Miss . . .

Elrondir

He's overheard us . . .and has flown over Chiana's and Aeryn Pip's heads and into the bay, seeing for himself that Durka is ALIVE!

Shit! Well, most of us here had known that this one encounter would have happened sooner or later. I, somewhat the leader of this little group (if by default), had hoped for "later". I had hoped that Pip and Chiana would have been able to keep Dominar Rygel from making the scene too soon, but . . .

But like so many other things in life, things don't go exactly as planned. Well, that "contingency" planning is for, you know.

If the Hynerian should get too violent, a simple spell (or three) should keep him from tearing a hole in Durka's throat (he's small but his jaws are that powerful and I've come to know him enough to figure he might try that). Yes, Leon and Zhora are swift enough (MORE than swift enough), but not only are they strangers but I have a bad feeling on how either would react if Rygel should bite THEM!

Being that the gray girls had before hand--much to the curiosity of Moya and her crewmembers who've we'd come to aid--to stay back a bit. We were nice enough to say that it might be a bad idea for our unexpected guest (i.e. the Nebari transport down here in the Maintenance Bay). Might set them off, you might say and cause . . . problems. Being that the entire crew (AND the ship Moya) have various problems with authorities themselves they catch our drift.

Besides, with that massive energy weapon the Nebari transport has we really do NOT want things to get out of hand. The fewer problems we have, the better . . . We already have the ticking time bomb that Durka is, being that because of the wish one particular gray girl had made. See, upon coming into the Champion ranks a wish had been made that mind cleansing (a prime weapon for subduing "malcontents" against the Nebari Establishment) should no longer work. Way it was worded (and being the rather mischievous nature of some Agents) that mind cleansing neautralizer passes like an infection wherever we visit . . . including HERE.

Durka's might become a danger here REAL soon . . . IF everything from both Chiana's and Aeryn Pip's realities follow here. Still too early to judge...

....

We're letting his crewmates handle the situation before we resort to either magicks or super strong Replicants. If it gets to THAT point, then we step in (and have to explain just HOW we did it).

Now, as Betty or Ragan could probably tell you in the TV show it took finally Crichton physically restraining Rygel. So it is with this Rygel and this Crichton! Of course, we didn't know that since neither Betty are Ragan are here...

"Damn it!" Crichton shouts, dragging Rygel back.

"Hey, need a hand with him?" Leon offers.

"No . . .thanks," Crichton grunts, struggling with the wiggling Hynerian. "Damn, I still . . . swear I've seen you and your. . . girlfriend somewhere before! Shit!"

Well, at a guess I will bet that HIS version of Bladerunner the stars looked only similar to the "real" Replicants. . .

"I don't care WHERE you've seen them!" Rygel screams! "Let ME GO!!"

THIS Rygel will prove to be more of a wiggler than Rygel of the TV had been. He almost slips out and Leon drives in to help, bringing some order to this slippery situation!

Zhaan, meanwhile, takes up the conversation thread, for good manner's sake.

"Well," Zhaan manages, not sure she'd heard correcly, glancing back every few seconds in concern at the struggle off to the side. "You claim to be Captain Durka, from the Peacekeeper command carrier Zelbinion, I believe?"

"I was," Durka gasps, still shaking a bit in reaction to having his throat almost torn out. He'd been safe enough (we'd had all but the last syllable of a spell said), but HE didn't know that.

"I told you it was him!" Rygel shouts from behind, adding absolutely nothing useful to this situation.

Shame, really. I actually do have a grudging respect for the short shit!

"Behave!" shouts both Crichton and Leon. Super strength our not, one can't be too forceful. Squished Hynerian won't go over too well with the others here.

Ironic, really. All we have to do to get out of here is to get to the OTHER end of the ship and we'd be out of their hair (and their problems wouldn't be OUR problems any more). But besides it being a bit cowardly to run out now, both Chiana and Aeryn Pip wouldn't HEAR of it!

My, but doesn't she just HATE the Establishment? Yep!

"Wait," Zhaan says, glancing at me and the other Champions when we nod, knowing something like that was the case. "How? Even if you survived the Zelbinion, you would have died of old age over 50 cycles ago."

"It was fortunate," a gray skinned male Nebari says, coming out from the transport ship. "We saved him. I am Salis. My people are the Nebari."

"You brought this monster onboard! " shouts Rygel.

"Rygel," I call over. "If you don't shut up we're going to gag you here in a minute! Queit!"

"He poses no danger," Salis says, calmly

"Really?' Zhora says drolly. "From what I hear this one eye whacko here tortured the little guy! What about that?"

"Truly, that behavior will not recur," Salis replies. "He is now incapable of evil."

"What," Zhora scoffs. "You use mind control on him? If this is the Durka, how can we be certain that he no longer poses any threat?"

"We call it mindcleansing," Salis says, sounding surprised slightly at the sudden hostility he sees in our faces. "We spent over 100 cycles making sure."

"The Nebari practice mind control?" Zhaan blinks, shocked.

That and more Zhaan, I mutter softly into both Crichton's and Zhaan's minds. If history in THIS place is repeating itself. Things like destroying the Zelbinion with a ship similar to what was going to pick them up, so you kinda see why we want to be careful here. Caution which is unfortunately looking like we’d been right to practice.

Go onto apologies for not having told everything beforehand but we’d been kinda in a rush!

Both parties look surprised at the mindspeaking (not having expecting it), but meanwhile . . . after Leon mutters something to Rygel about showing restraint.

"A million cycles would not change him!" shouts Rygel. "He will always be Durka. Put me down. Between you two" towards both Crichton and Rygel "And those two twin Nebari tralks I’ve had enough restraint I can frelling TOLERATE!"

"Of course your slugginess," Leon growls, giving Rygel a shove that nearly knocks HIM and his thronesled into the wall. "By ALL means. Shit!"

He mutters something caustic, annoyed.

. . . .

Do remember that even WITH his longetivity (and other) problems solved by the now vanished Crystallic (it disappeared from our possession upon hurrying through the Door like we’d expected . . . can’t have something THAT powerful running around the multiverse). . . . He’s still immature, emotionally.

"You have Nebari aboard?" Salis blinks, surprised. "May I meet them?"

I notice that Durka has a vague look in his eye. Like something is . . coming back to him (like I don’t know what THAT would be).

Aeryn Pip

"Hello Salis!" I say sweetly, smiling a not particularly warm smile at the shocked looking man. "Miss us, frekface!?"

"What are YOU doing out of . . .?" he begins, blinking and looking first at me. Then at Chiana. Then back at his transport!

. . .

So, there IS a Chiana inside! Had wondered about that . .

Before Chiana can put in anything (like perhaps some kind of smart comment about how good he’d look with his throat slit) when we DO have a near miss!

A rattling near miss that throws EVERYONE and everything about on both ships.

1. Earlier on that OTHER ship . . .

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