Summary: The crew must unite in the face of war.

Rating: PG-13

Category: ACTION/Adventure/Drama

Spoilers: Every episode up to CAN; Mind Games, Illusions, and Deceptions

Archiving: anywhere-please ask first Please NOTE new Email: leathergirlfns@yahoo.com

Disclaimers: I do not own Farscape or anything associated with Farscape and give all credit to the creators for the magic they have created.

Author's Note: The final installment in the "I'm Frelling With Your Minds" Series. Watch for a special edition of the Fellip Nectar Stand: Meet the Author coming soon!

Recap of First Three Stories:
Mind Games: John Crichton succumbs to Scorpius, risking the lives of his shipmates and exposing them to the birth of a war.
Illusions: Zhaan enters into the 11th Level of the Seek, which in effect endangers the lives of the crew as they are thrust onto a mysterious Leviathan. A stray transmission plays out Talyn's death and trust begins to dwindle among all.
Deceptions: The mysterious Leviathan, Antarus, begins to transform, as the crew dives madly into delusions that only Crichton can see only he is on the verge of madness himself. Separated and untrusting, the crew soon discovers their future in jeopardy.

Special thanks to my beta-readers Johryn, PKBarb, and JilaCosa!

Feedback greatly appreciated as always!

*****

"Two cycles I have lived with freedom from the PeaceKeepers, in the company of six aliens of origins that span the universe. Six aliens I have come to know as family. I have seen much pain and suffering amongst you. I have also seen many great battles won and miraculous relationships formed. Life and death could not separate the bond that we share. We have faced the clutches of death only to rise and defy impossible odds. Only the things we desired most became the barriers that tore us apart. I do not know what will mend the wounds we have opened. We are at war. Moya cannot starburst. Now is the time to decide. Will you unite or will you divide and fall into the hands of the enemy?"

Silence followed. The view screen displayed countless stars sparkling beautifully into the dimmed lighting on Command. Peaceful as the setting appeared, this portion of the universe was far from peace. Sudden small bursts of light flashed amongst these stars. The yellowish orange bursts were mute and constant, nearly a dozen exploding at any single moment. As Moya drifted on, these bursts of light became larger and more defined.

Doomed, darkened beings stood in place in Command allowing Pilot's words to sink in. The darkness in the room was as chilling as the expressions on each of their faces. Each one was dressed for battle; weapons prepped and holstered. Minds were set on survival.

A sudden explosion in the distance lit their faces briefly. The ship shook a micron later, just as briefly. Regaining their footing, each one stood firm once again. A muffled noise from the initial blast followed. The ship was drawing closer to the madness. The shockwaves had finally reached them.

Pilot hoped his speech had been inspirational, but he feared otherwise. He watched Moya's scans and sensors; fearful yet bravely watching as the dreaded war slowly advanced towards them. An ailing ship, with a Pilot who would soon be just as frail, accompanied by six aliens barely fit to engage in battle. Their chances: minimal.

A large, intimidating ship loomed before Moya. The ship drifted alongside of her, eerily quiet and abandoned. A slight reddened tint to the exterior casings with a hint of a Leviathan starburst tail still emerged from the back. A large set of Frag Cannons positioned on the side, still a work in progress. The ship, Antarus, resembled a small PeaceKeeper Command Carrier. This was the trap they had been lead into Antarus was an enemy ship, courtesy of the PeaceKeepers, used to lure Moya in and capture the crew.

A long shadow stretched across John Crichton's face. His right eye sparkled dimly in reaction to the little amount of light reaching his darkened face. His stomach churned worse than that fateful day leading to his arrival to this treacherous side of the universe. His mind carried all the accumulated stresses, concerns, and rationalizations from over the past two cycles. Yet his face remained set. His eyes burned with determination.

Aeryn stood in the shadows. Even her stomach churned at this point. She knew the odds of their survival against this race she knew all too well. She was once on the other side of the looking glass. She stole a glance at John and blinked slowly. She knew their lives would soon change drastically; wishing only that the change would be quick and painless.

Standing tall, D'Argo breathed deeply. His body displayed strength and power. His mind, however, carried guilt, sorrow, and uncertainty. As young as he was physically, this warrior Luxan had grown much older emotionally. Scars from many losses were beginning to take their toll on his weakened confidence.

Rygel hovered near the doorway of Command, quietly taking in their situation. His place among these beings was now evident. He had their trust. In the darkness that shadowed his body, a light glint shimmered near his right hand. Rygel now carried a weapon. He no longer considered himself too royal to bear a weapon. Survival was his main concern.

Zhaan, who, normally in dire situations prayed to her goddesses, stood silent as well. The darkness of the room barely seemed to be what blackened her complexion. Zhaan's inner struggles would not be of help to their current situation. She held fast to her weapon and held her fearful mind at bay, struggling to concentrate only on the peaceful image of her beloved Stark.

Chiana stared into the view screen with sadness. Her usually pale complexion was painted over by the darkness of the room. Chiana felt strong among her comrades yet more fearful than ever before. She and her shipmates were about to disrupt a massive war.

"How much longer before the first fleet of the battle reaches our current position?" Aeryn asked in a low voice. Her eyes were as dark as the black canvas of space.

"I cannot say. We can already feel the effects, so I fear any timeline I give you may be false. Moya is not functioning like she once was, mind you." Pilot responded dimly.

"Fear has gripped our souls. We may not last that long." Zhaan stated, as if her comments would be of comfort to any one of them. They all knew the truth; they wouldn't accept it.

Silence lingered a moment longer. Moya shook slightly again, Command lighting up briefly from another blast far off in the distance. The muffled telltale of an explosion drifted past their ears.

"Pilot, one of us will keep watch with you in your den. Surely you cannot be well enough to detect everything." D'Argo suggested.

"I'll go first." Chiana volunteered and headed out of the room, her feet pattering across the floor in rhythm with the bursts of light flashing in the distance out the view screen.

Command grew quiet again and the remaining crew stared off, each lost in his or her own thoughts. The anger each shared for the other had been temporarily ushered aside. Like Pilot had implied, if they wanted to survive, they had to work together.

"Antarus lead us to this war. He willed Moya to follow. Now, he will abandon her as her son has. I fear we may soon be without a safe environment in which to live. Before long, Moya will deteriorate, Pilot will slowly die with her, and we will be left with the transport pods, little food and supplies, and a vast space consisting only of a deadly, unforgiving war." Zhaan said, her voice nearly a whisper. "We will die as well."

"That's pretty depressing isn't it? But it's no way to look at our situation. We have come against incredible odds and always survived. I think no, I know we have a chance." Rygel preached in a steady voice-a surprising speech from such a selfish being.

"I, for one, will die fighting die trying to save not only myself, but also friends I have gained that I could not live without. I will not give up." Aeryn stated strongly, looking from Zhaan to Rygel. She then allowed her gaze to settle on John's set face. He had remained quiet throughout the conversation. Aeryn predicted from his expression that he would stay quiet.

"I agree with Aeryn. It will be an honor to die with all of you." D'Argo responded quietly.

The silence from John was almost becoming deafening to the crew as they all became aware of his newfound speechlessness. John only continued to stare out at the battle. His heart was heavy with sorrow, only his face would never tell his shipmates of his pain. He seemed almost lost, in another time and place. Just as one of the crew was about to address him, John surprised them and spoke. He kept his eyes focused on the battle.

"Long ago, I remember lying on the dew-kissed grass in our backyard. My father pointed out every constellation visible. Every little star had a name. He knew them all. He had an important meeting that next morning it would be the last time we saw each other for six months. My dad was going to the moon. He decided to stay with me that night, up until dawn, teaching me how precious life was." John stated softly, his eyes cast on the abyss visible on the view screen, his face holding steady. Silence remained from his shipmates as they tried to picture his scenario.

"We will unite and we will survive." John said with a strong, sure voice, though with a hint of fatigue. With those final, simple words spoken, he turned swiftly on his heel and walked heavily out of Command. His boots pounded across the floor in the silence. The rest of the crew knew what words he chose not to speak: Scorpius would not allow for them not to survive. Especially John.

*****

Chiana entered Pilot's den and paused at the entrance, her jaw hanging open in shock. Like the pilot aboard Antarus, this Pilot was frail and pasty white. Chiana slowly walked forward, taking in the sad sight of her friend. Glancing around at her surroundings, Chiana noted how dark the den had grown; the lighting on Moya was dim, and the DRDs who once busily zoomed about Moya were becoming sluggish. She lifted her foot avoiding a particular carelessly moving DRD as it passed her by in a beeline for the entrance. Pilot noticed Chiana finally, and took in a long, shaky breath, telling of his exhaustion.

As Pilot moved his arms around to monitor controls, Chiana noticed the shaking unsteadiness of his movements. She leaned forward onto the control console to make eye contact with Pilot.

"Pilot? What's wrong? What can we do to help you?" Chiana asked in a caring, soft manner. She laid her weapon down on the controls to hop up onto the console to be closer to Pilot.

"I'm afraid there isn't much you can do. Once Moya's systems fail, I will die soon after." Pilot stated his eyes opened only halfway.

"There must be something we can do!" Chiana argued, choking back tears. She brushed her hand across Pilot's pale cheek gently.

"I am honored to be joined with Moya. I have seen the stars. I am prepared for my fate." Pilot said, drooping his head to look down at the controls. Chiana shook her head.

"No Pilot, you can't be ready to die. I know how much you care for us. There's no way you'd give up without a fight without at least finding a place for us to safely live." Chiana retaliated.

"Moya is not well. I cannot do anything for her." Pilot argued in return. He would not look Chiana in the eyes any longer. Chiana knew he was trying to avoid her confrontation.

"Pilot, you just gave us a frelling speech on fighting for what we believe in most and you want to give up? Just like that? Come on, Pilot. I know you better than that. Moya's problem is that she doesn't know how to deal with Talyn and Antarus' betrayal of her. She needs you more than ever to keep her going. Tell her what you told us. Make her believe there is something left to fight for. Her real family." Chiana said and then plopped back down to the ground from the console. She gave Pilot a lasting stare, grabbed her weapon, and stalked out of the den.

"Chiana, you're supposed to be assisting Pilot." D'Argo stated in the hallway as she passed him by. He noted her troubled expression and grabbed her arm. Chiana spun around and stared into D'Argo's inquiring eyes with her own misty eyes.

"If you're so concerned about him, you do it!" Chiana stated angrily and wiggled out of D'Argo's grip. She stomped away and disappeared around the bend in the hall. D'Argo growled. He wasn't about to put up with her dren at the moment. He continued on his way to the maintenance bay to check on Moya's systems for Pilot.

*****

Sitting in his quarters, John stared endlessly at his tape recorder. His shoulders slumped, and his eyes glazed. He rubbed a thumb over his lips thoughtfully. A thought spurred him to span the room with his eyes, to observe the writings he had scribbled on any surface that would allow it. The words and symbols appeared hurried and wild; telling of the state the author had been in at the time. John rubbed his eyes with his hand. He was emotionally spent.

John had sought solace in his quarters after listening to the concerns of his shipmates, seeing for himself the grave situation they were heading into. He had decided he was going to leave another message to his father. Unfortunately, John discovered it would be the last message. The last tape had been inserted. And worse, the batteries were dying.

The frightening images of his attempted suicide flashed back into his mind. Had it really happened? Only a solar day ago, he and the crew were on the verge of madness. Now, they all were ready to embrace it, just to save themselves the pain and conflict the war would bring. Time and time again, John had come against impossible odds. He had always made it through to the next day. Now, he had no care for the next day in fact, he dreaded it. An image flashed through his mind of the day weekens ago when he sacrificed himself to Scorpius. Not only had Scorpius gained control of his mind, he had also done much more damage than ever before. Now John was a callous, shadowed man. He remembered the satisfaction of arguing with Zhaan. The anger and hate that drove him on was satisfying. Suddenly becoming focused in time to let his shipmates know they had fallen into a trap. This was all cause and effect by the hands of Scorpius. Maybe the half Scarren had left something inside of him that he wasn't ready to acknowledge.

"John?" A soft, caring voice broke the heavy silence. John jumped in his seat, startled. His heart racing, John turned around to see who had nearly scared him to death. Aeryn stood in the doorway, leaning to one side. John gazed at her beautiful body, not really allowing her exhausted appearance to play into her present state. John gave her a small smile after a few moments of uneasy silence. Aeryn walked over to him and sat down beside him on his bed.

"You're not talking like you usually do." Aeryn said. She gazed into John's eyes with a wrinkled brow. She was concerned. Even for Aeryn.

"I don't really have anything to say, do I?" John remarked with a hint of bitterness in his voice. Aeryn leaned back in slight surprise.

"What do you mean by that?" Aeryn asked, anger slipping into her voice as well. She couldn't take much more of this human's nonsense. John opened his mouth and stopped, closing it again. He studied Aeryn's face for a moment and shook his head.

"Aeryn. All we do is bicker. Everyone on this ship is mad at each other. Why is that?" John asked, cocking his head. The ship shook slightly, reminding them that the war was not far from arriving.

"I don't know. I only know that you are the one who always comes up with an answer. But you're not even doing that anymore. All you do is sulk. What is your problem? Tell me." Aeryn demanded, confronting John once and for all.

"Aeryn, I ." John started to say when the ship shook violently. John and Aeryn nearly fell off the bed and stood immediately with alarm.

"What was that?" Aeryn asked, holding onto John's arm. John held onto her arm as well.

"Better not be what I think it is." John stated and the two began to race out into the hallway for Command.

"Pilot! Report!" John ordered as the two ran through the hall. D'Argo, armed and ready, joined them.

"There are more ships approaching from behind us it looks as though they were headed towards the battle but saw us first." Pilot's weak but frantic voice called out over the comms.

"They're shooting at us?" John shouted in anger. The three approached Command to see Rygel, Zhaan, and Chiana already standing by nervously. Three large, unfamiliar ships zoomed past the view screen, headed towards Antarus. One of the ships fired once more, the blast of energy aimed for Moya. The crew braced themselves for impact. Pilot struggled with controls but came short as the blast hit. The defense screen remained un-activated. Moya shook fiercely, a low rumbling echoed throughout, as a section of a lower tier was ripped apart by the blast. Everyone save Rygel was thrown to the floor with force. The lighting within Moya diminished momentarily.

"Pilot! Pilot. Pilot, are you there?" John shouted, as he helped Aeryn and Zhaan up from the floor. D'Argo and Chiana stood and nodded to each other silently, assuring the other of their current status. Rygel veered back into a corner of the room, shivering in fright. With no response from Pilot, John grunted in frustration and raced out of the room towards Pilot's den.

"Where are you going?" Aeryn shouted after him.

"Check out the lower tier!" John ordered Aeryn as he disappeared out the door.

"Go, we'll stay here." Chiana urged D'Argo and Aeryn, holding up a weapon in her hands, showing she was prepared for anything. D'Argo held up his Qualta blade and raced out of the room as well with Aeryn close behind.

"May the goddesses protect us." Zhaan cried in panic. She looked to Rygel and Chiana to see they were just as frightened as she.

"We're not going to make it, are we?" Chiana stated in a small, shaky voice. Her question remained unanswered.

The future looked grave. The ships out the view screen had started to dock with Antarus and more small ships began to encounter their space. Yet no contact came from these ships nor did they bother trying to finish Moya off.

*****

His long, leather coat wavered away from his body as he raced on through the halls. A look of determination played on his face. His muscles were tensed and strong. John headed towards Pilot's den. He skidded to a stop, nearly missing the entrance. His heart skipped a beat. What John saw when he peered into the den, was almost more frightening than the images of Scorpius. Panic and concern washed over his body as John slowly walked the ramp to Pilot. His eyes heavy with sorrow, John approached Pilot and breathed deeply. He reached a caring hand out to caress Pilot's pale cheek. Pilot blinked at him sickly, barely moving in his already stationary position. His entire body had grown stiff and pale. His long arms rested carelessly on the control console, as if they had been neglected and thrown off to the side. Pilot breathed raggedly, looking to John with a look of plea to end his suffering.

"Pilot, is there anything we can do for you?" John asked half in a whisper, his voice cracking.

"Get Moya as far away from here as possible." Pilot muttered, taking short breaths as he spoke.

Moya shook once again, this time from a stray shockwave from the war fast approaching. The interior lighting flickered and grew even dimmer.

"Pilot, let me speak with her. Let me convince her how precious her life is. She deserves so much more than to die like this. And so do you." John urged caringly. He tilted his head at Pilot and released a large smile, something rare in the past few weekens. Pilot blinked heavily and reflected the smile as best he could, giving a nod for John to go ahead. Pilot weakly dragged one of his arms towards the controls and patched John in to Moya.

"Moya, this is John Crichton, on behalf of Pilot and the rest of the crew. Listen to me. Your life is worth so much. You have to get your son back. Don't give up on us now. This is just the beginning. You're a brave and incredibly strong ship. I know you have everything it takes Moya, please, we've been through so much. Fight for Talyn. For us. But most importantly, fight for your life." John spoke softly, eyeing Pilot and looking around at Moya. A renewed sense of hope began to fill him. The words he had spoken were true not only to Moya and Pilot, but to himself as well.

"John, we need you down on Tier 17. Its looks bad." D'Argo's demanding voice carried over the comms. John sensed a rare uneasiness in the Luxan's voice. John glanced once more to Pilot.

"Will you be okay?" John asked, directing his stern gaze into Pilot's eyes. Pilot blinked slowly and nodded, letting out a shaky breath as he did so.

"I will manage. The DRDs will help." Pilot replied, his breathing now becoming more manageable. John nodded to Pilot once and rushed out of the den. His mission and his focus were now clear.

*****

Sparks streaked down to the floor with tumbling rolls of steam billowing out from Moya's atmospheric systems in the storage bay on Tier 17. A strong vacuum pushed throughout the bay, pulling anything not bolted down to the floor out the extremely large hole torn in Moya's exterior skin and into space. The bay doors had been permanently sealed by the DRDs that had not been damaged or blown away during the initial impact. All systems were down. Neither Pilot nor Moya could even detect the status of the bay.

D'Argo and Aeryn stood adjacent to the bay, staring at the central chamber not far from the bay. Somehow, a large piece of Moya's outer casing had speared through the bay doors and pierced the central conduit structures of Moya's systems. Steam was rapidly pouring out as well as dark amnexus fluid. Sparks from the electrical nerves danced dangerously close to the pools of fluid flooding the structure.

"That could not have struck anywhere worse." D'Argo stated sorrowfully in his low, cracking voice. Aeryn only nodded in agreement.

"What seems to be the prob Holy Mackerel, I think we've found the big one. Whoa." John stated with surprise, appearing on the other side of the structure. He gazed at the mess before him with a pissed off grin. John watched his step, lifting his boots carefully over a pool of amnexus fluid. Arriving at Aeryn's side, John stared back at the damage. "What the frell how did this happen? The odds of that casing being driven into the center for Moya's systems is probably 125 million to one!"

"It's irreparable." Aeryn informed John.

"There's gotta be something we can do. Pilot is dying. I talked to Moya but I don't know if it helped. She wants to die. I'm not going to stand around here and watch as everyone around me goes down without a fight. I've already been there, done that." John replied.

"And how do you suggest we go about this?" Aeryn asked, folding her arms over her chest. John only looked at her for a moment and didn't answer.

"D'Argo, help me out." John ordered, walking up to the damage, not caring whether the sparks or slick fluid got in his way. D'Argo approached the damage as well and grasped one side of the casing lodged into the structure. John grabbed the other side and the two pulled together, grunting as the shrapnel refused to dislodge. Aeryn took a hold onto John's side. The shrapnel immediately slid out, nearly crushing the three in its weight as it fell to the floor. They stepped back to avoid the impact. With an echoing crash, the casing slammed onto the floor, sending specks of amnexus fluid into the air. Suddenly, an explosion of amnexus fluid began to spray wildly from the hole created by the casing. John hopped up onto a ridge in the structure and quickly worked with the various nerves and ducts hanging loosely around the hole. The fluid rapidly enveloped his fingers as he worked to tie off the nerve from which the amnexus fluid was flowing.

D'Argo rushed into action as well, grabbing a torch to seal off any ducts spewing steam. Aeryn worked swiftly to eliminate the sparking conduits from creating a disastrous fire.

"What we need to do is fight back. We unite as Pilot stated, and with strategy, we may have a way out." John stated as he worked. Aeryn glanced over to him with question on her face, pausing from her duties. D'Argo did the same.

"What are you talking about?" Aeryn asked, stepping forward. A few stray sparks passed close to her face, falling to the floor in front of her.

"I'm saying ." John stopped as the ship shifted slightly. He held himself firmly onto the structure as Aeryn and D'Argo regained their footing. "I'm saying I have a plan."

"What kind of plan?" D'Argo asked, his voice growling with anger as he stood to face John. The steam was beginning to lessen from the ducts.

"You've decided to inform us now, have you?" Aeryn asked, folding her arms and waiting patiently for an answer. She could not figure why John had not mentioned anything earlier. Perhaps the human had come up with the plan on a whim, like he so often had in the past.

"I can't tell you the specifics right now, Aeryn. But when I need your help, I hope you'll be willing. Trust me." John said, looking from Aeryn to D'Argo and then back to the nerves he was digging around in.

Aeryn and D'Argo exchanged uneasy looks. Trust was hard to come by on Moya these days. But they knew this human well by now. For the most part, he was true to his word.

"Fine. But if anything goes awry ." D'Argo charged but was interrupted.

"D'Argo. Trust me." John gave D'Argo a look and turned back to his work once more. D'Argo frowned at John and slowly went back to sealing the ducts. No more conversation played as the three worked on in the increasing coldness of the chamber.

*****

Zhaan stood in the center of Command, her hands held out in prayer. She mumbled silently, her eyes closed. Rygel hovered underneath the strategy table, nervously releasing helium every few microns. Chiana stood far behind all, quietly observing the ships that had entered into their space. The ships stayed at a certain point near Antarus, some facing Moya, others faced towards the approaching PK Prowlers the frontline of the war. Strangely, Antarus was strategically positioned to shield Moya from the war itself. Chiana cocked her head; suddenly realizing with fright what origin the ships surrounding Antarus came from.

"Zhaan! Those are Nebari fighter ships! What are they doing here?" Chiana spoke, her voice wavering. She charged forward until she was at Zhaan's side. Zhaan opened her eyes briefly.

"Chiana, please."

"Zhaan? Hello? Did you hear me? Those ships are Nebari. We're frelled!" Chiana shouted at Zhaan. Zhaan lowered her hands. A strange, quick smile played across her face before she turned to look at Chiana.

"Chiana, go to Pilot. I'm sure he is in need of your assistance." Zhaan stated with a smile in her calm, soothing voice. Chiana glared at Zhaan and swayed in her stance. She studied Zhaan's eyes and suddenly nodded.

"I'll go see Pilot." Chiana stated and walked towards the hall without a fuss. She stopped suddenly as Zhaan was watching her leave and turned to face her once more. "But if those Nebari ships come any closer, I'm taking a transport pod and getting the frell out of here!" With that said, Chiana turned and left Command.

Zhaan smiled to herself. She looked to the strategy table. Her smile grew larger. She knelt down near the table and looked at Rygel. Rygel, startled by her sudden appearance, jumped and leaned away from her.

"Wh what do you want?" Rygel asked.

"Rygel, we may need to have all the food and supplies prepared in the event that we abandon Moya. I think you would be the most qualified for that, wouldn't you agree?" Zhaan asked, tilting her head.

"Food? I don't know ." Rygel stated but with the transformation of Zhaan's soft approach to one of disapproval was enough to motivate him. He zoomed off out of Command.

Straightening, Zhaan smiled eerily and walked up to the controls. She leaned forward and checked the comms.

"I've got them all distracted. Shall we proceed?" Zhaan asked to the view screen.

An image flickered terribly on the view screen. Frequencies in this part of space were becoming more and more disrupted. Zhaan waited patiently.

"Yes. That will be all for now. Allow me to contact you. We can't have them discovering us quite yet." A slithering voice replied as the view screen continued to flicker. Suddenly, the image became crisp. Unfortunately, the being on display was not a pretty sight. His pale, wrinkled face was scarred heavily. His eyes were sunken and devilish. The black leather encasing his head had been upgraded, with thicker leather and advanced thermal casing. A flash of sharp, decaying teeth escaped from his slithering lips.

"It will not be easy." Zhaan replied, folding her hands together.

"You have done well. I like your style. Perhaps afterwards, we can join together and rule the new PeaceKeeper federation." Scorpius replied in a hiss.

"I only wish to be with Stark once again." Zhaan replied.

"So be it. He has contacted you, yes?" Scorpius asked. Zhaan nodded. "The others have been approached as well?"

"Yes. But I do not believe they know what is real any longer."

"They will, Pa'u Zotoh Zhaan soon, they will." Scorpius's frightening image flickered once more before dissipating completely. Zhaan glanced around Command to confirm her solitude and looked back to the view screen.

Zhaan stood with slight shame creeping into her conscience. She did not want to betray her friends. Unfortunately, she would have no choice. When she had forced John into Unity, her mind had somehow acquired a version of Scorpius's personality. For weekens afterwards, she would constantly witness Scorpius talking to her. She would look away and then back, and he would be gone. Her aching mind could take little more madness. So she struck a deal with this image of Scorpius. She would sacrifice the others. The only thing she would get in return would be the right of passage into the afterlife--to join once again with Stark.

Chiana reentered into Command. She had forgotten her weapon. Upon seeing Zhaan at the controls, she strolled up to her with suspicion.

"What were you doing, Zhaan?" Chiana asked peering with her head tilted at Zhaan. Zhaan glanced nervously at Chiana, wondering what course of action she should take. She would not have to ponder much longer. A distraction came up on the view screen.

"Is that? Dren. That's Talyn! He's docking near Antarus." Chiana stated her brow wrinkled with a frown. She stepped up to the view screen with Zhaan who was just as shocked as she was.

"What is he doing here?" Zhaan asked in surprise.

Talyn docked at Antarus and the two could barely make out a transport pod emerging and traveling over to Antarus. Several Prowlers, marked with a strange new symbol on the bellies of the ships, hovered nearby, as if to guard the young battle ship. Talyn was much bigger than before and more intimidating.

Without warning, Moya boosted forward. The ships facing her fired warning shots that flew past Moya. Moya stopped abruptly, causing Chiana and Zhaan to stumble slightly. Chiana looked to Zhaan.

"This just keeps getting better and better, doesn't it?"

*****

The looming Command aboard Antarus was almost exactly the same as one found inside a PeaceKeeper Command Carrier. The ship was nearly complete in its transformation; only the exterior structure remained to be modified. In this Command, however, Leviathan characteristics still existed. There were consoles and DRDs. But morphed into the controls were PeaceKeeper symbols. Antarus once existed as a Leviathan. Now he was a pawn in a game much larger than anyone could fathom.

Scorpius stood at the view screen, marveling in the magnificent display before him. His goals were within his grasp. He grinned in reflection. Moya hovered, pale and stationary just metras away. Over thirty Prowlers now loyal to the PeaceKeeper Federation alongside a few Nebari fighter ships guarded the Leviathan, in the event she should try anything drastic. Once her son arrived, as Scorpius had anticipated, she would become resistant to their intimidating presence.

"I'm here. The Nebari have come to assist us. What's our position?" Crais' demanding voice boomed as he entered into the nearly vacant Command. He noted the Leviathan displayed on the view screen and walked up to stand at Scorpius' side. Off to their right, the war, which had come to a halt, began anew as ships began to fire once more and attack one another again. They could barely distinguish the make of the ships, but felt the shockwaves from explosions much worse than ever before.

"All is going as planned." Scorpius stated, not giving any more information. He looked slyly at Crais.

"Talyn was not as cooperative once he saw his mother." Crais informed Scorpius.

"As he should be. A child will always be connected with his mother. Only time will make him see where his true loyalties lie." Scorpius spoke with wisdom.

"John Crichton will not be easily defeated." Crais stated, as if Scorpius didn't know this already. Scorpius turned to him thoughtfully. Crais looked at the scar that had burned into his already disfigured face. John Crichton had struck Scorpius down once. But with the building determination within this half-breed, Crais doubted if the human would be able to strike him down twice.

"The human does not yet know what he's already walked into. He never saw it coming and he'll never be able to escape it." Scorpius stated mysteriously. He charged off, with the tapered leather of his thermal suit trailing in the breeze as he walked. Crais watched him leave with a curious expression. He didn't know what Scorpius was up to and his loyalties to the creature were dwindling.

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