_
Captain Osborn, I have eyes on the target!
Whatever you do, do not lose them, Shral.
Not planning on it, Osborn.
You do realize we could be court-martialed
for going AWOL from our unit.
The battle between Earth and Zatar
is child's play compared to what we're trying to stop.
We're losing her, Osborn!
Hardly, I have them right where I want them.
Target neutralized.
- Synced and corrected by martythecrazy - - www.addic7ed.com -
The destructive energy force
is continuing its path of total annihilation.
No inhabited planets or systems have been destroyed yet.
_
But the wave of destruction remains on a direct heading for Zatar.
We might know how to stop it.
Every EarthCom astrophysicist at my disposal
has been unable to explain this mysterious force,
let alone suggest a way to defeat it.
And you're telling me you can, Cadet Zhou?
Well, you need to speak to Fleet Admiral Osborn.
There is nothing Professor Osborn has to say
that I want to hear.
He can help. Please talk to him.
So that he can tell me again
how it was created by a race
of superior alien beings called "the Ancients",
who've deemed our universe unworthy,
- and are wiping us from existence? - So, you don't believe him then?
That man will do or say anything
to claw his way back into CIS,
and that's not happening on my watch.
If we don't do anything, Zatar is gonna be annihilated.
I spoke to Ambassador Salazen personally.
The Zatarians are dispatching their entire fleet.
They will handle it.
That fleet will be destroyed,
and after that, it's only a matter of time
until that wave of destruction reaches Earth.
Earth is in no position to do anything.
Our fleet was decimated six months ago
because of Osborn's arrogance,
or did you both forget?!
You're dismissed.
And please, no more pleas for leniency
on behalf of your uncle.
Please, Admiral, if you would just...
I think you can show yourselves out.
So, what do you think?
Well, I think you know what I think.
I just hope you have a plan.
The plan might cost me my career,
but if the universe gets destroyed,
then who needs a career anyway?
- Some privacy, corporal? - Yes, Sir.
Hello, Professor.
I told Lucas everything I know, and she ridiculed me.
I really don't know what help I can be to her now.
Then help us, Sir.
We need to find the Ancients and appeal to them directly
before they destroy our entire universe.
And how do you intend on doing that?
We don't know exactly.
But there's no great military play here.
Only Jax can find them.
She's the Pandora.
That's a pretty thin sliver of hope
to hang your hat on, Xander.
Well, we don't have any choice, Sir.
And neither do you. You have to help us.
And how can I do that?
In case you hadn't noticed, I'm a prisoner here.
You once told me that after you boxed the first Pandora,
you found a baby sent to our universe by the Ancients.
Me.
And you gave that baby to your sister
to raise as her own.
The Ancients must have used a portal
to leave Jax on that planet.
And it stands to reason that the same portal
could lead back to them.
A reasonable hypothesis, I suppose.
Then help us.
Please.
I will help...
on one condition.
You have to take me with you.
Hello.
What is going on here?
It's me, Professor.
Yes, I get that it's you, Ralen. But what exactly are you doing here?
I'm here to rescue you.
I appreciate the impromptu prison break,
but once that guard regains consciousness,
he'll be quite disappointed I'm missing.
- We shall be long gone by then. - Gone where?
We need to get onboard the Dauntless.
- What about the security cameras? - They've been disabled.
Captain Duvall's plan was quite thorough.
Glad to see you made our departure time.
Yes, it, uh...
wasn't exactly easy.
Ralen smuggled me aboard in a crate of Gorkop,
a rare Cronin delicacy.
I assume that was your idea.
- Captain's prerogative. - The smell almost killed me.
Yeah, you're not the only one.
A fresh set of clothes for you, Admiral.
Why, thank you, Matta.
Right. We need to get going before fleet command
realizes that the flight report we filed is a phony.
And Professor Osborn is gone.
That too. Stations, please.
And the crew returns from shore leave,
This is quite a ship they gave you.
You sure you can handle it?
It's your turn now, Professor.
We upheld our part of the bargain.
Time for you to uphold yours.
Please, show us where we're going.
There.
Asmodeus 6.
The Avestan name for a demon. Lovely.
Course laid in. We've cleared the Pearl,
and are ready to engage Alcubierre-EM drive on your orders.
Engage the EM drive.
Don't spare the horses.
We have less than 20 Earth hours
to find the Ancients and put a stop to all this
before your homeland is completely destroyed.
Our people will not evacuate.
They will stand
and fight
until the end.
Let's hope it doesn't come to that.
Are you all right, Jacqueline?
What if I say the wrong thing?
Everything is dependent on me not making a mistake,
and I don't even know what's expected of me.
No one is ever truly ready to meet their destiny.
All you can do is be honest with them...
and yourself.
Earth and Zatar barely survived a brutal, decades-long war.
The colonies on the Outer Rim are months away from an open revolt,
and the Sumi want nothing more
than every square parsec of this galaxy to themselves.
It's not about the worlds as they are,
but as they can be.
You see something no one else can.
And what is that?
Hope.
I believe in you, Jacqueline.
I always have.
If we succeed,
you may not see me for a while.
What do you mean?
I won't allow Meredith Lucas to lock me in a cage again.
But know that wherever I am,
I will be close, and I will be looking out for you.
Well, how do I reach you if I need you?
Shral will know where I am.
You can trust him... and only him.
Are you sure that the portal through to the Ancients is on this planet?
The last Pandora, the one who preceded you,
the one you called "Evil Jax,"
came here to report to the Ancients 22 years ago.
But they did not succeed.
No. Shral, Pevney, and I made sure she never made it to that portal.
If she had,
it's very unlikely any of us would be here right now.
We need to get her back to the ship before she awakens.
How can we be sure she won't escape again? If she gets past us...
That's why we built Pandora's Box and brought it here.
It will keep her locked up and in stasis forever.
She will not be able to tell the Ancients anything.
Our worlds will remain safe.
What makes you think this insane plan will even work?
I don't.
But fate has not brought us many options.
"Fate"?
This isn't about fate.
It's about a girl, the other Pandora
who claims to be from another universe.
Everything we are doing is because of her and what she told you.
What if she's wrong?
- What if she's lying? - She's not lying.
Scanning a Zatarian patrol ahead.
They're heading in this direction. We need to move.
There are a series of subterranean caverns below the surface
that we can hide in until nightfall.
But first we need to seal her in the Box before she wakes up.
And then what?
Pray she never gets out.
Jax.
Jax? You okay, Jax?
I saw her.
The other Pandora.
I think you putting her in that Box
convinced her our races weren't worth saving.
Jax...
they had no choice.
If the other Pandora had reached the Ancients,
then our universe would've been destroyed.
I know you keep saying that,
but we don't know if that's the truth.
Would you ever do that to me?
Jax, it's not gonna come to that.
She told me that she had dreams in that Box,
terrible dreams.
I think that's what eventually drove her mad.
Captain, we're entering planetary orbit of Asmodeus 6.
Not very inviting, is it?
Not very inviting at all.
Right. Now, Professor, it's your turn again.
Where's this portal, then?
I don't know... exactly.
You don't know exactly?
That wasn't part of our deal.
Our deal was that I would get us here, and I have.
But there is a vast subterranean tunnel system
that runs for many miles beneath the surface. You'll find it there.
What?
None of you read your Jules Verne?
It was sheer happenstance that we stumbled upon the cave
where we found Jax as an infant.
If I may, Captain.
Allow me to suggest that we use the energy signature
we identified from the previous portals to locate the chamber.
Let's get the Kubrick ready for immediate departure.
Captain?
We may have another problem.
What is it, Ralen?
There are violent electromagnetic storms
in the upper atmosphere of the planet.
It will wreak havoc with the Kubrick's navigational and power systems.
Are you suggesting that we won't be able to land a craft?
Not unless the storm abates.
And how long will that be?
Unknown. Could be hours, days, even weeks.
There is no way to know for certain.
We don't have time for that.
We need to find a way to get to the surface right now.
I think I might have an idea.
Right. As soon as we're in freefall and we're clear of the Dauntless,
we need to link hands in formation.
Then I should be able to guide us to a safe landing.
I've only ever done jumps like this at the VR simulator at the Academy.
You can do it, Jax. I've got your back.
Without navigation and at the speeds you'll be going,
if you don't decelerate in time, you will pancake on the surface.
Any other words of encouragement, Uncle?
How do we know when to engage the velocity shields?
Instrumentation will be useless.
So, we eyeball it.
It's our only hope.
Then I should go with you.
No, you should stay here.
In case this fails,
we need you to be able to make another attempt.
Very well.
Good luck... Captain.
Now I know why they call it Asmodeus 6...
the Devil's Planet.
On my mark.
Commencing planetfall in four...
three...
two...
one!
Alright, everyone in formation now!
Jax!
Jax! Jax!
Xander, help!
Xander!
Matta, grab Ralen! I'm going after Jax!
Jax! Jax!
Xander!
Give me your hand, okay? I'm here.
Stay together. Brace for impact.
Surface is coming up real fast.
We're going to the surface!
Stay together!
Xander!
Thank you, Xander.
Now, where the hell are we?
I don't know, and any of the hundreds of tunnels
could lead to the portal. Osborn?
Osborn, do you copy? We've made the surface.
I can't make out your transmission.
Xander. Come in, Xander.
Osborn, do you copy?
I can barely make out your transmission, Xander.
The storm is playing havoc with comms.
Alright, copy that. Standing by.
I have downloaded the energy frequencies from the portals
you encountered on New Portland and Clayton World into our multitrons.
It will help us locate any portal in the vicinity.
Well, we'll need to split up into groups of two,
so we can cover more ground more quickly.
I will go with Jax.
Okay.
Well, uh, stay frosty and, uh,
anything that you encounter, keep in contact with the coms.
We'll do the same.
These ruins seem to predate any modern civilization.
It must have been quite beautiful.
It is unfortunate that they were all destroyed
during our war with Earth.
I do not even know why our two respective races even ended up here.
There is nothing of value on this world.
What were they even fighting over?
Territory.
It all just seems so pointless.
Sadly, war often is.
Still not detecting any energy signatures of any kind.
Let's hope that Jax and Matta will have more luck.
Jax.
Jax, do you copy?
Jax.
Come on.
You know, when I first met you, Jax, I did not like you.
I actually resented you.
Yeah, no kidding.
Is that what you humans call "sarcasm"?
Most definitely.
If it is a consolation to you, I do like you now.
I'm happy to hear that Matta,
'cause I like you too. I always have.
And yet, you were most surprised to hear that Ralen was joined in marriage.
That is the understatement of the century.
Yeah.
I don't understand.
If you did not have feelings for him, why did it matter?
Because that's just not something that you hide.
It disappointed me.
Why was it disappointing?
Because, for some reason,
I always thought Ralen was better than the rest of us.
Somehow, more honorable.
To find out that that he'd been hiding that, it just seemed...
so dishonorable.
And yet, Captain Duvall keeps secrets from you,
and you do not find him dishonorable.
It's different, Matta.
You are still upset with him
for what happened on Clayton's World.
He murdered the other Pandora in cold blood.
Captain Duvall saved your life, did he not?
That's what he keeps saying.
I just can't help but wonder if there was a better way.
You think you could have saved her from the darkness?
I don't know.
All I know is that she had answers
to questions that I will never be able to ask now.
He did it because he loves you, Jax.
Ralen would have done the same.
Matta, Ralen doesn't love me.
He loves you.
He loves us both.
I have... come to accept that.
It's okay.
You are worthy of his love.
Just when I think I'm starting to understand you Zatarians,
you throw another curve at me.
A "curve"?
Yeah, like in baseball.
It's a human sport. Go, Yankees!
Mmm. Never mind.
There.
I have detected an energy frequency coming from inside that cavern.
Xander, I think we found something.
Xander, do you copy?
Jax!
- Ralen, come in. - Jax, come in!
Still can't connect to Jax.
Here I've noticed.
What the hell is that supposed to mean, Ralen?
Well...
I have sensed the difference in relations between you and Jax
since your return from Clayton's World.
Is it that obvious?
Yes. I believe that you've lost her trust.
Now you must earn it back.
I don't want to lose her.
I understand.
I thought this planet was supposed to be uninhabited!
Clearly not.
Clearly.
Ralen, we need to get to higher ground. If we can outflank him...
I believe I can make an effective decoy.
Ralen! Ralen, no!
These are the same kind of aliens that we encountered in New Portland
and on the Homestead colony.
And if these are the same aliens
that were onboard the armada which attacked Earth last year...
They must be the foot-soldiers of the Ancients.
- Worship them like gods. - Then this is good news.
How is them trying to kill us good news?
Well, they presumably don't want us to enter that cave,
which means that it's reasonable to assume
that we are close to the portal.
Well, then I think we just kicked the hornet's nest.
'Cause these aliens are ferocious and never alone.
This is unlike any other one we've seen in the past.
The palace guard, maybe?
Protecting the portal like the Knights Templar of legend.
What do you think this symbol means?
I'm sending an image of the symbol to the professor on the ship for analysis.
Let's hope he gets it through the storm.
Have you thought about what you will say to the Ancients?
I've thought about it, but I'm...
I'm sure you will know what to say when the time comes.
That's what everyone keeps telling me, but...
I'm just not sure.
Our two races were at war five years ago.
Now, we are working together as one.
Surely, that must mean something.
I really hope so, Matta.
Come on.
Jax?
Matta? Come in!
I think I may have located the coordinates to the portal. Come in...
Hold on, Matta.
I think I'm losing signal.
You are a fool, Osborn.
Why? Because I believe that by nurturing this child
and teaching it love, we can save our worlds?
The only way to save our worlds is to kill it. Kill it now.
Take another step and I'll blow your head off, Shral.
What the hell do you think you're doing?
What I have to do.
You kill that baby, they'll just send another and another.
Osborn is right.
We have to try another way.
I will give it to my sister, Eve,
in the hopes that her love will instill a bond with humanity.
And she can study it.
The Zatarians!
Jax, what's wrong?
I've been here before.
I think we got all of them, but there are assuredly more on their way.
- We need to go. - You go.
I'll hold off the Zatarians.
Why?
Because I can't risk being wrong.
Come on, man. We gotta go now.
I know this place.
This is where I was born.
Okay.
Where do we go now?
I have completely lost signal.
I do not know.
I think that way.
Come in, Osborn.
It's worse than we thought.
The entire Zatarian fleet...
In hours, the wave will reach Zatar,
and there's nothing that can stop it... but you.
It's...
been destroyed.
How many of these things are there?
As soon as we kill one, another one takes its place.
They just don't want us getting to the portal.
Do you copy, Xander?
Come in, Xander.
Ralen? Do any of you copy?
What's going on down there?
Oh, not a lot.
Just engaged in a firefight with the Alien Protectors.
The portal to the Ancients, I think I know where it is.
I decoded the symbol.
It's a map of the topography of the planet
and the entire tunnel system below.
If I'm correct, Jax and Matta are not far.
Oh, great news. Terrible timing.
I've transmitted the coordinates to your multitrons.
You need to get to that portal now.
Zatar doesn't have much time.
I've seen this before.
I know where we need to go.
It's not far, follow me.
I'm not getting a signal.
Hold your position while I map the tunnels ahead.
I don't know if that's the right way, Jax.
Just trust me.
Why are they retreating?
Did we scare them away?
Well, something's not right.
Jax must be nearly at the portal.
They must be going after her.
Oh, I don't like the sound of that.
I feel strange, Matta.
Like I'm somehow connected to this place.
There is nothing here, Jax.
No portal, no energy signature.
I guess your instincts must have been wrong this time, Jax.
It has to be here.
Osborn's map led us here for a reason.
This path is a dead end.
The obstacle is the path.
What is that?
The language of the Ancients that I first discovered on New Portland.
It says "The obstacle is the path."
This chamber is the portal!
We've been inside of it the whole time.
The Ancients are here with us now.
Okay...
Not exactly what I was expecting.
A-ha.
We've been expecting you.
But I'm afraid I only have one vacancy.
You both came such a very long way.
You must be tired at the end of your long journey.
Are you one of the Ancients?
Never ask someone this old about their age.
Don't they teach you anything at that school of yours?
Come on, follow me.
- Jax... - Shh!
First, sign the ledger,
and register your stay.
Okay.
Judson will show you to your room.
Good day and all that.
Ralen! Ralen, no!
Let's go find Jax and Matta.
How long will you be staying with us?
I'm not sure yet.
Depends on what we're...
doing here.
Oh, I think you know.
You, um... You been here long, Judson?
Oh, since the beginning.
Jax, Zatar...
Look, we're running out of time.
I need to speak to the Ancients.
They may understand the path,
but they certainly do not understand the obstacles.
You don't say. And why is that?
The civilizations in our galaxy
are working on bringing our worlds together,
but we just need a little more time.
Jax is right.
Earth and Zatar were once at war,
- and now we're working together. - Yeah.
Oh, that's all well and good,
but we don't believe you have complete faith, Pandora.
That's not true.
You can't possibly know what's in my head.
Is that so?
Can you say with full conviction
that this universe is truly worthy of survival?
Even if I had doubts,
it doesn't mean you have to destroy an entire universe and start over.
I don't.
I... don't have doubts.
That may be true.
The Ancients cannot read you
like they can the mind of a Pandora.
They did not create you,
only the conditions that led to your creation.
I guess you will have to trust me.
You don't make it easy. No sirree.
You are so different from the others that stayed here before.
Where are you going?
Jax, it's been decided.
You will be granted more time to prove
that what you say is true.
How?
By proving that all six races of the galaxy
deserve to continue their existence.
Six races? But there's only five:
the Humans, Zatarians, Sumi,
Cronin and the Protectors.
Yes, the "Protectors," as you call them,
are merely extensions in our own dominion
and are irrelevant.
But the other five hold the key to your survival.
And you to theirs.
Our universe is already being destroyed as we speak.
121 more rotations
of your Earth on its axis will be granted
before final judgment is rendered.
Four months.
But Jax, what about Zatar?
However...
there is one more thing.
To earn this reprieve,
we must know that what the Zatarian says is true.
Is her conviction pure?
It is.
There is only one way to be sure.
You must stay here... with us.
Ah. Housekeeping is almost ready.
Wait.
Wait, wait, Matta, you don't have to do this.
Surely, there has to be another way.
- I have to do this, Jax. - No.
This is the only way to save Zatar.
No. She doesn't understand.
This is not her destiny. This is my destiny.
I'm the Pandora! Take me, not her!
That may be true,
but you have doubts.
She does not.
It is done.
Jax?
Tell Ralen...
I love him.
Matta, no!
Jax!
Jax! We just heard from Osborn,
the energy field's vanished.
Zatar is safe.
Jax, you did it.
You did, didn't you?
Matta, she... she...
Jax, where is Matta?
Jax, where is my wife?!
She...
I'm so sorry.
- Synced and corrected by martythecrazy - - www.addic7ed.com -
Next time, on Pandora:
I can't believe Matta's gone.
She saved Zatar.
- I thought Matta was dead. - She is.
I am not leaving her again!
Please, professor, we need you for the mission to find the Lost race.
Professor, open the door! Hey!
He's locked himself inside! He's running out of oxygen!
You must come along, Professor.
These are just dreams. Dreams can't hurt you.
Mrs. Duvall, your son has been killed in action.
Mum?
- Synced and corrected by martythecrazy - - www.addic7ed.com -