01x01 - The Pilot

[bunniefuu]

Well, one of my favorites, though,

is when Julian is about,
oh, four years old.

He comes in crying about
his banged up knee.

You would've thought
that the world was ending

the way he's carrying on.

Now, I'm the type of mom, there's nothing

that a little lovin'
from the oven can't help.

So I give him a fresh cookie and tell him

- it'll make his knee feel better.
- Ma!

- Oh no.
- Oh yes.

I give him the cookie and
bless his little heart,

- he proceeds to rub it right on his knee.
- Ma, why?

"Ma, it's not doing anything."

Thanks, Ma.

♪ I don't care if you're young or old ♪

- ♪ Get together, let the good times roll ♪
- Let the good times roll.

It was my dad's favorite song.

Oh, Julian, cut me some slack.

News these days, gotta
have my fun somewhere.

Dri!

Oh, damn, Ma, you are
killin' me with this.

You're always welcome to
come home and eat with us.

You know how hardcore they're getting
about leave these days.

- Mm-hmm.
- Miss Chase, that looks amazing.

Well thank you.
Dri, now!

♪ Get together let the good times roll ♪

♪ Who do you think you are ♪

♪ Acting like you own the place ♪

♪ Going around with your
head in the clouds ♪

♪ And your feet off the ground ♪

♪ And the smile on your face ♪

They taking care of
you two okay down there?

You look like you could use a good meal.

If we had food this nice at the base,

we wouldn't fit in our uniforms.

Mom!
I was live!

Come meet Miranda, honey.

But my adoring fans, Ma.
Adoring fans!

They adore your grades this semester?

Or do you get extra
credit for live streaming?

Exactly what do you see in him?

- Sometimes I ask myself the same thing.
- Actually, let's talk about you.

So where are you from?

Where do you see yourself in five years

and would you have a problem
with letting your adorable

sister-in-law stay with
you whenever she wants?

Wait, what?

Well, that presumes
I'd ever wanna marry him.

- Wait, what?
- But it's not out of the question.

- Uumm...
- See my setup there?

You're welcome.

One normal visit, just
one, that's all I wanted.

- And here you are forming alliances.
- We should let you eat.

Miss Chase, Drianna,
wonderful to meet you.

- I know.
- Likewise, dear.

Next time you two have leave,
let's do this for real.

And then we'll really g*ng up on him.

Deal.

Night all.

♪ I got fifty cents more
that I'm gonna keep ♪

♪ So let the good times roll ♪

- So?
- She's too good for you.

- Oh, I know.
- I like her.

I like seeing you smile.
Been too long.

Now go, or she's going to wonder
if we're talking about her.

- We are talking about her?
- All right, I'm out.

I'll say hey this weekend, all right?

♪ It's rainy weather ♪

- Love you.
- Love you.

♪ Birds of a feather
gotta stick together ♪

- Yeah.
- Uh-huh.

...while remaining
committed to diplomacy

and together, we will draw the Union back

from their self-defeating path of...

Dri!

- Did I pass?
- Flying colors.

- What do I win?
- Me.

- Yes!
- So you had fun?

- Mm-hmm.
- Good.

So for the next one of
these, I look forward

to your mom telling me
all your embarrassing stories.

Hey... Hey, hey, hey!
That's not how this works!

She really said it.

Oh, man that's crazy.

Flyboy's alone, huh?
Told you that'd crash and burn.

You gotta a wrench
that'll fix my dignity?

Slummin' with us lowly walkers?
Oh man, how Icarus has fallen.

Hey, if Miranda dumped you,
do we got time for a game of Siege?

- Hey, if Miranda dumped you then...
- Then what?

Then... that would be tragic,

and we should mourn the
death of your relationship,

- from a respectable distance.
- Smart boy.

- What's this about a game?
- Siege!

Sorry, fellas.
My queen summons me.

So, no Siege?

- Aw.
- See that?

Said no to gaming
with the boys and everything.

- What, you wanna a cookie?
- What do you think?

Meet you-know-where in about 30?

They haven't ordered us to stop yet.

My girl.

Battle stations,
battle stations.

Repeat, battle stations.

- Come on, be a drill.
- Battle stations.

This is not a drill.

Interceptors Ready One
and Ready Two, scramble.

How'd the song go?

- You only live but once?
- Let the good times roll.

All flight crews,
man your stations.

Launch the Alert Five fighters.
Stand by.

Alert Ten fighters.

All flight crews, man your stations.

Launch the Alert Five fighters.
Stand by.

Alert Ten fighters.

Listen up.

This is it.
The Union's making their play.

This is not a skirmish,
this is not airspace confusion,

this is not a t*rror1st action.

This is how the w*r begins.

Interceptors continue your
vector east northeast.

Destination... is New York.

Multiple large bogies detected.

All forces are weapons-free.

Be aware CAPs from other bases

have already started to
engage but to no effect.

We're detecting some sort
of anomaly over the area.

Could be biohazard,
could be something else.

That means until we know more,
containment protocols apply.

Sending unit-specific priorities now.

Come on, come on.

Interceptors are buster to target.

Damn it, Chase, form up.

We did not seek this conflict,

but we will rise to meet it.

The Vanguard will do everything we can

to protect those who
have put their trust in us.

Be strong and we will get through this.

For the people.

- All wings, bravo six, maneuver on...
- Swarm incoming.

- Drones! Evade, evade!
- Go for ACM.

Bogies everywhere, there's...

Pull up, pull up!

All wings engage.
Interceptors three and four,

take bogies two o'clock, angel six.

Interceptor two on me.
We're hitting the floor.

Chaser has spikes at six o'clock.
Deploying countermeasures.

- What's up with this smoke?
- It ain't smoke, kid.

- It's nanotech.
- The Union, they actually weaponized it.

What the hell... ?

Okay, Vanguard.
Nano hazard protocols in effect.

Go ahead and seal up your striders.

- Divide and conquer time.
- Copy that.

Got mine.
Where are you?

By the sea wall.
I think I lost mine.

Scratch that.

- Do you see that?
- I see it.

Anvil Command.
Razzle is tally one big

bastard of a walking bandit,
and engaging.

Please advise.

What is that?
And how the hell did it get that close?!

Let's circle around.
Hit it again.

It's hacked!

Huh?

Huh?

- Contact. Hostile nanotech.
- sh*t.

Seal your cockpits
for biohazard conditions.

Do not engage.

There's new smoke headed east.

Anvil Ops, Razzle.
Permission to fire up an ESD.

Razzle, Ops. Use of thr*at
pulse weaponry is authorized.

Only target the nanotech.

You must not damage air traffic.

Okay, Chase.
We each got one of these.

Set yield for low inductance.

Stay on me.
We're going to Brooklyn.

It's Hail Mary time.
Copy that.

Cover me.
Going in!

They can detect when ESDs are charging!
They're tracking our...

Razzle!

All right, that's it.

All teams begin tactical
retrograde procedures.

Cover civilian transports as long

as you can, then get out of there.

- Evac, evac, evac.
- Anvil Ops, Chaser.

- Colonel, I still got my ESD.
- Negative, Chaser.

Fall back to the transports
and provide escort.

I...

Copy that.
Chaser out.

♪ You only live but once ♪

♪ When you're dead, you're done ♪

Chaser to Tempest.

- Go for Tempest.
- How you holding up?

I don't know how
we're gonna get out of this one.

Oh, you will.

- You can bet.
- Chase? What are you doing?

Miranda, I don't
know if they got out.

You find my family, you tell them

I tried to buy them time, you hear me?

- I'm buying all of you time.
- Chase?

You heard the order.
Fall back!

Everybody back
to your transports now.

- We're cut off!
- The nano's everywhere!

Chase?

Love you, babe.
See you as soon as I can.

Chase?
Chase!

Come on.

- Just...
- You know we got a sortie soon, right?

- Yeah, yeah...
- You know it has to work, right?

I ever let you down?

Hey don't, uh...
Yeah, don't... don't answer that.

"You know it has to work right?"

Mornin', sunshine.

You got time for some...
coffee before rounds?

Good morning to you too.
And no.

Apparently I've earned
the distinct privilege

- of babysitting some rookies.
- Lucky them.

I would have given
anything for a babysitter

like you when I was a kid.

Our babysitter was
old Mrs. Langheinrich.

What kind of crush is a 13
year old supposed to have on that?

- 13?
- Look, in my defense...

Just bug out, will ya?
I have to be respectable.

Dr. Weller, I presume.

Welcome to the Anvil.
I'm Lieutenant Worth.

- I'm assigned...
- Yes, charmed.

Dr. Rufus Weller, ESU.
Yeah... no colonel?

I'm sure she's looking
forward to welcoming you.

Matter of fact, we have
a briefing with her coming up.

- But as I said, I'll be...
- Oh, no time like the present.

Take me to your leader.

Always wanted to say that, right?

Okay... then, we'll just
do the tour on the way.

- Do you have any gear you need to stow?
- Oh, just a few things.

Okay, I've added authorized
areas to your maps.

And that's my ID.

You can use that to message
me if you need anything.

Up here is mission briefing,
which should be about to start.

- Any questions?
- How are you?

- Excuse me?
- If you don't mind my asking,

I'm very curious about
the state of your battalion,

what you've managed to do.

It's one of the reasons we're here.
We're a research team.

Trying to come up to
speed on how you fight,

what works, what doesn't.

What we've managed to do is hold a line.
That's about it.

You are the shield.

Without you, all hope would
have already been lost.

Perhaps you just need a better sword.

Sorry, we didn't get introduced.

- Miranda Worth.
- I've heard much about you.

Oh, curse my manners.

- This is Ms. Madrani, also a pilot.
- Really?

_

Right-o!
In we go.

So what do you fly?
I didn't see any...

This mission has been
designated Operation Coyote.

With the Union accelerating
their push west in recent months,

there's been an increase in the number
of refugees heading our way.

Recon has confirmed a new stop
on the Underground Railroad,

closer to us than ever before.

Nearly 30 men, women, and children

are just a few miles
the other side of the 88th.

They've taken great risks,

sacrificed much in order to make

their exodus from Union territory.

We're going to get them
the rest of the way home.

One last thing.

We've got guests watching today,
so be on your best behavior.

Be safe, but not too safe.
Get it done, Vanguard.

Another border run.

- This'll go well.
- Try to stay positive.

Okay. With the border
getting closer every day,

at least it's a shorter commute?

This area's as good as it gets.

No cities, just an empty space
in the middle of nowhere.

Yeah, they will literally
see us coming miles away.

Do you have any idea what it took

- for these people to make it this far?
- Oh, for the love of...

Shut up, both of you.
It's game on.

Green smoke popped.
Razor One, moving in for pickup.

LZ is hot!
We're under heavy fire!

Razor One is down.
Razor Two moving in to engage.

Tanks! They brought...

All right, they're mechanized.

Hornbill's bringing us around.
Striders, stand by for drop.

I hate it when I'm right.

All right, here we go!

Okay, lucky sh*t.

Screw it.
You only live once.

Let the good times roll.

- Am I right?
- What?

Can you at least k*ll
it before it kills me?

I'm trying, man.
I can't get the angle.

- We got movement behind us!
- Huh?

What?

What are you waiting for?

f*ring!

- What the hell?
- All right, refugees are aboard,

and we've got multiple new bogies inbound.

ETA, two minutes.
It's now or never folks.

Jodie, c'mon!

Who were in those mechs?

- Lieutenant, if you would please...
- No way those were drones.

- What were those?
- Who was that?

The Union ambush has certainly made

this more awkward than it needed to be,

but I think now would be a good time

to welcome to the Vanguard
the Experimental Science Unit.

They'll be staying with us
for a little while, so everyone be nice.

And take a deep breath.

This is going to take some explaining.

What?

Hey, g*ng.

What did I miss?

♪ I believe,
I believe there's a reason ♪

♪ There's a breach in the hull ♪

♪ Started going under,
loot and plunder ♪

♪ Cut em' down, cut em'
down at the knees, yeah ♪

♪ Cut em' down to the bone ♪

♪ Just a lesser evil,
born unequal ♪

♪ You show them where they belong ♪

♪ Tear right through them,
tear right through them all ♪

♪ We pretend in the darkness ♪

♪ We pretend the night
won't steal our youth ♪

♪ Singing me the sweet
songs of seduction ♪

♪ Let me be the fool, fool, fool ♪

♪ Who will live and die for you ♪

♪ We pretend in the darkness ♪

♪ We pretend the night
won't steal our youth ♪

♪ Singing me the sweet
songs of seduction ♪

♪ Let me be the fool, fool, fool ♪

♪ Who will live and die for you ♪