"Hey, fellas, knock it off." "I'm trying to work here." "Knock it off!" "That's enough." "Crais!" "Where is it?" "Crais!" "Yo, Captain." "Where is it?" "What have you done?" "I've taken propulsion off-line to optimize the energy transfer rate." "I'm hoping that it will ease his pain and speed the recovery process." "Very elegant." "You seem to have an intuitive grasp of Talyn's subsystems." "Well, it just felt right." "It is more than right." "I can sense his easing." "Have you given any thought to my previous proposal?" "Talyn, open the door!" "Crais!" "I know you're in there!" "Playtime is over." "Open the damn door!" "Meet me later in my quarters." "There is much more for us to discuss." "Talyn, open the door." "Hey, you wanna mess with me?" "What seems to be the problem?" "Keeping the DRDs over my head working 24-7, so I can't sleep." "Repairs to Talyn." "All the doors, locked." "The shower ice-cold, so I'm freezing the boys off." "John, what are you talking about?" "It's not really a problem but you do not mess with my stuff." "Where's Wynonna?" " What?" "Wy... non... na." " His pulse pistol." " My gun." "Well, maybe Rygel came..." "Rygel and Stark have been on recon for more than a day." "John..." "Don't call me John!" "Crichton, then." "Are you accusing me of theft?" "Talyn, you've seen them both naked." "Perhaps you can tell us who's bigger." "Talyn..." "In addition to their current duties, please have the DRDs keep an eye out for Mr. Crichton's pulse weapon." "He seems to have mislaid it." "Will there be anything else?" "Yeah." "Hang a left before we hit that moon." "What moon?" " Small one, dead ahead." "Our orbital plan is well clear of this planet's moons." "How could we miss it?" "Might have been below the ring plane." "Talyn, get a fix on all orbital objects." "It's changing course and speed." "Accelerating." "Talyn, remain calm." "Main cannon is arming." "Aeryn, bring propulsion back on line." "Working on it. 20 microts." "Talyn, focus on propulsion." "That's no moon." "Talyn, focus on propulsion!" "That's a budong!" "My name is John Crichton..." "I'm lost... an astronaut." "I got shot through a wormhole..." "In some distant part of the universe..." "I'm trying to stay alive..." "Aboard this ship..." "This living ship..." "Of escaped prisoners." "My friends." "If you can hear me..." "Beware." "If I make it back..." "Will they follow?" "If I open the door..." "Are you ready?" "Earth is unprepared..." "Helpless, for the nightmares I've seen." "Or should I stay..." "Protect my home..." "Not show them..." "You exist..." "But then you will never know the wonders I've seen." "Aeryn, propulsion!" "Should be on line!" "It's totally black out there." "This big guppy just locked us in." "Talyn, cease fire!" "Officer Sun." "Try and override the weapons." "Talyn, you will desist." "It's not working." "Obviously, we hit something." "The main cannon is out." "It's damaged." "And maneuvering jets are firing." "No, Talyn!" "No, do not panic!" "You're costing us vital time!" "Talyn, listen to me." "Focus on a single point with your senses." "Align yourself with that point and block out all other distractions." "Well done, Talyn." "What do we know about budongs?" " Next to nothing." "Live ones are exceedingly rare." "We're still moving." "We're caught in some sort of electromagnetic current, and we're moving..." "Down." "We're going down." "We're being swallowed." "We're moving down." "Talyn, set a course against the current." "Officer Sun, options?" "We are incapable of Starburst." "Can we shoot our way out?" "No." "The main cannon is dead." "We are flying in the dark, and we are still losing ground to this current." "Down." "Do we wanna be going down?" "We have no notion of which way is up or which way is down." "Yo, Jonah, we have been swallowed!" "That is down, and I, for one, do not want to be budong chow." "You will limit your remarks to something useful or I will..." " No, Crais!" " Or what?" "!" "He's right." "John is right." "Drop anchor." "Anchor?" " Yes, anchor!" "No, Talyn." "But only slightly stupid." "It might buy us time." "Officer Sun, take Crichton get suited for space." "In the armory you'll find a case of Taks." " Taks?" "Use the hamman side Access Chamber." "Mooring points are located on the hull..." " Outside." "Yes sir, I have it." "Dropping anchor." "Tak-five torpedoes." "Handheld." "Fusion-bonded rhenium claws." "Stick, never let go." "Cables attach to the rear." "So we're going to use this high-grade hardware like a mooring harpoon?" "Unless you have a better idea." "It was my idea." "But will it work?" "Well, the cables are iridium alloy." "As long as we hit bone, we should hold fast." "Good." "I must be smarter than I look." "That would be easy." "All right." "You know, I'd be happy to swap jobs, come back in there and work the mooring control panel." "Forget about it, you can't even operate door controls." "There's a reason for that." "Do it." "Damn!" "Your twin got the brains?" "No, Crais." "He's trying to make a point." "If I may interrupt..." "Damn." "Open channel." "Officer Sun this current is pulling us at 1.2 metras a microt." "Almost there." "You ready?" "Do it." "Do... not... argue." "All right, we don't have visual yet." "Wall range is closing." "Zero-point-five metras." "I can't see anything yet." "I need visual." "I need to be able to see the ribs." "Point one..." "Still nothing." "Pitch black." "Coulda woulda shoulda brought a flashlight." "Whoa!" "Navigating against this current is proving to be somewhat difficult." "Don't know yet." "Soft flesh!" "We missed the bone!" "Not gonna hold!" "Talyn, reverse jets." "Release the cable." "Too late!" "Get down!" "Reload." "Got it!" "Crais, I'm going to go for a second shot." "Talyn, back to the wall!" "Set!" " Still no visual." "Talyn, slower." "There it is." "Go, go, go." "Come on!" "Crais, stabilize the frelling ship!" "We're holding." "Swinging towards the wall." "What are you doing?" "That one held." "Making sure." "Door!" "Crais, third Tak away!" "Whose stupid idea was this, anyway?" "Yours." "What do you mean, they're not here?" "How can you frell up a simple rendezvous?" "They're just not here." "Not one of you deficients can properly read a chart." "Right." "Let's call the frelniks." "Remember Aeryn's mother?" "Aeryn's mother, Retrieval Squad?" "!" "Yes, well, she's out there, and she's looking for us." "Radio silence keeps us hidden and alive." "If those toeskas have left us, after all I've done for them..." "It can't be." " What?" "What the yotz are you looking at?" "That lump?" "That lump is a budong!" "What are you doing?" "!" "Shutting everything down!" "Stop being a welnitz!" "We can just fly around it." "Budongs are harmless, aren't they?" "They're a frelling shipping hazard!" "Our ship's energy fields make us electromagnetic candy." "I've never heard anyone say that." "That's because they're all dead!" "Dead?" "!" "We're flying out of here." "No!" "No, the power stays off!" "Off!" "Off!" "Off!" "Off!" "Off!" "I am the eater not the eatee!" "Can we please restart the Pod now?" "Cables are holding." "Yes." "Good." "It was well done." "By everyone." "It's warm in here." "Aeryn, uh, there's something we need to discuss." "How to get out of this animal." "Indeed." "Crichton will be up here shortly." "What we have to discuss does not concern him." "I have engaged privacy mode and I wish to speak solely with you." "Crichton, meet... my quarters." "Crais, your comms are fritzing." "Where?" "Meet me in my quarters." "Quarters." "Because of what has passed between us, I wanted to wait... for you to make up your own mind in your own time, but... events have led us to a new situation." "Crais!" "No, of course, not here." "Tell me he's got some pumps in the closet, or inflatable Scorvian or Wynonna." "PK vid chip." "Home movies?" "Oh, I really shouldn't." "Well, you can have anything you want." "Anything." "Aeryn Sun." "Are you offering yourself?" "Take what you want, Crais, and I won't stop you." "Listen, Crais, I'm not prepared to remain onboard Talyn... under these circum..." " Let me finish." "Perhaps it would be best for, uh..." "Perhaps it would be best for you to see me as I am." "Sorry I'm late." "What did I miss?" "We were just discussing how best to resolve our... predicament." "Really?" "Mm-hmm." " Yes." "Yes, Talyn has completed his scan of the budong." "Right." "Have him whip up a hologram." "Not necessary." "I have a direct link." "We're moored in the passageway, above the stomach." "The budong has too much mass to scan its length successfully." "But I believe we can navigate the digestive tract." "And what about gizzards, stomach acids, bowel obstructions?" "Budong's are very large structures." "And Talyn is designed for intense combat." "We should pass through." "You know what, I may have swallowed a quarter once or twice, but this seems to me to be a little bit different." "Can we not find an alternative, use an alternative orifice?" "Blowhole or something?" "Not according to our scan." "So, according to your scan, assuming this budong is not constipated, you... you want to fly out the ass?" "And-and Talyn can do that?" "He's lik- he's like, he's not gonna freak on that plan?" "Not with help." "What help?" "I have decided to take the neural interface with Talyn." "The Hand of Friendship?" "I see." "I thought Talyn was designed for one captain only." "We have devised a modified transponder for insertion." "Yes, I bet you have." "So, you, uh two... three, you three are, uh, gonna be one." "And, uh, anything I can do to help?" "At the moment, no, nothing." "Exactly." "It's a good plan." "Where are you going?" "You heard the man." "Nothing for me to do." "John, wait." "Aeryn, you do not want me there." "I" " I do want you there." "Why?" "To throw rice?" "Forget about it." "I've seen my share of hardware insertion." "I'm not watching." "It's been modified." "Yeah, I heard that." "Less invasive; it's-it's safer." "Yes, it's new." "It's improved." "It's the Finger of Friendship." "$19.95." "But wait, kids, there's more!" "What's the matter with you?" "This is the right thing to do." " For who?" "For all of us." "He needs my help to control Talyn to get us out." "Aeryn... do what you have to do." " I will." "Fine, but do not sugarcoat it for me. "Right thing to do," my ass." "And what's that supposed to mean?" "It means that you do things the way you want to, when you want to, with who you want to do them." "It's got nothing to do with what I want." "It's always about what you want!" "So yes, walk back in there and let Crais stick a spike in the back of your neck." "Listen to me!" " It'll be a brave new universe, Aeryn." "You and Crais." "You can finally rejoin that Peacekeeper family you've been pining for from the moment we met!" "You have got this so..." "Just don't pretend to me that it wasn't what you always wanted!" "You finished?" "You're right." "I don't want you there." "I know you think I'm overreacting, but I'm not." "I'm keeping us alive." "A budong is a killing machine, death incarnate." "Five cycles I spent on a budong mining operation." "Thousands went in;" "none came out." "And those budongs were dead." "This one's very much alive." "What's that?" "My mother sucks what?" "!" "You heard me." "What have you eaten?" "!" "Oh-oh-uh-oh..." "Oh-oh, I think I'm going to..." "Waste funnel's in the back." "I love that trick." "Talyn, open the door." "Please." "Talyn, open the door." "Please." "Damn... idiot." "There will be pain." "It will pass." "Try not to control Talyn's systems too quickly." "He was an infant when I joined with him." "His will and his ways are much stronger now." "Accept him for what he is, and he will welcome you." "This is a moment we have long waited for, Aeryn." "Are you certain?" "He is beyond beautiful." "Welcome to our world, Officer Sun." "Reach out with his senses." "What do you see?" "Passageways." "Now, focus on a specific object." "A door." "Good." "Now open it." "Very good." " Oh..." "You learn fast." "I'm tempted to say you've had enough for one day, but circumstances being what they are..." "Imagine you wish to speak with someone." "Someone far away." "For yotz sake, answer if you can hear, fekkiks!" "I did that?" "You aligned your comms with long-range scan." "As I said, you learn very fast." "Hello, out there, anyone!" "Come and get me off this stinking Pod!" "Dominar, you're back from recon." "Well, of course I'm back." "Where the yotz are you?" "We're somewhat inconveniently tethered inside a budong." "Inconvenient?" "!" "Kiss my mivonks!" "Stark, get out here." "Stark thinks he's some kind of budong expert." "What?" "Oh, you're loose!" "Not half as loose as Chiana." "Now, listen." "I've got Talyn on the comms." "They're stuck inside the budong." "Inside?" "!" "No." "Not for long." "We hope to pass through the digestive track shortly." "No!" "No, no, no, no, no!" "You-you can't!" "Its stomach is an inferno!" "Nothing ever comes out of a budong alive!" "Talyn..." "Its stomach burns at 5,000 klances." "Anything that goes in, comes out liquid ore!" " Shut up!" "Shut up!" "Talyn!" " Calm yourself." "No, Talyn..." " Talyn, do not panic!" "You're dead!" "You're dead already!" "Stark, do not panic!" "We've lost the Pod signal." "Talyn, calm down now!" "Aeryn..." " Yes." "Is manual override in place for the moorings?" "Yes." " Stay at that control." "Do not let Talyn release..." "Crais?" "Talyn, what are you..." "What have you done to him?" "John, get up here now!" "What went wrong?" "What happened?" "I'm not sure." "Talyn was screaming to be released, and then Crais was trying to reason with him, and he..." "Where's Crais?" "I thought he was with you." "Talyn, where's Captain Crais?" "He was." "Talyn, listen to me." " You didn't see him leave?" "Oh, I was busy." "Talyn?" "He's not responding." "Houston, we have a problem." "Didn't you take the transponder?" "Then use it!" "I see him." "Access Chamber." "He's trying to release the cables." "What?" "Why?" "I don't know." "Well, can you stop him?" "Wait, I..." "Yes, I can keep the cables secure, but I..." "I can't leave this override panel." "It's the only advantage I've got." "Fine." "I'll go, you give me your gun." "You hold him off." " Listen..." "Aeryn, your gun!" "Listen, he's..." "Aeryn, get ready to open the Access Chamber door." "I'll try." "Crais has released a cable." "One more, and we're budong manure." "I can't stop him, and Talyn is resisting." "Aeryn, the door!" "I'll try." "Crais!" "Get your fat, hairy ass away from the mooring controls." "I see you found a weapon." "What do you intend to do with it?" "Shoot me?" "That's one option." "Of course, it is." "We've come full circle, John Crichton." "Now you want to kill me." "And then don't make my day." "Step away from the panel." "I can't." "Talyn won't let me." "He doesn't believe the Banik." "He wants to fly free." "You'll have to shoot me." "You see, Crais?" "I don't have to kill you." "I wish you had!" "Talyn!" "Talyn, stop it now!" "Kill me!" "Aeryn, what the hell is going on?" "Talyn, please." "Wake up, Bialar." "Talyn?" "Aeryn knocked him cold." "Where is she?" "She's on the bridge, patching up systems." "She'll be here in a little bit." "But before she gets here, or Talyn wakes up, you and I are going to have a little Q and A." "Put that weapon away." "Now, you may be right." "I might want to kill you." "Ask your questions." "You and Talyn." "What the hell is going on?" "Cybernetic bleed-back." "My sores and lesions are physical symptoms." "You want to expand on that?" "Talyn did that?" "In times of stress, our emotions, our desires, can merge." "And Talyn can gain a degree of control over me." "Resistance causes pain." "Clarification?" "Talyn controls you?" "Crais... you just set up Aeryn for the same problems you're having." "No." "Her transponder is limited." "She will not be harmed by Talyn." "You cockroach!" "The choice was Aeryn's." "Are we finished?" "No." "I keep hearing that you've changed." "I think, weather changes." "And we just keep making the same mistake." "Remember why you're alive." "Crais." "You all right?" "I'm alive." "How's Talyn?" "I, uh, overloaded his beta channel." "Knocked him into sleep mode." "He may have a mild headache when he comes around in a few arns." "You surpass yourself, Officer Sun." "I wouldn't try it again." "I don't think he knew what I was doing this time." "Well, we must wake him." "The sooner we..." "Whoa, whoa, hang on." "Don't we want to figure out what we're going to do first?" "You're no use to us dead." "You rest." "I think..." " No, rest!" "You're not going to make it out the door in your current condition." "I must get to... bridge!" "Why doesn't anyone ever listen to me?" "I'm gonna check the cables." "Don't shoot him unless you have to." "Is the budong far enough away?" "Yes." "Is it watching us?" "Mm-mm-mm... no." "Then let's power up and escape while we can." "That's it!" "That's vomit." "No, that's it." "Aeryn!" "Crichton!" "Crais!" "I see it." "A plan." "Aeryn!" "Crichton!" "Crais!" "Why don't they answer?" "'Cause they're dead." "Give it to me." " What?" "You pulled the comms relay circuit." "Give it to me." " Get back." "They are dead, and we are leaving." "Ah..." " Now be a good little Banik and help me power up this Pod." "Hmm?" "Cable's fine." "Mooring control is totally buggered but we should be able to cut loose if we have to." "What's your problem?" "Shouldn't you be with Crais?" "He's sleeping." "Answer the question." "Aeryn, I am doing everything I can to get us out of this absurdly large space monster." "I'm doing the good little soldier bit." "What else do you want from me?" "I want you to stop acting like a drannit." "You know what?" "I have no idea what a drannit is." "No, don't play dumb with me." "That hasn't worked for over two cycles, John." "Aeryn, I am dumb." "I don't understand you half the time and I have no idea what a drannit is!" "Fine, forget the drannit." "Fine, screw the drannit!" "What?" "You really have no idea what a drannit is, do you?" "What's a drannit?" "Vomit." "Come in, please." "Vomit!" "Stark, you're still here." "Oh, wonderful." "They're alive." "Now you can torture them with your inane dribblings." "I know how we're gonna get you out of there." "Vomit." "Vomit?" " Vomit?" "Rygel and I are going to feed the budong." "Overfeed the budong." "Ice." "From the planet's rings." " Ice?" "That's beautiful, Stark." "They can now die laughing." "Wait, wait, wait." "There's more." "You're gonna have to dump some of your cesium fuel." "Our fuel?" "Yes." "Dude, cesium and water, and ice is water make exploding water?" "Yes, the explosion should make the budong vomit." "And you can ride out on the wave of the vomit." "In front of the vomit." "Stark, give us a moment." "They're going to say yes." "No, Sebaceans are ugly, not stupid." "They know that cesium fuel and water do not react without an ignition source." "They'll say no." "Here it comes." "Stark, we're going to have to say no." "See?" " You can light the cesium with-with Talyn's cannon." "Talyn's cannon is out of commission." "But w-w-we have to ha-have a really big explosion." "You must have some kind o-o-of something that explodes or something?" "No." "The main cannon is out, and I've launched all that..." "Oh." "They had warheads?" "Oh, I disarmed them." "You really should tell me these things." "How big?" " Big enough." "Stark?" "We have an ignition source." "Crais!" "Crais, wake up!" "The budong eats." "You guys dump the cesium." "I set the bomb and free the cable." "We all fly out." "I'll talk you through the procedure to arm the warhead and release the cables." "Then we're on the clock?" "Yes." "You can delay the detonation by 500 microts but if you are outside the ship when it goes off..." "I'm toast." "Stark, we're waiting on you." "Yes!" "Aah!" "Electromagnetic candy!" "You flew across its eye?" "I had to be sure it would follow." "Well, it is, and it's gaining!" "This Pod could never outrun a budong." "We just want it to eat 'cause we're candy!" "Candy?" "You'll kill us all, you trankass!" "Mother always said I'd die from incompetence." "I finally know what she meant." "That's why we keep people like you chained in the first place." "Your entire race..." "Shut up!" "We're candy!" "Okay, I'm there." "Man, you guys should see this ugly, sticky flesh." "Kind of like my Aunt Ruth's special Jell-O." "Can you access the panel?" "Ah, yeah." "Give me a second." "Yeah, got it." "Right." "Don't press the green button yet." "That arms the warhead." "The blue key is the cable release." "Crichton, you ready for the sequence?" "Don't frell this up." "Areyn, give me some slack." "I'm on maneuvering jets." "Crais, can you start waking Talyn up?" "Talyn is already awake." "What?" "John?" "Hey, Stark, you're ready yet?" "I'm stuck out here in spam land." "Yes." "Oh, no!" "Yes." "Sort of..." "Oh, no, no..." "Come on." "No, no, wait!" "Why isn't he communicating?" "John, I need you to put a hold what you're doing." "I need you to wait." "His comm's on." " Ah, give me a break." "Oh, yes, now." "Do it now!" "Do it now!" "Man, gotta love that boy's confidence." "Warhead armed." "500 microts and counting." "We're moving." "Talyn?" " John, answer me." "Releasing cable... now." "The cable, Areyn!" "Aeryn..." "Areyn, we can't outrun the budong much longer." "You should have dumped enough fuel." "Not now, Stark!" "Talyn, Crichton is outside the ship." "He already knows." "He's been awake for some time." "And moving into position for the fuel dump." "He's doing what?" "He's leaving Crichton behind." "He... he can't!" "He correctly fears being too close to the point of detonation." "Talyn just spaced John!" "Aeryn, can you read me?" "Can you read me?" "Okay." "I'm at the hatch." "Coming in." "Open the door!" "I never thought..." "I tried to warn..." "Talyn never trusted Crichton." "What are you talking about?" "Crichton is not a Peacekeeper." "He's not a Sebacean." "So?" " So he finds him offensive." "Perceives him as a threat." "To whom?" "!" "You." "He wants to protect you." "John is only dangerous to himself." "I tried to persuade Talyn that he was wrong about Crichton." "Well then persuade him now to go back and get him." "He cannot be coerced." "He will do as he wants." "I can do nothing." "Don't you lie to me, Crais." "This is not about what Talyn wants." "You have taught him everything he knows." "This is about you, me and John." "Hey, Talyn, I've been reviewing this situation." "Aeryn's pretty pissed at me, but she kinda likes me." "Talyn, prepare to dump 70% of our cesium." "No, Talyn..." " Aeryn." "Crais, well he hates me, but he's not stupid." "He knows if he kills me, that Aeryn would do the math and his shot at domestic bliss would be cut off, along with his balls." "I regret losing Commander Crichton." "He was an honorable man." "But we need you here, now." "That leaves one suspect." "Open the door, you soulless, tin-headed, adolescent pig!" "Crichton is gone." "You've seen it." "Talyn, show me." "The truth." "Peacekeeper lies." "I'm..." "So you should be." " Aeryn!" "Aeryn!" "You have to do it now!" "You have to dump the fuel now!" "Yes, Stark. 200 microts are left, I concur." "Talyn, initiate the fuel dump now." "Open the frelling door!" "Open it!" "Talyn, I recommend you do as Officer Sun requests." "Detonation in 80 microts." "Talyn..." "I want you to share something with me." "Before he dies." "You can taste something that is denied to Peacekeepers." "Something that you will never know." "Areyn..." "Can you feel that?" "Good." "Talyn... that is what it is to need someone." "You don't need me." "You never will." "Aeryn?" "No!" "Ten microts." "Five, four... three, two... one!" "Detonation!" "Yes, yes, yes, yes!" "Yes." " I knew it would work." "Talyn?" "Docking Web." "On the Pod." "And set a course away from here." "I wish you would reconsider." "My life has been filled with doing what others think is right." "For me." "For now." "This is right." "Before you go," "This contains various surveillance logs." "I believe Talyn showed them to Crichton." "Have you seen them?" "No." "Perhaps you should." "Some of the entries are very... creative." "I see you found Wynonna." "DRD had it." "Have you seen... this?" "Yeah." "When did you see it?" "Aeryn, I'm not your boyfriend." "I'm not your husband." "I'm not your anything." "You can do what you want." "It's not real." "You know that, don't you?" "The, uh... the last part." "Talyn altered the image." "I never... recreated with Crais." "Not that it should matter." "It does." "It never did before." "You see," "I had this life." "I liked it." "It had rules." "I followed the rules." "And that made everything right." "And then you come along and you frell everything up." "S- strange human with... arrogance, stubbornness..." "Dumb." " Let me finish." "You saw the recording and you didn't say a word." "You are like a plague, John Crichton, and you have ruined my life." "And yet I just... keep coming back." "You could talk now." "Lemme show you something." "Come here." "I'm not gonna bite." "This is a star chart." "These are the names I gave the stars." "They've already got names." "Yeah, I know but Mintaka Three sounds boring to me, anyway." "That's Huey, Louie, Dewey." "You see that one?" "There's that star right there." "The bright one." "That's my point of reference." "My guide." "And it always becomes the center of my chart." "I always name it Aeryn." "You say it's your guide?" "It's my one constant." "Would you like to name some stars?" "There's a lot of them." "Then we could take our time."