The Expanse (2015–…): Season 3, Episode 2 - IFF - full transcript

If Mars gets ahold
of whatever's on Venus,

I believe Earth is over.

I want a formal
declaration of war.

We're about to be
in the middle of a war zone.

Avasarala's involved
in a conspiracy

against this government.

She's left for a covert meeting

on board a ship
owned by Jules-Pierre Mao.

It's not Mei.
I don't know who it is.

We're going to do
everything we can

to find your daughter.



Wait. This is Mei's medicine.

Strickland's keeping her alive.

When the hybrid burned up
in our drive,

something else happened
at that same moment.

A spike... on lo.

There's a decommissioned
helium-3 refinery there,

built by Jules-Pierre Mao.

We've plotted a safe,
clean course for Tycho.

We can go to Tycho... after lo.

Fuck it. I'm in.

- Amos.
- Me too.

Stay with me now.

I need you to help me
take control of the ship.

Errinwright is going
with missiles



from that escort ship.

17 minutes till impact.

All communications
come through here, yes?

If I don't have any evidence,

then my life
isn't worth much either.

I got it.

Mao kept his kid's ship

up in the hangar bay.

It's a two-seater.

You'll fly Avasarala
out of here.

Powering up.

Daddy.

Mei...

Don't you want to be able
to fly one day?

- I want my daddy.
- I know.

I know you do, sweetheart.
But you're a big girl.

And big girls don't cry,
now, do they?

No.

Now, you told me you could
take care of yourself.

Were you lying?

What is this place?

Well, only very,
very special people

get to come here.

I brought you here
because you are special.

Now, this nurse is going
to take you

for a little checkup...
It's okay, it's okay.

She's gonna give you
your medicine too.

You know how important that is.

I can't ever miss a dose.

That's right.

Then after that,
it's dinnertime.

Are you hungry?
I'll bet you're hungry.

Bye-bye.

How are you, sir?
Good to meet you.

Sir it's... it's a pleasure.
How are you?

Good to see you.

Sir, how was your trip?

It's good to see you.

Sir... I haven't seen you
in some time.

Good to see you.

Good to see you again, sir.

There's nothing good about it.

The escort ship is slowing down.

They're scanning the debris.

I don't see the drop ship.

Neither do I.

Can't you make this goddamn
display any clearer?

This is the best I can do
with passive scans.

If I turn on any active sensors,

it'll give us away.

Fuck.

I'm sorry about Cotyar.

Then fuck your "sorry" s.

- That's the hammerlock.
- Speak politician.

If we're within that range
and they fire,

we won't be able to dodge the
torpedoes.

Then perhaps we should move
a bit faster.

The second
we light up our drive,

they'll see it and fire.

Best we can do
is sit tight and wait.

For the love of...

Depends on your definition
of "safe."

This is not a gun ship.
We have no active defenses.

But she's fast and maneuverable.

At this separation,
a good pilot would be able

to dodge a torpedo.

No, I'm a marine.

Pilots carry me to kill things.

I'm just gonna take
a look around.

There's a lot of ships
in the Jupiter AO,

within close proximity

and well outside
the normal patrol routes.

Looks like Errinwright
finally got his war.

Shit.

- They got us.
- Not yet.

Hang on.

Trying not to kill you.

I can't go any slower than this.

I'm all right.

But maybe not
if we have to keep this up.

- We need to send a message.
- We can't.

Our comms were locked out
from the "Guamshiyin."

I know, but surely there must
be some kind of radio

on that contraption
you're wearing.

I've got an emergency
wideband transmitter

but it's low-power
and only sends MCRN encrypted.

Only Martians will
understand it.

Good.

To them, you're a war criminal

and I'm a deserter.

The UN is trying to kill us.

If Mars throws us
both in prison,

that's an improvement.

You have a better idea?

I'm leaving our names out of it.

Good.

These green panels can

be installed anywhere
on the ship.

All they need is a feed line
from the water filter.

You're gonna fix the table
in the galley, right?

We still have to eat.

These are just test units.

When we do it properly,
all we'll need is areca palm,

lady palm, spider plant,
and peace lily.

Those are the best purifiers.

We're running low
on air filters.

This should stretch
what we've got till after IO.

And Amos rigged a safety shutter

to protect the panels

in case the compartment needs
to be evacuated.

Well, that was Doc's idea too.

All right.

Let's hook 'em up.

It's been a while
since I worked on a garden.

UNN and MCRN fleets
engaged around Saturn,

with both sides suffering
heavy losses.

Martian ships now appear
to be pulling back

toward the Belt
and Ceres Station,

which remains under MCR control.

You need to look at the engine.

What's the problem?

We're burning too much fuel
too fast,

and at this rate, we could
run out of reaction mass

and wind up on the drift.

Yeah, but... Naomi.

We're going to lo.
We're not turning back...

Yeah, I'm not asking you to.

I know we have to burn dirty
to look like a rockhopper,

but I can tweak the burn.

Same drive signature,
but more efficient...

Gives us a bit more
margin for error.

That's great. Thanks.

IFF just picked up a signal.

It's "Identify, Friend or Foe."

It's a target
recognition system.

It lets you know if someone's
on your team or not.

I have a high-level
diplomatic target

in immediate threat.

This is an MMC emergency
assist request.

Whoa, whoa.
Stand back, stand back.

Hey! Stop!

Stand back!

Okay... Stop it.

Stop... stop! Stop it.

I'm fine. Let me see.

- Are you a doctor?
- Of sorts.

I'm Anna. What's your name?

- Colin.
- Colin, look at me.

Is this your first protest?

- You?
- I've had my share.

Hey, it's fractured.
But don't worry.

When it heals,
you'll be stronger than before.

You! What's your name?

We're not supposed
to give our name...

Hey! Tell her your fucking name.

- Michael.
- Michael.

This is Colin.
He needs medical attention.

I know you have
a first-aid station

near here, right?
No, that's only

for UN Officials...
I'm going to be

checking in on Colin.

And if he does not get
the care that he deserves,

things will not go well for you.

Bye, Colin. Go!

The fleet... What I need to know

is the amount of loss...
Excuse me.

We're in a meeting.

- Sorry, sir, I thought...
- Anna!

What happened?

Your MPs were handing them out

to the protestors.

Well, you haven't changed a bit.

I like to think I have.

Undersecretary
Sadavir Errinwright,

this is Reverend Doctor
Anna Volovodov, an old friend.

- Pleasure.
- Hello.

Give us a minute.

Of course.

Feels like a lifetime ago.

That it does.

I wasn't sure that you'd come.

You landed a ship
filled with Marines

in the courtyard of my church.

I didn't think I had a choice.

I never imagined you
going to church,

let alone running one.

I never imagined you
to end up running the planet.

Why am I here?

I was gonna
send you a message...

and then I thought
it better in person.

It's not easy for me to
get away these days, because...

there's a war going on.
I've noticed.

- Anna, I need your help.
- Bullshit.

You know that there are

not many people that talk to me
like that anymore.

At least not to my face.

I'm sorry.

That was disrespectful.

You're here because
you talk to me like that.

Esteban...

you haven't needed my help
in a long time.

There have never been
times like this.

Eros, Venus, and now war.

The people are terrified
and I want to reassure them.

I'll be addressing
the General Assembly.

It'll be the single

most important speech
of my life.

I want you to help me write it.

You want me to help
you justify this war?

We didn't start it.

But for the good of the system,

we need to win it and end it.

I want the people of this planet

to feel that God is on our side.

Abraham Lincoln hoped
that he was on God's side.

You always make me better.

Will you help me?

I'd prefer not to.

My church just opened
a free clinic

for undocumenteds.

We have to barter...
with drug dealers

for meds that we can't afford.

Support my clinic for...
a year...

I'll help you with your speech.

I think we can find money
in some appropriations bill

for a worthy cause such as that.

There's a room for you
in the residence.

Get settled.
We'll have dinner tonight,

and I'll give you
some preliminary thoughts.

Guys! We got a situation.

- Story of our lives.
- The "Roci" picked up

a distress call.
There's a Martian Marine

out there that's in the shit.

This is an MMC emergency
assist request.

I have a high-level
diplomatic target

in immediate threat.

We are in a civilian
racing vessel

being pursued
by a rogue UNN hostile.

Request all possible assist.

There are people dying
all over the system, Alex.

What, we do nothing?

- Exactly.
- We just got out

of the heroic
intervention business.

Okay, let me see
if I get this straight.

You wanna log a distress call
against orders

on the "Cant," and you do that.

Naomi decides to ignore

what we all vote on,
and she does that.

But a Martian sends up a flare

and all of a sudden,
we got rules?

- Alex...
- No!

I swore an oath
when I signed up,

and just 'cause I'm not
in uniform anymore

doesn't change that.

A Martian is calling for help.
I'm supposed to help.

Alex, listen up.

I got a fix on the signal.

You're not going
to fucking believe this.

The ship's registered
to Julie Mao.

Jesus Christ.
All right, lay in a course.

- I'm on my way.
- Belay that.

We're not responding.

- It's Julie Mao's ship.
- It doesn't change anything.

Captain's right.

It changes everything.

Not what we need to do.

We promised you we'd help
try to find your daughter.

I don't really
have a say in this.

Yes, you do.

You're part of this crew.

So we just go back to business?

Can you look him in the eye
and tell him that

whatever this might be
is more important

than finding his kid?

I did that once.

I'm not doing it again.

Once again, I find myself
cleaning up your mess, Jules.

It might be beneath your notice,

but I'm fighting a war here,

and I've reached
the end of my patience.

You promised me a weapons system

and I want it now.

My accounts are still frozen
and family still in custody.

When those issues have
been corrected,

then we can discuss delivery.

Not one minute before.

Motherfucker.

Earth and Mars witness
a power that can turn

an asteroid into
a guided missile...

deconstruct a ship down to
its rivets in an instant.

And all they wanna do
is destroy each other over it.

The protomolecule is clearly

not what
we thought it was, but...

If Errinwright uses
the Hybrids...

they could lay waste
to all of Mars.

That's an extreme scenario.

Hybrid number A-26
has been loaded.

All hybrid pods are ready
for transfer.

Like you were standing

on my chest.

I'm fine.

Yes, I feel like
I'm in a goddamn tunnel.

Look around you.

I'm trying to gauge
if you're having a stroke.

Keep clenching your thighs.

For the...

If you're hitting on me,
I'm flattered.

But I have neither
the inclination, nor...

What does clenching do?

It keeps
your blood moving around,

rather than pooling up
in the back of your legs.

Do you like to whistle?

Don't try to distract me...

like I were a child.
It forces you to breathe.

Do anything.
Just don't pass out.

Relaxing is what gets you.

Given our situation,
it's easy to stay tense.

You seem to be taking this well.

I'm trained for this.

I could do another four Gs
standing on my head.

If I die...

- We're in this together.
- If I die...

make sure you don't.

You have to tell... someone...

what really happened out here.

That's your job.
I'm not letting you die.

That wasn't meant to be funny.

What is... is the thought
of a Martian Marine...

risking her life... for me.

We're on the same side.

The right side.

Chrisjen?

Shit.

Brace yourself.

Shit!

Shit!

More torpedoes.

A lot more.
Another ship just fired on us.

Hang on!

I'm sorry.

Don't be.

I'm not sure.

What the hell...?

That's not how those things

usually work.

Detonation confirmed,
two of ours for two of theirs,

Copy that.

Our other six are protecting
the Razorback.

That was the easy part.

Alex, I'm coming up.

Helluva plan, Captain.

You must've aced Tactical
Warfare at the Navy OCS.

I didn't like it then any
more than I like it now.

Amos, Prax, get your lids on
and strap in.

Depressurizing in five minutes.

It's a little late
for cold feet, doc.

The only reason
we're in this scrap

is 'cause you broke the tie.

Those people cried out for help.

I couldn't ignore that.

You can't save everyone.

It's a waste of time to try.

And why would you risk
not finding your little girl

for some Martian jarhead
you don't even know?

You've all risked so much
to help me.

I can't do any less.

That's amazing. Everyone at
the clinic will be thrilled.

It means being away from you
for a few weeks.

Surrounded by armed guards.

And... and being a mouthpiece

for a wartime government.

Wait, I'm going to put you down.

What are we talking around?

- I don't know.
- You always do this

when you don't want to look
at something head on.

What aren't you looking at?

Esteban. He...

he doesn't bring out
the best in me.

I haven't seen him for years,

and I'm still so angry.

I talk about forgiveness
all the time. I...

I can't bring myself
to forgive him.

You're not there to forgive him.

You're there to help people
with your words.

And maybe those words
will change

the Secretary General's
heart, too.

And maybe your own.

Maybe you should do it.

Words are not my gift.

That's obviously untrue.
But you're right, like always.

I'm going to miss you.

We'll miss you, too.

So. Are we going to talk about
that cut on your forehead?

No.

Okay. Then say goodnight
to our daughter.

Yeah! Nami!

- Wave to mommy.
- Nami, it's mommy!

This is you.

This is both of you.

And I l-l-l-love, mwah!

I love you, baby.
Goodnight, sweet dreams.

Bye, Mommy.

The UNN ship just fired on us.

We got their attention.

Amos, Prax, buckle up.

We're good.

Naomi, are all those
torpedoes prepped?

They're prepped.

Damn it, if we start trading
punches with this beast,

we're gonna run out of missiles
long before they do.

You know that, right?

That's why we're gonna
have to do this.

We picked this fight,

and we're punching
above our weight.

If you've got a better plan,

now would be the time.

All right.

Let's do it.

Worst case scenario.

Fifth fleet is still in
a hard burn towards Jupiter.

Ten ships have been destroyed,
two have been scuttled,

and seven are still engaged
with the Martian fleet, sir.

How are we handling
the press on this?

We're currently drafting
a document to be released

to all major news organizations.

We'll be ready first thing
in the morning.

Then we'll need to see
a copy of that.

Yes, sir.

Well, you keep...

apprised of any changes.

Sorry for interrupting
your dinner.

I am not the most important
thing in this room.

I hear you're joining
the S-G's speechwriting team.

Word gets around fast
in this building.

And every assault we face,

every injustice we incur,

every man and woman that
we lose on our path,

we will carry in our hearts
to a place

where we will stand proud

and say we were not stopped.

Is that you standing behind him?

It was.

It's quite a speech.

Practically made
the S-G's career.

They teach it in
the Diplomatic Corps.

You write it?

I share the blame.

We lost so many ships
around Saturn. At this rate...

They're already pulling their
forces back towards Jupiter.

It's just a matter of time.

Our apologies, Doctor Volovodov.

Anna is just fine.

Pastor Anna, if you
attend my church.

Well, there's no chance of that

with this bunch of heathens.

So, Anna.

What do you think
of the Arborghast?

Is that a sign from God?

That's a question people
who aren't religious use

to make fun of people who are.

No mockery intended.

I think it's a sign that
there are things

in the universe much
bigger than we are.

Which is good to be reminded of
now and then,

Jules-Pierre Mao
knows what it is.

When we get our
hands on that prick,

we'll be sure to ask him.

The bounty's up to 20 million.

Someone will spot him.
My money's on a Belter.

They love money.

That would make you a Belter.

If Jules-Pierre Mao is as
smart as his media claim he is,

he'd turn himself in.

We've already frozen his assets.

He can't hide forever.

And if that's not enough, we
know where his children live.

Visiting the sins of
the father on his children?

You know we've had a whole
other Testament since then,

right?

Sometimes...

you need to exert pressure
where it's most effective,

especially in times of war.

Collective punishment
is still a war crime.

Look it up.

Well.

It's important to be
reminded of that.

Every now and then.

She's always like this.

Don't worry, you'll
get used to it.

They're still shooting at us.

Nice to know they still care.

I'm fine.

I think I'm getting
used to high-g.

I dropped our burn to 1-g
when our escort showed up.

Shit.

It's getting thick out there.

Hey! Doc!

Look at me.

Control your breathing.

In through your nose,
out through your mouth.

Goddamnit, Doc, I told you
to secure that locker!

I'm sorry, I'll... I'll get it.

- Stay in your damn seat!
- Okay!

- Firing PDCs!
- Copy that.

I... I can't breathe!

Hey, your oxygen's knocked out.

Reach behind your head and see
if you can plug it back it.

I can't!

The first generation hybrids
had their limitations,

but we've learned
so much since then.

We should dismantle them.

Sir, let's take a breath.

There's no need to dismantle...

Protomolecule can't be
controlled.

Actually, sir, that's not true.

It can be controlled.

By using them.

These children are the key.

Now, this might pinch a little.

I've done this before.

Not quite like this.

Katoa?

Mei!

I'm so glad you're here!

What's going on?

Hey, now.
We are not done with you.

They won't let me see my daddy.

The reason we had to put
a failsafe in the Hybrids

was because sooner or later,

the Protomolecule
always broke down

our command and control tech.

But these children...

all these children...

share a rare genetic
immune deficiency

that only occurs on Ganymede,

which I discovered could be used

to inhibit the Protomolecule.

Incredible.

They told me that because
of all the fighting,

they'd have to get
kids like us out.

Dr. Strickland's here.
He's taking care of us.

I know, but where's my daddy?

They'll take us back
when it's safe.

Here's the good part.

Dr. Strickland said that by
the time we're ready to leave,

we'll be cured.

He's been
giving us new treatment.

Yeah.

I believe that if we
can fully understand

this process at
a molecular level,

it could hold the key

to creating countermeasures
to the Protomolecule...

maybe even find a way to stop
whatever's happening on Venus.

Do what you have to do.

Hang in there,
I'm coming to get you.

Hang in there! I'm coming!

Doc, look at me! Hang on!

Hang on to that.

Guys, the UNN ship is getting
too close!

- Now!
- Missiles away!

Stand by. Looks like we're
in for another rough ride.

It sheared the engines
clean off!

Rest of the ship's intact.

Holy shit, it worked.

All right, setting a course
for the Razorback.

We did it.

Yeah, we sure did.

We only have two torpedoes left.

PDC rounds are under 10%.

We're in a war with no bullets.

- We're not the ones at war.
- We are now.

You think the UN's gonna
give us a free pass

for sparing lives?

We crippled one of their ships.

We just declared war on Earth.

Are you trying to get
yourself killed, Doc?

No.

Because that stuff
you said before

about having to save that ship,
that was bullshit.

I keep having this dream
about the child we found

in the incinerator.

That when I find Mei,
it'll be too late.

Because I can't bear the thought

of finding Mei like that.

I don't know shit
about parenting.

But what I do know

is that a kid needs
at least one person

who never gives up on them,

no matter what.

It's not about me.

It's about you.

If you give up on Mei,
what has she got left?

What do you got left?

Chrisjen!

Help her, please.