"Hsshh...Alluro, where are you going?" demanded Chilla suddenly as the tall figure passed by the doorway of the laboratory. She had wandered in here to find him...to see if he had finished analyzing the weapon that the younger prisoner had used...and had found the room empty and unused, the bladed ring lying ungarded on the counter.

Turning quickly to run after the Psi, Chilla hissed and gingerly pressed one hand to the bandage around her head. Though the wound was not deep nor dangerous, it would throb and cause spots to dance merrily before her eyes if she moved too quickly. "Alluro, come back here! I want to talk to you!"

The other Lunatak paid her no heed. In fact, he seemed to be ignoring her. Ordinarily, Chilla would have dismissed such rudeness and paid it back in kind at a later date, but now she wanted answers...as did the others. Who were these strangers and where did they come from? They *looked* like Lunataks, but their accents were strange, their names even stranger, and their weapons quite unfamiliar. The Ice Lunatak hurried after her housemate who was walking purposefully toward the staircase at the far end of the hall, a package tucked under one arm.

"Alluro! Don't ignore me this time, you fool! Why haven't you examined the Hyperaudio's weapon yet? Luna will be wanting answers! Where are you going?" She demanded for the second time before the obvious answer reared in her mind. "You're going back to the holding cells, aren't you?" she accused, managing to catch up to the taller Lunatak.

"It is easier to learn their secrets and the purpose of their possessions if I have the opportunity to study the prisoners," replied Alluro in a clipped tone once he deigned to answer Chilla's questions.

v "Hsshhh...this is the second time you've gone to 'study' these prisoners," sniffed Chilla. "The only prisoner you wish to study is that female Psi!"

"Jealous?" sneered Alluro, a mocking smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

Chilla gave a huff of indignation. "You say that as though you had something to offer. She sees nothing in you, Alluro...there is nothing in you to see. If she is flirting with you then it is only to win your trust and escape her prison."

"Who can blame her?" shrugged the Psi Lunatak. "Have you seen the holding cells?"

"What's in your parcel? Not a gift for her I hope."

"Even if it were, it wouldn't be any of your business."

"Alluro! I'm serious." Chilla's tone was no longer sharp and accusing; it had softened into something akin to concern. "What do we know about them? About their motives? All I ask is that you don't let a silly female turn you away from your responsibilities...even if she *is* a Psi."

Alluro stopped and turned fiercely toward the Ice Lunatak who stumbled backward in surprise. "I *know* my duties!" he spat at her. "And one of them is to ministre to injured Lunataks to the best of my abilities. You assume they're enemies...what if they turn out to be allies? Or at least passable servants? Isn't it an advantage to see to their health? That, dear Chilla, is what is in the package: medicine to counteract the overuse of a Psi's talent. If you don't believe me," continued the taller Lunatak more calmly, but no less sharply, "you are welcome to follow me. I may have to enter the cell and the Hyperaudio appears to be uninjured and spoiling for a fight."

"So am I," grinned Chilla from beneath her bandage.



*Don't come, don't come, don't come,* willed Sonarion silently from where he sat on his cot, listening quietly. He could not make out what the two Lunataks were saying although his hearing powers had improved greatly since Alluro had first stopped by, but he knew for certain that the two muffled voices belonged to Chilla and Alluro. He groaned softly when both sets of footprints set off in the same direction: toward the holding cells.

"She's coming," he sulked.

"Who?" inquired Cheezey softly. Her headache had eased up some, but not enough to make it worth sitting up. She remained on her back, one arm tossed casually over her brow to shield her eyes.

"Chilla," sighed the Hyperaudio Lunatak. "Not that I couldn't take her, oc course," he said quickly, "but there's two of them and I don't have my weapon. Plus these quarters are pretty cramped...it's easier to blow ice than swing a fist. And you're definitely no help."

"Oh, thank you," said Cheezey drily.

"No offense," grinned Sonarion, "I'm sure you're a perfectly good fighter most of the time, but right now you're just laying there like a dead fish."

"You could have at least come up with a better analogy."

"So-rry I'm not some hot-shot tabloid writer like *some* people," countered the younger Lunatak, sticking out his tongue.

"Looks like it's going to be talking after all," insisted Cheezey.

"And more time in this boring cell."

"If you're really bored you can always step out of the game for a while."

Sonarion's eyes lit up. "True! But then why didn't you do that to get away from your headache?"

Cheezey opened her mouth to reply and then paused. "I...I really don't know," she admitted. "I guess I never thought of it. I mean...it would still be waiting for me when I got back, but it would have at least been a respite. I guess having a headache is just to *real* to seem like a game."

"You can always go now."

"With Alluro on his way back? You *must* be kidding," whispered the female Psi with the ghost of a smile.

"Ooooo...someone's in *lu-uv*," laughed Sonarion. "Cheezey and Alluro, sitting in a tree! K-i-s-s-i-n..."

Sonario stopped singing abruptly and cocked his head to one side. "We've got comapny." he announced, trying his best to look harmless while arming himself as best he could with his little whittling knife.

The footsteps came closer and the slot in the door opened. "Well well well...I hope we've been good little prisoners," came Alluro's mocking voice from the other side. "I do hope you you won't try anything funny when I open the door...you know it's quite useless. I can see to it that neither of you are heard from again. You might as well give up any plans of escape."

Cheezey didn't know whether or not Sonarion was feeling the effects of the hypnotist's voice, but she could feel her own powers rising up to shield her own mind despite the strain she had put on them earlier. She was certain that she'd be no match for Alluro under normal circumstances, but he did not seem to be trying very hard to charm them, probably due to the fact that Chilla was there to back him up. In any event, she was unswayed by the Psi's mesmeric voice. "Don't put yourself out on my account," she whispered to him. "I'm not going anywhere."

"So it seems" drawled Alluro in a lazy tone, "but I know from *personal* experience how easily a Psi can deceive." There was the distinct sound of bolts being drawn across metal and Cheezey could feel the tension emmanating from Sonarion's corner of the cell. Cautiously, the door swung open a crack; barely enough for Alluro to squeeze himself through before it snapped shut behind him. Evidently Chilla was taking no chances. Still, she'd had to step forward to close the door and that had offered a view of her injury which seemed to thrill Sonarion to no end.

"What happened Chilla?" he mocked though he seemed uninclined to move forward from where he crouched on the cot. "Bump your head?"

"You are lucky Alluro is so *kind*," sneered the Ice Lunatak, peering through the slot to monitor her teammate's situation. "I would have had you both thrown to the wolves and good riddance!"

"You just try," sniffed Sonarion. "At least he's got the guts to come in here! Come on...I dare you to follow him."

"That's enough!" snapped Alluro, unleashing a wave of power as he turned on Sonarion. The Hyperaudio Lunatak was stunned into silence, probably due to surprise as much the male Psi's thrall.

Cheezey merely clenched her teeth against the flash of pain generated by the loud voices and attempted to sit up. She managed, but slowly, and asked for water which Alluro passed to her in a dipper before unceremoniously dropping his package on the cot beside her.

"Don't drink it all," he warned, "you're going to want some to wash this stuff down."

"Tastes like shit, huh?" smiled Cheezey wanly.

"I've tasted shit," snorted Alluro. "This tastes worse."

The last comment caught Sonarion's attention. "Eww! You've tasted shit? What kind of life do you live here? Life on a freighter sucks, but at least the food's not bad..."

"It was an expression," said Alluro sourly, glaring at the youth. "You stand by your story?"

"Why not?" interrupted Cheezey. "It's true." *As well it might be,* she thought to herself. *Our characters' existance before we entered the game is a blank slate.*

Alluro frowned as he began to unwrap his package. "We have no record of..."

"You can't know everything," insisted Cheezey, trying to slip the slightest suggestion of power into her voice without futher injuring herself or letting Alluro become aware of the fact that she was attempting to sway him. "And we've been wandering a long time."

Alluro did not respon, but went to work. Cheezey watched warily as he unwrapped the bundle he carried and produced from it a stone morter and pestle, a smooth wooden bowl and a vial of something white and crystaline. He unstoppered the vial and poured a measured amount of the compound into the pestle, grinding it to a fine white powder. He then transferred the almost chalky substance to the bowl and turned to get a dipperful of water, growling a command to stay put in Sonarion's direction. The younger Lunatak made a face at the Psi, but seemed undecided on a course of action, choosing to watch the proceedings warily from his cot, his little knife clutched tightly in the fist hidden beside his thigh.

Alluro sparingly poured water into the bowl, swirling it around carefully as more and more of the powder was dissolved. Only when it was obvious that no more of the medicine would be absorbed did he add more water. When he was done, the bowl was filled to the quarter mark with a milky liquid, faintly irridescent in the dim light of the cell. "Here," said Alluro briskly, as he handed the bowl to Cheezey. "Close your eyes, hold your breath, and drink it quickly. If you don't take it all, it won't work and if you don't down it quickly, you won't take it all."

"Oh goody," muttered Cheezey, wrinkling her nose. She'd managed to catch the faintest whiff of the stuff and though she'd swiftly moved to breathing through her mouth, she already knew the medicine wouldn't be to her liking. "What is *in* this stuff?"

"It's a personal recipe. It works. That's all you need to know," said Alluro, obviously annoyed by the question. "Although I suppose I should warn you that it is an opiate among other things. That way you're young friend won't be alarmed if you appear to be disoriented and do something he'll regret."

"The only thing I'll regret is not kicking your butt into outer space for locking proper Lunataks in here," sniffed Sonarion though he did not move from his spot on the bed.

Alluro gave him a smug smile and turned back to Cheezey to see what she would do. "Here goes," the female Psi told him, lifiting the bowl in a mock toast. "Cheers." She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and gulped the liquid down as quickly as she could.

And a good thing it was. No sooner had the last drop slid past her tongue than she began to cough and choke. She could feel her stomach trying to reject the vile concoction and she could hardly blame it...the taste was horrendous! Swallowing hard, she clapped a hand over her mouth until she could snatch the rest of the dipper of water out of Alluro's hands and guzzle it down. It didn't rid her mouth of the taste entirely, but it was a definite improvement and she was able to resume breathing at a mostly normal rate as her stomach seemed to settle somewhat. She thought she heard the faint sound of snickering from outside the door...no doubt Chilla getting her jollies from the female Psi's reaction...but Cheezey was too elated to care. She had noticed that her headache was already fading somewhat, replaced by a slight feeling of light-headedness.

Noticing Sonarion staring at her oddly, she giggled.

"Oooo...so this is what it feels like to be a hippie," she joked, swaying to an unheard beat and gesturing languidly with her hands. "I should cast my star charts this way...I'd fit right in. Right in with all my little star brothers and sisters. And I'll name my first child Moonglow..."

All other sound stopped, even Chilla's laughter, as the other Lunataks stared blankly at the female Psi's performance. The surprise must have caused Alluro to drop his aura of thrall because Sonarion jumped at him, shouting "You drugged her!" among a host of Lunatak swear words. Chilla tried to push the door open to lend her assistance, but Alluro had fallen up against it and she could not push it forward.

"Of course she's drugged, you fool! I told you I was giving her an opiate" snapped Alluro, trying to defend himself against the Hyperaudio Lunatak. He managed to disarm the youth, but he was still in a poor position to fight and only managed to ward off the younger Lunatak's punches while remaining pinned to the floor.

"WOAH! Sonarion! Sonarion...it's okay!" yelled Cheezey, her voice slightly slurred, as she tried to grab one of the Hyperaudio's fists with little success. "I was exaggerating! Really! It wasn't a mind control plot or anything! Listen..."

The younger Lunatak stopped fighting long enough for Cheezey to whisper something in his ear than he stopped and glared at Alluro. "You're lucky she likes you and can prove you weren't trying anything," sniffed Sonarion backing away from the male Psi. But he didn't return to his bunk, prefering to take a challenging stance at the other end of the cell, arms akimbo.

"And you'll be lucky if you ever get out of this cell alive," snarled Alluro at the younger Lunatak. He snatched up his equipment and turned to storm out of the cell when Cheezey clumsily grabbed his arm.

"Don't," she begged. "Don't blame him for defending me. He'd do the same for you if you were his ally. We can help you...you have to believe that!" Alluro pulled his arm away from her what might have been disgust or frustration and left the cell in silence. "There are more where we came from!" Cheezey called after him in a moment of desperation. "And you can tell that to Luna!"

There was the sound of fading footsteps, then the corridor was silent and the players were alone.

"What if there aren't any other Lunataks?" challanged Sonarion.

"I said there were more," grinned Cheezey wryly. "I didn't say when they were likely to come."

"Did that stuff really taste that bad?"

"Worse."

"Did it really work?"

Cheezey thought for a moment. "I think so...my headache seems to be mostly gone."

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah...although I do feel kinda tipsy. Liking drinking a couple of hard lemonades really fast. Just a sort of buzz."

"Looks like we're stuck here a while longer," sighed Sonarion, checking his computer clock.

"Looks like."

"It's getting kinda late. Think I have time to sign off and get a sandwich?"

Cheezey checked her own computer screen. "Probably. I don't think anything else is going to happen tonight...game-wise, I mean. I think I'll follow you. If we don't take too long, then by the time we're done it should be dawn here. I'm going to try to do it in twenty minutes or less...that should bring us through the night."

"Okay...I'll see you later, then."

"Later."

Two free-floating screens appeared simultaneously in the tiny cell and when they snapped shut, the prisoners were gone, leaving no sign that they had ever visited that place.

*********************