Foundation (2021–…): Season 1, Episode 6 - Death and the Maiden - full transcript
As a child,
I heard stories about Trantor,
the city that was a planet
at the heart of the galaxy.
I was told the people who lived there
were sinners who followed a false prophet...
a man who believed himself
above the Sleeper's words.
I didn't believe the stories
until I met him.
You have just completed the jump, Empire.
We'll be reaching the Surah System
within a few hours.
I was told that the Emperor
could create or destroy worlds,
that he had triumphed over death itself
and would live forever.
And when I looked into his eyes...
I saw a man who, in all his lifetimes,
had never known doubt...
until he encountered Hari Seldon.
I'm ready to review for...
A moment, Empire.
I wasn't expecting you so soon.
Even as a child,
you'd watch my preparations.
Are you feeling quite well, Empire?
It's just the jump.
I know the Spacers are engineered for it,
but I barely consider them human.
It can be disconcerting, I know.
What's it like...
to be awake for it?
When space folds?
The human mind can't tolerate
the discontinuity.
But...
yours can.
If I could explain it,
you wouldn't have to sleep through it.
Leviathan crystal.
Salt from the leviathan mines
on the Maiden.
And its significance?
It symbolizes the journey
of the three goddesses,
Maiden, Mother and Crone.
Adherents pray
by ritualistically touching it.
Goes to the central theme of Luminism,
cycles, ouroboros,
nature seeking completion.
Origination?
Luminists believe the goddesses
were once a single entity,
but when Surah collided
with the planet of...
Begins with a D.
Dol.
It split the goddesses apart,
creating the three moons.
The only habitable moon is the Maiden.
Age of faith?
15,000 years.
Predates the Empire itself.
Number of believers?
Three trillion.
I've never asked you,
how is it that you believe?
How? Or why?
The latter.
From the moment you come into the world,
you and your brothers know your purpose.
But the rest of us have to seek
these things on our own.
But... you know your purpose.
It's to serve my brothers, to serve me,
to serve the Empire above all.
It's literally written into your code.
And I am quite fulfilled in that service.
But the search for meaning
is not always about the answer.
It's also the process of seeking
that enlightens.
The goddesses didn't choose
to be split into three.
They long to be made one again.
The salty terrain of the Maiden
is said to be their tears.
But it was their sacrifice that graced
the rest of us with wholeness.
At every point in our lives,
we have the power to choose our own path.
The goddesses guide us at every step
toward service and truth,
as though toward the center
of a great spiral.
And this Zephyr Halima who challenges us,
what has her path been?
She hails from Mirrus Twelve,
born into the faith.
After the earthquakes there,
she became a sort of a savior,
spearheading the recovery effort.
But she's been elevated to Zephyr
for less than a year.
She's only just pulled herself
out from the rubble.
Forgive me, Empire, but we have
entered the Maiden's atmosphere
and will be approaching
the Salt Palace in moments.
Ready to meet the clamoring masses?
I was planning on staying aboard the ship.
Why?
Clearly, many on the Maiden know
I embrace their faith.
This could be used to your disadvantage.
Don't be ridiculous.
You're my only real insight
into the Luminist beliefs.
You're going.
Zephyr Halima.
Welcome to the Maiden, Empire.
I know preparing for a formal ceremony
can be daunting,
which is why I petitioned
the Ring of Zephyrs
and was granted the honor
of welcoming you alone.
Alone?
Empire is undoubtedly accustomed
to a certain degree of pageantry,
but given the somber circumstances
of the Proxima's passing,
a more florid reception felt somehow...
indecorous.
Of course.
I want to thank you, from my heart,
for making the journey to us.
Your presence speaks to how important
Luminism must be to the Empire.
As a gesture of my gratitude,
I'd like to offer you a drink.
The water is from the Womb
of the Mother itself.
The salt from this cup is said to draw out
any impure intentions
from the minds of those who drink from it.
Sadly, Empire is not able to accept
any untested potables.
I'm afraid whatever impurities
I may harbor will have to remain hidden.
Something tells me
that's how you'd prefer it.
In any case, I look forward
to getting to know each other better.
Triple blessings to you all.
What is the word I'm looking for?
Worthy?
That will do.
I don't think
she was trying to poison you.
No, not literally.
But I don't think anyone
with pure intentions
would wheedle their way
on to my welcoming committee.
Stay sharp.
Our target may be armed.
Or he might be dead.
He's alive.
Empire ships are as good
at preserving their people's lives...
as they are at taking others'.
Commander, you're alive
because you're useful to us.
And you're already dead.
You just don't know it yet.
Course we know it.
We're an army of ghosts.
Hey. This way.
You okay?
Gia.
What happened here?
Oh, geez.
It's okay. You're fine.
Make for a nice story one day,
if we survive this.
Now, let's get out of here
before we get shot.
We have the manifest.
Sort the names.
I need environmental, propulsion,
and astronautics engineers.
And contact Team Alder.
I want the corvettes ready for launch.
They're still at the caldera.
Tell them to work faster.
The Invictus won't wait forever.
Why is she still alive?
That vault.
It's the worst kind of unknown.
And she seems to be the key to it.
Once we've neutralized it,
we'll kill her.
Are you sure this will work, Huntress?
The Invictus is our redemption,
and we have earned it with our pain.
You ready?
Are these the names of your original crew?
Every person who served
on the Deliverance.
You can see we lost some people to age
or accidents when we settled Terminus.
Show me the environmental engineer.
Astronautics?
Who was his second?
I was. I took over that specialty.
Propulsion?
Studied at Crito Orbital Academy.
Logged over 5,000 hours on
imperial transport and merchant vessels,
sub-light and FTL.
You're trying to crew a jumpship.
So why did you shoot down
Commander Dorwin's?
Because I needed the man himself,
not his little crater jumper.
What you've done is an act of war.
We have who we need.
Restore power to the fence and recode it.
I don't want these people sneaking away
before we're done.
- Hi.
- Hiya.
I will explain this only once.
The Foundation has
a breadth of knowledge we lack.
And so we require a handful of your people
to assist us in repairing a starship.
If the repairs go as planned,
we leave Terminus, and you return
to life as you've known it.
If you refuse us, then we all die,
Anacreons, Terminus alike.
Jacenta Rov, step forward.
You were the chief environmental engineer
on the Deliverance?
I was. But I won't work for you.
My loyalty lies with the Foundation.
I shot one leg.
Your husband has another.
Do we understand each other?
Akiva Lee.
Can you maintain a quantum folding engine
on an Altair-class warship?
Yes.
Lewis Pirenne.
Please, it's been 30 years since I've...
You're certain this is everyone we need?
I thought you were trying to poison me.
They helped, the wolvesbreath leaves.
I'm less sore today.
I'm glad, Empire.
It would be my honor
to be of any further assistance.
You can be of further assistance
in accepting my regret that I spoke to you
as I did the other day.
Perfect symmetry here.
Hedges trimmed every day.
Foolish attempt to control
the uncontrollable.
A plant will grow
in the direction of light...
won't it?
It will, Empire.
I know I told you to get rid of those...
but leave them.
May the light never dim.
I suspect it won't.
When I summon you,
I expect you to arrive promptly.
As you can see, I have a surprise for you.
A challenge on your first time out.
Ghillie raptors. Now, they blend
into their surroundings so well
you can hardly find them,
let alone shoot them.
Look for the movement, not the color.
Under normal circumstances, Brother Day
would introduce you to the hunt.
But since he's decided to buck tradition
and leave Trantor,
that responsibility falls to me.
- Have you heard from him?
- No.
Neither will you.
Consider it the rare opportunity
for you to exercise your independence.
First one of the day.
I doubt you even saw that creature
before I shot...
Lucky shot.
It was.
Give me the day,
and I'll mold that luck into skill.
I'd rather mold it myself.
Well then, good hunting to you.
And to you.
Four moons, she's heavy.
- Poly?
- Oh, shit.
Damn it, Poly. That hurt.
Sorry.
Where are we?
Geothermal tunnels.
We saw you in the brig
and dragged you out here.
You're way heavier than you look.
Thanks.
Warden?
What's an Invictus?
Where'd you hear that name?
Phara said it when she was with you.
It was the only word I could make out.
It was a legendary destroyer.
But it disappeared centuries ago.
It's like a ghost ship.
Well, I think Phara's found it.
- On the ground. On the ground!
- Get down. Get down.
- Salvor.
- Dad. Dad.
Hugo!
- You too!
- Mayor Hardin.
Thank Seldon.
What are you doing here?
The Anacreons recoded the fence,
locked us out.
We figured the hulk was
as safe a place as any to hide.
Told him it was one of the stops
on your nightly rounds.
You can save all that pillow talk
for later.
Right now, we need a plan
to get back inside.
We're not going back.
What do you mean, we're not going back?
The Anacreon corvettes are
on the geothermal field.
Forget the corvettes.
We need to protect the Foundation.
This is about protecting the Foundation.
Phara's after a warship. I think.
A planet-killer.
If she gets her hands on it, she'll pull
the whole galaxy into conflict.
This is the first Seldon Crisis.
The Vault waking up now,
the instincts driving me...
Hari put me here to stop the Anacreons,
and he's helping me figure out how.
So I'm following those instincts,
and we're taking out those corvettes.
Understood?
- Yes, ma'am.
- Yes, ma'am.
Not you two. You're staying here.
But we saved you.
And I'm grateful.
But this is wild work,
and I'm not having your blood on my hands.
Esteemed Empire.
I expected the clamoring masses
upon my arrival,
but instead I'm greeted by a heretic.
Profuse apologies, Empire.
I assure you, a proper welcome awaits.
May I present Zephyr Gilat.
Triple blessings to you, Empire.
The pleasure is mine, Zephyr.
My condolences on the passing
of Proxima Opal.
Thank you, Empire. It is a sad occasion,
but also a hopeful one.
Especially for you.
I shall gracefully accept whatever
the Ring of Zephyrs should decide.
Tell us, what is your sense
of how they currently lean?
Zephyr Gilat is still most likely
to be named Proxima.
However, it will not take much
to tip things in a less desirable fashion.
I understand.
We want to help you
in whatever way we can.
That is most generous.
We cannot deny that Halima has
a natural charisma.
I feel it is necessary for me
to offer something concrete.
With all due respect, Empire,
the infrastructure's crumbling.
Fresh water has long been expensive
and hard to come by.
Something in this Halima
is quenching their thirst.
I think we have a solution for that.
We'll take Halima's metaphor
and make it literal.
Zephyr Gilat, in honor of your rising
as the next Proxima,
Empire will build a moon-wide
desalination system.
Your people will never go
without clean drinking water again.
I am without words, Empire.
Triple blessings to you, Zephyr Gilat.
You okay?
I was not cut out for this wind.
I spent those first years
with my fists clenched.
One day your mother said,
"Open your fists, man.
You can't punch the wind."
You go on, Hugo. We'll catch up.
Growing up on Trantor, childhood indoors...
makes you soft.
You never talk much about Trantor.
What's the point?
We're never going back there.
Was it bad?
On the contrary. It was incredible.
Your grandparents worked the Star Bridge,
so we were pretty well-off.
Miracles everywhere.
Floating fountains,
synchronized water shows with whales
and things swimming
above your head in zero G.
And the food... Oh, my God.
The finest everything.
You think I'm fat now?
But here's the thing, Sal.
We knew it was built
on a mountain of lies and deception,
a trillion people working
behind the scenes
just to make everything shine.
You scratch the surface of it,
and it just couldn't go on.
And then Hari started making waves
about the collapse.
You know, I couldn't make heads or tails
of anything he was saying.
But you believed in the Plan.
I believed in a girl named Mari Hardin,
who I desperately wanted
to go to bed with.
Dad.
She believed in the Plan.
You joined the Foundation for a girl?
I did.
Do you ever regret it? Coming here?
I got you out of it, didn't I?
Come on.
That does not look good.
They're setting charges
around the hydro-cells.
It'll destroy the entire city.
We need to throw a very large wrench
into the works.
If I could get closer, I could snipe
one of those explosive disks,
maybe take out a corvette or two.
A better shot could keep her distance
and take out all three.
Oh, Salvor.
No. Nothing doing, Dad.
You're too old, too fat,
and your eyesight's for shit.
You'll never make it.
You are definitely your mother's daughter.
Your focus and skill
are extraordinary, Empire.
Six kills.
Brother Dusk will be impressed.
You've broken his record.
How many did he kill?
On his best hunt, three.
And after a good deal of practice.
Sneaky bastard.
That would have made four.
Throw these into the bushes.
Take them now. I killed three.
I killed three. Do you understand? Go!
Brother Dawn, how was your hunt?
Three.
You matched my record
on your first attempt.
Romus helped considerably.
Exceptional work, Brother Dawn.
You're a natural hunter.
Here, to celebrate.
Well, you hunt like a man.
Do you consider yourself a man now?
I don't know. I suppose?
Only a man can replace the man.
I think it's time you paid a visit
to Gossamer Court.
The business of Empire is challenging.
And we are human, after all.
We need to voice our fears,
our hatreds, our resentments.
Their memories are wiped clean
before they leave Trantor.
Cleon I developed the system.
It's perfect, really.
So?
Which one would you like?
What pleasures do you seek, Empire?
You'll have no memory of this?
None that will endure
past the night, Empire.
I could say anything to you,
and you won't remember tomorrow?
That's correct.
And that doesn't bother you?
Memories of this liaison are not
my possession.
They belong to Empire.
Do you care for the pleasure of discourse?
I'm conversant in many subjects.
Turn away.
I'll tell them you did well.
And as far as you'll remember, you did.
He didn't touch me.
What did he do then?
He just talked.
Tell me everything he said.
You good, Sal?
Almost in range now.
Just need to take a wind reading
and I'm good to go.
Salvor? Sal?
- It's happened again.
- What?
It's a mind-slip, seizure, something.
If we don't pull her back,
they'll spot her.
You get Salvor. I'll get the corvettes.
There's only one scenario
in which you leave the ship as planned,
and that's the one in which it becomes
impossible for you to remain on board.
I don't take my life.
You do.
You're Hari Seldon.
You can fix this.
I'm telling you I can't.
Don't you see?
This whole thing collapses
because you stay with her.
And everything everyone has sacrificed,
all wasted.
You know what I'm saying is true.
Do you trust the math?
I hate the math.
Do you trust me?
I wish I'd never met you,
never stolen your damn books.
But you did.
And we are here now,
an entire galaxy pivoting around
the actions of an individual. You.
Go straight to the cryo-pod.
It's programmed for you.
And don't stop to say goodbye to her.
Don't implicate her in this.
Salvor?
- It happened again.
- I know. Can you shoot?
- Yeah.
- Then go. Go.
Where's my dad?
Gone for the corvettes.
He went in after you dropped.
He won't make it.
There are too many.
Keep covering me, Sal.
I'll take out those ships.
No, Dad. No.
Help!
Dad!
Salvor Hardin, Warden of Terminus.
- Dad.
- You have to protect the Plan.
Dad, please.
Open your fists, Salvor.
No, Daddy!
Don't fight the wind.
Daddy!
No.
No.
You should see the view from up here.
Empire, I... I shouldn't be here.
Come. It's all right.
Thought you might like that.
Parterres.
Walkways.
Grand lawn.
Look how precise they are, how neat.
Everything in its place.
I've always loved that.
Come see it from here.
I don't have a force field, Empire.
You do now.
Take it.
I won't if you're not.
It's beautiful.
If you can see beauty, it is.
Tell me what those are.
The rose garden?
Rosa arvensis, then Rosa persica.
- Rosa kordesii...
- Their colors.
White and yellow.
A bright yellow with a dark red center,
and a deep, brilliant red.
What else is that color? That red.
In nature?
The scarlet maple tree.
The summer tanager bird.
The shell of the red crab.
Red sandalwood.
I wasn't aware Empire was color-blind.
Empire isn't.
Cleons are exact replicas.
None has ever been color-blind...
before me.
Isn't it fairly common in men?
There are simple ways to correct it.
It's not common to us.
And none of it's simple.
That's my secret.
And now you know it.
Now what do I do?
If I were trying to keep a secret,
I'd push me off.
It's the safest way to ensure my silence.
You could push me.
Sal.
He joined the Foundation for a girl.
Isn't that strange?
He believed in the end, but...
he did it all for my mom.
I'm so sorry.
I screwed up, Hugo.
If I hadn't blacked out,
my father would still be alive.
No.
I was just so certain
taking their ships was the right play.
Maybe it was.
Maybe the other plays were worse.
And Hari said...
He said an entire galaxy can pivot
around the actions of an individual.
So then you are
one of those individuals, right?
Hari is guiding you
to keep the Plan on course.
Because I'm, what? Special?
The Anacreons took the city
because of me...
No. They took it because of Lewis
and the idiots in the tower.
And right now
the only chance the Foundation has
of surviving this crisis is you.
I don't care about the crisis.
All I care about is making Phara pay.
We just blew up her ships.
Your rig's the only way off planet now.
We get to the Beggar before they do,
they are stranded. Come on.
As we mourn Proxima Opal's
compassion and her strength,
let us be grateful for her many blessings.
In honor of Opal's passage to rebirth,
and as a gesture of faith
to our next Proxima,
our esteemed Empire will be installing
a moon-wide desalination system.
Let us now praise Empire
and turn to the words of the New Octavo.
"With the gifts of our protectors...
our hearts...
our hearts are multiplied
and our spirits emboldened.
By the will of their souls
aligned with ours...
our path"...
Zephyr Gilat speaks holy words,
and we thank her for them.
We extend our gratitude to the Empire.
As we celebrate Proxima Opal's
passage to her next life,
let us take a moment to be grateful
for the Mother's gift,
the gift of rebirth.
There was a time, millennia ago,
when our souls were like wax candles.
They burned through once,
and then they were snuffed out.
But the Mother looked down
and saw that this was insufficient.
A single life in a single body,
raised in a single world,
such a soul had no foothold to climb
from the trenches of ignorance
to grow into holiness.
And so the Mother took
that straight line of life
and shaped it into a circle,
bestowing upon us the gift of rebirth.
But what does this gift mean?
Some believe the purpose of reincarnation
is to ascend to the highest planes
of enlightenment.
But we know better, don't we?
For there is no end to this journey.
For our capacity for growth
is infinite.
Even a soul that appeared holy
400 years ago
would not be holy today.
This is the Mother's lesson.
As the galaxy changes, so must we.
We must embrace
the value of transformation,
of evolution,
of difference.
The greatest failure of humanity,
the greatest sin against the Mother,
is stagnation.
And so we rejoice
that Proxima Opal's soul will not stagnate
and rust into corruption.
We rejoice that her soul is not bound
to a single, immutable body.
We rejoice that her soul is
an ever-transformative, evolving soul.
Our lives in these bodies may be brief...
but our souls are endless.
And as we shape and sculpt our souls
into a never-ending quest for holiness,
remember this.
This will not always be your life.
But it is your life now.
Your choice now.
Your change now.
Make it count!
To the Mother!
To the Mother!
Let's go.
Kill her.
Beggar, invoke protocol.
Ship transfer Salvor Hardin. Lock.
What the hell did you just do?
I slaved the ship to Salvor.
From now on, it won't do anything
without her authorization.
Change it back. Make her change it back!
I locked it. Can't be changed.
So now you're stuck here
until the Empire arrives in full force.
Reprogram it now.
It won't listen to me.
Thespin ships only recognize
one captain at a time.
From now on, that's her.
So whatever bullshit
it is you're planning,
you won't be able to do it without her.
Then I can kill you.
Don't be an idiot. I don't know
the first thing about piloting a ship.
I need him riding shotgun.
You need him.
Guess you get to see
the stars after all, Warden.
You have space suits here?
From your time on the Deliverance?
Yes, but they're 30 years old.
They'll have to do.
Understand me.
We are leaving the rest of our troops
here as leverage.
If you fail to follow our orders,
if you defy our Huntress in any way,
weigh your fate against those
of your loved ones and act accordingly.
- Lewis.
- Dara.
It's all right, my love.
Just do whatever they ask.
Please, don't do...
Please.
Get off. Let go.
Mommy!
Where's your father?
Where's Abbas?
Mom, I'm so sorry. I tried. I tried.
Take us up there.
Like I said, it's Salvor's ship now.
Just grab the controls and trust yourself.
I got it.
Please enter your destination.
The ship's asking for coordinates.
You wanna tell us where we're going?
The Anthor Belt.
Strap in. Takeoffs can be rough.
I'm happy here.
The Belt's coordinates are stored
in the Beggar's nav
from when I used to do mining runs.
Get us out of the atmosphere,
and we'll be fine.
We're ready.
And engines.
Easy.
Are we okay?
Let the stick tell you
what the ship wants to do.
You're not controlling it.
It's a cooperation.
If I'm not controlling it,
then they shouldn't call them controls.
Increase thrust 20%.
Compensate for the eastern wind shear.
Boosters increased.
Good job. We're out of the woods.
Crowns.
I heard stories about Trantor,
the city that was a planet
at the heart of the galaxy.
I was told the people who lived there
were sinners who followed a false prophet...
a man who believed himself
above the Sleeper's words.
I didn't believe the stories
until I met him.
You have just completed the jump, Empire.
We'll be reaching the Surah System
within a few hours.
I was told that the Emperor
could create or destroy worlds,
that he had triumphed over death itself
and would live forever.
And when I looked into his eyes...
I saw a man who, in all his lifetimes,
had never known doubt...
until he encountered Hari Seldon.
I'm ready to review for...
A moment, Empire.
I wasn't expecting you so soon.
Even as a child,
you'd watch my preparations.
Are you feeling quite well, Empire?
It's just the jump.
I know the Spacers are engineered for it,
but I barely consider them human.
It can be disconcerting, I know.
What's it like...
to be awake for it?
When space folds?
The human mind can't tolerate
the discontinuity.
But...
yours can.
If I could explain it,
you wouldn't have to sleep through it.
Leviathan crystal.
Salt from the leviathan mines
on the Maiden.
And its significance?
It symbolizes the journey
of the three goddesses,
Maiden, Mother and Crone.
Adherents pray
by ritualistically touching it.
Goes to the central theme of Luminism,
cycles, ouroboros,
nature seeking completion.
Origination?
Luminists believe the goddesses
were once a single entity,
but when Surah collided
with the planet of...
Begins with a D.
Dol.
It split the goddesses apart,
creating the three moons.
The only habitable moon is the Maiden.
Age of faith?
15,000 years.
Predates the Empire itself.
Number of believers?
Three trillion.
I've never asked you,
how is it that you believe?
How? Or why?
The latter.
From the moment you come into the world,
you and your brothers know your purpose.
But the rest of us have to seek
these things on our own.
But... you know your purpose.
It's to serve my brothers, to serve me,
to serve the Empire above all.
It's literally written into your code.
And I am quite fulfilled in that service.
But the search for meaning
is not always about the answer.
It's also the process of seeking
that enlightens.
The goddesses didn't choose
to be split into three.
They long to be made one again.
The salty terrain of the Maiden
is said to be their tears.
But it was their sacrifice that graced
the rest of us with wholeness.
At every point in our lives,
we have the power to choose our own path.
The goddesses guide us at every step
toward service and truth,
as though toward the center
of a great spiral.
And this Zephyr Halima who challenges us,
what has her path been?
She hails from Mirrus Twelve,
born into the faith.
After the earthquakes there,
she became a sort of a savior,
spearheading the recovery effort.
But she's been elevated to Zephyr
for less than a year.
She's only just pulled herself
out from the rubble.
Forgive me, Empire, but we have
entered the Maiden's atmosphere
and will be approaching
the Salt Palace in moments.
Ready to meet the clamoring masses?
I was planning on staying aboard the ship.
Why?
Clearly, many on the Maiden know
I embrace their faith.
This could be used to your disadvantage.
Don't be ridiculous.
You're my only real insight
into the Luminist beliefs.
You're going.
Zephyr Halima.
Welcome to the Maiden, Empire.
I know preparing for a formal ceremony
can be daunting,
which is why I petitioned
the Ring of Zephyrs
and was granted the honor
of welcoming you alone.
Alone?
Empire is undoubtedly accustomed
to a certain degree of pageantry,
but given the somber circumstances
of the Proxima's passing,
a more florid reception felt somehow...
indecorous.
Of course.
I want to thank you, from my heart,
for making the journey to us.
Your presence speaks to how important
Luminism must be to the Empire.
As a gesture of my gratitude,
I'd like to offer you a drink.
The water is from the Womb
of the Mother itself.
The salt from this cup is said to draw out
any impure intentions
from the minds of those who drink from it.
Sadly, Empire is not able to accept
any untested potables.
I'm afraid whatever impurities
I may harbor will have to remain hidden.
Something tells me
that's how you'd prefer it.
In any case, I look forward
to getting to know each other better.
Triple blessings to you all.
What is the word I'm looking for?
Worthy?
That will do.
I don't think
she was trying to poison you.
No, not literally.
But I don't think anyone
with pure intentions
would wheedle their way
on to my welcoming committee.
Stay sharp.
Our target may be armed.
Or he might be dead.
He's alive.
Empire ships are as good
at preserving their people's lives...
as they are at taking others'.
Commander, you're alive
because you're useful to us.
And you're already dead.
You just don't know it yet.
Course we know it.
We're an army of ghosts.
Hey. This way.
You okay?
Gia.
What happened here?
Oh, geez.
It's okay. You're fine.
Make for a nice story one day,
if we survive this.
Now, let's get out of here
before we get shot.
We have the manifest.
Sort the names.
I need environmental, propulsion,
and astronautics engineers.
And contact Team Alder.
I want the corvettes ready for launch.
They're still at the caldera.
Tell them to work faster.
The Invictus won't wait forever.
Why is she still alive?
That vault.
It's the worst kind of unknown.
And she seems to be the key to it.
Once we've neutralized it,
we'll kill her.
Are you sure this will work, Huntress?
The Invictus is our redemption,
and we have earned it with our pain.
You ready?
Are these the names of your original crew?
Every person who served
on the Deliverance.
You can see we lost some people to age
or accidents when we settled Terminus.
Show me the environmental engineer.
Astronautics?
Who was his second?
I was. I took over that specialty.
Propulsion?
Studied at Crito Orbital Academy.
Logged over 5,000 hours on
imperial transport and merchant vessels,
sub-light and FTL.
You're trying to crew a jumpship.
So why did you shoot down
Commander Dorwin's?
Because I needed the man himself,
not his little crater jumper.
What you've done is an act of war.
We have who we need.
Restore power to the fence and recode it.
I don't want these people sneaking away
before we're done.
- Hi.
- Hiya.
I will explain this only once.
The Foundation has
a breadth of knowledge we lack.
And so we require a handful of your people
to assist us in repairing a starship.
If the repairs go as planned,
we leave Terminus, and you return
to life as you've known it.
If you refuse us, then we all die,
Anacreons, Terminus alike.
Jacenta Rov, step forward.
You were the chief environmental engineer
on the Deliverance?
I was. But I won't work for you.
My loyalty lies with the Foundation.
I shot one leg.
Your husband has another.
Do we understand each other?
Akiva Lee.
Can you maintain a quantum folding engine
on an Altair-class warship?
Yes.
Lewis Pirenne.
Please, it's been 30 years since I've...
You're certain this is everyone we need?
I thought you were trying to poison me.
They helped, the wolvesbreath leaves.
I'm less sore today.
I'm glad, Empire.
It would be my honor
to be of any further assistance.
You can be of further assistance
in accepting my regret that I spoke to you
as I did the other day.
Perfect symmetry here.
Hedges trimmed every day.
Foolish attempt to control
the uncontrollable.
A plant will grow
in the direction of light...
won't it?
It will, Empire.
I know I told you to get rid of those...
but leave them.
May the light never dim.
I suspect it won't.
When I summon you,
I expect you to arrive promptly.
As you can see, I have a surprise for you.
A challenge on your first time out.
Ghillie raptors. Now, they blend
into their surroundings so well
you can hardly find them,
let alone shoot them.
Look for the movement, not the color.
Under normal circumstances, Brother Day
would introduce you to the hunt.
But since he's decided to buck tradition
and leave Trantor,
that responsibility falls to me.
- Have you heard from him?
- No.
Neither will you.
Consider it the rare opportunity
for you to exercise your independence.
First one of the day.
I doubt you even saw that creature
before I shot...
Lucky shot.
It was.
Give me the day,
and I'll mold that luck into skill.
I'd rather mold it myself.
Well then, good hunting to you.
And to you.
Four moons, she's heavy.
- Poly?
- Oh, shit.
Damn it, Poly. That hurt.
Sorry.
Where are we?
Geothermal tunnels.
We saw you in the brig
and dragged you out here.
You're way heavier than you look.
Thanks.
Warden?
What's an Invictus?
Where'd you hear that name?
Phara said it when she was with you.
It was the only word I could make out.
It was a legendary destroyer.
But it disappeared centuries ago.
It's like a ghost ship.
Well, I think Phara's found it.
- On the ground. On the ground!
- Get down. Get down.
- Salvor.
- Dad. Dad.
Hugo!
- You too!
- Mayor Hardin.
Thank Seldon.
What are you doing here?
The Anacreons recoded the fence,
locked us out.
We figured the hulk was
as safe a place as any to hide.
Told him it was one of the stops
on your nightly rounds.
You can save all that pillow talk
for later.
Right now, we need a plan
to get back inside.
We're not going back.
What do you mean, we're not going back?
The Anacreon corvettes are
on the geothermal field.
Forget the corvettes.
We need to protect the Foundation.
This is about protecting the Foundation.
Phara's after a warship. I think.
A planet-killer.
If she gets her hands on it, she'll pull
the whole galaxy into conflict.
This is the first Seldon Crisis.
The Vault waking up now,
the instincts driving me...
Hari put me here to stop the Anacreons,
and he's helping me figure out how.
So I'm following those instincts,
and we're taking out those corvettes.
Understood?
- Yes, ma'am.
- Yes, ma'am.
Not you two. You're staying here.
But we saved you.
And I'm grateful.
But this is wild work,
and I'm not having your blood on my hands.
Esteemed Empire.
I expected the clamoring masses
upon my arrival,
but instead I'm greeted by a heretic.
Profuse apologies, Empire.
I assure you, a proper welcome awaits.
May I present Zephyr Gilat.
Triple blessings to you, Empire.
The pleasure is mine, Zephyr.
My condolences on the passing
of Proxima Opal.
Thank you, Empire. It is a sad occasion,
but also a hopeful one.
Especially for you.
I shall gracefully accept whatever
the Ring of Zephyrs should decide.
Tell us, what is your sense
of how they currently lean?
Zephyr Gilat is still most likely
to be named Proxima.
However, it will not take much
to tip things in a less desirable fashion.
I understand.
We want to help you
in whatever way we can.
That is most generous.
We cannot deny that Halima has
a natural charisma.
I feel it is necessary for me
to offer something concrete.
With all due respect, Empire,
the infrastructure's crumbling.
Fresh water has long been expensive
and hard to come by.
Something in this Halima
is quenching their thirst.
I think we have a solution for that.
We'll take Halima's metaphor
and make it literal.
Zephyr Gilat, in honor of your rising
as the next Proxima,
Empire will build a moon-wide
desalination system.
Your people will never go
without clean drinking water again.
I am without words, Empire.
Triple blessings to you, Zephyr Gilat.
You okay?
I was not cut out for this wind.
I spent those first years
with my fists clenched.
One day your mother said,
"Open your fists, man.
You can't punch the wind."
You go on, Hugo. We'll catch up.
Growing up on Trantor, childhood indoors...
makes you soft.
You never talk much about Trantor.
What's the point?
We're never going back there.
Was it bad?
On the contrary. It was incredible.
Your grandparents worked the Star Bridge,
so we were pretty well-off.
Miracles everywhere.
Floating fountains,
synchronized water shows with whales
and things swimming
above your head in zero G.
And the food... Oh, my God.
The finest everything.
You think I'm fat now?
But here's the thing, Sal.
We knew it was built
on a mountain of lies and deception,
a trillion people working
behind the scenes
just to make everything shine.
You scratch the surface of it,
and it just couldn't go on.
And then Hari started making waves
about the collapse.
You know, I couldn't make heads or tails
of anything he was saying.
But you believed in the Plan.
I believed in a girl named Mari Hardin,
who I desperately wanted
to go to bed with.
Dad.
She believed in the Plan.
You joined the Foundation for a girl?
I did.
Do you ever regret it? Coming here?
I got you out of it, didn't I?
Come on.
That does not look good.
They're setting charges
around the hydro-cells.
It'll destroy the entire city.
We need to throw a very large wrench
into the works.
If I could get closer, I could snipe
one of those explosive disks,
maybe take out a corvette or two.
A better shot could keep her distance
and take out all three.
Oh, Salvor.
No. Nothing doing, Dad.
You're too old, too fat,
and your eyesight's for shit.
You'll never make it.
You are definitely your mother's daughter.
Your focus and skill
are extraordinary, Empire.
Six kills.
Brother Dusk will be impressed.
You've broken his record.
How many did he kill?
On his best hunt, three.
And after a good deal of practice.
Sneaky bastard.
That would have made four.
Throw these into the bushes.
Take them now. I killed three.
I killed three. Do you understand? Go!
Brother Dawn, how was your hunt?
Three.
You matched my record
on your first attempt.
Romus helped considerably.
Exceptional work, Brother Dawn.
You're a natural hunter.
Here, to celebrate.
Well, you hunt like a man.
Do you consider yourself a man now?
I don't know. I suppose?
Only a man can replace the man.
I think it's time you paid a visit
to Gossamer Court.
The business of Empire is challenging.
And we are human, after all.
We need to voice our fears,
our hatreds, our resentments.
Their memories are wiped clean
before they leave Trantor.
Cleon I developed the system.
It's perfect, really.
So?
Which one would you like?
What pleasures do you seek, Empire?
You'll have no memory of this?
None that will endure
past the night, Empire.
I could say anything to you,
and you won't remember tomorrow?
That's correct.
And that doesn't bother you?
Memories of this liaison are not
my possession.
They belong to Empire.
Do you care for the pleasure of discourse?
I'm conversant in many subjects.
Turn away.
I'll tell them you did well.
And as far as you'll remember, you did.
He didn't touch me.
What did he do then?
He just talked.
Tell me everything he said.
You good, Sal?
Almost in range now.
Just need to take a wind reading
and I'm good to go.
Salvor? Sal?
- It's happened again.
- What?
It's a mind-slip, seizure, something.
If we don't pull her back,
they'll spot her.
You get Salvor. I'll get the corvettes.
There's only one scenario
in which you leave the ship as planned,
and that's the one in which it becomes
impossible for you to remain on board.
I don't take my life.
You do.
You're Hari Seldon.
You can fix this.
I'm telling you I can't.
Don't you see?
This whole thing collapses
because you stay with her.
And everything everyone has sacrificed,
all wasted.
You know what I'm saying is true.
Do you trust the math?
I hate the math.
Do you trust me?
I wish I'd never met you,
never stolen your damn books.
But you did.
And we are here now,
an entire galaxy pivoting around
the actions of an individual. You.
Go straight to the cryo-pod.
It's programmed for you.
And don't stop to say goodbye to her.
Don't implicate her in this.
Salvor?
- It happened again.
- I know. Can you shoot?
- Yeah.
- Then go. Go.
Where's my dad?
Gone for the corvettes.
He went in after you dropped.
He won't make it.
There are too many.
Keep covering me, Sal.
I'll take out those ships.
No, Dad. No.
Help!
Dad!
Salvor Hardin, Warden of Terminus.
- Dad.
- You have to protect the Plan.
Dad, please.
Open your fists, Salvor.
No, Daddy!
Don't fight the wind.
Daddy!
No.
No.
You should see the view from up here.
Empire, I... I shouldn't be here.
Come. It's all right.
Thought you might like that.
Parterres.
Walkways.
Grand lawn.
Look how precise they are, how neat.
Everything in its place.
I've always loved that.
Come see it from here.
I don't have a force field, Empire.
You do now.
Take it.
I won't if you're not.
It's beautiful.
If you can see beauty, it is.
Tell me what those are.
The rose garden?
Rosa arvensis, then Rosa persica.
- Rosa kordesii...
- Their colors.
White and yellow.
A bright yellow with a dark red center,
and a deep, brilliant red.
What else is that color? That red.
In nature?
The scarlet maple tree.
The summer tanager bird.
The shell of the red crab.
Red sandalwood.
I wasn't aware Empire was color-blind.
Empire isn't.
Cleons are exact replicas.
None has ever been color-blind...
before me.
Isn't it fairly common in men?
There are simple ways to correct it.
It's not common to us.
And none of it's simple.
That's my secret.
And now you know it.
Now what do I do?
If I were trying to keep a secret,
I'd push me off.
It's the safest way to ensure my silence.
You could push me.
Sal.
He joined the Foundation for a girl.
Isn't that strange?
He believed in the end, but...
he did it all for my mom.
I'm so sorry.
I screwed up, Hugo.
If I hadn't blacked out,
my father would still be alive.
No.
I was just so certain
taking their ships was the right play.
Maybe it was.
Maybe the other plays were worse.
And Hari said...
He said an entire galaxy can pivot
around the actions of an individual.
So then you are
one of those individuals, right?
Hari is guiding you
to keep the Plan on course.
Because I'm, what? Special?
The Anacreons took the city
because of me...
No. They took it because of Lewis
and the idiots in the tower.
And right now
the only chance the Foundation has
of surviving this crisis is you.
I don't care about the crisis.
All I care about is making Phara pay.
We just blew up her ships.
Your rig's the only way off planet now.
We get to the Beggar before they do,
they are stranded. Come on.
As we mourn Proxima Opal's
compassion and her strength,
let us be grateful for her many blessings.
In honor of Opal's passage to rebirth,
and as a gesture of faith
to our next Proxima,
our esteemed Empire will be installing
a moon-wide desalination system.
Let us now praise Empire
and turn to the words of the New Octavo.
"With the gifts of our protectors...
our hearts...
our hearts are multiplied
and our spirits emboldened.
By the will of their souls
aligned with ours...
our path"...
Zephyr Gilat speaks holy words,
and we thank her for them.
We extend our gratitude to the Empire.
As we celebrate Proxima Opal's
passage to her next life,
let us take a moment to be grateful
for the Mother's gift,
the gift of rebirth.
There was a time, millennia ago,
when our souls were like wax candles.
They burned through once,
and then they were snuffed out.
But the Mother looked down
and saw that this was insufficient.
A single life in a single body,
raised in a single world,
such a soul had no foothold to climb
from the trenches of ignorance
to grow into holiness.
And so the Mother took
that straight line of life
and shaped it into a circle,
bestowing upon us the gift of rebirth.
But what does this gift mean?
Some believe the purpose of reincarnation
is to ascend to the highest planes
of enlightenment.
But we know better, don't we?
For there is no end to this journey.
For our capacity for growth
is infinite.
Even a soul that appeared holy
400 years ago
would not be holy today.
This is the Mother's lesson.
As the galaxy changes, so must we.
We must embrace
the value of transformation,
of evolution,
of difference.
The greatest failure of humanity,
the greatest sin against the Mother,
is stagnation.
And so we rejoice
that Proxima Opal's soul will not stagnate
and rust into corruption.
We rejoice that her soul is not bound
to a single, immutable body.
We rejoice that her soul is
an ever-transformative, evolving soul.
Our lives in these bodies may be brief...
but our souls are endless.
And as we shape and sculpt our souls
into a never-ending quest for holiness,
remember this.
This will not always be your life.
But it is your life now.
Your choice now.
Your change now.
Make it count!
To the Mother!
To the Mother!
Let's go.
Kill her.
Beggar, invoke protocol.
Ship transfer Salvor Hardin. Lock.
What the hell did you just do?
I slaved the ship to Salvor.
From now on, it won't do anything
without her authorization.
Change it back. Make her change it back!
I locked it. Can't be changed.
So now you're stuck here
until the Empire arrives in full force.
Reprogram it now.
It won't listen to me.
Thespin ships only recognize
one captain at a time.
From now on, that's her.
So whatever bullshit
it is you're planning,
you won't be able to do it without her.
Then I can kill you.
Don't be an idiot. I don't know
the first thing about piloting a ship.
I need him riding shotgun.
You need him.
Guess you get to see
the stars after all, Warden.
You have space suits here?
From your time on the Deliverance?
Yes, but they're 30 years old.
They'll have to do.
Understand me.
We are leaving the rest of our troops
here as leverage.
If you fail to follow our orders,
if you defy our Huntress in any way,
weigh your fate against those
of your loved ones and act accordingly.
- Lewis.
- Dara.
It's all right, my love.
Just do whatever they ask.
Please, don't do...
Please.
Get off. Let go.
Mommy!
Where's your father?
Where's Abbas?
Mom, I'm so sorry. I tried. I tried.
Take us up there.
Like I said, it's Salvor's ship now.
Just grab the controls and trust yourself.
I got it.
Please enter your destination.
The ship's asking for coordinates.
You wanna tell us where we're going?
The Anthor Belt.
Strap in. Takeoffs can be rough.
I'm happy here.
The Belt's coordinates are stored
in the Beggar's nav
from when I used to do mining runs.
Get us out of the atmosphere,
and we'll be fine.
We're ready.
And engines.
Easy.
Are we okay?
Let the stick tell you
what the ship wants to do.
You're not controlling it.
It's a cooperation.
If I'm not controlling it,
then they shouldn't call them controls.
Increase thrust 20%.
Compensate for the eastern wind shear.
Boosters increased.
Good job. We're out of the woods.
Crowns.