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Well, I agree, trance,
but this much I know--
first contact missions
are tricky,
but they can be a lot of fun.
Until they freak out
when they see us.
Nobody's freaking out.
We'll do it
by the book.
Besides, based on their mayday
that we intercepted,
they've got bigger fears
than seeing us.
Have you decided
what you're going to say
to calm them down?
Oh, you know me
with my speeches
But I was thinking,
"ladies and gentlemen
of the planet savion,
"I know
that you're all terribly worried
that a giant space creature--"
the Cetus.
"The Cetus,
"will arrive
and eat part of your planet,
"but, hey, don't sweat it.
You're all worked up
over an age-old superstition."
Not bad.
I know. I'm not good
at giving speeches.
You know, their tech
must be fairly young.
Their mayday was sent
by radio signal.
Well, then, they may not even
have space travel yet.
That's a good point.
Scan the planet
for a detailed survey
of its geophysical properties.
Also, collect and analyze
all radio transmissions
they've sent
over the last
How do we get people
to stop believing in a myth
they've believed in
for centuries?
By getting them to believe
in that other myth.
What's that?
The one
about the high guard captain
flying around the universe,
making allies, restoring
the commonwealth.
I don't think they'll ever
believe in that one.
[ Plays swing music ]
O-pah!
Come on, beka. Dance with me.
Friends don't let friends
drive and polka.
Polka? Polka!
Watch it,
or I'll polka you.
That's called swing-a,
baby.
All the old hep cats
on earth
were doing it,
and you know what?
It's a lot like love.
It's, uh, much better
with a partner.
Great.
You know what?
Go over there.
How about you, rommie?
Care to, uh, live a little?
How about giving me the honor
of this do-Si-do?
Thank you, harper,
but my attentions
are currently focused
on carrying out
dylan's order--
search this system's outer rim
for the Cetus.
And if we have to, kill it.
Oh, sure,
a fairy-tale space beast
takes precedence
over my invitation.
As a warship,
I'm not optimally programmed
for aesthetic distinctions.
However, I'd have to say
this music
is not my taste.
All right,
why is this music on?
Because I can't play it
when dylan's here,
which is always.
He hates it.
Then I'm torn
between clapping my hands
to applaud dylan's good taste
and clapping
my hands
over both of your ears
to simulate the pain
you cause me.
Hey, kids, it's just three days
until Dylan gets back.
And why is our hero
responding
to some minor planet's
irrational panic
over some mythical creature
when there are far more
real threats
in known space?
I know.
We may as well be hunting
for bighand.
Bigfoot.
Whatever.
Or the dreaded "snarkasaurus"
of qualles four.
After two years, you should know
that this is what Dylan does.
He helps worlds
that can't necessarily
return the favor.
Very well.
Let him pursue their myths.
I'll consider this
a much-needed respite
from the real threats,
like your music.
[ Turns music off ]
Hey, what are you doing?
I was listening to that.
And I'm listening to this.
[ Echoes pulsating ]
It's from an unidentified object
approximately
four light-minutes out.
Then identify it.
Launch sensor drones.
Aye.
According to this data,
their society still uses
digital clocks
and combustion engines.
Their technology's archaic.
Huh. Savion's a clean slate.
With a lot of potential.
They might even become
an important part
of the universe.
You say that like you know.
I know when some things
are worth saving.
Dylan
The planet.
What the hell did that?
I don't recognize
the rad signatures.
'Cause the radiation's
off the freakin' charts.
It's lit up
like a casino drift
on new year's eve.
I'm getting a composite image
from my sensor returns.
Visuals.
Let's meet our stranger.
The Cetus
Was supposed to be
a myth.
I think it just came true.
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.
Is it the Cetus?
My databank contains
of commonwealth
history,
and no one's ever seen
anything like this.
Or lived
to tell about it.
What do the sensors say?
Well, I can't tell you its mass,
nor what Powers it.
Do your sensors
tell you
whether it's
the planet eater?
No,
but that would be
my guess.
Mine, too.
Rommie, contact Dylan.
Transmit our data.
Transmitting,
but Dylan
is 44 light-minutes out.
We won't get a response
for 90 minutes.
I can imagine what he'd say
in the meantime.
Yeah.
"Don't let the Cetus eat us."
There's got to be
a good explanation
for those scars.
How about the myth?
The Cetus returns
every 6,270 years
to take a bite,
and I'd say the next one
will eat the planet whole.
I'm not ready to
give up on science.
I want to analyze
the geological history
of that planet.
We'll find the answer.
It didn't answer our hail.
Then it's not a ship,
or it doesn't speak
our language.
Well, let's stay out of its way,
or attack it,
but let's not sit here
making idle chitchat.
Tyr, you know dylan's protocol.
We talk first, kill later.
Yeah, well, dylan's not here.
I say we skip step one
and proceed directly
to step
"save our freakin' butts."
I agree. We don't even know
if it's sentient.
We do know it's on a trajectory
for the planet.
Plot an intercept.
What?
Get in front of it.
[ Dylan ]: The planet's
scars don't correspond
to the tectonic plate
boundaries.
This wasn't caused
by earthquakes
or volcanic activity.
Or meteors.
At least, not any meteors
that I've seen.
I guess we didn't find
our answer.
Oh, we found
our answer.
None of the above.
What's the radiometric dating
of those scars?
They're about 6,270 years apart.
Just like the myth.
How long ago
was the most recent one?
give or take.
Then whatever it is,
we're due for another visit.
So, are we finished playing
"what would Dylan do?"
Fire a warning shot.
No reaction.
It's still headed
directly toward us.
I guess Mr. Cetus
doesn't speak "warning shot."
Perhaps he parleys
"full missile barrage."
Parley away, tyr.
This bogey is hostile.
Target
its vulnerable spots.
It does have vulnerable spots,
right?
Beats me.
Beats me?
Two words
I never expected to hear
from a warship
with a brain
your size.
All right, then.
Let's just throw what we've got
and see
where it sticks.
It consumed our missiles.
At least we know
what it eats for breakfast.
Rommie, did we damage it at all?
I'm still too far away to tell.
I can't even tell you
if it's sentient.
All right, go in closer.
Hit it with an a.P. Burst
and laser barrage.
What are you thinking?
It looks like
I'll need a new speech.
Like what?
Well, how about this--
"ladies and gentlemen
of the planet savion,
"there might be something
to your myth,
"but don't worry.
"The most powerful starship
in the universe
is out there somewhere,
protecting you."
Oh, that's great.
Now all you have to do
is convince yourself.
Andromeda is strong, trance,
but if the Cetus can do that
to a planet
Incoming message
from the Andromeda.
The lag time is 44 minutes.
Put it through.
We've made active contact
with the Cetus.
The thing is no myth.
It's real, and it's headed
toward the planet.
We'll try to hail it,
and then see what happens.
Andromeda, this is Dylan.
Code black.
Exercise extreme caution.
Repeat, extreme caution.
Stay outside combat radius.
Dylan out.
Because of the signal lag,
they won't get that message
for--
I know, I know. Signal lag.
I hate physics.
You know what?
We're going back.
I just hope 44 minutes
isn't too late.
Did the sensor drones detect
any reaction to our missiles?
Not yet.
All right.
Tell me when they're inside
two light-seconds.
We'll stay put
at four light-seconds.
When will your drones tell us
whether it's alive?
If we had a really long stick,
we could poke it in the eye.
If it blinks, it's alive.
It has no eye,
nor, so far as we can tell,
any vulnerable areas.
It's got to have
something.
Do the drones see anything yet?
They're within two light--
it ate my drones!
Radiation's way up.
Battle stations!
Andromeda,
get us the hell out of here.
Hard 180.
[ Alarm beeping ]
Auxiliary power.
Rommie, status.
Rommie?
I don't know.
You don't know?
Give her a break,
would you, tyr?
Functions
Overloading.
All her applications
are under simultaneous assault.
Can you at least contact Dylan?
Maru
Mayday.
Mayday.
Mayday.
I don't know.
We engaged the bogey
with 20 gigatons of warheads.
No reaction.
We're going to go in closer
and hit it with energy weapons.
Andromeda out.
That was 38 minutes ago.
Do you think they went in
too far?
No.
Until their sensor drones
identified target areas,
they stayed outside
the combat radius,
probably
four light-seconds.
How do you know that?
Because that's what I would do.
One more second.
Got it.
My power's back on-line.
Great.
All ahead full, maximum force.
Oh!
It's not working.
External pressure
is increasing.
Power down.
The harder we push,
the tighter it seems
to clamp down,
like inertial restraints.
I suggest
we try copious explosives.
Go for it.
Full offensive salvo.
Firing!
We haven't picked up
any more transmissions
from Andromeda.
Dylan?
If we're supposed to be
saving the planet,
why did we
turn around
to save the Andromeda
instead?
Because Andromeda
is that planet's
first and last line of defense.
If it falls, so will savion.
But if the Cetus eats
the Andromeda
and gets filled,
wouldn't that
save the planet?
That might save the planet,
but we would lose the universe.
Fabricating
molecular crew
plasma--Plasma leaks.
Sequence monitoring
waste reclamation bots--bots.
Environmental systems
failure--Failure.
Initiating
autochef--Autochef.
Harper,
what's her problem?
Simulation
Deploying ramscoop
Outer airlock rupture
She can't disconnect
from the core a.I.
It's dumping
trillions of information bits
into her.
Are we on-line?
Look at her.
What do you think?
She wasn't built to be eaten
by a giant space creature.
Neither was I.
Look, she's got
god knows what poison
eating away
at her a.I.
And burning through
her entire outer body,
all because you dumped
a full payload of missiles
on top of her skin.
Yes, well,
it seemed like a good idea
at the time.
I think
it's safe to say
that unless we get power
back on-line,
we stand no chance of survival.
Go get us
manual control.
Harper,
you have to go
to the slipstream core to get--
she needs me.
Tyr!
Harper, look,
the only way
you're going to help her
is to get manual control.
Go
to the slipstream core.
Go.
Cruiser at one
point-Point-point--
the nearest ship is--
light-Minutes out.
Digestive fluids?
Aah! Aah!
I'm nobody's lunch.
Plasma fires
Critical levels
Fire control failure
Did you hear that?
She's a mess.
She's saying
that the outer decks
are on fire,
and she can't
put it out.
Then we'll do it.
Vent everything
except deck 12.
That's harper's route
to slipstream core.
Holy hull breach!
Goodbye slipstream core,
hello plan "b."
[ Vent opening ]
They're venting the atmosphere?
People need
to be told these things!
We've closed
to real-time
communications range.
Andromeda, come in.
Andromeda
We're getting a message.
Put it through.
Andromeda, this is Dylan.
Code black.
Exercise extreme caution.
Repeat, extreme caution.
Stay outside combat radius.
Dylan out.
Remind me
to stop sending messages
to myself.
It must have reflected
off of something.
Yeah, but what?
Something nearby
What is that?
Trance, enhance visual.
Can we contact them?
I'm using a laser
with sonic vibrations.
Maybe they'll hear it.
Andromeda, do you read me?
Andromeda, come in.
Andromeda, do you read me?
They can't get out.
So what do we do?
We'll go in.
We have point-defense lasers
and a few missiles
and proximity mines,
and that's all we have.
Beka already hit
that thing
with 20 gigatons of missiles.
We don't have payload like that,
even with the combat pod.
Okay, it's time
to think outside the box.
Think outside what box?
When you've run out
of conventional options,
you go
to the unconventional.
Like weapons?
Exactly, like weapons,
specifically,
a.P. Fuel tanks.
Outside the box
I like it.
Decks 3 to 11, 100% vented.
Plasma fires suppressed
Manually venting
decks 24 through 43.
Manually venting
decks 44 through 63.
Seven decks aren't responding.
Respond, damn it.
That's almost the entire ship,
except for command
and slipstream core.
We don't even know
if harper made it
to slipstream core.
And until we get comm
or manual control,
we won't know.
Venting 85% completed.
Existing life support
rerouting
to command,
adjacent conduits,
and slipstream core.
Rommie?
Are you okay?
The ship has almost shut down,
so my a.I. Isn't scrambled
across the decks.
Can you contact slipstream core?
We have to find harper.
Harper
You know,
short, fast talker,
too smart
for his own good,
hopelessly in love with you?
I know harper.
Harper's not in slipstream core.
A conduit, a conduit.
My kingdom for a conduit.
Oh, crap!
Hot, hot! Oh
Do you think
they're still alive?
After two years
and everything
the universe has thrown at them,
they've always found
a way to survive.
He's in conduit 1-4-7
trying to get
manual control.
Harper
Andromeda?
Better. It's rommie.
I'm borrowing a hologram.
You wear it so well.
Oxygen-deprived,
and still full of attitude.
I'm not deprived.
I'm depraved,
and back at you, baby.
So have you found
a way to fix me?
No,
but on the bright side,
we aren't Cetus crap yet.
Judging
from the friendly stomach acid,
that's only because
it's still trying to eat through
your fullerene mesh
exterior.
Well, you always said
I have thick skin.
It's only a matter of time
before
it cracks your crunchy shell
and works its way
into the center
of your chewy goodness.
How much time, harper?
My guess,
about an hour, tops.
Find a way to kill the Cetus.
Don't worry, rommie.
I won't let it hurt you.
She's an impressive ship.
She's a survivor.
Just like Dylan.
You just know
he's out there
trying to save us.
Or maybe not
The stellar position monitor
just stopped,
which means
the Cetus just stopped.
Oh, my god,
it's trying to digest us.
It's trying to digest us?
Dylan wanted
to save savion,
right?
I mean, it's the only reason
we're in this armpit corner
of the universe.
If the Cetus ate Andromeda,
I mean, even though we're tiny
compared to a planet,
we'd have
more than enough rich matter
to satisfy its appetite,
which means that Dylan
could save savion
by doing absolutely nothing.
Dylan will make best efforts
to save the planet
and the Andromeda.
Really?
And you're so sure
because
I trust Dylan to be Dylan.
So the bomb
kills the Cetus
and lets the Andromeda
go free,
and we save the planet
and the Andromeda.
That's right.
I call it my
"eat your cake and have it, too"
plan.
Uh, isn't it
"have your cake
and eat it, too"?
Trance, we're working on a bomb
that could destroy
a small planet,
and you're quibbling
over semantics?
Anyone
can have their cake
and then eat it.
The real trick
is eating your cake
and still having it.
I see.
It's a common mistake.
You'll have to fly
pretty close to the Cetus
if you're going
to launch those bombs into it.
What if we end up
killing ourselves?
Well, then we'll be
going out with a ***.
On my mark,
drop the bombs.
ReadyMark!
Dropping.
Are you all right?
Insomuch as
in the next little while
we have got to
install seat belts.
I imagine this creature
will convert us all to energy,
?
I would expect you
to take a greater interest
of a valiant cavalry charge
in restoring the ship's power.
I just never thought
he could die.
I don't think he's dead.
Really?
Well, that's interesting,
e-case scenario?
Because
the ship's sensors,
or at least
what's left of them,
Dylan, trance
Say he is dead.
That explosion equaled the size
of the maru's fuel capacity.
Oh. Machine logic.
I don't believe he's dead.
When did you find the faith?
I have faith
in nothing but this--
when the universe collapses
and dies,
there will be three survivors,
tyr anasazi,
the cockroaches,
and Dylan hunt
trying to save the cockroaches.
Please,
make yourself useful.
That was close, trance.
That was, uh
That was way too close.
Status
on the Andromeda?
They're still trapped.
What?
We have faced
the Magog,
kalderans, pyrians
I will be damned
if I lose my crew
inside that thing.
We're getting a visual
on the Cetus.
At least our a.P. Bombs
did some damage.
Give me a closer look.
Right there.
You see how all these roads
lead to that one knot?
Do you think
that's the Cetus' brain?
Whatever it is,
it's our next target.
Harper and I just
Have to find
the way to kill it.
Call me Ishmael,
but the rad patterns
from dylan's bomb
created a juicy target
and
He didn't die, rommie.
My sensors say--
right now, your sensors
say a lot of things,
but they're blinded
and confused,
like a lot of my dates.
It's a perfect example
of why a powerful ship like you
still needs
a human engineer, rommie.
He's okay.
The maru is out there,
even if it is just a shell
with a
Slipstream drive.
There's got to be
something on board
that we can use
to hit the target.
Are we still thinking
outside of the box?
Oh, trance,
right now, we are so far
outside the box
we can't even see
the box.
Well, then,
let's consider
that the Cetus
is kind of like us
in the sense
that it eats
to grow bigger.
The only difference is
we don't consume matter.
We consume food,
but if somebody
wanted to kill us
They'd give us poison.
That's how we'll kill the Cetus.
We'll give it
exactly the opposite
of what it eats,
which is
Anti-matter. Hello.
Once I get manual control,
I can reroute the anti-matter
from the slipstream generators
to the main thrusters,
then, on three, two, one,
o-Pah! Voila!
The Cetus
gets one hell of a Heimlich
and spews us out
like your autochef's
three-Day-old chopped liver,
faster than you can say "uncle,"
on in this case, "anti."
Will it kill the Cetus?
Who cares?
We'll survive.
You will survive.
I'll fail.
Dylan ordered me
to kill the Cetus
and save that planet,
so I need to know.
How I can kill the Cetus,
guaranteed?
Nothing is guaranteed.
Best chance, if we manually
eject the slipstream drive
into its belly,
then maybe
we can ride the explosion out,
but the hell I'm doing that.
Our orders
are to save that planet.
Yeah, well,
my job is to save you.
I have to carry out
dylan's orders,
even if it puts us at risk.
Sorry.
You're going to live, honey.
Those are my orders.
[ Dylan ]:
There. That should do the trick.
We'll set
the maru's slipstream core
to overload.
Once it hits the target,
it'll rip the Cetus
into a thousand pieces.
And let the Andromeda
escape.
That's the plan.
What if the plan
doesn't work?
Will they be
be ripped apart, too?
That happens
if we don't do anything.
All we can do is try.
So how are we going
to get our slipstream drive
into the Cetus?
We strap it to a bullet.
What kind
of a bullet?
You're riding in it.
If Dylan still is alive,
you know he's doing
everything he can
to save us
and that planet.
Your point?
My point is
we should do everything we can
to kill the Cetus,
not just save our butts.
Dylan expects us
to save our butts.
And sacrifice savion?
If it means surviving
to save many savions, yes.
We're no good to the universe
dead.
And we're no good
to the universe
if we're too afraid
to risk our lives
to do the right thing,
to help worlds that need help.
When the Magog
attacked this ship,
I promised Dylan
that even if he died,
I would continue his mission.
Then by all means,
continue it
But I will not die
because
of your misguided sentiment
to memorialize
a man who is not dead.
At the ship's
maximum speed,
I can penetrate
its skin
and eject
the slipstream drive
right on top
of the target.
But the Cetus' shape
is constantly changing.
How can we be sure
we'll hit its brain?
I can't be sure,
but I can give it
one hell of a headache.
It sounds
dangerous.
It is. That's why
you're going to wear this.
This is not going
to protect me
in the event
of an explosion.
Trance, you are not
coming with me.
Yes, I am.
No, you're not.
Now, put it on.
That's an order.
When the andromeda's free,
use the comm light
to hail her.
Dylan
Trance,
you're not coming with me.
Respectfully requesting
to come with you, sir.
Please.
Besides,
this won't help me anyway.
Trance Gemini, welcome aboard.
I'm asking you not to do this.
And I'm answering you. No.
You can thank me later.
For what?
If I don't follow dylan's orders
to kill the Cetus
and save the planet,
I might as well be dead,
because I failed in my mission.
You're under the influence
of stomach acid.
You're not thinking straight.
This isn't about
following orders
or completing the mission.
It's about Dylan,
because you think he's dead,
and you don't think
you can live without him, right?
I'm programmed
to carry out orders.
That's where we're different.
I have a choice.
I choose not to allow some
stupid broken-hearted suicide,
especially
when you're taking me with you.
You're wrong, harper.
I do have a choice.
And that is where you're wrong,
because
I just got manual control.
Ladies and gentlemen--
uh, nietzschean,
thank you for flying Andromeda.
That sound of flowing air
you now hear,
and crackling conversation,
is my genius and your survival
once again.
Now, for those of you
who haven't heard
harper's plan,
here's the nutshell.
Rerouting anti-matter
to the main thrusters,
which will,
when you power them up,
send the Cetus to heartburn hell
and us into chunky-hurl heaven.
It may get a little messy,
but at least we'll all live.
I'll save us
and raise you one.
If we eject
the slipstream drive,
we'll kill the Cetus, right?
What is with the death wish?
Yeah, sure,
if you want to die
surfing
an exploding vomit wave.
Hey, I've surfed
the reaction
of an exploding star before.
I think can ride out
a little Cetus vomit.
I will not allow you
to risk our lives
by ejecting
that slipstream drive.
So instead,
you'll just take over the ship
after we've saved our ***.
You don't really believe
that dylan's still
alive, do you?
You just said that
so I'd think
we'd still be safe
after we got free.
Beka
I once told Dylan
that this mission
was nothing but an excuse
to reshape the universe
according to his will.
It is.
In these two years,
and for reasons
I'm not even sure I understand,
some significant part of me
has grown to prefer that shape.
I do believe dylan's alive.
Convince me.
If you really think
that Dylan is still out there
trying to save us,
eject the
slipstream drive.
Kill that thing,
before Dylan dies
trying to kill it for us.
Do you want to reshape
the universe
or not?
You're awfully calm
considering
we're about to die.
That's not necessarily true,
now, is it?
Not necessarily.
That's right,
because
once we get Andromeda free,
they'll continue my mission,
and that is my life.
All ahead full.
You said
you came from a bad future.
What exactly went bad?
In that future,
I made some mistakes,
and only beka and I
survived.
That does sound bad.
Looks like I've put you
in a different kind of future,
one you won't
survive.
On the other hand,
we'll make a better one
for everyone else
I hope.
[ Harper ]: Uh, guys?
Maybe it's me.
Maybe I didn't explain
the rules of the game well,
but if you don't get us
out of here
in less than two minutes,
we're going to be
turned into tasty chewy
people bits.
Harper, please.
Is this really what you want?
No,
but it's what we have to do.
All right.
For you.
Let's see if I can't eject
this damn slipstream drive.
Dylan, the Andromeda
is launching from the Cetus!
They made it?
They've made it!
Reverse thrusters!
We did it.
You're right, harper.
We killed the Cetus.
And saved the planet.
Dylan
They must have ejected
their slipstream drive.
The Cetus is dying.
If we don't clear this area,
it won't be
the only thing dying.
Yes!
We did it!
We did.
You could even say
we had our cake
outside of the box
and ate it, too.
You could say that, yes.
Incoming message.
It's from the Andromeda,
and it's in real time.
I love real time.
What, beka?
I'm just glad
we're on the same team.
That's all.
Somebody say something.
I just want
to hear your voices.
Welcome backdylan, trance,
hello. Welcome back.
You know, for something
that's supposed to be a myth,
the Cetus did
a hell of a lot of damage.
Yeah, well,
you should see the other guy.
Yeah, well,
you know, about that,
ejecting the slipstream drive,
that was risky
[ Crackling ]
And it's exactly
what I would have done.
We know.
Your willingness
to defy the universal odds
is a disease
that apparently
we have all contracted.
Well, I have to think
that's a good thing,
because somehow we keep winning.
Where's harper?
Almost there, rommie.
He's almost here.
Ah.
Well, I'll just say this
and get it out of the way.
I'm proud of you.
Two years ago,
you'd be thinking
of your own survival
and not that planet's.
I know you had another way out,
but you did
the right thing.
Now I know
I can count on you
to continue my mission
even if I'm not here.
One day, the universe
will count on it, too.
Believe me, that day will come.
Sooner than you think.
A freakin' sock-foot kilometer
in one minute,
and I still missed
the inspiring speech.
[ Swing music playing ]
Hey, but I didn't miss
the dancing.
Shall we?
We shall.
Oh!
Hey,
stoic one.
We're alive.
Dance with me.