SCIFI.COM | Farscape: Journey Logs

We'd been separated from Talyn for half a cycle, so we approached our reunion with eagerness. But when we encountered a battered Transport Pod at the rendezvous site, we grew fearful — had Talyn himself been destroyed?

To our astonishment, the pod's passengers were strangers, and a curious assembly, as well: a Scarran named Naj Gil, a Nebari named Hubero, a female Hynerian named Orrhn Pak, and a Peacekeeper technician named Markir Tal.

Naj Gil, Hubero and Orrhn had been Peacekeeper prisoners, sent out in a Transport Pod as test targets for a new Peackkeeper weapon. While Markir Tal was performing a pre-flight check on the pod, Naj Gil overpowered him and the group escaped. The weapon struck their pod, but the craft survived long enough to carry them to freedom.

While examining the fugitives' pod, Hubero told Crichton and Chiana that there had been a fifth passenger aboard, a Boolite. The PK weapon had blasted this creature into fragments. However, because Boolite body parts can survive independently for some time, Hubero urged Crichton and Chiana to help gather the pieces and reconstruct the creature.

While all this was transpiring, Talyn arrived at last. Crichton hurried to meet our long-absent shipmates. He had been longing for Aeryn Sun's homecoming but was about to face a cruel shock.

Only Aeryn, Rygel and Crais were aboard, and of the three Aeryn showed the least enthusiasm at having returned. Stark had ventured out on his own in a search for his late, beloved Zhaan. The other Crichton was dead. All that remained of either man was Stark's mask — which Stark had bequeathed to our Crichton. Not until later did I understand the significance of that gift.

It did not take Rygel long to notice the scent of the Hynerian female onboard. And Orrhn recognized the Dominar immediately. What happened next in Rygel's quarters is best left unsaid.

Everyone else on board was also experiencing what passes for a respite on Moya. D'Argo continued to guard Naj Gil. Aeryn spoke briefly with Markir Tal, whom we had locked in a vacant cell. And Crichton took his duplicate's belongings to his quarters.

Unfortunately, I was forced to shatter this relative calm when I sensed a Peacekeeper distress signal originating from within Moya.

We could not determine the person responsible, so we decided to hasten repairs to the fugitives' Pod and send them on their way as soon as we could. In the meantime, Moya and Talyn initiated Starburst to evade any Peacekeepers who might respond to the call.

Crais and Jool struggled to assemble the Boolite. Crichton and Aeryn worked together briefly on the fugitives' pod, but Aeryn soon departed to work elsewhere, alone.

Finally the partially reassembled Boolite gasped out a word of warning — "traitor." Almost simultaneously, someone shot Naj Gil, wounding him severely. During the chaos that followed, I detected another PK signal emanating from Moya — this one giving our exact location.

With Naj Gil immobilized and Markir Tal securely confined, we concluded — improbable as it seemed — that either Hubero or Orrhn was the traitor in our midst.

Unfortunately, both Chiana and Rygel were so convinced of their new friends' innocence that they went into hiding. Rygel took Orrhn into the air ducts. D'Argo and Aeryn searched the storage areas for Chiana and Hubero, but did not find the two.

Then I sensed a pulse blast near Markir Tal's cell. The Peacekeeper had escaped.

Either Chiana or Rygel was in hiding with an enemy. And that enemy had just freed a deadly ally, who was now loose somewhere on Moya....