"Tyr!" " It's a coat of arms." " The distress call said pirates, these guys aren't pirates." "So who are we fighting?" "Warning." "Reactor overload." "Critical function." "Andromeda, how long 'till the ship breaks apart?" "Detecting hull breeches on decks four and five." "Based on current crack propagation, I estimate eight point two five minutes." " We still have time to find the crew." " Hold on, that was an estimate." " We leave and there are survivors, they'll die." " If this explodes and we're still on it, WE'll die." "Beka, get the ship ready, we'll be back in seven minutes." "Just hurry, I hate it when my men are late." "Warning." "Reactor overload." "Critical function." "I warn you!" "Clear?" "Tell them that!" "This is Captain Dylan Hunt of the Andromeda Ascend--." " Apparently they've heard of you." " Hold you fire!" "We're here to help." "It appears we're a little late." " Get away from us." " Put it down, we're here to help." " I'm Captain Dylan Hunt." " I'm Tyr Anasazi." "Dylan Hunt?" "Erik, drop the gun." "Father, no." "We can't trust them." "Do as I say!" "This fellow's alive." "Apparently the rest weren't so lucky." "Tell me." "You've lost a lot of blood." "For my son." "Dylan Hunt, Tyr Anasazi, I've I appoint you coregents to my son." "Advise him well." "Long live" "Father!" "Father!" "He is the last gardian of a fallen civilization, a hero from another time." "Face to the univers and chaos, Dylan Hunt recrute an unlikely crew and sets out to reunite the galaxies." "On the starship Andromeda hope lives again." "." "We tried to out run them, but someone sabotaged our slipstream drive." "Everyone I knew was on that ship." "My father, my brothers and sisters, our servants." "Everyone." "And this would be?" "Yanos, my family's retainer, my friend." " You've got to save him." " We'll do the best we can." "On the subject of saving, who were your attackers?" " They were shock troops of the house of Constantijn." " Your distress call said pirates." "Constantijn is a pirate." "A traitor." "He and the five barons butchered millions of our people during their revolt." "And now they have murdered my family, and Yanos is all I have left." "After the fall, Ne'Holland was one of the fist planets invaded by the Magog." "They overwhelmed the planet then moved on." "After thy left, Ne'Holland experienced almost a century of anarchy and civil war." " Until Vincent the first" " My great, great, great grandfather." "Declared himself King, conquered his rivals and united the planet." "My family has ruled Ne'Holland for over two hundred years." "We made our world stable and prosperous." "Which is no doubt why house Constantijn wants you dead." "What triggered the revolt?" "Arch Duke Constantijn and the five barons own most of the land on Ne'Holland, they decided that entitled them to rule, not the King." " And a civil war broke out." " They caught us by surprise." "The royal guard tried to fight, but they were slaughtered." "Millions of people were killed." "When the capital fell, my father tried to evacuate our family, but..." "My father spent many years preparing my older brothers for the throne." " I'm the third son; no one ever thought I'd" " Become King?" "This wasn't supposed to happen." "According to their law, the prince can't officially rule on his own 'till he's crowned on the throne of Vincent the first." "Back on Ne'Holland." " And until then he needs a coregent." " Two, to be precise." "According to Ne'Holland law, being's Erik's coregents would make us his equals." "This means one vote apiece when it comes to major decisions, and one bullet apiece when the assassins arrive." "True, but there are other things to consider." "And they are?" "There's a reason Ne'Holland's one of the first worlds attacked by the Magog, they're located on a major slipstream nexus." "Right along the Magog's main invasion route." "And where the Magog world ship will eventually appear." "Win Ne'Holland, and we'll have a strong point we can use to blunt the Magog invasion, if the coregent approves." "Long live King Erik." "I'm honored that you've decided to be my coregents." "And I promise that together, we will restore justice to the people of Ne'Holland." "Not even crowned and he's making speeches." "Erik, we have practical matter to address before we start restoring justice to anyone." "Matters like the combined forces of Constantijn and the five barons you've been talking about." "The armies are of no consequence." "Our King was murdered, the people will demand vengeance." "Justice and revenge, those aren't really the same thing are they?" "Captain, I'm detecting a ship emerging from slipstream." "It's from Ne'Holland and its hailing us." "No doubt they're here to pay their respects to your highness." " Either way it looks like we have our first order of business." " Very well then we shall address them and make our will known." "Erik..." "This way." "Lieutenant Theodore Tjoe, commanding alliance, defense cutter of the Ne'Holland Nobel Protectorate." "Nobel Protectorate?" "The Nobel Protectorate is the legitimate government of the Ne'Hollandar system" "That's a lie!" "You're rebels" "Your Highness!" "Let the man talk." " But he" " I concur, motion carries." "Lieutenant, you were saying?" "I'm here under orders of the protectorate to collect any survivors of the royal family." "Prince Erik is the only survivor, and he doesn't need any collecting." "It's not a request." "Prince Erik, you have been tried in absentia and have been found guilty for crimes against the Ne'Hollandar people." "You are under arrest." "Corruption, torture, genocide." "Serious charges." "If they're true, the late King Florin was no saint." "Hmm." "Which would reflect badly on Erik." "Making it difficult for us to put him in power, assuming that was still our goal." "The charges might be exaggerated, but according to the databases that I extracted from the freighter, King Florin didn't exactly tolerate dissent." "He imprisoned political rivals and wasn't above the occasional execution." "I haven't a thing against tyrants, per se, but tyrants who lose?" "You were looking for an ally, and its being to seem as though you've found a liability." "From all the reports, the Nobles are worse." "Wholesale destruction of the countryside, forces conscription of commoners, biological attacks on cities loyal to the King." "Just once I'd like to not have to choose between the lesser of two evils." "Then perhaps we should choose the greater evil." "The Barons are organized; they have the upper hand militarily." "Backing them would be our best chance to slow the Magog World Ship." "We'd have a much harder time influencing them than Erik." "As Erik's coregents, you and I can help him become a better ruler than his father was." "Assuming he'll listen." "Dylan, I'm receiving a hail from the cutter." "They seem pretty insistent." "Do they?" "Well that's completely unacceptable!" "Prince Erik is an indicated criminal, and we demand his immediate return." "Your request is completely unacceptable, and I've rejected it." "Then we...we will be forced...to...fire..." "Lieutenant, a bit of advice." "You're on a cutter, I'm on a heavy cruiser, if you insist on pushing this, I could fire a warning shot across your bow, but frankly, the missile of on own would probably rip you to pieces." "So, it isn't all that bright for you to be making threats." "Point taken." "I'll have to confer with my superiors." "Yes, you do that." "You enjoyed that didn't you?" "Yes." "You were out of position." "Again." "This is a waste of time." "You're supposed to be teaching me how to be a king, not a foot soldier." "Martial arts, politics, war; they're all just ways of bending the universe to your will." "All conflicts abide by the same rules." "Sun-su, Makiavelli, Heados of Thonia, read them, you'll be prepared for anything." "Now, attack." "Is that what you did when they came for your father, boy?" "Cry?" "I said attack." "Come on!" "Tell me something else, when they killed your mother and sisters, did they take them first?" "Well done my prince." "You relaxed." "Never relent." "Always finish your enemy or he will finish you." "I'll kill them ya know, the Nobles." "Whether or not they took my sisters, I'll kill them for what they did." "Remember that anger, harness it." "Do not let it harness you." "You ought to be a king; you haven't the time for petty personal indulgences like vengeance." "That's easy for you to say, you didn't watch your family get murdered." "Young Erik, we have more in common then you know." "come." "Watch, learn." "Cut cut!" "disarm, cut!" "... ...throw!" "Remember." "Once the Andromeda is in position, we launch a quick strike against the Nobel's, destroy their strong points, and seize power." "So, what do you think?" " I think it's ambitious." " You don't approve." "Erik, you told me yourself, your planet lost millions of people in its last civil war." " We can't just leave the Nobel's in control." " There are other ways to change the balance of power than war." "There's diplomacy, there's economics, public opinion" "We don't have time." "We need to be swift, decisive." "Tyr said" "I doubt very much Tyr told you to rush into battle unless you absolutely knew you could win." "You're my coregents;" "you're supposed to help me." "And we will." "But I won't help you commit suicide or seize a throne you have no chance of holding." "You don't know them like I do." "The Barons are ruthless." "You're afraid of them." "Good, you should be, they're dangerous and if you weren't you'd be a fool." "What if I can't do this?" "My brothers were groomed for the throne he moment they were born." "How am I supposed to learn everything I need to know in a few weeks?" "Erik, the only way to really learn about leadership, is to lead." "I don't even know where to start." "Well, that part is easy." "Find out what the people really need, then look for the safest and best way to get it for them, from there, everything else follows." "From there, everything else follows." " It's alright, it's alright!" " The shock troops?" "They're gone, they're gone." "You're safe, you are aboard the Andromeda Ascendant, we rescued you." "The King, where, where's" "I'm afraid he didn't make it." "Did anyone survive anyone at all?" "Only Prince Erik, we were too late to save the others, I am very sorry." " I have to speak to the Prince." " You're not ready to leave yet." "You don't understand, the Nobles have taken my wife and daughter hostage, my family!" "And now only the Prince can save them, please, you must let me speak to him." "Prince Erik?" "Yanos Oh, God!" "Thank God you're better." "What are you doing!" "?" "What are you...?" "Help!" "Security alert, Observation Deck." "I never wanted it to come to this." "But your father wouldn't sign the Grand Compromise, he refused to share power." "You sabotaged our slipstream drive." "Were you really so blind?" "My father trusted you." "Your father was a monster, and if I don't stop you, you'll end up just like him." "Erik don't!" "He's more useful to us alive." "Is he?" "One vote each way, so I guess it's up to me to decide." "Erik No!" "You killed him." "I keep telling myself it was self defense." "In my experience, that's seldom consolation." "He was like family." "Dylan, I can see his face, his eyes." "They were alive, starring at me." "And then, they just went blank." "It's not like in the stories is it?" "Taking a man's life." "My brothers wouldn't have thought twice about it." "They were trained to be soldiers, generals." "But no one ever trained me." "Maybe that's a blessing." "Your father didn't shape you in his mold." "That means you're free to become a different kind of king." "My father was beloved by our people." "Which people is that?" "The ones who died because of him?" "Or the ones who killed him?" "Approaching Ne'Holland slipstream nexus." "I command all royal forces on Ne'Holland to cease fire." "And I ask that the Nobels order their troops to do that same." "Our late monarch, my father, was not perfect." "But as your new, rightful king, I do not intend to make the same mistakes that he did." "United, we are a great nation." "Divided, we shall fall." "So, let us now work together to restore peace and unity to Ne'Holland." "For our people, our planet and our future." " Message sent, nicely done your highness." " I had a good speech writer." "I agree." "Should serve you well in the court of popular opinion." "Yes, we are looking for a peaceful solution." "And who knows, we may just find one." "Captain, we're being hailed." "It's Arch Duke Constantijn." " The man who murdered my family." " Mask your anger Erik." "I agree." "But, remember your responsibilities to your people." "Put him through." "I really enjoyed you speech your highness." "Especially the part where you order the royal forces to cease fire." "Are there any of them left?" "Enough." "However in the interest of peace, I've decided to offer you and the five Barons a formal pardon, for all your crimes." "Oh, thank you." "Arch Duke Constantijn, this is an olive branch to show our willing ness to negotiate." "Well, we're all anxious to find a peaceful solution to our situation." "So I have a counter proposal." "If young Erik will endorse the new, legitimate government, then we will pardon him." "That is, providing of course he agrees to leave Ne'Holland and never return, ever." "Exile?" "The charges against him are quite serious and exile is far preferable to death." " Do we have a deal?" " I'll never endorse you!" "You traitor!" "You think you frighten me boy?" "Your anger is a pale imitation of your father." "Don't push me Constantijn, I'm aboard the most powerful warship in the known worlds, I can destroy you with a word." " Alright, that's enough both of you." "All we want is what's best for the people of Ne'Holland, we don't want a war." "Nor do we." "Especially now when we have civilian observers stationed aboard each of our defense cutters and troops are garrisoned in school and hospitals all over Ne'Holland." "Under these circonstances we're fighting to break out captain." "I'm sure you can see the problem." "Using people as human shields Constantijn?" "Not exactly noble." "Well, I'm not the one riding on the most powerful warship in the known worlds am I?" "The child is an utter fool, of course." "But he does cut quite the romantic figure." "The exiled Prince, the rightful king and so forth." "We both know that the people will support him in his bid for the throne." "I have o doubt that he could take the throne, but how long would he hold it?" "A month, two at best." "And then, even if I were eliminated, the other Nobles would eat him alive." "So you see my dilemma." "On one hand, I have the boy under my control." "On the other... human shields." "A lovely tactical stroke I might say, ruthless." "I'm glad you approve." "But somehow I suspect you didn't contact me just to compliment me on my strategies." "On the contrary, that was the soul purpose of my call." "Then you wouldn't be interested in an offer of friendship from the Protectorate?" "Well, that would depend upon the offer." "Rest assured, I will give you anything it is in my power to give in exchange for one simple gift." "It's a small thing, about the size of a ripe calomelon." "Prince Erik's head?" "Served in the traditional manner, of course,..." "on a platter." "All I require is you agreement and you never nee worry about Constantijn again." "I don't know Tyr." "It's a big decision." "One you were fully prepared to make a few days ago." "But you said that I was being rash." "And Dylan keeps talking about finding a, a peaceful solution." "Dylan... is an idealist." "You and I both know there will be no peace on your world so long as Constantijn and the five Barons are alive." "To strike too soon would have been rash." "To pass up a genuine opportunity, that's suicide." "If you're so confident about your plan, then we should tell it to Dylan." "Out of the question." "Dylan must not know." "The rules governing the regency are clear." "If we both agree, we can out vote him no matter what he thinks." "Do you really believe that he'll let the two of us dictate his actions?" "Son, the Andromeda is Dylan's ship;" "he'll do with it what he will." "And I guarantee that he will not be an accomplice to the execution of Constantijn and his allies." "My Prince, if you rely on people to play by the rules, your reign will be sad, violent and short." "Now, what will it be?" "A false peace with the murderers of your family, one that will end the moment Dylan leaves Ne'Holland, or an unassailable throne?" "Do it." " Kill them." " Spoken like King." "Tyr, Erik, report to Command, code black." "It's our entire defense fleet." "Rommie, how long would it take you to destroy that fleet?" "Six point two seconds." "That long?" "We are being hailed by the flag ship, someone named Admiral Alexander." "Another traitor." "Commanded my father's military during the war." "At the very end, while we were evacuating, he went over to the Nobels." "On screen." "Admiral Alexander, commander and chief of the Ne'Holland defense forces." "Captain Dylan Hunt of the Andromeda Ascendant." "Captain, I have strict orders not to allow you to pass." "Whose orders?" "Your Highness, it's good to see you, I was worried for you." "Not enough to stand by my side." "Prince Erik, your father and I were like brothers, but all this fighting is...its destroying us, its destroying your people." "And now that it's over, it has to stay that way." "You've been a loyal subject Admiral, and I appreciate your concerns." "In that case, I must admit, I am worried for your highnesses safety, especially among these strangers." "Perhaps your highness would care to join us on my flag ship." "I'm not among strangers Admiral." "These are my coregents, and the Andromeda is now my flagship." "Since you choose to remain there, may I offer o send over a royal guard to see to your security?" "Perhaps, I will confer with my coregents." "Com link suspended." "You handled that well." "You listened, what did you hear?" "His invitation was a trap; he's working for Constantijn now." "But he's tired, and all he really wants is peace." " Do we let him send over his guards?" " No, no, we, we'll invite him over to address his concerns about your safety." "But if Dylan can actually persuade Alexander to switch sides, we'll have the fleet and the Andromeda." "The Nobles will have no choice but to surrender, peacefully." "Erik, Alexander has no intention of switching sides." "He only agreed to meet with Dylan to see if there was a way to get to you." "We stick with our original plan, unless you're getting cold feet." "You keep telling me not to trust people, why should I trust you?" "You shouldn't." "If you were smart you'd be formulating our own plan." "One that would work whether you follow Dylan's advice, mine or strike out on your own." "All the while making us both believe that you trust us without question." "So, do you trust me?" "The Nobles are heavily guarded, how do you plan on getting close to them?" "Ah, you see there again you are disrupting the illusion that you have faith in me." "Which at this point" "This is my life on the line, now I asked you a question." "A question with an answer you'd rather not hear." "Coregent, if I'm to be King I need to be kept informed of what must go on to get me on the throne." "How did you get the Nobles to trust you?" "By offering them you." " I must say, I do find your proposal intriguing." " So, you'll keep it in mind?" " You have my word on it." " Thank you, sir." "So, how many can she fire again?" "Forty missile launchers, each firing eight rounds per second." "Nineteen thousand, two-hundred rounds per minute." "At forty mega ton payloads?" "Well, give or take." "A glorious heritage class cruiser, like the Andromeda could completely depopulate a world like, Ne'Holland in under two minutes." "More tea?" "Prince Erik, Dylan would like to see you." "About what?" "Are you alright?" "Ah, I'm fine." "I have to choice beetween running for the rest of my life and starting a war." "And the principle goal of my two advisors seems to be making deals behind my back and manipulating the situation to their advantage." "Everything's great." " Dylan isn't trying to take advantage of you." " And Tyr?" "Tyr, Tyr tries to take advantage of everyone, it's his nature." "I'm seventeen years old." "I should be studying with my tutors, finding love, not deciding the fate of my entire world." "Dylan wanted to tell you this himself but, he, Constantijn and Alexander were able to reach an agreement." "If you all agree to enter into formal negotiations to share power with the Nobles, they'll agree to a cease fire and to your coronation." "The war is over your highness, you're going home." " Where will the Nobles be?" " Below the throne and to the right." "Arch Duke Constantijn will crown you of course, and Admiral Alexander has provided royal guards to line your procession route." "At my father's coronation, thousand of people lined his route to throw rose petals." "Well this time, let's hope nobody throws any grenades." "Your coronation will be broadcast by holocam, your entire world will be watching." "Everything seems to be in order." "Let's go back and run though this again." "Have we a deal?" "How will you get my snipers past the royal guards?" "I've left breaks in our security perimeters." "Here, here and here." "It's unfortunate it's come to this." "Tragic." "You may not believe me, but the Barons and I never wished to make war against our king." "But someone had to stand up for the people." " And rule them." " Well the people can't rule themselves, this is true." "But neither should any king, at least not without the aristocracy." " You have chosen the right side." " I've chosen the winning side." "Then we have a deal." "After Erik is dead, my snipers will kill your Captain Hunt, the Andromeda Ascendant will be yours." "Your Majesty." "All is in readiness." "I don't understand why you haven't already killed them." "Attack without provocation and the people will think you are a despot who murders his foes, allow them to attack you, and you remain a blameless innocent." "The people will love you, even as your foes breathe their last." "Yes?" "Tyr." "So how are you feeling?" " Dylan..." " Dylan the guests are ready." " All of them?" " VIPs included." "My remote sentries are detecting security breeches in the perimeter" "What's happening?" "Something you wanted to tell me?" "I just wanted to thank you" "You're welcome." "Rommie." "Announcing his royal highness, Erik Rolandis Hegador, son of his royal majesty King Florin." "Prince of the grand system of Ne'Holland." "Not until he steps out of his tent, I want this on camera;" "I want the entire world to see." " We have to go" " I think its best if we just wait here for a while." "For what?" "Stay back!" "Hold your tone, hole your tone." " What is that?" " I hope you don't mind." "I took the liberty of inviting a couple of extra guests." "Ready." "Fire!" "Open fire now!" " Use weapon, secure the perimeter." " Use weapons aye." " You're killing them." "You're just like Tyr." " No, I'm better." " Tyr, we had a deal." " Did we?" "Kill him!" "You said you were on our side." "I said the winning side." " Perimeter's secure Captain." " Thank you." "You're welcome." "What did you do?" "The same thing everybody else seems to be doing around here, just making plans." "Looks like mine worked." "All of this, for me." "This is what it costs, the game of Kings." "You pay with blood." "I had no idea what I was getting myself into, but you did." "You've played this game before." "Did you learn anything?" "Tyr taught me to be ruthless that was the Nobel's way." "He taught me to try for peace, diplomacy, and to be ruthless only as a last resort." "I've see enough." "I'm ready" "Good." "Do I am my father's son, I am not my father." "Where he fought, I will find common ground." "Where he commanded, I will listen." "And where he seized all the power he could bare, I will share it." "A government elected by the people, and for the people." "Because I am only one man, and you, you are Ne'Holland." "Long live the people!" "Long live the King!" "A democracy?" "How quaint." "Yes Tyr, I know, you would have preferred Erik as a dictator." "No sir, I should have very much liked our young Erik to survive." "Your way I give him a month." "You've won for now, but in the long run my good captain I must believe you've placed the wrong bet." "I didn't bet on Erik, I bet on them." "The people." "A vote for everyone, including the soldiers, especially the soldiers." "Each of whom will be granted an equal share of the Nobles land when they put down their arms." "Isn't it a lucky thing for you then that Constantijn and the Baron's land has suddenly become available to prop up your new government." "Yes, lucky for me." "Tyr, those people you told Erik to study, Sun-su, Heados of Thonia, Makiavelli, I've read them too." "Well, Captain Hunt, I didn't know you could be so literate." "Long live the King!"