4.02 - Sacrifice
(What Was Lost: Part 1)

The ancient Leviathan Elack takes John and the others to a planet where they hope to make contact with the rest of the crew. But Commandant Grayza knows of their arrival and has special plans for John and her prisoner... Scorpius.

I find your amateur attempts at torture to be quite pleasurable. - Scorpius

Don't do this, Braca. I made you. - Scorpius
No. I made you. - Captain Braca

Never bathe, never bathe. It washes off the juice. - Noranti
That's... more than I want to know. - John Crichton

What do you want from me? - John Crichton
What I want may not be as bad as you think. You might even like it. - Commandant Mele-On Grayza

This is for all the times I've had to say "yes". - Captain Braca

Elack has brought the crew to the planet Arnessk, where the crew hopes to meet Jool. Normally the planet has dangerous magnetic levels but periodically the levels drop enough for it to be safe. Unfortunately, Elack is in very bad shape and the crew has to rush around through the neural clusters trying to keep things running. Pilot says she can barely detect the planet, much less anyone there. John and Chiana go down in the damaged transport pod while Rygel and Sikozu attempt to keep Elack operational.

John and Chiana land near what seems to be a large, ruined temple and start exploring a series of tunnels, some of which are partially filled with water. John falls behind while trying to change the chakkan oil cartridge in Winona and when he rounds a corner he finds an Interion, Tarnat, holding a weapon on Chiana.

Tarnat thinks John is a Peacekeeper and tells him to drop his weapon or he will shoot Chiana. John is trying to convince him he is not a Peacekeeper when, with a squeal, Jool bursts into the tunnel followed by D'Argo. There is a happy reunion as D'Argo grabs John in a hug and Jool hugs Chiana.

Tarnat still looks threatening and Jool tells him to relax because the others are her friends. She then tells them that Tarnat is new at security and is a bit over-zealous in protecting the dig. Tarnat, in his defense, claims that there are races that would kill for what they have found.

D'Argo asks John if the others are with them and John says they are with Rygel but haven't heard from Aeryn. D'Argo says they have not either but that he is sure she will contact them. Chiana asks Jool about Moya and she only says that Moya isn't there.

Jool wants to show them around and leads them away. John, who has been examining a wall decorated with a hand-print and what looks strangely like an ancient Egyptian Eye of Horus, follows. As they leave, a creature surfaces from under the water and watches them.

Jool is leading John through another tunnel and John is asking about what happened to Moya. Jool says that she can't remember anything and that he needs to talk to the old woman and that D'Argo has gone to get her. She then shows him a display panel and tells him that as long as it is blue they are safe but that when it turns red the magnetics have reached dangerous levels. She then leads them deeper into the tunnels.

Jool is excited about the dig and is trying to explain why it is so important to Chiana and John, who don't seem very interested. Chiana finally gets tired and breaks an artifact John is holding, to Jool's surprise, and leaves. Jool asks what is wrong and John only says that Chiana had a hard time away from Moya. He tries to leave to go find the old woman but Jool continues to lead him through the site.

She explains that twelve thousand cycles ago the priests here somehow maintained a peace between the Scarrans and the Peacekeepers for over five hundred generations. While she talks, we see the creature from earlier watching them. She then says that the priests suddenly vanished and no one knows why.

They are interrupted by Vella, another Interion who Jool identifies as the instructor in charge of the dig. Vella takes an object from a panel on the wall and shows it to them. She tells them that the planet was once a virtual paradise but that long ago someone launched three probes like the one she is holding and formed the "Darnez Triangle" which caused the magnetic summers and drove most life off of the planet. She has found two of the probes and if she can find the third then she will be able to use them to reverse the effects of the Triangle.

Meanwhile, Chiana is wandering the ruins on her own and is surprised by D'Argo. D'Argo tells her he has been working with Jool trying to excavate the temple and admits that her enthusiasm can be a bit much. Chiana expresses surprise that D'Argo and Jool are working together.

She then asks how he managed to avoid the Peacekeepers and he tells her that his ship, which he has named Lo'La in memory of his wife, was able to protect him. He leads her outside and shows her the ship, which is now hidden by a device he calls a deception shroud which renders it invisible.

John is talking to Rygel and telling him what is happening. Sikozu is in the hanger bay working on John's module. She pulls a bundle of wires from a panel on Elack, causing Rygel to lose contact with John. Rygel complains but she tells him that Elack is entering shutdown and she needs to get the module working in case they have to abandon ship.

On her Command Carrier, Grayza intercepts a message from Vella to Pilot and Moya asking them to come get John and the others. Grayza tells Braca, who she refers to as captain, that he was correct and that the others did follow Jool to Arnessk. She orders the Command Carrier to Arnessk and is told they will be there in five arns.

She and Braca then go to the Aurora chamber where Scorpius is in the Aurora Chair. He seems unconcerned and tells her he has told her everything he knows about John. She seems unconvinced and opens his cooling chamber. Braca produces a yellow rod and goes to the chair. Scorpius suddenly seems more concerned and tries to stop him.
"Don't do this, Braca." he says. "I made you."
"No." says Braca, handing the rod to Grayza. "I made you."
Grayza replaces the rod in the chamber with the yellow one and reactivates the Chair. Scorpius screams in agony.

John is walking through the ruins looking for the old woman. Vella and Tarnat are watching him and Tarnat says he still does not trust him. Vella says that she is not worried because he was uninterested when she talked about the Darnaz Triangle and says that they will soon know where the third probe is anyway.

John is still searching and is surprised by the old woman as she exits a tunnel. He is surprised again when the creature seen earlier appears but it doesn't seem threatening.

The old woman doesn't seem to recognize him and when, while trying to get her to remember who he is, he touches her the creature charges him. The old woman yells at it, calling it Oo-nii, and it backs off. She then seems to recognize John and jumps into his arms, to his annoyance and disgust.

John asks her about Moya and the wormhole but she claims that she can't tell him anything and that he will have to talk to Pilot. She starts to leave and he stops her but she will not tell him anything more. She then starts rambling, saying that she hears chanting and that whenever anything good appears it is destroyed. She also says that the Darnaz Triangle must not be used again and says that she will not let Vella have it.

John tries to ask her about Aeryn and her pregnancy but she says that she didn't keep it a secret from him, Aeryn did. She only wanted him to accept her decision. John says that it isn't easy for him and she picks up one of the worms which have been crawling around the tunnels and crushes it. She says the worm is called a Laka and that if he inhales it after crushing it then nothing will bother him for a while.

The old woman starts to leave then turns back to him.
"Ask Vella." she says. "If all the Priests died here, why are there no bones?" She leaves, Oo-nii following her.

Elsewhere, Jool is showing D'Argo how to use a device she calls a carver to remove debris from another artifact. She asks if he is planning on leaving now that John and the others have arrived but he does not seem to be sure, saying that he has enjoyed his time there. She seems surprised and pleased.

D'Argo suggests that they show the artifact they have found to Vella but she appears and says it is common and not very important. She is more upset to find that Jool is showing D'Argo how to use the carver. She takes it from him and tells him they can be dangerous because if the carver's beam hits a living creature it will convert it into whatever substance it is in contact with. To demonstrate, she points it at a Laka climbing up the wall of the tunnel and fires, turning it into rock.

Back on the Command Carrier, Grayza is in her quarters and in a bath. Braca is in the room with her and is reporting that they are at Arnessk and that there is nothing there but a dead Leviathan in a decaying orbit. The Command Carrier cannot land but he is planning on taking several Marauders down to the archaeological site.

Grayza asks him to come closer and, after she asks him several times, he is kneeling beside the tub. She rubs her fingers on the inside of her breast and collects some fluid there. She rubs the fluid onto Braca's lips and he suddenly looks surprised and very interested in her. He takes her hand and begins kissing her fingers while she continues to talk to him.

She asks if what happened to Scorpius bothers him and he says no. She then says that she had thought that Scorpius was just using John as an excuse for his failures but that she now thinks there is something important about him. She also says that she thinks John can be her friend. Braca leans in as if he is going to kiss her but she pushes him away. Braca suddenly seems startled and uncomfortable at what has been going on.

In the dig site, Jool is helping Vella open a panel. Vella asks Jool if she is planning on continuing to study after the dig is over and Jool says she is. Vella then asks about D'Argo and Jool says he is her friend. Vella says that he is not her equal and that any mistakes he makes she will be blamed for. She leaves and Jool quietly agrees. D'Argo, who is nearby and has been listening, does not seem pleased.

John is observing the ruins when he is interrupted by Tarnat, wielding a carver and dragging the old woman along with him. He accuses John and the others of plotting against him and Vella and says that the old woman told him of their plans. The old woman gets free and runs to hide behind John, urging him to shoot Tarnat.

John denies that he has any plans against the people at the dig and says that he is only waiting for Moya to come back, then suddenly turns and knocks Tarnat out.
"Do not point guns at people!" he tells him.

The old woman continues to urge John to kill Tarnat and even hits him herself before John can stop her. She says that Vella will use the probes as a weapon and that he needs to understand what was lost there. She blows a white powder into his face and he grabs at his eyes in pain.

Vision: John sees himself in the temple as it must have appeared in the past. Red robed figures are chanting while standing around an altar on which rests a goat-like creature. One of the figures cuts the throat of the creature while the others continue the chant. (Note: The chant is recognizable as part of the main Farscape theme.)

John then sees a small pyramid-like object on the ground and picks it up, revealing symbols on all four sides. His examination of the object is interrupted by an explosion overhead. Looking up, he sees three objects falling to the ground, which the old woman identifies as the Darnaz probes.

John comes to himself and the old woman tells him that he has seen into the past and the origin of "the peaceful thread within us all". She then blows some more powder into his face and he passes out.

He awakens face down in some water with Oo-Nii nearby. He tries to get away but Oo-Nii stops him and starts talking to him. Oo-Nii says that Vella has found the location of the third probe and that the old woman has gone to try and kill her. John says she is harmless but Oo-Nii points out that she has taken his pulse pistol. John runs off in search of the old woman and Oo-Nii laughs quietly.

Jool enters a chamber and finds D'Argo drinking and somewhat drunk. She asks what is going on and he asks why she didn't stand up for him. She says that most Interions have low opinions of Luxans and, when he asks her what her opinion is, tries to dodge the question but eventually says that she thinks he is "...unusual for a Luxan."
"Yeah. I am that." he tells her and stalks off.

She follows him, saying he can't blame Vella for feeling superior. He responds by saying he doesn't blame Vella but he does blame her. Jool seems to be shocked.
"I never believed that any of you cared what I thought." she says in surprise.
"I care." says D'Argo quietly. "And, just so you know, if someone had criticized you, or insulted you or called you a stuck-up, arrogant little princess, I would have defended you." He leaves angrily, a surprised Jool standing behind.

Up on Elack, Rygel is trying to calm down Pilot; now mumbling incoherently. Sikozu finishes working on the Farscape 1 and seems pleased when its engines start.

John is walking through the tunnels looking for the old woman and calling that he wants Winona back. We see the old woman, Winona in hand, also walking through the tunnels and saying a prayer for Vella. We hear the chanting of the red-robed figures as well. D'Argo is also moving through the tunnels with his Qualta blade when he comes across a carver lying on the ground and picks it up. Finally, we see Vella in the tunnels as well.

The scene cuts several times between the four moving through the tunnels. Vella seems to see someone she recognizes and asks what they are doing there. She then seems frightened, asks the unseen person if this is a joke, then throws up her hand and screams.

John hears the scream and rushes to the chamber, where he finds Vella turned to stone and fused into the wall. While he is examining her he is grabbed from behind by D'Argo. John tries to find out what is going on and D'Argo keeps telling him to be quiet. They are interrupted by the arrival of Tarnat who D'Argo quickly knocks unconscious. D'Argo then ducks into a tunnel and grabs Oo-Nii, dragging him into the chamber.

Later, we see the old woman hiding somewhere and continuing her prayer for Vella. Everyone else is in the chamber where Vella has been turned to stone. Chiana asks what happened to Vella and D'Argo explains about the effect of the carver. Jool then asks him why he knocked Tarnat out and D'Argo says that Tarnat would have attacked them when he saw them with Vella's remains and in that case he would have had to kill him. No one seems to be sure who killed Vella but John points out that the old woman is still missing.

Back on Elack, Sikozu is preparing to launch in John's module. Rygel says he is coming with her and she tells him they can't escape in the Farscape 1; it only has enough fuel to fly for about an arn. She is going down to the planet to warn the others.

The radio on the module activates and she says it is a Peacekeeper code and that several Marauders are landing on the planet. Rygel is surprised that the radio can receive Peacekeeper code and she tells him she has modified it. She then tells him to hide in the neural clusters so he will be hidden from Peacekeeper scans and to send a message to Pilot and Moya telling them to stay away until the Peacekeepers have gone. She then leaves in the module.

On the planet, John and Tarnat are looking for the old woman, John now wearing the carver. He suddenly recognizes the area he is in as being the one from his vision earlier. He uses the carver to excavate an area of the ground and retrieves the pyramid-shaped object he had seen.

Tarnat is surprised that John knew the object was there. He identifies two of the symbols on the object as being Interion and Sebacean and says they mean "peace" or "security". John identifies a third symbol as Egyptian.

D'Argo is in Lo'La and preparing to fly over the area looking for the old woman when the proximity alarm goes off. He comms Chiana but she doesn't respond and he leaves the ship to look for her, Qualta Blade in hand.

John and Tarnat have returned to the tunnels. John is still examining the object and says it must mean there is a connection between their worlds. He sees Chiana and she seems strangely subdued, but before he can react several Peacekeepers step out around them. John raises his hands in surrender but Tarnat tries to run and is killed. The Peacekeeper behind Chiana knocks her to the ground.

D'Argo is outside preparing to enter the tunnels when Sikozu, "standing" on the wall, calls to him. She tells him the others have been captured and that the two of them will have to come up with a plan.

John and Chiana are taken to another chamber and pushed to the floor. Grayza enters and asks John if he remembers her then says she can make things easy for him and says that she will prove her goodwill. She calls for Braca who enters, dragging Scorpius in by a chain on his hands and knees. Scorpius collapses to the floor, unable to control himself. John appears stunned and disgusted.
"He'll never bother you again." Grayza tells him.

Grayza calls to Scorpius and, when he does not respond, kicks him. She lifts her foot and, at Braca's urging, Scorpius crawls forward and licks the bottom of her boot. John continues to watch in shock.

Grayza tells John he can do whatever he wants to with Scorpius and he says he couldn't come up with anything more than that. Braca leaves, dragging Scorpius behind him. Grayza goes to kneel beside John.

John looks away and asks what she wants with him.
"What I want," she tells him, "may not be as bad as you think. You might even like it."

She rubs the inside of her breast with her fingers then waves them under John's nose. He looks at her then suddenly reaches out and grabs her. He seems to be struggling with himself but he pulls Grayza to him and kisses her. She holds the kiss for a bit then pushes him away and says she will see him in an arn. She leaves and John looks stunned.

On Elack, Rygel tries to get the Pilot to send a message to Moya but Pilot says she cannot.

Braca tells Grayza that the Leviathan in orbit is empty and they have captured everyone but "the Luxan and the Peacekeeper traitor". They both examine the magnetic sensor and Braca comments that they will have to leave within 20 arns.

Another Peacekeeper enters and gives Braca a new yellow rod. He goes to where Scorpius is lying on the floor and starts to change the rod when Scorpius grabs him. They struggle briefly but Braca overcomes him and replaces the rod. Scorpius collapses again and Braca kicks him.
"This," he says, "is for all the times I had to say 'Yes'."

Elsewhere, Oo-Nii opens a panel in the wall and confirms that the two probes are still there.

Chiana, Jool and the old woman are in a cell watched by several Peacekeepers. Chiana is telling the old woman how John found the tile from his vision and the old woman seems very disturbed by this information.

She is interrupted by Jool, who suddenly wants to tell Chiana that she used to steal things from digs in order to pay for her education but that she never stole from this site. Chiana brushes her off and returns to the old woman. The old woman says she can help them if they help her get out and Chiana tells one of the guards that the old woman needs to go to the "nooley". The guard accepts this and lets the old woman out of the cell.

John and Grayza are near the edge of the cliff overlooking the ocean. Grayza is becoming very affectionate with John and rubs some of the fluid from inside her breast onto his lips. John seems to be struggling with himself but he pulls her close and kisses her then leans back and pulls her on top of him.
"Whatever you want." he tells her. "Whatever. You can have it."

Elsewhere, we see the old woman, sitting and chanting. "Peace can only be maintained if there is sacrifice."

Somewhat later, John is sitting on the side of the cliff and looking very unhappy with himself when the old woman appears. She asks about the tile and he admits that he found the one from the vision. He also admits that he saw where the third probe landed.

The old woman says that the magnetics must have interfered with her visions and that he saw more than she intended for him to. Then, she asks him if he told Grayza about the third probe and he says no.

The old woman says that Grayza must not be allowed to get the probes and blows some white powder into John's face. John suddenly sees the figures in red robes around him again, this time moving towards him and wielding knives. He tries to flee but they follow.

John reaches the edge of the cliff but the red robed figures are still following him. Braca appears and sees John, alone, standing on the edge of the cliff. He and several Peacekeepers run towards him. Nearby, the old woman continues to chant "forgive me".

The red robed figures close in and John leaps off of the cliff, falls into the ocean far below and disappears. Braca and the Peacekeepers run to the edge of the cliff and look downwards but John is nowhere to be found.

"He had to die." says the old woman as Braca turns to face her. "He'll never tell you now. Never."

John found himself on board the dying Leviathan Elack in Crichton Kicks and was soon joined by Chiana, Rygel and Sikozu.

D'Argo, Jool and the old woman were last seen in Dog With Two Bones. In that episode, D'Argo left in his ship to look for Macton, his wife's murderer, and Jool and the old woman were on Moya when she was sucked into the wormhole which suddenly appeared in the Leviathan Burial Space.

D'Argo acquired his ship in Suns and Lovers and gained control of it in Revenging Angel. He has named the ship Lo'la, after his wife, Lo'Laan, who was first mentioned in They've Got a Secret.

Jool first indicated an attraction to D'Argo in Revenging Angel.

Jool says in Eat Me that Interons have no war or violence on their planet, though that seems inconsistent with their behavior here.

What happened to Moya, Pilot, Jool and the old woman after they were pulled into the wormhole? Why do neither Jool nor the old woman seem to remember what happened?

What happened with D'Argo? Did he get his revenge on Macton or was he forced to return because of the wanted beacons like the others?

Who killed Vella?