But we haven't been
on real leave in months.
Don't you want to have fun?
Me, you, trance, working together on a mission.
No captain,
no high guard protocol,
and, best of all,
lots of profit to go around.
Well, beka, as definitions go,
I find that one woefully lacking in detail.
You want details? Okay.
It's a mission I've been planning for months.
During this mission, we will find this...
Thing,
and once we've found this thing,
we will be rich and happy
beyond your wildest nietzschean fantasies.
Well, now it's much clearer.
And what precisely is this...Thing?
She can't tell you.
Why?
Why can't I tell him?
Because if you tell him,
tyr will die.
Then by all means,
leave me in suspense.
Tyr will die?
Aren't we being a little dramatic?
It's only dramatic
until somebody does die.
Okay, cut to the chase.
You said you come from a bad future.
What happened?
I told you.
I made a lot of mistakes,
so that's why I came back, to set them right.
And this is one of those things?
Not taking tyr--
that's good for everyone,
trust me.
Okay, but the legend
still says we need three people,
and since harper took rommie
on that "educational" field trip
to Albuquerque drift,
I'm out of options.
What about Dylan?
Not an option.
Who better than Dylan?
Dylan's the captain.
If he comes along, it becomes his mission,
his prize,
and I've done
way too much research on this
just to hand it over to captain terrific.
Beka, we need Dylan.
According to the f.T.A. Clipping service,
a lot of other people are after this thing.
Bad people?
Bad, good, it doesn't really matter.
What matters is
if they get there first and they find it...
I know. Trust you.
Fine.
I'll ask him.
The engine of creation?
You've heard of it?
Well, yeah.
I mean, it's a machine
that can rearrange space and time.
It can reignite suns, create whole planets...
Even raise the dead.
Yeah.
And you think we can find it
on the planet of shintaida?
That's right.
You know, there's just one problem.
The engine of creation is a myth.
It's like the holy grail of ancient earth,
or the wyverni hordes of Gehenna-mortis.
Or a restored commonwealth?
You know, that's not funny.
All right.
You really believe that this exists?
I wouldn't be going if I didn't believe.
Think about it, Dylan--
something like the engine of creation,
it could do anything.
It could make dreams come true--
even yours.
All right.
Let's dream.
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 reunite the galaxies.
On the starship Andromeda, hope lives again.
Shintaida...
A planet beautiful in its natural brutality,
blessed by
a dazzling assortment of deadly creatures
and brilliant under its bloodlit skies...
Sounds inviting.
So this guy's an expert on shintaidan archaeology?
Renowned.
His expedition left for shintaida two months ago,
armed to the gills with guns.
However, I, professor mino tabascalli,
will brave shintaida's deadly traps,
tame its unseen enemies,
and locate its temple of spirits,
and, at long last, hold in these, my hands,
the legendary engine of creation.
I will accomplish
what hundreds before me
have perished trying to accomplish.
And no one has heard from him since.
Nope.
He never came back.
Ah.
But you have a different plan?
My plan is to come back.
It's a good plan.
A good plan.
Are we there yet?
No.
You know, beka,
we've already covered 17 kilometers.
Maybe we should call it a day.
Captain's orders?
I heard that.
No, no.
Look, it's your mission, it's your call.
I'm just getting a little hungry.
Considering it--
except this ravine we're walking through,
according to my map,
it's called the "eyes of blood and peril".
The eyes of blood and peril.
Let's just stop here.
No. No!
Why?
What's wrong with this spot?
The eyes of blood and peril.
This is a bad spot.
Let's put down over here.
The "rock of refuge".
Good idea.
If you don't mind, I'll take point.
Now I remember
why I prefer outer space to Terra firma.
These rocks are killing my feet.
One more kilometer.
We're almost there.
Yeah. Just remind me to wear an a.G. Harness
next time we go hiking.
Note taken.
So where's Dylan?
He's up ahead,
scouting for a campsite.
I just hope he's careful.
Oh, he's always careful. He's Dylan.
Yeah, you're right.
I guess I'm feeling just a little responsible.
It's been almost two years
since I've been a captain of a mission.
I just hope nothing bad happens.
[ Metal shifting ]
Something bad just happened,
didn't it?
Dylan!
Oh, this is so embarrassing.
Well, it's some kind of mine.
Thank you, Dylan.
I am painfully aware of it.
Then you probably know that you shouldn't move.
Uh, yeah.
Is there anything helpful about mines in the legend?
Well, the shinta call them
the "death rattles".
That's helpful.
And as far as I know,
there's no record of the explosive materials used.
That's good. No explosions.
She's right.
There is no incendiary device here.
Looks like a simple trigger mechanism.
A very old trigger mechanism.
But reliable, I am sure.
Now, the question is
what does it trigger...
And where it triggers from.
Trance, could you step back over there, please?
Wait.
Hold on.
Here's what we're going to do, okay?
Counterweights.
Trance, I want you to get that rock--
well, that was impressive.
Or stupid.
Depends on how you look at it.
Are you okay?
Huh?
Good thing I didn't pack light.
Here.
Souvenir.
Thanks.
[ Hinge creaking ]
It worked.
This must seem
a little strange to you.
In what way?
Beka being in charge.
Actually, I find it a little educational.
Really?
Oh, sure.
Leadership is hard to define.
There's really no right way,
and there's no wrong way.
Everyone seems to have their own style.
[ Beeping ]
Don't step here. Land mine.
See?
Beka definitely has her own style.
Yes, she does, but so do you.
You treat everything like it's a game of go.
You always plan your strategy
six steps ahead,
never lose sight of the big picture.
It's my military upbringing-- strictly by the book.
Sometimes it's my own private book, of course.
Beka, on the other hand...
She kind of likes to fly by the seat of her pants.
Yes, but I believe
that's what makes her a good slipstream pilot,
and it's also what makes you two such a good team.
You complete each other.
Then it's a good thing we're on the same side.
More than you know.
Dylan, trance,
you'd better come see this!
She must have found the rock of refuge.
Don't step there.
The remains of Dr. Tabascalli's expedition.
Emphasis on "remains".
They're all decapitated.
My god, they never had a chance.
They couldn't even get to their weapons.
Beka!
Tracks.
Guns are gone.
Right.
I say we forget the rock of refuge.
It's badly named.
Agreed. Let's get out of here.
Beka. Dylan.
Does this belong to you?
Dylan, I'm sorry.
It's not your fault, trance.
That's right. Blame me.
Johann fletcher.
Damned glad to meet you.
Let her go.
Or what? We already slashed the archaeologists.
What's a couple more?
Lady,
the chances are excellent
that my force lance will kill the three of you
before your finger squeezes the trigger.
I'm pretty sure
I'll clip Goldie first.
Well, maybe,
but she's already been killed three times
that I know of,
and she just keeps coming back to life.
Please.
He's right. I do.
I'll count to three.
He's lying, sweetie.
One...
Two...
Excuse me.
[ Weapon powering down ]
How stupid are you people?
I'm assuming we're all looking for the engine of creation,
am I right?
Yes. You're quite right!
Ahem.
Shut up, flux.
Maybe.
That's what I thought.
So then you're familiar with the legend?
Legend?
The legend that says
that it takes three people to get the engine,
so unless your trio stays intact,
you can kiss it goodbye.
Yeah, but if I kill Goldie,
you lose.
You know what?
I'll count again.
One...
Two...
Three!
So...Counting to three?
Kind of tells them when to shoot.
That's why I have this.
[ Whistles echoing ]
Where are you going?
Madame, I don't see
where that's any of your business.
Everything is my business.
Well, if you must know, I'm following orders.
My employers have demanded
that I steal your boss's force lance.
Well, I'm sorry to tell you,
but you've failed,
because if you had,
you'd be lying unconscious on the floor right now
from the security charge.
Would I?
Sorry.
But if I don't return with that force lance,
sir's going to kill me.
Yes, and if you try to get it, I will kill you.
Isn't this a sticky wicket?
Rock, meet hard place.
Trust me. It's not that sticky.
If sir still wants the engine, he needs three people, remember?
Oh.
Bully!
So he won't kill me, and you won't.
Provided you tell me how you got here.
I was the most dedicated manservant, trance,
always there with a toasty-crisp bath towel,
an impeccably placed oyster fork,
the choicest of bons mots,
but, alas, my employer fell on hard times
and traded me to sir.
How much did he sell you for?
Well, he was bargaining for his life, actually,
but sir killed him anyway
and took me.
Not one to negotiate, sir.
Tell me about him.
Sir was an f.T.A. Enforcement wing pilot,
and his lover, Duran, was a rester terrorist.
So they fell in love
and they abandoned their respective causes?
Actually, they betrayed both sides
and murdered their former associates.
Killing people is the glue that keeps them together,
and if they get the engine of creation,
they intend to reshape the universe
to serve their infinite whims and perversions.
Then why are you helping them?
Well, it tugs on my conscience
every now and then,
but I am, after all, a dedicated manservant.
You want to know what I think?
Oh, yes, very much.
I saw your faces
when you stumbled across those dead archaeologists.
You were as scared as we were.
Yes, but I'm often scared.
I think you three
didn't kill those archaeologists.
You just wanted us to believe that
to scare us,
and I also think
that you don't want anyone else
to get hurt over this engine,
especially yourself,
so here's what I suggest.
You take sir and Duran and head north,
and I will convince beka and Dylan to go south.
That way,
they won't be able to kill each other,
and it will just be our secret.
I do love secrets.
Well, then I'm glad we had the chance to talk.
The ruins must be around here somewhere.
Fletcher and Duran seem to think so.
Do you think
they really killed those people?
No. No.
They're bad, but they're not butchers,
just very strange lovers.
Yeah. He's totally controlling,
and she's this sexy
shoot-from-the-hip kind of gal.
What could they possibly have in common?
Harper always says that opposites attract.
That's just his excuse to meet women.
Everyone's the opposite of harper.
That's true.
Hey, guys, I found something!
After you.
Nice work, trance.
This place must be thousands of years old.
Maybe it's a ceremonial chamber.
It kind of gives me the creeps.
Guys...
I think I just found Dr. Tabascalli.
He must've escaped whoever killed his friends.
Until they caught up with him here.
Decapitated. Like the others.
That's a big knife.
That's not a knife.
It's a shuriken.
Specifically...
That shuriken.
Is this on the regular tour?
The legend talks about
a whirling guardian of the sanctum.
Well, that is definitely whirling.
So this must be the sanctum.
So that's good.
Yeah.
Yeah, good!
This is just fantastic.
Any legends about an exit?
The answer is here.
The shinta are all about touch and feel.
Yeah, they do all their touching and feeling
with flying, bladed weapons.
Trance, can't you use your guessing Powers for good?
I thought you'd been through this drill.
We never got that far.
Eeney meeney miney Moe...
Save our asses,
now let's go.
I got it. Trance!
Dylan!
Oh...
Well, that was...
Fun.
So...Where are we?
Right where we're supposed to be.
That's good.
According to this,
the engine of creation should be behind this panel.
All we need is the key.
Of course, the key.
You didn't happen to bring the key?
"Three souls turn as one,
"and the key shall be delivered
by the penitent,"
so the operative word here is "penitent."
Three statues. Three of us.
They don't look very penitent to me.
It's worth a try.
Okay, remember,
turn as one...
And...
Go.
Okay, that happened.
Tabascalli said something about a stone center
containing the universe.
I think this plug
is the key for that panel.
The simplest solution
is usually right.
Pull away...
But be careful.
And the engine shall deliver itself
to the righteous.
And now it's time to deliver to the righteous.
I don't believe it.
We must not be righteous enough.
Or fletcher's people got here first.
What's that smell?
Almond...
I think I opened more than the panel.
It's cyanide.
That stuff's not good for you.
This says nothing about cyanide.
Well, we'd better make something up.
I've got nothing.
Pull the key. Pull the key.
Do something, anything.
The simplest solution is usually right,
right?
That's far enough.
The engine, give it to us now.
That's funny.
I was just going to say the same thing.
Drop the attitude,
sweetie.
Excuse me?
Ow! Hey!
Oh, dear.
I hope you'll be a trifle more cooperative.
Give us the engine.
Does it look like we have it?
You lie to us,
she's dead.
Again?
This is ridiculous.
What do you think, it's in my purse?
Shinta.
Ahga Torr enscara-teh.
Ahga Torr enscara-Teh!
Oo teh ennamehka teh!
Drop your weapons.
Are you out of your mind?
I think it's best if we do what she says.
Myun-gora-teh.
You're welcome.
Beka, we'll get out of this in one piece.
We always do.
This is so different.
Well, it is,
because we've been in worse situations before.
Yeah, we have,
but those situations
were all your responsibility.
Excuse me?
I'm not blaming you.
I'm just saying,
you were our captain, you're our leader,
and you got us out of them.
That's one thing
I'm starting to realize I really like
about being your first officer.
Whenever things go wrong, it's not my fault.
Is that supposed to make me feel better?
I'm just saying,
until now, I had forgotten how much I hate it
when plans go to hell on my watch.
Not that it happens that often, of course.
Of course.
Hey, guys, look at this.
In heaven now are three.
So then that's supposed to be the engine?
That?
Yeah.
It should be bigger than that.
Shinta guards coming this way.
They want you, trance.
No, trance!
Beka, it's all right.
I'll be...
They can't separate us.
We have to be three.
Beka...
I'm going, I'm going.
Mehtoko orringah shintaida,
teh lo turangay ahmin-battah lo shinta-sahmo kumarentaka!
She's probably saying,
"that group has three, this group has two.
Let's kill them... A lot."
I hope you're wrong.
Escarpey inohtempe teh agorrah.
Lo turangay issahmeha.
Iss mishamikan kumarentaka izinyanga--
excuse me.
Teh ha varamo--
pardon me. Shinta lady--
I'm sure what you're saying is very important.
The only problem is that we don't understand you.
I'm pretty sure that he does.
I?
Koto ha varamo teh?
Lo manoshee mogatesco...
Faraneh, teh kanoska.
Hari-shan.
What's she saying?
She wants me to explain the contest
to them.
Well, this should be interesting.
You do what I say, flux. You work for me.
Not one word.
Hari-shan.
All right, all right.
All right.
Maybe only just a couple of words.
Apparently,
the only reason they haven't killed us,
as they did the others,
is that our respective trios
appear to fit the prophesied profile
of the legendary chosen three.
In heaven now are three.
But what have they done with trance?
So now we must submit
to the contest of fire and pain.
Is it anything like spin the bottle?
The winner will be crowned by destiny
to take the engine of creation.
Ahran ga tehno!
She wants a volunteer from each side.
To do what?
Hmm...To volunteer?
Hey, I didn't volunteer!
I don't even like volunteers.
Hey, bring back our third!
It's supposed to be three, not two.
I don't think we're volunteering
for the tribal talent show.
It's my mission,
my head.
I volunteer.
So do I.
Aw, geez, catfight.
No, I...I volunteer.
Dylan--
beka, let me do this.
Then I volunteer, too.
Can't have too many.
Get off me, fletch.
I can take him.
No. Don't give me any lip.
It's never easy.
[ Shinta singing ]
I thought we'd agreed
that this was my mission.
That means I make the decisions,
especially the life-and-death ones,
and now that they've taken trance,
I'm more responsible than ever.
I have followed every one of your orders
since we've been down here, beka.
Like hell you have.
What?
When I was standing on that mine,
I had a way out of the problem,
counterweights,
but no, you hurl yourself at me and be the hero.
I wasn't trying to be a hero.
I just thought my way was quicker.
And out there just now?
So I volunteered for their stupid contest.
Look, Dylan,
I think we both know that whatever this contest is,
it'll start bad and end worse.
I should be the one fighting, not you.
Beka, I was only trying to help.
Yeah, well,
saving my life when I should be saving yours
is not helping.
See, I know what this is about.
I wasn't your first choice for this mission.
Trance had to talk you into asking me.
Come on, I'm right, aren't I?
Yeah, well,
I can't manipulate you like I can manipulate tyr.
I think tyr might have something to say
about that.
Look, Dylan...
For reasons
that I can't get into right now,
you've become very...
Or fairly...
Do you know what I'm saying?
No.
You've become important to me.
Careful,
I might start to like you.
I just don't want to be responsible for losing you.
I'm not planning on losing.
That's not what I meant.
I know.
Whatever happens out there tonight...
I know that deep down inside...
I really was your first choice.
Right?
Yeah.
Orrintahko!
That must be shinta for "show time."
Yep.
Your choice, fletcher.
I'm an expert with either one.
I'm a swordsman, myself.
Yeah, all guys think that.
No one has to die here.
Orrintahko,
leeka drohma!
Oh, I'm guessing someone has to die.
[ Clinking ]
They must be the out of bounds.
Don't go out of bounds.
Ahga Torr enscara-teh!
Couldn't we just settle this with a nice game of go?
Score one for my team.
Bite me.
Kill him, baby!
Get up, Dylan. Get on your feet.
Come on!
Is there anything you like more
than watching your boyfriend fight?
Yes, watching him kill.
If you don't want to die, work with me.
Work with you?
You're trying to kill me.
If I was trying to kill you, you'd be dead by now.
Hey!
That's cheating.
You are not getting my engine.
We'll see about that.
Care if I join you?
No.
I was just getting used to
your phony accent, flux.
Looks like I'm not the only one
with a new look, trance Gemini.
We thought we'd lost you.
And that's why you're here. That's why they're here.
Well, someone has to retrieve the engine of creation.
It doesn't really matter who.
It does matter.
Maybe not to you or to our people,
but it matters to the engine.
Do you see this?
The engine is doing this.
It will only deliver itself to the right people.
We're the right people.
No, they are.
I just hope that they realize it in time.
That's right, Dylan.
Show the engine you're worthy.
Ooh, interesting move.
I didn't even see that one coming.
Amin-gaya!
Get your hands off me.
It's our engine.
Let me finish this fight.
They've done it.
Dylan and beka have won.
Well, like I said,
someone has to retrieve the engine,
and we all know what happens next.
Some of us better than others.
Come with me.
Your brothers and sisters would love to know
what's become of you.
No.
My place is here with my friends.
Your place is with us.
Don't forget whose side you're on.
I never have.
I never will.
You can't defy us forever, trance.
No...
But I can dream, can't I?
Even if it's just for a little while.
I...
I don't know what's going on,
but it sure beats fire and swords.
Trance...
Leema KO hata say remba!
And the engine shall deliver itself
to the righteous.
By refusing to destroy, they are worthy to create.
In other words, you win.
So what the hell happened to you?
They just took me off the board for awhile.
I believe they were afraid I'd help you cheat.
I don't cheat.
Yes, and that's why you've won,
both of you together.
The engine of creation.
So it's heavier than it looks.
You know what?
I'll bet it takes three.
This doesn't seem right.
I have no idea what it's made of,
but the sensors claim that it could weigh
up to three galaxies.
Well, we definitely carried it in here.
What do you think, trance?
I think your guess is as good as mine.
Whenever she says that, I never believe it.
What do you believe?
Oh, beka, I don't know.
When I was a kid,
my dad told me a story about the engine,
how a famous vedran archaeologist
found it
at an excavation site in kepora ven.
She studied it
and discovered
that it was older than the universe itself,
that it actually created the universe,
and then it made her a god.
And she went crazy, right,
and almost destroyed everything in existence?
Until the last moment, when she came to her senses
and turned the machine against itself.
Splitting it into five pieces,
which the vedrans then scattered across the stars.
What if that story's true?
What if this
is just a fragment of the engine?
Well, then,
we went to an awful lot of trouble
to find a fragment.
Maybe it still works.
Come on.
Well, a fifth of anything
that can reset the universe and make dreams come true,
come on, it's got to be good for something.
All right, let's try it.
Make a wish.
Ready?
Yeah.
Anything?
No.
You?
Nothing.
Yeah.
We're approaching Andromeda.
Prepare for docking.
Well, maybe it is worthless,
but, you know,
it did make me realize something.
What's that?
We make a pretty good team, captain hunt.
This made you realize that?
Well, then, I'm thinking
maybe it does make dreams come true.