SCIFI.COM | Farscape: Journey Logs

Talyn returned to us as suddenly as he had left. Moya's emotions were so strong that I found myself unable to sense anything other than her maternal instincts: her relief that Crais had treated Talyn well, her sheer joy at seeing her offspring once again, and her fear of the violent impulses she detected within him.

Crais requested that several of us meet him aboard Talyn. He specified that our crew should bring no weapons, and he promised that the meeting would be conducted peaceably. Unbelievably, he appeared to be seeking our help.

Shortly after Officer Sun boarded Talyn, followed by Crichton, D'Argo, Zhaan, and the former Banik slave Stark, a Plokavian weapons trade ship approached Talyn's coordinates and initiated communications with Crais. Just a few microts later, the Plokavian ship was destroyed — annihilated by an energy beam coming from Talyn's forward cannon.

The crew retreated to the Transport Pod, leaving Crais and Talyn to Starburst away. Meanwhile, a second Plokavian ship, determined to discover who was to blame for the destruction of their associates' vessel, incapacitated the group on the Transport Pod with a kind of shockwave and brought them aboard their vessel for interrogation.

Chiana and Rygel felt we should stay and make an attempt to rescue the crew from the Plokavians — a race known to be at once extremely violent and passionately committed to bringing about justice — but Moya had conflicting designs. Because this brief reunion with Talyn had ended so disastrously, Moya was more committed than ever to finding her son at all costs. At her request, I programmed a search pattern, on the infinitesimal chance we would be able to catch up with Talyn, wherever his Starburst had taken him.

On the Plokavian vessel, the crew was held captive atop a solitary platform high above a large open, empty space. One by one, each of them was brought before the Plokavian inquisitors and asked to recount his or her view of the events leading to the destruction of the weapons trade ship. If any of them attempted to lie, all would be executed — but if the guilty party willingly confessed, only that person would be forced to face death by dispersal.

After the last testimony was heard, the Plokavians inquisitors came forward with their verdict. Each crew member's account of the events had been different, leading them to believe they were being lied to by the entire crew.

With no one person willing to take the blame, the Plokavians decreed that only one thing could be done. The entire crew would have to be put to death....