The Expanse (2015) s03e04 Episode Script

Reload

1 We only have two torpedoes left.
PDC rounds are under 10%.
We're in a war with no bullets.
Maybe now would be a good time for you to tell me why you're here.
I need to send a tight-beam to Admiral Souther on the "Agatha King.
" Secretary Errinwright commissioned Jules-Pierre Mao to manufacture protomolecule hybrid soldiers.
Did you see how Katoa jumped really high? Dr.
Strickland says one day, I might be able to jump like that.
I hope I can.
What we are doing is hard.
We have to be strong.
The experiment is over.
Shut it down.
You're not going to Io to destroy the protomolecule.
You're goi because Earth doesn't have a sample, and you need one to stay in the game.
I need you to lead a salvage mission.
Bring back the "Nauvoo.
" We're gonna retrofit the ship for the Belt.
I'll be addressing the General Assembly.
I want you to help me write it.
Every loss that we inflict on Mars pushes them closer to launch.
- A preemptive strike.
- Yes.
If this doesn't work, millions will die.
Do you know precisely how many lives a leader must sacrifice and still be a good man? As few as possible.
This isn't about defeating Mars.
Eros proved that no one on this planet's safe anymore.
And we need to end this, because we don't know who or what our next enemy is.
Fire.
[WEAPON BLASTING.]
[EXPLOSIONS.]
We have a confirmed launch from target five.
They got one off before we hit them.
[EXPLOSION.]
Total population in the blast zone approximately 2 million.
Didn't need to happen.
If only he hadn't wavered.
[TENSE MUSIC.]
[DRAMATIC MUSIC.]
[INDISTINCT CHATTER.]
Cut terásh fo one thousand meter.
Match vector.
Ready da drone.
[ENGINES ROARING.]
[ROARING STOPS.]
Lansh da drones.
[WHIRRING, CLANKING.]
Du ready da grapple.
- Put us on da deck.
- Yes, sir.
Du sheru da burn sequence.
Let's get im turned.
[ENGINES ROARING.]
[WHIRRING.]
It's this one.
[TORCHES CRACKLING.]
[OMINOUS MUSIC.]
We have secured the "Nauvoo.
" We'll begin retrofit immediately.
[PENSIVE INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC.]
[DRAMATIC MUSIC.]
You okay? I was just wondering if I knew any of these people If I served with them.
We're running on empty.
Yeah.
Half the fleet is hunting our two new passengers, and we're flying into a war zone.
We need a resupply.
By robbing graves.
I feel the same way, but what else can we do? Dead people don't need their stuff.
It's a smart idea, Alex.
Find us a likely candidate.
I don't know how you can stand to wear that thing.
It's the skin of my enemy.
I guess that makes this the skin of my ex.
Naomi gave us these.
They'll let us read newsfeeds, talk to the crew, but no communications beyond the ship.
Didn't they train you to bend people to your will? I can't even make you do what I want, and you're half my size.
[CHUCKLES.]
Look, I'm a shooter, not a spy.
I don't usually solve problems with my people skills.
I solve problems by talking.
I need that open channel to Souther.
But Holden is dead set on staying out of the war.
I'm betting he won't let you issue orders to an admiral over his radio.
I've met his mother.
I get the impression he won't be able to ride the fence for long.
Let's give him a push.
[THRUSTERS HISSING.]
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC.]
[COMPUTER BEEPS.]
The "Kittur Chennamma.
" Fast attack boat.
I've delivered my fair share of ammo to these.
Looks like they were taken out of the fight early.
PDCs weren't even deployed.
[COMPUTER BEEPING.]
This is the one.
This debris field has a few black boxes sending out automated location signals.
We shouldn't hang around here too long.
Then let's work fast.
Secure for docking.
Let's get this done.
Copy that.
Project Caliban is more than just a stable protohybrid supersoldier.
It is also a state-of-the-art weapons delivery system, as the following images show.
Doc, I thought we learned our lessons about leaving tools unsecured in zero G.
Haven't you watched that enough? Amos, they're manufacturing these things, twisting humans into monsters on purpose.
How could you do that to another person? I think you and I had very different childhoods.
The weaponized hybrid is placed inside a fluid suspension pod and then placed inside a delivery vehicle.
Look, I needed to believe if that was Mei on the hull, helping to kill her would be the worst thing that I could ever do.
I don't know if that's true anymore.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC.]
Secure that, and then Cap and I need your help.
Railgun round took out life support and the main water tank.
No oxygen, no way to make more.
Bad day.
But brief.
Okay, guys, you're gonna be coming up to an access panel just about now.
That's gonna put you right beside one of those PDCs.
Copy that.
I guess we just wait.
Hurry up and wait.
I remember that being the essence of my military life.
I'm sorry you're having to see this.
Yeah, well, it's gonna be worse inside.
You know, I'm gonna go and, uh, make something nice for everyone when they get back.
I used to know this fantastic recipe for red kibble.
Red kibble? A Belter staple.
Hot and spicy.
Are you offering to cook? - Yeah.
- I mean, you don't have to.
- I know I don't! - No, no, no.
What I meant was, that's really nice.
Amos.
Almost full! It's a bullet party.
Come on, Doc, let's get to work.
Alex, the ship's drive looked intact.
If we can get the drive online, we can put some distance between us and the rest of the debris while we work.
Already on it.
Let's see if we can't get the "Kittur" to listen.
With the "Razorback" and this junker, we'll have ourselves a convoy.
Ask Naomi to do a full safety check.
Then see if you can fire it up remotely.
Might make the work easier with some lights and gravity too.
Roger that.
[DISTANT POUNDING.]
Everyone stop moving.
What? What's happening? I just felt something.
[POUNDING CONTINUES.]
[POUNDING GROWS LOUDER.]
SOS.
Someone's alive in here.
Where's Holden? I need to talk to him about this comm situation.
What are you doing? We used nearly all our ammunition saving you two.
So they're stripping our dead, and you're okay with this? Nobody asked you.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC.]
Why are they setting up an emergency airlock? Rescue operation.
They might've found some survivors, and if we hadn't been stripping the dead, we wouldn't have.
Blister seal is good.
We're pressurized.
[AIR HISSES.]
[OMINOUS MUSIC.]
Are we too late? [CLANGING.]
[BREATHING SHALLOWLY.]
I knew Mars wouldn't leave us behind.
[INDISTINCT CHATTER.]
I know what you're thinking.
You're wondering, could this have been avoided? Of course I am.
What kind of person would want something like this? Mars wanted it.
They claim we fired first over Ganymede and it was their right.
But this is what they've wanted for decades.
[P.
A.
SYSTEM CHIMES.]
The General Assembly will convene in five minutes.
Please take your seats.
You wrote a wonderful speech.
You should be front and center.
I come before you in a moment of terrible tragedy Carrying, as we all do, the heartbreaking sorrow of our nearly 2 million dead.
But we are also at a singular moment in history.
We have been confronted by the unknown in a way that is unprecedented.
Activity first on Eros, now on Venus.
The unmistakable existence of advanced alien life whose mission and purpose we cannot fathom.
We must not shy away from this or pretend otherwise.
The one thing that we know for certain, the one thing I can offer, is this: humanity has faced the unprecedented before.
We have discovered the unimagined wonders and terrors before.
And through our courage, vision, and faith both through our purpose and in one another we have seen our way through even the darkest nights.
And I am here to tell you from my heart that we will do so again.
[APPLAUSE.]
The first step, that most necessary and fundamental beginning, is for humanity as a whole to recognize that we are one people.
Arguments over faction and party must be set aside so that we can turn our attention to this most pressing mystery.
And that, I must tell you with the greatest sorrow, is the truth that Mars has turned away from.
Given a chance to transcend our history, Mars has instead insisted on what it calls independence, which is actually no more than a justification for war and violence.
It looks upon this terrible and miraculous moment, and they see it as an opportunity to revisit ancient grievances, to get one over on Earth, to score points.
They have lost sight of our shared humanity, and so they must be reminded.
It is our duty, not as the government of Earth but as the moral leaders of our species, to unify our factions, to definitively end the divisions between our planets, to be what we have always been: one race, one human race, under one unified flag, and, together, move forward into this brave new chapter of history.
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE.]
[DRAMATIC MUSIC.]
Thank you for your help.
Is the pod assembly on schedule? Yes, sir.
We'll be ready to turn over the whole system once the "Agatha King" arrives.
I want all the data cores and backups on my shuttle.
Of course.
And prep the children for travel.
They'll all be coming with me.
Sir, I'm I'm afraid that not all of the children survived.
Do I need to specify surviving children? Of course not.
I'll get on it right away, sir.
No other line of research has come close to this level of success.
Unwillingness to shoulder the burden of history.
[KEYPAD BEEPING.]
How are you feeling? Dizzy.
Attempting to reassess.
[COMPUTER BEEPING.]
Take him off the phase-three serum, and prep for biomass infusion.
Yes, sir.
You are doing great.
I think you may have received your last injection.
No more medicine? You don't need it anymore.
You're gonna be fine.
So beautiful.
You certainly are.
[COMPUTER BEEPING.]
I had almost given up, you know? Dust to dust.
I wasn't worried.
We don't leave our people behind.
Yeah.
- Hey, Cap.
- [CLEARS THROAT.]
Officer on deck! Ensign Sinopoli.
Sir, this is Ensign Loftis.
The sleepyhead over here is Ensign Ranhofer, and the lieutenant How's the lieutenant? [CLEARS THROAT.]
I'm sorry, guys.
He didn't make it.
Shit! It's not right.
We lost our command deck right away.
It was cut clean off.
The whole ship was flashing lights and alarms.
Then in one second, all the air was gone.
We were below.
I didn't know what to do.
I forgot every last bit of my training.
The lieutenant grabbed us one by one, shoved us into the compartment, and sealed it up.
We got punchy with the air so thin.
I didn't know the LT was [COMPUTER BEEPS.]
[SIGHS.]
Is he gonna be okay? Uh, yeah.
Yeah, with some time.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC.]
You're out of uniform.
That's a "Tachi" jumpsuit.
This is the "Tachi.
" You're James Holden.
All right, easy easy, guys.
This is a stolen Martian ship.
It's our boat now.
So, what, we're prisoners of war? No, because we're not in this war.
How does that work exactly? You'll get food, medical attention, whatever you may need.
But for now, you're confined to your quarters.
- So we are prisoners.
- You're alive.
And I didn't see a line of Martian ships coming to save you.
Hey, guys, I'm gonna I'm gonna stick around here, make sure our guests are comfortable.
Copy that.
How are they? You're welcome to go in.
Might make them feel better to see one of their own.
I'm not sure they see me that way now.
Mars has instead insisted on what it calls independence, which is actually no more than a justification for war and violence.
It looks upon this terrible and miraculous moment, and they see it as an opportunity to revisit That Belter girl made food.
You hungry? - What? - Food.
You put it in that big hole in your face.
I need to talk to Holden.
Good talk.
[ENGINES WHOOSHING.]
[METALLIC CREAKING.]
How sure are we the ship's reactor isn't gonna blow up? Not very.
The Martian rescue ships will take a dim view of us helping ourselves to their stuff.
Better to get moving when no one's looking.
[OMINOUS MUSIC.]
There's nothing else here.
Mmm.
Our engineer calls this stuff red kibble.
Little bit spicy, but, damn Belter food.
Tell your captain we need to get to a Martian ship - as soon as possible.
- Mm.
Yeah, well, that fight that you all lost out here, that's going on all over the system right now.
Your best bet, ride it out with us, go home after.
If Mars loses this war, there might not be a home left to return to.
Three more soldiers not gonna change that.
A ship might.
Maybe we're not enough to make a difference, but I'm not gonna hide out here while everyone I give a shit about burns back home.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC.]
At least those other two had the decency not to wear that uniform.
Excuse me? I earned the right to wear this long before you were born, junior.
Well guess you're all done, then.
The rest of us our loyalty isn't on a clock.
Look, I did my 20, son, am honorably discharged.
I'm a civilian now.
We're at war! No one's a civilian now.
Okay, all right, kids.
Enough is enough, all right? Settle down.
I said settle down.
[TENSE MUSIC.]
We're taking this ship.
I need full access to the comms so I can send this out to the people who can use it.
No.
I can stop what's happening.
You can't stop anything with a broadcast except us breathing.
Wideband broadcast would light us up on everyone's threat board.
We're too close to the war zone to risk it.
I just saw the UN Secretary-General address the General Assembly.
The man's always been a fucking bobblehead, but tonight I saw something else.
I saw Deputy Errinwright speaking through his mouth.
And that man is not a fool.
With him running this war, it won't end until Earth, Mars, or both are smoking rubble.
And you can fix that with a message? To the right person, yes.
This is Anna Volovodov.
Back in their protestor days, she was his conscience.
She wrote the speech that created his political career.
They share a lot of history.
And she's no stooge of Errinwright.
We said no! We're not sending any messages out.
Why this Anna? Why not the SG himself? They'll be monitoring all UN communications.
But Anna is an outsider with direct access to Sorrento-Gillis.
And Errinwright doesn't own her.
Let me send her this message.
If she brings it to the Secretary-General, it'll show him who his deputy really is.
The distance from Amazonia to Montana is less than what we have traveled since this conversation started.
The longer this goes, the more bombs will fall.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC.]
Please help me stop it.
Find us a router to bounce a tight-beam off of, something that can't be traced back to us.
We'll send it out as quietly as we can.
Thank you for being the man your mother knows you are.
This is how it starts, you know.
We're sending a message, nothing more.
You can't trust her! And I can trust you? I understand what she is.
I'm gonna help Amos with the supplies.
[GRUNTING.]
How many people will be in ops? - I don't know.
- We'll make him go up first.
Alex, can we take a look at the drive balancing real quick? [GRUNTING.]
Sorry.
[GRUNTS.]
- Don't do anything stupid.
- Good advice.
The armory's down there.
Go get as many guns as you can carry, and get back up here.
Tell the ship that we have access.
I can't do that.
The captain has the key for that.
Until we get it, just let me know what you need me to do.
There's no need to hurt anyone.
Lay in a course for Callisto.
Open up comms so I can notify the MCRN that we're gonna rendezvous with the Jupiter fleet immediately.
- Do it now.
- Okay.
But I need to bring my people over from the "Kittur" before I can do any maneuvers.
Just let me call them and The "KC" is flying with us? Yes.
The drive was functional, and we wanted to get it away from the debris field - while we worked on it.
- Doesn't matter! It's junk! Cut it loose! I can't abandon two of my crew.
I know you understand that.
This is starting to feel a little bit ungrateful Ammo.
[DOOR WHIRRING.]
[RIFLE CLICKING.]
[GRUNTING.]
Help! [GRUNTING.]
[PANTING.]
- Sit.
- [GROANS.]
She wasn't kidding.
You know, this ship is running on fumes.
Let me call my people on the "Kittur.
" I can keep them in the airlock if you're worried, but at least I can keep them safe there.
Will it get us to Callisto? It'll be tight, but What the hell is that? Sino, go see if Ranhofer's okay.
I think he's still alive.
[STRAINING.]
Didn't know where the ammo was.
- Put it down! - You first.
Do what he says! I just sent out the master alarm, which means you have between now and whenever my mechanic gets back.
You should believe him on that.
Or maybe I should just shoot this guy.
And then? There's a version of this where nobody shoots anybody.
Let's try for that one.
Hey, fellas.
So what's all the ruckus? Stay right there, big girl.
Okay, I'm gonna give you a pass because you're young and stupid, but keep pointing that thing at me, and I'm gonna take it away from you.
You think you can? That's recon gear, Lofty.
She could force-feed you that gun if she wanted to.
I'd prefer it didn't come to that.
The fact that I didn't shoot you in the head should prove to you we'd rather not kill you.
We? Is that right? Another Martian wearing the uniform but playing for the other side? Shut up! Are you trying to get us killed? Not sure how else this goes! Okay, I get it.
I do.
All your friends are dead, and this feels like a way to honor them.
It feels like you're doing your duty.
- I want - You want to fight the enemy.
I know.
But I learned a while back that the hardest part of this game is figuring out who the enemy really is.
And these guys aren't it.
Look, we tried, okay? This shit, it didn't work.
I don't want to die here.
So what, then? Put fucking the gun down and live to find out.
We'll find another way.
Shit, did I miss it? [APPLAUSE.]
The calls are coming in from everywhere.
Mm-hmm.
By tomorrow, the polls will confirm what we already know, that you have overwhelming public support.
Esteban.
- What the hell was that? - Anna.
No, you twisted my words.
You made me part of everything that I hate - about all of this! - Now, that's not fair.
I can't believe I fell for this again! I am such an idiot.
You snapped your fingers, and I am right back to following you around, mopping up the blood.
What the world needs right now is precisely You don't get to speak to me! Not ever again.
And you didn't need to be his hand puppet.
You could've been better than this.
You should have been more than this.
I used to believe that there was a decent man somewhere inside you buried under all that ambition.
I'm sorry I was so wrong.
[COMPUTER BEEPING.]
That's as much water as we can spare.
Is it enough? Yeah.
That plus the CO tanks we gave them should be enough to get them back to their fleet.
It's nice to be working on something that's easy to repair.
Yeah.
Some things don't get fixed.
I feel like I'm awaiting sentencing.
There's someone I need you to meet.
Why me? Your friend with the gun hurt my feelings.
You seemed to be the most reasonable.
You're Chrisjen Avasarala.
Yes.
The UN Deputy Undersecretary.
This is going to be very tedious if you remain this dim.
I don't understand.
What the hell kind of a ship is this? Right, the tedious version, then.
This war is a lie started by people in my own government, though Mars is not without some blame.
Why why are you telling me this? The only way it can be stopped is out here, away from the politicians.
Yes, I am aware of the irony.
This is why I left.
I needed to find the real enemy before I could fight them.
It's the only way I can do my duty my true duty to Mars.
Okay.
Great.
What exactly is it you're asking me to do? When you rejoin your fleet, I have something I want you to show to your commanding officer.
Tell him it came from me.
Ask him to pass this along to Admiral Souther.
A UNN Admiral.
He is with the 3rd Fleet around Jupiter, where you're headed, I believe.
Wait, so you're letting me rejoin my fleet? We're giving you the "KC.
" It can already fly.
Our people are getting it livable again or, you know, more livable.
Okay, so you want me to go back and tell my CO to hail a UNN admiral in the middle of a war? Yes, exactly.
Or Holden here can space the three of you for being such intolerable idiots.
Honestly, I can go either way.
I'd rather do the first one.
So far, all you've done is wound Alex's pride, which is nothing we can't forgive if you're willing to help us.
So what is this thing that you want me to show them? Time is short, and I'll be brief.
I'm more angry at myself than I am at him.
I knew he was a lying pile of feces before I agreed to come.
Language.
Your daughter's in the next room.
Feces was as nice as I can And sleeping, so volume too.
You turn yours down, 'cause I'm probably gonna yell some more.
You're upset, but I need you to keep it together, because I barely am.
Namonisko, I'm sorry.
[CHUCKLES.]
I'm so wrapped up in my own head, I haven't even asked you how you're doing.
Things at the clinic are going well.
The young man the bishop sent over to handle Sunday worship isn't being booed off the podium.
And millions of people just died in the Amazon, so of course nothing is really okay.
And Nami's too young to understand, but she can tell that I'm scared.
I don't want her to know this that the world can be this bad, that I can't fix it for her.
I'm coming home right now.
[SIGHS.]
I'm glad, if that's the best thing you can be doing right now.
Don't do it for me.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC.]
I have no I have no idea what the best thing is anymore.
Hey, hey, my love I-I haven't changed Anything! I just made it worse.
That can't be true.
You know, if I needed to be humbled, wouldn't having all my hair fall out have done it? This This feels like overkill.
[LAUGHS.]
Believing that God is humbling you using a solar system-wide war feels ironic, at the very least.
[LAUGHS.]
Okay, I love you.
I'm I am coming home.
You are the only thing that I know I'm doing right, and I need that right now.
We need you too.
We love you.
Come home.
I am on my way.
I love you.
[HAND TERMINAL CHIMES.]
Time is short, and I'll be brief.
Martian Defense Minister Korshunov suffered a fatal heart attack earlier this evening.
Simultaneously, the MCRN "Karakum," dispatched by Korshunov to take delivery of your protomolecule technology, was destroyed over Ganymede.
And I gave the order.
And I can give the same order to end your life.
[THRUSTERS HISSING.]
[ENGINES ROARING.]
[GRUNTING.]
Hey.
I just wanted to say thanks for having my back in there, Gunny.
Well, all of our backs, actually.
I mean, that situation could've gone way south if you hadn't shown up when you did.
[BREATHING HEAVILY.]
Couldn't let them kill the only decent cook on this tub.
Ha-ha.
I don't know.
I thought Naomi's kibble stuff was very interesting.
Belter food.
Hey, best be careful saying that on this ship, Marine, 'cause Naomi may be small, but she's tough.
I know those Martians were idiots, but I hope we didn't just kill those three kids.
Oh, no, Naomi knows her shit.
She says that boat's safe, it's safe.
And we didn't lie to them.
We just cut them loose 'cause we thought they could save some lives.
No other reason.
I just hope they can do their part.
- Hey, Sailor.
- Mm? Let's wage a war on that gut.
[CHUCKLES.]
You just can't help yourself, can you? Saving everyone.
You just can't stop yourself.
Thank you.
I'm glad you're okay.
- That seems right.
- I want to see him.
- The answer is no.
- Just for a little bit.
- No, Mei! - Can I see Katoa? No! Please? I already said no! - I need to! - You cannot see him! You're mean.
Ah! [CHUCKLES.]
I'll handle this.
I know the type.
Now, what's going on here, my little friend? I want to see Katoa.
I haven't seen him for a while.
He got sick.
Is he okay? I'll have to ask Dr.
Strickland.
I want to go home.
I want to see my daddy.
Well, you're not well enough to travel.
Can I talk to my dad? That's not possible, because of the war.
I want to talk to Katoa.
If he's going home, he can say hi to my dad for me.
I'll have to ask Dr.
Strickland.
[SIGHS.]
[OMINOUS MUSIC.]
[SIGHS.]
I'll get her.
[WHIMPERING.]
Shh, now.
Everything's fine.
I have you.
I want to see Katoa.
Katoa's in here.
Why do you say that? I saw his nurse go in there.
[KEYPAD BEEPS.]
[KEYPAD BUZZES.]
Bring Strickland to me, now.
Katoa! It's me, Mei! Katoa! Open it.
Now.
Sir, we were so close.
I couldn't in good conscience abandon the test when we were so far along.
Human trials are essential.
[GASPS.]
Bandwidth and distance irrelevant.
Limitations require input redundancy.
Take her.
Dr.
Strickland? I'm sorry.
I feel so weird.
My hands I didn't mean to.
I Inherent to repurposing.
Disassembly reveals useful pathways.
It's all connected.
The boy is talking to the rest of the protomolecule infestations.
You were right to continue.
He's the key to everything.

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