Disclaimer: All characters other than Su-namun and the Quanarians are owned by Farscape & the Henson CO.. I have only borrowed them for a bit, and I will give them back, I promise! The Characters from Farscape are copyrighted by someone else, I have only copyrighted Su-namun, the other Quanarians, and the story I created.

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"Aeryn?" Pilot said.

"What is it Pilot?" Aeryn looked up from The panel she was working on. She, Crichton, and D'Argo were busy working, trying to remove yet another of the Peacekeeper's tracking devices. Crichton and D'Argo were still welding, and Aeryn could barely hear Pilot above the noise.

" They were already along side us when Moya picked them up on the scan. They requested permission to dock to make repairs. But something troubles me...a scan of their ship shows no sign of any damage..."

As the three reached the hanger bay, Aeryn skidded to a stop. D'Argo almost stepped on her, and John crashed into D'Argo's back, causing them all to stumble.

Standing in front of the small ship docked in Moya's hanger, were a over a dozen figures, all grinning, and all holding various large and lethal-looking weapons. All of them were pointed directly at Aeryn, John, and D'Argo.

"This is bad." said John quietly.

"Ahhh, good morrow to you all" said the figure in front. He was a large feline-like humanoid, heavily muscled, and bright red in color. His green eyes flashed as he cocked his head and smiled. The others, standing behind and to either side of him, were obviously of the same species. They were all red, with faint grayish-black stripes. "What kind of cat-people are these?" John whispered to Aeryn.

"Allow me to introduce myself." said the leader. " I am Commander Ankh-pa-torum. This is my crew. You really do not need to concern yourselves with where we came from. We have decided to remove your ship from your possession. So what you need to decide, and quickly, is would you prefer we deposit you off on the closest planet, or would you rather make things difficult? We have no problem with what ever you decide. Your remains are easily disposed of. Please discuss your choice among yourselves" He grinned widely, his sharp teeth glinting.

Aeryn and John looked at each other, then at D'Argo. He looked as if he would gladly eat the intruders, which did not bode well, since they were heavily outnumbered. Aeryn laid her hand gently on D'Argo arm. "As much as I hate what I'm going to say, I think we should cooperate with them" she said, leaning in towards D'Argo and whispering "for now..."

"I don't think-" D'Argo growled. John cut in. "Even if we could fight them off, any shots that missed their targets would hit Moya. We don't need to do this now. Wait for a better opportunity." D'Argo's hands tightened on his Qualta saber, then in disgust he threw it down. Aeryn's and John's weapons quickly followed.

"Oh, how nice. You have decided to give us your ship" said the commander. His crew laughed as one of them came forward. "Please step away from your weapons and place your hands on your head" As Aeryn, John and D'Argo did so, some of the crew picked up the discarded weapons and brought them to the Commander. "Very nice. Now if you would be so kind as to turn around?" They turned and John whispered to Aeryn "These are, without a doubt the most polite pirates I have ever heard of."

"They're Quanarian." D'Argo spat, as if the word made his mouth taste foul.

"I've never heard of them." said Aeryn.

"Now if you would please lead us to where your fellow shipmates are, we would be most appreciative. We could easily find them on our own, but we would prefer to have your complete cooperation. Please do not bother lying to us. Our readings show several others on board this Leviathan. And please do not run. We would be forced to shoot you in the back, which I must say is not fun at all. At least, not for you." The Commander said, and the others chuckled.

As they walked to where Aeryn had last seen Rygel, Zhaan, and Chiana she whispered to D'Argo. "What do you know of these beings?"

D'Argo hissed "Only that they're despicable. Luxans never had anything to do with them if we could help it. Any Quanarian we ever met we shot on site."

They reached the galley, where Rygel was alone, and busily eating, as usual. He did not look up as Aeryn entered. "Rygel, where are Zhaan and Chiana?"

"How should I know?" Rygel stuffed another mouthful of what looked liked slugs into his mouth. "Leave me be, I'm busy."

The mercenaries were obviously startled at the sight of Rygel. Then, they all dropped to one knee, and bowed their heads. "Lord Hynerian, we beg your forgiveness. We had no idea this ship was carrying one so great as yourself. Please have mercy on us. We meant no harm."

"What the frell are you talking about?" Rygel asked, wiping a stubby arm across his mouth.

"What is going on?" asked Aeryn. The mercenaries scrambled to return the weapons back to her, John and D'Argo. As soon as the Qualta blade was in his hands, D'Argo leveled it at the Commander. "Now..." he began. "D'Argo, wait." John stepped in front of him. "Rygel, do you know these guys?"

"Not personally," said the Rygel. "but they're Quanarian. Their entire species lives to protect and serve us Hynerians. They have been our personal bodyguards for as long as I can remember. Good at it too. They are excellent fighters."

"They're filth." snarled D'Argo.

"Shows what you know." snapped Rygel. " If I had to choose someone for a guard, it would definitely be them. They would do anything required to keep us safe, and more importantly happy."

"We did not mean to cause dissension between you." said the commander, rising to his feet. We should leave." He and the others turned to go. 'By no means. You are my guests. You are welcome to stay aboard my ship for as long as you wish." Rygel said.

"Your ship??" Aeryn leaned over to Rygel " Don't you think we should discuss this, 'your Lordship'? These bodyguards of yours almost tossed us off Moya."

"What's to discuss? I'm sure they were only doing what they usually do. You Quanarians still taking things from those who don't need it anyway?"

Of course, my Lord." said the Commander.

"Then stay for a while" said Rygel, going back to his large plate, "It will be nice to have some DECENT company to talk to! Sit down." He gestured to the empty seats beside him, and the mercenaries hurried to sit. Aeryn snorted. "I don't like this one bit. Rygel..." Rygel, however completely ignored her

"This is disgusting." snapped D'Argo. I will be in my quarters until those "things" are off this ship." He stormed out.

The Commander pulled out a communicating device and spoke into it. "Su-namun, there's been a change of plans. What? No, there's a Hynerian on board. Yes, we were. Yes, you should." He put the device back, and smiled. " My Lord, my second-in command will be here momentarily. She is eager to meet you."

"As I am to meet her." Rygel said, never stopping his eating. He glanced at John and Aeryn. "Well, are you two going to stand around gaping, or are you going to sit?"

Aeryn looked at John " I really don't know what to make of this, but as long as they don't stay too long I guess we don't really have much choice. Maybe we can learn some more about them, just in case..."

"We could just toss the toad out the airlock." John murmured. "Maybe they would all jump in trying to save him, and we'd be rid of the whole problem."

It turned out that John and Aeryn learned more about Rygel's ability to lie than anything else. The way he talked anyone would think that John, Aeryn, and the rest were all Rygel's willing slaves . The Quanarian crew sat entranced, listening to Rygel's tales of how he, and he alone, had saved to day time and again. " I don't know how much more of this I can listen to" Aeryn hissed at John. As he nodded, he glimpsed movement out of the corner of his eye. He nudged Aeryn, and they both turned as another Quanarian entered the room. She was smaller than the others, and obviously female. Her hair stood on end, flaming red. She moved with grace and agility, that accented her feline quality even more. John was reminded of nature specials he'd seen before. This Quanarian looked as if she'd be just as happy in a jungle somewhere stalking her prey, as she would piloting a ship through space.

She walked over to the table where they all sat, and stood quietly behind the Commander.

"Lord Rygel, allow me to introduce to you my second-in-command, Anut-su-namun." The Commander said. She bowed low, "Lord Rygel, it is indeed an honor. My apologies for not arriving sooner. It took me a moment to locate you."

"No matter." said Rygel. "I was just telling your shipmates about the time I single-handedly-"

"I beg your forgiveness for interrupting you, my Lord, but I must speak with my captain for a moment" she said.

"What is it?" said the Commander.

"When we docked here earlier, Something jarred loose in engine core1, sir. We actually do need to make some repairs. It will not be anything extensive, but I could use an extra set of hands while I fix the problem..."she looked from Rygel to the Commander.

"Take Crichton" Rygel commanded "I want my guests to be comfortable, and Crichton already knows of all my adventures. Go on Crichton." Rygel made shooing motions with his hands.

"I'll help too" Aeryn leapt to her feet, eager to get away from Rygel's ridiculous stories before she lost her temper and strangled the little Hynerian toad.

"No, Aeryn, listen" John pulled her aside "You stay. Maybe you might be able to pick up something on these guys." He inclined his head towards the table. Rygel was already launching into another story, having dismissed both Aeryn and John in his mind. "See if you can get some questions in when Rygel takes a breath. I'll see if I can get any info about them from her. If D'Argo hates them so much, there has got to be some reason, and I want to know why." Aeryn nodded, and sat back down. John turned to the Quanarian female, who stood by the entryway. "Let's go." he said.

As they walked down Moya's corridors, John racked his brain for questions to ask.

He was so busy thinking he didn't notice when the Quanarian stopped. She reached out and grabbed John by the shoulder. He jerked away and spun around, fists up. She backed away, laughing. "Sorry. I didn't mean to startle you. I just wanted to know what you are called."

"Oh." John said. D'Argo's agitation had really put him on edge. "I'm John. John Crichton."

"Hoo-man? I have never heard of your kind before" She leaned in towards John and inhaled deeply, closing her eyes. " you have a strange scent about you..." she looked up and smiled at him " We are all aliens to someone."

They continued walking, and John thought of something to ask her "So, um..."

"You may call me Su-namun." she said over her shoulder.

Ok, Su-namun. You guys pretty much think Hynerians are great?"

"Not really. But they pay us well." she said.

"So, your species are the Hynerian bodyguards, but you don't like them?" John asked.

"They have their good points, the main one being that they are all rich."

"But from what I've seen, you treat him as if he were your king."

"They pay even more for that. Let me explain. We are a mercenary race. Our fighting skills are a good trade for some races who do not have our 'abilities'. The Hynerians always pay us the most for our protection. Most of our ships, weapons, food, everything we need, is paid for by the Hynerians. You were very lucky, you know. If we had been "protecting" another race, all of you would be floating in space right now." she laughed. " The Hynerians would be in a lot of trouble without our constant protection, and they know it, the little toads."

"Can I ask you something else?" John said as they reached the hanger bay and walked towards the small ship docked within.

"Of course you may." she pushed a panel on the side of the ship, and a hatch swung open several feet above the floor.. "Follow me." she said leaping up into the doorway. She held out her hand. John took it, and she pulled him up into the ship easily.

Who?" she asked "and hold these please." She handed him several odd-looking tools, and kneeled down beside a cylindrical glowing tower. John assumed this what whatever she needed to fix. He sat down beside her and said "D'Argo. A Luxan warrior who is on board."

She tossed her head back and laughed. " A Luxan! I'm surprised you aren't all dead! What kept him from trying to kill us all?"

"That and something else. If your race is so tough, and as D'Argo said a race of murderers, and thieves, why is it that you sound as if you are going to invite us all to tea?"

"You're so...polite." John said, hoping he wouldn't offend her.

She looked at him thoughtfully.

"I can answer your first question simply. Luxans are a race of warriors with a strict system of rank and honor. We are not so strict. We steal when we can, basically because we like to, we are great liars, and we have been known to start fights with others who cannot beat us, simply because we enjoy it. I think some time ago, the Luxans and our race were involved in some kind of dispute because we killed off a species who were the Luxan's allies."

"The entire species?" John asked, thinking, D'Argo was right, these people have no respect for anything.

"Yes, of course this happened a long time ago, before I was even born. I have heard of other races who slaughter whole species simply because they don't like the way they look, or some other equally ridiculous reason. Have you not ever heard of those who kill for no good reason?"

John said " Yes, even among my own people, there were those who killed thousands of people for that very reason. But they were still monsters."

"My ancestors were monsters then." she laughed at John's comment "But our race has calmed down considerably lately. We are already known to be tough and merciless, so we just embellish the stories that go around, to keep anyone from bothering us. We have a good deal going with the Hynerians. And of course we take things we want from others. Mostly we take from those who can afford to lose a few valuables."

"A kind of 'rob from the rich, give to the poor' thing?" Crichton asked.

"No just a kind of 'rob from the rich, keep for ourselves' thing. And about the 'politeness', as you put it, no matter what the Luxan may have told you, we are not uneducated. We talk the way we do because that is the way we are. I do not know how to put it in another way."

"Are you...do you talk that nicely all the time?" John asked. "Like 'Pardon me, would you mind holding my coat while I kick your ass?""

She laughed again " I believe I have actually said something like that before!"

John was beginning to see another reason the D'Argo didn't like this species. If Su-namun was any indication, they were a humorous race.

"Don't get me wrong, John Crichton." she sobered "If we get angry, you would not want to be anywhere near us. We can be quite foul and entirely merciless to those who we feel have wronged us. May I ask you a question?"

John nodded. She said "How did you and the others come to be on Rygel's ship? Are you all his servants?"

John smirked "Moya isn't Rygel's ship. And we are definitely not his servants. Rygel is just a big liar."

"I thought as much. So really, we could take this ship, and kill you all, and as long as we took Rygel wherever he wanted to go, he wouldn't care?" she leaned towards him and narrowed her eyes, smiling.

John swallowed. He did not like this turn of events "Rygel would probably like it if you took him with you, yes, but I think he may not like you killing us or taking Moya" He wasn't sure, but he wasn't about to tell her that.

She grinned, took one of the tools he was holding, and sat back. "Do not worry, John Crichton. We will not harm you so long as you do not harm us, or Rygel. We are his guests, and it would be impolite of us to do such a thing, do you not agree?" She leaned around the engine core and proceeded to adjust some control.

"It is obvious. You are trying to learn what you can about us, so in case your Luxan friend is right, and we can't be trusted, you will have some idea of how to defend yourselves." She did not look up from what she was doing, but John could see she was smiling.

"Umm.." John didn't know what to say. If anything, she was perceptive.

"We are Quanarians. Do you know anything at all about us? What exactly did your Luxan friend say?"

They both walked to the entrance of the ship. John jumped down and turned to look up at her. She was leaning against the doorway, waiting.

"I have no idea what you are like, D'Argo said nothing about you at all." John said

"We are a chameleon race" she said, winking at him, and folding her arms across her chest.

"Which means what exactly?" John asked, though an idea was beginning to form in his head.

We can change to match our surroundings. It's a great ability to have, when you need to do a little spying."

"You change colors?" John asked. Su-namun nodded. "Show me." John said.

She looked a little startled " Don't you believe me, John Crichton?" then she grinned. "All right. I wouldn't normally do this for just anyone, but I think you will be sufficiently impressed by it. I will enjoy seeing your reaction." She jumped down and stood before him. Then she began to take off her clothes.

"What are you doing?" John asked. He hadn't expected this.

She laughed as she pulled off her top " You didn't think we could change the color of what we wear, did you?" She stripped down to nothing, and stood before him, completely nude. John didn't know where to look, and she seemed to enjoy seeing his discomfort. "You need to look at me, John Crichton, or you will miss it."

"If you're going to take off your clothes, then call me John." He tried to look her in the eyes, but couldn't look much higher than her chest. She had stripes everywhere, and John found it hard to concentrate on learning anything for a moment.

"Are you watching, John?" she said softly. And she began to fade. No, not fade exactly, but blend. Quickly, John's embarrassment turned to amazement. She slowly faded into the background, blending perfectly with Moya's inner hull. Soon all he could see were her eyes, and her wickedly smiling mouth. Those disappeared, also, and John couldn't tell where Su-namun was at all.

"If you'll watch closely you can see to ripples of the color shift as I move." he heard her say. "Do your eyes change too? And your teeth?" John asked, walking towards a faint shift near Moya's wall. He heard her laugh " No, I have my mouth covered by my hand and I have my eyes mostly closed. Come closer and you can probably see a bit of me." He walked closer to the wall, hands outstretched, and soon felt something brush by his hand that was definitely not wall. She laughed again, and he felt fingers touch his cheek, and slide down the side of his neck. "Can you see me yet?"

She obviously thought this was a great joke. " I don't usually get to see someone's reaction like this. You are a funny creature, John." She opened her eyes, and John realized just how close he was standing to her. She said " We can change faster than that, you'd blink and miss it." and suddenly she was standing before him again. "You see?"

"That's..." John didn't know what to say "quite impressive."

"So" She brushed by him, quite close, and went for her clothing. "even if all the other things I have said are lies, you know for sure that we can change colors." She winked at him again as she pulled her clothes back on. John realized she knew he was watching her, and she seemed to enjoy it. They may be polite, but they are about as modest as...hell, they're not modest at all, he thought.

"Shall we go back?" Su-namun asked John as she refastened her holster, and walked over to him. John nodded, thinking she reminded him of something. What was it? He thought.

As they walked back to the galley, Su-namun in front, John could not stop watching her hips sway back and forth as she walked. A tail, all she need is a tail...John thought. Then he remembered what it was she reminded him of. "The Cheshire Cat!" he said aloud.

"Pardon?" Su-namun looked over her shoulder at him.

"You remind me of the Cheshire Cat." John laughed.

"And who would that be? Some Deity of yours?" She asked, which made John laugh harder. He tried explaining a bit of the "Alice in Wonderland" story to her.

"So I remind you of a constantly grinning, insane creature, who won't really tell you anything?" she asked as John finished.

"Well, your a lot more...um...you're a..." John really couldn't think of anything to say without sounding stupid. What he was thinking was 'you're a lot more attractive than it was' and he didn't think it would be a good idea to say so, mostly because he wasn't sure how she would react, but more importantly he wasn't too sure of his own feelings right now. The second she had first walked into the galley, he had felt a pull towards her that he didn't understand, and the more he was around her the stronger it was getting. It didn't make any sense to him. Sure she was pretty, but first off he barely knew her, and secondly, if things started going in that direction, and it turned out that she and the other Quanarians were not trustworthy, as D'Argo said, how much more complicated would that be? And yet, John thought, right now I can barely keep my hands off her.

Su-namun had decided that John wasn't going to say anything else, so she shrugged and continued walking. John hurried to catch up to her as they entered the galley.

As they entered, John noticed that Zhaan and Chiana had joined Aeryn at the table, where Rygel was still talking. He also noticed that most of the Quanarians had either fallen asleep, or were almost there. Even the Commander was having a hard time keeping his eyes open as he struggled to listen to Rygel. He leapt up as John and Su-namun entered.

"Su-namun, thank...glad you're back."

Rygel said "Won't you sit down? I was just telling your compatriots about the time I..."

"I beg your forgiveness, my Lord." Su-namun nodded at the little Hynerian " but we have been too long without any rest. Do you think it is possible for you to continue you tales tomorrow?"

Rygel humphed. Su-namun continued " My Lord, if you wish for us to serve and protect you to the best of our abilities, we must rest. You do want us to be at our best for you, yes?"

"Of course." Rygel said, his ego placated somewhat.

" Then may we all return to our ship?" Su-namun asked. The other Quanarians were already slowly making for the door. John noticed that the Commander was mouthing "thank you, thank you" to Su-namun.

"No." said Rygel. Su-namun opened her mouth to speak, but Rygel held up a hand and continued. "You are all my guests and I want you to rest in the most comfortable place. Take any room in Moya that you wish."

Aeryn jumped up." Any room but the ones that are already taken, don't you mean." she said through clenched teeth.

Rygel took note of Aeryn's stance and amended "Any room that is not already occupied. I will see you all tomorrow." he floated up and out the door.

The Quanarians immediately let out a sigh of relief. "I almost went back on my vow of protection, listening to that airbag go on forever." the commander said to Su-namun. He laid an arm over her shoulder and said "Did you get that engine fixed?"

"Of course." Su-namun said.

"Then shall we retire?" the commander raised his voice slightly, addressing his crew. There was a murmur of agreement, but Su-namun stepped out from under the Commander's arm and said " If you don't mind, sir, I would like to stay behind and speak to Rygel's crew. Just to make sure there are no misunderstandings between us."

"That's my girl. Always the diplomat. All right but don't be too long. We have plans to make, things to discuss." the commander walked out, followed by the crew.

Su-namun looked at John, one eyebrow raised, and then glanced towards where Aeryn, Zhaan, and Chiana were sitting.

"What?" John asked her, then got what she was doing. "Oh...Um, Su-namun, meet Aeryn, Zhaan, and Chiana." he said indicating each as he said their names.

Pleased to meet you" said Su-namun. " I wish it had been under better circumstances. May I sit?"

"So did you have something to say?" Aeryn asked, leaning back in her chair, her arms crossed. John could tell she still wasn't too happy with the whole situation.

"Only that I did not want any of you to feel threatened by our stay here. I assure you I will do as much as I can to convince the others that we should leave. I'm sure that after having to sit and listen to the Hynerian, they will be eager to go." She turned to Zhaan "What are you called?"

"I am Zhaan." The Delvian said softly.

"Zhaan." Su-namun repeated, saying it 'Ss-aan'. "You are a Priestess, yes?"

Zhaan looked at her. "How did you know?" she asked.

"I can smell it on you." Su-namun said." I do not mean that in a bad way. A Quanarian's sense of smell is more than excellent."

"Ok, then what am I?" said Chiana, leaning forward.

Su-namun looked at her " You are a sneaky & deceitful thief, like me. And you spend a lot of time in the ship's crawlways." Chiana squirmed in her seat. "And you" Su-namun said, looking at Aeryn "Don't know whether to like me or shoot me."

John said " How can you tell that just by smelling them?"

"Your bodies emit different smells for different emotions." she shrugged.

"And the crawlways thing?"

"I noticed different smells around the ship as I walked around with you, John. I just happened to notice one of the crawlways on our way here. It has an odd smell, and she has the same smell about her."

"I do not smell odd!" Chiana cried, and stomped out.

"Su-namun looked at John "Did I say something offensive? I did not mean-"

"It's ok, we still haven't figured her out yet" John said.

I had better go" Su-namun stood. "I look forward to speaking with you some more John." she left and Aeryn looked at John.

"It seems you got along well with her." she said.

"um, well..." John changed the subject, "did you find anything out about them?"

Well, they don't like Rygel much, that's obvious." Aeryn said. " Also it seems that part of the reason D'Argo doesn't like them is that there was some war a while back, in which a lot of Luxan allies got killed"

"That's what Su-namun told me, also. I wasn't sure about it, because she said her race is well known for lying. Anything else?"

Unfortunately, no. I could barely get a word in, with Rygel here."

"Well, Su-namun told me a couple of other things. The only reason they protect Hynerians is for the money. She said everything they don't steal is bought with Hynerian money."

"So Rygel's race funds the Quanarians' entire species?" Zhaan asked.

John nodded. "And they can change their color to match their surroundings. At least, she can." John said.

"John, are you feeling all right? Your face has turned red." Zhaan asked.

"I um, well, uh, she showed me how they change. They, um, have stripes all over." he said and instantly wished he hadn't

"Well I'm so glad you had fun cavorting with your new-found friend." Aeryn said, standing up quickly. "It's late, and I'm tired. I'm going to bed. Good night." she turned and left. John sighed.

"Should I check on D'Argo before I retire?" Zhaan asked John.

"No, I'll do it. I want to ask him about the Quanarians. See if anything Su-namun told me was the truth."

Zhaan nodded and left, leaving John, who stood and walked to D'Argo's room.

John looked through the lattice of Moya's door, where he could see D'Argo sitting on his bed, Qualta saber in his hands, and a dark look on his face. John cleared his throat, and D'Argo looked up.

That's pretty much all I know about them. Their second in command said they lie a lot. But she said some other things, and I wanted to ask you about them."

"Do not doubt me, Crichton. Quanarians mature quickly. Most of that crew are probably not more than 15 cycles old. 20 at the most."

John thought about that. "So you're saying they're kids."

"No, I'm saying that they grow up quickly." D'Argo snapped. "I'm not comfortable with them here on this ship. When are they leaving?"

"Su-namun said..." John began, and at D'Argo's puzzled look said, "Her. The second-in command. She said that she was going to get them to leave as soon as they could."

"That is good." D'Argo said, leaning back. " What else did you want to know about them?" he asked.

"Just tell me what you know, anything that might help us fight them if we have to." John said.

D'Argo frowned, thinking. "They are untrustworthy. If you turn you back on them, you will likely find a knife stuck in it. They will take anything they can get their hands on, whether they need it or not. That's how the war started. The Quanarians saw something they wanted, and took it, killing everyone in the process." he sighed.

"What did they take?" John asked.

"Everything, eventually. The Quanarians held the entire Seploven Clan hostage, while they quickly stripped the whole area bare. Then they killed everyone. The Seplovens were fierce warriors, but they could not stand against the sheer numbers of the Quanarians, and we could not get there in time to save them. One of my closest friends was a Seploven. The last time I saw him he was in pieces." D'Argo's hands tightened on his Qualta. " Luxans vowed that day that any Quanarian we saw would pay for the slaughter."

John lowered his eyes thinking, D'Argo has been through so much. "It must be hard for you to not go charging in there right now and try to kill them all."

"It is hard, but I have thought about it, and you were right. I do not need to bring my personal agenda into all of our lives. I will find them another time. Alone. I will just warn you, John, do not trust them. And try not to breath much when you are around them either."

"Huh?" John asked. "Did the female not tell you of the smell? You did not notice it?"

"She said she could tell things about others by their smell, if that's what you mean." John said.

D'Argo shook his head. "No. Their scent. Their odor." John looked puzzled

"Did you feel strange when you were around her? Drawn to her?" D'Argo said.

"Yes. I did, but..."

"Quanarians have a scent about them that hightens other's sexual drive. Why do think there are so many of them? They breed like Picas." D'Argo looked at John's face, and chuckled. "She almost got you John. You couldn't help it, you did not know, but be aware of it the next time you are around her. Their scent is almost as dangerous as they are."

John nodded. Now he really did not know what to think about the Quanarian female. "I'd better get to bed." he said and stood. "Thanks for letting me know some about them, D'Argo. I'll keep an eye out for any trouble."

As John left, D'Argo laid down, but after a few minutes, got back up again. It was impossible for him to sleep knowing Quanarian filth was crawling all over Moya. He decided to get up and patrol around, and let Pilot know to keep the DRDs alert for any trouble.

He sheathed his Qualta saber, and stepped outside his room, almost tripping on a DRD as he turned. "Pilot can you hear me?" D'Argo said.

"Yes" came the voice of Pilot.

"I want you to double the amount of DRDs on patrol. Look for anything odd going on."

"That should not be a problem, D'Argo."

"And let me know the minute you see anything unusual."
"Of course."

Somewhat satisfied, D'Argo continued on his patrol.

D'Argo passed the other's quarters, looked in on Pilot, and began walking down one of Moya's endless passageways.

He rounded a corner and stopped. Leaning against the side of the passage was the Quanarian female. "Hello, D'Argo." she said and smiled.

"I wanted to see you. I have never seen a Luxan before."
"I no not have the time or patience to deal with you, filth. I do not wish to be 'viewed' like an animal. Now get out of my way before I take back what I said to Crichton, and kill you where you stand."

Su-namun acted as if she hadn't heard. She walked closer to D'Argo "My, you're fierce! And so impressive, too." She walked around behind him. "Can you handle that Qualta saber, or is it just a decoration?"

D'Argo clenched and unclenched his hands. "Do not play with things you cannot possibly understand. You are very close to getting yourself killed."

Su-namun walked around in front of D'Argo and laid a hand on his chest. He slapped it away. "Do not touch me again."

"I know your kind hates our kind, but..."

"Hate is not the word. It would be better if your species did not exist."

"D'Argo, I..."

I do not recall giving any Quanarian filth permission to address me by my name. Now are you going to leave, or am I going to have to make you leave?" D'Argo was right on the edge.

Su-namun's eyes narrowed "I do not need your permission, Luxan. But if it makes you happy, I will not call you anything. I want to talk to you."

"I do not." D'Argo started walking away.

"How many Quanarians have you killed?" He heard her ask. He turned, and stalked back to where Su-namun stood. "Hundreds. Thousands. Would you like to be the next one?" He snarled.

"That doesn't mean you won't kill one sooner or later. OR any other innocent, like your people did to our allies."

"I wasn't even born then! And did you ever stop to think that some of our people did not like what happened there either? That many Quanarians left our planet to get away from the treachery there?"

"No, I did not. But that does not mean I agreed with what happened. I'll bet you never stopped to think that the Quanarians you killed may have hated what happened to your allies as much as you do!"

"There is no such thing as an innocent Quanarian" D'Argo snapped. But what she said made some sense. He never had asked any Quanarian anything. He had just killed them.

"So can you understand that I mean you no harm? That I feel as bad about what happened as you do?"

D'Argo looked at her with contempt. " No. And you could not possibly harm me anyway. I have dealt with many of your kind. I am here and they are not."

D'Argo moved like a streak of lightening. He grabbed her by the throat and slammed her against the wall. " How DARE you speak to me of cowardice?" He yelled, his face inches away from hers. "Your people fight only when the odds are heavily on their side. You could never win a fair fight, and you run from any serious battle that you would not be able to cheat in. THAT is cowardice, and I will not EVER be compared to you."

"No, I wish to show you two things. All Quanarians are not cowards, nor are they unable not to cheat. I could fight you fairly anytime and hold my own against you."

"You couldn't fight your way out of a box." D'Argo laughed at her. " This 'fight' will be over quickly."

"We will see. No weapons." Su-namun said and turned away from him.

D'Argo looked at her, frowning.

She said "It would not be fair of you to shoot me in the back with that Qualta, when I have only this" She said as she removed her gun, along with her holster. "And now I have nothing. Completely unarmed. Come, Luxan, and see how a Quanarian fights." She turned and D'Argo punched her in the jaw. "Be ready." he laughed.

Su-namun stepped back, her eyes narrowing as she rubbed her chin.

"I am more than ready for you, Luxan!" She said and leapt at him. He side-stepped her easily, but as she landed, she kicked back with her foot catching D'Argo in the back.

"D'Argo, is everything all right? I'll send for the others." D'Argo heard Pilot's worried voice overhead, as he punched Su-namun in the chest. She took it, barely flinching, and started raining blows on his chest and abdomen, most of which he blocked.

"No Pilot, I'm fine. We are just discussing something here. There is no need for alarm."

he said, spinning and catching Su-namun in the shoulder with his foot. She staggered and regrouped. D'Argo came at her, but she slipped out of his grasp and darted behind him. He turned around and she was gone.

"Ha, I was right! You disappeared, You CHEATED!" He took a step forward, and momentarily saw a white flash, as Su-namun slammed her feet into his head from above. D'Argo went down on his hands and knees. Su-namun dropped down from the pipes she had been holding onto, and landed with one leg on either side of his neck. She grabbed some of D'Argo's tentacles and jerked his head back. He roared.

"I did not cheat. You just did not look up." She laughed, and before D'Argo could get back on his feet, Su-namun clamped her legs around his neck and squeezed. D'Argo tried to break her hold, pounding his fists on any part of her he could reach. But she laughed and squeezed her legs tighter. She still had his tentacles in her hands, but was stroking them gently as she strangled him. D'Argo was losing it, he went down. Su-namun let go of him and stepped back. As he knelt on the floor, trying to get his breath back, she pushed him over with one foot, straddled him and sat on his chest. "Breathe, Luxan. We are not done 'discussing' yet." She stood up "Whenever you are ready..." she held out her hand to help D'Argo up. He slapped it away as he stood. " I do not need your help." he swung out with his fist, but she blocked it and kicked him in the groin. D'Argo went down again. Su-namun stood and waited.

"You...are a lot...stronger than you ...look." D'Argo gasped in pain and struggled to his feet again.

"Good," said Su-namun, and lashed out with her foot again. D'Argo was ready for it this time and grabbed it in his hands, jerking it forwards. Then he flipped her over. Su-namun couldn't catch herself in time and slammed heavily into the floor. D'Argo dropped her foot, picked her up and threw her as hard as he could down the passageway. She landed, and skidded along the floor. She pushed herself up, and shook her head. Looking up, she saw D'Argo bringing his foot back to kick her head in. She flipped over backwards, landing on her feet. "Not that easily, Luxan" she snarled at him. He ran at her, and she crouched down and grabbed him around the waist as he reached her. Using his weight as leverage, she threw him over her shoulder. D'Argo went flying. He landed and looked up. Su-namun was still standing in the same place, waiting.

D'Argo, as much as he hated her, was beginning to enjoy this. "You fight well." he said.

"Better than you were expecting?" She asked, walking over to him and kneeling down to face him.

"Yes." he said and hit her again, knocking her backwards.

"I thought we were done." She hissed at him.

"Then you thought wrong" D'Argo towered over her, and planted a foot on her chest, as she struggled to sit up. He pushed her back down, and held her there.

"You fight well." he said again "And you have not fought unfairly. Yet. But this could go on for hours and I do not have the time."

"How about a compromise?" Su-namun asked, trying to push his foot off herself.

"You go on not liking me all you want. But be open to the possibility that I am not your enemy, and I would not hurt you or your friends here. And I will do my best to gain your trust while I am here."

D'Argo thought about it, still holding her down. then he picked his foot up, and walked off, saying over his shoulder. "It is a deal, Quanarian. But I will be watching you closely."

He rounded the corner and left Su-namun sitting on the floor.

It was, she thought, the best fight she had ever been in. She liked the Luxan a lot, already.

Su-namun stood, picked up her holster, and scented in which direction her Commander was. She headed in that direction.

"You're bleeding." Su-namun touched her lip, where a trickle of blood ran down her chin. She looked at the blood on her fingers and smiled. "The Luxan and I were discussing things." she said.

The commander snorted. "It doesn't matter. Look, you missed all of our plans. I'll explain them all again to you, so pay attention."

Su-namun sat, pulling out one of her rolled cifcu, a type of herbal cigarette. She lit it with one of the hand welders lying on the table, and inhaled deeply. She sat back and said "I'm listening."

"Simply put, I want this ship." Said the commander, " and I mean to take it."
"What?" said Su-namun, " I thought we agreed that we weren't going to take the Hynerian's ship."

"It is not his ship. It was a criminal transport ship. They took it from their captors, and we shall take it from them."

"And what will we do with them?" she asked, cocking her head towards the door "Turn them in for any reward?"

"Of course not, you fool. They would only imprison us, too. We will take the Hynerian with us, and kill the others."

"Lord Rygel would not like us killing his friends. That would be trouble if we took him back."

The commander set a vial filled with a blue liquid on the table. "He will not think of them as his friends much longer." He chuckled " We will be his saviors, and think of the treasures he will give us for returning him home..."

"And when are we to carry this plan of yours out." Su-namun asked.

"It is already beginning." laughed the commander, his crew joining in. "now Su-namun, I will need you to..."

"I do not like this plan." Su-namun said, "It is risky and foolish."

"Are you calling me foolish?" asked the commander, as the crew gathered around her chair. "Are you saying you are against us?"

"Su-namun leaned back, and inhaled deeply on her cifcu. She looked thoughtful, then eyed the commander. "Under these circumstances, how could I possibly be against you?" She asked. "What do you need me to do?"

A few minutes later, the Quanarians exited their ship and split off in two groups. The Commander and two of his men headed off in the direction of Rygel's quarters. The other group, led by Su-namun, headed in the other direction.

Su-anmun and the crew crept down Moya's darkened passageways, almost silent. After a minute, Su-namun motioned for them to halt. "We should change. I smell those little yellow bugs ahead."

They had already prepared for this, wearing nothing, and it only took them a minute to change and adjust the controls of their weapons to stealth mode, making them invisible, also. They continued on towards where Moya's crew was sleeping. The DRDs did not see them and so did not alert Moya or Pilot to the presence of danger. The Quanarian came to a split in the passageways, and as the crew went off down one passage, Su-namun crept off down the other.

The commander reached Rygel's quarters and knocked at the door.

"What is it?" called Rygel. "It's the middle of the night!"

"It is your loyal servants, my Lordship." Called the commander "We have brought you a gift for your gracious hospitality."

The doors slid open. " A gift?" Rygel said. "Well come in then. A gift is always welcome, no matter what time it is. Er, what is it?"

The commander took out a small glass and a container that sloshed as he moved it. "It is the most precious and rare of all liquids. It is more potent that any other drink you may have had." He poured a glass full of shining blue liquid, and handed it to the Hynerian. Rygel sniffed deeply, and sighed with pleasure. "It smells delicious." he glanced around " None for you?" he asked.

"Oh, no! We would never dream of depriving you of even one drop." Said the commander. They watched as Rygel drained the glass. Rygel smacked his lips. "Delicious!" he cried, "is there any more..." the cup slipped from his little hand and shattered on the floor. A glazed look passed over the Hynerian' eyes.

"What... who... where am I?" He cried.

"Oh, thank goodness we found you, your Lordship!" the commander cried, kneeling down before Rygel. "You have been held captive by the crew of this ship. We were only just in time. Let me explain to you..." he began.

Su-namun had no idea what she was going to do about her Commander's plans, but she was determined not to let what he was going to do to Moya's crew happen. Her people had been working hard to undue their treacherous past, and she was not about to let it happen again, even if John, D'Argo and the others were only criminals. She had grown tired of the killing, the stealing, and the senseless hurting of others. She knew deep inside that what her people were doing was wrong, no matter how she had been brought up. Su-namun had seen children killed, families torn apart, and entire cultures ruined by her people, and it sickened her that it was still going on. She had decided that she was not going to be a part of it any longer, but she needed some help to get the crew of Moya out of this. She was not about to let her Commander do what he planned, no matter how close she was to him.

She rounded the corner, and got a whiff of that odd smell from before. "Chiana" she hissed.

What do you want?" Chiana's voice said.

"Come here, please. I need your help" Su-namun unblended, and scented around, walking closer to the odd smell. She felt a hand grab her ankle.

I'm down here." Chiana giggled. Su-namun jerked her foot out of Chiana's grasp, and got down on her hands and knees, feeling around for the Nebari. She felt hair brush by her hand, and quickly grabbed a handful, pulling Chiana out of her hiding place. Chiana yelped and tried to pull away. Su-namun held her up against the wall, one hand holding Chiana by the hair and the other covering her mouth. Chiana tried to bite her, but Su-namun only pushed her fingers back farther into Chiana's mouth, making her gag. "Listen to me. I don't have time to play with you. I need your help, and so do your shipmates."

"I'm not with them really..."Chiana started to say but Su-namun stopped her with "Do you want to die?" Chiana shook her head.

"Look, I don't care if you like the others or not, but my commander is taking over the ship and he will most definitely not want you hanging around. You will die like the others unless you help me." Su-namun said.

Chiana tilted her head and looked at the Quanarian. "What's in it for me?" She asked.

"Your life, because if you don't help me here, I will kill you myself right now. And I think you might like what I have in mind for you to do..." She began to whisper to Chiana, who listened intently.

"Do you understand?" Su-anmun asked a minute later. Chiana looked at her quizzically. "You mean that's it? That's all you need me to do? That's no problem."

"You must take him someplace where no one could find you, let alone get in if they did. Can you do that?" Chiana nodded, and Su-namun took her face between her hands.

"I cannot save anyone if you do not do this, and I would be forever in your debt if you pull this off. Do you understand what I am saying?" Chiana nodded, a greedy gleam in her eyes. Su-namun smiled, then leaned forward and kissed her gently. Chiana jerked her head back in surprise. Su-namun chuckled. "Sorry. Among my people it is custom that we share ourselves before going into battle, and you and I are about to go to war against my own people. I do not have the time to share more of myself with you, Chiana. Now go and lay in wait where I told you. I will be there shortly. Remember, wait for my signal." She released Chiana, and walked off, hoping that she could trust the Nebari to do as she asked. There was so little time...

D'Argo was still patrolling. He hadn't heard a word from Pilot, and that was good. He kept thinking about what the Quanarian woman had said, and that fight! He was more impressed with her than he had let on, and had been wondering if the attraction to her that he had felt was just her scent playing with his emotions, or if it was something else. She seemed a lot different than any other Quanarian he had met, however briefly those other meetings had been. Most other Quanarians had struck him as vicious animals, but this Su-namun had seemed way more than that. He began to wonder if he had been wrong about them, and if the war they were in should have been directed more at those who had killed his friends, and less at the entire species.

"D'Argo!" He heard a voice behind him. Su-namun was running down the passage towards him, a worried look on her face. "I'm so glad I found you first!"

"What is it?" he asked, drawing his Qualta. He could tell there was something wrong.

"The commander...my crew..." she panted, laying a hand on his shoulder, while she tried to catch her breath. Obviously she had been running for a while. Then she looked up and past him towards the other end of the passage.

A group of Quanarians stood there, weapons drawn, with John, Aeryn, and Zhaan in the midst of them, hands on their heads. D'Argo turned back to Su-namun, intending to ask her just what the frell was going on, and found himself staring down the barrel of her gun.

"Drop the Qualta, Luxan slime, or you will quickly be without a head." Su-namun snarled at him.

"You bitch!" yelled John.

D'Argo hissed at her and launched into a rage of Luxan swear words. Su-namun looked at him calmly and said "Call me what you wish, you fool, but you said yourself that I could not be trusted."

D'Argo lunged at her, but she pressed her gun right between his eyes, and pushed him back.

"You will die for this, you Quanarian whore." D'Argo glared at her, and spit on her face.

She wiped it away, and said " I may, but you will die before I do, Luxan, and I will enjoy watching you go. Tranq him." She motioned with her other hand and two of her crew came forward, with an injector gun filled with some bright green fluid.

"Be still, Luxan" one said, and D'Argo roared as the Quanarians injected him in the neck with the fluid. They stood back and waited. After a minute, they looked at each other. "It is not having any effect, Anut-su-namun" one said, and the other reloaded the tranq gun. "Not too much" Su-namun grabbed the tranq gun with her other hand "Guard him." She loaded the gun again with a slightly smaller dose. Looking up at D'Argo, she faltered for a second, then injected him again, this time into his chest. "We wouldn't want him to die too quickly."

Almost immediately D'Argo started to sag. He went down on his knees, finally releasing his Qualta, letting it slide to the floor. He never broke his gaze from Su-namun's face.

"Get up and walk, Luxan garbage. We will not carry you" One of the crew members said and three others dragged him to his feet, pushing him towards their other prisoners.

"What did you do to him?" yelled Aeryn.

"The same thing we will do to you, if you don't shut your mouth." Su-namun snapped. They all headed off toward where they knew the Commander was waiting with Rygel.

"There they are!" Aeryn heard Rygel cry out. She looked up to see Rygel and the Quanarian commander Standing together beside one of the entrances to Moya's alternate docking bays.

Aeryn lunged forward. " You little toad! This was all your doing!" The guards held her back, and Rygel floated up to face her

"Of course it was my idea, you idiot! How could I not pass up the opportunity to get back at you for all the pain and torture you have put me through?"

"Torture? Rygel what are you talking about?" Zhaan asked.

"Don't play dumb with me! You evil slime have held me prisoner for long enough! I can't wait to see you all die for what you have done. Then my bodyguards and I will return home to my planet."

"Is that what this is about Rygel? Go home if you want, but there is no reason to kill us. We have done nothing to you." Zhaan said.

"Nothing? Nothing??" Rygel snorted and spat at them. "nothing" he muttered and floated back to the commander. "You may proceed."

"Thank you, your eminence" The commander bowed to Rygel and walked toward his prisoners. "You see, there is nothing you can do. Rygel has begged us to take him away from you, and of course we will obey his commands." He pointed to where to of his crew had opened one of Moya's access panels. "I have cut off all of this ship's communication to this point, and taken over the controls of both the inner and outer doors of this docking bay. Guess how you will die?" He and the others began to laugh, and no one notice Chiana slip up behind them, grab Rygel from his seat and slip back down the access tunnel. But they heard him yell, and turned around to the sight of Rygel's empty chair, and the sound of his hollering disappear down the tunnel.

"Go! Get him back!" the Commander cried and most of the crew ran off down the hall, leaving Aeryn, John, Zhaan, D'Argo guarded by Su-namun and a few of the other guards.

"HOW did you miss the Nebari? I can smell her. You were supposed to get all of them!"

"It is my fault, sir," Su-namun said. "We had such trouble with this Luxan we forgot."

The commander slapped her hard across the face. "If my plans fail because of that Nebari, you will pay for it, Su-namun" he growled. Su-namun bowed her head.

"The door control has been rerouted to this point, sir" one of the crew said.

"Excellent. We need not wait for the toad to be found." He turned and eyed John, Aeryn, Zhaan and D'Argo, who was having trouble keeping upright. "The Luxan first." He pointed, and the three crew members left guarding the prisoners shoved D'Argo into Moya's docking bay. The bay was almost empty, and they threw him on the floor and marched out.

The Commander pushed something on the access panel, and the big doors started to close.

As the door slid shut, Su-namun walked over to the commander "How long before the outer doors open?" She asked

"I have it set for three minutes. Let him suffer a little longer." the commander chuckled.

"You monsters!" John yelled, and the commander stalked over towards him.

"You will be next, little man!" he began to laugh, and stopped suddenly at the sound of gunfire behind him. He looked down at the huge gaping wound that had appeared in his midsection. The commander sank to his knees and fell forward, dead before he hit the ground. Su-namun was standing behind him, gun in hand. She aimed and fired three more times, taking out the guards surrounding John, Aeryn, and Zhaan. The three of them looked at her, confused.

She stepped over the body of her commander, and walked towards them.

"We don't have much time." she said "We have to regain control of these doors."

Aeryn looked into the panel, and quickly assessed what the Quanarians had done. "They've got it locked somehow. I'll need a few minutes, to get the inner door open."

"How many?" asked Su-namun.

Aeryn looked up at her. "More than three, if that's what you're asking." she said grimly.

Su-namun yelled and slammed her fist into the door. "is there ANY other way into that room?"

Zhaan looked around and pointed "There. That crawlway will access the hanger."

Su-namun crouched down and peered into the tunnel. She looked Zhaan up and down. "Give me your belt." She demanded.

"What? Why?" said Zhaan.

"No time. Just give it to me." Zhaan hurriedly took off her belt, and handed it to the little Quanarian. Su-namun scrambled down into the crawlway, the long belt draped over her shoulder. "When that outer door opens, get it shut as fast as you can. D'Argo's life depends on it!" She disappeared into the darkness of the tunnel.

Zhaan looked up at Aeryn working feverishly trying to fix whatever the Quanarians had done to the panel. John helped Zhaan to her feet and handed her one of the dead crew's weapons. She took it gingerly " I do not know how to use this." she said

"Neither do I" said John, "But if the rest of those guys come back with Rygel, they won't know we don't know."

He looked at the doors of the docking bay, and wondered what was going on beyond them.

Chiana ran, Rygel tucked under her arm. He was making so much noise, it was a wonder she hadn't been caught already. Chiana thought about bashing the squirming little Hynerian's head in. That would shut him up, at least. She hissed at him "I don't know what's gotten into you, and I heard what you said to the others. If that Quanarian hadn't told me to keep you safe, I would chop you up right now."

"Go ahead, chop me up! Torture me some more. You will be caught soon!" Rygel snapped at her.

They both heard voices behind them at the same time. "HELP! HELP! WE'RE DOWN HERE!" Rygel shouted.

"Shut up!" Chiana hissed at him, and dove down one of Moya's air ducts, dragging Rygel with her. Chiana knew the best place to hide, if she could only get there before she was caught. She began to crawl, dragging Rygel by the arm.

Su-namun was crawling, also. The shock of what she had done to her commander had not sunk in fully yet, but she was beginning to feel a bit sick with herself. No time for that right now, she thought, as she reached the end of the tunnel. She pushed as hard as she could on the panel leading into the hanger bay. The little door popped off, and Su-namun hauled herself through the door. She stood up and came face to face with a heavily drugged, and very angry D'Argo.

"Wait. Listen. We..." Su-namun began, and D'Argo grabbed her by the throat.

"I don't know why you came in here, but I will not pass up the opportunity to kill you while I have the chance." D'Argo began to squeeze. Su-namun shoved him away as hard as she could. It was only because he was so drugged that she was able to shake him off. He stepped back, and staggered.

"Listen to me. I came in here to try to save your life. I had to do what I did in the hall to keep you from getting killed then and there. I could tell you were about to kill me then, and if you had, I wouldn't have been able to help anyone. I apologize, all right?" She eyed his broad frame, and glanced at the opening in the wall she had just come through.

"There's no way you will fit through there. There's got to be something..." She looked around the room as she thought. It was almost completely empty. Nothing here to weight us down, she thought.

"We have less than a minute left before those doors open. Can you think of anything that we could tie ourselves to?"

D'Argo pointed. She looked over to the far wall. There was a series of bars going up the side of Moya's wall, leading up to a panel on the ceiling.

"It only opens from the other side" D'Argo said, indicating the panel.

"Then we'll just have to use this and hope for the best" Su-namun said, holding out Zhaan's belt. "Come on." She grabbed D'Argo by the arm, and half pulled, half dragged the big Luxan towards the ladder. As they reached it, Su-namun quickly looped the belt around one of the bars, and then pushed D'Argo up against the ladder. She wrapped the belt around D'Argo's waist, and tied several knots in the end. She stood back "That should hold you in here until the Peacekeeper gets the doors under control."

"What about you?" D'Argo asked, and behind them Moya's doors began to open. Su-namun turned back to D'Argo, her eyes wide with sudden fear.

"There was not enough of Zhaan's belt for us both." she said "I hope you can forgive..." She gasped as D'Argo reached out and pulled her into his arms. He held on to her tightly.

"Hold on." he said and Su-namun clasped her arms as tightly as she could around him. She felt around with her feet, and hooked them through one of the lower bars.

"I realize now that whatever the rest of your species may do, you are different." D'Argo said into Su-namun's ear. He continued speaking to her, but she could not hear over the rising howl of the wind as Moya's doors opened fully. All that was keeping her from flying off into space was their grip on each other. Su-namun wondered if they could hang on until Aeryn fixed the controls.

"Try faster!" John was worried that when they did get the doors working, D'Argo and Su-namun would be gone.

"John, yelling at her will not help her work any faster." Zhaan said, shifting the weight of the Quanarian gun onto her other shoulder.

D'Argo held on to Su-namun as tightly as he could. He had not held anyone this close in a long time. He was not used to anyone risking their life to save his, especially one he had considered an enemy. He had a lot of unanswered questions he wanted to ask her. Like why she had put her life on the line for him, a Luxan. Someone who had sworn to kill her and all the others of her kind. It puzzled him greatly. His head was beginning to clear from the drugs she had given him, and he started to realize that he liked holding her. It was too bad that they were in this situation. He might like holding her this close some other time, when the vacuum of space was not threatening to suck them both in. Su-namun laid her head on D'Argo's chest, and he felt the strange urge to sigh.

And the outer doors began to close.

"I did it!" yelled Aeryn. "Now we just have to wait a minute until the outer doors close all the way, and we can get in there."

"I just hope they're still in there." John said. Zhaan nodded and they all faced the door, waiting for it to open. It seemed to John that it took years before they heard the grinding clang of the outer doors, and the inner doors slide open. They all ran into the hanger, hoping they wouldn't find it empty.

At first, when they entered, there was no sign of D'Argo or Su-namun. Johns heart skipped a beat, and then he heard a noise off to his left. He saw Su-namun stepping off the ladder on Moya's wall, and begin to untie D'Argo. John and the others ran over to them.

"You all right, big guy?" John asked, clapping D'Argo on the back.

"Yes." D'Argo said.

"And you?" John asked, turning to Su-namun. She nodded. "I will be fine."

"So why did you do all this? Help us, save D'Argo..." Aeryn asked.

"I will explain it all later. We are not finished with this yet." Su-namun said. "There is still the matter of Lord Rygel..."

"Lord Rygel can rot in space for all I care, the little..." Aeryn said disgustedly.

"You do not understand. Our commander drugged Lord Rygel. They knew he would not stand for them killing you outright and taking your ship. They had to make it HIS idea."

Su-namun started for the door. "Follow me, please. I need to stop by my ship to get the antidote to the Mind Locking drug they gave him."

As they stepped out in to the hall, Su-namun stopped by her fallen commander. She knelt down and touched his face, then picked him up and threw him over her shoulder.

"What are you doing?" John asked.

"I'll need his body to convince the others he is dead." she said simply and began walking to the other hanger, where her ship was docked. John was amazed that although Su-namun was carrying a body that had to weigh twice as much as she did, she walked as if she was carrying nothing.

When they reached the hanger, Su-namun dropped the commander's body on the floor, and quickly entered her ship. She was out again in a minute, dressed and carrying a small bag. She picked the commander's body up again, and said " Come on. I know where Chiana went. I just hope she still has Rygel."

"You know where she went? You didn't just take advantage of the moment, you planned that too?" John asked. She looked over her shoulder at him.

"Of course I did. You don't think for one minute that I was going to let you all die?" She asked incredulously. As they walked on, Su-namun said, "Aeryn, any of the crew we see, shoot them. If we run into the whole group of them, don't fire unless I say to. I know how to handle them, but you all have to do exactly what I say. John, you too." John and Aeryn nodded. Su-namun called out over her shoulder. "Zhaan, how is he doing?" nodding towards D'Argo.

He is doing better." Zhaan said.

"Good. Then what I want you to do is go check on your Pilot. Make sure he is ok, and let him know what's going on." Zhaan left the group, heading off in Pilot's direction. Su-namun and the rest continued on down the hall.

The Quanarian crew had found Chiana and Rygel. The Nebari had crawled down in of Moya's connecting air ducts, and had closed the grill behind her. The lock was on the inside, and so far, they had not been able to open it. They could hear Rygel yelling down in the darkness of the air duct.

"I've almost got the door open, Tomos." Said one of the crew to the big Quanarian standing over him.

Tomos nodded, and leaned over to yell down to air duct "You may as well bring the Hynerian out, Nebari. You are as good as dead anyway."

"I doubt that." came a familiar voice behind them. Tomos and the others turned and gasped, and Su-namun strode forward, the body of their commander slung over her shoulder. They could see blood dripping down her shoulder, and as she flung the commander's body down on the floor, there was no doubt in their minds who's blood it was.

Tomos looked at the body, then at Su-namun. "What have you done?" he cried, walking closer to her. Aeryn, John and D'Argo stepped up behind Su-namun, weapons drawn.

"Stay where you are, Tomos." Su-namun barked. She raised her voice slightly. "I have killed the commander, and I therefore gain control of the ship and the crew. You." She narrowed her eyes. "Do any of you have a problem with that?" One of the other crew members stepped forward, growling, and Su-namun shot him. "Anyone else?" She hissed.

Tomos was filled with shock and disbelief. "How could you? How could you kill him Su-namun. He was..."

"He was wrong, and so were you all for doing this. I have grown tired watching you kill innocent people, just to take their possessions. We are rich already, we have more than enough. The crew on this ship needs Moya way more than we do, and you were just going to kill them. And tricking the Hynerian? Drugging him? You all know that is a crime punishable by death. What could you have possibly been thinking?" She shook her head sadly. " I want no part of you anymore. Leave this ship. Go far away. Go home for all I care. I don't belong with you anymore."

Tomos said " And the Hynerian?"
"I will protect him until he reaches his home. That is my job, after all."

"We will go." Growled Tomos angrily. " but you will pay for what you have done to him." he pointed to the commander's body "We will return to Quanaria, and everyone will know what you have done to my father. You will never be safe." He stalked out, the other Quanarians following him. As they walked by the commander's body, Tomos stopped and picked him up. John heard him sob. Tomos turned and pointed at Su-namun "You will regret this day. I renounce you. You are no longer a part of my family." he spun and left.

Su-namun sighed heavily. John and the others turned to her. "His father?" Aeryn asked

"His family?" D'Argo said at the same time. Su-namun ignored them and turned to the air duct. "Chiana." she called "You can bring Rygel out now."

"Finally!" they heard Chiana cry, and the sound of movement came up from the air duct. Chiana kicked open the grate, and threw Rygel to the floor. "What a little monster!" she cried. "He bit me!"

Rygel lay on the floor, groaning. Su-namun knelt and turned Rygel over. "Drink this, Your Lordship." She said, holding up a small vial to his mouth. Rygel looked from her to the others standing behind her. "What's going on? Where are my bodyguards? Are you with them?" he cried, indicating the others behind her.

"Yes." said Su-namun "and so are you. Please drink it. I would hate to force you."

Rygel sighed. "It can't be any worse than the rest of what's happened to me. I am terribly confused."

"I will explain it all to you, my Lord." Su-namun gently tilted the vial as Rygel drank the fluid.

They heard Zhaan's voice over the comm "John. Aeryn. The Quanarians have departed. There is no sign of them on Moya. Pilot says that there is no further need for alarm."

Rygel struggled to sit up. "Why am I here on the floor?" he cried. "I was asleep, the last I remember."

Su-namun replaced the empty vial into her bag, and stood. She looked at the others. They have so many questions, she thought. Can I answer them all?

When they reached the galley, they gathered around the table, and turned towards Su-namun. "All right, what do you not understand?" She asked them, and they all started asking questions at once. She held up her hands.

"I will answer what I can." she said "Rygel first, since he has no clue about any of this." She explained to him how her commander and the others had plotted to take Moya and kill John and the rest. When Rygel heard how they drugged him, he grew furious. "They shall pay for this treachery! All of Hyneria shall know of this deceit! And you, dear girl, will be greatly rewarded for your loyalty to me! I will see to it as soon as I return home"

"I thank you my lord, but I must be honest. I did not do what I did only for you. My loyalty is to you, for that is my job. But I killed the commander because I had to stop him from going on and his murderous greed from spreading."

She turned to the others, "I know you all may not trust me fully, even after what has happened. But I must tell you that I cannot leave while the Hynerian remains aboard this ship. Where he goes, I go. If there is anything I can tell you to help clear up anything..." she spread her hands.

"He was evil." said Su-namun. "He was a part of the group that slaughtered D'Argo's allies, among other things. I'm sorry, I mean the Luxan's..."

"D'Argo." D'Argo said. He was sitting across from Su-namun, staring intently at her.

She bowed her head. "D'Argo." she repeated softly. She was silent for a moment, then continued. "He saw only what he could take, and never what he was doing to others. Tomos is the same way. They are both very bad, and I fear that Tomos will one day seek revenge on me for my crime."

"Was Tomos your mate?" asked Aeryn. "He said he renounced you. What did he mean?" Su-namun only said "He was not my mate." She hung her head and said nothing. She was obviously distressed.

"I do not understand." D'Argo said "It may be a crime to the Quanarians, but why are you so upset? You killed a despicable monster. You should be glad he is gone."

Su-namun looked up, tears in her eyes. "I am upset," she said looking D'Argo in the eyes "because Tomos was my brother." She stood, and bowed quickly to Rygel. "I must be alone for a while, My lord. I will return to you shortly." She hurried out and the others looked at each other stunned.

D'Argo stood and went to the door. He looked down the hall, but saw no sign of Su-namun. He sighed. "No one has ever killed their own father just to save my life." he said, not turning around. The others sat around the table, shocked at what they realized she had done for them.