Cargo Bay: It's the largest space in this boat, two stories high. We see Annalee-Call operating a magnet driven hoist. She's young, tough, at home with this motley bunch despite her youth and prettiness.

Under a machine, is Vriess, chief mechanic. Late forties, in pretty good shape considering he's got no working legs. He jokes with Call, and is a bit smitten with her.

Elgyn enters another compartment where we see Christie. He is black, very large, and has distinctly military bearing. He speaks with quiet, don't-fuck-with-me authority. Elgyn informs him it's time to enjoy a little of the general's hospitality. Christie is strapping a contraption to his forearms. They resemble a deringer holder, but a very complex one.

Back in the cargo bay, Vriess is working intently. On the upper level is Johner, thickset, mean and ugly, with ugly scars crisscrossing his head. He's holding a knife, taking aim and let's it fall.

The blade impales into Vriess' leg. Vriess wheels out from under the machine, which we see now it's a wheelchair, loaded with options.

Vriess and Call are furious, though Vriess couldn't feel the knife impaling his leg. After some vigorous name calling, Call pulls the knife out of Vriess' leg, sticks it in a crevice and breaks off the blade.

This angers Johner and he threatens her he's not the man with whom to fuck. He exits, full of annoying bravado.

Auriga Docking Bay: it opens to admit the proportionally tiny ship. The bay is on the bottom of the Auriga, the Betty rises into the airlock.

Air Lock: The outer doors close under the ship. Pressurized air shoots into the airlock as the Betty rises into the bay. The ship moves slowly along the huge dock to land gently at far end.

The top of the ship is nearly level with a grated platform that runs the length of the bay. Soldiers in full armour stand rigid on the platform. The hatch atop the ship slowly opens.

Seeing them en masse, we get a clearer view of what separates them from this Environment. They're not wearing uniforms. They're an eclectic, fiercely indivualist group, their look varied -- spots of bright color showing through militarian space gear. Elgy's floorlength leather duster. Even Vriess's chair stands out as he wheels down the platform. What they have in common is the toughness, the wary eyes, leathery skin.

The cool readiness to kill. These guys are smugglers. A long while ago, you'd have called them pirates. All six of them emerge, looking around them. They approach the silent, uniformed soldiers. The last one suddenly puts a hand on Johner's jacket, stops him. There is a bulge under it.

A green sensor light on the back of the soldier's glove turns red when he touches the bulge, demanding that no projectile weaponry is allowed on board the vessel.

Johner opens his jacket, shows what he's packing: a large thermos.

Vriess comes abreast of the soldier. "Wanna check the chair?," Vriess remarks.

The soldier makes no response, simply falls in behind Call, the last of them. They enter the Antechamber, the long neck that connects the bay to the body of the ship. The group proceeds down it, the crew looking about them at the sterile grandeur.

Cut to a close up of a stack of bills scooted acroos the General's desk. They're green, and identifiably money. The face on them is unfamiliar. Thousand dollar bills.

The General's chambers is a good sized suite, decorated in a sparse, military fashion. Perez is behind his desk, the money sitting between him and Elgyn.

Both of them boast of their prize that generated this trade of cash for cargo: Elgyn's cargo is the crew of another ship, still in their cryogenic containers and asleep, unaware that they have been hijacked. General Perez had hired Elgyn and his crew to deliver the unfortunate sleeping travelers to be used for breeding the aliens.

Perez offers Elgyn a drink who is more than receptive to the offer. Perez opens a package and dumps a cube into a glass. He place the glass in a device and a beam of light shoots out turning the cube instantly into liquid alcohol.

Elgyn picks up a stack of bills, smells it. He likes the smell. Elgyn, who is not aware of the General's intentions for the human cargo, snoops for answers, but Perez quickly changes the subject asking questions about Call.

Perez allows Elgyn and his crew to bed and board for a couple of days as long as they start no trouble and keep out of the restricted areas.

Hallway, Restricted Area: The 'cargo' is rolled down the corridor, armed guards flank it. It is wheeled into a chamber where Wren and a few others are waiting. Gediman looks a little nervous, not sure this is a good idea. The cargo is locked into place on the floor and and a guard works the electric lock. It springs open and the guard slides off a side panel. They are stacked one on the other, cryotubes. People sleeping inside. One by one the tubes are hauled to one side of the room as the second unit is wheeled in.

By the end there are eight people sleeping side by side in their tubes in the dark chamber. The scientists meanwhile retire to an adjoining chamber with a long glass window looking at the chamber. The last of the guards leaves the chamber and the door locks behind them. Wren starts pushing buttons. The glass tops of the cryotubes slide open.

We see temperature and life sign gauges begin to change. There is a thick whirring as a part of the ceiling above the tubes lowers, lowers, and rotates slowly. Stuck to the other side of it are eight alien eggs. The ceiling rotates just enough so that they are aimed at the heads of the sleepers.

Gedimen feels overwhelmed and a tear flows down his cheek. The female scientist looks away, not able to watch this horror.

But Wren stands there with a smirk on his face, the trauma that is about to be unleased on these eight victims doesn't phase him one bit. He seems eager to witness it.

For a moment nothing happens. One of the sleepers eyes flutter slightly. Opens. Seeing the egg, he starts struggling to get loose and screams. All eight eggs open simultaneously.