"Where in the Hezmana is that siren coming from?" "Sounds like from the inside of my head." "What the Hezmana is it?" "It's definitely Peacekeeper." "Don't do that at me." " What?" " That!" "That..." "I can't help it, the sound frequency's doing something to my eye." "Feels like it's melting my brain." "Couldn't actually be doing something to my brain, could it?" "DRDs have located the siren's point of origin." "Tier Seven, rear storage compartment." "We're there, Pilot..." "The DRDs are removing the cover now." "Can't you stop that noise?" "Let me see!" " Pilot, good work!" "You've stopped it!" " I have only neutralised the internal sound, the device itself is still broadcasting some kind of signal into deep space, using Moya's hull as a maximiser." "It's using my skull as a maximiser!" "Why am I still twitching?" "It's a Paddac beacon, it starts broadcasting unless it gets a signal from the control collar." "Which we removed." "And why didn't you tell us about this?" "Well, not all Leviathan transports have them, I had no way of knowing," "Oh look, I new to all this escaped prisoner crap, alright?" "Oh, no!" "It won't let DRDs near it." "The external broadcast is increasing exponentially." "If there's a Peacekeeper patrol, within a quarter light cycle they know exactly where we are." "Aeryn, can the device be removed?" "I'll get it out!" " Pilot, can the device be removed?" " I'm running diagnostics now." "Even if it can be removed, it will take time." "Meanwhile we're broadcasting our position like a two headed Tronkan shrill singer!" "Look, if we can't remove it, can't we at least muffle it somehow?" "It is using all of Moya's hull." "John, there is no way to insulate Moya's entire outer skin." "Pilot, shut down power to this section, at least..." "That is Moya's primary neural nexus, I cannot shut that down." "Water!" "Pilot, this system we're passing through, the middle planet." " It's got water, right?" " Thirty percent surface moisture." "Not so much water as... bog." "Fine, fine, bog, we'll use the bog as insulation." "What, and take Moya down onto the planet's surface?" "Well she can do that, right?" "...Right?" "Pilot?" "When Leviathans are young, they often play with a planet's gravity, see how close they can come." "There's a tale told about an adult male who once touched down on a planet's surface, though no one knows if it's true or not." "Well if she can't, she can't, or we can stick our heads between our legs and kiss our asses goodbye." "It's a saying!" "Wait!" "Wait!" "I'm not ready!" "Somebody help tie me down!" "Pilot, how's Moya doing?" "Atmospheric friction within tolerable limits, but she's starting to feel the gravity, definitely feeling the increased weight." "Just, put her down in that swamp we targeted." "It's probably not going to matter much, but you'd better get yourself in position for landing." "Looks like earth." "Brace yourselves!" "We're down, Moya has landed." "Am I the only one seeing this?" "...We're sinking!" "My name is John Crichton, an astronaut." "A radiation wave hit and I got shot through a wormhole." "Now I'm lost in some distant part of the universe on a ship, a living ship, full of strange alien life forms." "Listen, please!" "Is there anybody out there who can hear me?" "I'm being hunted by an insane military commander who can do everything, I can't." "I'm just looking for a way home." "Pilot, does that mean that we've..." "Stopped sinking?" "Yes!" "We're almost completely submerged." " You okay?" " Okay?" "No, I'm not okay!" "We are in the mud, under the mud." "You're Hynerian!" "You're aquatic!" "What's your problem?" "Aquatic, that's water, not mud!" "Mud is... mud," "You can't breathe in it, you can't move in it." "It holds ya, it grabs ya, it sucks you down." "You want to know about mud?" "I know about mud!" "The guy knows mud." " And the beacon?" " Muffled..." "The mud's insulating the transmission." " And how's Moya?" " Very scared." "This beacon was hastily installed." "So we just cut it out of there and we can fly off this blasted planet." "I told you, it won't let DRDs near it." "Well, somebody's got to go in there." "Oh no, you covered me in mud because I have no say." "but in this, I have a say, and I say no!" "Get someone else to do your dirty work." "He'll do it..." "With apologies, but that is Moya's primary neural nexus." "It is an intensely sensitive area." "Well how sensitive is sensitive?" "Look, she's just going to have to endure it." "Could you be a little sensitive?" "Look, can we cut this thing out?" "The level of pain will be intolerable!" "She may die!" "Pilot, is there any kind of anaesthetic?" "Something we could use to apply to ease Moya's pain?" "An anaesthetic?" "For a Leviathan?" "There is without question, no such..." "Pilot?" "Chlorium!" " Chlorium?" " It's an element." "It is one of the six forbidden cargoes." "Leviathans cannot transport it because it... numbs them." " Is there any on board?" " Never!" "It's a very common element, it's found in many forms." "It's an atmospherically induced isotope of twinium." "Is there any out there?" "Yo, Aeryn!" "Let's go!" "Hey, this is your chance to flex those big peace keeper commando muscles out in the field" "Peacekeeper commando." "Yeah, really." "Is there a problem?" "Oh, I find and explain our top secret tracking device, to a bunch of escaped prisoners, and then lead a mission to destroy it." "Well number one, you're not leading the mission." "Number two, those Peacekeepers you're so concerned about..." "They'd kill you right now." "It's the Peacekeepers..." "Turned on me for speaking up for you." "I don't know what I was thinking." "Well back home we'd call it being stand up." "Well I stood up, and I no longer have a home." "Well join the club." "Does this bother you?" "Because it bugs the crap out of me." "So can we go, before we become a permanent tourist attraction in this bog?" "And my eye falls out?" "Jeez!" "Kind of like Louisiana..." "Or Degoba..." "Degoba, where Yoda lives." "Who's Yoda?" "Just a little green guy..." "Trains warriors." "This particle analyser is defective..." " It's Peacekeeper technology!" "You, use it!" " Techs use them, not infantry." "Here, Pilot said you press this, this and this." "Well, it's just like a VCR, except easier." "Oh, whoa, we got something." "That's a weak reading, at that level, we'll have to bring back half the planet." "We need to find a concentrated source." "What's that?" "What the hell is that?" "Vehicle!" "Take cover!" " We need to draw them away from the ship." " We need chlorium." "Aeryn and I will distract them." "You find the chlorium and we'll all meet back at the ship." "Pilot, did you send for me?" "I have completed tracing the connection points between the Peacekeeper beacon and Moya's neural system." " Yes?" " The interlacing is extremely intricate." "Pilot, how did the Peacekeepers ever get such a device aboard without you or Moya knowing about it?" "When Peacekeepers capture a Leviathan, they immediately administer a sleep agent, very potent." "The weak, the old, do not survive, which I suppose is part of its purpose." "While the Leviathan sleeps, the control collar is set in place, modifications are made in propulsion and guidance." "I... thought I had discovered all they had done to Moya." "Obviously I had not." "Pilot, don't blame yourself." "I'm afraid even with the chlorium, there will not be enough time to complete the separation before Moya succumbs to her own intense weight." "Okay, great!" "Fertiliser?" "This stuff could have been made on earth." "Okay, maybe not." "Crichton?" " Where are you?" " Yuh, I'm here." " Where are you?" "I'm in some kind of barn." " I'm with D'Argo, where..." " Fine, you go." " We're half a metra from the ship, still drawing fire from the locals." "Have you got the chlorium yet?" "No, no, not yet." "I'd feel a whole lot better if we could hook up again." "Come on, where are you guys?" "Who's there?" "Who are you?" "What are you doing around my Mom's stuff?" "Don't be afraid." "Hey, I'm not going to hurt you." "Where are you from?" "Um, I'm from a long... a long way away." "You're from space?" "Yeah, I guess I am." " So what's your name?" " Fostro." "Well Fostro, my name is John." "Fostro, wait!" "Wait!" " Mom!" " Fostro!" "It's not a weapon..." "I'm putting it down, just..." "I'm putting it down." "Fostro!" " Is that your Mom?" " Mom!" "No!" "Fostro!" "No!" "I can't move." "Fostro!" "I am in the middle of what may be a very real extraterrestrial event," "This is not the moment for you to..." "Why can't I move?" "I..." "I can't feel my body!" "Oh... my..." "God!" "All my bones are..." "Fostro, get back!" "Not another step!" "Please, I already told your boy, I'm not here to harm you." " Where are you from?" " He's from space!" "He must have come down in that thing you were tracking last night." "My name is John Crichton, and I'm from..." "I'm talking to an alien!" "You're an alien... and I'm talking to you... in my kitchen!" "You gotta call somebody, Mom!" "Go outside!" "Get in the wheeler!" "Get in the wheeler now!" "Outside!" "Now!" "Hey, wait!" "You don't think we came alone, do you?" "If we wanted to contact some government sort of agency ...we would have!" "We chose you." "If this is about me climbing around in the ship's entrails, then you can simply turn around and go back the way you came." "With permission, your Eminence..." "Yes." "Pilot's done all he can, but the device won't allow a DRD or anything metal near it." "We can't wait till the others return." "We have to start the separation procedure immediately." "And what about the great ship's pain?" "Among my sect, I am a ninth level Pa'u." "A priest of that level can harbour the power to... share another being's pain." "If you are willing to begin procedure," "I will do all that I can to alleviate Moya's discomfort." "This is an awfully big ship." "Don't I know it." "Careful, Peacekeeper." "Peacekeeper..." "If I were still a Peacekeeper, would I be sitting on this planet next to you?" "It's been long enough, I say we go!" "Not quite yet... those hounds are still out there, they could track us down in a second." "Oh fine, let's just perch here and do nothing then." "Listen, Aeryn, if you have a problem with my strategy..." "I should have known that this would be Luxan strategy." "It's probably why you did so well against the Grisoldians." "Grisoldians?" "What do you know of them?" "Oh, everyone knows about that battle, how Luxans went screaming into retreat so fast..." "Those monsters murdered thousands of Luxan women and children." "We had no alternative but to retreat." "We soon took our revenge." "And murdered thousands of their women and children." "We had no alternative to that either." "I'm sure the Grisoldians said the same thing." "I'm here because I need something." " Something for my ship." " Where is your ship?" "It's not far from here." "There are others like you?" "Like me?" "Well, there are others, yeah." "My readings flew way off the chart." "The whole town is buzzing about this giant something that flew in low over Kazda's Swamp." "That's where your ship is..." "Kazda Swamp." " Mom, we gotta tell!" " Fostro!" "Look, I understand what a phenomenal moment this is for you." "Do you?" "Can you?" "I mean to you, space travel is commonplace, but to us, here, I mean in one flash..." "You've learned that you're not alone in the universe." "That interstellar space travel's possible." "That a zillion of your empirical facts about science, religion are wrong, or completely suspect." "I do understand." "I'm not exactly what you expected, am I?" "I always thought that when we finally made contact, first contact, the beings we meet would be so radically different..." "You're so much like us." "Yeah, it's a real kick in the paints, ain't it?" "So, have you been searching long?" "Since I was Fostro's age." "My parents bought me a telescope..." "I used to look up at the stars at night and dream about... this moment." "You said you chose me." "Well, we saw the radio telescopes... and we figured you might be somebody who'd understand us, not hurt us." "Hoped you would be." "You have... star charts?" " and deep space photographs?" " Yes." "There's a chance I might recognise something." "Constellations, galaxies." "I might even get a fix on the Milky Way, maybe even Earth." "Don't you even know where you are?" " Are you in position?" " Yes, I'm in position." "What is this thing I have to cut with?" "Well you can't use a metal tool." "I found that in D'Argo's quarters, I believe it's made from bone." "Oh, this is a Tokaar knife." "You know what ceremony young Luxan males use this for?" "On themselves?" "..." "At that certain age?" "Then I suspect that D'Argo will want it back, unharmed." " Are you ready?" " Yes, I'm ready." "Moya, I will take your pain." "You may begin." "Here goes." "Continue!" "Rygel, you must continue!" "This place reminds him of home." " What?" " Crichton..." "He says that this primordial rock actually reminds him of his earth." "No interplanetary travel, retrograde technology, fossil fuel burning ground vehicles." "...He's a savage." " Does that bother you?" " No, of course not." "Look, he's had plenty of time to find the chlorium, I'm going back." " Signal me immediately if he's there." " And if he's not there?" "I will go find him." "You think I will not?" "I think I'll be searching for both of you in less than an arne." "Fostro, it's almost ready." "But Mom, I'm not hungry " "You haven't had breakfast yet and you're going to eat!" "So you... work for some kind of school?" "University?" "Military..." "They provide most of my funding, what's left of it... according to them, it's highly unlikely you even exist." "They're my biggest concern," "I'm..." "I'm not quite sure how they'd treat you if they knew you were here." "Our military isn't the most compassionate, tolerant group." "No, militaries rarely are." "So I'd be a real coup for you." "Walking, talking evidence of extraterrestrial life." "I'd say my funding'd be pretty much set for life." "Fostro." "I made some for you, I don't know if you eat." "Don't even know if you're hungry, hell, for all I know, this stuff could be horribly toxic for you." " What is that?" " Oh no, no, no, it's just an analyser." "It's a science tool, it's telling me there's some of what I need, somewhere near here." "It's in the food?" "How can it be in the..." "Okay, I'm looking for an element called chlorium." "It's what I'm looking for and there's got to be some somewhere here in this..." "What the hell is this?" "What is this?" "I'm sorry." "Look, whatever is in this container, this is what my ship needs." "It's the military." "Lyneea!" " Fostro, take him to your room!" "..." "Go!" " But Mom..." " No, you don't have to do this..." " Go!" "Moya is in intense pain." "Zhaan?" "Zhaan?" "Zhaan?" "Zhaan!" "Pilot, I think Zhaan is..." "Pilot?" "Pilot?" "Pilot!" "Wake up!" "Wake up, you worthless weak shank of blue flesh!" "Are you there?" "Are you there?" " Pilot?" " Anyone there?" "Yes, of course we're here!" "I've been screaming by shaltan head off!" "Moya is succumbing!" "She's... collapsing." "You know when I was your age, I used to dream of meeting a real, live alien." "Yeah, me too." "Your phone's broken?" "Well, I dropped it in all the excitement when I thought..." "'Thought' nothing." "We have confirmation this time." "Mount Versant Observatory says that something definitely punched through the upper atmosphere last night." " This means so little to you?" " I just remember last year..." "Versant declared a definite U.E.O. sighting, turned out to be a terrestrial anomaly." "Anomaly?" "That's not what you reported earlier." "I just want to be sure, I need more time to check my data." "There is definitely something out there, Lyneea, civilians have seen it." "This is the day you prove all of us who doubted you wrong." "I don't understand, when you first contacted me, you were extremely excited about your readings." " I'm still excited..." " No, you're nervous." "Looks like they're making us their base of operations." "Well, it's standard procedure during an actual event, and they know it's real this time." "Commander Ryymax was asking where you were." "You'd better go out there or he'll get suspicious." "Does he have to?" "You say nothing..." "You understand me?" "And they know it's real this time." "He's not gonna..." "There's a very good chance I'm going to get captured here, right?" "Well before I am..." "I at least need to let my ship know about this." "But it's only onlux!" "Just onlux!" "It is what they need." "Here Aeryn!" "Here!" "What's wrong?" "We need to take off immediately!" "The ship is collapsing and Pilot is refusing to follow my commands." " Zhaan?" " We've run out of time..." "We need to remove the device right now." "If you do it, you do it without me!" "You're the only one small enough, come on!" "Wait outside..." "Please let me." "Your greatest fear will come to pass, Hynerian." "Someday you will die at the hands of a Peacekeeper." "As though you'll get the chance, before we're all crushed or I kill the ship myself." "You're afraid?" "You're afraid this great ship will die?" "I don't know what I'm doing," "I have always had others to do for me." "Even in prison..." "I don't even know how to hold a tool." "There is great pain in this for all of us, isn't there?" "Come, we'll face the pain together." "Will he do it?" "I believe so." "I have something that'll heal that..." " Later!" "We deal with the ship first." " Of course." "What's taking him so long?" "Give him a moment, it's a big responsibility riding on those not-so-large shoulders." "Are you truly able to take away the ship's pain?" "This entire ship?" "I only share the pain." "I'm afraid that Moya still bears the larger portion." "I don't know how she's doing it." "What about how you're doing it?" "Are you laughing at me?" "Ah, no, no my dear, I'm not laughing." "You just seemed very briefly to be concerned for me." "I'm concerned only that you're able to complete your undertaking to share Moya's pain." "Yes, of course." "We're going to need biological containment..." "No, we haven't trapped anything yet... but I want us to be one hundred percent ready when we do." "Yes, I said when." "A 'wormhole'?" "That's what we call it." "Well, I know the phenomenon you're talking about, we call it a 'ribbon hole'." "Although theoretically, they don't really exist." "Well, they didn't exist for me either until I got sucked down one." "So you don't even know where your home is?" "I have no idea." "You didn't really choose me, did you?" "No." "Okay, listen, I've routed this through the main dishes outside." "It's as strong as I can get it and it's very broad band." "Aeryn, D'Argo, are you there?" "Can you guys read me?" "Aeryn?" "Are you out there, D'Argo?" "Crichton?" "Crichton, is that you?" "How is your signal getting through?" "Our comms will not penetrate the mud." "Moya is bearing up." "Is this guy more what you were expecting?" "Sir, you gotta come quick!" "Now sir!" " Mom!" " Fostro!" "Another one!" "They've captured another one!" "Sorry Moya, but I have to cut fast." "Wrong move!" "We found him less than half a milon from here." "Look at him!" "He's phenomenal!" "You and Fostro are going to have to get out of the area immediately." "It's no longer safe for you here." " Is he alright?" " Who are you?" "What kind of ship are you?" "That thing on the computer in there, and now this one, trying to pull down my barn!" "You said you were a scientist." "A science ship." "I am a scientist!" "My ship is..." "It's a prison transport, ...escaped prisoners." " Prisoners?" " Yeah." " You?" " Look, it's a galactic misunderstanding." "Here!" "Take your precious onlux and get out of my house!" "Go, now!" " Not without my friend." " Oh, it's too late for him!" "He's going to be laid open on an autopsy table by dawn tomorrow." "That's what I've been trying to protect you from!" "I won't go without him." "Only a few more to come." "Get me back!" "Get me back!" "Rygel, get it done in there!" "Your encouragement is much appreciated!" "It just started coming up..." "I was recalibrating and all of a sudden, it started..." "Wait till you see it, Ryymax!" "It is unbelievable!" "Watch!" "Watch this!" "Crichton?" "Crichton, is that you?" "How is your signal getting through?" "Our comms will not penetrate the mud." "Moya is bearing up..." "Pa'u Zhaan is helping all she can, but we need the chlorium." "Do you have a fix on the origin of this signal?" "Zeta Team, move out!" "Stay back, boy!" "You took your time." "Hey kid, wanna shake his hand?" "Go ahead, he doesn't bite." "See?" "Here, this is yours." "Ryymax and his men are off searching Akon's Field," "It's in the opposite direction from the swamp." "I wish there was more I could do." "You've altered the perceptions and beliefs of an entire planet." "Yeah, I guess that's enough for one day." "Crichton, we must go!" "It will be dark soon, we may not find our way back." "Keep watching the skies." "That's how your people say goodbye?" "What, you people don't do that?" "Goodbye..." "D'Argo." "You are the luckiest nine year old around." "Someday you are going to have a very singular story to tell." "Can't tell it for a long time, of course, ...but someday." "Oh, bias!" "Rygel!" "Pilot!" "Aeryn?" "Crichton, where are you?" "We're back!" "D'Argo and I are back." "Pilot, prepare for lift off!" "I can't!" "What do you mean you can't?" "The pain along the neural nexus is too great." "I can't get control of Moya's propulsion systems!" "Just hold on!" "We're coming down." "Hurry, will you!" "Hurry!" "It's done..." "It's done!" "The beacon is no longer broadcasting!" "I did it, I did it." "I did it!" "Yo Rygel!" "Start spreading this around, everywhere you cut." "Your attention." "Prepare to lift off." "As Moya has never done this before, I don't know what to expect." "Zhaan..." "Zhaan..." "It's done!" "Aeryn, let's go!" "Never, ever again." "We're free!" "We're going to make it." "Don't tell me you're going to miss that rock." "No, not that rock."