Episode Report Card Jacob: A+ | 642 USERS: C+ YOU GRADE IT Daring Aeryn To Love You
By Jacob | Season 4 | Episode 18 | Aired on 2003.02.21
Chiana lies on her side, eyes closed. Dying. Stark kneels at her side and chants, addressing Heaven. He reaches for his mask, and a golden light falls down, bathing Chiana's beautiful face. Scorpius has no time for religion: "Hasn't she said it yet?" John shushes him, listening to the chant. Ausimaa kilay ti partree. Kilay ti partree...Katratzee... John snaps up. "Katratzi. That's it, Stark. That's the name of the base." Stark attends to Chiana, light everywhere. Flooded with light. He sheds everything that makes him human, and arrives naked at the truth. "Seat of Scarran power," says Stark. Small. It's fortified. It's dangerous. Disguises its presence by...mirroring the orbit of one of the moons of Trilask." A name Scorpius recognizes; Stark continues to chant. Trilask katratzee... Trilask katratzee... Scorpius stands. "John, we can go." John looks into Chiana's face, touches Aeryn's hair. Scorpius sighs, exasperated. Stark finishes the stykera and looks at John, replaces his mask. Covers up the glory of his face. John looks at him, there are no words. He stands and walks out; Scorpius follows.
"Peacekeeper, wake up," Morrock touches Aeryn's arm, which is now free. Aeryn's confused; Morrock explains: "I watched the sequence codes." She takes Aeryn's hand tenderly, drops some pills into her palm; she shows Aeryn her own stockpile. Aeryn looks at her. "Are you sure?" asks Morrock. Aeryn looks at them in her hand, back up at Morrock. Nods. "The same time, then." They watch each other, and take their first pills. Morrock thanks her. "For doing this with me." Another pill. "I don't want to be their test stallik," says Aeryn. Morrock agrees. Third pills, fourth. "Anyway, what other choice do I have?" Aeryn asks her conversationally. "But your child. Aren't you afraid?" Aeryn shakes her head. "I'd rather be dead than let them have it." Morrock asks quietly: "Is it really his? The man you loved?" Aeryn just sighs. "Does this really make you tired?" At first, then nothing. Aeryn smiles at her, close to tears. "You know, I had such incredible dreams for my child. It's impossible not to. How she was going to change the world. How she was going to look after me when I was old. They were foolish." (They were "The Locket", or as my friend Karen says: "Not even Aeryn's attempts at chick lit have a happy ending.")
Morrock shakes her head kindly. "Not so foolish. I had the same dreams." Beat. "Is it his? Is it Crichton's child?" Aeryn gestures her closer. "Come here." She leans in; Aeryn caresses her face sadly. "Did you really have a child?" she whispers. Morrock cocks her head a bit. "I told you, I had six pregnancies." Aeryn nods, continues to stroke her. "Only three of them survived." Aeryn takes her by the throat. "I want the truth from you. I know that these pills won't kill me. I know that you're their spy." My side, your side. Sometimes 25 percent is just too small; and sometimes hope isn't enough. Sometimes your most awful thoughts are true. It's innocence gone. "So I want to know the truth: Have you even had one child?" Morrock gasps, squeezes tears out. "Have you even given birth to one child? The truth." Aeryn squeezes, tighter and tighter. "No," Morrock gasps. Aeryn snaps Morrock's neck with a loud crack. It's the sound of hope gone. It's the sound of John pointing a gun. "Good," Aeryn hisses, dropping dead Morrock to the floor. "Then I orphan no one." Her arms are free. She throws the pills across the room, spits them out furiously. As far away from her holy body as she can manage.