What?
You seem to be looking rather forward
to all of the pomp and circumstance
of the commissioning ceremony.
Tyr, the Crimson Sunrise will be the first
Commonwealth high guard ship to be launched in 307 years.
You're damn right I'm looking forward to it.
You know,
they're saying as well that the Crimson
will be a more powerful vessel than the Andromeda.
How is your lordship feeling about that?
Rumor.
All right, to tell you the truth,
I would like to have arrived on the Andromeda,
but thanks to Mr. Harper's improvements in the airscrubbers
and waste extraction,
we're stuck here in this bag of bolts.
I heard that.
Lovable bag of bolts.
Good ears.
Dylan, Tyr.
Cockpit. Now.
The hull configurations say
those would be Kenja Pride.
They haven't seen us or we'd be dead.
These guys live to kill.
No.
They kill to live.
There's a distinction.
It's all the same to the victims.
The Kenja consider everyone a victim.
Perhaps they're feeling Extraordinary arrogant today.
They seem to be on a direct course for the Crimson Sunrise.
Making contact. No, no, no.
That'll just alert the Kenja to our position.
So what do you want me to do?
Shortcut, slipstream, anything.
We have to warn her captain before they get there.
This doesn't make sense.
The Crimson can chew up and gargle those fighters.
Which introduces another issue.
The Kenja, well, Nietzscheans,
only pick fights they know they can win.
They've got someone on the inside.
Slipstream, in three,
two, one.
That's not possible, Captain Hunt.
Every member of my crew has undergone brain scans
and DNA analysis for deception traits.
They're pure Commonwealth, every one of them.
Even Nietzscheans from the Kenja Pride?
Captain, the concept of genetically distinct prides
is considered pre-Commonwealth.
On my ship, I recognize merit,
a quality summed up by the reformed high guard's new motto,
"We are a force of merit."
This guy's toast.
Captain Grissum, right now, there are five Kenja fighters on course for your ship.
I'm afraid they don't share your enlightened views.
Well, perhaps my guns will enlighten them.
Dylan, it's the Crimson.
We're receiving an automatic distress signal from your ship.
Impossible.
Those are thruster alarms. Your engine's going critical.
No. It's not possible.
All hands...
All hands, this is the captain.
Abandon ship. Go.
I repeat, abandon ship.
Use every available escape pod and drone.
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.
She's gone.
Whoever's getting off,
got off.
It's been five minutes since the first alarm.
That's time enough for even the last crippled dog to escape.
The Crimson is a...
Was a traditional, heritage-class design,
much like the Andromeda.
She should have had at least 400 escape pods.
Well, that should keep everyone safe until more help arrives.
Or until the Kenja show up and use those pods for target practice.
Beka, open communications.
Crimson Sunrise, pod A-2-35,
Sinti naval station, Mayday.
It's a standard distress-beacon loop.
Switch to local.
Help. Save us!
That would be the sound
of the reformed high guard's force of merit.
First emergency, and all their training's gone out the airlock.
Beka, give me the closest emergency beacon.
Can anybody hear me? Anybody?
This is Captain Dylan Hunt in the Eureka Maru. We copy.
I'm Senator Bayliss
from the commonwealth of Venti Dulles.
We're on our way to help you, Senator.
Hurry.
Our pod's leaking.
We can't breathe.
We're running out of air.
Can you say why the pod's leaking?
I'm not an engineer.
I just know that some of these damn pods are,
they're exploding like bombs,
And if you don't save us, we will too!
Senator, we are responding. Please remain calm.
Tyr, airlock.
Beka, find out why those pods are leaking.
They didn't coat the escape pods with fullerene mesh?
Well, that's just brilliant.
Even in the old days,
we coated our fuel tenders with fullerene mesh!
They probably figured it was too expensive
for something they'd never use.
All right, let's do this,
but be careful.
We don't want to puncture the pod's skin.
Target's in range.
Sensors on.
They're attached.
Good. Tell the Senator.
Uh, Dylan, I think we punctured something.
Their comm's down. Are they alive?
Hard to say. Ambient temperature's normal.
We'll find out when we open the airlock.
Thirty seconds to breach.
Outer latch sealed. How are they doing?
They're all on their feet.
Closing airlock.
Round one.
Oh, how they fought like hungry rats
at all the escape-pod stations,
The looting, the thieving,
but I owed a duty to my commonwealth.
Well, then, it's lucky You were able to make it
onto the first escape pod, Senator.
Well, yes.
I guess the grim reaper
felt I still had more to do for my citizens.
Even the grim reaper didn't want her.
But you know, the first thing I think I'll do when I get back
is outlaw Nietzscheans from the commonwealth.
They've already betrayed us once.
I bet they even blew up the ship.
You know, hold that thought, Senator.
My pilot needs to have a word with me.
Oh, but, uh... Be right back.
What's up?
According to the pods' schematics,
their life support only lasts for three days.
Three days?
But wait, there's more.
At the rate these things are leaking,
my guess is most of them won't last for three hours.
Three hours?
Design flaw, cost cutting.
Take it up with the Senator.
Very funny.
All right, channel the Maru's life support through the pods
as they link up with us,
and we'll bring everyone on board From there.
Dylan, the Maru has a capacity of 400.
There are thousands out there. Yeah, I know.
We're going to save everyone we can.
Dylan, I'm taking some of the pods directly into the cargo bay.
Excuse me, excuse me.
Captain coming through.
What's up?
Uh, I've got some bad news,
and then I've got some bad news.
Oh, phew. For a moment there,
I thought something good was going to happen today.
Okay, give me the bad news first.
If we attach many more pods,
we won't be able to slipstream.
The links were never designed for this kind of stress.
So we don't slipstream.
The Eureka Maru is a salvage ship,
and we have the time.
Which brings me to the bad news.
We don't have the time.
Pumping air through all these attached pods
is straining the Maru's life support.
Sooner or later, we have to slipstream to the Andromeda
or we'll all suffocate.
What are you telling me?
In order to save the ones we've got,
we might have to leave some behind.
It's a little early to talk about
who's going to live and who's going to die.
This is still a rescue operation.
Dylan, cockpit.
I'll bet Tyr has some good news.
Hope so.
Based on debris field analysis,
the explosion started in the anti-proton storage
and sent the engines critical.
That's efficient.
Too efficient.
It is sabotage.
All right, let's assume that they're Kenja crew members.
Now, we know that they don't sacrifice themselves.
So they're either still out there
in one of those escape pods...
Or already on board the Maru,
quietly hailing their five fighter ships.
Target's in range.
Preparing magnetic web.
I am ordering you
to tell that man to stop saving those pods!
We are saving everybody, Senator.
Even the Nietzscheans saboteurs, captain?
Do you know which pod they're in?
Because if you don't,
then I'd appreciate you letting me do my job.
I just want to get the hell out of here.
That would be nice for everybody.
With that purpose in mind, I've prepared an airlock for you, madam.
Why is he going on about airlocks, huh?
Oh, I get it.
He's insulting me now, is he?
Oh, no, no, no.
He's just trying to protect you,
but for now, I think it's best if you stay here in the cockpit.
Dylan, Tyr, engine room now.
Oh, it's a busy day.
Stop it.
Kludges sabotaged the Crimson,
so the Commonwealth could blame it on us.
You did it yourselves.
I heard the rumors about another uber rebellion!
Stop it.
Uh, some help here, guys?
Two suspects.
And two motives.
Let's motivate them.
Captain on deck!
In the ranks.
Excuse me. All right, let's go.
Did our people sabotage that ship?
Who are you?
Very possibly the last face you'll ever see in life.
Now, tell me who sabotaged that ship.
You blew up the Crimson Sunrise?
No. Then who did?
We would never blow up the Crimson.
It was them, the Nietzscheans.
Go on.
I don't know anything.
I just know it wasn't us.
All right, soldier.
I don't know how Captain Grissum ran his ship, but on my boat,
you keep peace with the Nietzscheans.
Understood?
Yes, sir.
Good.
Next time,
you don't get off with just a warning.
Dismissed.
One more thing.
Weapons.
Thank you.
Go on.
So?
The crimson's crew seems to have their problems.
Yeah.
Sabotage was too specific.
You said it started in the anti-proton storage.
One of the most restricted areas on the ship.
Only a couple of people would have had access
without setting off alarms.
My guess is it was just one person,
One person in the right place.
Hailing rescue ship.
Come in, rescue ship.
Hailing rescue ship.
Come in, rescue ship.
You know her.
She's our first officer,
Errin Shohashi.
We got ourselves a first officer.
Well, that's just great.
If we're lucky, maybe this one's the saboteur.
This is the Eureka Maru. We copy.
We've attached ourselves to a dying pod with a proton leak.
If you don't detach us, it'll explode
and we'll die with them.
Beka, locate that pod cluster.
Got it. We can save them. We've got to move.
At the rate that pod's leaking,
we've got about 15 minutes.
We're making best speed. Maru out.
And... Target locked.
Do it. Tyr, meet me at the airlock.
Come on.
Snatched. I got it.
She's Nietzscheans.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
She's Nietzscheans.
She can be anything she wants to be.
Welcome. I'm Captain Dylan Hunt.
First officer Errin Shohashi.
Thank you for your assistance, Captain.
Have you found Captain Grissum?
Not yet. Sorry.
Permission to speak freely?
Granted.
Captain Grissum was a fool.
I believe you were speaking with him
when his command collapsed in the explosion.
Yes, we think your ship was sabotaged.
Not sabotage, Captain.
Human error.
Now what?
Now there's a proton leak from one of the pods in the cargo bay.
If it spreads, we're dead in seconds.
The pod's self-destruct code. Someone must have tripped it.
Tyr, let's go shut it down. No. I'll do it.
I memorized the codes to all the escape pods,
But I'll need help. I'll go.
Good.
Not this pod.
Let's try another.
As I know Drago's bones, it will be the very last pod.
Here, let me take point.
You said you were looking for just one person
in the right place.
And you're thinking of a "first officer" kind of place.
Beka, I checked Errin's record. She is clean.
Twice decorated.
Nietzschean first officers have been known to betray a captain.
I'm just saying...
All right,
we'll keep an eye on her.
Not this pod either.
Just how well do you know Drago's bones?
Oh, my lady, you would be so surprised.
I am well aware of the fact that she's a Nietzschean,
but according to this,
I think we can trust her.
I guess it helps that she's beautiful.
I hadn't noticed. Yeah...
Hey, look at this.
Courageous as well.
Do you even know what pride she's from?
We're about to find out.
Genghis.
May I have a word, please?
Why do I sense this will end up in a headlock?
Just looking for a source
who doesn't care about political correctness.
This is the one.
You know that?
It has to be. It's the last one.
Open that up.
Now what?
I negate the code.
Some time today.
I'm going as fast as I can.
Really?
Really.
She's Kenja.
That's why all the Nietzscheans crewmen obey her.
She'd kill anybody in their sleep.
The guys who live to kill.
Makes a difference now, huh?
Yeah...
And she's with Tyr.
Tyr...
Tyr.
10, 9...
It's not working.
Eight, seven, six...
Come on.
Five, four, three...
Commander!
Two... One... Time's up.
Punch in 3... 2...
1...
4 divided by the square root of three.
Tyr, she's Kenja.
I know.
She told me...
Just before she used her fist to absorb the detonator's electrical current.
We're safe, Captain.
Oh.
I don't believe she's the saboteur.
All right.
We've saved the remaining pods with 30 minutes to spare.
Yeah, but the Maru can't take them into slipstream.
According to my calculations, she can.
Well, aren't you the natural optimist?
Look, we've got problems in the cockpit. Dylan is with Errin.
Your point being?
Come on.
She's a Kenja first officer.
Tyr, you know better than anyone.
Where does her real loyalty lie? With her pride.
She risked her life to help me detonate the escape pod.
She saved the Maru.
So she could deliver us that Kenja kill-mission we saw this morning.
Tyr, you know the Nietzschean mind.
Is that something unusual?
Yeah. She's hailing the Kenja.
There. That does it.
All the survivors are off the pods
and crammed into the Maru.
Now, to find an open slip-point to safety.
Well, our increased mass
times the amount of fuel converted to energy
puts the best one...
Right there,
20.95 light-minutes away.
Wow.
Your computation is correct.
Of course.
You just multiplied two 17-digit figures in your head.
Yes. Yes, I did.
That's pretty good.
Stupidity in a woman is unfeminine,
And I strive to be a perfect woman.
Well, not to be rude, Errin,
but most men would consider you the perfect woman
even without your math skills.
Well, the perfect woman knows what a real man wants.
Ah.
What a coincidence.
You're talking to a real man.
Really? Really.
A real man who respects you for your math skills...
Mmm? Mmm.
And, uh, also your knowledge of human anatomy.
Well, you know,
I've always found when I want something,
I stand a much better chance if I demand it.
I'm sensing another demand.
Actually, it's more like an ultimatum.
Out of my cockpit.
Uh...
Beka.
What's this about?
She's leading us into an ambush with the Kenja fighters.
I don't think so.
She diverted them using the Maru's old freighter codes.
They're gone. We're safe...
And Tyr,
surely Errin isn't the saboteur.
All right.
Do something. They're going insane!
All right, Burke.
What did I tell you about fighting on this ship?
The Nietzscheans blew it up.
As Senator, I am ordering you to-
"Senator"?
What the hell... Get out of here.
Go, go, go.
Soldiers, stand down!
We're all going to die in here.
We're better off in the pods.
If he tries to escape, the breach will turn the Maru inside-out.
I got him.
Genghis!
Don't be an idiot.
Genghis!
Tyr!
We're safe.
Yeah.
We're safe.
Move.
Out. Now.
What are you doing?
Saving my friends. Out.
Your friends have to wait.
The hell they do.
Our explosion drew some unwanted attention.
Take a look.
The Kenja,
they're coming back for us.
Thirty-six minutes.
Enough time for the Maru to rescue us
before this pod's reserve life support expires.
Beka, do you read me?
Beka...
Everything set?
The pods are emptied and sealed shut.
You've got crewmen stacked like firewood
into every crevice of this ship.
I don't think your plan will work.
I'm not sure either.
But that's never stopped me before.
Beka, do you copy?
What the-
We need absolute radio silence
or they'll double back and get Dylan and Tyr.
You don't want that,
do you?
The channels are blocked.
No response.
Someone's blocked my channel.
Jammed by the Kenja?
No.
The disruption is coming from the Maru.
We've got visual contact.
They're coming in fast.
I didn't authorize a distress hail.
Turn it off.
So that is the second time
you've touched my comm unit.
Do it again and I'll break your finger.
They can already see we're limping.
The hail is a ploy to gain trust.
Yeah. You're real good at ploys to gain trust.
If they don't trust us, they'll just fire on us,
from outside our kill zone.
It's the only way we'll survive.
Make it good.
Leopard Lo-Tang Shu Ta.
Errin.
Leopard copy.
That doesn't make any sense.
This is Shohashi Vixen of the Kenja Pride,
Out of Charybdis by Azazel.
What the hell is she doing?
Welcome, Shohashi Vixen.
We are cousins.
Your return is welcome to us.
I'll prepare for hostage transfer,
Or we can use attack pattern delta two-niner.
Eject first, Shohashi Vixen.
We will use the attack pattern. Out.
Beka. Beka, do you copy?
Beka? Come in, Beka...
Do you see anything?
Anything at all?
Any exit pods?
Nothing but debris,
and death.
Tyr...
Look.
There she is.
Destroyed two, scared away three
Just by blowing off our empty life-pods.
For once, those pods were good for something.
Do you really think we scared those others off?
It's how the Kenja think.
We fear insanity.
In fact, I'm terrified of you.
Your plan--
I didn't think it would work.
Well, you're forgiven.
We've got just enough fuel to reach a slip-point
And get back safely.
Maru, do you copy?
Maru, do you read me?
Dead,
along with most of the power supply.
Twenty-three minutes remaining.
Dylan calls this the risk-all point,
And I'm damn well prepared to risk everything I've got, saved already,
or will ever have to rescue my friends.
I studied at the academy, too,
Only we called it, "try and die,"
Because in every scenario
of game theory and V. R. Matrix simulations,
the officer lost...
Everything.
So, officer,
I will stare into the abyss with pride.
I wont jump into it.
You can die, get out of the way,
Or help.
What's it going to be?
All right, have you finished your plan yet?
Yes, I have a plan. How are you doing?
Finished.
So what's your plan?
In my plan, we would die.
Oh.
Yours?
Well, see, my plan...
It involves a space walk.
Well, we'd...
We die.
We need a better plan.
Yes, preferably one conceived within the next 17 minutes.
Yeah.
After which the life support expires, and, well, we die.
We need a good plan.
Agreed.
Okay.
Huh.
I've got a plan.
All right,
I've channeled every available anti-proton
into the aft reserve tank.
A little bit of oxygen, a little bit of nitrogen,
and voila,
we are now sitting on top of one very mean fusion candle.
We are sealed
and pointed in the...
Well, the general direction of the Maru.
All right.
Time to light the match.
Three, two, one, go.
We're using the rest of our fuel, but I don't know...
All my life,
I've been at war with the universe.
I've faced worse odds.
It's funny,
you live so you can risk your life.
We can't make it.
Cut the engines.
The momentum might be enough to get us there.
Still not enough.
No fuel, no hope.
This makes us stronger.
Somehow.
Wait.
Well, it's not a very smooth ride,
But we'll survive...
I hope.
Oh, come on, Tyr,
You enjoy these close calls as much as I do.
I guess there is a certain completeness to it,
Oh, I should have put my seatbelt,
Oh...
Almost there.
Almost there...
And...
Got 'em!
They're attached.
I got Dylan and Tyr.
Beka Valentine, you're an excellent pilot.
If I didn't know better, I'd mistake you for a Nietzschean.
Thanks, I think.
This is the Andromeda.
Responding to Captain Hunt's mayday.
Do you copy?
And you're very lucky.
Copy that.
So this bucket of bolts did pretty good, huh, guys?
Yes, Beka, This bucket of bolts did very good.
Thank you.
So what now?
Do we stow our spit-shined boots
and await the next Commonwealth catastrophe?
We saved a lot of lives today, Tyr.
That's what's important.
That wasn't quite my point, But yes, I suppose we did.
All right, look, I'm sorry.
It's been a long day,
And sometimes, your sardonic Nietzscheans wit catches me off-guard.
Me too.
Captain, we had our differences.
Let bygones be bygones.
Long live the Commonwealth!
Bygones.
Impersonating a Senator...
Can you imagine that?
On the Crimson Sunrise, she wore a mask And cleaned the autochef.
You must admire the genius Of becoming a Senator to survive.
I have to admit, she had me fooled.
Apparently, she wasn't the only one.
You both thought I was the saboteur.
Well, so did she.
According to the Commonwealth analysis,
the crimson was done in by a little old comet.
So... No sabotage.
One in a billion chance.
You'd have better odds of taking down the Maru
with a single shot from a force lance.
Errin was Commonwealth all along.
All right.
So...
Yeah, so...
Uh, I guess you have to be going, right?
Maybe we'll run across each other again sometime.
It's a small universe.
Yes, it is.
What?
"Ooh, Dylan."
"Ooh, Errin."
"The universe is so small..." That's very funny.
Very funny.