Here is the price of freedom: Your every drop of courage, Ounce of pain, pint of blood. Paid in advance. Sebastian Lee "The rising tide" AFC 271 Andromeda firing on Nietchean fighters Tyr: Target one eliminated, switching fire control to target two. Dylan: Can you identify the source of the distress call? Tyr: It is an Enduring victory class armored transport, Nietchean design, Sabra Jaguar Pride markings. Rommie: One of the Nietchean ships has turned to fire on us. Dylan: Big mistake. Tyr fire. Tyr: Firing. Targets two and three eliminated. Fire control locked on the transport. Dylan: Tyr, We are allied with the Sabra-Jaguar Pride. Tyr: Theoretically. Dylan: Well theoretically hold your fire. Tyr: Sir. Dylan: For now. Rommie: The transport is hailing us. Dylan: On screen. Elssbett: Hello Dylan. A thrilling entrance as always. Dylan: Elssbett. What are you doing here? Elssbett: Just extending an invitation. Dylan: I'm sure you could have found an easier way. So.... So what is this, another wedding? Elssbett: A different kind of party. Pride Sabra-Jaguar is going to war with the Drago-Kazov. And you're the guest of honor. Hallway aboard Elssbett's ship Ellsbett: According to our agents on Engas Redoubt the Dragons are refitting hundreds of their old decommissioned warships and when they're through they will have doubled the size of their fleet. Their fist target will be the Jaguar home world. Dylan: You know that's funny I have agents too and according to them you're building a major new war fleet of your own. Elssbett: Unfortunately ours won't be ready for months, theirs launches in a week. Dylan: If that's the case, shouldn't you be at home taking care of your new son? Elssbett: I forgot how tall you are. Charlemagne is a wonderful lover but his stature does leave something to be desired. Much like the current size of our fleet. Luckily we have you to make up for our unfortunate deficiencies. Dylan: Is that so? Ellsbett: This is a copy of the mutual defense pact between the signatories of your commonwealth charter. Signatories which include Sabra-Jaguar Pride. Dylan: You want me to fight the Dragons for you? Elssbett: Actually by the terms of this pact, I demand it. Corridor- Andromeda Rommie: I cannot believe we are going to war to help Elssbett and the Jaguars. Beka: Well you know that old expression 'Politics make strange bedfellows.' Rommie: Well it wouldn't be the first time. Beka: First time for what? Rommie: Our problem is with our other allies - Castalia, Mobius, Sinti. They're not exactly superpowers. I'm Dylan's only real military asset. Beka: One he can't afford to lose. Rommie: Uhmhmmm. Beka: Unfortunately Dylan gave Charlemagne and the Jaguars his word and that's the one thing he's got that's even less expendable than you. Command Deck Beka: We are approaching the rendezvous point. Rommie: Dylan according to the messages I'm processing from the Sabra-Jaguar Fleet there've been a series of battle on the Jaguar frontier. The war has already started. Dylan: Once again your timing is impeccable. Elssbett: I do my best. Rommie: Updating the tachitical situation. The Dragons have taken Hruska and Barbour systems. Elssbett: Hruska? Already? That's the key to the entire Diogenes cluster. Signal my fleet; let them know Hruska will be our first military objective Dylan: Belay that Rommie. I am the supreme commander of our combined forces if you want my help you do as I say. Elssbett: Where have I heard that before? Dylan: well unless you want to continue the fight on your own. Elssbett: So controlling. I'll return to my fleet and inform them of the new chain of command -- with the supreme commander's permission of course. Dylan: Permission granted, of course. Beka: (gasps dramatically) She didn't salute. Shouldn't she salute? Dylan: Well I'm thinking that maybe she went to the Beka Valentine School of Military Discipline. Rommie: Dylan I've just picked up a coded message in the com-traffic directed to us and relayed through Mobius intelligence Dylan: I'll take it in my quarters Rommie: Actually -- it's addressed to Harper. Machine Shop Harper activates message and a hologram of a scruffy male appears. Harper: Brendan! Brendan: Seamus it's been a long time cousin. Too long. Harper: Right back at ya. Brendan: Look, uhh I heard about you and your friends this new commonwealth thing sounds like a choice scam. I wish I'd thought of it myself. The thing is, ummm we been hearing rumors back home that there's a war commin between your Dylan and the Dragons. The Ubers are stocking up on workers, Seamus. Slave raids getting worse every day we need your help and more, when this war comes we want in. It's time Seamus. It's time to rise up and drive the Dragons off of Earth forever. Exiting Obs Deck Harper: For crying out loud I'm not just talking about some mudball here we're talking about Earth - Terra - the mother world of all humanity. It's only the most important planet in the whole freakin universe. Rommie: Hardly. there are 10,433,00 Tarn-Vedra class planets in the known universe. In the Dragon Empire alone there are 837 slave planets just like her. Harper: Slave planets? Rommie: ummhmm. Beka: ummm I think what Rommie is trying to say in her usual diplomatic fashion is that Earth isn't what she used to be. Harper: No she's not. Not since the Drago-Kazov Pride conquered her. Destroyed our economy and enslaved our entire population. Yeah that would pretty much make things suck, but we have a chance to fix that now and we have to take it Rommie: Harper I don't want you to get your hopes up we're fighting a war we don't have the time or the resources to liberate every slave planet in the Dragon Empire. Harper: All right. All right what exactly are you trying to tell me here? Huh? That Earth doesn't matter. Dylan: Unfortunately Earth doesn't matter .... unless we make it matter. Harper: You want me to go by myself? Dylan: no you can take Rommie. Harper: I've got a better idea how about you round up all those warships out there, head to Earth and blast the Dragon garrison to pieces? Dylan: I intend to after I've drawn the Dragon fleet out of position. And as soon as you and Rommie make sure that all their armored units are out in the streets where they're vulnerable Harper: Great, start the revolution without me, anything else I can do for you? Transmute the elements, reverse entropy, make you a sandwich? Dylan: I won't make you go. Your cousin doesn't even know we got his message. Besides I could use you here. But if you want freedom for Earth Harper you're gonna have to fight for it. Maru- command deck Rommie: So what's Earth like? Harper: What do you care? It has no strategic value remember? Rommie: Harper, I'm a warship, I always consider the military situation first, it's my nature. But I do care. Harper: Well.... It's a place you love, its' uhh, you know, a good feeling until you have to see it all torn down around you. Rommie: and there's nothing you can do to stop it. Harper: We tried. Me and Brendan and uhhh our buddy Isaac. You know we thought we could beat the neatchiens all by ourselves. We'd steal their weapons, we'd mess with their floater engines, we'd blow shrillers outside their barracks at night. Rommie: Shrillers? Harper: These little whistles I invented. They umm they'd extend into the ultrasonic and irritate the hell out of Nietchean ear canals. We'd blow 'em and they would run like hell Rommie: (smiling) Sounds like fun. Harper: Yeah, it was. It was. Till uhhh, till they ambushed us. An entire Nietchean platoon outside the barrack waitin for us to show up with our stupid little toys. Brendan spotted them right away. He's good like that. He warned me but Isaac was on the other side of the compound and ummm we could hear his shrilling .... and then it was cut off by gunshots. (Alarm beeps) Harper: Yeah ... you're gonna love Earth. Crew Bar - Andromeda Elssbett: A direct assault on the Drago capital? That's suicide. Tyr: I would agree were it not for our Captain Hunt his survival instincts are ... uhh.. well... formidable. Elssbett: And if they weren't? You'd be commanding this starship instead of the human? Tyr: The currents state of affairs serves my purpose. Elssbett: A purpose, which might be better served by gaining entry into my family. Tyr: (Sarcastically) Oh, please. I don't need to marry one of your spare sisters in order to achieve my goals. Elssbett: Who said anything about a sister? Now... tell me the captain's true intentions. Tyr: it would take a great deal more than a whispered promise to extract from me any further information than I've provided already. However .... (whispers) you are so very welcome to try. Maru Harper: There she is Rommie. The blue jewel of the galaxy .... Earth. Rommie; Huh. Craters, High levels of carbon dioxide, soot, ash, nuclear fallout. Lovely. Harper: Hey! At least all that crap in the atmosphere makes us harder to detect. The question is how do we get around that Nietchean orbiting defense network? Planeside- building Harper: I gotta hand it to you Rommie I gotta hand it to you. An artificial meteor swarm it's brilliant and that is why I love me - for making you and I mean I do love you too and by making, I do mean in a professional sort of way. Rommie: About that, when we meet your friends don't mention I'm an android. I've found on missions like this it's always best to hold a few surprises back from everyone concerned. Harper: What's the matter Rommie? You don't want to listen to me brag the whole time we're here? Rommie: No. Harper: Deal. (inhales) Ahh! The smells of home. This way. (Girl enters corridor, Rommie powers up lance and points at her. Harper: Whoa, whoa, whoa. Rommie: She's so frightened. (girl retreats) Harper: She's got a lot to be frightened about. It's okay, you can come out. It's okay. (Two girls come back out into corridor) Harper: oh, is this your sister or your cousin? Well, either way you're both very beautiful, very brave young ladies. Can you do me a favor? Can you please try and find Brendan Lahey? Tell him his cousin Seamus is here. Can you do that? (girls leave, man steps out behind Harper and Rommie, powering up weapon) Man: What do you want with Brendan? Rommie; points lance at man, Harper is standing behind her with his hands up Harper: Like I said, I'm his cousin, Seamus. Man: Funny. Brendan never mentioned a cousin. Especially not a collaborator in nice shiny new clothes. Harper: I'm not a collaborator. We're not with the Dragons. In fact we're actually here to try and help save you from the Dragons. Man: Yeah and I'm the second coming of Haili Selassi (?) Why don't you tell your girlfriend to drop the lance? Maybe we'll talk Rommie: There are at least seven more just like him in the side passages. Harper: Oh, man. Bostonians. Why do we always have to do this the hard way? All right. On three. One, two... Brendan: Seamus? Harper: Brendan? Brendan: Seamus. Seamus. Harper: Brendan! (hugs his cousin) Hey! Brendan: It's good to see you cuzo. Harper: Likewise. Likewise. Brendan: Hey Ozzie, come here! Hey everybody, come here, come here. I want you all to meet my cousin Seamus Harper He's come down from the stars... to set us all free Harper: Ha, no pressure. Planetside - room Brendan: The Nietcheans keep a pretty tight seal on the main living areas here. We don't get out much; the Dragons don't come in much. Except when they send in floaters to pick up more slaves. Since the war started they've been taking pretty much everybody they can get their hands on. Little ones, old folks, last week they took Jakes mother over there right off her deathbed. Harper: why would they take people who can't work? Brendan: Well there are rumors... about.... resettlement centers Rommie: Death camps. Brendan: But umm were gonna put a stop to all that, aren't we? Harper: Yeah. Yeah of course. Rommie: Look we'll do what we can but we're just the advance team. The key is to force the Dragons to commit their armored units. Once they're exposed the Andromeda will arrive and pick them off from orbit. Harper: Yeah a lot of this is gonna have to depend on your resistance fighter friends. How many can you mobilize in Boston? Brendan: well uh, you know.. you gotta realize I expected you to show up with a lot more company than just one admittedly very attractive woman. Harper: How many fighters Brendan? Brendan: Well, you're looking at 'em Seamus. Harper: You have five fighters? Brendan: That I can count on, yeah. Look they've got friends and their friends have friends and a lot of them claim to be in the resistance but how many people can I get in the streets especially before your Dylan arrives? Like I said, five that I know of Harper: That you know of. Brendan why did you call us? What did you expect? Brendan: What I expected... was hope. Harper: How am I supposed to give them hope? I know how hard their lives are. That's why I ran away in the first place remember? Rommie: Harper if we can't get the local resistance organized in time for Dylan's attack, our surgical strike will turn into a bloody war. Harper: I don't even know where to start. I mean, what do I say? Brendan: Say whatever it takes. Outside Harper: All around the world, people are ready, ready to rise up. In uh, in Paris, Tokyo, Singapore, uh Johannesburg, in thousands -- in uh hundreds of thousands and they're all waiting... waiting for you, waiting for Boston. Because this was where it all began uh the most important revolution in the history of Earth started in Boston the very idea that all people weather born or engineered are equal started in Boston. So now it is Boston's turn again. Time to show your courage, time to storm the barricades, time to fire a shot that will be heard around the world for freedom. (crowd mumbling: He's right Let's get the Ubers, now's the time, Freedom for Earth! Remember Earth) Harper: For freedom! Crowd chanting: Freedom! Freedom! Freedom! Hallway - planetside Brendan: I gotta hand it to you cousin. You really got 'em believing in themselves for the first time. Rommie: It was a very good speech Harper: Yeah Tokyo, Paris, Johannesburg, Singapore, sure. Only one problem. It's all a lie. Come on Dylan. Andromeda Beka: Correct me if I'm wrong, but are we actually winning? Dylan: The Jaguar are holding our center and the Castalians have routed the Dragons left flank the enemy is in full retreat Beka: Go fishmen, go! Tyr: If this continue there'll soon be nothing between us and the Dragon homeworld but open sliproutes. Dylan: Yes, how convient. Beka: Too easy? Dylan: Much. Andromeda hail all allied commanders. I'm standing down the assault. Andromeda: Aye-aye. Earth - room Brendan: How's your friend doing? Harper: Well she's already hidden recon eyes all over the ghetto. Now all she has to do is plant plasma mines outside the armory. Brendan: the armory? Harper: Yeah. Brendan: No, no, no. She shouldn't go anywhere near the armory, they' re gonna see her. Harper: Rommie? Not freakin likely. Brendan: How do you know? Harper: Well let's just say I uh made her what she is today. Brendan: (laughs) So uh, you guys serious? Harper: I wish! You know how it is. We're too busy flyin around savin the universe Brendan: (laughs) Yeah. Well just remember what you're savin it for. Earth. Her and all that's good in the world. I've got something for you.. Been savin it. Here (tosses object to Harper) It's your old tin whistle. Harper: No, no, no. I uhh.... I threw this... Brendan: Into your parents grave. Yeah, you did. I pulled it out for you. I've been saving it... you know... For when you're ready to play it again. Rommie: Simply point the lance, press the trigger (fires at wall) the computer targeting system will do the rest. Now if you find yourself up in close and you want to do a lot of damage you can switch to plasma blasts... here. Now when you return to your cell members authorize them to use your lance so if you go down someone else can use it. Questions? Harper: Bracers, for communication. ECM generators wear them both and remember... Brendan: A Molotov cocktail will still burn a floater. So wait until they hit the barricades and then throw as many as you can. Oh yeah, one more thing, shrillers. Enough for everybody. Ozzie: You know these toys are great but what if you give the signal and no one rises up but us? (Voices murmuring in crowd: Yeah, what happens then?) Brendan: Why are you here, Ozzie? Ozzie: You know why. Brendan: Cathy. Ozzie nods Brendan: We all got a Cathy....at least one. My sister, Seamus' parents, Colin's kids, you all lost someone. You remind people of that and you'll have no problem getting them to fight by your side. Ozzie: For Cathy. Rommie: The Dragon slave caravan is on its way into the ghetto. Harper: Damn. There are a lot more of them than we expected. They must be reinforcing their positions because of the war. Rommie: No plan of battle ever survives the first engagement with the enemy. Harper: What if Ozzie was right, Rommie? What if the people in the streets won't rise up and join us? Rommie: Then we lose. But if we do nothing, we still lose. And we may never have an opportunity like this again. (Communicator) Brendan: Yo, cousin the transports are in position, what's the word? Harper: uhh... the word is... ummm...attack. (Shrillers blowing, gunfire, Neichens moaning Brendan: Attack! Attack! Attack! Go! Go! Go! You in the back! Come on! Move! Move! Go! Over the wall! Over the wall! Go! Go! Go! Ozzie! Floater! Throw the molotovs! Throw 'em! Throw 'em! Throw 'em! (gunfire, screaming) (On Communicator) Brendan: Seamus, we're being overrun, Seamus what'll I do!? Rommie: Fall back. Fall back to rally points three and seven. Brendan: Fall back! Fall Back! Fall back! Harper: More Dragons are moving to intercept. They're outnumbered if Dylan doesn't get here soon we're all dead. Brendan: Fall Back! Andromeda - command deck Beka: so every bit of evidence we've got suggest that the ships we've been defeating aren't really real, they're just empty hulls equipped with slipstream drives. Elssbett: I don't care if they're Dragon schoolchildren on a summer picnic, a victory is a victory. Dylan: It's a victory the Dragons want us to have. Beka: They could be using these ships to mask the size of their real fleet. Dylan: Or distract us while they move somewhere else. Elssbett: What they're doing doesn't matter. So long as we attack, we drive the action. In love, in war, in politics the day and the night always belongs to the aggressor. Dylan: I will not lead this fleet into a trap. We pull back; make them follow us so that we can pick the next battle. Elssbett: A nice idea, but it won't be possible. Beka: And why exactly is that? HoloRommie: Captain, the Sabra-Jaguar fleet is attacking the Dragons! Earth Harper: Brendan, come in! Brendan, report! Rommie: The signal has been cut off Harper: Al right, that's it. Rommie, monitor things here, I'll be back. Rommie: What are you doing? Harper: Brendan's family Rommie. I abandoned him here once, I'm not gonna do it again! (Harper gears up and leaves, Rommie shakes her head.) Andromeda- corridor Beka: You know that by attacking the Dragons now you're forcing Dylan's hand. Elssbett: He's forced my hand before; I'm simply returning the favor. Beka: You have no right to come aboard... Elssbett: No! You have no right. We may have shared the same position in Dylan's bed, human, but don't presume that makes us equals. Beka: You slept with Dylan!? Elssbett: He didn't tell you? You really should keep better track of your lovers and not let them stray so far. Beka: Dylan and I aren't lovers. Elssbett: Really. Too bad for you. (ship rocks) Beka: Rommie? What was that? Andromeda: Some kind of gravitational distortion. Dylan, the Dragon ships have fired their slipstream cores. Dylan: Andromeda, tell the fleet to scatter and get us to slipstream Elssbett: My ships... Tyr: are in trouble, so are we. Beka: They're exploding! Dylan: Brace for impact! Beka: It's like a whirlpool. Andromeda: We're going in. (Ship is pulled into a slipstream portal) Earth - planetside Brendan falls to ground Brendan: No wait! Wait! Are either of you related to any of the Ubers I waxed today? Nietchean kicks Brendan Brendan: 'cause it was a lot fun. Nietchean kicks Brendan again Brendan groans Other Nietchean kicks Brendan Gunfire and Nietchean falls, Seamus kills the other Nietchean and runs to Brendan who is struggling to breathe Harper: Brendan, you okay? Brendan: There's too many of them Seamus. (stands up with Harper's help) Their armors mobilizing, I gotta get back outside. Harper: Oh no you're coming with me, you need medical attention Brendan: Your commonwealth friends better get here soon, Seamus. Andromeda Dylan: Andromeda where are we? Andromeda: Kraylux, somewhere in the outer system Dylan: Status on the rest of the fleet? Tyr; Scattered halfway across the Orion arm, I would assume. We appear to be the only ship in this system. Beka: Correction, the only allied ship. The Dragons just joined us. Dylan: Battle stations! Beka: No good, I can't shake them. Andromeda: Dylan we're being hailed by someone called Fleet Admiral Cuatemoc. Elssbett: So Temmy finally got his promotion. Dylan: tell me about him. Elssbett: Cuatemoc is a high-ranking Dragon; he's married to Charlemagne's sister Beatricia. The Jaguars had hoped that the marriage would bring peace between the prides Dylan: this doesn't look like peace Tyr; If Beatricia is anything like her brother I can guess at the problem Elssbett: No one profited from their union, especially not the Jaguars. A gelded peahen can't tame a bear. Dylan: A bear? Good. Put him through. Cuatemoc: Ah, the famous Captain Hunt. Dylan: Fleet Admiral Cuatemoc, what happened to your predecessor....Cuchulain? Cuatemoc: He lost one too many battles to you. I don't plan on making the same mistake Dylan: You know a plan of battle rarely survives the first engagement with the enemy. Cuatemoc: Mine do. Hello Elssbett, Charley off getting his pedicure? Tell him Bee sends her regards. Here's mine. (weapons fire shakes ship, explosions, alarms) Elssbett: In-laws Dylan: Beka, slipstream now! Earth Rommie: Multiple fractures, internal bleeding and yeah, a concussion. Harper: Just do something about it will ya? Brendan: You can tell all that just by looking at me? Harper: Yeah, Rommie's uh, full of surprises. Rommie: Lucky for you. While you were off on your little adventure I hacked into the Dragon's communication grid and broadcast news of the revolt. The people of Earth are rising up. Harper: Paris? Tokyo? Rommie: Even Johannesburg. Brendan: And here I thought you were lying about Johannesburg. Harper: I started lying the minute I opened my mouth. What about the armored divisions? Rommie: Mobilizing worldwide. They should be fully exposed when Dylan arrives in.... Five hours and twenty-one minutes. Brendan: Hey thanks, cousin. Andromeda Beka: They're still right behind us. Elssbett: Now what? Dylan: Now we round up the fleet and fight our way free. Tyr: There are over 30 systems in this cluster and the alliance fleet is scattered all over it. Beka: Searching will take time. What about Harper and Rommie? What about Earth? Dylan: If the Dragons destroy our fleet the war is over. We have to regroup regardless of the cost. Earth Harper: Where is Dylan? The Dragon armored units are killing us. Rommie: He should be here soon Brendan: That's what you said an hour ago, he's 90 minutes late. Rommie: Slipstream isn't always that precise, he could have been delayed. Harper: Delayed Where? If he were in the system he would have contacted us by now. Rommie: Not if he's maintaining communications - Hang on a second I'm getting a signal Harper: A signal? Rommie: From a slipfighter. Harper: a slipfighter? Rommie: It's Tyr. Harper: What do you mean he's not coming? Tyr: He had to choose - save his fleet and his alliance or sacrifice them both to liberate a single slave world. Harper: But Dylan always keeps his promises. Tyr: Dylan made a great many promises and he only has one ship. Now try and get the people out of the streets. There'll be another time. Harper: Another time!? I'm just supposed to stop a revolution? There are people bleeding and dying in the streets because they actually think they may have a chance to win for a change. How am I supposed to tell them they're wrong? Tyr: Don't. Tell them the truth; tell them that life is inherently unfair and that the wise only fight battles they know they can win. Harper: Great. And when I'm telling them all this where will you be? Tyr: As far away from here as I can get. Harper: Thanks. Brendan: I'm not gonna stand down the attack just 'cause your Nietchean said so. Harper: He's not the one saying it, I am! Brendan: Oh yeah, like that's any better. "Stand down, retreat, so speaks Seamus Harper" as usual. Harper: As usual? Whoa, hold it! Are you calling me a coward? Brendan: Well you walked away once Seamus. You abandoned your home, you abandoned your family. For what? Did it get too hard for you? I don't know what that makes you but you're sure no hero. Harper: My family died here in case you forgot! Because my father didn't know how to walk away from a fight he couldn't win. Brendan: He was protecting your mother. Harper: Whatever! And now they're both dead. And you'll be dead too if you don't listen to me! Brendan: Seamus you see, you don't understand, you can't just choose when you want to fight and when you don't. You may think your father had a choice that day but he didn't and neither do I. So we fight. Harper: All right. Let me put this another way. (draws gun) Tell them to withdraw or I swear I'll kill you. Brendan: You're gonna kill me? Harper: If you don't listen to me. It'll stop millions of people from dying unnecessarily in a war they can't win. Brendan: Will it? Harper: They don't have a chance Brendan. Brendan: I know they don't. They know that too. They knew it when this all started. Harper: When I started this, things were different. The circumstances have changed. Brendan: Did you think that you were the first person to stand on a rooftop and shout that the Nietcheans had to go? These people have heard it all before, Seamus. Hell, our fathers heard it, and their fathers before them. Harper: If that's true then why did they listen? Why are they all out there fighting now? Brendan: Why did your father fight when the slavers came for your mother? Harper: Because he was a fool. Would you shut up about my father?! Brendan: He fought because he was sick of lying down for them, because he was sick of being spat at. Laughed at, stolen from and beaten. Sick and tired of living in fear and desperation. So tired that he was willing to give up his life so long as he hurt them! Harper: Yeah, yeah and they laughed at him right up until they slit his throat and after. Brendan: that's true but in the end, he laughed back. We both heard it Seamus. He fought. He finally fought. And after that nothing else mattered. Harper: Yeah, especially not to him. Brendan: Seamus, you gotta let it go. Harper: I don't have to let squat go! You don't know what you're talking about! You don't even know what happened! You wanna know what really happened? They didn't come for my mother, they came for me! Okay? They both died because of me! Brendan: I'm sorry Seamus. But don't you see? This just proves what I'm talking about. Your mother and your father did not die for nothing. They sacrificed themselves to save you. Their only son and it worked they won. Harper: If you really want what happened to my parents to be worth it Brendan then stop the revolt. Brendan. I would Seamus. For you I would. I can't. Revolutions not like a switch, you can't turn it on or off. It's like a fire; once it's lit you can't put it out no matter how much you might want to. And even if we could, if I did it might never light again. Harper: all right well what about you then. Just let me get you outta here. Brendan: That's the thing cousin; I'm part of the fire. I need to be. Seamus sighs: You kick some butt out there. Elssbett: According to my captains, we've rounded up almost 90% of our original fleet. Dylan: Unfortunately only half of them can still fight. Andromeda: The Dragon Fleet is closing Beka: Ah Dylan now would be the time for one of those crazy desperate just might work ideas. Dylan: Well I've got one, I was just hoping I wouldn't have to use it. Elssbett: How about sharing your thoughts with your loyal allies Dylan: I've got a better idea; we'll do a demonstration from the finest slipstream pilot in the known worlds. Beka: Oh! Oh, that'd be me. Dylan: Set a course for Kulich system. Elssbett: The system where we were ambushed? HoloRommie: Dylan that system is completely unnavigable. When the Dragons fired their slipstream cores they collapsed slipstream into normal space. Flying through there would be like diving into a hurricane, we'd be torn to shreds unless we did it perfectly. Dylan: Well that is were Beka comes in. Beka: You know I think I've changed my mind about this whole crazy desperate thing. Elssbett: This is idiotic. For your plan to work every ship in the fleet would have to navigate the vortices on their won. They're not all blessed with a Beka Valentine. Dylan: Luckily we only need one. We'll fly in fleet formation. Keep within a few thousand kilometers of each other to minimize lag time we'll slave the other ships navigational systems to Andromeda's and let Beka pilot them all. Elssbett: Which means if she makes a mistake every ship in the fleet will crash Dylan: Yeah Beka: Note to self - Don't screw up Maru Harper: Goodbye again Rommie puts her hand on Harper's arm Andromeda Andromeda: Cuatemoc is hailing us Dylan: Put him through Cuatemoc: Argosy Fleet Formation, interesting historical reenactment for all the good it'll do. We can still follow you. Elssbett: Anything to escape your wife Dylan: You are welcome to follow us Admiral, in fact I encourage it. Or at least I encourage you to try. Beka, course laid in for Kulich? Beka: You betcha. Cuatemoc: Kulich? Impossible. You'll be torn to shreds. Trying to run through there it's suicide. Dylan: You didn't talk to Cuchulain about me before you had him executed did you? No? Well that's too bad. I wonder who's next in line. Go. Beka: Come on Valentine. You can do it, you can do it. Dylan: You did it Beka: Yes! HoloRommie: Dylan, we're clear of the vortex, the entire allied fleet made it through intact and there's no sign of the Dragons Elssbett: I'm very impressed Beka: Aw! Forced to reevaluate your opinion of a Human? Elssbett: Before you begin your little celebration may I remind you that we lost? Dylan: Now you see there is where you're wrong. We came together, we tested our new allied fleet in battle against the most powerful military in the known universe and we got away in one piece. See I would call that victory. Beka set a course for Earth. HoloRommie: Dylan I've just intercepted a message from the Lycos Drift. Earth has already risen up and the Dragons have crushed the rebellion. We're too late Obs Deck Dylan: Mr. Harper Harper: I could use a little privacy right now if you don't mind Dylan: I understand but I thought you'd want to see this. It's a transmission from Earth. Copies are pooping up all over Dragon space Brendan: The Dragons call us Kludges; they call us mutts and mules as if we're the genetic mistake because we're only human. Well now we've shown them what we Humans can do. We Kludges, we mutts, we mules and we're going to keep showing them, today, tomorrow and every day until Earth is free. For today is like no other day, today we are cousins all. Today we reclaim Earth for humanity. This is Bunker Hill signing off Dylan: They're rising up Harper. Slave worlds all over the Dragon Empire are getting this recording and they're rising in revolt all because of Brendan Harper: So you're telling me it was worth it? Even if my cousin's dead? Dylan: Either way he won... so did you