Beacon 23

Previously on Beacon 23.

Your ship just crashed. I'm sorry.

The Crest.

- You're on a beacon. - Yeah, I know.

I just need the samples and access to...

I just said "no"!

Solomon's beacon keeper is more hostile, I guess.

Wondering why I don't look like Solomon?

That's 'cause I'm not Solomon. My name is Halan.

- Who are you? - I'm Harmony.

Solomon is no longer alive. He was murdered.

That isn't half of the story and you know it.

Aster, I need to get out of here. Off the beacon.

What's that condition soldiers get?

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

No!

You said you remembered something?

Aster!

Close the docking bay. Lock everything down.

They're forcing the doors open.

They're not coming in.

Attention, your entry to this beacon is unauthorized!

Attention, your entry to this beacon is unauthorized!

Clear!

Attention, your entry to this beacon is unauthorized!

Attention, your entry to this

beacon is unauthorized!

Attention, your entry to this beacon is unauthorized!

Not in the eyes.

Attention, your entry

to this beacon is unauthorized!

The deal was stay in the debris field.

We've been crammed in that ship for seven months.

Just to get away from the smell, this is worth it.

My contact was very explicit.

We get the wreck, we stay away from the beacon.

The drag out there was crap, so to hell with your contact.

Any ideas, Bart?

The hatches are sealed.

I recommend shutting off life support below the Well.

Halan's not wearing a suit.

The lack of life support would delay them.

And kill Halan.

A sacrifice that won't be forgotten.

Harmony, you got anything I can use?

Can you ID any of them?

Running recognition search.

This one, Madanchi Tritujuma.

Based on her mass and bone density,

she's from the mining camps in the outer arms.

Meaning?

The ethnography states that those camps

are particularly brutal.

If they breach the upper levels...

I get it, I'm dead.

Chick! Is that your helmet?

- Yes, sir. - Pick up after yourself.

Come on.

Or let Mommy pick it up.

Bart! Tell them to back off!

Do you want to reconsider suffocating them?

Bart, you're being given direct orders.

Yes, of course.

Attention! This is your last warning

- to vacate this... - I'm in.

Bart!

- Bart, answer me! - Aster, I don't believe he can.

I'll try to interface with him.

Bart?

Bartholomew.

Bart?

Can you hear me?

Listen to the sound of my voice.

Hey, Battle!

Hmm, that's the good stuff. Here, take this.

Got it. Got it!

Okay.

What do we got?

Multiple cameras. Sensors online.

Got a warm body up there.

Hold on, hold on.

There's a second AI.

Not ISA, personal.

Huh.

Okay, "Harmony."

Harmony!

I'll be taking over now.

Do yourself a favor, stay out of my way.

- Did you contact Bart? - I can't find Bart.

He's just being stubborn.

I think it's more serious than that.

Hey. Shh.

Battle?

Bigface? There's someone in the airlock.

- Easy. - All right, get this door open.

Your wish is my command.

Easy, now. Look...

Enough! Enough. Enough.

He's not a Beacon Keeper.

Yeah, he's military, is what he is.

Why you locked up, soldier?

Why don't you wait till ISA shows up, and you'll find out.

Bigface sees a lot of protein here.

Well, if you're satisfied with med kits and pillows,

then be my guest. Throw me on the fire.

And what if we're not satisfied?

They got a safe full of Qubits at the other end of the beacon.

But you gotta get through five hatches to get there.

It'll take you hours. ISA will be here by then.

Now me on the other hand...

I can get up there in five minutes.

Open the whole thing up.

What do you get out of the bargain?

That.

That spit bubble won't get you anywhere.

Don't need to be anywhere, just not here.

That's it?

No. I got a score to settle.

I need two minutes with her. So I can express my feelings.

Can you not take over, Harmony?

Well, I can try.

You want two minutes with her?

Yeah.

And why exactly is that?

Who do you think locked me in there?

She's blind.

Can you get these hatches open?

It's gonna take time.

Five minutes, huh?

Maybe even four, if you're lucky.

Hmm.

All right, soldier, you got yourself a deal.

You stick with him.

- Harmony, can you do anything? - Just give me a second.

One of them has a biomimetic interface

and has contained Bart, somehow.

Locked him inside his own memory.

But we still have control of the internal hatches,

and autonomic functions are firewalled,

- so they can't choke us off. - Can you locate Halan?

No.

They've commandeered all the internal sensors.

But based on that last statement, you should...

- I should arm myself, yeah? - Yeah.

Hey, man, back up.

I said back up!

Where is he?

I got something else.

Timur Ondi. Dishonorable discharge.

Numerous infractions. There's a whole list.

I told you to stick with him!

Little chickenshit!

Hey, Battle! Leave him alone!

Or what?

There's a long list of violent offenses.

Yeah, it doesn't help me at all. Can you find something else?

Sure.

- Think I found him. - Chick, get over here!

Come on, come on. You're gonna like this.

Watch and learn.

Oh!

God dammit, Aster.

Get off me!

Stop it! Stop it right now!

Stop it or you're gonna get us both killed.

Do you understand me?

Harmony, when I get up, can you scramble the feeds

- from the Living Quarters? - Harmony, can you manage that?

I guess we'll find out, won't we?

Get off me.

The hell?

- Get him on comms! - I'm working on it.

All clear.

- Damn you. - What'd you expect?

I thought you were trying to kill me.

- I never tried to kill you! - I don't need saving, either!

I'm not trying to save you! You being alive

is just the result of me saving my own ass.

- Sorry about your nuts. - Yeah, me too.

- Do you want a derma? - That'd be nice.

Well, we've run out.

Aster, I got something interesting.

Dr. Rojan Kaneddy, Minister of Equity, Elau Colony.

Play the video.

These scenes of destruction are all that remain

of the remote colony of Elau in the Signa System.

After the disastrous malfunction of the AX 129 beacon arm,

FTL freighters were unable to resupply Elau

for over a year.

Survivors describe how the population of six million

faced starvation, looting and widespread civil unrest.

The events on Elau mirrored those of the colony of Menelaus

30 years ago and highlights the continuing danger

of colonizing the outer rings

where settlements depend upon regular resupply.

- Find a way to contact her. - I'll try.

- Harmony, open the hatch. - Why would I do that?

- I got weapons one level down. - So?

So, don't you think we should at least try and cooperate?

Well, there is no "we", 'cause I don't trust you.