Items in parethesis () and italics are the t.v. versions of the scenes.
SCENE I
John lays in bed, with a beautiful blond (Alexandra). He's kissing her while talking.
JOHN: You are...the tastiest thing that I have had, since last night.
They embrace and kiss passionately.
JOHN: Hey...baby, Alex, what's wrong?
ALEX: [sighs] I'm taking the Stanford job.
John rolls on his back.
JOHN: Stanford. You know, there are other...medical research programs.
ALEX: Not with full grant scholarships.
JOHN: Well. I got a shot at the space program, here.
ALEX: I know. We talked about this, John. Taking a break.
JOHN: It's not a break, Alex, if you're all the way across the continent.
He rolls on his side. She caresses him.
ALEX: I know it may not seem like it now, but.......I'll always be there for you.
She kisses him tenderly on the back. He reaches down beside the bed, and closes the box to a beautiful engagement ring, and pushes it under the bed.
JOHN: Well, if we're meant to be together, we'll be together.
She gently turns him, and caresses his hair and face.
ALEX: I love you.
JOHN: I love you.
They kiss. As he rolls onto her,
Command. Everyone who is there, is wearing their sleeping garments.
D'ARGO: Pilot!!
PILOT: I have no answers as yet.
John stumbles onto command.
JOHN: A little long for a Starburst, dontcha think?
RYGEL: Hail, Prince of the Obvious.
Moya finally comes out of Starburst.
D'ARGO: About time. [to Pilot] Now explain yourself!
Aeryn comes running into command. Zhaan follows slightly behind (walking). Both, also in their sleeping garments.
PILOT: I told you, I did not initiate Starburst! Nor did I terminate it.
AERYN: Then who did?
PILOT: Moya. She thought she heard the distress cry of another pregnant Leviathan. And was attempting to locate the source.
RYGEL: I like my wives pregnant, and my ships cold to the touch. That way my feet stay warm, and my slumber is uninterrupted.
JOHN: Wives, plural? Big fella! [gives Rygel a high-five]
RYGEL: I was just dreaming about my final mating session, when our gestating goliath decided she needed some excersize.
JOHN to Aeryn: That's my underwear.
Aeryn pulls the back of the underwear out, so the tag can be seen.
AERYN: What does this say?
JOHN: Calvin.
AERYN: Then they're not yours.
D'ARGO: This is strange. I dreamt of my wife, last night. About the last night we spent together, before she was murdered.
JOHN: That was my dream. No-no-no-no not-not your wife, someone I cared about. What about you girls? Sex dreams?
AERYN: I sleep soundly.
ZHAAN: I am unimpressed by your masculine memories. Pilot, has Moya found the ship she's looking for?
PILOT: Yes...and no. There does not appear to be another Leviathan. Let alone a pregnant one, in distress.
D'ARGO: Then why are we here?
PILOT: Hmmmm. We're receiving a transmission.
A female Delvian (Tahleen) appears on screen.
TAHLEEN: Salutations. I apologize for the deceit. But, there was no other way our signal could reach across the void. And we so want to meet you, Pa U Zotoh Zhaan.
SCENE II
Tahleen, Zhaan, John and Aeryn walk across a scarred landscape. Dead looking dirt covers most of it, with a large dirty looking lake. In the distance, a large monolith stands.
TAHLEEN: Upon landing, our vessel heats the rock to molten, then settles below ground.
JOHN: That's your ship? Must've been one hell of an impact.
ZHAAN: It's a missionary habitat.
AERYN: It's clever. Decreases the likelihood of an enemy being able to spot you from space.
TAHLEEN: It's always instructive how...different cultures view the same reality. Where a Peacekeeper sees defense from attack, we see solitude for piety.
ZHAAN: Pa U Tahleen. Your use of deception continues to trouble me.
Aeryn stands beside John, and they watch a elderly male Delvian (Tuzak) tend to a "garden" full of dead trees.
TAHLEEN: Perhaps our many cycles of reclusion contributed to an error in judgement. But...we could think of no other way of leading you here. Let us replenish at the Alter of Essence. In the sweet air, you'll soon forget this world's toxic surface.
They follow.
JOHN: Toxic. That figures.
Tuzak watches their departure.
Inside the Delvian ship. Tahleen waves her hand, and a door opens.
TAHLEEN: Welcome to the New Moon of Delvia. Our modest temple to the Goddess of Spiritual Renewal.
Aeryn fidgets with a weapon tucked into the back of her pants. John makes a grab for it, but she bats his hands away.
JOHN: [whispers] You weren't supposed to bring a weapon, that's why D'argo stayed on the ship!
AERYN: [whispers] D'argo is young, I am cautious.
TAHLEEN: I understand your vessel is low on supplies. Lorana will show you to our food source. Please be greedy. The more you pick, the more that grows to replace it.
JOHN: [softly, to Aeryn] It's so perfect, my teeth ache.
AERYN: [whispers] Well, that's from all the sincerity.
ZHAAN to Tahleen: Why did you lure us here?
TAHLEEN: Search yourself, Zhaan. You know why.
ZHAAN: I do not. What I do know, is (that) you invaded my soul last night, and you left me bitter!
TAHLEEN: Your friends were happy with their remembrances, were they not?
ZHAAN: So you cause me to remember?
TAHLEEN: We always remember, Zhaan. We simply choose to ignore.
A squid-like creature swims through the clear water of a pond. John reaches in, and grabs it.
JOHN: Whoa! There ya go, an untended, renewable, it's part plant, part animal. Total nutrition. What's not to like?
AERYN: This place. These people, their serenity.
JOHN: Well, at least you thought out your position, Aeryn.
AERYN: Amazes me how people mistake theosophy for superiority.
JOHN: You know, (I don't think so, Aeryn) I don't think anything amazes you. [grabs another creature] I mean, look at this. You ever seen one of these, before? What would you call this? I dub thee...Trigapod. [chuckles] What? You...[chuckles] No, no, no, no reaction from you.
AERYN: Incredible. How special. They're a food source, John.
JOHN: No, Aeryn. It's unique. It's a squid calamari cucumber, and it-it is incredible. Look up. Look at this. This is a ship, Aeryn. And it's incredible. It's also a little creepy.
TAHLEEN: Look around, Zhaan.
Tahleen and Zhaan stand just outside the room where John and Aeryn are talking.
JOHN: Okay? Almost everything we see, almost everyday, is brand new to both of us. And it's worthy of response. On the other hand, it is a little creepy.
Aeryn sharply nods her head, as if to say "See? I told you." John reaches in and grabs another creature.
TAHLEEN to Zhaan: You know our cause is just.
ZHAAN: I sympathize, but I cannot help you.
TAHLEEN: Then give us the powers to help ourselves.
ZHAAN: When did the madness begin?
TAHLEEN: Only recently. But already, Pa U Tuzak is beyond redemption.
ZHAAN: You went too fast, didn't you?
TAHLEEN: That is why we must have your secret. Before we are all consumed.
ZHAAN: I have no secret, Tahleen. I am just me.
TAHLEEN: All that hatred and anger. You should be insane.
ZHAAN: I was insane. I don't know how I survived those early cycles.
TAHLEEN: But you did. So how does the pious Zhaan co-exist with all that rage? Share with me. Save me. And in return, I will show you paths to abilities beyond your comprehension.
Tahleen looks at John, as he catches another creature. She closes her eyes. John leans in to look for another creature, when he's swept with a childhood memory. He's standing in the shallows of a lake, looking into the water.
YOUNG JOHN: Mom! Look at the water snakes! They're huge!
JOHN'S MOTHER: John! Come away from there, before you fall in!
Young John heads back inland.
John leans in further, towards the pool in the Delvian ship. Tahleen grabs Zhaan's wrist. Zhaan joins her, closing her eyes as well.
In John's memories, John falls into the water.
YOUNG JOHN: Mom! Help me!! Mom! Mom! Help!
John breaks from his memory and yanks his hand out of the water.
JOHN: Whoa! Damn!
AERYN: What? What is it?
JOHN: There's um....stuff in the water, I mean, uh......
TAHLEEN to Zhaan: [whispers] Miracles of the mind.
ZHAAN: You altered his memory.
TAHLEEN: Help me to understand your powers. And I'll help you to understand mine.
ZHAAN: Put him back and make him as he was.
Tahleen stares across at John.
John grabs a nearby column and looks at himself in the reflection. Aeryn drops her weapon.
AERYN to John: You. Are the most bizarre creature I have ever met.
Rygel and D'argo, on command.
RYGEL: Any word?
D'ARGO: Aeryn and Crichton have close to a forty day supply of fresh food on the transport, already.
RYGEL: Excellent. [chuckles] What's the matter? Is there food I won't like?
D'ARGO: Something Crichton said, is disturbing me.
RYGEL: Finally! I've been saying that since he arrived.
D'ARGO: It's what he said about all of us having the same dream.
RYGEL: It wasn't the same. Mine was better than yours.
D'ARGO: I sense Delvian trickery, here, Rygel. We must leave this place.
RYGEL: Get the food, first.
Rygel hovers off command.
John looks at a long, twisted, knotted root that extends up through the ship.
TUZAK: Do not touch. The Sanctity Root. Poison to your hand. Death.
JOHN: R - Right, um...well, thanks. And you're um...?
TUZAK: Tuzak. Teacher, leader, Holy Reaper, Seeker of the Flame. I am here, because of you. Peacekeeper.
JOHN: I'm not a Peacekeeper.
TUZAK: Yes you are! I am...insane.
JOHN: Yeah, that would've been my next guess.
TUZAK: Insane, because of you. Because I touched inside, what I needed to touch you, outside.
JOHN: Right.
TUZAK: The one you travel with, is in peril.
JOHN: Aeryn? No, Aeryn's not a Peacekeeper-
TUZAK: Not yours, mine!!
JOHN: Zhaan.
TUZAK: [nods] [whispers] Vigilance, Peacekeeper. Confusing times. [pause] [normal] Do not touch the root.
Aeryn inspects a room within the ship.
HASKO: You are forbidden in this sanctuary!
AERYN: I was just looking for the meditation room-
HASKO cuts in: You also carry a prohibited weapon.
AERYN: I appreciate your rules, but I was allowed to go anywhere-
HASKO cuts in: A Peacekeeper lie. I have been driven from my home land by your kind, I will not be driven from here, also. It is you who must go.
He points the way out. She raises her hand in an "okay" gesture and exits. Lorana approaches, as Aeryn exits.
HASKO: This is wrong, Lorana. We are far outside our vows.
LORANA: What choice do we have, Hasko?
HASKO: That is Tahleen talking, not you. Don't be blinded by her madness.
LORANA: I pity you. You're jealousy. Tahleen and I share unity now, not you and I. Accept that, and move on.
Hasko watches her exit.
SCENE I
Zhaan and Tahleen scatter flower petals on the floor. After several steps, they turn and look at each other. John enters.
JOHN: Zhaan, I just heard that Aeryn got booted out of the temple.
ZHAAN: Yes, she's already taken the transport pod, she's gone.
JOHN: What? What do you mean? No-no-no, she-she left without us?
ZHAAN: No, I wanted her to....I need you to help me make a decision.
JOHN: Look, if it's about stayin', you wanna stay here, that's fine, but we can take these people back on board Moya.
TAHLEEN to John: We have no star charts or reference points home to Delvia. We prefer not to wander.
JOHN: Oh, that makes sense. I mean hell, everybody's lost in this corner of the Universe, anyway!
ZHAAN: John! John. You asked if I dreamt the other night. I did. I too was reminded of the last person I ever loved. Open your mind. John, you must keep an open mind.
TAHLEEN: Are you sure, Zhaan? His capacity is well below even a Level One.
ZHAAN: He will understand. [to John] [whispers] You must. [to Tahleen] [normal] Show him. Show him!
John and Tahleen stare at one another. Suddenly, John can see Zhaan, with her last lover, Bitaal.
ZHAAN: In the fires...of Tadesh......I search for Unity with you, my companion.
BITAAL: Oh, magnificent Zhaan. Ease the burdens of my flesh, with your soul.
They touch foreheads.
BITAAL: Envelope me.
ZHAAN: Release your mind, Bitaal. Surrender.....your demons. For I have others....to replace them.
She begins crying, and Bitaal suddenly stiffens his body, in great pain. He begins to sink to the floor.
BITAAL: What are you doing?
ZHAAN: Avenging the lives...you have ruined. The ones you put at risk.
BITAAL: No! Zhaan! Noooooooooooooo!
Zhaan cries and yells out in her anguish.
John is suddenly back in reality.
JOHN: What the hell was that?
ZHAAN: The crime I was imprisoned for.
John jumps away from her and backs up.
JOHN: [whispers]You.........[normal] you.....you killed a guy you were having sex with.
ZHAAN: I admit. I have not revealed all parts of myself, to you.
JOHN: No! No, you haven't! You killed the guy you were having sex with, Zhaan!
ZHAAN: I need you, John! I need you!
JOHN: For what? Target practice?!
ZHAAN: I am adrift. As the past is sweeping over me, I must rely on the judgement of someone I trust! Please understand, please!
JOHN: You want me to understand? Then tell me why the hell did you show me that?
ZHAAN: Because they want me to do it again. Bitaal was our spiritual counselor, John, he was a very powerful man. I was studying with him at the time, and things just took their course.
JOHN: Why did you kill him, Zhaan?
ZHAAN: His tenure was up. Instead of yielding control, he and the other conservative Pa U's hired the Peacekeepers for external security. Our world had changed forever.
JOHN: Delvian coup de ta. Didn't think you people had it in you.
ZHAAN: Peacekeepers rounded up all the liberal thinkers and voices of protest. My own father was sent to an asteroid camp. He may still be there, for all I know.
JOHN: Was it before...or after you killed Bitaal?
ZHAAN: I loved Bitaal, John.
JOHN: [nods] And these people...Tahleen and the others. They want you to kill again?
ZHAAN: Not by my own hand. They want me to help them regain power.
JOHN: So-so, so what are you supposed to do? Serve as poster child, for the revolution?
ZHAAN: As we train for purity, Delvians often become vulnerable to their own dark impulses. Should it surface, they succumb, as if to an infection.
JOHN: Is that what happened to...Grandpa Looney Toons?
ZHAAN: [nods] And now madness is threatening his followers, too.
JOHN: But not you.
Zhaan shakes her head.
JOHN: You know, you're as...twisted as they come. But you're still sane.
ZHAAN: [nods] Exactly. I can help these people, John.
JOHN: How?
ZHAAN: Through Unity. A sacred surrender of two minds, together. Two spirits. Two souls.
JOHN: Wait. N-no, just back up. You're tellin' me you're gonna give a piece of your mind...a piece of your soul, to one of these people?
Zhaan nods.
JOHN: Am I just being stupid here, or does that sound a little crazy, in it's own right, Zhaan?
ZHAAN: It is crazy, John. But where there is risk, there is also hope.
Aeryn heads for command. Rygel hovers backwards, ahead of her.
RYGEL: Look, couldn't we wait til we load more supplies? This Trigapod is mythic.
Aeryn shoves him out of the way.
RYGEL: You say it's part vegetable?
AERYN to D'argo: Any more from Crichton?
D'ARGO: He says they want Zhaan to participate in some sort of ceremonial mating.
AERYN: This is such a bad combination, I never should have left them. Zhaan distracted, Crichton confused.
D'ARGO: Crichton is always confused.
They look at each other a moment.
AERYN: Pilot, prepare their transport pod. We're heading back to the planet.
PILOT: Very well.
Rygel kicks back some food in his mouth, and follows.
RYGEL: Oh, wait for me!
Tahleen, Lorana and Hasko enter a room.
TAHLEEN: If we spent another thousand cycles, here, we couldn't find the strength that that woman could give us, in an instant.
HASKO: The Peacekeeper has signaled her intention to return, with the Luxan.
TAHLEEN: Stop them! Let nothing distract Zhaan from what I want her focused on.
LORANA: The one, Crichton, is challenging her with questions. I can send him back to the ship-
TAHLEEN cuts in: No! She wants him here. Their minds are weak. Preoccupy them all, as you would children. Attack them with their own hopes and fears.
Tahleen exits.
HASKO: Is that how you'll treat your children, Lorana?
Hasko exits.
John sits in a hallway, head in his hands. Alexandra enters.
ALEX: So? What's the story? When do we go?
He gets up and begins backing away from her. He stops after several steps.
JOHN: Who the hell are you?
ALEX: You don't recognize me?
JOHN: Oh no, I recognize who you're supposed to be, Alex.
ALEX: What's wrong with you?
JOHN: What's wrong with this picture? Wh-why aren't you in your lab, at Stanford?
ALEX: I...never went to Stanford, John. I joined the space program, with you. Remember?
John flashes to a memory of Alex, standing in front of the module. Alex blows kisses at the camera, and giggles.
JOHN: Yeah, I............but, Alex. How did you get here?
ALEX: The same way as you. Or doesn't being your co-pilot, count?
John flashes back to the module. He's standing beside Alex.
JOHN: Smile, baby, this is for my mom.
ALEX: Remember now?
He nods.
Tuzak works at the soil of the dead looking trees. He coughs, then continues to work. Zhaan approaches.
TUZAK: Took you long enough.
ZHAAN: I had to get up the nerve.
TUZAK: I know who you are.
ZHAAN: I know who you are. I do respect your teachings, Pa U Tuzak. TUZAK: And I respect your choice of murder victims.
ZHAAN: What are you doing here?
TUZAK: The young refuse to tend the orchard. Sanctity roots don't grow on trees, my dear. [chuckles]
ZHAAN: I need your advice.
TUZAK: Oooh, no. I have tasted of my darker impulse. I'm - I'm insane.
ZHAAN: What I am contemplating....is also a little insane.
TUZAK: Pa U. Ninth level?
Zhaan nods.
TUZAK: When the darkness rises up, from inside, that is normal. It's when you reach down, to pull it up...that the noxious warnings sound.
ZHAAN: Should I give Tahleen what she wants?
TUZAK: Oooh, she would like that.
ZHAAN: Will she use the ability I give her, to hurt people?
TUZAK: Oh, certainly. But, she may also free a planet from tyranny.
Tuzak resumes tending the "orchard".
SCENE I
Tahleen walks by, watching as Hasko prays in the Delvian tongue.
D'argo and Aeryn prepare to leave.
D'ARGO to Rygel: If you hear nothing from us, come down immediately.
RYGEL: [sarcastically] Yes, of course. My thought exactly.
D'ARGO: Aeryn, are you ready?
AERYN: Ready.
She suddenly drops her gun. When she looks down, she sees it in many pieces. She looks up at D'argo.
D'ARGO: Are you ready?
AERYN: My pulse rifle just fell apart.
He looks and sees it in one piece.
D'ARGO: What are you talking about? Just pick it up.
AERYN: It's in pieces, D'argo. I don't know what happened.
D'ARGO: What happened is, you are wasting my time.
She sees him hand her a small piece of the gun. She grabs it and shoves it in his face (but to him, it's the entire gun).
AERYN: I don't have any training to use this bit!
She looks at him expectantly.
D'ARGO: Pilot. Are there any Delvian transmissions coming to Moya?
Instead of Pilot, D'argo hears his son, Jothee.
JOTHEE: Daddy! Daddy!
D'ARGO: Jothee. Jothee!
He stands, and sees Jothee standing at the doorway, looking around.
JOTHEE: Daddy!
D'argo sees Jothee grabbed by a Peacekeeper.
JOTHEE: Help me!
D'ARGO: Peacekeepers! Pilot! Seal all the exits, there are Peacekeepers on board!
He runs out, after his son.
Rygel looks on, in confusion.
AERYN: Rygel, can you help me with this?
Suddenly, he shrinks to an even miniature version of himself.
TAHLEEN: What made you decide to share unity with me?
ZHAAN: The potential.
TAHLEEN: If you have even the slightest doubt....we must refrain.
ZHAAN: I will give you what you wish. What you need.
TAHLEEN: The smallest seed. Point me toward the knowledge. And I will spend my life, mastering it.
Tahleen lowers her head slightly. Zhaan puts a hand on each side of Tahleen's head. Tahleen reaches her hands up, and does the same on Zhaan. They put their foreheads together, and a bright blue light surrounds them. Their bodies merge, making what appears to be a head with a face on each side.
ZHAAN: I am yours. Your spirit is raging. You strive for so much.
TAHLEEN: And yours is so calm.
ZHAAN: I will show you....what you want.....so you might.....ease your soul.
Zhaan begins to shake and make noises of discomfort.
ZHAAN: What are you doing?! Tahleen!
TAHLEEN: I'm sorry, Zhaan. But what you have achieved will take me too long to master on my own.
ZHAAN: No!
TAHLEEN: [whispers] Forgive me, Pa U, but I must have all of what I need.
Zhaan cries out in pain. Suddenly, they are disengaged. Zhaan looks up, shaking. Her eyes are deep red.
ZHAAN: You betrayed me!
Zhaan sits in the corridor. John approaches.
JOHN: What's up? What happened?
ZHAAN: I made a mistake.
JOHN: Wh-why are your eyes red?
ZHAAN: It's tissue bile, migrating to my brain.
JOHN: Madness?
ZHAAN: Maybe. My dark impulses are released. She ripped from me, my ability to control them.
JOHN: Then go take them back.
ZHAAN: It doesn't work like that. I'd have to start over.
JOHN: Zhaan. You're in a temple. Surrounded by the Goddess. If you can do it in a Peacekeeper cell, you can do it-
Zhaan grabs him by the head, viciously.
ZHAAN: I spent nearly seventeen cycles, tortured by my own dark impulses! [whispers] Feeling insanity's grip, ebb and flow. [normal] I don't have the strength to fight again!
She tosses him away. He sits, stunned for a moment.
JOHN: No. Just - just...stay put. [whispers] Stay put. [normal] We're not done yet.
He leaves. Zhaan watches his exit.
Scene moves between Delvian ship, Pilot's den, and various locals in Moya.
John searches the Delvian ship.
JOHN: Tahleen! Tah-leen! Tahleen!
He looks in a room and sees Alex there.
JOHN: Alex. Where's Tahleen?
ALEX: Lotus position, somewhere. John, sit down.
JOHN: Look, she screwed over Zhaan.
Alex pulls him down to sit, and begins kissing him.
ALEX: That was Zhaan's choice. Let it go.
JOHN: Baby, you should see her.
ALEX: And you should see me. John, we made a promise to always be there for each other.
She continues to kiss him.
JOHN: Wait, wait-wait-wait, when have I not been there for you?
ALEX: Whenever anybody else needs you.
JOHN: Alex. Zhaan is our friend.
ALEX: Who made a choice, to stay with her own kind. Accept it. Do you remember the night that we made love in the reflecting pool at Canaveral?
She kisses him.
PILOT on comm: Crichton? Are you there?
JOHN: Yo, Pilot, what's up?
PILOT: I'm afraid everyone up here is behaving rather strangely.
Pilot allows John to hear D'argo. D'argo searches the ship for his son.
D'ARGO: Jothee! Jothee, where are you boy? Jooootheee, where are you? Pilot! I demand that you help me find my son, now!
D'argo hits the clamshell.
PILOT to John: I'm sure you heard that!
JOHN: How's Aeryn?
PILOT: Just as bad.
AERYN: [laughs] I am not as bad as that! I just um.....I - I-I can't figure out how these controls work.
PILOT: And Rygel is faring no better. He somehow thinks he has shrunk to be even smaller dimensions.
JOHN: I'm on it, Pilot.
JOHN: This is a pretty sacred place, isn't it? [softly] Think you still belong here?
Lorana and Hasko walk in, and listen.
TAHLEEN: There are over a billion Delvians living in fear, on our home world.
JOHN: And you're gonna save 'em, right?
TAHLEEN: Not alone. It will take many dedicated to freedom. But it serves no end if I go insane before-
JOHN cuts in: This isn't about...freedom. It's about power.
TAHLEEN: (You make no sense.) You know, your friend really is a remarkable woman!
JOHN: Whatever you've done to my friend, you put it right.
John exits.
TAHLEEN: Incapacitate him, Lorana. Even if you have to destroy his mind.
LORANA: Why not just let them go? You already have what you want.
TAHLEEN: Because I have not. Zhaan held too tightly to her secret. I didn't get enough to quell the madness.
Tahleen exits.
HASKO to Lorana: She will forge another unity with Zhaan, and most likely kill her in the process!
Hasko exits.
John walks through the Delvian ship. Alex catches up to him in a corridor.
ALEX: Hey! Where've you been?!
JOHN: Oh! Dealing with Zhaan and the blue people.
ALEX: How're we gonna get back on Moya?
JOHN: I don't know. Look, Alex, let me as you a question. Have you noticed anything unusual that might indicate that they've been messin' with our minds?
ALEX: The only person messing with my mind, John, is you.
JOHN: I don't have time for this, right now, okay? I am serious.
ALEX: And you don't think I am?!
She shows him her hand, which has the ring on it, from his dream/memory.
ALEX: When am I gonna become more important to you than Zhaan?!
JOHN: I never gave you that.
Switch to his memory. They are in bed, once again.
JOHN: Hey. Baby. What's wrong?
ALEX: [sighs] I'm scared.
JOHN: [chuckles] Uh huh, yeah, right, you're scared. [kisses her chest and belly] What?
ALEX: Oh, when I agreed to pass on Stanford and go with you. What if things don't work out between us and I-I'm stuck in Florida, alone.
JOHN: You will never [kiss] ever [kiss] be stuck alone. I promise.
ALEX: Now how am I gonna hold you to that one?
He chuckles, and
JOHN: Alexandra Kimberly O'Conner. Marry me.
Back to the present.
ALEX: You never...gave me this?
JOHN: No, I mean...I - I remember giving you the ring, I just....don't.…remember...
Flash to Alexandra in a flowing white strapless wedding dress, in front of a curtain of white. Beautiful white flowers in her hair. A bouquet of flowers in her hand.
ALEX: And I promise never to place another before me. Til death do us part.
Back to the present.
ALEX: You don't remember what, John? Marrying me?!
JOHN: Yeah.....of course. I'm........
ALEX: Do you want it back?
She takes the ring off and holds it in front of her.
JOHN: No! No, no. Never.
ALEX: Then honor your vow. Or choose Zhaan over me, and take the ring.
John gently puts the ring back on her finger. He holds her and gives her a tender kiss. They hug tightly.
Tahleen goes to the surface, and talks with Tuzak, who is still tending the orchard.
TAHLEEN: If you return to Delvia, many may be tempted....to seek your word, barely coherent, over mine.
TUZAK: Oh, they wouldn't listen to me, my daughter. You didn't.
TAHLEEN: On the contrary, all those cycles growing up. I listened.
TUZAK: When I brought you all here, to accelerate your teaching, it was to create....a new class of Pa U. A better class.
TAHLEEN: And in your legacy, we will shine on.
TUZAK: You go too fast! Pillaging knowledge, without the wisdom to control it! I mean, learn from my error, Tahleen!
TAHLEEN: I have. Even now insanity creeps upon me. But rather than sit idly by, tending trees that will not grow, I take action. For myself....and for my home land.
Tahleen goes to leave, but Tuzak grabs her.
TUZAK: What you do is worse, than the insanity you seek to stave off!
TAHLEEN: You're quite lucid today, father.
She places her hands on the sides of his head.
TUZAK: No!!
He quickly collapses. She lets him fall to the ground. When she looks up, her eyes are red.
Zhaan lays, with her head on Tuzaks deceased body. John enters.
JOHN: Zhaan. Come back to Moya with us.
ZHAAN: No, Tahleen needs me. I will be a Pa U dedicated to helping others.
JOHN: What, after all she's done?
ZHAAN: Yes. I will join in unity with her, one more time.
JOHN: You know, you're full of it. You're gonna kill her, aren't you? Just like you did your lover.
ZHAAN: You were always the most clever one on Moya. But I will not miss you.
JOHN: Zhaan. Just stop. Stop thinking about Tahleen. I want you to think about yourself for a little while.
ZHAAN: The urge to give retribution is intoxicating. I have missed it.
JOHN: You know, Alex said that you were gonna do this. That you'd quit.
ZHAAN: Alex? Who is Alex?
JOHN: Alex. My wife.
ZHAAN: I should not have brought you here. Let's face it. We are both lost.
Zhaan lays back on Tuzak, giggles and sighs.
John stands by the sanctity root. Alex approaches.
ALEX: Why do you care for Zhaan so much?
JOHN: Huh? What kinda question is- ? [cuts off]
ALEX: Why is Zhaan so important to you?
JOHN: Honey, think of all the times she's put herself on the line for us.
ALEX: Not for me, John.
JOHN: You know what? This is stupid. She likes you.
Alex steps further into the room.
ALEX: She can't like me. Because she doesn't even know me.
JOHN: What the hell are you talkin' about?
ALEX: I'm not here, John. I've never been.
He steps forward and holds her head gently.
JOHN: Baby. They are messing with your mind. You flew with me. We share quarters, on Moya.
ALEX: Forced memories. To distract you.
JOHN: You're real.
ALEX: No.
JOHN: I love you.
They look at each other a few moments. She moves out of his grasp. She begins transforming, as she speaks.
LORANA: I release you, from what is not true.
John's memories return to normal and he's left stunned, hurt and angry.
JOHN: How....in God's name do you call yourself a priest?
LORANA: I have no excuse.
JOHN: So what now? Kill me? Cage me? Teach me tricks?
LORANA: Your feelings for Zhaan. I share them too. And for you, and the others. We have fallen off the path. The Sanctity root around which our temple revolves, represents purity of thought and intent.
JOHN: Your tree. It's twisted on itself.
LORANA: Whilst in your mind, you have showed me the ember of my own virtue.
JOHN: Next time, ask.
She places her hands gently on the sides of his head. He flinches slightly at her touch.
LORANA: If you are willing, to take the risk, you may be able to accomplish the same result, with Zhaan.
Hasko speaks to Moya's crew.
HASKO: I am sorry. But you must focus on this moment. Your friends' lives hang in the balance.
RYGEL: I get a vote. I say we go down there and shoot them all.
Aeryn smacks him on the back of the head.
RYGEL: Oh! Look, D'argo almost stepped on me.
PILOT on clamshell: Your Eminence, you were never any smaller than your current stature.
HASKO: You must not invade our temple. The balance is....very delicate. Please. I have restored your memories. Now, allow us to do it our way.
D'ARGO: You have two arns. That's all.
SCENE I
Tahleen meditates, her eyes blood red. Lorana approaches her.
TAHLEEN: Why do you disturb me, as I prepare for unity with Zhaan?
LORANA: Because what you are doing, is wrong.
TAHLEEN: Such simple analysis from a vessel I poured much effort into. How disappointing.
LORANA: If you thought so little, why choose unity with me, in the past?
TAHLEEN: Because you were too foolish to look deeper and question me. You were easy and pleasurable.
LORANA: Pardon the intrusion Pa U, but I think you should know, Zhaan and Crichton have fled to the surface in attempt to reach their ship.
TAHLEEN: Then I must stop them.
Tahleen exits. Lorana smiles to herself.
Zhaan enters the room in which she was to share unity with Tahleen. John is there, crouched on the floor.
ZHAAN: Where is she?
JOHN: The part of Tahleen in tonight's unity, will be played by a John Crichton.
ZHAAN: [leans down to him] You wish to share unity with me?
JOHN: [gets up] Well, you guys are always going on about how.....hot it is. I thought I'd give it a go.
ZHAAN: This is not sex. The fusion of our two minds will surely kill you.
JOHN: Not if you're careful. I hear you can protect me. If you want to.
ZHAAN: I see no purpose to this union.
John clucks like a chicken. She stops, and looks back.
JOHN: Your translator microbes handle that one?
ZHAAN: Although....I must admit. I have always wondered what could possibly go on in there.
JOHN: Not a lot. I'm a guy. Come on, Zhaan. What are you afraid of?
She grabs his head, viciously.
ZHAAN: Take my head!
He complies.
ZHAAN: Our two spirits will pass into each other, until we inhabit a single consciousness. [whispers] Too late to be afraid. Move into me.
They touch foreheads and are encompassed in a blue light. Their bodies merge together, once again, making the head with two faces, as Zhaan did with Tahleen.
JOHN: Oh my. What is that?
ZHAAN: Unity.
He looks at his hand. It's the palm of his hand, on both sides.
JOHN: It's like....Disney on acid! Ten years of really...great sex, all at the same moment.
Zhaan giggles.
JOHN: Oh my...God, what is that? What is....?
ZHAAN: The core of my soul. The part of me that is capable of murder.
JOHN: What - what's happening? What - what's happening to me?
ZHAAN: Focus on something else, John. Do not. Absorb. Any of my rage.
JOHN: Got it. Alright. Alright. I'm alright.
ZHAAN: We must separate now, John, I don't know how long I can protect you.
JOHN: No. There's something in me, that you need to see. Look at yourself, as I see you. Gentle. Giving. That's you, Zhaan. Tahleen can't take that. And she didn't. You're still that Pa U. Follow me, Zhaan. See what I see. Build on that piece. Be her, again.
She struggles, and suddenly they are separated from Unity. They both fall on the floor. John gathers himself a minute, and then looks at Zhaan.
JOHN: Zhaan! Zhaan!
She struggles upwards. Her eyes are still red.
JOHN: Fight it.
Her eyes turn for a split second, back to blue.
JOHN: Fight all the things that betray you.
She struggles, and falls back on the floor. John crawls over to her. He lifts her into his lap.
JOHN: [whispers] Zhaan.
When she opens her eyes, they are blue, once again.
ZHAAN: Thank you, John.
He nods. They look on each other for several moments.
John chops at the Sanctity root. Zhaan stands nearby.
JOHN: How come...[chop]...I can't remember.
ZHAAN: The details of the mind, fade after unity. But the essence of bonding, remains.
John continues to chop. Tahleen, Lorana and Hasko run in.
TAHLEEN: Stop!! How dare you?!
John continues to chop, as he talks.
JOHN: This tree, is the center of your existence, right? Source of your goodness. Spiritual flame. Well, burn down the temple, sister, cause you're a bastard sect, in any religion!
TAHLEEN: I will destroy your useless mind!
Tahleen begins using her powers on John. He stops chopping and begins to appear to be in discomfort. Zhaan intercedes, and John's fine again. Tahleen whips around to look at Zhaan.
TAHLEEN: How did you block him from me?
ZHAAN: Unity also gifted me with a part of you, Tahleen. I am now a Pa U of the Tenth level, able to protect.
She nods towards John, who resumes chopping. His last swing breaks the root. The entire ship trembles for several seconds.
TAHLEEN: We want the same thing, Zhaan.
ZHAAN: No, we don't. You reach for the dark impulses I leave behind. We all visit the precipice. Each one of us must find our own way down. With your father gone, he will need you to tend his orchard. John.
Tahleen shakes her head. John drops his axe and follows Zhaan. Tahleen drops to her knees in front of the root. John stops in front of Lorana and touches the side of her face, gently.
JOHN: It's okay.
She touches him briefly, and then he exits.
Zhaan carries her Priestess clothes into a room on the Delvian ship. She bows slightly in front of the alter, and lays them on the table.
JOHN: What are you doing?
ZHAAN: The vestments of a Pa U. Feels like a shroud. I'm no longer worthy.
JOHN: You do that, and she wins.
ZHAAN: It's not about winning, John. Each day infuses us with the knowledge we carry into tomorrow. I....I will be a Pa U again. But I am not, today.
JOHN: Seems a shame. Waste all those years of training.
ZHAAN: Hardly wasted. They were the best cycles of my life.
She exits.
END OF EPSIODE.