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In Whole
Browsing around the market, Aeryn and Sikozu misplace Noranti, but then spy some Peacekeepers. Four SSDs, Grayza and Braca.
With the Peacekeepers, Grayza seems to be expecting someone...
Intro!!! And it's SOOOO much better than the season 1 and 2 one, having watched eps from those a lot recently.
Aeryn tries to get in contact with Chiana, with no luck. The comms have been jammed by the PKs. Noranti though turns up, having spotted the Peacekeepers. Aeryn only has one weapon, so not much of a chance to take them down. Sikozu and Aeryn though tell Noranti to find Chiana, which she goes off to do. Aeryn decides they have a few options - either find out what Grayza is up to, or stay out of sight for the four arns until the part is ready.
Chiana is still chasing the merchants, but loses them (or does she?). Asking if anyone's seen them, one of the service ladies (who does back massages for a living) says no. Chiana decides though to buy some "services" from her.
Meanwhile, the whole planetoid quakes a little. Something is landing. Aeryn and Sikozu, both showing their clear military intelligence, decide it's a Scarren Striker. Sikozu produces a little device enabling her to magnify vision and sound - basically a pair of very good binoculars which enable the user to listen in. The PKs seem to know what the quake is too.
Meanwhile, Chi is getting her back massage, and is nearly paralysed until she confesses that she's just a runaway and not important, and knows Rekka (clearly the most influential merchant on the planetoid). It seems Rekka has bought a genetic modification kit from the shop, and with it confidentiality. Seems Rekka could be anyone.
Meanwhile, back with the PKs, Aeryn and Sikozu are following them closely, and find the Scarren troop arriving - one high-order Scarren, one Agitator, and four Charrid escorts. The PKs aren't interested in Moya's crew and don't know they're there, most likely meeting with the Scarrens. However, it looks like an unofficial meeting. If they spy on the meeting and tell PK High Command, they can get Grayza off their backs.
Meanwhile, Noranti has found Chiana and gives her an update. But they nearly run into the PK commandoes, and go back into the shop, asking to have the genetic transformation done.
In the dead Leviathan's Pilot den, the meeting is about to take place. Aeryn and Sikozu pick a good spot to watch. Sikozu pulls out her cool binoculars again, and recognises the higher order Scarren - minister Agnoth, third in rank in the Scarren fleet. Agnoth knows Grayza and Braca (the commandoes are making sure the area is secure, along with the Charrids) have been conditioned to resist Scarren mind probing. Grayza wants peace with the Scarrens, and is willing to offer the Luxan territories. Aeryn knows they should be bluffing - the PKs and Luxans have a defense pact, and if they surrendered the Luxans to the Scarrens it would start war between the Scarrens and Luxans. Sikozu brings about the point - how long would the Luxans last without the PKs? Aeryn is beginning to think assassinating Grayza would be a good idea...
Talking with Sikozu in the dead Leviathan's air filtration system, Aeryn seems to think assasination would be a good idea. D'Argo would be mightily annoyed if his worlds fell to the Scarrens. Sikozu is skeptical.
Back at the meeting, Grayza is laying out what the PKs want from the Scarrens in this little endevour - the Scarrens would give up all their claims to disputed sectors of the Uncharted Territories - everywhere beyond the Kalik Nebula. The Scarrens are skeptical, but are reminded of the wealth of the Luxan worlds, opposed to the Uncharted Territories. Grayza says High Command regrets the decision to ally with the Luxans - they are warriors after all, not diplomats. They are a liability to the peace efforts. Agnoth thinks the PK council would not support Grayza's treaty, but Grayza says the majority already do. They are ready for a change of leadership, and Grayza would seize power. Agnoth would also be able to take more power in the Scarren council, and she is reminded of how long it was since her father was deposed and how long it was since her last promotion. Too long, Agnoth says, but she doesn't resort to the methods Grayza is suggesting. A PK commando interrupts the meeting however, saying that a Nebari answering to Chiana's description has been spotted. Braca leaves the meeting to look for himself.
Looking for Chiana, Braca finds the modified Chiana and Noranti, who look quite different, though their faces are the same shape, same bone structure. Chiana and Noranti though decide that acting like lovers will throw them and, after a DNA scan and some "play acting" (and Noranti saying "what's that? Drugs? Ooooo... you don't need drugs if you've got true love..." and so on and so forth) Braca leaves, satisfied they're not Chiana and Noranti, and even more satisfied to be rid of them.
Back at the meeting, Sikozu says they're still arguing about how to carve up the Uncharted Territories. A division point at the Lonthal system seems to be working so far, but Agnoth wants to talk about disarmament. Grayza says she'll deal only with territory, but Agnoth is none too happy with that. After all, the PKs claim to have military superiority, but won't talk about arms reduction. Grayza says the PKs will co-exist, but not make themselves vulnerable. Agnoth seems to think the PKs are already vulnerable. She sites the loss of the Dreadnought (Infinite Possibilities - Icarus Abides) as an experiment the PKs cannot reproduce, or perhaps someone else altogether. If this is so, why should the Scarrens settle for peace? Because they'd lose a war, Grayza says.
Commenting on this from their spy-hole, Sikozu says the Scarrens are doubtful the PKs have wormhole tech. Aeryn says the threat of wormhole tech is the only thing that has stopped them from invading PK space. However, Grayza is producing a treaty to sign, and Aeryn decides it's time to intervene. Just as she's about to shoot, PK commandoes signal they're in the area. Aeryn and Sikozu hide, taking out the PK commando, until the threat has passed. Unfortunately by then, the treaty is signed (Braca was not there to witness though, looking for Chiana, but the other Scarren - Penok, was).
With the treaty signed, the Scarrens make their move, taking out the PK commandoes but keeping Braca and Grayza alive for interrogation on wormhole tech at their base on Katrasi.
And when they find out the truth, the Sebacean race is as good as dead.
Now Sikozu and Aeryn have to rescue Grayza...
Meeting up with Noranti and Chiana, Aeryn orders Chiana to get the modulator so they can leave, so Chiana goes to find it. Aeryn talks with Noranti, who has a few tricks up her sleeve for such a situation, apart from the fact that she's never tried these drugs on a Scarren or Charrid.
In the weird pod (that was in the spoilers) Grayza is saying that this will cost the Scarrens dearly. Braca is chained to a pipe, and Penok requests the pleasure of killing him when their need for him has passed. Agnoth and Penok then leave, preparing the Striker and summoning a dreadnought to the rendezvous point.
Back with Aeryn and Noranti, Noranti has her drugs just about prepared. Sikozu arrives back, having spied on the Scarrens. She reports where Grayza and Braca are, but that two Charrids are on their way, having spotted her. The three of them hide, but Noranti gives herself away. She offers to tell the Charrids where Sikozu and the others are, but then sneezes the powder in the face of one of the Charrids. She then says there's a PK right behind the Charrid. The Charrid turns, believing Noranti's suggestion that it is a PK, and shoots his comrade. Instinctively, his comrade shoots him. Hey presto, Noranti's just levelled two Charrid soldiers. Aeryn and Sikozu take their armour and uniforms, so they can pass through to find Grayza and Braca.
In bay 9, seems Grayza is still in the weird pod and Braca is still chained to the wall. Two Charrids bring Noranti in, and upon finding a third Charrid there, shoot him.
Back at the transport pod, Chiana finds the modulator, but is attacked by the merchants who don't believe her to be Chiana (after the genetic modification and all).
In bay 9, the two Charrids reveal themselves to be Aeryn and Sikozu. Grayza is very glad, but Aeryn still wants to kill the pair of them for the Luxan treaty. Grayza says that had the Scarrens not betrayed her, she'd have stood by the treaty. But without her, how do the Moya crew hope to get past the Command Carrier that's orbiting the dead Leviathan?
After freeing Grayza and Braca, Aeryn decides to take out the remaining Charrid and the Scarrens herself. She tells Sikozu that if she is not back at the pod in half an arn for them to go without her. Without further prompting, she kills the Charrid, only to find the Scarren Penok behind him. Sikozu, Noranti, Grayza and Braca make a break for it as Aeryn goes into full kamikaze-attack mode, to little avail.
Sikozu wants to wait for Aeryn instead of going to the pod, but Grayza and Braca say she is dead by now. Braca, emphasizing his point, knocks Sikozu and Noranti out so they can head to the Marauder and get away on their own.
Back at the pod, Chiana has been tied up by the merchants. She says she is the real Chiana, but has been transformed. While Sikozu revives Noranti, the merchant who she kissed earlier kisses her again, and he believes her - the transformation evidently does not transform the tongue. In that case, the merchants give her the modulator as Sikozu and Noranti arrive. Sikozu says they'll wait half an arn for Aeryn, as she said. She is already becoming resigned to thinking she's already dead.
Shortly after, it's almost time to leave. Aeryn arrives with little fanfare and the pod heads back to Moya.
Back at Moya, the pod is arriving as a Scarren dreadnought moves in on their position. As soon as the pod is aboard, Moya starbursts away.
Back on Moya, D'Argo cannot get over Chiana's transformation. Chi asks him if he prefers her like that, while Rygel goes on at Noranti over her transformation (and her cooking). Aeryn and John spend some quality time, saying they'll lose some more sleep over what the Scarrens are planning. Aeryn seems confused - after all, what would they lose sleep over in the first place?
However, upon exiting starburst, the Scarren warship is amazingly still in pursuit at the furthest reach of Moya's senses. No signals are coming from Moya, so it must be a beacon. Chiana has checked the pod, Scorpius checked the modulator. Nothing found. Aeryn though throws suspicion wide open by whispering to Crichton that they were separated from Sikozu - it could be her. Sikozu overhears and gets quite annoyed, but allows herself to be scanned by a DRD. Chiana is also scanned (she asks the DRD if it wants her to undress!!!). Pilot reports that DRDs get no signal from Sikozu, Noranti, Chiana or Aeryn.
With the Scarren dreadnought gaining on Moya, Scorpius goes about hurriedly putting in the modulator/sensor distorter thing, but it's not ready yet. Noranti observes that nobody is chasing Moya and Pilot - it might be best to leave them, for their own safety. John agrees, and Aeryn says it will be safest for Moya.
John asks if it will be safest for the baby.
Aeryn is stumped.
And this is where things get really going. John asks her where the beacon is. Asks her to say "baby". Asks her how to spell it. Asks her who the father is. Asks her where Aeryn is.
Aeryn reaches for her weapon.
John shoots one side of her face off.
The side of Aeryn's face John blew off isn't Aeryn at all. There are all sorts of sparks coming from it, organs mixed with robotics. Sikozu identifies it as a bioloyd, as Scorpius patches the modulator into Moya. Pilot detects it, and Sikozu orders him to mimic a Scarren ore freighter. The Scarren dreadnought signals them in Scarren, and Sikozu replies. The dreadnought moves away and leaves.
D'Argo asks what she said. Sikozu says she told them they had seen a Leviathan and thought it would board them, but got scared away by the dreadnought. She thanked them for scaring them away.
John meanwhile looks at the dead body of the Aeryn bioloyd. Later, Sikozu removes the homing device found in it's neural processor. The pod Grayza was in was not meant to confine her, but produce a bioloyd of her. Scorpius reveals PK High Command has known about this for some time, but have never witnessed it put into use. But Grayza escaped, and Aeryn got caught. Maybe the Scarrens hoped the Aeryn bioloyd would bring back Grayza, or Crichton.
John is left staring down at the bioloyd Aeryn, but D'Argo reassures him - they will find Aeryn.
What I thought
While D'Argo, Rygel, John and Scorpy bicker about cooking on Moya, the girls, having gone scavenging for parts for Moya, are on a trading ground, a dead Leviathan fused with a planetoid. Seems Sikozu knows the area (sells all the materials for species blending, genetic modification and all the documents to go with them) and, after a bit of bartering and proving who they are with one of the merchants, including almost being drugged (Noranti tastes the drink and announces it's drugged), they get to see the head honcho merchant, Rekka, who can outfit Moya with whatever they need. What they're getting is a small module that will allow Moya's energy signiature to disguise itself as a number of things - oil freighter, pleasure yacht, whatever. The ship would have to match the movements of whatever it's mimicking, and the merchant asks if the Pilot is good enough. Everyone but Sikozu agrees. After some bartering (including Chiana kissing on of the merchants) they agree a price. They will have to take Moya's modulator to calibrate it by, leaving Moya half blind, and it will take four arns. Chiana sneaks after them, not trusting them.
Now this is important. This is possibly the most important episode yet in season 4. All the stuff about the negotiations, how Grayza says the Peacekeepers will surrender Luxan space to the Scarrens, and just when you think it's over, it's not! Some very nice plot twists, and the whole replacement part seems to be a B-story that is nicely told. The Scarrens look better than ever, and having Charrids with them is a nice touch of detail. And Aeryn and Grayza temporarily on the same side, Sikozu doing a fair bit, and even Noranti has her moments, for once probably surpassing Chiana for amount of screen time. I can't think of a singularly bad bit about this ep, but it wasn't overly excellent. 4 out of 5.
