Brief synopsis:
When Chiana discovers a recording showing that Aeryn had been aboard Moya before as a Peacekeeper, and that under Crais's orders she had shot the previous pilot aboard Moya, the crew's relationships are put to the test. As everyone except John turns against Aeryn, the past is revealed in all its painful detail. Moya's pregnancy, Pilot's swift arrival, Aeryn's previous relationships and painful emotional ties are all exposed, leading to a confrontation between Pilot and Aeryn. However, could this finally allow Aeryn to open up to her crewmates, and in particular, Crichton?

The Main Story:
Peacekeepers on Moya? Oh, perhaps it isn't Moya as that isn't our Pilot. The Pilot we see resists plans put forth by a Lieutenant Velorek, rejecting the idea of taking part in a secret experiment. However, Captain Crais arrives, and asks if a replacement Pilot has been found. When Velorek confirms that one has, Crais orders the extermination of the current Pilot. When the shooting is finished, one of the Peacekeeper assassins is revealed. Aeryn. This turns out to be a recording, stored aboard Moya which Chiana had found and shown to Crichton. They put it before Aeryn and the rest of the crew, prompting the first real emotions from the toughened Peacekeeper.

Aeryn admits that it was her on the recording, and with tears in her eyes, explains that it was 3 cycles ago, and that she didn't know it was Moya, having been aboard hundreds of Leviathans in her career. Aeryn has a flashback, remembering that she wanted to be transfered back to Prowler duty, having been reassigned recently to serve on a transport. She remembers seeing her cargo for that mission, the replacement Pilot.

D'Argo realises that nobody must let Pilot see this recording, and takes it to his quarters to be kept secure. Chiana is uncomfortable about the cover up, and Rygel in particular feels that the truth should be known. Zhaan's bitterness towards Aeryn is also made clear, the Delvian acting very much unlike a Priestess. Aeryn however continues to remember the past, flashing back to her first encounter with the new Pilot. Velorek had introduced her to him, and explained that the Pilot must simplify what he says as each sentence can carry over 100 facts, concepts and emotions - too complicated for translator microbes.

When Crais arrives, Velorek is given only 60 arns in order to link the new Pilot to Moya, a process that normally takes as much as 2 cycles. He protests, but Crais threatens him, stating that he too is replaceable. Shortly afterwards, when Aeryn states her request to Crais for transfer, he stalks away, displeased at being interrupted. Back in the present, Aeryn vents tension in combat training, but soon bursts into tears when Crichton arrives. She explains that Peacekeepers breed for military reasons, and that other relationships were supposed to be kept meaningless and short. She and Velorek however had become lovers, something John had never heard Aeryn express before.

Unfortunately, at this point Pilot contacts Aeryn over the comms, and demands that they talk, making it clear that he has been shown the recording. Aeryn goes to Pilot's den, knowing it is hard for both of them having grown so close during time aboard Moya, but is unprepared for Pilot's ferocity. She finds herself in the strangle hold of one of Pilot's pincer arms. Whilst exerting this pressure on Aeryn, Pilot remembers his insertion into Moya, the process of linking hundreds of metras of his underside through Moya's connections. Aeryn's near scream gets John and D'Argo running, D'Argo discovering that Rygel was the one responsible for giving Pilot the recording. When the pair arrive, Pilot begins to vent the chamber of all air, stopping them from getting any closer. When he finally stops, and releases Aeryn, he lays down his ultimatum. Until Aeryn leaves this vessel, Moya will not move another metra.

Aeryn decides it is best for everyone that she does as Pilot says, and prepares to leave. However, this is clearly not what the others want, with even Zhaan admitting that in the past, that was all Aeryn could do as that was what was expected. Aeryn remembers the kindness of Velorek, telling her that he will not let the Leviathan be harmed, that Crais's project is an abomination, and the Crais himself is in fact a maniac. When John sees that Aeryn truly means to leave Moya, he goes to Pilot to try and convince him to reconsider, and to try and reconcile his differences with Aeryn. Pilot has another flashback though, remembering the final stages of the joining. The grafting process was so greatly rushed, and engineered, that Velorek said the pain would be incredible, though tolerable over time. Pilot was soon to discover that the Peacekeeper was not lying.

Remembering this, Pilot pulls out his connections to Moya, ripping free the engineered bond between them. Moya begins to fly free, with no control from Pilot, and clearly confused at the loss of her companion. As Aeryn has another flashback, she recalls overhearing Velorek being told that their plans to subvert Crais's project were in place, and Aeryn and Crichton realise that this must have been a reference to the shield they discovered, preventing Moya's pregnancy. Crais's project had been to breed the Leviathan gunship. Aeryn tells John that this was a huge turning point. She had betrayed her love for Velorek and turned him in to Crais in order to secure her place back in Prowler detail. This ruthless move was what pained her the most, and it was one that made her a true Peacekeeper at the time. Realising the full truth now, Aeryn and John drop into Pilot's den from above, and overwhelm a small force of DRDs before talking to Pilot. Pilot says that Moya is better off without him. With life support failing though, Aeryn tells Pilot to end her life, not everyone's. However, Pilot says that it is he that deserves death, not Aeryn.

Pilot tells them that not only had he replaced the former Pilot, but he had secured her fate when he disobeyed the elders on his world. He had been deemed unworthy to fly a Leviathan, perhaps too young, the reason was unclear, but the point was that by meeting with Velorek and secretly agreeing to go aboard Moya, he had given the Peacekeepers a way through their experiment, resulting in the death of the Pilot. Aeryn may have been one of those to pull the trigger, but truly it was Pilot who was behind the orders. With this revelation, Aeryn and Pilot agree to patch things up, literally, allowing Pilot to begin the bonding process to Moya properly and naturally this time. Though it will take time to gain full control, the pain will be gone, and the relationship between the pair far more effective.

Finally, Aeryn and John discuss Aeryn's love for Velorek, and the similarities forming between Velorek and John. They had both said the same important thing to Aeryn, telling her she could be so much more, could this be another hint as to what the future holds for Aeryn and John?

Trivia Quiz:

References and continuity:

• The reference to cutting off one of Pilot's arms relates to the episode DNA Mad Scientist where Zhaan, D'Argo and Rygel cut off one of Pilot's arms to trade for maps to their home planets.
• The shield preventing Moya's pregnancy from taking place was discovered by D'Argo in They've Got A Secret when the crew were searching the ship for leftover Peacekeeper devices that may give away their position.
• Aeryn says that both Crichton and Velorek said the same thing, "You can be so much more". Crichton said this in Premiere shortly before Aeryn, D'Argo and Crichton made their escape attempt from the Peacekeepers. Perhaps this line struck a chord with Aeryn, which is why she was willing to leave with Crichton.

Crichton: "I don't think Pilot's in a 'Leviathan for dummies' kind of mood right now."

John doesn't expect Pilot to be much help fixing broken connections given Pilot's current frame of mind.

Chiana: "Just my luck. Out of all the Leviathans in the universe, I end up aboard one with a second string Pilot."

Clearly Chiana isn't impressed that the Pilot was replaced, but at least she isn't attacking Aeryn about it like some of the other crew do.

Pilot: "I won't cry out." Velorek: "You will." Pilot was confident who could tolerate the pain when first joined to Moya, but Velorek, having done this before, knew otherwise.

Writer:

Writer Naren Shankar was also responsible for:

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