Zhaan checks and secures chains on D'argo.

D'ARGO: I cannot believe this is happening to me, again.

ZHAAN: But this time, dear D'argo, it is by your own choice.

D'ARGO: Barely.

PILOT: The approaching marauder's ident signal, says that it's definitely not from Crais' command carrier.

D'ARGO: There are...other ways to deal with the Peacekeepers.

ZHAAN: Let's try Crichton's way.

D'ARGO: [shakes head] Crichton's way.

Zhaan struggles to take Rygel's throne sled away from him.

ZHAAN: If we are going to attempt this, Rygel, it means no throne sled!

She yanks it from his hands.

Aeryn snaps her clasps, checks her uniform, secures her pistol and aims her rifle.

A ship approaches Moya, to dock.

ZHAAN: We are ready now, Pilot.

PILOT: Understood.

Pilot depresses a control. D'argo's cell closes, then Rygel's and finally Zhaan's.

The Marauder flies in. Two of the crew (Rhed and Thonn) depart seconds before the ship lands, weapons ready. Two more depart after (Larraq and Hassan). They check around them, and open the door for the maintenance bay.

AERYN: Identify yourself!

Aeryn stands at the ready.

AERYN: Regiment. Assignment.

LARRAQ: Identify yourself.

AERYN: Lieutenant Aeryn Sun. Eustar Regiment, special duty assignment. And you.

LARRAQ: Larraq. Captain. And my assignment's none of your business.

AERYN: Having some trouble with your Marauder, Captain?

LARRAQ: Seisium fuel leak. We're lucky we found you.

AERYN: You think?

LARRAQ: Awful big ship for...one little girl.

AERYN: Oh. I can handle big.

The door opens. John struts in, wearing a Peacekeeper uniform. He puts on a fake accent, closer to the quality of most Peacekeepers. [He uses this accent, around Larraq's crew only, for most of the episode.]

JOHN to Aeryn: Ease your weapon, Left-tenant. [pause] That is an order.

Aeryn slowly points her weapon down. John approaches Larraq. Larraq drops his gun.

LARRAQ: Smart move. Captain.

JOHN: What are you doing aboard my vessel...Captain?

LARRAQ: Emergency situation. My team and I are on a priority Red One mission. We need your boat here, to complete it. Therefore, under Article Four One Four Decca, I hereby assume command over it, your crew......[points gun at John, again]......and you.

Continued Scene II.

JOHN: Well, I think not.

A DRD shots Larraq's gun out of his hand. DRD's fire from everywhere, making Larraq and his crew dive for cover.

LARRAQ: What the frell?

JOHN: You need my help. I suggest you ask nicely. Captain.

John and Aeryn show the "prisoners" to Larraq.

AERYN: A Delvian.

LARRAQ: And a quite attractive one.

He approaches D'argo's cell. D'argo growls.

LARRAQ: So, you recaptured them, out here, on a new technologies training flight.

AERYN: New tech has been experimenting with Leviathan mastery, without the use of control collars.

LARRAQ: How are you controlling the ship, without a collar?

JOHN: Neural control on the ship's pilot. We control him, he controls the ship.

LARRAQ: Yes, I heard they'd been working on that. But every test flight so far, they've lost the Leviathan, and the crew.

JOHN: Well. So far this test flight has gone without a hitch. Til you came on board, Captain. Tell me. What precisely is your mission?

LARRAQ: You don't have the clearance to know anything about my mission, Captain.

JOHN: Oh.

LARRAQ: But let me make it...simple, for you. I've got one crate. And I've gotta get it back into Peacekeeper control, without delay.

JOHN: One crate?

LARRAQ: You see how simple it is?

JOHN: Well. You, of course, are welcome to travel back with us, however-

LARRAQ: No, no. See, you don't read me. This is urgent. I'll give you a set of co-ordinates to a base. We can be there in...twenty arns.

AERYN: Twenty arns? But, that would mean that the base is out here in the Uncharted Territories.

LARRAQ: It's a...new...Gammak Base. Secret. Need to know, only. But, since you'll be taking me there, I guess you...need to know. And yes, it is here, in the Uncharted Territories.

Rhed and Thonn drop a cargo bin on the floor.

HASSAN: Hey! You damage the Captain's prize and he'll have both your heads on Jinka poles.

THONN: Whatever you say, Doc.

RHED: Hey, what's this?

They turn to look. Chiana enters the room, with a tray of water and towels.

CHIANA: Uh...may I approach?

THONN: Get as close as you want, darlin'.

CHIANA: The Captain's ordered me to attend to you. Uh, there's proper food waiting in the Center Chamber when - when you're ready.

THONN: That poochang Captain got non-reg server like you aboard? Guess he's not a big a nerfer as I thought he was. What'd he pay for you, sweetheart?

CHIANA: Not much...I'm sure.

HASSAN to Thonn: Sergeant, I want to check the contents. Now!

Thonn walks over and puts a small key onto the top of the cargo box, and turns it. The top pops up, and the bin opens. Hassan crouches to have a look. Chiana notes carefully where Thonn puts his key.

THONN to Chiana: We've been out here in the Uncharteds for nearly a full cycle, looking for that thing. That's a long time for me to hang with just my Captain and these two.

CHIANA: Nearly a whole cycle? Well, that is a long time to be - to be searching for something. I'm sure your - your Captain's prize must be very valuable.

THONN: That's not for you to concern yourself with, honey.

Chiana chuckles and gets a cup of water.

CHIANA: Would you like - Oh!

She "accidentally" spills the cup onto his side.

CHIANA: I - I'm sorry.

THONN: It's no problem.

Chiana dries him off, pressing the towel firmly around his key.

CHIANA: Really.

THONN: No problem at all.

HASSAN: Food in the Center Chamber? Got it. Now leave us.

Chiana takes the towel and exits the room. A few steps down the corridor, she stops. She looks in the towel. A food cube, with a very precise indention of the key, lays inside of it.

CHIANA: Aaah. Tooooo easy.

Aeryn and Larraq enter the Center Chamber. The rest of his crew is there already, eating.

AERYN: Certainly don't pay much attention to rank, do they?

LARRAQ: My people will follow every one of my orders instantly, and without question. I ask them to spit out of their eye, I expect them to drop dead, trying. To make them stand up just because I walk into a room? Come on, I respect them too much for that. You've never interfaced with Special Ops before?

AERYN: Heard of you. Everyone at regiment level, has.

LARRAQ: Oh, yes. What is it that you call us?

AERYN: Black ghosts.

LARRAQ: Is that supposed to be an insult? Cause, you know, I kinda like it.

AERYN: Insult, definitely. Actually, I did see one of your type, once. I was on a transfer barge, I was changing troop ships, and I - I only saw him for a couple of microts, but I recognized the unkempt uniform and the undisciplined at-

LARRAQ cuts in: Must have really offended you. And just think, now you're gonna sit down and eat with one.

John releases D'argo from his chains.

D'ARGO: Alright, enough is enough, this sham is over. I say we storm them, now.

JOHN: No, no-no-no-no-no. Th-this is working. They think I'm a Peacekeeper Captain.

ZHAAN: Certainly the uniform is convincing.

D'ARGO: Yes, we're glad the Peacekeepers left it on board. You look very uh...fetching.

ZHAAN: John, D'argo is right. Perhaps we should take them now, while we still have the element of surprise. Moya's in the final stages of pregnancy.

JOHN: We have twenty arns, before we're anywhere near that base. I say we learn as much from these guys as we can. Aeryn's supposed to be grilling Larraq, right now.

D'ARGO: And what is gonna happen when Aeryn gets sick and tired of pretending to take your orders?

ZHAAN: John, the closer we get to that base, the more dangerous it is for all of us.

JOHN: And what if it's not the only base? I may be naive, but flying around in the Uncharted Territories, ignorant of what the Peacekeepers are doing out here? That to me, seems dangerous.

D'ARGO: Well, I can tell you one thing for free, I will not be chained up again.

JOHN: Fine.

D'ARGO: And I'm not having that door locked.

JOHN: Fine. Just...stay out of sight.

ZHAAN: We'd best get Rygel in harmony with this.

Zhaan walks to his cell, and opens the door.

ZHAAN: [whispers] Rygel. [normal] Oh. He's used his hidden escape route.

JOHN: Beautiful. Let's go find Sparky before he screws this thing up.

D'ARGO: [softly] Yeah, let's find him before you screw it up.

They walk down the corridor.

THONN: I'll take this Tier.

John gestures for them to be silent and points them back the way they came. Zhaan locks herself in her room. John leads the way to D'argo's cell. D'argo balks at going back into the chains.

JOHN: [softly] D'argo, come on.

ZHAAN: [softly] Crichton! Get out of there!

JOHN: [softly] D'argo.

Thonn enters the corridor.

JOHN: [softly] D'argo.

D'argo attacks John. He grabs him by the neck. Thonn runs in, and attacks him, forcing him to release John. John runs from the room. Thonn backs out with his gun on D'argo.

THONN: [sighs] Guess you're pretty lucky I came along when I did, eh Captain?

JOHN: If you ever lay hands on me again, I will have you up on charges.

John exits. Zhaan lets out a breath of air. Thonn looks on at D'argo a moment, and exits.

ZHAAN: D'argo. You did well.

D'ARGO: Too well.

He growls and slams his hand on the cell door.

Aeryn and Larraq chat alone, in the Center Chamber.

LARRAQ: You...ever fly anything a little sexier than a Leviathan?

AERYN: Let's see...I started flying Scrub runners at fourteen cycles. Half cycle later a KL80, and an eighty one. And then Prowler tech school at sixteen.

LARRAQ: Sixteen? Why'd you wait so long?

AERYN: Well, I had to. My feet didn't reach the pedals.

They both snicker.

AERYN: So...you said that you've been out here in the Uncharted Territories for almost a full cycle. Looking for whatever that thing is in the crate.

LARRAQ: And the sooner I get into somebody else's hands, the happier I'll be. Don't ask cause I'm not gonna tell you.

AERYN: Why, cause you'd have to kill me, then?

LARRAQ: Just stay away from it. Okay?

AERYN: That's a stasis gun, isn't it?

LARRAQ: Came in handy on this trip.

AERYN: Well, that's for capture, not killing. Look, you said that this base that we're heading to, is a Gammak base, that's science military, right? You sure that's it's wise to take whatever that thing is, there?

LARRAQ: Science military's perfect. Let them deal with it.

With the help of a DRD, Chiana uses the food cube as a mold for a copy of the key. The DRD's laser slips and burns Chiana.

CHIANA: Ow! Watch where you're cutting!

The DRD squeaks.

CHIANA: Oh. Easy for you to say!

Rygel looks over the cargo bin and wonders how to get in it, and what might be in there. Chiana startles him.

RYGEL: Oh! How dare you sneak up on me like that! I should make you wear a bell 'round your neck!

CHIANA: Keep your fantasies to yourself, frog boy.

RYGEL: Fantasies? About you? Yuck! Why I never...[mutters]

CHIANA: Aaah. I've seen you looking at me. You wanna be a pervo? You gotta practice subtle.......oh, but don't get your shivvies in an uproar. Like I care.

Thonn approaches the corridor to the room with the container.

RHED on headset: Thonn! Status.

THONN: Yeah, Rhed. I'm gonna check out the cargo bay.

RHED: Proceed.

THONN: Okay, roger that.

Continued Scene VIII

RYGEL: What are you doing down here, anyway?

CHIANA: Me? You're the one that's supposed to stay in his cage.

RYGEL: Well uh...Pilot said they were bringing something on board, and I thought I'd come down here and see if I could.....

CHIANA: You're here for the same reason I am. To see if there's anything inside, worth snurching.

RYGEL: Snurch?! I don't snurch! I....procure.

CHIANA: Look, in the interest of not getting caught, I - I'll agree to half of whatever we procure.

RYGEL: Half! I was here first!!

CHIANA: But I have the uh....the key.

RYGEL: Oh. Okay. Half.

She puts the key on and turns. The lid pops and opens up.

RYGEL: Hm. Open it!

CHIANA: What, me?

RYGEL: Don't you want your half of whatever's in there?

CHIANA: Well, your half's in there, too!

RYGEL: I am uh...not very practical.

CHIANA: Aye, aye, your royal frogness.

She pops the lid off, and removes it.

CHIANA: Ah! It's hot!

Steam clears from inside the crate.

RYGEL: What is that?

A very ugly alien lays inside.

RYGEL: Oh!

Thonn approaches.

CHIANA: Do you recognize the species?

RYGEL: Even if I did, I wouldn't admit it.

CHIANA: Well, whatever it is, it's still alive.

The door opens. When Thonn enters, he sees the crate has been opened. He draws his weapon and goes to it. Chiana and Rygel peek from the shadows. Thonn leans in towards the crate. Suddenly, he stiffens slightly and groans.

RHED: Hey, Thonn! The Captain's after us! Better get down to the car- Holy Dren! How did that- ?

Thonn draws his weapon.

RHED: Captain! It's Rhed! You better get-

Thonn shoots him.

RYGEL: [whispers] Frell.

Larraq listens to the now dead headset.

PILOT: A single shot in the cargo area.

ZHAAN to comm: [softly] Weapons fire?

D'ARGO: This charade is definitely over! Pilot, open these doors, now!

Thonn shuts the door to the room. He crouches down beside the alien in the crate, and chokes it to death.

RYGEL: [softly] What's he doing?!

CHIANA: Shhh!

Larraq, Aeryn and Hassan head for the cargo area.

Thonn squeezes the last of the life out of the creature.

RYGEL: [softly] I've had enough!

CHIANA: [softly] Rygel!

Thonn hears them. Rygel gets away, but Chiana doesn't. Thonn holds a gun to her, but puts it down and lifts her by the neck. He gives her a deep kiss. He is disoriented for a moment. Chiana grabs him by the shoulders and head-butts him, knocking him out.

Aeryn, Hassan and Larraq position themselves outside the cargo area.

Chiana prepares to kill Thonn, but just then, the door's triggered. When it opens, Aeryn sees Rhed on the floor in front of her.

AERYN: [softly] One down.

Aeryn enters, Larraq close behind.

LARRAQ: Spread out! If it moves, shoot it!

Aeryn sees the creature in the crate.

AERYN: What is that? What is going on here?

LARRAQ: It's escaped.

JOHN: What has escaped?

Chiana looks on from the shadows.

Hassan approaches the crate.

HASSAN: She's dead. Somebody suffocated her.

JOHN: It has escaped. What exactly is it, Captain?

AERYN: Over there.

LARRAQ: Aeryn, no! Step back from him, now!

Thonn struggles to get up.

JOHN: What are you so frelling afraid of?

AERYN: Captain?

LARRAQ: Peacekeeper Command sent us out here on a fugitive recovery. The fugitive we're after...is a virus. When we finally isolated the virus, it was using that creature as a host.

AERYN: An intellent virus?

HASSAN: We caught the virus when it was still in it's single infection stage.

AERYN: Meaning it can only infect one host at a time.

LARRAQ: Unless it gets a chance to lay its spores.

JOHN: Spores?

LARRAQ: Yeah. Give it an arn inside a single host, it can lay a couple million spores.

AERYN: It does that, and this whole end of the galaxy is in some serious frelling dren.

JOHN: Right, then...that virus was inside the creature, now it's somewhere on the ship.

AERYN: Not somewhere, it's inside someone.

HASSAN: The virus isn't airborne. It can only move from one host to another by physical proximity.

AERYN: You have to be really close to whoever's got it.

LARRAQ: Start talking, Thonn! What happened?

THONN: I don't remember!

Cargo bins clatter.

CHIANA: Captain?

JOHN: Chiana!

John approaches, and pulls Larraq's arm down.

JOHN to Larraq: Lower your weapon, Captain.

John approaches her.

JOHN: Chiana. On your feet, now. What happened, here?

CHIANA: I...was walking past and I...saw Rygel. He - he opened up that crate. Somehow he - he got it open.

LARRAQ: Who's Rygel?

AERYN: The Hynerian prisoner.

CHIANA: The Peacekeeper came in, he uh...he attacked. He knocked him down, he - he stole his weapon and shot the other one.

JOHN: Rygel?

HASSAN: The virus can make the host muscle fire all at once, increasing strength.

LARRAQ: Thonn! Is that what happened?

THONN: That could've happened.

LARRAQ: Where'd this Rygel go?

CHIANA: The shaft. The access shaft.

HASSAN: He could be anywhere on the ship!

LARRAQ: We've gotta find him before the virus has time to incubate or transfer to another host. [to John] How the frell did one of your prisoners get loose?

Larraq's unit exits.

JOHN to Aeryn: Lemme get this straight. Rygel has been possessed by some Mensa member virus, that's gonna lay eggs, that's gonna infect all of us in like.....an arn if we don't find him.

AERYN: That's about it.

JOHN: Great. Well, I think under the circumstances, our little masquerade is over.

AERYN: Under the circumstances, those commandos are primed to shoot at anything they do not trust. The only thing that is over is our chance to take them by surprise. This is a disaster, Crichton. It is a grave misfortune that that uniform did not fit me.

She exits.

JOHN: Always a party. [to Chiana] Come on, stick with me, you'll be safer.

Larraq leads the way down the corridor. Stasis gun in one hand, pulse pistol in the other. He jerks his head, indicating that they should follow.

D'argo and Zhaan press up against the wall of a corridor. D'argo sniffs the air. He lunges out and fires.

Aeryn, John and Chiana hear the shot. They catch up with Larraq's group.

JOHN: What is going on?

D'argo fires again.

D'ARGO: Surrender yourselves!

LARRAQ: It appears more of your prisoners have escaped, Captain. We don't have time for this.

JOHN: You get into a fire fight, there may be no one left to find the Hynerian. We need them.

D'argo fires again, twice.

LARRAQ: We take them down, fast.

THONN: Let's do it! Now!

JOHN: Ka D'argo! Zotoh Zhaan! There is a situation aboard this ship, which you are unaware of. A situation which threatens all of us. We have an intellent virus aboard. It is using the Hynerian as host. He has escaped and is hiding somewhere in the ship. If we do not find him, isolate him before this virus has a chance to lay its spores....

LARRAQ: [whispers]...frelling Luxan.

JOHN: Then we all die.

John walks ahead of the group, to D'argo and Zhaan. They come out of hiding.

JOHN to D'argo: We'll have to work together on this deal.

D'argo looks at him a moment, and then raises his rifle, from pointing at the group. Larraq eases his weapons and the rest of the group follows suit.

Maintenance bay.

LARRAQ: We search fast, and thorough, in pairs. Nobody goes it alone, from this moment, on.

HASSAN: The virus' best defense is moving from one host to another, while nobody's watching, until nobody knows who it's in. Then it waits, and lays its spores.

ZHAAN: There's no way of testing for its presence?

HASSAN: Well, the host body will show signs of higher acidity. But only after the virus has left. So while the virus is inhabiting, there is no way of telling. Until it's too late.

LARRAQ: You see the Hynerian, you hit your comms, and stay away from him. No physical contact whatsoever. Believe me, you do not want this thing choosing you to incubate its spores.

JOHN: Right, then. Let's do it.

John and Chiana pair off.

JOHN to comm: Pilot.

PILOT: Yes, Captain.

JOHN: Report!

PILOT: My DRD's have checked all tiers and passageways. No signs of him. I suspect he is still in the access shaft system.

JOHN: Concentrate your search, there.

PILOT: As you wish, Captain.

JOHN to Chiana: Shall we shaft it?

Aeryn uses a device to try to locate Rygel. Larraq follows.

DRD's follow D'argo and Thonn.

Zhaan and Hassan check other parts of the ship.

ZHAAN: When the virus moves from one host to another, doesn't the original host remember being infected?

HASSAN: No. The virus leaves behind a mild hallucinogenic, which disrupts the hosts short term memory system. Leaving them a little dizzy and confused, but they remember nothing of the experience.

ZHAAN: My people had an experience with an intellent virus, once. An entire exploration colony was destroyed. My mother had family, there. But even the Delvian High Counsel couldn't do anything about it.

Zhaan turns to look at Hassan. She notices that Hassan has taken no interest in her story.

ZHAAN: Sorry to bore you.

John opens and checks a hatchway. He shines the light from his rifle into the darkness.

JOHN: Come on, Pip.

He enters. She follows shortly after.

Aeryn and Larraq check further, by looking out over the maintenance bay.

AERYN: When you first found this thing, why didn't you kill it while you had a chance?

LARRAQ: That wasn't our mission. The mission was to capture one, alive. That's what my team and I have spent the better part of a cycle, doing out here. Or what's left of my team.

AERYN: Why would anybody want this thing alive?

LARRAQ: Study it. Tame it, if they can. When you release a cloud of intelligent controlled viruses among your enemy...a few arns later, their entire army's now working for you.

AERYN: Alright. But, capturing one. It's clearly a suicide mission.

LARRAQ: [shakes head] No, it was a challenge.

AERYN: A challenge? A challenge that has cost you three members of your crew.

LARRAQ: Four. And it may cost a lot more than that before capture it, again.

D'argo looks down a hatchway.

THONN: You first.

D'ARGO: You have the weapon.

Thonn puts the gun to D'argo's back.

THONN: You, first.

D'argo growls and enters.

John and Chiana travel the dark hatchway.

JOHN: We gotta find Rygel soon, the arn's almost up. How's a damn virus get to be so smart, anyway? What's it do? When we find Rygel - if we find Rygel, we better...find some way to kill the stinkin' virus, without killin' him.

AERYN on comm: We found him!

JOHN: Location!

Aeryn pulls off a vent door.

AERYN: Center Chamber.

JOHN: On the way.

RYGEL: Oh, oh! Stay away from me! Stay away from me! I'm not coming out of here until you tell me what the yotz is going on!

Zhaan and Hassan enter.

AERYN to Larraq: Well, he is trapped, but you don't have a very clear shot.

John and Chiana enter.

LARRAQ: If....I miss, it takes this Stasis gun several microts to recharge.

HASSAN: We don't have several microts.

CHIANA: Why not just use a regular pulse rifle?

LARRAQ: No. No, I've got to take him alive.

D'argo and Thonn enter.

Rygel peeks around the corner of his hiding spot and sees the gun pointed at him.

RYGEL: [gasps] What the yotz are you gonna do with that?!

JOHN: Certainly sounds like the Hynerian.

HASSAN: It's supposed to, that's exactly what the virus does.

RYGEL: Oh! Listen to me! Let me explain! Eh, eh, eh, I - I'm not the man you want! It's that hideous thing in the box!

Chiana licks her glove and turns. She walks towards John.

RYGEL: ...But I wasn't the only one there! Listen to me!! I'm not the guilty party in this! Listen -!

He cuts off as Larraq hits him with a stasis shot. He falls over.

LARRAQ: Hit him. He's down. Alright, let's get him out of there and into the containment box, down below. Now.

D'argo goes to move, but Thonn draws his weapon. Zhaan turns, and sees Chiana stumbling slightly.

Unseen by the others, John curls his lip, evilly. He now has the virus.

Zhaan, D'argo and John walk down the corridor.

ZHAAN: I must formulate some sort of anti-body that will kill the virus, without killing Rygel.

D'ARGO: Yes. This is why you should be in the transport hangar, working with your apothecary and not in a locked cell.

JOHN: And what if you don't? You might kill Rygel. You might think your magic pill worked, and then Rygel's up, walking around the ship, coughing up spores, cats and dogs living together. No, no. Our only chance is to talk to the Peacekeeper science officer, what's her name, the one...with the nice lips. [Thinks] Hassan. If anybody knows about an anti-body, it will be her. And D'argo, forget about the use of force. You think you can make Hassan tell you about the anti-body? Name me the Peacekeeper you've met, who'd give a royal dren if you stuck a charged pulse rifle to their head.

ZHAAN: But John, we are on a direct course for the Peacekeeper base.

D'ARGO: And I would rather not be locked in a cell, when we arrive.

JOHN: And I say, we need to find out about the base. We have the time, let's use it. Let's not blow it, by going around the ship waving guns about. The anti-body. Is top priority. Look, as soon as I leave here, I'm goin' straight to hot lips. Trust me.

They both concede. D'argo enters his cell, and John closes the door.

Thonn rounds the corner, so John smacks Zhaan on the face with the back of his hand, sending her into the room. She holds a hand to her nose, shaking. He closes the door.

THONN: Came to see if you needed a hand. Doesn't look like you do.

JOHN: No. I reckon not. Right then!

John exits.

Hassan closes Rygel in the crate. Larraq crouches by Rhed, who has been placed in a body bag.

AERYN: So...what happens to the Hynerian, once the virus has been leeched out of him?

LARRAQ: He doesn't know this. But he's already spoke his dying words.

HASSAN: It's not a pretty process.

Hassan seals the crate. Aeryn hands her the stasis gun. Hassan exits.

LARRAQ: You know, I talk about the challenge of bringing in this fugitive virus but.....numerically speaking, I'd have to say it's winning.

He zips the body bag.

LARRAQ: You know, this may sound funny but, you ever think about going Special Ops?

AERYN: Me?

LARRAQ: I've seen you in action! What are you doing in Eustar Regiment, huh? You're being wasted there. You're wasting yourself, there. [pause] Plus, I - I like the idea of having you nearby.

He zips up a body bag, for the alien creature.

LARRAQ: Bad timing. Let's just get this assignment closed out, huh?

He starts to exit, but stops on her voice.

AERYN: No, it isn't that.

He turns and enters.

LARRAQ: Look. I know you've got your Captain to consider. And High Command's gonna have plenty to say on the subject. But, if you wanna get some time at the Gammak base...and maybe you could sit down. Talk about it.

Aeryn nods slightly. Larraq exits.

John enters the maintenance bay. Hassan is looking over Zhaan's apothecary.

HASSAN: Captain?

JOHN: Left-tenant.

HASSAN: This is quite a collection of herbs and spices. Who uses them?

JOHN: No one. Now. I have no idea, who was aboard, prior to this tech mission.

HASSAN: Well, it's a fascinating accumulation, from so many different worlds.

John slams her head down against the table. He takes a long metal rod and beats her with it, until she is dead. He lifts her, and lets her fall to the floor. He tosses the rod to the side, then picks up the stasis gun. He slams it against a column beside him. He exits, straightening his cuffs and jacket.

D'argo and Zhaan talk to each other from their cells.

D'ARGO: They believe that the virus is still inside Rygel.

ZHAAN: Yes, but they also think there's no test to be certain.

Chiana enters.

CHIANA: Pilot said you wanted to see me?

ZHAAN: Yes, tell me how you're feeling.

CHIANA: I'm fine.

ZHAAN: [softly] Any dizziness?

CHIANA: [shakes head] No. W-well y-yeah, a little, but.....how did you know that?

Zhaan goes to her bed and pulls off the sheet. She holds it out to Chiana, through the door.

ZHAAN: Here. Lick this.

CHIANA: What? That's your bedcover! Is everybody aboard this ship kinkiod?

ZHAAN: [softly] This material contains litmus fibers, now just lick it!

Chiana sighs, grabs the sheet and licks. Zhaan looks at it. Where Chiana licked, it is now turning an angry red.

ZHAAN: Acid. You had the virus in you.

CHIANA: What? A-are you tinked?

D'ARGO: When the virus leaves it's host, it leaves behind a tell tale acidity.

CHIANA: Don't you think I'd remember if I had some sort of v-

ZHAAN cuts in: No, no you wouldn't.

CHIANA: If the virus is no longer in Rygel, then it must be in somebody else.

John works the controls, on Command. Aeryn enters.

AERYN: Pilot? You reported an increase in speed?

PILOT on clamshell: Yes, Lieutenant. The...Captain is accelerating our approach towards the co-ordinates given to me by Captain Larraq.

AERYN to John: Is that the case, Captain?

JOHN: It is, Left-tenant. I want us at that Gammak base and that bug off my ship, as fast as possible.

LARRAQ: I couldn't agree more.

JOHN: Mm.

Larraq steps away from John's side. John turns and grins at Aeryn.

AERYN: [whispers] What are you doing, accelerating?

JOHN: [whispers] I am doing exactly what a Commander in my position would do. These commandos are not stupid. I'm doing my part, you do yours. Get the damned information! [to Larraq] It's....a rather large...galaxy, Captain. How did you ever manage to find something......as tiny as a virus?

LARRAQ: Perseverance.

AERYN: Larraq, about the Gammak base we're he-

JOHN cuts in: [to Larraq] You must be a very.....patient man. A very...methodical man.

LARRAQ: I'm a good tracker.

JOHN: [chortles] Oh, I'd say.....a great tracker.

THONN: Captain. The maintenance bay. Lieutenant Hassan? She's dead! Executed. The stasis gun? It's destroyed.

John walks around behind Larraq and grabs a gun from a nearby table. Just at that moment, D'argo, and Chiana run onto Command.

D'ARGO: Nobody move!

Larraq pulls his gun.

AERYN: No!!

She knocks his arm down, and kicks Thonn's arm, causing him to fire off to the side, and drop his weapon. Zhaan runs onto Command.

ZHAAN: The virus is still loose! I believe it's in Crichton.

They stare at Crichton who grins, and then hits Aeryn, knocking her into Thonn, who catches her. He strikes Larraq, knocking him back. D'argo hits John with the butt of his Qualta blade. A group encircles Crichton, holding him down. Chiana is the only one not in the circle. They let him up and start to pull away.

ZHAAN: Oh no.

John stands, completely confused. (He begins speaking in his regular voice from this point on).

JOHN: What's going on?

Aeryn grabs Chiana's gun. Thonn picks his up, off the floor. Soon, everyone has a weapon and everyone is pointing at everyone else.

AERYN: Don't. Move.

JOHN: Are you people crazy? [pause] What's everybody lookin' at? What's everybody lookin' at?!

ZHAAN: The virus. John. I-it's in one of us.

The group is now a cacophony of voices.

D'ARGO: The two of you step away from me! Both you step away!!

JOHN: Shut up!

AERYN: Stay back!

LARRAQ: Put it down! Drop your weapon, now!

JOHN: Shut up! All of you shut up! All of you shut up!! Somebody talk to me!!

AERYN: The virus was inside of you and now it is inside one of them!

JOHN: Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, wh-what do you mean the virus...was in me?

ZHAAN: It wasn't ever in Rygel, it was in Chiana! She passed it to you!

CHIANA: I don't remember a thing!

ZHAAN: And you won't! Neither will you, John! It's part of the virus'-

LARRAQ cuts in: Wa-wa-wa-wait, wait, wait! What's this John dren?!

D'ARGO: That topic is off, at the moment, Captain. If indeed you are the Captain.

JOHN: Stop! Just shut up! The virus was inside of Chiana?!

ZHAAN: Her body's acidity was abnormally high. That is the sign.

JOHN: Can the virus re-enter someone after it's left them?

THONN: No.

JOHN: Good. Chiana, over here.

Several members trade spots after she exits the circle.

LARRAQ: Hey-hey-hey-hey-hey-hey, wait a second, who are you?

JOHN: Off topic, Captain. Remember? Okay, so the virus is inside one of you, and you all got guns. Great.

AERYN: We will shoot...at it, if it starts shooting, and kill it where it stands.

JOHN: That's only mildly comforting, Aeryn, since the virus will probably start shooting, first.

THONN: I say we cut the odds and smoke 'em all, right now!

LARRAQ: Yeah? How do we know it isn't in you, huh? Maybe what you really want is to cut the competition!

THONN: How do we know it isn't in you, Captain?

JOHN: Twisted as it sounds, what we have right here is exactly what we need. Guns and a lot of hands, pointed in every direction. What about that freezo gun you had? I -

LARRAQ cuts in: You destroyed it!

JOHN: What we need is some way to kill the virus now, while we got it trapped here.

D'ARGO: Yes, an anti-body! Zhaan said that she could make one.

JOHN to Zhaan: You willin' to try that?

ZHAAN: I'm willing to try anything.

D'argo waves her, indicating she should go. They exit command.

Maintenance bay. Guns are pointed in all directions.

ZHAAN: You realize I don't have the components I once did.

AERYN: Just keep working, Zhaan.

ZHAAN: I figure with such high acidity, I need something that will adjust the body's alkaline levels. And bump up each species natural immune system.

LARRAQ: Yeah, well, whatever it is, you're taking it first.

Zhaan adds components to her remedy. They wait restlessly and trigger-ready. John stares at Hassans lifeless body.

CHIANA to John: Hey. Lighten up, you didn't do it. Well you did, but....it wasn't really you.

John nods.

Zhaan mixes it.

ZHAAN: Ready. [pause] I know, me first.

She fills a syringe, and injects herself.

D'ARGO: How will we know it has worked?

ZHAAN: An acid-based life form would have a noticeable reaction to this level of alkaline. Even if it doesn't kill it. [pause] Well, you all saw the components that I put in.

JOHN: Right. Over here.

She crosses to him and hands him the syringe.

JOHN: Okay. Who's next?

They all look at each other a moment.

AERYN: I will.

She crosses, gun still trained on the others. She extends her hand. John injects her.

AERYN: Told you.

She moves near Zhaan.

Thonn approaches.

THONN: Do it.

John injects him. After a few seconds, he raises his gun.

THONN: It's the Luxan!!

D'ARGO: It's him! Drop your weapon!

LARRAQ: Put your gun down right now! Do it now!!

D'ARGO: Get your weapon - !

THONN: Put your weapon down right now!!

D'ARGO: Put your weapon down!

LARRAQ: Shoot him now! What are you waiting for?!

D'ARGO: I am telling you to drop your weapon!!

LARRAQ: Alright, do it! Come on, just do it! So we can prove it's him and we can kill him!! Come on.

John holds up the syringe.

JOHN: Eenie.........meanie...........mineie..........D'argo.

He injects D'argo. After a few seconds, Larraq makes a dive, shooting back at the rest of them.

AERYN: Stop him!

Aeryn and Thonn fire after him.

Larraq escapes and runs down the corridor.

JOHN to comm: Pilot!!

PILOT: I've been monitoring. DRD's are searching.

JOHN: Cut 'im off, don't let him off this tier.

PILOT: Closing access points........now.

Doors close. Aeryn and Thonn check the corridors quietly.

Suddenly, Aeryn's grabbed by Larraq.

AERYN: Larraq!

LARRAQ: Not exactly. But this shell of his is gonna get me onto that Peacekeeper base.

She struggles against him, shoving him against the wall. He pushes her back into the center of the corridor. Thonn rounds the corner. Larraq fires him and Thonn goes down. John and D'argo round the corner just then. Larraq raises his gun to fire, but Aeryn manages to knock it from his hand. He pulls a very large knife from a sheath, and holds it just inches from Aeryn.

LARRAQ: Stay back! [to John] I learned a lot from the time...I spent inside you. You fugitives wanna stay away from that Peacekeeper base, as badly as I wanna get there. So, here's what we're gonna do. You're gonna let me into that Marauder ship without...any...interference. And then you're free to blast yourselves as far from here as you want.

D'ARGO to John: If the virus is allowed to spawn, it could contaminate thousands of species before it's able to be contained, again.

LARRAQ: I'm sorry. Is that a problem?

AERYN: Crichton, you just do what you have to do!

LARRAQ to Aeryn: This Larraq guy...he really liked you. A lot.

Larraq stabs Aeryn.

JOHN: Aaaaeeeerrryn!!

D'ARGO: Noooo!!

JOHN: Noooo!!

Larraq releases her, and runs off. John catches her.

JOHN: God!

D'ARGO to John: You go! Go after him! The virus can't re-infect you! Go! Go!

John grabs a pulse pistol and runs after Larraq.

D'ARGO to comm: Zhaan! Chiana! Larraq is headed towards the transport hangar! Zhaan, I need you down here at Tier Seven, the Hammond side passageway! Come on, quick! Hurry!

Larraq enters the transport hangar. Chiana sneaks through the other side of the door, and jumps on his back. She grabs his Ident chip, and he throws her off. She sees that she got the chip off of him, as she tries to catch her breath.

Larraq enters his ship, and begins preparing for launch.

John enters.

CHIANA: The transport hangar. [to comm] Pilot, seal the outer transport doors.

JOHN: No! Pilot, is that ship still leaking seizium fuel?

PILOT: Yes.

JOHN: Then let 'im go.

The ship exits Moya.

JOHN: Pilot, stand by for Starburst!

PILOT: Moya is in no condition to Starburst!

JOHN: Not full Starburst, just the first stage, and I want this ship nose to tail where she is, one hundred and eighty degrees, right now!

The ship moves, placing the point of Starburst on the trail of fuel.

JOHN: On my command. [pause] Now.

Pilot pushes a control, activating the first stage of Starburst. It ignites the trail of fuel. The fire quickly follows the trail, all the way to Larraq's ship. Larraq sees what's about to happen, but can't do anything about it.

JOHN: Boom.

The Marauder explodes violently.

Zhaan blots Rygel with a towel.

ZHAAN: Relax. You'll soon be back to normal.

RYGEL: Will I? Hmm. Well, I don't think I'll ever recover from that infernal inferno contraption. Huh! There aren't enough cold towels in the universe, for a start!

D'ARGO: Perhaps we should lock you up in a refrigeration unit for a few arns! At least then we wouldn't have to listen to your incessant whining!

RYGEL: Oh, such sympathy! Hmfph! Of course I should expect nothing less from you!

D'ARGO: You can expect less than nothing, from me. You conspired to open that crate. Anything that happens to you now, you brought upon yourself.

ZHAAN: Uh...I'm sure he has learned his lesson, D'argo. I see you have removed the chains from your cell.

D'ARGO: And I will take great pleasure...in destroying them. If there's one thing I've learned from this fiasco, it's that I will never...be chained up again.

ZHAAN: I pray that will be the case.

D'ARGO: You can pray all you like. I was expressing a fact. Not a hope.

ZHAAN: I understand your pain, D'argo. It must have been a difficult deception to carry out.

RYGEL: Hmfph! Difficult? Difficult?! And deception where I end up boxed on slow bake like some Mulgarian Table Spud is an outright failure!! Course I knew from a start that Crichton'd never pull it off.

ZHAAN: [scoffs] Really?! Yet, you let him lock you in your cell while an unknown amount of Peacekeepers were allowed on board. Very interesting. Perhaps next time we will follow a plan of your devising!

RYGEL: Yes. Perhaps we will.

D'ARGO: Next time. I pray there will never be a next time.

D'argo exits.

John sits on a table in the medical bay. Aeryn rustles under her covers. She groans and looks around.

JOHN: Welcome back. You know, for awhile there, Zhaan wasn't too sure you were gonna make it.

AERYN: What's happened to the virus?

JOHN: It's dead.

AERYN: [whispers] Oh.

JOHN: So is Larraq.

AERYN: He stabbed me, didn't he?

JOHN: Yeah. You got lucky, he missed your heart.

AERYN: Closer than you think. So, um....the Peacekeeper base-

JOHN cuts in: We're getting as far away from it as we can. It's....still out there, we don't know why.

AERYN: What are you doing in here, anyway?

JOHN: Oh, I just wanted to um....uh, um...the - the uh...

AERYN: Thank you.

JOHN: Don't mention it.

AERYN: Why would I ever mention it?

END OF EPISODE.