Dark Matter

We wait and try not to get drawn into the conflict.

And how long do you think that'll last?

I don't believe it.

Hello, pumpkin.

You think she's the one who had my friends killed

over this?

You swore an oath.

And the throne will still be here

once you're gone.

And who will occupy it?

Did you debate my fate?

We did.

And what was the result?

I can't make this any easier for you.

You think this is easy?

I am a threat to your crew.

You have no choice. As their leader, you need to...

Who the hell are you to lecture me on leadership?

You had command of an entire empire and you blew it.

You're right. I failed my people and now I have nothing.

I would do the same thing if I was in your place.

...Two! ...What?

Is ryo still alive?

...- Yes, but... - ...Don't kill him.

There's nothing more to talk about.

We need you on the bridge.

We've received a subspace transmission.

From who?

Put him on screen.

Teku. I'm glad to see you made it out alive.

The feeling's mutual.

Can I also assume that ryo made it out?

Yes, I kept up my end of our deal.

He's on board.

We need to discuss his return.

I said I'd get him off the planet and I did.

I didn't promise anything after that.

You should know that I did not leave

zairon empty-handed.

I am, in fact, in command of a fleet

of ships that remain loyal to the emperor.

He's not emperor anymore.

He is the rightful heir of ishida.

And we want him back.

Just outta curiosity, when you say "fleet,"

how many ships are we talking about, here?

Six cruisers, three destroyers.

All with nowhere to go.

...- No direction. - ...It's true,

we are homeless and without allies,

but we are united behind one purpose:

To restore our emperor to his rightful place.

It's not that simple. He has things to answer for.

He's a tyrant, a mass murderer...

A ruler who had to make hard decisions.

He attacked us, stole from us,

and more importantly, he bears some responsibility

for the death of our friend.

Not to make this all about me,

but he also sent an assassin

who tried to kill me... Repeatedly.

I know there is bad blood between you,

and I know that nothing pained him more.

He tell you that himself?

Ryo was raised to never show weakness.

But I know for a fact that he was heartbroken.

That's assuming he has one.

I do not want us to be enemies.

So, as a show of good faith,

I have something to offer you.

What're you talking about?

It concerns the man who kidnapped you

and brought you to zairon.

You mean Boone?

I sensed he was untrustworthy,

so I placed a tracking device on his ship...

As a precaution.

I know where he went.

The coordinates that teku provided

are deep within an uninhabited system.

It would appear their marauder has not moved in some time.

Off-grid. Some kind of hideout.

Or it's the place the ishida fleet's waiting

to get the jump on us the second we drop out.

I-I don't think teku would do that.

'Cause you know him so well?

I saw what kind of man he was in four's memories.

People change.

You've gotta at least be a little curious.

...Nope. ...I'm not the one

with a double out there ruining my rep.

Listen, I appreciate you insinuating that I have a rep

worth protecting, but I think it's crazy

that we're blindly trusting this guy.

The fact that there's another you

and another me out there is a problem.

We always knew we were gonna have to deal with this

sooner or later.

What if he's lying? Hmm?

So, is this a stay of execution?

It's a temporary one.

I can assure you that's not necessary.

I won't attempt to escape.

The simple fact is I have nowhere to go.

I thought you might wanna know...

I spoke to teku. He made it out alive.

I'm glad. I was worried about him.

He's important to you.

Very much so.

Why?

'Cause he's always been a good friend.

When I returned to zairon, I knew he was the one

I could trust above all others.

He's the most honorable man I know.

Well, let's hope you're right.

Still don't like it.

I don't entirely disagree with you,

but I still think it's worth investigating.

We'll have the android drop us out just short

of the coordinates and use long-range sensors

to see what's waiting for us. Good enough?

Do I have a choice?

Fine.

...Come in.

...Hey. ...Hey.

I'm not interrupting anything, am I?

No, no, it's fine.

Are you all right?

Of course. What do you mean?

I dunno. It's just that, since we've got back

from zairon, I get the feeling something's bothering you.

You mean besides the fact

that two, three, and the android all voted to kill four?

You mean ryo.

Hey, if you don't wanna talk about it...

No. No, it's fine.

You're gonna find out sooner or later anyway.

It wasn't a coincidence.

...- What wasn't? - ...The bearded man...

The one I took the blink drive from.

It was no accident that he was on eridani-6.

What're you talking about?

I was looking for my sister.

She was adopted by a wealthy family

when I was just a baby. Somehow, I must have found her

and made contact, because I invited her

to meet me on the station.

Only she didn't come alone.

She came with her mother.

Alicia reynaud.

Physical exertion is an excellent means

of stress reduction.

Are you feeling more relaxed?

Not really.

Then you might want to consider alternate dynamic activities:

Running, weight lifting...

......sexual congress. ...Yup, yup. Okay.

I will keep that... in mind.

...What you got? ...I was able to get into

the lockbox. The one matching the description

that ryo gave you.

I found this.

A data storage device. It's like the one he mentioned.

The files are pass-locked.

I've been unable to read them, but this one caught my eye.

It's labeled "kryden."

Three, where are you?

Infirmary.

Are you all right?

Yeah. Yeah, I'm okay.

Well, you might wanna get up here.

...We're about to drop out. ...On my way.

...Any sign of ships? ...Not yet.

However, I am detecting something

at the coordinates teku provided...

Something quite large.

Are we close enough to get a visual?

Yes. Onscreen.

Magnify.

Is that what I think it is?

It's project Phoenix,

ferrous' secret shipyard... The real one this time.

Son of a bitch.

Boone and his crew are working for ferrous now?

How'd they swing that?

We've got bigger worries.

Those ships look like they're almost finished.

And if they launch, ferrous will be unstoppable.

Then let's make sure that doesn't happen.

So you wanna attack them?

We have to do something.

Look, kid, I'm all for saving the galaxy,

but we're one ship, and they're lots

and lots and lots of ships.

Have they spotted us?

This far out, it's unlikely.

Element of surprise.

However, there is a problem.

I'm detecting the leading edge of an aslanov exclusion field,

...dead ahead. ...Aw, shit.