Along came an Inquirer . . .

Sigin looked at Chiana each asked one simple question: "Where did dumpsters come into this?"

"Sounds about as good as any place to bury that cadaverous SOB after Sigin gets done with him which'll I'd be glad to help with here in a moment," a tired sounding female voice says behind them all. "But that aside, did we somehow pickup two sets of Aeryn Suns and John Crichtons here or are my eyes malfunctioning?"

Inquirer

I look tiredly over at the elves who'd come in right after I had managed to beam aboard just seconds after I'd arrived. While what happened to me while down below upon the planet (Middle Earth) had been bad enough, getting stuck for all my troubles had been annoying enough but they had to go through . . . .

Ah, but first thing first. After we'd come aboard (and securing the transporter so nobody uninvited follows us up) I contacted my husband (who'd been working the situation to get us the Hell out of here). Frankly, I had been on my way up to the Bridge in order to cybernetically interface with the ship's computer because it was the ONLY way (he and I working in concert) we will get out of here. Yes, while the type of cybernetic interface I'll be using is inferior to the quality I enjoyed in my first incarnation as an AI (port I'm using on my body is only the backup system, the primary one hopelessly mixed up in the Borg injector prongs I'd used on Agent Smith), it was good enough for me to pilot this ship while the Doctor does HIS magic. Will take all of my mental resources (got to put off the magical mental simulations I do day and night in order to advance in magery) to do it. Must be done soon or we shall start seeing what had happened (the madness) to the Defiant's crew happen to all of US (the human and more mundane organic beings, at least). Not good and still something of a secret amongst us Champions via specially magically shielded telepathic conference. I'd learned from the Doctor that there were quiet a few telepathic types aboard now who could intercept casual telepathic sendings. That meant caution was needed because of that and because some of the visitors STILL are heavily armed and armored (i.e. the Roughnecks). While they might be well disciplined (if things go well enough along as matching up with their literature counterpart), we all agree that in order for this plan to work (one of several plans that got hashed out while I'd been away) the less distractions we had the better!

Yeah, we could have broken out the chemset and try to recreate that liquid Klingon nerve agent that McCoy used on the Star Trek TV show (as well as in what passed as real life in this multi-verse mess), but bet you fifty Milcreds that we'd have at least half of the folks aboard down and screaming in insanity before we hit upon the right derivative! Yes, after that we'd have more time to work with to get out of here but still . . . . Sometimes haste is what is called for, right?

It's never as easy as the TV makes it out to be, folks. Just trust me on that.

Ah, nevermind.... So right now we just haven't really told the whole story about this place, kind of artfully dancing around the question (those who're familiar with the Star Trek episode: The Thollian Web). Made a few reassuring sounds and noises to keep things calm (and quiet) so we can do our job.

Even got the visitors staking out quarters (all the better to keep them out of our hair, gang). Great distraction which, if I and the Doctor are successful will actually pay dividends. It'll be one less thing to take care of once we get out of here (so it could be said to not be busywork, really). Before the unexpected separation when the name Defiant got bandied about when we'd met Rico.

Creator, how in the name of Heaven did these Heinlien characters get caught up in this? While I'm at it, I might as well ask just how we seemed to pick up so many strays from other Farscape universes....

Ah, later!

But before I get up to the bridge I and the elves need to take care of one thing here.

"Inquirer!" both Chiana and Sigin shout, for the moment ignoring their guests to instead come over to greet me and the elves after the long time separated. Some of them might be put off a little bit at being ignored for a moment, but they'll be able to get over it.

"By all the saints," Sigin goes on. "It's good seeing you all!"

He then sees a small . . . sticking problem that I haven't as of yet gotten around to taking care of yet. It hadn't been an immediate concern and I could and would have pulled it out while in the Turbo lift up to the bridge. But funny thing, I'd come across my friends here and just felt like saying "hi" and all that.

Call me strange, okay, but sometimes friendship comes first for me. Have to take care of things in some kind of order so I'm taking care of this first and then move onto other issues (and there are so man issues I feel out there right now still to take care of, alas).

....

1. "What the Hezmana happened to you?" one of the Aeryn Suns asks, pointing at the small sword sticking out of me. My cloak had hid it before, but now all can see it now that I'm close.

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