He is the warrior's warrior,
an unstoppable killing machine.
A hero of the Earth-Zatarian War,
your undefeated champion.
Hoo-yah!
We don't know much about this mystery fighter,
but one thing's for sure,
he won't last long against our champion,
so please welcome, and say sayonara to
the Fighting Zatarian!
Zatarians.
I hate Zatarians.
- Synced and corrected by martythecrazy - - www.addic7ed.com -
_
You have everything you need.
What do you need, roomie?
I don't know.
So... I saw Xander in the bar earlier...
alone.
Are you gonna tell me what's going on between the two of you?
Because, one day, you can't keep your mitts off each other,
and the next, you're locked up here in sol...
I really don't want to talk about Xander right now.
Okay.
Thank you.
Can we talk?
Do I have a choice?
It's about Ralen.
What about Ralen?
And you're sure that you have absolutely no idea where Ralen's gone?
No sign of him anywhere. Not even on the datastream.
It's like he completely wiped himself from existence.
He just doesn't want anyone finding him, that's all.
Ralen doesn't know what he wants.
He's in a lot of pain right now.
What are you looking for?
I need to access his recent monetary transactions.
That might give us some idea of where he's been.
How long do you think it'll take you to break that encryption?
Alright, done.
The last transaction he made was 777 credits
being deducted by Tian-V Spaceways three days go.
777 credits? Lucky us.
That exact fare buys passage to only one place in the galaxy.
Las Venus.
Wait. Ralen doesn't seem like the gambling type.
No, but if you want
to leave behind everything you've ever known and start again,
it's a damn good place to start.
Hey, where are you going?
I'm going to find Ralen,
and I expect you to keep this between us, Cadet Annamali.
Yeah, I will...
if I can come with you.
No, I don't think that's gonna happen.
Look, he's my friend, too.
And he needs our help.
Come in.
An "F"?
Do you have any idea how long I studied for this?
- There's no way that I... - Please shut the doorand take a seat.
No, this has to be a mistake, 'cause this is my favorite class and...
The door.
I really feel like I deserved...
an "A". I don't understand.
It's the only way that I could get you to come here
without arousing suspicion.
Now, please, take a seat.
Okay.
What's this about?
How much do you remember about the Sumi Empire?
Mmm... just what I learned in Pevney's class.
Big, warlike,
very "grrrr."
I'm not sure "grrrr"
was the actual adjective Ellison used to describe them,
but I suppose "big, warlike and 'grrrr'"
does seem to do them justice.
Okay, now you're just making fun of me.
Hardly. Your uncle has a mission for you.
- My uncle? - Mm-hmm.
He really left, huh?
Yes, but he's safe.
Out of prison and in the game.
But what does he want from me now?
We have a guest coming to speak on campus this week.
Princess Aleka.
She will be stopping by on Earth on her way back to Sumi,
where she will become the first wife of Prince Oren.
First wife? How many does this guy have?
While she's here,
she will be closely watched by the Sumi Secret Police.
I can't get close to her without arousing suspicion,
but you can, in order to obtain
some vital information for your uncle.
Okay, so, what, so I just bring her a wedding gift?
What do you think?
Oh, my God, you can't be serious.
Have you ever known me to be otherwise?
No.
If there is to be lasting peace,
and we are to survive this reprieve
the Ancients have granted us,
the Sumi will need to be part of it.
In the past, Aleka has been
an excellent intelligence asset for your uncle.
Now she claims she has important information for us
about recent developments in the Empire.
- Any idea what those may be? - No.
That's what we need you to find.
So, are you in or out, Cadet?
_
Stay close.
Las Venus is not the kind of place
you want to be left wandering alone at night.
Once you get away from the resorts,
this place can be pretty dangerous.
Yeah, I noticed.
Those two scary dudes have been following us ever since
we started nosing around asking about a Zatarian.
Yes, thanks for that, Jett. I'm well aware.
What do they want?
If I were to guess, I'd say they want to kill us,
harvest our organs, sell them on the black market.
Sorry I asked.
You're the one that wanted to be here.
Yeah, you'd better run, or we'll mess you up!
Oh, they don't teach that in class.
Yo, Cap, any chance you show me how to do that sometime?
- That was awesome! - No.
Drop it.
I got this!
Xander.
Greg?
Heard you were dead.
Heard you were expelled.
Thanks for that, both of you.
Greg, what the hell are you doing here?
First, we thought you died in the wreckage of the Seahawk.
And then we find out that you're alive and well on Hypatia Prime,
and then you disappear from there only to show up here.
You can't tell Jax anything.
I don't want her to know that you ever even found me.
Jax has been worried sick
about you ever since you disappeared without telling us anything.
She'd be more worried if she knew why.
Fine.
This stays between us.
Yeah. What happens on Las Venus, stays on Las Venus, bro.
- Jett, shut up. - What? Sorry.
Well... after I pushed Jax into the escape pod,
Captain Jaworski and I managed to get off the Seahawk
just in time before it blew up,
but we had no food and we had no rations.
To stay alive, we had to take Ryodyne.
Naturally, I got hooked.
Uh, Ryodyne?
It's a drug.
EarthCom used it covertly during the war to heighten the aggression,
and the abilities of the epinephrine levels of their soldiers.
It also happens to be highly addictive.
After you freed me from the Hypatia Syndicate...
I tried everything to break my addiction,
but nothing worked.
So, if... if you're a... a junkie,
why come to Las Venus?
I mean, it's not exactly a place for rest, recuperation, and detox.
That's a good question.
There's no restrictions on off-book research here,
and I have access to all the experimental drugs that I need.
We, uh, figured we'd make some cash
to pay for what we needed to find a cure.
"We"? Who's "we"?
Lieutenant Commander Cade Collins.
Who's that?
He was the second in command to Jaworski on the Seahawk.
I had the pleasure of meeting the lieutenant
at a hospital on Earth.
He was also desperately trying to kick his Ryodyne addiction,
but no luck.
So, you've been gambling here ever since.
Not exactly.
The lieutenant's been fighting in the arena.
And, as a doctor... of sorts,
I've been keeping him alive.
You... you can't be serious.
Greg, why didn't you call us? We could've helped.
I care for Jax too much.
I didn't want to ruin her perfect life with my problems.
I'm sorry to be the one to tell you, Greg,
but Jax's life is far from perfect,
and you're abandoning her when she needs you the most.
Jax abandoned me!
That's the Ryodyne talking,
not the man who was willing
to give up everything to save the woman that he loved.
And where exactly did that get me?
Greg, where the hell do you think you're going?
Oh, we're done here.
Well, you can't really think we're just going to let you leave
without at least finding out whether or not you're okay.
That's exactly what you're gonna do.
Well, I was taught to never leave anyone behind.
I am not some cadet under your command.
This may be hard for you to accept, but for once
this isn't about you, soldier boy.
Well, that might be true,
but either way, you're coming home with us.
Take a look around the bar.
All of these guys are fighters that I've nursed back to health,
healed their broken bones, patched back up myself.
I give the word,
and they're carrying you out of here on a stretcher.
Either way, you're leaving now.
Okay, okay, okay.
Maybe... maybe we can take this down a notch, boys?
I really didn't come here to get all shot up, Cap.
Like you don't throw paint on the Mona Lisa, right?
- Jett... - What? He gets it.
If you didn't know I was here, why did you come?
For Ralen.
He disappeared from the Academy. We think he's here on Las Venus.
Why the hell would Ralen come to Las Venus?
His wife, Matta? She's dead.
And the grief is driving him crazy.
Look, you obviously don't care about what happens to yourself,
but at least show a little courtesy
and help us find Ralen.
Welcome, Zazie.
Hey, roomie. Where you off to?
Uh, just to the lounge for a drink.
Sweet. With Studly Dolittle?
No, by myself.
Do you want company?
I just need to be alone right now, Zaz.
So you're going to the lounge?
You don't like me very much, do you?
Of course, I like you, Zazie.
I keep trying to reach out and be your friend,
but you're always pushing me away.
I'm sorry.
There's just a lot going on in my life right now
that I can't really talk about.
- Xander? - That's part of it.
I mean, I kind of thought we broke up,
and then we slept together again, so...
I feel you, girl.
Break-up sex can be super confusing.
Yeah, I just don't know where we stand right now.
I mean, I know he still has feelings for me, but...
I don't know if I feel the same, you know?
Sounds like you could really use a friend to talk to.
Yeah, maybe I could.
You don't actually think
you can cure your Ryodyne addiction
with this witch's brew, do you?
Sumi volcano ash and Cronin liver bile?
Gross.
- That's what I'm trying to do. - Let me help.
I can interface with the datastream
and see what I can sleuth out that might be useful.
If Ralen is actually on Las Venus, where would he be?
Probably training or in the arena.
I don't understand.
These are underground fights.
They're outside the jurisdiction of the Confederacy.
They air on the darkstream, and a lot of money changes hands.
This is serious business.
Well, Ralen's a bad-ass, I'd bet on him to win.
The fighters here don't win.
They all lose, eventually.
Unfortunately, Xander's right.
Most of the combatants usually end up badly crippled or worse.
I fix them up if I can.
Well, Ralen's almost definitely here.
Cap, they started taking bets on a Zatarian fighter.
Then we need to find him.
Will you help us, Greg?
I don't think we can do it without you.
Lieutenant's the current champion.
Hasn't lost a match yet.
He's like a sexy grizzly bear. Ooh.
Ryodyne in his system's definitely giving him an edge.
You know, that man is a beast in the arena.
What are the metal collars that they wear around their necks?
Remote-controlled explosive bands.
All the fighters' contracts are owned by rich investors,
mega-corporations.
If you try to leave before the contract's up...
Boom?
Exactly. Boom.
So, even if you manage to cure the Ryodyne addiction,
how do you plan on leaving?
I suppose you haven't thought that far ahead yet.
So, uh... who controls the collars?
Triskelion, the game master,
and whomever owns that fighter's contract.
What about Ralen's contract?
Well, if he just got here, nobody yet.
You'll need to talk to the lieutenant first.
As the current champion, he's responsible for all the fighters.
Wait, wouldn't he recognize you?
I think I have an idea about that.
How'd you get in here?
No, you're not allowed in here. You gotta go. You gotta go.
It's alright. Let them pass.
Khan Sandhu the Fourth.
This is my personal bodyguard, Kojo.
Well, say hello, Kojo.
You look familiar. Have we met before, Kojo?
If we had, I think you'd probably remember it.
You wanna make some memories right now?
Oh! Please, excuse my subordinate.
- Sometime he exceeds his... - Yeah, I can see that.
Now, I was looking to acquire one of your fighters
- from a Mr. Triskelion. - If he's any good.
All the good ones are expensive.
Well, my handsome, rugged friend,
I did not work so hard inheriting my daddy's fortune
not to spend it.
This one seems fit enough.
Yes, he shall do nicely.
Hmm. If you wanna spend all your money on a Zat,
that's your business.
Once Triskelion sees him fight in the arena tomorrow,
he's gonna set a price.
Until then, you enjoy yourself in Las Venus, Mr. Sandhu.
Well, what if he dies in the arena?
He's no good to us dead.
Well, in that case, your boss has saved himself a lot of money.
You two, with me. Back to practice.
- We need to get you out of here. - You should not have come.
We came to help you, Ralen.
You proceed from a false assumption, Captain Duvall.
I am exactly where I need to be.
Look, we know that you're in pain...
You know nothing of my pain!
Is that so?
You think you're the only one who's ever lost someone?
Matta made a sacrifice for all of us. It was her choice.
Say another word about her, and I will kill you where you stand.
In case you had not noticed, life is cheap here.
Guys, come on.
Can't we talk about this like reasonable men?
Aliens, sorry. Whatever.
I appreciate you both being here.
I know you come with honorable intentions,
but I assure you,
I'm not going anywhere.
? You don't make it easy ?
? I don't want to feel this but I know ?
? Your shadow won't leave me ?
? Now I'm keeping secrets alone ?
You wanna crash a party?
- Heck yeah. - Great.
? How much you meant to belong ?
? I thought I was dreaming ?
? You came out this evening alone ?
? And I wake up in the morning ?
Uh-uh.
Back.
? I don't remember ?
Hello.
Impressive...
- for a human. - Ah.
I see you've already met.
You could say that.
Allow me to make a formal introductions.
Princess Aleka of Clan Sumix,
please meet one of my finest students, Cadet Jax Zhou.
Hi, I'm Zazie, Jax's friend,
and one of Shral's less finer students.
It was a pleasure to meet you.
Maybe I'll see you around campus?
Rest assured.
We will indeed see each other again soon, Jax Zhou.
He is the warrior's warrior,
an unstoppable killing machine.
A hero of the Earth-Zatarian War,
your undefeated champion.
We don't know much about this mystery fighter,
but one thing's for sure,
he won't last long against our champion,
the Fighting Zatarian!
Zatarians.
I hate Zatarians.
Is that what you want?!
You wanna see him killed? Huh?!
Do you want me to kill him?
You don't wanna do this, Lieutenant!
It's been a long time since I've killed a Zatarian.
Come on!
Back, back! Stop it!
Enough!
This match is terminated.
This behavior is unacceptable.
I will tell you what is unacceptable!
You letting my fighter die in the ring
before I even have a chance to buy his contract!
He's not your fighter.
I sold him to someone else.
To who?
Greetings, son.
This Zatarian.
Father?
He fetched quite the price, Kojo.
Or do you prefer Xander Duvall of EarthCom?
Look, let him go.
Tomorrow there will be a re-match,
and there will be no interruptions!
What are your intentions, Salazen?
My intentions, Mr. Duvall?
I intend to watch my traitorous son
die in the arena tomorrow.
You should watch too.
I imagine it will be quite entertaining.
Jax Zhou.
I told you we'd see each other again.
What do you want, Aleka?
That's not really what you want to ask me, is it?
Have you come to try and kill me?
Honesty. Wonderful.
No, I'm not here to try and kill you.
You showed me your back earlier.
If you were a second wife, you'd be dead by now.
I'm no one's wife.
And if I was, I'd be the only.
You would never live that long.
What do you want?
You intrigue me, Little One.
You're not at all what I expected.
And what exactly did you expect?
Someone older.
You seem a little young
to be one of Donovan Osborn's most trusted assets.
Well, you seem a little young to be one of his informants.
I am no informant.
I do this for the good of the Sumi Empire.
I believe the future can be better for all races,
but the only way that that's gonna happen
is if we learn to live together in peace.
I suppose you find that rather naive.
Quite the contrary, actually.
I believe the same thing.
Do you have this intel for me or what?
All business.
Can I not have a moment to enjoy the night before my wedding
with a beautiful girl who doesn't want to kill me first?
The night is young.
You got a few broken ribs.
They'll need some time to heal
before you have a chance to break them again.
Thank you for your help, Doctor, but I will be just fine.
So, about that family reunion?
Your father, he seems charming.
Why exactly has he not taken you back to your home planet yet?
My father believes I betrayed the Zatarian people
when I assisted EarthCom against the Protector attack.
Whatever he's up to, it is not to help me.
Now, I must go. I have a fight to train for.
Uh, Collins will kill you, you know.
If that is my destiny, then I accept it.
Ralen, we weren't at the Academy together very long,
but, whether you want to admit it or not,
we were friends.
I suppose you could call it that.
So, tell me, as your friend,
why are you here?
Why are you here?
I suppose that's fair.
The truth is, is that I'm running away.
You know, doctors take this oath:
"do no harm,"
but we never really think that it applies to ourselves.
We spend our entire lives
looking at other people's wounds
just so we don't have to look at our own.
What you're doing,
it's not running away.
It's suicide.
So you think I'm trying to kill myself, Doctor?
Whether that's what you're trying to do or not,
it's what's gonna happen.
Unless you do something about it.
Now, look, uh...
from what I could tell,
Matta was very special to you.
Do you really think this is how she'd want you to check out?
It's beautiful.
Is this your house on Sumix?
Yes, the simulation is remarkably accurate.
Hmm.
It's a perfect recreation of the royal palace,
where I will live with Prince Oren and his other two wives.
What is it with you Sumi anyway?
- The second wife kills the first? - Or the third.
A bit complicated for the addled human mind to comprehend.
So I understand your confusion.
But why do you do it?
Why do you guys kill each other?
Because we are weak.
Not exactly how I'd describe the Sumi women.
Our society is ruled by men.
They rule as all insecure rulers do:
they pit those beneath them against each other.
So, instead of banding together and demanding equality,
our culture gives us meaningless rewards for killing our sisters.
Refuse, and you simply become a corpse more quickly.
"May your wedding dress not be your funeral shroud."
That is what my father will say to me,
as he gives me to my husband.
But... I will not be easy to kill.
I'm sorry.
I can't.
I have someone.
What's that got to do with anything?
I'm just saying, you and me, it can't happen.
Not right now, anyways.
Of course, it cannot.
I'm to be joined this week.
And by the time you realize how you feel about someone,
I'll likely be dead.
What would the other wives do
if they found out you were consorting with the enemy?
Let us strive not to find out.
"I show you my back."
Tonight, I will have my back tattooed.
- What will it say? - It is a very private thing.
Once I am married,
I will never show my back to anyone again,
lest they plant a knife in it.
Cap, we got good news.
You've convinced Salazen to give up Ralen's contract?
Uh, no. But we think we might have found a way
to treat Greg and Collins' Ryodyne affliction.
That actually is very good news.
If Ralen were to go into the ring
with a Ryodyne-fueled Collins, he may not come out.
It's not a cure, but Jett did manage to find a Cronin vaccine
that should suppress the more aggressive
and, more importantly, homicidal tendencies.
- When can we administer treatment? - Almost immediately.
- Almost? - First, we need to hit the bar.
You're joking, right?
Not exactly.
The last of the ingredients includes a type of distilled liquor
that has been matured and heated to produce phenolic aldehydes
that can only be found in alcohol.
Not to mention we need to celebrate my total genius
and inspired scientific acumen.
Sure, that too.
- ? God I'm good ? - Shall we?
Mine's a whiskey.
Alright. Wait, wait, wait.
Let me see if I got this straight.
All three of you were in love with Jax?
It's complicated.
Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Oh, my God.
You know what this calls for?
- Hey, Jaxie! - Greg?
Oh, my God! Where have you been? I've been so worried about you!
He is with me.
Getting, as you humans say "totally..."
Snookered.
Xander, what are you doing with Ralen and Greg?
That's on a need-to-know basis.
And you don't need to know.
- What is that that you're wearing? - Oh, you like it?
More like what she's not wearing.
- Jett? What are you doing with them? - Damn, Jax...
- Shut up, Jett. - Yeah.
That's a long story.
You guys have no idea how much I miss you.
And how much I need you all here.
We miss you. I... I miss you.
I can't do this alone.
You all know how much is at stake. I need you all back here.
Except for Jett, him not so much.
That was unnecessary.
Anyway, guys, I have to go.
I'm so sorry. I have to meet someone.
Hey, uh, Jax?
- I just wanted to say, um... - Yo, Greg.
You are the greatest girl a guy ever blew up in a spaceship for.
I would say I wish you were here, but we're all rather inebriated,
and the bar smells quite odd,
so it's probably best that you're not.
Xander. Say something.
Um...
You make me smile.
And that's all I have. You make me smile. You...
I think that went rather well.
You got your tattoo, didn't you?
- "You are my sister." - What does it mean?
I intend to show my back to all the other wives.
They'll kill you.
Or, we'll start a revolution.
It's a risk I'm willing to take.
We can accept the worlds as they are,
or we can try and change them.
To what we hope they can be.
You understand, Little One.
More than you know.
Thank you.
For what?
I was beginning to lose my faith.
In what?
Everything.
Maybe that's why they sent you to me.
- Osborn? - No. No.
Not Osborn.
I'm sorry, Aleka.
If only things were different.
How dare you disturb me
on this most sacred day!
_
Are you certain of this?
_
What will you do with her?
_
The Prince will surely hear of this insult.
_
Alright, this little cocktail should remove
the last effects of the Ryodyne in your system.
I will not have you take my power and strength...
No!
Is he dead?
I've lived in a perpetual haze for so long.
I can finally see through my own eyes
for the first time in a long time.
Thank you.
All of you.
It's good to have you back, lieutenant.
All that I feel...
is regret and shame for what I've done to your people.
And to you.
War is a cruel thing to fill our hearts with hate,
instead of love.
It is unfortunate that we will still have
to face each other in the arena.
What do you mean?
Our match, it will resume tonight.
You boys are the talk of the quadrant.
A lot of bets have been placed down.
Triskelion is salivating at the idea of the rematch.
And with these collars around our necks, we can't escape.
At least, not with our heads intact.
Talking of those collars, what have you got for me, Jett?
We need a way to get off this planet, all of us.
Cap, I got nothing.
Come on, Ralen's dad wouldn't really let his son die in the arena,
would he?
Would he?
I know what must be done.
Lieutenant Collins...
you are going to have to kill me.
I need your help. They have your friend.
Who has her?
Faro-Ron, the Sumi Secret Police.
- What do they want with Jax? - It does not matter.
What matters is that if we do not stop them,
you will never see Jax alive again.
Hi. This is my room.
_
No!
Hey!
What are you doing?
- It's what must be done. - But it's murder!
It's survival.
And it's our way.
It's okay, Jax.
You're safe.
Where's Aleka?
She's gone, but...
she asked me to give you this.
Thank you, Zazie.
Thank you for helping me.
You were really there when I needed you.
What are friends for, right?
I'm sorry I haven't always been there for you,
but I promise you, moving forward, I will be.
I know what it's like to feel alone.
That's really sweet, Jax.
And, don't worry, I'm going.
I know you want your privacy.
Bye.
By the time you see this, I will be on my way home to be joined.
On this data cube is everything which Osborn asked for,
which proves that the Sumi
are behind the pirate incursions in the Outer Rim.
If they can peel off these colonies from EarthCom,
my people will move in and take these worlds,
and these resources, for themselves.
But we are getting help from someone on Earth.
I do not know who.
This you will have to find out for yourself.
My wedding dress will probably be my funeral shroud,
but I shall try my best to make a difference.
Jax Zhou,
I show you my back.
And you are my sister.
It's done.
I've done everything you asked for, Tierney.
Well done.
Now it's almost time to come in from the cold.
So, go back to Jax,
and Eve and I will see you soon.
And one last thing, Little One.
Don't trust your friend Zazie with your back.
This is the galactic brawl of the millennia we are witnessing,
as once again an EarthCom hero and a vile Zatarian soldier
meet in deadly combat on the field of battle!
Ave, morituri te salutant,
Lieutenant.
What did Ralen say?
It's Latin.
It's what the gladiators used to say in ancient Rome...
just before they died in the ring.
Ralen!
? I tell you it isn't true ?
? Say it isn't over ?
? Pray it isn't true ?
Come on!
Greg!
? I'm talking with the ghost of you ?
? Say it isn't over ?
? No ?
- Synced and corrected by martythecrazy - - www.addic7ed.com -
Next time, on Pandora:
I was wondering when you'd finally pay me a visit.
Brace yourselves! This is gonna be a bumpy landing!
Drop your weapons.
Our ship was shot down by Sumi pirates. We need your help.
You need our help?
We've been waiting for help from EarthCom for months now.
- This can't be good. - Soon we're gonna have company.
Sumi marauders. I wonder what they'll give us for you.
I'm so sorry for what happened to you. We only wanted to help.
We want the same thing, believe me.
Really? And what is that?
To save the universe from destruction.
- Synced and corrected by martythecrazy - - www.addic7ed.com -