Back to part three


"Guys? This ain't funny anymore!" John Crichton called out nervously flicking his eyes between the two corridors that intersected the one he had been walking down.

He waited a moment, listening carefully in the hope of hearing something. But as before, there was nothing but the muted background hum of Moya herself.

"This can't be good." He muttered to himself softly for the hundredth time since he had awaken alone in the cargo bay.

'God, I feel like crap.'

He rubbed the back of his neck, trying to ignore the aches he felt throughout his body and the head ache he had awakened with. A head ache that seemed to be growing worse with each passing minute. And to top it off he could feel the heat from his skin indicating he had a mild fever.

'Great, Just what I need.' He thought glumly as he looked downed the two corridors, not liking the fact that the low lighting made both choices seem dark and forbidding. Just looking at them raised the hairs on the back of his neck.

"This is just too creepy."

'Get real, John.' He berated himself, starting down the right hand corridor. He'd check in with Pilot first before heading to command. All these system failures were probably just another symptom of Moya's pregnancy.

'Yeah. Keep telling yourself that and you might  even believe it.'

Moments later he walked into Pilot's den, breathing out a sigh of relief at the sight of the alien's back towards the entrance.

"Yo, Pilot. What's up with the....?" His voice trailed off as he realized Pilot was not moving. Not even the slightest twitch of his lobster claw like hands. The den was dimly lit, none of the controls glowing as they normally did.

"Pilot?" He called softly, reaching out to touch the slightly rough textured skin.

Then the smell hit him. So strong and unexpected that John didn't even try to hold down his lunch. Once finished wiped his mouth, swallowing once to be sure his stomach had settled enough.

Opening his eyes, he saw a strange purple and blue mottled object jagged at one end. Dark fluid spattered the floor beside the object. It took John a full second to realize he was looking at one of Pilot's arms.

"What the...."

A soft scarping noise drew his attention to Pilot's den. Malicious eyes greeted his own as he saw the others. And the blood.

John scrambled back as the familiar shadows approached. Feeling a touch on his arm he turned, sighing in relief. "Aeryn, we gotta get out of here. They killed..."

"I know." Aeryn smiled gently brandishing the weapon in her hand. Her combat knife covered in Pilot's blood.

"My God, Aeryn..."

"It was quite easy really." Aeryn giggled and held her open blood stained hand to him. "You'll see. Join us."

"No!" John backed away from her, as a pouting look came to her face.

"But you promised you'd never leave me, John."

"You're not, Aeryn." John hissed, seeing the others now stood beside her, their weapons stained. "You're not real. None of you are."

"You promised." Aeryn said stalking forward.

John turned to run, feeling the others shove him to the floor. He started screaming as darkness enveloped him.

*****

"Zhaan, have you located Crichton yet?" Aeryn Sun asked, locking her pistol into her leg holster.

"No, I have not."  Zhaan informed the others. "Perhaps he has returned to his quarters."

Aeryn shook her head. "I checked on my way here. He's not there."

"I knew it was a bad idea to bring those Sou'Kha aboard." D'argo growled. "First the deaths, then the lighting and now the comms seem to be malfunctioning."

"D'argo, we cannot assume that they are responsible for the system malfunctions or Crichton's disappearance." Zhaan admonished the large warrior. "Kev'ran's people have been quite peaceable on this journey."

"But given the Sou'Kha's history we can not ignore the fact we have two dead people on the same tier Crichton has disappeared on." Aeryn pointed out. Hefting her pulse rifle, she headed towards the corridor. "I, for one, intend to find out what is going on. Coming D'argo?"

"Aeryn is right. Check on Pilot. We shall continue to look for Crichton. None of this can be a coincidence." D'argo stated with a certainty that surprised Zhaan.

Zhaan nodded her head in acquiescence. "Very well."

*****

It was dark and cold. So cold. He tried not to shiver. An occasional shudder still ripple through his frame despite his best efforts. He wouldn't let them catch him, hurt him, kill him. Not like before. Not again. Never again.

He remembered what they did. To Pilot. To him. To each other. The blood. So much blood. And the laughter that had driven him here to the dark where he couldn't see them. And they couldn't see him.

But he could hear them. Feel them nearby. Hunting him.

He gripped the weapon in his hands tightly, ignoring the sticky feel of fluids on his hand. The hunted had become the hunter. Survival depended upon it. It was all that mattered.

A shift in the dark. Blackness becoming gray with the light from the now opened door. A shadow figure loomed large at the entrance. He moved, tightening his grip as he stalked his prey. Another of the Treh would soon perish.

'The Host will continue.'

*****

"Have you had any success in locating John Crichton?" Kev'ran asked as soon as Zhaan entered his quarters.

"I am afraid we have not." The Delvian replied softly.

"Have you come to ask for assistance in your search?" Kev'ran asked. "We would be most pleased to help in anyway possible."

Zhaan nodded her head gracefully. "I have come here not for your help, but for information."

"Information?" Kev'ran asked in a far too casual tone for Zhaan's comfort.

"I believe you know who killed the man we found in the cargo bay." Zhaan stated simply.

Kev'ran laughed nervously. "Ridiculous. I am as unaware of the murderers identity as you!"

"But you have your suspicions?" Zhaan prompted.

Kev'ran frowned. "I do not appreciate your unsubstantiated accusations."

"And I can assure you that myself and my fellow crew members do not appreciate being lied too." Zhaan retorted. "You know something about the murder. Something you have not told us."

Kev'ran swallowed after a long pause. "Yes."

"You have seen this before?"

"Once, when I was young." Kev'ran admitted reluctantly. He looked at Zhaan carefully. "How much do you know about the Sarhan?"

Zhaan cocked her head sideways with a puzzled look. "Not much other than stories. They were a race that dominated much of this sector of space about three thousand cycles ago. They were said to be cruel beings and were hunted to extinction."

"Essentially correct." Kev'ran nodded.  He sighed softly. "The Sou'Kha were the only race that served the Sarhan to escape the exterminations. We were left as a warning I suppose. A reminder of the past."

Zhaan silently acknowledged the bitter truth she heard in the alien's voice. A race condemned to constant hostility and threat for something so long past it had become mere tale used to frighten children. She was ashamed that she, along with so many, had continued this tradition.

"But not all the Sarhan died. Twelve hundred Hosts escaped the slaughter with my people. Over the centuries since they relentlessly searched for a world, a people from our prophecies. Searched even when it was not safe to do so."

Kev'ran's face contorted in rage. "They searched while thousands of Sou'Kha died with each passing cycle from the hunters, the famines, the diseases. Searched until on a few hundred Host remained. The Sou'Kha finally realized what needed to be done."

"What happened?" Zhaan asked, already dreading the answer she would here.

"We learned that the Sarhan decide to live once more by taking over the Sou'Kha. We were loyal and they wanted to repay us with slavery! To control our minds and bodies for their own petty wars." Kev'ran said. He smiled as he paused. "We killed them all. Hunted them down over the cycles until none remained. I was there for the last hunt, twenty seven cycles ago. When the worst of the lot was finally killed, the Sarhan who styled itself Advarpeyn."

"You slaughtered them all?" Zhaan asked, stunned the Kev'ran readily admitted such a thing. And seemed pleased about it.

"Every last one." Kev'ran replied smugly.

"But you now think one is aboard this vessel?" Zhaan asked.

Kev'ran's smile faltered. "Occasionally we hear rumors of one being found. But as I said there has been no sightings since Advarpeyn."

"Until now." Zhaan corrected.

"As you say."

"How dangerous are these Sarhan?"

"After they take over their 'hosts' they will do whatever is necessary to survive. They will kill anyone who gets in their way." Kev'ran warned. "Anyone."

"Is there a way to remove the creatures from the host without killing the body?" Zhaan asked.

"It depends on the species, but we've developed a serum to force the Sarhan out of its host body. Sometime the victim survives unscathed and unaware of what happened, but usually there is some residual effect from the possession." Kev'ran explained.

"Is there any of this serum with your people?"

"Yes." Kev'ran replied slowly.

"The please give us the serum." Zhaan ordered gently.

"It will not do any good. The Sarhan will not allow you to get close enough to inject its host. It will kill whoever it inhabits out of spite once it realizes what is happening." Kev'ran protested.

"Then there is no harm in trying, is there?" Zhaan countered.

*****

"D'argo, ha-... ound...--thi--...tier."

D'argo winced at the static and strange echoes from his comm, barely recognizing Aeryn Sun's voice. "What was that, Aeryn?"

"Mov..ent...our tier..."

D'argo hissed in frustration as the comms cut out all together. "Aeryn?"

'Movement on this tier?' He suspected as much by the light scent he had picked up. Definitely Crichton, but there was an under scent. One he had only detected amongst the Sou'Kha.

'What is one of those Hezmana bound people doing on this tier?'

He inhaled deeply, nodding as the scent seemed to be stronger from the maintenance tunnel, noting the hatch was slightly ajar. He almost called out until he smelled the other scent, even stronger than before. A Sou'Kha.

"Aeryn, I believe I've found Crichton." He spoke into the comm, not surprised in he least to receive no acknowledgment in return. D'argo drew his qualta blade pushed the hatch open completely, peering carefully into the pitch black.

He stepped into the darkness, internally cursing that even the emergency lighting was out in this section. He stopped every few steps, scenting the air.

He heard a soft scrape and a moan. "Crichton?" He called softly, knowing it was probably a foolish thing to do but seeing no alternative. If it was the human, Crichton would respond. If not, then he knew it was the Sou'Kha.

He heard it again to his left, softer but definitely Crichton. He turned to go that direction.

Suddenly a shadowy figure slammed into him. A flash of pain as something cut into his arm. Growling in surprise he easily pushed his attacker away. He swung his blade, feeling it connect with flesh accompanied by  soft gasp. The figure slipped to the floor remaining motionless.

"D'argo! D'argo where are you?"

The Luxan wrinkled his nose involuntarily of the Sou'Kha blood as he turned to see the former Peace Keepers shadowed form a few hentas away at the chambers opening. "Aeryn, in here. I've found Cri-..."

He heard something cutting through the air, but could do nothing as he was struck solidly in the back of the head with something heavy. He dropped to his knees, his sword clattering noisily to the floor. Another hit, drew a growl as it drove him into a crouch.

"D'argo?" Aeryn swung her pulse rifle into the opening, it's forward mounted light cutting through the darkness. Catching a glimpse of movement above the kneeling Luxan she fired. A small explosion, then silent darkness again.

"Pilot. Can you get the emergency lighting back on!"

"Working on it."

"Pilot, now!" Aeryn demanded , sweeping her light back forth, trying to keep D'argo in view. She could see a trickle of black from this head easily enough. A moment later the lights rose to reveal a Sou'Kha brandishing a metal pipe behind D'argo. Without a second thought Aeryn fired again.

The Sou'Kha screamed as the blast threw him back into a bulkhead where he slid to the floor. Seeing no further movement, Aeryn rushed to D'argo, who was holding his head.

Seeing her look, he waved it off. "I'm find. Crichton..."

A almost inaudible gurgle drew their attention to the far wall. Crichton was half curled up, a grimace of pain on his pale, sweat sheened face. They rushed over to the human, D'argo turning him over only to have Crichton swing wildly at him, actually forcing the Luxan to back off for a moment. More out of surprise than anything else.

"No, no, no, no. Please...no." He begged in a whisper of a voice. The human's unfocused eyes were full of fear as he scooted away into the corner. "The dark..."

D'argo moved forward only to have Aeryn pull him to stop as the human visibly winced. "Wait a moment, D'argo. Let me try."

The Luxan nodded slowly, taking the pulse rifle as she slipped it from her shoulder and kneeled down.

"John." She called softly.

D'argo was surprised that it only took a second call to gain the human's attention.

"Aer...yn?"

Aeryn put on her best reassuring smile. "Yes, John. It's all right."

"Dark. Hurts."

"I know." She said soothingly as she scooted towards him. "I know, but we're here now."

"Killed...you." John gasped out, moaning as he seemed to start convulsing. "D-dark..."

"I know, but everything's will be all right now. Trust me." Aeryn reassured him. "No one will harm you."

The human was crying when Aeryn touched his shoulder. He tried to jerk away, but Aeryn was quicker grabbing him firmly and holding him as he screamed and struggled against her. D'argo quickly rushed in and pinned his thrashing legs as Aeryn spoke to him, reassuring him he was safe.

After a what seemed an eternity Crichton relaxed a little, staring at the ceiling as the tears kept flowing, his breath coming in gasps. "Please make it stop. Make the dark go away." He whispered.

"We will, John. We will." She promised, surprised at the determination in her voice as she ran a soothing hand across his too hot brow.

His eyes drooped low at that, his body relaxing further. "Promise?"

"I promise." She repeated as he fell unconscious.

"We promise." The Luxan amended, nodding grimly at the look Aeryn gave him.

Onto part five
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