"Somebody pinch me and tell me i'm not theta-streaming." "We... ow!" "It's a figure of speech, Rommie." "We've really, actually, and truly spotted the notorious kuils barra?" "The elusive one and only." "We may catch him if we hurry." "Dylan's transport is on approach." "Uh-oh." "Uh... just for the record, if we miss our rendezvous with Dylan, it's your fault." "Speaking of Dylan... onscreen." "Rhade, thanks for the heads up on kuils." "Go get him." "Don't worry about me." "I'll catch up with you later." "Hunt out." "You heard the captain." "I knew he wouldn't mind." "Mm-hmm." "Opening slipstream portal now." "We almost have him." "As long as he keeps releasing pions, we can stay on his tail." "As long as he keeps releasing pions, a lobotomized chichin could stay on his tail." "I swear, in this day and age, you'd think people would get their pion traps fixed." "How sweet it's going to be to actually bag kuils barra." "Do you think he really is a gravity bender?" "It does seem too easy." "Since when do nietzscheans have a problem with "easy"?" "Take Beka, for example." "He's exiting slipstream." "With a v-turn." "Hang on." "What the hell is that?" "Not our outlaw, that's for sure." "It's some sort of decoy." "He must eject them in his slipstream wake." "Explaining at least one of the ways he's managed to elude capture thus far." "Maybe if we jump back into slipstream, we could... no." "He's long gone." "Back to square one." "Or in this case, the misculon-bremmer system." "Mm, anyone up for a little sightseeing while we wait for captain Hunt?" "Sightseeing?" "The capital planet's known for its valuable art collection." "The nigel library has one of the finest collections of native jaguar art outside of tarazed." "Assuming it hasn't been raided, probably by kuils barra." "Radio traffic from the planet misculon indicates it is currently under attack." "Or being raided." "It's him." "It's got to be." "Maybe we didn't lose him after all." "Andromeda, best speed to misculon." "Even better than catching him for Dylan... catching him in the act for Dylan." "Remaining enemy fire destroyed." "Missile debris deflected." "Do you authorize return fire?" "They don't look like the outlaw's ships." "The ships firing on us are from misculon." "They're the ones we came to help." "They're firing on us?" "[Explosion]" "Everyone's got a different way of saying thanks." "I have a bad feeling about this." "Give me the misculon squad leader." "Aye." "This is theAndromeda ascendant." "Hold your fire and explain your actions." "We're trying to protect our planet." "So are we." "Explain why you're attacking a Commonwealth ship." "We struck out at the Commonwealth because it's the Commonwealth that was attacking us." "This was an order from Shineoa San." "Andromeda, get me Dylan." "He won't be pleased we lost kuils, but he'll be less pleased about this." "I have captain Hunt onscreen." "So... give me the good news." "Anybody?" "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." "I'm sorry you had to come back early from tarazed, we lost our chance of capturing kuils." "Don't beat yourself up." "A nietzschean never beats himself up." "We're self-absorbed, not masochistic." "I took the liberty of assuming you'd want to talk to shineoa san." "You assumed right." "You know he controls one of the most powerful empires in the Commonwealth, but he's a bit eccentric." "He's declared himself "king"" "and his daughter "the crown princess."" "Mm, making one wonder why he's attacking such a small planet like misculon." "Well, maybe he's... a little more than just eccentric." "I know i acted in haste." "Please forgive me, captain, but i believed that the outlaw kuils barra was on misculon." "Shineoa san, the Commonwealth is pleased to have you as a member, but you are not an arm of its law." "I acted as a father." "The crown princess, my daughter, she's missing, and i know that kuils barra is responsible." "Your daughter, aleiss, is missing?" "I met her once." "When did this happen?" "A month ago, one of my cargo ships, like so many others, had simply vanished." "She was on it." "That's... it's very strange, because i'm copied on all high guard reports." "I never saw one saying she was missing." "Aleiss is a decorated high guard officer." "I know this seems absurd now, but i didn't want to embarrass her by calling in the cavalry too early." "She was... she was so proud." "Look, you've lost valuable time." "We need to initiate a search." "I am humbled by your generosity, captain, but out of 60 confirmed attacks by kuils, not one hijacked crew member has ever been seen again." "Forgive me, but what kind of attitude is that?" "We're talking about your daughter here." "We have to go after her." "Please." "Hunt down kuils like the animal he is." "Give him the horrible death he deserves." "I can't hold out false hope that aleiss is still alive." "I... and my people... we so loved her." "I have decreed tomorrow an empire-wide day of mourning." "I would be honored if you would attend." "Thank you, shineoa san, but i'll be too busy looking for your daughter." "Hunt out." "Yeah." "Kulis has been active in this area." "He's got to be running his jack through here." "A moment of frank discussion." "Mm?" "I would be more comfortable with captain Hunt along." "Dylan?" "Yeah, right." "One look at that famous face, and it's presto ghost town." "I'm familiar with these areas." "I know how to blend in." "I suppose you can only buy what you can carry." "I'm just looking for the princess." "Commonwealth officer and future homeworld leader, linchpin to the stability of this galaxy." "Whatever." "What... no." "Cut the swagger a little, will you?" "I'm beginning to miss that "what an interesting freak show" expression you had three planets ago." "Once the fascination is over, the boredom sets in." "If you're bored, you're not looking hard enough." "Under the surface, it's all adrenaline, danger, and edge." "You say it like you miss it." "Only every day." "Beka?" "Beka valentine?" "I don't believe my eyes." "Tune in, Beka, it's your old pal, sy, from the bri salvage, remember?" "Maybe this'll help... i'm the guy who you and your dad ditched so you could take my cut." "You never know when you're going to get a chance to settle an old score." "Hopefully, going to the last place aleiss was seen will give us some answers." "That's the plan." "Boss, trance." "We're right next to the fuel orbiter." "You've got to see this thing." "It's one of those brand-new jobbies... can service six jumbo transports at the same time." "I wish we could land on it." "Where's themaruwhen i need it?" "I'd fuel up just to see how fast they could do it." "Plus, for new customers, they give out free gravity mugs and an ion wash." "Hopefully, positive ions." "Take a look." "Captain, orbiter management of tora-maru-v4 asks if we require remote service." "No, tell them we're coming down on drop pods." "Oh, and i want to talk to the supervisor and crew who serviced the cargo transport that aleiss was on." "Acknowledged." "That makes me so nervous... so many different types of fuel so close together." "Come on, it's totally safe." "Hey, i'll bet they give something for drop pods..." "a nifty new stylus or... time for talk might be over." "Sy, you're right, i owe you, so i won't crush your windpipe if you don't help me out." "I'll just break your arm off." "Still got that ladylike handshake." "I'm looking for someone." "You know i don't rat out my friends." "Make that both arms." "Okay, okay." "It's a place called "the scatter club."" "Thank you." "Now we're even." "Do you feel better?" "Not really." "You will." "Life's too short to carry grudges." "Got to go." "Got her." "I'd know blue blood anywhere." "Almost smell it." "I heard you were looking for someone." "Not anymore." "You are aleiss?" "You are so right." "We've picked up themaru'sbeacon." "We must be close." "Dylan wants us within easy reach of the black market planet in case Beka and Rhade need help." "In the meantime, he's gone to investigate that explosion." "That was a close call." "Yeah." "Usually i've done something to provoke my brushes with death." "Well, we won't know what provoked the explosion until we know what caused it." "There were no ships in the area, no sign of attack." "Not a direct one." "Something felt wrong to you from the start, didn't it?" "I remember you saying so." "I sensed impending combustion, but perhaps confused it with the orbiter's inherent potential." "I should have been able to tell the difference." "We could have warned them." "Trance, it wasn't your fault." "Besides, it could have been an accident." "Or an accident that was planned." "It is interesting timing." "There is now no one left to answer questions about the missing cargo transport." "Funny." "Dylan said the same thing." "I'll bet it was sabotage, but against who?" "Us?" "Or shineoa san." "The fuel orbiter belonged to him." "Did my father send you?" "He's out of his mind with worry." "Then he thinks i'm still alive." "And that would be a bad thing?" "Aleiss, we're having a little trouble understanding why we're tied up and you're not." "We kind of expected it to be the other way around." "Especially if it's true you were taken by kuils barra." "I know you from somewhere." "Second time today." "You get around." "She doesn't know me." "This situation is causing a crisis within the Commonwealth." "300 planets await word of your fate." "I didn't plan any of this." "Untie us." "Let us take you back where you belong." "No." "Racked up daddy's cargo transport and haven't figured out how to explain it yet?" "You've got to understand." "If i go back, i die." "We all die." "So you're the terrible kuils barra?" "The winged warrior?" "And the two of you are my newest problem." "Not the only ones, just the first to find you." "Shineoa san." "Shineoa san won't rest until he gets his daughter back." "More are on the way." "You know that." "No matter how many more come, my problem remains the same... what to do with you." "Let us go, then stick with what's always worked... vanish into slipstream." "No trace, no clue, no risk." "No way." "Well, it was worth a shot." "I've hijacked over 50 ships in the last year, taken cargo and weapons worth a fortune." "I'm one of the Commonwealth's most wanted criminals." "By now i'm sure they've dropped the "one of."" "I have a reputation to think of." "It will be as painless as possible." "Shineoa san, thank you for coming aboard." "Certainly, but i cannot stay long." "I... i want to be back for the dedication of aleiss's tomb." "Of course." "I felt my ship would be a safer place to talk." "I don't understand." "I suspect there's a plot to overthrow your regime." "A plot?" "No, no, that's ridiculous." "That explosion at my fuel orbiter was an accident." "Or the next step in a campaign of terror against you, your daughter's disappearance being the first." "No, you're mistaken." "Whatever has happened to aleiss, it was kuils's doing." "He is my only enemy." "I beg to differ." "If you have no heir, the leadership of your empire's vulnerable, and you have many competitors." "Mm." "I want kuils barra dealt with, captain, for what he has done." "You're that sure he's the only suspect." "My daughter... was the most intelligent, beautiful, kind, capable woman in the galaxy, and only the most vile, evil creature would have killed her." "If she's dead." "Look, i will grant you that kuils barra is a hijacker, a thief, and, yes, he's even a murderer, but we have no reason to believe that he's a political assassin." "He is capable of anything." "Okay." "Don't worry." "We'll take him down." "Thank you." "Your lives are about to change." "Thank you, my love." "Nature unfolds." "Embrace it." "You're surprised this is getting weird?" "You will be allowed to live, just not your old lives." "You'll be taken to one of several small planets, where you'll learn a trade... something useful." "Slavery." "You make the bread." "I'll eat it." "Yeah?" "Take a pass on that, too." "And you were what to my father?" "His legal counsel?" "His financial advisors?" "Oh, now you're just being mean." "I was hoping we could be friends." "Take them away now." "You know this means we'll have to move again." "Wherever you go, i will follow." "So this place we're going... sturdy, hardy, test survival skills... i think i'm going to like it." "Amp down on the nietzschean observations, would you?" "My apologies." "Thankfully, preparation is all." "Maintain flexibility." "Stretch." "Try it." "Stretch and flex, huh?" "Nice footwork." "I'll take you dancing sometime... thought you'd never ask." "But i like to lead." "Ever the matriarch." "I know this quaint little club... you think we can still catch them?" "If not, at least we'll make last call." "My treat." "Oh, no, mine." "Trust me." "See, here's where the initial detonation occurred... in the orbiter's main office." "Right there?" "Yeah." "There's nothing in there that would have ignited by itself like that." "You took the thought right out of my head." "Captain, i have Beka and Rhade." "Excellent." "Onscreen." "Dylan, we're okay, and we found aleiss alive." "Good work." "However, there is the inevitable complication." "They didn't want to be rescued." "Wait a minute. "they"?" "Aleiss and kuils." "Exactly." "She's living large and in charge as kuils barra's new partner in crime... and, you know, he's smaller than i thought." "What she means is the princess has had a change of allegiance." "They're gone." "Find her." "She's too important to the Commonwealth." "We have no idea where they've gone." "Oh, somebody in that room does." "Great, we'll just shake down this entire club one sleazeball at a time, unless... we do it all at once." "It's a good idea." "You get their attention." "I'll take the rest from up here." "Everybody, listen up!" "Who wants to live?" "Man knows how to get people's attention." "I'm transmitting from a Commonwealth high guard ship above your planet." "In my left hand is a unit controlling 22 megatons of direct-hit firepower." "Now, someone knows where kuils barra has gone." "If you don't speak up right now, then you'll all be blown into a billion pieces." "Perhaps you need a little demonstration." "The bolder the captain's actions are, the more fascinating." "I like it." "Now, who wants to cooperate?" "That's what i thought." "Shineoa san's ship is headed for the planet." "Just as i expected." "Andromeda, confirm coordinates and advise." "Confirmed." "Continue present course." "Dylan's headed in the other way." "We've got them trapped, but why we didn't just blow up this planet... aleiss falling in love with kuils." "Triangulum syndrome." "If that's what she has, it's treatable." "More like "rich bitch" syndrome, which isn't." "Believe me, i know the type." "You know all about the seedy underbelly of deep space scavenge, and you're extremely familiar with high society." "Which is it, Beka?" "I said "trust me."" "Duly noted." "I'll compile a list of topics to stay away from when killing time with Beka valentine." "Number 11... knock it off, Rhade." "No, allow me to press on." "When did you become such a reverse elitist?" "Not where i'd spend my honeymoon... however, they do say love is blind." "It's called "slumming."" "The glamour and excitement of taking a walk on the wild side... until the novelty wears off." "All right, enough innuendo." "Let's have the story... the reason why you've had it out for this woman since day one." "I'm just not fooled like the rest of you." "And what makes you the expert?" "Let's just say i've had experience with her kind." "Yes, i can see how scavenging galactic junk could put you into contact with the most powerful and influential women in the galaxy." "Someone's coming." "We're getting warmer." "Any warmer and i'll melt." "I started thinking that wasn't possible." "Compliment." "I meant that as a compliment." "This is the first entrance to kuils's camp." "Keep out of sight." "Let's wait for Dylan." "Scratch that." "Shh." "Please, please, i implore you, just leave me here." "We can't do that, princess." "You should know better than anyone." "This is all falling apart." "It fell apart when your transport was hijacked, when you and kuils met and had your epiphany." "What was someone of your stature and station doing aboard a cargo transport in the first place?" "I don't suppose you've asked my father that question." "You've been known to take risks." "Not foolish ones, not without good reason." "In fact, i recently begged my father to stop sending transports through that area." "Because of the hijackings?" "Because i thought it was criminal to put our crews in the way of such danger." "And yet there you were." "Yes, there i was, and there i woke up." "I'd been drugged and put aboard that transport by my father." "You're saying he tried to kill you." "Who do you think killed my mother?" "And for the same reasons he tried to kill me... because we got too popular, because he can't bear for his subjects to love anyone but him." "Beneath that sympathetic and warm exterior, he's a psychopath." "He's hateful." "You think i'm delusional... accusing my own father, falling in love with the most feared man in the galaxy, but the irony is i'm finally seeing clearly." "Aleiss, just because kuils hasn't killed you... i know you don't believe me, but i love him." "I love him because i know he is everything that my father has pretended to be... good, just." "Crazy, overdeveloped sense of entitlement?" "He only steals from the rich and corrupt to help support planets that have no hope of defending themselves against ruthless empire-builders like my father and his." "You're sure you aren't confusing him with a character from ancient lore?" "Cyrus of tal, robin hood of earth, the great syronium?" "The great syronium?" "From the galaxy 10." "It is kuils's hatred of his father that drives him to be as different from him as possible." "Well, he's different, all right." "You of all people should understand the drive to be different from one's parents." "You think it's all safely hidden beneath this tough-girl veneer you've adopted, but i finally realized why you're so familiar." "You look exactly like your mother, talia of oedekirk." "Talia, the senator of oedekirk?" "That's who your mother was?" "Number 12." "This isn't about Beka." "It's about you, and you don't expect us to believe any of this without proof." "Well, i don't know how i'm going to give you that." "Fortunately, we do." "A way to prove you're still sane and that kuils barra is worthy of your love and trust." "How?" "By betraying him to prove your first loyalty is to the Commonwealth." "Don't bother looking for this." "Aleiss told me where to find you." "Kulis... it's over." "Nothing is ever over." "Except true love." "Don't tell me you're willing to die for something that's become worthless." "Kill me, and a thousand small planets will be galvanized into one giant force seeking revenge." "A thousand planets?" "I had no idea you were so popular." "You don't know the first thing about me." "That's true, but i already know more than i want to." "Boss?" "Boss?" "Whoa." "Uh... we've got to move." "Beka, Rhade, and the princess chick, they're in trouble." "They got stuck in an enzyme swamp trying to escape the caves." "Oh, that's fast." "Wow, that rocked... if you catch my drift, or planet, so to speak." "Mr. Harper, what took you so long?" "What's the matter?" "You couldn't handle the guy?" "Don't be smart." "It's hard not to when you're a prodigy." "Now what?" "We get out of here." "All right, nobody move." "Staying still is the only way to keep the rocks from going under." "Trust me." "I'm bred for self-preservation." "Yeah, that's not working." "I sure hope the rest of your plan goes better than this part." "Dylan's on his way." "Let's hope." "Okay, if we don't do something, in about three minutes, we're going to be swamp sludge." "Look." "The rocks." "If we time it right, we might be able to make it to that ledge." "One at a time." "You first." "Hurry." "We should never have come this way." "We shouldn't even be on this planet." "This whole setup was a bad idea." "He'll find us, and he'll save us." "All of us." "Assuming Harper can help him find us." "I wasn't talking about Dylan." "Aleiss." "Aleiss." "Don't say anything." "I came to save you and forgive you, then i'll go forever." "Kulis, please, not just me, all of us." "Put away your weapon." "I'll take you out one at a time." "No, take the others first." "Father, no!" "He's hit!" "Shineoa san, what the hell are you doing?" "He came back to save your daughter, even when he thought she'd betrayed him." "No, i will not let you do this." "Don't think it matters to me, dearest daughter, who i kill first, or should i say second?" "Remember, i already thought you were dead." "If you think you're going to get away with this, you're as foolish as you are evil." "Foolish would be to waste an opportunity like this to rid myself of all my problems at once." "I'm the one you want to be rid of, so take my life." "Gladly." "So many have already begun to mourn." "It would be a shame to waste the memorial... but they'll forget about you soon enough, like they did your mother, and then they will love me again, only me, and forever." "You are one sick son of a bitch." "Remember me?" "Captain Hunt, i... he's still alive." "Dylan, he tried to save us." "How about getting us off this ledge?" "Preferably without getting us turned into goo." "Mr. Harper..." "Andromeda, my coldhearted love ship, i'm transmitting coordinates for your cryonic beam." "It's temporary." "Let's move." "Aleiss." "Thank you, captain Hunt." "You're welcome." "Some family reunion, huh?" "I sure didn't expect it to turn out like this." "Unfortunately, i did." "Let's move." "Excuse me." "Hmm." "Daughter of a senator, daughter of a king... peas in a pod." "I'm sorry." "I kept my past a secret for a reason." "You acted." "It's hard to tell which way is right." "Well, we both must go on." "I guess you're right." "Good luck." "And you." "Everything aleiss said about you has checked out, even some things that you said about yourself that i didn't think were possible." "For one thing, you're not a murderer." "My father discarded people's lives the way others do spent shell casings." "Anything he did, i strive to do differently." "You... don't have a thousand small planets loyal to you." "You have over 1,100." "I wasn't counting the rural agrarian colonies." "Well, maybe you should." "They're filled with freed slaves from commercial liners." "It takes tremendous leadership to accomplish that kind of loyalty." "What's right is a great motivator." "It's very true." "Despite some unconventional methods, you have proven yourself more Commonwealth at heart than many senators that i know." "Is that a compliment?" "It is if you want your freedom." "My freedom?" "I'm going to make you an offer." "I mean, i should turn you over to the triumvirate for prosecution, but... i don't have to." "If what?" "If you bring your league of planets into the Commonwealth, and into aleiss san's empire." "Say yes." "We can rule together, the way we know it should be done." "Of course it means you'll have to abide by a few rules for a change, but then that... well, i guess some guys don't mind an ultimatum." "Those sans really know how to throw a party." "I've got to tell you, though." "Good thing we left when we did." "One more piece of cake, and i'd have to hate myself in the morning." "Ooh." "Oh, Harper, you know i could never let that happen." "No farewell words of biting sarcasm?" "Every now and then, you go to a wedding that doesn't suck." "Hmm... sounds like you've forgiven her." "I'll never forgive her." "She got tired of playing house and went back to the really fun toys, power and money... leaving seven-year-old me and my dad to fend for ourselves." "When we left, she probably never even noticed." "Probably still hasn't." "I was talking about the bride, aleiss." "I wasn't." "I hope the triumvirate understand when they find out that instead of arresting someone they think is a threat, you've set him up as co-ruler of one of their largest empires." "Yeah, so do i." "How are you going to explain it to them?" "Well, we won't be in tarazed for a couple more months... gives us plenty of time to come up with... something."