"The closer trance's sun gets to the seefra system," "The uglier things are going to get." "And it won't take long, either." "The transit portal's 14-Kilotrons wide" "And growing." "We're already getting a solar flare" "From the other corona." "Soon there'll be a full-Blown third sun" "Coming right at us," "Wiping out the system..." "planet by planet." "I know this is hard for you, doyle." "Seefra's all you've ever known," "But i need you to be strong, okay?" "I keep hoping we're wrong" "About the methus diagrams," "But the evidence is undeniable" "The outer planets are starting to feel" "Increased temperatures and radiation," "People losing crops, hoarding water... well, what little there was to begin with." "On the bright side" "At least, the positive side... harper's absolutely unflinchingly certain" "He has an answer." "Of course." "Harper has an answer for everything, right or wrong." "He's onboard working on it," "So there's reason to be optimistic." "All is not lost." "That's right, doyle." "We never give up without a fight." "Ow!" "Mm!" "Why is it always the pinky finger?" "The little guy." "The runt of the finger litter." "Wait." "What's wrong?" "Well, i was headed for command," "But now i'm a little curious about this plan" "You said harper's working on." "I think he wanted it to be a surprise." "Not when there are millions of innocent lives at stake." "He might get mad at me for telling you." "He'll get over it." "Mr. Harper." "Who told you?" "Doyle." "I should've known that there's no such thing as a secret onandromeda." "Yes, you should've known." "Ah, well." "What the hell?" "Since you're here anyway," "I'll give you a preview." "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." "Is the most brilliant solution" "To an absolute no-Way-Out," "Certain-Death situation" "That i've ever come up with... although it's temporary." "You ready?" "I'm all yours." "It's based on a powersail i'm building." "So it's a giant reflector?" "Giant parabolic reflector." "It's solar-Charged, obviously," "So it's self-Sustaining" "And" " Hello?" "I lost you." "I know that look." "You're thinking, "pie in the sky," right?" "It's a giant pie plate, right?" "No." "No, it's, uh... something else." "Never mind." "Just keep going." "Oh." "Okay." "Momentary lapse of insecurity on my part, i guess." "Um... it's a, uh... an alternating positron-Electron net," "Based on a collapsible silicate framework." "So you want to put up an umbrella" "Over the whole seefra system?" "Exactly." "Trance's sun is still on a crash course" "To a rendezvous with seefra-1" "And the vedran suns," "The twin artificial suns," "Are supposed to power the braking system." "But with one of the suns malfunctioning," "There's not enough power to activate the brakes." "Right." "And we all know i can't fix a sun," "Therefore our problem comes down to time." "Someone's here." "Someone who doesn't belong." "I hope you didn't mean me." "No!" "God, no, of course not." "I'm sorry." "I'm just feeling a little weird lately" "With my sun approaching and everything." "Do you know where dylan is?" "With harper." "Do you know where beka is?" "She's collecting some parts for something harper's building." "Thanks." "Be careful." "It's always good to be careful." "You know." "The closer trance's sun comes" "Through that pinhole in the sky," "The more hellish it gets down here on seefra-1." "Sooner or later," "It's going to be completely unliveable," "Not that it was ever liveable" "In the first place." "Now, i think," "Positioned just right," "This parabolic reflector could" "Reflect the incoming radiation back toward the pinhole." "Slowing the sun down" "And buying us time." "Odds?" "60% chance of success, i'd say." "Well, we've worked with worse odds" "And less material." "I've got scrap silicate left over" "From my last guild job." "I've got the featherlight conductors," "And i've got power panels and routers," "And beka's out hustling to, uh, harvest the rest." "Which brings us to the delivery system." "Right." "Someone's going to have to tow it into place" "With a jetcraft." "Meaning someone has to fly dangerously close" "To that solar plume?" "W" " Well" " Hey." "Beka and i" "Flew dangerously close to that nasty black hole" "To steal you out of it," "And it was a happy ending, right?" "Right." "Rhade." "Great." "Want to help here?" "What are you doing?" "Harper's project." "Mm, i'm taking a day off from helping the little one." "Come on, don't be like that." "Just give me a hand." "Come on." "Rhade!" "Rhade... don't make me do it." "I'm busy." "You know, i will play the matriarch card." "Rhade?" "Help me." "Now." "Good boy." "Sorry." "My nietzschean loyalty" "Is running just a little low today." "Ah, cute." "Very cute." "Nice jumpsuit, by the way." "Thank you." "Harper!" "Do you think you might want to help me" "With this 200-Kilo bin of space junk" "That you requested for your project?" "Harper?" "Do you think you want to answer me?" "No, i didn't think so." "Andromeda, tell me i'm not imaging things." "There is an unusual energy reading" "On deck seven, sector 16." "My powers are back." "Oh, no, beka's there!" "Help!" "Beka?" "Beka!" "Beka?" "Beka!" "Trance." "Just in time." "What the hell was that?" "I have no idea." "Whatever it was" "Is gone... for now." "Andromeda," "Why did a gaping hole open up in the sector 16 corridor?" "Insufficient data available." "Of course." "Dylan is not going to like this." "Andromeda,talk to me." "There has been an isolated" "Gravitational incident" "Of great magnitude" "Possibly a naturally occurring magnetic monopole" "Transited my conduit." "I doubt there's anything natural" "About this." "It is the only known phenomenon" "That accounts for the damage i experienced." "Well, then i'd say" "We're looking for an unknown phenomenon." "I've got a hit." "Someone is attempting to access" "My mainframe memory bank." "Step back." "It's not what you think." "I think my ship is under attack," "So if you don't mind," "I'd like you to step back." "I mean you no harm." "You were accessing the mainframe memory bank." "My name is marida." "How did you get in here?" "And how do you know your way around my ship?" "I'm searching for my husband." "He is my heart," "My soul, my world." "When he was taken from me," "All that i was was taken with him." "I've searched all the known universes for him" "Ever since." "And you think he's here?" "I know he's here." "You are my husband, dylan hunt." "It is beyond imagination" "That i could have been married to you" "And not know it." "You really don't remember?" "I" " I was so afraid of that." "What kind of game is this?" "What we had together" "Is locked away in a time you've forgotten." "That's why i was accessing the ship's mainframe" "To find some record of our time together" "To prove to you... you were my husband." "You were my lover." "Search your heart and you will find" "That you belong to me." "It's strange, but... i do feel like we've met before." "We were together." "That's all i want." "What are you, insane?" "Anyone towing that thing" "Would be surfing right on the edge" "Of the pinhole's schwarzschild radius." "It'd be practically impossible not to be pulled in." "You're right." "You're absolutely right." "That's why it would take" "An extremely skilled pilot... don't play me, harper." "Okay, um... why don't we talk profit motive?" "Once we get the thing up and running," "We charge the entire population" "A subscription fee." "Uh... take a little off the top for our troubles," "And i cut you in for, say... 30%." "If it doesn't work?" "So you're out some time and fuel... and you get to break my arm." "Mm." "51%." "Mm-Mm." "No, no, no, wait, wait, wait." "Wait." "Okay, i'm in." "I like the way you think." "Thanks." "Datasweep at 87%." "I find no record of "marida"" "In personal files," "Mission records, or correspondence." "Keep checking." "She was here." "She knows you too well." "The human condition" "Is subject to unpredictable output." "Don't go all android on me." "I know what i felt, and somehow, we know each other." "Dylan... that danger i felt," "It is somehow connected" "To this marida," "And then there's the question" "Of how she got onboard without anyone even knowing." "Maybe she's from" "An alternate timestream, you know," "Someone from my future or my past." "Andromeda," "Check outside your mainframe memory," "In peripheral storage" "Damaged files, corrupted data... searching." "What are you thinking?" "That not everything" "This ship and i have been through" "Can be neatly cataloged." "I have located a partial file" "Dated cy 9787." "I am unable to unlock or authenticate it." "It is not my standard practice" "To store damaged files." "Well, it wasn't a standard situation." "Dylan, my powers are getting stronger" "The closer my sun comes to that pinhole, but... i feel bad." "I don't remember much of what happened." "Well, let me fill you in." "We'd been ambushed by the nietzscheans." "We were under attack and completely outnumbered." "There was only one possible escape route" "Straight toward a black hole." "Dylan, are you sure about this?" "I can't guarantee i'll have enough power left" "To pull us away from the singularity." "We're not strong enough to fight our way free." "We've got to use the black hole's gravity" "To slingshot us away from the nietzscheans." "It's our only chance." "It might have worked" "If my first officer hadn't betrayed me." "Commander?" "Rhade!" "I tried to warn you." "I didn't have a pilot," "And i was busy fighting for my life." "The ship hit the event horizon and couldn't pull out." "What was that?" "A temporal distortion." "Our artificial gravity" "Must be amplifying the time-Dilation effects" "Of the black hole." "No!" "Gaheris, what have you done?" "I'm proud of you." "You should be." "And it all seemed to happen in an instant." "For more than 300 years," "Andromedaand i were outside of linear time," "Until beka and her crew found us" "And towed us out withthe maru." "The bucky cables are holding." "And i was there, right?" "You were my good luck charm, even then." "Ladies and gentlemen... the andromeda ascendant." "Okay, i would just like" "To say for the record... we rule." "And when normal time resumed," "My life was about to change forever." "Captain hunt?" "Captain hunt, are you all right?" "I'll live." "Andromeda was forced to make hasty repairs." "Some pathways were rerouted through time paradoxes," "Leaving areas of memory that we haven't searched." "Marida was here" "While you were caught in the singularity." "It would mean that all those years i lost," "Some part of me wasn't frozen in time." "I actually lived them." "We're set to go." "Just waiting on your okay to launch." "What keeps rhade" "From being pulled off-Course?" "True, it's a tricky maneuver." "He loses the line, he's fusion fuel," "But rhade's a good pilot." "He's a great pilot," "But unexpected things" "Can happen to even the best." "I can help." "I guess a locked door is no obstacle" "For someone who can sneak onto a warship." "I couldn't wait any longer." "Okay, um... this is?" "Marida." "This is marida." "She's a... visitor." "Marida, mr." "Harper." "Uh, no offense," "And although i could think of a hundred ways... how can you help?" "By creating an anchor point for your friend" "A pinpoint of gravity" "To counteract" "The gravitational force of the pinhole." "Cute!" "However... an a.G. Generator that could do that... hasn't been built." "She wasn't planning on using a machine." "Were you?" "Andromeda,status" "On that file decompression i requested." "File expansion complete." "That's perfect timing." "Transfer to monitors, please." "Gaheris, what have you done?" "I'm proud of you." "You should be." "Dear one." "I... don't belong here." "You've come home." "She was there?" "She was... whenandromeda got caught" "On the event horizon?" "How?" "Who are you?" "There's only one answer" "That makes sense" "Every celestial body has its avatar," "Beings who command the power of suns, moons... collapsed stars." "You're an avatar of a black hole?" "Theblack hole, mr." "Harper," "The one that i was trapped in for over 300 years" "Before you and beka salvaged me." "We were together for a fraction of a moment," "Longer than you might have liked... too brief for me." "Please, understand." "I, uh... i know it happened," "But... i don't remember." "We can start over." "Let me begin by helping you." "All right." "I can work with that." "You believe you can trust her?" "She has something we need." "She can create" "A point of intense gravitational force," "And rhade can use that as an anchor" "To keep from being sucked into the pinhole." "Well, that certainly has its value," "But do you know its price?" "Dylan, it seems you have spent" "Three lifetimes with this woman." "You must have loved her," "But you don't remember any of it." "That doesn't make it less real." "Come on, you rotten bucket of" "Useless." "This thing's full of holes." "No offense to present company." "None taken." "Don't mind her." "She's never met the avatar of a black hole before." "And you have?" "I believe the ideal anchor point" "Is located right... here." "That will give us enough clearance" "To protectandromeda." "I still think you can make an 18-Degree turn" "And save six minutes off your final arc." "You would, wouldn't you?" "I'm the one playing slingshot" "Between a temporary point singularity" "And an unstable pinhole." "Crashing into just 4% of the sun" "Is still 100% fatal," "So i'll take the extra six minutes, thank you." "Suit yourself." "Wuss." "I heard that." "I'm just trying to get my ass back in one piece." "Are you okay?" "Wuss... i'm fine!" "Thank you." "Ah." "It's minor nerve damage." "His hand will be fine in two to three days." "Well, he won't be flying this job," "Not with impaired motor control." "Yeah, it certainly was an unlucky break." "Hello?" "Hmm?" "So let me fly it inthe maru." "Come on, i have two good hands," "And i'm a better pilot than you know who." "True, but... i think i'll fly this mission myself." "Okay." "Dylan, please don't." "Let beka do it." "Why?" "Well, i just found you." "The thought of having you out of my sight so soon, i... with you to anchor me, marida, i know i'll be safe." "She'll do anything to keep the two of you together." "I'm counting on it." "That's why i'm flying this mission." "Whatever else marida's up to," "She won't harm me." "Well, if she thinks she's lost you," "There's no telling what she'll do." "Yeah, there's that," "But we're running out of options." "That 18-Degree turn... you think you can make it?" "I know i can make it." "The maru may not be" "As pretty as a slipfighter, but she flies true." "Then why not do it?" "Well, if i were flying, i would." "Well, you should be the one." "Even rhade said no one's a better pilot." "He did?" "Well, he's right about that." "And you have the better ship." "That's right." "Two for two." "I'm starting to like you." "But dylan wants to do it." "Who am i to argue?" "The most important thing is that the job succeeds." "No one's better than you." "Easy!" "That's the last of it." "It is a scorcher down there, all right." "I could adjust your internal cooling systems" "To compensate." "Or i could bag you again." "Okay." "Okay, never mind." "It's too hot anyway." "Besides, you got more work to get out of the way." "What?" "Or not." "I'm sorry, harper." "I think the heat's" "Getting to me." "I mean, i've been having" "The craziest thoughts about you lately." "Thoughts about me?" "Like what, dreams?" "No, not dreams." "It's like... it's like i'm burning up just thinking" "Of all things i want to do to you." "Fantasies... and i can't get them out of my head," "And each one is different," "But they all end the same." "Oh yeah?" "Mm." "Like how?" "A happy ending?" "They end in pain." "Off-The-Meter, unrelenting," ""Oh, i want to die" kind of pain." "Do you understand that, harper?" "Um, it's clear- Painfully clear." "All right, then." "On the other hand," "At least you're thinking about me," "Even if it is sadistic." "Don't start, harper." "It's too hot." "You're telling me." "Fine, go ahead, suffer like the rest of us." "Harper, come in." "Harper!" "Harper and sons mech work and sandwich shop" "Everything from soup to nuts and bolts." "I'm headed for the drop point for your electron parasol." "Parabolic shield ready" "To receive instruction data upload" "And be deployed in" "Beka?" "I thought dylan had that gig." "Change of plans." "Just tell me when you're sending the data" "So i can tell you if the thingy's receiving it." "Okay." "Dylan?" "I'm already on it." "I just got the word." "Beka, i told you i was doing this." "No offense to your piloting, dylan." "I just felt that i had a better shot" "Of pulling it off." "Look, the most important thing" "Is making sure this job succeeds." "This is your doing." "I am providing an anchor point to stabilize her course." "Beka, abort this flight." "I am ordering you." "She's not going to like that." "You're ordering me?" "That's cute." "Fine." "I'm asking you." "Well, i'm pretty much committed now." "The eureka maru" "Is approaching point of no return." "We have to do something." "Her acceleration's too hot." "Beka, pull out!" "No, i can hold it." "She is off-Course by two degrees, 17 minutes." "I don't get it." "I hit that turn perfectly- 18 degrees off the anchor point." "She needs more drag," "Or the momentum's going to carry her right in." "You fix this." "Now." "I'm doing what i can." "I don't think you are." "I think your anchor point" "Is just a little weaker than beka calculated." "And don't pretend that you didn't arrange this." "You wanted beka out there." "Now, why would i do that?" "Because you're a woman Who doesn't let go of what she thinks is hers," "And beka's the one who took What was yours, didn't she?" "When she salvagedandromeda and took me away from you?" "I... don't belong here." "You've come home." "The bucky cables are holding." "Braking thrusters are not going to cut it." "I'm caught in the pinhole's gravity field." "Soon she'll be burning up." "Just like trance said," "There's nothing you won't do to keep us together." "All i want is to be with you again." "If you do that by hurting beka," "Then i swear, we are history." "I could never deny you." "A.I. Mainframe intrusion." "Intrusion." "Intrusion." "Intrusion." "I know." "Get rhade up here right now." "Uh, hey, what about me?" "Hold on, beka." "I'm doing the best i can." "I don't know." "Maybe you'd better drop the shield" "To stabilizethe maru." "And scrap this whole thing after all that work?" "No thanks." "I'd rather deep-Fry than slow-Roast any day." "What's going on, boss?" "What happened to beka's gravity anchor?" "Marida jumped intoandromeda'sa.I." "I'm going in too." "To do what?" "Kill her?" "Stop her?" "How do you get rid of an avatar?" "She's data right now." "Destructive code, to be exact." "That we can get rid of." "It's dangerous, boss." "You could die in v.R. Too." "Come on, harper." "You're better than that." "I'll take that as a compliment." "Take that as an order." "No pressure." "Oh, me and my big mouth." "All right, let's get this thing over with." "Okay." "Enjoy your date with data." "Don't forget to use a conduit." "Ha." "Marida." "Your home is with me." "You are my other half." "You know, i may not remember it," "But i know who i am, and i... i was never your husband." "Watch." "It's happening." "Someone's pulling the ship free." "You can't leave me!" "I never agreed to stay." "Here with me," "You're free from time and gravity," "Part of the universe itself." "Don't you want that?" "I have a commonwealth that i have sworn to protect" "As long as i live." "You know that." "I know that you belong here with me." "Marida... i was born into linear time," "And this existence," "Watching life unfold from the outside," "In" " Instead of living it... it wasn't meant for me." "They are here to give me back my life." "I cannot refuse... even if it means giving you up." "Captain hunt." "Captain hunt, are you all right?" "I'll live." "You have to let me go... again." "I can't." "I won't." "You're not my home." "No one leaves me." "Now, marida" "How bad is it?" "Well, dylan is in the mainframe," "And the a.I. Is down." "It's hard to tell how bad the damage is." "Andromeda, your status." "This may be it." "Marida, listen to me!" "Come on!" "Stop this!" "Stop it right now!" "No!" "There's nothing else!" "Stay with me." "Please?" "Please, stay with me." "Shh." "It's all right." "It's all right." "What we had... was a dream." "It was a beautiful dream." "It was beautiful, wasn't it?" "Yes." "It's going to be okay." "Dylan, you've got to let her go." "Get out of there, boss!" "She's trying to take you with her." "You've got to let her go." "Now." "Boss!" "Let her go, now!" "You've got to get out of there." "There's no time!" "Now!" "Andromeda,status." "My systems are back online." "Excellent work, boss." "I'm detecting a massive new memory cache" "Inandromeda's central processors." "Isolate." "Isolated." "Should i delete it?" "No." "We're going to use it to save beka." "Did someone say "save beka?"" "That's music to my burning ears." "Andromeda," "Attach new memory cache to parabolic reflector data" "And send." "Attaching..." "sending." "Hang on, beka." "We've got a hitchhiker coming your way." "Upload received." "How come people make fun of my relationship choices?" "Well, you're the one that picks them." "Just deploy the reflector, please." "Off you go." "And stabilizing." "The maruhas achieved equilibrium point." "Beka's going to be okay." "Reflector's responding to r.M.F. Control." "Approaching final position." "Radiation reflection... better than 80%." "Yes!" "So maybe i underestimated" "By about 20." "Looks like marida's gravity" "Trapped in that reflector" "Should keep it in place nicely." "All right, beka, you're free to fly back home." "You can thank me later." "And you can thank me now." "I told you." "I had the best shot of pulling this off." "Mission assessment, captain?" "Well, we're, uh... still alive," "So i guess we could call that a success." "The news isn't so good here." "Sending marida up with the reflector" "Caused stress on the pinhole." "It's been enlarged." "Meaning your sun'll be coming through even faster?" "You'll find a way to stop it." "Yeah." "You know, trance, it was strange," "Seeing glimpses of a relationship" "That must have meant something to me." "Something, but not everything." "That's what she couldn't accept." "Ah, trance, she could have done so much damage." "Now at least she won't be able to hurt anyone." "It should be about a thousand years" "Before she figures out" "How to get out of the reflector's data node." "By then, she should be over me."