah." "I would." "Now, where ever you came from, go back." "That's when he came flying in." "Swinging his powerful blade... this... man-creature." "A full sanit taller than Tally or Akuma!" " With tentacles and tattoos all over his head!" " You see?" "The stranger, this Crichton, infects us like a parasite." "Already, he brings more evil into our midst." "Remember, our ancestors were space travelers too." "We are but colonists here ourselves." "Then, you will embrace this man-creature as you've embraced the stranger?" "Perhaps you'll invite him also to bed with your daughter." "Mother!" " You will not dishonor my daughter!" " It's alright." "She knows nothing of my heart and less of my sleeping habits." "She should only get some of her own." "You try the limits of your rank, Neera." "Remember you address the Grondeer." "Remember, your office depends upon the sanction of mine." "Do not show weakness here, Kato-Re." "Our people will not stand for it." "Crichton!" "You're alive!" "No thanks to you." "Get up!" "You're out of here." "This isn't the happy reunion I'd planned on!" "I didn't plan on one, at all." "Not after you abandoned me!" "Is that what you really think happened?" "You're the one." "Practically sabotaged poor Moya." "Then blasted out of there like a Barken out of Hezmana!" "I get a little stressed out, and the second I'm off the ship, boom!" " You guys Starburst the hell out of there." " Moya Starburst on her own!" "You forced her to de-compensate when you failed to release the pressure on her amnexus systems." "Do you really think... we abandoned you, when we spent the last quarter of a cycle searching for you?" "This whole time... the last three months?" "And you came back." "To look for me." "A lapse of sound judgement, I regret for the rest of my life." "Yup." "You just might." "The rest of your life." "We'll all regret it if we don't deal with this negative power vortex." " Which means what, exactly?" " If it uses power," " it doesn't work." " We're stuck here?" "Oh!" "No power, no comforts, no defenses!" "Sounds like paradise." "Zhaan!" "Wake up, Zhaan." "I'm not sleeping, I'm increasing my work efficiency with a Delvian Wanta Chant." "Oh." "Well, this might help, come and have a look." "Pilot just produced it." "Oh, good." "It's a topographic bio print." " Still too generalized, though." " Too generalized for what?" "Well, since Moya can't pick up any power signals from the planet, she's concentrating instead, on biological markers." "What we need to do is..." "isolate the most highly developed organisms." "Well, that rules out the three we're looking for." "Yes." "Well, even if we can locate them, the problem is, how do we help them?" "Well, I've been thinking about that." "We need some kind of shielded power source, something that's hot enough to run their transport pod, that can be built into a projectile." " How do we sent it in, where we can do most good?" " Well, you locate the target, and I'll hit it." "Anyway." "Thank God I found this planet." "This system." "You thought you would stay here the rest of your life?" "I haven't stopped thinkin' that." "Look around, D'Argo." "There's a lot worse places." "Since I left my home..." "I've been hunted." "Beaten." "Locked up." "Shanghaied, shot at." "I've had aliens creatures in my face, up my nose, inside my brain, down my pants." "This is the first time.... the first place.... where I found peace." "Lashala!" "Don't be afraid." " Who are you?" " Lashala, this is D'Argo..." "D'Argo, Lashala." " Why did you bring him here?" " I-I-I didn't bring him, he..... came on his own." "As a friend." "Rokon accused your friend of attacking his brothers." "That is a lie!" "They ambushed Crichton!" "It's lucky I showed up when I did." "You've done nothing to harm us, since you came." "Why do they wish to hurt you?" "Lashala." "Rokon believes that... your heart..." "strays my direction." "Perhaps he's right." "No." "Look." "Y-you and I, that's um..." "nah, that's not a good idea." "We must go to my father, at once." "And convince him that your friend D'Argo is not a threat." "Come." "I'll take you." "D'Argo!" "This way." "D'Argo!" "Stop!" "Stop!" "What are you doing?" "!" "Let me go!" "Rokon!" "Tell them to let me go!" "Let-let me go!" "Rokon!" "Stop it!" "Let me go!" " She set us up!" " No she didn't, so shut up!" "Rokon!" "I told you!" "They don't-they don't mean us any harm!" "Why won't you listen to me?" "!" "Rokon!" "Rokon!" "Let go of me!" "You are charged with the crime of assault against the personal guards of the Grondeer." "Gracious Grondeer, you know that I have always told you the truth." "This whole thing started when you asked me to sit beside you." "It made Rokon think that I was trying to steal Lashala's heart." " That's a lie!" " Enough!" "My daughter's heart is not an object to be possessed or stolen." "She is free to give it as she chooses." "Try telling him that." "It's the stranger that disrupts our peace!" "And now his ally, this man-creature threatens our very safety!" "The crime of assault against my personal guards carries the sentence of death." "No!" "Please!" "I know they're not dangerous!" "Please!" "They're no threat to us!" "Be quiet, or be removed!" "But since I believe you are not entirely at fault... you shall be banished to work the compound at Lomata Kai, for a period of ten cycles!" "Kato-Re, you're wrong." "Grondeer, I remind you!" "The law is very explicit!" "The law is my domain!" "Seize that!" "Here!" "What do you have in there?" "It is him!" "Alloway, Masata!" "It's him, look!" "Alloway, Masata!" "So glad you could join us, your Eminence." " Crichton, what the frell is going on?" " I think.... they think... you're God." "No." "Not a God." "But a sovereign." "It's perfectly understandable." "My um... mm uh... my Empire included tens of thousands of planets and species." "This simply must be one of them." "You know, this Grondeer's hut is really quite comfortable." "We are nowhere near Hyneria." "We are in the Uncharted Territories." "What are your subjects doing all the way out here?" "There's no telling how far my influence extends." "Uh, may we, your Eminence?" " Hm?" "May you what?" " We're here to bath you." "Oh!" "You may go." "I'll see to it that no more harm comes to you." "How's it going?" "Well, I've almost finished with the projectile." "The shielded power source is another matter, entirely." "I don't know enough of the necessary science to build it." "Can't believe this, but I need Crichton." "Well, Moya's isolated bio-prints of the most complex life forms." "See these orange marks here." "They indicate habitat." " A settlement." "Possibly a village." " And the dark area?" "Well, according to Pilot, it's the focal point of negative power drain." "But, look." "These three marks, here." "Three distinct life forms." " Clearly different from all the others." " Is it possible?" "Crichton, D'Argo, Rygel." "Well, we know where to send this, but I have no shielded power source to pack on board." "However, we could use it to point them in the right direction." "Oh, this is too, too much." "Keep it coming." "Oh!" "Fruit." "Shakloom jerky." "Oh!" "Excuse me, your Eminence." "Oh!" "Shoo, shoo, shoo." "Enter." "Your loyal subjects are preparing a little celebration for you." "Excellent." "Where they officially accept you as their Masata, and you fulfil your part in the Prophecy." "Hm?" "Which part of what prophecy?" "That's what we're trying to find out." "But they don't like to talk to strangers about their religion." "Religion?" "!" "Uh!" "I told you I'm their Dominar, not their God!" "Well, they don't think so!" "They think you're some kind of savior." "Your Eminence." "Doesn't anybody knock?" "Alloway Masata, most humble Masata, forgive me." "Your grand celebration is being prepared." "Ah, yes, of course." "Where I'm expected to fulfil my part in the prophecy." "Now, for my part in the prophecy, I shall require the sacred text." " The Timbala?" " Yes!" "Yes!" "The Timbala." "It is written in the ancient language." "There are very few who can read it." "Only a Priestan like myself, and of course, you." "I look forward to the honor of officiating at the celebration." "How did you know about the sacred text?" "Where were you brought up?" "Every religion's got one." "Look, relax." "The answer to the whole Masata thing must be in here, somewhere." " Can you read it?" " It's in the ancient Hynerian." "I had a coultry of tutors all through my youth, who did nothing" " but instruct me in the ancient language." " Can you read it?" "I will try." "Are you immortal too, like the Masata?" "When were you going to tell me?" "I thought we had a future together!" "Lashala." "Our futures... were never meant to be one." "Doesn't matter, anyway." "Now that he's come!" "All our futures are different, now." " It is written in the prophecy." " Lashala, what is the prophecy?" "He is the Masata." "Through the Priestan, he has protected us." "Guided us." "Ruled us throughout our exile on this planet." "Later, after the celebration, he shall rise up and lead us to the light." "Wait." "You think..." "that Rygel is gonna take you off this planet?" "Whether we want to go, or not!" "Lashala..." "Rygel is not a spiritual being." "He doesn't have any special powers." "That's not true!" "We've worshipped his idol, for generations." "And now he has returned." "Just as it is written in the Timbala." "Your Timbala... your beliefs..." " they're wrong." "A flesh and blood Dominar has..." " No!" " Been presented to you..." "As some kind of a God." " It's not true!" "If he is the real Masata, he will rise up and lead us to the light." "If he does not prove himself the true Masata tonight, he will suffer a torturous death beyond any other!" "And so will you!" "Party's getting started, it looks like you're the guest of honor." "Rygel, you better find something we can use." "The ancestors of these people, these Acquarans, they were colonists." "Sent out from my Empire during the reign of Rygel the Tenth." "They were meant to expand the influence of my people's monarchy, and they were... they were abandoned." "Rygel the Tenth sent them here." "And then he...." "Rygel?" "What?" "Whatever's causing the power drain across the planet." "It's intentional." "There's some sort of device, sent by my Empire, that purposely keeps these people on this planet." "So that they... can't travel." "Can't learn of other cultures." "Can't be anything other than the blind followers of the Family of Rygel." "What's this about you being some kind of a Masata?" "A lot of this is new." "The Priestans have made it up." "Elevated my ancestors and me to Gods." "To elevate themselves." "But I must tell them." "Explain." "I'm Rygel the Sixteenth." "They must listen." "Rygel, look at them out there." "They aren't preparing for the return of a worldly King." "They're preparing for the return of their savior." "Then... we are frelled." "Well, hakuna matata, Masata." "We got a big problem." "They're all expecting slug man here is gonna rise up and lead 'em into the light." " We know, it is written in the Timbala." " I-It's a metaphor, that's all." "A colorful bit of descriptive language to infer the guiding of people to a better way of life!" "Listen, Rygel!" "To these people, it's not any damn metaphor!" "They are burning their possessions!" "They are expecting you to rise up and part the heavens." "But I-I can't do that!" "I-I..." "Ooooh!" "No!" "No, wait!" "I command you!" "Great." "This current bio-print reading shows all three targeted life forms... are very close to the vortex site." "Alright, let's drop it right in their laps." "Programming targeting co-ordinates." "Clear to launch..... ..... now." "She's on optimal trajectory." "If everything goes smoothly, we should have contact in..." "We've lost her." "It's the power vortex." "No signal." "No data." "No contact." "She is gone." "So." " Now, all we can do is wait." " And pray for a miracle." "People of Acquara." "Loyal subjects." "In this time of-of... hope... of-of greater understanding, it is my wish, that you will understand, that we have much to accomplish, together, as a united people, before um... and uh... by my hand, uh..." "I shall rise up, and lead you to the light." "So!" "As we embark together, on this great journey forward, uh... could uh, take a very long time." "I..." "No!" "It is written that the Masata will rise up, and lead us to the light." "But that's just a metaphor!" "Uh... and as your leader, your Dominar," " I command that you should wait..." " The sacred Timbala does not command us to wait!" "It states without question, "by the hand of the Masata, shall he rise and lead us to the light"!" "Rise and lead us to the light!" "Rise up, and lead us to the light!" "Listen!" "Listen to me!" "I-I..." "I can't." "False God, he's not the Masata!" "False God!" "But I never was a God!" "Seize him!" " Crichton!" " D'Argo, let me go!" "Crichton!" "Crichton, help me!" "For God's sake!" "D'Argo, they're gonna fry Rygel!" "Well, we'll be no help to anyone if they fry us, too!" " Okay." "I give up." "What is it?" " It's from Moya." "Thermal storage casing." "Looks like the girls are..." "tryin' to send us a message." "That's co-ordinates." "You have been wronged!" "Horribly wronged by my Empire!" "I admit that!" "But your belief that I am a God is also wrong!" "Let me explain!" "Please!" "Let me explain!" " This is how it must be." " No it is not." "Why can't we decide our own fate, make our own rules?" "Stop!" "Let him go." "You've been betrayed." "All of you." "You've been forced to live on this planet against your will, as were your ancestors before y..." " Don't listen to him!" " There is a device!" "A device which drains all power sources, it keeps your machinery from working." " There is no device!" " This device... sends out an invisible pulse which blankets the entire planet's surface." "When your ancestors first arrived at this planet, their star ships functioned!" "As did all the machines that they left behind." "But you've been lied to." "First by those who left you here, and then by the Priestans." "You dare attack the Priestans?" " That's the highest sacrilege!" " No!" "The highest sacrilege is purposely keeping your own people ignorant!" " And subjugated, for your own glorification!" " Lies!" " You have no proof of anything!" " Yes, I have!" "In the Timbala." "But only the priestans have read it." "If it is true, that would mean the Priestans have lied to us, for generations." "That cannot be!" "Kill him, Rokon." "He's mad." "Just kill him." " Don't, Rokon." " Kill him, Rokon!" "Kill him, Rokon!" "If what you are saying is true, then where is this device?" "Where is it?" "!" "I'm not entirely sure, Rokon." "But the people from my ship just sent the co-ordinates." "Just give me a chance to find it!" "By the hand of the Masata, shall he rise up and lead us to the light!" "Sparky, you're up!" "D'Argo!" "Rygel, I need you to press in your hands, right there!" "No." "Cease." "I command it." "I have not risen." "I am not a deity." "I am but a worthy being like yourselves." "But I am your sovereign." "The slug who would be King." "I wish you could stay here with us, Dominar." "Oh, as do I, my friend." "As do I." "But, I must continue on my journey." "And if those Peacekeepers I mentioned should arrive here..." "We shall tell them nothing of your visit." "Provisions, for your journey?" "Hm?" "Oh!" "Oh!" "This is so generous, I-I wish I had more of a gift for you." "You've given us the greatest gift of all, Dominar Rygel." "You've given us our freedom." "Now we can stay in our beloved Acquara." "And so you do not forget us... we've prepared you a special gift." "Shakloom jerky!" "Good." "Yeah." " You take care of her, Rokon." " I will." " Your mother, will she...?" " She will survive her displacement." "You've often said you loved this place." "Why don't you stay and help us rebuild?" "I wish I could." "But my future is with my own kind." "I'll continue my journey." " We'll miss you." " Crichton!" "It's time to go!" "Gotta go." "Guess I got some apologies to make up on the ship." "Zhaan, Aeryn, you." "Forget about that." "Was it worth the trouble, Human?" "Hah." "What trouble?" "Let's hit the road."