SCIFI.COM | Farscape: Journey Logs

Officer Aeryn Sun reporting. We've taken refuge from the Peacekeepers and Scarrans in Tormented Space. The region is as I remembered it: tormented. And tormenting, for those who traverse it.

Moya was soon exhausted by the many Starbursts required here for escape, evasion and wormhole-dodging. Our reserves of drinking water were nearly empty. At last, we discovered a planet where we could resupply while Moya recovered. D'Argo, Crichton, Chiana, Sikozu and I landed while Rygel and Noranti stayed aboard Moya with Scorpius.

This planet had recently quelled centuries of clan warfare to initiate a unified government. When we arrived, the current Prefect, Falaak, was about to finish his term and transfer power to his strong, well-intentioned successor, Gaashah. The clanspeople were nervous about the transition and suspicious of outsiders. After Chiana's indiscretions with certain clansmen, she was nearly executed and we were nearly banished (without the supplies we'd come for). D'Argo and Crichton's diplomacy convinced the tribal leaders to let us stay, provided that Chiana returned to Moya. We sent her back to Moya in my Prowler and the problem was solved — we thought.

Chiana secretly returned to the planet, where she found Sikozu "recreating" with Gaashah's son, Zerbat. Then Chiana herself was discovered — by Paroos, the powerful priest who had unified all 200 warring tribes. He now threatened to turn this strength of will toward punishing us offworlders. I would say it's fortunate he was interrupted — but the interruption itself was a tragedy....

My hallucinations had begun so mildly that I didn't recognize their danger: I saw myself behaving violently toward a local child; I assumed my mind was merely venting frustration. The line between reality and delusion blurred so quickly that I never had a chance to fight back — or worse, tell my shipmates of the problem. Soon, it was too late: I drew my pulse pistol and killed Gaashah with one perfect shot.

This time, it wasn't a hallucination.

I fled. It's hard to say which upset me more: the murder I'd just committed or my absolute, inexplicable loss of control.

In my absence, Crichton, D'Argo and the others faced the fury of the clanspeople. Paroos took charge, declaring Zerbat his dead father's successor. Crichton agreed to help Zerbat find me, with Sikozu trailing along. Zerbat wanted revenge. I waited until Crichton was alone before revealing myself.

He had terrible news. My memory was wrong: Gaashah wasn't my only victim. I'd also hurt D'Argo, and slain many others. Seventeen people were dead. Murdered — by my hand. Seventeen. And I had no idea why.

With the help of Paroos, I realized that I'd been stung by an insect shortly before the hallucinations began. Then Crichton was stung, as well — but Paroos said the planet had no native insects. As our suspicions grew, Crichton experienced his first hallucination. He had started down the same deadly road I'd just traveled.

Paroos guessed that someone was using the insects to turn Crichton and me into assassins. Because the murder victims were political moderates, and the bugs weren't native, it followed that Prefect Faalak, whose loyal assistant, E'Alet, was an offworlder, was killing his rivals so he could remain in power.

As we guessed this, Chiana was confirming it. She heard E'Alet tell Faalak that his sgabba flies implanted murderous subliminal signals in their victims — which E'Alet then amplified with his own psychic powers. Chiana even witnessed E'Alet producing more bugs — from within his body.

By the time Chiana contacted us, Crichton and I were on our way to confront Falaak — but we were each bitten again — and again, and again. E'Alet was overwhelming our free will by dosing us more heavily with the bugs' venom. Our new mission, seemingly irresistible, became clear: Crichton and I both felt an overwhelming urge to raise our pulse pistols — and kill each other....