Synopsis
After selling the crew of Moya some up-to-date maps of tormented space, a group of traders offer one last item - a young girl they've enslaved.
Chiana insists the girl, Talikaa, is bought. In apparent terror, she runs, touching person after person until Chiana takes her away.
An upbeat John and cold Aeryn discuss their relationship. Aeryn leaves, arriving at Chiana's chamber in time to interrupt her kissing Talikaa. Chiana makes an advance to the unresponsive Aeryn, then leaves looking for John.
Meanwhile, Rygel reveals to D'Argo that he cheated the traders. This throws D'Argo into a rage, but Rygel simply gloats and accuses everyone of owing him money.
Scorpius visits John, who is fending off Chiana's advances, and alerts him to the fact that everyone is acting oddly. John and Aeryn try to hunt down Talikaa, but are floored by an earsplitting scream. A huge spider bites them as they lay unconscious.
Waking feeling awful, they warn Chiana, D'Argo and Rygel, but it is too late - Talikaa attacks them in spider form too. Sikozu is ripped to pieces when she surprises her, but Noranti and Scorpuis piece her back together.
The spider victims realise that the strongest trait has been stolen from each of them. The trader ship returns, but is full of corpses. On board, a recording tells them that Talika is a Walaxian Arachnid, and sucks emotional essences from people, fatally. To survive, they must find her nest, where memory orbs that will restore them are stored.
As they search, the trader ship takes off again. Believing Talikaa to be aboard, they follow, leaving John behind. The ship is on autopilot though, and Talikaa still on Moya. There, Noranti uses Scorpius as bait to attract Talikaa. Sikozu follows her to her nest, backed up by John, who manages to blow Talikaa up.
Afterwards, Aeryn bitterly blames John for the end of their relationship. John disables the coms and explains that Scorpius will use her to get to him if he knows he still cares. They kiss.
