![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Onboard Moya, Orbiting the Hynerian Planet's Third Moon
Rygel was onboard his captured Peacekeeper flagship. Aeryn and Crichton had taken off in their prowlers. The three Hynerian ships staffed by the Order of the First were strategically positioned. Jothee, Noranti, Chiana, the baby, and Stark remained onboard Moya where they were currently receiving another transmission from the Dominar.
“All right, do all you yotzes know your part?”
Chiana, hands on her hips and an annoyed expression on her face, answered for everyone. “Yes, Rygel. Just like we did the last ten times you asked.”
“Can we just get on with it,” Jothee sighed.
Stark’s sigh was quieter. He wasn’t convinced this plan would work. He wasn’t convinced they weren’t all going to end up imprisoned, again, or worse.
“Pilot,” Rygel continued, unfazed, “does Moya understand-”
“Yes, Your Eminence,” Pilot answered. “Moya is prepared to implement her part of your plan.”
“Buckwheat,” Crichton interrupted from his prowler, “will you take a chill pill already? We’re good to go. Let’s do this thing.”
“Very well,” Rygel sniffed. “Hyneria Prime out.”
There was nothing to do on Moya, at the moment, besides wait.
“How are you doing, Chiana?” Jothee asked.
“Well, I finally got the dungeon smell out of my clothes,” she told him. “Ha. Stark almost smiled again.”
“No I didn’t.”
“Not quite what I meant,” Jothee said. “I-”
“I miss him too,” Chiana said. “But I’m okay. I’m better than I was. When we were-”
“I remember exactly what we were doing,” Jothee said with a soft laugh. “I miss him too. But I can’t think of a better tribute to D’Argo than to do something incredibly stupid to help a friend.”
“Me neither,” Chiana agreed. “And I think Stark almost smiled at that, too.”
A bit later, Crichton and Aeryn were approaching a military base to attack while Moya had established orbit around the palace planet’s third moon. The other ships had begun an attack slightly further out in the Hynerian system.
“Moya is picking up considerable armament in addition to many Hynerian life forms.”
“How many, Pilot?”
“The same number that General Chorchk said were stationed there.”
“Good,” Jothee said. “Start the atmospheric dive.”
On the surface of the palace planet, Dominar Bishan, accompanied by his minister of warfare, received word of attacks while watching a troupe of dancers performing for his amusement. He immediately ordered his entire fleet be sent to Bishan Base. Scorpius protested. Bishan reconsidered and ordered half of his fleet to the base and the other half to the third moon. His Minister protested further, more vehemently after it was revealed that several ships were out of commission or missing entirely. Scorpius was certain this was somehow Crichton’s doing. He wasn’t really wrong.
Back on Moya, they were awaiting their rendezvous.
“We’ll be there in 600 microts,” Jothee said.
“Moya is reading several ships approaching,” Pilot responded.
“Bishan’s navy?” Chiana asked.
“It would seem so. They’re firing weapons.”
“Prepare to Starburst, Pilot,” Jothee instructed.
“What? Crichton and Aeryn are still-” Chiana protested.
“We’re not leaving them!” Stark said, stepping forward.
“I know that,” Jothee said. “Which is why I said prepare. The microt they’re back on board we need to Starburst out of here.”
And back on the palace planet, Hyneria Prime and the accompanying warships began firing on the undefended palace.
Meanwhile, back on Moya, they had yet to Starburst because they were still waiting for the two prowlers to return. They were expecting two prowlers. They weren’t expecting anything else. This was Moya. They should have known better.
“Moya is detecting an intruder in the cargo bay,” Pilot informed those remaining on board.
“Of course there is,” Stark said very quietly. “All we need. Probably Scorpy. Or Scarrans.”
“I’ll check it out, Pilot,” Jothee said, taking his qualta rifle in hand as he headed in that direction.
“Crichton, Aeryn,” Chiana asked. “How soon–”
“Not sure Pip. Gonna be at least a couple hundred microts,” Crichton answered. The two pilots in their prowlers were on their way back, fighting their way through some of Bishan’s defenses and trying to get back to Moya on time.
“All right, whoever you are,” Jothee said once he’d located the unwelcome visitor (dressed head-to-toe in menacing black, of course). “You’ve boarded the wrong–” He was cut off as the other man knocked him to the ground, barely breaking his stride as he did so.
“Chiana! Jothee has failed to stop the intruder,” Pilot commed. “The DRDs have sighted the intruder heading to where Noranti has Deke.”
“Frell. Thanks Pilot. Heading there now. Stark, you coming?”
“Of course I’m coming.” Even if it was Scorpius he’d be coming. He was already moving, as was Chiana. “The baby needs us.”
They found Noranti quickly, thankfully. Chiana grabbed Deke from her and started walking. “C’mon, three-eyes. We need to hide.”
“Hide and seek?” Noranti asked, “but Deke and I are already playing a game!”
“There’s no time to explain,” Chiana said, grabbing Noranti’s arm as she shifted Deke to balance on her hip. “There’s an intruder on board.”
“If there’s no time to explain why did you just do so?”
“We need to move,” Stark said. “And be quiet.”
“Oh, I think we’ve definitely…not lost him,” Noranti said a few moments later as she caught a glimpse of the intruder entering the corridor they were in. She stopped and turned around to speak to him. “Excuse me, do you know how rude it is to–”
The strange man barely slowed as he struck her. Stark cast one tortured look behind him but kept running with Chiana and the baby. The old woman had almost certainly been providing a distraction and they needed to keep moving. They kept running, Stark slowing only enough to glance behind him to make sure they were still clear, before ducking into a maintenance corridor.
Crichton and Aeryn had landed their prowlers beside the strange ship and immediately demanded to know who it belonged to.
“Chi, what’s happening? And whose ship is this?” Crichton hissed into the comms.
“I don’t know who this guy is,” she answered, voice barely above a whisper. “He’s chasing us and the baby and he’s already taken out Jothee and Noranti.”
“They’re not dead,” Stark put in quietly. He was sure of that much, at least.
“We’re hiding in the maintenance corridor, between tiers 7 and 8,” Chiana continued. “Don’t know how long we can hold out.”
Crichton and Aeryn didn’t answer. They were already running.
“Take it easy little guy,” Chiana murmured to the baby. “Aunt Chiana and Uncle Stark’ll keep you safe.” She screamed a moment later, followed immediately by a yell from Stark, when Aeryn appeared. “Don’t do that!”
“Have you seen the intruder?” Aeryn asked, holding out her hands for her son.
“He’s wearing a cloak. And a mask. You can’t see any of him,” Stark said. “Just his eyes. Red eyes.”
“Him again,” Aeryn said.
“Again?” Stark asked.
“We ran into him before we were caught when we went looking for you,” Aeryn explained. “Keep moving.” But a moment later she held up a hand and stopped at a junction. She waited a few microts, then leaned into the corridor and fired her pulse pistol.
The intruder paused.
“Yo, Doctor Doom! Mind telling me why you keep comin’ after us?” Crichton called out from behind him. The intruder turned to face him, seemed to consider possibilities, then took off running in another direction. “Aw, crap.” Crichton ran after him. “Damn it, come back here and fight like a…whatever you are!”
“John, he’s headed back to the cargo bay!”
“Close the doors, Pilot! Don’t let him leave.”
“I’m afraid I can only keep the inner door shut. The outer door was damaged by the Hynerians and remains open.”
“Great,” Crichton said. “Ain’t nowhere to go, Chuckles, you–”
“John, he’s firing on the inner door!”
“DAMMIT!”
“I’m afraid he’s gotten away, John.”
“Yeah,” Crichton said, slumping to the floor as he watched the rapidly disappearing ship. “I can see that. Alright, everybody meet me on the bridge. We still gotta Starburst outta here and meet up with Rygel.”
[Shockingly still NFB for distance. Saddest alien does have his phone still but he’s a bit preoccupied at the moment because it’s just always a frelling crisis on Moya, isn’t it? Adapted from “The Beginning of the End of the Beginning: Hynerian Rhapsody.”]
“All right, do all you yotzes know your part?”
Chiana, hands on her hips and an annoyed expression on her face, answered for everyone. “Yes, Rygel. Just like we did the last ten times you asked.”
“Can we just get on with it,” Jothee sighed.
Stark’s sigh was quieter. He wasn’t convinced this plan would work. He wasn’t convinced they weren’t all going to end up imprisoned, again, or worse.
“Pilot,” Rygel continued, unfazed, “does Moya understand-”
“Yes, Your Eminence,” Pilot answered. “Moya is prepared to implement her part of your plan.”
“Buckwheat,” Crichton interrupted from his prowler, “will you take a chill pill already? We’re good to go. Let’s do this thing.”
“Very well,” Rygel sniffed. “Hyneria Prime out.”
There was nothing to do on Moya, at the moment, besides wait.
“How are you doing, Chiana?” Jothee asked.
“Well, I finally got the dungeon smell out of my clothes,” she told him. “Ha. Stark almost smiled again.”
“No I didn’t.”
“Not quite what I meant,” Jothee said. “I-”
“I miss him too,” Chiana said. “But I’m okay. I’m better than I was. When we were-”
“I remember exactly what we were doing,” Jothee said with a soft laugh. “I miss him too. But I can’t think of a better tribute to D’Argo than to do something incredibly stupid to help a friend.”
“Me neither,” Chiana agreed. “And I think Stark almost smiled at that, too.”
A bit later, Crichton and Aeryn were approaching a military base to attack while Moya had established orbit around the palace planet’s third moon. The other ships had begun an attack slightly further out in the Hynerian system.
“Moya is picking up considerable armament in addition to many Hynerian life forms.”
“How many, Pilot?”
“The same number that General Chorchk said were stationed there.”
“Good,” Jothee said. “Start the atmospheric dive.”
On the surface of the palace planet, Dominar Bishan, accompanied by his minister of warfare, received word of attacks while watching a troupe of dancers performing for his amusement. He immediately ordered his entire fleet be sent to Bishan Base. Scorpius protested. Bishan reconsidered and ordered half of his fleet to the base and the other half to the third moon. His Minister protested further, more vehemently after it was revealed that several ships were out of commission or missing entirely. Scorpius was certain this was somehow Crichton’s doing. He wasn’t really wrong.
Back on Moya, they were awaiting their rendezvous.
“We’ll be there in 600 microts,” Jothee said.
“Moya is reading several ships approaching,” Pilot responded.
“Bishan’s navy?” Chiana asked.
“It would seem so. They’re firing weapons.”
“Prepare to Starburst, Pilot,” Jothee instructed.
“What? Crichton and Aeryn are still-” Chiana protested.
“We’re not leaving them!” Stark said, stepping forward.
“I know that,” Jothee said. “Which is why I said prepare. The microt they’re back on board we need to Starburst out of here.”
And back on the palace planet, Hyneria Prime and the accompanying warships began firing on the undefended palace.
Meanwhile, back on Moya, they had yet to Starburst because they were still waiting for the two prowlers to return. They were expecting two prowlers. They weren’t expecting anything else. This was Moya. They should have known better.
“Moya is detecting an intruder in the cargo bay,” Pilot informed those remaining on board.
“Of course there is,” Stark said very quietly. “All we need. Probably Scorpy. Or Scarrans.”
“I’ll check it out, Pilot,” Jothee said, taking his qualta rifle in hand as he headed in that direction.
“Crichton, Aeryn,” Chiana asked. “How soon–”
“Not sure Pip. Gonna be at least a couple hundred microts,” Crichton answered. The two pilots in their prowlers were on their way back, fighting their way through some of Bishan’s defenses and trying to get back to Moya on time.
“All right, whoever you are,” Jothee said once he’d located the unwelcome visitor (dressed head-to-toe in menacing black, of course). “You’ve boarded the wrong–” He was cut off as the other man knocked him to the ground, barely breaking his stride as he did so.
“Chiana! Jothee has failed to stop the intruder,” Pilot commed. “The DRDs have sighted the intruder heading to where Noranti has Deke.”
“Frell. Thanks Pilot. Heading there now. Stark, you coming?”
“Of course I’m coming.” Even if it was Scorpius he’d be coming. He was already moving, as was Chiana. “The baby needs us.”
They found Noranti quickly, thankfully. Chiana grabbed Deke from her and started walking. “C’mon, three-eyes. We need to hide.”
“Hide and seek?” Noranti asked, “but Deke and I are already playing a game!”
“There’s no time to explain,” Chiana said, grabbing Noranti’s arm as she shifted Deke to balance on her hip. “There’s an intruder on board.”
“If there’s no time to explain why did you just do so?”
“We need to move,” Stark said. “And be quiet.”
“Oh, I think we’ve definitely…not lost him,” Noranti said a few moments later as she caught a glimpse of the intruder entering the corridor they were in. She stopped and turned around to speak to him. “Excuse me, do you know how rude it is to–”
The strange man barely slowed as he struck her. Stark cast one tortured look behind him but kept running with Chiana and the baby. The old woman had almost certainly been providing a distraction and they needed to keep moving. They kept running, Stark slowing only enough to glance behind him to make sure they were still clear, before ducking into a maintenance corridor.
Crichton and Aeryn had landed their prowlers beside the strange ship and immediately demanded to know who it belonged to.
“Chi, what’s happening? And whose ship is this?” Crichton hissed into the comms.
“I don’t know who this guy is,” she answered, voice barely above a whisper. “He’s chasing us and the baby and he’s already taken out Jothee and Noranti.”
“They’re not dead,” Stark put in quietly. He was sure of that much, at least.
“We’re hiding in the maintenance corridor, between tiers 7 and 8,” Chiana continued. “Don’t know how long we can hold out.”
Crichton and Aeryn didn’t answer. They were already running.
“Take it easy little guy,” Chiana murmured to the baby. “Aunt Chiana and Uncle Stark’ll keep you safe.” She screamed a moment later, followed immediately by a yell from Stark, when Aeryn appeared. “Don’t do that!”
“Have you seen the intruder?” Aeryn asked, holding out her hands for her son.
“He’s wearing a cloak. And a mask. You can’t see any of him,” Stark said. “Just his eyes. Red eyes.”
“Him again,” Aeryn said.
“Again?” Stark asked.
“We ran into him before we were caught when we went looking for you,” Aeryn explained. “Keep moving.” But a moment later she held up a hand and stopped at a junction. She waited a few microts, then leaned into the corridor and fired her pulse pistol.
The intruder paused.
“Yo, Doctor Doom! Mind telling me why you keep comin’ after us?” Crichton called out from behind him. The intruder turned to face him, seemed to consider possibilities, then took off running in another direction. “Aw, crap.” Crichton ran after him. “Damn it, come back here and fight like a…whatever you are!”
“John, he’s headed back to the cargo bay!”
“Close the doors, Pilot! Don’t let him leave.”
“I’m afraid I can only keep the inner door shut. The outer door was damaged by the Hynerians and remains open.”
“Great,” Crichton said. “Ain’t nowhere to go, Chuckles, you–”
“John, he’s firing on the inner door!”
“DAMMIT!”
“I’m afraid he’s gotten away, John.”
“Yeah,” Crichton said, slumping to the floor as he watched the rapidly disappearing ship. “I can see that. Alright, everybody meet me on the bridge. We still gotta Starburst outta here and meet up with Rygel.”
[Shockingly still NFB for distance. Saddest alien does have his phone still but he’s a bit preoccupied at the moment because it’s just always a frelling crisis on Moya, isn’t it? Adapted from “The Beginning of the End of the Beginning: Hynerian Rhapsody.”]