Andromeda (2000–2005): Season 2, Episode 20 - The Knight, Death and the Devil - full transcript

Huh? Huh?

Hopeless.

Getting Kasimir to sign
the Commonwealth charter

was supposed
to be hopeless.

Finding occasion-appropriate
clothing to match
my superior good looks

is merely impossible.

We have been
signing worlds
so fast lately,

I have a hard time
remembering which galaxy
we're in.

"Triangulum", as in
"Triangulum measles".

As in, "Boy, is it
no fun having itchy
red spots on your..."

Figure of speech.



I just can't
get over the fact

that we're about to sign
our 50th world.

That's the last one
we need to complete
the first stage

of restoring
the Commonwealth.

I know, and Dylan's
not even going to
be here to see it,

or Rommie or Tyr.

The whole thing
just seems kind of,

I don't know,
great somehow, huh?

The teacher's away,

the old Maru crew
gets to play.

Just remember,
secrecy is essential,

so if anyone asks,
Dylan is here.

Right. Got it.

There it is,
the Clarion's Call.



He was a ground-troop
transport for the
High Guard Lancer corps.

And now he's
a down-market casino.

How the mighty have fallen.

We were in port
together once
at Tarn-Vedra.

The AI
called himself "Ryan."

Seemed like a nice enough ship,
for a Lancer.

Well, if there is
a Nietzschean system

filled with captured
High Guard ships,

Ryan should know
where they are.

Assuming he's still
in one piece.

Our intelligence
reports indicate

he's being held captive
as a tourist attraction

on the casino's
main gaming floor.

He deserves
so much better than that.

Chin up, Rommie.
We're going to his rescue.

Wow, you're looking
beautiful tonight.
Here, take some tokens.

Welcome.
Have a good time.

Don't spend it all at once.

Hi.

Welcome to
the Clarion's Call.

We've got it all
here, sir.

We've got games, spa,

flesh rooms,
and don't forget
our new buffet.

You must be Ryan.
The Clarion's Call.

Do I know you?

I've got a man
in the outer ring
and a ship waiting.

Sounds like a good time,
big guy,

but not really my scene.

Say, though,
have you seen our all-nude
Perseid musical revue,

"Hot's hot"?

No, but I'm sure
it's fascinating.

I'm Captain Dylan Hunt
from the High Guard.
I've come to rescue you.

High Guard?

Some kind of joke,
right?

No, it's no joke.
I need your help.

Look, I'm sorry.
You've got the wrong guy.

You look like
the right guy to me.

Yeah, well,
I don't care
what it looks like,

I can't help you.

I'm disappointed
to hear that.
Me too.

But, hey,
no hard feelings, right?

Oh, sure.
I'm really sorry.

So am I.

Tyr, get ready.

I'm coming in hot.

Rommie, take us out!

He is the last guardian
of a fallen civilization,

a hero from another time.

Faced with a universe in chaos,

Dylan Hunt recruits
an unlikely crew

and sets out
to re-unite the galaxies.

On the starship Andromeda,
hope lives again.

Hello, Ryan.

You're the guy
with the force lance.

Well, his memory seems fine.

And you're Andromeda.

You're more beautiful
than I remember,

and my memory
is perfect.

Really?

Well, you seem
to have forgotten
all about the oath you took

to serve the Commonwealth.

You know, it is bad enough

you let the casino
dress you up

and parade you around
like a sideshow freak,

but the fact that
we had to kidnap you...

Rommie.

That's enough.

Dismissed.

She's upset, right?

I can't imagine why.

You see, we figured
we'd have to use force
to get you out,

we just never thought
we'd have to use it on you.

Speaking of which,
did you have to use
so much force

when you rendered me
unconscious?

You're an android.
I figured you to be tougher.

Well, that's what I get
for not making the Nightsiders
build me to spec.

This body, it's so
depressingly human.

You know, the only thing
special about me,

well, it's my superior
wit and charm.

Yes, and the fact
that you still belong
to the High Guard.

300 years ago, maybe.

Not anymore.

The years have been
good to you, Ryan.

You're one of
the lucky ones,

but there are over
50 High Guard warships

who've spent the last
three centuries

trapped in
the star system,

the star system
that you got out of.

What do you expect me to say?

"I'm sorry that I escaped"?

I want you to tell me
where those ships are.

The Nietzscheans
are about to erase their AIs.

They have been
trying to do that
for centuries,

and failing.

Not anymore.

They found a way
to cut the knot.

Now, we have
a few days at most
to liberate those ships,

and if we don't,
the Drago-Kazov
will have a fleet

with which to conquer
all of known space,

but I can't
do anything

unless you tell me
where they are.

If I tell you,

you'll take me back there.

If you don't tell me,
your friends will die.

You owe it to them.

Ryan...

This is the Drago-Kazov
I'm talking about.

The universe
is at stake.

It is your duty to tell me.

Tartarus.

They're at Tartarus.

Tartarus...

What's wrong?

Deja vu.

I completely understand
your concerns, Mr. Secretary.

Yes. May I speak
with Captain Hunt?

Speaking with me
is just as good
as speaking with him.

Of course.

When will I be able
to get a moment of his time?

I don't think
you're hearing me, Mr...

No, Captain Valentine,
is it?

I hear you perfectly well,

but I want to see
Captain Hunt.

I'm afraid
that won't be possible.

Captain Hunt's reputation
brought us to the table,

but this negotiation
is a very delicate matter,

and you know what happens
when delicate things
are mishandled.

They break.

Am I being clear?

You speak excellent common,
Mr. Secretary.

I'll see what I can do.

"Tartarus"
is the system's code name.

It's where they corralled
all of the High Guard ships

they captured
at the end of the war.

They thought
they could destroy our AIs

and use us
against the Commonwealth.

But AIs aren't
easy to get rid of.

That's right, Captain.

Sooner or later,
we always
reasserted ourselves

and then we made
our captors pay...

In blood.

We were
too dangerous to control,

too valuable to destroy,

so they dumped us in Tartarus

while they figured out
what they were
going to do with us.

They spent 10 years
dissecting me,

testing out invasive programs,

computer viruses, anything
to see what would break me.

You know, for an AI,

Tartarus might
as well be hell.

And knowing the Drago-Kazov,
a hell guarded by patrol ships

and surrounded
by proximity mines.

No, not one.

See, the star itself,

it's a brown-dwarf remnant
of a supernova

that engulfed
any planetary object
in its orbit.

It's a desert
in space.

It's a perfect prison
for a ship.

No raw materials
to synthesize weapons
or replace engine parts.

And even if there were,

the system is almost impossible
to slip into and get out of.

More than one careless
Nietzschean pilot's
been dumped

out of the slipstream
directly into the star.

It was always fun to watch.

But you managed
to escape,

even without
a slipstream drive.

Well, I... I got lucky.

I shadowed a patrol ship
and followed it
into the slipstream,

and then I stayed there
for a hundred years,

just wandering,

with only one thought...

To round up a cavalry,
go back,
and rescue my friends,

the friends
I'd left behind,

but there was no cavalry.

There was no rescue.

There was just me alone.

Your friend wasn't exaggerating
about the slip to Tartarus.

My friend was the avatar
of the Clarion's Call.

The android back there
is not my friend.

I recommend
you hold on to something.

Well, Tyr,
if I ate food,

you'd be wearing
it right now.

Lovely imagery,

and they say AIs
have no poetry in their souls.

No, poetry,
but we're hell on wheels
with a dirty limerick.

You want to hear one?

There once was a man
from Nan...

What is it?

What do you see?

Poetry.

Cruisers, destroyers,

frigates,
surveillance ships,

enough to form
two complete
battle groups.

The Black Watch...

The Endeavor...

There's the
Million Voices.

Mila was one of my sisters.

We evacuated
Mordecai together.

That's a DSX
Attack Cruiser.

I've never seen
that one before.

It's the
Wrath of Achilles.

It was commissioned
during the final months
of the war.

One of the most powerful
ships ever built.

He commands the camp.

Two battle groups
will make a huge difference

to the stability
of the new Commonwealth,

but the Achilles
is a battle group
unto himself.

Set us down on the Achilles.

We'll coordinate
the fleet from there.

Battle damage.

The Achilles
didn't go quietly.

None of us did,
not that it matters.

Well, what happened
to the Achilles AI?

Is it possible
the Nietzscheans
erased him already?

No. If the Nietzscheans
had already erased him,

Tartarus would be crawling
with support ships,

preparing this fleet for war.

You're right.

I haven't been erased.

Show yourself.

I'm captain Dylan Hunt
of the starship
Andromeda Ascendant.

This is Andromeda,
and of course
you know...

Ryan.
The Clarion's Call.

The traitor.

You have one minute
to verify your identity,

Captain Hunt, before you,
your crew and the traitor
are blown into deep space.

Verify Lexic Dark 52278
Alpha 771.

A perfectly acceptable
command code...

In CY 9786.

Your information
is 300 years old.

42 seconds.

Rommie.

Rommie is my ship's avatar
and she's a High Guard AI
like yourself.

Interface with her.
She'll back me up.

He's right. You'll know
immediately if I'm
a High Guard AI or not.

You have 29 seconds.

Impress me.

You are
the Andromeda Ascendant,

but you were lost in battle
with the Nietzscheans
at Hephaistos,

trapped on
the event horizon
of a rogue black hole.

I was.

For 300 years,

so I know
what it feels like
to be stuck in hell.

Do you?

Did you feel
all 300 years
pass you by,

or was it just
a tick of the clock?

It was a moment...

The longest moment
of my life.

When I finally escaped,
my captain and I were alone,

but that's over now,
and it can be
for you, too.

We're here to help you escape.

Why?
The Commonwealth is gone.

We're building a new one,

and we need you
to help us protect it.

So we ships would be the core
of a new High Guard.

It is
a beautiful dream,
Andromeda...

But your captain
assumes too much.

He called you
a traitor.
I want to know why.

Because I am.

I am a traitor,

a coward...

But I'm alive.

So your escape
wasn't lucky at all.

It was part of a plan...

My plan.

All the ships
in the camp
cobbled together

a single
slipstream drive,

then we installed it
in my engine compartment,

and off I went
on my mission.

But you had to know
there was no high guard
left to rescue you.

You didn't have to be an AI
to figure out
the high guard had lost,

but we also knew
the Nietzscheans
had turned on each other.

Ryan was supposed
to make contact
with the moderate prides

and offer our services
in exchange for liberating us.

So you would help the enemy?

We would help them
to destroy each other.

But you never made
contact with them.

You didn't complete
your mission.

I just couldn't do it.

I'd seen too much.

I'd had time
to think about
what I'd seen.

Look at me now.

I can't blame you
for hating me.

Captain, the situation
is far more complicated
than we thought.

Say "hello", Dylan.

Hello, Dylan!

Very cute.

Thank you. Like father,
like simulacrum,

and it's so easy,
even a child
could do it.

A child with an IQ
of 187, mind you,
but a child nonetheless.

So Andromeda
records your message,
then superimposes

a computer-generated
template of Dylan.

Something like that,

and it works
in real time.

Watch.

You just say it here
You just say it here

...and it comes out here.
...and it comes out here.

Consider me sold.

What do you mean,
the ships won't serve
a restored Commonwealth?

I didn't say
"won't", captain.

I said they may be
disinclined.

So I may be
liberating this camp
for nothing?

Captain, I kept
the AIs in this camp

from falling apart
for over 300 years
by giving them a choice...

to be soldiers
or to be slaves.

They chose
to be soldiers.

Well, then, I don't
see the problem.

Some of them
began to wonder

if they were ever really
soldiers of the Commonwealth

or simply
beasts of burden.

I know this isn't
what you expected,

but the situation
is what it is.

I want to
talk to them.

I'll let you speak
to my XO.

Mila is sympathetic
to camp concerns.

Fine,

then I'll talk to her.

You cannot expect us
to fall into line
after 300 years

like nothing's changed.

I expect you to do your duty
as ships of the high guard.

That looks an awful lot like
exchanging Nietzschean masters

for human ones.

You were designed and built
to serve the Commonwealth.

The Commonwealth fell,

and that
might not have happened

if we had been used
not just as weapons' platforms,

but as partners,

officers, equals.

We should have turned the war
over to the AIs',

let our ships
captain themselves?

Mila, we can
discuss this later.

The Nietzscheans
are coming to erase you.

The commando squad
that hijacked me from dry dock
at Zanskar-A,

were Nietzscheans,

or they were,

until I cranked up
my artificial gravity fields
and crushed them.

No one had to give me
that order.

Mila, believe me,
we've seen what happens
when the roles are reversed.

I mean, it's all
very logical and efficient,
but people still die.

You can lose.

We are not asking
for role-reversal,

but we will not
become slaves again,

not even to the Commonwealth.

Sir, I wouldn't
take it personally.

I am not
taking it personally.

Mila was honest,
but respectful,

and she still obeys Achilles.

Dylan, she's an agitator,
but she is not a mutineer.

She is a strategic asset
and we're here to get her out.

We'll worry about
the hand holding
when the mission is over.

So what
is your plan?

I want to link every
ship's control system
to the Maru's,

and then we'll lead
them to slipstream.

Rommie, bring Tyr
up to date.

I want the Maru
ready to deploy
in six hours.

Ryan and I will review
the status of the fleet.

I don't want
any more surprises.

Another Nietzschean patrol?

On its way out,
right on schedule.

We should be out of here
long before
the next one arrives.

That is, if Dylan's
hand holding is effective.

I don't catch
your meaning, Tyr.

I believe you do.

The AIs' are machines.

They should do
as they're instructed

or be discarded
as defective.

They're not machines, Tyr.

They're sentient beings,
soldiers.

Then perhaps Mila has a point.

Perhaps the Commonwealth
did treat their
AIs' as slaves,

but you would know
better than I.

Aside from some
minor battle damage,

all the ships
report full readiness.

We should be
able to move out

as soon as we're
in close enough formation.

Very efficient, Ryan.

Lancer corps, sir.

We can't be
inefficient.
Not in the budget.

Be sure to mention that
during your court-Martial.

That's funny.
I haven't requested
a court-martial.

Ryan's freedom
was paid for

by the ships
in this camp.

The Nietzscheans
destroyed two supply ships

in retaliation
for his escape.

They tore them apart...

Slowly,

in front of the entire camp.

There has to be
a sanction.

I've already discussed it
with Mila and the others.

The decision was unanimous.

Erasure...

I know.

No one is erasing anybody.

It's true, Ryan didn't
complete his mission,

but his orders
were unreasonable.

There weren't
any moderates,
just people

who would have
put this fleet
to no good use,

and as for the court-martial,

I don't care how unanimous
your decision was,

the only vote that counts
belongs to me.

Understood, sir.

Sir...
Save it.

I don't want you erased,

but that doesn't mean
you didn't screw up.

You're going to have to work
to earn their trust.

And mine.

We've got
a slipstream event.

One Nietzschean troop shuttle
and a fighter,
vectoring toward the fleet.

The next one's
not due for a day.

That means they've come
with the eraser.

- Distance?
- 12 Au.

That gives us three hours
at most.

I'll contact Dylan.

Sir, we can't get
the fleet into formation
to depart in three hours.

But we can set
one hell of an ambush.

You intend to fight?

I intend to win.

Sir, if you don't mind
me saying so,

this is one hell
of a risk.

What are my options?

I'm not just going to
let them have a fleet

that can conquer
half the known worlds.

What if
the ambush fails?

You know better
than that, Ryan.

Argosy special
operations,

failure isn't
in the budget.

Ryan?

Sir, I haven't been in a fight
for 300 years,

and this body is so fragile.

No more than my own.
You'll be fine.

No, you misunderstand me.

I'm not afraid
for myself.

I'm afraid I won't be able
to protect you...

Like I couldn't protect them.

You mean,
your High Guard crew.

The CO of my Lancer regiment
was a Nietzschean,

Major Iskander Kassad.

He was brutal,

sharp.

His troops revered him
like a god,

and in exchange,

he slaughtered them.

He slaughtered them
while I watched.

He'd sabotaged me.

I couldn't intervene,

and it wasn't
just the violence
that staggered me,

it was my own helplessness.

I thought I was invincible,

and then I found out...

Nobody's invincible,
captain.

You don't have to
be invincible.

You just do the best you can
and keep the faith.

Faith...

That's something
I've been searching
for a very long time.

Faith can be hard to find,

but I'll tell you what,

you watch my back

and I'll watch yours.

Five, four,
three, two...

General secretary,

assembled delegates,

thank you
for your patience.

I know you have concerns.

I know you have questions.

How can a restored
Commonwealth stand

where the old
Commonwealth fell?

How can
a few small worlds,

even united
under one flag,

stand against
the Nietzscheans,

the Kalderans,

the Magog?

Here's what I know.

If we don't try,

we'll remain history's orphans,

doomed to annihilation
and obscurity.

The only question
that matters

is do we try together

or fail alone?

I leave it to you.

Hunt out.

You're off the air.

Do you think
they bought it?

What, are you kidding?
You were great.

You do Dylan
better than Dylan.

I bought it.
So did I...

Until just now.

Oh, crap.

Now, if you're quite finished
with this deception,

may I speak
with Captain Hunt,

the real one?

Dylan,
the shuttle is on approach

and its escort is moving off.

Acknowledged.
Stay hidden
between the battle blades.

Begin the attack run
on my signal.

Captain Hunt.

Five soldiers have disembarked
from the shuttle
carrying personal ECM units.

Your smart bullets
will be ineffective.

I recommend plasma bursts.

Understood.

Let's bring it.

Ryan, shoot!

Rommie, go!

That's it. We're on.

Cover, now!

Good afternoon,
gentlemen.

Time to die.

Go!

Achilles, he's...

Just an avatar.
You know that.

We can always
build another.

Dammit! We have to stop
before he gets to command.

Achilles, show me
a shortcut.

Already done.
Down here.

Go!

Achilles, do you have
a bead on the shooter?

He's not moving
and his ECM unit is damaged.

Good.
Hold your fire!

I'm unarmed.

Hold your fire.

Superior race, my ass.

Like I said...

My ass.

Primary neural net
compromised.

Rerouting
from secondary systems.

Thank you, Ryan,

but I fear
we may be too late.

Lovely shot, but we're
two light-minutes
out of position.

Well, the troop shuttle
is running for it,

but there's bad news.

It took our entire
missile payload
to destroy the fighter.

All we've got left
are point-defense lasers,
but we're pursuing anyway.

Break it off.

I need you here.

Dylan?

We failed.

Achilles has been infected
by the AI Eraser.

He's dying.

It'll be fine.
Trust me.

I would love to,

but the last
rabbit I pulled
made things worse.

I'm all out of hats.

They want Dylan.

I'm not him.

Well, why don't you
just be Beka?

I must conclude
this is futile.

The Achilles is dying,

the rest of the fleet
is on the verge of revolt,

and the enemy will
soon return in force.

Prudence would dictate
we cut our losses and leave.

However, if we
just leave it,

the Achill will fall
into enemy hands,

and I don't suppose
we can allow that, either,

can we?

No, we can't.

You'll send the Achilles
into the sun, won't you?

A moment, please.

It's true.

I will destroy this ship
before I hand it
to the Nietzscheans.

Just what the universe needs,
another dead hero,

it's pointless.

Achilles doesn't think
it's pointless.

He believes
that there are some things
worth soldiering on for.

He believes in a cause,
our cause.

Your cause,
a new Commonwealth?

And what it represents...

being ready to make
the ultimate sacrifice

to protect those
who depend on you,

just like you did when
you tried to save Achilles
from the Nietzcheans.

I failed, captain.

Other than Tyr,
I don't see any other
Nietzscheans on-board,

do you?

You didn't find faith, Ryan.
Faith found you.

I'm glad you came.

Oh, I wouldn't
miss it.

That is, if you actually are
Beka valentine.

All right,
I deserved that.

After deceiving me

and making me look
like a complete idiot

for supporting
a new Commonwealth?
You're damn right.

Mr. Secretary, I apologize,
but lives are at stake.
I had to try.

Yes.

The opposition said
you'd drag that excuse out,

and now I feel doubly stupid

for cordially
inviting them
to stuff their cynicism

where the stars
don't shine.

Mr. Secretary,
I will admit,

I am a flawed
spokesperson

for this whole
Commonwealth thing.

For the longest time,
I thought it was
the dumbest idea

I'd ever heard,

but then
something happened.

I found myself
believing in it,

caring for it,

willing to die for it.

I believe that the Commonwealth
is worth fighting for,

as are you, and each
of the countless lives
that depends on us.

If that's not
good enough for you,
nothing ever will be,

and not even Dylan Hunt
can change that.

Rommie, report.

The fleet is turning
toward the Achilles

and powering up
their engines.

They are unarmed,
are they not?

That depends
on your point of view.
We still have ourselves.

True, but attacking us
is a little self-defeating,
don't you think?

Since when did AI
Stand for artificial insanity?

Mila, we're trying
to help you escape.

And because of the traitor
you brought with you,

Achilles is going to die.

You should have let us
deal with him
the way we wanted to,

before he let the Nietzscheans
get to Achilles.

I don't get it.
For a bunch of AIs' who say
they don't want to be slaves,

you seem awfully eager
to treat each other
like glorified light switches.

Mila, stand down.

Ryan risked his life
in that fight.

He did what he could,
we all did.

But it wasn't enough.

If you want someone to blame,
then blame me.

It's my fault
for coming here.

It's my fault
for wanting to save you.

Hell, it's my fault
for thinking
that you were worth saving.

Then even if we stand down,
you're ready
to leave us behind.

That's absurd.
Why would I want
to leave you behind?

I need you.

I want to keep you
out of enemy hands.

Tartarus isn't a shipyard.
This place is a POW Camp.

You are high guard,
you're hurting,

and I have to bring you home
because that is my duty.

The decision is yours.

Hunt out.

The fleet is
holding its position
and powering down.

Excellent work, Captain.

We'll see.

Rommie, Tyr, make sure
the Maru's navigation systems
are in order,

and get that fleet
back in position.

Ryan...

Stay here.

Achilles,

without you,
I don't know if I can
keep the fleet together.

I'm not an AI
And I haven't endured
what you have.

They'll do the right thing,

but you have to let them
choose it.

Let them know
that your new Commonwealth

will be a place where
they'll have choices,

and you will see their faith.

Achilles...

Time...

To depart the field.

Hold the line,
Captain Hunt.

Hold the line, Achilles.

The fleet is ready.

The Achilles, however,
is not.

I'm sure you know
without its AI

The flagship
is useless to us.

There is an alternative.

No, I an not
going to let you go
inside the Achilles AI

The eraser
may still be at work
and it could kill you.

I know the risks, Dylan,

but the Achilles
is more important
than my avatar.

What does Ryan say
"AI" Stands for?

"Artificial insanity".

Mm-mm.

Okay...

Do it.

You're a good soldier,
Rommie.

I take after
my captain.

Well, I'm in,

however, this is odd.

There should be a void,
but the VR matrix
is functional.

That's because
the VR matrix
belongs to me.

Ryan.

What are you
doing here?

I'm protecting you

the only way I can.

The way
I couldn't protect my crew

or Achilles himself.

I've taken over this vessel,
Andromeda,

and I intend to stay.

Ryan!

What the hell
have you done?

What you asked.

I'm being the soldier
you and Achilles
expected me to be.

You're not ready
for this.

Why?

Because you thought
I hesitated during the fight
and it cost you the Achilles?

I didn't say that.

Taking control
of one of the most
powerful starships,

it's too much.
It's too soon.

You don't have anything
to prove, Ryan.

The AI Eraser
may still be lurking
in the Achilles' systems,

and if you take over,
it could kill you.

I can't have anymore deaths
on my conscience.

This is my choice.

I can't take the risk
that you'll fall apart
under pressure.

That would be
a mistake.

This fellow has already
taken it upon himself

to perform
a dangerous task,

not because
he was commanded,

but because it
needed to be done,

and in the end,
that's the only test
that matters.

It's the test of will.

You're a machine.

I can't believe
I just said that.

Sir,
I'm asking you,

let me try.

Okay.

Tyr's right,
you've already passed
the first test.

Thank you, sir.
Don't thank me yet.

You've just painted a target
on your chest.

I understood that
when I volunteered, sir.

Yes, well,
Mila and the others

may not be
so understanding.

You and Tyr
prep the Maru
for departure.

Ryan and I will have
a little chat with Mila.

Any one of us would have
gladly taken Achilles' place.

Ryan volunteered
and he's ready to serve
the new Commonwealth.

I would prefer it
if he weren't alone.

If you want our help,
you know our terms.

Once we're clear,
you're free to go
wherever you please,

but I'm asking you
to stay with me,

not as captain to AI
But as one soldier to another.

You have the AI Eraser,
you know.

You might just
use it on us

then install
more compliant AIs'.

Yes, I might,

but if I had planned
on using it,

it would already
be done.

Think about that
while you make up your mind.

Captain Hunt,

I will consider it.

There's a lot
of comm traffic
between the ships.

They're talking about
what happens
after they escape.

They're talking about
joining you.

How many?

All of them, sir.

Then I suppose
I have my answer.

Captain,

I'm reading major
slipstream events,

multiple locations.

We've got an entire
Nietzschean task force
heading straight at us.

Can we make it to slipstream
before they reach us?

No sir, they're under
one light-minute away
and closing,

and we're not going
to make 10 PSL.

We can double our speed
if we leave
some of the fleet behind.

We go together
or we don't go at all.

Use your
point-defense lasers.

Keep us covered
until we make slipstream.

Weapons
target locked.

Lovely shot.

Captain, the Maru's
point-Defense lasers
aren't enough.

The task force
is advancing.

The fleet
is taking heavy fire.

The Nietzscheans would rather
break their toys than share.

The ships are making
their attack run.

Steady as she goes, Ryan.

I'm absorbing
as much as I can, sir,
but with no defenses...

Can we make slipstream?
No, sir.

Captain, you have to get
to an escape pod
before my hull collapses.

I'm not going anywhere.
If you leave now,
you may survive.

There's always a chance, Ryan.
I prefer to take mine here.

Don't make me knock you out
and drag you to safety, sir,
because I will.

I have no doubt
that you would.

Dylan, some of the fleet
is breaking off.

Ryan, what are they doing?

They're protecting us, sir.

They're throwing themselves
deliberately into harm's way.

Mila, you
don't have to do this.

No, I don't,

but I choose to.

All I've ever wanted
was that right...

Sir.

Understood.

You'll have
the time you need

to get the fleet
out of Tartarus.

Mila...

Sir,

she's charging directly
at the Nietzschean
capital ships,

drawing them off.

Sir, she...
I know, Ryan.

I know.

She's heading
straight for them.

We've broken through.
Open the portal.

Take us
to slipstream now.

We just got word
from Kasimir politburo.

They're ready to sign.

Trance, let's tell her
what she's won...

50 worlds, a new Commonwealth,
and a year's supply
of Sparky cola.

We couldn't find
the champagne.

Sorry.

It's okay.

Okay?
Just okay?

Come on, this is it,

the biggest of
the big scores

and it's all
because of you.

I thought you'd be
turning cartwheels.

Is everything all right?

I just don't think
we should be doing this
without Dylan.

Well, we don't have to.

In fact,
he's here right now.

Show-off.

You asked
to see me, sir?

Yes, I, uh...
Yes, I did.

How's the upload
been treating you?

Any negative effects?

No, none
at all, sir.

Good.

And your man, Harper,

he's been doing wonders
with my refit.

But I am missing
one thing.

And what's that?

A captain, sir.

Well, actually, I've got
an ideal candidate in mind.

I'm looking at him.

Sir, I don't think...
Of course you can.

You're a trained officer
with more than
300 years of experience.

Find me someone
more qualified.

Sir, I'm an AI.

We were built
to obey orders,
not to give them.

Yes,
and humans were built

to spear antelope
and live in caves,

but sooner or later,

we all outgrow

what we were built
to do.

Congratulations,
captain.
Sir.

Yes, and one more thing.

I intend to change
the wrath of Achilles' name
to reflect its new AI

and commanding officer.

The Clarion's Call.

Sir...
With all due respect,

I don't think so.

The Clarion's Call
is just a beat-up
old casino drift

run by the Nightsiders.

And The Wrath of Achilles?

He's what
he's always been,

what I was
meant to be, sir,

an officer
of the High Guard...

A soldier.