First of all, he's cute but not Karohm cute. He's like if instead of Supernatural DNA you had Roswell DNA in there. Secondly: the hell? Third, or maybe 2A: Sikozu's a robot? How come nobody told me Sikozu was a robot? So just to keep this straight: She's a bioengineered being of a slave race who's working with an underground resistance to free the Kalish from Scarran control. And that's why all the powers. Also: she is awesome. Also as well? We haven't even begun to crack her cover stories. Or her hair issues. (Strega : John's Hair :: Jacob : Sikozu's Hair in the Peacekeeper Wars. If you haven't noticed that yet.)

John and Aeryn get scanned by a Scarran DRD; 1812 shoos it away at John's request. If the DRDs are Moya's immune system, 1812 is John's personal histamine bodyguard. "That's a good boy." Aeryn wonders if Grayza's figured it out yet -- "Don't think so, she still looks pretty damned stressed" -- and notes that High Command is going to break her open if she doesn't come home with a peace treaty. John's not really invested in that: "I reckon." Aeryn nods at Fat Man: "As long as your stress levels are all right." John says his stress level is manageable, especially "considering the fact that we're now nuclear terrorists." (Complete the thought!) He stands behind Aeryn, smells her hair. "Bomb seems to think I'm okay." "Provided that thing's working," Aeryn says, looking at his face and then down at his knob, which is now beginning to beep faster and louder, and also light up. John's sheepish: "It's working." They laugh quietly and he leans into her. It goes louder. John: "Uh oh. You are dangerous." She shoves him back playfully: "Well, you better keep away then."

Emperor Staleek walks down a corridor, led by his armor knob and followed by Ahkna. Jenek steps up with a good scan of the bomb. "Sire...decoding it could take some time." Staleek tells him that's not exactly true, should Jenek "expect to prosper," and just keeps walking. The Emperor and Ahkna join John and Aeryn in the war room. "Couldn't figure a way to disarm my bomb, huh?" John sits at the edge of the table; Staleek offers him some more of the red blossoms that are in every room on Katratzi: "Refreshment?" John spits out the spiky red petal immediately, and Staleek and Ahkna grin: "Crystherium Utilia. An acquired taste." John calls it "streletzia hummingbird feeder" and picks it out of his teeth. He then fucks up majorly. "Bird of Paradise? Yeah. Mom's garden. Dime a dozen. Did you come all this way to discuss botany?" Staleek's jaw nearly drops but nobody sees him before his composure is back: Aeryn completes the sentence: "Or to make an offer?" Ahkna, as usual, calls bullshit: "Have you got anything to offer, or is all this just an elaborate bluff?" I bet Ahkna is just ridiculous about customer-service issues.