"Zhaaaan!" Crichton felt as if his voice were comming from miles away, long and slow. "Let her go."

A sound raised out, becomming stronger and more higher pitched until Crichton recognized it as Pilot screaming. He slammed his eyes shut and opend them again, trying to shake the way he felt. Zhaan snatched his throaght as she half slung Chiana to one side and glared into his eyes. Her own were not as dark anymore, a reddish blue.

"I need Pilot," she muttered. "Starburst... take me to him."

"Why do you want to make Moya starburst so bad?"

"Impertinant fool!" She hoisted him up into the air with her thumb and index finger digging into the tender muscles and glands of his throaght just beneath the edges of his jaw. "Because it doesn't want her to! Happy here Crichton, are you? Murderous mamal, infection! You're all becoming pests I should rip out like a frelling neusance."

"Just tell me -" Crichton struggled to speak as he grasped her arm, trying to pull his head out of her grip. "If I'm talking to Zhaan at all, cause I don't think you are."

"I'm becoming more than that, John." She stated as her eyes shifted, searching his in fear. "Don't let this win over me, we'll all be lost."

"Sure," he rolled his eyes back and kicked. Zhaan cried out but didn't loose her grip as she sent him crashing back to his feet. He felt as if she were stabing into his mind with a cold blade. The flash of Scorpies image came to him again. He could see him standing Zhaan off as if he were trying to keep her from something.

He screamed again as he felt as if his entire mind were being ripped apart and then was suddenly overwhelmed with a washing sensation of relief as Zhaan cried.

"What have you done to me," she weeped. "I can't fight this!"

"Fight what-ever, Zhaan." Crichton grimanced in a low voice as he glared up at her. "Because I'm going to kick your sweet Delvian ass if you don't."

*************************************
 
Pilots eyes opened slowly.

"Moya?" He worked his pinchers over the controls but Moya lay asleep. Nothing would respond to him, not even the Drds. He looked up, blinking at a jungle of roots. "D'argo, Aeryn!"

He shook his head as he saw them, struggeling his remaining pincher out of the entanglement as they rushed to him.

"Do you know what the frell is going on?" Aeryn asked.

"I haven't the slightest actualy," Pilot blinked again as he shook his head. "Moya is asleep! I can't seem to wake her."

"Zhaan is amunant we starburst," Aeryn spoke more gently as she came over the helm with him. "We're in a very strange mix up of demensions or something. Have you any idea how we could wake her?"

"I'm afraid not," Pilot spoke saddly as he gazed up, his eyes widening as he watched Zhaan rise out of the vines and roots.

Zhaan raised her hands, crying out as she became more entangled with them. She turned her head, looking apon them desperatley.

"For Goddess sake, Pilot. Let them entwine you once more. It is all I can do!"

Pilot gasped, struggeling as the vines began to snake around him again. D'argo raised his qualta to cut them, the vines lashing around him, capturing him as Aeryn tried to struggle away.

"Zhaan!" Pilot shouted as he began to loose consiousness.
 
*********************************
 
Chiana screamed, crouching in a world of brilliant white light that brought her intense pain. She forced out her hands as her palms seemed to set on fire. Her eyes were slammed shut as she felt as if her strength were exploding like a dragon within her.

"I need help!" Zhaan cried out. "Mercy! I cannot bear this!"

"Don't give up now," Crichton shouted. "Dammnit Zhaan! Tell me what to frelling do!"

"Where the FRELL am I!" Aeryns voice roared as Chiana felt hands grasp at her cruely.

Chiana cried out in the pain, tears comming to her eyes as she stood. She brought her breath in, deep into her chest and turned. She saw Zhaan and aproached her, sobbing quietly as she took the sides of Zhaans head with her hands and placed her forehead against hers.

"No-no," Zhaan shook her head as she grabbed Chianas wrists. "Please don't..."

"Yeah," Chiana nodded with a gentle smile as her tears patted on Zhaans blue arms. "It's alright, let me share the tone with you."

"I could kill you," Zhaan glared into her with her red eyes. "Foolish child!"

She snatched the sides of Chianas head angrily, her lips pursed with rage as Chiana began to cry. She shut her eyes against the pain like knives slicing into her mind, holding Zhaans head gently but firmly as she tried to draw beyond it. She thought of taking the stone, her memories feeling like they were locked inside a cold iron box Zhaan was keeping her from.

Zhaan gasped, crying out as Chiana slowly opened her eyes with a deep melencoly into her own and began to call. She bent with Zhaan, almost seeming to dance with her as she slowly rose again. It was as if she were coaxing Zhaan to move with her. Zhaan closed her eyes, ashamed of her cruelness to Chiana as she openly sobbed in deep gasps. Chiana swayed with her, unstraying her eyes as she moved her thumbs up over her tempils and tilted her head to one side against her forehead...

"Oooooooooooooooooeeeeeeeee..."

Zhaan's shoulders raised as she took the sides of Chiana's head more gently and stood with her, calling out in a mystical tone that rose up from deeper within her from Chiana.
 
**************************************
 
Zhaan weeped quietly, feeling all, touching everything until she could feel her union to the crew, to Pilot. She embraced him affectionatley, carrying herself into a great expanse throughout Moya. She touched the leviathan, gasping at the vast essance that overwhelmed her. She could see the universe beyond her, as if she were Moya herself. She was in some kind of thick haze, surrounded by something.

"Forgive me..."

Zhaan cried as she raised her hands to her lips and touched them as she closed her fingers together. She shut her eyes as she brought intense pain into her being and allowed it to explode around her. A scream was heard and she could feel Moya ache, afraid like a child as something screeeched beyond any comprehension.

Zhaan screamed with it in rage, lashing out as she felt it throwing itself away from Moya. A lightness to the freedom came as Zhaan felt herself falling away. She closed her eyes again as she allowed herself to fall back into some void, drawing into unconsiousness as her tears escaped the corners of her eyes.
 
*****************************************
 
Zhaan opened her eyes slowly and rose, finding herself in her quarters. She gasped as she reached for her comm, her gentle face twisted with desperation as she stood with it and ran into the cooridor.

"Pilot! Is everything alright, Moya!"

"Yes," Pilots voice came solemnly. "Zhaan. We're alright. The others apear to be sleeping. Shall I wake them?"

"I - I don't know," She shook her head as she walked down the hall to his chamber. She stepped to him, embracing him. "Do you remember?"

"Yes," he looked apon her with a small smile as his massive head tilted. "Moya wishes to express how greatful she is to you. Something caught us, we were nearly consumed by it I would gather. Do you think the others will think they dreamed it?"

"Let them," Zhaan spoke gently as she crouched next to him and rested her head on his body as her tears fell. "Let them..."
 
end