Andromeda (2000–2005): Season 4, Episode 4 - Double or Nothingness - full transcript

All systems failing!

Mayday, mayday!
Life support critical!

Firing tubes
seven through nine...

These are the last images
I could transport,

just before I went to stream.

Hull breach in SCC!
Core temp is critical!

We're losing power!

The ship under attack
is Commonwealth,

The Lancer's Hope.

The attacking Nietzschean fleet
is from the planet Almagest.

They died quickly.



They shouldn't have
died at all.

There's been
Nietzschean activity
in half a dozen systems.

This was
a standard distress call.

I was sent to answer.

Next thing, there was
a flotilla of battle cruisers.

Your duty was
to get to the closest
commonwealth ship,

and you did that.

Thank you, sir.

We are five slipstream jumps
from Almagest.

The Lancer's Hope was closer.

Almagest.

The Nietzscheans built
the Almagest shipyards

into the best
in the three galaxies.

Yes, by conquering the planet
and using slave labor.



Well, they have
a powerful fleet,

plus an unequaled ability
and ingenuity

in the construction
of weapons and defense systems.

No wonder everyone
sucks up to them,

including the Commonwealth.

Not today. Not us.

Dylan...

The Cistaro system
has five planets,

three solid, two gas giants.

Planet Almagest,
closest to the sun,

orbits at the edge of habitable
radiation parameters.

Any closer,
and it'd be alma toast.

The planet's strong
magnetic field

shunts aside the worst
of the solar radiation.

Dense atmosphere blocks
the remaining solar wind.

Suns nourish life,
which thrives in safety.

Much of the living
and working on Almagest

is done below
the planet's surface.

If they're so good at business,
why would the Nietzscheans
attack?

That's not good
slave management.

Rommie, time to Tarazed?

A courier would take
approximately 45 hours
to reach Tarazed

and return with orders
from the commonwealth.

I can do it, sir.

No, we can't wait.

Lay in a course for Almagest.

Uh, Dylan,
let's think about this.

Nobody knows a thing
about this place.

Harper, see
what you can dig up.

I'll be in the core,
where I always am.

Beka, take us to slipstream,
please.

We are now
approaching Almagest.

There's a great deal
of solar activity.

My sensors are down
to 37% efficiency.

Standard orbit.

Dylan, I'm detecting no debris,

no residual slip-core plasma,

no evidence at all of a battle.

Lieutenant Sabo?

Sir, I escaped
a full-pitched fight.

Perhaps the other side
of the planet?

These are the coordinates
you gave us.

There's no sign
of The Lancer's Hope,

either debris or intact.

All right.
There's an explanation.
Let's find it.

Dylan, we're being hailed
from the surface...

The Office of
Visitors and Tourism.

"Visitors and Tourism"?

On screen.

Welcome to our system,
commonwealth visitor.

I am Shig, and...

Lipp-Sett is my name.

Think of our planet as your own.

Hard to believe
they dressed themselves.

Dylan Hunt, Captain
of the Andromeda Ascendant.

We have reports of a battle
involving your ships

and a Commonwealth cruiser.

Battle?

Not here.

We haven't had
a commonwealth ship

in this system since...

Rommie?

The ionizing radiation
makes it difficult
to maintain communication.

Feed their coordinates
into my Slipfighter.

I'll take a squad down.

Permission to accompany, sir.

I wouldn't have it
any other way.

Orbit approach
vector Alpha Niner Juliet.

Alpha, copy. Vectoring approach
formation seven, out.

Launch formation sequence.

Standing by.
Atmosphere, dense cloud.

Dylan, I've locked on
to the coordinates

of the entrance to
their underground system.

Copy that.

I'll locate these two clowns
and get some answers.

Understood.

There's a solar flare
building fast.

I'm getting a rapid increase
in solar wind pressure.

Dylan, you have to penetrate
the atmosphere quickly.

A very large solar flare
is approaching release.

Uh, that's not a solar wind,

it's a solar hurricane.

Protect yourself, Rommie.

It's going to be a close one.

Switching to manual override.

Red, blue teams, on me.

Copy that.
Manual, bracing for impact.

We're locking down
for radiation safety.

Rommie, give me ship-wide.

Ship-wide.

This is acting Captain,
Beka Valentine.

We are locking down
for toxic rad levels.

All crew are confined
to shielded areas,

on the double.
Go! Go!

I repeat,
emergency shielded areas.

All crew are in shielded areas.

Rommie, here comes one
enormous electric eraser.

I know, Harper,

I'm strong, but mother nature,
as you call her,

is much stronger.

Catch you
on the flip side, guys.

Bracing for EMP burst.
This'll take up
a few minutes of my time.

Systems temporarily
shutting down.

Re-booting. Op sys enabled.

Dylan...

Damn! Red team, blue team,
come in!

Blue team, come in!

Okay, boys, good luck to us all.

The universe
is a dangerous place,

but in our future,
my crew and I
fight to make it safe.

I am Dylan Hunt, Captain
of the Andromeda Ascendant,

and these are our adventures.

Control systems engage.

What I wouldn't give
for a kick-starter.

Come on, catch!

Bad news all around.

It's been a good life!

Control systems engaged.

We are confined here

until the radiation
drops to safe levels.

I have detected that Dylan
has made a successful landing

at the entrance
to the underground system.

That's a relief.
And the others?

Of the eight,
four have landed safely,

but the ships
are incapacitated.

More death.

There's something else.

"Something else"?

Various psychotropic agents
were retrofitted

into my auto-defense system.

It's far more effective
than my previous system.

Gas. Odorless, colorless,
designed to disorient intruders.

You didn't.
I did.

And I breathed it.

I'm moving us over to
the lee side of the planet.

We may find some protection
from the solar hurricanes there,

but I may still have
some problems.

At least Dylan is safe...
I think.

Rommie!

Damn technology.

I'm Captain Dylan Hunt,

and you must be
the welcoming committee.

We are the welcoming
committee, Captain.

They are the security detail.

Again...
Lipp-Sett.

And again, Shig.

Of course, Visitors and Tourism.

Your reputation
precedes you, Captain.

We were surprised to learn
that the Andromeda

survived the recent
Nietzschean conflict,

relatively unscathed.

We were lucky.

I'd wager luck had
nothing to do with it.

Am I right?

Well, I'm investigating

a more recent
Nietzschean conflict.

We haven't had a hostility
in this system

for the last 19 months.

Huh. I have
a commonwealth courier

who says differently.

In my experience,
they don't lie.

I'm sure he believes
what he saw.

Well, high guard my heart.

What a magnificent
physical specimen
you are, Captain,

for a human.
Mm-hmm, am I right?

All those extraordinary tales
of your physical prowess.

I'm sure many will find
your presence here inspiring.

Thank you, but right now,
I only want to talk
to your security chief.

And why should we let you?

Because you represent
the commonwealth?

Or perhaps because
you command
a high-guard battleship?

No, because I'm a tourist.

Look, you won't ally with us,
that's fine,

but you don't want
to be an enemy?

History has shown, Captain,

that alliance
with your commonwealth

leads to ruin.

We don't cultivate enemies,
Captain Hunt.

Well, there's no percentage
in that, is there?

We are in stationary orbit.

We're safer
in this sheltered area,

but I'm still vulnerable
to shut-downs.

Rommie, when did you
change the color
of the walls down here?

Harper...

Oh! Harper, use a respirator.

I've had a gas leak.

Hallucinogens.

A-ha! I knew it,

because I've got seven fingers
on my left hand.

We're bracing for another EMP.
Harper...

No one is to leave
shielded areas.

Multi-spectrum sensors
detect tracking lasers
off the starboard beam.

They're targeting us.

Us?

They're targeting me.

Another solar flare is building.

I am surrounded by enemies.

Beka...

Rommie, defensive missiles,
tubes one through 40.

I would also like
gluon-plasma missiles
in aft tubes 48 through 60.

GP missiles are overkill
at this point.

That's exactly
what I'm going for.

Solar flare
has lifted from the sun.

Impact in five seconds.

Trance, could you keep an eye...

Systems temporarily
shutting down.

We're under attack!

It's your ship, Captain.

That's not possible.

Beka, anything going on up there
I should be aware of?

Tell me you are not
firing on this planet.

Beka... Beka! Dammit!

I know my crew,
and they are not
firing on your people.

I'm getting reports
of hundreds of hits

all over our planet.
Your ship is...

I don't believe that!

You don't believe your own eyes?

Get me to my Slipfighter.
I'm returning to my ship.

I can't allow you
to do that.

What, you'd prefer
Andromeda to destroy
your whole planet?

Take my ship, then.
It's faster, I guarantee.

I'll take my own ship.

You'll never make it
to your ship!

We have no time!

Our fighters can be launched
from underground.

We are master shipbuilders,
Captain.

Our Slipfighters can make
the Ida-Prime to Milpas run
in less than 17 hours.

Right. Lead the way.

All right,
let's see what you've got.

Andromeda , I'm on my way.

Copy that, Dylan.

Communications still
suffering interference.

Oh, great.
I've got company.

Four Nietzschean fighters,
heading one-seven-one.

That is an intercept vector.

Dylan, my systems
aren't functioning
in this EMP environment.

Well, why should I be surprised?

Okay, great, I'm on my own.

Let's hope there's not
another solar flare
while I'm stuck out here.

They're following me.

Check that. They're Mardukian,
and they're firing on me.

- Okay, you wanna play?
- Let's play.

All right,
there's one more down,

and three more to go.

Rommie, do you read any debris
from those explosions?

Debris is scattered
throughout the combat area.

That's strange.
I've circled back,
and I don't see anything.

Play the game!

Who would've bet
the human could beat
four to one odds?

Rommie, I took some hits
in the fuel lines.
I'm losing power.

Sounds like we have
a crash landing situation.

He survived the first.
Can he again?

I bet on that.

Yes.

I raise with my own asteroid,
rich in titanium,

already in tow,
smelting facilities available,

fungible value of 3.6 units.

Decisions, bets, wagers?

Before he enters
the atmosphere, please.

Get on with the game!

I don't know
if you copy, Rommie,

but I've got nothing
on control surfaces.
There's no place to land.

I'm ejecting. Track my beacon.

I hate when that happens.

No.

You're under arrest,
Captain Hunt.

Many died,

others were hurt
in your attack.

I don't know, I'd like to see
all these dead and wounded

before I take responsibility.

Do you think
we're making this up?

Well, I think
you might be. Yes.

Then what do you think of this?

Take a good look, Captain.

Your crew,
your ship, your missiles.

A completely unwarranted
genocidal attack

on our assembly.

Your arrogant

commonwealth intruding
into our world.

We were investigating
the loss of one of our ships,
to your forces.

Now, let me to speak
with my crew.

Too late.

Your crew and the Andromeda
are already bidding us farewell.

Apparently, the ion storm
shut down your AI long enough,

for us to get some
good clear shots.

You're making this up.

Captain Dylan Hunt,
you are found guilty

of provoking hostilities
in our system.

You are accused

and convicted of mass murder,
and shall be executed forthwith.
Take him away.

Digestive enzymes,
heated and enriched.

We like to keep them

lean and hungry.

They don't actually feel hunger,
but they love to eat.

This is just a head game.

You are the game.

None of this is real.

What is real, what is not,
who can tell?

You're not even giving me
a fighting chance.

Exactly.

All right, I win.

As you can see, Captain,

death takes
its own sweet time here.

Let the new phase
of the games begin!

What's the game?

Gentlemen, place your bets.

As you're aware, Captain,
sometimes one eats,

sometimes one is eaten.

I'll give you the fact,

this all seems real.

Perhaps, you can

persuade us into letting you go,

or maybe he could
make a run for it.

But maybe then,
where you run to
will be your death.

Who can tell?

Please, just...
just give me a moment.

I'd like to be able
to collect my thoughts, please.

You see,
he is breaking, my friends!

About to make his
fatal mistake!

What do you wager?

Next will be prayer.

Who bets he starts praying?

To a god!

One of his own imagination,
no doubt.

Go ahead, Captain.

Pray.

Well, here I am,

approaching my inevitable end
as confused and vulnerable

as when I came
into this universe,

and now, as I'm about
to leave this

beautiful,

wonderful, and happy life,

a life I've been
most blessed and,

I'm afraid...
I am so, so afraid

that I'm going to have to

do this!

Come here!

Stand back
or I'll have his head!

You'll never make it
back to your ship.

That's a "tell," pal.

You just told me
my ship still exists.

Activate.

All right, Lipp-Sett,
you're going to
take me to my ship.

Uh, hi there.

You know, I'm guessing
this Forcelance
isn't gonna work here,

so I'm unarmed, and, uh, he's...

He's an idiot,

so we can do you
absolutely no harm.

Whoa, whoa, whoa,
wait, wait, wait.

See, your weapons will work.
Don't... don't shoot.

Him though, him, I really
don't care that much about.

All right. How you guys doing?
Place looks... looks familiar.

Are you okay? Are you awake?

Well, I certainly hope so,

or this would be
one sucky dream.

Thank you.

Who are you?

Well, you know,
I think that question

is a little too complicated
for this particular situation.

Hey, how are you doing?

Enough.

Look, what you...
what you wanna know,

I can't tell you.

And even if I could tell you,
you wouldn't believe me anyway.

Who sent you?

Where are you from?

Oh, come on,
like that makes a difference.

You from the planet Mezzo-Mana?

Yes. Oh, man, do I look
like I'm from the planet
Mezzo-Mana, huh?

Hey, I got you on that one,
didn't I?

Oh, no.

Okay. Look...

I'm trying to think
of the best way to put this.

I am from that door
back right over there,

but then again, you know,
it doesn't matter,
because you are not real.

See, you're just programmed
to believe that you're real.

I'm tired of this.

Put the weapon down, old man.

It's a game.
It's only a game.

Shig, Lipp-Sett,
I've got to tell you,

the attempt to confuse
is really well done.

Dylan?

Mom?

How lame is that?

How lame is that?

You think you know me so well?

Well, how about
the guys in black

who appear out of nowhere,
they steal anything you got,

they knock you flat,
and then they disappear again?

Now, that,
that would be a challenge!

You want to impress me?

Well, then, impress me!

You've cost us a fortune.

Don't! Think I don't know

that you secretly bet
against the house?

Well, you shouldn't have
said that the house
would double the odds

if he shot the old man.

Enough!

We have to recoup our losses.

He can't escape indefinitely.

He will die.

It's a pretty good recreation,

with the sort of
obvious mistakes,

I've come to expect
from Nietzscheans.

You want me to step outside.

Otherwise something
would have stopped me by now.

You know, there are...

There are others who are

extremely interested
in preserving things
from the past.

The Collectors.

The Collectors and Nietzscheans.

Huh, can you imagine?

No.

Not gonna go that way.

Maybe you are
working together

on developing
some kind of new

weapon.

Well, maybe, then...

The only way
out of this situation...

is to

disarm the weapon.

Yeah.

Game over.

Can you hear me?

You know your name?

Peaches.

I'm Dylan Hunt. This is
the Andromeda Ascendant.

Rommie. Trance.

It's good to see you.

Can you tell us what happened?

Well...

The solar flare went off,

and, uh, I was battling
to control my fighter.

This whole thing...

This whole thing is

Nietzscheans and Collectors.

They're running a weapons test,
most likely,

using us.

They caused a solar storm?

Directed bombardment of the sun.

Perhaps with
highly charged protons.

I detected no such event.

No, see, the solar storm
would have prevented that.

You were shutting down
to protect yourself,

and they knew...
They knew

that that would happen.

You think that
they're after you?

Well, they're...
they're after all of us.

Dylan, I believe

you have been on Andromeda
this entire time.

You never left.

My assessment is you were
exposed to the psychotropic,

got into your Slipfighter
to protect yourself
from the radiation,

and experienced all of this
in your mind.

I... I see.

The aft hangar deck never opened
in time for you to leave.

I'm very sorry, Dylan,

but I'm compelled
to isolate you in quarters

until I can determine
your ability to command.

Come on, Rommie...

Intruders detected ship-wide.

Rommie, is that my Forcelance?

Yes.

May I have it, please?

No.

Rommie, give me my Forcelance,
and that is an order.

Thank you.

Andromeda,
intruder location.

Decks 9, 41 and 59.

All right,

let's bring it.

Good to have you back, Captain.

Agreed.

According to you, I never left.

Harper,
what have you got?

Hey, boss, nice timing.

I was just getting
reacquainted
with a charming blast

from our Magog past.

You remember my...
my worst nightmare!

Bloodmist?

Boss! Boss...

Dylan?

Harper?

He didn't bite me.

At least I don't have to worry
about any larvae.

Hold on, Harper. Hold on.

I don't know.

Forecast ain't looking
too good, boss.

I've got to
tell you something.

In... In my quarters...

It's my fault.

This is all, beginning to end,
my doing.

Getting Harper in.

Keeping him in.

Beka, are you
all right?

"Are you all right?"
I don't think so.

Take a look around you.
Things don't look so good.

You're spewing steam
in every corridor.
Your systems are haywire...

Okay, Beka, point made.

I think Beka may
still be suffering
the effects of the...

You're not taking Harper
away from me!

Beka, I think
you need to calm down.

No. You need to calm down.

I need Harper.

Beka, come on. You...

Harper and I stay together.

We're under attack!

Take my ship then.

It's faster,
I guarantee.

All right,

let's see what you've got.

Do you read any debris
from those explosions?

Do you think
we're making this up?

It doesn't matter,
because you're not real.

Rommie,

are you still operating
under emergency protocol?

Correct.

Well, I think this situation
proves that things
are out of control.

You need to reestablish it,
under the protocol.

Correct.

- Beka.
- Hmm?

I'm taking my Forcelance out
and I'm setting it down here

on the table.

Rommie will confine me
to my quarters.

Rommie,
I have no objection

to Beka staying here
with Harper,

just as long as she
surrenders her weapon.

Hey!

Very good, Captain.

You made it back.

Let's go.

Hunt,
the board has set odds
based your skill,

300-to-one,

you'll lose
this final round.

Shows what respect
gets you these days.

You two...

You're so smart,
got the universe on a string.

Really, though,

everything that
you've risked so far

has amounted to nothing
more than a...

Sucker's bet.

I disagree.

This is what we do,

and we are the best.

We have created the greatest
weapons and defenses

that this universe
has ever seen.

What else is there to do?

You recreate.

Enjoy yourself.

Prima donnas.

What did you say?

I said, "Prima donnas".

You're betting on what
you can afford to lose,

nothing on what
you're afraid to lose.

Make a real bet.

Put your livelihood
on the table.

I've put my life on the line,
each time.

So why don't we
raise the stakes?

Your weapons inventory
and the freedom of your slaves

against my life.

If you are
as great as you claim,

you'd be willing
to risk everything

to prove it, wouldn't you?

Well, wouldn't you?

Come on.

Me against you.

Very well,

Captain.

We'll take your bet.

You're free to go.

Your Slipfighter
is right outside the door.

Andromeda awaits.

Understand this,
Captain.

It's not us
against you anymore.

It's you...

against you.

And then what happened,
is that I...

I threw Beka through the wall,

which, you know,
really wasn't a wall, of course,

and then I was
in the betting area
with the Nietzscheans again.

And after that, well,

I was

here with you.

I think I understand.

I'm glad to hear that.

Rommie...

I missed you.

You did?

Yeah.

Really, really missed you.

Dylan?

Captain's orders.

Let her go.

She's way
out of your league, pal.

He's right on time.

Well, we always were
too hard on ourselves.

Yeah, that's what
Mom always said.

Rommie...

Rommie.

Come on.

Rommie, what have you done?

Thanks, Rommie.

You're welcome.

Yeah, uh...

You know,

when we were in my quarters,

I, uh,

I did what I did

because, well,
I wanted you to know

that it was me.

Of course.

I recognized your biorhythms
and your increased heart rate.

Hmm.

Ten seconds to all systems full.

AP systems are ready. Harper?

Well, I can't wait
till you get back online.

So you can open
the damn doors
to this room.

Oh, I'm sorry, Harper,
but that system
is still offline.

Well, at least
the missiles are up.

Boss, fire a big one
at the Nietzscheans,

a parting gift,
one for the road,

something for me
to enjoy down here, huh?

That's a negative, Mr. Harper.

They still owe the commonwealth
600 more Slipfighters

than we've already got in tow.

Full systems engaging
in two and counting,

and... mark.

Winning so many Slipfighters
for the cause of good,

that's another mark for you
in commonwealth history.

Trance, I'm just trying
to do what's right.

Like winning freedom
for the workers of Almagest?

That's better
than the Slipfighters.

You've just spread
a Commonwealth value,

and on a bet.

Well, it just goes to show,

anything is possible
when you keep it

real.