Regardless, while doing this, Crichton also ended up in the middle of Moya's prison break, and her crew picked him up out of curiosity and desperation more than anything else.

[Editor's Note: While rereading this, it occured to me to wonder how everyone still understood each other when their conciousnesses were flipped around in Out of their Minds; shouldn't the microbes, colonized in the physical brain, still have been translating everything into Luxan or Hynerian, or whatever? Or am I being overly nitpicky? Probably...]

There are mixed signals as to what effect the microbes have on literacy. In Jeremiah Crichton, only Rygel was able to read the book written in ancient Hynerian, yet everyone aboard Moya seems able to translate her read-outs and signs. (Pilot mentioned 'programming' microbes at one point, to let D'Argo understand ancient Luxan. How that fits in is anyone's guess, seeing as how they picked up the previously-unknown English just fine, without any help.) They also appear to be capable of translating words and concepts to a creature lacking either sentience or complex word-concepts, although they can be unreliable as hell between people who all speak verbally (see the microbe follies in Beware of Dog). And apparently they just show up on some worlds spontaneously (Jeremiah Crichton again, in which John was able to speak with the entire populace, not to mention I, E.T.). In short, don't try to figure out the rules -- there really aren't any as far as we can tell.

Physically, there are some unfamiliar bacteria living inside Crichton's cells, and Humans have a much higher tolerance for heat than the environment-sensitive Sebaceans have (they're missing the heat-regulation glands). Humans have very different 'energy signatures' from Sebaceans, which can be noted by species' that see beyond the visible spectrum. Sebaceans also have an organ called a paraphoral nerve which regulates toxin removal, instead of the kidneys or liver, as Humans do. Also, Sebeceans apparently have much better eyesight than humans but then, most UT species' seem to.

We also now know that there can be cross-species interbreeding between Sebaceans and Humans, thanks to John's adventures on the Royal Planet and the taste of the compatibility kiss that he and Aeryn shared. And, you know, other stuff....

Otherwise, there's nothing so externally different that Zhaan would remark on it after a full physical examination of a naked Crichton. Or anything that Aeryn or John would notice through thin, sweaty cotton shorts and T-shirts while only microns away from each other (or nothing at all). Make of that what you will.

Actually, Pilot's attitude over the last few cycles was probably at least partly due to physical stress--- the PK's grafted him onto Moya without her consent, tortured her into cooperating, and left Pilot hooked up in a painful artificial connection that never stopped hurting. After admitting to having cooperated with the Peacekeepers in the initial installation (though he clearly didn't know all of what he was getting into), Pilot ripped out the PK connection to Moya. A new, less-reliable but more natural bonding is now in the process of growing between them.

This might lessen some of Pilot's attitude. (But we hope not. We kind of like it.)

Fortunately, Moya's space drive includes a "StarBurst" capability, which shoots her into hyperspace and out of range of anyone else when used. It requires a warm-up phase, which is why the crew of the Moya had to use John's slingshot maneuver to evade Crais in the premiere. Her drive requires iriscentent fluid, which can be bought rather expensively at the commerce planet nearest you.

Everyone else continues in their usual roles. Rygel gets the negotiator and purchasing jobs, Zhaan's got some biological and medical expertise as well as her priest's training. Crichton alternates between searching obsessively for wormholes, being Science Guy, and getting in on the fighting; Aeryn, due to some interesting circumstances, is capable of filling in for Pilot in the short-term. Chiana does pretty much whatever needs to be done at any given time (she's also high on the 'blow things up' list). Sikozu wanders around getting into trouble, Scorpius wanders around being trouble by existing, and Noranti sort of cooks and sort of plays medical officer, if you trust her that far. Which, frankly, we usually can't.

In the meantime, Baby Boy Moya -- named "Talyn" by Aeryn, in honor of the father she never met -- doesn't need a pilot-symbiote, but he chose Captain Crais to bear a neural implant that acts in the same way. As for custody, well, Crais is a rat and managed to subvert Talyn into running away from home at exactly the wrong moment. Since then, the pair have come and gone from the vicinity of Moya and her crew, alternately bringing trouble back with them, or helping Our Stalwart Crew out of trouble of their own. Ain't nobody happy with the situation, least of all Moya and Auntie Aeryn.

But the point became suddenly, horribly moot, as the only way to destroy Scorpius' command carrier turned out to be through Talyn -- to bring him into Starburst while still in the carrier's bay. Still guilt-ridden over the innocents he'd killed, Talyn agreed to the plan and Crais chose to stay aboard, to be with Talyn in the final moments. They died together as Talyn went into Starburst, and took the Command Carrier with them. And Your Faithful and Appalled Tour Guides cried a lot.