Part 3

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Chiana opened her heavy eyes again when she heard John approaching, muttering to himself. "No wonder these Nebari think they make great police, can't find one when you want one."

"No one, hu?" Chiana sneered and forced herself to sit up. For a moment she wondered why John thought anyone would help them. Then she realized it was one of the things she loved about the frelling idiot. Where she met him, she couldn't recall. But he was so dear to her. A smile almost made it to her face.

"What's that?" John asked, weaving with an odd look at her half-smiling face, one eye watching him. "Evil eye?" She made a recognizable sneer and dropped over onto her face. "Whoa" John helped her sit back up. "Let's go over there to some soft ground" he helped her over toward a massive tree trunk.

Chiana struggled over with him, not because she wanted to move, but because it seemed natural to try doing whatever along with him. Dropping into a seat against the tree trunk, she saw him standing there looking around, so she reached up and snatched the back of his pants. "Woo" she laughed at his bare butt. "Cute."

"Whoa, sheez Pip" John pulled his pants up and sat down alongside. He stared off, looking troubled.

Chiana brushed her head into his arm then sat up again. There was blue blood on his arm. "Still bleeding?" she asked.

John looked closely at her head. "Looks like whatever it was stopped. Sorry, tried not to think about it, scary. No Emergency 51."

She inspected his head, and finding it okay except for drying blood at his temples, she just groomed his head for several minutes. She then sat back down and imitated his serious look.

He'd hoped he would lose this lingering pain and be comfortable to have a nice talk, but he decided he might as well give up on that idea and talk about it. "Only thing troubling me now, I can't remember much of what happened since I had a cool job working in the IASA, to the time we woke being herded by the Borg masters. I know....gotta be years in there. I remember.....Scarrans, Nebari, Peacekeepers....like a damn travel guide, and I just got a postcard I wrote to myself saying, wishing I was there. You?"

Chiana rested her head back against the tree, her eyes barely open and a smile of fond memory on her face. "Nerri." Her smile faded. "He was leaving....Told him, I was going to, to Mon, he could meet me....he said no. Don't...know when you met me....you know Nerri? We meet....somewhere else?"

"Big fat plot hole there, sorry. Then there's the more recent blank spot. Can't remember much of what had happened since sometime with you here in this....bio-dome, and when we woke up near those stairs over there."

She tapped her forehead. "W-we were having, unnnh, mm, the-"

"Right!" John pointed toward her with one finger and placed his other trembling hand on his forehead. "Oh yeah, that, that was....awesome.....That wasn't....."

"Here, how'd we get, there to here.....nnndunno. Hey!" Chiana jerked away from him. "You pushed me!"

"I did?" he peeked out from under his hand, keeping the tips of his fingers on his forehead.

"Pushed me off you" she gave his shoulder a shove, rising into a squat with a confrontational sway.

"Oh.....why didn't you leave....something alone.....yeah I remember all that, just not....what happened after....hey I'm sorry Pip, okay?"

"Yeah you, you're always saying that" she replied with certainty and tossed a hand at him. She then hesitated in place, her fingers flexing on her out held hand. She couldn't think how it was she knew that.

"Well I'll say it again." He reached for her hand.

She slapped it away, upset at him and everything. Sighing heavily, she then clasped his fingers for a second and looked up at the other end of the stair, high above. "Not gonna find what we need here, or back there" she tilted her head the direction they'd came. "Let's go."

"Yeah, I know" John pulled himself up by her pants. She knocked him back and hissed. "Oop, sore spot, right" he held his hands out. Her glare softened. She turned and walked back toward the stairs. "Good time to say I'm sorry again?" She hitched her shoulder to her ear for a moment and kept walking. "Right. God this sucks!" he yelled up at the clear ceilings high above.

---

John and Chiana made it up the stairs, coming into a long, curving hall that made its way through various rooms of a behind-the-scenes, perhaps for the bio-dome, mostly labs and breeding rooms for the insects and small animals.

They both seemed entranced by a handful of butterflies that had gotten loose and were dotting one side of the wall. Their extravagant colors bloomed in and out as they flexed their sensitive wings.

"Hey!" Someone shouted. "This is a restricted area!"

They both ran, Chiana laughing as they dodged down the corridors until they found themselves in seemingly more public areas.

As they stepped out, two monoliths on either side of the passageway gave out an alarm. They both saw a flash of light flare out of it.

"Oh dren," John chuckled. "Hey Chi did you snurch something from Wal-Mart?"

"Never heard of him," she shook her head as she scanned the wide hall, stepping back into him as several Nebari in gray uniforms began to approach. "But we're busted."

"This way," John nudged her and began to run. She followed him, needing little prompting as the Nebari made chase. They were cornered off by more coming from the opposite direction. Chiana took John's lead, dodging down the passages until she found herself going up a narrower stair way and into large room that vastly contrasted her former surroundings.

The floors were marbled, on the walls hung tapestries and various displays of bladed weapons, swords, daggers, and heads ... some of them Hynerian.

"Keep going Pip!" John shouted behind her, pushing her with him as he ran into the room without a second glance to it, heading for one of the arch ways into another stairway.

The Nebari guards flooded into the chamber, just missing the flight of their pursuit to the spiraling staircase beyond the arch way.

"That will be far enough," a man stated from a balcony above. He gazed down at the Nebari guards, half hidden by curtains surrounding the balcony. "You do not have authority in this section."

"That can change," one of the guards stated mildly as he looked up. "You are harboring escaped criminals."

"It would seem that way," he smiled darkly as his hands rested on the balcony's railing. His sharp black eyes narrowed on them with a seething amusement from the throws of his long black hair. "You may leave now. I'll bring this up with the Establishment Administrator."

---

John and Chiana ran down the spiral staircase. Just before the next landing they ran into several Nebari guards coming up the stairs toward them. They immediately changed direction, racing back up the way they'd come only to run into more guards. John looked right and left frantically searching for a way to escape, but guards were on them before they could move. John and Chiana were quickly subdued and placed in restraints.

The guards marched them back up to the room with the tapestries. John stole a look at Chiana as they walked back to the room. She looked absolutely terrified. He remembered that it had something to do with her people, but try as he might he couldn't remember the details. He shook his head as if trying to clear it. Damn, why couldn't he remember.

The guards stopped them in the middle of the tapestry-hung room. A voice from above and behind them mildly said, "Release them."

The guard in the lead turned and looked up at the figure on the balcony. "But Minister, they are escaped criminals trespassing in a restricted area," he protested.

"I'm aware of that, Leader Narra. Just release them, then leave. But don't go far."

"Are you sure sir?"

"Yes, I'll be fine. Just release them, then go."

The guard looked skeptically at him, but did as he was told. He released John and Chiana, then left the room, followed by the other guards.

They heard a chuckle from above and behind them and turned to see a tall Nebari male coming down a staircase on the side of the room. Chiana immediately hitched her shoulders back and began to sway slightly on her toes, a stance that John immediately recognized as meaning she was agitated. She looked like she wanted to bolt from the room.

The Nebari male, seeing her agitation, paused at the bottom on the stairs. "Peace, little one. I'm not going to harm you or your companion."

He moved closer to them. "I am Larran. Minister in charge of this sector. And who are you?"

John stepped forward placing himself between Chiana and the Nebari who called himself Larran. He pointed to himself then Chiana. "I'm Bugs Bunny and this is Daffy Duck."

Minister Larran burst out laughing. "Daffy Duck is an unusual name for a Nebari female and a lovely one at that," he said as he moved closer.

Chiana stared at him with trepidation as he skirted around John and moved closer to her. She looked away as Larran stopped in front of her. He put his finger under her chin and tipped her head up so that he could see her better. He smiled and leaned forward, inhaling deeply.

"Yes, you are truly lovely," he said as he stepped away from her smiling, pointedly ignoring the glare that John gave him. Larran went to a side table against the wall and poured himself a drink from the pitcher there, then turned back to them, leaning against the table.

"Now lovely one, tell me who you really are and why you are traveling with a Sebacean male in a restricted zone."

"I'm Chiana," she answered Minister Larran with a slight tilt of her head as she kept her gaze on him beneath her brow. Her shoulders were still raised with her arms slightly bowed back. She indicated to John beside her with a brush of her hand, as if she were aiming to back hand him with it as she put most of her weight on one leg. "This is ah, Crichton. He's a - a reformed ..." she sighed her nervous laugh as she smiled. "Sooo, are we under arrest?"

"Not yet," Larran smiled back gently as he set out two glasses, motioning to her as he poured them.

Chiana ambled up to him, shifting her head from side to side with a mild curiosity in her gaze. She took the glass, sipping the drink. John didn't move, keeping a steady, plain faced glare on the minister.

Larran glanced at him briefly, smiling as he leaned closer to Chiana with his elbow on the bar counter. "You've got the entire security in this section after you. Tell me, what are the charges against you?"

"Mmmm," Chiana pursed her lips as she set the glass down. "Really?" She cut her eyes to him. "I dunno. We didn't exactly stop to ask any of them why they're chasing us."

Larran sipped his drink as he turned his gaze to a panel in his hand. "Meaning you don't remember," he commented. "Interrogative Mind Cleansing - that's pretty serious Chiana. I'm surprised you two escaped transport. Or," he narrowed his eyes at a look at Chiana's temples, "damage from disabling control. In which case I'm surprised you are alive."

"What else do you know about us?" John asked.

"Only," Larran eyed him. "That how badly Establishment wants you will be in my interest."

"So you're going to give us up," Chiana looked to him wide eyed. "For a price."

Larran turned his gaze to her again, delving into her eyes with great interest as he took her chin once more into his fingertips. Chiana narrowed her eyes slightly as she stared back. He smiled then. "You're very spirited, aren't you? I think it would be in my best interest if I knew what they do about you. I couldn't very well just hand you over if you belonged to - other groups of my interest, now could I?"

Chiana turned her face away from his touch, smiling as she brought her lips close enough to almost touch his. She rested her hand on his hip. "I can think of better ways to be interesting to you."

"Chiana," John snapped, snarling his nose briefly. "We're not any better off here, it's still being held captive."

"Correct," Larran confirmed as he stepped from Chiana and began to move ahead of them. "If you'll just come with me, I'll show you quarters ..." he paused, looking to John. "Unless, you'd rather step outside and let the guards have you."

---

Larran led John and Chiana down the stairs and through a series of corridors before stopping in front of a non-descript door. He turned to John and said, "These are your quarters Crichton." He opened the door and motioned John inside.

John walked in and saw that his quarters consisted of a suite of two large rooms, a sitting and entertainment area, and a sleeping area. The sitting area contained a simple couch and what looked like an entertainment center. Next to the entertainment center was another door that looked like it led to some sort of balcony.

John walked past Larran and Chiana into the sleeping area. It contained only a bed and and some sort of table by the side of the bed. John looked around and spotted the refresher area and waste facility in its own small room off to the right. It was a plain room, serviceable, even dull. It reminded him of a standard hotel room but he shrugged. At least it was a place to crash until they could figure out exactly when and where they were.

He looked over at Chiana who had entered the sleeping area. They'd have to share the bed but considering what had happened between them earlier, he didn't think it would be a problem. In fact there might be something to enjoy in all this. If it was a problem, he could always sleep on the couch.

Larran watched them explore the small suite. He gestured to a door. "Balcony, not a standard feature in our era, but one you may enjoy. Do not be concerned. There's a security field now in place to prevent any temptation to leave." He then turned to Chiana. "Come along, Chiana. Such an interesting name, did I mention? Your quarters are just down the corridor."

John was immediately alarmed. Larran was trying to separate them. "Whoa, just wait one microt. I thought this was our quarters."

Larran smirked. "No, these are your quarters Crichton. It wouldn't be entirely proper for a Nebari citizen to stay in the same room as her servant." He looked at John, "Unless you are her personal server that is, then maybe we can make some other arrangements." John just glared back at him, unwilling to confirm or deny Larran's remarks.

Larran smiled, seeing him remarks cause a reaction. Good, he thought, this might be useful with these two in the future. "Don't be alarmed, Chiana is just going to be down the corridor." He turned to leave with Chiana but John moved forward swiftly and grabbed Chiana's arm pulling her back.

She hissed at him and tried to jerk her arm free from his grasp but he held on and dragged her back toward the other room. "Excuse us a microt, I just need to speak to my employer about something important," John told him.

Larran watched as John dragged a reluctant Chiana into the other room. Oh yeah, this was definitely something he could use with these two, he thought.

Chiana reluctantly allowed Crichton to drag her into the sleeping area. "Chiana," he struggled to keep his voice low, "I don't like this guy and I don't think we should be separated. I got a bad feeling about this."

Chiana looked at him and moved closer. She pressed herself against him and ran a hand up into his hair pulling his head down so that their lips almost touched.

"Don't you think I know that, Crichton?" she whispered to him. "This whole frelling thing is tinked but we need information, right? And he's the only one that looks like he can provide it."

She rubbed her cheek against his before nuzzling his neck. Chiana reached up and grabbed his earlobe with her teeth making John gasp and pull her closer. "Trust me, John," she whispered. "As soon as we find what we need, we're outta here." She ran her tongue down the line of his jaw until she reached his mouth and captured it in a brief, torrid kiss. Chiana pulled away from him with a smirk and a light caress on the cheek.

She walked past Larran into the corridor. Larran followed but turned back before closing the door. "Crichton, the evening meal is in three arns. I expect you to join us. In the meantime, you might want to bathe and change clothes. The closet has a variety to choose from. I'll send someone to escort you when the meal is ready." He closed the door and joined the waiting Chiana.

"Well that was some spectacle you two put on," he said to Chiana. "Is he your personal server?"

Chiana stopped and turned to him. She stepped closer and ran a finger down his chest. "Why are you curious about him? He's just a Sebacean servant, nothing more."

Larran grabbed the gloved finger and brought it to his mouth, lightly biting it. "It's just that you two seem awfully intimate for master and servant."

Chiana smirked up at Larran. "Well, Crichton does have his uses, but he's getting old and can sometimes be such a dredgenaut. He has been with me a long time though so I don't get rid of him."

Larran smiled down at her before leaning down and whispering in her ear. "Well maybe, it's time you traded up for something say younger, richer, more powerful, and more like you." He licked her ear before straightening up and moving down the corridor, leaving Chiana to follow him.

He paused before another door. "These are your quarters. I think you'll like this," he said as he opened the door. Chiana took a step forward before stopping, dumfounded and open-mouthed.

Chiana eased into the room slowly, her elbows bent back as she closed her mouth with a tock of her head. The place was hardly anything like John's simple quarters. It looked more like a sort of recreation center. The middle of it was a lounging arena with fancy couches, furs, tapestry rugs and silken curtains. A stair well came around it to a loft above where she could just make out the bedroom. Below the loft the back wall ahead of her was a bar with an open doorway leading somewhere else.

To her left the floor dipped down into a lower room that center pieced a sauna with another doorway leading to the bathroom. Most of the back wall surrounding the sauna was glass with a sliding door leading out to a bio-center of exotic plants, flowers and bamboos.

When she looked right to the wall beyond the stair well, there was only a half wall that had a crescent console in front of it. It bordered the lounge area and a dining room.

Larran waited patiently, smiling softly to himself as Chiana wandered to each place, peering inside them. He moved to a shift robe in the lounge, opening it up to reveal various silks and gowns.

"Everything is yours of course," he smiled again as he looked to her.

"Sure it is," she smiled back with a twist of her brow as she sat down on a couch arm. She snatched up a fruit from the table in front of it, bouncing it in her hand when she eyed him again. "This - this ... do you always put your strange Nebari guests in this room?" She smiled wryly as she lowered her head to gaze on him beneath her bangs, quirking an eyebrow. "Is this your room?"

"It's yours," he confirmed with amusement as he went back to the door. "Feel free to feel at home, Chiana."

"Chua!" She giggled with a tossle of her head and then bit into the fruit. "I can't believe this is ho ..."

She froze, gaping at the fruit in her hand as she swallowed. "Nebari Prime ..."

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