Dylan: Well I agree Trance but this much I know, first contact missions are tricky but they can be a lot of fun.

Trance: Until they freak out when they see us.

Dylan: Nobody’s freaking out we’ll do it by the book. Besides, based on their mayday that we intercepted they’ve got bigger fears then seeing us.

Trance: Have you decided what you’re going to say to calm them down?

Dylan: Well you know me with my speeches, but I was thinking uhhh, Ladies and Gentlemen of the planet Savion I know that you’re all terribly worried that a giant space creature…

Trance: The Cetus.

Dylan: …the Cetus will arrive and eat part of your planet but hey don’t sweat it you’re all worked up over an age-old superstition.

Trance: Not bad.

Dylan: I know, I’m not good at giving speeches. You know, their tech must be very young, their mayday was sent by radio signal.

Trance: Well then they may not even have space travel yet.

Dylan: That’s a good point. Scan the planet for a detailed survey of its geophysical property’s, also collect and analyse all radio transmissions they’ve sent over the last 50 years. How do we get people to stop believing in a myth they’ve believed in for centuries?

Trance: By getting them to believe in that other myth.

Dylan: What’s that?

Trance: The one about the high guard captain, flying around the universe, making allies, restoring the commonwealth.

Dylan: I don’t think they’ll ever believe in that one.

Scene: Beka, Harper, and Rommie on Andromeda.

(Harper turns on swing music)

Harper: Ompah! (Dances over to Beka) Come on Beka, dance with me.

Beka: Friends don’t let friends drive and polka.

Harper: Polka? Polka? Watch it or I’ll polka you, it’s called a swing baby. Oh yeah, all the old hap cats on Earth were ah, doing it. And you know what? It’s a lot like love, it’s ah, much better with a partner.

Beka: Great. You know what? Go over there.

Harper: How ‘bout you Rommie, Care to ah, live a little? How ‘bout giving me the honour of this do-si-do?

Rommie: Thank you Harper. But my attentions are currently focused on carrying out Dylan’s Order. Search the system’s outer rim for the Cetus.

Beka: And if we have to, kill it.

Harper: Oh sure, a fairy tale space beast takes precedence over my ah, invitation.

Rommie: As a warship I’m not optimally programmed for aesthetic distinctions however, I’d have to say this music is NOT my taste.

(Tyr enters not looking happy)

Tyr: Alright, why is this music on?

Harper: My fault. Because I can’t play it when Dylans here, which is always, he hates it.

Tyr: Then I’m torn, between clapping my hands to applaud Dylan’s good taste and clapping my hands over both your ears to simulate the pain you cause me.

Beka: Hey kids, it’s just three days until Dylan gets back.

Tyr: And why is our hero out responding to some minor planet’s irrational panic over some mythical creature when there are far more real threats in known space?

Harper: I know, we may as well be hunting for bighand.

Rommie: Bigfoot.

Harper: Whatever.

Try: Or the dreaded snarkasaurus of Qualus 4.

Beka: Come on guys, after two years you should know that this is what Dylan does. He helps worlds that can’t necessarily return the favour.

Tyr: Very well. Let them pursue their myths. I’ll consider this a much needed respite from the real threat, (directed to Harper) like your music.

(Tyr goes to leave and Rommie shuts off Harpers Music.)

Harper: Hey! What are you doing I was listening to that.

Rommie: And I’m listening to this. (She plays an eerie noise over the comm., coming from space. Tyr stops before leaving through the door.) It’s from an unidentified object approximately four light minutes out.

Beka: Then identify it. Launch sensor drones for active contact.

Rommie: Aye.  

Scene: Back to Dylan and Trance on the Maru.

Trance: According to this data their society still uses digital clocks and combustion engines.

Dylan: Their technology’s archaic. Huh, Savion’s a clean slate.

Trance: With a lot of potential. They might even become an important part of the universe.

Dylan: You say that like you know.

Trance: I know when some things are worth saving. Dylan, the planet. (Savion comes into view. It has several long, deep, scratches in it.)

Dylan: What the hell did that?

Scene: Back on the Andromeda.

Rommie: I don’t recognize the rad signatures.

Harper: Yeah that’s cause the radiations off the freaking charts. It’s lit up like a casino draft on New Years Eve.

Rommie: I’m getting a composite image from my sensor returns.

Beka: Visuals. Let’s meet our stranger. (The Cetus appears on screen.)

Rommie: The Cetus.

Harper: It’s supposed to be a myth.

Beka: I think it just came true.

Intro

Beka: Is it the Cetus?

Rommie: My databank contains 10,000 years of commonwealth history and no one’s ever seen anything like this.

Tyr: Or lived to tell about it.

Beka: What do the sensors say?

Rommie: Well I can’t tell you it’s mass nor can I tell you what powers it but...

Tyr: Does it tell you whether it’s the planet eater?

Rommie: No, but that would be my guess.

Beka: Mine too. Rommie contact Dylan, transmit our data.

Rommie: Transmitting. But Dylan is 44 light minutes out.

Beka: We won’t get a response for 90 minutes. Imagine what he’d say in the mean time.

Harper: Yeah, don’t let the Cetus eat us.

Scene: Dylan and Trance on the Maru

Dylan: There has got to be a good explanation for those scars.

Trance: How about the myth? The Cetus return every 6,270 years to take a bite, and it looks to me as if the next will eat the planet whole.

Dylan: I’m not ready to give up on science. I want to analyze the geologic history of that planet. We’ll find an answer.

Scene: On the Andromeda.

Rommie: It didn’t answer our hail.

Beka: Then it’s not a ship or it doesn’t speak our language.

Tyr: Well let’s stay out of its way or attack it but let’s not sit here making idle chitchat.

Beka: Tyr you know Dylan’s protocol, we talk first, kill later.

Harper: Well Dylans not here I say we skip step one and proceed directly to step ‘save our freaking butts.’

Tyr: I agree. We don’t even know if it’s sentient.

Rommie: We do know it’s a trajectory for the planet.

Beka: Plot an intercept.

Rommie: Aye.

Harper: What?

Beka: Get in front of it.

Scene: On the Maru.

Dylan: The scars don’t correspond to the tectonic plate boundaries.  This wasn’t caused by earthquakes or volcanic activity.

Trance: Or meteors, at least no any meteors that I’ve seen. Guess we didn’t find your answer.

Dylan: We found our answer, none of the above. What’s the radiometric dating of those scars?

Trance: They’re about 6,270 years apart.

Dylan: Just like the myth. How along ago was the most recent one?

Trance: 6,270 years ago, give or take.

Dylan: Then whatever it is we’re due for another visit.

Scene: On the Andromeda.

Tyr: So, are we finished playing what would Dylan do?

Beka: Fire a warning shot. (Shot fired)

Rommie: No reaction it’s still heading directly toward us.

Harper: I guess Mr. Cetus doesn’t speak warning shot.

Tyr: Perhaps he parlays full missile barrage?

Beka: Parlays away Tyr. This bogey is hostile. Target it’s vulnerable spots, (directed at Rommie) it does have vulnerable spots right?

Rommie: (shrugs) Beats me.

Harper: Beats me? Two words I never expected to hear from a warship with a brain your size.

Beka: All right then, let’s just throw what we’ve got and see where it sticks.

(They fire)

Tyr: It consumed our missiles.

Harper: At least we know what it eats for breakfast.

Beka: Rommie did we damage it at all?

Rommie: I’m still too far away to tell; I can’t even tell you if it’s sentient.

Beka: Take us in closer; hit it with an AP burst and a laser barrage. (They do)

Scene: On the Maru.

Trance: What are you thinking?

Dylan: It looks like I’ll need a new speech.       

Trance: Like what?

Dylan: Well how ‘bout this, ‘Ladies and Gentlemen of the planet Savion, there might be something to your myth but don’t worry the most powerful starship in the universe it out there, somewhere, protecting you.’

Trance: Oh that’s great; now all you have to do is convince yourself.

Dylan: Andromeda is strong Trance but if the Cetus can do that to a planet I....

Trance: Incoming message from the Andromeda the lag time is 44 minutes.

Dylan: Put it through.

Beka (on screen message): Dylan, we’ve made active contact with the Cetus. The thing is no myth, it’s real and it’s headed toward the planet. We’ll try to hail it and then see what happens.

Dylan (sending message): Andromeda, this is Dylan. Code black, exercise extreme caution; repeat extreme caution stay outside combat radius. Dylan out.

Trance:  Because of the signal lag, they won’t get that message for…

Dylan: I know, I know, signal lag. I hate physics. You know what? We’re going back. I just hope 44 minutes isn’t too late.

Scene: On the Andromeda

Beka: Did the sensor drones detect any reaction to our missles?

Rommie: Not yet.

Beka: All right. Tell me when they’re inside two light seconds, we’ll stay put at four light seconds.

Tyr: When will your drones tell us whether it’s alive?

Harper: Hey if we had a really really long stick we could try poking it in the eye, if it blinks it’s alive.

Tyr: It has no eye, nor so far as we can tell any vulnerable areas.

Beka: Its gottta have something. Did the drones see anything yet?

Rommie: They’re within two light… It ate my drones.

Harper: Radiation’s way up.

Beka: Battle stations. Andromeda get us the hell out of here, hard 180.

(They turn but are not quick enough and the Cetus closes its mouth around them.)

(General chaos and things sparking inside the Anrdomeda)

Beka: Auxiliary power. (computer babbling) Rommie status. Rommie?

(Rommies half aware on the floor, she can’t get up)

Rommie (In weird echo voice): I don’t know. I don’t know.

Tyr: You don’t know?

Harper: What? Give her a break would ya Tyr?

Rommie(weird voice): Functions overloading.

Harper: All her applications are under simultaneous assault.

Beka: Can you at least contact Dylan?

Rommie (weird voice): Maru, Mayday. Mayday.

Scene: On the Maru.

Beka (on message screen): We engaged the bogy with twenty gigatons of warheads, no reaction. We’re gonna go in closer and hit it with energy weapons. Andromeda out.

Trance: That was 38 minutes ago. Do you think they went in too far?

Dylan: No. Until the sensor drones identified target areas they stayed outside the combat radius, probably at four light seconds.

Trance: How do you know that?

Dylan: Cause that’s what I would do.

Scene: On the Andromeda

Harper: One more second, got it. (Rommie is functional again)

Rommie: My power’s is back on line.

Beka: Great. All ahead full, maximum force.

(Ship shakes and creaks)

Rommie: (in pain) ohhh, it’s not working, external pressure is increasing.

Beka: Power down.

Harper: The harder we push the tighter it seems to clamp down like inertial or strength or something.

Tyr: I suggest we try copious explosives.

Beka: Go for it.

Tyr: Full offensive sound off, firing.

(stuff on the Andromeda explodes, sparks fly, people fall

Scene: On the Maru

Dylan: We haven’t picked up any more transmissions from Andromeda.

Trance: Dylan, if we’re supposed to be saving the planet, why did we turn around to save the Andromeda instead?

Dylan: Because Andromeda is that planets first and last line of defence. If it falls, so will Savion.

Trance: But the Cetus eats the Andromeda and gets filled wouldn’t that save the planet?

Dylan: That might save the planet, but we would lose the universe.

Scene: Back on the Andromeda.

(Computer is babbling, screens are fritzing in and out, general sparking noise.)

Computer: Environmental systems failure, initiating auto-shut.

Tyr: Harper, (referring to Rommie) what’s her problem?

Rommie (in weird voice): Simulation, mind scramble, outer hull rupture.

Harper: She can’t disconnect from the core AI, it’s dumping trillions of information into her by the milisecond.

Beka: Are we on line?

Tyr: Look at her, what do you think?

Harper: Hey she wasn’t built to be eaten by a giant space creature.

Tyr: Neither was I.

Harper: Look, she’s got god knows what poison eating away at her AI and burning through her entire outer body all because you dumped a whole payload of missiles on top of her skin.

Beka: Yes, well, it seemed like a good idea at the time.

Tyr: I think it’s safe to say unless we get power back on line we stand no chance of survival. (To Harper) Go get us manual control.

Beka: Harper you have to go to the slipstream core to get…

Harper: She needs me. (referring to Rommie)

(Tyr lunges at Harper in a treating way. He stops when Beka speaks.)

Beka: Tyr! Harper look, the only way you’re gonna help her is to get manual control. Go to the slipstream core. Go.

(Computer babbles)

Scene: Harper running through the Andromeda on his way to slipstream core.

Harper: (looks at stuff falling from the ceiling) Digestive fluids. (some falls on his jacket) Ahhhh. Guh, na, ha. (pulls off jacket) I’m nobody’s lunch.

Scene: Back on the command deck.

(Computer babbling)

Rommie: Plasma fires. Critical levels. Fire control failure.

Beka: Did you hear that? (Referring to Rommie)

Tyr: She’s a mess.

Beka: She’s saying the outer decks are on fire and she can’t put it out.

Tyr: Then we’ll do it.

Beka: Vent everything except deck twelve, that’s Harpers route to slipstream core.

Scene: Back to Harper in the corridor.

(Opens door, greeted by venting air)

Harper: Holy hull breach. (Closes door) Goodbye slipstream core, hello plan B. They’re venting the atmosphere, people need to be told these things.

Scene: On the Maru.

Trance: We’ve closed to real time communications range.

Dylan: Andromeda come in. Andromeda.

Trance: We’re getting a message.

Dylan: Put it through.

(She does, but it’s just Dylan’s ‘Code Black’ message to the Andromeda)

Dylan: Remind me to stop sending messages to myself.

Trance: It must have reflected off of something.

Dylan: Yeah but what? (Computer beeps) Something nearby. (Sees bright light in the distance) What is that? Trance enhance visual. (Surprise, surprise it’s the Cetus and there’s the Andromeda, in it’s mouth.)

Trance: Can we contact them?

Dylan: I’m using a laser with sonic vibrations, maybe they’ll hear. Andromeda, do you read me? Andromeda come in.

(Hear Dylans message like it went through water, shows Command deck but Andromeda can’t hear the message.)

Dylan: They can’t get out.

Trance: So what do we do?

Dylan: We’ll go in.

Trance: We have point defence lasers and a few missiles, and proximity mines. And that’s all we have.

Dylan: Beka already hit that thing with twenty gigatons of missiles. We don’t have payload like that even with the combat pod. Ok, it time to think outside the box.

Trance: Think? Outside what box?

Dylan: When you’ve run out of conventional options you go to the unconventional.

Trance: Like weapons.

Dylan: Exactly like weapons, specifically AP fuel tanks.

Trance: Outside the box, I like it.

Scene: On the Andromeda, command deck.

Rommie: Decks three to eleven one hundred percent vented. Plasma fires suppressed.

Beka: Manually venting decks twenty-four to forty-three.

Tyr:  Manually venting decks forty-four to sixty-three.

Beka: Seven decks aren’t responding, respond damn it.

Tyr: That’s almost the entire ship, except for command and slipstream core.

Beka: We don’t even know if Harper made it to Slipstream core.

Tyr: And until we get comm or manual control we won’t know.

Rommie: (Gradually losing weird voice and appearing more aware) Venting Eighty-five percent completed, assisting life support, rerouting to command, adjacent conduits and slipstream.

Beka: Rommie? Are you Ok?

Rommie: The ship has almost shut down, so my AI isn’t scrambled across the decks.

Beka: Can you contact slipstream core? We have to find Harper.

Rommie: Harper?

Beka: You know, short, fast talker, too smart for his own good? Hopelessly in love with you?

Rommie: I know Harper. (Closes her eyes trying to contact Harper) Harpers not in slipstream core.

Scene: Harper in the corridor.

Harper: A conduit, a conduit, my kingdom for a conduit. (Opens door to room full of fire and jumps in. His shoes start to melt.) Ohh crap! (Runs to other side of the room)

Scene: On the Maru.

Trance: Do you think they’re still alive?

Dylan: You should know Trance, after two years and everything the universe has thrown at them. They’ve always found a way to survive.

Scene: Back to Harper.

Harper: (Gets out of fire room and falls into a conduit.)

Scene: On the command deck.

Rommie: (referring to Harper) He’s in conduit one four seven trying to get manual control.

Scene: Back to Harper.

Holo (of Andromeda): Harper?

Harper: Andromeda?

Holo Rommie: (Holo changes to be one of Rommie) Better, it’s Rommie I’m wearing a hologram.

Harper: And you wear it so well sweetheart.

Holo Rommie: Oxygen deprived and still full of attitude.

Harper: Hey, I’m not deprived, I’m depraved, and back at ya baby.

Holo Rommie: So, have you found a way to fix me?

Harper: No. But on the bright side we aren’t Cetus crap yet. Judging form the friendly stomach acid that’s only because it’s still trying to eat it’s way through your bullring mesh exterior.

Holo Rommie: Well you’ve always said I have thick skin.

Harper: Yeah, well, it’s only a matter of time before it cracks your crunchy shell and eats its way in to the centre of your chewy goodness.

Holo Rommie: How much time Harper?

Harper: My guess? ‘Bout an hour, tops.

Holo Rommie: Find a way to kill the Cetus.

Harper: Don’t worry Rommie, I won’t let it hurt you.

Scene: On the Command Deck.

Beka: She’s an impressive ship.

Tyr: She’s a survivor.

Beka: Just like Dylan. I just know he’s out there trying to save us. Or maybe not. The stellar position monitor just stopped, which means the Cetus just stopped. Oh my god, it’s trying to digest us.

Tyr: It’s trying to digest us?

Beka: Dylan wanted to save Savion right? I mean it’s the only reason we’re in this armpit corner of the universe. If the Cetus ate Andromeda, I mean even though we’re tiny compared to a planet, we’d have more then enough rich matter to satisfy its appetite.  Which means that Dylan could save Savion by doing absolutely nothing.

Tyr: Dylan will make best efforts to save the planet and the Andromeda.

Beka: Really? And you’re so sure because...?

Tyr: I trust Dylan to be Dylan.

Scene: On the Maru.

Trance: So, the bomb kills the Cetus and let’s the Andromeda go free, and we save the planet and the Andromeda.

Dylan: That’s right. I call it my eat your cake and have it too plan.

Trance: Uhh, isn’t it have your cake and eat it too?

Dylan: Trance, we’re working on a bomb that could destroy a small planet, and you’re quibbling over semantics? Anyone can have their cake and eat it, the real trick it eating your cake and still having it.

Trance: I see.

Dylan: It’s a common mistake.

Trance: You’re going to have to fly pretty close to the Cetus if you’re going to launch those bombs into it. What if we end up killing ourselves?

Dylan: Well, then we’ll be going out with a bang.

Scene: The Maru flies around and prepares to drop the bombs onto the Cetus. View goes back to Dylan and Trance inside the Maru.

Dylan: On my mark, drop the bombs. Ready? Mark!

Trance: Dropping.

Scene: The Maru launches the bombs.

Scene: On the Andromeda Harper falls over and several explosions occur shaking the ship. Harper nearly escapes a fiery explosion and command is on fire in several places.

(Tyr jumps over Beka, who has fallen, to put out a fire. Alarms sound. He comes back to her)

Tyr: You all right?

Beka: We have got to install seatbelts. How much you want to bet that was Dylan?

Tyr: His rendition of a valiant cavalry charge with the Maru’s AP fuel tanks, and we’re still trapped.

Beka: And that’s the best-case scenario.

Tyr: There’s a worse case scenario?

Beka: Dylan, Trance, they’re dead.

Scene: Shows the Andromeda trapped in the Cetus, then back to command presumably a little later.

Tyr: In so much as in the next little while I imagine this creature will convert us all to energy, I would expect you to take a greater interest in restoring the ships power.

Beka: I just never thought he could die.

Tyr: I don’t think he’s dead.

Beka: Really? Well because that’s interesting because the ship’s sensors, or at least what’s left of them, say he is dead. That explosion equalled the size of the Maru’s fuel capacity.

Tyr: Hmm, machine logic. I don’t believe he’s dead.

Beka: When did you find the faith?

Tyr: I have faith in nothing but this, when the universe collapses and dies, there will be three survivors: Tyr Anasazi, the cockroaches, and Dylan Hunt trying to save the cockroaches. Please, make yourself useful.

Scene: On the Maru.

Dylan: That was close Trance that was ahh, way too close. Status on the Andromeda.

Trance: They’re still trapped.

Dylan: What!! We have faced the Magog, Calderans, Pirians, I will be damned if I lose my crew inside that thing.

Trance: We’re getting a visual on the Cetus. (She shows him a close up of where the bombs hit)

Dylan: At least our AP bombs did some damage. Give me a closer look. Right there. You see how all these roads lead to that one knot?

Trance: You think that’s Cetus’ brain?

Dylan: Whatever it is it’s our next target. Now Harper and I just…

Scene: Harper on the Andromeda

Harper: …have to find a way to kill it. Call me Ishmael but the rad patterns from Dylan’s bomb created a juicy target and… he didn’t die Rommie.

Holo Rommie: My sensors say…

Harper: Right now your sensors say a lot of things but they’re blinded and confused, like a lot of my dates. It’s a perfect example of why a powerful ship like you still needs a human engineer Rommie. He’s OK. The Maru is out there, even if it is just a shell with a…

Scene: Back to the Maru

Dylan: …slipstream drive. There’s got to be something on board we can use to hit the target.

Trance: Are we still thinking outside of the box?

Dylan: Trance right now we’re so far outside the box we can’t even see the box.

Trance: Well then let’s consider that the Cetus is kind of like us, in the sense that it eats to grow bigger, the only difference is that we don’t consume matter we consume food, but if somebody wanted to kill us…

Dylan: They’d give us poison. That’s how we’ll kill the Cetus, we’ll give it exactly the opposite of what it eats, which is…

Scene: Back to Harper

Harper: …antimatter, Hello? Once I get manual control I can reroute the antimatter from the slipstream generators to the main thrusters, then on three, two, one, Opah! Voila, the Cetus gets one hell of a hiemleck and spews us out like your autochef’s three day old chopped liver faster then you can say uncle, or in this case anti.

Holo Rommie: Will it kill the Cetus?

Harper: Who cares? We’ll survive, you will survive.

Holo Rommie: I’ll fail. Dylan ordered me to kill the Cetus and save that planet so I need to know, how can I kill the Cetus guaranteed?

Harper: Nothing is guaranteed. Best chance? If we manually eject the slipstream drive into its belly, then maybe we can ride the explosion out but the hell I’m doing that.

Holo Rommie: Our orders are to save that planet.

Harper: Yeah well my job is to save you.

Holo Rommie: I have to carry out Dylan’s orders, even if it puts us at risk.

Harper: Sorry, you’re gonna live Honey. Those are my orders.

Scene: On the Maru

Dylan: There, that should do the trick. I’ve set the Maru’s slipstream core to overload, once it hits the target it’ll rip the Cetus into a thousand pieces.

Trance: And let the Andromeda escape.

Dylan: That’s the plan.

Trance: What if the plan doesn’t work; will they be ripped apart too?

Dylan:  That happens if we don’t do anything, all we can do is try.

Trance: So how are we going to get our slipstream drive into the Cetus?

Dylan: Strap it to a bullet.

Trance: What kind of a bullet?

Dylan: You’re riding in it.

Scene: On the Command Deck of the Andromeda

Beka: If Dylan still is alive, you just know he’s out there doing everything he can to save us and that planet.

Tyr: Your point?

Beka: My point is we should be doing everything we can to kill the Cetus, not just save our butts.

Tyr: Dylan expects us to save our butts.

Beka: And sacrifice Savion?

Tyr: If it means surviving to one day save many Savions, yes. We’re no good to the universe dead.

Beka: And we’re no good to the universe if we’re too afraid to risk our lives to do the right thing. To help worlds that need help. When the Magog attacked this ship I promised Dylan that even if he died, I would continue his mission.

Tyr: Then by all means continue it. But I will not die because of your misguided sentiment to memorialize a man who is not dead.

Scene: On the Maru

Dylan: At the ships maximum speed I can penetrate it’s skin and eject the slipstream drive right on top of the target.

Trance: But the Cetus’s shape is constantly changing how can we be sure that we’re going to hit its brain?

Dylan: We can’t be sure but I know I can give it one hell of a headache.

Trance: Sounds dangerous.

Dylan: It is dangerous that’s why you’re going to wear this.

Trance: This is not going to protect me in the event of an explosion.

Dylan: Trance, you are not coming with me

Trance: Yes I am.

Dylan: No you’re not. Now put it on, that’s on order.

Trance: When Andromeda’s free use the comm mike to hail her. (Trance rips the suit Dylan gave her)

Trance: Dylan.

Dylan: Trance you’re not coming with me.

Trance: (holding up the ripped suit) Respectively requesting to come with you sir. Please. Besides this won’t help me anyway.

Dylan: Trance Gemini, welcome aboard.

Scene: Back to Harper

Holo Rommie: I’m asking you not to do this.

Harper: And I’m answering you, No. You can thank me later.

Holo Rommie: For what? If I don’t follow Dylan’s orders to kill the Cetus and save the planet I might as well be dead. Because I failed in my mission.

Harper: All right, you’re under the influence of stomach acid, you’re not thinking straight. This isn’t about following orders or ahh, completing the mission is it? It’s about Dylan. Because you think he’s dead and you don’t think you can live without him, right?

Holo Rommie: I’m programmed to carry out orders.

Harper: Yeah well that’s where we’re different, you see I have a choice and I choose not to allow some stupid broken-hearted suicide especially when you’re taking me with ya.

Holo Rommie: You’re wrong Harper. I do have a choice.

Harper: And that is where you’re wrong because I just got manual control.

Scene: On command, the power comes back on. Scene switches between Harper and Command.

Harper (voice on the comm.): Ladies and gentlemen, ahh nietchian, thank you for flying Andromeda. The sound of flowing air you now hear and crackling conservation is my genius and your survival once again. Now, for those of you haven’t heard Harper’s plan here’s the nutshell, rerouting antimatter to the main thrusters which will, when we power them up, send Cetus to heartburn hell and us in to chunky hurl heaven. It might get a little messy but at least we’ll all live.

Beka (to Harper on the comm.): I’ll save us and raise you one. If we eject the slipstream drive we’ll kill the Cetus right?

Harper: What is with the death wish? Yeah, sure if you want to die surfing an exploding vomit wave.

Beka: Hey I’ve surfed the reaction of an exploding star before I think I can ride out a little Cetus vomit.

(Beka prepares to eject the drive, but Tyr grabs her arms and stops her)

Tyr: I will not allow you to risk our lives by ejecting that slipstream drive.

Beka: So instead you’ll just take over the ship after we’ve saved our asses. You don’t really believe that Dylan’s still alive do you? You just said that so I’d think we’d still be safe after we got free.

Tyr: Beka. I once told Dylan that this mission was nothing but an excuse to reshape the universe according to his will. It is. In these two years, and for reasons I’m not even sure I understand, some significant part of me has grown to prefer that shape. (He releases Bekas arms) I do believe Dylans alive.

Beka: Convince me. If you really think that Dylan’s still out there trying to save us, eject the slipstream drive. Kill that thing before Dylan dies trying to kill it for us. Want to reshape the universe or not?

Scene: On the Maru

Trance: You’re awfully calm considering we’re about to die.

Dylan: That’s not necessarily true now is it?

Trance: Not necessarily.

Dylan: That’s right, cause once we get Andromeda free they’ll continue my mission. And that is my life. (He gets into the pilots chair and starts the engines) All ahead full.

You said you came from a bad future, what exactly went bad?

Trance: In that future, I made some mistakes and uh, only Beka and I survived.

Dylan: That does sound bad. Looks like I’ve put you in a different kind of future, one you won’t survive. On the other hand, make a better one for everyone else. I hope.

Scene: On command of the Andromeda, switching to Harper, and back again.

Harper (on the comm.): Uhh, guys? Maybe it’s me, maybe I didn’t explain the rules of the game very well (back to view of Harper) but if you don’t get out of here in less then two minutes we’re gonna be turned into tasty chewy people bits.

(Off comm.)

Holo Rommie: Harper please.

Harper: Is this really what you want?

Holo Rommie: No. But it’s what we have to do.

Harper: All right, for you. Let’s see if I can’t eject this damn slipstream drive. (Harper jacks in to Andromeda)

Scene: On the Maru, piloting to drop the bomb.

Scene: On the Andromeda

(Tyr looks thoughtful, then ejects the slipstream drive)

(Alarms sound, Harper falls, Tyr catches Beka and she pilots them out on a very bumpy ride)

Scene: On the Maru

Trance: Dylan! The Andromeda is launching from the Cetus.

Dylan: They made it?

(Scene of the Andromeda launching form the Cetus)

Trance: They made it.

Dylan: Reverse thrusters.

Scene: Everyone on the Andromeda and the Maru are having a bumpy ride. Then the Andromeda is out and the Cetus blows up.

Scene: Back to Harper

(The Holo Rommie that was talking with him disappears)

Harper: Huh, we did it. (He kisses his data pad)

Rommie (over comm.): You’re right Harper, (now android Rommie, who is fully recovered, talking. View shifts to Command) we killed the Cetus.

Beka: And saved the planet.

Tyr: Dylan?

Scene: On the Maru, still trying to escape the exploding Cetus

Trance: They must have ejected their slipstream drive. The Cetus is dying.

Dylan: If we don’t clear this area it won’t be the only thing dying. (Explosion of the Cetus outside, and they’re safe) Ha ha ha ha, yes! We did it.

Trance: We did. You could even say that we had our cake outside of the box and ate it too.

Dylan: You could say that, yes.

Trance: Incoming message, it’s from the Andromeda and it’s in real time.

Dylan: I love real time.

Scene: The Maru docks inside the Andromeda. View goes bak to the Command deck.

Tyr: What Beka? (Who’s kinda staring at him)

Beka: I’m just glad we’re on the same team, that’s all.

(Tyr laughs quietly)

(Dylan and Trance run through the corridors and into command)

Dylan: Somebody say something, I just want to hear your voices.

At the same time: Rommie: Welcome back Captain.

                           Beka: Trance welcome back.

                          Tyr: Hello.

Dylan: (looking relieved) You know for something that’s supposed to be a myth, the Cetus did a hell of a lot of damage.

Beka: Yeah well, you should see the other guy. 

Dylan: Yeah well about that. Ejecting the slipstream drive, it was risky (something shorts out behind him) and it’s exactly what I would have done.

Tyr: We know. Your willingness to defy the universal odds is a disease that apparently we have all contracted.

Dylan: Well I have to think that’s a good thing because somehow we keep winning. Where’s Harper?

Scene: Harper on his way back

(he takes off his acid-eaten boots and things are sparking around him)

Harper: Almost there Rommie. (He gets up heading to command)

Scene: Back on command

Rommie: He’s almost here.

Dylan: Ah, well, I’ll just say this now and get it out of the way. I’m proud of you. Two years ago you’d be thinking of your own survival and not that planet’s. I know you had another way out, but you did the right thing. Now I know I can count on you to continue my mission even if I’m not here. And one day the universe will count on it too. Believe me that day will come.

Trance (to herself): Sooner then you think.

Harper (runs in out of breath): A freaking sock-foot kilometre in one minute and I still missed the inspiring speech. (Harpers polka music comes on) Hey but I didn’t miss the dancing.

(Dylan mouths what? At Beka and she shrugs her shoulders and smiles)

Dylan (to Trance): Shall we?

Trance (accepting his offer and his hand): We shall.

(Dylan and Trance swing dance)

(Harper hip bangs two androids that have come to stand next to him. They hip him back and squish him in the middle)

Harper: ooh!

Beka (to Tyr): Hey Stoic one. We’re alive, dance with me.

(Harper shows the androids how to move their hands to the music, Dylan and Trance are still dancing, Beka and Tyr start to dance, Beka shows him where to put his hands, Rommie bobs her head to the music, things spark, Dylan dips Trance, Fades to black)