"I can't hold it together." "Increase ap power." "Wide open on my mark." "What?" "No, we've got to decrease." "I'm losing it." "The new converters may not hold." "And... mark!" "What the hell just happened?" "That does not happen every day." "Converters held, ap reactors still intact, and plasma regulators are solid." "Well, i'm glad you're so together." "I'm a mess." "It's good flying, Beka." "Thanks, and how did you know going faster would kick us out?" "Oh, just a guess." "Particle flux on control surfaces diminished with acceleration." "We exited slipstream into a highly eccentric orbit around the planet perliss mott." "And all the new equipment came through, colors flying." "Excellent." "[Alarm sounding]" "We've been targeted by an attack drone from the seventh moon." "It's on an intercept trajectory." "Battle blades extending." "Identify." "Signature unknown." "Enhance." "It's coming directly from the surface of that moon." "One attack drone, one shot." "Ah, a little mosquito." "For those that don't know, a mosquito is a little insect from earth" "because you never know what they're carrying." "Give it a swat, rommie." "It's coming right at us." "It's built for some other purpose." "Built to die?" "So it's a suicide sucker or... retract blades now!" "Retracting." "Never bet against the little guy." "I've been telling people that." "I'm losing power across all of my systems." "Some type of energy leach has connected itself to me." "Origin?" "Seventh moon, septa parisis." "Orbit is degrading." "It's humiliating." "Pull us out of here." "Boss, we're already at full thrust." "There's an artificial gravity field that's canceling out my acceleration." "Like i said, i'm barely keeping us in orbit here." "Tell me we are not going to crash into that moon." "Rommie?" "My emergency thrusters are counteracting the artificial gravity field, but as soon as my power reserves are gone, i will not be able to hold out." "Which means... we are going to crash into that moon." "It's never easy." "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 theAndromeda ascendant, and these are our adventures." "We are maintaining orbit." "However, i must reiterate that the energy drain, coupled with the gravity field, will eventually pull us into the moon." "This is what caused our problems in slipstream." "Affirmative." "Localized destabilization resulting from the artificially-created gravity field emanating from that moon, septa parisis, and we're not the first ship it's captured." "Yeah, but only the most powerful." "Powerful enough to beat it?" "Rommie, sector g-2-2, infrared and radio wavelengths." "Call me paranoid, but what does that look like?" "A point-singularity weapon." "Last time we saw one of those... the magog worldship?" "Anyone seen my stomach pump?" "Scanning the structure." "Harper, you'll be relieved to know that it's not operational, although i do estimate completion within weeks." "Let's blow the crap out of it." "I would love to, but we can't spare the energy right now, but once we're out of danger, that is our first target." "This is a very clever design." "The power leach is on the moon's surface." "The gravity field generator has been placed deep down inside the moon." "So we destroy the surface part before it can shoot." "Simple." "Not so much." "After energy-mapping both machines, it appears that destroying only one would trigger a massive em pulse, much larger than i'm rated for, even after my retrofit." "I'd have no power left to counteract the moon's gravitational pull." "We're trapped unless we destroy both parts... at the same time." "Fine." "I love a challenge." "I knew i'd heard it before... septa parisis, as in "the treasure of."" "A treasure so fantastic, it's fantastic, legendary, even, but to get to it, picture a place infested with magog." "Must we?" "No, let's not." "Instead, we follow Harper's simple three-step plan to fame and riches." "Step one..." "find a way not to crash and die." "So boosting the regulators, like we're doing, should deliver us enough power to get us step one." "Step two..." "avoid the magog like the magog." "Check." "Step three, find treasure." "Live large." "Hmm, so large, large looks small, as in "hand-and-foot being waited on"" "instead of "hand-to-mouth scraping by."" "Yeah." "Can you see me?" "Personal attendants clearing a path through throngs of adoring women throwing themselves at my feet." ""Make way, make way for seamus zelazny Harper, the universe's richest, most eligible bachelor."" "[Crash]" "What say we just focus on step one?" "Okay." "Replay trl-lorn's message." "Hello." "You are now using the commonwealth security-coded artificial intelligence communication system allowing you and the sender interpersonal discussions through the use of a limited artificial intelligence." "On a preordained schedule, each commonwealth ship will be equipped with... skip that, Andromeda." "You led me into a trap." "As one of three triumvirs, trl-jemma, trl-ortiz, and myself," "with the governing of the commonwealth." "I gave you an order." "My job, your duty." "The triumvirate is not responsible for any problems that you encounter on your mission." "Bad intelligence kills good soldiers." "Search and destroy... it's a simple enough order, captain." "Follow it." "You know, whoever created this has serious technology down there, and you knew that before you sent me here." "Message not programmed to answer." "Well, of course not." "Any information would be helpful, sir." "Commonwealth intelligence believes that the moon septa parisis was created by one named kroton, the great engineer." "His particular gift comes from being half-android, half-human." "The best of both worlds, or the worst." "He designed the magog worldship, it's believed." "We are unsure what plan he's embarked on now, but whatever it is, you must stop him." "That is a triumvirate order." "I have to save my own ship first." "That's enough, Andromeda." "Pull all records on kroton." "Kroton's origin is mysterious." "The first sign of him was a solar disturbance in m-86 over 400 years ago." "Right." "That's saxena-troy." "The magnetic field there is still fluctuating." "Then there was the computer virus on the planet medak major." "The androids went berserk and wiped out the colonists." "Well, if our man is down there on that moon, i think i may go berserk and wipe him out myself." "Maybe i won't own an entire planet inhabited solely by women." "It's unnecessary and too much responsibility." "Besides, they'll be all over me anyway with that treasure." "If it's gems, i say we keep the best and sell the rest." "Now, that's thinking." "What a kick, huh?" "Hidden treasure, power-sucking moons, hungry magog... it's like bedtime stories my nana told me." "But i will bet she didn't believe they were true, mr." "Harper." "Hey, boss, we... didn't see you standing there." "That you don't believe any of these treasure tales." "If there is treasure, it logically follows that i deserve it, therefore we could find it and be filthy rich." "Yes, but on the other hand?" "On the other hand, we could end up passing through the digestive tract of a magog, and that's the happy ending." "Right." "It would be nice to find the treasure, but even nicer to stay alive." "Priorities are important." "So, themaruin 15." "Huh?" "Come on, Beka." "You are good enough to slip us right through that energy web." "We're going down." "I knew it." "Even Dylan can't resist the hunt of loot waiting to be looted." "Uh... if it actually exists." "Tell you what, Harper." "You can hunt for your little treasure just as long as we destroy both of those power sources within the next 11.5761 hours." "That's exactly how long we have beforeAndromeda crashes into that moon." "If we're all still alive after that, well, then, fine." "Knock yourself out." "Be my guest, hunt away for your treasure." "Priorities." "I need you to stay here and hold down the fort." "You're concerned because what's down there is so powerful and destructive?" "That's right." "I'm ready to fight, captain." "Now is not the time." "Can't disagree with that, but, Dylan, remember, what you're looking for is also looking for you." "Descending to the sixth moon of perliss mott." "The atmosphere is breathable, and the ion storm will be on us within the hour." "I'm picking up a distress signal." "Signature..." "commonwealth standard?" "Survivors from a crashed ship?" "Get us as close to it as you can." "Thousands of them down there." "Biggest junkyard i've ever seen." "Or the biggest crash test." "A shallow layer of metal filings covers the surface, residuum from vessels crashed here so long ago, they've now worn down to dust." "The source of the distress signal is directly ahead." "How much do you want to bet this whole mission is a commonwealth scheme to get our treasure?" "Probably." "Although this doesn't seem like the great idea it was 30 miles up." "We're outnumbered!" "It's only one person!" "Rommie." "Do i have to?" "Go." "Drop your weapon, and you can keep your head." "Dylan?" "Dylan hunt?" "Hello, molly." "And then, finally, all i could do was..." "crash the best i could." "And out of seven people on your mission, you're the only one left?" "Three of us survived." "I'm the only one alive now." "They were counting on me to bring them through in one piece, and i failed them, and they're dead now." "Sometimes you can't keep your ship flying, no matter how hard you try." "She's right, molly." "You can't blame yourself." "Tell us about your mission." "We were after the point-singularity weapon." "I had a ps scientist and combat engineers on board." "So your mission was to study the technology and bring that tower down." "Why did you fire on us?" "Um... once i was alone, about a week ago, the attacks started." "Attacks?" "What attacks?" "Magog?" "No, one guy, but... sometimes he'd be everywhere at the same time." "Dylan, we've got company." "There is more than one guy." "That's him." "Captain hunt." "Welcome..." "to where you will die." "He knows you." "Yeah, well, i'm a popular guy." "To the Maru!" "Go, go!" "Good work, rommie." "Boss, what do we do?" "Or that power sucker will get us." "We'll be stuck here forever." "Well, if you're dead, you don't know you're stuck." "Point taken." "Firing." "Dylan, there's some kind of energy net over us." "Well, the good news is we're stuck, but we're alive." "What's the bad news?" "We're stuck." "There." "That should hold, if we're lucky, five minutes maybe." "This moon sucks, literally." "Anything with a power source, it drains." "Trance has located a large biomass somewhere nearby." "It could also be the source of our power leach." "So the question is how do we get there." "You know, i made some modifications, during that last retrofit, to this piece of... don't you insult my ship." "Well, whatever you did, mr." "Harper, now might be a good time to test... whatever you did." "Everything's operative." "I just..." "i need more juice." "Well, if all you need is a little extra power..." "Harper, where do you find time to do this?" "My bio-batteries can run a vehicle this small for some time." "Great things in small, and in this case hot, packages." "Now, stand back and prepare to be amazed." "Harper, you're a genius." "I know, and you, rom-doll, are my hero." "I know." "Very good, mr." "Harper." "Now take us out of here." "Radio-controlled explosives... where did you learn to make these?" "Military academy." "That's very impressive." "Captain hunt, something else i learned at military academy is chain of command, and i intend to follow it." "Lieutenant molly noguchi reporting for duty, sir." "Well, lieutenant." "Sorry." "Um... there's been a break in another kind of chain." "That's when, you know, two people have been, you know... and then one doesn't talk to the other one" "molly, two years, and i can explain." "Well, certain formalities need to be observed." "Ah, until certain links in that chain have been reforged." "Mm-hmm." "Well, i... i can work with that." "Good." "Good." "I'm all for doing the right thing." "All right." "Let's see if anybody's home." "Molly and i will take the surface installation." "You three have the one embedded inside the moon." "Contact me when your explosive is in place." "Let's hope rommie holds out that long." "We'll see you back here in exactly seven hours." "Actually, it's six hours and 59 minutes, but, hey, who's counting?" "Mr. Harper." "What's that?" "Ogami transport." "Markings match thered fedorov, lost 316 years ago." "Rommie, what was the cargo on thefedorov?" "Cargo listed as serial quantum chips." "Serial quantum chips." "Sheesh." "Those babies are only the fastest, smallest micro-processors ever built, virtually unobtainable since the fall of the commonwealth." "They're probably worth a... treasure!" "Jackpot." "You know, lieutenant, you're right." "This first-name - basis thing is overrated, but still, you know, molly is a very pretty name." "Hmm, Dylan... sounds like a villain." "Oh, really?" "Well, i can be a little bit nasty, but i'm definitely one of the good guys." "That same guy again." "And again." "What are the odds of identical triplets all being on the same planet, all wanting to kill us?" "I'd say those odds are pretty good." "I've had a lot of strange things happen to me the last 306 years." "Uh-oh." "This can't be good." "Man." "Oh... you okay?" "I'm still alive." "You?" "Oh, i've had better days." "Target's..." "that way." "Go." "Go." "Dylan?" "Lost him." "Ion turbulence is the worst." "Makes me just a little nervous about setting off two explosions at the same time." "We can't raise theAndromeda either?" "Negative." "I estimate 6.5 hours untilAndromedais incinerated." "Hey, hey, hey." "Nothing's incinerating, unless you count the rock and dirt this baby's going to burn." "This is going to work, right, Harper?" "Please." "The pulsed laser creates a local vacuum tunnel." "I squirt ap right down the middle of it one microgram at a time, and then it cuts like a hot knife through protein paste." "Harper?" "Or the antiprotons blow back into the nose cone, and we turn into a lovely bouquet of carbon atoms." "Hmm... and target vector is one-three-seven degrees, downhill all the way." "Powering up pulsed laser." "Rommie, are you okay?" "Just do what you have to do, Harper." "It's working!" "Ha ha!" "Whoo!" "Cutting through and going in." "[Footsteps]" "That sounds like an army." "More members of the look-alike club." "Way more... and they're headed our way." "I really don't want to be around to see this." "No argument here." "Wait, wait." "What if it's a trick?" "Well, there's one way to find out." "It's a very good trick." "Whoever or whatever they are, they're still coming." "Jeez, they're loud." "Door." "It's an auto-defense system." "Where are we?" "According to this, between a rock and a spare part." "I'm feeling unusual." "Tachyon diagnostic echo-delta niner-zero complete." "Targeting systems, inertial guidance, propulsion... rommie?" "Harper?" "I'm not... my mind isn't... it's the power drain." "Just my luck." "A woman with her higher brain functions on hold." "Not on hold." "I'm losing coherence in my cognitive ability." "Don't you go on me." "I'm rommie, not mommy." "Harper?" "Yes." "Don't cling to me." "Right." "[Beep]" "That's weird." "I'm detecting a major shift in density." "Hold on!" "Everyone okay?" "What was that?" "We're level again, 90 degrees to our previous vector." "Let's give your batteries a rest." "Thank you, Harper." "It feels like you care." "Only in the worst way." "We're in some sort of cave." "Let's take a look." "Whoa, the ground's reflective or something." "Ahem." "I guess it's not a cave." "I'm feeling a little better now that i'm not sharing power." "Why don't we try this?" "We're trapped." "Yeah, we need to find a way to slow those bad boys down" "hmm." "A power coupler." "Find me a capacitor, 50 mega-farads." "Two is better." "Ah, the old" ""make an overload bomb out of the available materials" plan." "I like this plan." "And then all you have to do is... charge it with my force lance." "And now on to plan b?" "Well, we're farther along in the alphabet, but... yeah." "We've got to shut down that auto-defense system." "Well, maybe i'll ask it to turn itself off." "I will grant you, your charm can be very persuasive, but how are you going to do that?" "I'll make the defense system think that someone else is at the control panel." "Ha." "How do you think these things up?" "You're not the only one who graduated from the academy." "An army of androids." "This would qualify as a threat to the commonwealth." "You are created to hate organic kind." "Destroy what you hate." "Hate is your reason to bring darkness." "That is not a healthy internal narrative." "No." "All these ships, they're powering up his android army." "Andromeda'stopping off their tanks." "This is a battle waiting to happen." "It's never going to happen." "Why don't we just use this?" "That's for our target." "It's the only way to save theAndromeda, but first, we have to destroy this android army before they reach the magog." "It looks like it's time for another improv." "What's your plan?" "You are kidding." "Molly, we are a team." "Spoken like a true gentleman." "Did i mention that according to some rules of engagement, a kiss is the reward for an honorable act?" "Really?" "Mm-hmm." "For luck." "Right." "Okay." "Uh, we need power, power is the key, or overpower." "We could burn out their processors with an emp surge." "That's a good idea, but keep it simple." "Look around and use what you've got." "Oh, a thruster from an old brio missile." "That's excellent." "Nothing beats low tech, especially when you're making a bomb." "We need fuel." "Uh-uh-uh." "Let's see." "We have it." "It's in the cone." "Well, how do we launch it?" "We don't." "Chain reaction." "We let the fuel do the work." "Exactly." "This... they didn't teach at the academy." "Shall i?" "Be my guest." "How's that explosive coming, Harper?" "All set." "Let's do it." "Okay." "We're in business, and with time to spare." "No sense sticking around." "Our target is right... there." "Let's set that bomb and get out of here." "Take cover!" "You're hit." "Time for this to end, captain hunt." "You can go no further." "I am kroton... the original." "Original what?" "Original creep." "With the help of the magog, i will lead a revolt of androids, and the commonwealth will fall." "Not on my watch!" "I'm not finished with you, captain hunt." "Well, that's too bad, because i'm finished with you!" "I was created to destroy all organics." "Well, that's pretty funny, because you're a half-organic." "It must be awfully hard to live with yourself." "No, i am complete." "The commonwealth is helpless without you, captain hunt." "That is why we brought you here to die." "Oh, no, no, no, no, you're not supposed to tell me the ending." "Now you've spoiled everything." "Molly!" "I am the great engineer, the mover of worlds." "My age is more than 500 of your years." "Well, that's as old as you're going to get." "I will see the end of all organics." "Speaking as an organic, i don't think so." "You will not interfere with me." "I've got news for you, pal." "I already am." "Who's going to stop me?" "Darkness, my ally." "How's that for darkness?" "You have some anger issues, don't you?" "You look like hell." "Oh, i had him right where i wanted him." "Hurry up." "Okay, it's set." "Let's get out of here." "How are we doing for time, rommie?" "We have 92 minutes until rendezvous with Dylan." "Red fedorov off the port side." "Beka, that's an hour and a half of treasure hunting." "Quantum memory chips..." "seamus, you read my mind." "Time for the primary event." "Yes, i hear." "Yes, i obey." "That's it." "We've got to go." "What?" "The storm's breaking." "I can go back for one more load." "Uh-uh." "Harper, we only have 18 minutes until we rendezvous with Dylan." "Are you thinking what i'm thinking?" "We've overstayed our welcome." "Storm's breaking." "Maybe we'll get lucky." "Harper, Beka, do you copy?" "I'm so tired of shooting at the same individual." "Dylan, do you read me?" "Trance, talk to me." "The moon is shaking itself to pieces." "You have to get out of there." "Uh, Trance, i'm a little busy right now." "Can we talk later?" "Or there won't be a later." "Let's pretend like this might be the end." "Pretend?" "Yeah, because then i can say things like "if only we had more time," and all that." "Molly, we don't have to pretend." "This might be it." "Boss, we're about one minute out." "Are you okay?" "Yeah, we'll be right there." "Go!" "Go!" "Harper, you're late." "Beka, go!" "I'm all over it." "What am i looking at?" "Boss, we're rich." "Only if we get off this moon." "Speaking of this moon, the entire place is hollow, built by a freaking genius." "Yeah, he also happened to build the magog worldship." "Make that "evil psychotic genius."" "Trance, bombs are in place." "Activate so we can get out of here." "Igniting." "Full power is restored." "I'm raisingAndromedaup to a standard orbital track and beginning launch sequence on themaru'smain engines." "Beka, fast would be great." "This engine's at full throttle now." "That's not what i wanted to hear." "Harper?" "A tectonic fracture has expanded along the equator." "The moon's splitting into two hemispheres." "Mountain ranges along the leading equator are breaking apart." "They're hinges." "Giant hinges." "That's why it was so bright down there." "The mirrors... they're some kind of focusing mechanism for a light-based weapon." "Where does he get this stuff?" "Do you really think he survived the explosions?" "I do now." "That entire moon is a ship." "He's going to rendezvous with the magog worldship." "Together, they're going to be unstoppable." "It's slipstream capable." "He's powering up the gfg lens." "Androids can't navigate slipstream." "Kroton is half-human." "Rommie, route all power to the gravity-field generators." "Make me five slipstream portals." "So he can't open one of his own." "And only one of the five will be any good." "Exactly." "Five doors and only one way out." "And kroton can't tell the difference." "Well, that's the plan." "He's hailing us." "Screen." "Haven't you failed enough?" "Five choices." "Guess right, and you're back with the magog." "Guess wrong, and you're space dust." "Not a problem if you're an organic." "The human in me calls your bluff." "The android in me will win." "Yeah, but i'll bet the abyss in you is very, very uncomfortable." "Go ahead, kroton." "Pick one." "Dylan, if kroton is wrong, the resulting explosion could vaporize us." "Okay, the Harper in me thinks this plan sucks." "Yeah, that's not a very good plan." "No, if we move to safety, he'll know." "We have to bluff." "I love this plan." "Thank you." "He's choosing." "Well?" "Hull integrity stable." "We're going to make it." "A capsule escaped the blast." "It is entering the correct portal." "Well, we got him this time." "We can get him again next time." "Yeah, but the worldship is still out there, and it's headed our way." "My luck." "And mine." "Who knew they'd be ruined by years of exposure to cosmic rays?" "How can the only options be "poor and alive,"" ""rich and dead"?" "For now, Harper." "Someday you may be able to buy your mom those shoes." "Yeah, maybe." "Then again, she always wanted a blender." "Next time, ma." "Clean clothes." "Oh, and that shower." "Yeah, but i was beginning to like you the other way." "Oh, well, thank you, i think." "I was liking it so much that i thought maybe i'd offer you a spot on the Andromeda." "You want me around?" "Oh yeah." "It feels like you're part of the team." "Yeah, it does, doesn't it?" "Mm-hmm." "So... should we pretend we're in danger so we can kiss?" "Why should we pretend?" "I can't." "Why not?" "Because you inspire me." "Hmm." "Well... thank you, i think." "You inspire me to have my own life, out there, wherever there is." "You do that for me." "Then it's a good thing, molly, and i never mess around with a good thing." "Yes, you do." "Yeah, i do."