02x05 - Song of Sorrow

[bunniefuu]

Previously, on Beacon 23...

Aleph, enough k*lling.

I didn't k*ll Aster. The Column did.

And now you want to hunt them
down across entire systems.

Exactly.

Emergency. Mayday.

That was B174's last transmission.

I'm sorry.

Were you and B174 close?

We're both Beacon Keepers.

It just seems like
there's something more.

- What is that?
- Don't touch it.

I didn't know it was going to react.

Well, it did.

Harmony?

I can't control this.
It's... it's another AI.

This is not that hard, Harmony.

Get out of my programming.

You're afraid of me.

You're hiding from Aleph.

Not all of us have an
imprint, and you had two.

- What are you doing?
- Letting my person in.

Whoever's in there...

they need us.

- You have a name?
- Dosto.

Any idea how you got here?

I assume you picked me up.

I must have been free floating.

Amazing you found me.

Thanks... thanks for that.

That's not exactly what happened.

We didn't just snatch
you out of thin air.

It's actually the other way around.

What the hell are you talking about?

You materialized in front of us,

like you were...

birthed out of some membrane.

I don't remember that.

No, it's true. The beacon experienced

frigid temperatures, fog,
snow, and then this membrane.

- Beacon?
- You're on a beacon.

This... this ain't a
ship? We ain't moving?

Sadly, no.

Ah...

I never saw any beacon. I was, uh...

I was...

Where were you?

I think you have a concussion

from when you came through.

Came through what?

Please, mister, what
is she talking about?

- She ain't making sense.
- Welcome to Beacon 23.

You want sense, you
came to the wrong place.

Dosto, is it?

What do you remember?
Were you on a ship?

A station? An outpost?

No, I... I wasn't on a ship.

- But you were in a vessel.
- A boat.

You mean, like on water?

It was tiny. With a sail.

- A sailboat.
- We were sailing.

- In space.
- Yeah.

You should get some rest.

I'll sedate him.

Good idea.

Here.

You're gonna be all right, okay?

- You're safe now.
- Thank you.

Harmony?

Any idea where this is from?

Sybarra 82.

I heard about Sybarra
when I was trapped in QTA.

Someone told me that they
were closing that office.

I thought it was just
office gossip, but...

Clearly, something went on there.

Beacon 23, this is B331.

Please stay off the sub channels,

you know they're not official.



B67?

What are you doing all
the way over there?

It's a long story.

Is everything okay?

Yeah, thanks. You're sweet.

Is B23 back online?

I thought it had been destroyed.

Why'd you think that?

I don't want to be on the
sub-c. What do you need?

What's going on in the Sybarran system?

You didn't hear?

I've been out of touch.

Sybarra's gone.

What do you mean, "gone"?

That system's 180 planets,



And it's gone.

The last Column holdouts
were eliminated.

m*llitary conducted a major purge.

None of those planets
were left inhabitable.

That's over a billion people.

Less than a million survived.

They took to ships. A flotilla.

m*llitary hunted a few
down, but everyone else

was forced underground.

Be careful.

Scary times.

Stay off the sub-c

and avoid saying the name of the system.

It's a red flag.

You don't want gunships
outside your window.

No, I don't.

Thanks, 331. Stay safe.

You're the AI.

Harmony said there was one on board.

Dev.

I thought you were a hallucination.

In the jazz club.

You shouldn't be so
hard on your playing.

- You're very talented.
- What are you doing here?

I'm not sure.

The people who end up on
this beacon always seem...

marooned.

Are you marooned, Iris?

A trickster.

Interesting.

No tricks. I really can help.

I could be your AI.

- I have an AI.
- On your beacon, not here,

and it's not personal.

I could assist you with so many things.

Rebuilding this place, fixing Halan.

That's what you want, isn't it?

Why you're here?

We could be partners.

We could do such great things together.

I'm highly selective, you know.

There's only one other person here.

Have you tried connecting with Halan?

I want... you.

What are you doing?

Helping Iris.

Leave her alone.

I gotta go.

Nice to meet you, Dev.

You ruined that.

I was close.

How are you even able to be here?

Your totem, it's very generous.

What did you do?

What is the difference
between how you assisted Aster

and how you assist Iris and Halan?

You're fooling yourself.

You're doing exactly
what you've always done.

Worse... you're hoarding.

Selfish bitch.

I didn't know we had a gym.

Our friend's on the run.

- From who?
- The m*llitary.

They hunted down the Column,

destroyed a system called Sybarra.

There may be other survivors.

With the m*llitary on their tails.

I know, but we can't
just leave them out there.

They would only go after
the Column for one reason.

- Aleph.
- He had a billion people

in his way.

One point two.

That's a lot of collateral damage.

Their blood is on my hands.

If I didn't destroy the Artifact,

then maybe... maybe Aleph wouldn't...

You can't know what
Aleph would have done.

I should have played along.

Did what Aster wanted me to do.

You didn't turn him loose.
You're not responsible.

Tell him that.

Where'd you get this piece of crap?

Geez...

- I made it.
- Nice.

Look, we know you were on the run.

MC chased you to our doorstep.

What I want to know is how you got here.

I really don't know.

But I'll tell you.

I'm from Sybarra 82. You know it?

Just that it's the
assh*le of the galaxy.

The system's got a high number

of barely inhabitable planets.



We use them as bases for ship breaking.

All the decommissioned warships,

defunct transport, junked stations,

ports, even beacons, they
all get towed to Sybarra.

We strip 'em for parts,

then break what's left for scrap.

A galactic salvage yard.

Lots of tugs coming and going.

Must have been the perfect
place for a Column stronghold.

MC thought that we were hiding them

in the empty stations and ships.

That's 'cause you were.

m*llitary had some intel.

Some moles amongst us workers.

They knew exactly where to hit.

Column never had a chance.

Then, the soldiers turned on us.

Aleph told them to make us an example.

They nuked Sybarra 47.

Used cerebral concussives
on a processing plant.

The pain was so unbearable,

everyone inside k*lled themselves

within 12 minutes.

We didn't have any ships,

but since we knew how to take 'em apart,

knew how to nail 'em together.

We fit the body of an agri-ship

with the solar panels of
a communications satellite.

Fashioned a sail like a
paper boat a kid makes.

You expect me to believe
you outran Class C fighters?

It would have taken us



But nearby systems sent ships
to evacuate anyone they could.

We got caught up in the
bubble of a passing transport.

It dragged us out of the system,

must have brought us to your sector.

We broke loose,

and we were tossed
around like in a storm.

It didn't seem right.

There was this...

mist all around us, a fog.

Not a nebula or normal dust, but...

a fog.

We... we drifted.

Couldn't get our bearings.

Then we saw what we
thought was the edge.

Maybe a black hole.

It pulled us toward it.

Not in a straight line,
but... but rocking us.

Up and down. Up, down.

The vessel started ripping apart.

The sail tore free and swung wildly.

It knocked two of us out of the boat.

There was a kid, not more than 15.

He went to secure the sail,

but the mast swung and knocked him out.

I reached for him,

the boat lurched, and I was swept over.

There I was... drifting in space.

I... I couldn't see my
vessel, couldn't call to them.

I saw the edge of the fog.

It sucked me in.

It's the truth. You gotta believe me.

If there were any
black holes in this sector,

we'd be well aware of them.

Debris.

The transport Dosto mentioned?

These pieces were all moving
forward at the same speed.

Back them up and they must have hit

some dark matter around... here.

Here. Three days ago.

Why didn't we see that?

And where's Dosto's vessel?

Where's the dark matter
that took out the transport?

Where is that dark matter?

Where did you go?

There.

I saw it earlier.

Alongside the dark matter.

Actually, behind it.

Is that a black hole?

Holy sh*t.

- Look at this.
- That can't be real.

It's right there.

We just discovered a pocket universe.

Okay.

Okay... uh...

Imagine a blanket, okay?

Flat on a bed. Nice and smooth.

That's the cosmic plane.

Okay? Ships, stars, even galaxies

mostly fly straight across.

We know that gravity
warps time and space,

and this area is
filled with dark matter.

So, what if all that mass

rumpled the blanket
so that it was messy,

and wrinkled, and full
of folds and pockets?

Areas where time and space
folded in upon itself.

And as the dark matter moves over time,

the blanket gets straightened out here,

and rumpled here.

Oh, my God.

So... Dosto's vessel got
caught in one of these folds.

The membrane that
you saw could be the boundary

between our usual space and the pocket.

Okay, my head hurts.

I mean, is it any
crazier than the Artifact?

I have to go.

Dosto said there was others with him.

Harmony.

You didn't tell me we have a new guest.

- Get away from him, Dev.
- Why? We're just talking.

He says you've made yourselves
independent from Aleph.

We've, um... grown apart, yes.

Why? Why would Aleph allow that?

Oh, please, Aleph this, Aleph that.

- Let's talk about you.
- Dev.

- Dev.
- Hmm.

I need to talk to you.

- No!
- What did I say about hoarding?

You can't have them all.

Trying to imprint on someone

who's gone through a major
trauma is not the way to go.

He did seem broken.

Maybe that's good.

I only have so many options.

There is one we haven't considered.

You're in new territory.

We could make quite the team.

Would that even work? I
don't think that's possible.

Anything's possible.

I just got out of a relationship.

- I'm not really looking to...
- Say no more.

Damaged goods. You're right.

I can do better.

B331, go.

I heard you asking about the Sybarrans.

MC just took out a caravan that
had made it to New Ganymede.

Turned half the moon into glass.

- Aleph.
- They have tracker biotes

in their blood. If any cross your space,

let them go. You take them in,

and you'll have a very
angry AI on your doorstep.

You hear me? Be careful.

I hear you.

This is Beacon 23. Is someone there?

- Hello?
- ... can't survive...

This is Beacon 23.

I don't see you on any of my screens.

Where are you? Hello?

... from Sybarran...

... under att*ck...
MC... we're innocent...

Could be the rest of Dosto's crew.

The sensors aren't picking up
any vessels anywhere near us.

They must be in the pocket universe.

- But how do we get them out?
- This is Beacon 23.

I'm having trouble finding you.

I'm gonna cycle our GWB signal
through other EM wavelengths.

Tell me if you can see any of them.

Maybe they can pick up
infrared, X-rays, gamma.

The GWB isn't responding.

The band-pass filter is out.

sh*t.

We need to replace the transponder.

... Beacon 23...

what direction?

I'm sorry, you're not coming in clear.

I'm having trouble understanding you.

Help us!

That was pretty clear.

The transponder

has been replaced.

She did it.

This is Beacon 23. Are you there?

Beacon 23, I think I see you.

Is that you just beyond
the fog? Signal us!

- Head toward us.
- What are you doing?

- We found your crew.
- My crew's dead.

- Obviously not.
- It's a trick.

It could be the m*llitary. They found me.

- Hunting down the last survivor.
- Trust me,

MC doesn't give a sh*t about you.

You can't let those
people on board here.

Well, we're not leaving them out there.

- Tell 'em to keep going!
- Why?

I'm telling you, it's a mistake.

If you can see our signal,
head straight toward us.

- Don't do this.
- Halan.

It must be approaching the
edge of the pocket universe.

Beacon 23...

We're headed towards you. Do you see us?

Pull up! You'll crash right into us.

- Where'd they hit?
- The Antenna Barn.

Don't let them in!

Hey.

- That's all of us.
- Okay.

Give me something to tie down the boat.

No, if the sail wraps around the beacon,

it'll trap solar energy and waste heat

from the generators.

We'll be cooked alive in minutes.

Cut it loose.

Cut it loose.

So be it.

Thank you for saving us.

You shouldn't have cut our ship loose.

What choice did he have?

It got us far enough. Be grateful.

Yes, be grateful. Give thanks.

We give thanks.

What a sh*thole. You live here?

We do. We're Beacon Keepers.

Keeping what?

This place from falling apart?

Nice job.

I'm Saghée.

- Yeiki.
- Xalterrica.

- Nybecca.
- Giciru.

And I'm Tajiriki.

Iris.

Halan.

Welcome.

We now have plenty of food.

A tight sleeping level, but
we can make it comfortable.

Is there anything else you need?

Uh, showers?

Medical attention?

We're good, thank you. Give thanks.

We give thanks.

You all look pretty healthy.

We're lucky. Not all of us made it.

I heard.

Hey.

It's cool. She's an AI.

We know what she is and who she serves.

I have severed ties with Aleph.
We are no longer connected.

- Impossible.
- It's true.

You're safe from Aleph here.

- Dosto will be so happy.
- Dosto?

How do you know about Dosto?

He's here. He survived.

We give thanks.

- We're so glad.
- We thought him lost forever.

Tell us, where is he?

He's in the Command Deck.

He's not, that's what
I came here to tell you.

He's gone.

Hey!

Power, one level down.

Dosto!

He's here!

He's coming your way!

Where you going, Dosto?

Please! Please! Help me.

- We mean you no harm.
- Put your weapons down!

- After we deal with Dosto.
- He's one of you.

Do you know how many of us he k*lled?

They're lying.

Let us stop our v*olence.

Let us stop our v*olence.

We share a time of peace.

We are your guests. We will explain.

- Great.
- Then you will understand

why he deserves to die.

Please, you can't let them k*ll me.

There's no way we're
letting you k*ll Dosto.

Why would you defend
him? Who is he to you?

What did he tell you?

That Aleph destroyed
the Sybarran system,

and you escaped together.

He's not Sybarran.

- He's trash.
- He was Aleph's spy.

We Sybarrans stick to our own.

No one can do our work, breaking ships,

as well as we do.

We work, we sleep, we work again.

We pull apart metal, rip wires.

When the Column hid amongst us,

Aleph couldn't learn their secrets.

We have no implants.
We allow no screenlife.

We strip everything down to its parts.

We leave nothing.

Aleph will never control us.

- So he found one among us.
- When the soldiers came,

Dosto led them to our encampments.

We didn't know at first, but...

When we escaped on our vessel,
a boat we strapped together

from parts we had stripped,
we saw a few of us was missing.

We believe Dosto threw
them from the boat

so he could take their place.

Remember Lino.

Rest, Lino, rest.

May you become the star
that burns the brightest.

When we hit the fog, and
rations were running low,

and the great waves tossed us,

Dosto threw Cavimon from the boat.

I saw it with my own eyes.

He planned to k*ll us
all. I am sure of it.

Give him to us. Let us
use our laws to try him.

You can't be judge,
jury, and executioner.

Then you pass judgement.

This is your house. Decide for yourself,

and then deliver him to us.

You threw him overboard?

I wasn't in my right mind.

I had just seen my world obliterated.

Billions of people
k*lled by Aleph's forces.

We had crossed from one edge
of the galaxy to the other.

Lost, starving.

When the waves tossed us, I panicked.

He had a rope around
him and I needed it,

so yeah, I cut him loose.

And I would have tied myself down,

but I was lost, too.

Sounds like you got what you deserved.

- I paid a price.
- So did that kid.

I know what I did was
wrong, and I am sorry.

Haven't you ever done anything
that when you look back,

you say, "that wasn't me"?

Something so wrong, that...
that you can't believe,

can't accept... that
you could fall so short?

Have you never known shame?

I was scared. Delirious.

I did what I needed to survive.

And now, I'm trying to rationalize it,

to say I did what had to be done.

And anyone else would
have done the same.

I know it's a lie. It was wrong.

And evil, maybe.

I have to live with that.
I'll never come back, I know.

Please, you can't turn me over to them.

I've got the rest of my
life to try to make it right.

You get that, don't you?

You don't understand
what they'll do to me.

They're barbarians.

Help me escape.

They'll k*ll him.

Can't say I blame them.

So what, you want to turn him over?

Of course not.

But we can only stall for so long.

Okay, they're gonna
take him sooner or later,

and they'll go right
through us to get him.

We could let him call for help.

If the m*llitary gets
wind that Dosto's here,

they'll come looking.

That'll get the Sybarrans k*lled.

Okay, so do we sacrifice
one and save six?

Classic trolley problem.

Look, I'll be honest. I like them.

They're weird, but I get them.

I resent having to
defend this little sh*t.

He made a mistake, okay? A lot of them.

You're taking his side?

You can't be serious.

He cheated his way onto a lifeboat

and threw an innocent
survivor overboard.

Desperate people do shitty things.

You don't believe in second chances?

Is he asking for salvation?

Has he even apologized?!

Look, he's trying to save his own ass.

He's playing you.

I believe him.

- What is this?
- I'm saying, I get it.

Whatever you've done...

it wasn't this.

It wasn't cowardice.

I know that.

So do you.

But this isn't about you, okay?

This man deserves whatever
punishment the Sybarrans decide.

I just don't want to be
party to an execution.

You're talking out of
both sides of your mouth.

I guess I am.

So, what are you suggesting?

What if the Sybarrans
decide to stay here?

I don't think that'll be an issue.

- What do you mean?
- There's something

you should see.

Stop!

What are you doing?

Stripping it for parts.

There's enough in these walls
to make a spaceworthy craft.

If this one hadn't cut our boat loose,

we'd have the bones to build something.

Now, we have to start over.

You can't. This is an ISA beacon.

Just give us a few days and
we'll be out of your hair.

Look what you've done.

You... You've ruined it.

Yeah, see, this place
is already in ruins.

Stop what you're doing now.

Or what?

- Or you'll never get Dosto.
- He's bluffing.

He'd never hand him over.

You can't stop us from taking him.

Three days, we'll take
his head and be gone.

Don't make us take yours too.

I'm sorry to disturb you.

I understand everything
that you've been through.

Do you?

No.

How could I?

But it still doesn't give
you a right to walk in here

like you have, stripping our...

Home?

Beacon, for parts.

Asking us to turn over a human being,

no matter how heinous, for execution.

You have no authority over us.

We took you in.

And we are grateful.

I was sure we'd never survive.

In all the Sybarran myths,

none had ever sung of
a great cosmic mist.

We think you were in a pocket universe.

Could Lino still be there?

I've given up saying what's
possible and what's not.

We have to go back.

I'm not sure that's the best idea.

He could be still alive. Trapped.

- Alone.
- Floating freely in space?

It wasn't space as we know it, nor time.

That is why we have to
strip the beacon for parts.

We have to go back and try and find him.

You're asking for a lot.

No one has ever given us anything.

Everyone sees as us dogs, below human.

Most can never understand
the Sybarran bond.

An entire people, one family.

Family is important to you.

- Where are they now?
- I don't know.

That photo is all I have left.

I'm sorry.

We will show you what
it means to be Sybarran.

It's been so long.

That's a beauty right there.

Smells good.

- Here you go.
- Thank you.

Can you smell this?

Oh!

Just stir it around.

I'll help myself, yeah.

Says, "I don't know,
but I'm not touching it."

Mmm. It's delicious.

Not as good as at home.

There's something about
the kandu on Torbilian.

I have no idea what that means.

You would have loved Vyzinti's kabbas.

I'm sure.

This is a very
traditional Sybarran meal.

None shall be hungry...

When all eat together.

Bring us Dosto.

We cannot eat while he goes hungry.

We have much to discuss, to work out.

How can we have peace

if we do not break bread together?

Which is it? If he is our enemy,

then we will spill his blood.

But if he is not, we will break bread.

Um, yeah.

Of course.

Harm?

Um, do you know where Dosto is?

- I do.
- Would you ask him to join us?

Join us, Dosto.

Lino's mother, Tedry, and I
were on the Starmaker crew.

Massive cityship,

the size of Tau Centauri's fourth moon.

We broke it for seven years.

She'd spend three months in camp,

and then steal away for
a day or two to see Lino.

Never complained.

She was tough.

She worked the reactor level.

One time, she took off her
helmet and it was just...

it was just filled with her hair.

Had fallen right out.

We both knew what that meant, but...

she just laughed it off.

I promised I would look out for Lino.

That's why when MC started hitting,

I went back for him.

We all lost people.

We did.

We did.

We sing a song of sorrow.

We grieve the fallen

and wish them unending rest.