Oh, and you have problems?

Frieda

"Will you please shut up and speak in a more sane manner!" snaps the female pixie I swear is the splitting image (if you discount the dragonfly wings, size, and overall blueness) of E'ysha, my long time friend who'd stayed behind on Terra Prime. "By the Mother, sometimes I have no clue about what you're babbling about!"

Ah, a woman after my own heart (even if she does stand only all of six inches tall)!

Honestly, though I've only met this man named John Crichton, I've found his mode of speech to be most disorienting! And to think from what the Doctor and the others have done much business with several analogs of him. All of which speak in the same manner!

My, and they say that God doesn't have a sense of humor!!

As it is, I am rather glad that I happen to be facing away from this Crichton as I keep an eye out for any unwelcome guests. Do rather believe he'd not like the smirk I have on my face as I hear him sputter in reaction to the absurdity of a six inch tall woman ordering him about!

As it is, whatever next he was going to say gets lost as my tail....

Oh dear, I do wish sometimes it would behave! I do swear sometime it has a mind of it's own!

"Hey watchit, Seabiscuit!" John shouts, jumping away from the spot where my tail had lashed him across his hand. He emphasizes his order with an attempt at a swat on my flank.

Which is rather stupid, really. If it had landed, then I might not have been able to stop a reflexive stomp on is foot that would have done some damage! As it is, he yelps and shakes his hand in pain where it makes contact with the forcefield from my shieldbelt!

In another setting, I would have been wearing magical armor (specially enspelled to prevent the rash I otherwise would get from wearing clothing). As it is now, this high technology equivalent has been designed to handle both energy and kinetic attacks.

A cut above this Tarken belt Betty compared it to, really. That belt only handles energy weapons. Obviously the designers discounted us "primitive" types who'd resort to either melee weaponry or other primitive weapons (like, say, arrows or pistol bullets).

Rather stupid, really, in my opinion. But that's me. Myself, I'm rather happy with my brand of shields but I am NOT happy at ALL with Crichton!

"Next time I'd suggest that you'd stay further afield of me, human." I say softly (rising slowly as my feelings start to put the neigh into my words), unrepentant. "I do need more room to maneuver, you know."

"Uh, sure." John mutters, blowing on his hand a bit more. "I'll remember that next time. Sorry."

Okay, fine. But still, one more thing needs addressing before I finish here.

"Good," I nod. "Just one more thing. It's my name. My name is not Seabiscuit. Seen the movie and I'm not that nag. My name is Frieda D'Honaire, though honestly that's not my birth name. With all that has happened today my original name shouldn't shock you newbies too badly."

Actually, I know d*mn well that it'll probably surprise some of them. The truth always did before when I let it out. Might as well do it now and just get it out in the open. After all, the question always comes up, sooner or later, when I tell others about my past.

Pip

"What?" I laugh, thinking that this is a joke after John sputters out an explanation at why his jaw dropped. "You're telling me that this four legged . . . . This Frieda is saying that she'd once been a human man named 'Fred'? That's the most fahrbot thing that I've ever heard!"

My eyes then drift back to the little female who's species is either a "fairy" or a "pixie", and then . . . think about what I just said.

No. Actually....that's kinda mild after what's been happening today. Frell how it's managed, but if what this Elvaraniel says is true with her (a species transmutation process that involved a much more massive loss in mass than I've ever heard being done) then somehow the opposite (a species transformation involving a vast increase in mass...

Would have called anyone who'd try to sell me that line of dren something, but after I'd somehow gained a sister that's my identical twin in all ways!

.....

As John would say: wow! I'm willing to believe anything, now. Or at least give more credit to it than I otherwise would have.

See that my sister (so unexpected), is also nodding her head and....

.....

Hey, do I always move my head that way?

I picked that up because it attracts males, more often than not. Exotic. But....never noticed before how much....

If it wasn't me over there except for her having come from another reality (much more palpable than her or me being a clone, something I cannot stand a thought of).....I'd probably ask her if she had a frellin' twitch!!

....

Sigh, until this "spell" on me (a word I'll accept for now, figuring that this magic dren is just another word for something I've seen, psionics) is removed the others have a way of telling me from my sister, Chiana!

Do still want D'Argo....but I do NOT want to sound like him!

......

Pip. Ya know, I think....I'll keep that name. I'll let my sister keep her old name and I'll just be Pip from now on. Kinda grew on me after John gave it to me, ya know....

Now if things work out and Chiana and D'Argo wanna be a "threesome" (something that....I'm not shy about sharing in, but at the bottom of it all I know that D'Argo, I and she need to work things out over this) then I'll kick up my efforts again on Crichton if that tralk . . . .

No, that's not fair to Aeryn. I do like that former PK woman, but I swear that if she keeps pushing John away like she does and doesn't stake out Crichton for herself then I'm going to try on him again!

Frell, even now he still confuses me. All I wanna do is have a little....

....

Well, then again I've kinda noticed that John's idea of relations and mine are....different. That is kinda why he and...

Ah frell it. I'll tackle this later when there is time to think about it!

For some reason the pixie (believe that's what her specie is called) is staring silently at this "centaur" and these other strange folk.

"Fred? How did this happen to you? Last I saw you you'd passed the drawers I'd been in and . . . . What Court do you belong to?" she asks the female centaur and then the others, looking perplexed. "You are not of the Seelie Court but neither are you of the Unseelie Court. I sense in you being like that, of the Forever Living Ones, but.....?"

"Huh?" John asks, looking at the little blue being on my shoulder, in his usual Crichton way I've come to know (and love)!

"We don't exactly belong to a Court," another voice that sounds like my sister says as they enter this hallway. "It's kinda like one, but . . . . something new."

1. "Oh God," John breaths as I feel the feeling of kinship flood through me again. "Another Chiana analog? How many are there running around here, anyway, due to that brainsucker SOB?!"

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